Rant - I miss my PS3 days

[StewartBros]

On 29/05/2022 at 9:58 PM, Sikutai said:

And I miss my full head of hair. Good old days.

 

Join the club, brother. ?

[AJ_Radio]

7 minutes ago, Sendai-Horatio said:

AAA games have mostly gone up in terms of advertising when it comes to budget, actual development costs have not risen as sharply. It's not to the point where they can't afford to take risks because games like Death Stranding was a game with a big development budget and it really didn't pan out. As far as monetization, Japan monetizes stuff a ton, they primarily play IOS and Android based games which have far more invasive monetization practices.

 

Most of your PS3 games on your profile seem to be point and click stuff, HD ports from earlier eras, and typical AAA stuff. All these genres are still widely available today. When you're talking about experimental I was thinking stuff like El Shaddai, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Tokyo Jungle, and the other games I've mentioned. Those were genuinely experimental but your trophy list doesn't seem to reflect that.

 

The PS5 really is no more or less corporate than the PS3 was, the PS3 was made to push the blu-ray format as the dominant form of physical media. Now granted we're still in a period where the PS4 still exists and both the PS4 and PS5 are getting ports of the same games. But something like Away: The Survival Series is a very experimental game and Void Terrarium is an RPG Roguelike. There's also the free game Astro's Playroom which is probably the best Platformer that sony has produced in recent memory (and platformers are a whole genre that Sony themselves usually farmed out to other developers like Naughty Dog and Insomniac and usually would not do themselves) and this is on top of all their VR games which is a whole subset of experimental games.

Death Stranding is an exception rather than the norm. Based on what I read, Hideo Kojima had problems with Konami during the production of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. He left Konami to do his own thing. He gets a lot of criticism, but he deserves a lot of credit all the same.
 

IOS and Android games, especially mobile free to play games, are basically monetized from top to bottom. I don’t play mobile games for that reason. In fact I blame mobile games for the current monetization process of the AAA gaming industry.

 

Naughty Dog hasn’t been involved in platformers for a long time. Insomniac is still sticking with Ratchet & Clank as they should. One of the few Sony franchises that still excites me.

[ZenaxPure]

22 hours ago, Zircon_Lotus said:

I dont relate with those posts about the PS3 era. Personally it is the Playstation that I enjoyed the least. I dont know if it was because I got into it really late (2013) and had already played some of the multiplataform on PC, but it did not 'click' with me. I remember thinking that the games were not as good as I expected and had many poor experiences. It was actually the PS4 that reignited my passion from the PS2 days.

This is basically how I feel, almost word for word, though I got my PS3 in 2010 after the slim came out. But generally I found the PS3 to be a really big let down coming from the PS2. The struggle of transitioning to HD development just killed so many smaller studios, and the indie scene was just starting to take off so there wasn't the absolute deluge of choices like there is now. I don't hate it, and I still have a decent backlog of PS3 games (actually playing one right as I type this), but it's certainly my least favorite era of gaming.

 

Like you said, PS4 reignited my passion for gaming. For me that is because it felt like a continuation of the PS2. Which in a way you could say is just nostalgia, but, it's not really like nostalgia is primary factor here. It's more just the kinds of games I like the most (action games and JRPGs) were very prevalent on PS2, slim pickings on PS3, and then made a big return with PS4. Except now I also have roguelikes/lites, which is probably my favorite genre these days. So I have everything I love again + more.

[Jeanolt]

7 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

I don’t want to let nostalgia cloud my judgement here, but there was simply more experimentation in those days. 
 

Take a look at old gaming magazines and old websites from the 90s and early 2000s. Completely different atmosphere compared to today. Even if the games sucked, and they actually did for a number of them, you have to give the magazine writers and advertisers credit. 
 

Today, journalists are almost entirely one sided and they parrot the same nonsense over and over. Journalism really is in a sense, dead. 
 

Nobody can tell me this era has been more exciting than the ‘Golden Era’ of the mid 1990s to roughly the mid - late 2000s (1995 to 2007/2009), give or take. 
 

Will 2007 ever be toppled? I doubt it.

Based on your speech, you were in your 18-20s during 2007. So yeah, you let nostalgia cloud your judgement. 

 

But that's kinda the point, recognizing that we all believe the best era was when we were young.

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Jeanoltt

[AJ_Radio]

1 hour ago, Jeanoltt said:

Based on your speech, you were in your 18-20s during 2007. So yeah, you let nostalgia cloud your judgement. 

 

But that's kinda the point, recognizing that we all believe the best era was when we were young.

 

 

I can think of a hundred things to counter your point right here. Based on what you told me before, you are much younger. While this doesn't apply to everyone, we now have an entire generation of people who have grown up in this current environment of monetization, so they think this is perfectly normal.

 

It's not just gaming, it's also television, movies, and even sports.

 

I've said it for years at this point, but if people want to see EA change their ways with Madden, you have to vote with your wallet. I don't see them changing any time soon which likely means not only are there tons of people buying their games on release day, they probably aren't aware of how the older Maddens were because they were too young to play them when they came out. Pre-ordering in itself I feel just isn't worth the trouble, because companies can now just release their games in early access stage (a concept that Steam created and popularized), then charge full price. So these companies for the most part can get away with it.

 

Funny enough I've been gaslighted numerous times on social media by people on Twitter and Facebook who don't see a problem with pre-ordering and having games released in a half finished state. These are the same people who buy cosmetics and experience boosts, both things that overall cheapen the gaming experience in the long run. Unfortunately what we consider DLC and microtransactions started in the PS3/360 era, that has now gotten out of control. Not enough people are speaking out.

 

Whenever I talk about how awful the industry is, and how more companies used to have to ship their games finished on release date, I tend to be called a crusty old boomer by those younger than me who weren't around to see how it used to be.

[DrBloodmoney]

1 hour ago, Jeanoltt said:

Based on your speech, you were in your 18-20s during 2007. So yeah, you let nostalgia cloud your judgement. 

 

But that's kinda the point, recognizing that we all believe the best era was when we were young.

 

I was 24 during 2007... 

...but I still think there has never been a better time to be a gamer than right now! ?

 

For my money, there's more variety, more experimentation and a much more fluid diversity from one-man-band tiny indie games, to massive Blockbuster Triple A games, and everything in-between now than ever before.

A game no longer has to fit a certain mould to exist, or flourish - it just has to be good, and to connect with people.

 

There's more use of games as emotional outlets, political outlets, as a delivery mechanism for ideas, as well as a blending of the old-guard genres in a way that can freshen even the stalest of old crusty genres into something original and fascinating. I love that!

 

The democratisation of game delivery mechanisms via digital outlets means there is no throttle on ideas or new concepts - if someone has a great idea, they no longer need anything but the will to act on it to turn it into a game - and even if that game is amateurish or ropey, the idea can still flourish, and that baton will be picked up by others, and fashioned into something amazing down the road.

 

Sure, that democratisation, combined with achievements / trophies has also birthed a litany of "shovel ware" stuff - but that doesn't bother me at all. It's like any media - the mere existence of a million sub-par novels doesn't dampen the beauty of a great one - you just need to hunt a little more to find them. 

 

 

For me, the few negatives in the current industry are a small price to pay for the fact that, now, the only limitation left on games is imagination...

...and human imagination is limitless!

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[cometowner]

PS3 is the most engaged and memorable generation. It established a new standard for console gaming.

[alexhardstyle]

My first PS3 was bought for me by my ex-girlfriend when we did a year together. Then she fucked my ex best friend, but that's another story.
For me, the best time of video games, and the best time of my personal life. Free time, youth, no responsibilities...
Even today I prefer to play PS3 before PS4 or PS5, right now I'm with Deadly Premonition and as soon as I'm done I'll go for the GTA4 DLCS.
I also bought more PS3 games than current consoles. They teleport me to that time, which will never come back, but I can emulate it.

[Floorkiller74]

Personally, the PS3/360 Generation is by far my favorite, and I've been around awhile. 

 

As far as the time of my life, my youthful carefree days were the 2600/NES/SNES/Genesis days. I have fond memories of those times.... but the consoles are hard to go back to. I still have my NES and SNES here, and my brother has the 2600 (Genesis was stolen). I also have an OG Xbox and a Dreamcast and I even find those harder to go back to. While i have more nostalgia for those times, I don't so much for the consoles.

 

PS3/360 are just great consoles. The last generation that wasn't so deeply tied to online. My life during that gen was generally the same as it is now. Same job, same status, just a little older lol. So, it's not like that time of my life was better...heck I would say NOW is better than then, but it is what it is. The PS4 gen had some great games, but it didn't capture me the same way. Online/DLC Heavy/Bloated games just don't have the same appeal. I have yet to jump into the current gen, but I don't know if I will. I have a PC that can run anything out now, so i could go that route...but I may just spend more time with my PS3/360. Time is the only thing I don't have enough of

 

 

[FeelTheCosmos]

33 minutes ago, Floorkiller74 said:

Personally, the PS3/360 Generation is by far my favorite, and I've been around awhile. 

 

As far as the time of my life, my youthful carefree days were the 2600/NES/SNES/Genesis days. I have fond memories of those times.... but the consoles are hard to go back to.

 

...but I may just spend more time with my PS3/360. Time is the only thing I don't have enough of

I agree with all of this, I just recently went on vacation to a place with no internet, and I thought it would be fun to fire up some of our old consoles instead of bringing the PS3's and 4's.  We couldn't even hook up the original Pong (it has bare wires that were supposed to connect to your TV's antenna).  I got the NES to work on an old TV before we left, but after about 2 hours of blowing on cartridges and dying on Mario we decided it wasn't even worth bringing.  I ended up bringing Ivan (my old PS2), and even then I got tired of it within a few hours.  The games were just harder, no autosaves, no dynamic camera movement, and most of all no trophies.  Though I will always be fond of the "good old days" of gaming, nothing really holds a candle to the enjoyment from PS3 onward.

 

By contrast, this past weekend I finished Phantom Pain on PS3, basically played for 60 straight hours to try to beat the fastest time to 100% right before the servers closed.  I enjoyed every single minute of it (except the last 2 hours trying to beat the tanks with a splitting headache) and now that I've caught up on my sleep again I'm going to start looking through the games list for more PS3 games that I might have missed.  10 years I've had this generation and I'm ready for 10 more! 

 

[Jeanolt]

15 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

I was 24 during 2007... 

...but I still think there has never been a better time to be a gamer than right now! 

 

For my money, there's more variety, more experimentation and a much more fluid diversity from one-man-band tiny indie games, to massive Blockbuster Triple A games, and everything in-between now than ever before.

A game no longer has to fit a certain mould to exist, or flourish - it just has to be good, and to connect with people.

 

There's more use of games as emotional outlets, political outlets, as a delivery mechanism for ideas, as well as a blending of the old-guard genres in a way that can freshen even the stalest of old crusty genres into something original and fascinating. I love that!

 

The democratisation of game delivery mechanisms via digital outlets means there is no throttle on ideas or new concepts - if someone has a great idea, they no longer need anything but the will to act on it to turn it into a game - and even if that game is amateurish or ropey, the idea can still flourish, and that baton will be picked up by others, and fashioned into something amazing down the road.

 

Sure, that democratisation, combined with achievements / trophies has also birthed a litany of "shovel ware" stuff - but that doesn't bother me at all. It's like any media - the mere existence of a million sub-par novels doesn't dampen the beauty of a great one - you just need to hunt a little more to find them. 

 

 

For me, the few negatives in the current industry are a small price to pay for the fact that, now, the only limitation left on games is imagination...

...and human imagination is limitless!

 

Exactly that. Saying a year is better because yes is just nostalgia. Nothing more than that. It just contributes to more remasters/sequels instead of new ideas. I like to see the good side of everything, so even in the negatives we have a lot more of possibilities now than before ?

Edited May 31, 2022 by Jeanoltt

[me_is_caveman]

You can still play Ps3 games today if you want. The option to play on that console didn't suddenly disappear just because it isn't the newest console anymore. (Unless you're talking about online server shutdowns)

[black__bunny]

I can't say I miss my PS3 days because I would still say it is my main console. All the games are still sitting there from that period and I'm just working through them around my life, because similar to yourself, I now have a full time job and life commitments which means gaming is no longer where I can spend the majority of my time anymore. I haven't bothered trying to purchase a PS5

 

What I do miss though is the mp from those PS3 games that are no longer online or have mostly dead lobbies - Killzone, Uncharted, Battlefield Bad Company just to name a few of my favs. These games are what really started my journey into online gaming, I had never bothered with it before and I attribute that with also getting into trophy hunting. PS3 kickstarted my passion for gaming with a lot of firsts so I remember those times so fondly. Although owning previous consoles, I would say I was much more of a casual player and love that all the classic games I missed out on, were brought to the ps3 so I could still experience them.

 

The PS4 brings a different experience for me which is another reason why I think I haven't really left the PS3 behind. There's now a huge library of games that I can hardly keep up with game releases anymore, which I have come to appreciate as it brings a greater variety of choice and opportunity for those getting into the industry. Online gaming on PS4 has felt like massive shift with seasons, timed challenges & rewards to entire content changes as updates come in. I'm enjoying it for what it is - not necessarily meant to be a directly improved version of PS3 gaming but a new way to game. And that is where I find the fun. It's by no means perfect but nothing is when trying something new.

 

At the end of it all, I will always consider the PS3 as my peak gaming experience.

[Jeanolt]

1 hour ago, black__bunny said:

I can't say I miss my PS3 days because I would still say it is my main console. All the games are still sitting there from that period and I'm just working through them around my life, because similar to yourself, I now have a full time job and life commitments which means gaming is no longer where I can spend the majority of my time anymore. I haven't bothered trying to purchase a PS5

 

What I do miss though is the mp from those PS3 games that are no longer online or have mostly dead lobbies - Killzone, Uncharted, Battlefield Bad Company just to name a few of my favs. These games are what really started my journey into online gaming, I had never bothered with it before and I attribute that with also getting into trophy hunting. PS3 kickstarted my passion for gaming with a lot of firsts so I remember those times so fondly. Although owning previous consoles, I would say I was much more of a casual player and love that all the classic games I missed out on, were brought to the ps3 so I could still experience them.

 

The PS4 brings a different experience for me which is another reason why I think I haven't really left the PS3 behind. There's now a huge library of games that I can hardly keep up with game releases anymore, which I have come to appreciate as it brings a greater variety of choice and opportunity for those getting into the industry. Online gaming on PS4 has felt like massive shift with seasons, timed challenges & rewards to entire content changes as updates come in. I'm enjoying it for what it is - not necessarily meant to be a directly improved version of PS3 gaming but a new way to game. And that is where I find the fun. It's by no means perfect but nothing is when trying something new.

 

At the end of it all, I will always consider the PS3 as my peak gaming experience.

I loved Uncharted MP! Those times were there was a MP in every single game were actually great. I unlocked almost every skin in the mode, probably playing more than 50 hours in Deathmatch alone. I miss that game❤️ 

[black__bunny]

8 minutes ago, Jeanoltt said:

I loved Uncharted MP! Those times were there was a MP in every single game were actually great. I unlocked almost every skin in the mode, probably playing more than 50 hours in Deathmatch alone. I miss that game 

 

Feel exactly the same! Uncharted 2 was probably my gateway into online gaming. I spent countless hours in that online that I barely needed to boost any of the dlc (protectorate medals were a joke)

[AJ_Radio]

4 hours ago, me_is_caveman said:

You can still play Ps3 games today if you want. The option to play on that console didn't suddenly disappear just because it isn't the newest console anymore. (Unless you're talking about online server shutdowns)

 

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the only *BIG* PS3 game left with online trophies on my backlog and I don't even know if it's worth the trouble at this point. Would be nice to pick up another ultra rare platinum, even though I absolutely love this game.

 

Don't know if I will get around to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker either, though I heard the online is quite easy with a boosting group.

[lettmon]

9 hours ago, me_is_caveman said:

You can still play Ps3 games today if you want. The option to play on that console didn't suddenly disappear just because it isn't the newest console anymore. (Unless you're talking about online server shutdowns)

 

You can replay games only so many times. I believe I have played Alpha Protocol on the PS3 more than 10 times (great version btw, never had any problems with it despite many saying that it's a glitchy buggy mess). And now tell me - what are the Alpha Protocol alikes on the PS4/PS5? There are none, they don't exist. What exists is an ocean of open world collectotron games.

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by DaivRules

[Z1MZUM]

Still buying games on the PS3 today, Then again I still have my Neo Geo arcade so I guess I keep what I like to play. 

 

PS4 era is lacking innovation and basically I don't get along or even like the PS5.

 

Gaming has become mainstream and with that a sea of shitty games.

 

[pinkrobot_pb]

It sounds more like you miss your life from a couple of years ago. Nostalgia will do the rest.

 

My life has changed a lot too since the days a major part of my day took place in-game. The many hours I spent modding in the past were great especially, and I look back on them fondly. I can not do that anymore, but I do not miss it enough to want it back. Because what came in its place was just as good or even better at times.

 

If being the owner of the company you took over from your father causes you to be unhappy, you made the wrong choice at some point. Time to reassess what's actually important for you and make some different choices. You could always look into selling the company and applying for a regular job again. With what you're saying here, you do not seem to have the drive to make the business flourish in the long run anyway.

Edited June 1, 2022 by pinkrobot_pb

[EDGES]

I have heavy nostalgia for 2nd half PS3 gen/early PS4 gen style games/game design, the games I like the most in the PS4 gen are sequels to franchises/games in the PS3 gen

IMO what defined the PS3 gen was a linear unique design that leaned more on artstyle quality than raw visual fidelity with quality over quantity in gameplay length and weren't afraid to have sexual/violent content to a certain level

and what defined the later PS4 gen and still defines the early PS5 gen is an - open world / RPG system / 100+ hours gameplay / high visual fidelity with no vision / conservative violent content / mostly no sexual content - target, that results in no identity

the reason most PS4 games lack identity IMO is because by the time they are launched, they get watered down by "focus test groups/ethics committees/diversity/iclusivitypolitical correctness" and they are too afraid to have anything meaningful in them in fear of upsetting one person somewhere that they will make sure to let you know how upset they are on social media

me, I have to admit that I'm struggling right now to have interest in newer games while I'm thinking more and more of the older games

Edited June 1, 2022 by The Investigator

[Quink666]

To me it’s was the PS1-2 era that was magic. Spectacular games that was delivered finished on the disc you bought, no day one patches or live service crap. 
 

Games felt like they were made with passion and love (few modern games still have this feel aswell) Developers made games because they wanted other people to experience it and not just to make money. Only thing missing from those generations was multiplayer and online features. There were some MP games but those were few and far between. 

[alexhardstyle]

7 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

 

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the only *BIG* PS3 game left with online trophies on my backlog and I don't even know if it's worth the trouble at this point. Would be nice to pick up another ultra rare platinum, even though I absolutely love this game.

 

Don't know if I will get around to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker either, though I heard the online is quite easy with a boosting group.

 

I did AC:B online last year and it's so easy and fast if you have enough ppl to start a match. You need to be 6. 

[AJ_Radio]

3 hours ago, Z1MZUM said:

Gaming has become mainstream and with that a sea of shitty games.

 

This in itself is a problem. There's literally a bunch of parallels between gaming today and Hollywood. I absolutely deplore Hollywood, not just for the media it generates but also it's sickening celebrity culture and fads that get kids hooked on dopamine.

 

1 hour ago, The Investigator said:

the reason most PS4 games lack identity IMO is because by the time they are launched, they get watered down by "focus test groups/ethics committees/diversity/iclusivitypolitical correctness" and they are too afraid to have anything meaningful in them in fear of upsetting one person somewhere that they will make sure to let you know it they are upset on scoail media

 

This definitely applies to the West. However, Japan can still come out with some pretty based material, and some awesome content as we've seen with Devil May Cry V and Elden Ring. They aren't immune to bad games though, as Capcom, Konami and Square Enix have a long history of producing bad titles.

 

I look at games like The Last of Us Part II as the poster boy, or poster girl, of this modern western gaming culture that we now inhabit. It doesn't resonate with me.

 

And we already know the multitude of patches and DLC for many big budget AAA games, so I won't delve into detail on those.

 

11 minutes ago, alexhardstyle said:

 

I did AC:B online last year and it's so easy and fast if you have enough ppl to start a match. You need to be 6. 

 

It's getting those six people is the problem.

[Jelude]

I miss PS Home.. That was hilarious on PS3 back in the good old days..

[Zenpai]

There were a lot of good games on the PS3, that's for sure. That said, I feel like there wasn't a lot of experimentation, at least compared to the 6th and 8th generations.

 

One thing I really loved about the PS3 was its UI. I like the PS4's well enough, but the XMB was the perfect mix of style and function. The PS3 also had a lot of neat compatibility features - not only could you play PS1 and even PS2 games in some early models, you could even convert your PS1 saves in order to play them on your PSP. Hell, it was the first console to have Remote Play, though unlike the PS4's, the PS3's is extremely limited due to the low number of supported games.

 

That said, I'm honestly seriously thinking about re-buying most of my PS3 games on the PS4. Many games didn't run all that well and had low framerates and low resolution. Not that that means there was anything wrong with the games themselves, mind you, but there was certainly a lot of... jank in the 7th generation,