Fish Fry Friday

April 18th, 2025 by

Blog post and video below.



Video Games

I have had my Xbox Series X for four years, and it is half way through the life cycle of the console. Eight years is considered the life cycle for a console generation, and currently this is the fourth generation. I have played Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Skyrim, GTA 5, GTA Vice City, and Red Dead Redemption 2. All older games. I played, but quit Assassin’s Creed: Vahalla which was actually intended for the previous generation of Xbox, because it lost my interest. I am currently playing GTA San Andreas and my fifth play through of Red Dead Redemption 2. The two games mentioned are older games, RDR2 is over 6 years old.

My major complaint is the time it is now taking companies to produce games for the current generation console. So far the games that have come out are not that great, and the price is higher. Rumors are GTA 6 will either be $80 or $100 when it comes out, and it may be incomplete to some extent. Yes, a player may get a full game, and it will exploit the power of the current gen consoles, but the game it self will just be a starter game. In order to explore the full map and world, one will eventually have to purchase additional senarios. Keep in mind, I did not have issues with this when GTA 4 did this. I also had no issues when Skyrim did this. The issue I have is with the outright greed that has permeated the video game industry.

Red Dead Redemption 2 took eight years to develop. When it was released, it was sold for $50, which was the price of a video game at the time. I did not buy it because I had skipped a generation of console, and I purchase RDR 2 used when I got my Xbox Series X. To be honest I had some grief with RDR 2, since i am not a fan of westerns, but the game won me over. This is why I am on my fifth play through and potentially planning a sixth play through.

This is a major problem with the current video game industry and the triple A games. Rockstar used to release at least one GTA game per generation. For Playstation 2, there was a GTA game almost every year. GTA 3, GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas. When I purchased my Xbox 360, GTA 4 came out. This was where additional scenarios could be purchased to expand the world. GTA 4 The Lost and Damned was excellent, better than the actual game. GTA 4 The Ballad of Gay Tony was also extremely enjoyable. Not only was the interaction of the world expanded. New weapons and soundtracks were added. It was very seamless. The only thing that might have made it better, might have been a mission or two where you could play as Nico.

Right now the video game industry is pushing $80 as the new price for games, via Nintendo. GTA 6 may be. $80, but that is only for the first and basic game. There will be additional scenarios offered. Those scenarios, like GTA 4 Ballad or GTA 4 Lost, are supposed to open the world up even more. Chances are those will be $40 a game. To some extent I have some issues with this method, but it is better than the online concept where people end up having to use real money to purchase in game items. That may also happen as well, since I saw on the Xbox gaming purchase platform expansion packs for Assassin’s Creed: Vahalla. I could purchase for a certain amount of money undead creatures or special armor. Again at very high prices. Not worth it.

Unfortunately video games are becoming an alternate reality where people want to spend money on something they will never really own. As long as people are willing to spend the money, gaming industries will keep doing what they are doing.

Thanks for stopping by.