Ever played a game that you liked, or wanted to like but struggled so much with either the mechanics or choices in combination with mechanics that you ended up walking away? This has happened to me more than I am comfortable with and wanted to list out my current gaming shortcomings.
CRPGs
Deep epic fantasy classic role-playing games are my absolute favorite. Baldurs Gate 3 has firmly solidified that with its incredible production values (graphics, writing, voice acting, etc.). Though I love this genre of video game, the depth of some of these games is overwhelming and I don’t always quickly grasp the mechanics and build choice impacts on the mechanics which can hose a playthrough (I’m looking at you owlcat games). I’m slowly getting better at this, but remains an area I need to work on.
TRPGs
I absolutely love tactical role-playing games (TRPGs). Despite this love, I rarely finish them. I’ve noticed that toward the end of TRPGs, there’s a level of difficulty that ramps up which simply isn’t enjoyable. I think I wouldn’t have this issue if I could handle the difficulty spikes with smarter build choices earlier in the game. That’s something I look forward to working on as I play more of these games I love.
Souls Likes
It took me well over a decade to respect souls like games. When Dark Souls originally came out and a particular friend of mine gushed about how great it is and it took him 20 or 30 times (which would be hours) to beat a boss I thought he was crazy. At the time I was a project manager leading multiple multi-million dollar technology projects for a multi-billion dollar company, I had recently been blessed with a newborn baby and wrapping up my Master’s degree. The concept of spending what little free time I had banging my head against a single boss to play exactly how the game wanted me to in order to move on to another more difficult boss felt like some kind of torture. I didn’t understand nor did I want to.
Fast forward 10 years and on a lark (and because people wouldn’t shut up about being so excited about Elden Ring coming up to be released… I had heard it was a revelation because they added a jump button which was game-changing) I decided to retry the original Dark Souls. I got through the tutorial, enjoyed the character build depth, and started to understand the appeal of the challenge. I have also tried Dark Souls 2, the PS5 Demon Souls remake, and Bloodborne. I’ve enjoyed them all, though have not finished them, to varying degrees. Elden Ring eventually released and it was the most Zelda game I had played in many years. I’ve respected Souls-likes ever sense, but I’m here to tell you I’m no good at them.
Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs)
DOTA 2, League of Legends, and Heart of the Storm are all MOBAs I’ve tried. I enjoyed Heart of the Storm the most though as I get older I don’t enjoy online multiplayer games as much as I used to in my 20s. I respect the skill level these games demand, but boy do I not have it and I am not motivated to get it either.
Hitman…alikes?
The Hitman 2018 trilogy series is a game series I love and respect so much, but man I struggle playing them well. My brain works in a systematic and step-by-step way, and jumping into a game that allows so many different ways to accomplish a goal breaks me in a particularly overwhelming kind of way. I think it’s good to stretch and jump into these games, they’re beautiful, well-thought-out, funny, and enjoyable. At some point in the future I look forward to jumping back in (I’ve only gotten through a handful of levels) and finishing these types of games and improving my skill level.
Strategy Games like Crusader Kings 3
Games like Crusader Kings 3 are so attractive to me, but intimidating at the same time. They have so much depth and complexity they’re difficult to get into and require a lot of patience. I want to get into Crusader Kings 3, but need to set aside time when I have the patience to do so!
