Funny enough I think most fantasy games these days aren't dark but bright and cartoon like i.e World of Warcraft style.
I think there is a split. Some are bright, like WoW, but some go for a dark approach, too. However, I find that even the "dark" games really are bright, they just use gore, sex and swearing to try and cover up that fact. Dragon Age had some dark themes, though. But again, be it games, movies, or TV, "dark" rarely rises above the level of cartoonishness. It's only dark in the most superficial ways.
I don't see W40K particularly dark and gritty, more graphic novel cartoon violence.
I do think it is dark, in that humanity is in decline, technology is at a standstill, and demonic evil is on the rise. Even the heroes in 40K are really anti-heroes - bloody, brutal, and treacherous.
I want to see a fantasy game that is dark and gritty and grim more like the middle ages would have been.
And I want to see a fantasy game that is "dark and gritty and grim" like the 20th Century.
People like to say that the Middle Ages was this backwards and brutal time, but it really wasn't - at least, not more so than any other period. If nothing else, the ideals of the MA were certainly more noble than previous - and I would argue future - decades. Compare the Middle Ages to the rampant, industrial level brutality and amoral horrors of the 20th Century and the imperfections of that period pale in comparison. I think that is why medieval-themed fantasy remains so popular today. People admire the idealism of that era, even if the idealism was honored more in the breach than in the observance. Even the Middle Ages rustic reality seems to be appreciated in these massed produced times of extravagance. Heck, I believe the environmental movement's ideal scoeity is indistinguishable from the medieval ideal - minus the spirituality. Even the medieval economic concept of distributism is making a come-back in some circles.
As for Sci Fi again most games I've seen until relatively recently had ships in all colours of the rainbow which I hate. I wants sci fi to look like they'd look in real life, which is drab, I very much doubt they'd be painting those huge ships in bright colours.
Yes! I also hate how ships in sci-fi games resemble aerodynamic jets rather than asymmetrical, purpose-driven vessels.
I also don't want a overly moral or sentimental or "PC" game either. Most of them involve war and violence so why gloss over it in a sparkly cartoon style of graphic.
I want both! I think it is only natural to have games with sentiment because people - all people - are attracted to good versus evil. However, like I wrote Rindis, I think be it dark or light, the themes of most games are fundamentally silly and lack a real understanding of both good and evil in the real world.
Rindis I guessed you where American because your view is a view usually aired by Americans. I'm not having ago here either. I think us Europeans are far less sentimental and morally driven than the Americans. it's even noticeable in alot of Hollywood movies, infact several films have had the ending changed to suit the American audience usually giving it a happy ever after end or wrapping all loose ends up so it's less dark.
True. It is part of our nature - the shining city on the hill, the new Jerusalem, and all that. But I don't think it is a problem with ideals as much as it is with the continued juvenilization of America by big studios. I mean...Avatar, Transformers, Battleship. Need I say more?
Open world is my pet annoyance these days. To me open world means doing the same rinse and repeat quests over and over again and having about 20 people that make up the population of a supposed city. I'd rather have a decent length linear experience with great quest\mission design and story. Than endlessly roaming around a land doing the same quests\missions over and over again in a land that has a population of about 200 i.e Skyrim. Yet open world is praised and loved and linear is despised and is seen as a poor design. One day when we actually have tech enough to really make a dynamic open world game that has a relatively decent size population then I'll say I'd prefer it over linear, until then I'd rather have a great linear experience.
Those are good objections to open world. And I agree. I believe game design is hitting a wall where we now have the ability to make convincing graphics and sound, but not the AI or horsepower to bring those worlds to life in a believable way. I am noticing these shortcomings more and more and it is really annoying me. However, I'd rather be free to do what I want to do and not be hemmed into some devs idea of a good time.
