I've been out of the "buying new games" loop for at least 5 years, and that is largely due to what I see as this horrible trend of developers producing generic "safe" titles. Call of Duty 21: Modern World War II Combat Warfare Special Edition. Yearly sports title. Halo 9. Generic first person shooter that looks just like yesteryear's. Formulaic RPG title that is sure to woo the fans (because it looks just like the last one that sold well.) Resident Evil iteration 30 (amazing to me that they can still milk that franchise) Assassin's Creed every year in a different time period.

I understand that if a game developer takes a risk on a quarter of a billion dollar video game, it could tank the company if the American consumers reject it (outside of a niche group of hardcore gamers) but the way I see things, the industry has been stale for a long time. I feel the market has entered this trend of easy, flashy, proven games and the idiots en masse just keep buying the same yearly games over and over.

Granted I know that the indie scene still has a lot of experimental titles, but if you're like me and want a physical disc or cartridge, you don't care about downloadable titles.

The solution? None really. Replace the brains of all the idiots in the U.S. who keep buying the same schlock over and over with brains of people who like simple graphics, challenging gameplay, and *gasp* physical media with an instruction manual and actual value.

I've been criticized for liking old games or being accused of trying to relive my childhood, but none of that is true. The games were better back then, more unique, didn't feel as "cookie-cutter." and I could sell them to a game store or friend if I wanted (and hold them in my hand.)