First things first…the world is not going to end this year…it just can’t! We’re going to experience something in the Video Game Industry that has never happened.
Thanks to a struggling economy, we are still in a generation of gaming that began in November 2005. Until recently, history has taught us that after five years, it’s time to scorch the earth and start fresh with shiny new gaming consoles.
The world is a much different place than it used to be. Instead of entering the second year of the next generation of gaming, we’re staring at an unprecedented seventh year of the current generation. Though this lifecycle was extended by shameless bouts of ‘ME TOO!’ by Microsoft and Sony, we can all laugh that farce off and focus on what may shape up to be the best year of gaming…ever!
Here’s the best part about this long console life cycle: Developers have gotten quite proficient and making content for the XBOX 360 and PS3 and it’s starting to really show. Limitations breed ingenuity. The drawing factor of games at this point in the current generation is not to “wow us” with flashy graphics, but to engage us with new experiences. 2011 was a great year for this, with games like ‘Catherine,’ ‘Child of Eden,’ and ‘Bastion’ breaking us free from the endless parade of triple A FPS games.
As for Nintendo’s next offering, I’ll be honest in saying that at this point, I have no interest in it and can’t see myself waiting in line at launch. As for XBOX “720” and PS4, I hope that the thunder stealing rumours are just that, and Microsoft/Sony have little to show this year at E3 pertaining to the next generation. Here’s hoping that neither next generation system is launched until at least 2013.
I have no doubt that 2012 will give us robust selection of gaming experiences that will make us proud to spend some of our spare time doing what we love to do…staring at a screen and smashing controllers in glorious frustration!
