Understanding Gaming

I believe that there comes a time in every person's life where they question their hobby and whether it is worth continuing. I have recently undergone this time and am still going through it, questioning the time and money spent on this hobby of mine. Usually when you start a hobby, you might be a child looking for some fun, it may just be a way to get your mind off life for a while, or both.

For me, it was both.

I love gaming and the fun it used to provide for me but as I grow older, I have started to let my competitive side take over while gaming. It didn't matter what kind of game it was. Was it a game like Bioshock that didn't have multiplayer? Fine, how long did it take you to beat and I will beat it. It is a seemingly-endless cycle that has basically killed my passion for it and has pushed friendships to limits. My conquest to be the best has stopped my friends from playing some of the more fun/competitive games with me.

For me, comparing fun and competition is like The Force (just go with me on this and no jokes about duct tape or anything like that).

Fun is the light side, pure and simple, it prefers to be reactive and although it is a tough road to follow, it provides the most enjoyment. Competition is the dark side, evil and chaotic, that wants to win at any cost and if your friends stop playing, then that is their problem. It is so easy for some people, like me, to follow the dark side because I have forgotten what it is like to truly enjoy a game.

Sometimes, you need to go back and find why you started in the first place, for fun, and do whatever it is that got you into your hobby. For me, I have restarted Super Mario RPG, a game that I absolutely loved as a child and continue to love to this day. It is all about choice in these times. Sometimes, things are just worth fighting for, but there are sometimes that just fighting for what you love is pointless and gets you nothing but regret.


Original picture from: http://www.freewaregames.net/myblog/image.axd?picture=game_consoles2.png

The picture was modified by expanding the canvas, duplicating the layer, inverting it, and setting it on the other side.

Frustration...on a WHOLE new level

GTA IV was released on Tuesday and I have been playing non-stop since I got it. While away from my 360, however, I have been introduced/challenged by two games: Super Mario Forever and I Wanna Be The Guy. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these games, they are HARD. Forget whatever concept you had of something being hard and throw it out the window, pour gasoline over it, light it on fire, then extinguish it with holy water.



Super Mario Forever is a modification (commonly known as a mod) of Super Mario Bros. from the Nintendo Entertainment System. I have played some hard games like the unreleased Super Mario Bros. 2 that was only released in Japan and Ninja Gaiden. I thought I knew what frustration was and was I ever wrong. Here's a screenshot of the first SECOND of gameplay.





The second game is "I Wanna Be The Guy" and let me tell you something folks. Take what you just learned as hard, and repeat the process that you used the first time because this game takes it to ANOTHER level that is astronomically different than what you think of as hard. This game is so hard, I actually use Super Mario Forever to WIND DOWN. Let me say that again, I use Super Mario Forever to WIND DOWN. Yeah, it's THAT difficult.

I am stubborn, so eventually I'll beat it.

Here's my review of "I Wanna Be The Guy".

Copyright Information
"White and Nerdy" by Wierd Al Yankovic
"Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by The Offspring
"Hail to the Chief" from soundzabound.com

The picture is my screenshot of Super Mario Forever.

Hello...Old Friend

Well...it's been a while since I've made a post, I've been taking time to game so...sorry?

So...GTA IV has been released today! WOOT! I knowingly didn't make a pre-order since I'm too busy catching up with other games (currently Bioshock when I'm at home and Final Fantasy III while I'm on the road...and driving....) so I won't have time for GTA IV until later...a LOT later. Hopefully this GTA won't be infected with scandalous material (I'm pretty sure Rockstar would have done a thorough check to make sure). I like coffee once in a while (the drink) but the Hot Coffee mod is...in the past.

Back to the grindstone with the games and to show you how far back my log is, I still have to beat: Bioshock (once saving all the little sisters and once on hard), Armored Core 4, Halo 3 (told you I was far back), Viva Pinata, Phantasy Star Universe, Gears of War, Crackdown, Devil May Cry 4, KOTOR II (to say I beat it on the 360), Burnout 3 (ditto). And that is just for the console.

DS' (is that spelling correct?) backlog includes: Animal Crossing: Wild World, Final Fantasy III, and Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command.

All before May 28th, the day I get my new gaming laptop and a whole new backlog begins. To top it all off, my friends and I are looking for a multiplayer game similar to Phantasy Star Online and Champions of Norrath (I was thinking Diablo 2 but I'm waiting to see if 3 is announced. Doubtful since the team is working on Starcraft 2). On top of THAT (I may never be done!) Starcraft 2 is scheduled for December at Gamestop (already pre-ordered). Enjoy my fan-made comparison below...

Another long post, another day... back to gaming...

-Zero

Can't tell you to Kirbycide since it is basically killed in Brawl.

It's the Most, Anticipated Game of the Year

Well, Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii has officially been out for a few days, and like new parents caring for their first child, there are some problems. Japan, the center of most of the videogame industry, gets games about 3 months ahead of us here in the United States, so we should know ahead of time if there will be problems....and there is.

Like the Halo 3 Legendary Edition, the Brawl discs are "dirty" (in the sense it can make you Wii dirty, which in turn makes the Wii unplayable). Nintendo has already set up a site designed to help with these problems, but the time it takes to clean it and send it back is about a week.

All I can say is...way to go. This is the second game that has been anticpated for, and both of them are on different consoles. I guess this means the PS3 will have this problem with one of their exclusive games, but which one? Honestly, technology has gotten to the point where we trust it to do the same task over and over again, and we let it go unchecked, causing defects in many games. I know there is no way to check EVERY SINGLE game, but at least have people check every 1 out of...let's say...1000 maybe? I know this wouldn't catch all the defects on games but if you pick up 5 games in a row that are dirty....here's yer sign to stop production and fix the problem.

Time For the Quick Fire Blog Round!

I started catching up on my video game news and there is a lot of it, but not enough to make each an individual post, so I am going to post them all in one! Let's get to it:

First, while reading the review section of the March 2008 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (commonly known as EGM), there was a paid advertisement mentioning a lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto (commonly referred to as GTA) : San Andreas. It claims that if purchased the game before July 20, 2005, you are eligible in this lawsuit against Take-Two Interactive Studios and its sub company Rockstar Games Inc. (the creators of the GTA series). If the plantiffs win the case, the "Class" (which refers to all those who are willing to be in the case) will receive payments anywhere from $5 to $35. More information can be found at the official site.

Really? Are people getting THAT desperate to pay for their gas that they turn to lawsuits? People (mainly politicians looking to gain the vote from parents and parents themselves) complain that the GTA series has corrupted their children's minds. There are people who have said this before and I'll say it again, just in case you didn't hear the first time (excuse my shouting) : MAYBE IT'S THE PARENT'S FAULTS! Did you ever think about that? You LET them play that game. Moving on...

Don't put away the lawyers yet though, since GTA IV is right around the corner...and with it probably more lawsuits but only time will tell.

The March 2008 issue of EGM also brought us news that EA might have an exclusive deal to be the only one able to make college basketball games but nothing is confirmed.

Well....that's just great...hopefully this isn't true, not because I like college basketball games (I don't play many sports titles at all) but because this is another step towards telling EA to basically "take this offer and shove it!" Congrats to Take-Two Interactive (they seem to get a lot of publicity lately...) for the "slap to the face" to EA by rejecting their offer for a buyout.

Most people who read gaming magazines or keep up with gaming news in general know that EGM was banned from reviewing games from the companies Ubisoft, Midway, and Sony. However, the March 2008 issue of Game Informer (I read more than one magazine to get my information) took a "stab" at EGM in the Editorial section.

What are you saying here Game Informer? That EGM doesn't back their reviews with research or insight? It's people (and things) like this that make me sick and worried for the future of gaming.

Lastly, on a non-gaming related note, I recently saw a commercial of Mirapex, a drug for Restless Leg Syndrome. Now, explain to me HOW one of the side effects can be "increased gambling"? Welcome to society I guess...

So much for the "quick" blog post, but oh well.

Until next time, play hard, play fair, and don't be afraid to Kirbycide!
-Zero

Image sources: http://blog.newsweek.com/photos/levelup/images/original/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV-Special-Edition.aspx and clip from Game Informer came from a scanned image of the March 2008 issue (page 10).

Death is a Sweet Relief...to FPS Games

A study was recently conducted by a group of college students in Finland about killing and death with first person shooters (commonly known as FPS). The students were told to play two games: James Bond 007: Nightfire and Super Monkey Ball 2, with the former being a FPS and the latter being non-violent, filled with minigames (commonly called party games). All the participants were given a personality test to determine the level of psychoticness among the participants. Those who scored higher were deemed more psychotic than those who scored lower, according to the test.
The study found that those who killed became very tense while those who died were actually relieved. It is interpreted that those who killed actually were under tension due to finding their next target, which puts stress and tension upon the player. Meanwhile, the person who died actually is relieved of all the stress since they do not have to identify the next target.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-study-fps-deaths-provide-sweet-relief-to-victims.html

This study just proves what gamers have been saying all along, violence in video games does not make us violent people. I find it funny how when someone states they have proof that links violence in video games and people, they can't show us the details, or the proof is very generic(*coughJackThompsoncough*). I've played almost every violent game there is and one of my favorite games is the Unreal Tournament series, and I am not violent, nor do I have the urge to go on a rampage.

Until next time, play fair, and when all else fails...Kirbycide!!!

- Zero

Image Source: http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/3413-ut1.jpg

The One Minus One

Zero is defined in the dictionary as "naught; nothing" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zero) and that is exactly how the name originated for me. Playing video games is more than just passing time or escaping to a virtual realm. It is about finding a group of people who share the same interests, in this case video games, getting together, and enjoying each others company. However, video games allow people the rare opportunity to show off your abilities in multiplayer games, and see who emerges the best of your group.

I, at the beginning was that guy who didn't stand a chance when he picked up a controller. People actually said "Why bother playing? You know you are going to lose." , which eventually lead to "You have zero chance of winning." I am a very competitive person, so I took it as a challenge to get better, to show them that the guy who has "zero chance" can win. I got better, actually started giving them a run for their money, and was winning, but I always held the name "Zero" close, since that is how all this started. The rest, as they say, is history.

Until next time, play fair, and when all else fails...Kirbycide!!!
- Zero