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[Acosta]

New year, new purposes. If you want the truth, the tsunamis make me think this "happy new year" and all that is pretty lame, but there is little I can do right now about it so I must keep it up with my old traditions.

One of my "new purposes" is focusing more in my games. I play too much of them at the same time, or buy a game and let pass months before I touch it. I´m sure I´m not the first one, but I think it could be bad for my taste on videogames.

Because my work with videogames there is little I can do it, but I´m thinking in the time I spent not reviewing something, the games I play for my own enjoyment. I usually carry lot of games at the same time in my leisure time, and it´s typical if I don´t complete them. I´m thinking in trying something new: one week/one game.

Just one game in my leisure time in a week, I will play that when I have free time, I will enjoy it, try to complete. If I do, I will pass to other. If I don´t, I will try to do it in the future.

Do you believe carry on lot of games in the same time makes them less exciting? I still loving videogames, there are my life and fortunately I have not fallen yet in that crisis of press members becoming exhausted with videogames. But I have passed a week in a small village with no TV, no PC, no consoles at all. I just had a GP 32 and one old game called Saint Dragon. And I have enjoyed the experience, not having internet or other games made me focus on this and I reminded when I was young that I couldn´t barely play games and I passed a lot of time with one game alone.

What do you think? it´s just me? I will like to hear your opinions and experiences about it.

By the way, happy new year for everyone, best wishes for this year.

 

[DCX]

I can tolerate playing "pick up and play" game in the bundles but can only play one RPG at a time, one adventure, action etc. Maybe i could juggle a few platformers but never more than one fighting game, at least if i want to master it...

DCX

 

[Acosta]

Is not I want to "master" anything. Is just I want enjoy more all what the game offers. Sometimes I feel like I am not paying enough attention to the game.

 

[COCKLES]

I limit myself to two games at a time. One Driving / Arcadish game and one adventure / RPG.

I remember playing Fatal Frame, getting 3/4 into the game (just got the blinding mask) then I was sidetracked by another title...went back to Fatal and couldn't remember the fuck where or what I was supposed to do next. Gave up on it.

 

[ZeMMiK]

I know that feeling, too much games means you do not play all of them fully...it doesn´t always help you to get the best expirience out of it.

I remember when I had not much money but a new sega console (megadrive/genesis) and only 2 games one of them was a ninja game shadowdancer...I found it very very tuff in the beginning and I thoughed ,, I have to play this because I could not effort to buy an other one...I tried and I tried and finally I got the hang of it and beat the game ..it was one of the best expiriences. The same I had with Wipeout on my PS1...if I had more games I simply took an other one and never get that feeling.
Because of this I buy less games otherwise I finish none of them. I´m going to continue my PC games now...I only touch them in multiplayer ..now i´m going to play them single player..C&C Generals and Warcraft 3.....

LaterZ

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I think it's a good idea. I was thinking the other day that with my time rather limited, that buying so many games and having such a wide selection that I don't enjoy any of them as much as I used to. Except for some online multiplayer titles. I think taking in so much game media hurts as well as I can't possibly keep up with all the interesting titles as they arrive.

 

[evilromero]

I normally spend more time starring at my collection than actually playing games. I just can't gather the energy to play games most times. But recently with the DS I find it easier to pop in an old GBA game and play it for a few minutes and then just do something else.

 

[demi]

I normally spend more time starring at my collection than actually playing games.

This man totally stole my words. I'll be playing one game, then suddenly look at my collection like it's a giant stack of papers ready to be completed, ala homework.

And I hate homework.

 

[Wario64]

I'm trying to hold back on buying more games since I have enough games to last for the entire year. Unless there's a $5 clearance sale any time soon....

 

[Acosta]

This man totally stole my words. I'll be playing one game, then suddenly look at my collection like it's a giant stack of papers ready to be completed, ala homework.

And I hate homework.

Yes, that is how I feel sometimes. I think rationalizing a little my hobby won´t hurt me.

 

[callous]

I normally spend more time starring at my collection than actually playing games. I just can't gather the energy to play games most times. But recently with the DS I find it easier to pop in an old GBA game and play it for a few minutes and then just do something else.

Sums up how I feel a lot of the time. I do, however, manage to play and enjoy some console titles from start to finish. In Q4 I managed to finish both MGS3 and R&C 3 .. AND enjoy both experiences like in the "good old days". But, god, my mem cards are full to the brim with unfinished game saves.

GBA games are much easier for me to finish. The thought of getting up, finding a game to play (most difficult step in the process), take the dust cover off a console, turn it on and switch to AV input is sometimes too much for me to handle. Ridiculous, but true. Also, I really like being able to have the TV turned on while I play GBA games. I'm a TV ambience junkie, I guess.

 

[Dave Long]

I did better with this in 2004 and I plan to spend even more time with a single game before moving on in 2005. I ended up with more unplayed games on my shelf than ever before, but I also got a lot more fun out of the ones I did play.

I'm throwing away money when I don't finish or at least stick five to ten hours into a game. I'm going to use that money on something else in 2005 instead of games. I've been buying more accessories and stuff like that which makes enjoying the games I have a lot more fun.

 

[Property of Jumpship]

I normally buy one game, finish it, then buy another. No need for a collection of new unplayed games. Books on the other hand.....Ive got like 15 in various stages of completion and about 20 waiting to be read.

 

[JJConrad]

I've found that with "too many games at once" I get stuck in at least one of two problems.

I might play through a game too quickly and not enjoy it to the fullest. I like to take my time with a game, play through it once and beat it, then play through it again to find the letting secrets and details. Recently, I've been luck to finish a game once before I move onto another.

The other problem I face is when I wait to buy/play a game, and by the time I do, that game just seems to have lost its excitement as a new game. I've bought 3 games from my backlog last year, play them for a few days and haven't touched them since. Thankfully, I didn't pay full price for any of them, so I don't feel ripped off.

I've also found that my game tastes are changing. I enjoy shorter games a lot more now, but my favorite games are non-splitscreen, non-online/LAN multiplayer games, that involve cooperation (even indirect cooperation). The most fun I've had with a video game in probably 5 years was last week after I got Donkey Konga and second bongo for Christmas. We went to my cousin's house and after forcing him to play, we both had an excellent time putting our white-boy-rythme skills to the test.

 

[stonedwal]

Certainly can. Best thing to do is to limit yourself on how many full price games you buy - the only games that aren't going to see eventual price drops are quirkier titles and obscure RPGs. While you play through that full price game, there's a chance that the other games you were looking at buying will lower in price, or a sale will come on (especially in the US) - you get to enjoy the first game a little more, without the thoughts of the other games weighing on your mind, and you also save a little bit of money. It's easier said than done, however.

I like getting the most out of my games - even when it comes to silly stuff like getting a Warthog to the bottom of the Silent Cartographer in Halo co-op. Rushing through games seriously lowers your enjoyment of the title - you usually find that out the hard way.

 

[J2 Cool]

Yeah, I think so, and the sad thing is, I'm playing.... 5 games right now, and reading 2 books, all at the same time. I really need to put something on the backburner.

 

[Black Deatha]

I too have this problem, I have a few games I have bought that I heave either not touched at all or played a little of and havent returned, I mean I am staring at my shelf right now with MP2 on it that the most I have done with is take the shrink wrap of. I am yet to play it. I also recantly freaked my self out, I was looking at my PC game collection, and I realized there wasa game I had bought that I could not find (I was looking at the boxes lined up on one of my shelves) I noticed I couldent find Star Wars Battlefront, I was sure I had bought it, but than after looking about my room and not finding the box, I started to doubt that I HAD bought it, I even checked my IGN game list and I had added it to the list. Thna I looke on my desk where I put all my PC cases for PC games, and the Battlefront one was sitting there. I was confused. I fianaly rememberd I had placed the box in another room with all my Star Wars stuff (I collect SW... I guess everything) It was sitting right there with my other SW PC games boxes.

Point is, it's pretty bad when you cant even remember if you have bought a game and than start to doubt yourself.

However I do still manage to complete many of the games I buy, but some call to me more than others to play more of, like MGS3, I really want to play through it again, but now I have Half Life 2 working again because Valve fianaly re-enabled my Steam account .

~Black Deatha

 

[Prospero]

I'm sticking to one game right now (SMT: Nocturne). Though I occasionally play Combat Mission (a round of that can be finished in two hours), and I have FFII in my GBA for level grinding while I'm waiting for a train.

More than one game at once can not only ruin your enjoyment, but kill your learning curve for difficult games. I wasn't able to do well at all playing Gradius V until I made it the sole game I played for about a month.

Like many people on this board, 2004 was a heavy year for me, and I now have enough games in the backlog to carry me through to summer at the earliest, if not the entire year.