[therabidfrog]

It all makes me miss my poor Xbox 360. He deployed to Iraq

[crabapple]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

How has your gaming experience changed as you got older?

I started playing adventures in the late 1990's.
What they stocked in local retail shops were first person adventures like Myst, Riven, Timelapse, Shivers 1 and 2, 7th Guest, 11th Hour, Titanic: Adventure out of Time, Reah, Morpheus, Zork Nemesis, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Lightbringer, Beyond Time, Jewels of the Oracle, Jewels 2, Journeyman Project 3, Starship Titanic, Atlantis: The Lost Tales... These were the adventure games I started out with. For the most part I thought they were good games, some better than good -- and with quite a variety of subjects despite all being 1st person.

Around year 2000, I tried Secret of Monkey Island after having read so much about it. I thought it was great and started going online to buy other 3rd person games for DOS. I wondered why 3rd person games for Windows weren't being made.

Late 2000 -- The Longest Journey finally made it to the US and I thought it was amazing. By this time I had also played Nightlong, Curse of Monkey Island, the extremely hard to acquire Discworld 2, and the keyboard-controlled Grim Fandango and Escape From Monkey Island. When Mystery of the Druids came out, I enjoyed that too, though I'm not sure how much of the enjoyment was due to it being one of the rare 3rd person games for Windows. I also enjoyed Syberia when it was released a year or so later. At the same time, the newer first person games did not seem to be as enjoyable as the older ones -- fewer individualistic 1st person games like Morpheus or Obsidian and more with a formulaic "Cryo style" approach. At that point in time, I liked 3rd person games better.

A few years later and the novelty of 3rd person has worn off. They now seem to be in the majority. Syberia 2 was disappointing. Most newer 3rd person games have been disappointing compared to The Longest Journey, Syberia, or the older DOS-based 3rd person games. The characters and environments just aren't as interesting (generally) -- at least with "serious" 3rd person games.

So at present I've gone to preferring 1st person games -- specifically 1st person puzzle types with little or no interaction with other characters. I tend to prefer non-linear games, where you can go work on a different puzzle if you are stuck. Unless the story and characters are really really good, I don't enjoy being "herded" along according to a storyline.

Like most people in this thread, I'm more picky about what I play than I used to be. I don't play as many games as I used to. I used to buy almost every new adventure game as soon as it came out. Not any more. Now I usually wait for reviews and often wait for the price to go down if it costs more than $20 -- except for 1st person puzzle-oriented little-or-no-conversation games, which I will buy as soon as they come out because there is a much greater chance I'll enjoy them. And I'll probably buy Gray Matter and the new Sherlock Holmes game as soon as they are available too.

[SharonB]

My gaming changed by actually playing them less and reading the forums and reviews more. I spend more time finding out about games and collecting them now than actually playing them.

It used to be many years ago, that when a game wouldn't play on my new system, I would throw it out. How I regret that now. There were several that I could get to work in XP now if I still had them. Also, I could have made some spare cash by selling them on Ebay.

The other way I've changed is that I'm now open to RPG's, where before I only wanted adventure games.

But times will change again because I have a huge stockpile of games that I want to play and will soon spend less time reading about them and more time actually playing them.

[Terramax]

therabidfrog, I feel the same regards your first post.

I hadn't been into racers since the Sega Saturn era until a year ago when I bought a cheap race wheel for Sega Rally Revo (PC). Since then, I upgraded to the Logitech G25 Race Wheel, got a copy of GRID: Race Driver and now it's become a fav genre, when there's any decent arcade racers for the PC.

Not long ago I rebought the Saturn to find most of the games haven't aged well at all. Some, the 3D graphics are so bad it's hard to understand what's going on.

I also can't be bothered with JRPGs anymore (Final Fantasy XII being the acception as was easier to understand) because I've had enough of levelling up for every one I play, and going through the same old stories.

Someone showed me a demo of Eternal Sonata on Sunday and my God how things in the JRPG have NOT changed. The same fights, graphics (but sharper), characters, stories, etc. Why do people still buy this stuff?

Generally, I just play games which I can pick up and play just like that (hence racers). I won't be surprised if I start buying into the casual games market soon.

Oh, yes, I started out with 3rd person talkie adventures like BS1, Discworld and Grim Fandango but am moving to 1st person adventures. Mainly because they've less of the item based puzzles I tire of.

I'm not a fanboy anymore either. I used to write the developers emails to tell them I really loved this and that and asked, no, begged they'd make a sequel. Usually they only got annoyed with it, so I gave up. Although it's quite funny when some of them make a statement saying that they're not going to make a sequel because they're taking a new direction, then a few years later they actually announce that the sequel is on it's way.

Don't suppose you could give some examples of companies you wrote/ emailed to and what they said?

[MikeLXXXVIII]

Originally Posted by Terramax

Someone showed me a demo of Eternal Sonata on Sunday and my God how things in the JRPG have NOT changed. The same fights, graphics (but sharper), characters, stories, etc. Why do people still buy this stuff?

Sorry but I felt like commenting due to what was said in this post, first of all Eternal Sonata has a very untraditional battle system. Just because it takes turns does not mean it is the same thing.
It has a semi real time, turn based battle system which is not the same turn based battle system.
Plus what JRPG is plagued by and Eternal Sonata isn't is random encounters, you see at least the monsters you are fighting. I won't argue about the presence and story I don't know much about that. BUT the battle system is not the same and RPGS are not the only thing with the same stories over and over again.

[Terramax]

Well, you take attacks 'in turn' so I consider it to be more or less the same thing. RPGs have had this same system since Grandia back in the mid-90's.
And I don't see being able to view your enemies before battling them as being something of a revolution.

Perhaps the fighting does get deeper as the game progresses, but I wouldn't bet money on it, neither does it hide the obvious flaw that with just about any JRPG it can be completed by merely staying awake whilst fighting a sufficient amount of creatures to level your characters to the point of giving bosses an unfair pounding and breezing through.

I played JRPGs a plenty back in the Saturn/ PSX era, but their lack of imagination, originality and refinement is what caused me to completely ditch the genre in favour of adventures.

I know there’s the odd decent ones (Disgaea, FFXII), but it blows my mind that by having the simplest gimmick, like being able to see your enemies before battle, or having instruments as weapons, is somehow considered an improvement and differentiates one title from the rest of the mediocre ones.

[nomadsoul]

Originally Posted by Terramax

Well, you take attacks 'in turn' so I consider it to be more or less the same thing. RPGs have had this same system since Grandia back in the mid-90's.
And I don't see being able to view your enemies before battling them as being something of a revolution.

Perhaps the fighting does get deeper as the game progresses, but I wouldn't bet money on it, neither does it hide the obvious flaw that with just about any JRPG it can be completed by merely staying awake whilst fighting a sufficient amount of creatures to level your characters to the point of giving bosses an unfair pounding and breezing through.

I played JRPGs a plenty back in the Saturn/ PSX era, but their lack of imagination, originality and refinement is what caused me to completely ditch the genre in favour of adventures.

I know there’s the odd decent ones (Disgaea, FFXII), but it blows my mind that by having the simplest gimmick, like being able to see your enemies before battle, or having instruments as weapons, is somehow considered an improvement and differentiates one title from the rest of the mediocre ones.

You talking like adventure gaming has evolved since then, except syberia there is nothing after grimfandango worth putting attention to. Dreamfall was total shallow in gameplay, and other adventures are based on repetitive obsolete ideas of past, much more saturated than JRPG anytime atleast JRPG covers presentations, stories and music.
There surely are too many crap out here but there is better stuff amongst them too, ever heard of WKC or demonsoul? Or tell me any adventure game in last 2 years with better story than lostodyssey,eternalsonata(former is technical mess but as i said delivers in gameplay and story).


And attacks to turnbased, well its genre specific don't expect it to change just like adventure gaming pointless clicking on images or single image exploration(in 3D or 2D) never changed and some oldies dig it, in JRPG case the following is international and much more, people still dig it.

You know like that nothing has changed much , killswitch was what gears did now, re5 is re4 with new engine, how much Sh series have really changed, point is game in design hardly change much, so dont blame JPRGs for that blame your knowledge and play WKC,folklore and demonsoul if you really want something, then complain.


EDIT: here is demonsouls review, gae is out of stock in asia(english version) and huge hit in japan.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/demons-souls-review

[MikeLXXXVIII]

Couldn't have said it better. People need to stop judging or stereotyping genres just because they played games that played the "same". You can say that about everything ,but not exacly everything is the same even with the majority crap.
Pop music as example of a genre that is very varied so you can't simply say that all of it is awful or the same. If you do you have no clue about what you are talking about.

Differences exist but you have to look for them.

[aries323]

When I first started playing games more than 10 years, I had a lot time on my hands, so I played all the time, when I got home from work.

Now, I find that I don't do this anymore. I would like to, but I know that when I begin to play The Witcher or Baldur's Gate or Diablo II or an adventure game like the Black Mirror or even a new adventure game like Overclocked or Rhiannon that I will play for 3-4 hours. And I just don't have the time to play for so many hours these days.

[Annacat]

Interesting topic.

Two main differences, for me. I haven't really changed my basic preferences since my very first game (that being Myst, which I think permanently influenced my tastes,) but my purchasing habits have changed.

1.) I've become a lot more selective. When I was younger, I would try pretty much any adventure game on speculation. That has changed, and I now don't buy something unless I'm pretty committed to it. I've found three review sites where the critics are pretty spot-on to my own tastes, and I think pretty fair in balancing positives and negatives, so I feel I'm better able to figure out in advance what I would like. I've also played enough games by now that I have a clearer idea of my own preferences, so I'm more able to pick products based on my own tastes rather than following the herd.

I'm also less tolerant than I used to be of wasting time and money on a game that doesn't really grab me, and have become less of a completist. This means I play fewer games, but tend to like whatever I actually bother to play.

2.) In recent years, looking at the games that have been my favourites, I realize I've in general come to prefer indie games to major developers. While the Myst series will always be a love, my other preferred games have been Alida, Barrow Hill, Rhiannon, Dark Fall, and Lights Out. I'm not sure if it's because the indie developers are getting more ambitious and producing games that can compete with the bigger commercial releases, or if I'm just more aware that indie games are out there. But I've discovered that even though I don't buy them because they are indie, the indie titles have been winning out among games I like just based on their own merits.

[SoccerDude28]

I have definitely started losing interest in a lot of the games which I would have probably loved 10 years back. One of the reasons I believe is me getting older and having a lot less time and patience. Before, I could spend a day stuck on an adventure puzzle, or on a certain level in an action game. Now however, I just either consult a walkthrough guide or give up.

Another more important reason I believe is that the gaming industry (on contrary to what most gaming experts say) has become very stale. Creating a new IP is such a big deal now, and adding a small twist to an existing game is considered "innovation". I don't remember when was the last time I felt like the first time I played Dune 2, or when I cruised through the black corridors of Doom for the first time, or solved the twisted puzzles of The Day of the Tentacle. A few developers definitely get me giddy and excited whenever they announce a new game, like Double Fine for example, but most developers play it very safe which is very boring in my opinion.

[Giligan]

When I first got into gaming, I played point and click adventure games almost exclusively. As I got more involved, though, I gravitated away from adventure games and towards shooters and action games, and now I play those two genres almost exclusively. I prefer modern AAA title action games because, apart from personal taste, they have the technology and budget to have a good plot, presentation, gameplay, and graphics. That's not always the case, of course, but recently there have been a number of stand-out action games, and the number seems to be increasing.

[Gonzosports]

Originally Posted by ggreen737

Yeah, the older I get the less variety of games I play in general. I know what I like, and I only want to "waste" my time on HIGH quality games.

Yes. Except i wouldn't use the word "waste."

I have to stop myself from playing games that "only" entertain. Every once in a while, I'll catch myself - I played Resistance for three hours, but then promptly returned it.

Can't justify the amount of time.

Same with WOW - total waste of time.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Mass Effect

I love how a good number of games today explore issues rarely ever ventured into even just several years ago, but particularly when I was a kid and played mostly arcade titles like Battlezone in the arcade and Dungeons & Dragons 2 or Utopia on Intellivision. But now games like Silent Hill 2, Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Fable II, however imperfectly, dig into issues of morality or racism or substance abuse or bio-ethical dilemmas as integral gameplay and narrative mechanics.

That stated, my enjoyment and time spent experiencing such games is very different from when I was a kid, or even when I got back into gaming at 32 when I bought a Playstation and did Tomb Raider. This is mature gaming, but NOT the tits and ass and violence kind that pubescent men get off on. Instead, often difficult terrain, often existential, often with certain repercussions, deepen the nature of the experience.

[reneuend]

Since I've been playing adventure games from the beginning of desktop computers, there has been quite a change in the whole concept of adventure gaming. The only thing that remains the same is solving puzzles. What I miss the most is the the stories seemed much richer with text adventures. But what I hated the most was trying to figure out what commands to type!

Now that I'm building adventure games, I find it a real challenge to try and convey the feeling from the story that I wrote. Nevertheless, I still enjoy most adventure games as long as it has a good plot!