Back in my day….

I always told myself, that when I got older, I wouldn’t be one of those people. I wouldn’t go around saying, that back in my day we had things harder than todays children, because at the time, I figured that there was no way kids could get things easier. I mean, we could watch movies in our house whenever we wanted, which was pretty damn cool.Hell, We could even play video games at home without having to go to the arcade! Shit, we even had the fucking internet pop-up in my childhood!

Hell, we even had light-up shoes, cause we were bitchin' like that.

So, taking all that into consideration, the last thing I figured I would ever think, is how we had ANYTHING harder than any generation that would come after us. If anything, I figured the next generation would have it harder, because I assumed that by now, we would be living in an atomic wasteland, because that seemed to be the route the world was taking at the time.

In the end however, we didn’t end up nuking ourselves to Timbuktu, and somehow to my amazement, certain things got easier for the next generation. Not everything mind you, I mean back in my day, I remember when gas only cost like a buck fifty, and now look at how much teens are having to pay for gas! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Suckers!

*points and laughs*

Anyway, the point of this post is so I can do, what I said I would never do, and say the following phrase; Things are so easy now! You know, back in my day shit was so much harder to do!

This time I am going to focus on video games, because video games kicks much ass!

Believe it or not, video games have changed a LOT over the years, not just in terms of graphics and sound, though those are the biggest and most obvious changes, but that’s to be expected! It’s part of technology progressing, but there are also smaller more subtle changes in modern video games, that are in no way associated with the advancement of technology. Changes that were put in place purely to make your video game life that much fucking easier!

Changes like:

RPG Leveling up process

Growing up, I was a huge RPG fan! I loved Pen and Paper RPGs, so it was only obvious that I would try Computer/Console RPGs. When I did, I was hooked! I lived and breathed games like; Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Willow and Phantasy Star.

I remember popping in an RPG and spending a full day practically just walking around the first town, killing monster after monster, building up my experience points so that I could level up enough to take on some tougher monsters that were surrounding the second town.

Days were spent just killing monsters, all so you could get powerful enough to kill more monsters! basically, it was a total grindfest! People complain about how MMORPGs have a lot of grinding, but that’s pretty much how many RPGs were back in the day. Nowadays, you don’t even need to grind! Just start your RPG of choice and move from area to area. By the time you reach your next location, just from “Exploration Experience” you are practically level up enough to take on the boss, if you killed some things on your way there, then you are not only leveled up enough, but probably over-powered!

You don’t need to grind anymore in RPGs, which is a good thing in a way, because it means you don’t need to tear yourself away from the epic story being told. You can remain immersed in the saga. So, I see why it’s that way, but still, it makes RPGs so much more easier!

Passwords

When I first started gaming, many games didn’t have a battery back-up, which meant that you couldn’t save your game! So, in order to allow gamers to play huge epic sagas that took weeks of gameplay, they created a password system. When you went to “Save” your game, you were given a password! Then, when you turned your game on again, you would go to the password screen and input your password to continue your saga.

By the way, when I say password, I don’t mean something like “Heartbeat” or “Horseback” or even multiple worded passwords like “Goat Mountain thunder”. No, that would have been too easy! They were crazy passwords, that used letters, numbers, symbols, lower and upper case sensitivity. Like this password screen:

unfuckingbelievable!

Now, not ALL passwords were that long and insane, some were shorter, some even longer and crazier, but either way it was always a pain in the ass! Especially compared to todays gamers who just needs to press a button and poof! All saved! In my day, most gamers had a notebook, that had all their game passwords scribbled down! Some gamers, like yours truly, had multiple notebooks, because just one wasn’t going to be enough.

Now, that’s just a thing of the past, but….

Speaking of Saving!

…It’s not like you need to anyway! Not only do you not have to fiddle with passwords, but most of the time, you don’t even need to choose a save option! Most RPGs and even non-RPGs have a built-in “Auto-save” feature, which saves the game for you every 5 mins it seems like!

Whereas in my day, if we got too fucking lazy to grab our pen to write down a password, we could lose hours of gameplay due to our characters untimely demise.

Damn Slackers!

Too easy!

Video games nowadays are just way too easy! Sure, some have an option that allows you to choose a difficulty setting, however those same games also have an “Easy” setting in their difficulty list, which basically plays the game for you! Seriously, just set the game to easy and walk away for a half hour, and when you come back, there’s a good chance that you will have finished the damn game!

When I first started gaming, games were nearly impossible! It’s why so many old-school gamers have the konami code burned into their memory! After all, most of Konamis games were impossible to beat without the damn code! Games so difficult, that you literally had to fucking cheat to play it! Even with the cheat, the game was still a challenge!

Watchout for the lazer!

Sure, we had some games that had difficulty settings, and sure they had an “Easy” setting, but most times, unless you were playing a Disney title, even “Easy mode” would be frustrating enough to make you want to rip your hair out!

Clearly a fan of the Contra series!

Take Cover!

Most games started you off with “Three Health Bars” back in the day, which basically meant you could get shot three times, before you came face to face with the dreaded “Game over” screen, which i wouldn’t be surprised if most modern gamers have never seen in their life.

For modern Gamers

Sure, after you got hit and lost a health bar, you could come across a health pack to heal yourself up, but those were few and far between. Your best bet, was to just do everything in your power to avoid getting hit at all!

Gamers today rarely care about any of that, since a lot of modern games don’t even have a health bar! Just run out into the open and shoot shit til your screen is nearly red, then run behind a wall for a second til your case of extreme red-eye goes away, and yer perfectly ready to do it again!

Riddled with bulletholes? Nothing a few seconds rest won't cure!

I’m not saying that all of this is bad! In fact, I understand why games are made easier! Games today focus a lot on story! back when i started gaming, a story consisted of something like this:

Epic saga right?

So, back in the day, stories were more of an after thought! Most gamers didn’t even pay attention to a story, myself included! What would be the point, you see what our stories were! Most of the time, it was better to fabricate your own story in your head as the game moved along!

Nowadays, you have great stories with good voice acting and incredible cut-scenes! Games are made easier, so people can fully enjoy the story of a game, rather than be held back for weeks at a time, while the story is basically paused until you are able to advance it.

Even I play modern games the first time on “Easy”, just so I can experience the story first hand, and then play again on the harder settings.

So, as I said; I get it! That doesn’t change the fact that games in my day were ape-shit harder though. Just sayin’.

Games in desperate need of a remake

It’s a new year, and already game companies are hard at work, planning that next epic video game blockbuster. A few will succeed, many will become abysmal failures. Which is why I think game designers should borrow a page from the movie industry, and remake some already loved titles.

A few game companies have already done this. Both Turtles in Time and a Boy and his Blob have been remade, and in both cases, I honestly feel the remakes are superior to the originals. So, why not continue down this path, and introduce classic outdated games, to a new generation of gamers on a new generation of consoles!

Here is my top 10 games that I would love to see remade on the PS3 or the Xbox 360.

1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – Grand Theft Auto set in the 80’s! It doesn’t get much cooler than that! When the game came out however, I wasn’t into Grand Theft Auto that much. Sure, the idea was appealing, but the controls were clunky and everything just seemed so awkward. In fact, when GTA IV came out, I almost didn’t try it out. I am glad that I did though, since the controls were much smoother and everything just seemed “Right”. So, I would love to see the Grand Theft Auto III Trilogy, remade for todays consoles with richer graphics and smoother controls.  If not the whole trilogy, definitely Vice City!

2. Final Fantasy 7 – Fans of this game and of Final Fantasy in general have been screaming for a remake of this game for as long as I can remember. To be honest, I haven’t a clue why one hasn’t made it out yet?

3. Y’s Books 1 & 2 – Y’s originally got me into RPGs, so it should come as no surprise that I would love to see a remake of these 2 games. Now, to be fair there is a remake on the Nintendo DS from what I hear, and it’s pretty kick ass. I also heard the remake is making its way to the PSP as well, but that doesn’t really do me any good! Bring it on over as a PS3 title as a PSN  Market purchase, or on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade! Do it!

4. Deja Vu – Deja Vu is an inventory based point and click adventure game. The basic premise is that you are a private investigator who wakes up in a bathroom stall with no memory. You need to investigate yourself, and find out what the hell is going on.

Now, point and click adventure titles haven’t been a huge hit on consoles, but recently with titles like Sam & Max and Monkey Island that has started to change. I think in todays market, a remake of Deja Vu would go over quite well.

5. Jazz Jackrabbit – I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with Jazz Jack Rabbit. This wasn’t a game available on console, it was a PC platformer game, and to be honest was much more enjoyable than the sonic and Mario games that were available at the same time.

I would love to play Jazz Jackrabbit again, with newer enhanced graphics and best of all on a console!

6. Knights of the Old Republic – This is the first Star Wars game that I actually enjoyed. More than enjoyed; Loved! This was one of the first free-form RPGs that I ever played as well. To me, choosing if I wanted to be good or evil in an RPG was totally unfamiliar, but highly enjoyable. It increased the replay value, because it could be played with multiple outcomes.

Why does this game need a console remake? Well, the graphics are highly outdated, plus while you can play the Xbox version of KOTOR on your 360, it is very jerky and damn near unplayable.

7. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – Let’s face it Morrowind is about a million times better in story and complexity than the sequel Oblivion. Sure, Oblivion has better graphics, but in the end, I would still prefer playing Morrowind. What would be even better than playing Morrowind though, is Playing Morrowind remade! Imagine, the story and complexity of Morrowind, played on the same engine that Oblivion uses? Pure heaven!

8. Freedom Fighters – The storyline was great although the graphics, while excellent at the time, are highly outdated. This would be an excellent game to be remade into todays gaming market. With titles like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., HomeFront and Metro 2033 making the scene, Freedom Fighters would fit right in.

9. Parasite Eve – When you say SquareSoft, you no doubt think about Final Fantasy. However Final Fantasy isn’t their only epic adventure. In fact, the Parasite Eve series was in my opinion their best game series, though it didn’t pick up as much steam as Final Fantasy.

Basically, Parasite Eve Take place in a modern-day setting, and blends survival Horror game elements with classic RPG elements, and creates something extraordinary. A unique gaming experience, that may very well have been ahead of its time. Re-introduce it to todays horror loving gamers, and you have a surefire hit on your hands.

10. The Realm Online – The only game on this list, that I wouldn’t want to see on a console. Mainly because it’s an MMORPG that wouldn’t port to console play very well. However, it is in desperate need of a make-over. Why? Well, because The Realm Online is special, that’s why! It’s the first Internet-based MMORPG, and it still exists and is still running today! The graphics are severely outdated however, and looks exactly as it did the day it was released.

The game is basically the Grand-daddy of Everquest and Ultima Online, and even World of Warcraft. Many of the elements you find in your favorite MMORPG, began in The Realm! Everything from Trade Windows to PVP.

The Wii might not be so bad!

Image via Wikipedia

I have never hid the fact that I am not a huge fan of the Nintendo Wii. In fact, I believe I have even clearly stated that I hated it. That it wasn’t for me. That was all true! However, things have taken a slight turn now. Don’t get me wrong, I am still not a big fan of the Wii, in fact they only have 2 decent exclusive titles. Those titles are as Follows.

Animal Crossing: City Folk – A good game, however there isn’t much difference between this version and the version found on the Nintendo DS called Animal Crossing: Wild World. There’s a few changes but not much. In fact, it’s so similar, that they allow you to transfer your Wild world character over into your City Folk game. Basically, City Folk is like an expansion pack for wild world, and not even a good one.

A boy and his Blob  – This is a remake of the original NES game, so if you were a fan of the original, like I was, then you will no doubt have to play this remake. The graphics are beautiful, the game play is fun. It’s an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

That’s it! Those are the two exclusive Wii titles that are even slightly of interest. Sure, they have other good games! I never said they didn’t, but the fact is those other good games can be played on better consoles with better game controls. Have I mentioned in this post how much I hate motion controllers? Because I really do!

Anyway, despite my dislike for the Wii, I decided today to rummage through the Wii shop, and see what all they had in there, and to my surprise there was some pretty good stuff! The first thing that tickled my fancy was Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which apparently is a sequel to the Super Famicom / SNES game Final Fantasy IV, which for the record is in my opinion the BEST Final Fantasy game ever created!

After my mind boggled at that game, I decided to dig around some more, this time in the Virtual Console section of the Wii shop. I found myself shitshocked at what I found! Many of the best games ever created from past consoles, all right there on one system! I mean, they were old game titles, Most were well over 15 years old! However they were still incredible games, and they were right there! These were games that I used to play instead of doing homework! Games that I would play hooky for! Games like Super Metroid, Paper Mario, Mario RPG, California Games, the entire Phantasy Star Series and that’s just to name a few!

The one that really caught my eye though? Y’s Book I & II. You see, the original Y’s Game. Y’s book I was the first RPG I ever played! It got me interested in not just Role Playing, but gaming it’s self.  I played the original on a game system called the Sega Master System, and I remember staying up all night until I passed out from sheer exhaustion. Sure, before that game I played other games, but I had never played a game that long without losing interest. Considering I suffered from ADD, that was amazing. Needless to say the game became my all time favorite game.

Fun fact: Not only did Y’s get me interested in Gaming, but it also got both my cousins interested in gaming and even my aunt and mom. Yea, it was that much of a kick ass game!

Years later a system popped up called the TurboGrafx-16, which people were going gaga over. mainly because it had some game called Bonk’s Adventure and everyone thought it was the bomb diggity. The game didn’t appeal to me, in fact none of the games appealed to me, and so I had no interest in the gaming console. That was until they released Y’s Book I & II, the original combined with a sequel. Being such a huge fan of the original, I had no choice! I had to buy the TG16! So I did, I of course also got the CD player, and Y’s I&II, and I have to admit I was thrilled! I felt it was the best purchase ever made, and once again I found myself unable to set the control down, I found myself passing out from sheer exhaustion.

Now, they are available on the Wii, for only 800 Wii Points, which is the equivalent of less than 10 bucks! Needless to say I bought quite a few Wii points, and bought quite a few games and relived my past in ways I never thought I would again, and the games are every bit as good today as they were then.

So, now I don’t mind the Wii. It’s not a great system in my opinion, but it’s also not too shabby either. It has it’s pluses.

Final Fantasy 13 First impressions

I have been looking forward to the release of Final Fantasy XIII for a while now, and when it came out I purchased it. It took me awhile to play it, what with my recent 360 issues and everything. Not to mention the masses of other games that were in line before it.

However, I have now gotten a chance to play it, and while I am not very far into the game, I am so far Very unimpressed! I mean, the graphics are incredible, there’s no denying that. Just that the story as well as the characters are lacking. The story is boring, the characters are laughable. Even during dramatic moments, I can’t help but laugh due to the characters reactions.

Maybe I am being too hard on the game. I mean, I used to love the series, but in all honesty I believe my tastes have changed. I am more interested in western RPGs than Eastern ones. However, back in the day, my opinion was totally reversed.

So, taking into consideration my newfound taste in RPGs is it still blah inducing? I would have to say yes.  The characters are too cartoony, laughably so. The character designs are outlandish, the locals are incredibly unbelievable. The voice acting is just ridiculous. Plus, on top of all of that, I don’t feel like I am playing a game. There’s absolutely NO freedom.  I feel like, I am pretty much mashing the buttons on my gamepad during a movie. A really long boring movie. The kind of movie that makes Titanic seem short and exciting.

Granted, it’s been awhile since I have played a Final Fantasy game. The last one, actually was Final Fantasy X, however I don’t remember them being so bad! Basically, only get this game if you are a hard-core Final Fantasy fan. Otherwise, you might find yourself incredibly disappointed, and who knows, you might still be disappointed even if you are a hard-core fan.