This console generation is boring. It has been so lackluster. There haven’t been too many interesting exclusives, save a handful from Sony and Microsoft. It has been plagued by remasters and remakes. The Wii U had some excellent games, but we never really saw a true Zelda or Mario title for it. Sony has begun to separate itself from the Xbox One with some incredible exclusives this year (note: Horizon Zero Dawn) and their VR hardware, but the generation has a long way to go.
We’re a little over three years into this console cycle and there has been so little worth noting that has been released. Last generation we had the Mass Effect series, Gears of War trilogy, the FF XIII saga (which was very underrated), Fallout 3 and New Vegas, the Call of Duty Modern Warfare trilogy, Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. It was revolutionary, and those are only a handful of games from the thousands that were released.
This past year was a bit better, but we have been hit over the head with so many remasters it has been stifling. Instead of innovating companies are putting out the same kind of titles over and over again. Just look at the Call of Duty series and what it has become. While I was not a huge fan of Uncharted 4, it was not a bad game in its own right and pushed the PlayStation 4 to its limits. Gears of War 4 was fantastic, but that doesn’t make a console. This console generation is boring and a lot of people are losing interest.
I can’t tell you how many friends I have who have sold their PS4 systems or Xbox One systems because they feel there’s nothing to play. The really sad thing is that I’ve been playing Final Fantasy XV on the PlayStation 4 and it actually made me want to (and eventually) plug in my PlayStation 3 and replay Final Fantasy XIII-2, which is vastly superior. Console sales have also taken a huge hit this year, which could be attributed to a lack of quality software. 2016 had some promising titles, but a number of them disappointed. The Last Guardian was clunky. No Man’s Sky was a disaster. ReCore was not what it was hyped up to be. Call of Duty was atrocious. There were some good titles, but with Nintendo essentially dead until the Switch came out, it was a lackluster year.
This is a make-or-break year for this console generation. This console generation is boring now, but hopefully, there are enough titles this year to make it worthwhile. The Nintendo Switch has the potential to breath new life into the generation. Zelda will be a smash hit and Mario, Xenoblade, and Splatoon in its first year is pretty impressive. Horizon Zero Dawn and additional Sony exclusives look great. Microsoft needs to step up their game if they want to stay in the race. It’s the opposite of Nintendo; they can’t live off of third-party games forever. Their first-party lineup is almost nonexistent for 2017. There’s a reason Sony is dominating console sales and the Scorpio will not save them.
This generation needs new life. This year is promising and will hopefully bring gamers back into the fold, as so many have walked away because they believe this console generation is boring. The Switch could help this. PS4 exclusives will help, as well as PlayStation VR. Hopefully, Microsoft has more to show, because it’s looking bleak right now.