If you’re enjoying yourself while you play, then the time was well spent. Like you said, try to remember that nobody is making you play every game you start to 100% completion, that’s an entirely self-imposed rule.
That said, for me personally, the length of a game is generally irrelevant to whether or not I will enjoy that game. If I enjoy a game, I enjoy that game. If it’s long, it’s long. If not, cool.
The big thing for me is that if I play narrative-focused games like immersive sims, I want to dive deep into those worlds, and that takes a certain amount of brain energy.
Pretty much any 90s point and click adventure game made by Lucas arts, Sierra etc. No objective marker, no journal, you just wander around clicking things trying to mash items together. “Where did I see that symbol before?? flips through notebook Oh right!”
I’m going to hijack and offer a specific example: Shivers. In addition to having puzzles with clues and inputs spread apart, it also offers a Flashback system that saves important pieces of information that you’ve already seen (Though actually taking notes is all but required since you still have to tab through the books then go back to the actual puzzle, and some clues are just images placed throughout the museum) The game just oozes atmosphere and tension with the changes in soundtrack and all the writing and environmental storytelling not directly related to puzzles. Once you know all the game’s tricks, it does kind of take the edge out of the horror aspect, but even decades later it’s still just a treat to walk through the museum’s virtual exhibits.
Available on GOG right now, I suggest giving it a try, although do save your game often, as it’s Win95 era.
Something like RDR2 but focused on the life sim part. Instead of narrative driven game where your main action in the world is violence, go all in on the simulation part with actually working economics, job choices etc.
I want to be a lumberjack hauling wood to the local mill via the river, not a bandit robbing every passer by. Also, I should be able to buy high heels from the big city store.
There are roleplay servers for modded RDR2 online (RedM) where you can actually do this. I just started playing on one with some mates and it’s a player driven economy, so if people need wood they either have to chop it themselves or someone has to do it for them. I haven’t tried it personally but you start with an axe and there seem to be areas where you can chop wood. I just like wandering about picking flowers and saying yeehaw to people.
As an older dude, I think it’s more about how people choose to live. I’m one of the DINK couples so the wife and I love gaming together.
Both working full time, go on camping trips, play tennis, and still manage to be a part of a destiny clan who we have cleared all the raids with.
We just beat Diablo 4 together (then dropped it due to the patch and garbage 1st season lol).
I get how some people need more contained experiences, but I can not stand games that are too contained or basic.
There are exceptions like party games (gang beasts, Mario party, etc), but for the most part I need my games to be engaging.
I did a little bit of game development in college and have played games all my life, so sometimes I feel like I’m somewhat sensitive to certain designs. It’s hard to put into words, but a bad animation/game mechanic that might bother a different person like 2/10 might bother me more like an 8/10.
Some mixture of the above information and my ADHD need for stimulation keeps me away from the smaller games.
It’s funny, before they were everywhere, open world games were my jam. Now there are only a few where I actually pay attention to the world.
I typically treat open world games as linear in some way. Go from one story/side mission to the next without really bothering to explore. Especially for large games. Some exceptions, but not many. I’ve become a chronic fast traveler and I have no intention of changing that.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate the work put into a lot of these games, it’s more that I simply don’t have the energy or time to actually get into it all and it doesn’t bother me that I’m “missing out”.
In general, I just crave linear and relatively short games. If howlongtobeat lists something as more than like 12 - 15 hours for a non-RPG/immersim game, I’m usually out. I’d have to really be enjoying it to stick with something for more than like 20 hours total.
Titanfall 2 is one of the best examples of a fantastic game that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Everything’s tightly packed into a linear, but incredibly well-developed game. It doesn’t stop being fun, and throws new shit at you without being overwhelming, can be beaten in a few days (probably like two if you’re playing in long sessions).
I do sometimes go over that limit with stealth games, often because I play them very patiently and can spend a few hours on a level. But they’re really the exception.
Just curious what the selling point was for those of you that have one? Most of my gaming is retro stuff on my rp2+ or rg35xx and I just don’t see the appeal the pocket has over the Retroid/Anbernic alternatives. Is the quality and ability to play actual carts that big of a selling point for the higher price and waiting?
To my knowledge, it’s that the analogue devices are running the game in real hardware and not emulation, even if you run the files off a flash cart.
That’s not worth it for many people, but if there’s some game that you can feel isn’t quite right on emulators, there’s a good chance the analogue can be the closest to the original experience. It’s definitely niche and priced accordingly.
Analogue consoles still are emulating the old game consoles, but they do so in a different way than a normal software emulator. This emulates the individual circuits of the device on a special chip called a FPGA. This has the advantage of supporting much lower input latency (say with real controllers) and video latency (down to the cycle for CRTs). This means your lightgun will work on a FPGA NES with connected CRT, along with making the system “feel” better (due to the lower latency).
Welonz is fantastic in general. Always thoughtful and thorough and seems to approach whatever game she’s playing with great respect. She even did a watchable LP of Return of the Obra Dinn, which is extremely rare.
I haven’t checked her channel in a few months because for a while she was doing mono-Dragon Age, but at a cursory glance it looks like she has a moved to a more varied upload schedule these days, which is good.
As they’ve already been mentioned before, I will second both La-Mulana (and though not mentioned, it’s sequel), and FEZ.
The Witness didn’t make me break out Pen and Paper, but it was definitely one I had to give my brain a break and come back to to look at things from a fresh angle.
Now for some previously unmentioned finds where your attention to detail will be rewarded. Not all will require notebooks. But there puzzles hidden in all of them.
I agree. A lot of it for me is the quality of the time spent. I'd rather pay $10 for high quality six hours of gameplay, then play $40 for 60 hours of gameplay but like 30 of those hours are very low quality.
I’m not sure why this became popular. I’ll easily spend £8 to watch a 1.5 hour film so why would I limit myself on a game I could enjoy if it’s short. I just play games I think I’ll like. I’m not picking up a 100 hour multiplayer because it’s better value
Since getting married, I’ve been popping in and out of multiplayer games more often as well as more closely curating what single-player games I purchase.
I enjoy longer narrative-driven, single-player games; they’re like a good book and I aim to be just as bummed out when the game ends as I would be at the end of a work from my favorite novelist.
But I cook, I clean, I do the shopping, and so I end up with a lot of short periods of free time throughout the day. The newest (but not franchised) multiplayer game is usually what I’ll play if I can come and go at my leisure without provoking the ire of other players.
I’ve never really wanted to 100% a game, pretty sure that was just FOMO, but every now and again I will want to replay an old game.
They are completely disconnected, with the exception of the occasional spinoff or direct sequel, but those are easy to identify. The last game is probably the easier one of the series to pick up and play (this statement has been true for the whole existence of the series)
Where to start? Depends. Everyone of them is a huge game and a big time investment.
Taking into account you have no nostalgia for the series, I’d say your options, in order of what I think would stick are:
Option 1: the last one. If you just want to play a modern action/rpg game with AAA sensibilities but weird enough, is not a bad option. You have no need for any previous knowledge, the gameplay is completely different to the one in previous entries, etc. Haven’t played so I do t know if it’s any good.
Option 2: the 7 remake. One of the biggest milestones in the series retold for modern audiences, with updated graphics and narrative.
Option 3: 16bit retro experience: FFVI, SNES or GBA version. The pinnacle of the formula for the 8 and 16 bit consoles. Upcoming titles in the series are way different. Great in every way a game can be good.
Option 4: the 7 vanilla. The first international massive mainstream success for the series and one of the more influential video games in history. After this one, if you loved it:
Option 4a: the PSX trilogy. Go for FFVIII and FFIX for the full pre-render backgrounds and 3d models god killing trio.
Option 4b: the complication. If you are really into the setting and characters you have a few games complicating this one under the “Final Fantasy VII Compilation”. Some aren’t even RPGs.
If you go completely Final Fantasy insane after any of those, start with FF, the first one from the NES and make your way through them all. Prepare a couple thousand hours.
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