23 replies to this topic

[xg4bx]

personally i'm thinking i might be. i'm tired of my only choices in gaming being the same juvenile shit i've played 1000 times before, except with better graphics. i'm tired of paying $60 for games that are 4 hours long because the spastic a.d.d. ravaged teen demographic is more important to the developers. a million different genres of movies, movies and novels can exist and be profitable but the only games developers can make or market are idiotic shooters for people with short attention spans. wheres the intelligent games? people say games are becoming like movies....yea, michael bay and uwe boll movies. wheres the equivalent to no country for old men or 2001?

am i being too picky or selfish for wanting more for my entertainment dollar? am i being elitest because i want to see some intelligent games and genuinely mature concepts? part of me is honestly tempted to give up gaming but it's hard to abandon a hobby i've loved for so long.

[moycon]

xg4bx, on Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:30 PM, said:

am i being too picky or selfish, am i being elitest

Based on some of your other POSTS
I'd say your issue could be you, yes.

That said, if out of the millions of games available to folks these days you can't find any games you enjoy, then yeah I'd quit playing, what's the point in doing something you don't enjoy? Like you stated in that other thread, it's all about you.

[revolutionika]

moycon, on Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:39 PM, said:

xg4bx, on Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:30 PM, said:

am i being too picky or selfish, am i being elitest

Based on some of your other POSTS
I'd say your issue is you yes.

most money donated to any charity goes to pay for the fat office drones.if you really want to help get on a plane and fly to haiti.

[nathanallan]

Oooookay.

As for the original question, just stick to classics and homebrews. You'll get plenty of bang for the buck that way. I do this, as modern gaming so far hasn't done much for me (why I don't own a current gen anything myself).

I stick to my youtube opinion, if I have to be stuck on an island with only one system, it would be a Sega Genesis. Plenty of homebrews and things are available for it even while being a cart based system (opposed to easy to make CDs). So I say, just stick to ols school retro gaming if price is an issue. Just my $0.02.

[RevEng]

As Moycon mentioned, they're out there if you want to seek them out. I swear they are.

But based on this and some of your other posts, it sounds like you're mostly just burned out and don't know where to turn.

If I'm right in that assumption, my advice is that it's ok to put down the controller for a while. Don't play if it's not fun anymore.

Life has ebb and flow, and your favourite hobby isn't immune to it. Don't fight the tide, follow it.

Eventually you'll want to play again. Just try to add a bit more variety to your gaming habits when that happens, and you'll help postpone the next burnout.

And if I'm wrong in my assumption, just hit up Metacritic and find something different damn it!

[StanJr]

Thank goodness the "mini-game" craze is dying down. That was seriously draining the life from fun games and game series. I think games got too involved during the height of the Playstation 2 and more casual gamers were turning away from games that needed 70+ hours to complete. So as games got shorter, substance was sometimes lost as a result. Plus, and I know this will draw out the crazies, but as more and more importance is put on graphics and how great games look, less effort seems to be put into the depth and intelligence of the game. More effort is put into quickly producing a game that looks amazing, but has average game play or level design. More marketing dollars go to the game that looks great as opposed to plays great.

I don't think this is always the case, but I think it pollutes the system and makes "smarter" games a minority or at least loses them in the shuffle.

Or, you know, you could just be picky...

Great games are out there, but they aren't always getting respect.

[Atarifever]

If you like old gameplay, get a 360 and never, ever use it to play a retail game. Just spend the money you used to piss away on new box store games on Microsoft points instead. $60 for one 360 boxed game, or 4000 points. No contest. With that many points, go get yourself Jump!, Plucky's 3D Adventure, Miner Dig Deep, Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond (like Metal Slug), and a ton of other stuff that would have been at home between 1977 and 1998.

You're welcome.

[DaytonaUSA]

This is why I rarely get a console when it's new. The way I see it is, I pay for a console what I think it's worth to me judging by the amount of games I really want to own.

For instance, I bought the Wii for 249.99 the day it came out, because I found a large value in the games that were already out and ones that were coming out (this was then...).

PS3 wasn't worth it to me at 600 dollars for the games available, so I didn't buy it until later when it was in the $350 range. Xbox 360 was at the $200 mark.

I didn't get an Xbox till I could get it used for 90 dollars, my Dreamcast till I got it used for $20, and my Gamecube till it was 150 new.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you don't find anything that interests you, don't buy the system that those games are on yet. Wait until there are at least 5-10 games you just have to own and buy the system then. You'll end up saving money that way, and you'll end up not hating the system for the first couple years due to a lack of games you like (like my PSP for instance).

PS: If you can't find anything to play on any system, modern or classic, I'd severely stress to quit this hobby and try something else. Judging by your avatar though, your tastes in gaming is... erm... unique?

Edited by DaytonaUSA, Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:55 PM.

[AtariLeaf]

DaytonaUSA, on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:54 PM, said:

This is why I rarely get a console when it's new. The way I see it is, I pay for a console what I think it's worth to me judging by the amount of games I really want to own.

For instance, I bought the Wii for 249.99 the day it came out, because I found a large value in the games that were already out and ones that were coming out (this was then...).

PS3 wasn't worth it to me at 600 dollars for the games available, so I didn't buy it until later when it was in the $350 range. Xbox 360 was at the $200 mark.

I didn't get an Xbox till I could get it used for 90 dollars, my Dreamcast till I got it used for $20, and my Gamecube till it was 150 new.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you don't find anything that interests you, don't buy the system that those games are on yet. Wait until there are at least 5-10 games you just have to own and buy the system then. You'll end up saving money that way, and you'll end up not hating the system for the first couple years due to a lack of games you like (like my PSP for instance).

PS: If you can't find anything to play on any system, modern or classic, I'd severely stress to quit this hobby and try something else. Judging by your avatar though, your tastes in gaming is... erm... unique?

+1
The last system I bought brand new was a PS1 and it was a few years into its run and they were selling for $100 and the games I wanted to play were in the bargin bins.
I agree that there is a price/enjoyment ratio thats unique to each person and if the price outweighs the enjoyment then you made a poor purchasing decision. Personally the only system out of the 3 current systems that has even a slight appeal to me is the Wii and thats because there are games and activities that I can enjoy with my wife and daughter and the games that are on the wii appeal to me more than the other 2 systems which do seem to be heavy on FPS, 3D hack and slash and 3D action shoot-em-ups.
That being said, I'll still wait until the Wii is near the end of its life cycle to buy one because the price/enjoyment level still isn't personally at par yet for me.

Edited by AtariLeaf, Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:11 PM.

[Random Terrain]

Most video games are made with tainted ingredients. A lot of game designers usually focus on the wrong things and have no concern about the health and well-being of the player.

Related Links:

www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-game-design-guidelines.html#resist_frustration

www.randomterrain.com/game-design-play-vs-competition.html

www.randomterrain.com/game-design-randomness-and-replayability.html

www.randomterrain.com/game-design-alternatives-to-restarting.html

www.atariage.com/forums/blog/120/entry-6770-shigeru-miyamoto-and-forced-time-travel

The Bill of Players' Rights

No Twinkie Database


If you don't like what's out there, you can try to make your own games. That's what I'd like to do, but I have a deadly combination of laziness, stupidity, and what seems like ADHD-PI, so I'm screwed.

[liveinabin]

DaytonaUSA, on Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:54 PM, said:

Wait until there are at least 5-10 games you just have to own and buy the system then.

Excellent post, but thinking on that particular (and logical) piece of advice, I can't think of 5 games I really like on ANY system
Maybe I'm too picky as well.

In answer to the original post, I'm finding the iPhone/iPod Touch a refreshing source of original games (of course, there's a whole sea of cr*p as well, but that's the tradeoff).

[SoulBlazer]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the GBA yet. I find TONS of unique and niche games on there. Stuff you'd never see on a console.

If you look online you can find a number of 'homebrew' games for the PC as well that are either free or very cheap.

[moycon]

SoulBlazer, on Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:56 PM, said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the GBA yet.

Based on the initial post I'm guessing someone who has had a love for games for "so long" probably knows about many if not all the systems that came out in the past and how to search for games that would interest them. I seems to me that isn't an option because it wasn't even mentioned. It's almost like the main issue in xg4bx's mind is that there are no original games these days on the new systems and that all software release on this generations systems are shooters (I'm assuming FPS's) that last 4 hours, so what is the point continuing with the hobby, I should just quit it altogether because there is no going back.

What does a person say to that other then....."Yeah quit" ?

I mean besides listing the 1000's of games available to a person that aren't FPS's, and the long list of games that really kick-ass this gen

[rxd]

If you can't find anything to play on the current generation consoles then it's time for you to take a break. I have all three and they all have great games to play. My personal favorite is the 360, but any one of them should satisfy you. This is the best generation of consoles in years IMO....

[mos6507]

This will probably be considered a non-sequitur, but when I was interviewing the Atari programmers, most of them said they were GAMERS first, not VIDEO gamers. In other words, they enjoyed many sorts of games before videogames came around. Board games, for instance, or pinball, or foosball and billiards. David Crane said he was a championship foosballer. Larry Kaplan wrote Bridge for Activision because he was a huge fan of the card game. What you see with videogames, and modern console games in particular, is just a small subset of a subset of games. There is no reason to feel limited to just that.

[DaytonaUSA]

I don't see a point in saying any more. He seems to have abandoned the thread as quickly as he wanted to abandon the hobby...

[save2600]

There's a lot of good advice here and I especially like mos6507's and Daytona's first response. I can sort of relate to the OP's cry for gaming help to how I feel about both modern movies AND modern gaming. Daytona is spot on with the observation that there's no need to purchase new when it first comes out (unless you have damn good reason to, like when Super Mario IV was released with the SNES). It's how I feel about watching today's dark, dreary, blurry, shallow, CGI and plot recycled movies by young talentless actors in a theater with crummy screens/sound, broken seats and annoying moviegoers. Netflix more than satisfies for 99% of the crap they're ushering out these days - IMO. The world is changing (pop culture especially) and in most respects, not for the better. I think it's natural for some to shy away from gaming as they get older, just as I think it's natural that some (most it seems today) continue gaming, well into their 30's and beyond.

Bottom line: it's not that the OP is too "picky", I think he's evaluating his lifestyle and choices right now from a "been there, done that" perspective. Perfectly natural to become discontent and want better. 'Better' doesn't have to stay within the confines of video gaming either. Just sounds like it's time for him to move on and choose a different hobby is all. It's why I have several hobbies. Man cannot live by gaming alone!

<------runs, ducks and hides

Edited by save2600, Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:28 AM.

[Ransom]

save2600, on Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:28 AM, said:

It's why I have several hobbies. Man cannot live by gaming alone!

True, dat!

I mostly stop gaming in the warmer months and spend my free time in theme and amusement parks. I appreciate both the parks and video games much more that way.

And as far as what mos6507 said about the universe of gaming being much more than just video games, that's a good point as well. Gaming is a deep and rich hobby, from the wonderful German board games to paper-and-pencil RPGs, to games associated with gambling such as poker and blackjack. Just from among electronic games, there's a lot to choose. I'd love to have a skeeball machine in my basement, for example.

[DaytonaUSA]

Yea, very true. Gaming can't be your own hobby. I also work on my car quite a bit, and movie props. I often find it hard to decide what to put my money towards each month haha.

[save2600]

DaytonaUSA, on Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:27 PM, said:

Yea, very true. Gaming can't be your own hobby. I also work on my car quite a bit, and movie props. I often find it hard to decide what to put my money towards each month haha.

What's great is when you can get an extraneous hobby to feed another. It's pretty much how I've amassed various collections throughout the years

[DaytonaUSA]

save2600, on Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:39 PM, said:

DaytonaUSA, on Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:27 PM, said:

Yea, very true. Gaming can't be your own hobby. I also work on my car quite a bit, and movie props. I often find it hard to decide what to put my money towards each month haha.

What's great is when you can get an extraneous hobby to feed another. It's pretty much how I've amassed various collections throughout the years

What like making a car from a video game?

[xg4bx]

RevEng, on Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:39 PM, said:

As Moycon mentioned, they're out there if you want to seek them out. I swear they are.

But based on this and some of your other posts, it sounds like you're mostly just burned out and don't know where to turn.

If I'm right in that assumption, my advice is that it's ok to put down the controller for a while. Don't play if it's not fun anymore.

Life has ebb and flow, and your favourite hobby isn't immune to it. Don't fight the tide, follow it.

Eventually you'll want to play again. Just try to add a bit more variety to your gaming habits when that happens, and you'll help postpone the next burnout.

And if I'm wrong in my assumption, just hit up Metacritic and find something different damn it!

you might be rightabout being burnt out. i've been playing games non-stop for almost 25 years. i think i've pretty much seen everything the hobby has to offer, at least from the console side. i'm considering getting a decent pc when i get my tax return and giving some of those sweet strategy games a try. i'd definitely be getting my moneys worth and using my brain.

[xg4bx]

moycon, on Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:33 PM, said:

SoulBlazer, on Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:56 PM, said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the GBA yet.

Based on the initial post I'm guessing someone who has had a love for games for "so long" probably knows about many if not all the systems that came out in the past and how to search for games that would interest them. I seems to me that isn't an option because it wasn't even mentioned. It's almost like the main issue in xg4bx's mind is that there are no original games these days on the new systems and that all software release on this generations systems are shooters (I'm assuming FPS's) that last 4 hours, so what is the point continuing with the hobby, I should just quit it altogether because there is no going back.

What does a person say to that other then....."Yeah quit" ?

I mean besides listing the 1000's of games available to a person that aren't FPS's, and the long list of games that really kick-ass this gen

oh, i know theres more out there than fps'. the game i'm currently looking forward to most is heavy rain and my interest in monster hunter on the wii has been piqued. i'm currently playing and enjoying darksiders. i've just been craving "deeper" games than whats available. i want truly mature themes, true character development, things like that. i look at great movies and great novels and wonder why i can't be playing games like that, why are videogames so shallow that their plots couldn't fill a coloring book. i'm burnt on hamburger, i want steak.like i said in my previous post, i think i need to explore pc gaming where pure action games don't seem to be so prevalent and theres simply more options.

[moycon]

xg4bx, on Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:32 AM, said:

i look at great movies and great novels and wonder why i can't be playing games like that,

Mass Effect, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Oblivion, Dragon Age all immediately spring to mind as games so deep they almost felt like movies. (30-100 hour long movies)
Still...It's easy, if you can't find what your lookin for at all in the past few years, yeah I'd move on to something else that makes you happy. Simple.