5 ms·
At this point, I consider a AAA rating to be a signifier of mediocrity. If something is being touted as AAA, I can be pretty sure it will be a disappointment. T
by philipov 3y ago
At this point, I consider a AAA rating to be a signifier of mediocrity. If something is being touted as AAA, I can be pretty sure it will be a disappointment. There are two factors that cause this: The amount of hype creates expectations that can not be met, and the cost of production is so high a studio can't afford to deliver everything they have to. The value proposition is just not there. I find that indie and mid-sized studios (like Larian) are much better at both controlling quality and managing expectations.
- dmix 3y agoAgreed, I've been playing Dave The Diver which on the surface is a gloried flash/mobile game but it has so much personality and depth it draws you in. I try AAA games on Xbox Game Pass once in a while and I really don't get why they pump this stuff out without recruiting some talent to design it. It's almost worse than big budget Hollywood sometimes.
- tpxl 3y agoFWIW, Dave The Diver has been published by Nexon which is AAA.
- hrnnnnnn 3y agoTriple-A is a designation usually given to a game, rather than a publisher, as it reflects the amount of resources and polish a specific project received.
- tpxl 3y agoTriple-A is a designation given to games published by big studios.
- philipov 3y agoTriple-A is a designation given to games developed by big studios. Just because it's published by EA or Microsoft doesn't make a game AAA.
- 015a 3y agoTriple-A is a designation given to games which receive some undefined large amount of funding toward its development. That tends to correlate with being developed or published by a large studio, which Dave the Diver definitely was, but MINTROCKET wasn't given nearly the same resources as, say, a typical Xbox Games Studio studio would be.
- tapoxi 3y agoSony's been knocking it out of the park with their AAA releases though. The last few they've released (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, God of War: Ragnarok, Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon: Forbidden West) have all been extremely fun, polished, and devoid of microtransactions.
- WastingMyTime89 3y agoI have only played Forbidden West and it’s the most mediocre experience I had with a video game in the past decade. The gameplay felt clunky with weird spikes of difficulty in the middle of otherwise fairly boring segments. The main plot was utter trash and the other quests completely uninteresting. If that’s the standard of good AAA games, I never want to play another one.
- hiatus 3y agoWhat would you consider the best experience you had with a video game in the past decade?
- WastingMyTime89 3y agoProbably the first Spelunky but Slay the Spire, A Short Hike and Disco Elysium are close. Honorable mention to both 80 days, Stardew Valley and The Witcher 3.
- lores 3y agoSeconding all of those. Disco Elysium and some parts of Witcher 3 are some of the finest storytelling of the 21st century in any medium.
- kelsolaar 3y agoElden Ring is certainly one of the best I played the past decade. The production design is fantastic.
- 3y ago
- ghusto 3y agoThis, but my reasoning is slightly different. I think it's more because the cost of production means that can't afford to do anything with artistic merit. The stakes are so high, that "chances" like actually being creative can't happen. It ends up being a bit like easy-listening rock; doesn't offend anyone, plays by text book "rock" rules, delivers exactly what you'd expect, and nothing more.