As far as disappointing goes, Hotline Miami 2 might get thrown into the discussion. I could also see Evolve, it's always a bummer when a fresh idea for multiplayer shooters misses its mark.
Based on what you got out of those sites, I think you made the right move. Whenever I check up on facebook or instagram, I start comparing myself to other people. It's an unavoidable habit, but one that is exacerbated by these sites that have created a quantifiable metric for the approval of others. a.k.a "likes" As I write this I'm checking my own fb to see if that sweet, sweet notification is another person liking something I just posted.
edit: Nope, it's just someone's fucking birthday
In my experience swiping thru my fb or ig feeds can generate feelings of inferiority, frustration, FOMO and can overall put me in a bad mood. My brain can't help but go to an unhealthy space when I see someone's post about a new awesome job or world traveling vacation that gets more likes than my quip about Raisin Bran. When in fact, it didn't actually matter what everyone thought of what I was doing (and I CERTAINLY didn't care about what they were up to) but somehow in that instance I think that my life is "worse" than someone else's. I was searching for fulfillment or validation by hoping that every acquaintence or old high school classmate approved of what I just shared. Why not just live and go get ice cream and spend time with my actual friends whose opinions I actually care about?
You made a good choice and you shouldn't for one second think that meaningful social connections are dependent upon having a social media presence. I barely interact with my closest friends on fb, ig or twitter. Enjoy your freedom from the compulsion to keep tabs on what everyone is doing/thinking/seeing all the time and know that just because you haven't #joinedtheconversation doesn't mean you don't exist.
The problem is I am noticing a reluctance, especially in the "AAA" space, to leave this comfort zone of re-tread, tired settings and mythologies to base a new franchise in.
My question is, what cultures, time periods, places or mythologies do you feel are under-represented in video games today? Are there social or political issues that have been untouched by games or just not explored to their potential the way they are in other forms of media? How would you like to see these themes present themselves in bigger-budget "AAA" releases, if at all? This medium is full of Norse and Greek mythology themes, fantasy tropes, and modern battle action dudes but I'd love to see interesting, fun games be made from source material that I am not yet familiar with.
I think Assassin's Creed really could have potential to do deeper dives if they could commit more to the cultures they're exploring (thinking of the first one especially). The problem, of course, is authenticity, and I think that really comes from employing a wide range of creators. Personally, I'd be interested in seeing a AAA game that deals with humanity's relationship with the Earth/environment. Clearly, it's time for Sonic the Hedgehog to start saving animals again.
Yea its interesting that the only time I hear many people discussing cool new settings or eras in history to play around in is when rumors of a new Assassins Creed game are rumbling about. Even though most of their deep, meaty historical content is in the short blurbs describing whichever building you just scaled or figurehead you assassinated, I still commend them for cramming all that stuff in there.
And to your point about Earth/environment themes, I think a Captian Planet game that played like Arkham City would do the world a lot of good.
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