Sadly, the human brain has limitations. It's well documented that older people don't learn things as quickly or as reliably as younger people, and that they need to expend more effort and energy to make up the difference. Unfortunately, older people find that level of effort difficult to commit to because of all the other life obligations they have to deal with.
In my case, I can still game quite well when I'm focused, but unlike when I was young, I don't perform well when I'm dividing my attention between several different games and other activities. I forget things too easily. Gone are the days when I can switch out several of my games in one week and play them all like an old-school champ. I have to focus on only one and play it to total completion before moving on to the next. This is problematic in an era of MMO's, which have vast amounts of content and are never truly finished. I've tried to play more than one MMO in the course of a given week, and I just can't. Even the ones that have similar play-styles have their own unique systems to remember and master, and my brain overloads when I try to recall more than one. The more I play, the more I just want to lay down and crash.
In the case of older RPGs like Chrono Trigger, it would be best to start at the beginning and relearn the nuances of the system while progressing at a measured pace to avoid having an underleveled party in the big fights. And avoid superfluous usage of restorative items. Use magical healing whenever possible and use tents to restore MP as necessary. The key to surviving most boss fights is to have enough saved up potions and stuff to adapt to whatever the boss throws at you. Even if you don't remember all the patterns, you can still prevail by being prepared.
