Gaming for the time poor (Parents)

[ImmaculateClump]

2 hours ago, Hamus said:

Are there any schmups that have progression?

 

There are, but we don't talk about those. Those sorts of games don't understand the genre and turn the experience into more of an RPG grind where you're just spending time in return for the game becoming artificially easier.

You want to steer yourself away from those sorts of mechanics if time is a currency you're short on.

 

The thing with shmups is that you are the progression. Your skill level is constantly rising.
Every minute spent playing a shmup, you are building up your shmup muscle.
You are learning from every mistake. Every lesson learned will translate to all other games in the genre. There is no such thing as a wasted run.

As the old saying goes "the more you fail, the closer you get to success"
They're all about teaching yourself through play and failure and pushing yourself to become a better player.

 

They're simple, which is great.
Precise 8 way digital movement. On/off, no inertia or acceleration, it's the same on all games so you are instantly in control, no bedding in period.

Just a couple of buttons so it's not confusing, you normally have shoot, focus (slow your ship speed to make more precise dodging possible) hyper (usually some sort of "let's fuck shit up now that the gauge has been filled" period of overpowered madness) and bomb for getting out of trouble.

 

The depth comes from figuring out and exploiting the scoring systems, but first you'll just be playing for survival.

Just pick a game you like the look of, start on easy/novice mode and credit feed your way through if you have to.
If you're having fun, you're doing it right.

 

That blue wish game does a great job of letting you teach yourself all the fundamentals through play.
Autobomb (instead of dying when you get hit, you just lose a bomb instead) is on by default and the game is very generous with the amount of bombs and lives it gives you.

Lots of games have novice modes or arrange modes that are designed to ease people in gently so I don't really have to recommend a place to start. Just dive in.

 

23 minutes ago, Siri said:

- Tetris.

 

Oh yeah, that's a good shout. I really like Magical Tetris Challenge on the gbc.

[Ninja Doctor]

Quick restore/sleep functions are the key for me. With the Series S I can easily suspend a game and pop back in when I have time. 
 

The switch has a great sleep mode. Just tap the power button when you have to put it down and drop straight back in later. 

[mechamonkey]

Two things that always work for me timewise.
1. Have a set game night if you can, for instance I've been running an xbox night with several friends on a Tuesday night for well over a decade and I'm lucky because I have another night on a Friday (Gears and Beers) where we all have a drink in big lobby type games (e.g Gears, CoD, Forza, Golf With Friends etc) which has also been running for a similar time, better than the pub!
Everyone knows where they stand for time/date arrangement and you always have advance warning. Resign to the fact the rest of the week you'll not be doing much more/any gaming.

2. Emulated arcade/retro stuff. Absolutely ideal for even a few minutes of play, I always feel like I've had a much longer gaming session after only a few mins of arcade games, they feel much more of a complete experience to play in short blasts.

[Hamus]

44 minutes ago, gossi the dog said:

Is the free to play PES actually good now? Or are you playing an older version?

 

I'm playing PES 2021, Master League, I relax and smash teams maybe 4-12 nil most games while I build up my players to be uber powerful!

There is little challenge but it is relaxing, empowering, I am winning and improving a team.

 

To breakdown something ideal:

• Action-based
• Short bursts possible (30-45 minutes)
• Character building/progression
• Team building / progression

I mean, I kind of want PES but not PES. I'm getting a bit bored multiple seasons in having regenerated many players while also taking an international team to tournament wins.

[Hamus]

I've hit upon a couple I used to love:

1. Rogue Legacy
2. Mount and Blade

I have Rogue Legacy 2 and haven't played it since early access (I found it a bit buggy) so I may pick that back up.

Mount and Blade 2 - I haven't tried it and it is available on the X. I loved the first, playing it some 15 years ago! May have to give it a shot.

 

[mechamonkey]

A couple of suggestions:
Chivalry 2 - Huge team based, progression, able to play in short bursts of a round or two.
Monster hunter Rise - Daunting to start off with but once it starts to click youll be golden, endless customisation, building and depth. Jumping in for "a quick hunt" is something I am doing right now...
 

[thesnwmn]

1 minute ago, mechamonkey said:

A couple of suggestions:
Chivalry 2 - Huge team based, progression, able to play in short bursts of a round or two.
Monster hunter Rise - Daunting to start off with but once it starts to click youll be golden, endless customisation, building and depth.
 

 

Someone didn't read the opening post.

[mechamonkey]

Just now, thesnwmn said:

 

Someone didn't read the opening post.

I did, but wanted to demonstrate that past the opening complexity it's an excellent dip in and out  game.

[womblingfree]

I had exactly the same experience with MH: Rise today. So much faffing about. I did at least get to fight a monster but purely because it was all so pretty. So yeah, any game that requires a long protracted intro is out.

 

Since being a parent the perfect games have been:

 

Spiderman - You can knock out challenges in a few minutes.

 

Doom Eternal - Just one more go at the latest impossible bit.

 

Vampire Survivors - Each level only 15 to 30 minutes.

 

Star Wars Saga - Short missions.

 

And arcade and puzzly stuff. Basically anything that can give you a sense of satisfaction in half an hour or less.

[bear]

I know this will sound a bit daft but how about something like Alan Wake Remastered? 

 

Its a long game but it's generous with the checkpoints so even a half hour session will result in you making some progress.

 

I'm sure there are better recent examples that people could bring up of linear games like that. 

[Hamus]

1 hour ago, mechamonkey said:

I did, but wanted to demonstrate that past the opening complexity it's an excellent dip in and out  game.

 

It's dead to me now. I don't have time for forgiveness (and 27gb of space)

 

52 minutes ago, womblingfree said:

I had exactly the same experience with MH: Rise today. So much faffing about. I did at least get to fight a monster but purely because it was all so pretty. So yeah, any game that requires a long protracted intro is out.

 

Star Wars Saga - Short missions.

 

This! I played it on Cloud and have since downloaded it (I deleted something else, see above).

Wonderful! Much less faffing that the old Star Wars Lego games and because I'm 40+ it his those notes!

I'm likely going to keep moving through this as it is a real fun time, lots of characters, and I want to see the ship bits

[PeteJ]

I'm in the position of having no time and can confirm Vampire Survivors has been a good example. The mobile release is great, and when I need to stop a run I can just pause it and then pick it up again later. 

 

Doom Eternal is another I'm able to play, though just the campaign I have no interest in the rest. The main issues here are that it's quite difficult, so if I take a few days off it's hard to pickup. Also the levels are massive so it can be a challenge to get all the way through one in a single sitting.

 

Biggest improvement for me, lack of time to play, has been the purchase of the Xbox series x, the load times are so much better the thought of dipping in and out of a game is much more appealing. 

[Hamus]

Managed to get a little time on Star Wars and I'm onto the Death Star now.

This is fast paced isn't it! Keeps the main story beats and irons out the bits that aren't needed.

 

Pretty good so far, one but dragged a little, overall I'm very impressed.

[Yobo Ahoy]

10 hours ago, Ninja Doctor said:

Quick restore/sleep functions are the key for me. With the Series S I can easily suspend a game and pop back in when I have time. 
 

The switch has a great sleep mode. Just tap the power button when you have to put it down and drop straight back in later. 

 

I'm so glad I had my kids in the PS4 era. Having to boot up a game for each 15-30 minutes of play would mean I'd go nuts.

 

As it stands I basically just quick resume and squeeze in as much as I can (while feeding the baby, on my lunch break WFH, waiting for the other sprog to be finished with her various clubs, the nights when it's not my turn to cook dinner etc) - I haven't changed the sort of game I play, variety is the spice of life and all that!

 

It does mean I'm playing some games for literally months at at a time though - my wife thinks all I play is 'that Japanese karaoke game' - aka Yakuza. If I don't immediately (well, a couple of hours) gel with it then I sack it off, no time for 'gitting gud' here. 

[Twinbee]

I think Banner Saga is great considering your circumstances. 
 

Turn based strategy that isn’t bastard-hard. 
Slowly build a varied roster of characters to play. 
Great story set in an intriguing Norse-inspired fantasy world. 
Storyline that branches based on your conversations and decisions. 
Beautiful art style and animation. 
Works for short bursts or long sessions. 
 

Dammit, I’m going to have to play it again now…

[Hamus]

On 23/01/2023 at 13:45, Hamus said:

Mount and Blade 2 - I haven't tried it and it is available on the X. I loved the first, playing it some 15 years ago! May have to give it a shot.

 

 

I've seen that this is coming out Feb 14th on Xbox Gamepass!

 

LOVEly 😍