|
Every so often I find myself wishing things were simpler. It would be nice to go back to a time when I didn't know the difference between a publisher and a developer, and I wouldn't have cared if you had told me. Sure, when i was younger, games - especially RPGs - were scarce, but that meant i had more time to play them. I didn't care who was making what, as long as when I got my hands on the game, I had fun with it. I remember having days, even months, to play through Final Fantasy IV multiple times without having to rush through it for the next game or worry about my increasing backlog. People really got to know about games, instead of playing one for two or three hours and jumping to the next, shiny game to appear.
But this is not just a problem with having a gaming overload, as much as people not getting to experience everything that's out there because of such an overload. Sure there are plenty of things to keep a diverse group of gamers happy, but it is so easy to miss out on things. As a younger gamer, I was just happy whenever a new RPG would come out that I would play it regardless of any other factor. Now when a new RPG hits, we ask: how did it score? What other games has this developer made? What is the localization team's track record? Is there a good pre-order bonus or special edition? What do the graphics look like? The list goes on. Now as gamers, we have to make these snap judgments on RPGs, because there is no time to play everything.
It was nice when we didn't have to worry about what something scored in Famitsu when it was announced for NA release, we just got excited at the thought of getting another RPG. Now we get so much from Japan that is it not even funny. Not that we get everything (yes, I'm looking at you Mother 3 and Tales series), but we have what we want and are spoiled. These days everything has to be perfect or many gamers won't even look twice at a game. If a developer messes up once, we never trust them again. If a localization team screws up a single release, we aim away from them. We also miss out on games that could possibly be great. While I'm glad that smaller publishers like Atlus, XSEED, and NIS America have come along to bring us new and unique titles, it is sometimes a mixed blessing, because we don't always get to enjoy what they bring us. It's like getting three birthday cakes and only eating a small sampling of one. Do I wish that things were back the way they once were? No, we've come too far and I enjoy the way things are, but sometimes I can't help but look back on the simple days with fondness.
|
RSS feed
iTunes