Those that grew up w/ Atari 2600, are you Overwhelmed now?

[Mike 01Hawk]

A bit of personal background.

 

I'm 30 years young...

I got great grades in I guess it was 1st or 2nd grade so my parents bought me a 2600 ~84-85.

NES in 86 as a 5th grader

GB in 90 when I turned 13

SNES in 91 as a Freshmen in HS

N64 in '96 as a Sophomore in College

 

Those were the main ones, I also acquired along the line a 3DO, PS2, Xbox, Xbox360, Gamecube, GBA, DS Lite, etc, etc, but the ones I listed above are the 'core'. So my golden years were really the 2600, NES, and SNES.

 

Now that I've got disposable income, I've been buying up a lot of the consoles and games (both PC and console) I couldn't afford back in the day or just wasn't interested in. But here's the thing... I probably have ~100+ or so titles in my backlog that I've either never finished or never started.

 

It's quite depressing actually.... and I think it all centers around the fact that you can't just pick up a game and play it today (well, other than games like Tetris or Hexic). Games ever since what... ~1995ish now require you to invest 40+ hours or more to really 'get into' the game. Now you really have to decide long and hard on what franchise you wanna focus on... and that's a bit hard with someone that has attention issues... lol.

 

I feel like I've just walked into a library and want to read every single book from cover to cover, but it's just NOT going to happen. Woe is me.

 

Anyway... I guess it just boils down to me needing to 'refine' what I buy, only buy what I'll truly be interested in, and then set some goals and the time to achieve them.

 

Cliff notes: Dang you sites like Mobygames, Youtube, and Forums that make me think I need all these games... and dang you Ebay/Amazon for making the games just a 'click' away from arriving at my doorstep.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Mike 01Hawk

[Atari5200]

even NES had games that require hours upon hours of gameplay. It's your taste though, an RPG is going to be much longer than a shooter, even back in the day it would be easy to spend double digit hours on Final Fantasy, or FF2 or FF3, for SNES.

 

I have yet to play a game that has required 40+ hours, and I have Oblivion and Mass Effect. I think I came close with FFVIII and Tales of Symphonia, but again, those are all RPGS, other genres you are not going to need "that" much time.

 

I have a giant backlog of classic games, as a collector, I'll buy anything I don't already own or buy dupes if they are in better condition, I rarely play any of the older stuff I buy, so I have tons of 2600 up to Saturn games that I've never played. I've had so much fun with this current generation and my 360, I can't remember the last generation to give me so much gaming fun, probably since I was in high school with a SNES.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Atari5200

[Lemmi]

not really overwhelmed, but lost interest in my case

 

i have 1500+ games from the 2600 to Xbox, and ive probably only played half of those games most of them when i was alot younger

and out of the GC, Xbox, CDi, DC, 3DO, and the saturn i have hooked up i seem to only play the saturn and alittle bit of the CDi

 

i made a decision after the GC i traded for that i was done with the current generation of systems, the only system i have an interest in is the Wii but i dont think i will ever break down and buy one

 

i only bought games i thought i would like after reading alot of gaming magazines, except for the 2 systems i wanted to complete (3DO and 7800`)

i was also an accessory junky, i like the add on gadgets

 

my last huge buy was the Vectrex probably 2 years ago, just because i had the multicart for about 3 years and i needed to play it (thanks Albert)

[Atarifever]

I'm selling or have sold most of my 1995+ stuff. I'll probably get one system each generation and sell the one from the generation before at the same time from now on, to keep down on costs and the overwhelming thing. I'm also probably selling everything that's not an Atari system or a Sega Master System to only have systems I actually have time to play. Thus, over the next year or so I'm looking to go from something like 25 systems to something like 6. That should do it.

[SRGilbert]

You want to feel overwhelmed? Get yourself a couple of multicarts and then try deciding what to play! I only have about 300 physical games in rotation, but I have flash carts for the 5200 and the NES.

[Atarifever]

You want to feel overwhelmed? Get yourself a couple of multicarts and then try deciding what to play! I only have about 300 physical games in rotation, but I have flash carts for the 5200 and the NES.

Every cart is a flash cart on the NES.

 

 

Ba-doom ching. I'll be here all night. Try the fish.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Atarifever

[BydoEmpire]

I don't really feel overwhelmed, but I don't buy nearly as many new games as I used to. I buy the games I really want to play, and demo, rent or borrow things I'm vaguely interested in. I also sold off a couple of older consoles because I rarely played them and didn't want to collect for them, which made things a little simpler. It's easier to collect for a few systems I'm really interested in. I still have dozens of games sitting unplayed on the shelf, but I feel better not increasing that number as much as I used to.

Edited March 4, 2008 by BydoEmpire

[Video]

I know I can be overwhelemed. Part of it, as you get older, you get this newfangled thing called 'disposable income" that helps a lot towards getting all those games you wanted, but couldn't have as a kid. But at the same time, as an adddult, you have a lot less 'disposable time' to put towards games. It goes to things you didn't have as a kid, such as kids, home maintenance, and work.

 

Couple that with the fact that even an RPG from the atari/nes era wouldn't rarely be over 10 hours, and most games hovered around the 30 minute mark (once you figured out what to do, hey, back then figureing it out was half the fun) and the fact that even the shortest FPS or racer games will require 10+ hours of work just to complete (if you blast through them and ignore side stuff, that is) and all of a sudden, you just don't have the time anymore.

 

I went to the store the other day, and as useual, I bought more games (more that I don't need) I currently have abnout 50 games that I haven't even opened yet. And that's not even counting used games I've picked up that haven't seen any time in any of my systems.

 

Yeah, that totally sucks. Maybe I should stop going to the store, and just stay home and open a few of those games. That would save me money in the long run, but eat into my time even more.

[PressureCooker2600]

I'm, in an odd way, overwhelmed.

 

Back then, I used to think Activision games and such were the pinnacle of graphical intensity. I didn't think the envelope could be pushed any further. But keep in mind, I was just a kid. Then, as every new system came along, I was like, "This is IT." Over the years, graphics improved leaps and bounds....and now, only now, is the generation of consoles where I think the end is finally in sight. I can't see graphics getting any more detailed or intense as they are on current gen. consoles.

 

Now, gameplay-wise, games can always be better and improved upon.

 

But...I just can't imagine how graphics could get any better.

[Mirage]

But...I just can't imagine how graphics could get any better.

 

Holodeck?

[Atarifever]

But...I just can't imagine how graphics could get any better.

 

Holodeck?

If they ever invent the holodeck, no one will ever use it for games. It will be for porn and that's all.

[+Random Terrain]

I think some of you are talking about discretionary income:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable/Discretionary_income

 

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/discretionaryincome.asp

 

 

If I can figure out how to get more of my web site visitors to pay attention to and click on the AdSense ads, I'd have discretionary income and the burdens of overabundance too.

[Vic George 2K3]

But...I just can't imagine how graphics could get any better.

Holodeck?

If they ever invent the holodeck, no one will ever use it for games. It will be for porn and that's all.

 

That's YOUR useage of it. Mine would be just to go to the beach everyday.

[Atarifever]

But...I just can't imagine how graphics could get any better.

Holodeck?

If they ever invent the holodeck, no one will ever use it for games. It will be for porn and that's all.

 

That's YOUR useage of it. Mine would be just to go to the beach everyday.

I've never understood the appeal of beaches. Give me the woods any day. But then, once the temperature gets up over room temperature, I pretty much find the earth uninhabitable, so I don't much like beach weather. It's my view that if you're sweating from the heat, you're either not far enough North, or not far enough South.

[Gregory DG]

I wouldn't say overwhelmed, I can play most games like any kid could. BUT, my attention span only goes so far. I feel like the guy that has to "try them all before I die." I get bored quickly.

[stirrell]

But...I just can't imagine how graphics could get any better.

Holodeck?

If they ever invent the holodeck, no one will ever use it for games. It will be for porn and that's all.

 

That's YOUR useage of it. Mine would be just to go to the beach everyday.

I've never understood the appeal of beaches. Give me the woods any day. But then, once the temperature gets up over room temperature, I pretty much find the earth uninhabitable, so I don't much like beach weather. It's my view that if you're sweating from the heat, you're either not far enough North, or not far enough South.

 

Yet, after the winter we've had (Maine), I think I would rather be sweating on the beach with a drink in my hand right about now. To keep it (somewhat) on topic, those were the best as a kid - the snow day! What a great time to be playing some video games.

 

I also feel overwhelmed and, yet, like many others, will buy a new game after having read or heard about how wonderful it is despite having a backlog. I figure all these great games I missed is a good way to get my gaming kicks for cheap. I buy Gamecube and other older games and I cannot imagine shelling out $60 for a new game.

Edited March 5, 2008 by stirrell

[Recycled]

Well my video gaming interests generally boil down to the "Golden Age" consoles....I find new games extremely boring...even though they are so darn pretty!!

Edited March 5, 2008 by Recycled

[+Ransom]

Overwhelmed? Not really. Not any more. I just try to exercise good judgment on what I buy, rather than being compulsive about it like I used to. For the current systems, I really prefer multiplayer games -- and preferably cooperative multiplayer games. Beyond that, I might pick up one or two games a year, such as the latest Mario or something of that sort.

 

I mean, let's face it -- most of us here already own so many games, we could never buy another one and we'd still have plenty to play for the rest of our lives. We can all afford to be picky about what we buy, and when we buy it.

 

That's a good position to be in.