Like the title says, when I was younger getting near the end of the game felt like I was really far.
For example, in Jak and Daxter, when I got to the red sage hut when I was a kid, God Damn did I feel like I was really far away from the start of the game and have travelled a long journey.
Now when playing it, I still have fun, but I find the game is lacking it's adventurous feel to it what made me love it as a kid, even though I could never complete it.
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I have a different experience. I look back and regularly play (like once a year, maybe) the games that most influenced me growing up. Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Halo CE, Kotor (The sequel, mostly) and others. I find that now as I've aged, and my critical thinking skills have begun to develop, that I can actually immerse myself, with some effort, and really appreciate the balance and decision-making behind the art direction, the UI, the items, the dialouge, etc. I think games that I played when I was young were really beautiful. Jax and Daxter I do not own, but spent a lot of time playing. It's definitely not going to be as challenging to me now, but I think that both playing it for a challenge, and for a trip down memory lane are both fun. I just beat Wind Waker again, and man, that was a great ending.