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Ever feel like it's all too much?
maximumzero
I...wait, what?New Orleans, LARegistered User regular
I...wait, what?New Orleans, LARegistered User regular
So I picked up a 360 on Sunday finally because I found a good deal on it. (But that's another thread.)
But now when I look at my gaming center it's a bit overwhelming. Not only do I have a 360, but in that same space I also have the Wii that I purchased back in September, a Dreamcast from 2000, and then my NES and SNES. This isn't including the N64 that's connected to a TV in a different room and the DS, Game Boy Micro, and PSPs I also own.
So here's what it breaks down to:
-360
-Wii
-DC
-NES
-SNES
-PSP
-DS
-GBM
So, okay, let's eliminate the DC, NES, SNES, and GBM. They don't make NES, SNES or DC games anymore, and my DS plays GBA games. Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't have any more games to pick up for those systems or finish, as I do pick up NES or SNES titles at random from time to time, and by god I have about 40 or so backlogged DC games that I've collected over the years.
So on top of older systems with games I have yet to play, I've got current ones, my DS, which I've had the longest of this current generation. I have about 25-30 games for it and I've only really finished maybe about 10 of them. I've got my PSP, which is the second system I got this generation, I have about 10 games for it, again about only 3 I've actually finished (Though admittedly most of the games I own are unfinishable: I.E. Lumines, Every Extend Extra, etc.) Then the Wii in which I have a handful of games for and the 360 which I'm just starting up.
But there's SO MANY good games on the market. Does anyone else feel like you can't keep up? My original intention was to stick with a DS and PSP as my consoles. No worry for a TV and the DS can handle games that the PSP couldn't and vice versa. I figured I was set. Then I got a CompUSA credit card and bought a Wii and TV, and then a 360 because it was cheap enough. Well, that plan went out the went quickly.
TL;DR:
Too Many Games, So Little Time
What's your take on this?
But now when I look at my gaming center it's a bit overwhelming. Not only do I have a 360, but in that same space I also have the Wii that I purchased back in September, a Dreamcast from 2000, and then my NES and SNES. This isn't including the N64 that's connected to a TV in a different room and the DS, Game Boy Micro, and PSPs I also own.
So here's what it breaks down to:
-360
-Wii
-DC
-NES
-SNES
-PSP
-DS
-GBM
So, okay, let's eliminate the DC, NES, SNES, and GBM. They don't make NES, SNES or DC games anymore, and my DS plays GBA games. Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't have any more games to pick up for those systems or finish, as I do pick up NES or SNES titles at random from time to time, and by god I have about 40 or so backlogged DC games that I've collected over the years.
So on top of older systems with games I have yet to play, I've got current ones, my DS, which I've had the longest of this current generation. I have about 25-30 games for it and I've only really finished maybe about 10 of them. I've got my PSP, which is the second system I got this generation, I have about 10 games for it, again about only 3 I've actually finished (Though admittedly most of the games I own are unfinishable: I.E. Lumines, Every Extend Extra, etc.) Then the Wii in which I have a handful of games for and the 360 which I'm just starting up.
But there's SO MANY good games on the market. Does anyone else feel like you can't keep up? My original intention was to stick with a DS and PSP as my consoles. No worry for a TV and the DS can handle games that the PSP couldn't and vice versa. I figured I was set. Then I got a CompUSA credit card and bought a Wii and TV, and then a 360 because it was cheap enough. Well, that plan went out the went quickly.
TL;DR:
Too Many Games, So Little Time
What's your take on this?
maximumzero on
0
Posts
if you wait a while, it will be cheaper. it's not going to dissolve into sand in a month of its release
Primarily because I skipped out in the majority of the last generation. So with the Wii and 360 I'm going back and playing alot of the titles I missed on the Gamecube and Xbox.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Or a multi-centric game.
(P.S. Not counting all of the last-gen consoles and my PSP and DS - but at least all of those remain hidden).
Add a PS2 to that list and then you can start saying that.
Fixed.
The trick is to strike a balance between new and old games, and just not to stress about it -- both of which sound a lot easier than they actually are. I think caving and buying every single new game that interests you ASAP is folly, but on the same side instating a full embargo and saying "I'm not going to buy a new game until I finish X number of games" reduces playing games into something between homework and hostage negotiations, neither of which are very fun.
So just pick two or three new/recent releases that you want to pick up and let everything else slide past you while you enjoy what you already have. Don't worry about 100-percenting things, and as soon as a game feels like work, just drop it and pick up something else. Once I stopped worrying about Buying Games as Political/Capitalist Messages, and Buying Games to Talk About Them Online, I stopped feeling anxious. The joys of console polygamy is that you can just float between games without effort, so there's nothing wrong with having a dozen games "open" at the same time.
I do always tell myself I'm going to power through my old unbeaten games some day. Sometimes I legitimately do...last weekend I popped in Halo 2, which I had stopped playing right before the end years ago, and powered through it from start to finish in two days (since I'd lost my save file).
Skip to this gen and I find myself a slightly less poor college student... and all I got hooked up is a 360. I could get all three next-gen consoles, but I find one is keeping me more than busy enough as it is. Are there some Wii and PS3 games I'd like to play? Of course. But I also like to eat and sleep and study. It's a tough choice to make, though. I might buy a second next-gen system down the line, when the selection of games is better. Now a PS2, on the other hand, is looking like an awesome purchase... I'm afraid I'll end up with a bunch of unopened and unfinished games, though.
I'm finding that Gamefly helps. I'm burning through alot of the old 'Cube titles I missed. I sent back Spider-Man 2 a few weeks back and now I'm playing through Rayman 3 and Starfox Assault.
And I just bought Halo on the Xbox originals section of live. It's downloading now and I'm gonna play it when I get home from school. I never really understood the whole Halo phenomenon so I'm hoping this opens my eyes.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Exactly this right here, except my system lineup has been a bit different. But the 360 right now is certainly enough for me, and Rock Band is essentially another platform. There are the PS3 games I'd like (MGS4, FFXIII) and Wii (SMG...another Zelda eventually, I guess), but I can wait on both of those till the systems are near the end of their life span.
I'm trying this. I have a huge backlog and I keep buying new games before I finish old ones. So I've told myself that I won't buy a new game until I finish two that I already own. It's working well so far. Sometimes I do get that homework feeling but it's rare, because there are so many games I have that I do want to play.
I find two is a good number because I can still buy new games relatively often, but I'm working through my backlog at the same time. And I do allow exceptions for good sales or things like Brawl that I've been waiting for for a long time.
Using Backloggery helps me keep track of my progress and also provides more motivation when I see such a large number of unfinished games.
XBL |Steam | PSN | last.fm
Welcome back, good sir. Hope you can find the time to enjoy them video games.
I've tried adopting this purchase philosophy and for the most part it's working but I still find that I feel I'm neglecting my consoles. Lately all I play is Rock Band, Halo 3 multiplayer or Earth Defense Force 2017 co-op while my Wii and DS get ignored. I still have Trauma Center: New Blood to finish as well as Contra 4 and Phoenix Wright 2 & 3. And now I've discovered WoW so... uh, yeah. I guess I'm just trying to ignore that part of me that's saying "You've got to play all your systems equally no matter if you really want to or not!" and just enjoy myself. I'm also trying to limit my new game purchases to help with this. I've gone from wanting 20-30 titles coming out this year to maybe 10 or so that I really want while I wait for the others to come down in price (or maybe never pick up).
Admittedly the reason I have so many for the DS is that for the span of about a year and a half to two years all I bought were DS games. There weren't any competing systems I owned.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Well, WoW is an obvious time-sink. I also pick up a fair amount of Rock Band and CoD4 multiplayer, so it's important to make the distinction between games that you can just pick up and jam on for a while (like above) and games that you really want to see through from beginning to end, like a book or a movie.
At any given moment I have a bunch of games "open," and they're a blend of different platforms and a mix of pick-up-and-play titles and more narrative-driven, beginning-to-end affairs. I also have Trauma Center: New Blood barely untouched, as well as Zack & Wiki, two of my most highly anticipated Q4 releases, but for both of them I've just given berth and put them aside for a while until I clear out games I'm playing now, and then I'll go back and restart them to give them the proper playthroughs they deserve.
The "two out, one in" rule works for a lot of people, but it just didn't for me for some reason. I always felt like I was rushing through my old games just for the sake of getting them done so I could pick up something new; same way with GameFly, where I felt like I had to power through games ASAP in order to get my money's worth. So instead I just picked out two or three games from the first half of '08 that I wanted the most and will just leave the rest until later in the year, maybe even until the holidays.
I pretty much came to terms with the fact that I'm going to miss out on plenty of stuff a long time ago. Meh, who cares, as long as whatever I'm playing now is fun.
It's probably helpful to think of gaming more in terms of "time" sometimes instead of the actual games I suppose.
But I like buying new things! I think I'm hopeless.
PSN: JPBrowncoat Xbox: BamSaidTheLaday Also on Steam! Streaming games!
There are a hell of a lot of good games out there, not to mention things to do in life. But you will be happier and more fulfilled if you concentrate on the great things.
That said, I have a pretty hefty PC backlog. I'm going to finish it and take a breather though -- I only like a few of the new games that come out each year.
It's like going back and playing Mario 1 after playing Mario 3 or god forbid, super mario world. Sure it's still fun but it kind of pales in comparison. Many classic games people have recommended I've gone back and played but just couldn't get over awful graphics or frustrating controls. Even games I loved as a kid I have a hard time going back to.
I know it's a silly thing to be concerned about, but it's annoying when people say "DUDE you didn't play Final Fantasy XYZ?! GO and find a copy now it's cooler than god and yoda combined!" Then I finally go and hunt down a copy and while it might have been sex when it came out, it has aged pretty poorly.
Best advice in this thread. Just play the games you really want to play and leave beside the rest.
I spend some time on the G/T forums looking through posts on EVE (dang... I drool over EVE), Dwarf Fortress, DS and Wii titles and whine to my wife and friends about wanting to play so many more games on PC and all the other consoles. Then I realize: hey, you don't have the time nor the money for all of that.
You do have to resign yourself to not being able to play every single great game out there, but having too many games, turning them into homework and flying through them is, I think, defeating the purpose. To me, games are like books: you don't need to read a half dozen or more all at once and power your way through them. Pick a couple, take your time, and savor 'em.
Ng Security Industries, Inc.
PRERELEASE VERSION-NOT FOR FIELD USE - DO NOT TEST IN A POPULATED AREA
-ULTIMA RATIO REGUM-
These days, what with "real life" and "side projects" getting in the way of stuff, I read and talk about games much more than I actually play them. Before No More Heroes/Endless Ocean, it had been probably two or three months since I turned on my Wii. I also only buy one game per month (total, across all platforms) to limit the time I spend on games.
I can't even imagine owning a PS3 or a 360 right now in addition to my DS and Wii. I know that all my productivity would go out the window. Still, it's not so bad limiting yourself to one... you get a lot more done that way.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
Thankfully the Orange Box and Civ 4 were able to break that habit. It's looks like Audiosurf will continue to help.
Which brings up another good idea: play the best ones and leave most of the current games behind for a few years, then play the ones that stood the test of time.
Atari, NES, SNES, GEN, N64, DC, PS1. Consider the history of those systems and their libraries beaten. Annnnd then life kicked in and I am just now really getting around to trying to fill the gap. I've resigned myself to PC stuff right now because I just fits me better. (I work from home)
I have never owned my own PS2 or an Xbox or any of the newer generation consoles, excluding both versions of the DS.
I have some catching up to do.
This is why I hated all those threads we used to get that were like "help me learn to love/like Game X." Some people have such an uncontrollable, unexplainable desire to play all the well-received games ever made, that they will play through games they don't even like, and accrue mammoth backlogs.
Personally, if I hear that a Game A is good, but a lot like Game B, but Game B is way better, I will pass on A, unless after finishing B, I still craved more of the same. Also, I give each game I try about 30-60 minutes. I am not going to sit around, playing a game for 10 hours because I feel like I'm supposed to like it.
I've noticed for myself that it's not really the productivity that goes out the window, but I can get really selfish with the free time I have and just want to game on the weekends and a couple of weeknights.
Ng Security Industries, Inc.
PRERELEASE VERSION-NOT FOR FIELD USE - DO NOT TEST IN A POPULATED AREA
-ULTIMA RATIO REGUM-
This month I got DMC4 and Lost Odyssey. Tomorrow I'll be picking up The Club. And I don't even need to remind anyone that a certain AAA Wii title is coming out in March...
Or Second Life. It's like, you can begin Friday, and 'wow, is it really already sunday night?'
Also, stay away from Civ 4 and Total War. They'll consume your time like no one's business.