I posted a somewhat relevant topic a bit back.
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=73977I think a lot of the loss of fun, modern games is partly attributed to either a) the demise of those old studios (3DO, Black Isle, Interplay, etc) or the conglomeration and creation of mega studios (EA, Activision-Blizzard, etc). With big companies, I don't think they foster fresh talent so to speak, simply because their goal is to make money and why risk 10 failed endeavors when one is guaranteed success? That does say something then about "indie studios", but I wish there were indie studios focused on the games I like (fantasy RPG's and RTS's).
Also does anyone remember the Heretic/Hexen/Hexen II series? I absolutely loved those games as a kid, and Hexen II is by far a huuuuugely underrated blend of FPS/RPG, and puzzle. That game made you think, and it was awesome. Recently I've discovered some sweet retexture mods that people made for the game, and it looks absolutely amazing with modern graphics. I have to dig out my old CD's for the game and install it with the mods.
Edit:
And for those who can't bother with the thread I linked to, this quote says it all. It's from a developer at Sir-Tech Software circa 2001.
As most PC gamers have noticed, the quality of PC titles has significantly reduced recently. 2001 was a very poor year for PC gaming IMHO, and I think this has everything to do with publishers trying to make a quick and easy buck. The problem is getting out of hand, and they’ve dug a nasty hole that I believe will be quite difficult to get out of. Developers are forced (metaphorically speaking) to release buggy and unfinished products, while gamers are required to download patches just to run the darn things. In a way, it’s kind of sad that people are so surprised and happy about Wizardry 8 being so stable. Sure, it may be a stable product, but isn’t that the way it’s suppose to be? It seems that gamers and reviewers have been treating it as if stability is a bonus feature for a PC title