I have this thing - since my father and I started gaming together back when I was <2 years old, I've always preferred old NES and SNES titles, never really getting terribly interested in much past that.  Sure, I enjoyed Ocarina of Time and games like it, but my interests have always been firmly in the consoles that I grew up with back through elementary school.  My favorite road trips involved me binging on Tetris or Super Mario Land, my favorite late nights were watching my dad "clobber" Darknuts in The Legend of Zelda, and my absolute favorite party games were TMNT: Turtles in Time or the favorite classic Super Mario Kart.  Sure - new versions of these games have made significant improvements and are very fun to try, but as we drift further and further away from those 'classic' consoles and games, I've found it more difficult to try and pick up new things.

A notable example is the Final Fantasy series.  My first foray (chronologically speaking, at least) was with Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.  I played the hell out of that game in early elementary school and was oblivious to the fact that 'legitimate' games from that series existed.  I've already expounded on the fact that Final Fantasy 3 (SNES American numbering) was the most expensive game of my childhood, but that was the first real example of what that series had to offer.  Sure, 7, 10, and even 12 are largely wonderful and engaging games, but as the numbers incremented, the mechanics that made the series unbelievably amazing to me changed, leaving those old experiences more and more distant.

Perhaps Mario Kart was a bad example of a series, considering I've had no difficulty in picking up any title and playing the shit out of it, but new consoles and game delivery models (Steam, XBLA, PSN Store, etc) leave me feeling VERY wary of trying new stuff.  Mr. Bond's been fond of various XBLA purchases and especially of the Humble Bundle offerings, and while I do buy bundles that sound interesting, I find myself hesitant to try the titles.  I've made my purchases legitimately (it wasn't always that way) - what could possibly stop me from enjoying the things I buy?  It's not just bundles either - the Steam sales have fondled my wallet entirely too much, leaving me with a Steam library of genuinely good games, hardly any of which have ever even been installed.

I'm scared of new things.  I'm scared of even going back and trying old things again (I have a ridiculous fear of boss battles and a growing fear of the adventure genre because it isn't as cut and dry and predictable as JRPGs).  In total, it's leaving me fearful of trying games at all.  Considering I'm supposedly a producer and consumer of what the game industry has to offer.. I find this unacceptable.  As such, I've made small efforts to play more things and engage myself in genres that I wouldn't traditionally enjoy.  This last weekend I spent time with two very awesome new friends and ended up playing Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World on PS3.  Considering my history with games like TMNT: Turtles in Time, I should have no problem picking up a beat 'em' up, right?  Surprisingly once I got over my initial gateway fear of 'ermegerd it's new, I'm scared!', the gameplay felt familiar to me - jump, kick, punch, and combinations thereof.  After a few minutes, it felt normal - it felt fine.  It was doable, and I enjoyed myself for the ~40 minutes we played before getting a final Game Over.  The experience was, by and large, enjoyable.

My goal for this coming weekend with Farran visiting is to immerse myself in Steam games that I haven't had the chance or will to try playing - notably the Elder Scrolls games that I've purchased because Steam is a whiny bitch during its sales.  I figure starting with Morrowind would be an amicable choice, considering it's the oldest (and I've been told the best of the three I own - 3, 4, and 5).  I'm anxious to install MotionInJoy and give Steam Big Picture Mode a chance.  Hell, I might even install Jamestown and watch myself fail in the best ways possible in single-player.  Who the hell knows what I'll end up doing.

Point being - it's difficult to try new things.  At least for me it's something stupidly pathological, like a crippling fear of bees and heights.  Games are not scary.  They do not sting you, cause you to have vertigo, or make you fear for your life.  Games are meant to be enjoyed and bring new experiences to people - experiences that are extraordinary, perhaps, that we might not otherwise take advantage of.  In that spirit, I'm going to be trying new things not just this coming weekend, but before, during, and after.  Anyone have suggestions for games?

 
 
Love and lava cookies,
Tormod