I'm a gamer, but hardly ever play games nowadays.

[Mr-Paul]

Considering writing an article on this for the site, but thought I'd ramble on here a bit so I can just splurge some stuff down with less structure and see what others think. 

I consider myself a gamer. I grew up loving Nintendo, and still spend a lot of my time reading stuff on here, other forums, gaming news sites, Youtube etc. However, I spend infinitely more time reading about games than actually playing them.

I got a Switch last November on Black Friday, for Mario Odyssey. I then got Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for Christmas. I haven't bought a game since. I've got tons of hours out of both of these, Mario I binged in the month after purchase, while Xenoblade has been on and off, with a large chunk of it played (and completed) in a week off I had at the end of July/beginning of August. I love the Switch hardware, it's a fantastic piece of kit. But for some reason, my game library for the console doesn't go beyond two game cards, a couple of indies, and some demos. I'm feeling a little sad about this Is the PS4 taking my attention away? While yes, I do use my PS4 every day, that's for Netflix, iPlayer, Sky TV. The only piece of software I've played this year on there is Beyond: Two Souls, which I downloaded through PS+. What are the reasons? Have I 'grown out of gaming'? There's a couple of factors I've been considering, some, perhaps, more legitimate reasons, some, more irrational personal hang-ups?

Time

Adult life. It's busy, isn't it? I technically work 40 hours a week, but realistically it extends beyond that. I work hard. I want to go out, see friends, see movies, watch TV series, read, watch sport, try and fail to stay fit and healthy, do things. Yes, I have free time that I could be playing games, but I generally don't anymore. I don't have the free time that I have when I was a teenager, when I was at uni, when I was working in retail. I have more commitments. If i'm at home with nothing to do, I tend to watch TV and read the internet. I feel like I don't have the time to truly 'enjoy games' like I did before, beyond Pokémon Going on my 25 minute walk to work. I'm an indecisive being. If I buy a game, I want it to be 'worth my time.' I don't want to be wasting my time.

Money/Prices

This may be a 'personal hang-up' one. Working full-time in my chosen career, I've got more money than I ever had before. I have disposable income. Surely that should make me able buy more games, right? Well, it seems like it's not working that way.

Games have got more expensive. Yeah, yeah, I know, inflation and all that, they cost more to make, etc. etc. But I miss the days where you could go online and buy a game for £30. Or even £30-40. Now the new normal for a retail game is £40-50. Linking this to my 'worth my time' point above, I struggle to justify spending this much unless I know it's a game I really want, because I know I go through periods where I'm just too busy to game, or can only find an hour or two here and there. I don't want to waste money. I want to get value.

And this brings me to a related point. Nintendo's pricing on Switch. Three pertinent things creating a barrier of entry to me:

1) the software is expensive to start - as explained above.

2) Nintendo games don't decrease in price - no discount for being 'late to the party' as is pretty standard across entertainment media

3) The ports are frickin' expensive - I've got Mario Kart 8 and Breath of the Wild on Wii U. I'd happily play them again on Switch. But not at £45 a pop. 

And this complaining about price seems a little silly because I'll happily go for a day out with friends and spend £20-30 on food/drinks, yet my perceived value of gaming, with my lower amount of time, makes me find it harder to justify £50 for a game. Because i'm finding my main sources of entertainment elsewhere, and gaming is just supplementary now?

The Switch is a success - but not quite for me yet?

While the Switch has been undoubtedly a success commercially, and I think it's fantastic that we're seeing third parties support it more, albeit often with late ports/remasters. However, as a big fan of what Nintendo themselves put out, I'm not quite sure they're quite there in creating a fantastic line-up of first party games, especially in the single-player realm, yet they're also lacking in the online multiplayer department. Odyssey is fantastic, as is XB2, and of course I would be throwing Breath of the Wild in there had a I played it on Switch rather than Wii U. There are of course a few games beyond that I'd like to play, and in previous times would have no issues forking out for, for example the likes of Splatoon 2, ARMS, Mario Tennis etc, but the factors above of time/price, plus other factors like them being lacking in single player content, and Nintendo's online being pretty crappy. I'm not a big online gamer, but Nintendo's online offerings being subpar does nothing to make me more of one. I loved the first Splatoon, but it was released at a more budget price, and knowing my time issues, I can't bring myself to pay £45 for it. Maybe i'm being silly and irrational. But I feel for that money, I should be getting the real blockbuster experiences. The Marios, the Zeldas, the Metroids. Not ports of games from previous generations.

Solutions - how to get out of the rut?

"Get over it Paul! You're being a spoilt brat about prices, there are some fantastic games and you should fork out for them. Stop watching so much crap on TV, spend less time on your laptop and the internet and play a game instead" Maybe it is as simple as that.

Are indies the solution? I have to admit, I haven't embraced the indie community as much as I maybe should have. These are generally lower in price, and require less commitment. They are shorter so would fit more into my busy schedule, while still giving me something 'worth my time.' But then part of me feels with less time for gaming, I should commit it to the big blockbuster, 'AAA' and big Nintendo games that I love.

The PS4. I've got a ton of unplayed PS+ games from over the past three years of membership. They're literally there on my digital shelf, so it's an easy way back in. There's quite a few games I've missed available at a more budget price tag that I would like to play, Horizon, Tomb Raider, Uncharted 4 to name a few. I want the new Spider-Man game, and there's a possibility I might buy that in the coming weeks. But that doesn't solve my Nintendo/Switch woes.

The solution probably does lie in a mixture of all of the above, but I can't help but feel that while Nintendo have done well with their hardware this gen, they haven't quite nailed it on the software front. Maybe i'm holding too much nostalgia for past times as well?

I've rambled on a lot more than I intended! Suggestions welcome of what I should buy to get me back into the Switch/find me a bargain! But does anyone else feel the same as me? Have you been through a gaming rut? How did you get out of it? Or have you 'grown out of gaming'? Or can you not comprehend at all how i'm feeling and think i'm being ridiculous? All chip in!

[Hero-of-Time]

Good read, @Mr-Paul. I'll address a few things separately and then rant on afterwards. Hopefully I make some sense.

Gaming Ruts- I get in these from time to time and the way I break out of them is by playing a game I'm familiar with and have strong memories of. My go to games for this are usually A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Super Mario World. They remind me why I love gaming and the joy it brings me. Also, don't feel like you need to play the latest games. Play what you feel like playing and what brings you happiness. It's always great play older games and getting a fresh perspective on them.

Time- For me, I probably play more games now than I have ever done. I work 40 hours a week ( 50 if you count the hour drive there and hour drive back ), go to the gym, watch TV shows and go to the cinema with friends. Despite all of this I'm still able to get more than enough gaming done and get through the games I want to get through. Its one of the great mysteries of N-E.  

Cost- When it comes to Nintendo games I can understand the frustration from gamers over their high price points and lack of sales. As you mention, on their platforms there are very few discounts for having a bit of patience, whereas on other platforms you do get rewarded for holding on for a bit. The PS4 and One always have big discounts on both 1st and 3rd party games. Remember to shop at places like Shopto or Simply Games as these are always cheaper than retail. I'm the opposite of you in that I hate splashing cash when going out for a meal with friends but have no issue dropping £40 on a game. I don't go out drinking ( never touched the stuff ) and it shocks me how much my mates spend on a night out. Gaming is a very cheap hobby in comparison.  

Speaking more generally, your comment about reading about gaming on the Internet and watching YouTube videos about it is an interesting one. There was a topic about this on Era the other month and a lot of people said that they do this just so they can be part of the conversation without actually having to play games.

Earlier in the year I noticed I was starting to watch more and more gaming YouTube videos and I had to snap myself out of it. I was asking myself "Why am I watching discussions about games when I could actually be playing a game?" If you do find yourself reading and watching about games more than playing them then ask yourself the same question.

The main takeaway I got from your post is that you don't feel like you have the time. You mentioned you work 40 hours a week but, if you don't mind me asking, how else is your time distributed? Do you need to bring work home with you? How often do you hang with friends? Do you have a partner or children? Are any of your friends into gaming?

Ultimately, if you only have limited time and gaming gets pushed back for other things then that tells me that the hobby is no longer a priority for you, which is absolutely fine. As we get older our tastes can often change, as can our priorities. If you get more enjoyment from reading a book over playing a game then that just means you've moved on to something else. Gaming, like any hobby, will be there for you if and when you do want to pick it up again. However, if you do want to get back into it then it's just a question of shuffling things around to make time for it.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Hero-of-Time

[Goafer]

I don't game that much anymore, but I think that's because my tastes have become more specific as I've got older. I've played countless games over a quarter of a century, to the point where gameplay just doesn't do it for me anymore. I've played pretty much every genre that's interested me, so when a new shooter, racer, platformer etc comes out, I've already experienced it before. Horizon made me realise this, as I'm sure it's a great game, but the gameplay felt like just another 3rd person action game to me and the story didn't grab me.

I want a more mature experience now. Not mature as in kick-fucking someone's head off, but more an intriguing, well thought out plot, filled with things to make me think. Unfortunately, these are few and far between, so I don't get to play many games. The last game that properly grabbed me was Persona 5. Since then it's just been a few lesser games to tide me over.

[Mr-Paul]

Thanks for the replies, think it's a really interesting one to consider.

16 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Good read, @Mr-Paul. I'll address a few things separately and then rant on afterwards. Hopefully I make some sense.

Gaming Ruts- I get in these from time to time and the way I break out of them is by playing a game I'm familiar with and have strong memories of. My go to games for this are usually A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Super Mario World. They remind me why I love gaming and the joy it brings me. Also, don't feel like you need to play the latest games. Play what you feel like playing and what brings you happiness. It's always great play older games and getting a fresh perspective on them.

I think this is good advice and one I might need to indulge. I'm at my parents' house for the weekend and my brother was playing Sonic Adventure 2 on his Xbox One. Now this isn't a 'classic' by any means but it was a game we put hours into as we got it on the Gamecube launch, and it was fun to watch him revisit something that we held good memories of from over 15 years ago. Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask are certainly ones I like to revisit so maybe i'll fire one of them up. I was thinking maybe getting something like the Crash Bandicoot Trilogy for Switch will scratch that nostalgia itch but also the desire to have something new.

16 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Time- For me, I probably play more games now than I have ever done. I work 40 hours a week ( 50 if you count the hour drive there and hour drive back ), go to the gym, watch TV shows and go to the cinema with friends. Despite all of this I'm still able to get more than enough gaming done and get through the games I want to get through. Its one of the great mysteries of N-E.  

 

You're quite frankly a machine! And fair play to you on that! 

16 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Cost- When it comes to Nintendo games I can understand the frustration from gamers over their high price points and lack of sales. As you mention, on their platforms there are very few discounts for having a bit of patience, whereas on other platforms you do get rewarded for holding on for a bit. The PS4 and One always have big discounts on both 1st and 3rd party games. Remember to shop at places like Shopto or Simply Games as these are always cheaper than retail. I'm the opposite of you in that I hate splashing cash when going out for a meal with friends but have no issue dropping £40 on a game. I don't go out drinking ( never touched the stuff ) and it shocks me how much my mates spend on a night out. Gaming is a very cheap hobby in comparison.  

I am by no means a 'splash the cash' kind of person, I try to be very thrifty, but I guess living in London over the years has altered my perceptions of what's an acceptable price for food/drink/social activities. Whereas with gaming, my price perceptions haven't quite shifted and i'm still stuck a bit in a previous era in that way. I think with this one I just need to get over it a bit, and continue being a bargain hunter 

16 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Speaking more generally, your comment about reading about gaming on the Internet and watching YouTube videos about it is an interesting one. There was a topic about this on Era the other month and a lot of people said that they do this just so they can be part of the conversation without actually having to play games.

Earlier in the year I noticed I was starting to watch more and more gaming YouTube videos and I had to snap myself out of it. I was asking myself "Why am I watching discussions about games when I could actually be playing a game?" If you do find yourself reading and watching about games more than playing them then ask yourself the same question.

Really like this point and I think it's a really good question. I have to say I don't really watch Let's Plays or anything like that, but enjoy watching things like Mark Brown's videos, Jim Sterling, and reading about people's experiences of games on here. But you're right - I'm observing the conversation rather than playing or being an active part of a conversation.

I've been writing for N-E for many years now, but this year I've only reviewed one game. Part of this is as I've explained, I've not been playing anything! But also, I work full-time in journalism/social media, so part of it is maybe that I want to switch off from this kind of thing when home? I still very much appreciate and enjoy writing for N-E when I do, but it, along with playing games, has fallen by the wayside.

16 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The main takeaway I got from your post is that you don't feel like you have the time. You mentioned you work 40 hours a week but, if you don't mind me asking, how else is your time distributed? Do you need to bring work home with you? How often do you hang with friends? Do you have a partner or children? Are any of your friends into gaming?

Ultimately, if you only have limited time and gaming gets pushed back for other things then that tells me that the hobby is no longer a priority for you, which is absolutely fine. As we get older our tastes can often change, as can our priorities. If you get more enjoyment from reading a book over playing a game then that just means you've moved on to something else. Gaming, like any hobby, will be there for you if and when you do want to pick it up again. However, if you do want to get back into it then it's just a question of shuffling things around to make time for it.

I do often bring work home with me, and that is probably a little self-inflicted and I should be trying to switch off more. I'm single, I hang with friends a few times a week perhaps, go to the cinema once a week maybe. My flatmate and ex-flatmates are gamers but I don't really game with them. I think part of this is that I've never fully got into things like Overwatch as a regular thing - I've played it, and enjoy it, but not in a way to play it every night/whatever. I know a lot of the joy people get from online gaming is from the people they spend it with, but I've never felt able to make that 'commitment' to a game like that. 

I think the priority point is a very good one. It is like gaming has shifted down the list. But as you said, it's always there if I want to pick it up. This is just me coming to terms with the factors and thoughts behind it, and me trying to make my 're-entry'. I have to make my reshuffle and break back in. And talking through things like this certainly helps.

10 hours ago, Goafer said:

I don't game that much anymore, but I think that's because my tastes have become more specific as I've got older. I've played countless games over a quarter of a century, to the point where gameplay just doesn't do it for me anymore. I've played pretty much every genre that's interested me, so when a new shooter, racer, platformer etc comes out, I've already experienced it before. Horizon made me realise this, as I'm sure it's a great game, but the gameplay felt like just another 3rd person action game to me and the story didn't grab me.

I want a more mature experience now. Not mature as in kick-fucking someone's head off, but more an intriguing, well thought out plot, filled with things to make me think. Unfortunately, these are few and far between, so I don't get to play many games. The last game that properly grabbed me was Persona 5. Since then it's just been a few lesser games to tide me over.

This is certainly interesting. While with certain games and franchises I know I will completely love it due to the gameplay, I do get what you mean by things needing to be new/fresh or have an engaging story. I would say i'm a fan of Pokémon, but the last few main entries have left me uninspired as essentially, there's nothing new, it's the same game and the plot/story isn't holding my attention at all (I probably will be a mug and buy the new one coming out though). I definitely do think I value a strong plot these days a lot more highly. It's either got to excel at plot, or excel at fun, ideally both. I think this may be one of the reasons why Breath of the Wild, while being a game I enjoyed and excels for many reasons, isn't high on my list of favourite Zeldas as narratively, it didn't engage me as much as previous titles.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Mr-Paul

[Ike]

I've found I lose interest in games a lot quicker nowadays, take Ni No Kuni 2. I was looking forward to it, played it probably less than an hour and lost all interest in playing it again? Did I not like it? I don't think that's the reason.

I got Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2 for Christmas with the plan to play Mario first and the Xenoblade, never finished Mario and never started Xenoblade though I want to, I just don't seem to have the desire or motivation?

Fighterz? Played it for a bit and lost all desire to play it on PS4. I think I played the Switch demo a lot more.

I can't sit and play games all day, I can play for a couple of hours and get bored/tired. Sometimes I can play longer but pretty rarely. I used to be able to play all day when I was younger.

The Switch is great as I can play it in handheld and watch TV at the same time, but really means I need to switch focus sometimes.

I took this week of, half because of DQXI, but I've put in just under 20 hours since Tuesday.

Am I burnt out? I do watch some Let's Play on Youtube, usually because I'm too tired to play games myself during the week after work and it's easier just to sit and watch Youtube videos when I get home. Maybe that's having a side effect of fulfilling the need to play games? Is it because technology is too distracting, I have a phone or tablet or computer in reach and it's easy to check what's happening on there?

I've tried taking breaks, although still watching Youtube and keeping up with news but it hasn't really helped. Maybe I need to to cut it off completely. Tried taking a break of RPGs lately and tried playing fighting games a bit more to shake things up in game it was me being burnt out.

I can still go back to some older "comfort" games and play them just fine if I'm in the right mood.

I've felt like that since 2006 when the Wii came out, I noticed I wasn't playing Twilight Princess as much compared to Wind Waker which I spent my entire waking day playing and I've not been able to shake it. I was in Uni at that time so I had a lot of free time/wasn't tired as much.

It's a little frustrating but I don't know how to shake it. I considering trying to pick up another hobby but nothing really stands out that I want to do.

I've noticed I've lost passion for some of my other hobbies so it may be something deeper rooted, but I don't know what, if anything. 

 

 

 

[Grazza]

I saw this on Saturday night and wanted to reply, but haven't had the time (ironically) to do so until now.

 

The first thing I want to address is price - a subject I very much agree with @Mr-Paul on.  When I was at my gaming peak, I was buying anything I vaguely fancied at release for £30, then selling it on later.  There's definitely a psychological difference between £30 and £50, and so nowadays I am more careful what I buy.  A couple of months ago I realised how this was restricting me, and so I splashed out and bought Octopath Traveler and Ys VIII...  I loved the former but, you know what?  I haven't even touched the latter yet.  Selling them on is something I can't be bothered to do anymore either, which is probably all connected.  Maybe a lot of us are at that stage where we want gaming to go 100% digital (downloadable), but the pricing model isn't quite there yet?

 

But other than that I think there are two things pulling us away from the same target.  There's no doubt about it - in my opinion, gaming is a young man's hobby.  Not because of the violence and aggression associated with a lot of them, but because of the tenacity and drive required to play them.  I'm guessing many of us on here are aged 35-40, and so losing that very tenacity we need.

 

The other thing is that games are objectively becoming bigger, longer and more complicated.  Gaming is now seen as a "culture" - personally, I preferred it when it was considered geeky.  I was looking through a catalogue a couple of months ago and found myself thinking "How do kids manage to play all this?"  In the old days a great game (eg. Ocarina of Time) took 7-14 days to play.  Nowadays almost everything "AAA" is configured to keep you playing online, or if it's a single-player experience, it's more than likely open world and ridiculously massive.  Either way, and combined with DLC, it feels like games are now designed to be more expensive individually and to keep you playing for half a year!  Maybe those articles about addicted kids staying up all night aren't just tabloid scare stories?

 

Take Zelda: Breath of the Wild.  I was impressed, but I didn't much like it.  It was undoubtedly better than some of the recent games in that series, but at the same time unlovable.  I found myself wondering how Nintendo could afford to make it, how much programming time went into it, and really how anyone could play it to its full extent.  It took me a week to find a dungeon!  I enjoyed Super Mario Odyssey more, but don't feel like I've got full value out of it.  Whereas I enjoyed getting all 120 Stars/Shines in 64/Sunshine, here there were 999 to collect!  I think I got about 300 then forgot about it.

 

In a nutshell, we're a bit like Axel in the new Streets of Rage - we can still do it if we try, but it takes an effort!  Gaming culture has changed (for the worse, I think) and we're not spring chickens.  The 1990s was the best decade ever, and if I ever discover an elixir of youth, I'll share it with you guys.  For now, I'll turn on my Switch, focus with as much energy as I can muster, and hope playing the latest game doesn't make me too knackered after I've completed it!

[Ronnie]

On 9/8/2018 at 6:07 PM, Mr-Paul said:

but I can't help but feel that while Nintendo have done well with their hardware this gen, they haven't quite nailed it on the software front. Maybe i'm holding too much nostalgia for past times as well?

It's worth pointing out that Nintendo had a pretty incredible first year, in terms of software, though that's stalled a bit lately. The first year and a half of Playstation was pretty barren first party wise/exclusive, it's only in the past year or two that the content has been flowing non-stop. Basically give it time, it takes a little while for a gen to hit its peak.

Personally I find gaming way cheaper than going out. You go out one night for a few hours, spend £30-50 at least and have a good time. Zelda cost me £45 and gave me 150 hours of (mind blowing) entertainment. Obviously you can't compare enjoyment, but value wise I think games are pretty good, especially considering they're cheaper than they've ever been. Ocarina of Time on N64 was £50-60. I'm a little confused by all these posts saying games used to cost £30. Games are not only cheaper atm, the big blockbuster games tend to offer way, way more content than a decade or two ago.

Similarly, you go to the cinema and spend £15 on a film (at least in London), another 5-10 quid on popcorn/drinks. That's £20+ quid for two hours of entertainment. Games takes 3, 4 5+ years to make and offer dozens, if not hundreds of hours of entertainment. I really don't see a problem with spending 40 quid on them. As for Nintendo games holding their value, it's because Nintendo games sell like crazy. Tomb Raider isn't slashed in price because the publishers want to "reward" consumers who wait, it's because they want as many sales as possible and realise that the rest of the industry is racing to the bottom, price wise, so they have to as well.

[Mr-Paul]

22 hours ago, Ike said:

I've found I lose interest in games a lot quicker nowadays, take Ni No Kuni 2. I was looking forward to it, played it probably less than an hour and lost all interest in playing it again? Did I not like it? I don't think that's the reason.

I got Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2 for Christmas with the plan to play Mario first and the Xenoblade, never finished Mario and never started Xenoblade though I want to, I just don't seem to have the desire or motivation?

Fighterz? Played it for a bit and lost all desire to play it on PS4. I think I played the Switch demo a lot more.

I can't sit and play games all day, I can play for a couple of hours and get bored/tired. Sometimes I can play longer but pretty rarely. I used to be able to play all day when I was younger.

The Switch is great as I can play it in handheld and watch TV at the same time, but really means I need to switch focus sometimes.

I took this week of, half because of DQXI, but I've put in just under 20 hours since Tuesday.

Am I burnt out? I do watch some Let's Play on Youtube, usually because I'm too tired to play games myself during the week after work and it's easier just to sit and watch Youtube videos when I get home. Maybe that's having a side effect of fulfilling the need to play games? Is it because technology is too distracting, I have a phone or tablet or computer in reach and it's easy to check what's happening on there?

I've tried taking breaks, although still watching Youtube and keeping up with news but it hasn't really helped. Maybe I need to to cut it off completely. Tried taking a break of RPGs lately and tried playing fighting games a bit more to shake things up in game it was me being burnt out.

I can still go back to some older "comfort" games and play them just fine if I'm in the right mood.

I've felt like that since 2006 when the Wii came out, I noticed I wasn't playing Twilight Princess as much compared to Wind Waker which I spent my entire waking day playing and I've not been able to shake it. I was in Uni at that time so I had a lot of free time/wasn't tired as much.

It's a little frustrating but I don't know how to shake it. I considering trying to pick up another hobby but nothing really stands out that I want to do.

I've noticed I've lost passion for some of my other hobbies so it may be something deeper rooted, but I don't know what, if anything. 

Thanks for sharing your perspective. It's interesting to think about how we find it harder to spend long periods playing games anymore - a natural symptom of growing up, combined with having more distractions easily accessible and competing for our attentions? I hope you find your gaming mojo again! 

6 hours ago, Grazza said:

I saw this on Saturday night and wanted to reply, but haven't had the time (ironically) to do so until now.

The first thing I want to address is price - a subject I very much agree with @Mr-Paul on.  When I was at my gaming peak, I was buying anything I vaguely fancied at release for £30, then selling it on later.  There's definitely a psychological difference between £30 and £50, and so nowadays I am more careful what I buy.  A couple of months ago I realised how this was restricting me, and so I splashed out and bought Octopath Traveler and Ys VIII...  I loved the former but, you know what?  I haven't even touched the latter yet.  Selling them on is something I can't be bothered to do anymore either, which is probably all connected.  Maybe a lot of us are at that stage where we want gaming to go 100% digital (downloadable), but the pricing model isn't quite there yet?

But other than that I think there are two things pulling us away from the same target.  There's no doubt about it - in my opinion, gaming is a young man's hobby.  Not because of the violence and aggression associated with a lot of them, but because of the tenacity and drive required to play them.  I'm guessing many of us on here are aged 35-40, and so losing that very tenacity we need.

The other thing is that games are objectively becoming bigger, longer and more complicated.  Gaming is now seen as a "culture" - personally, I preferred it when it was considered geeky.  I was looking through a catalogue a couple of months ago and found myself thinking "How do kids manage to play all this?"  In the old days a great game (eg. Ocarina of Time) took 7-14 days to play.  Nowadays almost everything "AAA" is configured to keep you playing online, or if it's a single-player experience, it's more than likely open world and ridiculously massive.  Either way, and combined with DLC, it feels like games are now designed to be more expensive individually and to keep you playing for half a year!  Maybe those articles about addicted kids staying up all night aren't just tabloid scare stories?

Take Zelda: Breath of the Wild.  I was impressed, but I didn't much like it.  It was undoubtedly better than some of the recent games in that series, but at the same time unlovable.  I found myself wondering how Nintendo could afford to make it, how much programming time went into it, and really how anyone could play it to its full extent.  It took me a week to find a dungeon!  I enjoyed Super Mario Odyssey more, but don't feel like I've got full value out of it.  Whereas I enjoyed getting all 120 Stars/Shines in 64/Sunshine, here there were 999 to collect!  I think I got about 300 then forgot about it.

In a nutshell, we're a bit like Axel in the new Streets of Rage - we can still do it if we try, but it takes an effort!  Gaming culture has changed (for the worse, I think) and we're not spring chickens.  The 1990s was the best decade ever, and if I ever discover an elixir of youth, I'll share it with you guys.  For now, I'll turn on my Switch, focus with as much energy as I can muster, and hope playing the latest game doesn't make me too knackered after I've completed it!

Another interesting perspective, thanks. I'm not as old as you, only in my late twenties, but you raise a good point about the 'games as services' thing, where there's not a definitive end, and they're designed to keep you playing, and playing, and playing, (and spending money, and spending money, and spending money...), but I don't think it's necessarily all like that, and there's definitely heavy shades of nostalgia in your post, which is of course natural! There still are experiences where there's a definitive start and end, but moreso than ever before, games are built to reward you if you're coming back day after day, which means if you aren't able to, you can feel left behind and unmotivated to return.

5 hours ago, Ronnie said:

It's worth pointing out that Nintendo had a pretty incredible first year, in terms of software, though that's stalled a bit lately. The first year and a half of Playstation was pretty barren first party wise/exclusive, it's only in the past year or two that the content has been flowing non-stop. Basically give it time, it takes a little while for a gen to hit its peak.

Personally I find gaming way cheaper than going out. You go out one night for a few hours, spend £30-50 at least and have a good time. Zelda cost me £45 and gave me 150 hours of (mind blowing) entertainment. Obviously you can't compare enjoyment, but value wise I think games are pretty good, especially considering they're cheaper than they've ever been. Ocarina of Time on N64 was £50-60. I'm a little confused by all these posts saying games used to cost £30. Games are not only cheaper atm, the big blockbuster games tend to offer way, way more content than a decade or two ago.

Similarly, you go to the cinema and spend £15 on a film (at least in London), another 5-10 quid on popcorn/drinks. That's £20+ quid for two hours of entertainment. Games takes 3, 4 5+ years to make and offer dozens, if not hundreds of hours of entertainment. I really don't see a problem with spending 40 quid on them. As for Nintendo games holding their value, it's because Nintendo games sell like crazy. Tomb Raider isn't slashed in price because the publishers want to "reward" consumers who wait, it's because they want as many sales as possible and realise that the rest of the industry is racing to the bottom, price wise, so they have to as well.

I agree that it was overall a great start, and I admitted in my post that perhaps I'd look at it a bit more fondly had I got Breath of the Wild on Switch rather than on Wii U, and there's quite a few bits of software i'd still like to pick up, but not necessarily at the full price that they're still sat at, this year has been a little weaker and coincided with my own 'lull' that inspired this thread!

You're completely correct that in the N64 era games were £50-60 - I was a child at this time and very rarely got a new game (birthdays and xmas) or picked things up at the local independent store second-hand. The Gamecube era was when I started buying games myself on a regular basis, and £30 was standard online. This largely held through the Wii era too, and as I believe I said in my OP, on Wii U this moved a bit more up towards the £40 mark, but there were still bargains available if you shopped around around (around £25 at launch for Splatoon).

You're right that on pound per hours entertainment gained, it certainly works out better than other forms of entertainment, but when you're not finding much time to game, the perceived value becomes harder to justify. I did say that I might be being a bit irrational on this

And you say that Nintendo prices stay high because they sell like crazy, but I'm sure that software like ARMS etc. would pick up a lot more sales from people like me if they reduced in price months after launch like games on other platforms. As it is, I see the £40-45 pricetag, and don't make the purchase, as I'm only willing to fork out that much on something I know I really really want. 

And this is kind of irrelevant, but seeing i'm responding to every point: I live in London and spend nowhere near that amount on the cinema! £18 a month on a cineworld unlimited card, which I use around 4 times a month, then either take a bottle of water with me, or buy a £1 bottle in the Tesco outside, and occasionally a snack for £1!  And they take years to take and cost millions of dollars to produce too!

The movie industry is an interesting one to compare the video games industry with though. You will pay say an average of £10 for a ticket to see it once in the cinema, if you want to be first (not taking into account subscriptions, meerkat movies). If you wait for the physical release, you'll pay £10-15, but can watch as much as you want. If you wait longer, the price of the DVD/Blu-Ray will go down, and you might be able to watch it as part of a subscription like Netflix or Amazon.

How things work on the other platforms are fairly similar. Launch at max price. Reduce in price and pick up more sales. Game then potentially added to subscription service.

Nintendo are the only ones who think they can just keep selling at a high price, and I'm no expert on their internal economics and accounts, but I'm sure they'd end up selling more of certain software if they cut prices more and didn't insist on keeping software at launch RRP and selling previous generation ports and full price rather than as a bargain release.

[Hero-of-Time]

On 9/9/2018 at 11:41 AM, Mr-Paul said:

This is certainly interesting. While with certain games and franchises I know I will completely love it due to the gameplay, I do get what you mean by things needing to be new/fresh or have an engaging story. I would say i'm a fan of Pokémon, but the last few main entries have left me uninspired as essentially, there's nothing new, it's the same game and the plot/story isn't holding my attention at all (I probably will be a mug and buy the new one coming out though). I definitely do think I value a strong plot these days a lot more highly. It's either got to excel at plot, or excel at fun, ideally both. I think this may be one of the reasons why Breath of the Wild, while being a game I enjoyed and excels for many reasons, isn't high on my list of favourite Zeldas as narratively, it didn't engage me as much as previous titles.

A strong narrative in a game is something I do enjoy and it's an aspect of a game that I have found has become more important to me over time. I've always liked stories in games and it's why I gravitate towards the JRPG genre. It's also why I think I have fallen out of love with the Pokemon series ( became far too easier and the stories aren't strong enough to keep me interested. Friendship! YAY! ) and why I disliked BOTW. I was hoping BOTW's narrative would be something epic, emotional and something that would stick with me throughout the  years but what I got was one of the weakest stories in the entire franchise.

Stuff like Detroit, the Metal Gear saga, Until Dawn, Persona 5, God of War, Telltales Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands are games that will stick with me for a long time due to the stories they told and the way they told them. 

 

On 9/9/2018 at 10:59 PM, Ike said:

The Switch is great as I can play it in handheld and watch TV at the same time, but really means I need to switch focus sometimes.

Is it because technology is too distracting, I have a phone or tablet or computer in reach and it's easy to check what's happening on there?

I think this can play a big part of not enjoying gaming. We live in a world where people are constantly distracted and are always checking up on things due to the ease of doing it. I know myself that I sometimes find it hard just to sit and play a game without checking my phone/internet from time to time and I eventually started knocking my phone off before starting to play a game because it became a distraction. The same goes for watching TV and playing a game at the same time. I found that I couldn't really concentrate on both things and ended up not remembering much about the program/film or the game. Again, it's something i've become very aware of and made an conscious effort to do less. 

 

17 hours ago, Grazza said:

But other than that I think there are two things pulling us away from the same target.  There's no doubt about it - in my opinion, gaming is a young man's hobby.  Not because of the violence and aggression associated with a lot of them, but because of the tenacity and drive required to play them.  I'm guessing many of us on here are aged 35-40, and so losing that very tenacity we need.

Speak for yourself. I'm 36 and still going strong.  

 

17 hours ago, Grazza said:

The other thing is that games are objectively becoming bigger, longer and more complicated.  Gaming is now seen as a "culture" - personally, I preferred it when it was considered geeky.  I was looking through a catalogue a couple of months ago and found myself thinking "How do kids manage to play all this?"  In the old days a great game (eg. Ocarina of Time) took 7-14 days to play.  Nowadays almost everything "AAA" is configured to keep you playing online, or if it's a single-player experience, it's more than likely open world and ridiculously massive.  Either way, and combined with DLC, it feels like games are now designed to be more expensive individually and to keep you playing for half a year!  Maybe those articles about addicted kids staying up all night aren't just tabloid scare stories?

I agree with this point and it's why I tend to stay away from GaaS model games and most online games. They require you to constantly check in and play the game on a daily basis and things like online shooters kind of suck you in because you want to keep playing to get the best gear and keep your skills sharp. It's why I much prefer an online co-op experience rather than a competitive one. Also, I'd much rather play a lot of games and have lots of different experiences than have to stick to a single one. It's fine that people do that but it's certainly not for me.

 

10 hours ago, Mr-Paul said:

And you say that Nintendo prices stay high because they sell like crazy, but I'm sure that software like ARMS etc. would pick up a lot more sales from people like me if they reduced in price months after launch like games on other platforms. As it is, I see the £40-45 pricetag, and don't make the purchase, as I'm only willing to fork out that much on something I know I really really want. 

Nintendo are the only ones who think they can just keep selling at a high price, and I'm no expert on their internal economics and accounts, but I'm sure they'd end up selling more of certain software if they cut prices more and didn't insist on keeping software at launch RRP and selling previous generation ports and full price rather than as a bargain release.

Thing is, there are examples on other platforms, such as God of War, GTAV, Horizon Zero Dawn etc. of the games selling stupidly well and yet still get price cuts. GTAV is one of the best selling games ever made and goes on sale all of the time. These examples show that fast and best selling games can go on sale if the publisher chooses to put them on sale but sadly Nintendo very rarely bothers and expects consumers to pay top dollar all of the time.

[Mr-Paul]

Just thought I'd update with how I'm doing at climbing out of the rut!

So last week I bought Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy for a bit of nostalgia. Man, the first game is difficult!

I got to the "High Road" level, died many, many times and gave up and moved onto the second and third games! Much better! Or maybe I'm just rubbish 

Turns out that 2 and 3 are really the ones I remember more from my childhood, especially 3. Having a lot more fun with those - although they're challenging in places, they don't feel unfair like the original.

On top of that, I've just got a review copy of the Xenoblade expansion, so another incentive to get gaming again. Look out for that here on N-E soon!

Looks like Spider-Man may have to wait until Christmas for me!

[Jimbob]

It's an interesting topic, and one a lot of us (including me) can relate to.

For me, like a few others here, i have fallen into a gaming rut at times.  Sometimes it can last a few hours, or a few months.  Sort of where i don't want to play anything at all.  The last rut as such, was when i moved from my parents into a place with my partner (actually, i can't really call it a rut as i was busy working then assembling flat-pack furniture and unpacking, coupled with deep cleaning everything (more of that in the appropriate thread).  For about a week afterwards, even on my commute to work i never touched a single game.  I had the PlayStation packed away, and the Switch was the only machine i had at easy reach.  DIdn't really get back to gaming until Spider-Man came out.

Adult life is busy, but somehow i can manage working (if i can call what i do work) 40 hours a week, travelling another 10-11 hours a week (the Switch is perfect for part of this to kill the time).  Usually i'm nackered most evenings, so can manage an hour or two on a weeknight.  Most of my gaming however goes onto the weekend.  And like many, i have TV to watch as well.  Which fits in after my partner goes to bed (gotta stop gaming when she does, the gaming room is next to the bedroom so can keep her awake).  Usually watch an hour before i hit the hay myself.  Technology itself has grown advanced, i'm normally checking my phone or browsing the internet as a time killer when i just can't be bothered doing anything.

But then, some weekends i like to see friends.  Meet a group of friends at least once a month, either in Cardiff or Swansea.  I have a friend or two who pop up for a few drinks each month, and then i like to go for a walk and meet the local Pokemon Go group as well.  Then there are the family visiting us, and us visiting them as well, and spending time with my partner (most of which falls on the weekend).  Certainly busy (and expensive) being an adult that is for sure.  I don't drink as much as i used to, so my alcohol budget doesn't go over £20 a week, that can be buying a crate for the house or going to the pub where i'll have 4 or 5 pints.  Go back to when i was in my late teens/early 20's, i was spending up to £100 a week on alcohol.  And going to work most days either still drunk or with a hang-over, and not much sleep.  I'm 32 now, and i'm usually feeling it after 2 or 3 cans.

Which falls nicely into cost.  After the bills, i have a bit of disposible income left over.  That's mine for socialising, gaming etc.  Whatever i want to buy, i can (within the law).  Games these days are £40-£50 just for a standard edition.  Then, we have the season passes and any DLC packs, which cranks the cost up.  Some versions of games come with the season passes, for a cheaper cost than buying separatly.  That' for games like (for example) Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassins' Creed Origins etc.  With Origins, the season pass costs nearly as much as the base game.  But luckily, there are sales which bring those costs down.  Waiting can be ideal for the wallet.

But then, we have Nintendo.  Where games don't go on sale often, most games remain at near full price for years at a time.  But the games are quality, so sometimes it's not bad seeing as you'll get your money's worth out of them (Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey spring to mind).  I have no problem with buying Nintendo games, but the line does get close when it comes to ports.  Buying a port of a game (e.g. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) where the cost is the same as the WiiU version was at launch, some of them sting a bit.  However, shopping around can get you a deal or two.  Which is where the indie games come in.  The cost or getting 2 of these equates to 1 big game, and if i get 5, 6, 7+ hours out of the smaller title then i'm happy.  Plus, the indie games (Hollow Knight springs to mind) sometimes the developer give you the extra content for no extra cost just for having purchased the game.

I'm much more selective on what games i buy these days, as normally i want value for my buck.  But with adult life, it doesn't matter as much.

And @Hero-of-Time, i'm more than convinced you've either cloned yourself or have a working time machine to do everything.

[bob]

Actual footage of @Hero-of-Time leaving for work in the morning.

[Goron_3]

Great thread. I'll leave a more detailed post about this later on but I find myself in the same situation. I definitely spend far more time thinking about video games and following the industry than I do actually playing anything.

Edit. The 'money per hours' way of determining the value of game is certainly a good way of thinking about whether it's worth buying or investing in software, but I also find it slightly flawed. 

I would say my biggest financial spend per month, outside of rent and bills, goes on food and alcohol. If I didn't do these activites I would save enough money to be able to buy more brand new titles the consoles that I own, whether that's Spiderman on PS4 or one of the many Switch games I've been interested in but not purchased. Whilst Spiderman may offer a 30 hour experience however, it's worth noting that many people aren't looking for experiences that long to fit into their lives. I don't finish most of the big games that I own because I don't always have the time, capacity or commitment for them. BOTW was the exception for me, but only because I was inbetween jobs at the time. Back in the day, I would complete a 30 hour game in a week and basically prioritise it. Now, a 30 hour game is basically 1-2 months of gameplay for me. I'd rather spend that money and time on seeing a few two hour films that I can fully commit to and digest.

I would happily spend £20 on food/beer knowing that it's a singular experience that I can experience with the company of my friends/girlfriend. But the idea of putting aside 20-40 hours to commit to a game is too much as there are plenty of other things that occupy my time. I can't actually remember the last video game I completed on my PS4 and on the Switch I haven't even started XC2, despite it sitting inside my Switch since January.

As I've got older, I tend to prefer much smaller, bite-sized games that I can get through and complete sooner rather than later. I've just started Yakuza 0 and I'm actually a bit worried that I won't get round to seeing it through the end, but I'm going to at least try.

Edited September 19, 2018 by Goron_3

[bob]

Went to EGX today in Birmingham, and obviously there were new and exciting games all over the place, but I found it hard to feel any sort of enthusiasm for any of them.

[Rummy]

Great thoughts @Mr-Paul, as I've gotten older I've fallen off with not just gaming but also a few things associated with it(such as following all the news, posting actively here etc). I can't quite tell what it is exactly, myself. Yet having said that - I do still game it's just a lot more...narrow? I'm still playing OW(500+ hours now maybe?) all these years later since launch(as do a lot of N-E guys) and a few other games of the ilk. Games I can jump in and out of because I 'don't want to commit to a long thing' yet I sat on my ps4 for 10ish straight hours on Sunday!

That's a thing I get from the ps4 tho - I woke up at 6am knowing I had not much sleep left in me, and chanced my ps4. My mate was online in Japan given the time difference and one small quick party chat basically led to us being on for most of the day gassing

I know it's an old discussion, on which my and many thoughts have long been expressed, but that's the irony of what my games have become now. They're almost a second place sideshow to the premium I'm getting from my consoles - interaction with friends in an adult world where it's proving tricky to synchronise otherwise. I realise ofc we're here in Nintendo - but the idea of Nintendo's online implementations are a big reason I couldn't plunge the price on Switch. I talk about sitting on a console for 10 hours but then I could do it too with Nintendo with the right infrastructure - not sure iirc but I believe @Cube and @Goron_3 may recall when Moray towers landed on Splatoon 1 - a few of us has places to be but basically sat playing Splatoon for far too much of the day on Skype instead. Twas a good day !

 

[Fierce_LiNk]

Awesome thread and really enjoyable to read. I actually still find myself gaming pretty regularly, but it's mainly Overwatch. That game just dominates so much of my gaming time that it doesn't leave much room for the other games. The issue I guess is that there are lots of regular events and they can last for a few weeks. So, you play those events because the events are fun, but you also want the skins, emotes, voice lines, highlight intros, etc. It's also a fun multiplayer game, as I play it with @Eenuh a lot when we've eaten or I've finished my preparation work for the next day, so usually quite late on. It's quite exciting to open a box and see that either one of us has received something cool or that one skin that we've been waiting for, and it's also pretty great to get a last second victory or something to that effect. There's a lot of replayability there, so it's our main go-to game.

I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm in a rut, but my limiting factor these days is time. So, there's no sense in buying a huge adventure or open world game, because I haven't got the time to really appreciate it. The problem is that I have quite a few other things that I enjoy doing with my free time, like exercising, playing music, learning languages, watch tv shows, etc, all of which are veeeeery time consuming. My job takes up a huge amount of time, so I often find that I leave the house early, get home fairly late and still have a few other things that need doing, emails to reply to, etc. On top of that, I exercise around 4 or so times a week, so I need to factor in the time for that. So, gaming has to be balanced amongst all those. I think when you consider all of that, to get an hour or so of Overwatch in regularly throughout the week isn't too shabby. Another thing to think about is guilt. I guess whenever I do have free time, you feel that you should do something worthwhile with it, so you almost end up prioritising your hobbies. 

There are still lots of games that I have unopened that I just need the time to play. It's basically just time management. I know that there's no use starting Game A any time soon, because Game A requires X amount of time to enjoy and that may be better off for later, but I could play Game B in the meantime. I know that in a few weeks, I'll have enough time to enjoy Game A properly, plus I won't be too tired to fully appreciate it. It's not necessarily down to money because, actually, you can build up a decent PS4 collection really easily with great deals here and there and with PSN sales. That's probably one thing that has pushed me closer to that camp.

 

 

[Aperson]

This is a very interesting thread and I can understand where the OP is coming from. I've found something similar as I've grown older that I've gained quite a few more interests, but I have since had a different experience in that it took a long time to find a job so I had a tremendous amount of free time and was able to fulfill all of my interests with different regularity.

Things changed around the time I got a job but I think the trick is to focus on shorter games and accept that you simply aren't going to play every game ever available, so decide what it is about video games that you really enjoy and focus on that. For example, RPGs and games like Dark Souls take an extremely long time to beat, so much so that I quit Dark Souls after getting stuck halfway under the premise of "I don't have much free time anymore and I have a huge gaming backlog, I might as well commit to my gaming backlog and finish that, because otherwise I've got a daily grind of a job which doesn't feel like progress and a daily dose of continually struggling on one game". So I changed course and started to try and clear games that I already owned and as a result I've beaten more games than many years in this calendar year out of wanting to clear the backlog. I don't game every day either, if there's a football match that's on of great interest then I'll watch that, if there's an F1 race on I'll watch that. Plus I might catch up with a few shows on a weekly basis in some of that free time.

So, my approach in the DLC era of gaming is usually, focus on beating one game and then move onto the next. I get to experience many games as a result but never really get "good" at any of them. It doesn't help that I have found myself disinterested in online gaming in general which is where the direction of gaming has mostly gone. I think the only games I actually enjoy online are Rocket League, which is fun no matter what you do, and Mario Kart which I'm actually quite competent at. Despite all this, I feel a bit lonely as a gamer and desire some sort of multiplayer from time to time, but not being keen on online multiplayer because it is missing the atmosphere of a single player game. I have huge nostalgia for my teenage years where I could play video games with my friends, mainly Super Smash Bros. Brawl and since those ended I've been experiencing multiplayer withdrawal symptoms which continually flare up time and time again due to adult life not really allowing for such multiplayer.

This came about again when the Nintendo Switch came out. Fantastic, a console built around multiplayer gaming but more suited to the modern adult lifestyle... but with a catch in that not all of the people I consider to be my closest friends now are actually interested in gaming and if they are they are more leaning towards single player games or online games which are different from the ones I'm usually interested in. I don't help myself by the fact I've become more stoic in my interests and have been less willing to adapt them to the interests of something else or will go off on my own tangent because, hey, the internet exists and is often key to introducing me to new ideas. But I guess adult life has not left me feelling satisfied enough for whatever reason even though I'm sure about 90% of the problem is me not being able to appreciate smaller things in life and being too hung up on my own interests to the point where I get bored if it's just "general" conversation going on. If we do anything other than talk, it's usually to go to the cinema once in a while.

I tend to buy games with multiplayer modes because I don't want to just be a single player gamer, but then there's no one to really play them with. After that experience I was somewhat hesitant over buying Soul Calibur VI, knowing that I probably wasn't going to get the same multiplayer lifespan out of the game as I did with II... but I bought the game anyway due to the promise of some substantial single player content and I'm not really disappointed. It's also quite easy to jump out and jump in again with it's story mode, each chapter being about 5 minutes long and the custom character creator has been a blast.

It's been like this for a while now, but heavy nostalgia on the games I used to play in the previous decade has influenced much of my thinking and of the types of games I've bought this decade while wanting them to co-exist with interests that have evolved me as an individual. Should you really drop something you're interested in when you gain new friends just because they don't match up with what your new friends like? I don't think so...

 

[Dcubed]

I mentioned this in the General Switch Discussion thread, but a big part of why I’ve not been playing much is because I haven’t had much time to myself over the last couple of years...

 

... but another reason is because nothing on Switch is really engaging me.  I’m looking for something substantial to play that is primarily single player focused, not a million hours long, not an open world game (I hate them) and is not really an RPG (I have both Xenoblade 2 and Octopath, but I just can’t bring myself to start them - it’s just too big of a time investment and I really don’t feel like playing an RPG).  But there’s nothing outside of ports of games that I’ve already played, as well as Breath of the Wild (which i hated), Mario Odyssey (which I found to be very disappointing) and Kirby Star Allies (which isn’t bad, but it’s definitely a weaker entry in the series).  I’m pretty sure that if could look at my Switch play-log, Bayonetta 2 would be the game I’ve played the most; and that’s a bit sad, considering that it’s a port of a 4 year old game.  Sure, Switch has some cracking multiplayer games (and I do enjoy them), but as far as original, non-port, meaty single player games go? There really isn’t much, unless you love open world games or RPGs (and while I do like RPGs, I’m really just not in the mood for one - except Undertale, I’m down for Undertale; but it’s a very short RPG that’s also a bullet hell game, so nerr! It doesn’t count!).

 

Meanwhile, my 3DS is getting much more playtime; WarioWare Gold and the Mario & Luigi SS Remake (yes I know it’s an RPG, but it’s a Mario RPG, which is nothing like a normal RPG, and a weird RTS game hybrid! Shut up!) in particular are the games I’ve played the most all year by far (around 40 hours a piece now), and that’s mainly in bits and pieces here and there when I can squeeze the time in.  That and the occasional retro replay.

 

I’m finding myself reading and talking about games more than actually playing them...  But I do feel a desire to play, I just want something new that I can really sink my teeth into, that isn’t another bloody RPG or open world game! Something like Luigi’s Mansion 3 or Metroid Prime 4 is exactly what I’m after! But they’re just so far away...

 

... at least there’s Devil May Cry 5 and Resident Evil 2 Remake on the horizon! Finally!!

Edited October 31, 2018 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

11 hours ago, Dcubed said:

... but another reason is because nothing on Switch is really engaging me.  I’m looking for something substantial to play that is primarily single player focused, not a million hours long, not an open world game (I hate them) and is not really an RPG (I have both Xenoblade 2 and Octopath, but I just can’t bring myself to start them - it’s just too big of a time investment and I really don’t feel like playing an RPG).  But there’s nothing outside of ports of games that I’ve already played, as well as Breath of the Wild (which i hated), Mario Odyssey (which I found to be very disappointing) and Kirby Star Allies (which isn’t bad, but it’s definitely a weaker entry in the series).  I’m pretty sure that if could look at my Switch play-log, Bayonetta 2 would be the game I’ve played the most; and that’s a bit sad, considering that it’s a port of a 4 year old game.  Sure, Switch has some cracking multiplayer games (and I do enjoy them), but as far as original, non-port, meaty single player games go? There really isn’t much, unless you love open world games or RPGs (and while I do like RPGs, I’m really just not in the mood for one - except Undertale, I’m down for Undertale; but it’s a very short RPG that’s also a bullet hell game, so nerr! It doesn’t count!).

Meanwhile, my 3DS is getting much more playtime; WarioWare Gold and the Mario & Luigi SS Remake (yes I know it’s an RPG, but it’s a Mario RPG, which is nothing like a normal RPG, and a weird RTS game hybrid! Shut up!) in particular are the games I’ve played the most all year by far (around 40 hours a piece now), and that’s mainly in bits and pieces here and there when I can squeeze the time in.  That and the occasional retro replay.

This is something I have been feeling for the best part of this year. In terms of quality, first party, single player games the Switch has really struggled this year, at least it has for me. With Nintendo really only concentrating on one platform ( yeah, 3DS is still getting supported but I don't imagine many resources are being used in porting/making those games ) I would have thought their output would have been far more substantial that what we've gotten so far. I mean, games like Mario Tennis should really not have launched the way it did, especially given the state of the Wii U tennis game, but sadly Nintendo seems to be following the rest of the industry by releasing certain games that are half baked and then adding more content as the year goes on. It's a practice I really dislike but I can see why so many publishers are starting to do it. Next years lineup looks far better but I do think this year has been a bit rough.

I've also gotten tired of the eShop scene on the Switch. When I look at the quality of the games that were at launch and look at the state of the store now it's sad to see that they threw out the window the screening process and, just like every other digital store, have allowed any old rubbish on the system. Add to the fact the sheer number of games that are released on a weekly basis and it makes for an unpleasant viewing experience. A few weeks back people on Era were touting how great it was that the amount of games that the Switch eShop had had already surpassed other Nintendo stores but when a lot of it is just pure garbage then what is there to celebrate?

 

[Dcubed]

Well at least 2019 is already looking much better @Hero of Time! Like I noted in the Switch thread, 2018 for Switch has reminded me a lot of 3DS in 2012; a bit of a breather year with not a whole lot going on (meanwhile, the DS got some pretty great last hurrahs, like Pokemon Black & White 2 and Pokemon Conquest)...

 

... but the Switch's 2019 lineup is already looking eerily similar to the 3DS' 2013 one! Which is fantastic, because 2013 was the 3DS' best ever year!

 

I do reckon that it'll get there, but it's just gonna take time.  HD development just takes up a massive amount of time and resources, there's no way to get around that, but it looks like 2019 will be the year where Nintendo finally get all of their ducks in a row! So I'm pretty excited for next year! Even though this year has been a bit of a lame duck for those of us who were loyal to Nintendo throughout the Wii U years (if you weren't, then this year has just been an embarrasment of riches!), 2019 looks a lot more ducking promising! I'm sure it's gonna be a quacking year!

Edited November 1, 2018 by Dcubed

[Pestneb]

I play less, but tbh I find it's more that games don't seem so fun any more. that is new games. I don't think it is to do with my age, or energy particularly. It's a bit like board games, it's nice to get a new one from time to time, but it has to be one that appeals to you.

So perhaps that IS the problem... we aren't the target demographic anymore?

[Dufniall]

@DcubedHave you played Mario+Rabbids? I'm playing that now, and it is a good game, long but not too long with optional DLC to extend the fun. Single player focused and not really an RPG, more of a tactical game.

But my guess is you have already played it, done and dusted!

[Dcubed]

46 minutes ago, Vileplume2000 said:

@DcubedHave you played Mario+Rabbids? I'm playing that now, and it is a good game, long but not too long with optional DLC to extend the fun. Single player focused and not really an RPG, more of a tactical game.

But my guess is you have already played it, done and dusted!

I actually started playing it fairly recently actually! It is definitely a good game, but it’s very repetitive, so I can’t stomach playing it in anything but short bursts.

 

Definitely more of a slow burn game for me.  But I’m really looking for something like Luigi’s Mansion 3 or Metroid Prime 4 right now... A really good, traditional style action adventure or platforming game! Something action focused!

Edited November 1, 2018 by Dcubed

[Ike]

@Dcubed Have you considered Ys VIII, it's an Action RPG. It's not short though?

[Dcubed]

18 minutes ago, Ike said:

@Dcubed Have you considered Ys VIII, it's an Action RPG. It's not short though?

I have, but the length is a big turnoff.  I do like the Ys series, but I just can’t stomach a big 50+ RPG right now.

 

Might go back and play Ys 1 & 2 soon though, they’re nice and short! But I’m gonna replay Shantae GBC first.  Just started again last night after listening to the music and getting into the mood!

Edited November 1, 2018 by Dcubed