And no, I don’t mean trying new vegetables or anything, because those are for people who actually enjoy the real world and nutrition and stuff. This is a video game blog, for the love of God! I’m talking about trying new kinds of games.
I already hear what you’re saying, though, “But Luke, I don’t want to waste money buying games I don’t know I’ll like!” I have one word for that: GameFly. And before you call me a moneyhat, you should know that nobody in their right mind would sponsor a small blog. Unless one of you guys wants to…..
But back on topic, I can not stress how important this is. For example, I recently picked up the new SSX at Best Buy for $10 with a coupon, and I can’t get over how well it plays. The feeling of flying through the air throwing a snowboard around while a dubstep remix of “It’s Tricky” by Run DMC plays in the background is an experience that I’ve never had before, and it’s certainly something that you can’t get from any other game. Do I necessarily like snowboarding games? No, outside of 1080 Avalanche for the GameCube, but I picked this up because it looked cool, and I love it. Granted, it was only 10 bucks, so I didn’t take too much of a risk, but I’m still thrilled with the results.
Another example of this for me recently was LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes. Let the record show that I bought this one for the full retail price of $50, and while I’m not sure it was worth all of that, I can still say that the game was a refreshing palette cleanser. Sure, it’s buggier than a retail game should be and the amount of collectibles in the game is sheer silliness, but it’s great mindless fun. Running around as your favorite DC superhero (or in the case of what seems to be an exorbitantly large number of DC’s heroes, flying) and beating up thugs is fun at the most primal level, and it will surely make you feel like a kid again. Plus, the game looks shockingly good for a LEGO game, and the trophies are really easy if time-consuming.
So please, go out and try some game that you normally wouldn’t. Play a platformer or a sports game. Try SSX. Play a downloadable game. Just play something different. Trust me: you’ll be glad you had.
Nccows Says 