Anyone else have a hard time beating games these days?

I know I'm just getting too old. There's just no real thrill left in gaming for me.

I trudge through campaigns almost out of a sense of duty now. Though I still look forward to a few games and all.

And I'm excited to see next gen, but after that initial graphical thrill wears off 2-3 years in, I'm not sure I'll continue gaming too much.

I've known I enjoy following the business and tech sides of gaming, and posting about games on boards, more than the actual games for at least 5 years now.

I dont necessarily see this as a bad thing, it's natural.
 
I'm finding myself switching to easy on games a lot these days just so I don't get stuck needlessly and can easily finish games within 6~8 hours.

Tomb Raider is one of the rare games in recent memory where I took my time to explore the entire areas and get the collectibles. Just because the atmosphere is so god damn good.
 
GrizzNKev said:
You seem to believe you've played every interesting game out there, and will never care again.
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not at all. I just see the fundemental flaw of developers creating directed cinematic experiences.

Take the old zelda games right, mm or oot. You're constantly given a new challenge, and a new approach to the game. The items constantly change how you approach the game, the enviroment, past parts of the world, new areas, etc.

Take halo, the game gives you covenant for half the game, then suddenly you're introduced to a completely new enemy and a completely new approach to the battle field, then finally they change it again by introducing 3 way battles. Weapons only work on certain enemies, other are more effecient, etc.

New games dont do this anymore, its the exact same game, the same mechanics, and then suddenly you're given a power up, or a weapon and told to do something with it. The game doesn't change though, there's no ryhm or reason to why things happen. Halo 4 for example, the new forerunner enemies are the exact same as the covenant, same range, roughly same dmg, and you encounter them about an hour in. Then they try to make the game more invigorating by giving you vehicles or abilities, but these don't actually change how you can walk around with a dmr/cr/bmr/lr the entire game because it's just as effecient.

Most games today seem to go as follows, you encounter the majority of the enemies within the first 2 hours, the rest of the game will be upgrading your character so that the rest of the game feels slightly different, even though there's absolutely no reason for you to change your behaviour from start to end. Once you reach a point the game just stops progessing. Games just dont seem to want you to think anymore.
 
/\ Why I love the Souls games. Just straight-up action, no bs. Lots of different variations on how combat situations can go.
 
That's why I go for Easy mode and ignore the postgame in pretty much everything I play nowadays. It's that or only play about 2 games a year now I'm nearly 30.
 
Spazznid said:
I wish you luck.

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Yep. This happens to me often. Too many games. Too little time. And I actually get a good amount of gameplay in daily.

I sometimes don't wanna start a new game while playing another because I know I won't go back. And when I force myself to go back its hard to get back into and I'm jus tempted to start all over.

I'm kinda going through right now. I been grinding it out with Dragon Quest IV and am about 50 hrs in and I know I'm close to the end, so not too bad. The Sony releases a few free games for Vita....not to mention me popping in Brain Age and FFTR. It's jus crazy.

I also find myself playing a few online multiplayers many hours at a time (COD, SARPBC, ect) which deducts time I could be knocking titles I've even yet to beat.

One good thing for me atleast is that I view this hobby and my backlog as just something I can always go to. For ever. I'm sure ill get around to finishing AC:L....
someday :p
 
les papillons sexuels said:
not at all. I just see the fundemental flaw of developers creating directed cinematic experiences.

Take the old zelda games right, mm or oot. You're constantly given a new challenge, and a new approach to the game. The items constantly change how you approach the game, the enviroment, past parts of the world, new areas, etc.

Take halo, the game gives you covenant for half the game, then suddenly you're introduced to a completely new enemy and a completely new approach to the battle field, then finally they change it again by introducing 3 way battles. Weapons only work on certain enemies, other are more effecient, etc.

New games dont do this anymore, its the exact same game, the same mechanics, and then suddenly you're given a power up, or a weapon and told to do something with it. The game doesn't change though, there's no ryhm or reason to why things happen. Halo 4 for example, the new forerunner enemies are the exact same as the covenant, same range, roughly same dmg, and you encounter them about an hour in. Then they try to make the game more invigorating by giving you vehicles or abilities, but these don't actually change how you can walk around with a dmr/cr/bmr/lr the entire game because it's just as effecient.

Most games today seem to go as follows, you encounter the majority of the enemies within the first 2 hours, the rest of the game will be upgrading your character so that the rest of the game feels slightly different, even though there's absolutely no reason for you to change your behaviour from start to end. Once you reach a point the game just stops progessing. Games just dont seem to want you to think anymore.
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Hmm... I... agree with a lot of this.
 
I have less time than i used to and i like to play games with my friends. Which means that if i have time to play, i mostly end up playing DOTA or Battlefield instead of that new SP game i just started.
 
I tend to stop playing games when they get too hard. As soon as I can no longer comfortably 'relax' my way through it, I tend to lose interest. After a day at work, I just want a game I can sit and enjoy without any pressure.

I think thats why I just play stuff like Pokemon and traditional JRPGs, you never need reflexes on those, they're stress-free experiences.
 
I generally find most big AAA titles boring as shit before I even hit the mid way point..

I always just end up going back to some indie or multiplayer games.
 
Doesn't happen too often. At least not with games I enjoy. Only recent game I liked, and stopped playing has to be sleeping dogs, dunno why I haven't been playing it recently, will probably get around to it one day when I'm bored I guess.

Of course, there are shitty games that I just stop playing because I'm not having fun, like RAGE and Alpha Protocol
 
So, this is a common feeling.
I'm only 21 years old and I always feel like I should have something more important do do instead of videogaming.
My new hobby is essentially to buy games without playing them.
 
I usually feel guilty for playing video games. I could be working on something... better not play.
Then I go and waste more time online than I ever would have in the game.
 
Storm Prelude said:
So, this is a common feeling.
I'm only 21 years old and I always feel like I should have something more important do do instead of videogaming.
My new hobby is essentially to buy games without playing them.
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Societal pressure? In terms of hobbies, is there a difference in importance from playing video games compared to staring at a TV or watching movies? I don't think so.
 
Servbot24 said:
I usually feel guilty for playing video games. I could be working on something... better not play.
Then I go and waste more time online than I ever would have in the game.
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Yeah this is me. I always feel I should be doing something else and then just end up wasting time watching netflix. And then I feel bad for buying the game and not playing it.
 
Messofanego said:
Societal pressure? In terms of hobbies, is there a difference in importance from playing video games compared to staring at a TV or watching movies? I don't think so.
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Of course, I know it. But that's not the point.
I wasn't talking in terms of hobbies but in term of how I spend my time.
Most of the time I feel like I need to be completely free to enjoy videogames.
 
That FEEEEEL, When you rent 4 games from Gamefly, and beat all 4 of them in a week and a half, and then rent some more games once those are shipped back. That satisfaction FEEEEL.
 
I actually find myself completing more games than ever before.

Once I brushed aside the nostalgia of the old days I noticed that I used to finish games only rarely as a kid or in my youth. I had FFX, which I never finished. Dark Cloud 2, never finished. The original Resident Evil, took me more than two years to see the credits. Syphon Filter, never finished. Any Mario game, never finished.

What I noticed is that I really didn't use to spend THAT much more time with games. But it still seems to me that way. It's kinda weird. I think it's because 5-10 years ago time seem to drag much more often than it does today. Today everything seems so rushed. The days just seem to fly by.

Don't know if this is something common today or me just growing older. Talked about this with my grandma some time ago. She said that it's the times that have changed so much and that it wasn't like that 5-10 years ago. Internet age brahs. Times sure have changed.
 
A lot of the time I just can't be bothered doing the story of the game and get right not the arcade/online stuff. Dunno why.
 
What bugs me is that when you leave a game unfinished, you usually can't go back to it easily, whether it is for story or gameplay reasons.
That sucks.

I have Silent Hill Downpour at about 15% of the story, started it a couple of weeks ago, and i know that if i wait much longer to get back into it, i'll have to start over.
Yet yesterday i started Darksiders II that was sitting in my Steam account from one of the THQ sales, and i'm really enjoying that one now, so i'm not in the mood to get into Silent Hill.

Of course i don't force myself to play a game just because, though.
 
It's because the vast majority of games don't have rewarding gameplay anymore.
Games don't allow for much of a learning curve anymore either as they all have to be super accessible to sell to 10 million mainstream people.
It's all about the carrot and the skinnerbox now.

Be glad man, it means you aren't as susceptible to your base instincts as some others.

What I suggest you do is learn to identify skinnerbox games and look for ones where the gameplay can stand on its own.
They are few and far between but they are still as great as ever.
 
I have noticed that I am struggling to finish some games because they cant seem to keep my attention for more than a few days.

Some games I can finish and play through multiple times (like dark souls or valkyria chronicles) and never get bored, others I can barely go through half way lol (like mafia 2).

Then again, I also noticed I am more inclined to not finish a game if the controls dont "Feel right". If they are too sluggish, or the buttons cant be customised..I get annoyed and never go back to the game lol. Sad really...I know :p. Its not a even a case of not being able to get used to lol.

I like games that make me think, or are relatively difficult to get through with your eyes closed. Also like some mindless games for the evenings where I am just too tired to think lol (throw in mindless fps shooters in this category)!

I find I am easily taken into open world games, but get bored of them pretty fast if they have too mnay side quests (cause I like to go through these games while completing everything!). So games like Dragons dogma, I finished multiple times...but skyrim.....gave up half way through cause there were just too many things to do.....dont have enough time!

The final reason I have stopped finishing games is because I have stopped buying every game that peaks my interest. I now rent games using a rental service in the UK that allows you to rent unlimited games for as long as you want (2 games at a time though) for a monthly fee. Because I'm paying monthly to use the service I am less likely to finish games that dont grab me and keep me entertained. The games that do keep me entertained I then go out and buy cause I like to go through them with all the DLC etc and use the online services if they have any.
 
Wario64 said:
Too many games. It was easier as a kid cause funds were usually limited and a game would be replayed to hell until we had enough money to buy the next game. Now we have too many options plus other life commitments that take up our time. I don't think it's really a bad thing
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This. Either I'm busy with my life/work or I get interested in playing 3+ games and just decide to go on GAF/YouTube instead of deciding on a game and getting invested in only it. I kind of want to just sell the majority of my collection but I know I'd regret it when I want to play ______ game and it's no where in my collection.

The only game I consistently play is Animal Crossing because there's no commitment required and it's very chill.
 
I only focus on 2 games at a time. 1 on handheld (Gravity Rush currently) and one on console (just finished inFamous 2).
 
Spazznid said:
Myself, I have this weird thing where I play a game, love it to death, and stop playing. No particular reason, and I have plenty of time. For some reason, I just stop playing it and find it hard to finish. Once I manage to finish a game that I feel this way about, I'm not upset or bored, I'm usually happy. So why do I quit?

Anyone else experience this?
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I do this almost invariably when I play a game, especially an RPG I'm really enjoying. I am not 100% sure why.

Is it the pacing? lack of sufficient reward for my actions? ADD?
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Personally, I think maybe I don't want the game to end. By not going back to it, the game is never over... and then, eventually, it's been so long that it feels like it will be a huge effort to get back into the game.
 
If I don't complete the game within it's release week I'll probably wont go back to it for a year or so.

Complete a game then bam another one is out. I can't seem to keep up no more. My backlog is getting so big. This last month or so I've gone through DS3, MGR, Crysis 3, Tomb Raider, AC3/DMC DLC.

I feel like shit since I was staying up so late to complete them. Never again. ;[
 
KAL2006 said:
I only focus on 2 games at a time. 1 on handheld (Gravity Rush currently) and one on console (just finished inFamous 2).
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Pretty much this. I dont buy any new games until i have completed them. So i buy less games now a days. Never had a backlog i think it is a waiste of money buying games and not playing them.
 
Lack of time is a factor for me but more often than not most games these days just don't grip me like they used to. Nothing to do with tougher challenge or any loss of interest, I can put on an older title and easily lose 5+ hours. The stop start nature of titles these days as well as the fact that the "cinematic experience" some games are going for kind of detract from the interactivity of actually playing. Half the time it feels like your watching someone else play. Or fuck it, I'm just getting old and not down with the kids anymore.
 
I've done that plenty of times.

1. Buy new game
2. Start playing it, and damn this shit is awesome (Far Cry 3, Sleeping Dogs most recently)
3. Shelve it to finish another game, I'll get back to it, I promise
4. Attention turns to new games coming out
5. Buy new game(s) that I just had to have
6. Got to step 2.

I've been getting better with not buying new games, but my backlog remains because all of my gaming time has been going to Battlefield 3. Endgame sure isn't going to help things either.
 
I really, really, really dislike the "lead me down a one-way path AAA / blockbuster" games. I don't hate them, because I occasionally enjoy one, like the CoD single player campaign (for the spectacle).

I mostly play short games or arcadey games.
 
I'm finding I just get stuck on a game and just don't mentally move on. For example, last year I played Saints Row the 3rd over 400 hours. I just loved it and kept replaying it over and over. Now its Defense Grid. Why? I don't know.
 
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