Hot Topic - is this a golden age of gaming?

i had a zx80 when i was 5 then zx81 then the 16k computer hit the scene i had one then we moved to consoles which was the old atari games that was big was the likes of pitfall ,space invaders ,pac man ,keystone cops a fav of mine and so on then 48k spectram where we could use tape to tape to copy our games i can still here the noise of the games loading up then the amstrad cpc464 my fav game of that gen was a space game called elite what a game that was then the consoles started coming master system with wonder boy shinobi all good games then you no skipping through ps 1 with metal gear resi evil 1 that was golden years then xbox with forza and halo again golden years but 2012 xcom dishonoured ime going to put dark souls in and say its not golden year but years ime having the best time of my life at the moment with a controller in my hands so years for me

The idea of 'the best is yet to come' is a contentious one when dealing with gaming. Constantly changing technology, better game engines, "killer games" that change and improve genres... It would suggest the best is always yet to come. In which case, can gaming ever have a golden age?

I don't think this year is nowhere near this so called "golden age". While we've had some great games with Dragon's Dogma, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Dishonoured, I think this year is quite disappointing.

Just to name a few, Darksiders 2, Borderlands 2, Mass Effect 3 and and Sleeping Dogs, (kind of).

Worst part of it all is that, reviews don't seem to pick up on the bad things alot.

For example, Mass Effect 3 took quite a good few steps backwards, the majority of side quests, if you can call them that, were nothing short of tedious little fetch quests, your choices from previous games never had a meaningful impact and there wasn't any real sense of exploration or this so called "war" they kept banging on about.

They also killed Emily Wong... on Twitter... then replaced her with someone who can't act at all.

Personal Highlights of 2012:

- The Darkness 2 (Best Shooter of the Year. Haven't enjoyed a FPS this much since first playing Halo).
- Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Best Third Person Shooter of the Year. Best friendly A.I. I've ever seen).
- Spec Ops: The Line (A shooter that actually feels like it has a story to tell. Same can be said for The Darkness 2).
- SSX (Wow, what an addictive game).
- Sleeping Dogs (Best Sandbox game of the Year. Great fighting mechanic).

Biggest Disappointments:

- Max Payne 3 (Most obnoxious and annoying game of the year. Third Person Shooters have long ago evolved into something far better than this outdated, nostalgia-driven joke. Play Vanquish instead).
- Sniper Elite V2 (Best sniping mechanic I've ever experienced. Too bad the rest of the game built around that excellent function is so incredibly poor and frustrating. A real lost opportunity).

Hey, at least we still have Halo 4, Most Wanted and Far Cry 3 to look forward to.

Max Payne 3 was and is the single best 3rd person shooter this generation.

It disappointed me however by having unskippable cutscenes. This seriously huirts replay value IMHO.

That said. According to the Social Club i spent 67hours playing the single player so who knows....

Honestly i do not believe this is a golden age of gaming...in fact i think its safe to say we had the golden age its been and gone...Final Fantasy VII is still regarded the best RPG of ALL time, Halo brought FPS to the masses, Gran Turismo showed how to do a driving game major justice, while Mario Kart showed how to make a driving game fun Fifa lost its way around about 2003-2009, and resident evil showed what a horror game can be as scary as a movie whereas now pick 10 games that have NO ONE similarity to any other game out there of its kind and for me, personally, i think when companies start being more original and start taking more risks like they did when all these games were released then the golden age will be upon us again

I have no idea how you can say that, bob.

I know most people don't have the hate that I have for Max Payne 3, but you can't objectively tell me that it's better than any of the Gears games or Vanquish or Dead Space. Even Spec Ops: The Line and Binary Domain have more to offer.

The gameplay belongs on a dusty old shelf next to Stranglehold and Wet (games that I rather enjoy on occasion, but wouldn't recommend to anyone). I just think that Third Person Shooters have become better than the clumsiness of Max Payne.

But it's not the gameplay that offends me the most. It's the other half of the game: The incessant (and unskippable) cutscenes that look like something put together by a hyper-active filmschool student who spent too much time watching those shitty acid-flashback style Tony Scott movies like Domino. That, and the horribly pretentious voice-over drove me nuts. Max just would not shut the f**k up. He kept going on and on about what a wash-up he was. We know, dude. You're the slowest, clumsiest action hero in gaming. You didn't have to dedicate an entire game to making that point.

Anyway... I'm gonna stop. This article is about something else, not my grudge with a has-been gaming icon (he and Duke Nukem should team up some time).

I think 2012's been an okay year, but nothing special. What was that year we had Fallout 3, GTA 4, Gears 2, Dead Space and Left 4 Dead? 2006? 2007? That was the best 360 year so far, in my opinion.

PLay Max Payne 1 and 2 and then complain about the voiceover and cutscenes.

Seriously the whole point of Max is his voice over and the story. Both of which were superb in MP3 but were a problem on the 3rd and 4th playthrough due to being unskippable.

The whole point of MP is the slowmotion diving - it created the mechanic in games with MP1 and has perfected it in 3. If you dont like the act of diving through the air in slo-mo and taking out 3 dudes with headshots before hitting the ground - then why play MP3 in the1st place? Its what the series and character are known for.

If you didnt like the mechanic and preferred the bullet sponge enemies of GOW etc - than fine - enjoy.

But for me and alot of people i know who are as big a fans of Max as a character as i am - MP3 was perfect.

I love flying through the air in slo-mo shooting bad guys. I just think that that mechanic has been done better by other games since the original Max Payne (again, play Vanquish).

I think a major problem I had with Max Payne 3 is that it invites you to jump around in slo-mo, but then punishes you for doing so. It's so easy to die in that game that after a while you don't feel like jumping around anymore, because you're just gonna get shot over an over again. So instead you hide behind cover and take cheap shots whenever you can (and let's face it, Max Payne 3 is not a very good cover shooter).

It does a lot of stuff like that. It encourages you to explore and look for collectibles, but then slams you with a YOU FAILED screen if you take too long doing so. It has a very trial-and-error feel to it, which kinda messes the flow of the game.

Speaking of flow, I don't have a problem with this game trying to tell a story, but storytelling isn't just about the story; it's also about the telling. In other words, it's not just about WHAT happens, but also about HOW it's told. I found the storytelling in Max Payne 3 to be quite juvenile and more than a little annoying. Kinda like a 14 year old's version of what a cynical old badass would be like.

As for "bullet sponge enemies"... You're kidding, right? The enemies in Max Payne 3 simply WILL NOT DIE. I've emptied entire magazines into some average goons and still had them getting up for more. They're worse than zombies. At least you can give a zombie a shot or two in the head and it will die. Not these guys.

I have no idea how you manage to kill three guys in a single dive, bob. You're clearly better at it than I am. Then again, I didn't spend 67 hours playing it (I have spent more than 67 hours playing Crackdown 2, however. When are we getting another one of those, dammit?).

The drugs cheat and comatose robert have answered why you can't have a 'best' year. It's completely down to personal opinion of the games, what one person hates another loves. Personally I'd plump with no, not the best year.

And for the record, I thought max payne 3 was excellent.

i had a zx80 when i was 5 then zx81 then the 16k computer hit the scene i had one then we moved to consoles which was the old atari games that was big was the likes of pitfall ,space invaders ,pac man ,keystone cops a fav of mine and so on then 48k spectram where we could use tape to tape to copy our games i can still here the noise of the games loading up

Sorry had to 'trim' your quote as I ran out of breath reading it. One word...punctuation. Anyway just wanted to say thanks for the flashback you gave me to my youth. I had a ZX81, then a VIC-20 followed by an Amiga 1200 (which I still have - BOXED). Then came the consoles - Megadrive, PS1, PS2 (excuse the swearing) then finally I saw the light and got a 360!

Personally I think there will always be 'something better' just around the corner. It's the nature of the beast. Technology improves, so games will get better. I still have fond memories of playing games on all these platforms. but similarly look forward to 'the future of gaming'.

You make a good point, Captain.

Gaming as a medium is so reliant on technology and design that it's much more likely for future installments to improve than decrease in quality.

It's not like the more story-driven mediums (like literature, stage and cinema) where a remake or sequel turns out to be shit 90% of the time. If someone tries to remake Citizen Kane, I'll just laugh at them, because the chances of duplicating (never mind improving on) the story, performances, filmmaking, subtext and general substance of that film are just about zero.

But if someone tries to remake Redneck Rampage (which I hope will happen one day), I say go for it. Chances are that it will be better than the original, provided the developers aren't complete morons.

There are exceptions, of course, judging by the flood of negative Warfighter reviews we've seen lately.

There are exceptions, of course, judging by the flood of negative Warfighter reviews we've seen lately.

Am I the only one who thinks Medal of Honour: Warfighter is the most stupid redundant name ever? Coming soon Batman: Thug Puncher and Bioshock: Splicer Shooter.

And the Golden Age of anything is tomorrow.

Did you get that off gamesradar? They had a selection of them on there. If so, I'll forgive you as your signature made me smile.

I do frequent GR but didn't see them. Apologies to anyone thinking I plagerised.

And glad you liked the new signature Yours is a constant source of Googling for me as you get more obscure.

I do frequent GR but didn't see them. Apologies to anyone thinking I plagerised.

And glad you liked the new signature Yours is a constant source of Googling for me as you get more obscure.

Professor Frink, Professor Frink, he'll make you laugh, he'll make you think

I do frequent GR but didn't see them. Apologies to anyone thinking I plagerised.

And glad you liked the new signature Yours is a constant source of Googling for me as you get more obscure.

Professor Frink, Professor Frink, he'll make you laugh, he'll make you think

In fact thanks to you've I've just bought Baron Muchaussen on DVD. Forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

I bought the thing on dvd not long ago then they showed it on tv last week I think so I had to watch it. Glad I roped you in though

He's an odd director. Have you seen the imaginarium of dr parnassus? It's not as good but still bizarre.