A glimpse into my addiction

A week or so ago I posted on the boards abotu a PSP game I was interested in.  The game was Armored Core Formula Front.  I have been looking to revive the console and further justify the money I spent over a year ago.  Also, my brother is getting married this weekend so I have some flying to do.  I hadn't gotten much of a response from the community here, but my curiosity and OCD caused me read every review, visit some fan sites, search 5 stores, and order the game online. 

You may say that after all that it had better be good, but I'm not even sure if that's necessary.  Sometimes I obsess about a game or game theme.  I usually don't rest until I get it and then after playing it for a couple of weeks I'm on to the next one.

Off the top of my head I've also done this with Phantom Dust, Neverwinter Nights, Front Mission, and Morrowind (which I bought and sold back twice).  You could argue I've done it with most of my games.  Hell I went on a crusade for Advance Wars games after I bought Field Commander.  My point is, I have an addiction to buying new games.  Sometimes I am able to keep it at bay by playing old games, but most of the time I would trade them in (hence the morrowind fiasco). 

I really go through portable games since I never have anyone around me to play with.  At least if I had a multiplayer buddy I could prolong the magic.

Anyway, on to Armored Core Formula Front.  The game is pretty damn sweet.  It's devoid of plot, which is fine.  The controls are a bit cumbersome, but I always had a problem with the armored core controls on PS2.  I tried the controls a couple of times, but I am going to stick with the AI.  There are load times, but they don't seem to be too bad.  The fun part is modifying and optimizing your mech and the AI.  You have so much control over how they fight, it's crazy.

I can see how such a complex level of control could be a turnoff.  I beat the first three opponents without really knowingwhat I was doing.  It wasn't until I started losing that I started to grasp how my equipment and AI changes would affect my performance.  I feel like the light is only starting to come on and the fights are fun to watch.

One of the coolest parts is that people at these fan sites post their mech construction and AI programming details so I can test them against my creations.  It's like multiplayer without the other person.  It's also not a test of reflexes or accuracy, but a competition to see who better understands the art of tuning.

If there are a few of you out there who are reading this, let me know and we can share designs.