My qualms as a “gamer”

January 4, 2008 on 1:00 am | In Games |

Just about the only thing anime-related in this post.

I know this probably has nothing to do with anime or manga but please bear with me for a bit. I really do try to avoid these type of posts but since I haven’t posted in a while, I just couldn’t help myself.

Lately I’ve been griping over the mass amounts of money that I’ve been pouring into the gaming industry recently. Aside from the obvious cost of purchasing the games themselves (unless you’re someone who pirates all their games in which case I can’t say whether I support you or not), there have been many “hidden” expenses that may or may not be really necessary. Whether or not this new “hidden” cost is really necessary could be viewed differently depending on the type of person you are. In my case, I’m most likely a person who’s been raised to penny-pinch but has the personality of an impulse buyer. It doesn’t help at all that I strive to get “not the best but the at least impressive” experience out of all my entertainment related business. This of course leads to many days of needing an Advil.

This post can also be found at THAT Animeblog here

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Guitarfreaks / Drummania

This game is probably the main reason for my bitch whining. After attempting to play Venus on advanced for over several hours the other day and doing horrible job, I thought to myself if it really was me just sucking or if it was actually the controller (from Guitar Hero) damaging my performance even more (it’s most likely just me sucking). However, the more I played the more I noticed “missed” notes when I’m fairly sure I hit them. So after reading various forum posts and FAQs, I’ve further convinced myself that the problem was partially due to the Guitar Hero controller. Whether or not this is indeed the fault of the controller will probably be determined in the future.

So what is the solution to my problem? Don’t suck as much? Probably. But for someone like me, who tends to not face reality when he doesn’t want to, there’s this. The official Guitarfreaks Arcade Style Controller. Starting at a whopping $249.99 (without shipping), the Arcade Style Controller gives the closest arcade experience at home. While I do not doubt the “true experience-ness” of the product, since I’ve researched a bit and it does seem to be legit, I’m just contemplating the worthiness of the product. Is it really worth it to lay down three-hundred big ones just to improve my experience and/or performance? Since I’m obviously not happy with the experience I get from a cheaper solution, I obviously should opt for the “better” solution right? Excuse my sarcasm. -_-;

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Gran Turismo (possibly 5 prologue but for now just 4)

Here’s another game that really encourages the “true-to-life” experience. You can of course play this game using a standard PS2 controller, or even a cheap third-party driving wheel. But if you want the “truest” possible you’ll need to get one of these…

The Logitech G25 Racing Wheel. What this model features that the cheaper models don’t already are the clutch pedal, the six-speed shifter and probably an improved force feedback motor (while the motor is indeed quieter, I’m not sure if the feedback is actually improved from the previous wheels… so don’t quote me on that one ^^). Oh, and let’s not forget the hand-stitched leather. =P

For this bad boy you’re probably laying down close to $300 (depending on where you go). I’ve seen some for $229 at the cheapest but that doesn’t include shipping.

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Sorry I just couldn’t resist. =P

And of course… the PS3

Everybody knows about it so I’m just going to keep it short. $500 for the model that supports backwards compatibility… ‘nuff said.

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I do admit that it’s an expensive hobby that I love and being the geek that I am I’ll probably never quit at it. It may not compare to the price tag of some other hobbies out there but, I still feel the pain of having your paycheck just swallowed by the tides of credit card bills.

Even if you don’t play games, you could probably relate to my situation when you’re staring down that ultra limited Gundam or Haruhi figure and whether or not you should lay down the big bucks for a plastic model. The costs of the two hobbies probably reach the same amount just because of the sheer volume of goods the anime/manga industry has. And since both the gaming and anime/manga industry share some of the same markets, you could say that they’re a bit similar. However, don’t take my naïve self too seriously. ^^;;