Seems my gaming habits are reverse of what they should be?

I know, I know. Another old man thread about gaming. But since I've been doing it for the better part of 30 years, I think I'm entitled to it. So shut up, sit down, and listen sonny!

It seems my taste in games has gone reverse of what I would have expected. Through my late teens and twenties, I preferred very in depth an complicated games, namely aircraft combat simulations like Falcon 4, Jane's Longbow 2, F-15, F/A-18, A-10, etc. Even complex RTS's like Total War. FPS's didn't appeal to me much. Now as I get older, I seem to be straying away from the more complex titles and enjoying the twitch fest games like Call of Duty 4 (who doesn't like this game though), Crysis, Prototype, HAWX, World in Conflict, etc.

Maybe it's just the time commitment factor, but I never really cared much for those fast action games even when I *HAD* time. Now I enjoy them. Oh well, I guess I can't complain.

Looking forward to Batman Arkham Asylum, Wolfenstein, and Red Faction Guerrilla.

 

My dad is the same way. He used to play submarine sims airplane sims you name it. Now he plays mostly fps games. Could just be a change in tastes just like people like different foods as they get older

 

I'd say its cause they are fast games you can just pickup and play without wasting time. As you get older you see the value of time differently.

 

Im alittle like you i used to really enjoy indepth rpg's that you could spend hours and hours on, these days i still enjoy them but seem to lose some interest in them so they take alot longer for me to complete, i may not pick it up for a few months then go back to it, im really enjoying my rts at the moment and some action rgp's because they are more pick up and play style games, ive also like you really started to enjoy FPS which i hated when i was younger, oh the joys of old age........i can blame it on becoming senial and forgetting what i used to like and dislike.

 

Yeah, and I actually would take time to build maps, etc for games. Now if I get stuck in a game, or it's "too difficult" I just delete it and forget about it.

 

It's somewhat similar to my own habits in that I've grown fond of games I previously thought were "mehh....." or just didn't like altogether (like COD4--am liking it so much, I preordered MW2 last week )

 

I think previous posters have nailed this one - it's all about time. I used to love complicated RPGs and strategy games - and, truthfully, i still do; the problem is as you get older, it's really hard to find hours at a time to devote to a computer game, uninterrupted. Many of the complicated games - heck, if you can't sit and play for 2 hours or more (minimum) there's no point - you won't be able to do anything, or will just be getting into the 'good stuff'.

The one exception I have to this is my beloved Civilization series. It's not supremely complicated, but not really light either, and I can play for short periods, then save and come back to it later. (but, even then, if I wait too long between sessions, I find I have forgotten what I was up to and just end up starting a new game... )

 

Same for me.. I think I just don't have the time and will to learn how to play complex games... especially since almost every new game includes a plethora of different controls for stuff. Now I'm happily enjoying the simplicity of an xbox 360 controller with the gf in whatever little free time there is, lol

 

There's nothing wrong with hardcore wargames.You guys just want mindless entertainment and instant action rather than having to think.For example, in most FPS's campaigns there is a set way to follow, invisible walls that restrict you, and it basicly turns in to nothing more than a shooting gallery.In Call of Duty on lower difficulty levels you will ''fly'' through the campaign.

Most wargames however, usually offer unlimited replayability.I never get bored of John Tiller's Campaign Series, because you can't really beat it with all the editors avalailible, not mention over 30 countries and can fight on any front in WWII I wish.It even has a battle generator.Dont see that mainstream games.

 

Ive been obsessed with DOW II lately, I didnt like COH, or the way that game was, too slow for my liking. Ive just been getting very bored of the usual games I play, Call of Duty series, Oblivion, etc etc, so been trying some new games and I like

 

Sounds like your brain is getting lazy... =(.

I only like fps/action games when I've got some anger built up and I wanna kill things without thinking about it. RTS, rpgs and squad based games have always been my favorite. Any game that requires a single hero to go save the world by himself with nothing more than a couple guns or a sword gets old by the 3rd level. If things aren't both complicated and fun I lose interest very quickly.

I've recently gone back to some very old games (Freespace 2, Hearts of Iron 2, and Age of empires 2) yet I still have some New games left unbeaten (supreme commander and Fallout 3) because they're unoriginal and have been done a dozen times before, or have horrendous controls/unit interaction.

I believe game designers need to take a good hard look at the past and what worked then, instead of tailoring games to the upcoming A.D.D. generation, and put less thoughts into pixel alignment and more into gameplay, story, and controls.

 

Dunno if my brain is getting lazy. The more I thought about it, it's mainly a time commitment. My time dedication these days to games is probably an hour continuous maximum, due to other things in life (namely kids and school).

I periodically get back into these older games like you suggest, but the time commitment is huge.

But I agree about looking at the past of games. I'd rather see much fewer games, but with high quality and extended replay value than a mass release of hundreds of games that you have to wade through to find something decent. I'd even pay more money if I knew the game was going to be quality, supported for an extended period, with a commitment to the end user.

Anyhow, I digress.

 

I think it comes to the time I have available for gaming. In the 90´s I was as much as a sim fan as I could. Hours and hours an hours of training and exploring. I was a member of a virtual squadron of a WWII flight sim MMO. I had the manuals of games like Longbow 2 or Falcon 4 by memory in a good part. I had a HOTAS Thrustmaster joystick suite that I used until its end. But at that time I was a student and after that beggining my career. Now I'm responsible for the maxillofacial surgery service in two state hospitals. I don´t have the time to know a new sim like Black Shark the way I did with Longbow 2.

Coincidence or not, I just bought Street Fighter IV for PC. The only fight game I ever bought.

 

Even worse on my end...sims and RPGs through high school and college...

Now, I've reverted back to some of the more mindless games that I shuddered at in the 90's...the game I played the most on my PC this last week was Rise of the Triad under DosBox...dusted off the CD and installed it...I tried Ultima 7 first, but realized very quickly that I would never make it through...Rise of the Triad is like a donut...lots of carbs and sugars and will completely destroy your health, but it's so comforting...the groaning in God mode makes me feel like I'm 23 all over again with very few responsibilities..

 

OK, someone has to ask - when 'enjoying the simplicity of an xbox controller with the gf'...

It's a choose-your-own punchline joke!

a) what port do you plug the controller into?
b) using a controller - is THAT the way to get my wife to do what I ask?
c) don't kid yourself - even when controlled, girlfriends are never simple!
d) with the xbox360, doesn't that allow for backwards compatability?

Again, my apologies - sometimes I just can't help myself...

 

boooo.......

 

I concur. 10 char.