> I equate this with the shift in games, where earlier games simply gave you a good control system and let you figure things out, where as now, its more about ensuring that the player has a good experience by gently nudging them towards a goal.

A bit off topic, but I always see this mentioned when it comes to modern gaming, but fail to see the evidence.

Older games came with instruction manuals (Nintendo had the most exquisite ones and they always came in color). When I was a kid, I would voraciously read it on the way home, heightening my anticipation for the ride home. Although I do wish more opening tutorials were optional and not tied into a game's story

Modern games are more mechanically complex, period. Compare the control system in Nier: Automata to any pre 3D Legend of Zelda game (or any other game really). Letting you figure things out would is an exercise in frustration. One example of this is the Dark Souls series which is more hands off. Every new game in the series, I have to go online to look up the controls, power attacks, etc. for every new game in the series and spend 4439 deaths getting the parry timing down. It's frustrating and breaks immersion. Having a npc sparring partner to hone your parrying instead of the enemy who kills you with two hits would have me from breaking a couple of controllers in frustration.Also, often times you can turn off the hand-holding by turning off UI/HUD elements in the options (this is the way to play Assassin's creed)

What I think has happened is that yersteryear's easy difficulty is the default normal, normal the default hard, etc. I feel that a lot of reviewers don't do games justice when they base it on easy or normal mode. In good games, the higher difficulties often require a higher level of tactics and more diverse gameplay. If you haven't played Halo on Legendary mode, you haven't really played Halo because you miss out on the brilliance of the set pieces and the increased tactical complexity required to survive. If you play the Last of Us on normal, the preponderance of ammo breaks the immersion and mood of the game. Same goes for Horizon: Zero Dawn...if you're not playing on the hardest level, you don't ever need to employ advanced tactics to take down/hunt the machines...no need to lay traps, plan out your attacks, etc. It especially becomes a very different game.

The Uncharted series, the Last of Us, the Bayonetta series, Horizon: Zero Dawn, etc. all have controls that, IMO, are superior to (or at least equal) older games