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I remember back in the NES days, I used to be able to play my favorite games over, and over, and over, and they never got boring. These days, I play games once or twice and never touch them again. Is it my age, my attitude, or the fact that I can simply afford to buy new games once I beat my old ones? I saw an editorial about this in GMR, and it made me curious- is everyone like this now, or is it just me?
It's age. I still love games, but it's hard to retain the same enthusiam I used to have. It seemed a lot simpler then--and it was, since the industry was smaller--because there weren't all the concerns/responsiblities (job, relationships, family) that I have now.
Sometimes now I'll go a week without playing any game.. it's not that I'm not interested anymore (I'm here at the forum, right?).. there are just more facets to life that take gaming's place.
And then a new game will come out that devours my attention for days, so..
You're not the only one that feels like this. I do too sometimes. However, I think that there are still good games to be had, you just have to get them from Japan or on an emulator. I still like games without a million buttons and analog controls.
I'm not saying that there aren't pleny of good games available, just that games in general (even the great ones) don't hold my interst like they used to.
Perfect example-on the NES I could play the same platformer-Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Mario, or whatever-and finish the game many times. These days I play Mario Sunshine or Jack & Daxter once and trade it in.
I think it must be age- I've noticed kids enjoy repetition, like they can watch the same movie over and over or play the same game again and again.
It's been a week already, eh?
The article in GMR hit the nail on the head.
I am the exact same way. I get a game, play it until I die once or twice, put it on my shelf, remark on how good of a game it is, and then never play it again.
Hmmmmm...I'm kind of feeling the same way.Instead of a variety of games, I'm into more realistic and mature rated games, the kind that deal with blood, violence, gore, and strong sexual themes.
Like DOA:XVB? heh...
I blaim it on availability. When you were a kid, everything you got was like gold. Getting a candy bar was a magic treat, movies you loved, were yours to watch over and over again and a new game came along ever so often, so you enjoyed every facet of it, until the next one comes along.
Now we're older and can buy any candybar, movie or game we want, on a whim. The magic prize has become another casual part of your everyday and other elements of life, taking away the innocence of your once preciouse prize. It's now a possesion and getting more of these things brings a bit of comfort, but it just is'nt the same.
I too have a hard time staying with one game. I find myself thinking about the next game, instead of concentrating on the one I'm playing. With this industry's growth, has come a ton of great games, that no one gamer can find the time to play. The lure is always there and I find it harder and harder to stay with the one excellent game I'm playing, as I know I can afford another game, that I'm dying to play.
I used to be pretty good about keeping only about a dozen games, for each current console I play, but after making my gaming hobby, into a gaming collecting hobby, it's become harder and harder to focus on playing the latest game in my collection. Hopefully, I can start to slow down on collecting games and concentrate on playing what I have instead. That's a hard proposition, but I'm hoping I can prevail.
The older you get, the less time you have. I still enjoy games, but there are times when I have no time to play. Growing up takes moe of your time. Her and there I'll get some good gaming in, but not like when I was younger. I have a friend that's a freshman in college (i'm a senior) and there are times when all he does is play games. Like he'll buy a game, play it nonstop for a week and then return it. Then he complains that games don't last long anymore. Ignoring the fact that he might have played the game for 8 hours straight 4 times that week.
I've noticed that there are few games I'll go back to and play. I left WC3 awhile ago, and I"m getting back into it again. But I need at least a half hour to play because your average Battle.net game will last 20-60 minutes.
Maybe you need to play better games? I find if a game doesn't hold my attention for long, its not really worth owning. Being able to buy a game whenever you want allows you the luxury of being picky. Rent, borrow or play demos and save your money for those few games you always find yourself going back to.
No, I don't have this problem. I buy what I want to play and it typically works out.Quote:
These days, I play games once or twice and never touch them again.
Gamevet, I couldn't agree with you more. Sometimes I feel like I'll miss something really good if I don't buy every game I'm interested in, but lately i've slowed down (due in part to being broke), and I'm really trying to enjoy the games I own rather than worrying about what's coming out later this month. When I finish what I own I'll get a new game. I always feel compelled to buy games I'm looking forward to on the day that they come out, and it's pretty compulsive, but I'm trying to be more reasonable as of late.
I don't know.. I don't have this problem at all. I think there are a few reasons why.
1, I don't buy things just because other people like them or they have a good reputation... or for other strange reasons like "they may be rare". I consider my purchases wisely and I almost always buy games I personally believe I will really love. Maybe that means I buy less games than some people, but I still buy more than I have time to play as it is.
2, Games are longer and different now than they once were. Classic 8-bit games were designed to be completed in one sitting and to be replayed over and over again. That was the way things were then. With today's consoles many games are 20x larger. So, it's only natural that you may not play through a modern 3D platformer as often as you would a classic game which didn't even let you save!
Example: I played and completed Sonic Adventure once, but I loved it and it was on par with the fun I had with the 2D games even though I played those over and over again. It's just not the same thing. It's apples and watermelons.
Even then, in the games I really like I go back and go the little things to complete them like collecting all the gems in Klonoa or getting all the coins in Shinobi or getting A's in NiGHTS.
3, In the same respect, there ARE modern genres where replayability is a big factor. Think of a gamee like NiGHTS. There are not that many levels. The game is score based. The game is incredibly finely tuned, thus is has the same replayable appeal as many older games. Many shmups are like this as well... and there is always genres like music and puzzle where replay is king.
--- --- ---
I'd say enjoy and play games more now than I have in years.. and possibly as much as I did when I was young and SMS and Genesis were my favourite hobby. :)
Time for one of these again?
Personally I find I have less and less time to play games. In order for me to truly enjoy a game, I have to set aside a few hours. However, because I work and go to school, the ability to designate certain hours as "quality time" diminishes. I was disenheartened when I realized I spent more time talking to idiots (I mean my customers; not you guys) about videogames, then I do playing them. I am pumped about games. I still have interest; I just don't have the time.
Also, I have this annoying habit of looking forward to the next game I buy (I think this was mentioned already). I'm not sure if this has something to do with getting older, and making more money (which means, you know what you want and can get more of it) or if it has something to do with working around games all the time and having to know what's coming out and whether it'll be cool or not.
I'm getting there too...it's a shame.
I just don't have the time between fighting the little one for sleep and work. Rest assured however that if I were independantly wealthy I would be playing the shit out of my games right now.
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I think there are a few reasons why.
.....
4. I am easily pleased. :p
I think the problem is that we are being fed the same old crap over and over again. When game game has something very unique in it, the developers tend to screw up other parts of the game.
...
Then there is another problem.... DEVELOPERS DON'T MAKE FRIGGEN SEQUELS TO THE GAMES I WANT!! WHERE THE HECK IS MY UNCHARTED WATER 3????
There have been a whole bunch of Uncharted Waters sequels actually...... but unless you speak Japanese, Korean, or Chinese you won't be able to play them. Koei stopped translating the games - but didn't stop making them... *cry*.. it's a shame because Uncharted Waters 2 is one of the best games ever. :(Quote:
Originally posted by Damian79
Then there is another problem.... DEVELOPERS DON'T MAKE FRIGGEN SEQUELS TO THE GAMES I WANT!! WHERE THE HECK IS MY UNCHARTED WATER 3????
What's the checklist up to this month?Quote:
Originally posted by MechDeus
Time for one of these again?
[X] This week's haul
[X] Gaming is dead
[X] Top <insert number> <insert system> games of all time.
[X] Your favorite obscure games.
[ ] 2D vs 3D
:lol:!Quote:
Originally posted by Regus
What's the checklist up to this month?
[X] This week's haul
[X] Gaming is dead
[X] Top <insert number> <insert system> games of all time.
[X] Your favorite obscure games.
[ ] 2D vs 3D
Take up another hobby. Its just games. Who gives a shit. The faceless corporations which control the videogame industry don't need you around.
Now where did I put that 2D vs. 3D ranting I did a few months ago...
I like pie.
There needs to be more games about pie.
PS - 2D sucks.
I don't play games much anymore either. It's not time or money or whatever, there's just nothing that piques my interest. Of course, considering I'm mainly a fighting game fanatic you'd expect my prediciment seeing as there aren't exactly dozens of fighting games released per year, but still... I do enjoy other types of games like platformers/action/sports/whatever, but nothing has come out that really grabs at my attention. Hopefully the upcoming PS2 release of Splinter Cell will remedy that.
We could try to start a brawl in the latest GGX2 thread.Quote:
Originally posted by Regus
[ ] 2D vs 3D
Cka, have you tried giving games that inporate certain aspects of fighting games a shot? That might help you out a bit.
Yeah, Beat-em-up/side scrolling games get really boring for me really fast. I can only P,P,u+K my enemies away so much before it becomes more of a chore than an actual out-thinking process. I had shinobi this weekend, and well, when it wasn't frustrating as hell (HI MOTH BOSS!), it was kinda boring just running around slashing the crap out of stuff.
I'm not exactly sure of what other games encompass fighting game elements, but as it stands the sidescrolling beat-em-ups dry up quickly for me. I've been playing GTA: Vice City on and off a lot lately too, gunning for that 100%, but I can only play it for so long without dropping my head in boredom and looking for something on TV. I tell ya, trying to find 2 packages out of 100 is the most daunting, tedious and irritating thing you can do in a game.
Let's see if this helps- What is your favorite aspect of fighting games? And what parts of it are evident in other games?
You've got to learn how to use the dash and then dart around all over the place and behind enemies and not take hits. That's where the fun/challenge is! If you're "slashing the crap out of stuff" you're playing it wrong and it's no surprise you were finding it boring. :(Quote:
Originally posted by cka
I had shinobi this weekend, and well, when it wasn't frustrating as hell (HI MOTH BOSS!), it was kinda boring just running around slashing the crap out of stuff.
I figured out the air tate manoeuver, but it was still irritating trying to pull it off successfully without plumetting into the lava... As for "slashing the crap outta stuff", I do tend to avoid enemies and whatnot, trying to take as few hits as possible. Still find it kinda boring. Shinobi is a good game, though.
Ste-Von, the same thing has happened to me from time to time.
1. As you get older you just don't have the time to play that you used to as a kid. How many twenty-somethings---thirty-somethings do you see playing pickup basketball every day of the week?
I used to play ball almost every day as a teenager, now I can't, why should games be different?
2. Responsibilty? Problems, sometimes you've got things going on in your life that don't allow you to enjoy your games the way they were meant to be enjoyed.
3. Let's face it, lots of games nowadays SUCK. The magic isn't there.
They're not worth the time.
A truly great game will hold your interest. Metroid Fusion has sucked me in, that hasn't happened in a while, I'm sure Halo 2 will too.
there's only 2 things I really do. Play video games and draw. and as I get older, I find myself doing these things more if anything. yeah, I've got a job but I always seem to find time to play the games I want.
Just had a run of bad luck lately.
I put some effort into unlocking the movies in Gungrave so I could see the one with the little girl but I didn't unlock it with an all A ranking so I gave up.
No Mr Driller thread, I want to compete! And I don't know anything about the other versions so I'm not suitable to make one, come on Pacrappa!
My boot disck is ruined, no more Giga Wing 2 for a while.
Started playing DMC again but unless we get a highscore board for orbs(I've got around 500,000+) I'm not gonna pick it up any time soon.
Here is a theroy. When your a kid you can't afford many games so you play the ones you have to death. When your an adult you have lots of money so you just buy everything that looks good, not giving yourself enough time to finish anything. Plus as an adult you don't have as much free time. It's a fact of life
When those flying thingies appear, don't automatically attack them. Jump up and down on the platform and let them surround you so that if you miss them, you don't fall in the lava you fall on the platform.Quote:
Originally posted by cka
I figured out the air tate manoeuver, but it was still irritating trying to pull it off successfully without plumetting into the lava... As for "slashing the crap outta stuff", I do tend to avoid enemies and whatnot, trying to take as few hits as possible. Still find it kinda boring. Shinobi is a good game, though.
I think it happens in waves. You spend lots of time playing a game and the mind becomes numbed after a while, and you get tired and a little restless.
Then you take a big break (go for a walk, the gym, a movie, anywhere away from the tv) and feel refreshed and the need to play comes back again.
But as more games come out, it's hard to take long breaks because you want to finish them. But in order to finish some of them, they require 100% of your attention for a long period of time (sometimes you can't commit a 3 hour session or whatever, and a short session of play may not be worth the time starting for some of the longer games.)
In the old days of carts and 2d world there was less information for the brain to process at any one time because of less system memory (pretty much what determines sizes of levels or chunks of the game) or space on the cart. (plus you didn't need ultra high resolutions because there was simple detail that wasn't distracting to the brain, nor need analogue sticks to refine moves according to pitch, nor long memories of the strucure of a level to find your way - ie Zelda Water Temple :D )
See, it just takes longer to totally absorb yourself into the game with all the extra stuff, and the pitfalls (for failing in getting to know the system of play) have become wider. I was playing morrowind the the other day, and I felt like I knew what I was doing but because quests tend to appear all over the place before you knew or expected to have them offered to you, you tend to feel scared to test the boundaries of the gameworld for fear you may stuff something up or lock yourself out of something in the future.(because of bad decisions made early on)
This is why I tend to focus on 1 thing at a time because some games require all of your attention in big chunks (so you don't forget what you're doing) but because there are more games overall coming out, (and in increasing numbers) it's hard to keep yourself focused on the 1 thing at a time when you're distracted by other games too.
In the old days you could rent a game and finish it within a night, but not today. (well maybe it is possible, but your brain is less willing to do so because you will get restless and need a break. Partly because 3d worlds reqire more overhead in terms of looking and scanning an area before you do anything (there are objects obstructing your view of an area) and the fact there is more space to manipulate in 3d than 2d, taking up more time in general)
One thing that really gives me an incentive to keep playing something on and on was the self reward system of games in the past. Where the game tricked you into believing you were limited in seeing or doing something, but then on further play and later on down the road as you got better and experimented with new ways, it becomes apparent that a new level of play has opened up as a result of a new item, a new technique, or a unique way the level had been carefully structured for you to see the forbidden zones of the cartridge. This kind of gave you the thrill of wanting to keep playing on, and wanting to see and do more based on how much knowledge you applied to the game or the risks you wanted to take - a self reward system: you only saw how ever much you wanted to see (not contrived like today's games where it costs the developers time to create thier world so you are force-fed it) or however much effort you put in to think up ways to find your way around.
Whatever you put in, was whatever you got out of it ..but the more you put in, the more apreciation of the game you had as your interest slowly ballooned and it become much bigger than you expected - like opening a broom closet door and finding out it leads to a new "world" instead of a tiny dead end. (this is why in classic adventure games the main thing is 'exploration' and 'clue' finding, but these days that has been dumbed down so the masses can see everything the designers had made for "free" by guiding them and pointing the way in a linear fashion; with minimal variation in how prior events could actually change the current and future outcome. (you are in a play being a character, not being yourself. Alternate endings vs Alternate paths leading to unpredictable results) It's not a sandbox where your imagination of "things to come" excites you enough to get you playing to the next area anymore, but more like a theme park where you know what thrill you'll get from the experience but after a while, that part of the brain alerts you to the on-rails nature of things making you less excited the next time around.)
Another thing over my years of gaming that I've found is the sense of achievment you get from "self improvment" in a game and see that by being a little bit better at various small things, you can have a very big effect on your overall performance so that it shows off in front of normal players. But some games today don't seem as refined in that special way (like shaving off milliseconds in mario Kart) that diferentiates you in tiny ways to make the game seem all the more enjoyable. Like I was playing rayman 2 and realised just how flat the level of achievment was between a really good player playing as good as he can based on what the game could allow for him (because rayman is slow it's hard to play it in an "exciting way") ..and.. an average player playing for the first time and just soaking up the atmoshpere and learning as he goes. It remained flat in the enjoyment factor after a certain level of play-throughs. Other people watching a good player playing the game had little to be excited about because at a glance, it was the same thing being performed. No reward once you reach the top of the mountain. Once the good player has done and seen thngs, and realises his brain is no longer being stimulated by increasingly-more complex challenges on the higher level of play, he/she is likely to tune out. Which is the nature of games of today where they seem a little "disposable" (you buy them, win them ie "see" an ending movie, sell them off, never wondering about how much more enjoyable it could have been to play them a different way. Story being the main focus) rather than timeless and enjoyable and worth keeping in the collection and replaying. (super bomberman 2 - still got it, still play it, still enjoyable)
You see this gradual level of "self-improvement as an addiction factor" in multiplayer modes of play where you are free to approach things based on little assumption about the limits of the game. (Because you have to do things for yourself and find where the boundaries are.) Unpredictable results through many playthroughs force you to think in as many perspecitves as possible to try to bring some sense and control to your success and the relation of this to the enviroment and people in them, and you become interested through natural "emergent" gameplay. ie players discovering/creating ways of playing not foreseen by game designer.
Yaumuchi had a good point about gaming getting too much like movies and stuff where you sit through it, know what's going to happen ahead of time (like a movie you've seen too many times) and get bored. The key for getting me interested is letting me use my own brain to work my way through problems and ways of playing, (the creative side balanced with the logic side) rather than never letting me bend rules and keeping me detached from my alter ego in the game. (the "character" I'm controlling who designers have placed more importance on than the gamer himself. Preffering as they do to focus on the story that is tied to that "character" rather than gameplay.)
Instead of being in control of the character, the character limits who I can become, or what I should do, or where I can go, and how I can express myself in gameplay. (don't get me wrong I love a good story and great characters, especially presented well, but there needs to be that magic balance where the designers allow a bit of mystery about the characters (to allow them to "grow" rather than follow the current conventions of what they think everyone wants and then realising it is no different from every other character) and they are not the sole selling point to the games anymore.
I've noticed the pressure lately of gaming/games "having to be cool" rather than just be good games. You can see it in the console bashing threads of nintendo and thier "kiddy image" and how gaming is becoming more focused on adults these days when in the past they were all ages and themes weren't so important. Couple this with the death of certain genres and the fact that it is more commercialised than in the past (remember the days of original games being made with a new release? Because people's ideas were enough to keep people interested and there wasn't millions of dollars being gambled) and you have the current state of gaming as getting a little bit stale despite the newer technology and increased power. (increased power just meaning more of the same rather than game designers taking big advantage to realise an idea that was not possible before with older technology for whatever reason) The main factor is the increased size and dollars dictating that we must repeat whatever is going to be a success, which gets in the way of freshness in gaming today. It's been so long since I was actually "excited" to get home and couldn't wait to play a new game I just bought. You can partly attribute it on my age and "me just being jaded and needing a break", but it is also to do with games having changed focus from the days of old. On one hand you need $ to stay around, on the other you need innovation in gameplay to stay fresh enough to keep old gamers coming back.
Well I think after you get some good pussy games are no longer the priority in life.
http://dj-fusion.freeyellow.com/doa-perv.jpg
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Yeah but what about this guy?
^
:chick: omg thread = ruined!!!! :chick: :chick:
*speechless*
Can someone explain to me why MechDeus can reword something I post an hour before him, and people quote and notice his post first?
My problem with games today is I have the money to buy whatever I want, even if the game is so-so. Its more impulsive than anything. I actually try to beat games but more games just keep coming out and I somehow want to own them the day of release. Overall, I think I may get rid of some of the games i don't play anymore and only buy the ones i'll play over and over again.;)
RPGs. I've finally realized that they are crap.
I agree with a lot of these points (sggg's, gamevet's, kinopio's;) ). Another factor is that everyone is so critical of games these days. I don't know about you guys, but back when I was a kid, when I got a new game I just enjoyed playing it. I didn't sit around thinking "Oh, dear lord, the art direction isn't very inspired now, is it? Don't get me started on the shoddy collision detection...and if this framerate doesn't smooth out soon I'm going to slit my wrists." I focused on having fun with the game instead of focusing on what I could whine about on internet videogame message boards when I shut my system off.
Quote:
Originally posted by Grasso
Well I think after you get some good pussy games are no longer the priority in life.
That's just not good for anybody.Quote:
Originally posted by GameHED
http://dj-fusion.freeyellow.com/doa-perv.jpg
^
Yeah but what about this guy?
It's the avatar (actually , it could be people that don't feel like reading the whole thread and run across his post first).Quote:
Originally posted by dog$
Can someone explain to me why MechDeus can reword something I post an hour before him, and people quote and notice his post first?
As for that photo GameHed... ugh, you've really let yourself go.
I am also sick of seeing folks be too critical, Tyler. That's why I try to look at the positives of games when describing them to folks, instead of the negatives.
There's a difference between being too critical and fair. It's all in definition and such. What is your guys definition of 'too critical'? Like complaining about a few low rez textures (Mario Sunshine) or complaining about gameplay mechanics.
Because I feel gameplay is the most integral piece of a videogame, if a game doesn't do something well then I do tend to be harsh on that. Graphical flaws I overlook if the game is crispy good.
Why the fuck would Santa Clause take a naked picture of himself?
Andrew, we're talking about games, not chicken, there's nothing crispy about it.
Cus he runs a site for kids on his naughty list, it's their last chance for them to get on his good list.
We meet again, old thread.
Well, like many others here, I don't seem to enjoy games as much as I used to. Actually, that's not entirely true. I enjoy playing my 16 and 32-bit games much more. Then of course, there's emulation.
Even though I'm a 30-something adult with a job, wife, child and bills out my ass, I still find time for gaming. But when I play, it's mostly the 16-bit games and emulation. I break out the DC every now and then (mostly for Mark of the Wolves or Virtual On). I RARELY play my PS2 (which I only bought for VF4), even though I own 5 or 6 games for it. In fact, a friend of mine lent me Kingdom Hearts about 2 months ago. I returned it last week, never having opened the case. He lent me Rygar (after seeing it at his house and loving it) just last month. I played it for about 20min. and put it down, untouched since.
I think the death of DC did it for me. At that point, I thought the industry had gone to shit, and became disheartened. I retreated to playing older games, and I'm happier for it.
Do I hate gaming's current trends? I don't know, maybe. There are some games out right now that I like (Rygar, for instance). But I'm not enthused like I used to be. I liked Rygar, so I know I'll eventually buy it. I just don't feel like I have to have it NOW or even SOON. My approach to all new games is try before you buy, no matter what everyone else is saying. They're GAMERS, I'm not. Not anymore. So you stick with what you like, and for me, that's going back to the old school.
OMG u r not the p0pulaR!!1Quote:
Originally posted by dog$
Can someone explain to me why MechDeus can reword something I post an hour before him, and people quote and notice his post first?
old grey mare she ain't what she used to be
ain't what she used to be
ain't what she used to be
many long years ago
You'd better keep your pants on.Quote:
Originally posted by Wilykat
old grey mare she ain't what she used to be
ain't what she used to be
ain't what she used to be
many long years ago