I guess the reason I feel this way is because there haven't been any games lately that made me go "wow, this is what gaming is all about".
When I first started gaming It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. Everytime I played my gameboy it always seemed so exciting, like I was a part of the adventure, it sucked me and I couldn't get enough.
Either you forgot to add an "in", to make it say "it sucked me IN".. or our conversation just got really creepy and a bit weird.
As the years past, nothing really appealed to me anymore,
Games started feeling like they had been rushed through production, they didn't have the thought and care like they used to have.
And maybe you're right, I may just be growing up and out of my video gaming stage, or maybe now it's just because my standereds are too high.
while I do play mostly RPG's, that is not what I only play.
I play some FPS, Rythem games, A racer ever now and then, sand-box games,
I don't have a a certain catorgory when it comes to gaming.,as long as it's well done.
I guess I can't fully understand where you're coming from, because I'm (26-going on 27) still a big kid at heart. I have a Daughter, and enjoy playing with her.
And in the time I have to myself, when I'm not doing this, or any number of other things.. I completely, 100% love my video games. Anything from Final Fantasy, to Madden & SDvRaw, to Dead Rising, to even Golden Eye for the N64.
I try to span out every once in a while, and when I begin to get bored with a game.. I switch it up. Perhaps you haven't switched it up in a while, or even more so, perhaps with all the array of games you have.. (and this has happened to me) everything you own, and even the games that would interest you because of what you're used to liking.. all seem, look and feel like they'd be flat-out boring.
I went to the Gamestop store in an attempt to buy a used game, just to try something new.. and I walked out with nothing, because my heart, and my mind just wasn't into what all I seen. It happens sometimes.
Why can't I use EA as an example? they have over 100 games that aren't sport titles, let's look at few from last year alone.
Mercenaries 2
Army of two
Dead Space
My Sims
Rock Band 2
I just took a few, there are many others.
And if you look at this list this list that took me about 2 minutes to do, and I could give you a title that each of these games ripped off.
I get the rip-off from some of those games. Especially the rip-off that is, Rock Band to Guitar Hero.
When I think E.A. though, I think sports games. And that's why I said you couldn't use them.. because you can't truly upgrade/change a sports game.. outside of who's on what team, team colors, names, home-field looks, etc.
A lot of the games you did list, dispite it taking a small amount of time.. are very similar, albeit their storyline is different. Maybe you're getting bored because it's all one big same thing.
And is it really so much to ask for some orginality? Look at Mario, he goes around jumping on turtles, eating mushrooms, collecting coins, and that was on the nintendo's first console, which prove that a crazy formula like that, could become a smash hit.
It's never too much to ask for something new, refreshing and original.. but sometimes it isn't always that easy.
Again, we've come A LONG way from pong. So you have to give the game developers some time to think up something new and original. We have a huge list of category games out there.. it will become hard to constantly find something that stands out.. like Mario did when it first debuted.
Are you saying I should be happy that I don't have to make the game myself?
In a ways, albeit not rudely, yes.
Almost everyone who plays games, at one point would say to themselves.. I wanna make a video game. But the truth is, it is a huge deal of hard work. In the end, as a gamer.. you just have to take what you get, and try your hardest to be satisfied. You can complain, that's how companies, developers and industries know they need to change it up.. but sometimes just know you can't always have every little thing you want.
Why can't they just sell me the full version? No remakes, no having to pay for extra content, the full game, that's all I'm asking from the makers. I should have a choice, Make me pay for it now, instead of later, or pay for some of it now and the rest later.
I shouldn't have to wait for the game to be "finshed" before I can fully beat the game.
Thing is.. with my example, the Smackdown vs. Raw game
WAS/IS finished. Evan Bourne and Ted DiBiase Jr. were two guys that weren't around during the making of this game. So instead of finding a good CAW of them, or waiting a whole year.. I'd gladly pay $20.00 to pick up an extra group of wrestlers, and alt. attires.
It's games like Guitar Hero/Rock Band that I would get annoyed with having to spend a great deal of money on one or two songs. But it's also the same concept.
The game itself IS completed. But at the same time, you want new and fresh, so it's constantly upgrading itself.. and it doesn't take a year or longer to do so.. like most games used to.
If you play the SD/Raw games, you'd understand how frustrating it is to wait a whole year just to get someone's updated tights, theme song, or even a new wrestler.. all of which that could've changed when the game hit shelves. So it wouldn't be in. I love getting the ability to upgrade my game before next year's version.
It doesn't add replay value when you pay an extra $10-$30 for what's usally only a few more levels. In the end, I just don't feel like I'm getting the most out of the money I'm giving.
It depends on what you're buying, on whether you'll feel you're getting a deal or ripped off.
For me, SD upgrades are a deal. Yet the TNA iMPACT! upgrade of Mike Tennay and Curry Man.. that's a rip-off. Then again, so is that entire game.
Here, I will have to say that the ps3 is doing a great job with the pricing game, from what I'm hearing from reports on g4 they've actually started selling the ps3 for less then how much it costs to produce. The reason they do this is because they need the gaming market and because they making a decent enough profit off the games.
I think in complete honesty, the PS3 is just trying to out-do Bill Gates and microsoft. Gates has enough money to buy everyone about 10 times over, and he'd still have several BILLION dollars left.
PS3 is a market that right now, just wants to make sure they stay in the game. So they try to get above everyone else. And Gates, the billionaire that he is.. likely won't care if he isn't making the most. Because he already HAS the most.
I knew that about the wii, it's a family system, and the family just doesn't the HD experience.
That's untrue. I'm a Family man, and I love my HD.

But overall, yes.. it's a little kids console (for the most part) so obviously it's going in more children's bedrooms than living rooms.. thus, no HD. (unless your kid is very lucky)
While the gaming companies do ok when it comes to this market, the real profit makers are companies like Gamestop and playntrade.
Where, like you said, pray off of "irresponsible teenagers" who come in, trade there games for less then there worth, and pick a different used game,
instead of having to pay for new ones.
This is what will crumble the gaming industry is stores like this where they buy the old used game and sell it at a cheaper more affordable price,
Thus taking profits away from the devolupers.
I agree fully that used video game stores are a rip-off and hurting the industry.. but they shouldn't be connected to the developers, or the companies that make games/game consoles.
Used video game stores are an off-branch. Think of them as a Rock Band, to the gaming industry's Guitar Hero.
They sell what they can, for whatever you'll pay for it. They just want the money for themselves, they don't care how much.. as long as they get it.