Relative to what, you ask? Good question! Rate your CURRENT level of gaming fandom, compared to your lifetime MAXIMUM level of gaming fandom. So, if you're enjoying games more than you ever have, you would say 10. On the other hand, if you used to loooove games, but barely play them anymore... maybe a 1 or 2?

And after you vote, post about why. Is it a reflection of the current gaming scene? Or just a shift in the role that gaming plays in your life?

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Fair enough.

I was just pointing you to a quick and dirty list as an example of the diversity out there.

Heck, it doesn't even feature "non-indie" offerings (the space between indie and AAA).

Wonder if there's a current snapshot list of that nature out there?

The days of me putting in 2+ hours a day are long gone. I'm lucky to get in 4 hours in an entire week sometimes. I think my max fandom rating would have come awhile back either in the SNES or N64 time frame. Currently sitting at around 5.

@New Forms
Probably not much of one, because this is the area that's really dying off and leading to the gaps that Zero is talking about. My feelings are very similar to his on what I'd like to see more of and I'm not seeing much in those categories either on consoles or PC.

@DeputyVanHalen

Huh. Maybe you guys are right.

Here is another thing to keep in mind, because I recall getting into this discussion with someone else and had to clarify this before... to me "middle tier" doesn't just mean lower middle tier, it means the entire spectrum of the middle tier, which includes stuff that is practically upper tier, just not quite at that level. I know that there is a lot of indie stuff out there that goes beyond a single guy in a coffee shop making it, and you could probably call some of the bigger indie productions middle tier, but I think they would still be mostly lower middle tier to erm... middle middle tier?

To me stuff like Persona, Maximo, Ace Combat, etc. are all kind of middle middle tier to upper middle tier stuff. I'm just speculating, of course, since I have no idea how much was actually put into them, but I imagine they had pretty big teams (30? 50? etc.?) of people working on them for a few years to get them into the shape they were. I'm sure they probably weren't pushing Halo / Grand Theft Auto / Elder Scrolls / etc. level budgets, but I'm also sure they weren't really close to indie budgets either. I imagine.

I think that is the type of game that has been suffering a lot lately, and that is a big enough financial investment that publishers and developers are fearing to take many risks with that level of game. It also happened to be the type of game that a lot of my favorite PS2 games were, and I'm not seeing as much on PS3... or at least as much with as much variety.

@Secret_Tunnel I don't enjoy playing games on a computer. I recognise that I'm deliberately ignoring some of the variety out there by doing so, but it just isn't worth it to me. I've also never really liked indie games in general, they're typically too simplistic/basic for my tastes. I still want games with relatively large budgets and scope, but on a TV console, or handheld as a back-up, but TV is preferred. I could elaborate further, but it looks like I missed a big conversation on this already, and people like Zero are already saying things similar to what I would say.

I haven't heard of any 3D platformers or 3D puzzle games on the PC though. That doesn't mean they don't exist, but they must not be popular if they do.

What I actually want is stuff more specific than my original statement, I was just summarizing it for brevity's sake.

@Mop it up

I'm the same way actually; I would prefer to play games on a nice locked-down console, which is why I'm heavily considering getting a Vita this Christmas despite the fact that every game I want for it is also on PC. I keep telling myself that that doesn't really make sense, but at the same time, interface does matter a lot. When Hotline Miami 2 comes out, I'm gonna want the optimum experience.

@Mop it up

Antichamber, Quantum Conundrum, and Q.U.B.E. spring immediately to mind for recent stuff, but I'm not 100% versed in the genre.

I'd say an 8.

Work stops me from playing as much as I used to, but I still get the games I want on the day they come out, I spend most of my day posting on a videogame themed site, I look at the world in terms of "how much do you think that guy weighs?" so I can put him in my NCAA game, I'm wearing a Castlevania shirt right now, I listen to videogame music in my car, and nearly 100% of my free time is doing something "Nintendo."

@Pokefreak911

Welp, looks like you've got a lot to look forward to then.

You're welcome.

@New Forms Wow, this is what passes for a game on the PC? Antichamber is like the pen and ink mode cheat in some older games, how boring. Q.U.B.E. looks bland too, but at least the gameplay looks slightly interesting. Quantum Conundrum is the only one of those three that's something I'd actually want to try, although fortunately that isn't a PC-only game.

Mop it up said:

@New FormsWow, this is what passes for a game on the PC?

They certainly aren't on the same level as Tetrisphere.

@Mop it up

If only there was some magical way to play PC games on a TV with a controller...

@Secret_Tunnel Just to be clear here, my first statement was just about Antichamber. The other two games look professional.

@Jargon Was this condescension really warranted? Regardless, I'm aware of the options for PC on TV, it's that I don't want to spend the money on a gaming-quality computer.

@Secret_Tunnel Can't tell if serious or not.

Tetrisphere was awesome though.

@Zero

One of my favorite N64 games of all time along with my universal favorite soundtracks of all time. I think I still have a CD copy of the soundtrack floating around here somewhere.

I remember renting Tetrisphere cold from Blockbuster back in '97 and realizing within 10 minutes after firing it up that I'd be heading to EB the next day to buy my own copy.

@Mop it up

You're reading condescension into a light hearted ribbing

@Jargon Ah, sorry, my mistake. Things can be difficult to tell in text sometimes. Also, re-reading what you referenced, I see I wasn't exactly clear on what I meant, so I'll try to be more careful with that as well.

@New Forms
Music was indeed godly but I never fully got the gameplay.

New Tetris's music was just as good (Neil Voss! What happened to him?) and I personally preferred the gameplay.

Right now I'm at a 7, but a few months ago, my interest in gaming was at the lowest it had ever been in my entire life. At that time, the Wii U was looking incredibly disappointing for the near future (still kind of is, but I feel a bit better about things) and I finally realized that I have absolutely zero interest in the PS4 and Xbox One, which was kind of hard for me to accept.

The peak of my love for video games was during the GCN/PS2/Xbox generation. I was so passionate about this hobby. I bought so many games for all three consoles. I was always finding something new and exciting to play. The PS2's library was unbelievable. Nintendo released some unbelievable games, most notably Metroid Prime. The Xbox had some incredible stuff to play, like Halo, Knights of the Old Republic and Ninja Gaiden. I was so IN LOVE with everything gaming related.

I don't really feel that way at all anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old but the industry as a whole is very boring to me these days. If it weren't for the occasional Nintendo game and some stuff coming from indies, I think I'd be done with modern gaming. It's just not doing it for me anymore.

The reason I'm a 7 though is because a couple months ago, I gave up on Nintendo doing anything meaningful with the Wii U VC and just started buying Wii Points cards for original Wii VC whenever I could find some in stores. I've been downloading and playing lots of TG-16, Neo-Geo, SNES and Genesis games via the Wii VC over the past two months and it's been extremely enjoyable for me. I'm having a blast going back through the golden age of gaming. I've also recently played through Pikmin 3 and New Super Luigi U and both games were incredibly enjoyable. I'm hoping games like Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, X, Shovel Knight, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros. and Bayonetta 2 can bring even more love for games back into my soul.

@carlosrox

Yeah, Tetrisphere's gameplay was a bit odd at first blush, but after it clicks it's really awesome.

I think it's WAY more fun than standard Tetris gameplay.