My last acquisition was UFO: Aftershock and Star Rangers 2. While not bad games on their own, they resulted simply disappointing to me. Now, what I've realised is that this has become a normal pattern to me: I get a new game all excited from screenshots, demo, etc, buy it, get disappointed, get bored in short time.

I remember when I used to get games which kept me playing for hours to no end, I had to actually make an effort to take myself away from the screen, and yet I have not played games like those in years!
Even FPS, a genre which does not really require much thought to be put into, has become a disappointment to me, my last FPS was Star Wars Battlefront 2 and F.E.A.R., both resulted in major disappointments, I heard many good things about FEAR and yet found myself before a game with massive system requirements (oh yeah, I can run Doom 3 and Half Life 2 without any problems but your crappy engine won't let me run your stupid game properly?? assholes!), so far crappy story (I haven't felt any of the tense atmosphere I heard so much about, Doom 3 kept me tense much much more).

Why, oh why can't they make decent games anymore? or is it just me?

Killing for peace is like screwing for virginity.

I think I'm with you on that one. Although I can still find games I can gladly spend all day playing (I must have went a full day on TimeSplitters:FP when I first got it) they are becoming rarer. I think it's because the structure of games is changing, they're meant to be played in bursts rather than marathon sessions.

Another thing I noticed is a lack of Fun. I'm not sure when this apathy, this restless dastardly lack of joy crept in, and of course it doesn't apply to multiplayer, which can make even crap games Fun. But single player...the fun quotient has been decreasing. Yes, ok, there's still a ncie sense of accomplishment when you headshoot someone or score or blow something up, but sometimes the sense of Fun is gone.

Also, more games need scores. Every game should have a score. Old school.

It could be a bit of both - I have stopped buying new games and have been looking at some of the old ones. I think our expectations get higher as the technology expands, I remember back in the middle ages when games came on 51/4" floppy or some such strange format, they were fantastic as everything previous to that was like the old ping-pong that was played on your tv.

I also think that the game designers imagination doesn't match the potential of the technology.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

I think the designer's imagination probably exceed the potential of the technology, but the money men won't let them explore it. They won't forward big money for a game if it isn't in a popular genre and/or a sequel.

FullAuto: Another thing I noticed is a lack of Fun.

The older I get the more it seems that FUN is all i ask for in a game. Fuck gfx or sounds etc as long as its basically fun I dont care how technologically brilliant or ground-breaking bla bla bla it is, i just want to be able to lose myself in a game and escape the bastard of reality for a while.

"A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

Heh, I agree, I am finding myself more and more looking thorough old games to find something to have fun with.
And I honestly don't care either about the stupid GFX, Aliens vs Predator 2 was, to me, far more fun than FEAR, and Half Life 1, with all it's (now) crappy graphics (back then they were awesome) is more fun than Half Life 2, with it's awesome graphics.

Killing for peace is like screwing for virginity.