Monday Tip-Off: Ninth Generation Disappointment

In this week's Monday Tip-Off, Andrew reflects on how he feels disappointed by the ninth generation of consoles thus far.

The post Monday Tip-Off: Ninth Generation Disappointment appeared first on NLSC.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how the ninth generation has been a disappointment for me so far.

I was eager to get a PlayStation 5 as soon as possible back in 2020, and was fortunate enough to snag one during the second wave of pre-orders at my preferred retailer here in Australia. It was essential in order to cover the Next Gen version of NBA 2K that tipped off the ninth generation that November, and there are obviously other games that I’m interested in as well. However, to be completely honest, the ninth generation has been a significant disappointment for me so far. None of the NBA 2K titles on PS5 have held my attention for an entire year, nor have I been tempted to revisit them.

To that point, I’ve mostly been using my PlayStation 5 to play MyCAREER in NBA 2K14! It’s not just the virtual hardwood that’s left me feeling uninspired by the ninth generation, either. I was also disappointed by Mortal Kombat 1, though not so much for its gameplay. This is where somebody might suggest that I’ve “outgrown” video games, or that I’m simply out of touch with modern trends. Given some of the trends that have emerged in video games – basketball or otherwise – I’d actually consider that to be a point of pride! Look, I can’t deny a couple of Grumpy Old Man opinions, but when it comes to the ninth generation, I truly believe my disappointment is justified.

It doesn’t help that the ninth generation hasn’t felt like a major jump from eighth gen. Listen, you can recite technical specs and numbers to me, and post all the screenshots showcasing visual enhancements that you want. At the end of the day, none of that matters to me, because the gameplay experience doesn’t feel better because of them. I mean, fasting loading times are nice and very much appreciated, and it’s not as though games haven’t endeavoured to be innovative with new features. They are, in so many ways, deeper and better than several of their predecessors. And yet, in 2024, I’d much rather play games from the eighth generation and earlier than a ninth generation title!

As corny as it sounds, there’s heart in old games that I don’t see today. I’m not saying that developers and programmers aren’t working hard on modern games, because they obviously are. However, video games – in particular the big budget, Triple-A releases – are not about gamer enjoyment the way they used to be. I know it’s covering well-trodden ground at this point, but now that publishers have seen just how profitable recurrent revenue mechanics can be, microtransactions and freemium economies are prevalent in full-priced releases. Downloadable content and Season Passes allow for once-standard aspects of games to become extras, sold separately at a premium price.

This isn’t a new development of course, but the practice has become so normalised by this point that it’s expected – and sadly, accepted – in the ninth generation. Games feel greedier than ever, preying on FOMO and gambling addictions with desirable items that are available for a limited time. Indeed, games themselves feel more disposable than ever, especially with always online requirements that render modes unplayable when the servers are shut down. Needless to say, selling a new game every year has always been the goal for any company publishing an annual sports title, but they’ve never felt as disposable as they do now, or as pushy about buying the latest release.

We weren’t confronted with in-game advertising from banner ads to pop-ups, urging us to buy the latest game. Sticking with or returning to an old favourite was actually viable. Sure, from the seventh generation onwards there were more functions and even modes that were lost along with online support, but the games were still mostly intact. They also had their own identity even if you were compelled to move on to the newest release. Again, there was heart there; a high quality product that you looked forward to buying every year, instead of a thin veneer vainly attempting to mask a stale game designed to guilt and frustrate gamers into pumping more money into it.

It’s why I haven’t been able to truly get invested in any NBA 2K games on the ninth generation. Even when I’ve felt more positive about the gameplay, I just can’t get hooked on a mode that I know I won’t be able to revisit in 27 months time; and, that in the meantime, is going to be a painful slog until patience and persistence finally pays off, or I pay up. It’s not just NBA 2K, either. This is gaming in the ninth generation, and it’s a huge disappointment. I don’t care that “it’s a business“. I don’t care if some people can afford to buy VC, so miss me with all that “broke” talk! I don’t care that this is the new normal. It shouldn’t be, as games are weaker and less fun because of it.

That’s what I care about: that something that is supposed to be a fun leisure activity is designed to be less fun in order to generate recurrent revenue. I understand that the video game industry is a business, but I’m not going to let the suits’ desire for a new yacht justify inferior quality and a lack of artistic merit. I’m not going to be dazzled by ray-tracing, dynamic lighting and shadows, or lifelike hair movement. I appreciate it, sure, but none of that tech matters if the core gameplay loop isn’t enjoyable. I’m not going to marvel at those details in a game that isn’t fun, and trying its best to get me to spend more money on it, for content in a save file that I’ll lose in the very near future.

Then there’s the rise of online multiplayer and competitive gaming, which has done no favours to single player gameplay. Contrary to snarky comments on social media, many people do still enjoy single player or offline multiplayer with friends, with little or no interest in the competitive online scene. Also, we seem to have forgotten that so many of the popular games with a competitive scene trace their roots back to a title that was enjoyed solo as much as it was multiplayer! Focusing on eSports and online play has detracted from single player modes and gameplay, while fostering the toxic attitude that simply having fun with a game is to be somehow enjoying it incorrectly.

From the elitism and gatekeeping that permeates the online scene, to mechanics that are focused on competitive play and recurrent revenue over fun, and chasing trends in a way that alienates long-time fans, there’s a distinct feeling of joylessness to the ninth generation. It’s not just basketball games, either. The WWE 2K series suffers from the same greed as NBA 2K. Mortal Kombat 1 has placed many of the alternate costumes behind a paywall, rather than a campaign or challenge mode. It also rebooted the story – again – in a way that I’m not that fond of, though I’ll admit that’s personal preference. To be completely honest, I’m yet to play a ninth generation game that I’ve truly loved.

Suffice it to say, I’m extremely dismayed by that. Sure, I felt some disappointment with the eighth generation launch titles, but I warmed up to NBA 2K14 and really enjoyed some of the games that came along over the next few years, basketball or otherwise. I don’t expect that every game I play will become an all-time favourite – that’s never been the case – but the fact that I haven’t been able to become hooked on even one ninth generation title is concerning, and a disappointment. Even accounting for my enthusiasm and indeed predisposition for retro gaming, I’m still interested in new games. I want to look forward to their release, and enjoy them once they’re out.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of broadening my horizons, as it’s been a while since I took a chance on a game outside my favourite series and familiar genres. Maybe I just need to be over some of my retro kicks around the time a new NBA 2K is released, so that I can put them aside and give the latest game every opportunity to hook me in. It could be that I just need to try focusing on the positives and easing back into some franchise gaming, while still criticising the practices I abhor. A new NBA Live, or some other alternative to NBA 2K, would undoubtedly pique my interest, too. Of course, as long as ninth generation games have familiar issues, I’ll likely still be left disappointed.

I don’t relish feeling so cynical. When Conan O’Brien decried cynicism during his final night hosting The Tonight Show way back in 2010, I took his words to heart. While there are times when being cynical is inevitable and even wise, and it can be an effective tool in comedy – especially the comedy I grew up with as a 90s kid – it also encourages a closed mind and confirmation bias. To that end, I’ll absolutely try my best to keep an open mind moving forward, and give games a chance. However, the writing has been on the wall for some time when it comes to industry trends. I’m not expecting the suits to choose artistic merit and goodwill with gamers over big profits.

As such, there’s a good chance that my disappointment with the ninth generation will continue. It’s a shame that four years into the PS5’s lifecycle, I’m still primarily using it to play a ten year old game, other eighth generation titles, and to watch DVDs and stream media. I mean, I’m still having fun doing that, and I don’t expect I’ll ever tire of retro gaming, so I’ll always be able to find something to play. I don’t regret buying a PS5, but I certainly wasn’t expecting or hoping to be so let down by its library. Even knowing the direction of the NBA 2K series, I still hoped that I’d enjoy the gameplay enough to return to my roots as a franchise gamer. To put it bluntly, no such luck.

Not yet, anyway. Once again, I don’t want to fall victim to close-minded cynicism, so I’ll continue to give NBA 2K, WWE 2K, and other ninth generation releases a fair chance to impress and draw me in. That goes for past games as well; just look how I warmed up to NBA 2K14 PS4 all these years later! Of course, there’s a reason for that, and it goes hand-in-hand with my disappointment in the ninth generation NBA 2K games so far. We’ll see what the future brings, but to me, any of the technological advancements made by the PS5 and Xbox Series X have been cancelled out by greedy practices and stale design. For now, it’s easily my least favourite console generation.

The post Monday Tip-Off: Ninth Generation Disappointment appeared first on NLSC.