A Discerning Gamers Hustle

[[mXm] BOLD Edition]

Ever since my son was born in 2010, my gaming hustle has changed considerably. The late-night multi-hour stretches have transformed into intense one to two hour bursts of gameplay; long after my wife and son have gone to bed (Disclaimer: I have always only gamed after my wife has gone to bed, and now after they both have done so). The net result is that the way I choose which games I will play is much more discerning, now. I don't play every new thing under the sun.

I primarily focus on multiplayer, open-world games that usually have long-term subscriptions for DLC. Rare is the single-player game added to my library (and they usually will be on the Vita). For multiplayer games I tend to focus on having usually no more than 1 of a type (e.g. 1 solid fps, 1 solid MMO, 1 solid action RPG, etc). This all sounds ridiculously more restrictive and complicated than it is; but it does allow for me to focus on a couple of important aspects to my gaming hustle:

* having what I personally consider the best game in its class (for me)

* having a manageable number of (long-term) games that I can focus on 100% achievement

* having the right games so that no matter the mood, there is always an excellent choice in the library (I never want games in my library I will never play)

Right now, the games in my library will consist of whatever "gold/platinum/snoop lion-y" version of that published title exists. Based on what I have and what's happening at E3 right now, it looks like my 2014-2015 is primarily going to consist of the following (and it would be nice to see the clan weigh in on titles for where they think they'd be putting in time because 1) i'd love to play with you and actually be a card carrying member of the clan and 2) we all have diverse gaming hustles, so I want to see how I match up!):

Multi:

* Watch Dogs

* Destiny

* The Division

* Final Fantasy XIV

* GTA V

* Battlefield: Hardline (because we all need that perfect, mindless, 10-30 minute "Kill 'em All" joint in our library that we are willing with PUG with anyone!)

* Helldivers

Single:

* Infamous

* MGS V (I have never bothered with the multiplayer on this series because the mechanics have never been enjoyable)

* Transistor

Hmm, ten titles, seems diverse enough and the number of titles could keep me busy for a long time trying to get close to 100%. So, that's my discerning gamers schtick. I realize I left off a racing game and sports game; neither of which I invest heavily in at this point. I used to be on the Madden pro-gamers circuit and after many years of that, have retired ;) I also competed in Gran Turismo tourneys, so I'm a bit spent (is there really a better racing simulation than Gran Turismo?)

Marvel. Marvel at my gaming eccentricity! Seriously though. What's your gaming hustle?

[[mXm] 404 Not Found]

Clarence,

You, my man, understand the dilemma of a hardcore gamer turned dad lifestyle. In the peak of my days, I played SOCOM non-stop and rarely ate or slept. I would be up on the latest AAA titles and bought every game that peaked my interest, and would be the "go to" guy in my circle of friends to ask if a game was worthy of a purchase or not.

I understand what you mean by "best in class" per genre as being a father of young children, you only have time for one game per genre.

I know a lot of people have moved on from Call of Duty, but I find its style of play much more fitting for jump in and out gameplay more so than BF4. I am not a fanboy by any means, but I found BF4 to be somewhat of a letdown. For all of the hype it received and the launch being a disaster, it will prevent me from adopting BF: Hardline until I hear positive things on the stability of that game. Fool me once, shame on you... full me twice... you know the drill.

For me, I find myself playing:

WatchDogs

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare/Ghosts (My go to FPS for my lifestyle and enjoy it.)

MLB14 The Show

No Mans Sky (really has peaked my interest and it is also random generated content each time)

Minecraft PS4

The Division. ( I am prepared for the overhype like WatchDogs. It will be a great game but will not get over excited until I play it.)

The Last of Us Remaster: Favorite overall game of PS3. Want this for the DLC since I traded this and want to see the enhancements and experience this gem of a game again.)

Destiny is leaving me feeling a bit underwhelmed as it doesn't look that impressive to me. Call me crazy, but for the budget they have put into that game, I am lacking the WOW factor as it looks like everything else out there. That 7 minute gameplay trailer I stopped watching after 5min because it left me feeling MEH. I hope I am wrong but that's the vibe I got.

VITA:

Spelunky

MLB 14 The Show

Killzone Mercenary (My go to shooter there as well as BOT MODE!)

Hotline Miami (looking forward to 2)

Borderlands 2

I still need to finish Tomb Raider (Definitive Edition on PS4) and Assasin's Creed Black Flag as Ive barely scratched that.)

I am sure I am missing games that I will buy (like GTA V PS4 and DriveClub) but that's where I am right now.

When baseball season is over (I coach 13-15 yr old kids) and summer hits, I will have a lot more free time to game.

Anybody else want to share?

O~

[[mXm] andy19]

Once I get my PS4 later this year, the games I'm initially investing in (as planned at this point, may change) are:

 

H-Hour - already purchased. This is a no brainer.

NHL 15 - I'm a huge fan of NHL, and get the release every other year.  This year's looks to be amazing, and I'll only be picking it up on PS4, doesn't make sense to get it for PS3.

Battlefield: Hardline - I've always preferred the BF series over CoD, and the new CoD is a little too futuristic for me.

Watch Dogs

The Division

GTA:V (possibly) - I haven't made up my mind about this one yet. I had it for PS3, grew tired of it fairly quickly, however if we have more clanmates with it I may pick it up again.

 

With Helldivers being cross-play compatible, I'll be getting it regardless. Which system will depend on when it gets released.

 

That's my list for 2014/2015. My time will probably consist 75% of NHL and BF, with the other 25% going to the rest.  Of course I'll usually hop on whatever game other clanmates are on at the time.

[[mXm] BalzOnYer4Head]

Great OP. With the current availability of games for the PS4, gaming has taken a back seat to life, however with the new crop of games coming for end of this year and next, I do have my eyes set on a few titles. 

 

Currently am playing Watchdogs. In an interesting spin for me on how I usually play open world games, I am not just blasting through the campaign story. The "side missions" I have found entertaining and rewarding all at once. Completing these missions unlock higher tier awards such as vehicles and weapons (love the spec ops mac 10(or whatever it is called in game)). As a result I have only gotten through the first mission of Act II in the Campaign. For the most part I have been ignoring the online aspect of the game (if any of you are hitting me up with challenges, text me or send me a FB message to let me know its you, and I will surely play)

 

Now for the future...BF:Hardline is on the radar but like Odie stated, BF4 was a supreme let down and I am now gun shy at this being a launch day purchase. Although, I am really missing having a great shooter to get on and frag with all my mXm homies. H-Hour can not get here fast enough. Hopefully Tom is having some luck at E3.

 

No Man's Sky has really peaked my interest as that sort of game is right up my alley, but I hold reservation on that too as what the game intends to do just seems so ambitious, not sure if it can be pulled off on a big scale.

 

Destiny may simply be purchased because I just want to get back together with the clan fragging the way we do. It does appear to be more of a team shooter than say a COD type shooter. However due to the developer, and their tendency for wacky guns, I have reservations about that as well.

 

The Division is certainly still on the list and will probably be a launch title for me. It is definitely mXm style of squad based gameplay, with a future tech spin on it. 

 

There are a few racing games on the horizon for the PS4 but will be watching the news and reviews coming from these titles before making a purchase as I am a bit picky about my racing games.

 

Lastly, the space nerd in me simply adores Kerbal Space Program. It is on the PC (and I usually do not play pc games because of the sheer PITA factor) and that in itself sounds off for how much I like it. Building probes, rovers, satellites, space stations, and rockets to put all of that stuff into orbit or on to other celestial bodies is just pure NASA nerd fun for me. (It also comes with its pains.. Like building a lander for another planet, successfully getting it into low earth orbit (LEO), rendezvous and docking with your fuel station you earlier put into LEO, flying all the way to the planet, successfully entering its atmosphere and landing, only to find out that you did not put the ladder in the right spot and now your Kerbalnaut is stranded on said planet's surface and unable to get back in to the lander.) All you can do is laugh and facepalm.

The mod community for it is very strong, and the mods are easy to install.

 

Whatever games come out, I can not wait for us to all get back together and do some regular fragging.

[[mXm] andy19]

Ah yes, I completely forgot about the racing aspect. I think Driveclub will be a guaranteed buy for me.  It's the only racer that I've seen on the radar for PS4, and the trailers look amazing.

Looking into it, the racing genre has some slim pickings on PS4 so far.

 

And to address BOLDEdition's (probably rhetorical) question, I used to be a Gran Turismo fanboy, but I've been coming back to Forza over and over again.  I've been converted, and I hate that it's an Xbox exclusive.

I truly believe Forza is a better racing simulator, and overall better game.  It's the only reason I haven't sold my Xbox 360.

[[mXm] BOLD Edition]

It's great to hear how each of you approaches gaming and which games you are looking forward to. I watched some footage of No Man's Sky today and now my interest is peaked as well. Thanks Chad for mentioning it! The whole procedural aspect of the game could add some unique value.

I am also keeping my eye on Evolve; it is being developed by the creators of Left 4 Dead, which I enjoyed a lot. Maybe some of you will be interested in that one? Crossing my fingers that Transistor will get ported to the Vita; I have been playing it via remote play (and it plays like it should be a Vita title).

ODlN and Balz raise some good points about Destiny as well as BF4. To be honest, I am banking on Bungie having created a new property worth sinking my gaming teeth into, because I always wanted HALO type game for the playstation. I owned an XBOX for a few years in between PS2/PS3 and played the hell out of HALO exclusively. The narrative, lore and gameplay that was HALO really pulled me in. As far as Battlefield: Hardline, I still romanticize about "cops and robbers". PAYDAY 2 didn't really hit me how I wanted and so I am considering Hardline. I may skip it altogether though; especially if Destiny is solid; there may not be a need for me to have another FPS at that point. I actually prefer the third-person (SOCOM, The Division) class of games.

BTW, I am really enjoying Watch Dogs; I am playing it opposite of Balz. Instead of doing the side-missions and going for those achievements, I am basically campaigning exclusively, save for the crime interventions which I keep randomly accepting on accident. I've been doing the online hacking (it is really hard to find the other fixers and stop them from hacking you!) and will keep that up; hopefully some of you start getting into the multi so we can play that together.

Thanks again for sharing; this subject has been something I've never really talked about but had a pretty solid perspective on my gaming hustle at this point in my life. Speaking of which, I cannot wait to get off shift, so I can sleep a bit then hit the road on my motorcycle. I saw some footage other riders had captured from parts of the route I have planned. Rain or shine, its going to be a fun ride!

[[mXm] BalzOnYer4Head]

The Crime Interventions are a mission of necessity. Intervene on a few crimes here and there, builds up my reputation bar, so I can run over some more pedestrians, which happens inadvertently as  I play through the game. Ignore that reputation bar, and let it slide to the negative side, and you'll spend way more time then you want to waving your gun at pedestrians so they will stop calling 911.

[[mXm] BOLD Edition]

In keeping with my discerning gamers hustle (in this case, getting the super-digital versions of all the games I purchase), I will be getting the newly announced "Destiny Digital Guardian Edition". Basically this is the edition that will give you access to future DLC's and up-front extras when you purchase the game. I am pleased my patience won out in this case, because I was too tempted to purchase the digital $59 edition (so I could play the Beta). Fortunately the Alpha release satisfied my curiosity in the meantime.

http://tinyurl.com/ov7a5do