trivard676
Ah yes, another year has gone by. During the lead-up to the holiday season, it honestly felt like it would never get here. Seriously…since when did we start getting ready for Christmas before Halloween? A little part of us didn’t want it to come, either – because with the end of the year comes reminiscence. Awesome end of the year activities like taking stock of all we’ve already accomplished and some of the best times we’ve had that year. The new year brings (depending on where you are) a good three months of cold weather and snow, and the often loathed New Year’s Resolution.
Some experts in the area (there are actually experts in this field) claim that you’re more likely to succeed in maintaining those resolutions if you ‘start’ doing something rather than stop. Think about all those times you said you were going to stop eating junk food or stop smoking and your success rate. Even just the psychological effect of the idea of starting something rather than stopping something. Additionally, some common sense tells us that we’re more likely to enjoy these resolutions if they’re…you know, something we’re interested in. So at ROH, we’re kicking back and enjoying our favourite hobby while trying to maintain these New Years resolutions.
Sort through the Backlog
Ahem…we uhh…better get started here
We can’t think of too many gamers that don’t have some sort of backlog. If you’re an avid user of Steam, you know exactly the sort of thing we’re talking about. You bought the game when it was on an extreme sale – yet you still haven’t gotten around to playing it. Your intentions were great – who doesn’t want to do more with their money? But just sitting there, that spent money isn’t doing you any good.
One game on the backlog, two games on the backlog. You probably shouldn’t even ask how many games we have just sitting there on our shelves, hard drives or download queue. Looking at us with those eager eyes, waiting for us to play. Like that puppy in the pet shop – there’s only so long you can avert your gaze.
Sorting through the back log is a great way to help save up for some of the bigger releases headed our way this year, whether you’ve got your eye on a new console or a string of new games. So quit stringing that game along and take it out for a spin – you might just find a new favourite.
Play an older game…and don’t skip the cutscenes
For those fortunate enough not to have a huge backlog of games – try this one on for size. You’ve probably seen them a hundred times before, doubly so if you’ve died right after it. We’ve played games where we grew to hate the cutscenes…
So it’s pretty difficult to ignore the fact that this was probably the worst kept secret of the entire game. Haven’t played it yet? Sorry, but now you can join millions of fans in our collective disappointment. Yet in our frustration, it’s easy to overlook all the hard work that people went through to make the scenes in this game. The mo-cap, the voice acting, all of that jazz takes a lot of time and effort to bring it all together. We’ve skipped more than our fair-share of cutscenes, too. In fact, we’re pissed when a game has unskippable cutscenes.
As games grow increasingly cinematic however, the cutscene is a huge part of the whole gaming experience. Developers want you to see all the hard work that they put into it. Skipping cutscenes is akin to skipping screens of dialogue in an old Final Fantasy game on the SNES – you can still play the game, but you’re missing half of the fun. And often times you have no idea what you’re doing if you skip the dialogue.
But…if you’re playing an old game that you like, odds are you don’t skip the cutscenes though. Maybe we’re just over-analyzing this? Maybe just we’re the ones that are skipping the cutscenes of our old favourite games?
Give a game you hated a second chance
This is really hard, especially since most of the games we hate we inevitably trade in or sell. However we’re pretty sure that everyone has a game or two on their shelf that they could care less about. When we review games at RoH, there are obviously some games we come across that just aren’t up to snuff. We want nothing more of them then to just chuck em. Especially for those games that we ‘can’t’ trade in.
We feel that there’s no better time than the new year to give that game a second (or possibly third) chance at redemption. We already have low expectations, the worst that could happen is that they live up to those expectations, right?
You know, we have already grown a little by giving the game a second chance in the first place. We’re already better people for just the thought.
I think this is the one resolution we’re going to be dropping…
Play a series from start to finish
Nothing quite beats a fine appreciation for a series. Seeing how that series evolves throughout the years is almost like going through yearbook photos. You remember the exact thought that ran through your mind when saw that Licker run across the window in the Raccoon City Police Station, or when you found out what really happened to Mary. Nostalgia is great, isn’t it?
Editor’s Note: I’ve never played a series start to finish in a marathon. That is, I haven’t started at the beginning and played one after the other in succession until I’ve reached the end of the last one. I know people who have actually done it with Mario games, The Legend of Zelda and Metal Gear/MGS and kudos to them because that is an incredible feat.
It’s a lot of game to put on your plate for sure. Stick with a series you love and blast through those cold winter months with ease. If you’re a completionist, you could be playing well into the early spring.
Be a part of the gaming community
After a long hard day at work or school, sometimes people just want some time to themselves. To kick back and shoot some zombies without other people bugging them. That’s cool, we understand that. But sometimes that excellent headshot is so much better when you can share the experience with others.
You’re already here, so you have the Internet. If you’re already an avid forum user or commenter on articles and stories – awesome. If not, it’s time to come out of your shell. There’s nothing to be shy about. We’re really not as bad as the media portrays us, those bastards.
Above: not necessarily a more accurate representation
Do you have a particular talent that you’d like to share with the world? There are plenty of places where you can share artwork, post fan fiction or just start discussing gaming in general. Sure, there are some dives out there, but even some of the dives have a dedicated fan base.
Getting involved can boost your self-esteem, help you make new friends and all in all (depending on ‘how’ exactly you get involved) leave you feeling better than you were before.
Gaming is as much a culture as it is a past-time. The best way to experience a culture is to get involved!
Be a better online gamer
We had to leave the hardest til last. And we’re not talking about following mission objectives better or just…y’know, being a better gamer overall. This resolution explicitly involves not being a massive asshole.
Playing online sometimes, blows. Hard. Between people griefing, cheating/hacking and blasting music nobody wants to hear over the mic, we wonder exactly why people ‘want’ to pay $50/year for a Live membership or even take their consoles online at all. Most (some?) of the time, the ribbing, homophobia, sexism and racism are all in good fun, whatever kind of fun that is. Honestly, sometimes we can never really tell. Regardless for anyone on the receiving end, the mute button doesn’t erase the memory of the bullshit said to you. A lot of people can brush it off their shoulders and take their lumps, but for many it ruins the fun that they are paying to experience. But some things will never change. No matter how many warnings are given or bans put in place, people are going to be assholes – just because they can.
We’re all guilty of doing some form of this – even if it’s only responding to them. Responding to them, getting upset with them only fuels their shit-slinger. So in 2012 be the bigger person. Mute it. Delete it. Push out of your mind the negative that they wrote, or the hate that they spewed from their shit-eating mouths. In 2012, the negative opinions of strangers online should register at a 0 on your ‘like I give a fuck’ metre.
And should you choose to respond and tell them to eat a dick, be sure to include a please.
