Am i rare in being always behind on games??

So i didnt play the OG golden sun till 2015. I just started pokemon Sword and I didnt play sekiro till one year after it released.

I always see people moving to the latest release and but their seems to be loads of hidden gems across the gaming world that never got the attention

I feel like I keep missing the hype upon a games releasse but im having so much fun with the older games (1 or 10 years older). Am i missing that much with the hype of new releases?

I like the look of city skylines but it was released 2015

Is the hype train overrated? or am i missing out on not keeping up to date?

You're not rare at all. In fact there are a lot of games businesses built on providing older games to consumers who want them. Humble Bundle. Games with Gold and Game Pass. PlayStation Plus. Gamestop to some degree. All of these are built on that model and they're all successful. There's a lot of talk how the 'tail' of games (as in the number of sales that happen after their launch window) has gotten bigger in the last decade or so. More and more people are getting and playing games long after release. This also makes sense because the pace of innovation and change in games has slowed a lot. Jeff said that Outriders felt like a 7th Gen game but in a good way. Imagine if someone said that about a game on the PlayStation 3 (that it felt like a PS1 game but in a good way.) You can't really, and that's because the gap between PS1 and PS3 was a chasm and the gap between PS3 and PS5 is much smaller.

In terms of missing out...that depends on your preferences. Do you ever play current games? Do you enjoy any of the hype and discussion? If being part of the zeitgeist is fun for you then it's worth doing. If it's not then it can be safely ignored. The one thing that's for sure is that games get a ton of patches and fixes these days, and the version you play is almost certainly a much better game than the one that people paid more for at launch. I just played through Assassin's Creed Unity and I probably got 10% of the bugs people experienced when it was released. Waiting definitely gives you the better experience.

The only exception is multiplayer games. They have the biggest population at launch and people haven't had time to get amazing at them yet. Multiplayer games are harder to get into when they're more mature than they are at launch, but with some games updating and constantly changing and having massive populations (like Fortnite) even that is getting less true.

I am pretty much always behind. I did a bit of a backlog bender during the pandemic and the only recent games I played through were Ghost of Tsushima and TLOU2 and even those were months after release.

Others were Assassins Creed 4, AC: Syndicate, Red Dead Redemption 2, among many other older games. The next two games I want to play are Yakuza 0 and God of War 2018. I'm sure I will get to Hitman 3 and Resident Evil Village in a year or two.

It's not hidden gems for me so much as it is a desire to just keep playing older games. Sometimes it's revisiting an old favorite or it's grabbing something I didn't get a chance to play, and it's way cheaper now. I mentioned it in another thread about the monetary value of games, but these days I have a hard time dropping $60, or god forbid $70, on a single new game when I could get five older games for the same amount of money. And I like the comfort food feeling of playing something I'm familiar with.

Multiplayer games are probably the exception for me. I'll likely get the new Battlefield at launch, and whatever Overwatch 2 is, because I don't like coming into multiplayer games late. But single player games can wait. And like @bigsocrates mentioned, you'll often get a better experience coming to a patched single player game.

Digital access to games has left me pretty much not caring what's new and shiny in favor of discounts and stuff that's drawn my eye for a while. Whim also now has a lot to do with how I play, so you're definitely not alone.

Nope. I literally just started Hotline Miami last night

You’re not alone! I only play new releases these days if someone in my life is extra thoughtful and gifts them to me.

I find that my time, money, and overall enjoyment is better served by games that are already proven and have a healthy shelf life.

Someone was kind enough to give me Death Stranding when it launched and I still haven’t found the time to even unwrap the plastic.

Yes and absolutely not. The publishers make more money if you are on the hype train (since you're paying full price for the game), which is a big part of why they push being in on the "zeitgeist" so hard and spend so much money on marketing. With the volume of stuff coming out these days, staying current becomes quite expensive and by not doing that, you can save tons of money and have just as good of a time.

I've always gone back and played older games but i don't know whether it's because i've become less enamoured with new games, but recently i've been playing a lot more old stuff, to the point where this year so far i've only played two relatively recent games, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and i'm in the middle of Gears 5. I'm thinking my next game might be FF15... but i do kinda want to play Onimusha again...
My most anticipated release this year is probably the remasters of Ninja Gaiden that i never played, i used to be aware of everything but now i'm not even sure what new games are coming anymore.

After a quick browse of upcoming games i'm also looking at Diablo 2, the new Age of Empires, KOF15 and.... they're re-releasing Toy Soldiers?

I am literally 16 years behind on games, still playing late era PS2 games. So yeah, you're not alone.

I feel the same way like I live in video games Podunk and am always late to the party. 'Guys how about that Sleeping Dogs huh? Game of the Year 2020....' then everyone looks at me like yeah that was fun when it came out... 7 years ago.

Part of me really wants to play what the cast is playing and be part of the moment. The other part of me is like... I should really play the Witcher 3 sometime.

Not even one bit. I used to be up on playing the latest games back in the PSX era with games like Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9, Metal Gear Solid, Twisted Metal 2, Resident Evil 1 and 2, and Xenogears. As well as reading every issue of Next Generation Magazine (RIP). However, as I have gotten older, I find I no longer have the time to play the newest games "on time", but that doesn't matter as long as you enjoy it when you eventually do. You are in the same boat as most of us. And yes I certainly like going back to play old games that I somehow missed out on, like Baldur's Gate 1 and 2.

Breaking free from the need top lay whatever is in the zeitgeist at the moment is the best thing that happened to me personally regarding gaming. I still play the occasional release day game, probably once or twice a year, like right now with RE Village, but otherwise I just get around to what I feel like when I feel like.

No. Even if only a relatively small percentage of people played games when they were brand new, this would still mean that new games in general got a boost in being discussed more often relative to games that were older. That's also combined with an increased tendency to discuss them due to general newsworthy-ness, curiosity, and hype. I'm always curious to see what people think of a big new game even if I (like most of the time) I have no interest in playing it. I don't have data but I would guess that the majority of people spend most of their time playing games that are at least a year old.

I rarely buy anything on release now. Games are just a tidal wave for me and I don't have the time or inclination to catch up.

I am someone that has always bought big releases when they came out and continue to do so because I don't want to be spoiled on story and because I just want to play the cool new thing. I've come to realize that I'm actually part of a growing minority in this regard as most folks can wait up to 2-3 years for a sale to buy that game they wanted. So I think you're fine and also, as long as your current style of gaming suits you just fine then who cares how anyone else does it. I will happily buy a single player, linear "prestige TV" title on release day for $60 and be ok with it but thats me.

People always mention droughts in game releases, but they never affect me because I constantly have a bunch of old games I haven't played yet. I don't know if people who are affected by slower months are playing a lot more games than me or far fewer.

I've always said that the "hype train" and FOMO are bullshit.

@eccentrix: I don't think it's a more or less thing, I think it's also just enjoying hype and discourse for hype and discourse's sake. I sometimes get that "drought" feeling even when I have plenty of stuff to play because the hype and zeitgeist are dead and gaming websites etc...get less entertaining. There are definitely episodes of the Bombcast that I thought suffered from gaming being in a drought and nobody being excited about anything.

Even if you're not going to play a game at launch it's nice to see games that look cool coming out and add them to your mental backlog or wishlist to wait for a price drop.

It can even be fun to follow games that you don't ever intend to play.

I don't think you are that rare, it just feels that way since most discussion is about the latest releases. I almost never play new games either.

One recent exception was Outriders on Gamepass, which I enjoyed quite a bit. And it was fun to actually be part of the hype for once, so I hope more new stuff comes to the subscription services!

Not at all. I am just now catching up on some games that were launched back in 2015 when the One x and ps4 came out. So many of previous gen games have gone on sale that are stupidly cheap these days. I don't play a ton of games as it is anymore so that is part of it, but I also don't play games online with people so I really don't feel the need to have the newest thing all the time.

I stopped keeping up with new games in 2012, and since then the only new games I have played around release are Resident Evil 2, Ion Fury and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 after I got back into gaming in 2018. It's mostly old games for me

Sometimes I wish there was a time delayed videogame website, which would just review games e.g. exactly two years after their release.

So most of the games covered would have their launch issues resolved, all DLC available, probably available on discount or at least the full price game is the GOTY edition with all DLC.

Perhaps it would drive some people to play older games at the same time so they can still be part of a mini hype train :).

I'm willing to bet the vast majority of people do what you do. A friend of mine just got a PS4 recently is playing old Madden and is having a perfectly good time. There's a reason why movies are released for home viewing after they're in theaters.

To be honest this whole keeping up with the zeitgeist shit takes away from my enjoyment of things and over the years has led me to spend way more money than I'm comfortable with

Pretty much every game I'm playing right now was released 2015-16. I'm exactly the same w/ multiplayer but I generally only keep up with one live game at a time and Apex is that game for me.

I used to try and keep up with everything, but it got to the point where there are so many games that I'd pick up on Steam, play a few hours of before bouncing or never play at all. Hell, of the PS4 games I got over the Christmas/birthday break I've played one (FFXV, it was bad).

I don't get too hung up on trying to play everything any more because there's so much to keep up with anyway. I know that if it's not a racing sim it doesn't really stick with me, and when it is something that catches my eye I'll really feel an urge to play and enjoy it as opposed to just wanting to keep up with the zeitgeist.

There are so many games released all the time that there is no way for most people to keep up with them all. The Switch is the first system in a while where I am purchasing video games for $50-$70. For the past several years I've picked up stuff on Steam for cheap or downloaded stuff through PS+. A large enough percentage of that stuff are titles that I've seen on Best Of lists and titles I've been interested in playing that I haven't been current with the zeitgeist essentially ever, and yet I'm always playing great stuff.

I'm enjoying the heck out of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (learned from the internet to just play the game with that expansion layered on top) and that game is 3 years old?

I don't think so. In a media landscape where new things are pushed and promoted, it may feel like you are the odd one out for not always being on a new oft promoted/playlisted thing (same with films, music, fashion, whatever else) but the hazy realities of spare time, energy, and the fiscal cost to buy into these experiences means a lot of people will be playing older stuff for a prolonged period.

And that's great, because playing something closer to release -regardless of it's quality- will inherently give you less information to contextualize the piece as a whole in a variety of ways (eg: NDAs and non-promotion statements from people working on the game, marketing and hype playing on people's thoughts less prominently, the world vs the creation at the time etc). That can give you a clearer view of what something is/may be/was. The idea that the current new thing is always better, more interesting, or more likely to innovate is often ahistorical water-cooler talk. And time trails on and the current new becomes old fairly soon, all things considered.

I'm a good five years behind, in terms of AAA releases. You're definitely not alone.

Nope, i have accumulated a backlog and there are some games I will never get to. Rarely does anything cut the line.

FF7R was the last game i bought and played immediately.

I'm almost always playing games years (and years and years) after the fact. It's very rare I want to play something immediately and at full price. Last year the only one might have been Hades.

I mean...something like that has to exist, right? Even if just a podcast where everyone decides to play an old game and discuss it ala...was it Waypoint who had that Waypoint 101 series for a little bit? I think the key thing is that I would just want them talking about the game and not current events, otherwise it "dates" the show.

I know it's not the same thing but I certainly save "spoiler section" stand alone podcasts of games I haven't played yet to listen to after the fact.

I almost never play a game when it's new. I didn't play AC: Odyssey until late last year after Valhalla had already been out. Most games I play have already been out for a few years by the time I get around to checking them out and I pay the hype around a game no mind. Getting hyped for games is the best way to get disappointed by them. (No Man's Sky, Cyberpunk 2077, etc)

Hype doesn't really affect me any more. I was more hyped for a 3080 than for the release of any recent game and just play whatever game I feel like, no matter how old it is. Started playing Bayonetta 1 for the first time two weeks ago (though I played Bayo 2 when it was only a few months old). Also Downwell the day before yesterday. I just play what I'm in the mood for and I basically never pay more than 45€ for a game, that's how long I wait.

That being said, there definitely are games where you miss out on the discussion and sense of exploration when you're not playing it very close to release (for example: Fez, Returnal). Or you can't save yourself from spoilers (MGS2, TLoU2). Or it's a challenging MP game where everyone left playing it after 2 months is super good and just destroys you.

Reading all these comments I suspect we have all played games cross our lives.

When i was younger i played into the fantasy of a release more than anything eles

As i have got older my expectations are not hyped and i can just sit back and enjoy the experience i'm having.

So i still find it odd that when a game releases everyone across the gaming spectrum seems like they have a copy of the game and are all engaged with each other playing that game and after about 2 weeks the games dead. I always feel like games have an ageless componant to them just like music or movies.

Honestly, in many ways it's better to wait after a game comes out to play it.

• Patches fix problems that weren't solved in development. #BrokeAssGames
• DLC might be out that could add a lot to the core game experience.
• Will probably be on sale.

Most of my gaming nowadays is with "older" games. In fact, I just started up city skylines last week. Thanks to the years of steam sales and humble bundle, I have a collection of games to play. It would be impossible to keep up to date with all of them, hell even half of them if we are being honest. Plus with steam reviews and GB content, I feel like I have a filter list of games that are worth checking out/ games I would be into.

Does it suck not to be in the "conversation"? I mean ya it can, but it's honestly not a massive deal for most games. If you know you would be really bummed out to not be in the conversation then ya go out of your way and play that game on launch day. I did that for Hades this year. But for most games, you will find out that this is not the case. For example, am I really upset about not having conversations with people about city skylines? pfffff nope!

If you feel like you need to have that fun feeling of playing a game for the first time with a bunch of people. Join or start a "gaming club". It is kinda like a book club, but you have a game to play. This way you could have a group of 5-10 people playing an older game for the first time and giving that feeling of launch week conversations. I'm sure you could find a few dudes who would be happy to join in this idea.

I'm always years behind on new games. Waiting does have its merits, as I like No Man's Sky and Fallout 76. I've got Control, TLoU 1 and 2, Kentucky Route Zero, Subnautica, RE 7 and RE 8 still on my to do list.

I'm constantly behind. You'd think being largely home-bound for more than a year would have helped me make a dent, but nope. If anything it made me less willing to dip into new games because I'd rather just play the stuff I know I like and that I know distracts me.

Anyway, even pre-pandemic I had a backlog a mile long. I'm 38! I don't have the unstructured time to just vanish into Red Dead or something for three straight days anymore! So big, epic, plot-heavy games tend to suffer in particular.

Sometimes you get interesting twists spoiled for you or miss out on the hype that helped buoy the reception to game. I haven't listened to many of the 2017 GOTY podcasts because I still haven't finished some narrative games they talk about.

However, finishing a bunch of games from a year in the past lets you go back and enjoy those deliberations which feels refreshing when all game podcasts talk about the same news! I'm playing Wolfenstein: The New Order right now and looking forward to reliving 2014.

No way, it's impossible to play everything, earlier this year I just played Limbo for the first time and really enjoyed it.

Being behind can be better cause the games will often be much cheaper too. Unless there like very retro in which case they may be more expensive!

I've pretty much dropped 90% of all big releases these days. I for one just don't have the time or the patience to keep up. There is just way to much BS in many big releases that it's not worth it for me. I prefer more simpler indie games and smaller releases that are under 25 hours. I feel I am wasting my time if it takes me a few hours just for a game to open up and finally becoming good.

If a game can not respect my time then I will not bother with it no matter how good it is. As someone who works full time and own a house, there is just to much shit to weave through that it just makes it more stressful and less fun. I play games to relax not to be more stressed.

When a game grabs me, it super grabs me, so backlog is really just games I don't actually want to play. I beat RE Village 5 times already, but I knew I wanted it so started at midnigbt on launch day. Sure there are some gems that slip through, but with the bombcast and my Twitter feed I do enjoy getting hyped up with a community. Nothing wrong with older games though, I play all the dark souls and metal gear games every couple years. Masterpieces are timeless after all

Quick update, instead of following my plan of playing a relatively new game, instead i'm playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein...