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JPRGs fans with full time jobs, what are your time management secrets?

entremet

entremet

Member
JRPGs are still far and away my favorite genre, but I only complete around 3 or so a year. Mostly, during bigger breaks like summer and winter.

This is my current JRPG backlog:

PS2: ( I need to rebuy one as my 60GB was stolen and I don't have BC PS3 anymore)
Valkyrie Profile Silmeria
FFXII
Persona 3 FES--Dropped
Persona 4--Going with the Vita version
Nocturne
DDS1/2

PS3:
Dragon's Dogma and expansion
Dark Souls--In the middle of this one.
Valkyria Chronicles--lost save, but it was early.
Ni No Kuni

DS:
DQVI
DQIX

3DS:
ORAS--Currently playing.

Vita:
P4 Golden--Currently playing.
FFX-2

I also need to get the Etrian 3DS games and those are time sinks like no other, but they're portable

I do better with handhelds since I can play on commutes. The problem is after work, I'm tired so I wait for weekends, but finding chunks of time on the weekend is hard, since you want to maximize it, right? Going out, running errands, gym, chilling with friends, etc, Eats up my weekend.
 
Andrefpvs

Andrefpvs

Member
I won the lottery so all I do is walk around the house naked playing JRPGs.

I play at night in bed, before falling asleep.
 
A

AkelisRain

Member
It takes me months to finish a Jrpg.when I do I try to cleanse the pallet with a short game then jump back to a Jrpg.Right now I am working on Folklore. I try to push through, even when the eye lids get heavy. I shoot for about 2-3 hours when I play.
 
F

ForteanMan

Member
I more or less gave up sleeping on the weekends. Like you, I play lots of JPRGs on handhelds which makes it easier to play at work. On the weekends, after my wife goes to bed, I usually stay up until around 4 am or so catching up on whatever game I may be playing at that time.
 
D

djplaeskool

Member
Make a schedule

I know it sounds a little ocd, but that's helped me avoid backlogs.
An hour here and an hour there will eventually put dents in the games you're trying to finish.
 
D

DJIzana

Member
Be picky about the games you play. For me, I have an hour and a half commute, one way, into my work. I get 6 weeks vacation though so whatever. That said, I still have time to game. I basically just play games from Nintendo or JRPG's. Ffxiv and Captain Toad are the only games I'm currently playing. Getting Suikoden 1 and 2 after and have lots in February. Just yeah... Buy and play games you know you enjoy. Don't waste time or money on something you only THINK you might enjoy.
 
O

Oxn

Member
Your problem is not the full time job
But the fact that u have a life outside of gaming
Like someone said earlier
Making a schedule to play games really help
It did for me
 
J

JCX

Member
- Accept that I bought some JRPGs that I am not excited about enough to ever finish

- Play a different genre between JRPGs

- handhelds! I've finished 4 this year (5 if fire emblem counts), and only one was a console game. Vita/3DS are perfect for picking up and playing for a few minutes.

My Backlog

Wii/Wii U

Fire Emblem
FE: Radiant Dawn
Paper Mario
M&L:SS

Vita

FFX
FFX-2
FF8
FFT
Xenogears
Vagrant Story

3DS

ToTA
Shining Force (game gear VC)
Paper Mario SS
Alpha Sapphire


PS3
FFX/X-2
ToX
Ni No Kuni
 
J

J Jizzle

Member
Handhelds. Since working full time and having serious girlfriends, it's been the only way to get some hours into the genre.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
I was listening to the 8-4 Play podcast recently and one of the guest was asking for a 10 hour mode for JRPGs.

He made some great points.

Secretly, I think JRPGs are so long because it helps curb reselling, which is pretty big in the Japanese market since there are no rentals.
 
H

hushlorentz

Member
Eh, just pick away at it. I'm sure you'll be surprised at how fast you can get through games. I recently played through Xenosaga Ep I and Vampire: The Masquerade which are fairly long and I have a 9-5 M-F job. I put in a few hours before bed and usually 4-5 on Saturday or Sunday. Basically I just chose to replace 'normal' people's tv time with games.

Life does get in the way so my playing is sporadic, some times I'll go a week without making any progress, but then get 6 or so hours in when the wife has to work on a Saturday. :D

Next year I'm going to try to get through FFXII since I've owned it since release and never played it yet. :(
 
M

Mr. Nice_Guy

Member
When I had a job with a commute I'd try and play then. Lots on weekends when I didn't have anything to do, and I might set aside an evening after work once a week if I was really into a game.
 
M

mdubs

Banned
Easy mode.

Know when to quit: I pulled the eject cord on Conception II and Tears to Tiara II this year after 10 hours each, realizing that I wasn't having fun and taking the L on those ones.
 
Gee

Gee

Member
I'm a consultant and I spend quite some time in hotels. The vita is great for a 1-2h session every now and then.
 
joecanada

joecanada

Member
I will just say balance, don't only play games because you may regret other things you missed. However video games are a great way to save money, if you can't afford a vacation picking up a new game or favorite is pretty good substitute.
 
D

DemiMatt

Member
No I play for like an hour or two each night. I started FFX HD Remake a month or two and so far I'm about 24 hours into the game (Just past the Calmlands) and it's fun. Depending on the JRPG if they aren't bite sized like FFX then it can be a pain.

The tough part is figuring out whether or not to play a JRPG, or Dota 2, or Dark Souls. Gotta balance that time.

Another good way is to play them via handheld, I beat FFIX in a month or so playing it on PSP. I find it more accessible and easier to play because I can do it while playing other things.
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
I only play RPGs on my Vita. Well, I only play any games on my Vita really.

Even that only gets about 1 hour of play per week.
 
D

DJIzana

Member
Mr. Nice_Guy said:
When I had a job with a commute I'd try and play then. Lots on weekends when I didn't have anything to do, and I might set aside an evening after work once a week if I was really into a game.
Click to expand...

Aye. That's what I do as well. Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Bravely Default etc. Great titles that killed time for my long commute.
 
S

SliceSabre

Banned
All my JRPG gaming is done portable either Vita or 3DS now. This way I'm able to get through the games I love while not missing out on the TV shows I love as well.

I also have a ton of free time so after work I game for a good 2-3 hours a day and a whole lot more on weekends and fridays.

My current backlog:
Persona 4 Golden (Currently playing)
Freedom Wars (Going on hiatus)
Soul Sac. Delta
Grandia(PS1)
Etrian Odyssey III


Trying to get through P4G and EOIII before the new Neptunia games come out. A lot of it is making sure I'm actually making progress and in some games cases I've done what I used to consider unthinkable and taken the diffculty down to easy so that I have to grind less.
 
W

_woLf

Member
I usually will try to play a bit during the week after dinner, but the big play sessions are on Saturdays.
 
Z

zpiders

Member
The only JRPG's I tend to play on a consistence basis are on handhelds. With the job i do, I can get a good couple of hours of gaming in during commute and whilst working as well :p

At the moment i'm playing Persona 4 on Vita which is a blast. I already played it 40hours+ and I only started it 2 weeks ago. No way would I have played that much if it was on a console.
 
M

Mika

Member
Pretty much it's determined by how many other obligations and hobbies you have. I can 100% clear a fairly large JPRG in under a month, but video games are about 75-80% of my free time. Weekends are great.

A few other tips include better discipline so you don't waste away entire days and regret it later, take advantage of public transit time if you don't drive to work, be selective of games you want to play.

If you have kids though, forget it. Kiss your games goodbye.
 
B

BumRush

Member
Honestly, your backlog is probably far too long. Pick the 3 you absolutely NEED to finish...watch gameplay trailers if you need to decide which resonates with you most.

Try to only play P4G when you can't play console games (i.e. when travelling, etc.) and by all means, play Dragon's Dogma.

FF12 will probably get an HD version at some point, so leave that one alone!

Good luck!
 
M

Matriox

Member
Handhelds have helped me tremendously. Especially stoked about the Vita so I can play Persona 5 without being tied to a tv. I've also got weekends and nights at work that I don't have anything to do which also is tons of help to complete games.
 
F

Ferr986

Member
I play 1-2 hours on weekdays before going to sleep. And on weekends I play after lunch a couple of hours and some nights if I dont go out.
Im not in a rush, the longer It takes me to beat a game the better, more oportunity for the next game to be cheaper.
 
S

Shredderi

Member
Full time job wouldn't even begin to be a problem. Like someone else said, it's the life outside of work and gaming that's the "problem". "Luckily" I'm an introvert and only see friends once a week and no girlfriend so I have plenty of times after work most days.
 
Hexa

Hexa

Member
Very very slowly. My current Ni No Kuni play through has taken me two months so far, and I haven't even finished the fricking wand yet.
 
D

daveo42

Banned
Ignore all social interactions with other humans outside of work to do nothing but play video games. I technically did this with P3FES and it still took me close to a month to beat it. That was a long-ass game, but totally worth it.
 
C

captmcblack

Member
I accept that I'll probably never finish them.

I've been making my way through them by commute, or by tag-team efforts to play on free time/weekends/vacation.

My best friend and I are making our way through a 2nd playthrough of Shining The Holy Ark and a 1st playthrough of Albert Odyssey on Sega Saturn...we've gotten far by playing together and taking turns grinding and advancing. My girlfriend and I are working on FFX PS2; we're at the end fighting Jecht now.

Me, I'm soloing Xenoblade, Pokemon Y and Breath of Fire 3 PSP...these games have been ongoing for a year or more, and I just play as much as I can in the event I have a free commute where I'm not talking to anyone and can sit and enjoy playing.
 
T

TRI Mike

Member
- Play only one at a time.
- Try to get 1-2 hours each day, it shouldn't be too hard.
- Play at least three times a week so you don't forget story-related things or how to handle battles. Long hiatus in JRPGs tend to make the game annoying to go back to.
- Have patience because chances are you'll spend a month or two per game.
 
Y

Yazuka

Member
I'd like to know too... I hardly have time for games anymore on the weekdays, I have to wait until weekends just to play.
And I hate it! I used to play JRPG all the time and it was great! Sure its good to have a job, but sometimes I really miss the freedom of not having a job.
 
J

Jisgsaw

Member
I play in the week evenings when I finish early.
And Saturday morning/sunday, when I'm really into the game.

But even then, I also only do like 6 jRPGs a year; and seeing my backlog, I sure wish to be a student again sometimes.
 
mrmickfran

mrmickfran

Member
I have a full time job plus school.

At most I'll have two days where I'm free. I just spend those days playing.

I had 9 hour Xenoblade sessions.
 
K

KlytusImBored

Member
I have absolutely no clue. I have the same struggle. One thing that helped for ONE GAME was picking up Dragon Quest IV on iPhone instead of DS so I could play it on a whim without even thinking about it since my phone is attached to me. I don't bring my DS with me when I go the get my haircut and wait for the barber, or get my oil changed....the phone was great in those cases. That said, imo mobile gaming kinda sucks outside of turn-based RPGs from my experience.

My backlog goes all the way back to the Genesis:
Shining in the Darkness
Shining Force II
Phantasy Star III & IV

Saturn:
Shining Force III
Dragon Force
Shining the Holy Ark
Mystaria

PS2:
FFX

3DS:
Dragon Quest VI & IX
Radiant Historia
Fire Emblem Awakening
Golden Sun

X360:
Tales of Vespiria
South Park

PS3:
Ni No Kuni

Vita:
Tales of Hearts R
Final Fantasy 9
FF Tactics (I gave up, no clue how to successfully play this game)
Vagrant Story
Grandia

It's looking grim - and I know I'm forgetting a bunch in my possession.

Edit: Fuuuu....forgot I gotta hook my Wii back up some day to finish Last Story.
 
D

DJIzana

Member
daveo42 said:
Ignore all social interactions with other humans outside of work to do nothing but play video games. I technically did this with P3FES and it still took me close to a month to beat it. That was a long-ass game, but totally worth it.
Click to expand...

Aye. I'm the same. Cheers to that. I reserve my gaming time for weekdays and everything else for weekends. Seems to work quite well so far.
 
G

Gbraga

Member
There's no secret, you just have to deal with the fact that you'll have to really really REALLY like a JRPG now to stand it from start to finish.

I was recently disappointed by The Evil Within. Finished it, but took me 2 months to finish a 18 hour campaign, imagine how long it would take me to beat a Persona game at that rate? I can only play a JRPG now if I get really excited about it to play it every day.

DJIzana said:
Aye. I'm the same. Cheers to that. I reserve my gaming time for weekdays and everything else for weekends. Seems to work quite well so far.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's doable. But I'm guessing married people (especially people with kids) don't get to do this. At that point I honestly have no idea how they manage to play JRPGs (unless that's all they play. There aren't that many of them nowadays after all)
 
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