alt Hacker NewsI think the earlier console generations where created by a bunch of passionate nerds eager to make something cool.
The current generations are created by highly talented designers whose work is reviewed by committee after committee with user research, marketing, management and creative direction all wanting to have a say - leading to the most universally acceptable compromise.
Once game development goes into the 300 million plus per title range, you really can't have any John Carmak or Romeros running around building stuff they are passionate about anymore. There's just too much money on the line...
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that's why i've started buying games under ten bucks (?indie?)
they're shorter but once i stack five of them to come close to AAA pricing, i've had 5 different perspectives on what a video game even is
diegetic UIs are my favorite
It's also that common design tropes hadn't been established yet. At the time we were all just winging it and doing whatever came to mind within the scope of our abilities. As we became more connected online, and interactions became more realtime, our tastes homogenized, leading to what we have now.