the title is so wrong i won't even waste time reading the article. good day, sir.

The gen is over for tools who cynically only look at the downsides and ignore the gems that have blessed us. Hell, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls were enough for me to jizz buckets in anxiety as I once had a child-like excitement for games like MGS2 and 3. The Last of Us and The Last Guardian are maybe my Last Games to wait for, though also I'm waiting for unheard-of titles for Vita to come and drench my Gamer-flavor.

The article OP is just, not a Gamer, just a whiner, reminds me of ME3 whiners. Woe is me, this sucked, that sucked, lets whine and complain about everything that sucks and not about the awesome shit that came to existence! Death woes against Life praise. The cycle continues.

I don't think this generation is over, but I do think that it's winding down a bit, but in a big way. I think that after all the big titles have released (Beyond, WatchDogs, Bioshock Infinite, The Last Guardian, etc.), the next gen should start. I hope we at least get an announcement next year about a new console.

That doesn't fly with me, because I've played and seen some very not "banal" games this year. From already-released stuff like Journey and Gravity Rush to upcoming titles like Watch_Dogs and The Last of Us.

I don't think developers have run out of ideas, but rather that they've decided to make the most money with the least effort. That's why casual games are huge, why Bioware mailed in ME3's ending, why everything reminds you of everything else.

Next-gen won't solve that, as it's all stuff that's been happening for years now. It's a new attitude in the industry, and it will be the very same next generation if we don't cause the change beforehand.

I agree Hicken. You are reading my mind.

And I for one do not buy the writer's definition of banal.

Agreed Hicken.

I'll never get why brand new tech would boost creativity again.

As far as I know, it's when you're technically limited that you have to be innovative in order to stand out.

Heck this gen could last forever IMO, judging by the graphical capabilities of both HD systems, storage and etc, it's possible to create revolutionary games on both a technical and creative point. Uncharted has no loading and no install, same for God of war and these games are 2-3 years old. Even GTA4, though it has quite an install on the PS3.

Next gen will only bring consoles into the uncanny valley.

Seems you can blame just about anything you want on COD, or "the casuals".

GAMEPLAY!! Not frickin' graphics and physics. G..A..M..E..P..L..A..Y! How a game plays, not what's on the screen. Innovations in combat mechanics, puzzles, that kind of thing. Geez, what the hell is up with everyone thinking graphics engines are the be all end all of gaming?

"Oh look, this lampost is giving off a lightsource. It is so uber advanced and enhances the gamplay."

"OMG, look at that building that just crumbled into dust when that bomb hit it. It has made the combat so much more fluid and precise."

"Oh look, a game where it's dark and you can hear ominous sounds from all around you, I've never experienced that before the HD console era, how incredible is it that the graphics engine does this for us."

In the words of Stewie Griffin "that's you, that's what you sound like." Just in a more general sense that includes all graphics whores and people who think next gen is strictly about visuals first, everything else second. Or that the previous gens weren't capable of the kind of gameplay that exists today. Hell, SNES games have better gameplay than A LOT of today's games.