A new year means new games. And new hypemachine cycles in which to sell those games, am I right? By now, you’ve seen it all in every game ever released. You’ve read the interviews where developers gush over just how authentic the Perforate 2.0 Engine is in Ace McStab Yo Face 5: Days of our Knives, you’ve watched a trailer where big bold font tells you that a kajillion weapons await you on a hostile planet and something something blockchain.
Yawn.
These days, most folks have a certain sense of taste when it comes to their digital experiences. We’re all clever enough to not be bamboozled by the hype, and seeing publishers insist on some features being the best thing since sliced bread doesn’t win them any favour from us. As an example of the video game culture cycle that hypes particular features:
A large open-world that is filled with all manner of activities and locations to visit?
A game that will task you with spending a hundred hours inside of it before the story is finished?
A game that will exist for months and years to come with various services that will be added after launch as you socialise with other players?
23 Bajillion guns to discover that boast the most minor of incremental differences between them?
Nah, I think I’m ready to play any game which doesn’t have any of those touted features. These days, I want a finite experience. I want a game with a beginning, a middle and an end so that I can pace myself and enjoy the ride. I want to feel value in my purchasing decision, I want a mad romp that leaves me with no regrets whatsoever by the time that the end credits have played.
There’s a certain magic attached to games that stay with you once you put the controller down, that outshines those experiences which keep tossing distractions at your face in an effort to keep the servers populated. While it works for certain games, not every title rolling out needs that model applied to it. Same for certain RPGs I reckon, as I just don’t have the time or the patience to invest dozens of hours in learning arcane new systems that will be used for a single puzzle in an underwater arena that takes me days to navigate.
Heck, give me a Call of Duty weekend single-player session and I’ll feel for more fulfilled in the end. That’s just me though, because clearly I’m an old man who likes to yell at clouds and TV presenters saying the word “hashtag”. What grinds your gears when games start pimping their features? What makes you yawn, sigh or roll your eyes? Sound off below.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: January 11, 2019
Allykhat
January 11, 2019 at 13:01
4K. Anything brandishing 4K as a feature.
Caveshen Rajman
January 11, 2019 at 11:14
Literally everything about Anthem is sold as “wooooooooow” and “fascinatiiiiiiing” and “unbeliieeeeeeevable” and I’m just like thank u next.
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:21
For me, the thing I want most nowadays is short sessions. Can the game be played in short 1 – 3 hour bursts? Can I leave it for a few days, play something else, come back, and it’s no problem? That’s what I care about.
And I know I’m quite keen on Anthem, but the only reason is the exploration of a world. It’s something I do to just chill. So if I can just wonder about, discover something happening, deal with it, move on, for a few hours and then put it down again, all while enjoying the scenery then that’s great for me. I haven’ bought into any of the actual media hype. I just like what I see.
So action means nothing, open world, 100 hours, side quests that come out of every orifice? None of that works for me. Multiplayer? Don’t care. Graphics don’t matter. Hype is just a media pre-review, and I hate reviews because I prefer making up my own damn mind on stuff, thanks.
For example, one of my top 5 games from last year was Moonlighter. Short, nothing complex, pixel graphics, but it was fun and charming and I enjoyed all 10 hours of it. I was sad when it was over. There’s a NG+ now that I might just jump back into soon.
~Edit: And just to add to this – hype works both ways. Good and bad. What are the naysayers saying? Don’t care. I bought NMS on release and I enjoyed it and I still do. It’s obviously a much better game now than it was on release, but I didn’t buy into either the positive or negative hype. Negative hype is often worse than typical hype. Because while some people get vocal about the good stuff, this is the internet, so when something’s even a little bad, they’re going to try make it seem as bad as it possibly can be. Truth is often different.
Dutch Matrix
January 11, 2019 at 11:40
That is where Fallout 4 is perfect for me, at least. If you play an hour, that is an hours progress made.
Apologies for ranting about that relic…
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:40
Lol what relic?
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 11, 2019 at 11:30
Difficulty. The more a game hypes up how hardcore it is the less likely I am to pay attention to it, because getting the balance right between difficulty and fairness is tricky.
Dutch Matrix
January 11, 2019 at 11:35
That is why I wept when friend, all good intentionally bought me Bloodborne. I have tried it, nearly bit the disc in two and moved back to Fallout 4.
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:01
Agreed. I already struggle with SurviveTheMonth and the 12 DLCs, I need a balance between the amount of time I can spend in gaming and the enjoyment I get out of it, versus the STRUGGLE
For the Emperor!
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
The balance between difficult and fun is important to me. I hate difficulty for difficulty sake…
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
Yeah that too. I was loving a little side-scrolling game called Rive until I got to one of those jumping puzzles that require 100% precision for a lengthy period or you’re dead and have to start from scratch. Tried a whole bunch of times to get past that bit, eventually nope fuck this. Moved on to another game.
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
Yeah, I’m not one to give up on gaming, but I’m too old to struggle with frustration, I WEAR BIG PANTS I CAN GIVE UP BIG TIME
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 11, 2019 at 12:09
Exactly, I play my games to have fun. I want to finish a game if I start it, but if I’m just bashing my head into a wall it’s not fun.
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:09
I played Mutant: Year Zero on the medium difficulty, second playthrough just did it on Easy (to check if I missed anything), and honestly, on medium there were some frustrating times, but worth it in the end
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
Your money, your rules. Being an adult has its perks.
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
Indeed man. I’m weighing up the options of time spent vs how much pleasure that time spent gives me. If not worth it, then GTFO
(this applies to gaming, events, movies, and more specifically, people)
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 12:09
I’ve been going through that life audit myself recently. Hence my focus on much shorter bits of gaming. Been considering starting up a business quite seriously, and that seems like a better use of my evenings and weekends.
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:12
I’ve cut down on social things significantly, only spend time with people I want to, spend more time with the fiance, work less after hours, etc
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:34
Just admit it. You’re bad at games. 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 11, 2019 at 11:40
Says the guy with the attention span of a goldfish!
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:40
Sorry what were we talking about?
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:01
Beans!
Dutch Matrix
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
That comment gave me gas.
Admiral Chief
January 11, 2019 at 12:05
HANS, FETCH ZE FLAMMENWERFER!!!
(this is how a star is born)
Dutch Matrix
January 11, 2019 at 11:39
If a game states Open World with 100’s of hours and awesome guns, nice characters and the opportunity to romance an NPC or two or three, I am there, I am in fact so much there like a Nuke on Boston pre-war.
Gavin Mannion
January 11, 2019 at 11:45
The most recent game feature that bored me to tears were Trainer Battles in Pokemon Go… what a waste of time
Dutch Matrix
January 11, 2019 at 11:45
Pokemon is a waste of time.
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:45
Oh snaaap.
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:45
I feel like someone who’s playing Pokemon Go is already wasting their time. Doesn’t hurt to add more of it.
Gavin Mannion
January 11, 2019 at 11:50
I feel you are wrong… Pokemon Go is life.
Well in reality I find it keeps me entertained during a walking commute.
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:50
That makes sense. I just listen to music, but it’s the same thing in the end. Carry on then, good sir.
Dutch Matrix
January 11, 2019 at 11:55
“So what was on his phone when he died?”
“Huh? What?! Oh. He was listening to Leon Schuster.”
“At least he wasn’t playing Pokemon.”
The ghost of Dutch watched on, amused as the two morgue attendants fist bumped.
Pariah
January 11, 2019 at 11:55
XD XD XD
Magoo
January 11, 2019 at 11:55
Any gamer will confirm that pogo battling system is trash. But it is what it is. We deal with it because it’s pokemon.
Magoo
January 11, 2019 at 11:55
My friend hates it when he spends money on flimsy anime games because there are large breasts and cool swords in the screenshots. Stupid friend. Haha
RinceThis
January 11, 2019 at 13:06
Everything Evolve?
Captain JJ
January 11, 2019 at 13:30
I think Fallout76 working was completely overhyped.
Weanerdog
January 11, 2019 at 13:30
They almost got the bag to work.
Geoffrey Tim
January 11, 2019 at 13:35
When a game hypes up its large dynamic open world, and how it takes hundreds of hours to play because of its lifelike systems where you have to micro-manage things like hunger and thirst and energy levels I switch right off.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
January 17, 2019 at 11:34
Nah, I think I’m ready to play any game which
have any of those touted features. These days, I want a finite experience. I want
a game with a beginning, a middle and an end so that I can pace myself
and enjoy the ride. I want to feel value in my purchasing decision, I
want a mad romp that leaves me with no regrets whatsoever by the time
that the end credits have played.
God of War.