Replay Old Games

Now I am not talking about games that just came out last month or playing some of the latest DLC content, no I am talking about dusting off the consoles in the closet and trying your hand at some games from your past. Doing speed runs of games you have beaten or just playing a game you miss playing is a great thing to do. If you don’t have those games and you don’t want to hunt for them online, go to your local mom and pop game store. Places like that are full of retro games for great deals while you are there you can pick up old games you never played before.

Online Games

Online gaming is of course now part of the mainstream when it comes to gaming. Not too long ago, the concept of it was only limited to very few games and the crowd of online gamers was a very small niche of a group; however recently as more and more games are made the community has grown. So hopping online with your favorite shooter and playing some multiplayer mode is a great way to entertain yourself until that next game you want comes out. However, this isn’t just limited to console gaming, far from it. PC games are a huge market for online gaming in the realm of MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). As more of these games are made, there is a wider variety to please the different types of gamers that are out there. Also there are more games that are free to play so you can avoid the monthly charge just to play it. So get out there, download your favorite game if you are a fan of it, and if not…it is always good to try new things.

Table Top Games

On the subject of trying new things, as a geek I always try to get people to try new things that are outside their usual comfort zone. Majority of the time whenever I do this my friends enjoy it and I have them hooked on a new hobby. Table top games are a perfect example of this. While many gamers out there do enjoy a good table top game there are some who will shy away from it or they don’t view it as something they won’t see themselves interested in. However any kind of board game, Trading Card Game, or table top role playing game has as much fun and excitement as any video game will offer to the average player or hardcore player. Also it is a great way to get your friends together for a fun game night and socialize with people offline.

Gaming Meet-Ups

This is a great way to meet people and make new friends in the gaming community; there are plenty of places that hold meet-ups on various days of the week at the local game shop. At these meet-ups people will play games and socialize. For the more hardcore gamer, this is a great way to meet others in your gaming community and trade stories and tips on how to make your own personal gaming even better. A good example of this is when some game stores have Fighting Game Dojos. At this specific kind of meet-up members of the fighting game community come together to train and test their skills against one another to improve themselves or to just have fun.  So check out your favorite gaming forum and find out where these meet-ups are happening, or if you want try to start your own. You will not be disappointed.

After these great examples of things to do in the world of gaming I am sure you will find something great to do to kill time until that next great game you are waiting for is coming out.

Most notable through venues like STEAM and to a lesser degree on X-BOX Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, independent companies are either self-publishing or having a studio buy their intellectual property and are content to sit back and relax and watch as profits come in. Don’t believe independent gaming is profitable? One only needs to look at the long list of games that released in 2011 alone and will notice that alongside the triple A title from the big developers, games have taken notice to the smaller teams that produce amazing content.

Of note, titles like Bastion and Outland and Trine and its sequel are but small fractions of games that were made by smaller teams and picked up by a larger company. It’s cheaper for the company picking up the title, and for the team that worked on the games, it means a much larger profit share as they still retain certain rights and licenses and can rake in the profit for each title sold.

A small indy game that has as much pull as any big budget game

It’s also cheaper for the consumer as well. Since these titles are generally provided through download services on the PC market or through console download services, they’re sold at a much smaller price point and are more affordable than most on disc games that are sold at full retail price.

So the next time you feel like complaining how expensive console gaming is or can be, try not to look into a game store retail chain (I’m not wholly advocating this, please continue to support game stores; they still have good deals from time to time!), and instead turn your attention to the market that is always available at your fingertips. You might find that hidden gem or instant classic before anyone else does!

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P.S. …the year end…shall be soon…

As usual, you can download the episode right here

As usual you can get your audio fix here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/geekfist/Geekfist_TCG_Episode-_Card-mageddon.mp3

As usual, you can get your episode right here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/geekfist/Geekfist_Post_NYCC_We_are_Not_Exhausted.mp3

Really? Is it that serious?

Ever since I have been introduced to the world of competitive gaming I have seen more and more of this.  I have seen people ignore generally fun and enjoyable games because it doesn’t meet the standards of other games. I have seen people turn away from very enjoyable games because it isn’t the “In Game” at the current moment, or to go even more in depth with it a game that isn’t tourney centric and doesn’t challenge. “Tourney centric”? People aren’t playing certain games because video game tournaments aren’t focusing on them? Is that what tourney centric means? I hope a pro-gamer is reading this so they can answer that question for me.

Now before people go off on me telling me to shut up because I am not a pro-gamer myself, because I am not a serious gamer I shouldn’t be saying all of this, or that I have no respect for pro-gamers in general. First of all I have the utmost respect for pro-level gamers; they played a pivotal role of bringing gaming up the same level of media as movies and television. To go even further many of my friends are pro –level gamers and I am always amazed by what they can do with a simple video game so I have no ill-will or bad words against them or what they do. Second of all I am not a pro-level, competitive, or a hardcore gamer. I am just a guy who likes to play video games, and this blog is my view of the world of hardcore gaming through the eyes of someone who isn’t.

Now to get back to what I was talking about earlier, unless you put time in the lab, attend sessions daily, you are out there on the tourney circuit constantly and have made a name for yourself I personally feel that you shouldn’t say a game isn’t good because it’s not “Tourney Centric”. Though, yes in the case of practicing for a game or wanting to make it into the pro-brackets you will have to play games that are part of the tournament venues.

What I am basically saying here is people, don’t base what you enjoy on doing on what others are doing. Play what you want to play because you like to play it, play something because you find it fun and don’t worry what other people are thinking about you. Don’t feel ashamed because you are playing a game that others say is trash or garbage. Isn’t it the way of a gamer to enjoy a game for what it is and not for what others are saying about it? Yes this is weird coming from me, a person writing a blog on a video game review site but remember, we aren’t telling you what to do as a gamer. We are giving you our insight on it so that maybe you as a person can make your own choice.

So give me your replies to this faithful readers, I am curious to your opinion on what I just ranted about.  I am honestly curious for your opinions on this subject. Till next time friends.

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Well E3 is over, another Expo has come and gone after unveiling the latest and greatest in video gaming technology. One of the big things that was revealed this year was the new 3DS, the latest Nintendo handled system.  Now I am a big Nintendo fan, and I will totally support them in everything they do. HOWEVER…I will play devil’s advocate this one time with the 3DS. Is it really worth it? Is it really necessary? Lets look at some reasons why it isn’t.

Over-Complicating the Simple

The whole ‘slider’ system at the top of the screen allows the players to adjust the screen settings and 3D-ness (yes its a new word I made up) of the screen. This shows Nintendo is always looking out for us. Always making sure to cater to each of the different player’s needs. Every person in the world has their own unique lateral view, and the slider allows you to adjust this. Thanks, Nintendo!

However, for some people or younger gamers,  this feature will be far too complex for one to grasp. And then they will turn around and blame Nintendo for not thinking of the player and figuring not to blame their own genetic make up and line of vision. Which pretty much goes agaisnt what I said before about Nintendo always thinking about the individual gamers…whoops.

Will it Work For Everything?

At the presentation we saw ALOT of game companies already on board for this. And several companies already have games ready for this system on the release date. Now I am sure alot of the games they had on display at E3 were amzing, and they looked OUTSTANDING in 3D. Along with amazing reception the crowd gave as they listed off the companies that will produce games for the 3Ds (lets ignore the dead silence and snickering the crowd gave when they said THQ), shows that Nintendo is very excited about this. Now let’s take a step back and be really honest here, I can gaurantee you 25% of the games that are made with 3D rendered polygons will look like crud in 3D. I know people will disagree but this is MY personal opinion here based on the track record the DS has. I see many good games that look really fugly, or hey maybe I am being biased, prove me wrong Nintendo.

DS isn’t really new stuff anymore.

Now lets be honest here people. Nintendo never really presents anything NEW per say when it comes to their line of portable systems. Pretty much what they did, and its pretty ingenious of them mind you, is that they never put out anything grand and new. All they do is gradually add one new thing to the DS, which is the same thing Apple does with their products, what this does is that it keeps the product fresh in the minds of the consumer, it makes them want to purchase the new product for new technology, and it still lets them continue selling the previous model.

However…it’s still the same thing. Nintendo, I love you with all my heart but stop releasing a new DS every other year! With your track record we will probably see a 3DS followed by a 3DSi and then a 3DSXL in over the span of 3 years! Let us ride the product for a bit before unveiling a new hotness.

Virtual Boy

Nuff Said…

Now I say all of this not because I am anti-Nintendo. I am all for Nintendo and the machine that prints the money…however I just feel that we should sit back and really think about if a system like this is really the new amazing thing or is it a machine fad that will last for only so long before we are back to using a normal DS. Time will tell and as I said before, prove me wrong Nintendo.