Thus began the schism between modern and classic game design sensibilities. The same thing took place on the PlayStation Network and the Steam store, and even the Nintendo Wii’s online storefront brought about renewed interest in retro Nintendo titles.

Instead, the split between indie and triple-A began in earnest – the Xbox Live Arcade took off by offering loads of cheap, addictive games that were quick to download on account of their small file sizes. I remember being amazed by the immense graphical fidelity of Xbox 360 titles in 2005, and thinking how incredible it would be to see all of my favorite genres given the “next-gen treatment.”īut that’s not what happened.

I want to be clear that I don’t favor indie games lately out of some sort of desire to be a hipster or elitist with “refined tastes.” I’m constantly looking toward new titles to get excited about, whether the budgets are big or small. Triple-A game development seems to be all about the bottom line. 2016’s Titanfall 2 was excellent, but it was quickly left to rot at the hands of hackers who repeatedly overload its servers – Electronic Arts shifted that development team’s priorities to the cash cow that is Apex Legends, a decent game stuffed full of loot boxes, battles passes and cosmetics. It’s difficult to recall the last big-budget title that genuinely impressed me with anything more than its graphics. I struggle to think of a more generic AAA experience than Forspoken, which does a mediocre job treading the exact same path left by the likes of Assassin’s Creed, Middle-earth, Destiny, Far Cry and countless others. The time you don’t waste in cutscenes is spent running around in desolate open plains and fighting hordes of monsters. Of course, Cuff and Frey exchange plenty of sassy one-liners throughout the journey. Frey acquires a magical, sentient bracelet known as “Cuff” – very clever stuff – and must use her newfound powers to return home. The story is set in the fantasy world of Athia, where protagonist Frey Holland is mysteriously transported to from modern-day New York City.

After all, there’s only so many times big-budget studios can cobble together a cinematic third-person action-adventure game before the niche is completely devoid of originality. The highly anticipated Forspoken was released on Tuesday, and despite its lofty cinematic presentation, its reception was about what I expected: middling.

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