I think I'm getting old...

[JRMacumber]

Ya know, I can remember a time when I could rip the hell out of a game. My hands would move effortlessly across the buttons, my eyes would see almost everything on the screen, my reflexes bordered on the precognative. I could practically be one with the game.

Now? Egads... I don't know if it's age, or if I'm just losing my touch, but lately if a game takes ultra tight reflexes or seeing a great number of things all at once... I'm lost. It's horrible. I had noticed an inkling of it awhile back, but it was really brought home when I bought and played Panzer Dragoon Orta. Oh my god, it's so bad. I'm playing it on EASY too! And yet I can't get past the fourth level.

So... what do I do? Is there anything I can do? Is there hope?

:: sigh ::

[Super Stu]

I'm organising an Old Farts Gaming Club, your membership pack is in the post.

Seriously though, I think I know what you mean. I had 4 player Brute Force (don't laugh) going here on the weekend. 3 of them had run off somewhere and I was stuck in Generic Corridor 18. So one of em stops and says "right, go down there, round there and up there", and so forth. Well, I don't know whether it was because it's all a bit squashed on 4 player split screen, whether my eyesight is going or if it's because I'm turning into a moron, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out wtf he was on about. In the end they had to point at the screen exactly where I was supposed to be going.

Meh.

[PeteJ]

I found Orta extremely hard too. I actually would say that Level 4 is one of the hardest until you nail down the correct process.

It all comes down to having less time to play games I guess, simply less time to practice. I love to experience as many games as possible, which means I'm fairly apt at most genres, but a master of none.

Unless it's TFC or Front Line Force, then I'd take you all out without even trying

[charlesr]

I think I may be joining your club. How much is the membership?
I was playing Halo last night (first time through....) and got to a bit where it's snowing and there's a big pyramid which you have to reach the top of. So I gunned a few grunts down and jumped in the flying machine thingy and went to the top. There was a big door, but the lights on it were red (so you can't go through. So I spent two hours wiping out every badguy in the entire canyon and then wondering around aimlessly on my own before I realised that it must be that door. Oh... there's a switch to open it. Mucho swearing. Senility is here.

[Concept]

I never found Orta too hard. Looks like I'm not ready to join the club yet.

The only part I had difficulty on was the last boss, until I figured out what to do (locking onto the lasers).

Shmups, RPGs, football and racing games aren't that much of a problem for me. The games I really stink at skill-wise are fighters, dance games and first person shooters.

[JRMacumber]

Unless it's TFC or Front Line Force, then I'd take you all out without even trying

Maybe, but my fantasy film is still going to kick yer ass.

[PeteJ]

Whatever keeps you happy old man, whatever keeps you happy.

[JRMacumber]

Whatever keeps you happy old man, whatever keeps you happy.

Hey, if I can't dazzle you with brilliance, I'll baffle you with bull****.

Anyway, back on topic, I was reading a review of P.N.03 in a mag, and they were talking about utterly sublime it all is, especially if you can get in tune with the rythme of it. That's great, but it made me worry a bit, because this is a game I want to get and enjoy, but if my elderly body can't handle it... Eck, I don't even want to talk about it...

[Vaipon]

Yeah, I've been there. A couple of years back.

For a while I thought that the same thing was happening to me. All games just seemed a tad harder than I can remember, and I just put it down to the fact that my reactions were probably not quite as good as they used to be. As one last test, I chose a moderately tough game (Devil May Cry) and attempted to beat it fully by completing all skills. I said to myself that if I could achieve that then I must still posess roughly the same degree of skill as always. (ie finishing a current arcade game which was the equivilant of a title I had rinsed back in the SNES days, eg Axelay, Contra, SF2 etc).

I managed it to my surprise after a few weeks of hammering it. Dante Must Die skill was pretty intense, but I got through.

In the end, I put it down to the fact that as we get older, we play videogames with a far lesser degree of solid concentration than we used to as teenagers for example. It's a lot easier to get distracted, and there are times where games seem too trivial to me to really try as hard as I should be. The ability is still there, but it is normally unused through lack of effort. Sure, I listen to the storylines and I enjoy the atmosphere, but I play the game in a far more passive manner than when I was a kid. If I have friends round for example, I normally talk to them while playing and only pay half attention to the game. Sometimes, I start a gaming session and only play for around 20 minutes before deciding to do something else because the game didn't immediately appeal. Even when playing alone, there are times when I am only really half-trying without even realising it, and time is far more of a precious commodity than it was all those years back. The fact of the matter is though that if I totally get into the "zone" on a game, I am pretty much of exactly the same ability as I have always been. Surprised the hell out of myself, but it's true. I did exactly the same thing with Ikaruga, chaining the first three stages with S+ rankings on 1 credit (still working on stages 4 and 5 lol).

My advice (if you want to test yourself properly) is to get a really good, fair, fast arcade game and learn the system inside out. Then play while completely un-distracted alone for a while, and see if you can master a few sections. Obviously you need to find a game that you genuinely love and find immensely addictive/enjoyable. If after a few hours you are still thinking that your reactions are not what they used to be then I suppose it's time for the adventure games, flight sims and RTS. Buy a PC. LOL

Shooters are the obvious choice for honing/testing your skills.

Psyvariar
Ikaruga
DoDonPachi
etc etc

I really am convinced now though that I am as good, if not better than ever if I actually try.

[Scythe]

You damn kids and your stupid little computer games, you should take up gardening and antiques restoration like me.....*mumble*

[Neon Ignition]

Well, I'm not that bad yet. I've got a mate who's skills are failing him of late though but that seems, I don't know if its the common reason, that its down to time. The older you get the more your time is sapped by non-gaming things so your practise level falls.

Could be worse though, I know someone on another forum and they're 18+ and can't do the first level of the original Donkey Kong still.

[Papercut]

another member of the Old Farts Gaming Club here.

vf4:evo kicks my arse every time though. playing through the tuturial it all makes sense, try and use all those techniques in the game and the speed of it leaves me way behind.

I'll be 30 seconds into a match trying to figure out whether I should have dodged and then thow blocked, or the other way around the first time I got knocked down. Usually with a 'the who, what, where?' expression on my face.

my reactions are definately slowing, but my powers haven't left me just yet.

old farts gaming tip: play rythm action games, its anticipation rather than reaction, you can't go wrong! Just don't try Insane difficulty on Amplitude...

[Commander Marklar]

Regarding the VF4 thing; I bet you can still play Street Fighter or something similiar, no?

It's all practice man - unless there is something physically stopping you from doing something, you can train you body/mind to do anything you want. I've seen **** before where some old godge was trained to build up his muscles and stuff and he got well fit, enough to run much further than I could now! Nowt wrong with the guy, just not in the right state of mind and that's what it is all about... just think of the challenge but know you can do it anyway.

Orta was a piece of piss anyway, you pussies!

[Vaipon]

It's all practice man - unless there is something physically stopping you from doing something, you can train you body/mind to do anything you want.

Agreed! Just practice practice practice and you will prove to yourself that the mad skillz and reflexes are still there. It's all about putting the effort in and having the time to dedicate.

[Papercut]

Regarding the VF4 thing; I bet you can still play Street Fighter or something similiar, no?

Actually I can yeah, but thats 'learnt', I've been playing street fighter 2 and its sequels for over 10 years now...

There is obviously truth in having less time to practice, but I find mastering a new game, especially one dependant upon fast reactions, harder now than I did when I was younger.