Since I have new visitors reading my blog, I guess there is a need to tell you guys how much I love playing video games. If you think gaming is generally bad, then I hope at least you can read this post with an open mind. Just like other hobbies, gaming is one other way to spend our time.
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| Here's a picture of my cat to make you go d'aaaawwwwww |
As I was writing this post, I realized that there are many things to talk about. So I will divide it into four(!) posts. The first one (this post) will be taking about the
consoles that I owned and currently have. Second will talk about the
important games that I played. Third will be the
current games I'm playing (and the one I'm looking forward too) and the last one would be the
impact of me playing games. The first three might be kind of boring since I will talk mostly about myself, so at least please do read the last one. I am confident in my abilities to give comments and opinions *proud* I will also try my best to make all these as interesting as possible. (Maybe I need an editor haha)
If you are not interested in my past and what I'm going to tell you in this post, I suggest you at least jump and read the last part, "Future Plan?". There is something that I'm certain you can argue with me =D
Consoles
Let's start with a bit of my history with the consoles. As far as I can remember, I started to play games since I was five. My father used to bought me the pirated version of Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The best game I played at that time was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. It was fun playing that game with my friends, but we never beat the game, not even once.
Back when I was in primary school, I always went to my friend's house to play Playstation games. My mom got a bit worried since I don't like to stay home. So in 1999, I got my first Sony console ever. It was a very nice moment with the Playstation, but since I already played it on my friend's, I didn't play a variety genres of games. In the end, the Playstation served it purpose: to keep me from going out from the house too much (and thus another problem was created). But still, I got to play Digimon World series and Twister Metal series, two of the most remembered series that I played. But one game changed my taste for gaming forever, and that game is the beloved Final Fantasy IX. This game influenced on the games that I will be playing for the years to come. The console died around 2002, which is when I got my next console.
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| You are uglier than what I remember. |
After I got my UPSR result (5As!), I asked my parents for a Playstation 2 as my present. On the day where I got my result, I also got my PS2. Unlike PSone, PS2 is truly a magical moment for me. I never played any PS2 games before, even on my friend's, so to get to experience it without ever spoiling myself first is truly the happiest moment at that time. The first two games that I bought was Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X. Both are wonderful games that I lose dozens of time playing both of these. What I like about PS2 the most is the fact that it is a home to many Japanese Role-Playing games (JRPG). Final Fantasy, .hack, Tales of series, Kingdom Hearts, Persona, and more. That is still not including other games like Devil May Cry, God of War, Burnout, and the list goes on. Just like PSone, PS2 also has this one game that let me see games in a new light: Guitar Hero 2. That is the first game I bought a plastic instrument for it, and spend weeks to master the game. Rhythm game and me are inseparable. My first PS2 died on 2005, and I got a new one on the same year after my PMR result (the slim model). The slim model is currently with my friend, I sold it to him back in 2011 but he never paid. If you are reading this post...then please do what you have to do. Okay? Well not that I cared though.
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| She used to love watching me play Persona 4 |
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| Getting closer... |
Earlier in 2008, I got my first handheld console ever, the Playstation Portable (PSP). It is also the first gaming console that I bought using my own money (my mom add some money towards it too). I owned three different PSP model in total, but right now I only have one with me. The three are the model 2000 (gave it to a friend), model 3000 (sold it to a friend), and PSP Go (still with me). The PSP also doubles as my MP3 player. The first few games that I got for PSP are Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII, Lumines, Burnout and Virtua Tennis. The first year of having PSP is mostly fun due to playing it with other friends. My brother has one too, so I borrowed his and we usually play Burnout and Virtua Tennis. It was fun. Later on, the PSP became more personal and only I play it. The game library also got bigger, so I focused on single player games. Some notable games are Kingdom Heart Birth By Sleep, Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions, Persona 3 Portable (always the most beloved), Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, God of War Ghost of Sparta, and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Most of these games came out at the end of the PSP life cycle (2010-2011). I still play my PSP from time to time, but with the presence of its successor (PS Vita), my PSP haven't got much attention anymore. It is still lying around my house collecting dust.
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| The first one is all blue. |
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| Bought this one in the States |
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| Sorry man, I just need to move on...I need to *sobs* |
At the end of the same year, I finally got into Nintendo gaming world, as I bought the Nintendo DS. There is this one game on the system that I really wanted to try, and I didn't regret purchasing both the game and the system. The World Ends With You is probably the best game I've ever played on a handheld system. Just like PS2, the DS is home for a lot of great games, especially the games with wonderful stories. In that way, I think DS is like a successor for the PS2 compared to PSP. The great thing about DS is it has games for everyone (just like PS2, too). For kids, for grown ups, for casuals, for the elderly, and hardcore too. The most played genre on DS are JRPGs, puzzles, and adventures. There are a lot of best games for the DS, some of my picks are Professor Layton series, Phoenix Wright series, Radiant Historia, Devil Survivor 2, Pokemon, and 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors. I have two DS, the slim one is with my cousin and the other one, DSi, was sold to Gamestop for my 3DS purchase.
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| The best lil' system |
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| This dude has a camera that serves no purpose |
On 2009, the first week that I arrived in University of Wisconsin-Madison, I bought a PS3, the slim model. At that time, the game that I want to play was Resident Evil 5 and Metal Gear Solid 4. I'm glad I bought these two games. The best game I played was Uncharted 2, and that was the game that made me fall in love more with Sony. The notable thing about PS3 is how it brings me and my friends together. The two most influencing genre is first person shooter (FPS) and music/rhythm. The FPS game, or the Call of Duty series, is the one of the most played on my PS3 since Modern Warfare 2. The game is fun, especially when playing with a lot of friends. During Modern Warfare 2, only two of friends played it regularly. Then come Black Ops. It was the first game that we all spent our whole night during weekend playing that game. During Modern Warfare 3, the number of my friends playing it increased, and we played it almost every week. Truly a good time playing with friends. The music games, which are Singstar, Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and usually popular among my female friends. During our first and second year, we play these games almost every week too. Singstar is fun because we don't have karaoke box over there, so this game filled that spot for karaoke. With the scoring system, it is fun to see who can stay at the top of the chart. Rock Band and Guitar Hero is mostly fun because we can play different instrument. You can either sing, play guitar, drum or bass. So it's easy for everyone to get in and try. I am still playing the PS3 games, so it's hard to say what are the memorable games for me. Some notable games for the PS3 are Final Fantasy XIII, Uncharted series, Call of Duty, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Journey. PS3 has a large library of games, and for me, the change that PS3 does to me is on how I play multiplayer games, both online and offline.
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| That is not a mirror, I assure you. |
I also have a Wii, but I haven't played it since...forever. I might donate it to Kolej Amin for everyone to play during their free time hohoho.
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| The only picture with my Wii in it. |
The last two that I bought recently are 3DS (2011) and PS Vita (2012). Both serves as the successor for DS and PSP, respectively. Both are still young, and both systems had a rough start. During their release, there aren't that many games, so most people think that there are no reasons to buy it earlier. As time goes on, both already have a lot of games, and there are plenty to choose from. If you want to buy one, I suggest you wait a little longer, especially for PS Vita. If you want to buy 3DS, you can go ahead since it can play DS games too. PS Vita is able to play PSP games too, but you need to download them from the online store. But don't think the PS Vita is a turn off. I had fun with the Vita, and more good games are coming. More on these two in the next post.
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| One of these two will always be in my pocket. |
My Favorite Console Is...
It hard to say which one is truly my favorite, as each has their own specialty and novelty. For single player moments, I would place PS2 and DS on the top for having a lot of JRPGs and games with engaging stories. PSone is special for introducing me to gaming, and also Final Fantasy IX. PS3 is the first console I played multiplayer a lot. PSP is an oddball: there are times I can't let go of it, there are times it just sits there collecting dust. I don't have anything to say for Wii though.
But if I must decide, I will go with the DS. It has a lot of great games for such a small system, not to mention its low graphical capabilities. But maybe that's what make it easier to develop games for because it doesn't has a high requirements, so developers can focus on the other things like the game mechanics, plot and design besides making it just look pretty but empty. The dual screen and touch screen was utilized very nicely by most games, making the experiences very unique to the DS and can't be found elsewhere.
Future Plan?
For now, I am not planning to buy anymore consoles or gaming system. I am not interested in tablets like iPad or Galaxy Tab. I used to have an iPod Touch, so I know where do my taste on tablet gaming stands. The next generation Nintendo console, Wii U, is coming to North America this week, but I'm not interested in it too for I still have my PS3 and my experiences with Wii tell me not do buy it. There's no news on next gen Sony and Microsoft consoles, so what I have now should be okay.
Some of my friends are already questioning themselves: "Will I still play games after I started working? What about after I am married?". I don't have an answer for myself. I don't know if I will still playing games in another ten or twenty years, but I don't see myself stop playing games. To be honest, I know I won't stop even after I get old. But in the end, what's important is to have priority on what is need to be done first. Of course, family comes first over everything else. Then my job, and other responsibilities. I follow a lot of gaming websites, and when I read the comments, most of these guys are married (there are wives also!). My point is, gaming shouldn't stop or prevent you from doing what is important. Plus, there are also games that are family-friendly, so it shouldn't be a problem to spend some weekends playing games with my children and wife.
To my future wife, I hope you can accept that I really love playing games, and that no matter how much I want to play games, I will prioritize our family first. At least you will see me in the house instead of hanging out with friends that you probably don't even know. If our children like to play games to, I'll make sure they make something positive out of it and I'll control what and when they play. As much as I love gaming, I will love you and our family more.
So that is all about my history with gaming consoles up to this day. The next post will be about the my favorite games of the pasts, and how did these individual games affected me. Hopefully I will get it done by tonight, or at least tomorrow morning.
Thank you for reading!
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