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Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by noobiemcfoob on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @08:59AM (#20514754)
Eh, Breath of the Wild notwithstanding, I haven't found a game, indie or AAA, that scratched that old itch in years. There is a glut of games, for sure, with no easy way to filter them and no promise of a game I will actually enjoy.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by tibbon on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:02AM (#20515930)
Sure enough (and I've wondered how much of this is just getting older), over time I find fewer and fewer games to be worth my time. BotW has indeed been an exception; but I still can't get into it quite as deeply as some of my friends who are a little younger. It's a great game, but I cannot find myself compelled to try to find every Korok seed, or beat every shrine. I think I started gaming before there was the idea of being a "completionist"

The only game I've found in the past few years that made me really feel like I did when I was 8-17 is Divinity Original Sin 2. It's Baldur's Gate, but honestly better (BG hasn't aged amazingly if you really go back and play it. It's good, but we've learned a lot in 20 years). And the multiplayer is amazing, and lets you feel like you're playing AD&D with friends.

Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by projektir on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @12:02PM (#20516585)
This, to me, sounds personal.

There are wonderful games being made and I even found new titles to call my favorites as the years go by. I do not at all believe games are getting worse.

That being said, there are a lot more games now and there's less hard curation, and some genres have shifted (RTS and classic style MMORPGs are both dormant atm).

Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by criddell on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @09:53AM (#20515254)
Katamari and Portal are the last games that really had me thinking about playing even when I wasn't playing them. I wish those games had additional levels to buy.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by asark on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @10:22AM (#20515561)
You might like:

The Talos Principle — Basically Portal but... different. Physics, timing, & world-affecting-zappy-device puzzles. No actual portals but it's pretty similar. A "there's more going on" story. Quite good.

The Witness — Myst-like I guess? In that you're exploring an island and solving puzzles and piecing together a story, kinda. But the puzzles are all variations on one sort. Elements get added, things get weird, lateral thinking becomes necessary. It's good.

Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by rhinoceraptor on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @10:46AM (#20515794)
The Talos Principle really had me thinking about it when not playing. I halfway thought I was going to hear a voice when I got on the elevator at work.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by AstralStorm on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @01:15PM (#20517341)
Puzzle games, especially good ones, are relatively rare, that's the problem. They're one shot, easy to spoil... And then there is a risk that the puzzle will turn out too hard.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by criddell on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @10:54AM (#20515873)
Thank you for the suggestions. I'll check out both of those.

Edit: Just bought Talos for the PS4! Once again, thanks! When I'm done with it, I'll check out Witness.

Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by austinsharp on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:06AM (#20515970)
I'll second The Witness as a great game. Very different, and beautifully designed.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by x0 on Thursday July 25, 2019 @01:06AM (#20522716)
Stephen's Sausage Roll is great little puzzle game I've spent hours playing. Not an easy game by any means, but it's easy to get lost in it & kill a few hours. The puzzles have no time component, which is great, I'm not a fast thinker so timers just annoy me.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by breischl on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @10:40AM (#20515748)
There was Portal 2, which was pretty fun.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by Goronmon on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @09:37AM (#20515102)
There is a glut of games, for sure, with no easy way to filter them and no promise of a game I will actually enjoy.

Has there ever been a time of the "promise of a game I will actually enjoy"?

Back in the day all you had was rare magazine articles, and one wall of a Toys R Us with flaps consisting of the front of the box on one side and the back of the box on the other.

I'm not sure I see that as preferable to the modern situation.

Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by noobiemcfoob on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @10:18AM (#20515522)
It wasn't so much a promise however long ago as much as a lot of MBA-style thought had yet to be put into the monetization strategy. The games that were made tended to be made for artistic and entertainment motivations over a boardroom identified market niche that is somehow the exact same niche filled by every other game.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by larrydag on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @09:04AM (#20514797)
Steam has scratched my itch. I too used to game a lot but growing a family takes time and resources. Steam allows me to play on my time and play with my kids. There is a lot to offer from the Indie community.
Re:The video game industry can't go on like this by darepublic on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @09:32AM (#20515057)
You should play Cuphead