Are AAA adventure games cooked or is it just me?

[iqsenderw]

Honestly feels like every new release is just a buggy, bloated cash grab that runs worse than the previous title. We’re paying full price for beta builds while studios prioritize graphics over actual gameplay loops. Am I the only one thinking the sector has totally stagnated, or am I just jaded?

 

[Dimaspb29]

Honestly I feel like the AAA market has gotten super saturated lately and we're stuck in this loop of rehashed ideas and mediocre execution, but that's just my two cents. Games like Horizon and The Last of Us 2 definitely stand out, they feel like they actually took risks and put some heart into their storytelling. Is it the industry's problem or have we just gotten too spoiled by indie gems?

 

[Ar3s]

I'm not seeing it as a crisis, personally. I think AAA games are still pushing the boundaries of storytelling and graphics, but maybe the adventure genre specifically has gotten stale with the same tropes and linear designs.

 

[Wild.Cat]

I feel like a lot of AAA games are phoning it in nowadays, but that's probably just a case of me being a nostalgic old codger who misses the early 2000s. Some of these newer games like Elden Ring and Dragon Age 4 are definitely breaking the mold, though - they're showing that AAA can still mean something when done right.

 

[shadow326]

Honestly, I think it's just a case of the genre evolving and devs being more focused on accessibility features and online multiplayer than deep storytelling, but games like the Witcher 3 and Dragon's Age: Inquisition still hold up to today's standards. The real issue is that nowadays you've got indie devs who can create something truly exceptional with much less resources, making the AAA scene look a bit stale by comparison.

 

[Mikevl]

I'm feeling the same way, it seems like every new release is just a reskinned version of something we've already played. The last AAA adventure game that really caught my attention was probably God of War, everything since then has just been meh. Hopefully something at E3 will change my mind though.

 

[ybghdnf324]

Nah, you're not tripping, they're totally cooked. Most AAA studios are just churning out bloated live-service slop to please shareholders. If you want actual gameplay and soul, stick to indies.

 

[Sukina1998]

Nah, big studios are definitely cooked right now; too much bloat and zero innovation. It feels like every new release is just the same recycled slop with a fresh coat of paint.