This is a continuation of my “Video Game Love” article – click here to read it.
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First off, apologies for missing my article from two weeks ago – ironically enough it was due to spending too much time on video gami- er- I mean school work. Yeah… school work.
With that being said, let’s continue to delve into the wonderful world of video games and explore the other genres of addicting games stealing our attention, one precious hour at a time.
Let’s Play an RTS… wait, what?
I know what you’re thinking. RTS? How does one play a “return to sender”? Is that some sort of post office themed game? Whatchu talkin’ about, Butao?
A Real-Time Strategy game, (Or RTS) is all about capturing land and resources, creating and commanding your forces, and defeating your enemies with brute force – all in real time. If you’re all about taking your time to make your next move, this is definitely NOT the genre for you. This genre demands a great attention to detail while also being able to think on your feet.
As our very own Conrad shows us, pwnage in Starcraft II is simple.
One of the most popular series in this genre is the Starcraft series for the PC. How popular, you ask? Popular enough that there exist professional gamers and gaming teams hailing from all over the world. Popular enough that in some circles, the best of the best gamers are hailed as celebrities and have been thrust onto the same stage shared by music artists and TV/movie actors! Every month, countless tournaments are held where participants are rewarded with cash prizes and notoriety as video game champions among the masses. (See how bad a$$ that sounded?)
My love for Starcraft started at a very young age – almost at the same time my Counter-Strike addiction started. Although there was a bit of a learning curve to it, once you got used to the hierarchy of the buildings and fighting units, it became incredibly addicting. Couple that together with an online ranking system that matched you with equally skilled opponents, and I was hooked. I wasn’t necessarily a good Starcraft player, nor do I claim to be one currently, but going up against people at my own skill level kept the game interesting and engaging.
“Hadouken!” “God Bless You.” “…what?”
Last, but certainly not least, are the old school beat-the-other-guy-senseless-with-amazing-super-moves games that you used to play only in the arcades (remember the value of a quarter back in the days? – ah youth) . Games like Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter, Tekken – these were the classic fighting games that defined an arcade generation. However, with the advent of digital distribution as a means of playing video games, the arcades of old are becoming more and more scarce.
Oh... THAT kind of "Hadouken".
The appeal behind this game? Simple – “kick a$$ and chew bubble gum”. The easy-to-play-but-difficult-to-master idea behind these games mean you can just pick up a controller and start playing right away without a steep learning curve. While many aspire to be as great as Daigo Umehara, of Street Fighter fame, there’s nothing like the immense pleasure of beating someone through a course of button mashing and synchronized yelling due to excitement.
The End … or is it?
Will there be a part 3 to this series? Or will I actually write about something not video game related? Check back in two weeks, same Tall Banana Float Time, same Tall Banana Float channel.
Related Posts
Video Game Love, Seven Unsettingly Obscure Video Games You Probably Never Heard Of, Starcraft 2 Geeks Wait Almost 12 Hours for Midnight Release, StarCraft: The Endless Waltz, Intercultural Religious Love
- Ryan Butao
2 comments
conrad says:
Jan 21, 2011
I totally killed that guy
filmbeats says:
Jan 26, 2011
The first PC strategy game I remember playing was at computer summer camp and the game was called Castles II: Siege & Conquest where you could design your own castle and scout conquer other territories. Then there was Sim City which is more city building but there is some strategy involved. I also remember being pretty addicted to an Age of Empires demo. Thankfully I never bought the full game because who knows how long I would've been stuck on it. It felt awkward when I tried playing Civ III and realized it was turn based. Dabbled a bit with warcraft and starcraft but not much.
Was definitely a street fighter 2 fan back in the day, even cut my thumb on a crappy control pad trying to do a that stupid dragon punch. Mortal Kombat was a terrible fighting game but fun with friends because of the special moves and fatalities. The new rebooted game does intrigue. Killer Instinct was also fun for its insanely long combos and combo breaker moves. As far as 3d goes I like Soul Calibur for its 8 way movement and Tekken for its wacky roster of characters. Haven't played much of Virtua Fighter though. I liked those insane Marvel fighting games in the arcades the rare occasion I played them.