Banana Scoop

If you’ve been reading my blog for the past couple of months, every once in a while I’ll mention that ‘we’re not a video game blog/I’m trying to get into writing about video gaming’ rants.  Well today is the announcement that I’ll be writing and posting video game related items more often and I’ve officially added it as a category.  Soon enough I’ll add it to the list of banners as well as it’s own icon on the right.  I think at this point, I’ve fully engulfed the ‘geek site’ mantra/persona as now I’m covering movies, television, and now video games.You can now expect video game morning banana oatmeals, full blown articles about games I’ve picked up on, and other gamer related culture.  Read more regarding a little background on my own video game experience.

As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved video games, as most boys grown up in the 90s have.  My parents originally had the Nintendo Entertainment System and I played Duck Hunt and Super Mario just like everyone else did.  And I continued to be groomed as a video game nerd as I continually bought the number of Game Boys [Pocket, Color, Advance, Advance SP before I stopped], and the PS1 and eventually the Nintendo Gamecube, as well as hundreds of dollars on games.  As Seth Rogen’s character said on 40 Year Old Virgin, I had as many video games as a teenaged asian kid [which I am], and I continue to reinforce that stereotype.    While that consumed majority of the 90s, I consider myself to have a gone through a dry spell.

My PS1 years were kind to me.  Our PS1 was Asian modded, so I was able to buy cheap games from the Asian black markets of the Philippines.  I played a range of titles from Spyro to Suikoden to Crash Bandicoot.  The next generation came around and I chose the Gamecube.  The Gamecube is not a powerhouse in terms of ‘great gaming’.  The Gamecube was more for the casual gamer with the majority of it’s best titles being Mario related party games, and an occasional Legend of Zelda game.  While these were fantastic titles for me to play with, I felt left behind as my peers and friends started getting into and talking about games like Fable, Halo, Ratchet, and Jak.  I kinda gave up on video games for a while, and only played Halo and other party games that weren’t on the Gamecube when I went to a friend’s house.  And while I was an absolute monster at Super Smash Bros. Melee [which is a game I boast that I never actually bought, but still had a natural tendency to kick absolute ass in], the more adult thing to do was melee the sh!t out of each other in Halo 2.

I will never know why you are so damn cool and why everyone thinks you're the fcking tits.

Low and behold, I finally gave in when PS2 decided to have a price drop.  At the mere price of $150, I begged my parents to finally buy me a PS2 so I could get into more hardcore gaming.  Turns out my purchase was rather futile, as a year later, The X-Box 360 and PS3 finally made their debuts.  And while I made the best use out of Googling ‘Best PS2 games of all time’ and making the biggest bang for my buck on the best titles, there was an empty feeling in my stomach as my friends moved on to Final Fantasy XIVX and Halo 3, etc with their fancy new innovations and graphics cards.  And so I went through another dry spell, over playing titles like Godhand and Time Splitters: Future Perfect on an outdated system.

But I had other outlets of videogame entertainment.  When handheld and console got boring, there was always a computer nearby to help fill the void.  There were a number of MMORPGs that I got into: Maplestory, FLYFF, Combat Arms, Ragnarok, and while only one or two stuck around for an occasional relapse, it was the closest thing I had to social interaction with videogames.  I sure as hell couldn’t talk to my friends about the conclusion to Halo 3, Gears of War, or Uncharted.  So I stuck with talking  about DPS [damage per second, get with the video game terminology people.] and favorite classes with strangers from all over the world. You didn’t necessarily need a brand spanking new console to play most of these titles but only an internet connection.  But the MMORPG is a toxic void that will hold you against your will to spend 8+ hours in one spot for the illusion of progress in the form of leveling and grinding.  A topic I would love to cover for a later article.

Goddamned Koreans and their addictive MMORPGs.

Years past.  The PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii continued to shove out new and innovative games, only allowing me to play them in the presence and houses of other people.  I never truly lost interest in the video game industry, but I couldn’t exactly relate beyond a review I read online or watching Youtube videos.  I borrowed a Wii from a friend for a semester where I honed my Super Smash Bros Brawl skills, but that was likely the closest I ever was to truly owning a platform.

Then I went to college for my first year, it was nearly 5 years after this recent generation of gaming consoles hit the shelves, and I finally was able to indirectly own a console through my roommate who had a PS3.  He brought majority of his library with him, among them, Assassin’s Creed, GTA IV, Dead Rising, and I was able to finally get my hands on some alone gaming with HD graphics and complex gameplay.  I sunk hours into a PS3 that wasn’t my own.  And that’s what held me back.  It wasn’t mine, so I felt obligated to let my roommate play when I got the slightest sense of him longing.  I tried to squeeze in as much gameplay when he wasn’t there, and for the most part it was satisfying.  And dedication like that, left an empty feeling in myself when we split ways at the end of the school year.  Which now takes us to about six months ago, where a sign from heaven came from above.  The PS3 had a massive price cut that led their once $600 console to be $250.  A price that was in the range from leftovers of Birthday/Christmas gifts.  Everything changed after that.

You beautiful zombie killing, daughter saving, monster, you.

So I bought the damn thing out of impulse.  I immediately started collecting used titles like Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2, and Prototype and I completely lost myself in them.  The graphics were absolutely gorgeous, and the gameplay was amazing.  And knowing it was mine to play whenever I wanted was even sweeter.  So over the past 6 months, my gaming library has continued to grow, picking up more classics like Arkham Asylum and Soul Calibur.  I was even just in time to buy my first Call of Duty game.  Playing online against the world’s best [and worst], was a completely new concept to me, and there was something amazing invigorating about the experience.  Which leads me up to today, where I’m continually picking up old and new titles to gain the same wonderful experiences.

From the NES to the Playstation 3 has been a tremendous journey.  It is said that video games are for children and time wasters, and if that’s true, I hold the same claim to television and movies.  And as I grow older, I know I will continue to be playing video games, keeping up on the newest titles, and enjoying playing through the older ones.  And now I plan to share my experiences with my readers.  I hope you all enjoy the new topic that has been added, as well as I welcome the new readers that have joined the following for the same reason.  Good luck and now back to the Borderlands.