The casualization of gaming.

Gotta be that guy.

Yes, as some of you know, I am not a very happy gamer lately.

2014 will go down, in my humble opinion, as one of the worst years in gaming I have experiences.

This year question how the games like Destiny or a games like Watch_Dogs, contenders of being some of the most overhype shit ever, get these insane sale numbers. I mean, we get non-existence stories, shallow gameplay, graphics that I wouldn't be surprised would run on a original Xbox (with rare exception going to Density, I mean, Destiny.) Some of this stuff we knew BEFORE the game was even released. I rented both Destiny and Watch_Dogs. Hated Watch_Dogs and though I didn't hate Destiny, I can't understand where the 500 million went to. Most likely ads to to give to gaming journalism.

Yeah a 7 game (by some of these reviewers in fact) getting press coverage like it's the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ! Doesn't sound paid off to me.

I don't even need to judge the rest of year for my contender for GOTY. That honor goes to Wasteland 2 for giving me a game that doesn't insult me or try to nickel and dime before it's release (looking at you Shadow of Mordor or Borderlands). Also Wasteland 2 was probably the first game on Kickstarter that felt like it was worth the investment from those backers. I was going to put South Park: The Stick of Truth as GOTY, but that game is more like Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest with pussy and dicks jokes and actually good.

But I think we realize that this isn't the only year. I think since 2007, gaming has reach a low point of games being "mainstreamed" for no good reason. Even good games like Skyrim seem to be more mainstreamed with removal of the class system and toned down difficulty.

Games just seem easier and simplified. I get companies want Call of Duty numbers. But you don't have to be Call of Duty. Don't believe me? Look at GTA V and RDR. Skyrim would have still sold like cocaine on the side of your local projects if you let it be (with add features of course).

So what do you think. You think gaming is being set for casuals or you think old Empire here is just being a some nut. (Which I already am, but that is not the point)?

Writing the year off would be a mistake; yes, we get that you didn't like Destiny, Watch Dogs or Titanfall (all of which are 7/10 games at least if you're being honest) but how about the likes of The Evil Within, Wolfenstein, Diablo III, Bayonetta 2, Alien Isolation, Shadows of Mordor, Forza Horizon 2, the new Smash Bros, but that doesn't include the stuff that hasn't been released yet, like Assassins Creed Unity / Rogue, Far Cry 4, Call of Duty (which actually does look different this year!) the Halo MC Collection, and Dragon Age Inquisition.

There's been nothing truly ground breaking, no, but all of the above have offered hours of entertainment to a variety of people. If you want something that doesn't pander to the casual market, check out Dark Souls II.

I have actually had a ton of fun playing shitloads of games from this year and it's because I actually go out of my way to find games that interest me and not fucking worry about what is and isn't mainstream. Yes, it will annoy me when I see something like Destiny and Watch Dogs get more praise than something like Bayonetta 2 or Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, but it's fucking silly to get mad about gaming being set for casual players when there are plenty of games out there that don't appeal to them.

Hell, I'd say games like Borderlands and Destiny aren't based for casuals, because by nature they are grindy fucking games which require massive time investments to get through and do bonus content on. Acting like the way for video games is being set for people who play them casually is dumb, there are just as many if not more out there which are fitted for either both or hardcore players and in general are a lot of fun. In fact I can give a list of games I feel which were fantastic games I played this year or at least fun.

Niddhogg, Bravely Default, Both Danganronpas, MGSV: Ground Zeroes, Lightning Returns, Blazblue CP, Mario Golf, USFIV, Akiba's Trip, Shovel Knight, Theatrhythm Curtain Call, Arcana Heart 3 Love Max, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Smash 4, and Bayonetta 2.

This is not counting other games I am excited for like Smash 4 Wii U, Kingdom Hearts 2.5, Project Diva F 2nd, and Guilty Gear Xrd.

I have purchased more good games in the year than bad ones and that's a good time for me. I've never felt tricked or lied to because I do thorough research on the games I plan to buy (Unless they're dirt fucking cheap) and don't buy bad games unless I feel they're bad enough to peak my interest. There are like maybe three games I bought this year that I didn't like and I knew buying them they'd be bad and was hoping that I was wrong and the game would actually be good, nope, but hey it's my own fault at that point.

There are just many shitty games which aren't made for casual players (Killer Instinct, Ninja Gaiden Yaiba, DBZ Battle of Z, Strider, Killer Is Dead, and Mind Zero) that came out this year too. Video games are not some flux creation which remain in one state until someone pisses in the ether, there are always different kinds of things being made. Some appeal to one group, some appeal to another, and some are just people trying to make a fucking video game and be glad that anyone enjoys it. Yes, they have become more marketed to hell in recent years, but that means ultimately nothing at the end of the day other than certain companies feel necessary to splurge on a marketing budget more. Popular games will sell more at the end of the day, but that does not carry the games industry as a whole.

I think the issue here is you've just not managed to find some good games to play. That's on you, not the industry as a whole, because they are definitely there to be found. Two games I've really enjoyed this year are The Banner Saga and Divinity: Original Sin. Now, I've not finished the later, and it certainly has a few issues, but over-all it's a fun game, and I don't think it necessarily relies on co-op to be fun. The Banner Saga is a really pretty game with a great soundtrack and actual moral dilemmas, which is about Vikings. Vikings.

Neither of those games are what you'd describe as casual.

Now if you do actually want to talk about the 'casualisation of gaming', then I think you first need to distinguish between 'accessible' and 'casual'. Games are certainly becoming more accessible, and this is a good thing, as the market is growing and the hobby is being seen as more and more mainsteam. Do note that making a game more accessible does not necessarily remove depth from the experience at upper levels of play.

If games being 'casual' is not merely about accessibility, then what is it about? Why is it a bad thing? Why are games that aren't made for you specifically the worst things in the world?

This will likely sound much harsher then i'm intending, but just because you noticed something doesn't mean its new. Crappy games always sell well. I think you're forgetting that transition years in terms of consoles is always awful to generally speaking. I think the other issue is you're not particularly informed. There's been a lot of good releases this year people just haven't been buying them, but hasn't that always been the case.

Even if you're going to insult Destiny, by all counts it sounds like a much better game then CoD so isn't that a step forward? Also although I don't own one the Wii U had some decent games this year and a couple coming.

If you're going to complain about the casulization of gaming surely talking about how people pretend their not buying a console and then go for a £600 phone so they can do important things like receive e-mails while working in McDonalds, when really it comes to them having a gaming device on the go to play angry birds on, but it looks like there just on the phone. I find that more depressing.

Baal wrote:

Yes, it will annoy me when I see something like Destiny and Watch Dogs get more praise than something like Bayonetta 2 or Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

For what it's worth both Destiny and Watch Dogs were generally given average to slightly above average scores and Bayonetta 2 is being heralded as one of the best character action games ever. It's doomed to bad sales anyway because people hate the Wii U and it's a Platinum game but that's besides the point.

SimianWonder wrote:

Writing the year off would be a mistake; yes, we get that you didn't like Destiny, Watch Dogs or Titanfall (all of which are 7/10 games at least if you're being honest) but how about the likes of The Evil Within, Wolfenstein, Diablo III, Bayonetta 2, Alien Isolation, Shadows of Mordor, Forza Horizon 2, the new Smash Bros, but that doesn't include the stuff that hasn't been released yet, like Assassins Creed Unity / Rogue, Far Cry 4, Call of Duty (which actually does look different this year!) the Halo MC Collection, and Dragon Age Inquisition.

Destiny is a 6 for me. Titanfall might be a 7 since that probably was honest since day one. Watch_Dogs is a 4.5.

The games you mention are all great examples of games (besides Diablo III, because fuck Diablo III. Can go straight back to hell).. Funny that games like Shadow of Mordor or Bayonetta 2 are games that look actually fun. I am only avoiding SOM now because of that DAMN SEASON PASS (Seriously guys? I just wait for a steam sale to pick the game and DLC for a price that would save me more than your petty season pass). Bayonetta 2 scores and reviews I seen are shocking because of have praised it get. I might get it.

Far Cry 4? How about Blood Dragon 2. I don't want a wash down action movie in a jungle with the most overrated villains ever (seriously, I don't want to hear how "great" FC3 villian was. HE WAS TERRIBLE) turned into a video game for the 4th time. I want 80s cheese fest with power metal like Blood Dragon. (Also Blood Dragon has the greatest tutorial ever! MAKE THAT GAME!)

I gave up on COD after Black Ops and this year, I am officially done with the Assassin Creed's series. Games got way too stale.

Baal wrote:

I have actually had a ton of fun playing shitloads of games from this year and it's because I actually go out of my way to find games that interest me and not fucking worry about what is and isn't mainstream. Yes, it will annoy me when I see something like Destiny and Watch Dogs get more praise than something like Bayonetta 2 or Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, but it's fucking silly to get mad about gaming being set for casual players when there are plenty of games out there that don't appeal to them.

Don't get me wrong, I do that too. I don't worry about mainstream games and I do agree that games like Wasteland 2 and others need way more praise than Density or Watch_Dogs. But if those games are getting attention, I am going to judge extremely harshly on them if they fail to meet up. Boy did they FUCK UP.

Baal wrote:

Hell, I'd say games like Borderlands and Destiny aren't based for casuals, because by nature they are grindy fucking games which require massive time investments to get through and do bonus content on. Acting like the way for video games is being set for people who play them casually is dumb, there are just as many if not more out there which are fitted for either both or hardcore players and in general are a lot of fun. In fact I can give a list of games I feel which were fantastic games I played this year or at least fun.

I disagree with this. Borderlands and Destiny can appeal to the casual. Destiny especially. Grinding does turn off a lot of people and might keep the casual away. But being grindy doesn't mean it can't be casual. Actually, funny thing about Borderlands and Destiny. I always find myself looking at Destiny as if Halo and Borderlands fucked and had a child that failed to be Planetside 2.

Baal wrote:

Niddhogg, Bravely Default, Both Danganronpas, MGSV: Ground Zeroes, Lightning Returns, Blazblue CP, Mario Golf, USFIV, Akiba's Trip, Shovel Knight, Theatrhythm Curtain Call, Arcana Heart 3 Love Max, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Smash 4, and Bayonetta 2.

This is not counting other games I am excited for like Smash 4 Wii U, Kingdom Hearts 2.5, Project Diva F 2nd, and Guilty Gear Xrd.

Going to be that asshole and say that really? USFIV? I feel like the Street Fighter series has turned casual. And that should have been hardcore and MLG levels of greatness! Not saying making a game appeal to a larger audience is bad, but you gotta admit that some of things add into SFIV and it's re-released seem to be aiming for the casual kiddies.

Baal wrote:

I have purchased more good games in the year than bad ones and that's a good time for me. I've never felt tricked or lied to because I do thorough research on the games I plan to buy (Unless they're dirt fucking cheap) and don't buy bad games unless I feel they're bad enough to peak my interest. There are like maybe three games I bought this year that I didn't like and I knew buying them they'd be bad and was hoping that I was wrong and the game would actually be good, nope, but hey it's my own fault at that point.

I am the opposite. I been playing turd after turd. And that is not even counting the three games.

Baal wrote:

There are just many shitty games which aren't made for casual players (Killer Instinct, Ninja Gaiden Yaiba, DBZ Battle of Z, Strider, Killer Is Dead, and Mind Zero) that came out this year too. Video games are not some flux creation which remain in one state until someone pisses in the ether, there are always different kinds of things being made. Some appeal to one group, some appeal to another, and some are just people trying to make a fucking video game and be glad that anyone enjoys it. Yes, they have become more marketed to hell in recent years, but that means ultimately nothing at the end of the day other than certain companies feel necessary to splurge on a marketing budget more. Popular games will sell more at the end of the day, but that does not carry the games industry as a whole.

Oh god, don't even remind of Killer Instinct. That game gave me diabetes. And I though Capcom was bad with DLC fighters.

I don't even need to be told the story. Popular games will sell more, but you can be popular and good.

Superbuu3 wrote:

This will likely sound much harsher then i'm intending, but just because you noticed something doesn't mean its new.  Crappy games always sell well.  I think you're forgetting that transition years in terms of consoles is always awful to generally speaking.  I think the other issue is you're not particularly informed.  There's been a lot of good releases this year people just haven't been buying them, but hasn't that always been the case.  

Be harsh. I like when people don't treat people like babies and be honest. I like that about you SuperBuu. Respect more for that. Just don't take it too far. Maybe I didn't do much research this year. I usually do, but I might of given up half way through the year. I hate myself for that sometimes.

Superbuu3 wrote:

Even if you're going to insult Destiny, by all counts it sounds like a much better game then CoD so isn't that a step forward?  Also although I don't own one the Wii U had some decent games this year and a couple coming.

That isn't saying much. That like saying a piece of crap with sprinkles is better than just a piece of shit. But to completely fair, COD doesn't have that pressure of being 500 million dollar MMOFPS that is expected to be the next grand step in gaming. Am I am giving COD my compliments? No, that game deserves to burn with Activision. But with COD with Kevin Spacey is a guaranteed seller. I am hoping it does worse than Ghost, but it probably won't. Fuck me.

Superbuu3 wrote:

If you're going to complain about the casulization of gaming surely talking about how people pretend their not buying a console and then go for a £600 phone so they can do important things like receive e-mails while working in McDonalds, when really it comes to them having a gaming device on the go to play angry birds on, but it looks like there just on the phone.  I find that more depressing.

Don't even dare call that casualization of gaming. Because the words "gaming" and "phone' shouldn't even be in the same god damn sentence. EVER

Skipio wrote:

I think the issue here is you've just not managed to find some good games to play. That's on you, not the industry as a whole, because they are definitely there to be found. Two games I've really enjoyed this year are The Banner Saga and Divinity: Original Sin. Now, I've not finished the later, and it certainly has a few issues, but over-all it's a fun game, and I don't think it necessarily relies on co-op to be fun. The Banner Saga is a really pretty game with a great soundtrack and actual moral dilemmas, which is about Vikings. Vikings.

Neither of those games are what you'd describe as casual.

Now if you do actually want to talk about the 'casualisation of gaming', then I think you first need to distinguish between 'accessible' and 'casual'. Games are certainly becoming more accessible, and this is a good thing, as the market is growing and the hobby is being seen as more and more mainsteam. Do note that making a game more accessible does not necessarily remove depth from the experience at upper levels of play.

If games being 'casual' is not merely about accessibility, then what is it about? Why is it a bad thing? Why are games that aren't made for you specifically the worst things in the world?

Games can be find, but that is becoming harder and harder. I am scared gaming will turned into the hunt for the Holy Grail. Which the Holy Grail might be easier to find than a good game if gaming becomes worse.

There is nothing wrong with games being accessible. I don't want every video game to be like Wasteland 2 (that game was hell to get through. But in a good way, unlike the overrrated Dark Souls 2). But things like removal of features,or being something different for the purposes of getting sales? That is casualization. Basically, anything that wants COD sales and tries to be COD (unless you're Rockstar because Rockstar doesn't need it).

Games like Civ 5 is accessible. Civ 1-4 where complicated as hell and even some hardcore gamers have time struggling. 5 fixed the game to feel easier, but without the need of removing strategy or fun. That is accessible. Accessiblity isn't a bad thing as long it's not insulting.

Actually, got a better example of accessible and casual.

Resident Evil series.

The first three games, though popular, were pretty niche games. Extremely difficult games with very little room for forgiveness.

Resident Evil 4, though tone down with difficulty and more forgiving, didn't lose the identity of the RE series and manage to keep in a new perspective. Had some action moments in it for sure, but still got horror elements in it to forgive some of it's more action moments. Hell, if they kept this from the series, Re 5 and 6 could have been great.

RE 5 and 6 were casuaulized. Turned RE from a beloved horror franchise to a generic third person shooters that have more action and terrible story telling than the RE movies (I just hurled a little).

Neo wrote:

Baal wrote:

Yes, it will annoy me when I see something like Destiny and Watch Dogs get more praise than something like Bayonetta 2 or Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

For what it's worth both Destiny and Watch Dogs were generally given average to slightly above average scores and Bayonetta 2 is being heralded as one of the best character action games ever. It's doomed to bad sales anyway because people hate the Wii U and it's a Platinum game but that's besides the point.

Yeah, I know. I'm just kind of using random games which will fall to the wayside pretty soon after their release. It's nice to see that Platinum's finally getting some good scores from reviewers, but I wouldn't consider Bayo 2 a big one at the end of the day since as you said, it is doomed to bad sales and not as many people are gonna play it to sustain it.

the reason RE5 and 6 aren't as good as because Shinji wasn't involved in them anymore.

I've said it in the Evil Within topic, but that game makes it blatanly clear that Shinji Mikami had everything that made the RE games good.



Anyways, you say you've been playing turd after turd, that's pretty much your own fault, and I'm assuming it is because you either don't know where to find good games, or you don't put the effort into finding good ones.

Maybe you can't easily judge whether or not you'll like something without having played it, and that's why you keep playing turds, I don't know. I can tell just from looking at a game if I'm gonna like it or not, and if I don't like it just from seeing it, I ain't playing it. That's my very simple rule to avoid playing "turd" games. I haven't bought a game I didn't like since early PS3 years.

Did I miss out on good games? Quite possibly, but if a game doesn't get my interest with what it's showing me, I doubt I'll like it more when I play it. I'm sure there's exceptions, but I can't tell you any atm.

Anyways, knowing what you like will get you a long way to playing good games and avoiding the turd ones.

Empirewild wrote:

Going to be that asshole and say that really? USFIV? I feel like the Street Fighter series has turned casual. And that should have been hardcore and MLG levels of greatness! Not saying making a game appeal to a larger audience is bad, but you gotta admit that some of things add into SFIV and it's re-released seem to be aiming for the casual kiddies.

They have stuff they're using to aim at them, but at the end of the day the nature of fighting games is not steered towards the casual players. This is not even mentioning that every iteration of SFIV starting with Super has them asking the community for ways they can balance the game, characters they want, hiring actual fgc dudes to act as their mouthpiece and offer advice, there's a lot Capcom always does to appeal to the hardcore playerbase in fighting games and while they have mechanics geared towards casual players, it is never so egregious as to actually break the game. The rest of the company is not really like that, but their fighting game teams are pretty swell and solid dudes for the most part.

SFIV in general is actually a really good fighting game that does a pretty good job of improving on every iteration and every re-release actually makes the game more and more for the tourney players rather than casual ones. Like yeah, they're still going to try and sell the game to them because they want to make money, but at the end of the day they're not stupid. They know who butters their bread and gives them notoriety and plays their games forever.

Quote :

Oh god, don't even remind of Killer Instinct. That game gave me diabetes. And I though Capcom was bad with DLC fighters.

I don't even need to be told the story. Popular games will sell more, but you can be popular and good.

Uh yeah, this is why Nintendo games exist.

Empirewild wrote:

Actually, got a better example of accessible and casual.

Resident Evil series.

The first three games, though popular, were pretty niche games. Extremely difficult games with very little room for forgiveness.

Resident Evil 4, though tone down with difficulty and more forgiving, didn't lose the identity of the RE series and manage to keep in a new perspective. Had some action moments in it for sure, but still got horror elements in it to forgive some of it's more action moments. Hell, if they kept this from the series, Re 5 and 6 could have been great.

RE 5 and 6 were casuaulized. Turned RE from a beloved horror franchise to a generic third person shooters that have more action and terrible story telling than the RE movies (I just hurled a little).

Uh no, the RE games got easier as they went on. Like nothing is as hard as RE1 except maybe RE0 which is a fucking awful game. I've played RE2 and 3 and they are both far more forgiving than RE1. Maybe not as forgiving as modern games, but in general survival horror has always been an extremely hit or miss genre that turns people off very easily because of how shit the actual games are to play. RE4 in general is a complete shift in every way for the series. The gameplay moves faster, you can actually aim, melee moves aren't life or death (And actually become a crux for how to play in certain ways), and the attache case is a more accessible inventory system than literally any of the other ones. This is not mentioning that literally the last third of the game is an action movie right down to Leon cutting chatty one liners with the stereotypical thickly accented villain. RE4 started as a horror game then turned into Devil May Cry then they pulled back on the DMC a bit so the horror elements could be retained, but it is still largely an action game.

RE5 and 6 are so different because they went from example. RE5 is straight up an action game and RE6 tries to do survival horror again in some areas, right down to the fucking poorly planned areas which seem like they're almost specifically designed to be a thorn in your ass, but fails because its story mode clashes with its actual gameplay aesthetics too much. When you just do Mercenaries, RE6 is fucking awesome. RE5 is also the highest selling RE game and one of the most critically acclaimed and it's not because Capcom paid people to praise the game, that game is legitimately seen as a fantastic game in its own right (Which it really is, especially with Co-Op) by millions of people. RE5 and 6 aren't really meant for casual players beyond like the addition of multiplayer, they're hard games to play with surprisingly deep mechanics that are never explained to the player. If those games were meant for casual players they'd be holding your hand all of the time, which is a thing they don't do enough.

I really do think you need to work out what a 'casual game' is before you decry the death of gaming to the hands of casualisation. Your examples suggest it's simply a game, or especially a change in a series, that's motivated by reaching a large demographic. I would say that another word might suit you better then, because 'casual' already has connotations of its own, and none are related to mass pandering.

If what you're actually trying to say is games are being made more simple to reach a larger audience, and that's what 'casualisation' is, then:
1. 'Simple' games are not bad just by virtue of being simple mechanically; and
2. Those sorts of games have always existed, they're just being made by different studios and have more funding.

Empirewild wrote:

Be harsh. I like when people don't treat people like babies and be honest. I like that about you SuperBuu. Respect more for that. Just don't take it too far. Maybe I didn't do much research this year. I usually do, but I might of given up half way through the year. I hate myself for that sometimes.

That isn't saying much. That like saying a piece of crap with sprinkles is better than just a piece of shit. But to completely fair, COD doesn't have that pressure of being 500 million dollar MMOFPS that is expected to be the next grand step in gaming. Am I am giving COD my compliments? No, that game deserves to burn with Activision. But with COD with Kevin Spacey is a guaranteed seller. I am hoping it does worse than Ghost, but it probably won't. Fuck me.

Don't even dare call that casualization of gaming. Because the words "gaming" and "phone' shouldn't even be in the same god damn sentence. EVER

I'm having a hard time thinking this year is any worse than other years maybe wait till the year is up before you doom it.

I really wouldn't make that comparison of crap with sprinkles.  Again not my thoughts but i'm reflecting what most people have said about Destiny and that it seems like a good base to be built upon.  We're talking about a new franchise that was going to sweep the world like a sensation and its managed that.  It also kept people playing for a decent amount of time.  All in all that sounds like a lot more than a turd with sprinkles.  I never liked Call of Duty even when it was first released (i guess the spec ops mode was alright).  There's lots to do in Destiny solo or in coop and honestly anything that encourages coop play I think is a step in the right direction rather then online solely relying on versus.  

Not sure why you ride RE5 and 6 so hard I've played all the games at the times they were released.  3 is probably my favourite (but nostalgia could be hte reason for that), with 5 a close second.  If you played RE5 alone you're doing it wrong.  If you couldn't enjoy it with the friends you were playing it with I'd honestly blame the 'friends' because RE5 had a fun campaign, but mercs was brilliant.  RE6 had a questionable story (chris campaign was great though), but again mercs was amazing and debatedly the best in series to date and mercs is where the replay value of those games.  The sheer effort despite bad design choices in spots deserves to be commended.  Very few games that are action games have as much choice in options and different content and modes to play through (i.e. playing as a zombie, cross story coop with other players online giving you 4 player sections).

In terms of gaming on a phone, the industry considers it a money source just accept it. Besides Angry birds is now on consoles and outsold a bunch of games you like already.

Superbuu3 wrote:

I'm having a hard time thinking this year is any worse than other years maybe wait till the year is up before you doom it.

I really wouldn't make that comparison of crap with sprinkles.  Again not my thoughts but i'm reflecting what most people have said about Destiny and that it seems like a good base to be built upon.  We're talking about a new franchise that was going to sweep the world like a sensation and its managed that.  It also kept people playing for a decent amount of time.  All in all that sounds like a lot more than a turd with sprinkles.  I never liked Call of Duty even when it was first released (i guess the spec ops mode was alright).  There's lots to do in Destiny solo or in coop and honestly anything that encourages coop play I think is a step in the right direction rather then online solely relying on versus.  

Not sure why you ride RE5 and 6 so hard I've played all the games at the times they were released.  3 is probably my favourite (but nostalgia could be hte reason for that), with 5 a close second.  If you played RE5 alone you're doing it wrong.  If you couldn't enjoy it with the friends you were playing it with I'd honestly blame the 'friends' because RE5 had a fun campaign, but mercs was brilliant.  RE6 had a questionable story (chris campaign was great though), but again mercs was amazing and debatedly the best in series to date and mercs is where the replay value of those games.  The sheer effort despite bad design choices in spots deserves to be commended.  Very few games that are action games have as much choice in options and different content and modes to play through (i.e. playing as a zombie, cross story coop with other players online giving you 4 player sections).

In terms of gaming on a phone, the industry considers it a money source just accept it.  Besides Angry birds is now on consoles and outsold a bunch of games you like already.

To be fair, 2012 will go down as the worst ever. Final Fantasy 13-2, Soul Caliber 5, Resident Evil 6 and ORC, Mass Effect 3, SFxT, Ninja Gaiden 3, Max Payne 3, The Last Story, The Wii U in general that year, Assassin's Creed 3, Far Cry 3, The War Z, and much more shit.

Only good games that year, I swear to god, were Borderland 2, P4G, X-Com, and the Walking Dead (which won GOTY). I might miss some others, but look at those turds I say above and tell me how good 2012 gaming is.

Call of Duty might be bad, but at least it knows what it wants to be. The Green Day of gaming. A generic product. Destiny, failed to be an MMO, with a non-existence story and lore, terrible RPG elements, joke of a class system, terrible looting, and a shit load of other problems. As an FPS. It's functional. That is it. It's what happen if COD and Halo fucked. It's fine, but the aiming is sketchy. Maybe that's just me.

Watch in a year, no, 6 months. This game will be reduce to less than a million players (Hell, I predict less than 200,000 by next year). If not lower. As much I hate to be a PC guy here, but unlike PC, Console gamers abandon their games quicker. Especially with a packed 2015, which hopefully won't be a disappointment (Witcher 3 will hopefully become a contender for GOTD). Hell, don't be shock when most of those Destiny players got to play COD, Battlefield: Hardline, or Halo:MCC in the next month or 2. Not saying COD deserves it. I mean COD could burn in the hells of overrated things in this world with Micheal Bay.

RE5 is a generic third person shooter. The story is more comparable to the terrible RE movies. The gameplay has questionable design choices. I don't mind having a companion. I mean, RE4 was a damn escort mission. But unless you got a buddy, playing the game is near impossible. Also is it unfair to expect people to have a friend to play an RE game. So if the person doesn't have a friend, he's fucked? Well that sounds like a complete turn off already. The horror is gone. Even RE4 has some horror left in it. It isn't even a good RE game. It isn't even a good game in general.

Mercanary mode didn't save this game for me. Yes, it was fun. For about a few days. But it got boring after awhile and didn't make me think of this game any better. Or worse.

RE6. That pile of vomit. It tried to put horror back, but it failed miserable. If I was Capcom, I would have made Revelations the true number 6 of this series. RE6 should have been shelved. All the campaigns sucked. All of them. Just all of them. Camera was a fucking joke. I mean the camera from 4 and 5, though not perfect, HELL of a lot better than RE6's camera. Swear of god, it feels like I am watching Saving Private Ryan during the D-Day scene. QTE EVERYWHERE! I mean, yeah RE4 and 5 had them, but sweet buttery Jesus, this game is almost as bad QTE than Ryse of Rome. Didn't even bother with the Merc mode here. I sold my game back nearly 2 days later.

Also if I am playing RE game and I have to be force to play Co-op or I am playing it wrong, that is unfair. So I should be force to play with someone? Why can't I be alone? I am mostly a dominated single player gamer. I don't like to play with others too often. So if I am playing an RE game and if I can't enjoy unless I have to play with Co-op, that is horseshit.

Personally, Angry Birds reminds me of how overrated certain games are. The most overrated? Going to get a flack, but it would be Tetris. That game should never be considered for GOAT. It isn't. That honor will go to TLOZ:OOT. (I know, generic answer. But fuck you, it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD) Also fuck IOS games. No, fuck IOS apps. Games is too much of a compliment for them. Filthy casuals.

Skipio wrote:

I really do think you need to work out what a 'casual game' is before you decry the death of gaming to the hands of casualisation. Your examples suggest it's simply a game, or especially a change in a series, that's motivated by reaching a large demographic. I would say that another word might suit you better then, because 'casual' already has connotations of its own, and none are related to mass pandering.

If what you're actually trying to say is games are being made more simple to reach a larger audience, and that's what 'casualisation' is, then:
1. 'Simple' games are not bad just by virtue of being simple mechanically; and
2. Those sorts of games have always existed, they're just being made by different studios and have more funding.

This is why I should never make topics and replies in the damn of night time (It might say 5pm, but it really means 3 or 4 am.)

You are right, some games that are simple and in cases, some games have different studios. I can understand that perspective. Games like Fallout 3, which Bethesda got from Interplay. Fallout 3 is different for being from a different studio and not dealing with Van Buren (Still fucking want that game). Now all future Fallout games (unless spin-off) will be judge on (gameplay wise) on Fallout 3 and NV while maintaining the lore of the originals.. Sounds complicated. Probably not the only example, but that is best I can think of.

Simplifying a game isn't bad until it is too simplified. Insulting your intelligence. Mass Effect suffer this.

I wouldn't say Mass Effect was the most complicated game. Mass Effect had it moments of deep story and gameplay. Mass Effect 2 was a perfect balance of being deep and yet being simplified for a larger audience. You think now with that balance, they would fix what ever was wrong and just continue like normal. Nope. They simplified to an insulting story with a terrible ending and gameplay that reminds me of a half-baked Gears of War.

That is casualization.

Mass Effect 1 was a niche product.
Mass Effect 2 was a mix of niche and simple, which was acceptable.
Mass Effect was casualized game that only more people and not keep people who actually give a shit about the story and lore.

I will admit, using the word "casual" is a hard thing to do in terms of gaming. Very board term.

Surely when you see a game with coop you think you need to play with people right? I mean this now makes it seem like your complaint is you don't like games where you have to interact with people.

I genuinely cannot see anything that RE4 did better then RE5, it had way more annoying QTEs. It had a really boring section post castle, which i literally don't remember. Mercs is the best part of every RE game as far as i'm concerned. RE4 isn't scary, I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion it had horror, its horror element is non existent its a funny game though.

Revelations would've made a better RE6 I agree, but I'm not going to insult a game that tried so hard. Fans act like they want something new, but when RE5 came out which is similar to 4 loads of people bitched (the minority i might add as RE5 is the best selling game). RE6 on the other hand changed gameplay, major improvements in som areas i.e. enemy variety. So probably RE6 is the product of the ppl bitching about 5. It reminds me of ocarina of time, windwaker, twilight princess nonsense. Its why i think ppl are stupid and developers shouldn't listen to them.

Empirewild wrote:

That is casualization.

Mass Effect 1 was a niche product.
Mass Effect 2 was a mix of niche and simple, which was acceptable.
Mass Effect was casualized game that only more people and not keep people who actually give a shit about the story and lore.

I will admit, using the word "casual" is a hard thing to do in terms of gaming. Very board term.

Woah, easy there.

Mass Effect 3 may not have had the ending that a lot of us wanted, but it still wrapped up several points of the story (Quarian/geth war, Salarian / Krogan unpleasantness) in a very satisfying manner. It wasn't as consistent as ME2, but it still hit highs that very few games could match. If it hadn't botched the last half an hour, it would have been remembered as the better game, I'd wager.

Besides, I'd still disagree about it being "casualised". ME2 refined the shooter mechanics, but it stripped out a lot of the usual RPG choices ( no inventory, no loots gains etc) in doing so. ME3 actually re-instated a lot of the mechanics that ME2 cut out, so if anything it's ME2 that was the casualised entry in the series. And even that, I don't agree with; on Inferno difficulty it's genuinely challenging.

You complain about "casualization", then you bash SoulCalibur 5. Namco removed fan-favorite characters, arcade endings and extra modes and they focused entirely on the gameplay (which is arguably the best it's ever been for the series). If anything, SC5 appealed to hardcore players and drove away the casuals.

RE6 is better than RE5 in every way and a good game.

I think it's pretty funny that Empirewild lists Xcom as a good game that he liked when it's like the most casualised that a game could ever be compared to the original.

Neo wrote:

I think it's pretty funny that Empirewild lists Xcom as a good game that he liked when it's like the most casualised that a game could ever be compared to the original.

Of course the original were hard. But they simplified it, but didn't take away anything that made it good original or turned into a generic FPS............Oh wait...... X-Com:Enemy Unknown is still a hard fucking game though. I wouldn't think a casual would even play normal and survive for more than 10 minutes

Casualized for X-Com would X-Com Declassified. Thank god it bombed. Now just make more in this series. Keeping fun and difficult. Because I am sick of games thinking they can turn into a FPS and succeed (Looking at you Shadowrun!)

Golden Boy wrote:

You complain about "casualization", then you bash SoulCalibur 5. Namco removed fan-favorite characters, arcade endings and extra modes and they focused entirely on the gameplay (which is arguably the best it's ever been for the series). If anything, SC5 appealed to hardcore players and drove away the casuals.

RE6 is better than RE5 in every way and a good game.

As much as I hate myself for saying this, RE5 was better than 6. 6 just sucked. 5 was more of a disappointment.

Soulcaliber V had nothing to do with casualization. The game just sucked in general. Force new characters that add nothing of value, revision of the move sets, again! and removing features like modes and endings (which were fine by the way) to make the gameplay worse with unnecessary super specials? Ok.

Terrible, terrible game. should have expect after the mediocrity of 4. I knew SCV was going to be bad, but not that bad.

Why are you unable to define casualisation without coming up with (contradictory) examples? It may help your argument if you have a semblance of consistency. You can't call Bioware fucking up the ending of Mass Effect casual at the same time as claiming it's about difficulty.