Due to my now limited quality time with my PS2, I have had to make a very difficult gaming decision. My everyday life is now filled with enough challenges and frustrations, and I have no room for any more in my hobby. Therefore, I will only play games that entertain me, and will avoid those that aggravate me.
I am on the final level of Psychonaughts, and have enjoyed the game up to this point. However, developers decided to include a nearly impossible platforming challenge that must be completed prior to the final boss battle. The old me would’ve labored through this miserable portion of the game because I love the rest of the title and have gotten involved in the story. That me had too much time on his hands, and the new me just has better things to do.
It used to kill me to have to give up on a game because it was too hard (Maximo: Ghosts to Glory almost caused an emotional breakdown). I would always play through every game that I enjoyed until completion. Those days are gone. I have always been able to give up on bad or poorly designed games without any negative emotions other than the feeling that I had wasted my money.
So now I am a weak gamer. I’m afraid it’s the only option. If I kept replaying the difficult levels of games until I finished them, I would complete roughly two games per year. I’d just rather spend the little time of I have enjoying games with fast and fun action that do not require a third thumb and ninja-like reflexes to master.
Luckily, I can still enjoy all of the mindless shooters and fighting games that I remember so fondly from childhood. You’ll notice my now playing list has dwindled, but I’ll always have time for the Gungraves, Ratchet and Clanks, Sly Coopers, Onimusha’s, Street Fighters, and other assorted classics that have always been my favorites. All games with an easy difficulty option or cheat codes, beware!