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About Me
~Here's my gaming prologue...~

I've been a gamer my entire life ever since my dad ripped off some kid for his atari at a garage sale and gave it to me with the infamous Pong. I've got to be honest that I was so young that it never got old, but gaming didn't start to become a big deal to me until the NES (I regret selling my Atari when I was 4). First popping in Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt was all it took. My mom claims I ruined our TV by playing Hogan's Alley and Duck Hunt too much. Even if I did...totally worth it! I still bargain hunt for a few worthwhile games that I've missed out on over the years (ie, Contra, Dragon Warrior 4, Final Fantasy, etc.) and just stumbled upon the fabulous turquoise colored cartridge of Bible Adventures...SW33T! My folks skimped on the Master System, Genesis, and SNES, however I have made up for their absence with an ever growing collection today.

After much begging and sacrifice, I was finally able to score an N64 one Christmas in Junior High. The 64 is my fav historical console simply because it gave me my first opportunity to delve into an almost believable 3D world. The N64 is what made gaming more of a fantasy immersion experience than a pick-up and play hobby. My first games for the 64 were Goldeneye, and Mario 64. Favorite game for the system was Ocarina of Time with the 1st runner up being Conker's Bad Fur Day.

I never really got into any systems like the Saturn or Jaguar and though I'm sure they are fantastic systems in their own right, I don't really have any urge to find one. I just picked up a Dreamcast about 2 years ago, but don't have a killer selection yet other than Seaman and a couple other collectibles. I picked up my PS1 the same time as my Dreamcast. And inherited a great selection of games from the wifey. I should also note that she bought me a PS2 for a birthday present when we were dating. She pretty much rocks.

The PS2 was the start of my collecting days. Every game would stay like new from there on out and very very few games would ever leave the collection. Soon I bought my Halo edition XBOX and began in that arena. Then the Gamecube. And the collecting when to new heights. It took me a lot of experimenting to find my niche. I don't hate any genre, but I'll admit that my least favorite are sports games. To me they seem pointless because there is no relevant story or action accompanying that story to affect the outcome (no the "Superbowl" doesn't count, besides, how many times can you win a Superbowl...well...I guess how many times can you save a princess...BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!!!)

For a while I was the Assistant Director of a Game Crazy in MN. Talk about a dream job if only it would have paid well. I got most of my collection at my stay there.

~TOP TEN FAVORITE GAMES OF ALL TIME~
10. Guitar Hero 1 (PS2)
9. Armed and Dangerous (XBOX)
8. Beyond Good and Evil (GCN)
7. LoZ: Ocarina of Time (N64)
6. Mario Kart Double Dash (GCN)
5. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
4. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
3. Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
2. Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
1. Final Fantasy 7 (I actually am playing this game right now for my first time, about 40 hours in and it takes the cake so far...biggest complaint is that frickin Aeris didn't give back my materia when she died...bitch)

~Fanboy Class~
I am not a fanboy... that I know of. Tell me if I'm wrong based on the blogs and forum posts, maybe I am a fanboy and I just don't know it... I own a 360, PS3 (MGS4 limited edition biatch!), and a Wii. I play the 360 the most due to a Live account spanning back to my translucent green 40lber.

~Hardcore L3V3L~
HARDCORElite - Means I was a total hardcore gamer that started working too much but still embraces his roots and sacrifices a lot of sleep, food, and everything else to do what I love and keep up with the industry.

*UPDATE* I've been very busy lately experimenting with my own game blog. Please check it out, give me any feedback you can think of. Also, offer your support in the form of chocolate or throwing a comment on there every now and again :). As always, cocks.
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Mobile Gaming: Is it Teh Suck?
Dutch | 12:06 PM on 09.16.2007 6 comments


You’re guilty too, you know you are! Just try to deny that out of boredom or curiosity you haven’t tapped away at the num pad of your phone as you tried to run that little snake into those ever-reappearing dots, or send a ball flying into a wall of bricks! But the question has to be asked in the world of gaming: will mobile gaming ever become a respectable gaming platform?

Let’s take a look at the current state of affairs. A huge percentage of games on phones are A). puzzle games B). retro arcade ports or C). necked down EA games like Madden or Nascar. So what’s wrong with that picture? As found in an incredibly scientific survey, most gamers who would qualify themselves as hardcore don’t play those games as a first choice. We see the vast majority favoring 1st and 3rd person shooters, RPGs, and action/adventure with all other genres trailing behind. That’s not to say that the gaming found on mobile phones isn’t somewhat amusing, but with the largest population of gamers (ie the people most likely to play mobile games) looking to get something more than amusing out of their gaming experience than connect the dots, you’d think the developers would cater a little more to their tastes.

So what does it take for mobile gaming to become respected as a viable gaming platform? Something for gamers to take the experience they love on the go. Square Enix seems to know what mobile gamers want. We can start with games like Before Crisis – Final Fantasy VII that is rumored to use your phone’s camera, GPS service, and sport a handy 1-4 player option. Though the hype for this game spans back more than three years and two US release dates have come and gone, this may be one step in the right direction for the struggling mobile gaming industry. In the meantime, those of you who have Verizon or Amp’d Mobile can whip out the not-so-fabulous-on-PS2-but-might-be-more-amusing-on-your-cell-phone Dirge of Cerberus!

Either way you look at it, it seems like the best ideas seem to come when you combine old(esque) skool gaming styles, with features you can only find on your cell phone to make it a completely new experience. Take Toyspring’s Arcade Reality, which I would consider to be THE most innovative game created for mobile phones to date. Is it one of the main genres? No, but the way that it utilizes specific phone features creates an experience you simply cannot find on any other gaming platform! The only drawback: unless they create a different version, it is only available on a Palm Treo.

So is mobile gaming dead? Having started only in 1997, it is far from dead, it’s still in its infancy, but the developers simply are not concentrating on this market yet. The wireless industry has almost 3 billion subscribers in the world and if one third of people who use a mobile phone want to download a game, ladies and gentlemen, we have the workings of an insanely profitable market. But the truth remains, without games, success will not come to that industry. And the secret to success will come when developers can combine popular games, genres, and ideas, with the features and functions of your phone that you can’t find anywhere else. I can’t wait until it is common for some of the most unique and original experiences to come from the palm of your hand in between calls!



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6 comments | showing # 1 to 6
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pizzaface's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2007 12:23
pizzaface
Yes. It indeed teh suck.
pizzaface's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2007 12:23
pizzaface
And yes. My grammer horrible is.
Virtualgirl's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2007 12:27
Virtualgirl
I never choose a game to play based solely on the console. IF they start coming out with innovative games that use the controls on a phone WELL, then I would have no problem playing games on a cell phone, but until then if i want portable gaming, I have my DS and m PSP.
Cowzilla3's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2007 14:01
Cowzilla3
Nice article man, clear you did some research too. My problem isn't not wanting games but not wanting to combine my phone and games for some odd reason. Just not a fan of combining techs.

Grab an image or something to liven it up and make the writing stand out more if you can.
A New Challenger's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2007 14:16
A New Challenger
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is available for cell phones. That's one of the few games I know about besides Doom RPG.

One of the biggest hurdles is there is no uniformity in the market. With all the different providers, and on top of that all the different phone models, developers choose quite often to make a game available for one service and a few select models that provider has. There's also very little in the way of marketing, at least in the US. And I can't think of a major gaming site that consistently reviews mobile games- Gamespot tried that a while ago by acquiring a site that did solely mobile reviews, but I believe they've abandoned that project, and 1up does the occasional oddball game like Brady Bunch Kung Fu.
BahamutZero's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2007 14:39
BahamutZero
time crisis mobile is pretty decent if you have a good phone
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