A big problem I’ve had since I got into the games journalism biz is that I now rush games so I can play more games so I can write about games so I can play more games so— sorry.
Once upon a time in ye olden 2010s, if I got really into something, I’d obsess over it for months and pour through every fibre of its being. Usually, that’d be a methodical lore playthrough where I soak everything in, do every quest, and get wrapped up in endless speculation, leading nicely into a speedrun phase where I would spend hours learning all of the glitches and breaking the game like Batman over Bane’s back. By the end, I’d recognise a sound effect from a millisecond clip.
But now, I find myself barreling towards the end of games to make room for everything. Part of this job is — despite what you might think — keeping up with video games because we love to play and talk about them. That means getting through a lot of new releases. In today’s world, most of them are mammoths stuffed with RPG mechanics, which can make keeping up feel like pulling on an unending ball of yarn.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Was My Breaking Point
This year, it dawned on me how much I was ruining the hobby. In 2023, I finally got through all of the Yakuza games, rushing them so that I could catch up in time for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I was itching to play a new Yakuza on launch with how much I enjoyed 0, so that I could take my time instead of having to barrel through to reach the next and the next and the next, chomping down a series until it became mush.
But then I found myself rushing Infinite Wealth anyway to make space for all of the games of 2024, and it ruined the experience. It’s hard to disconnect the grind of the job from what you think of the game sometimes, and what I might’ve otherwise loved and cherished becomes a sore memory because of that incessant nagging that I need to get on with the next shiny toy.
I remember hating the grind of Infinite Wealth, always feeling under-levelled and outmatched, but it wasn’t the game’s fault. I wasn’t doing enough of the side content, because I had done way too much of it in such a short burst, which in turn made the main story a nightmare to get through. By the end, I was just glad to be done with the game and discarded it without a second thought. A few years ago, I’d have probably still been playing Infinite Wealth and discovering new things about it right now.
It’s in the quiet months — like December — when my love for gaming shines back through. I’m replaying the Dark Souls trilogy in anticipation of Elden Ring Nightreign, and it’s not a chore whatsoever. It’s more like I’m refamiliarising myself with an old friend. I don’t think I’ve felt that with a new game in quite some time.
Next Year, I’m Gonna Take My Sweet Time
Looking to 2025, I want to recapture that magic. Part of the job is keeping up, but churning through games like they’re ‘content’ isn’t satisfying, and it does a disservice to some great works of art that deserve to be more thoroughly examined.
Rushing games, no matter what the reason, can ruin them. You aren’t experiencing it fully, and it can detract from the bigger picture. RPGs especially are slow and methodical and should be played as such, not burned through without cause. Whether you’re trying to keep up with the industry or just feel pressured to beat a game to avoid spoilers online, it’s an unhealthy way to approach the medium.
If it takes you a few months to get through something, that’s fine! Making memories and connecting to a game is far more important than beating it quickly out of pressure.
A screenshot from the June 2024 Xbox Games Showcase trailer for Fable (2025) depicting a tree-like monster looking down at one of the game’s characters.
Next year, I’m going to take a more measured approach. I didn’t need to beat Infinite Wealth to a deadline, I could’ve played enough to know the gist, and then continued on in smaller sessions to get to grips with its mechanics and story on a much more intimate level. I’m doing that right now with Metaphor: ReFantazio, playing it when I feel like it at my own glacial pace. I’ve barely made a dent, but I don’t mind. I’m enjoying it, and I know if I tried to crash through all 100 hours in a week, I’d swear off Atlus games for good.
I’ll really be put to the test next February when Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Avowed, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and Monster Hunter Wilds launch – all games I’m incredibly excited for. But I hope I take my own advice and pump the breaks. Trying to cram that many games into that small a time frame isn’t gonna be enjoyable. And that’s the whole point of video games.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth continues the story of Ichiban Kasuga, in the ninth mainline entry in the series formerly known as Yakuza. It will once again feature turn-based combat, and takes our protagonist outside of Japan for the first time.