This is the golden age of videogames!

[Alpha]

GAMES OF THE YEAR?

Super Mario Galaxy (pictured) - 97.3%

The Orange Box - 96.1%

Bioshock - 95.3%

Call of Duty 4 - 95.1%

CPS

Halo 3 - 93.2%

God of War 2 - 93%

Mass Effect - 93%

Crysis - 91%

Drake's Progress - 89%

Project Gotham Racing 4 - 87%

Assassin's Creed - 84.5%

Edge magazine is notoriously parsimonious when it comes to handing out 10 out of 10 review scores for video games but in the past three issues there have been three of them.

 

Halo 3, The Orange Box and Super Mario Galaxy have all been awarded one of the highest accolades in gaming - a perfect score from Edge. And plenty of other games have been given near perfect scores also - from Bioshock to Crysis, Drake's Progress and Call of Duty 4.

 

The Edge scores are just one of a number of signs that reinforce a growing feeling that videogames are enjoying a golden age.

 

It is not just that the interactive experiences are getting ever more immersive, or the industry is being taken ever more seriously, but hardware and software sales are up significantly on last year - buoyed by a new generation of consoles and the work of developers who are beginning to exploit the tools they have at their disposal.

 

[...]

 

"There are now more ways than ever to spend money on video games - from consoles to handhelds, supplementary purchases online via Live Arcade, Virtual Console and the PlayStation Network to games on your iPod.

 

"The evidence of what Nintendo has done to attract people to games for the first time with the DS and the Wii is unmistakably clear."

 

This year will be remembered as the year the Wii took centre stage as the console of choice for families, the year PlayStation 3 finally showed its promise in real terms and the Xbox 360 hit its stride with the 5th anniversary of online service Xbox Live.

 

It is also the year of the handheld with Nintendo DS and PSP continuing to sell explosively, the year PC gaming began its renaissance and developers got to grips with tools that allowed them to tell stories in new, dynamic ways.

 

»» http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7107144.stm

[BlackKnight]

But the thing is, all of those a games are significantly flawed in one way or another. 10/10 reviews are hardly ever justified, let alone by games with disappointing single player campaigns, poor hardware use or pointless sandbox gameplay. I think this article is perfect evidence of how $ and hype make the industry today what it is. Less than half the list are new IPs as well...

 

This is just an age of a superfluous amount of games with big budgets. The 'golden age' of gaming, where games were about fun mechanics and not a lot of flash, is long past.