That's right, I'm going there. Notify this doesn't count for some games but most wing it with graphics and gimmicks. There's no thought to the games mechanics, no thought to the level design. Just add features to the game, no point in making the game engaging and fun. Doom 2016 to Doom eternal is the best example of doing a sequel right. A hat in time, a good example of a solid 3d platformer that corrected all the mistakes of the 3d platformer genre. Super mario odyssey, an example of how to capitalize on 64s success while missing the pitfalls of sunshine.
Now look at dying light, parkour mixed with zombies. What could go wrong. With that game they could have made it linear with compelling zombie chases, but what did they do, make it open world. That's a modern gaming trope I'm sick of. It was revolutionary when Rockstar did it, they even made ecosystems to go with the game. But it's not fun, it's simulating the real world, in other words, a gimmick. We play video games as a way of escaping the real world. Originally the premise of gta, the selling game play point, was to see how long you lasted before the man took you down. The selling point of farcry was it's stellar ai. These mechanics, not revolutionary anymore, and over time, we realize that they are gimmicks. The old school 8 bit games had it right. Now if only we could recreate that feel with modern games. Take streets of rage 4, they could have went with fighting force game play but they didn't. They gave us a finely crafted hand drawn masterpiece with a complex fighting system. They didn't chase gimmicks, they carved a path and laid down the bricks, which is what gamers are looking for in video games. No me too games, no gimmicks, just finely tuned games made by developers who know what they're doing.
In the end, that's all that matters.
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