I dont get this cynicism at all.
Why does Brain Age sell well? Why does Phonix Wright sell well? Why was there ever an adventure genre? Why is it morphing into an interactive novel genre? (Ala Indigo prophecies)
Why are some of the all time acclaim games are the one that make you think, that offer novel challenges.
Why does every game need to be at such a grandiose height?
In all media, there are bubble gum trash, and master pieces. You cant say the media is going down hill simply because there is bubble gum that does sell. Its absurd.
Just like with movies, tv shows, animation, and novels, there will a stream of mediocre stuff, that no one remembers that keep it going, keep it healthy to allow gems to crafted.
Thats it, most video games are mediocre. Most TV is mediocre, most novels are mediocre, most movies are mediocre. That just fine.
As for this nonsense that marketing ploys are retarded, is ironically retarded in of itself. Selling games, is incredibly cut throat. With long dev. times, increase cost, they need to get sales ASAP, and what help attract sales are gimmicks, stupid thing that make it look shiny.
Gamestop has a UFO special, because despite being speciality store, they are dwarfed by other retailers in video games and console sales. Much like how McDee dwarfs KFC in chicken sales.
Its not stupid, its marketing. They are trying to lure in customers to purchase from them.
They give demo to pre-orders so they have something in there hands for their money, just a little bit earlier. Its gimmick, and a small perk. And to my knowledge, most pre-orders can be rescinded. Giving out a demo to them before anyone else is more dangerous. It allows for viral advertisement to saturate it with negative opinions before it hits the general public, prevents demo plays, lowering chances of game purchase.
When ever a game release a demo, its a good thing. Just like its a good thin, when movies, novels, so forth give advance screenings to critics.
When they do not have a demo, is when you should be worried, and its none sense to be so upset over how the demo is package.
Something I do think is bull shit, are micro transactions. Buying that fucking scarf for your fps, is retarded. That just a hand on the tit of consumers milking it for every cent they.
Also, why are modern games more insipid then those in the past? In terms of gameplay and graphics, you cannot get any simpler then pong, or breakout.
Everyone has found memories of Punch-out, but its extremely shallow in almost every regard. Where the dermal bruising being rendered in real time? Where the ability to develop my own play style?
I also dont understand about games getting popular, and then dumber. Armed Core series, has a general urge to get more convoluted (which is fucking awesome!), Skate franchise has grown very popular, and yet its still require patience and skill to play well. Guitar Hero is stupidly popular, but they're adding game play features. Final Fantasy has no rhythmic flow with its difficulty, but still has male cos-players of female characters (as many of use would like to treat them like soap makers). Madden series rotate, and add as many game features as they nerf or remove. Jrpgs are still as complicated.
Mario has continue to be truly challenging, even though it lost some of this with its latest iteration, it still show immensely popular game, not being dumb down, as is zelda and metriod.
I know, that a similar list can be made to show popular games that became safe. That doesn't defeat my counter-point, by simply showing that there are popular games that retain similar level of complication, or grow more so defeat the generalization of gaming and popularity.