As we move past E3 2017 and into the second half of the year it is starting to feel more and more like gamers are reaching a similar jaded point to movie-goers. Then again, maybe it’s the other way around – take a look at the box office numbers for a majority of movies anymore and you will see a similar downward spiral.
No matter how you look at it, the state of video games is still strong. I feel like the trend of indie games has finally hit a downslope as there isn’t much out there that I am hearing about to make me think of some of the big hits we experienced a few years ago.
E3 came and went without giving me much pause this year. The Xbox One X doesn’t impress me any more than the Nintendo Switch does with portable controllers. It’s just a lot of ‘meh’ when it comes to my needs and general taste as a gamer. Maybe it’s because I am a bit more difficult to impress as I get older.
The few games I am looking forward to that were either covered at E3 or are simply coming out soon are:
Shadow of the Colossus –
This was one of my favorite titles on PS2. I fought the urge to buy it on PS3 simply because I didn’t have a lot invested in the system or my game library. SotC was one of the most beautiful games I had played simply because it felt like I was walking through a misty dreamscape the entire time. The idea that a world was there with giant bosses to hunt down and figure out on the fly made it all the more intriguing.
Wolfenstein 2 – The New Colossus (yes, another use of the word ‘colossus’) –
The New Order truly surprised me from a story perspective. It included a lot of humor and some unsettling circumstances that made it fun to kill Nazi’s again (it doesn’t actually get old). Wolfenstein was announced by Bethesda while they didn’t announce anything for a new Elder Scrolls game that wasn’t MMO related or money grab related with their newname for a paid mod system. Wolfenstein looks like another game that will be fun as hell to play through. My only wish is that it had some sort of multiplayer along the lines of the old PC game ‘Return To Castle Wolfenstein’.
Call of Duty – WWII –
I can’t help but find myself excited to play through this campaign. Why? Because there aren’t going to be stupid booster jumps and wall running. There won’t be any sort of futuristic guns that can somehow shoot plasma charges or whatever the hell they have been doing since Advanced Warfare. The multiplayer in COD has taken a back seat for me over the last few years. Now that I have more important things to take care of or spend time doing, I really don’t care about my place on leaderboards. I probably won’t buy this on day one, but I will certainly give it a try.
Crash Bandicoot – N Sane Trilogy –
My brother and I used to play the Crash Bandicoot all the time as kids on our PS1. This game really has my nostalgia more than anything. I think it might be something I wait to buy for some time simply because there isn’t anything ‘time sensitive’ about this game in my opinion.
I am on the fence with one of my annual purchases…
Madden 18 – Of the many things I am hoping for, it is the continued improvement of Connected Franchise Mode. There are so many parts of the Madden experience that can be improved for fans of franchise mode that I find myself on the fence when it comes to disappointment or content with the progress. The new cinematic mode ‘Longshot’ seems to be playing at the desires of Youtubers and their ilk. I must say, it looked somewhat interesting, but if I want to play a story game I am going to stick with legit RPG’s and such. Madden needs to stick to what it is trying to do the best – and that is making a strong simulation football game. If you want to be honest about sports games at this point you will see that they are turning into microtransaction machines for their Ultimate Team modes far more than improving the actual game. I can’t really blame them for bending to the whims of their corporate masters. I can speak with my wallet and to that end, I have been siding with the growing numbers of people that wait to play these games until they come down in price or get them on eBay just to keep the money out of the publishers hand a bit more.
The other aspect of Madden that has all but turned me off completely is the community that EA Tiburon has generally focused on over the last few years. I refuse to give these guys any sort of shout out or publicity – suffice to say that they all generally gather in a specific online sports gaming forum, run YouTube Channels, are a part of the ‘Game Changers’, live on Twitter, or a mix of all of those things. They seem to think they are experts when it comes to the game of football. They also seem to grovel at the feet of EA Sports. They will occasionally say something to make a point of false contention, but in the end – they are in this for their own motivations and have no reason to bite the hand that feeds them (monetarily, with free games, extra access, etc.).
Obviously this criticism comes off as me either being a hater or some sort of jealousy. I am actually proof reading what I type down and try to remain honest and critical when it comes to my work as well. My real beef with the Madden community is that it isn’t a functional community anymore. The YouTube crowd and Madden Tournament crowd has destroyed this community. The idea that there is almost literally no other football game for anyone to play goes further in destroying the community in terms of feedback, conversation, and synergy. The ongoing monopoly is hampering creativity with Madden as well as MLB The Show. When these games both have to copy the style of NBA 2K in order to bring something new to their games it would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
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