Level Up! Seize the Experience!

A friend recently asked me for advice on how to find time to play RPGs. He’s tired of FPSes and other genres, and he really wants to get back into the world of the RPG, but like so many of us, he no longer has as much time to devote to 70 hours of gameplay. Not to mention that unless you have at least two hours to devote to playing a RPG, you’re kind of wasting your time.

I haven’t answered him yet, because I’m no expert on this. It’s been close to ten days since I’ve played Lost Odyssey, because my husband was out of town for over a week and I couldn’t find time and awakeness to play the game after entertaining a baby all day. I played Phantom Hourglass when I could, because at least with the DS, I can just close the case when needed and walk away for a few hours.

I’ve been playing a lot of RPGs lately, but playing Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy VII is the first time that I’ve even attempted a turn-based RPG since Gabriel was born. What RPGs have I played and completed since that fateful day? Let’s see… Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Kingdom Hearts 2, and The World Ends with You. Do you see a pattern? These are all action-RPGs. It was very easy to find time to play these games at night because none of the battles took very long. Crisis Core became my ultimate naptime game, because I could finish two or three missions during a short nap.

My original goal was to complete both Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy VII by the end of March. I was alternating weeks of playing them, playing each one for two to three hours a night, and things were running smoothly until reality set in. My husband would go out of town. We met with friends at night. Our son started teething. You know. Things. As mid-March approached, I abandoned my goal and focused on Lost Odyssey, to finish it by the end of March. Well, thanks to real life once more, my goal has been extended to the end of April. My goal for FF7 is to finish it by September, since I have so many other CURRENT games I need to finish.

So, all I can say is that I do my best. I try to play two to three hours a night when my husband takes over parenting duties. Will I find time to do all optional bosses and find all treasures? Well, I always try, but I give up quickly too. I just don’t have as much time to devote to RPGs as I used to, which may not do them justice, but the way I see it, if I like the game enough, I’ll go back and replay it and it’s usually then that I strive to complete all the extras.