Damn you got the info nordlead! I'll check it out, another awesome game for my DS? What a beast!

To be short and concise: Yes, games are easier and shorter.

I don't care to elaborate much, but I have not been challenged by a game in years.

Does having a sense of underachievement when you've finished a game sorta mean the same thing, but in reverse?

When I finished Valkyria Chronicles I was disappointed in myself at not completing enough missions with an A rating, and getting too many C ratings. I was also disappointed that one of my troops died. When the enemy got to his wounded body before I could send in the medic I was like "Noooooooooooo!!!". But with each mission that I managed to get an A rating for (or at least work out how to get an A rating in skirmish mode) there was a warm fuzzy sense of accomplishment. And that was on normal mode. I can't imagine how hard the game will be on hard-ex mode, I'm even afraid to download hard-ex. The thing that gives the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with VC is that you need to think, strategise and plan in order to complete the missions with an A or B rating. If I had done better at being the commander of squad 7 I reckon I would have been very pleased with myself, to the point of deluding myself into believing that I would be a master military tactician in real life (without ever having to actually prove it).

I'm expecting Demon's Souls to deliver in this respect.

It's great that there are games around that can elicit this response from people. I don't think there are fewer of them this gen because, nearly everyone who got that feeling in previous generations can name one or 2 from this generation.

I betcha those who are into it will feel a huge sense of accomplishment in levels they create in LBP that get a lot of play and get high ratings, and same for tracks people design in MNR. It's a different thing to completing a challening and rewarding game, but the feeling is the same.

Hmm... Maybe I'm not as hardcore as some of you, but for example, I found New Super Mario Bros. (for the DS) entertaining. And getting all of the stars was challenging but not frustrating.

I can say the same for beating Uncharted on Crushing mode.

Conversely, the Challenge of the Gods in God of War was just frustrating.

You wanna know the odd thing that happened when I beat Bayonetta? I immediately went back and replayed it again. That NEVER happens. Most of the heavy hitters of this generation don't even warrant a single playthrough from me. I get bored halfway through.

I felt the same way. I never want to replay games. Ever.

But, for whatever reason. I wanted to Bayonetta again.