In today's rapidly aging edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, old man commenter AcornPop hangs up his first-person shooter guns, unless a loose cannon of a young partner can drag him back in.
The Murtaugh Effect:
I am now 40 years old. Been playing games since even before the Atari 2600 days. All types of games, from simple puzzle games to hardcore action, I have been there, done that. But now, thanks to a new beta, I have to draw the line. I'm done... I'm getting to old for this @%^!.
Been playing FPS games since Wolf3D and loved them. Had my first taste of competitive FPS with doom and it was a joy, been playing them since! . I played some Bad Company 2 and it was enjoyable. I died a lot, but was good in my attacks as well. Thanks to another Kotaku member I was able to get into the Battlefield 3 beta. But then I played the Battlefield 3 beta and now I see I don't have it in my any more for competitive online FPS games. Battlefield 3 is a beautiful game, no denying that. It has amazing features with its new engine and gives you a good feeling of being right there in the action. But for me it's too much. Not too much as in "woah I am really there" but too much as it I can't keep up with the other players anymore.
The world in Battlefield 3 is a cornucopia of visibility obstacles. Walls, fences, brush, buildings, signs, smoke etc. So much going on that I can't really get anywhere. Run off to the side hear "pop pop" I'm down. Crawl along a wall "pop" I'm down. Over and over and I don't even see them. Player with far higher skill level than me take me out with headshot from far away or inches away through the brush. Now throw in prone and seeing them is even harder.
I am absolutely NOT saying these games shouldn't be going this way. The way Battlefield 3 looks and plays is a dream game I want for so long. Unfortunately, it has come years too late for me and my abilities. I just can't keep up anymore with the player base and the detailed game mechanics.
So I guess it is official, it is time for me to hang up my online fps hat. Move on to games more my speed. Has anybody else ever had to stop playing games they liked because they just can't compete with the other players anymore?
About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here.