Posted on No Comments on My list of gaming sites – a complete resource

My list of gaming sites – a complete resource

Over the years I’ve built up a bookmark list of gaming sites that I frequent. I have probably seen all of the popular ones, and spent a great deal of time on each. But there are some that time and again I agree with their ratings and opinions the most. Of course, this is like just my opinion too so take it or leave it.

Reviews of games

There are so many sites out there that review games. It’s an easy business to get into, you buy a game, play it, than write about your experience. If you’re already playing video games then its not much trouble to do reviews. Anyway, here are some of my favorite game review sites:

  1. Metacritic. This gives you a good overview of the game in question. It synthesizes information from a bunch of review sites.
  2. PC Gamer. Obviously no console game reviews here, but this magazine has been around for a long time and has some of the best writers and reviews of PC games anywhere.
  3. Lazy Game Reviews. This is a really cool YouTube channel that has tons of stuff. It’s something just for fun to check out as it has some funny reviews on it.
  4. The Video Game Critic. This site has been around since 1999 and is my favorite independent reviews site.

Reviews of gaming supplies

As the gaming past time has grown, companies have sprung up everywhere. It always seems like there’s a new peripherals company just around the corner. The cool thing is that means there’s a lot of competition for your money, and a lot of choices. That choices part can be troublesome sometimes though because how do you know the options and what is best for your situation. Here are some sites I have used:

  1. Tom’s Hardware. You have to do a little bit of digging in this site, but there is a large helpful community that backs it up. If you have a question there’s usually a couple people that will share their opinions with you.
  2. Kotaku. This is a crowdsourcing site and shifting through the comments and review sections can usually give you a lot of good ideas.
  3. High Ground Gaming. This is a newer site that has many overviews and reviews of gaming equipment and peripherals. Another place to go for option ideas.
  4. PC Gamer. I already mentioned them above but they also have a reviews section for PC gaming stuff. They cover a few popular items in depth and test them thoroughly.

 

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Posted on No Comments on Types of games that resonate in this day and age

Types of games that resonate in this day and age

The Shooter: otherwise known as the first person shooter or 3rd person shooter, the action game genre still seems to be living large. In multi-player format, I think the basic formula of killing before you get killed appeals well to the lizard brain. It’s just enough reward to want to keep going round after round. When you go on a killing spree, or are the top kill death ratio on your team that is like the big bonus. But these games also require skill. Reacting quickly, using the right weapons for the right situations, placement of grenades, using the right combination in the character set up, and knowing the maps are all things that can be learned and improved upon. Rage may consume the gamer at times, but staying cool is part of the game. In single player format, it is fun to feel like a God and go around destroying your enemies against the odds. But the story is also very important here. The fact that there is a clear starting and ending point makes all the difference. Winning the game becomes a point in the future defined by the game maker, whereas the multi-player can seem like a bit of a treadmill at times.

The Sandbox and the Openworld: of course Minecraft is the first game that comes to most people’s minds, but this type of game is spreading like wildfire. On the PC, many times this openworld formula is seen in the embodiment of the massively multiplayer online game genre. But other games such as Skyrim, Witcher 3, Garry’s Mod, Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto, Farcry, Terraria, and the upcoming Everquest Next are just a handful of additional prominent examples. Being able to create things and see how they effect the environment is an engaging experience. Here the developer hands you the tools, sets a broad scope of parameters, and let’s you play with the world as you see fit. Cooperating with others is a big part of some of these types of games. It reminds us that much more can be accomplished than working by oneself.

The Competitive or eSports Category: this type of game has seen a significant rise over the last few years thanks mostly in part to the multi-player online battle arena genre (MOBA). The big names like Defense of the Ancients, League of Legends, and the upcoming Heroes of the Storm from Blizzard are titles most of us gamers have heard of. But we also see shooter titles in this category as well such as Counter-Strike and the Call of Duty series. I think the attractive part of this category is that if a person can get good enough at a specific title, there is the possibility of making money from that skill via streaming on Twitch, winning tournaments and competitions, or even sponsorships and a salary. But also I think it goes further than that. I think the thrill of winning is more exciting for some individuals. It feels good and some of us are plain more competitive than others.

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