Console Gaming!

[shelley]

I just recently got into the world of console games. There's no way my desktop computer can handle games, and I wanted a way to relax in my room that didn't involve reading a book, since I do a LOT of that already! heheheh.

Anyway I went checking for good prices and found a refurbished playstation 2. Blockbuster was selling off a ton of titles for like 6 bucks, which is just about the same cost as renting them, so I bought 4 sight unseen, and then read the reviews and it turned out I got some good ones.

AFter that I was my typical researcher self and really read the reviews on gamespot.com and gamefaq.com, rented a lot cheap from a game store just to play the first chapter, see which ones I like. Naturally the other customers in the store thought I was renting for my kids LOL! sheesh.

Gaming, for me, is an interesting combo of fun and frustration, challenges, adrenaline and boredom. I can see why kids get addicted to this stuff, but so far it's just a good time-out for me.

Currently I'm playing 007: Everything or Nothing, one of the best action games I've seen. Great fun with lots of variety and you can change the difficulty from easy-fun to challenging, tear your hair out fun.

[Ritchie]

I'm a gamer too.. I played 007 Everything or Nothing on the Xbox.. took me ages to get past the bit where you're chasing Jaws on the motorbike.. good fun though.. currently playing a RPG called Fable as it's more relaxing.. I don't feel the urge to throw the handset out the window

[h0ppy]

I have PS2 too. I really like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005. It's REALLY GOOD for a golf game, and quite relaxing. Ooo James Bond. I haven't played a Bond game ever since N64's Goldeneye (which was the best N64 game ever, besides Mario Tennis & Zelda). They should make a Zelda for PS2. I love those types of "journey" games.

[shelley]

yeah, I really detest the super-difficult levels. Oftentimes a game won't hold my interest if I can't get something within the first 5 tries, or after referring to someone's walkthrough for the game I still can't get it! That's when I call in my brother and say "do this level for me!" LOL!

Haven't gotten to the level with motorcycle/jaws yet. Had lots of trouble with the level where you have to drive around the town following the bad guy and hitting them with an electroshock. Somehow the map just seemed upside down, and I kept turning the wrong way! argh! LOL! Luckily my brother took care of it.

If I get an Xbox I'm going to give Fable a try. I'm seriously considering getting one just so I can play Riddick and Halo 2. Watched some friends play Halo and it was positively mesmerizing!

[Ritchie]

Yeah that level with the electro shock took me a while, in the end I gave up on the map and just shot everything in sight, till I struck lucky

Yeah I would recommend fable for a more relaxing game and also Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic is another great one with a great story.. loved Halo but still haven't got round to getting Halo2 as of yet.. if you do get your PC sorted I would recommend Half Life 2.. great graphics, great game!

[shelley]

oh I think I tried half-life on the PS2. Is that the one where you are working in some kind of high-tech chemical plant and have to put on an environmental suit? The fact that you had to get a shot from a huge needle to up your health quotient just gave me the willies!!! LOL!

[Ritchie]

[Invincible]

I have an extremely addictive personality. There is NO way I will ever allow a games console into the house.

In my 20's, I got so addicted to tetris (brick game) that I used to stay up all night playing it .. this went on for a year, and I was taking days 'off sick' so I could play. I would play this non stop at the weekends and gave up all other forms of life, just eating stuff like chocolate bars to keep me alive.

Eventually, I smashed the game and the game console and have never since used a game console .. I know if I do, the old addiction will come back!

I loved tetris! RIP

[shelley]

oh I adored Tetris!!!

I had an excellent version on my PC. Played for hours, yep, and justified it as being a way to practice focus and concentration. After all, you do have to get into a meditative state once those shapes start dropping fast!!!

This is what happens with me with these kind of addictions. I get to a certain level of achievement and that's it - it gives me up. With Tetris, once I had successfully cleared 122 lines, I knew I could never ever better that score, that I'd probably die trying, so that was it. I stopped playing. No more interest.

Then when I missed it, I'd already upgraded my OS and couldn't find a good version of it anywhere. Whew!

[J F]

We're a gamer household, have been for over two decades......and we don't even have kids. Two mid-30's gamers. The shame.

Halo, Ratchet, Half Life..........awwww ya. Anyone remember Doom, the 256 bit color version? I've even got PacMan. LOL

And, we are about to shell out for a new Alienware dual hard drive monster to feed our need. (though that's desktop).

I earn my living as an artist, so it was inevitible that I'd become addicted to any an all games. The graphics are just astounding these days.

I highly recommend the following to wear when you are gaming. It ups your kill tally :
http://www.jinx.com/scripts/details.asp?affid=-1&productID=330

[shelley]

hahahah! DIG the T-shirt. I feel that way a lot of the time, it's like, my form of meditation - getting in the zone! Then my brother comes in and breaks my concentration... darn! killed! back to the checkpoint!

I think it'd be a really fun challenge to write a game. Not the programming but the story and overall design/gameplay. I wonder if there's a template for that somewhere... hmmm...

Pac-Man never did it for me, I preferred Joust. They migrated it to the PS2 but they didn't get it quite right. You have to flap the wings way too much to stay afloat. It's not floaty enough. Changes everything.

[Troy McClure]

I've resisted adding to this thread so far, but its time to fess up ... yep I'm a thirty something gamer too. Is this a "Gamers Anonymous" meeting because it sure sounds like one!

I was playing online games (quake) back in '96.

JF - addicted is the right word! Like Invincible I have an addictive personality so its either all or nothing with me - most of the time nothing.

Nowadays I make it a rule only to play console games, but on the pc I loved Shogun which made you feel like a 17th century Japaneese warlord and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Online wolfenstein has to be the best (and most addictive) gaming of my life. Changing into enemy uniform "I'm zee spy" and then walking right past the enemy to complete the mission was fun to say the least. Sure got the heart racing.

I love games in which you are immersed into a total world experience. Either that or sports games do it for me also.

Shelley funny you mentioned joust - my aunt was literally addicted to that game (along with "panic planet" - the one where you had to dig holes for aliens to fall through). Theres nothing as sad as watching a wife and mother fall into the decline of computer games ...

[J F]

Oh, Troy. Back in '96 I had an ongoing love affair with Quake, especially online play. I dl'ed special skins, I put some peaceful Classical CD into the hard drive to give me ironic background music while I hunted my prey, I had my F keys set with auto messages when I'd make particularly crafty kills, such as,

"Would you like fries with that, sir??"

"We have some lovely parting gifts for you."

"You bleed like your sister." (I know. I'm going to Hell for that one.)

When I had to get serious about making money, I backed off, but reluctantly. And, it was as you say a "total world experience", even if it wasn't as complicated as the role play games we also indulged in. The thing with Quake was that it was an easy outlet for any pent up emotions. Log on. Kill. Say nasty things to strangers without consequence. Log off. Breath sigh of relief. Repeat as necessary. Kind of like reverse meditation.

[Troy McClure]

Wow JF - I never knew you were a fellow quake-head!

Theres 2 ways to go with music - either the drum 'n bass approach - or the ironic (somewhat pychopathic ala clockwork organge) classical music approach which you took! I went the other way - I hooked up the soundtrack of the game "Carmageddon" which had the best drum 'n bass soundtrack of all time. Suited quake to a tee.

Do you remember painkeep? That was my favourite mod. I loved the black hole you could throw into a room and it would suck everything up!

Love your messages BTW! I can safely say I would have remembered those!

You are right about easy outlet. But not always healthy. I bought myself a 17" trinitron monitor, a sub-woofer and had fast internet access - result was sensory overload. I'm talking combat flashbacks. I kid you not!!

[shelley]

I'm safe despite my addictive personality, because if I overdo on a game I end up dreaming about it all night long. Either my brain is using it as a kind of "screensaver" or I'm processing everything in order to play better the next day. Not sure. It happens the most with simple first-person shooter games like Crisis Zone. SOOO annoying! LOL!