PS4 Woes

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD released in NA today and with it comes the one somewhat compelling reason I've discovered so far to purchase a PS4. Critical reception seems relatively positive so far, but if I'm being honest with myself I've been looking for some kind of excuse to buy the console lately. With titles like Final Fantasy XV, Disgaea V, and Persona V on the (distant?) horizon, it's a console I'll most definitely have to purchase at some point. Why not now when I have some extra cash lying around? Of course, I have somewhat of a poor history of effectively managing my funds--and that's the only reason I'm hesitant. The other reason is that I just purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet. I'm immensely pleased with it, but it did set me back a few bucks. Returning it is not outside the realm of possibility, but I'm finding myself becoming more attached to it by the day.

Also weighing against me is the fact that I have so many games in my backlog to work through! My tentative goal for game completion was five per month for this year, and here I am over halfway through March and I've only completed Etrian Odyssey. I'm still playing the games I'm working on quite frequently, but they're all very long and in some cases quite difficult. Etrian Odyssey II has been quite the slog and only after a very recent grinding session have I begun to find the game tolerable to actually play. Fortunately, I'm beginning to make progress on it. Similarly, Tales of Graces f and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne are quite long RPGs on which I'm struggling to make progress. I've been neglecting Graces for EOII not because I prefer the latter but because it strikes me as a puzzle that I must solve and overcome. Now that I've gotten over that crucial hump, it might behoove me to focus more on Graces since I must be approaching a spot that is 2/3rds of the way through the game, at least.

I am not without patience when it comes to these games I want to play, of course, but I'm afraid of what might happen to this sum of cash I've built up. What if the time comes when I find I need the PS4 and all of my funds have mysteriously disappeared? This is not outside the realm of possibility, sad as that may be to admit. Still, this doesn't strike me as a particularly compelling reason to march out and purchase the console before I miss my chance.

I continue to find ways to rationalize my potential purchase. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a game I'd very much like to play, but aside from several upcoming titles, it's the only one. A small argument could be made for Infamous: Second Son despite its lukewarm critical reception. It is a game I would probably purchase because I enjoyed the previous games in the series, but it shouldn't be considered as a legitimate console-seller--for me, anyway. And what else is there for me on that console? Not a thing that I can think of. There's still a whole world of PS3 games that I haven't played, actually--precisely because I've focused so much on retro games in the past couple of years. I have a small library of PS3 games that I like but there are tons of likely solid RPGs that I haven't had the chance to experience. It's tempting to move on to the biggest and newest titles, but let's be honest here--Final Fantasy Type 0 HD is not that game. It's an enhanced port of a Japan-only PSP game. I'm sure it looks prettier than the original, but from what I've heard the content is largely unchanged. Should I really purchase a PS4 just for that?