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Last-Gen Neglect
As I eagerly await the return of my 360, I scan my shelves trying to decide which of my sorely neglected "last gen" games to play. I am shocked at how many great games have gone unplayed. I pick up my unfinished copies of Bully, RE4 (PS2 version), and Shadow of the Colossus. With a sigh of disgust, I pull out the UNOPENED copies of Okami, FFXII, and Tomb Raider Anniversary. And these are just a few of the unplayed games I've purchased within the past year. I don't even want to look at the number of unopened PS1, GameCube and Dreamcast games hiding shamefully in my stash.
Granted, I consider myself a collector, so I'm bound to have plenty of unplayed games. I would justify these purchases by telling myself that when I'm retired, I'll be able to fully enjoy each and every one of these games. This may still be true. However, the games I listed above are must-play titles, and there's no excuse for their neglect. Save two.
Excuse number one: Achievements. I don't consider myself an achievement whore, but it is nice when that little box pops up to say, "Hello, there. I've been watching you play, and you're doing great." The first time I really thought about this was while playing God of War II. When I toppled the colossus, I immediately looked at the bottom of the screen, wanting to see which achievement I had unlocked. Then it dawned on me that the PS2 has no achievements . . . until the end of the next boss battle. That's when I realized how important achievements are . . . or rather, how important they seem to be. Mick was right. You really don't know what you've got until it's gone.
Excuse number two: Xbox Live. There's something to be said for multiplayer gaming. I was never a big PC gamer, nor did I do much online gaming with my PS2 or original Xbox. But when I got my 360, I jumped in head first. I went from a single player campaign gamer who finished every game I started, to a mainly multiplayer gamer who rarely finished any games. Granted, I don't have nearly as much time to game as I used to, but I still should be able to finish a damn game. But the multiplayer calls me, and I must answer. Which explains why got so many unfinished PS2 games. If I would have had these games two years ago, I would have flown through them, non-stop. But now that I have tasted the apple of multiplayer, I've developed single-player-ADD. I could be completely engrossed in an epic battle against a colossus, when something in the back of my head says, "Hey, I wonder who's on Live right now?" That's all it takes. Save the game, boot up the 360, and hop on Live.
Looking at what's happening to my gaming habits, I have to wonder: Are the draws of achievements and multiplayer gaming truly great enough to change the way I game? Or, have my tastes and expectations of what I find to be entertaining changed as I've grown older? As my son gets older and I find more time to game, maybe I'll get back to my old ways. Until then, I'll keep buying great games and hope that someday I'll be able to give them the attention they deserve.
Granted, I consider myself a collector, so I'm bound to have plenty of unplayed games. I would justify these purchases by telling myself that when I'm retired, I'll be able to fully enjoy each and every one of these games. This may still be true. However, the games I listed above are must-play titles, and there's no excuse for their neglect. Save two.
Excuse number one: Achievements. I don't consider myself an achievement whore, but it is nice when that little box pops up to say, "Hello, there. I've been watching you play, and you're doing great." The first time I really thought about this was while playing God of War II. When I toppled the colossus, I immediately looked at the bottom of the screen, wanting to see which achievement I had unlocked. Then it dawned on me that the PS2 has no achievements . . . until the end of the next boss battle. That's when I realized how important achievements are . . . or rather, how important they seem to be. Mick was right. You really don't know what you've got until it's gone.
Excuse number two: Xbox Live. There's something to be said for multiplayer gaming. I was never a big PC gamer, nor did I do much online gaming with my PS2 or original Xbox. But when I got my 360, I jumped in head first. I went from a single player campaign gamer who finished every game I started, to a mainly multiplayer gamer who rarely finished any games. Granted, I don't have nearly as much time to game as I used to, but I still should be able to finish a damn game. But the multiplayer calls me, and I must answer. Which explains why got so many unfinished PS2 games. If I would have had these games two years ago, I would have flown through them, non-stop. But now that I have tasted the apple of multiplayer, I've developed single-player-ADD. I could be completely engrossed in an epic battle against a colossus, when something in the back of my head says, "Hey, I wonder who's on Live right now?" That's all it takes. Save the game, boot up the 360, and hop on Live.
Looking at what's happening to my gaming habits, I have to wonder: Are the draws of achievements and multiplayer gaming truly great enough to change the way I game? Or, have my tastes and expectations of what I find to be entertaining changed as I've grown older? As my son gets older and I find more time to game, maybe I'll get back to my old ways. Until then, I'll keep buying great games and hope that someday I'll be able to give them the attention they deserve.
Comment
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Comment by Kwyjibo on August 31, 2007 at 2:05am
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You know what, the EXACT same thing happened to me, and I was minutes away from posting almost the exact same story!
My XBOX 360 died on me last wednesday, I called support and, however helpfull and forthcomming they were (and that is not meant cynically), it looks like i'll be without my baby for about a month. My first thought was, 'right, this is the best excuse for buying an Elite (which was released here last week) I'll ever get', but then everyday reality kicked in (checking bank balance and car repairs due...) and I decided to buy some 'last-gen' PS2 exclusives to tide me over. I bought Okami and God of War 2, and dusted off the old Bully. First thing that hit me was how hopelessly spoiled we are in the graphics department on the 360, PS2 wasn't too impressive when new but is seriously outdated now even with the gorgeous style of Okami. But my biggest dissapointment came indeed when playing GOW2 and I was subconsciously waiting for that first *PLIC* 'achievement unlocked' sound, but it never came... And I feel socially isolated after playing for a while with no-one popping in online for a chat and maybe some gaming (I know it's pathetic, but you become somehow socially dependant on your Live buddies). No matter how good the PS2 games are I am playing, the urge to go out and buy that Elite anyway (my monthly paycheck should be in the mail today ;-) ) is growing stronger by the minute...
I don't remember getting these kind of 'withdrawal symptoms' with any of my previous consoles (going back about 22 years), or gaming PCs, so obviously Microsoft is doing something right with their Xbox 360. I mean, it's been 2 days, and I've got a PS2, a PSP and a DirectX 10 capable highend PC to keep me company and all I can think of is 'I need a 360, and fast!'
Thank god I'm leaving to go on holiday for a week tomorrow, that will be one less week of twisting thumbs...!
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