Video game consoles are on an absurd level right now. A+ releases show up monthly, there are endless libraries of solid titles on the PS3, Wii, and 360. Yet why is it that every time i sit down to play one of these games, i cant?
I am a long time avid video game player, i own hundreds of games throughout multiple consoles, and to this day I'm still quick to hop over to my local Gamestop and pick up the latest over-hyped title.
My primary love has been and always will be PC games, however the PC game market is as stale as Tara Reid's career, so I'm forced to pick up a lot of console-only titles, which sit in a binder pretty much un-touched despite being actually really good games.
Having expressed this conundrum to many friends of mine, i quickly found out that i am far from alone in this situation. Everyone i mentioned it to was quick to point out that they are having the exact same issue as me.
Why is this? Why, despite being great games that are completely worth of investment in both time and money, do some of us utterly fail at playing our console games?
Allow me to paint a picture for you.
My computer room is also my bedroom, i have a nice dual monitor setup on my desk, with a 37 inch HDTV to the left of my desk so i cant watch TV. My computer is hooked up to surround sound speakers i have hung up on the walls in my room. My chair is a basic leather computer chair. The whole place is very comfortable and functional, but nothing special.
Now lets go into my living room. My living room has a 1080p 120 inch HD projector hooked up to my consoles and TV box. My curtains are closed off and sealed shut so no light comes in from outside, allowing for the most clear possible picture to display on my screen. i have a beefy Sony surround sound system hooked up to everything and the couch is very comfortable and has places to put drinks and such. Its a gamers paradise.
I can sit on my computer for the entirety of a day and not thing twice about it. Yet if i go into the gamers paradise living room, i usually am done in 1-2 hours and quickly retreat to my computer room. Buh?
It defies all logic. i have yet to finish A+ titles like Infamous and Metal Gear Solid 4, but i recently spent a whopping 7 hours of my day playing The Sims 3 on my PC.
I cant explain it. My friends cant explain it. What is it about consoles that us old school gamers have a hard time adjusting to, when clearly millions of people on the planet can do without thinking twice?
Its quite a conundrum.
I agree.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the exact same boat as you. I can't even tell you how many titles I've passed on due to knowing full well I wouldn't get around to playing them and/or enjoy them like they deserve. I catch plenty of grief from people for not purchasing more titles for my console, but I can't justify purchasing something that I know I won't feel as though I got my entry fee out of.
I have a theory as to why I'm like this though which you may also feel fits you. I believe that before when I'd pick up a console game, I knew little to nothing about it, it was based on pure luck/chance or just a really great recommendation from a friend. As I grew older, and especially this generation, it seems like I follow a game I'm interested in from base code to alpha to beta and beyond, I literally camp the internet trying to gain more knowledge about the game, and get every last drop of detail out of it. Through this process, the game loses some of its "new" feel, as I know everything there is to know, or enough that I feel I've already spent some time playing it. I also think the number of reviews being done about new games before they are released is also contributing to this "stealing the spotlight" feeling of a new game. I just feel tired of the game before I even play it.
Maybe it's just me, but I think somethings are better left under wraps until it releases so it feels fresh when it finally does, and not talked about to death and detail so it feels I have already played it.