You might have noticed that I’m a die-hard gamer – Most of the posts on this still-nascent blog will refer to gaming in some form or another. I know what some of you might be thinking now… “I wonder what this guy’s frag count in CS or how much time does he take to build 50 houses in AoE” and the like. So, to all such people: Here’s a major rant that I’ve sealed up inside for quiet sometime:
Gaming doesn’t start and end with CS, AoE and NFS. I’ve seen most of the ‘gamers’ here restrict themselves to this - unofficial “Universal Subset of Games” in IIIT. Very few brave warriors dare venture into uncharted territory with new games or old classics. This post is an attempt to open the doors to other ‘gamers’: Open your Eyes and see the light…
I have a real bone to pick with CounterStrike. Sure, it’s the world’s most popular game, and it has its reasons… one of which is primarily the fact that it runs on every god damn machine u throw at it. But seriously, after hours of running and chasing around the same maps over and over again, don’t you people long for more? Are the flat-shaded walls and the endless yapping of “(Counter)Terrorists win” enough to keep you all hooked? Some people just refuse to even try something else lest the presence of a new game on the same disk offend the grand 10-year old executable. Here’s a self assessment for all the CS freaks: If you know what game was unofficially modded to give you CS, ok, you guys aren’t as lost as I thought. Bonus points if you’ve actually played that game.
I know what you are thinking…”but d00d, how can we even think of playing games that come out today, the ones that require a nuclear deal to be signed with some country to just get enough processing power to play them?”. Ok, I give you that one. But try out some other games: if you are willing to play CS, surely there are other games that might be your fancy: How about Quake 3 Arena or Unreal Tournament? For true adrenaline junkies, it’s just pure non-stop action with immediate respawn and not turn based like CS. One real classic to be mentioned here is Halo 1. It’ll run on any system, it’s got amazing multiplayer with a wide range of weapons and vehicles. You can even get into a tank and use it to run over your friends: How does that sound? Another awesome game is Serious Sam : The Second Encounter. I've played it from start to finish in co-op with ORB, and it was among the most multiplayer fun we've ever had!
"Look at how many people I can frag with this! Die Covenant Scum!"
Halo Multiplayer Screenshot
Halo Multiplayer Screenshot
And now for Age of Empires, and just like the name, a game takes Ages to complete. And most people blindly assume that it’s the only good strategy game ever made. As a matter of fact, one of the best strategy games ever made, as well as one of the earliest genre-defining and bestselling RTS games is the Command and Conquer series, The latest installment of which just released recently called Red Alert 3. And the best part? Actual, real hot babes that call you Commander and obey your every command (well most of them at least). Tired of ramming Persian Elephants into walls all the time? Try sending in a F-22 Raptor to take out a Soviet Tesla Coil that’s frying your soldiers at the enemy base. The Red Alert series is all about the US vs. Soviets – and if you go with the Reds, it’s the perfect game to live your ultimate communist fetishes, hell ya!
Honestly... Who do you really want to Command right now?Age of Empires II vs. C&C: Red Alert 2
So a final appeal to all you people: Don’t restrict yourself to a single game because you believe that it’s best game ever made – That’s akin to saying that “The Matrix” is the best movie ever made, bar none, and you flatly refuse to watch other movies. Expand your horizons in gaming. I’m sure that you will be pleasantly surprised. Expecting fanboy counter-ranting in 3...2...1...
