We have a conundrum. How do you decide which games to play and which to strategically skip like a teetotaller's dress-up 21st birthday? There are so many games, and so little time. It’s impossible to play them all.
I had ambitions of starting Borderlands 2 this weekend, but I now possess Resident Evil 6 and my secret addiction, Fifa 13. Then there’s Skyward Sword -- anyone who’s ever read anything I’ve written will likely know of my struggle to complete it. I inched closer last weekend, but today’s mail has greatly reduced the already low odds of me finally seeing those colourful SD credits before September ends.
I suspect it will be quite some time before I get to Borderlands 2, if at all, and October isn’t going to make it any easier. Dishonored and Pokemon, which I know you all play, will demand serious time early in the month and then it concludes with two versions of Assassin’s Creed 3. On the same day.
This happened and now Skyward Sword will continue to hate me
These are only a fraction of what’s on offer. Each week sees another four or so games released at retail, and tens, perhaps even hundreds, of downloadable games worth a look. I had to stop playing Pocket Planes because it grasped an unusual hold over me.
The only way one could possibly find the time to play all of these “AAA” releases is by joining the ranks of unemployment, but that diminishes the vital funds required to actually purchase said games.
It sure is a pickle.
Get Serious
Unless you’re Richard Branson, doing absolutely everything is impossible. Decisions must be made, but how do you come to those -- I suspect everyone will be different.
I like to play as many new release games as possibly. If I’m not writing about a game directly, I still like to try and be cool enough to talk about it. I can confirm Guild Wars 2 has a nice icon, for example. However, that leaves me with piles of unfinished games.
This probably isn’t the best tactic.
As a consumer, it’s terrible advice and the opposite of value for money. In a frugal world, you want to be able to count the number of games you buy per year on one hand and get hundreds of hours of enjoyment out a few select games.
If you buy Black Ops 2 for $100 and only play it for 20 hours, you’re basically paying $5 per hour. That starts to add up over the course of the year, especially if several games have play times that don’t come close to hitting double digits.
To Play Or Not To Play?
Is it easier to decide which games to play, or which not to play? I’d likely choose not to buy Fifa or PES because I already own the other, but I want to ensure I have the best online shooter come Oct-vember. Time just doesn’t permit to get lost in Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
That can be applied to nearly every genre. Hell, there are even three massive “assassin” style games in October and November, and right now, I couldn’t pick between them (Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed III and Hitman: Absolution). Perhaps then, I should be skipping entire genres, like every RPG, so I can fit in more stealth murdering. Pokemon is going to waste a lot of time on a slight variation of what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years. Is it worth it?
So, now that we’ve made absolutely no progress, I need you to deliver a verdict:
How do you decide which games to play and which to skip?
By Ben Salter