The fellas at SONY PLAYSTATION are geniuses. First, they came up with Playstation 1 (PS1). They developed games for the console, made you part with your hard-earned money, and then it suddenly hits you that you're addicted to some of the games. Next you know, they came up with Part 2 of the games. But woes to you, the follow-up games can only be played on a newer console, the PS2. Cursing under your breath, both at the SONY fellas and at your addiction, you went out and got yourself PS2.
Shrewd marketing strategy I must say. And very clever too. Should have studied game design when I was in school. But when you're addicted to something, what choice do you have?
I'm no gamer, lest I gave the impression that I'm one. I purchased PS1 many many moons ago for my kids. At least the ORIGINAL idea was for the kids. Of course, nobody dictated, least of all the Slim Lady, that Daddy can't play. And kids love Daddies the most when Daddies play games with them. You know what they say about "there's a kid in everyone of us"? It's true.
So, I got hold of some games, some for the kids and others for myself, and before I knew it, I was hooked, in particular on a game called " Silent Hill 1" (soon to be a motion picture).
When I learned that "Silent Hill 2" was available, I tried getting my hand on it. Then I read that it can only by played on PS2. I shall spare you the agony of having to read my account of the length I took to get my new console. But guess what? Having finally got the PS2 and part 2 of Silent Hill (I even have part 3 and part 4), I realise that I've yet to complete the game. Time is always a factor, and the fact that I can be very impatient when it comes to killing the monsters and beasts in the game, despite the many cheat codes available in the Internet. The game discs have been lying on the shelves gathering dust for the past 2 years. During this time, SONY has been developing PS3 which would be out in the market by year-end, so I read.
This post is not about gaming. It's really about how sometimes we human are capable of going all out of our way to get things our hearts desire (and I don't mean just tangible things), but only to realise that such things are sometimes a total waste of our time, energy and money. Having said that, the new PS3 console, using Blu-Ray technology (darn! must upgrade again to play Silent Hill 6)seems kinda cool. Hmmmm....
Category: Musings
6 comments:
hey i've got a ps2 too. mine's a modded console. got my ps1 also mooooons ago, 1998, 2b exact. now ps3 is coming out soon..
but, do u buy original games? they're so freakin' expensive. i only buy pirated ones :p only 10 bucks compared to an original ps2 game which can cost up to $90-$100!
Hi Evan, yup my PS2 was modified too so that it can play multi-regional game. I had it trade in with an xbox I got from Starhub upon cable broadband subscription. Back then, xbox didn't have many games.
Yup the original games are really expensive. It's crazy to pay that sort of money, if you know what I mean. LOL.
So, u a gamer?
Wud u believe my 16 yr old son not very much into games? He doesn't blog either - but participates in some forums of his interests, pitcher plants and fighting fish. He enjoys of course, but only occasionally. My home no games. As for me; I cannot handle anything tougher than spider solitaire.
yup, total gamer! but i dont play much on ps2...its my hubby who plays. but i'm crazy over need for speed! i love the NFS underground series...its totally cool. racing is MY kind of game LOL! its really fun to mod the cars, upgrade to better performance gear, nitrous oxide, turbo, hoods, wide body kits etc. but i think its difficult to navigate using the ps2 console for other strategy games so i kinda given up. on pc, i love tomb raider & sims 2 (izit related to u chris?) hehe.
I am a late developer - I got my Xbox only last year, supposedly for my elder son's birthday. I bought a 2nd hand set via Yahoo Auctions from a Hongkonger, an expat who just finished his tour of duty in S'pore. It was a steal - console plus 14 original games only cost me $220. Then, I discovered that some of the games were quite gory and violent. I mean, you just need to take a closer look at Chris' photo accompanying this post to know what I mean. Xbox games like Fatal Frame, Ninja Gaiden and Spikeout are not suitable for growing children, if you ask me.
I thought Dead Or Alive (Xtreme Beach Volleyball) was ok, since it is just a volleyball game, like FIFA. But I was chided by my wife for letting my kids play this game because of the scantily clad girls (in bikinis). You certainly don't want to inculcate in them an obsession, I mean, a healthy interest in sex at such a young age.
So I bought a nostalgic title called Atari Anthology which has 85 early Atari games, more to relive my fond memories of my arcade gaming days when I was a teenager and also to show my sons what healthy gaming means. However, my sons never touched this game, preferring to play Halo (shooting game) instead. I guess, unlike me, they can't associate with Atari and find the Atari game very lame (rhyme unintended).
Evan - I love those RPG games and especially the horror kind like Silent Hill. I've got Fatal Frame and Resident Evil too, but haven't the time to finish them. My kids love Battle Assault 3. But I only allow them the most 2 hours each weekend for PS game. Have to, or they'll forget about their mealtime, and bath time!
Victor - Sooner or later, you will realise that when it comes to violence (and for that matter sexual material), education and self-regulation, and NOT censorship is the way to go. Agree? Going by your comment, I'm sure you've not broached on the subject of the birds and the bees to your boys? Are you one of those parents who subscribe to the notion that nature will take its course somehow, pretty much like the lead teen actors in Blue Lagoon? If you shield them too much, it will definitely become an obsession. LOL.
BTW, you should think about blogging those PC games of yore in yesterd.sg. No this is NOT an assignment. Just a suggestion. Hee!
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