Posted May 14, 2012
Yes, there are several game mechanics and aesthetic styles which are starting to become tired in the video game "indie" realm, but complaining that you're not getting a game like Deus Ex: Human Revolution from a developer like Jonathan Blow would be like going to a local diner and complaining that you're not getting filet mignon from a five star restaurant.
Not so. Half Life was what I would call an "indie" game. Where is that today? If "indie" means "anything that isn't a massive, EA-like company devoted to making games", as it apparently does, then there is no excuse. We once had greatness, we had definitive classics made by a group of guys working on games in their spare time. Where is that today? Where is an "indie" game today with an interesting & well-crafted plot, intriguing gameplay, or any of the traits they once had? It's almost ironic that these games are supposedly made by "independent" developers as they all seem to be working on the same sorry 2d retro sidescrollers. Separate products, eerily similar theme. For an analogy at least as good as the one give, the "indie dev scene" is to a scenario where all the auto makers create the same car, only in a different color, and brand it with a unique name.
If you guys are content to dole out your cash for a knockoff of a product from 20 years ago, I can't stop you. I suppose that even if I could I would not. Though I do know that I want something more from gaming, and I'd rather the gaming community's money went to that end instead. I'm betting you've already bought ample amounts of SNES 2d sidescrollers. Why buy them again today?