If you go back and remove a game from the timeline

[dolor]

Baldur's Gate 3

[Vergil]

Baldur's Gate 3

That's just so you can escape the mines.

[StudiedAsleep]

All of them from 2013 to now

[Kowe]

Half-Life 2. First one digitally available on Steam and it required installation of the Steam client for retail copies. Valve's platform isn't the biggest offender but it is still worse than GoG in terms of games preservation.
This isn't such a very confident statement as with other games that have been mentioned in the thread. Valve does some good stuff here and there. I just want more done for preservation.

[1998]

Call of Duty. Removing this franchise from the timeline would have a massive, tidal wave effect across the industry. It was the franchise that single-handedly promoted the dumbing down and consolization of the hobby, and resulted in worse games across the board.

That trend was already there pre-CoD. BF42 for example was also already much lighter on the FPS part, with tons of ****** gimmicks and overcrowded maps. Even RtCW was played mostly 6v6, instead of the usual 1v1 up to 5v5. CS was the turning point from boomer shooter, to whatever the **** we got today.

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

Arcanum

Arcanum owns, you filthy minority.

[maidenhaver]

Total Warhammer.

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

Half-Life 2. First one digitally available on Steam and it required installation of the Steam client for retail copies. Valve's platform isn't the biggest offender but it is still worse than GoG in terms of games preservation.
This isn't such a very confident statement as with other games that have been mentioned in the thread. Valve does some good stuff here and there. I just want more done for preservation.

Did 2003 Steam harrass you about logging in before opening your game, or did you actually own the game? That practice is unforgivably bad. I shouldn't have to go through an approval process before playing something I paid money for. (Don't forget, I didn't need to pay for your game. You are competing with piracy, which is easier than ever.)

[gerey]

Fallout 3, to prevent Bethesda from raping the franchise and keep it obscure (and hopefully dead once Van Buren flopped).

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

Call of Duty. Removing this franchise from the timeline would have a massive, tidal wave effect across the industry. It was the franchise that single-handedly promoted the dumbing down and consolization of the hobby, and resulted in worse games across the board.

Modern Warfare is the one to set the **** precedent. CoD 2 was a decent casual shooter (it could've been better, but still). Modern Warfare added the cinematic dogshit and reinforced bioshock's idea that games are either a bad movie or multiplayer.

[Kowe]

Half-Life 2. First one digitally available on Steam and it required installation of the Steam client for retail copies. Valve's platform isn't the biggest offender but it is still worse than GoG in terms of games preservation.
This isn't such a very confident statement as with other games that have been mentioned in the thread. Valve does some good stuff here and there. I just want more done for preservation.

Did 2003 Steam harrass you about logging in before opening your game, or did you actually own the game? That practice is unforgivably bad. I shouldn't have to go through an approval process before playing something I paid money for. (Don't forget, I didn't need to pay for your game. You are competing with piracy, which is easier than ever.)

It was actually L4D1 for me which did that, not HL2. Didn't enjoy that practice back then, and this hasn't changed much. Same with the introduction of non-in-game achievements, like with Xbox, and Steam as well.
And agree. Hilariously, Piracy with Emulation is the way to go for Retro and Modern games alike. Old PC games have Myabandonware.com right now, besides torrents and the likes. In context of modern (PC) games (on Steam), there have been examples of better running cracked versions than their commercially available alternatives. GoG is a good alternative to Steam, but not without its own set of issues.

[Shillitron]

Dragon Age 1 or 2.. Not sure yet.

These games introduced cringe romances based around +2 -2 style relationship values where you stuff your companions with gifts and convo options to unlock game content. It also started the trend of "everyone is bisexual".

It was the beginning of the end. Can we remove David Gaider from the gaming ecosystem instead?

[Nooneatall]

I think skyrim would be a good candidate. This really pushed the normie to the forefront of the hobby and it was the begging of the end. I'm sure some other game would have taken its place though.

[Shillitron]

I think skyrim would be a good candidate. This really pushed the normie to the forefront of the hobby and it was the begging of the end. I'm sure some other game would have taken its place though.

I dunno.. it arguably created the game modding system at a scale almost unheard of before.
Many mods created today are from ex-skyrim modders chasing fame and fortune.

Pre-Skyrim your mods all came from some russian guy high on crocodile living in an underground bunker. Sup' drog.

[Irenaeus]

Dragon Age 1 or 2.. Not sure yet.

These games introduced cringe romances based around +2 -2 style relationship values where you stuff your companions with gifts and convo options to unlock game content.

Neverwinter Nights 2 had this.

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

Half-Life 2. First one digitally available on Steam and it required installation of the Steam client for retail copies. Valve's platform isn't the biggest offender but it is still worse than GoG in terms of games preservation.
This isn't such a very confident statement as with other games that have been mentioned in the thread. Valve does some good stuff here and there. I just want more done for preservation.

Did 2003 Steam harrass you about logging in before opening your game, or did you actually own the game? That practice is unforgivably bad. I shouldn't have to go through an approval process before playing something I paid money for. (Don't forget, I didn't need to pay for your game. You are competing with piracy, which is easier than ever.)

It was actually L4D1 for me which did that, not HL2. Didn't enjoy that practice back then, and this hasn't changed much. Same with the introduction of non-in-game achievements, like with Xbox, and Steam as well.
And agree. Hilariously, Piracy with Emulation is the way to go for Retro and Modern games alike. Old PC games have Myabandonware.com right now, besides torrents and the likes. In context of modern (PC) games (on Steam), there have been examples of better running cracked versions than their commercially available alternatives. GoG is a good alternative to Steam, but not without its own set of issues.

Give GOG some credit, it at least lets you play the game on your own of you move the files out of GOG Galaxy.

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

I think skyrim would be a good candidate. This really pushed the normie to the forefront of the hobby and it was the begging of the end. I'm sure some other game would have taken its place though.

I dunno.. it arguably created the game modding system at a scale almost unheard of before.
Many mods created today are from ex-skyrim modders chasing fame and fortune.

Pre-Skyrim your mods all came from some russian guy high on crocodile living in an underground bunker. Sup' drog.

That'd be San Andreas.

[Vergil]

I think skyrim would be a good candidate. This really pushed the normie to the forefront of the hobby and it was the begging of the end. I'm sure some other game would have taken its place though.

You would need to remove Morrowind or Oblivion to do that.

[Kowe]

Did 2003 Steam harrass you about logging in before opening your game, or did you actually own the game? That practice is unforgivably bad. I shouldn't have to go through an approval process before playing something I paid money for. (Don't forget, I didn't need to pay for your game. You are competing with piracy, which is easier than ever.)

It was actually L4D1 for me which did that, not HL2. Didn't enjoy that practice back then, and this hasn't changed much. Same with the introduction of non-in-game achievements, like with Xbox, and Steam as well.
And agree. Hilariously, Piracy with Emulation is the way to go for Retro and Modern games alike. Old PC games have Myabandonware.com right now, besides torrents and the likes. In context of modern (PC) games (on Steam), there have been examples of better running cracked versions than their commercially available alternatives. GoG is a good alternative to Steam, but not without its own set of issues.

Give GOG some credit, it at least lets you play the game on your own of you move the files out of GOG Galaxy.

I do. Next to Piracy & Emulation, Physical or Abandonware*, it is the next best thing. Me also having no meager GoG library speaks for itself here.

To give a few examples of their set of issues, which is in part fault of the Devs/Publishers instead of GoG:

• They have some games not available elsewhere like the original HoMM series. It is dwarfed by the amount of games available on Steam which includes (good) titles exclusive to that platform on PC. For example, Hi-Fi Rush, Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 1-4, Resident Evil series, Pizza Tower, Pseudoregalia, Doom (2016), Doom ETERNAL, Castlevania Collections, "Capcom Collections" (Stadium 1 & 2, Beat Em' Up Bundle), Mega Man series, Lies of P, Signalis, Nightmare of Decay, Alisa, C&C series, AoE & AoM, Duke Nukem series. And many more. Maybe they will get added in the (near) future, there a wish-list posts for them.

• Some games are updated on Steam while GoG user are still waiting for them. Read a few reviews on some pages here and there. Maybe GoG can enforce a stricter update policy, maybe they cannot.

• GoG Galaxy is lackluster in comparison to some features on Steam. Can't create Collections there, less tags to use in library searches as they do not function like in the shop.

• If they change their Terms of Service or use another reason to lock one out of his/her account, the games aren't accessible anymore. Not as bad as with Steam, as the copied installation files and bonus material can be copied or burned to drivers or discs.

• This may be game-specific but, ahem, I had one game ask my friend to log into Galaxy when installing it.

*Because it is free and occasionally requires some tinkering.

[Xenich]

I would remove every single jerkoff dating sim game out there that now infests the gaming sites. Seriously, it is ridiculous how gaming sites have turned into mainstream porn game sites. Pathetic.

[Xenich]

I think skyrim would be a good candidate. This really pushed the normie to the forefront of the hobby and it was the begging of the end. I'm sure some other game would have taken its place though.

Consoles did that. A lot of these games if they would have never made it to console, would have never became as popular among mainstream.

I think if console games and PC games had stayed segregated over the years with console titles being developed for that audience (ie with all of the limitations and expectations of console design) and PC games for its audience (without that console design influence), you would have had a lot less damage to the design and focus of PC games. Granted, this also would come with some titles possibly never being made because of the big money that was dumped into them due to be designed for both, but... I think you would have a more focused and appropriately made titles fitting the PC base rather than everything becoming just a console game ported to PC.

Consoles have had a very large influence on gaming design over the years leveraging its limited design and focus to the detriment of PC game evolution.

[Shillitron]

Dragon Age 1 or 2.. Not sure yet.

These games introduced cringe romances based around +2 -2 style relationship values where you stuff your companions with gifts and convo options to unlock game content.

Neverwinter Nights 2 had this.

NWN2 had 2 romance companions, one for males, one for females.
Their relationship is 100% based on story choices & consequences.

That's not what I was talking about. If you hate romance period you need to go back further than NWN2.

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

Dragon Age 1 or 2.. Not sure yet.

These games introduced cringe romances based around +2 -2 style relationship values where you stuff your companions with gifts and convo options to unlock game content.

Neverwinter Nights 2 had this.

NWN2 had 2 romance companions, one for males, one for females.
Their relationship is 100% based on story choices & consequences.

That's not what I was talking about. If you hate romance period you need to go back further than NWN2.

BG2? Well, you can't really say BG2 shouldn't have been made. It was a potentially great game ruined by walls of text and one bad idea (romances). It was *** effect that put romances into the limelight and introduced us to the attitude of the shippings & waifus video game.

[Element]

WoW - never played much of MMOs, and without it we would have gotten another proper Warcraft game that would have been a worthy sequel to Frozen Throne. Perhaps its absence would have given a boost to the RTS genre, for a couple of years at least.

[rusty_shackleford]

WoW - never played much of MMOs, and without it we would have gotten another proper Warcraft game that would have been a worthy sequel to Frozen Throne. Perhaps its absence would have given a boost to the RTS genre, for a couple of years at least.

WoW completely destroyed the MMO genre so it's still a completely valid choice.
Perhaps one of the worst things to come from WoW was the idea that WoW was, somehow, "Everquest done right" — despite it taking many of the worst aspects of EQ and adding other worse things to it. This has caused EQ(and similar pre-WoW MMOs) to be largely overlooked by designers of post-WoW MMOs.

[Element]

Dragon Age 1 or 2.. Not sure yet.

It also started the trend of "everyone is bisexual".

It was the beginning of the end. Can we remove David Gaider from the gaming ecosystem instead?

That's 2. Origins was similar to Mass Effect 1 and gated half of them based on gender.

[Gregz]

Without hesitation, Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Owlcat are one of the worst things that ever happened to this hobby.

[Oyster Sauce]

Without hesitation, Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Owlcat are one of the worst things that ever happened to this hobby.

What games has Kingmaker's influence ruined for you?

[Acrux]

Without hesitation, Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Owlcat are one of the worst things that ever happened to this hobby.

What games has Kingmaker's influence ruined for you?

WotR

[asf]

meh, many of these games had existed in some similar form prior to casual masses appearing, the blame is on the ******* as always