Karting Through Life

Growing older can be a very difficult proposition. Throughout my life, I've met and become friends with many people from all walks of life. And while each one of these people add something different to my journey, I've found that it is very true that "A friend of a friend, is not necessarily my friend." I like all of my friends very much, however in many situations some of my friends don't necessarily like some of my other friends.

I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't know. I mean how many times have you seen someone's wife not exactly appreciate her husband's old college frat buddies? I can think of a few just off of the top of my head. But that's not to say that they can't get along, they just need to find some common ground. I've done my best throughout my life to bridge this gap and find this common ground.

I think the same can be said for video games. In this new generation, there are many different people playing video games and while they play them for the same reason (to have fun), they definitely play them very differently. Some may play them by themselves, while others play them with their entire family. My girlfriend (The 30YO GF) is relatively new to video games and plays them mostly with her little niece or with me. She uses video games to have fun and to better connect to the people close to her. Myself? I play video games with myself, my roommate (The 30Yo Roomie) and of course The 30Yo GF.

As you can imagine it's very difficult to find a bridge to bring all parties together. It's almost impossible to bring The 30Yo GF to play an online Halo 3 deathmatch, and it's equally impossible to get The 30Yo Roomie to sit down and play Super Paper Mario. But every so often there is a game that accomplishes this very difficult task, and that game is...

Mario Kart WiiIn case you are living under a rock, here is what the game is about. You can pick any famous Nintendo character and put them into either a Go-Kart or motorcycle and you race each other around various maps to see who wins. On the maps you can pick up various weapons to try either propel you faster (mushroom) or slow down the karts ahead of you (shells). The races are crazy, zaney, and lots of fun.

And that is really why I like this game so much. Its a ton of fun to play. First it's very easy to play. All you do is press the gas and steer using either the enclosed wheel or the nunchuk and wiimote. Anyone can do this. Also, the maps are easily laid out and very fair. It doesn't matter if you just picked up the controller or have been playing the game for years, anyone has a chance to take home the gold medal.

Since it's the Nintendo Wii, the graphics aren't the Hi-def monsters that we're used to with the Xbox 360, and the sound is your basic beeps and whirls. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because when you are barely holding onto first place screaming through a mall on the final lap with your girlfriend and roomie right on your ass, screaming for you to fuck up, you don't really notice that the sound of your Kart could be a little more realistic.

One of the things that is frustrating with this game is that right from the outset at least half of everything is locked, and you need to play the single player modes to unlock them. And while it is still fun to play just against the computer, it's not really the way you want to play this game. I'm sitting on the couch by myself and my roomie walks in wanting to play. What am I supposed to say, "Actually, can you wait like 30 minutes? I'm trying to unlock the Star course." Riiiiiight.

Overall, Mario Kart Wii is a very fun game. And it's a fun game that everyone can play. You can easily turn off Grand Theft Auto 4 for an hour or so and play with your apartment full of buddies and have a good laugh. Or you can easily gather the family around the Nintendo Wii and have a game night to see who really is the King of the Kart. If you have a Wii, this game is an easy must buy. I would even say that you could get an extra wheel for $15. The game is more fun using it than the standard old controllers.

Life can be tough sometimes. It can be tough finding some common ground that brings everyone together. It's very rare when something like that comes along. Maybe it's someone's birthday or a wedding. Video games are no different. It's really nice to say that Mario Kart Wii is such an occasion. Play together and enjoy...just avoid the blue shell.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Being 30 years old has a lot of things going against it. First of all, you're 30. That's pretty much enough said on that topic. However, being 30 also has a lot of things going for it. Like for instance the fact that I'm a professional with a nice career and a very nice paycheck each month. That paycheck allows for me to splurge on some of the things in the world that I've always wanted. I can take trips to Las Vegas, get box seats to the Red Sox, or buy the 30 Year Old Gamer's ridiculously large TV.

It also allows me to be one of the lucky few to have more than one gaming console. I'm lucky enough to own both a Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii. This is very nice for me since it allows me to play a whole wide range of games depending on whatever I feel like at the time. One night I might be playing Gears of War and chainsawing people's heads in half and the next I could be playing Zelda and fishing in a pond for food for a hungry cat. However I find myself asking the question:


Am I a "Casual Gamer" or a "Hard-Core Gamer"?





Well since I really like playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and playing in huge multiplayer Halo 3 battles, I guess I must be a "Hard-Core Gamer". But on the other hand, I've been having a great time playing Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports, so I must be a "Casual Gamer". Man I'm so confused. Who's side should I be on? What sort of "Gamer" am I? I must know!!! If I don't figure this out, how can I possible have any opinion on video games?

Are you fucking kidding me?

Who the hell came up with these terms anyway? My guess is it was some stupid fat kid who had been outcast his entire life and the only friends he had was his video games. And now he doesn't like that video games have become mainstream popular. So he comes up with a term that sort of puts him into some sort of stupid elite class of video game players called "Hard-core Gamers". Oh, and he's not alone. All of these social rejects have now rallied behind the "Hard-core" banner, and they can be seen everywhere.

Have you read or listened to any of the reviews for some of these new games that are out on the market? It reads more of a resume of the reviewer than an actual review of the game that is being reviewed. Take Mario Kart Wii for example. It seems the only person qualified to review such a game must have played every single iteration of the game dating all the way back to the original Super Nintendo.

"Though the fundamental Mario Kart experience has remained generally the same, there are several changes that can greatly impact gameplay. Drifting mechanics in particular have changed dramatically, both to make it easier to perform for beginners and as a countermeasure against the controversial technique known as snaking." - GameSpot

Nicely done guys, but is the game fun? You will have to read two and half pages of text before the reviewer finally relents and lets you know that indeed Mario Kart Wii is fun if you can get past the driving mechanics, graphical faults, and every other nit pick he can think of.

Look, video games are meant to be fun. They are meant to be enjoyed. Some people prefer to enjoy them with others, while other people prefer to play with themselves. Either way, I think that we should just eliminate the banners of "Casual" and "Hard-core". Why segregate a niche market that has finally become mainstream? We should all be playing as one nation, under one banner called "Gamers". Whether you are new to video games or have been playing games since the 80's, we are all in this together. And the more we are united, the better the industry and, most importantly, the games are going to be.
Here's to hoping for a new brighter future of video games led by the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and (I guess) the PS3. Welcome to the United Nation of Gamers. Now lets bring on the games!

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Grand Theft Thoughts

I had just stolen a police cruiser by pulling out the officer and shooting him in the face. I drove down the street and parked my new ride and looked up the name of a real bad guy (I guess I'm just a good bad guy) on the police computer. After finding out where he was, I drove the car to his apartment where he jumped out the back window into his car and fled. This led me into a high speed pursuit in my new cop car firing a semi-automatic weapon out the window trying to blow out one of his tires. When he turned into JFK airport, I knew I had him. I quickly caught up to him and sprayed his car full of bullet holes. He lost control of the car into a bunch of people entering one of the terminals. As he climbed out of his destroyed vehicle I was ready. I aimed closely and pulled the trigger and this drug dealer fell over in a bloody mess, and I earned a cool $2000 for my trouble.

This is just one of a hundred standard missions in the new game Grand Theft Auto 4.

This game has been debated hotly over the past couple of weeks. One side says that this game is the prime example of what's wrong with the video game industry and will corrupt the youth of America and will lead to the downfall of society. The other side says that this game is pure perfection and is simply the greatest game ever made will never be topped. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between.

Obviously, this game is not for the kiddies. With the adult content of murder, drugs, sex, and everything else your 8 year-old son can wait a few years before hitting the streets of Liberty City. But this game is also not for the "casual gamer". If you are new to video games and just picked up your Nintendo Wii and love Wii Bowling, you can also pass on this. Because to do what I described in the story above you need to basically use each one of your fingers precisely and with purpose. I actually think I had to break my pinkie finger on my left hand so I could turn the annoying police siren off. And, if you forget just for a second what the B button does, then the drug dealer gets away and you have to start the mission all over again.

Now I have never been a big fan of the earlier titles in this series. I always found them very repetitive. Steal a car, drive here, pick something up, drive back. That is basically the game over and over again. But this game is different. It truly is a blast just to roll through the streets and have a great time. The detail in the game is incredible. The game takes place in the fictitious Liberty City. But Liberty City is just a mock up of New York City and rolling through Times Square in a thunder storm in a Hummer with Smashing Pumpkins playing is just a very memorable experience. Or stealing a helicopter and taking a flyby of the Statue of Liberty (er. The Statue of Happiness), is just a freaking great time.

Is this game the downfall of our society? I don't know, was Goodfellas? Because I would put the content in this game right up there with the content of that movie. Both were very graphic, but only one is based on a true story. Look, I'm not going to tell you whether your 14 year old should be playing this game or not. But I think that this is a great opportunity for people to do some real good parenting. Play the game with your kids and talk to them about it. Talk about how this game shouldn't be taken so seriously and should be taken for what it actually is....a game.

For the rest of us though, the ones who don't have to worry about such heavy social issues and are just looking for a good time, a good escape, and a good story, is this game fun? Absolutely! It's the most fun I've had on my Xbox 360 since Halo 3. My roommate and I argue over who gets to play next. You don't see that happening with games like Army of Two.

So is the game for everyone? No, not by a long shot. Is it the greatest game ever made? No even close. If everyone can't play the game, then it can't be perfect. But it is very very good, and is well worth a purchase.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hijack a helicopter and fly it underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Let's Try This Again

My drive to work in the morning is long. I mean it's crazy long. So long in fact that if you ever pass me on the road and look into my Jeep Liberty you are going to see a very nice treat. You are going to see me in the middle of a very intense conversation with....myself. That's right, every morning I engage myself in a very intense debate over what ever topic is on my mind at that very moment. I'm using hand gestures, I'm swearing, and I'm completely content.

The topics in the morning range from the important (like if I ever see anyone texting while driving I'm going to kill them) to the non-sensical (popcorn should always be the preferred movie watching snack over candy). They are debates that I've had with my friends, debates I plan to have with my friends, and debates no one in their right mind should ever have with anyone. This is how I spend my over hour commute in heavy traffic every morning.

I'm telling you this because it was a few days ago, I was driving to work really tired because the night before I didn't go to bed until after 1am. The reason? I was up playing Mario Kart Wii by myself. I had just gotten the game that day and played it until I lost track of time. That morning my debate was against anyone who would argue that I have no right playing a game made for a child past 1am. I was defending myself against the "hard-core gamer". My argument ended with two realizations. The first, is that I played the game because I like playing video games. If the game is fun, then it doesn't matter that the graphics aren't as strong, or the maps are just pulled from older versions of the same game. All that matters is the game is fun. That's why we play.

The second realization that morning was that I needed to start my blog back up again. This is actually my second version of this blog. The first on MySpace, I abandoned months ago. And for my loyal readers (all 3 of you), I'm sorry. MySpace is surfblocked at work and I don't really feel like blogging when I get home. I never truly understood that. Why would someone waste time blogging about playing video games when they could actually be playing video games. But I've always had many opinions on video games and they are from a different perspective than most you would read about.

First, I'm not a critic and I'm not being paid. I'm a fan of video games. I'm always looking for the good things about them. I'm not looking to pick them apart. I'm not looking for what small minute thing is wrong or could be improved. No, I'm simply looking to have a good time and to escape from reality for a little bit. If the game is fun, then I like it.

Second, I'm a 30 year old gamer. I live in one of the busiest places on the planet, New York City. I have plenty of friends and there is always plenty to do. On the weekends you won't find me in front of my ridiculously large TV playing against 14 year-olds online. No, I'm in some of the hottest bars in either Hoboken or the Village having the time of my life. During the week, when I'm not working my ass off, I'm usually shooting pool or playing softball. It's between all of this when I find times for video games. It is this perspective that I bring to the table.

So sit back and relax and I hope you enjoy the ride. I'll try to update this at least once a week with whatever video game thoughts are running through my head at that moment. And if for some reason I can't think of a good topic today...there is always tomorrow morning's commute.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer