Is innovation in gaming dead?

[Libre]

I have the PS4 and the PS3. Never had an Xbox. The ps console is a very capable platform- no doubt about that. I'm sure the Xbox is also fantastic.
But what is missing is innovation- novel games for these fantastic platforms,
During the development of computer gaming, the PC was king. There were so many new - and different - kinds of games. Strategy games, arcade games, adventure games, etc. now that the consoles have gotten so advanced, it seems like there are no new ideas for games. 90% of the titles are first or third person shooting games (and they give me motion sickness). The PS3 had a FEW other types - but the PS4 has almost nothing interesting to add. I did get Rocksmith and that's different - and Diablo 3 which I've already played on the PC and PS3 anyway. So I'm bored with it all. For the PS4 I have shadows of mordor, the last of us, and infamous. They're all essentially the same (haven't opened infamous yet but I had the prior 2 versions on ps3).
So, yawn, I wish they'd come up with new and interesting types of games - and not just rehashing the same old stuff.

 

[Frothingslosh]

Look to indie developers for innovation - AAA games are too expensive to make to be innovating. Innovation IS out there, though - as one example, the current MOBA craze (League of Legends, Defense of the Ancients 2, etc) was started by a Warcraft III scenario that was called Defense of the Ancients and was just a heavily modded, heavily scripted scenario for the game and played on BattleNet. Now it's its own genre, and probably the most popular one out there, going by the numbers I always see on online services.

With indie games, you'll see riskier stories, unusual approaches, weird ideas (Minecraft or Depression Quest, anyone?), all sorts of things that someone spending $50 million (or more, more, more) to create a game just won't chance.

 

[Libre]

Ok - these are all PC?
I know I've asked you this before.
Anything I need to try them?
Just google League of Legends, Defense of the Ancients 2, etc and take it from there? Where would you start, Froth?

 

[Frothingslosh]

Yeah, sorry, those are all PC games. The ones you listed in post 3 are all MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) - I'd hit wikipedia to see if that game style sounds interesting, because I'm telling you straight up, that is the single most newbie-unfriendly group in all of online gaming. If it doesn't sound really fun, the abuse you WILL receive may not be worth it. As a newbie, you WILL cost people the game, and they WILL promise to find you because of that, beat you to death, rip off your head, skull-f*** you, and ra** your wife and children to death with your bloody skull. Regularly.

Personally I spend a lot of time checking out Steam's suggestions and seeing what my friends are trying. Once you've got a bit of a collection, Steam is fairly good at suggesting games you'd like.

 

[Frothingslosh]

For PS4 games, I wish I could help you. You might check Metacritic - it's pretty good at listing all games for all platforms. Ignore the critic reviews, though - they're not only inflated but bought and paid for. Check what the players are saying instead.

Edit: This page may be a decent starting point: http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4

Anyway, these days you see more innovation in PC games, I think, than you do console, simply because you don't have to worry about licensing rights, development rights, following a console companies standards, or anything like that. Kind of the reverse of what it was like in the Atari days, huh?

 

[Libre]

How about single player games? What would you recommend there? Check out Steam? Anything specific? I loved Command and Conquer when it came out - even played on line for awhile but I don't like MOBAs for the very reasons you mentioned. I'm not as spry as I used to be - I get slaughtered by the young'uns.

 

[Frothingslosh]

If you're looking for PC games, Steam is the way to go, followed by Origin if you are after EA games such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, or any of the Madden games.

Steam lets you search by genre or you can search by popular tags (1-2 word descriptions, could range from "Action" to "Walking Simulator"). If you look up a game, the store page for it has a "More like this" section.

For some specifics, you said you like RTS games. There is a C&C 4 out, but it was pretty terrible. Starcraft II is excellent, I've been on a kick replaying Total War: Shogun 2 (avoid Total War: Rome 2, everything I hear says it's terrible), and nothing else really jumps out - it's a weak genre at the moment. If you like 4x, on the other hand, you've got Age of Wonders III (which is really, REALLY good), Civilization 5, Civilization: Beyond Earth (okay), Sid Meier's Starships is coming out in a few months, and I still enjoy Fallen Enchantress.

If RPG's are your thing, you do have the entire Mass Effect and Dragon Age series (which are also available on the Xbox line), Beamdog has released enhanced/updated editions of Baldur's Gate I and II and Icewind Dale, Divinity: Original Sin seems good, and Shadowrun: Dragonfall is really, really good. And then there's the juggernaut that is Skyrim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3NgRzfrSGw

If tactical is more your thing, all I can say is X-Com: Enemy Unknown.

Seriously, though, hop onto steam, pick a genre, and see which games look interesting. Make sure to skim the reviews, and remember that often times they have some gems on sale.

 

[Libre]

ok - on my way to Steam. Will report back. Stay tuned...

 

[Libre]

Froth - if you don't mind - what's your name on Steam? (if you do mind, no problem at all) and PM me if you don't want it known.
(downloading a free demo of Shogun2 as I write. I'll buy full version if I likee)

Edit
Shogun2 - now THIS is more like it. Very rich game - seems similar to Civilization in concept. Beautiful graphics, looks very playable. Expect I will purchase full version.

 

[Frothingslosh]

PM Sent

Shogun 2 plays like Civ at the strategic level, and has RTS-like (actually, real-time tactical) battles. There's a reason the series has 7 entries (including the upcoming Total War: Attilla).

If you like 4x games like Civ, you definitely should try Age of Wonders III, and give Civ 5 a try. The latter has some serious changes from the previous versions, but is probably second only to Civ IV, which is largely considered the best entry in the series.

 

[Libre]

Froth - I have to admit you NAILED it with Steam.
While I'm home sick, I've spent hour after hour with Shogun2, and that's just on the tutorials. Slowly getting the hang of it. Amazing game. I'll look at the others you mentioned but for now. Shogun2 has captured me. It's like the best that Command and Conquer ever had to offer, plus much more. Then there are so many other titles that look interesting. Had I known this resource was available - and this good (Steam, that is) I wouldn't have invested in the PS4.

Edit
Wow just looked at Civ and Age of Wonders (haven't bought - just looked) - I'm like a kid in a candy store and don't know what to wolf down next.

 

[Frothingslosh]

Neat thing about A0W3 is that the devs are constantly narrowing the balance down to perfection, while at the same time coming out with new stuff. There's actually an expansion coming that should be announced Friday.

Civ 5 is still essentially Civ, just tweaked with new systems, a wholly new combat system that's really quite cool, and a hex map that some hate and some love.

Age of Wonders III is basically a cross between Heroes of Might and Magic (at the tactical level) and Civilization (at the strategic level), set in a very unique fantasy world. I liked the first two games, but III is just incredible.

 

[AccessBlaster]

When you get bored playing the games on Steam, try your hand at building (MODS) game modifications. After purchasing games like Half Life2 or Counter Strike you can start building your own levels.

One of many MOD builders.
http://www.tophattwaffle.com/tutorials/

 

[Frothingslosh]

Oh, a couple things I learned about Shogun - trade is HUGE. If you're playing the left side of the map at all, you want to get as many of the gaijin trade locations as you possibly can, and the more trade ships you have on each location, the more money you make. Trading with other clans helps a lot, too.

Farming is vitally important, as your food determines the level of castle, and thus the level of development in each province.

Having generals sit in one place makes them likely to get negative traits, such as Laziness (makes them move more slowly).

Having a general start a turn in a building with a sake house has a surprisingly large chance of giving a negative trait.

However, married generals starting their turns in cities have a much larger chance of having children.

Also, sake houses both make your province happy and make you money, plus they let you recruit ninja and Geisha.

Keep taxes low, but high enough to improve your lands. Low taxes mean increased town growth, and that town growth is expressed in income. You might make a few thousand less a turn at the start, when everything is cheap, but at the end you could easily make 10k to 20k a turn more.

Samurai armies can only be stopped by samurai armies, but holy HELL are they expensive.

 

[Libre]

Taking a short break from Shogun watching the 3rd ep of Better Call Saul. I was a huge BB fan. I'm surprised at how good this spin-off is. Didn't really expect that much from it. But I'll soon be back to Shogun. Gee, with all this to do, being close to death isn't so bad. One more tick down and I'm hauling myself off the the ER - of course we're in a blizzard right now in NYC so that would be a perilous thing to do as well.

 

[Frothingslosh]

As I said on Steam, if that doesn't clear up, get it checked out.

My dad ignored his illness, and when he FINALLY told a doctor about it, it was late-stage Mesothelioma. He was dead 8 months later. If he'd seen a doctor when I first starting suggesting he do so, they might have been able to arrest it.

Of course, it was Mesothelioma, so it's more likely that they couldn't. Still, though, it's always better to get it checked out early, especially as one gets older.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to ignoring my concussion.

 

[Libre]

well - waiting for results of chest xray and throat swab - miserable sob of a dr didn't return my call today - I just called his paging service. Don't know what more I can do other than check myself into the hosp. And I'm not ready for that (yet).

Edit-
Dr just called me - said xray was "normal". That's a relief but I can't believe this is just a cold. He told me to go to the hospital if my breathing isn't improving. As it is I'm sitting tight.

 

[Frothingslosh]

Yeah, chest xray being normal is really good - that generally rules out almost all of the really nasty stuff.

If you have my luck, it's an allergy to your new carpeting or something like that.

 

[Mile-O]

For a quick but of dark fun, check out Limbo on Steam.

 

[Libre]

For a quick but of dark fun, check out Limbo on Steam.

Okay - will check it out. Totally hooked on Shogun2 and Steam in general at this point. Just what I was looking for when I started this thread. So innovation in gaming isn't dead after all!