Speaking to people personally about games as much as possible has also been a boost, perhaps this will become a more regular thing if I can get others involved, however I am aware this may be slightly similar to other peoples work so I'll try and make it vary as much as I can. But I'm worried this may turn in to a wall of text sort of situation which is more suited to a recorded form of media... however I feel adding another podcast to the internet isn't really necessary at this time at least. I'd really like to know what you guys think though so feedback is appreciated and hey if you like it why not message me so you can be a part of it the next time!
What were your first experiences with video games?
I can't really remember my first memory of video games but I know the first game I played was Sonic 2 and to this day it still remains one of my favourite games and I cannot have been any older than two or three years old when I played it. My first console was the Sega Megadrive which was my dads, although I don't ever remember him playing it I don't know how I even knew how to work the thing but I can always remember putting in Sonic 2 and playing it as much as possible.
I remember I used to have a lot of trouble with the game once I got to Chemical Plant Zone Act 2 when the water rises, it was rare I ever got to the boss of that level as the sound of the drowning used to scare me so much I turned the console off. I remember even back then though I loved the music in that game and I could listen to it even now and feel a huge sense of nostalgia.
It's quite funny that this console was my dads as he does not play video games at all, I remember getting the PS1 when I was around six or seven and my dad playing demo discs on that while I was way more interested in continuing to play the Megadrive until games like Spyro came out and diverted my attention helping me to move on to newer consoles.
When do you feel you got in to video games as a hobby?
I think I had always enjoyed playing them from the start but I feel around the time I got a Gameboy Pocket when I must have been around 5 or 6 my mum got me a copy of Pokemon Yellow one day as a surprise, I can't even remember why but I'd probably gone on about all the other kids had Blue and Red at the time or something, or maybe I'd done well in school?
I think finally having this game that everyone was talking about constantly and being able to play it wherever I took my Gameboy was fantastic, I remember it being the first game I couldn't put down and one that I would constantly restart once I had beaten the Elite Four. It's funny that game is almost a time capsule in itself now as I used to name all my Pokemon after things I liked so I've got a Pikachu called like 'Goku' and stuff.
I'd say that had to be the beginning of everything as a hobby for me, from then on I had both the Gameboy and Playstation and I'd always be borrowing games from friends at school and talking about them during our break time, I'd say it was a pretty decent time to get in to them with the amount of games aimed at my age group at the time.
What would you class as your 'era' of video games?
I would probably say the last console generation more than any other because it's when I got in to Online gaming the most and played titles like Halo 3, which I mentioned in my Halo article had all these amazing online and multiplayer features like Forge and custom game types that kept the replayability, that coupled with befriending a load of other players from around the world and constantly playing with them that era became more of a social thing than anything.
It's odd because to me video games were usually a solitary thing as my sister was not in to them and neither were my parents so I'd be the only one in the house ever playing them, but with this generation of consoles the focus was more on going online and playing with friends so I think because of that I got in to way more games than I had before because friends were also getting them.
The social aspect went further than just playing the games as I also got in to watching E3 yearly with those friends and just either getting hyped for them together or hardcore taking the piss out of the whole process while eating pizza or something. I feel like there were a lot of stand out titles that helped the feeling of this era to me stick around and linger but I did eventually go off the whole online aspect as I rarely play multiplayer now but I think for the time this was probably the most fun I'd had during a generation.
What are some of your favourite games and why?
I have a few games I'd count as my favourites I can't just decide on one definite game because, much like music it depends what mood I'm in. Metal Gear Solid 3 will always remain one of my top games though, I'd been playing all the games for the first time and when I got to that game I just couldn't believe it was originally a PS2 game, there was just so much to it in terms of these little details added by Kojima, the music, the levels, the characters and even the radio conversations are all just so intricate and have this attention to detail from someone so passionate about their project that I find it hard to find any negatives about the game.
Halo 3 is another favourite of mine for the online and the experiences I'd mentioned in my Halo article where I would just stay up super late with friends playing forge and custom games. It was just a game that really brought me to the modern era of video games at the time and helped me get in to the multiplayer experience.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 used to be my literal favourite for years before I'd played any of the above and it still remains high on my list but I think a lot of that is due to nostalgia, this was my first game after all and is still a lot of fun to play even now, I still have my original cart for the sentimental value of it even though I own the game on like 3 consoles now. It's just a nice game to play for like half an hour if you've the time to kill.
Which is not to say I don't enjoy 1 or 3&K because I do but the latter I didn't even own as a kid and the former just felt lacking compared to 2. 2 just had this great level design where every level was vibrant and unique, coupled with the distinct and catchy music it was and still is an unforgettable experience that I hope I can make the time to do at least once a year.
What game has the best soundtrack to you and why, do you feel music is important in a game?
Without a doubt I feel like the Megadrive/Genesis era of music was my favourite, I find myself humming tunes from Sonic, Streets of Rage and Super-Hang On almost daily. Although I never owned the SNES I believe if anything Sega had them beat in the music department, I'm not even that big a fan of like this funky kind of synth like music but I feel Sega makes extremely catch and memorable tunes, or at least they did.
This is probably why Streets of Rage 2 has one of my favourite soundtracks and certainly has some of the most catchy music I've heard in a video game. I believe every level in this game stands out due to its music, much like the Sonic titles, it makes me really happy that UK based company Datadiscs are focusing on this era of games and releasing a lot of the soundtracks on Vinyl, which you can find at http://data-discs.com/
Overall though I feel there are a few stand out franchises with soundtracks I enjoy, the first being Halo, I go on about this series a lot but I've found the music in 3 to be so extremely memorable in the campaign with songs like 'Never Forget' giving you this feeling of triumph over beating the story but also sadness as you realise (at the time) that the Chief is done, he's finished the fight and is lost in space just waiting for his next adventure.
To have this song pop up a lot in the online lobby as you're chatting to your friends during what was the best online time of my life gives this song a special place in my heart because it always reminds me not only of that game and that time I spent with friends but also the person I was at that time and the things I did or was planning to do, the worries I had about school and my life in general. That's a pretty ridiculous thing to say maybe but I feel music is great because it has that ability, the soundtrack from LOST does this to me more than anything though!
The next franchise would be Metal Gear Solid, I don't think I'm alone in thinking these games had really great soundtracks, every title had something that really stood out whether it be a purely instrumental song, one with some sort of chanting or a full blown original song for the game such as Heaven Divide or Snake Eater. Each game had it's own style of music attributed to it but I feel like the first game had this really great isolated feel to it's music that really suited the dark and grey environments you found yourself in, Cavern is one of my favourite songs from that game particularly.
But then Snake Eater not only had this great James Bond type number of the same name but also had great suspenseful music like Virtuous Mission which not only fit with the setting but also helped convey this feeling of stealth and waiting which the games main mechanics are based around.
I think V is a special case, it had a great score which was expected but for the first time the games focused more on the licensed music of the time it was set in to help create the atmosphere of the game, it's so odd to be running through Afghanistan while listening to something like Kid's in America, but that sort of goofiness is what the series was about at times so it really fits.
Oddly my favourite song from the franchise at the moment is still Calling to the night, I say this is odd because it's from Portable Ops which as a game is fucking awful and not even considered 'canon' by many, I don't like it at all but I think it had some neat story concepts. I don't really know why I enjoy this so much I just feel the lyrics really fit the story of Big Boss and what he's gone through and will go through.
There are many more examples of decent video game music I could go on about but I think that's plenty for now as I don't want to create a whole essay based around that! I'd say some of my other favourites overall though come from titles like Chrono Trigger, Bayonetta and even Assassins Creed IV just for those catchy sea shantys.
Most vivid video game memory?
I remember getting the furthest I'd ever gotten in Sonic 2 as a kid which was probably Hill Top Zone and it just so happened to be when I was sick and off school, I was super excited to see what this level was all about and see how much further I could get. Then my mum walked in and gave the whole 'if you're too sick for school you're too sick for video games' and turned the console off. It's funny now I think about it but it always sticks out to me.
What are you playing currently?
I usually like to stick to one or two games until I've beaten them but I'm play quite a few at the moment... I bought Project X Zone on 3DS just before I went to California this year and I'm enjoying it but it's a really repetitive game that doesnt hold much variety after a few hours, however I'm a sucker for cross over games and this title having BandaiNamco, Capcom and Sega characters all in one place is pretty cool as a sequel to Namco X Capcom on Ps2.
I've been playing a super niche game on PS4 called Nobunagas Ambition which is a long running series from TecmoKoei and based on the Sengoku period of Japan. The games is a grand strategy type game which focuses on turn based role playing as you either try to unify Japan or take it over. It's definitely not a series I thought I would enjoy but since getting in to the Samurai Warriors series I got really into the history and thought this game would be worth it just for that aspect.
It definitely was but it s a really heavy game that will take a while to get the hang of so I've only beaten one campaign on easy at the moment. I'd say if this era interests you pick the game up as it's quite cheap (in the UK) and is the first in the series for a long time that has been released outside of Japan, it's always good to support the more niche titles!.
Lastly I'm playing Transformers Devastation which I picked up just before beginning this 'article', I picked it up because I love the mecha genre but mostly because it's a game developed by Platinum games, who are my favourite developers currently. I've been a fan of them since the original Bayonetta but must have picked up most of their titles since and enjoyed every single one of them, I think they do a fantastic job with action games such as Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising but they lack in other departments such as story.
So far I feel that same way about this game, the gameplay is really fun, but kind of feels like Bayonetta: Transformers Edition. This does not necessarily mean it is a bad thing because I love Bayonetta, but it just feels they could have moved away from more or less the exact same mechanics like dodging slows down time etc. However I will say the game looks like it has been pulled right out of the 80's TV show and the ability to collect weapons and edit your weapon set can be pretty fun.
What is the most obscure game or rarest game you own?
I think obscure wise it may be Gundam: Federation Vs Zeon on the Playstation 2 which is a game I have never seen in person since I bought it when I was around 10 years old, This was a game that was obviously set in the Gundam universe but actually focused only on the 1979 series, Not Gundam Wing which was the only show on in the UK in the late 90s on cartoon network.
The game to me was bizarre because it had nothing to do with what I thought was the only Gundam series, Wing. It was set during the first series and was basically you and a computer player on a small box shape level against the enemy in which you had to defeat them a number of times to win. I remember it being a totally clunky and slow and that had this really weird music and voice acting, I was not really fond of it back then but when I went back and played it a few years ago I realised it was perhaps one of the better Anime related games.
I say this because the game was extremely faithful to the series it was based off with a lengthy campaign for both sides and also 200 bonus missions to play after you were done, this odd music and voice acting was actually all music from the 1970 series with the dub from the American version, something almost unheard of in Anime games in the West. This clunky gameplay to me actually felt like it fit as the mobile suits back then were meant to be these almost basic mechs with clunky movements but great fire power.
To this day I till go back and play this game yet I still never see it in the UK, I believe it's not actually obscure in the USA because that Anime was on TV there but to me as a kid this was one of the most bizarre games I'd ever seen and I was super bummed out I couldn't play as Wing Zero...
Are you as in to video games as you once were ?
I'd say yes and no, yes because I have been playing a lot more varied genres of games the past few years as well as the vast number of consoles I play them on, it wasn't until a few years ago that I got more into RPG's like Chrono Trigger and that I decided to get more in to 'Japanese' games outside of just anime titles with rhythm games that took me back to when I played DJ MAX like the Hatune Miku games on Vita and also more in depth Japanese games like Nobunagas Ambition.
I honestly feel it's a shame because I could have got in to these kind of titles years ago but I'm still happy with the way things turned out, that sense of discovery in a hobby you already thought you were really deep in to is absolutely fantastic to me and I plan to continue trying titles and genres that are out of my comfort zone.
I feel like the past few years I've also gone back in time as I've been trying a lot more 'retro games' I either never played or did not have access to during their release, this is more so for NES and SNES games because I never actually owned either of those consoles but I've also got really in to buying old Megadrive carts off Ebay when I can to either relive titles or play something new. I think the Virtual console as well as PSN and XBL are to thank for this as they make older titles really accessible to a new generations
But I'd say no because although I'm finally able to buy so many games and consoles as with most people around my ages who work full time it's really hard to find the time to actually play the games, I think that has eased up slightly for me as I work 12 hours a day for 4 days but then I get 4 days off after, so It's a lot easier for me now to sink in a lot of time to a game but somehow It still doesn't feel like it did when I was a kid.
I used to buy a game as a kid and literally play it non-stop until it was completed, now I can barely go over 3 hrs without wanting to take a break or something comes up which means I need to put it down for a while, that coupled with annoying install times puts me off playing before they've fully updated most of the time, I weep for those with slow internet. I will say this lack of time actually makes me appreciate a game a lot more which is great but it also makes me more selective in what I buy.
Favourite game you never beat?
I think that would have to be Chrono Trigger, I just love everything about this game, the story is really interesting with its use of time travel and using characters from across time itself. I think the music is some of the best of its time if not of all time with tracks like... But more than anything I think I just like the character designs from Akira Toriyama, it's no secret I adore his work anyway but I think he works best when designing characters in a fantasy setting as well as mechs like Robo.
Now I've not beat this because RPG's just take so long for me to get around to, I was super in to the game but got stuck on a boss and know I need to grind to beat him, I cannot stand grinding in games and every time I got to play something else gets in the way, but I'll finish it at some point I swear to god!
Experiences with importing games
I got into importing games around the time I got a Playstation 3 because it was region free, I had always heard about a bunch of Gundam games one the system that were totally in Japanese but they all looked really fun. In fact I think import games are the main reason I actually got a PS3 in the first place, I've never actually been super into Sony exclusives so I remember buying a used fat PS3 during college around 5 or 6 years ago and even ordering some import titles before the console arrived.
I think the reason I started to import was also helped by the fact I had a modded PSP, so I'd download so many titles from Japan regardless of whether I knew what I was doing or not and get really in to some, I guess this is why the PSP and VITA succeeded more in Japan, because they had/have such a wider library of titles available to them then we get over here, it seems there is never any decent support.
I always like to support something I enjoy and feel pretty shitty about using a modded PSP back then to play most of my games, so I do like to take advantage of being able to actually play imported games now and owning them physically, although they are usually quite pricey on launch so I usually wait a while, however If it's anything from the Gundam Vs series I'll always pre order it!.
I feel like Asia is getting wise to this and actually benefiting those who import by including English options for text in most of their games, at least on the new Gundam Vita title they are. I don't think you can really blame them, it can't be that much effort to do on titles that aren't text heavy and it really benefits both the seller and the buyer. I can only hope this sort of thing continues in the future.
Physical or digital?
I think overall I prefer physical, I just like to actually own something and see my collection in front of me as it grows it just makes the shelf look nice. But it can create a problem of lacking space for everything I own. I feel like physical is more suited to home consoles and digital is much more suited to portable consoles as you never really want to take the carts everywhere with you like when you go on vacation.
I will say digital is fantastic for things like PS+ or just owning like virtual console games for cheap but I would prefer video games not to go totally digital any time soon, it's nice to have space but then I just feel like the games aren't really there and I don't really own them other than on an external hard drive somewhere.
Was there ever a genre or series of games you were adamant you would not get in to but ended up enjoying?
I think this is me and most RPG's. I just cannot stand turn based combat in games so I just stayed away from RPGs for most of my life other than Pokemon at least. I had a lot of friends who were really in to Final Fantasy and it did sounds interesting to me but I think I just have ADD and can't imagine myself sitting there for so long. However I did get in to Kingdom Hearts around the time of the second game and stopped being so ignorant about the genre.
I realised that RPGs didnt have to be turn based and could be really fun if I just took the time to actually get in to them, I even found myself enjoying Chrono Trigger's battle system more than anything and this was closer to the turn based style I'd initially written off! I have played quite a few Western and Japanese RPGs since this time but I do have to be in the right mindset and in a dry spell for releases as I know they can be quite time consuming.
I'm hoping once I've beaten Chrono Trigger I will give Suikoden a shot as it's been on my Vita for ages and I've heard such good things about the series!
How do you feel about video games currently?
I find this a tough question because things are constantly changing for better and for worse
I think the opportunities to try new titles are increasing with things like PS+ and region free consoles, the main reason I got a Vita is because I had amassed a large number of games via PS+, the same was happening with PS4 titles too and because of this I got to try some really unique games. This is more true with the Vita itself as it had a lot of titles that focused on its touch screen features like Murasaki Baby and while this title was pretty shit I'm glad I got to make that decision without buying it outright and feeling as if I had wasted money.
I guess you could include remakes and HD collections in this too, I feel like there are a lot of them at the moment and I do feel like a lot of developers use a re-release as a means to bide more time until they finish the next instalment however I think this sort of thing is great for those who have never played the games. For example I had never played Zone of the Enders but thanks to the HD collection I found that I loved it, the same with the first Jak game too.
I still enjoy games a lot and it is like a great way to just lose yourself for a little while after a hard week at work or something but I've not been as hooked as I used to be, I feel this is just a part of growing up but I also feel there just aren't as many amazing titles as there used to be and even if there is one that looks like it will be great it comes out and it's glitchy or downright broken.
Last Xmas this seemed to be the trend with AAA titles being totally unfinished upon release, which is probably because developers are pushed to create yearly instalments as fast as possible and also because they have this sort of safety net where they can always just release a patch to attempt to fix their game. This is a giant headache to me, like think back to the PS2... this just did not happen, a game was generally finished before release, this annoys me more than anything.
I'm kind of sick of the 'Let's play' thing on Youtube, I mean I only actually watch two because of how funny the content creators can make them (Robbaz and Critical) but I use a lot of them as sort of mini podcasts, Specifically the Gamegrumps but I feel they are pretty hit or miss. I like that it can be background noise to me and at times create comedy because someone might be so shit at a game or encounter a humorous glitch in the game but I just feel we're over saturated with them like it seems to be the new thing to do as a side for content creators who are based in other areas.
We also live in a time where people want more equality in games, this is absolutely not a bad thing and I'm all for challenging the 'norm' and making video games more inclusive as the Wii and DS paved the way for, but with that it's brought a lot of unneeded negativity to a lot of people. I feel like some of the negativity is caused by legitimately bad things but I feel the community blows things so far out of proportion a lot of people don't even know what they're mad about.
Just enjoy video games and stop getting mad about it on the internet, I have generally switched off of so many things I used to enjoy because of their focus on this sort of thing it just gives me a headache that people can get so mad about something regardless of which side they're on, just shut up and play some video games.
Where do you feel video games will go in the future?
I don't really know, I feel like VR will really take off but I don't feel like I want to be a part of it. I have tried the Oculus Rift and it was a lot of fun but I just don't feel it's necessary for me at this time and I don't feel like it will enhance my experience any further. I suppose if I were in to like driving games or simulators It would be a benefit me a lot more.
I think in general though video games are just going to become more and more popular, I'm happy it's becoming more of an acceptable thing to enjoy and there isn't this stigma attached it, it's way more inclusive than it has ever been. I think because of this inclusion it's going to breed more ideas in people in years to come and we're going to see some truly great things coming out of both consoles and PC, I'm excited to see what it'll be like in around 20 years, but I hope I don't get to that point where 'modern' is now just too much for me.
So that's all I've got for this week, I'm sure if this does work I'll tweak it somewhat as it has become a bit of a wall of text, I'd like to talk to others about their experiences and I'd like some feedback too. It was fun to write this and think about this in a bit more detail about myself but I'm more interested in what you think about video games, so get involved!
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