Gamey Gamey Game
Nov. 25th, 2018 03:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
netgirl_y2kThe downstairs of my house is semi-open plan, with the living room on one side, the kitchen on the other, and the stairs in the middle. This means you can, if you're so inclined, run around the staircase like a mad thing in your socks while getting the dog to chase you.
You shouldn't, because what will eventually happen is that you will slip, faceplant onto a coffee table, and knock one of your front teeth loose.
The tooth eventually settled down into the gum, but at a slightly wonky angle, and I've been saving up to get it fixed ever since. I eventually got referred to the dental hospital where they said that, yes, absolutely they could fix my tooth, but first I'd need to have six hours of dental surgery on my apparently terrible gums. Anyway, somewhere between when they told me how much fixing the tooth would actually cost and hour three of my six hour dental surgery I rather went off the idea of medically unnecessary dental work and instead bought myself a Playstation 4.
That's right, I have a goofy as fuck grin and a Playstation. I'm a fucking catch.
At this stage it's important to understand that the last video game I played was The Lion King game on the Sega Megadrive in nineteen ninety-four; and I got stuck at the wildebeest bit and never went back.
Things sure have changed, eh?
The console came with the new Spider-Man game. Which I freaking loved, and thought was very forgiving of a newbie. It did take me a long time to actually play through the story because I was mostly swinging around New York going wheeeeee! Which was most of what I wanted from this experience.
And then following an esoteric process that I call What Games Have I Heard Of That They've Got For Cheap In This Second Hand Shop? I got The Last of Us and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Following on from Spider-Man the graphics and gameplay in The Last of Us initially felt pretty dated and janky, but I got super invested in the story and stopped noticing. I cried twice and screamed out loud once.
Rise of the Tomb Raider I'm enjoying when it's letting me play a Tomb Raider game. I enjoy solving the puzzles and scrambling madly around an environment that falls apart as soon as I touch it, but I'm not mad about the shooty-shooty stuff that's bolted on top.
I have discovered that I suck so hard at shooting games. Unless there's an auto-aim I can't hit the side of a barn door. And I don't think it's a matter of practice; I think it's a hand eye thing, I can't catch in real life either. Luckily I don't have whatever weird brain thing makes some people twitchy about playing on easy. It says a lot about the story in The Last of Us how much I loved that game despite all the shooting.
My one (1) friend who plays games has been letting me have a go on his x-box to try and work out what sort of games I might like before I buy more, because holy guacamole, batman, this could get expensive!
So far I have had a go at Red Dead Redemption 2: I crashed his horse into a tree and immediately died, and like, it looks gorgeous but I think the shooting mechanics would drive me up the wall; Shadow of Mordor: I killed a bunch of orcs, and we're definitely moving in the right direction; Witcher III: so all I did was ride a horse for a bit and get killed by two giant insect monsters, but still I liked the feel of it and think we're moving in the right direction; Destiny: nope, too shooty, too frantic, plus I don't want to play multi-players. I want to sit in my front room, playing on easy, and feeling like a badass with no one telling me otherwise.
So anyway, things I hate: shooting.
Things I like: narrative, map traversal, melee combat (which always seems to look effortlessly artful even when all I'm doing is mashing buttons.)
Anyone who plays these things got any suggestions?
You shouldn't, because what will eventually happen is that you will slip, faceplant onto a coffee table, and knock one of your front teeth loose.
The tooth eventually settled down into the gum, but at a slightly wonky angle, and I've been saving up to get it fixed ever since. I eventually got referred to the dental hospital where they said that, yes, absolutely they could fix my tooth, but first I'd need to have six hours of dental surgery on my apparently terrible gums. Anyway, somewhere between when they told me how much fixing the tooth would actually cost and hour three of my six hour dental surgery I rather went off the idea of medically unnecessary dental work and instead bought myself a Playstation 4.
That's right, I have a goofy as fuck grin and a Playstation. I'm a fucking catch.
At this stage it's important to understand that the last video game I played was The Lion King game on the Sega Megadrive in nineteen ninety-four; and I got stuck at the wildebeest bit and never went back.
Things sure have changed, eh?
The console came with the new Spider-Man game. Which I freaking loved, and thought was very forgiving of a newbie. It did take me a long time to actually play through the story because I was mostly swinging around New York going wheeeeee! Which was most of what I wanted from this experience.
And then following an esoteric process that I call What Games Have I Heard Of That They've Got For Cheap In This Second Hand Shop? I got The Last of Us and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Following on from Spider-Man the graphics and gameplay in The Last of Us initially felt pretty dated and janky, but I got super invested in the story and stopped noticing. I cried twice and screamed out loud once.
Rise of the Tomb Raider I'm enjoying when it's letting me play a Tomb Raider game. I enjoy solving the puzzles and scrambling madly around an environment that falls apart as soon as I touch it, but I'm not mad about the shooty-shooty stuff that's bolted on top.
I have discovered that I suck so hard at shooting games. Unless there's an auto-aim I can't hit the side of a barn door. And I don't think it's a matter of practice; I think it's a hand eye thing, I can't catch in real life either. Luckily I don't have whatever weird brain thing makes some people twitchy about playing on easy. It says a lot about the story in The Last of Us how much I loved that game despite all the shooting.
My one (1) friend who plays games has been letting me have a go on his x-box to try and work out what sort of games I might like before I buy more, because holy guacamole, batman, this could get expensive!
So far I have had a go at Red Dead Redemption 2: I crashed his horse into a tree and immediately died, and like, it looks gorgeous but I think the shooting mechanics would drive me up the wall; Shadow of Mordor: I killed a bunch of orcs, and we're definitely moving in the right direction; Witcher III: so all I did was ride a horse for a bit and get killed by two giant insect monsters, but still I liked the feel of it and think we're moving in the right direction; Destiny: nope, too shooty, too frantic, plus I don't want to play multi-players. I want to sit in my front room, playing on easy, and feeling like a badass with no one telling me otherwise.
So anyway, things I hate: shooting.
Things I like: narrative, map traversal, melee combat (which always seems to look effortlessly artful even when all I'm doing is mashing buttons.)
Anyone who plays these things got any suggestions?
no subject
Date: 2018-11-25 05:54 pm (UTC)I don't know to say that you made the right choice, but it sounds to me that on a utilitarian level, unless (Lord Forbid) there's a high risk of future complications, then you definitely made the best choice. Although in terms of writing and reading, you may find yourself mysteriously lacking time... (speaking of which, no pressure, but are we doing the FTH thing?)
As for games... I'm not a big gamer anymore, but I know of a few titles that are good/great/awesome:
NieR: Automata. Melee combat, a large world, and such an amazing story and soundtrack. I cried when I played it. Also so many philosophy references, which I loved.
The Witcher III, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and God of War all have melee combat, an open world, and a good story. I personally preferred the first four. Dishonored and Dishonored 2 are also great games, though they lack an open world. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Dark Souls II and III have an open world but (I feel) less of a story.
I'd check those out, and see what you think. But before any of those, before any game at all, there's a game you have to play. To call it a game is actually a bit of an insult. It's an experience, a spiritual revelation. If someone can play one game before they die, they should play Journey. It's so much more than a game.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-25 09:52 pm (UTC)Ooh, great game suggestions, most of which were on my list of possibilities, except for Journey and that was one hell of a rec.
Yeah, part of the reasons for getting a console was to indulge in a hobby other than writing for a while. I don't know where my head's been at writing wise this year, but I've been having such a hard time getting my words out, and when I do manage I don't enjoy either the process or the end product. I'm hoping if I do something non-writing adjacent for a while I can come back to it and use my words again.
tl;dr: yes, I am doing the fth thing; I'm seriously sorry it's taken as long as it has, and I have no excuses other than ...brain weasels.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-26 09:16 am (UTC)Happy you liked my recs! Really, I feel that of those I recommended, NieR: Automata is the best for its genre, especially given the amazing story and soundtrack. But honestly, if there's one game to play in your life, it's Journey. Again, calling it a game is an insult. At the same time, if you plan to play it, I highly recommend not reading reviews/descriptions of it - if it's spoiled for you, you'll miss out on a lot of the experience.
Now, I know people who because of that claim Journey has no replay value, and those are sad people who must not have fully realized what they were experiencing in the game.
Speaking of which, I completely understand playing games to get rid of the brain weasels. I usually have two modes of doing it. The first mode is playing games where what I want to do is spill blood like water and pile up mountains of dead enemies. The second mode is when I not only want to work out my frustration, but also feel better about myself and the world, and replaying games like Journey is perfect for that.
No worries about the FTH thing! I did say no pressure, and I meant it. We spoke about this before, and I told you I didn't expect anything in the first place. If it takes another year or more, it'll still be worth it. Take your time - it's far more important to be rid of brain weasels.