I think I have hit a milestone in my gaming career this past year. This past year more so than in the past I have done something that I was not a big fan of. I have played more games that have challenged my skills as a gamer and my notions of what a good game is. For the first example in the past year I have actively sought out games that wreck my shit (Demon's Souls) and I have wait for it... raised the difficulty on games. For the second one I have tried games in genres that didn't appeal to me and I have actually fallen in love with games that I wouldn't normally have if I hadn't tried them.
That might not seem like two huge accomplishments nor anything I should be excited about. Definitely not post-worthy but you know what fuck you and your nay-saying. It's a big deal, 'why is it a big deal toodlekittens?' you might ask. Well I have never played videogames to challenge my skills and find improvements within myself and I have always played games in genres I was firmly comfortable with. Sure I have pumped in 600 to 700 hours easily into Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas but I always kept the difficulty on Adept (Normal) or Apprentice(Easy) and I always made the same basic character the tank that surprises you from the shadows and then is insanely difficult to kill. However this past year I decided to make a super squishy Illusion Thief Mage that can't take a hit to save his life and a super squishy unarmed assassin in New Vegas. I also decided to bring the difficulties up to Expert(Hard) and do a hardcore run on New Vegas, I have never had more fun playing those games since the very first time I played them. let me tell you going from a God to cowering in the shadows too afraid to move is a big change for me in this games, I usually one shot anything the dares to draw breath but these run throughs have been humbling experiences.
Now I have established that I hate RTS games and although that is still very much true there is a game that I like to call and Action RTS out there called Resonance of Fate that I did play before but didn't get back into again until recently that has made me question my hatred for the RST genre. Not many people would play it and consider it to be an RTS but you manage your bullets, the movements your characters make with stamina, the actions they make, whether take cover or attack an enemy, then you go into real time see your actions play out and make small adjustments on the fly that sounds like an RTS to me. There is also one other genre you might not know I have disdain for and that's the Side-Scroller you know your Classic Marios, Mega-Mans, and Metriods it isn't that I hate them, I don't. I just have never found myself playing any of those games and saying man I should beat this, it's more like okay I am going to sit here and beat a level and ooh look Skyrim. However this past year I played a Side-Scroller that has me wondering what I have been missing out all these years, that games, ladies and gentlemen is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I have beat that games three times in single sittings, that's right I sat down and powered through one game on multiple occasions in a single play through. It is one of my top ten favorite games of all time and that's a pretty discerning list to find a simple game like that is a surprise, well to me at least.
Maybe this doesn't sound all of that impressive to you but it's my goddamn accomplishment and I am happy with it so fuck you.
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toodlekittens
As of lately, I have been drawn to games that require more skill than I used to. Trials Evolution kicked my fucking ass this past year and I enjoyed every minute. I've been playing more complicated games, most of which I failed, but you know what? They were fun. Though I have essentially abandoned my run with X-COM, that hard mode is insane and makes you give a shit about what happens. I don't know where this went, but for some reason your post provoked this. Good post by the way.
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