What Makes A Game "Next-Gen"?

It's funny how time flies, especially the time leading up to the launch of a brand new console generation. As of right now the laucnh of SONY's new hardware (PS4) in North America is less than a week away and soon enough the general public will be able to venture into the realm of next gen gaming. But are the games being offered at launch really worthy of being called next gen games?

With consoles and other hardware it's easy to draw the line between one generation and the next. PS2/Xbox is last gen, PS3/Xbox360 is current gen, PS4/Xbox ONE is next gen and so on. The difference between one generation and the next is all about power and specifications as far as consoles are concerned but for games the lines between next gen and current gen are less prominent and not as well defined. We could just say that games that run on the PS3/360 are current gen games that run on PS4/XBO (With better visuals of course) are next gen and end the discussion right there but then what about the PC?

 Unlike consoles, the PC is a platform that is always evolving, gradually getting faster and better instead of getting an upgrade every 5-6 years and so the visual upgrade from "current gen" games to "next gen" games isn't nearly as big as it is for the consoles and the lines between current gen and next gen are blurred even further.

But is an increase in visual fidelity and performance enough to make a game worthy of being called "next gen"? What about Gameplay? Story? Level design? A.I? Innovation in terms of mechanics? Can a game really be called next gen just because it runs at a higher resolution and framerate or has better textures than the ones that came before it?

Well, not in my opinion atleast. I think that for a game to be called next gen it should do more than just look prettier than the ones from the old gen. AAA games especially need to be bigger in scope and size, they must push the boundries of what we believe games can do not just from technical stand point but from an artistic one as well. Looking at the lineup of AAA games coming out for the new consoles so far I have to say I'm not impressed by what I see, It seems to me that at this point in time most developers are too focused on showing off the power of the new machines with flashy visual effects and textures and are failing to focus on innovation in gameplay and making games that truly stand out and make you say: "Yeah, this is next gen!".