but the controllers and mindset of most console gamers are still the same. RPG, FPS and RTS games got dumbed down a lot when they started to focus on console market. PC market was always more mature and interesting game.
Games got dumbed down when started appealing to as wide of a demographic as possible aka. non-gamers. Focus of visual flare, rather then engaging imputs. Things looking badass, while giving players only minimal imput. And recently, using game mechanics for monatisation rather then gameplay. As it happens consoles are cheaper to buy and easier to manage, so this is where publishers focused their efforts on. RPG, RTS and such didn't get dumbed down because of consoles (though of course importing Mouse&keyboard design to pad would be a big hurdle, just as importing pad design to m&k is), but because they were molded to appeal to "casual" audience.
"Dumbed down" for consoles doesn't hold water, because there are great console games. Dark Souls are best RPGs made in years. Platinum games have more depth then most of your "mature PC games". If AAA wanted to release actual games they could do so, no matter if they make PC or console their target platform.
Perhaps I over-interpreted the console-jab, or maybe I am overly sensitive, after dealing with "dumbed for consoles!" backlash to every change Deadfire had, even though it wasn't developed for consoles in the first place. Perhaps, "dumbed down" for consoles is a shortcut of tailoring your game to appeal to people not really interested in games. If so, it's still a silly and uninformative label.
And the best modern game developers are from eastern europe(CD projekt red, OwlCat games, 4A games), exactly because consoles barely exist there, so the general mindset is a PC mindset.
Actually, consoles in Poland seem to be getting more and more popular. But yeah, those devs (like myself) mostly grew up in console-less enviroment. Not as easy to pirate games on console, eh? (good, old times with little to no copyright laws).
This seems like a very personal, and unobjective, list. There are other great independent developers I would mention, though they tend to make smaller projects. I would question, whenever it is "PC mindset" that makes those companies great, or being located in a place where work force is cheaper. I mean, Witcher3 isn't far from your usual open-world action game depth wise - it's just CD project red actually created interesting content for it, rather then filling world with repetivitive activities only. Also, didn't Witchers get "dumbed down" for consoles anyway? Didn't quite get into Metro series though. Modern military shooter style was never my thing, even if Metros are more interesting then your usual MMS. Didn't play M3 yet.
Still, my original rebuke, I think, was to 2012-XCOM. Fun fact, XCOM2 was designed for PC. Another fun fact: design hasn't changed much. Because, the game was designed to appeal to people who weren't interested in Turn-based games in the first place, rather then just hardcore fans. Just, as if, making it multiplatform release was a side effect rather then a cause! If having oversized font were it's biggest sin, I would keep it installed to this day. If, patching new UI to a Bethesda game (which is a must) would make them good, I would play more then 10h of them. So let's talk about individual design decisions, and why they make game less interesting, rather then slapping labels like "dumbed down for consoles", which at best are meaningless, and at worst applicable.
