8. True "Next Gen" Games Are Still Some Way Away
Since the days when many of us replaced our old, wood-paneled Atari 2600's with fresh, new Nintendo Entertainment Systems, one feature of new generations of video game consoles has stood out more than any other: graphics. Whether it was seeing Mario come alive with color and detail like never before in Super Mario World on the SNES, or experiencing some of the most blood-pumping, in-your-face, over-the-top action ever seen on consoles in Gears of War on the Xbox 360, graphical upgrades have been THE hallmark of entering a new console generation. This time around, however, things are a different. Graphical capabilities have begun to plateau to a degree, and the term "next gen" is beginning to mean different things. Smarter artificial intelligence, larger game worlds with more intractability, seamless integration of single player and multiplayer content, and more complex, flexible game mechanics are just some of the features that will take front and center stage in a much more dramatic fashion during the eighth generation than improved graphics will. There are lots of games making their way to eighth gen consoles that look to be harnessing these next-gen capabilities in ways that console games never have before, but none of these games appear to be coming during the launch windows. One game, Ubisoft's Watch Dogs, was the one launch title that truly looked next gen in the way it approached open world gaming and integrated connectivity in ways that hasn't been seen before in other single player console games, but with Watch Dogs now having been controversially delayed, what are we left with? Sure, we have some cool-looking games: Forza 5 is running in native 1080p at a smooth 60 frames per second; Assassin's Creed IV on PS4 has much smoother textures, better lighting and longer draw distances than its current gen counterpart, and Battlefield 4 on next gen consoles now supports the 64 player multiplayer matches that the series has been famous for on PC. But what about these games really makes them truly "next gen"? Based on what has been shown, not much. There isn't really a whole lot there that demonstrates that these games are anything much beyond upscaled versions of current-gen games. This will change soon, though. Beginning in mid-2014, games like The Witcher 3 (pictured above), The Division, Quantum Break, and The Order 1886 will arrive which will really start to utilize the potential of these powerful consoles, and truly usher in the next generation of gaming. Until then, despite how the media, game companies, and gaming forums will try to dissuade you otherwise, don't worry. The next gen may have technically already begun, but it hasn't yet blossomed, and it won't for a while.