new to the site, wondering if you're not an rpg fan

[DrLitch]

Do folks here not play more than one game at a time? You do not have to play an RPG for 40hours and only that. No breaking it up? Not long ago I was doing Dead Cells and Nier Replicant, an hour chunk on one, another hour or two on the other, save, play again when time allows.

I for one would prefer to see the Critic focus on some newer games, even more RPG like ones. I do not mind waiting a few weeks and nothing stops the Critic from putting an hour or two inbetween for another title. Got to pace it out, even the best RPG's get tiresome after a while of continual play - you know, too much of one thing.....

[Robotrek]

Shout-out to Robotrek for digging up a nearly 17-year-old thread. I love it!!

He can review 20 games in the time it takes to play through a single RPG

They are not my favorite genre but I think I would enjoy them more if I had more time

You know, it's funny how much this logic applies to my own life, as well.

In my youngest gaming years, I didn't care for RPGs at all. But this was also back during a time when most games in the genre were made for PCs (think Ultima and The Bard's Tale) and my family did not own a home computer until the mid-90s. But I loved arcades, and I loved the quick-fix games we had for the 2600 and NES. I could blast those walkers in the Atari version of The Empire Strikes Back all day, let me tell you...

I didn't really dig into RPGs until I started playing tabletop games in my teens. Then, it was on! That was practically the only sort of video game I played for a stretch of a few years, crossing all sorts of series and genres. Wizardry, Ultima, Dragon Warrior, Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy... the list goes on. If I had access to the PC, handheld, or console to play it on, I tried it.

But as I got older, burnout set in a bit, and my time became more and more precious. Girlfriends. Art School. And, yeah, work, I guess. Heh. I also felt that each new RPG I played felt more and more derivative. For me, it was less of a dislike for the genre, more of the point that I knew my time was limited, and if a game didn't "grab me" within the first hour or so, I did not want to be there for the long haul. Especially with later story-driven RPGs that could take hundreds of hours.

That rule applies nowadays, too. I feel for the expectations that The Critic places upon himself to keep the reviews coming. Myself, my gaming time is so limited, I have to choose the best way to spend the few hours each week that I have available. In most cases, I want a quick-fix game. But every now and then, I'll play a longer game that really draws me in. If that happens, though, I have to almost schedule time out of my day to play it, to work it into my day around the rest of my life.

Not ideal. But, sometimes, the experience can be worth it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Secret of Mana review last year. What a great game! And what a time commitment!! I still own my original copy from way-back-when, but I haven't touched it in decades. It's hard to find the time. But to hear The Critic devote the time and energy to it - especially knowing the pressures of keeping the reviews flowing on the site - is really something. A long game should not be a chore, though in my own experiences, it can be hard to find one that does not feel that way after a while.

In the meantime I have an "RPG crew"... If anybody wants to participate in that let me know.

As a member of the RPG Crew, I am all for expanding it! I personally feel that I haven't done much to "pull my weight," aside from pitching in some impressions and memories for the Phantasy Star IV review. But I love seeing the enthuiasm on those boards, and though I may not play many RPGs these days, I like to think I have a vast knowledge of titles from the past. I love comparing my memories and experiences of older titles with the enthusiasm other crew members have for newer games.

If there's room for me, there's certainly room for more, too

I enjoy digging up old threads. The world of gaming has changed a LOT since 2005. This post was pre 7th gen. The perspectives are fun to revisit.