The 30 Days of Gaming Challenge, v2.0!

[Sektor]

Day 27 - Most Epic Scene Ever

THE INVERTED CASTLE

 

[JJ Styles]

Day 27 - Most epic scene ever

I'm not entirely sure what i could consider epic in a sense that it outshines the rest that I'm thinking off. I mean I've seen some wow moments that were truly jaw breaking, and there were some that were okay, that was cool and all.

But maybe just maybe...
Final Fantasy X-2 100% Ending.

Spoiler:

Yep. I consider the 100% Ending of FFX-2 because not only this was aggravating to actually pull off because of Yu Yevon, but this ending was a hundred miles better than the base ending that you get for not pulling everything off correctly, but this 100% Ending was one of the more satisfying endings that I've pulled off in a while.

 

[EC]

Day 28 - Favorite game developer.

Another incredibly tough question.

I'm going to go with Infinity Ward. Sure, Ghosts was horrendous, but every other Infinity Ward Call of Duty game combined has brought me more playtime and joy than the Treyarch games, even though I enjoy those too.

And hell, this year we technically get two.

 

[Sektor]

Day 28 - Favorite game developer

This is tough. I'm not entirely sure. I rather enjoy the Elder Scrolls series as a whole, so I suppose I will say Bethesda, although Dice and Guerilla deserve a mention. There are tons to choose from though, and settling on one just limits what games you've picked I suppose. Polyphony Digital also deserves a mention as well.

 

[JJ Styles]

Day 28: Favorite Game developer?

Oh come on... you already know which I'm going to mention.

Yep. IdSoftware. The very same studio that set the benchmark in FPS gaming years ago with the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Classic Doom, and Quake. The very studio that was heralded with legendary individuals such as John Carmack and John Romero to name a few. The very studio that got me caring about game development.

IdSoftware has gone a long way from the good ole days of the 90s. Its been around for quite a while and it has survived a lot of happenings such as some of the old staff leaving, being acquired by Bethesda, and even releasing some games that have not been as good as that people wanted it to be. I'm talking to you RAGE! Anyway, I feel that after Doom 3, Idsoftware has not gotten the edge that they used to have until the eventual release of what else, DOOM 2016.

IdSoftware is one of those studios that really does care about its fans, since after all, its the fanbase that made its games so relevant for these years. Doom and Quake would not be as popular as they are today not for overwhelmingly high fan support.

When it comes to games development, i feel that Idsoftware is one of those studios that people should read about. How this legendary studio set the benchmark of what a genre should be all about, to eventually almost fading in obscurity with a lot of its honchos leaving for greener pastures, and then suddenly making turnaround and said "F**K IT! DOOM TIME!" and once again becoming beloved by the fans.

 

[Arsenic]

Day 26: Favorite game developer

Well like Xin, mine should be obvious

The company that's never made a bad game. They didn't just release one revolutionary title, but two(.2). They redefined what environmental and traditional storytelling could be, making beyond interesting environments that feel logically connected and more importantly, real, believable. And that's not even mentioning what they've done for puzzles, physics, and the like.

Unfortunately I can not solely praise them... Though they may be my favorite company, they have some glaring issues that can not be looked past. They've grown fat and lazy with Steam, making enough money that they dont even have to make their own games anymore, they can just sell others or capitalize or their alternate source. Microtransactions. They've pioneered one of the most predominate forums of MTs, and thats what I call now, the Gamble-transaction, where you randomly get something from a pool of items that may not be worth what you paid (or could be more.) They also now have the, pay every use of a feature that used to be free and standard in all our older games too now. Hopefully it doesn't stick as well as their first MT strategy...

I hope one day, valve will take a look in the mirror, and see what it's becoming, and fix it. Until then, I will live in their past (catalog).

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next day edit because no one has posted
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Day 29: Game you thought you'd hate but end up loving

Geez I have so many of these... Mirrors Edge, Assassins Creed, MGS, etc...

I tend to get very strong opinions about some games I've never played for some reason... There's plenty more game I still do this about that I haven't played.

Dunno why

 

[EC]

Day 29 - A game you thought you wouldn't like, but ended up loving.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Was my first Metal Gear game ever. Was concerned going in. Loved every minute of it, even though I didn't finish it.

 

[JJ Styles]

Day 29: Game i thought i wouldn't like but i somehow liked it anyway:
I wanted to talk about the Fire Emblem games because i usually suck at any Turn based strategy games but i just remembered something more nostalgic.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

That's right folks. Thinking about some of the garbage and hidden treasures i played on the PSX, i figured that i actually tell a story about this game that i thought I wouldn't even bother giving a flying F88k with, but eventually grew to somehow like.

This game is called Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and for some reason, one of my friends' cousins or was it my cousin himself who actually had this game. I was seriously questioning why the hell are we playing this game. Back then, i was very judgmental and not very accepting of video games that didn't fit the visual style that i like because I would easily passover games that I thought were too kiddy, not cool and metal-like, and too girly. Heck, I played Brave Fencer Musashi and that one was a great game but this? Rhapsody? You gotta be f**king kidding me, my kid self said.

Btw, that game cover? Totally reminds me of Ahh My Goddess. 10/10.

This game I thought was very very boring from the start. Everything was just so cutesy and barbie-like. I honestly thought that this game was made for little girls who wanted to experience some power fantasies and as an alternative to final fantasy because lets face it, Final Fantasy was still rather shoenen centered or shoenun marketed. Not to mention, i thought that the music in this game was too boring especially in the very early parts of the game. Again, i was young (and silly) that time and didn't have much appreciation or acceptance to video games that didn't click on me right away.

But as me and my cousins progressed with all of our hearts and minds combined, we figured that eventually Rhapsody was a game that we would take seriously. Aside from the overly cutesy visual presentation of the game, the game actually has some rather interesting things going for it. We started to care more for the game to the point where I would actually borrow said game from my cousin and continue our Musical Adventure. However, around midway in our progression, my cousin gave up on playing said game simply because he could not get over how overly girly the game was. Me, i too may have wanted to give it up, but something inside told me that this game gets really fun and serious the more I go through. Also, like a real man should, a real man should be able to enjoy a game for what it is.

I eventually grew to somehow love the game for what it is, and it had a rather interesting yet not overly complicated battle system that got me clicked the more i played. I started to understand what the game is all about and that's what i like in the end. if the game mechanics are enjoyable, then i'll say "screw this, I'll play it because its so enjoyable". I do have to admit, this was still one of those games that I couldn't just play when other people are around because people might think I'm playing some overly girly stuff.

Would i play Rhapsody: A musical Adventure once again and in front of a couple of people? Sure. A real man doesn't let some overly cutesy video game neuter his supposed manliness. Hell, a real Badass mother f**cker like myself would even show to you all the best and most efficient way to play this game and getting 100% of all the content, secrets, min-maxing maximizations and all that wonderful crap.

 

[Arsenic]

Day 30 - Favorite game of all time

Welp. This spot is tied between Half-Life 2 and Black Mesa Source. Both stories are currently unfinished indefinitely. Both have tight combat, AI, and physics systems. Both have some great puzzles. And both redefined environmental story telling with giant, living, breathing worlds that were believably real.

They're both really great games and contribute to a larger overall story. Maybe one day that story will be finished.



Also like to say this challenge has been fun, can't wait for the next one!

 

[EC]

Day 30 - Your favorite game of all time

Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube. I put millions of hours into this thing. I would wake up early to play this thing. It was the only thing I played for quite some time. Heck, I still go back to that original town from time to time to get all the old memories back.

 

[JJ Styles]

Day 30: The grand finale?

I've decided to cite two games of very different spectrums to emphasize how difficult it is to truly say which game would be my favorite of all time.

This is a difficult thing for me to admit. As much as I can say, there are several games within my past and present library that i can easily declare as my "favorite of all time"

Favorite Game "L"

Spoiler:

For what it's worth, I can say that in a certain spectrum of metrics, my favorite game of all time can be League of Legends, despite me not really playing it as much as I would want to in these recent times. Why so? This is the multiplayer game that got me to really elevating my sort of passion for competitive multiplayer. Yes, I can say that the games that enabled me to start being a much more competent player were the likes of Counter Strike and DotA (The Warcraft 3 Map and its numerous map versions), but for some odd reason, League of Legends has truly elevated my love for spending hours and hours just being better at a game and showing to other players and especially to myself, what i can do whenever i start playing.

I can easily say that League may have somehow influenced my outlook on competitive multiplayer. This was the game, and the scene that really encouraged me to actually try being the best in what i want to do in this game. And I've used this outlook of mine to encourage others to actually have fun by just simply doing their best to get good at the game, and honestly, knowing the basics of League isn't a very difficult thing to do. League's has always been designed to make sure that players of all "skill levels" are able to feel adjusted to the game's basics. What separates the good players and the great players are those who can truly elevate what they can do with what they have learned and still are learning within the game.

Hell, if i have to be even more honest, I've even spent a lot of time defending League of Legends as a game and why is it such a popular game to such a massive audience. I've even sh*t talked on all of its detractors in a civil manner. I've even came to the point where if people started to sh*t talk on League as a game as a means of sounding cool, I'd rain my BFG upon them and make them look bad. Hell, when lesser skilled players try to strutt their opinions in League, I've even came into League's defense.

Of course, times and directions change. At times, I've questioned Riot Games' on the direction they are taking League. Having played this game for more than 6 years, counting the days before Ranked seasons in the game were introduced, I've praised and b*tched at Riot Games for whatever the hell they were doing to this game, especially when they make some changes that make me feel skeptical, such as changes to the Jungle which always happen every season. At times, they make changes that make me cringe, then at times, they make changes that actually encourage me to just play and approach it with an open mind. Riot has made more changes in League than any existing state's national policies and laws.

League of Legends is a game that somehow, I've grown up with in a certain sense. As the game grew, so did I. At times, i felt that i lagged behind from the ever expanding playerbase. Then, i play a couple of games and suddenly I'm carrying games or simply contributing to wins. No matter how much i tell myself that I can just always engage in other pastures, League of Legends always calls me in to let me know that Summoner's Rift is still one of my homes.

From a lowly newbie who couldn't even be aware of the basic neutral monster behavior in League, to being a player that somehow becomes competent when needed, I've say that as far as the multiplayer experience go, League of Legends is my favorite MULTIPLAYER GAME of all time.

*********** Of course, that's a certain metric *************

Favorite Game "D"

Spoiler:

In another spectrum, if I could say what would be also my favorite game of all time, well, I'd obviously say (CLASSIC) Doom but in a rather different context. What made me really like Doom wasn't really the base game, but how it simply became a shining example of a good ole game that is ripe of user-created content or mods that truly elevate a more than decades- old game engine in the "Doom Engine". Doom mods have existed for years, and many Doom mods are even older than this forum's userbase. What made me fall in love with Doom was the fact that many dedicated users have made some really sick and entertaining Doom mods that a lot of people play as a substitute for whatever games there are in the present video game market.

Also, its because of Classic Doom and its numerous mods, this is a game that I could easily enjoy for years to come as its modding community continues to keep up. Even with Doom 2016 around and kicking, Classic Doom is still here to stay mainly for the mods that everyone can play.

TLDR: Brutal Doom is probably my favorite "Single player game experience" of all time. Yep.

 

[Sektor]

Day 30 - Favorite game of all time

I don't know, really. I've played so many I couldn't list them or remember them all, really! I think Metal Slug would be high up there as well as Pokémon. Animal Crossing is a good pick too! I also enjoy the Mass Effect series! So. . . Mass Effect I think.