In the last few years, I have mostly been playing MP FPS, such as BF: BC2 and BF2, and also a few SP only games, but they just don't seem to take my interest anymore. I started uni last year part time, and I work full time and have a family too, so gaming has been a "grab 1/2 an hr when you can" hobby for a while now. I reckon I am just going to lay off altogether and see how it goes. There's plenty of other stuff to keep me entertained so it isn't a great loss tbh. I do hope I get my interest back though, as I would hate to give up altogether on a lifelong hobby. I never thought that way back in 1982, I would still be gaming in 2010 It's reassuring to hear that some of you guys have gone through similar, and got back on the gaming horse after a while. Thanks
It is not my case but don't worry, I have seen plenty of 40 and over year olds come back to gaming after years of being busy with kids
I too have gone through this non-gaming phase, the last games I played were probably Red Dead Redemption, BF: BC2 and Fallout 3 on PS3 months ago.. So I've bought an Xbox 360, started building a new beast Intel i7 machine in preparation for games such as Fable 3, Civilization 5, the new COD etc. I also agree with Thorton, try changing your gaming environment, I've noticed I play games less as at the moment since I've moved things around and my set up now isn't comfortable enough, a new desk for the pc and maybe a new chair for the PS3/Xbox will hopefully help. Maybe also change your game genre, try out strategy games like Civilization or a football manager game (if you like footie).
Well, I know the feeling too. I have spent money on Mass Effect 2, and not finished it yet (around the half way mark). And I LOVED it. Just lost intertest. I have Assassin's Creed 2 standing in my shelf, still in shrink wrap. CBA to install it. Batman AA is installed, and I played about an hour and a half into it. CBA to continue. The two games I enjoyed recently were the Monkey Island Special editions. Other than that, I play mostly League of Legends on Saturday/Sunday early in the mornings, when I am up way too early anyway. Even then, it's only a game or two. Never a whole lot. That rbings my total gaming time a week to mauybe an hour (averaging out the weeks I don't play at all, etc). I really do find more fun and satisfaction in my freelance work these days than I do in gaming. It's so bad that I still haven't replaced my X360 that broke a few months ago, in spite of having 46 games for the bloody thing.
Just do what I do from time to time: choose a game that your really looking forward to, but one that is still fairly far away (WoW Cataclysm, Portal 2.... HL EP 3 for the more hopeful among us ). Focus on that, don't buy any games, finish the ones you started. Eventually you'll get to a point where you have nothing left to play. Keep it that way and when that new game finally comes round you will be surprised how fun it will be. If you anything like me - its cause you haven't been filling your game time with buggy copy-cat spin offs
Thats what I do I've pre ordered New Vegas and Asassins Creed the Brotherhood. I now playing Metro and made it as hard as possible to make it last. Asassins Creed II is a great game.
i got back into gaming after a few years away and got into the retro scene and loved playing all the old games again..road rash ,monkey island and mario etc...its not all about the flash graphics imo..!!
There is simply no way that I'll ever finish Project Sylpheed. Or Forza 3 for that matter. I reckon I'll be old and gray before Forza happens. And I'll be dead from frustration and having broken too many TV's before I even get through project Sylpheed.
Agreed, I really enjoyed Assassin's creed 2. So I have Pre Ordered Assassin's Creed Brotherhood too + Test drive unlimited 2. Nearly finished Mass effect 2. 35hrs later and not much left to do. So I will be twiddling my fingers awaiting for the release of these games very soon. Simon.
One thing that has affected my game playing recently is the abundance of games around these days. From Steam bargains, birthday, christmases etc. I've amassed a huge list of games that I have hardly played. The number of "must have games" produced seems to have increased over the years and the price seems to be inflation proof or even going down! That means that I keep on switching between different games and not getting into any properly, hence not enjoying them and am reluctant to keep on playing them! I've been gaming for well over 20 years now and I remember when i was little getting 1 game, that used to last me months. I spent over two months saving up my pocket money to eventually purchase Space Hulk, but that meant the game had more worth to me and when I finally got it I played it constantly to death. I think people's patience with games has decreased substantially (there was a thread recently about Monkey Island 2 being too slow!) and games are now becoming cheap and disposable items in a way, due to the over-saturation in the marketplace. I believe everyone has to experience loading games on tape to really appreciate them! Anyway my point being is that you should find 1 game that you think you'll enjoy and play that to death, then move on to the next one and so on and so forth. That's what I'm trying now and getting back into it
I disagree slightly. The number of games that have the "must have" status has gone up but in reality aren't that great really. it seems people/reviewers are to easily impressed these days with flashy graphics and such. I to have a lack of interest in games of late and have returned to playing old games as they beat the pants off new pants for fun factor. In my opinion game companies have lost the innovative approach and will turn out any old rubbish as long as it looks good.
Is it sad that I have to play the classics to fulfill me gaming needs. Todays games are A.D.D. mindless games. No challenging puzzles, clues or fights. Just run and gun everything. Back to the Resident Evil Remake on GC...
Plot matters a lot to me. I dont play any MP but tend to plany single player games with good plot. I also benchmark more than game
It may be slightly off on a tangent but i think another issue with games of recent times is the severe lack of accomplishment or 'real' challenge. Even more so with how almost everything has achievements of some degree. I like to play a game and think 'yeah i enjoyed that and man did i play well', but so much seems geared towrards 'easy-mode' gaming its rare to see something that is actually difficult to do and even less rare to see something which isn't completely grind based. In multiple genre's. Take Forza 3 for example, on my save i have (i think) about 35-40 out of 50 achievements and not one has been something i've needed to consciously try and do. They're all 'Achievement Unlocked - 5G - Reached Car level 1' and the like. Things which are guaranteed to happen regardless of how well you play the game. Then there's 'Purchase a car from every manufacturer'...come on, some MMO's don't require this amount of grind. Another example is guitar hero games (i know not everyone likes them) with achievements such as 'Perform as the bassist'. Cheesus, if thats an achievement then its a dark future. Now if you look at other stuff there are things to do which are insanely difficult. Dead Rising has has some which are just bonkers (find and photograph all the PP stickers). Left 4 Dead 1/2 complete all campaigns on expert difficulty, unless you can get a group together with people who really know what they're doing this is almost impossible imho) If you go back a few generations some of the stuff to be done in final fantasy games (obviously not 'achievements' as xbox/steam know them) are just looney fodder. Get all the cards in FF8 and 9, get everyone's ultimate weapon and level 4 limit break in 7 INCLUDING Aeris, defeating omega weapon in 8. That list could go on for ages. Just a little bit of reward from playing would be nice i think, even if its just bragging rights to say 'yeah i've done that' but mainly the feeling of accomplishment when completing something. One last point following Urban's post. If you have access to a GC get lots of beer, several friends, a dark room with a big TV and play Eternal Darkness. God that game is fun when you're drunk.
i get that feeling too often back then i felt i had too little time for gaming, now i barely play anything and feel i had enough.
ah, if i may add... i completely agree with ur takeon the "satisfaction points", that most games now are on easy-mode. completely agree. but to add to that, it's not like the game are *literally* gets any easier. its their goals and definition of "hard" is so skewed towards insanity that even to consider such achievements is.... well..... insane. edit: ok ive read abit mroe on ur post and i think uve mentioned this as well. i do miss the moments where playing a game and achieve somethin which truly requires effort and dedication doesnt gives u carpal tunnel and actually gives a sense of accomplishments....
The amount of time available fo gaming can have a real impact on your enjoyment of them. I am married and have a baby, this means at most I will have an hour of guilt free gaming time at the end of the day (when they are both asleep). I have found this has meant I am less incomes towards strategy games (my old favourite) and more towards action games for instant gratification.
Games need proper difficulty settings that scale appropriately. As the time i can dedicate to gaming lessens i don't want to be stuck in some brutally hard game as i wont come back to it yet i want to be challenged. I always play games on the default difficulty setting and if its a game i really enjoyed then i will go back and play it again on a harder setting. As for achievements in games i really don't care as i'm just not that type of gamer. Things like collecting all the eagle feathers in AC 2 just seem pointless to me. I want to be stealthily assassinating people and making a cunning escape not collecting bird feathers.
Thats a very good point actually. The difference between Normal and Hard in L4D2 is a great example of this. One is a casual stroll in the park, the other is a freakin nightmare.
