Confessions of a gamer

There are plenty of games that are being judged before anyone has even seen a trailer or gameplay, but recently I want to focus on one game that´s getting a lot of shit without anyone really knowing anything about it. I´m talking about the new Call of Duty game made by Sledgehammer. It´s not just the group of people that likes to talk shit about CoD games, this time there are also CoD players that just trash this game because it´s made by Sledgehammer. Somehow they don´t have faith in Sledgehammer and so the game must suck, this is all based on their opinion and not on any facts! Because there is no trailer for the new CoD game and to be honest none of us knows what it is about. But that doesn´t stop people from judging a game, in a way I get the feeling that it only fuels the amount of judgement this game is getting. Of course I know that these people are full of shit, they talk badly about a game they know nothing about and this is just based on their opinion. Wasn´t it the same ...

When you think of a strategist then you´ll often think of one of the historic figures from long ago, but did you know that there are also modern versions of the strategist. Of course things work a bit different in these times, especially when you think that we now have weapons that can destroy a city in an instant! But this isn´t about what happens in real life, this is about a type of gamer that plays a bit different than most other gamers. How do you recognize a strategist? * A strategist likes to play rts (real time strategy) games, but often also enjoy puzzle games. * The think first act later way of playing is often their way of playing a game. * A strategist will often work together with others in team based matches to win. * The favourite strategy of a strategist is the element of suprise. * A strategist won´t rush into battle, unless that´s part of the plan! Things you might not know about strategists: - A strategist doesn´t only play rts or puzzle games, th...

I remember as a kid that you had those movies where virtual reality would blow your mind away, of course as a kid you´d love that and the possibilities seemed endless. But in reality here we never got much further than cheap cardboard carved glasses with two different coloured pieces of plastic in them. It would do the trick but that doesn´t look as cool as it could be, not to forget the headache it would give you for watching through that. Well maybe I was a rare case with the headaches but it sure wasn´t comfortable. So where do we stand now? We have our occulus rift gadget that gives us a look inside virtual reality, it looks real and to your mind it might actually be real. But it´s not, it´s still just a trick you play on your mind, there is no Star Trek holodeck or Back to the future 2 stuff going on. Perhaps that´s because those are science fiction movies and we live in reality, so things work a bit different here. At least that´s what we all expect, because I don´t see anythin...

Anyone that has played the old games knows how much fun Thief games can be, but the old graphics can be a bit difficult for all of us spoiled new graphics lovers. So here it is, a Thief reboot that promises the same things but now everything looks so much better! Which is nice, but what does that say about the game itself? I´ve mentioned before that graphics aren´t the most important thing in a game for me, sure it´s nice when things look good but that´s not the main reason to buy a game for me. But there is no denying how good this Thief game looks, the environment is dark and creepy which makes you want to stick to the shadows even more. There is even a creepy level where things look to be a bit haunted, so that´s definately something I´m excited about! The characters look good and I do like the detail they´ve put into that, it sure makes it pleasant to look at character that don´t all look the same. So how do you play Thief? Well not like an idiot, because if you decide to run a...

At first people called Saints Row a GTA clone, which wasn´t completely false but I don´t think you give Saints Row enough credit to just call it a GTA clone. The absurd humour and sometimes strange situations made the game a lot of fun to play, because compared to the GTA games you had back then Saints Row was so much more fun and less serious. Something I like a lot about Saints Row games is that you have the ability to customize your character but also a lot of other things, like your gang or your vehicles. Of course not all of this was available in the first Saints Row game but it sure made a good path for future Saints Row games. In the first Saints Row game you play a guy who seems to be a silent force of destruction, being loyal to the Saints and doing whatever they ask for. But everyone that has played that game knows that the main character isn´t a mute, he´ll say some things whenever you´re close to beating a rival gang. Saints Row multiplayer was for me the first time I w...

It´s nothing new to have a favourite character or a favourite weapon, but when that character is a bit better than others or that weapon is a bit more powerful than others then it becomes an unfair advantage. Have you ever found yourself playing as that character or using that stronger weapon a bit too often? It´s no suprise really, why wouldn´t you take advantage of that? In fighting games there are a lot of characters you can choose from, but usually there is one character that has an easy or powerful attack that you can constantly use to defeat your opponent. It´s not nice to do something like that but I don´t think there is a rule against such behaviour, just don´t be suprised that your opponent might leave before the match is over. Not that this wouldn´t happen otherwise, but using such tactics often makes other people not wanting to stay in a match. You can say the same about an over powered weapon, a weapon that can kill so quickly that other players barely get a chance to e...

You´ll probably say yes, because an addiction is never a good thing and I don´t want to say that it is something good. But what makes someone an addict? Playing more than eight hours on one day? I´d say that comes pretty close, because I think a lot of people play between two and four hours on one day. Maybe that´s still a lot to some people, but for others this isn´t much at all. I guess we all have our own amount of time we want to spend on gaming, but what makes you an addict? In my eyes an addict is someone who can´t live without something, addicted to a alcohol or smoking is nothing new but addicted to gaming is something not everyone takes seriously. I must admit that it sometimes makes me laugh to think of being addicted to gaming but when I think of people getting fired or failing with school because of that game addiction then I do see that it´s a serious problem for some people. I guess if you have all the time in the world and no need for income then playing games...

I find this moment between consoles always quite annoying, especially now when the Xbox One isn´t available here yet but games for that console seem to pop up everywhere. Which means I would have to buy it for my Xbox 360 (if that´s even possible) or wait for the Xbox One to finally launch here. But if you wait for the Xbox One then you´ll fall behind with progress and of course it´s not fun hearing so many people talk about a game you can´t really play just yet. Which makes it quite logic that you buy the game on the console you do have. The same counts of course for the Playstation 3 and 4, but the good thing about the Sony consoles is that you can play Playstation 3 games on the Playstation 4 so it´s not like you need to buy the Playstation 4 version. Something Microsoft just doesn´t seem to understand because you can´t play Xbox 360 on your Xbox One. When I play CoD Ghosts and Assassin´s Creed IV then I know I can also play them on the Xbox One, but if I had to wait on that then ...

The prankster is the person in a match that doesn´t play like most others, he or she has a lot of fun tricking other players instead of playing for the objective. Fun is the main reason for gaming and sometimes the only reason why they play games, it´s not about achieving anything or having bragging rights. They can be a lot of fun in a match or very annoying! It depends on what type of prankster you have, the one that just likes to have fun or someone who likes to have fun at the expense of others. How do you recognize a prankster? * A prankster plays for fun, it´s his or her main reason for playing games. * With objective gameplay a prankster loves to do his or her own thing instead of helping. * A lot of Pranksters are social, but don´t expect everything they say to make sense! * A prankster will do his or her best to bring some amusement in a game, sometimes at the expense of others. * A lot of pranksters often behave a bit different than other players, for exampl...

Have you ever played the game SSX Tricky? If you have then you´ve probably played one of the best snowboard games that there is, because not only are the controls quite good you also have some funny characters in the game that makes it worth playing! A lot of games try to be too serious, you have your story mode with the quest to be the best snowboarder or a skill championship where you have to do some difficult stunts to be considered as the best snowboarder. Either way I don´t consider that as fun, because it means less fun and more concentration in the game. Which is fine I gues, but sometimes you just want to play without any bullshit attached to it. SSX Tricky is exactly that, you race and you can do insane tricks but it doesn´t take a professional to actually be succesful with that! The conversations the characters have with eachother are usually pretty funny, the rivalries and friendships make it fun to play against the other characters and it might actually make you want to s...

I don´t think it´s a secret that South Park is pretty popular and that´s cool, because a lot of the episodes are fun to watch. But when it comes to South Park games things haven´t been that good so far, which makes some people question this newest South Park game the stick of truth. It´s been announced quite some time ago but somehow it never launched, but now it´s back with trailers on youtube and some interesting gameplay. Something that I really like about this game is that it looks like you´re in the South Park, everything looks and sounds just like what you´d expect in an episode and with you controlling a new kid makes you a part of that. I don´t know if you can customize the character you´re playing and if he will be a mute, meaning he doesn´t say a thing the entire game, remains to be seen. But in that first ten minutes of gameplay you at least get a bit of an idea what you can expect. So far it looks funny and interesting, but maybe some people aren´t that excited about the ...

Have you ever stepped into the madness of Silent Hill? If not then I can definately recommend it, at least if you´re up to it! Silent Hill isn´t your typical survival horror game, it´s a game that doesn´t just try to scare you but to make you feel uncomfortable most of the time. Weird noises and disturbing surroudings make every step you make in this game as uncomfortable as it can be, because if you want to describe the Silent Hill games then disturbing might be the best word for it. At first you might not believe it, I mean you enter a village with a background full of fog. Nothing seems weird here, just a quiet and peaceful village until you encounter your first monster and you hear a siren when suddenly the peaceful village turns into a place that comes straight out of someones nightmare! In the first game you play as Harry Mason who is going to Silent Hill with his daughter, but when they arrive at Silent Hill he almost hits someone and while evading he hits his head and the c...

I don´t like to admit this but when it comes to playing with friends I can sometimes use some cheap tricks to win, for example grab his or her controller and throw it away from my friend that sits next to me on the couch. Another favourite of mine is to give wrong information about the controls, which means they´re pressing the wrong buttons and often lose because they have no idea how to control their character. It´s quite innocent though, especially because it´s something I do among friends which makes it not that bad in my opinion. Of course my friends might think differently about that but sometimes you just do things, especially when it comes to winning I can be quite the scumbag to my friends. So why would anyone want to be friends with me? I ask myself the same question every now and then, but apparently I´m not as awful as I sometimes let others believe. But before you get all defensive about my poor friends let´s not forget that they use the same tricks on me, which...

Have you seen the amount of Titanfall videos on youtube? It´s almost as if every channel that has something to do with gaming has posted a Titanfall video! Which is nice of course, because getting some information of a game you´re interested in is never a bad thing. But how far do these videos actually help you decide to buy a game or not? Some people prefer the more official videos, from people that are specialized in making these type of videos and sharing with you a professional (p)review. But I like videos from people that just love playing games and showing you what they like about a game, those videos are often more realistic because the excitement seems to come from the heart and not something they first wrote down so they can have a nice speech during the video. I guess we all have our favourite youtuber and some are just good at what they do and others not so much, but that´s ok because I´d say half of all the videos on youtube are there for your amusement and not to imp...

For some time I´ve been hearing people talk shit about Shadow of Mordor, because the sneaking on wires and the eagle eye kind of ability are a lot like the ones in the Assassin´s Creed games. But does that make Shadow of Mordor a filthy thief or is it just using something that already existed and made a different game with it? It´s easy to say that Shadow of Mordor sucks because you see similarities with Assassin´s Creed, since when was that the main reason to hate a game? Unfortunately that´s nothing new, people can hate someone or something for no reason at all so in a way it doesn´t really come as a suprise to me. If you look long enough at something then you´ll almost always find something you don´t like, but why would you look at a game like that? When I see a trailer of a game, especially if it´s a gameplay trailer, then I´m looking for things I like and not things I´m not going to like. Because as much as things you don´t like could decide if you´re going to...

In the old days duels were quite comon, you´d fight against someone else for honor or love and that wasn´t something strange. Also a duel till death was nothing weird in those days either, but duels became forbidden and so we all behaved. Ok maybe not all of us but there is this desire deep within to best another in something, do you have that too? I guess it´s one of the reasons why I find myself playing competitive computer games, of course that´s nothing like the duels in the past but these days we have to deal with what we do have and is that really such a bad thing? I mean in these modern duels nobody dies, for as far as I know, and if you´re beaten then you can always try to win another time! Have you ever challenged someone? I don´t think it´s that strange that you challenge family or friends, especially for guys it´s quite normal to challenge others. Of course girls can be the same about this, I can´t say for certain as I don´t know how girls behave among eachother without gu...

When I look at some of the survival horror games I´ve played and seen lately then it´s safe to say that we´ve stepped out of the mansion (Resident Evil) and entered a big world where you need to use everything you can to survive. But is this to prepare us for something or is this just what gamers want? I´m a fan of survival horror games, games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill are probably one of my favourite games. But in those games it was simple, you get some weapons and you have to make it to the end of the game by using these weapons wisely and you have to know when to run. I think Dead Rising changed that by putting a lot of different items in the game that you can use as weapons or can combine to make stronger weapons, but what really made it different for me is that these weapons only stay good for a limited time. That means that you constantly look for new weapons and try to make better weapons to survive. Of course you had the gun crafting in Resident Evil 3, which was nic...

Let me first explain what I mean with an all star, an all star is a play that wins a lot of games and usually gets good results. He or she isn´t just good at one or two games, they´re good at several games and not restricted to one or two genres. They´re good drivers, fighters and shooters in the world of games. Of course you can also be good at sport games, role playing games and puzzle games. But it´s often the more competitive games where you find all stars. I´m talking about people who don´t need cheats or tricks to win, which means no special controller or camping tactics to get a good result. That usually narrows the field a bit more, because if you get help or use a cheap trick then it´s not really skill is it? How do you recognize an all star? * An all star is someone that likes to win and often does win in a lot of matches. * When you face an all star in a game then you´ll have a hard time beating him or her. * Most all stars prefer to play competitive games,...

I think everyone has heard of the Sims, it´s probably one of the most popular games of the last decade. A lot of people have at least tried the Sims, not everybody likes it but those that do are often hooked on that game for quite some time. I wasn´t that different, it´s such a funny game that gives you so much freedom to do some crazy and interesting things! But with great power comes great responsibility? How do you get addicted to the Sims? That´s not a difficult question, with all the sims you can make and the things you can do with your sims then it doesn´t take much to try some interesting things. What happens if you take away the ladder in the pool or what happens if I decide not to go to the bathroom. Sometimes it might seem a bit sadistic, to kill your sims, but in a way it´s still entertainment. But that wasn´t the biggest motivation for me, I loved putting a sim based on me in the game. Then I´d have some crazy adventures with that sim, trying to find a job or flirting wit...

I think everyone that considers himself or herself as a rager has this issue, getting angry over the slightest thing. Wether it´s a kill that wasn´t given to you or you dying way too easy can make you lose control. But I think the worst place for a rager is in an online multiplayer match, especially competitive games can really make you mad sometimes. So why play those games? As much as you might hate losing or a bad performance, that´s probably as much as you love playing games. So it´s not easy to give that up and why should you? When you get angry very quickly then it´s probably smart not to plug in a microphone, because you don´t want to become one of those people online that goes crazy over nothing. Even if you don´t care about that, it´s not fun to be mocked by others for their amusement. As much as you might hate it, there is very little you can do about it. Things that make me very angry are moments of bullshit, what I mean with that is when I shoot someone in the head and ...

Have you ever seen a trailer that made you want to buy a game? If so then the people who made the trailer are doing something right, which seems easy but in truth it´s not that easy. Of course any idiot can show some gameplay or some moments from cutscenes, but that doesn´t always convince someone to buy that game. So what does it take to convince someone to buy a game? A good trailer isn´t defined by the length, sometimes you see a short trailer that is awesome and that makes you want to see more. But a long trailer can be boring and not saying much about the game, which makes you want to pass that game. But a bad trailer doesn´t always mean that it´s a bad game. I think a good trailer gives you some information what the game is about, things you can expect or at least give you an idea, shows some nice cinematics but also gameplay and has some nice (background) music in it. Music? Yes music, because music can help you feel something with a scene or a moment in a movie or game. But n...

It feels kind of weird to talk about it but I´ve noticed that I´m not a kid anymore, there is a new generation that grows up with the newest technology and learns to use this quite well. In the time where I had to learn to use a keyboard and mouse these kids learn to use touchscreen and voice commands. I´m not saying that my generation can´t learn this, but I think that kids that grow up with such technology will master it much faster and better. That´s just the way it goes... I was playing a game of Star Wars Angy Birds on my tablet and when my nephew visited he mastered the controls in seconds, it´s as if he knew exactly what to do. When it takes some time for me to line up a shot he does it in a few seconds, probably because I´m not that comfortable with a touchscreen or because I´m just getting old. Either way it´s no suprise that kids these days are good with computers and will most likely beat the my generation with games, if not today then there is always tomorrow! It seems a ...

Don´t worry, I won´t be spoiling anything so it´s safe to read this. If I´m going to mention something then it´s either a very old spoiler or I´m going to describe a scene from a movie or game without really spoiling anything. It´s kind of silly that I mention this but with all these people online that love to spoil things for others I think it has become a bit necassary to ensure people that it´s safe to read something. I think one of the worst places is youtube, because a lot of people love to spoil something in the comments. Of course some people will say that you shouldn´t read the comments before the video or not read the comments at all, but sometimes the comments just pop up in your face when you look at the video as sometimes the first comment is just visible if you look at the video. Quite frustrating when someone spoils something for you, unfortunately it´s nothing new. I think we all know some of the most interesting scenes from movies where you can spoil an entire movie b...

What´s the opposite of a lone wolf? That´s right, a teamplayer! In the world of campaign co-op and (online) team based multiplayer these people are the type of people you want in your team, because they help you and do their best to help win a battle against another team. A teamplayer isn´t always the star of the team, sometimes they offer more support in the form of healing and defending an area. Of course one teamplayer isn´t the other, so don´t be suprised if some of them are a bit less helpful than others. But I do think that people that consider themselves teamplayers and actually help out whenever they can are quite rare, because being a teamplayer also requires you to be a bit social. Warning people if an enemy is sneaking up on someone or give call outs whenever they spot someone. A lone wolf would most likely be silent and try to deal with it himself or herself, but a teamplayer will alert others and then try to take the enemy out while working with others. It´s actually a nic...

Maybe you think that this is silly, but in fact there are a lot of people who actually are addicted to playing games and they can´t stop. Their social life usually suffers from this and that could cost them some friends. Let´s not forget that if you spend most of the day inside sitting behind your computer or console then your condition is going to suffer as well, meaning you´ll be weak and not in good shape. Some even go so far as to eat and sleep behind their computer or console, I haven´t heard any stories of people having their self made toilet there as well, but it would suprise me if some die hard addicts pee in bottles or something like that. How do you know when you´re addicted to gaming? That´s not that difficult to figure out, I´d say if you find yourself playing games over eight hours on a day then that´s more than the average gamer, which points to an addiction. Of course there can always be times that you feel like playing more and longer than other times, so if you spen...

Have you ever played the Movies? It´s probably one of my favourite games on the pc, because it gives you so many options to work out crazy ideas or just let your creativity go berserk with something. So what is the Movies? The Movies is a game where you own a movie studio, which means you have to manage a lot of things next to making movies. That means hiring actors, directors and also staff to help with the movies or keep the movie studio in good condition. In the story mode, if you have to give it a name, you start in the early 20´s and move through the history of movie making and also the history of the world. With each era you get a different radio station host and of course music, which is a funny distraction from all that creative work. Also clothing and technology changes over the years, something you can upgrade to improve the quality of your movies. There isn´t a real ending to the game, but I usually stop when I pass the year 2000 because there aren´t any new histori...

It´s Sunday which means it´s time for another confession, this time I´d like to talk about using the same weapon(s) or tricks to win games. Do you know people who do this? In a fighting game they keep using the same move to win or in a first person shooter they can only play with that one overpowered weapon. But let´s not forget running to that special weapon that spawns in a map that makes killing other people in the game so much easier. Of course it´s all allowed, it´s not against the rules, but it´s not very sporting if that´s all that you´re going to do. But are games meant to be fair or is everything allowed to win? In my Team Fortress 2 days I played a lot with the soldier, with his rocket launcher I could beat almost anyone and I think I made a lot of people mad by using that a lot. It´s because with the soldier you can get easy kills, it doesn´t take a skilled person to use that class and it usually only takes one or two good shots to kill someone in the game. I guess the sam...

So what do I mean with modern gaming and old school gaming? Modern gaming means to me that you play online with your friends, most of your friends online are friends you only know online. Old school gaming means you play a lot with friends in split screen or local game sessions, most of your online friends are people you actually know and also do other things with next to gaming. These days it´s all about online, you play games online and you play with your friends online. Sometimes there are days that you might play more with random strangers than that you spend time with family and friends, because you enjoy playing games online with others. Is this really modern gaming? Well it is to me, I come from the time that you didn´t play online with others and if you wanted to play games with others then you invite people over and you´d play together on one screen. That might seem very lame to some people but I had a lot of fun with that. For example in Baldur´s Gate Dark Alliance on the P...