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I think I am losing interest in most single player games

O

OmegaTreeFish

Banned
-UPDATE*

This thread got a bit off track so I am adding this here to focus it a bit.

My tastes have changed as I have gotten older / life has changed. I talk about this as part of this is me being a bit bummed out trying to find recent (as in this year) single player games that interest me. Its probably because I have less time and less patience for time wasting stuff etc. However what I am interested in is your own expeiences in comparison. How have your tastes changed if at all. I sum that up at the end of this post).

Also let me say this:
I dont own any nintendo consoles. I dont want to play Zelda. I have no interest in Zelda at all. You really don't need to recommend Zelda to me.
Click to expand...

So I have been playing games most my life (I am 35). I have had moments where I play more single player than multiplayer and vice versa but in recent times I have been finding it very hard to find single player games that hook me.

For example take Horizon Zero Dawn. I havnt played anything all year really apart from SFV, a small amount of Hitman and the odd game of Overwatch. So after a few months of nothing but this (and I still enjoy playing SFV for an hour or so a few nights a week) I was finally seeing some games coming that peaked my interest. Horizon, then ME:A and then Persona 5. Awesome I thought. A nice break from the norm and time to delve into something new for a bit.

Well 8 hours in on Horizon and I am finding it really hard to care about playing it. On paper it looked amazing to me:
• Stunning visuals
• Freaking robot dinasours
• Female protagonist
• Bow as the main weapon
• Fairly decent combat for an open world game

The idea of it sounds amazing. But playing it I just feel like I have been there done that. I had the same issue with Far Cry 4 but to be fair that was so similar to Far Cry 3 its not to surprising. Speaking of farcry, maybe there is to much of that in this game and thats casuing me issues?

This isn't the only game where this has happened either. I find so few single player games that attract me anymore simply because they look so familiar to stuff I have done before.

It might be simply because I have less time. I have a wife and kid and full time job so I only really play a few nights a week. While I can technically play for 2-3 hours in a session if I want to I find it less common that I want to do this. A lot of games are so large these days that I feel I have to play for 3 hours to feel like I am progressing so maybe thats a big factor.

I know that with SFV or Overwatch I can play for an hour and get a few good matches in then turn it off. I know with hitman if a new mission comes out and can do that within 60-90 minutes. Last year with Doom I could play one mission a play session (and find all its secrets) and get 60 - 90 mins or so out of it.

I'm tempted to just shelve Horizon for now and hold off on mass effect and persona for when they are cheap because I am pretty sure the same thing is going to happen with those.

Maybe Dawn of War 3 will be different (Oh god I hope that hooks me, i loved that series.)

Whats odd is that I can load up Witcher 3 on my PS4 and happily play that for an hour and shut it off again. I think this is because I already completed it and all the DLC on PC (took me a year to do for similar reasons lol). Because I already know what happens I don't have that urge to play for 3 hours to progress the story. I can just do a few side things and shut it off again.

I guess a lot of games have just become to large in scope for me to enjoy like I used to. To much to explore, to many icons to collect, to much crafting all seem to put me off these days.

TLDR
So really my discussion points are these:
As you have got older or your life circumstances have changed have you lost interest in certain types of games?
Do you still play as many different games as possible or just stick to what you know? Are there games you know you should like but for some reason just cant get into anymore?
 
L

Loci

Member
try Zelda

I also get quite tired playing loooong Singleplayer games. BotW is freaking amazing, tho.
 
keraj37

keraj37

Member
Completely opposite for me - I stay away from MP games. That is the only reason I didn't buy Battlefield 1, as otherwise I love its graphics and would play.
 
A

Ahasverus

Member
I'm the opposite, I have to deal with people all day long at work, can't stand doing it on my leisure time. I prefer being tied only to my own pace and feel in control for once.
 
F

FallenGrace

Member
I'm 33 and just platinumed Horizon XD

I go through the odd phase where I don't feel like playing anything but that's more gaming fatigue I think. I have a full time job and a girlfriend but she is perfectly happy for me to game while she watches tv (I play with headphones on, we have two TVs set up in our front room) so I guess time is less of a factor for me.
 
O

old manatee

Banned
There just aren't as many good single player games being made these days. It's easier and more profitable to make a multiplayer game and fill it full of hooks to get small children into gambling.
 
H

Hyun Sai

Member
I'm starting to feel the contrary. Last week of MP I did was plagued by errors, rage quitters, afkers, lag, long wait time between matches. Wasted a lot of time.

I do more often short sessions of solo games and enjoy myself much more.
 
Auto_aim1

Auto_aim1

MeisaMcCaffrey
I played Nioh for like 1 or 2 hours everyday and it took me like 12 days to beat it. I have less time too. I have stopped playing MP games and will most likely be back when Destiny 2 comes out. Horizon was an excellent game too, quite enjoyable. Took my time with it and yes it did feel like Far Cry Primal in many ways but it's quite a lot of fun to play.

Maybe you should take a break from SP games. After playing Destiny non-stop for 2 years, I'm kinda enjoying all these SP games.
 
O

OmegaTreeFish

Banned
Cerium said:
Try Zelda. If you can't get into that, then perhaps there is no hope.
Click to expand...

Loci said:
try Zelda

I also get quite tired playing loooong Singleplayer games. BotW is freaking amazing, tho.
Click to expand...

I have zero interest in Zelda. And as someone who has never been into Zelda as a frachise, look at that game has everything possible to turn me off:
• Huge open world
• lots of crafting and survival stuff
• Huge time sink.
 
G

guit3457

Member
Same situation here and now I can't stop playing Zelda (I have played 20 hours and I think I have done 2% of the game lol)

I will try to play Horizon later this year.

But when I'm not in the mood to play I just play Crusader Kings II or EU IV and time flies

EDIT: ok I saw your post above
 
Mediking

Mediking

Member
Your lack of time for gaming has really taken a control of what you enjoy in a game. It happens to almost everyone.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I get that multiplayer games cater to shorter play sessions ... but they simply don't cater to my main appeal in gaming, which is to explore and adventure in some fictional locale with great art and great music. That's the main draw of single player imo. It's like a great movie you star in.

Not everyone will agree, but there are many different types of gamers, after all.
 
keraj37

keraj37

Member
Ahasverus said:
I'm the opposite, I have to deal with people all day long at work, can't stand doing it on my leisure time. I prefer being tied only to my own pace and feel in control for once.
Click to expand...

You said exactly what I was missing in my post. I feel the same.

Playing games for me is very private and intimate moment, that shouldn't be spoiled by unpleasant presence of other people.
 
O

Octavianus

Banned
It's the opposite for me. Used to play a lot of fps games online as a teen but I haven't done that in about a decade now.

There are some games I enjoy playing with others like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8, but even with those I like the single player more.
Single player usually feels a lot more pick up and play which is perfect for me as I usually play games in short bursts of like 30 minutes up to an hour at a time. With online you have the hassel of having to wait around for other players.
I also have a slight preference for handhelds over consoles / pc for the same reasons.

Also, with open world games, most of them don't really do it for me. Other than Breath of the Wild (which is very much the exception) I havent really felt motivated to explore the worlds in these games for various reasons so I usually just end up going from quest to quest and it ends up feeling like a chore. Bethesda's worlds, Assasins Creed and Witcher III's world do nothing for me, for example.
I generally prefer more linear or at least more tightly designed game worlds
 
C

CyanideFuse

Member
I am tired with open world busy-work single player games. Crafting, grinding, a million-and-one sub missions that are all pretty much the same just don't do it for me. This sort of thing seems to be the rage: fill the map with as many icons as possible.

My time is at a premium for the forseeable future so I prefer a tighter linear experience. Doom was a gift to gaming for me because the length of it was right and it was a directed experience. Plus it was a amazing fun.

If I could wipe my memory and replay Doom 2016 and Ori and the Blind Forest then my gaming needs would be fulfilled.
 
S

Serious Sam

Member
As I get older I am completely losing interest in all multiplayer games, meanwhile my interest in Single Player games is constantly growing.

I just have no patience any more to get annoyed by random 360° deaths in your Battlefields, no patience for kiddies screaming in your Call of Duties, and definitely no interest at all in all these competitive MOBAs or whatever they are called.
 
C

Cerium

Member
OmegaTreeFish said:
I have zero interest in Zelda. And as someone who has never been into Zelda as a frachise, look at that game has everything possible to turn me off:
• Huge open world
• lots of crafting and survival stuff
• Huge time sink.
Click to expand...

Forget everything you think you know, and then try the game.
 
nekkid

nekkid

It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Opposite for me as well. I have less time to reliably commit to MP, so having a good SP that I can dip in and out of at my leisure is a much better gaming experience for me.
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Due to work and trying to have a social life, I've given up on JRPGs. They just take too damn long (and them mostly having godawful stories doesn't help either). I just have very little time for gaming these days, but lately Horizon's been keeping me occupied, and then Nier is coming this week.. Gonna be a busy time the next few months. I have absolutely no time for or interest in MP games though, I play nothing but SP.
 
O

OmegaTreeFish

Banned
Mediking said:
Your lack of time for gaming has really taken a control of what you enjoy in a game. It happens to almost everyone.
Click to expand...

This is prob it really. At least in part. Other things are not really playing games for there story only or likeing long stints of traveling / exploring. I find it way easy to play something like the desu ex games where I am exploring a smaller but tighter designed area. But this ties back to free time. With less of it I have less patience for stuff that feels like time wasting. If a game tells me to travel across the lands and fine a secret cave 3 clicks away the last thing it does is excite me. Just teleport me to the cave so I can crack on lol.

Kingpin Rogers said:
Just try zelda, it's better than you could possibly imagine.
Click to expand...

Again, I have zero interest in Zelda. Its just not my Jam.

------------------

I think the new Dawn of War game will suit me. I grew up on strategy games and have loved this series and its mission based design seems like it will suit me much more than a lot of the AAA stuff thats released at the moment.
 
D

datwr

Member
Its like the total opposite for me, I have lost all interest in multiplayer games, I love a good coop game now and then, but otherwise its just singleplayer.

And regarding different games once again its the opposite for me, playing a way more diverse amount of games today.
When I was younger it was shooters and action games.
Now, its everything really, everything apart from multiplayer that is :p
 
D

Dimorphic

Member
Yeah I am also the opposite. Multiplayer games require a dedication and time commitment to "get good" that I am unable (or unwilling) to give where as with single player I can lose myself in a well crafted world and move at my own pace (or with good FPS campaigns enjoy a well crafted experience without the aforementioned skill requirement).
 
Z

Zojirushi

Member
I don't get the Zelda recommendations based on the OP.

Literally the first thing you do in that is climb a tower to reveal parts of the map.

OP, usually at this point you go indie. I'm in a similar situation but games like Super Hot, Abzu, Adr1ft, Inside etc. are still great and impactful and don't overstay their welcome.
 
E

EloKa

Member
I'm around your age and can only play ~ 2 single player games a year. I have the time to actually play all big single player titles each year but I just can't be bothered to do so. Once I start a single player game I have to finish it without playing any other game in between or I will loose the focus - for example I've finished FFXV in 5 days and it worked. Once I start my "traditional multiplayer pc games" in between then I know that I will never touch that single player game again. Guess I haven't finished 80% of my console games in the last years.

Guess it's a mix of "too many games" and "I need a competetive gameplay versus others" in my case. As already mentioned above I can also confirm that indie games are another good way to spend some time without playing the same games over and over again.
 
F

fireflame

Member
Single player games bring less frustration and let you more in control of what you do, this is why i prefer them over multiplayer games.

I realized the limits of MP ages ago.
 
A

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
Cerium said:
It's not like any Zelda or indeed any game you've tried before. You're doing yourself a disservice by prejudging like this.
Click to expand...

The zelda evangelism is kind of getting overboard.
 
J

Jaded Alyx

Member
This is kind of me lately (I'm 34 btw). I also seem to prefer indie/smaller games these days too. Right now all I consistently play is SFV. Couple months back, it was SFV and Overwatch.

I'm getting a Switch and Zelda is my favourite series and I'm prepared to put aside everything for that but in the back of my mind wondering if I'll lose interest and have to force myself through it.

Some weeks back I did a similar thing with Xenoblade Chronicles X as I wanted to finish it before the Switch launch. Things were progressing well and then for whatever reason, I just stopped and went back to Overwatch/SFV.

It's very strange as I specifically remember never really being into multiplayer games at all.
 
K

KooopaKid

Banned
Honestly, play Breath of the Wild. There are so many new ideas and changes to the formula that it's a breath of fresh air, pun intended. No hand holding, no quest markers if you want, NPCs giving you hints and directions the feeling of discovery and wonder, it's breathtaking.

EDIT:

OmegaTreeFish said:
I have zero interest in Zelda. And as someone who has never been into Zelda as a frachise, look at that game has everything possible to turn me off:
• Huge open world
• lots of crafting and survival stuff
• Huge time sink.
Click to expand...

And yet you bought Horizon?

OmegaTreeFish said:
On paper it looked amazing to me:
• Stunning visuals
• Freaking robot guardians
• Bow as the main weapon
• Fairly decent combat for an open world game
Click to expand...

Zelda has all of this too. Doesn't compute.
 
A

Animagne

Member
I'm the opposite. With open world game, they seem to be so condensed, that even in 30 minutes I could feel that I checked off something from the list of things to do: did some story or side quest, progressed towards better equipment or cleared some collectibles. That is never the case for me with multiplayer, that after a few matches / dungeons / whatever, it seems that you are still in the same place as you were progression wise and that it needs significantly more time commitment from you.
 
nekkid

nekkid

It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Cerium said:
Forget everything you think you know, and then try the game.
Click to expand...

Does OP have a WiiU or a Switch?

If not, then that's quite the investment into trying a game they're not sure they'd like.
 
O

OmegaTreeFish

Banned
Zojirushi said:
I don't get the Zelda recommendations based on the OP.

Literally the first thing you do in that is climb a tower to reveal parts of the map.

OP, usually at this point you go indie. I'm in a similar situation but games like Super Hot, Abzu, Adr1ft, Inside etc. are still great and impactful and don't overstay their welcome.
Click to expand...

I certainly do enjoy the odd well crafted indie from time to time. Most recent ones are Darkest dungeon (beat all first versions of bosses and about 23 hours played before stopping), FTL, Sunless sea, invisbile inc. All interesting games that can be played in small bursts.

Although I havnt had one catch my eye in a while but I did see that sunless sea sequel is coming and that wil be prob something I try.

nekkid said:
Does OP have a WiiU or a Switch?

If not, then that's quite the investment into trying a game they're not sure they'd like.
Click to expand...

No lol. Which makes the suggestions more amusing. Im not a fan of nintendos franchises in general.

PC, PS4 and mobile phone for me.
 
D

dinoroar

Banned
I am with you, or every now and then I worry that that's how I am with single player games now. I have this as a problem with open world games though, and even then it's not all. Horizon really isn't grabbing me in any way, but somehow Watch Dogs 2 and MGS V both grabbed me in huge ways. Resident Evil 7 grabbed me too, I couldn't wait to get home from work to play it.

For me it's more open world fatigue. It's nice these worlds are built, but for me the gameplay that they can offer can sometimes just feel very by the numbers. Horizon has a similar issue to what I had with Witcher for me, which is get to a new quest, follow a purple glowing path of foot prints/blood/smell, kill monster and return.

I just enjoy the more directed experiences at the moment. Inside and Resident Evil 7 are two of my favourite games of recent months. I have less time to game now 3 hours spent meandering in Horizon I find far less interesting that making 3 hours worth of progress in RE:7 or finishing Inside.

Buying A Night In The Woods tonight. Very excited.
 
B

Barrel Cannon

Member
OmegaTreeFish said:
I have zero interest in Zelda. And as someone who has never been into Zelda as a frachise, look at that game has everything possible to turn me off:
• Huge open world
• lots of crafting and survival stuff
• Huge time sink.
Click to expand...

The crafting isn't really what makes it fun. I barely play or finish many games these days and Zelda has me hooked.

Another game I got hooked on recently was SMT:FE Tokyo Mirage Sessions.
 
Comandr

Comandr

Member
Loci said:
try Zelda

I also get quite tired playing loooong Singleplayer games. BotW is freaking amazing, tho.
Click to expand...

Cerium said:
Try Zelda. If you can't get into that, then perhaps there is no hope.
Click to expand...

Kingpin Rogers said:
Just try zelda, it's better than you could possibly imagine.
Click to expand...

Cerium said:
Forget everything you think you know, and then try the game.
Click to expand...

Cerium said:
It's not like any Zelda or indeed any game you've tried before. You're doing yourself a disservice by prejudging like this.
Click to expand...

KooopaKid said:
Honestly, play Breath of the Wild. There are so many new ideas and changes to the formula that it's a breath of fresh air, pun intended. No hand holding, no quest markers if you want, NPCs giving you hints and directions the feeling of discovery and wonder, it's breathtaking.

EDIT:



And yet you bought Horizon?
Click to expand...


Holy shit. The guy doesn't want to play Zelda, wtf. He has made that abundantly clear. Why is everyone hammering on about it? That would be the fastest way to turn me off of it even more.

On topic: I'm 32 this year. It takes me a long time to play bigger games like Horizon, which I still haven't completed. With both ME and Persona coming up, I'm worried that I'll end up not being able to play much of either of them very much for a very long time; which in turn makes me less excited to play them. The last game I was able to really sink my teeth into was Nioh. I think the stage style progression helps that.

I guess taking little bites of progress every now and again is better than none at all, but if it's not appealing or you don't feel like you're going to enjoy it, then just do something else. When you have more time, the adventure will always be waiting for you.
 
P

PayOffWizard

Member
I think Overwatch has slightly ruined single player games for me. After about 30 mins of starting one i think to myself maybe ill have a quick game of Overwatch. 2 hours later i'm still playing it.
 
T

thenexus6

Member
Try something more linear I have this problem too.

As someone that recently finished Arkham Knight, Mad Max, Watch Dogs 2 and now Horizon open world fatigue is real. Try playing something more focused.
 
O

OmegaTreeFish

Banned
KooopaKid said:
Honestly, play Breath of the Wild. There are so many new ideas and changes to the formula that it's a breath of fresh air, pun intended. No hand holding, no quest markers if you want, NPCs giving you hints and directions the feeling of discovery and wonder, it's breathtaking.

EDIT:



And yet you bought Horizon?



Zelda has all of this too. Doesn't compute.
Click to expand...

OK my last response to Zelda suggestions.

I dont like Zeldas art style.
Robot guardians are not appealing in the same way Horizons robot wildlife is.
Making me put the markers on the map is giving me even more busy work to do.
If Horizon had a bunch of stuff that appeals to me and its not hooking me why would Zelda when it doesnt appeal to me in the first place?
I dont currently own Nintendo Hardware (or want to own any)


I get it, people freaking love zelda. Thats cool and I am happy for you guys but I know its not for me.
 
P

ParityBit

Member
As I get older I stay away from Multiplayer, especially when you have a family. You can not just pause and walk away from a MP game at a moments notice which becomes very important.

(plus most of the crowds I seem to find in MP are offensive/abusive and lacking social skills)
 
J

John Kowalski

Banned
I make an effort to have a more varied palate as i get older.

I also make an effort to not be limited by my personal tastes, that is to say that as i get older playing games is becoming less and less for personal enjoyment but more about dedication to the medium.
 
breakfuss

breakfuss

Member
Well, after reading the OP I immediately thought to recommend Zelda. Not even being facetious here. I'm only about 2 hours in and quite frankly it's amazing. If this can't reinvigorate your interest I'm not sure what can. But hey if you're burned out then it is what it is. Happens to a lot of us especially as we get older and time becomes more of a premium.
 
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