As a 1987 baby, I grew up with video games; as I've advanced, so have they. I started off playing Tiny Tunes Adventure and Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo, and used to cry because I was scared of dying. But the seed had been planted. I moved on to a Gameboy and a Sega, playing Mortal Kombat every morning and the impossible Mega Man series in my grandparents' backseat. Sixth grade was monumental for me, as I finally upgraded to a Playstation. I owned only two games at first and never left my house, NFL Gameday 98 and Crash Bandicoot 2.
Around this time I made the purchases that defined me as the gamer I continue to be today. First was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for Playstation. I picked it up at EB Games, and bought the strategy guide. I was such a little chicken that I literally didn't play it for three days, fearing it was "too scary," so instead I read the strategy guide front to back. When I finally mustered the courage to fire it up, I was just floored. The game was deep, I had things to collect, I could level up (my first encounter with such madness), and the game was huge. What's this, you say? THE CASTLE FLIPS??? I was just so taken back by this game, and it really was the step from the casual gamer I had been to a full-fledged fanboy. I had always liked games, but had never been so submersed into one before.
The other purchase that really defined me was Pokemon Blue. Yes, Pokemon. My appreciation for the depth of this game continues to grow daily, but when I was just a lil' wide-eyed tike, this game literally just sucked me in. I remember walking around Marshall's with my mom, trying to get my Squirtle to level up against level 3 Rattata's because I was deathly afraid of the gym (I obviously had no idea how pathetic rock/ground types were against water attacks). To show how obsessive I was, I managed to get him up to a Wartortle before fighting Brock. Insane.
Anywho, the key to this is that I learned what I liked in games. It turns out I have OCD (undiagnosed but painfully obvious), and I'm completely obsessive about collecting things. I have physical collections that make my bedroom look like an 8 year old's dream, but in games, it turns out I enjoy it as well. I also found out I enjoy leveling for some weird reason, as well as a large game world (or relatively large). I like tons of items, grinding levels, loot, and other things a lot of people just don't enjoy. The ability to improve my characters through putting in time with them is just fantastic to me. I also learned I really couldn't care less about a story, and graphics don't matter as long as they're functional. And multiplayer is typically just a nuisance to me, unless I'm playing with a friend.
I'm sure there are other gamers with the same tastes as me, and I'm hoping my reviews can cater to that insane crowd that are looking for the same things in a game as I am. If you're looking for Call of Duty reviews, go somewhere else, I'm not a big shooter guy unless they have the aforementioned elements. I like sports games, but my niche is really action/adventure games.
I'm also really cheap, so I'll try to include some tips on how to save money and have the hobby sustain itself, or do it for as little as humanly possible. I'll also include a link to the game I'm reviewing on Amazon, and if you buy it from my link, I'll get a solid nickel for my efforts. And I do enjoy nickels. But I'm doing this because I'm bored, unemployed waiting for my BAR results, and I just really enjoy talking about games, especially this genre.
I'm open to any comments or suggestions, in case anyone reads this ever. My first review will be my tied for all-time favorite game, Dark Souls.
