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[RoboFu]

Nah. It's just nostalgia coupled with gaming-quality acting as a filter for what we selectively remember. Every generation has had its ups and downs.

Sure, we look at the Assassin's Creeds of the modern world and bemoan serialization and a lack of innovation, but in the past, we had things like Tomb Raider becoming so cut-and-paste that they had to be taken away from the original developers. Not to mention the sea of mediocre Doom clones that flooded the post-Doom PC landscape. Or the janky 2D platformers of the 16bit era where they just couldn't figure out walking speed or hit detection. And remember the dearth of color and horrible framerates in the PS360 generation? Or the shovelware apocalypse that was the Wii?

Say what you will about the glory of day's past, but nothing I ever played in the previous to this generation could even touch the kind of experience offered by a game like Stellar Blade or Astro Bot. That there are bad games too doesn't detract from some of the straight masterpieces we're seeing.

Objectively incorrect as in nes - ps2 years produced more big hits and a lot of those series are still big ips today. PS3 - PS4 produced fewer big IPs with only a handful still big today.

This gen ? ( tumble weed ) remakes of those past big games are the biggest tickets.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Some people are just sad and can never be happy, and as silly as that sounds, it's as accurate as can be from my perspective. The reaction to games is subjective, some people say it's great, some awful, some okay, etc. For some people, almost every game is for them, for others, only some. It just depends on how you look at it all. There's so much out there to play, you just gotta pay attention to what's for you or not.

 

[nowhat]

I totally get it. Doom is the OG FPS (sorry Wolfenstein 3D, that just didn't quite cut it). And Gloom is an Amiga FPS.

Gloom

Gloom is a first-person shooter released for the Amiga in 1995 by Black Magic Software.[1] The game starts out with the player fighting space marines in science fiction environments, giving way to gothic castles and monsters, and culminates in levels set in Hell. It also sampled many of its...

doomwiki.org

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Games are great still, only con being it takes more time to make them but overall not bad with games like

FFVII Rebirth
Stellar Blade
Resident Evil games
FFVII Remake Part 3
Tides of Annihilation
Darksiders 4
GTA VI

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

The amount of quality games coming out is incredible

People saying "this is the worst gen by far" are completely out of touch and need to find a new hobby

Oh and don't let me get started on the hate xbox get, but that's a bit off topic.

The amount of 3rd party quality games is incredible

Outside of Astrobt first party games have been missing the mark for me this gen

I play a lot of Call of Duty but I don't REALLY consider that first party and even then the quality isn't great it just scratches an itch for some quick gun battles.

That said I am looking very forward to Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 this year

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

There are many great games but I miss the gameplay and world design generational leap present in every generation. Current devs are just improving on what's been done before but nothing groundbreaking.

 

[R6Rider]

For me there's almost too many games coming out. I have so many games to play.

There's like 30 games I still want to play on PSVR2 alone.

 

[JayK47]

What doom and gloom? This year is going to be impressive. It already is. Already several decent games have come out.

 

[bender]

The amount of 3rd party quality games is incredible

Outside of Astrobt first party games have been missing the mark for me this gen

I play a lot of Call of Duty but I don't REALLY consider that first party and even then the quality isn't great it just scratches an itch for some quick gun battles.

That said I am looking very forward to Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 this year

 

[samoilaaa]

There are many great games but I miss the gameplay and world design generational leap present in every generation. Current devs are just improving on what's been done before but nothing groundbreaking.

i totally agree that level design should improve alot but how many people do you think will buy a game with good level design ? people want simplicity

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

Even in the 2000s 2010s nonstop about game crashes blah blah blah, and yet good games continue to come our way. And now we get games of all genres, got AAA stuff, AA, got some old school type shit like Sea of stars, DQ3 etc... Plus all the old shit that is still awesome today there's so much.

 

[Woopah]

2024 was a bit mid but 2023 was fantastic and 2025 is looking to be the same, even before we get a Nintendo Direct.

 

[ReBurn]

Being terminally online turns people into misanthropes.

 

[Humdinger]

I agree. The industry has a lot of problems, but there are still plenty of good games out there to play. Personally, I've been disappointed in both MS and Sony this generation, and AAA has been largely a trainwreck. I suppose some of that disappointment generalizes to "gaming," although that's not fair, since it doesn't describe all of gaming, just one part of it. It's certainly not all doom and gloom.

 

[Raven117]

Because travel back to nearly any other generation and the quality and fun increases by magnitudes.
We have substituted truly great games with just okay ones.

I try not to get lost in nostalgia… but i can’t help but think this is true… generally speaking.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I used to get excited for 20+ games per year, now I'm lucky if I am interested in 5.

 

[analog_future]

Gaming fandom is toxic, period.


They can literally never be satisfied or made happy. The sky is always falling, gaming is always doomed, and every modern game is shit according to them. Every little perceived defect or drawback is catastrophized as being this massive, life destroying ordeal. It’s ridiculous and tiresome.


I just ignore the noise and continue to enjoy playing games.

 

[Syphon Filter]

the list is proof why, you mentioned remasters which are scams and mediocre games like doom. these days you have to worry and research to see if a game is woke or has propaganda, it is rare that a game is woke free.

 

[Beechos]

While good games how many of those will go down as classics that people will go back to generation after generation? I think that's prob the biggest thing nowadays all the these games are pretty forgettable.

 

[Brakum]

now dont tell me that out of all those games you cant find at least 4-5 games that you enjoy

There is one game im extremely edcited about in that list. One mildly interested, and another one is just a dlc so it doesnt really count.

 

[Jigsaah]

I don't think people are dooming and glooming over the same thing.

I find it problematic that almost every major game not coming from Nixxes is poorly optimized for PC. I definitely am dooming and glooming over this. I doom and gloom over Nvidia's blatant price gouging. Also the layoffs are concerning even though it could be perceived as a correction post-covid.

I am very irritated that 24% of recent game developer jobs have been filled by DEI hires (mainly of the LGBTQ variety) and their agenda has permeated and perverted some of my favorite franchises. I wouldn't mind at all if there wasn't an agenda being shoehorned into these games that I have a cherished history with. But it's so obvious when you look at the writing. Maybe it's not all of the 24% that's doing this...but the studios and publishers are protecting this action even if it makes their product objectively worse. It's like the greats of the last 20 years are retiring and being replaced by people who have no respect for the history of the industry they've now come to work for. If they made original stories that were good and included whatever message they are trying to send, then fine, whatever, that's your prerogative. I may or may not buy those games But infecting franchises that were politically and socially neutral with these agendas then saying it's on me that I don't accept the direction this or that franchise has gone in...that's not right. They don't respect what made these franchises great.

On top of all this...there's the concern of game development costing too much at least in America. There gonna be a reset at some point. There may be a bunch of games to play and yea, 2025 looks awesome...but that doesn't mean things are peachy overall.

 

[rabbity-thing]

Objectively incorrect as in nes - ps2 years produced more big hits and a lot of those series are still big ips today. PS3 - PS4 produced fewer big IPs with only a handful still big today.

This gen ? ( tumble weed ) remakes of those past big games are the biggest tickets.

Hmmm.... Yeah, there were some great new IP introduced every gen, but the past wasn't all just boundless creativity and new experiences.

Nes - Sure, there were new IP, but also a lot of arcade ports cashing in on the hits from yesteryear. Heck, one of the biggest titles I can remember was the Turtles Arcade Game. Not to mention all the games that shamelessly capitalized on a popular license only to deliver a subpar experience. Honestly, going back to the NES era is like walking through a minefield. For every classic, there are like 5 fundamentally broken games.
SNES - Many of the big hits were essentially just reboots of older titles. Super Mario World, Link to the Past, Super Metroid, and Super Castlevania IV, are what we would label reboots/remakes today. And yes, just like the NES era, a lot of arcade ports. And yes, just like the NES era, a lot of really bad licensed games too.
PSX Era - Metal Gear Solid was an old IP. If you play the original 2 games, it's crazy how much DNA from them made it's way into Solid. Resident Evil was a Sweet Home re-imagining. FFVII was part of a long-running series. And again, lots of bad licensed games and jank. There is the benefit this gen where 3D forced a lot of devs to have to try new things, but this renaissance occurred out of necessity more than anything else.

I could keep going, but .... meh. Gaming has always looked towards its past to move forward. Heck, all art does that. This gen, we have a few new IP that rise to the occasion, but just as in the past, most titles stand on the shoulders of giants. As is tradition. As someone who grew up with games (starting with the Atari 2600) and still regularly return to them, I've come to accept that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Lot of old IP. A few new IP. Lots of middling experiences. A handful of great generation-defining titles.

 

[RAIDEN1]

It all depends what genres you are looking at, take the football/soccer scene there is next to no competition now, what with Konami doing what Microsoft did and throwing in the towel to give a viable alternative...you are seeing big name casualties either struggling to survive or all but dead....you have Konami trying to relive the glory years with the new Metal Gear remaster because they know they would struggle to deliver a Metal Gear 6 on par with number 3...it's a minor miracle that Top Spin Tennis got a new entry but again, no viable alternative there....Deus Ex, Guardians of the Galaxy, Uncharted, Motorstorm, XGIII Extreme Racing, no title like these exist today...

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I don't think people are dooming and glooming over the same thing.

I find it problematic that almost every major game not coming from Nixxes is poorly optimized for PC. I definitely am dooming and glooming over this. I doom and gloom over Nvidia's blatant price gouging. Also the layoffs are concerning even though it could be perceived as a correction post-covid.

I am very irritated that 24% of recent game developer jobs have been filled by DEI hires (mainly of the LGBTQ variety) and their agenda has permeated and perverted some of my favorite franchises. I wouldn't mind at all if there wasn't an agenda being shoehorned into these games that I have a cherished history with. But it's so obvious when you look at the writing. Maybe it's not all of the 24% that's doing this...but the studios and publishers are protecting this action even if it makes their product objectively worse. It's like the greats of the last 20 years are retiring and being replaced by people who have no respect for the history of the industry they've now come to work for. If they made original stories that were good and included whatever message they are trying to send, then fine, whatever, that's your prerogative. I may or may not buy those games But infecting franchises that were politically and socially neutral with these agendas then saying it's on me that I don't accept the direction this or that franchise has gone in...that's not right. They don't respect what made these franchises great.

On top of all this...there's the concern of game development costing too much at least in America. There gonna be a reset at some point. There may be a bunch of games to play and yea, 2025 looks awesome...but that doesn't mean things are peachy overall.

Its some mentally unstable people starting with an agenda and trying to build a game around that imo

And I don't mean LGBTQ people are all unstable but the ones who make others call them the professor or like you said lash out at gamers for not buying their slop those people are not right in the head

People here have a right to doom and gloom if they feel their favorite hobby has seen a decline in quality as I am one on record saying this gen is probably the worst gen for me from a first party perspective and sorry but its my right to feel that way and I don't care about sales charts, it doesnt change how I feel.

That said we have had many wonderful 3rd party games I have really enjoyed and I did enjoy Astrobt

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Because travel back to nearly any other generation and the quality and fun increases by magnitudes.
We have substituted truly great games with just okay ones.

Yup

If you think now is peak, you have bad taste or are too young to remember older games

 

[RoboFu]

Nah. It's just nostalgia coupled with gaming-quality acting as a filter for what we selectively remember. Every generation has had its ups and downs.

Sure, we look at the Assassin's Creeds of the modern world and bemoan serialization and a lack of innovation, but in the past, we had things like Tomb Raider becoming so cut-and-paste that they had to be taken away from the original developers. Not to mention the sea of mediocre Doom clones that flooded the post-Doom PC landscape. Or the janky 2D platformers of the 16bit era where they just couldn't figure out walking speed or hit detection. And remember the dearth of color and horrible framerates in the PS360 generation? Or the shovelware apocalypse that was the Wii?

Say what you will about the glory of day's past, but nothing I ever played in the previous to this generation could even touch the kind of experience offered by a game like Stellar Blade or Astro Bot. That there are bad games too doesn't detract from some of the straight masterpieces we're seeing.

Not nostalgia at all. It's quantifiable. More new big hits were made... and most of those are getting sequels and remakes now. How well did re 4 sale? How many people are excited and want remakes and how well do those perform compared to the brand new ips or even some new sequels. RE 4 itself was super hit of a remake.

 

[samoilaaa]

Its some mentally unstable people starting with an agenda and trying to build a game around that imo

And I don't mean LGBTQ people are all unstable but the ones who make others call them the professor or like you said lash out at gamers for not buying their slop those people are not right in the head

People here have a right to doom and gloom if they feel their favorite hobby has seen a decline in quality as I am one on record saying this gen is probably the worst gen for me from a first party perspective and sorry but its my right to feel that way and I don't care about sales charts, it doesnt change how I feel.

That said we have had many wonderful 3rd party games I have really enjoyed and I did enjoy Astrobt

i agree , the majority of games are woke trash now or unoptimized trash , some of those could be in the list that i posted but there are so many games that there are good ones to choose

if 5 games out of 20 will be very good im happy

 

[BennyBlanco]

People say ps5 is the worst gen because ps5 has very few exclusives. Meanwhile they are posting record profits. Nintendo keeps pumping out multimillion sellers. Only people who are justified in their dooming are people heavily invested in the Xbox ecosystem.

 

[DeepEnigma]

People say ps5 is the worst gen because ps5 has very few exclusives. Meanwhile they are posting record profits. Nintendo keeps pumping out multimillion sellers. Only people who are justified in their dooming are people heavily invested in the Xbox ecosystem.

And misery loves company.

 

[samoilaaa]

the list is proof why, you mentioned remasters which are scams and mediocre games like doom. these days you have to worry and research to see if a game is woke or has propaganda, it is rare that a game is woke free.

no problem

if a game is woke but fun i will just pirate it , if it has denuvo i will just ignore it , vote with your wallet

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

People say ps5 is the worst gen because ps5 has very few exclusives. Meanwhile they are posting record profits. Nintendo keeps pumping out multimillion sellers. Only people who are justified in their dooming are people heavily invested in the Xbox ecosystem.

Record profits doesn't mean people are super happy with their first party output

Increased game prices, PS% not having price cuts, increased PSN price plus over all spending even on 3rd party games have all contributed to these record profits

Both can be true

I am way more invested into the PS ecosystem vs Xbox if you don't include PC so no its not ONLY people invested in the Xbox ecosystem complaining about PS first party output

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Record profits doesn't mean people are super happy with their first party output

Increased game prices, PS% not having price cuts, increased PSN price plus over all spending even on 3rd party games have all contributed to these record profits

Both can be true

I am way more invested into the PS ecosystem vs Xbox if you don't include PC so no its not ONLY people invested in the Xbox ecosystem complaining about PS first party output

similar story here

I owned ps1-4 along with each Nintendo release

decided to pick up the xbox series x this generation given that I've never owned one and have always wanted to play the classics

really glad I did. I've had a ton of fun playing games like Fable 1 and 2 for the first time

thing is though you don't really need to invest in the ecosystem due to gamepass. simply put I don't really buy games. GamePass was basically the price of peanuts at the start (the conversion trick worked for the first 2 years for me) and now I pay about $7 a month.

I don't hate Sony. I actually love my PlayStations. PS2 might be my favorite gen of consoles ever.

this can all be true and I can still strongly believe PS first party output is embarrassingly bad. perfect example:

people defending Sony first party output are the biggest part of the problem. you're rewarding garbage.

 

[Gamer79]

Games just aren't as fun and aren't as good. Quality control went out the Window

 

[Durin]

Most of the doom and gloom is relative to what kinds of games or developers people tend to buy from that are letting them down.

If you're a fan of western AAA titles from established devs like Bioware, Bethesda or Blizzard...yeah this gen has been shit for you. All 3 of those companies are shells of their former selves, and it is cope to pretend their new stuff is anywhere close to what they used to make.

You also have the issue of AAA dev cycles taking 5-7 years now, meaning devs you may like went from multiple releases to maybe 1 new one a gen...like if you're a Naughty Dog fan, you're getting their new IP, and hope it's good cause that's probably it with their cancelled multiplayer thing they were wasted on. Graphics have also hit diminished returns, predatory monetization is a thing, and big releases are with greater regularity coming out unfinished.

That said, AAA eastern games are doing better, some western AAA is still alright, and the AA down to indie space is pretty vast with good games if you actually take time to look. Plenty of people don't take or have the time, so their perspective is things are worse.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

also if you really think selling a lot is a sign of quality you are a fucking idiot. look at what the most popular TV shows are. what the most popular music is. people are fucking stupid.

 

[Danjin44]

Not for me I’m enjoying gaming more than ever and my love for gaming never disappeared.


Mostly thanks to Japanese games.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

similar story here

I owned ps1-4 along with each Nintendo release

decided to pick up the xbox series x this generation given that I've never owned one and have always wanted to play the classics

really glad I did. I've had a ton of fun playing games like Fable 1 and 2 for the first time

thing is though you don't really need to invest in the ecosystem due to gamepass. simply put I don't really buy games. GamePass was basically the price of peanuts at the start (the conversion trick worked for the first 2 years for me) and now I pay about $7 a month.

I don't hate Sony. I actually love my PlayStations. PS2 might be my favorite gen of consoles ever.

this can all be true and I can still strongly believe PS first party output is embarrassingly bad. perfect example:

people defending Sony first party output are the biggest part of the problem. you're rewarding garbage.

If people are happy with Sony's output as in first party its not for me to say they are wrong but on the flip side for people to say sales show every single person loves the first party output to me they are just a bot with marching orders and I can't take them seriously

I truly don't believe people who say this gens output is the best were actually gaming in the earlier generations, likely were too young

 

[StereoVsn]

The amount of quality games coming out is incredible

People saying "this is the worst gen by far" are completely out of touch and need to find a new hobby

Oh and don't let me get started on the hate xbox get, but that's a bit off topic.

Yep, and hell, I have more games in my backlog than I have possible time even if I stopped buying games today.

I think the biggest issue is utter failure by major publishers in making great games lately considering amount of money spent. So they cloud overall view but there are more games coming out all the time in all kinds of genres.

Plus you have last 40 years of games widely available on PC, relatively inexpensive consoles or emulation.

 

[StereoVsn]

If people are happy with Sony's output as in first party its not for me to say they are wrong but on the flip side for people to say sales show every single person loves the first party output to me they are just a bot with marching orders and I can't take them seriously

I truly don't believe people who say this gens output is the best were actually gaming in the earlier generations, likely were too young

I think 3rd parties had pretty good last few years. First party output from MS and Sony had been a failure, IMO.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I think 3rd parties had pretty good last few years. First party output from MS and Sony had been a failure, IMO.

Totally agree 3rd party has been on point and honestly struggle to think of the last MS first party game I sat back and said to myself I thoroughly enjoyed that game and for Sony it was Astrobt but I guess before that it was Ghost of Tsushima

Maybe I am just forgetting some first party titles but then again that proves my point I guess

 

[Griffon]

I'm sick of sequels and remakes, I need new stories/worlds that don't suck.

 

[Clear]

this can all be true and I can still strongly believe PS first party output is embarrassingly bad. perfect example:

people defending Sony first party output are the biggest part of the problem. you're rewarding garbage.

Why is this a perfect example of anything ?

Them doing a small upgrade of Days Gone, based largely on work already done for the PC version most likely, may not be a positive for you, but it is for me. Its an easy $10.

More pertinently Its also not equivalent to them focussing on that to the detriment or exclusion of other properties.

Its already known that Bend was working on another project for the past few years, which proves the above.

I honestly find it hard to believe that anyone is so dim-witted as to think that every project requires the same level of dev-time and resources, this being what amounts to an expansion of a title previously developed title its obviously a side-project at the studio and therefore on the low-end investment wise it should be something of the least concern and significance.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Why is this a perfect example of anything ?

Them doing a small upgrade of Days Gone, based largely on work already done for the PC version most likely, may not be a positive for you, but it is for me. Its an easy $10.

More pertinently Its also not equivalent to them focussing on that to the detriment or exclusion of other properties.

Its already known that Bend was working on another project for the past few years, which proves the above.

I honestly find it hard to believe that anyone is so dim-witted as to think that every project requires the same level of dev-time and resources, this being what amounts to an expansion of a title previously developed title its obviously a side-project at the studio and therefore on the low-end investment wise it should be something of the least concern and significance.

funny enough your reply to my perfect example is another perfect example of the problem

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

to the OP. I completely agree with you. I feel like the doom and gloom is mostly platform warring trolls or those that don't play games and just want to watch the world burn or hyperfocus on first party games (for all the big 3) as if they can support tons of major releases every year. Fact is they can't. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft are lucky to have 1-2 standouts every year, mixed with lesser titles. This has always been the case.

Things aren't perfect - many traditional studios are in a sorry shape right now (Ubisoft, EA in particular), but we're also getting so many new and exciting studios (especially out of Japan/Korea/China) that are producing unbelievable games. Every single year so far this gen there has been a ton of content to play and many surprises that end up being masterpieces.

There's lots to be excited about and this has been by favorite generation since the PS2 era.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Most doom and gloom comes from boomers who are seeing all the franchises, IPs and companies from their childhood melting into shitpiles. Sure theres a lot more beyond that but many are just incapable of seeing past them.

It’s true, I’m in that category 100%

 

[Blank Space Invader]

so many people say that the industry is at its worst right now , some blame it on Unreal Engine 5 and how everyone uses it and makes all the games feel the same , some blame it on AI and how it makes the game feel soulless , some blame it on woke and how it ruins the writing of stories/characters

I agree with everything written above , those problems do exist and will continue to exist but there is so much to choose from right now that its impossible to not find something that satisfies you , for example 2025 looks like an amazing gaming year

Kingdom come deliverance 2 ( i wont play it because of multiple reasons but i will admit that the game is well designed and it has a mature well written story )
Ninja gaiden 2 black
Doom the dark ages
Clair Obscur
Ninja Gaiden 4
The midnight walk
MindsEye
Metal Gear Solid snake eater
Lies of P overture
Gta 6
The first berserker
Shinobi art of vengeance
Metal Eden
Ghost of yotei ( im not a fan of the game but i know alot of people are )
Mafia the old country
Atomfall
The stone of madness
Deaths Stranding 2
Blue Prince
Dying Light the beast
Slender Threads
Fable ( maybe )
Little Nightmares 3
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Crimson Desert
Cronos: The New Dawn

and many more , now dont tell me that out of all those games you cant find at least 4-5 games that you enjoy , i have been gaming since 1996 and i dont remember having so many options as now , like i said there are problems in the industry , some will be fixed some will continue like AI , i just hope that it wont be used in areas like writting and i hope that hand drawn environments wont go completly away

I've been gaming since the very early 1980's. I've played across all major console brands and game genres and franchises.
Subjective tastes from game to game are fine and there are still some good games to be had now and again, but overall the industry is the worst its ever been for many documented reasons. It went down the drain once big business got involved, and then streamers/influencers took it the rest of the way to the landfill. One decent gaming year does not a saving grace make.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I really think it is an age thing

I've had this same exact conversation when I complained about MMOs. People will defend WoW and FFXIV and say they're still fun and doing well. Even though they've never come even close to providing the experience Ultima Online was able to deliver, and UO came out in the 90s.

 

[StereoVsn]

Totally agree 3rd party has been on point and honestly struggle to think of the last MS first party game I sat back and said to myself I thoroughly enjoyed that game and for Sony it was Astrobt but I guess before that it was Ghost of Tsushima

Maybe I am just forgetting some first party titles but then again that proves my point I guess

Hmm…. I liked Indiana Jones and thought it was a solid adventure. Astrobot of course was very good. Flight Sim 2020 was great and reportedly new one should be good once bugs are fixed.

Forza Horizon 4 was great, 5 was worse but still good and GT7 became pretty good after a year post release. Hmm.. and yeah Ghost of Tsushima 1, Spider-Man 1, TLOU1 were good but it’s been a while since they released. Sequels were meh (IMO of course) and I expect same from Ghost 2.

Thankfully there have been many 3rd party days to support the consoles and of if I think to my favorite games for Sony’s PS1&2 , they were mostly 3rd party anyways. So I guess we are back to that era so to say.

 

[mayham2199]

It’s the craziest time ever for gaming right now for me. I have an endless list of games I need to play in my backlog. GOTY contenders. I remember during ps4 and 360 I would have a month or so not really playing anything and just waiting for a game to come out.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Record profits doesn't mean people are super happy with their first party output

Most are.

Their first party games have NEVER been this successful from a commercial or critical standpoint. They are selling massively compared to any other generation. They are scoring better, and winning many GOTY awards. Maybe you're just the outlier. Don't speak for everyone.

Why aren't sales and metacritic a good barometer for how well their first party output has been? That's literally the only objective metrics we can use. There's nothing you have on your side other than your own personal feelings, which you're free to have, but you have zero evidence other than personal anecdote/emotion on your side.