Leroux: I seriously doubt they used those words to describe it. :D

andysheets1975: Not to speak for the guy, but I don't think that's precisely what he's saying. What he's saying is more along the lines of auteur theory - that, good or bad, the personality of the creator can be glimpsed through the work. That generally works better with smaller projects that aren't focus-tested as much, although it can still apply to blockbusters in the right circumstances.

Koalaman108: After playing a bunch of games from my GOG library, and some newer games, I wanted to bring this topic up for discussion. Obviously, this doesn't apply to all games, as there will always be gems and outliers, but this addresses the general feel I am getting from the industry.

I've started feeling that, while a ton of new shiny games are coming out, whenever I play them, I don't find myself getting invested in them like I do when I play Ultima IV, Doom, Wasteland or Duke Nukem 3D. As I think about it more and more, I've come to realise that what these games are missing (At least for me) is the personal touch of the designers and developers. When I play these older games, made by smaller teams, I get a strong feel for who the people who worked on the game were. Doom oozes heavy metal and Alien fandom, and really gives you a good idea of who Id Software were and what they liked. Duke Nukem 3D may be ultra-referential, but I feel like I know George Broussard a whole lot better after playing it (A nerdy kid who's into 80s action films, and all the silly, over-the-top goofyness that went with them).

It may seem like a stupid point, but to me, that's a big reason of why I play games. It's why I follow my favourite game developers and designers on twitter, and check frequently to see if they're working on something new. Every time I play their games, it feels like we're having this silent conversation. By simply playing the game, I am experiencing a piece of that person, and that makes the game more memorable than all the flashy graphics in the world.

andysheets1975: Not to speak for the guy, but I don't think that's precisely what he's saying. What he's saying is more along the lines of auteur theory - that, good or bad, the personality of the creator can be glimpsed through the work. That generally works better with smaller projects that aren't focus-tested as much, although it can still apply to blockbusters in the right circumstances.

misteryo: WIthout naming games, your question doesn't mean much.

You name Batman Arkham Asylum and ARkham City as recent games you have liked. What else have you played? What have you played that you didn't like?

Koalaman108: You get me, man <3
Koalaman108: The biggest examples I have is Skyrim and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Those games had so much and yet so little, and I nothing in them drew me in. They felt like they lacked personality, and, as redundant as it's getting, soul.

javier0889: Size of the team matters not when playtesters are stupid. Examples: Portal 2 was going to be a different game, with a different setting, but playtesters complained there was no GLADOS and no portals applied like in Portal 1. Valve changed it, and we will never know what could have been.

Charon121: Nowadays there's at least one new release worth the asking price per month, while GOG.com keeps me abundantly supplied with old games I want to replay or old games I never played back when they were hot stuff. Add the limited gaming time to the mix, and there's no chance I can play the game for long enough for it to feel special to me with so many new games to try.

misteryo: Well, two games you like and two you don't isn't really a trend in the industry.

javier0889: But you assume past times were better. That's a different case of nostalgia goggles, more subtle than the usual. Doom is just an Eye of the Beholder clone (admitted by id themselves) and far from the innovative piece of tech people makes it to be. It's still a very good example of game design though.

mintee: its a loaded question as it depends totally on each individuals taste.