Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Baby, I can't wait til we start it's just that the 'save points' are quite far apart

I have never been much into video games. I was a fan of Mario on the Super Nintendo and similar games that involve as few buttons as possible to pretty much run a straight line with a few jumps, throws, or ducks. I did somewhat permanently borrow Brotherface's SEGA Genesis, on which I've played (and enjoyed) games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Wheel of Fortune. Basically, the fewer buttons, the better.   One Button Bob is totally my speed.

It's probably because we didn't really have video games in our home growing up. Brotherface bought a used Nintendo Virtual Boy when I was 13 and while it was great when I stuck on the couch after surgery for a week, he only had one game for it that I liked (Mario Tennis) and I must have gotten bored after awhile. The SEGA Genesis I borrowed came into our lives sometime in high school. We had a couple of handheld games, such as Darkwing Duck, but again, those aren't particularly complicated. My use of the more popular gaming systems was limited to time at friends' houses. I spent many hours just watching people play. It's not that I wouldn't have enjoyed them if I knew what I as doing, but I sucked and I knew it and I was okay with it. If ever I did play, I was just a button masher and always the first to lose all my lives.

When motion and more realistic gaming became popular, I was much more interested again. I'm definitely a fan of the Wii and Xbox Kinect and I came to love Guitar Hero/Rock Band. Unfortunately, these things are expensive, so I still don't have one of my own and Blake sold his gaming system before we ever met. So, I played when I got the chance, but it's been ages. Does anyone even still play Rock Band?

But iPhone gaming. That I'm into. Some of my favorites are Plants Versus Zombies (am slowly working my way through Plants Versus Zombies 2), Tiny Wings, Words/Hanging/Scramble with Friends, SongPop, Angry Birds (all versions), and Tiny Tower. For the first time, I'm playing games through to completion, unlocking achievements, and feeling like I have some skill. I'm even teaching Blake a few things since I'm ahead of him in Plants Versus Zombies.

It's a handy way to kill a few minutes (or hours . . .) and I don't have to figure out weird combinations of buttons on a console that's too big for my hands.

So the other day when Blake discovered that a game I've pretty much completed (until there is an update with more levels) an have been obsessed with at times (Blake even has a theme song he sings when he sees me checking in on it) had a new Star Wars version, it was not very long before I downloaded and started playing.

Thank you Tiny Death Star. You may simply be a re-skin of a game I've already played, with a few added challenges, but I love you.
Original Tiny Tower

Tiny Death Star
An example of a Tiny Death Star Mission

Now, pardon me, but I need to check on my Tiny Death Star before I have to go pick Blake up at the metro.

1 comment:

Giggles said...

I'm the type of person who watched others play because I was no good as well but probably would've enjoyed them if I knew what I was doing, I just didn't have the desire or opportunity to go through the awkward learning stage in private.