This baffles me. Who are these people that buy games like MK11, a new FIFA game every year(?), go watch obviously purely commercial 'blockbusters' at the cinema, etc.?
Do some people genuinely find these things really enjoyable?
Do some people genuinely find these things really enjoyable?
I see your point, but Mortal Kombat is not really the best example of a cash-cow franchise that keeps selling the same game over and over. The successive games in this series have huge differences, especially since the reboot a few years back. If you like this style of fighting games, there are plenty of reasons to buy the latest version every few years.
FIFA on the other hand is terrible in this regard. I can say with confidence because I've been buying each entry since FIFA'09, and while there have been a few major changes in 10 years that are worthwhile improvements, you are indeed more or less buying the same game every year. I sometimes wonder why I even keep doing it, I guess it's just because it's become a tradition I cannot get away from, getting the game on release date and inviting my brother to play it until deep in the night.
Probably well worth the cost just to spend the time with your brother. I wish I lived close enough to my brother to do a yearly video game night with him--and wouldn't care what the video game was or how much it cost (within sane reason of course).
Yes. Why is it difficult to understand that other people can like things that you don't like? Is your ego truly so ingrained you can't even imagine the experiences of someone just a little bit different from you?
There are much worse ways to spend your money, ie cigarettes.
> Do some people genuinely find these things really enjoyable?
Of course. But come on, you can't possibly be seriously asking this.
GP knows people buy games that interest them. In my family we buy select indie games and select AAAs just like everyone else.
Is it the fact that these things are a 'common denominator' and as such are a 'neutral' choice of something to enjoy with friends that may have otherwise diverse interests? Or do people genuinely prefer these things, even if they were the only person left on Earth?
It's fast food of entertainment. A composition optimized to appeal to senses, even though it's of questionable nutritional value. I think it's fine from time to time.
Nostalgia is also a big factor, with so many reboots and adaptations of source material to new media, today's adults will pay to see all the Marvel blockbusters because they read the comics or saw the TV show as kids. I'd bet many people that bought MK9 - which rebooted the saga - did it for nostalgia. The same probably happened with the new Tomb Raiders, also a reboot of the series. Have you heard of the new The Lion King? Or Dumbo? Or Aladdin? Or any of the 500 new remakes Disney wants to make? Same thing.
I am lucky enough to not care about spending $60 per year on a single video game. So yeah, I will happily do it and play with my friends for a year. But is it honestly worth it? I can list feature breaking bugs that have been in the game for 3+ years, never touched. I can list features which got broken by new features, never fixed, for years. Considering how much money the product makes, for me it just shows what matters for EA.
And EA's focus seem to be solely Ultimate team, on making sure that they will resell the same shitty game with minimal improvement and people will spend buttloads of money on packs, which they have to do from scratch every year (Personally I do not touch microtransactions, too easy to pay few bucks here and there and this is never worth it in the long run). (IMO the fact that they release new version every year shows how predatory their business model is)
So yeah, you can find some enjoyment out of it, but I would say that in case of FIFA it is despite EAs best efforts.
And re MK11, I do not beleive it is released every year. I think the first 4 games were came out in quick(ish) succession, than it was quiet for few years, than several others...? So it's a different case from 'I'm a footbal fan and this way I can play with my current team'
I don't blame this mentality – it's the kind of loyalty that creative and loved stories naturally engender. It's really hard to imagine Super Smash Bros. having a fraction of its appeal if it had the same mechanics but completely new non-Nintendo characters. Or even the original Super Mario Kart for that matter.
Pro tip: it's not the same people. You can buy XX on game console XYZ and buy XX3 on game console XYZ2 3 years later.
Just like cars, cameras or PC parts, they're release every year but almost no one buys the new version at release.
I imagine the competitive aspect holds water for FIFA as well.
I played MK2 and MK3 on the arcade back in the days. Looked it up, there were 2 years between those 2 versions (1993 and 1995). MK3 and MK4 I also played on PC, and MK4 is from 1997 (2 years again after MK3). So yeah, back in the 90s there were 2 years between each MK2/3/4. And MK (MK1) was from 1992...
I used to buy Call of Duty every year. I love playing FPS games, and getting the newest game meant new guns, new maps, and just new ways to enjoy an FPS. Sure, you could argue that it is just a reskin, but I really enjoy playing FPS games and I'm okay with paying the retail price.
It baffles me that you are gatekeeping the concept of fun.
Well it's not like there hasn't been any changes between Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat 11. If you developed original IP that continued to be popular after decades, would you toss it in the garbage on some principle of "being original"? They continue to innovate.
it also works backwards: since everyone moves to the latest and greatest, the community evaporates when a new version comes out: nobody still plays street fighter (version - 1) basically as soon as the latest comes out, as tournaments pick it up (=> you need to learn it)
the one dark horse was smash, which had insane longevity but nintendo didn't want that IP associated with the fighting game community/streams for a long while - not sure what current state is
The "masses" go consume what they are told to. The (n)th remake of some series is about to come up, the marketing ramps up, adverts, product placement, discussions, reviews, interviews. It all drives demand.
Do you really not notice this? Even if it is a "here we go again, groundhog day" type of noticing?
People (on the whole - in before 'not me I spent hours searching / reviewing my next purchase') don't put effort into their consumption, they just buy / spend how they are told. Why do you think advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry.
>Do you really not notice this? Even if it is a "here we go again, groundhog day" type of noticing?
Except not all titles are like this. Smash Bros., Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat are not franchise re-skins. There are major balance updates, character updates, game mode updates, and sometimes an entirely new mechanic to address balance issues.
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars was the predecessor to Rocket League, but they don't play alike at all.
World of Warcraft is on it's 8th iteration. No matter if you like the the current version, each expansion brings lots of new content, balance, and class overhauls.
Are they worth it? Some people say no. Are they Madden-like re-skins? Definitely not.
Thankfully us enlightened folk aren't interested in anything mainstream!
>Why do you think advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Is your implication that only garbage products sold to the "masses" advertise?
That's not the logical corollary to the parent's statement; it's that some of the sellers of non-garbage products are interested in having "the masses" buying their stuff too.