But lately, I just can't get into console RPGs anymore and I've been craving to play more action-oriented games and FPSs.

What's happening to me?!

Am I growing up? Are my tastes changing? Am I becoming more casual?

Maybe, I guess so, and of course not.

I admit that it's been getting harder and harder to get into console RPGs lately. I picked up Dragon Age, Last Remnant, and got Fallout 3 GOTY Edition during the holiday period. I think these games are great, but I'm getting a little tired of committing to these games. I don't know what it is but for some reason, I just don't have the patience to play these for long periods of time anymore. I think I only played an hour of Dragon Age and didn't come back to it since. Same with Last Remnant. I only played the prologue and didn't care to continue.

I guess I've been bogged down by work, my personal life, family, stress, and most of all, time. I think that's it, time. Playing JRPGs or WRPGs are very time consuming. I don't want to think anymore. I don't feel like reading anymore. I'm getting sick of micro-managing items, building character relationships, or investing in hours upon hours in a narrative that may or may not hook me like it once did in the past. In other words, RPGs are feeling like a waste of time. It feels weird to finally come to grasp with this, that maybe, just maybe, I'm not into RPGs like I used to be.

But I still love handheld RPGs. I can still find time to enjoy those. But that's because they're convenient and comfortable to play. I can turn it on and off anytime, play in spurts, put it away, and come back to where I left off. I can play them on the toilet, on my bed during a sleepless night, on long car rides, on the job site, etc., etc. Yeah, I still love handheld RPGs, which is why the DS is, IMO, the best system for JRPGs.

But when it comes to console RPGs....*sigh*...I don't think I can take it anymore.

Instead, I see myself enjoying action oriented games or shooters like Modern Warfare 2, Bayonetta, Darksiders, Ghostbusters, Wet, Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Juarez Bound in Blood, and fighting games like Street Fighter IV or BlazBlue. I enjoy casual crap like puzzle games as well, although I don't know if Gyromancer or Might and Magic Clash of Heroes are casual.

Anyway, these games are fun, you can play in spurts, and you don't have to really commit to them or think when you play. They're just fun and stress relieving. These are the games I'm seeing myself enjoying more lately.

Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through, but I don't think it is. I'm not excited about FFXIII and don't care about Mass Effect 2. And I think this change can also apply to sandbox styled or open-world games, which is why I haven't picked up Ass Creed 2 yet. Some feel that open-world/sandbox games are stress relievers, but I feel that they're also time consuming and takes some commitment to play, which is basically how I feel about RPGs.

I'm just glad games like Bayonetta and Darksiders just came out. These games are really fun and although they're not as deep as RPGs, maybe that's just the type of gaming experience I need, which is, dumb mindless fun.