An embarrassment of riches

antonvaltaz · 26 November 2009, 20:28

Does anyone else find that the problem with retrogaming is the overabundance of games, and deciding just what to play - since there is no way to have time to play more than a fraction of what's on offer?

Back in the day you'd not only have more time with less responsibilities, but access to far fewer games - even if you copied them, you were limited to what your mates had.

Now with every old game ever readily available, all too often my indecision means I don't really 'get into' a game properly, as I play something for a few minutes but want to try something else too...

TCD · 26 November 2009, 20:34

Sometimes less is indeed more

When I started with emulation I didn't know about TOSEC and grabbed the games from everywhere. I then tried to make them run and when it worked, would also give it a fair shot. Turned out that I missed some really good games 'back in the day' (tm) Now I try to focus on one or two games, but if I get annoyed with one I usually just stop playing it instead of forcing myself to get through it. That's the snobbish side of it I guess, because there are still loads of games to be played

Thorham · 26 November 2009, 20:49

There are of course a lot of games that aren't worth your time at all. Those can be skipped easily. As you probably know, HOL has magazine reviews for most Amiga games, and that could save you a lot of time. I usually think of what kind of game I want to play, and then I look up suitable ones on HOL.

antonvaltaz · 26 November 2009, 21:22

I have to say, I absolutely love the HoL and AMR sites (along with Lemon Amiga, if that's not heresy on EAB!), but I certainly don't find they make it any easier for me to be decisive - instead, they always remind me of forgotten classics or lead me to discover some hidden gem - so I end up being even less sure how to spend my precious little retrogaming time! :-)

Bamiga2002 · 26 November 2009, 22:52

Yes i often find myself trying to decide what to play from my huge Wangipad-gamelist, but i've learned to focus on a few games at a time...until i decide to fiddle with some more and more games

. At some point it's safe to return to some classics, like OrkAttack, IK+, R-Type, Double Dragon 2, SWIV etc. the list is almost stupidly large!

cosmicfrog · 27 November 2009, 07:54

I wait till someone suggests a game on here that I`ve never seen or played then i go and try it out if it looks intresting, what i like though is if I had the originals of all the retro games I have I would`t be able to get in the flat for all the boxes

Jope · 27 November 2009, 10:56

I mainly play the same games as I used to as a kid. The vast libraries of games are useful when you have a retrogaming session with someone else. Their favourites are often different, and you might be introduced to some gems.

Then again, I don't have these systems mainly for retrogaming, so I'm probably not the person to ask anyway. :-)

humble worm · 27 November 2009, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jope

I mainly play the same games as I used to as a kid.

Me too, on regular basis I play only the games I played in the "golden age" no hidden gems I did not know back then for me. Maybe I am too old to get into an Amiga game (got used to more advanced games, better gfx etc) or maybe I just knew the best titles and if something was obscure it was mostly because it was just bad... 90's piracy provided good selection.

BrooksterMax · 27 November 2009, 11:37

Yes definitely I have the same issue, I can play a game for 5 mins or so then move on to the next because of the huge library available to me.

I also find it difficult to balance with the new games that I have on my 360. There is only so much time!

seuden · 27 November 2009, 11:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrooksterMax

Yes definitely I have the same issue, I can play a game for 5 mins or so then move on to the next because of the huge library available to me.

I also find it difficult to balance with the new games that I have on my 360. There is only so much time!

+1

Muzkat · 27 November 2009, 12:20

Yes, I certainly have that issue. With such an overabundance of games, and with even more titles available with a click of the mouse, I sometimes feel swamped and overwhelmed.

And that's just trying to play and experience the (long list of) titles that I like, let alone attempting to complete them.

It was better when I was a kid, and my focus was aimed at a couple of games at a time, purely because I didn't have that many games, and I never knew when the next new game would arrive. I would even concentrate on titles that I didn't particularly like, just because it was there and there were no other titles to snare my interest away. In doing so, I'd develop a love for games I'd originally dismissed.

I also have the same issue with PC games at the present moment. My hard drives are loaded and nearing saturation point.

Dan Locke · 28 November 2009, 04:00

I know exactly what you mean. I'll go through a game database and download every game that catches my attention in the slightest, then get through about a level in each one before moving on to the next. It doesn't help that the ability to use savestates has turned me into an ultra-perfectionist.

26 November 2009, 20:28	#1
antonvaltaz Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Age: 43 Posts: 511	An embarrassment of riches Does anyone else find that the problem with retrogaming is the overabundance of games, and deciding just what to play - since there is no way to have time to play more than a fraction of what's on offer? Back in the day you'd not only have more time with less responsibilities, but access to far fewer games - even if you copied them, you were limited to what your mates had. Now with every old game ever readily available, all too often my indecision means I don't really 'get into' a game properly, as I play something for a few minutes but want to try something else too...

26 November 2009, 20:34	#2
TCD HOL/FTP busy bee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Germany Age: 46 Posts: 31,517	Sometimes less is indeed more When I started with emulation I didn't know about TOSEC and grabbed the games from everywhere. I then tried to make them run and when it worked, would also give it a fair shot. Turned out that I missed some really good games 'back in the day' (tm) Now I try to focus on one or two games, but if I get annoyed with one I usually just stop playing it instead of forcing myself to get through it. That's the snobbish side of it I guess, because there are still loads of games to be played

26 November 2009, 20:49	#3
Thorham Computer Nerd Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Rotterdam/Netherlands Age: 47 Posts: 3,749	There are of course a lot of games that aren't worth your time at all. Those can be skipped easily. As you probably know, HOL has magazine reviews for most Amiga games, and that could save you a lot of time. I usually think of what kind of game I want to play, and then I look up suitable ones on HOL.

26 November 2009, 21:22	#4
antonvaltaz Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Age: 43 Posts: 511	I have to say, I absolutely love the HoL and AMR sites (along with Lemon Amiga, if that's not heresy on EAB!), but I certainly don't find they make it any easier for me to be decisive - instead, they always remind me of forgotten classics or lead me to discover some hidden gem - so I end up being even less sure how to spend my precious little retrogaming time! :-)

26 November 2009, 22:52	#5
Bamiga2002 BlizzardPPC'less Join Date: May 2004 Location: Finland Age: 46 Posts: 3,210	Yes i often find myself trying to decide what to play from my huge Wangipad-gamelist, but i've learned to focus on a few games at a time...until i decide to fiddle with some more and more games . At some point it's safe to return to some classics, like OrkAttack, IK+, R-Type, Double Dragon 2, SWIV etc. the list is almost stupidly large!

27 November 2009, 07:54	#6
cosmicfrog The 1 who ribbits Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: leek, Staffs, UK Age: 56 Posts: 3,557	I wait till someone suggests a game on here that I`ve never seen or played then i go and try it out if it looks intresting, what i like though is if I had the originals of all the retro games I have I would`t be able to get in the flat for all the boxes

27 November 2009, 10:56	#7
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	I mainly play the same games as I used to as a kid. The vast libraries of games are useful when you have a retrogaming session with someone else. Their favourites are often different, and you might be introduced to some gems. Then again, I don't have these systems mainly for retrogaming, so I'm probably not the person to ask anyway. :-)

27 November 2009, 11:37	#9
BrooksterMax Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Norfolk UK Age: 43 Posts: 433	Yes definitely I have the same issue, I can play a game for 5 mins or so then move on to the next because of the huge library available to me. I also find it difficult to balance with the new games that I have on my 360. There is only so much time!

27 November 2009, 12:20	#11
Muzkat Into the Wonderful Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Earthrealm Age: 42 Posts: 1,426	Yes, I certainly have that issue. With such an overabundance of games, and with even more titles available with a click of the mouse, I sometimes feel swamped and overwhelmed. And that's just trying to play and experience the (long list of) titles that I like, let alone attempting to complete them. It was better when I was a kid, and my focus was aimed at a couple of games at a time, purely because I didn't have that many games, and I never knew when the next new game would arrive. I would even concentrate on titles that I didn't particularly like, just because it was there and there were no other titles to snare my interest away. In doing so, I'd develop a love for games I'd originally dismissed. I also have the same issue with PC games at the present moment. My hard drives are loaded and nearing saturation point.

28 November 2009, 04:00	#12
Dan Locke Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: USA Posts: 111	I know exactly what you mean. I'll go through a game database and download every game that catches my attention in the slightest, then get through about a level in each one before moving on to the next. It doesn't help that the ability to use savestates has turned me into an ultra-perfectionist.

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