General Gaming I think I prefer indie games

[JosephManderley]

It's not been a deliberate thing, but I just realised the VAST majority of my Switch library is made up of indies.  Just in 2019 I have bought Wargroove, Downwell, My Time at Portia, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule, Friends of Ringo Ishihawa and Graveyard Keeper.  I haven't bought a 'big budget' game since Pokemon Let's Go.

 

Maybe it's my age, and these games often remind me of the stuff I played when I was younger?   Maybe it's the convenience of the eshop?  The stuff EA, Activision etc. is putting out just doesn't interest me these days it seems.

 

Am I the only one?

[Moa]

AAA gaming has been chasing its own tail for a while with constant retreads, iterations, and generally trying to be the Witcher. Indie games tend to be doing much more interesting and original things. I also think that past a certain age you've seen what AAA gaming has to offer and it's hard not to be jaded about it.

[Keyser_Soze]

Hey man, there’s nothing wrong with liking indies. It really took courage for you to come out like that.

[SaysWho?]

I like a lot of indie games.

 

But rarely do they give me the same thrill of a AAA creation.

 

The ones that do, like The Witness or Dead Cells, are pretty awesome. 

[Brian]

Indies are a great palate cleanser but will never reach heights for me like Spider-Man, God of War, Witcher 3, Yakuza, etc.  My switch is full of Indie games as well and yet so many are unfinished and untouched for months. Playing an Indie gets me more excited for the next big game coming down the pipe. 

[Bloodporne]

6 hours ago, Moa said:

AAA gaming has been chasing its own tail for a while with constant retreads, iterations, and generally trying to be the Witcher. Indie games tend to be doing much more interesting and original things. I also think that past a certain age you've seen what AAA gaming has to offer and it's hard not to be jaded about it.

While I don't disagree with that, indie games chase their own trends and cliches from what I see. There's the emotional story + subpar gameplay platformer, the emotional journey walking sim and so on. We're getting games like Red Dead Redemption 2, God Of War, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro, Dishonored 2, Hitman, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry 5 and what not from the, well arguably on some accounts I guess, AAA camp.

 

Big releases have been more varied and exciting in the past few years than ever for me but I couldn't go without either indies nor big budget.

 

This thread is also reminding me of my abject failure as a human when playing The Witness, jesus.

 

[stepee]

sounds to me it’s more that switch is your main console idk

[AbsolutSurgen]

AAA games are definitely my preference.  Their scope, story and gameplay systems are typically more robust than most indie games.

 

I enjoy the occasional indie game as a diversion.  Some of them are a lot of fun.

 

But give me an Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, GTA, Spider-Man or God of War to sink my teeth into, and I am very happy.

[Paperclyp]

I don’t really even make the distinction anymore. 

 

The only time I think about it is when people whine about the PSN monthly games. 

[crispy4000]

4 hours ago, Bloodporne said:

While I don't disagree with that, indie games chase their own trends and cliches from what I see. There's the emotional story + subpar gameplay platformer, the emotional journey walking sim and so on. We're getting games like Red Dead Redemption 2, God Of War, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro, Dishonored 2, Hitman, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry 5 and what not from the, well arguably on some accounts I guess, AAA camp.

 

Some cliches don’t make much sense to throw at indies specifically though.

 

Like, if we’re generalizing some of them for subpar platforming, 99% of AAA games also aren’t doing a better job at that.  Platforming is almost never a focus.  Even for B-tier AAA’s that go there, I’d rather play another Teslagrad, Limbo or Guacamelee than a new Kirby or Yoshi.

 

There’s also plenty of big budget open world games that don’t excel at much beyond world building.  I think the stereotyping can easily go both ways.  It just depends on what topic we reduce it to.

[skillzdadirecta]

I like good, fun games

[ShreddieMercury]

Definitely not just you.  Outside of Nintendo's first party offerings, AAA games generally feel the same to me as they did 10 years ago, only more polished and graphically detailed.  I also think that games are more heavily padded now, meaning that you might have to spend 20+ hours to finish something that has about 10 hours of truly interesting content.  The excessive padding has really driven me towards shorter, more concise experiences.  Something like Inside, for example, is an incredible experience that ends as soon as it exhausts its best ideas. 

 

As far as recent indies, I'll also plug Outer Wilds again, because that is an astonishing game that I can't believe is only $25.  One of, if not the best, gaming experience that I think I've ever had.

[AbsolutSurgen]

Show me one game from 10 years ago that feels like Forza Horizon or God of War. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I like a mix. Too many AAA games follow a similar formula and feel the same. That's why I can't play every big game that comes along. 

[Bloodporne]

7 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

 

Some cliches don’t make much sense to throw at indies specifically though.

 

Like, if we’re generalizing some of them for subpar platforming, 99% of AAA games also aren’t doing a better job at that.  Platforming is almost never a focus.  Even for B-tier AAA’s that go there, I’d rather play another Teslagrad, Limbo or Guacamelee than a new Kirby or Yoshi.

 

There’s also plenty of big budget open world games that don’t excel at much beyond world building.  I think the stereotyping can easily go both ways.  It just depends on what topic we reduce it to.

I agree completely which is why I didn't disagree with the post I quoted. Just saying I don't find indie games any less cliche-ridden if looking at the big picture.

[Keyser_Soze]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Show me one game from 10 years ago that feels like Forza

 

[gamer.tv]

I do feel I'm missing out as I have barely scratched the surface of indie releases. To repeat the same post, I feel that once I pick up a Switch, this will change as the console does lend itself to playing more of a range of games (than I would want to sitting in front of a television with my PS4).

[Xbob42]

I generally don't make the distinction anymore. I've always thrived on novel game ideas over most other factors, and while indies (generally) are more willing to go down that path, it's usually way more exciting to see a AAA title going for novel new ideas, as you know it'll be a much bigger game and much more rare.

 

Indies have their own tired tends, though. My least favorite one being mediocre gameplay, and, ironically, fucking with systems that work. But you thrive on novelty, Xbob! Yes, but there's nothing novel to me about "A turn-based RPG but less interesting," most tweaks like that tend to take a gameplay element away rather than add something new and interesting.

[JosephManderley]

18 hours ago, stepee said:

sounds to me it’s more that switch is your main console idk

There may be an element of that, but also I play almost always in handheld mode, and that could be a factor.

 

Big budget AAA games are obviously going to look better on a big beautiful screen, whereas often indie games are more suited to a handheld experience perhaps?

[Xbob42]

Slightly unrelated, but the Switch actually being kind of a bad handheld for me (too bulky, bad battery life, slower UI than I want from a handheld) made me pick up a refurbished GBA SP. Turn it on, playing in seconds, quality established library, love it. Also a clamshell design so I can safely put the fucking thing in my pocket, unlike the Switch where I need a horse and buggy to constantly transport it behind me!

[DPCyric]

1 hour ago, Xbob42 said:

Slightly unrelated, but the Switch actually being kind of a bad handheld for me (too bulky, bad battery life, slower UI than I want from a handheld) made me pick up a refurbished GBA SP. Turn it on, playing in seconds, quality established library, love it. Also a clamshell design so I can safely put the fucking thing in my pocket, unlike the Switch where I need a horse and buggy to constantly transport it behind me!

 

You just need a good vintage pair of JNCO's to carry you switch around in! I usually prefer indie games now most AAA releases haven't impressed me this gen. Honestly PSVR and indie games are what kept me going most of this generation with a few exceptions... I'm really hoping next gen is better.

[XxEvil AshxX]

You sure you're not just buying a bunch of indie games on Switch cuz theyre the only ones that go on sale?

[crispy4000]

57 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

You sure you're not just buying a bunch of indie games on Switch cuz theyre the only ones that go on sale?

 

You don’t buy a Switch because you want a ‘sale’ on indies.

[XxEvil AshxX]

2 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

 

You don’t buy a Switch because you want a ‘sale’ on indies.

 

No, but when Nintendo's idea of a "sale" is knocking five dollars off of a last-gen game, and it's still more expensive than it was the first time around, those indie games going for less than ten bucks look mighty appealing.

[Paperclyp]

55 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

 

No, but when Nintendo's idea of a "sale" is knocking five dollars off of a last-gen game, and it's still more expensive than it was the first time around, those indie games going for less than ten bucks look mighty appealing.

Indie games are appealing on the Switch because of the portability combined with the fact that typically (typically) they run just as well. 

 

The price of other games on the system doesn’t play a factor in those purchasing decisions. 

[JosephManderley]

14 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Show me one game from 10 years ago that feels like Forza Horizon or God of War. 

I played around with a friends PS4 this week, played a little WRC.  Felt no different from driving games on PS2, just better looking.   Fun, but not really my thing.

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, Paperclyp said:

Indie games are appealing on the Switch because of the portability combined with the fact that typically (typically) they run just as well. 

 

The price of other games on the system doesn’t play a factor in those purchasing decisions. 

 

The price of indie games on other platforms does for me.  

 

It’s pretty easy to talk myself out of paying a portability tax.  I’ve bought only a single indie on Switch (Overcooked) for that reason.  Which happens to be getting a free giveaway on PC next week.

 

There’s also backwards compatibility concerns. If I buy an indie on Switch now, will I be able to play it on the Switch 2?  I want that library to come with me in the future, which Nintendo doesn’t have a great history of with digital.

 

No Wii U indie purchases transferred over.

[Paperclyp]

2 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

 

The price of indie games on other platforms does for me.  

 

It’s pretty easy to talk myself out of paying a portability tax.  I’ve bought only a single indie on Switch (Overcooked) for that reason.  Which happens to be getting a free giveaway on PC next week.

 

There’s also backwards compatibility concerns. If I buy an indie on Switch now, will I be able to play it on the Switch 2?  I want that library to come with me in the future, which Nintendo doesn’t have a great history of with digital.

 

No Wii U indie purchases transferred over.

I don’t disagree with any of this.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I'm just selective about what indies I buy for Switch. I don't buy them like I did/do on Steam.

[SaysWho?]

To be honest, many indie games feel similar to me since many of them follow a roguelike or metroidvania structure. So many of them randomize everything.

 

I play plenty of open world AAA games, but the experience I get from Red Dead feels different than GTA or Days Gone or Horizon Zero Dawn.

 

And all of them felt different than God of War or Metal Gear Solid V.

 

I like a lot of indie games (some of my favs this gen have been Dead Cells, The Witness, Rocket League, The Swapper and Mercenary Kings). But rarely would they get into my Top 5 of a given year (examples include Limbo, Rogue Legacy, Binding of Isaac, Steamworld Dig, Spelunky, Super Meat Boy, Gone Home, Thomas Was Alone, Towerfall, Apotheon, Transistor). For some of them, I was happy to get them on PS+ because I enjoyed my time with them but wouldn't have bought them regardless, which made them great candidates for freebies.  

 

At the same time, PS+ introduced me to Rocket League, Swapper and Mercenary Kings, and I loved those games.

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 hours ago, JosephManderley said:

I played around with a friends PS4 this week, played a little WRC.  Felt no different from driving games on PS2, just better looking.   Fun, but not really my thing.

WRC is nothing like Forza Horizon though. 

[SaysWho?]

22 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

WRC is nothing like Forza Horizon though. 

 

And while I admit I laughed hard at the "Forza Motorsport Xbox" response, I get that Forza Horizon is a different beast than Motorsport and is a pretty unique racing game overall. From what I understand with GT Sport, it's also a big departure from the series.

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

And while I admit I laughed hard at the "Forza Motorsport Xbox" response, I get that Forza Horizon is a different beast than Motorsport and is a pretty unique racing game overall. From what I understand with GT Sport, it's also a big departure from the series.

I haven't played GT Sport -- but I have heard the same thing. 

 

The Forza Horizon series uses many of the Forza cars/designs -- but is a completely different type of game from a different developer.  (Motorsport, being a sim-lite track based game, Horizon being psedo-arcade open world game.)

[Keyser_Soze]

4 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

WRC is nothing like Forza Horizon though. 

 

Test Drive Unlimited was like Forza Horizon (you never specified Horizon) but yeah there are a ton of games like that, Horizon wasn't the inventor of open world racing games.

[Moa]

Forza Horizon 4 is a great indie game that deserves more attention.