The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Be honest with yourself – do you enjoy games as much as you used to? Is the magic, that made you such an avid gamer in the first place, still there? For me, the answer to both of these questions is no.
Importantly, I’m not necessarily blaming the games themselves; we’re still getting just as many inventive, original games as we were five years ago. Perhaps games become less satisfying with age, as other interests begin to enter our heads. Or maybe it’s just a personal thing; should I give up gaming altogether (SR pleads ‘no’, I’m sure)?
Go back five years ago, and I’d probably never used the internet. Gaming, back then, was just between me and the game (well, maybe a few mates as well, if the game was something like Goldeneye). I wouldn’t think about the thousands of other gamers up and down the country, savouring the very same game as I. The idea of a gaming community was non-existent as far as I was concerned. The only thing that concerned me was getting that final star on Super Mario 64 (or something similar).
Fast forward to the present day, and things are very much a different story for me. I’ve dabbed my bare toe in the vast ocean that is online gaming, played Counter-Strike into the small hours of the morning, and even participated in a LAN party. I visit these wonderful forums on a daily basis, to flame the people that need flaming and to have feeling of envy at the sight of some user’s scores/times on various games.
Gaming, for me, is now a competitive thing. I must have four Gamecube controllers, simply because that’s the maximum the Gamecube can support (to this day, only three have ever been used at once)...I must get the latest games the day they come out, even if I’m only halfway through the previous game I was playing...I don’t appreciate the whole gaming thing like I used to.
Five years ago, when the family PC was a 486 and I lived on £2 a week, I was forced to enjoy the games I had to their fullest extent. Not that I had a problem with this, ofcourse, because I didn’t know of a lifestyle any different. I savoured every moment of the few games I had, even titles like ‘Bug Too!’, despite being stupidly difficult and genuinely rubbish, still got thoroughly explored. If I had bought that game today, it would’ve got an hours playtime at most, before being rejected in favour of another title.
A few months back, I remember thinking my Gamecube games collection was looking a little anorexic, compared to some Ukchatforums members rather plump offerings. Should I of been bothered by this? Common sense would suggest not, but me being me, I had to do something about it. The following day, I travelled to the nearest games shop and purchased the most attractive game I could find. The chosen one was Extreme-G 3, the price - £39.99. I knew without looking that I could of saved myself a few pounds off that if bought from SR, but I simply couldn’t be bothered with ordering it and having to wait a day or two for it. In the end, the game lasted me about a week and hasn’t been touched since. Five years ago, I’d still be playing it now, or waited until a game I really wanted came along before buying.
The day a highly-anticipated game is released, I get it. Once received, I’ll usually play it for half an hour or so, before visiting these forums to see what threads have already been created about it. We then all regularly post about it, not necessarily to say how much we’re all enjoying it, but to boast how far we’ve got. Someone then replies saying they’ve got further, and we race to be ahead once more (a recent example is Mario Sunshine). Are we really enjoying the game like we should? Yes, the game should be a challenge, and that challenge is normally to complete it, but isn’t its primary task to entertain us?
So, a week after getting Sunshine, I might defeat Baby Bowser. There’s some satisfaction to be had from this, but what do you do with it then? In my case, it’ll probably get placed in the rack never to be read by my GC’s laser ever again. Almost £40 for a weeks-worth of ‘entertainment’. And this is a Mario game we're talking about.
The situation may be different for the rest of you and, for your own sake, I hope it is. Having now thought about this, I’m not sure what to do with myself. Is the saying ‘old habits die hard’ the only reason I am still playing? Should I give up altogether and save myself money while I’m at it? But how would I pass the time away then? So many questions with few answers leads to one big problem!
Importantly, I’m not necessarily blaming the games themselves; we’re still getting just as many inventive, original games as we were five years ago. Perhaps games become less satisfying with age, as other interests begin to enter our heads. Or maybe it’s just a personal thing; should I give up gaming altogether (SR pleads ‘no’, I’m sure)?
Go back five years ago, and I’d probably never used the internet. Gaming, back then, was just between me and the game (well, maybe a few mates as well, if the game was something like Goldeneye). I wouldn’t think about the thousands of other gamers up and down the country, savouring the very same game as I. The idea of a gaming community was non-existent as far as I was concerned. The only thing that concerned me was getting that final star on Super Mario 64 (or something similar).
Fast forward to the present day, and things are very much a different story for me. I’ve dabbed my bare toe in the vast ocean that is online gaming, played Counter-Strike into the small hours of the morning, and even participated in a LAN party. I visit these wonderful forums on a daily basis, to flame the people that need flaming and to have feeling of envy at the sight of some user’s scores/times on various games.
Gaming, for me, is now a competitive thing. I must have four Gamecube controllers, simply because that’s the maximum the Gamecube can support (to this day, only three have ever been used at once)...I must get the latest games the day they come out, even if I’m only halfway through the previous game I was playing...I don’t appreciate the whole gaming thing like I used to.
Five years ago, when the family PC was a 486 and I lived on £2 a week, I was forced to enjoy the games I had to their fullest extent. Not that I had a problem with this, ofcourse, because I didn’t know of a lifestyle any different. I savoured every moment of the few games I had, even titles like ‘Bug Too!’, despite being stupidly difficult and genuinely rubbish, still got thoroughly explored. If I had bought that game today, it would’ve got an hours playtime at most, before being rejected in favour of another title.
A few months back, I remember thinking my Gamecube games collection was looking a little anorexic, compared to some Ukchatforums members rather plump offerings. Should I of been bothered by this? Common sense would suggest not, but me being me, I had to do something about it. The following day, I travelled to the nearest games shop and purchased the most attractive game I could find. The chosen one was Extreme-G 3, the price - £39.99. I knew without looking that I could of saved myself a few pounds off that if bought from SR, but I simply couldn’t be bothered with ordering it and having to wait a day or two for it. In the end, the game lasted me about a week and hasn’t been touched since. Five years ago, I’d still be playing it now, or waited until a game I really wanted came along before buying.
The day a highly-anticipated game is released, I get it. Once received, I’ll usually play it for half an hour or so, before visiting these forums to see what threads have already been created about it. We then all regularly post about it, not necessarily to say how much we’re all enjoying it, but to boast how far we’ve got. Someone then replies saying they’ve got further, and we race to be ahead once more (a recent example is Mario Sunshine). Are we really enjoying the game like we should? Yes, the game should be a challenge, and that challenge is normally to complete it, but isn’t its primary task to entertain us?
So, a week after getting Sunshine, I might defeat Baby Bowser. There’s some satisfaction to be had from this, but what do you do with it then? In my case, it’ll probably get placed in the rack never to be read by my GC’s laser ever again. Almost £40 for a weeks-worth of ‘entertainment’. And this is a Mario game we're talking about.
The situation may be different for the rest of you and, for your own sake, I hope it is. Having now thought about this, I’m not sure what to do with myself. Is the saying ‘old habits die hard’ the only reason I am still playing? Should I give up altogether and save myself money while I’m at it? But how would I pass the time away then? So many questions with few answers leads to one big problem!
*bump* Sorry, been away for a while, and catching up on GAD posts.
It's as if you read my mind, Unc. I'm in exactly the same boat. Since moving overseas to the states 10 weeks ago (and thereby leaving my PAL PS2) at home, I've invested in a Gamecube and a laptop, and have now found myself with a ludicrous number of games, a significant number of which aren't getting a look-in due to being overshadowed by newer releases. Even Mario hasn't seen the inside of the cube for over a month, and I'm only halfway through.
*ducks rotten fruit thown by Ninties*
So, I've decided that I'm a weak minded fool. Oh well. Life's a beach.
It's as if you read my mind, Unc. I'm in exactly the same boat. Since moving overseas to the states 10 weeks ago (and thereby leaving my PAL PS2) at home, I've invested in a Gamecube and a laptop, and have now found myself with a ludicrous number of games, a significant number of which aren't getting a look-in due to being overshadowed by newer releases. Even Mario hasn't seen the inside of the cube for over a month, and I'm only halfway through.
*ducks rotten fruit thown by Ninties*
So, I've decided that I'm a weak minded fool. Oh well. Life's a beach.
Snail Mail, are you intending on getting yourself banned by spamming up Prime in this way?
You have been reported.
PS. Well done Uncle Albertios!
You have been reported.
PS. Well done Uncle Albertios!
El blokey wrote:
> Great. I've seen a few of your posts recently, and they've all been of
> a high quality. This is no exception. Well done.
Praise of the highest order there and no mistake, cheers Blokey. Always feels nice to get noticed once in a while by the 'higher-uppers', cheers. :)
Oh, and thanks goes out to SR as always. :D
> Great. I've seen a few of your posts recently, and they've all been of
> a high quality. This is no exception. Well done.
Praise of the highest order there and no mistake, cheers Blokey. Always feels nice to get noticed once in a while by the 'higher-uppers', cheers. :)
Oh, and thanks goes out to SR as always. :D
Great. I've seen a few of your posts recently, and they've all been of a high quality. This is no exception. Well done.
Belldandy wrote:
> Ah well, hope you didn't buy XG3 for PS2, saw it 7.99 in Woolworths
> two weeks ago....
>
> ~~Belldandy~~
I did! But only to sell it on at a more expensive price :D. (sold it for £15 to an acquantence).
> Ah well, hope you didn't buy XG3 for PS2, saw it 7.99 in Woolworths
> two weeks ago....
>
> ~~Belldandy~~
I did! But only to sell it on at a more expensive price :D. (sold it for £15 to an acquantence).
Belldandy wrote:
> Ah well, hope you didn't buy XG3 for PS2, saw it 7.99 in Woolworths
> two weeks ago....
£7.99?! I bought the GC version, thankfully. :)
> Ah well, hope you didn't buy XG3 for PS2, saw it 7.99 in Woolworths
> two weeks ago....
£7.99?! I bought the GC version, thankfully. :)
I know what you mean. When I was younger I had less games and stuff because I only got one for my birthay from my parents and about enough money to buy another one, at Christmas maybe 3. I played them more than the games I do now - I buy about 3-4 a month now.
Don't really enjoy them any better. Take this month; Resident Evil (GC) Hitman 2 (PS2) Mario Sunshine and Tony Hawk 3 (GC).
Played Mario a lot, the rest about a couple of hours at most. Strange thing is I don't remember a lack of piles of games really bothering me when I was young...
Ah well, hope you didn't buy XG3 for PS2, saw it 7.99 in Woolworths two weeks ago....
~~Belldandy~~
Don't really enjoy them any better. Take this month; Resident Evil (GC) Hitman 2 (PS2) Mario Sunshine and Tony Hawk 3 (GC).
Played Mario a lot, the rest about a couple of hours at most. Strange thing is I don't remember a lack of piles of games really bothering me when I was young...
Ah well, hope you didn't buy XG3 for PS2, saw it 7.99 in Woolworths two weeks ago....
~~Belldandy~~
I find that the mark of an addictive game is one which inspires you to set your own personal goals for yourself. It's when these run out that you become bored.
When I first played Mario 64, some years ago now, I swore I would play it until I knew it inside out. I continued playing long after I'd collected all the stars, and achieved maximum coins on all of the levels it was possible to. I'd find new ways of collecting stars, getting to other parts of a level. Faster and better. I tried playing without the special caps, without certain jumps, and all sorts of other handicaps just to see if I could.
My point here, is that it's these personal goals that you really strive for in a game. As gaming has moved on, games have evolved. With more collectables, fixed goals, checkpoints, and all sorts of other imposed targets it is no longer left to the player to set their own challenges. You start to play to what you feel you're supposed to achieve, and the moment you realise this you become bored. There no longer seems to be any point in playing.
Maybe games have evolved too much.
When I first played Mario 64, some years ago now, I swore I would play it until I knew it inside out. I continued playing long after I'd collected all the stars, and achieved maximum coins on all of the levels it was possible to. I'd find new ways of collecting stars, getting to other parts of a level. Faster and better. I tried playing without the special caps, without certain jumps, and all sorts of other handicaps just to see if I could.
My point here, is that it's these personal goals that you really strive for in a game. As gaming has moved on, games have evolved. With more collectables, fixed goals, checkpoints, and all sorts of other imposed targets it is no longer left to the player to set their own challenges. You start to play to what you feel you're supposed to achieve, and the moment you realise this you become bored. There no longer seems to be any point in playing.
Maybe games have evolved too much.
Be honest with yourself – do you enjoy games as much as you used to? Is the magic, that made you such an avid gamer in the first place, still there? For me, the answer to both of these questions is no.
Importantly, I’m not necessarily blaming the games themselves; we’re still getting just as many inventive, original games as we were five years ago. Perhaps games become less satisfying with age, as other interests begin to enter our heads. Or maybe it’s just a personal thing; should I give up gaming altogether (SR pleads ‘no’, I’m sure)?
Go back five years ago, and I’d probably never used the internet. Gaming, back then, was just between me and the game (well, maybe a few mates as well, if the game was something like Goldeneye). I wouldn’t think about the thousands of other gamers up and down the country, savouring the very same game as I. The idea of a gaming community was non-existent as far as I was concerned. The only thing that concerned me was getting that final star on Super Mario 64 (or something similar).
Fast forward to the present day, and things are very much a different story for me. I’ve dabbed my bare toe in the vast ocean that is online gaming, played Counter-Strike into the small hours of the morning, and even participated in a LAN party. I visit these wonderful forums on a daily basis, to flame the people that need flaming and to have feeling of envy at the sight of some user’s scores/times on various games.
Gaming, for me, is now a competitive thing. I must have four Gamecube controllers, simply because that’s the maximum the Gamecube can support (to this day, only three have ever been used at once)...I must get the latest games the day they come out, even if I’m only halfway through the previous game I was playing...I don’t appreciate the whole gaming thing like I used to.
Five years ago, when the family PC was a 486 and I lived on £2 a week, I was forced to enjoy the games I had to their fullest extent. Not that I had a problem with this, ofcourse, because I didn’t know of a lifestyle any different. I savoured every moment of the few games I had, even titles like ‘Bug Too!’, despite being stupidly difficult and genuinely rubbish, still got thoroughly explored. If I had bought that game today, it would’ve got an hours playtime at most, before being rejected in favour of another title.
A few months back, I remember thinking my Gamecube games collection was looking a little anorexic, compared to some Ukchatforums members rather plump offerings. Should I of been bothered by this? Common sense would suggest not, but me being me, I had to do something about it. The following day, I travelled to the nearest games shop and purchased the most attractive game I could find. The chosen one was Extreme-G 3, the price - £39.99. I knew without looking that I could of saved myself a few pounds off that if bought from SR, but I simply couldn’t be bothered with ordering it and having to wait a day or two for it. In the end, the game lasted me about a week and hasn’t been touched since. Five years ago, I’d still be playing it now, or waited until a game I really wanted came along before buying.
The day a highly-anticipated game is released, I get it. Once received, I’ll usually play it for half an hour or so, before visiting these forums to see what threads have already been created about it. We then all regularly post about it, not necessarily to say how much we’re all enjoying it, but to boast how far we’ve got. Someone then replies saying they’ve got further, and we race to be ahead once more (a recent example is Mario Sunshine). Are we really enjoying the game like we should? Yes, the game should be a challenge, and that challenge is normally to complete it, but isn’t its primary task to entertain us?
So, a week after getting Sunshine, I might defeat Baby Bowser. There’s some satisfaction to be had from this, but what do you do with it then? In my case, it’ll probably get placed in the rack never to be read by my GC’s laser ever again. Almost £40 for a weeks-worth of ‘entertainment’. And this is a Mario game we're talking about.
The situation may be different for the rest of you and, for your own sake, I hope it is. Having now thought about this, I’m not sure what to do with myself. Is the saying ‘old habits die hard’ the only reason I am still playing? Should I give up altogether and save myself money while I’m at it? But how would I pass the time away then? So many questions with few answers leads to one big problem!
Importantly, I’m not necessarily blaming the games themselves; we’re still getting just as many inventive, original games as we were five years ago. Perhaps games become less satisfying with age, as other interests begin to enter our heads. Or maybe it’s just a personal thing; should I give up gaming altogether (SR pleads ‘no’, I’m sure)?
Go back five years ago, and I’d probably never used the internet. Gaming, back then, was just between me and the game (well, maybe a few mates as well, if the game was something like Goldeneye). I wouldn’t think about the thousands of other gamers up and down the country, savouring the very same game as I. The idea of a gaming community was non-existent as far as I was concerned. The only thing that concerned me was getting that final star on Super Mario 64 (or something similar).
Fast forward to the present day, and things are very much a different story for me. I’ve dabbed my bare toe in the vast ocean that is online gaming, played Counter-Strike into the small hours of the morning, and even participated in a LAN party. I visit these wonderful forums on a daily basis, to flame the people that need flaming and to have feeling of envy at the sight of some user’s scores/times on various games.
Gaming, for me, is now a competitive thing. I must have four Gamecube controllers, simply because that’s the maximum the Gamecube can support (to this day, only three have ever been used at once)...I must get the latest games the day they come out, even if I’m only halfway through the previous game I was playing...I don’t appreciate the whole gaming thing like I used to.
Five years ago, when the family PC was a 486 and I lived on £2 a week, I was forced to enjoy the games I had to their fullest extent. Not that I had a problem with this, ofcourse, because I didn’t know of a lifestyle any different. I savoured every moment of the few games I had, even titles like ‘Bug Too!’, despite being stupidly difficult and genuinely rubbish, still got thoroughly explored. If I had bought that game today, it would’ve got an hours playtime at most, before being rejected in favour of another title.
A few months back, I remember thinking my Gamecube games collection was looking a little anorexic, compared to some Ukchatforums members rather plump offerings. Should I of been bothered by this? Common sense would suggest not, but me being me, I had to do something about it. The following day, I travelled to the nearest games shop and purchased the most attractive game I could find. The chosen one was Extreme-G 3, the price - £39.99. I knew without looking that I could of saved myself a few pounds off that if bought from SR, but I simply couldn’t be bothered with ordering it and having to wait a day or two for it. In the end, the game lasted me about a week and hasn’t been touched since. Five years ago, I’d still be playing it now, or waited until a game I really wanted came along before buying.
The day a highly-anticipated game is released, I get it. Once received, I’ll usually play it for half an hour or so, before visiting these forums to see what threads have already been created about it. We then all regularly post about it, not necessarily to say how much we’re all enjoying it, but to boast how far we’ve got. Someone then replies saying they’ve got further, and we race to be ahead once more (a recent example is Mario Sunshine). Are we really enjoying the game like we should? Yes, the game should be a challenge, and that challenge is normally to complete it, but isn’t its primary task to entertain us?
So, a week after getting Sunshine, I might defeat Baby Bowser. There’s some satisfaction to be had from this, but what do you do with it then? In my case, it’ll probably get placed in the rack never to be read by my GC’s laser ever again. Almost £40 for a weeks-worth of ‘entertainment’. And this is a Mario game we're talking about.
The situation may be different for the rest of you and, for your own sake, I hope it is. Having now thought about this, I’m not sure what to do with myself. Is the saying ‘old habits die hard’ the only reason I am still playing? Should I give up altogether and save myself money while I’m at it? But how would I pass the time away then? So many questions with few answers leads to one big problem!