The death of gaming

[Commander Marklar]

Between Bangai-O on the DC, Ikaruga on the Cube, Shikigami No Shiro on the XBox (not to mention the myriad of stuff in MAME) and Psyvariar on the PS2 you should be able to find a quality shooter to play no matter which machine you currently own. Trust Saurian, you know he makes sense.

I wouldn't commit myself to just shooters though. Instead, I'd be looking to branch out and find a niche title I could apply myself too, something I could learn and get really good at. For example, racing titles have a lot going for them too; once you've found something you enjoy playing (Sega Rally 2, shut-up at the back!) you can constantly set yourself a new limit, pushing your skills forward (e.g 4'00"00 arcade times, never did get that far).

Not only that, you may enjoy the whole journey one goes on to discover such a title, including enlightend discussion with Zen-gamer buddhists who know all and see all (and can get the best high scores)

[Tom Salter]

I've gotta admit that I've been feeling the same recently. My usual cup-of-tea was a decent plot-based RPG, or action game, yet I find myself increasingly unable to play these now. Bought Xenogears (missed it first time around) and I just can't seem to get into it. Bought Silent Hill 3, and the game bores me stupid. Last RPG I felt glued to was Final Fantasy X.

However, recently I've turned to the more skill based games. While I do like a bash on VF4 evo, I can't find any competition with my friends (button bashers, the lot of them). But I've recently got into shooters, such as Psyvariar, Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun and Dodonpachi DOJ, and I can honestly say that I'm having the most fun with my consoles than I've ever had. Silent Hill 3 might have had a good plot, but the pace is so slow I find myself falling asleep at the pad. Whereas with Psyvariar, I constantly try to better my score, and with DDP DOJ, learning the bullet patterns and getting big combos is a lot of fun.

What I suppose I'm getting at in the end, is that if you are feeling that your love of gaming is slowing to a halt, take a look at the games you tend to play, and try something radically different. You never know, you might like it

[Ady]

EDIT: WTF is going on?

[Ady]

[quote="Ady"]

Come on, the guy was only expressing how he feels, there's no reason to be so rude...

Put your teeth back in sweetheart....the smilie was aimed at myself.

Let me explain. The next best thing to playing games is talking about games. Now mwaawm's having trouble finding motivation to play games....and i'm having trouble in finding motivation to play and talk about games. Do you see?

Agree with the comments on shooters....back to the coalface sort of gaming, pure and undiluted.

I wasn't necessarily referring to you, sweetheart. The cap obviously fit, though...

[tankplanker]

I've never understood the rational of pushing games into the movie format - lots of high quality cut scenes, big plot, celebrity voice-overs, 40+ hours of game play, rag doll physics, motion capture, etc. bloody etc.

All that gumpf costs money, (money most developers don't have) and when all wrapped up in a me too package (rather than an original concept) only sells if its hyped to death, which in turn builds up a level of unsustainable expectation. This leads to the dissatisfaction faced by many here with the constantly recycled product, which is often only marginally improved.

Its time that the gaming industry started looking to producing shorter, less polished games that showcase new concepts, I applaud Capcom for its balls to produce games like P.N.03 and Viewtiful Joe. This should be the future rather than the current dominate model that only supports one or two blockbuster games per season that is putting the industry into a downward spiral.

Don't get me wrong, I don't see the industry imploding any time soon, but I do see an industry shafting its core market in the chase of ever larger short term profits.

[mid]

Oh, I agree completely. Don't just limit yourself to shooters. My point really was that even without a list of what machines you own, you can be fairly sure that there is a decent one available.

Shooters, racing games like Burnout or Midtown, and arcade games like Crazy Taxi or Bemani titles all have one big thing going for them, which is immediacy. Any of them reveal their fun within a minute or so of trying them for the first time, and thats exactly what a gamer who is jaded after not even reaching gameplay of any form within the first ten minutes of selecting "start" needs.

In the right situation, "epic" games have their place, but if thats all you play you'll lose sight of exactly what gaming is.

[Ady]

In the right situation, "epic" games have their place, but if thats all you play you'll lose sight of exactly what gaming is.

Exactly, and that is why there are so many people these days who whine and complain that a game is 'too short' if it 'only' took them 10+ hours to complete.

The oft namechecked Ico and Rez, for instance are not 'too short' if you play them properly. Ico in particular would get boring if it was too long.