no, I don't stop playng games because they are difficult, sometimes beating a difficult game is part of the fun. I can enjoy a difficult chalange. I stop when the game no longer interest me, when I no longer find any joy in playing it

I think it depends a lot on the game. There are certain types of games that are very difficult to make a good amount of progress with in a short 30-minute session (RPGs, strategy, city builders, MMOs). And then, if a game is very long (50+) hours, then it would take a lot of 30-minute sessions to finish it. A 50-hour game, playing 4x 30-minute sessions per week would take 25 weeks to complete - 6 months. That is a long time to be playing one game, and there is a high chance that during that time I would get distracted by something else, or my life situation could change, which would cause me to take a (possibly extended) break.

This is why, with 2 kids and a v. busy job, lately I have changed my game-playing habits - focusing on shorter (<20 hour) games and handheld console games (e.g. Nintendo 3DS), since those tend to be easier to dip into for 20-30 minutes.

However, I really like PC RPGs. I would love to play more games like Witcher 3, New Vegas or Pillars of Eternity, but i just don't have time these days for the 2+-hour play sessions those games require. That doesn't mean I 'don't want' to play those games, but I have to prioritize, based on the amount of time I have.

Do you have kids? I would like to do more exercise, but I have 2 young ones and a busy job and I often struggle to prioritize it. Honestly, things really aren't so simple, when you have school pick-up/drop-off, dinner to make, got to get them to bed, on top of a busy and demanding job.

It's very easy for someone who doesn't have kids to say that "you can always find more time ...".

You clearly aren't able to think beyond yourself, so you will never understand.

Mhmmm... some games starting over isn't an issue. But others just feel like a total slog and grind, FF13 comes to mind, along with Mystic quest.

Everyone has their own level of patience.

You are missing the point. You CHOSE the life you have. You chose your priorities. You could have chosen something else. I'm not saying you are wrong. You made your choice and that's all fine, but you were free to make a different one if that was what you truly wanted more.

And yes people with children can exercise. Maybe you have to spend less time on game forums to make room for it. But you can do it.

I would argue if you feel that way it's because FF13 is not a good enough game to be worth your time. I did not find that game to be fun. It looked nice though.

Yes, I made my life choices and chose my priorities. What is your point exactly?

Yes, playing video games is low enough down my list of priorities that it's quite common for me to start a game; not finish it; and seek to come back to it later. Which is what this thread is about - how to handle coming back to a game after not playing for some period of time.

Bottom line: there are games that I want to play (and other things that I would like to do), but I often struggle to find time. That is simply my situation, as a parent with a busy job. In an ideal world, I would very much like to join a rock band as well, but there is no way I have time for that right now.


You didn't answer my question. Do you have children?

Its like people, no?

Looking good may be nice, but what is inside must be more so.

FF13, was a very different change in ideology going forward. Out with turn based, active battle, graphical spectral, etc. Graphically, music, combat was all fine; The problem was as Noah Antwiler said, it was a hallway. You don't have any branching paths, you don't have any real options other than the next destination, and there was no side quests or anything. So a lot of fights felt the same, or were so wildly odd without explanation that you had to basically look online. (Like Snow getting his eidolin where you have him block.... over and over again... not exactly what you think of in combat). Had it not been so linear the game would have been much more fun to play.

Combat.... you had to switch gears. Instead of being the football player on the field, you became the coach instead, giving orders for them to carry out rather than taking the ball yourself (unlike nearly every FF to that point). So you went calling out 'go offense, debuff! Alright fall back and heal!' based on which paradigms you had prepped. Not all the names made sense, but looking at it that way changes how you approach playing and you keep track of their status more than you keep track of which attack you want to do next because they auto-queue the best attack within the allotment. Finally in combat there was too many hitpoints, and you're suppose to whittle down their defense, and then while they are super exposed/weak then you kick their ass. If you just try to do the best attack without going after their defenses a fight may never end. That's fine for bosses but that's it for every fight.

And like Metroid Other M, the writing for it wasn't what the target audience wanted. To heavy on lore, too heavy on playing emotions, too heavy on being a chick flick... If the gameplay is fun you can get past that a bit, but when that is the strongest thing they have, it really drags. Doesn't help the plot is mostly nonsensical and there's a codex you're expected to read to fill in details of the world.

The point was to explain to you why "You can always find time for the things you really want to do/value/care about".
I notice you are still posting instead of exercising for example.

I apologize, but I don't talk about my family. If it makes you feel better to imagine I don't, then imagine that.

That was what I remember being my biggest turn off.

I would not relate a person to a game.
I think it depends what you want from the game. It's not always the same for everyone. Game's don't really have anything inside. They just make you feel things that are already inside yourself.

Indeed. FF13-2 was a lot better. Oh there's timelines, paradoxes some puzzles and capturing monsters to be the 3rd party member, but everything was explained well enough.

FF13-3 lightning returns... A little grindy. I mean if you are playing easy then it isn't bad, and you can do all the tasks pausing time easily enough, but can't get into the upgrading weapons mechanics much unless you play normal or hard since you can't get the rare parts needed otherwise. Just getting all the outfits and getting enough gil is a bit of a pain.

(Talking about Metroid: Other M here)

Also, too heavy on stereotyping Samus, making her reliant on a male character. (At least that's my understanding.)

Another thought is this:
* Metroid Fusion was a bit of a change for the series. The game is more linear than past entries, with your exploration constrained to a limited area (no backtracking until right before the final boss, but even that is disabled once you enter a certain central area), missions given through dialog, major upgrades always obtained in the same order (no room for sequence breaking; even if you somehow do, the game may malfunction or simply not let you get the upgrade), and generally a more linear and plot-heavy game that offers less freedom.
* From what I could tell, Metroid: Other M is just a continuation of what Metroid Fusion did, taking it into 3D but keeping the same design philosophy (as opposed to, say, the design philosophy used in Super Metroid, which I think is what people would have preferred).

It's the same problem with tomb raider character, where you had a strong silent type who got the job done, and suddenly she can't do anything when in a different environment. And she can't use the tech built into her suit for.... reasons. I can understand her being told not to use missiles on a space station, but everything else is stupidly locked off behind being told she's allowed to use it. It's convoluted.

Having not played it, i'd have to agree based on other reviews of the game. Honestly they'd have been better just having her as a bounty hunter and the excuse her tech works best in the radiation presence of the chozo planet or something, meaning she might have to find alternate tech or ways to partially turn some of the more advanced features on.

But a game of her gunning down like the Megaman Maverick hunter prototype demo they showed (and cancelled) would have been interesting, collecting on bounties and seeing what she would do if she wasn't always stuck in metroidvania puzzles. Though they may have to rename it to 'Samus: Bountyhunter' so as not to let you down to expect you'd be fighting metroids... Not every game has to be exciting FPS shooting, but it should at least make sense lore-wise and with how we've played her.

I already addressed that in the bottom part you didn't quoted:
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I specifically mentioned "busy schedule" to not mix emergencies, illness, etc. in the equation, because those are another story.

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It's perfectly okay to ask for a dedicated refresher feature. However, if such thing isn't present or wouldn't be implemented, you're not left without options.