I used to play games all the time as a kid. I was Mr. Nintendo growing up and I'd rent games and beat them before they were due back. Then after my old-school nintendo was too un-cool to play and my parents wouldn't get me a Super Nintendo or any other gaming system, my skills started to fade.
Then I got to college and played computer games. I had my Quake phase, my Starcraft phase. But school and work left me little time to re-train my abilities. During this time I used to laugh at my friends hopelessly playing Nascar and others. NHL 98 was the only game I truly loved on the PC and I thought driving in a circle was the dumbest form of entertainment known to man.
Fast forward a few years to when my roommate brings home GT3. My old roommates played the heck out of GT2 and I would laugh at them for wasting their time. I was a bit put off by the fact that I had to buy a memory card to play my roommate's game on HIS PS2.
I endured the beginning races with my VW Beetle. I thought I was doing ok. Then I got into a rear-wheel drive car and sucked it...sucked it hard... I buy all the wrong cars, I buy all the wrong mods and I race a track way too many times before I finally win it. I wind up wasting an hour here and there just to get more money to get more horsepower to make up for my poor driving skills.
It's now day 200 and I'm still finishing up the Beginner races while my roommate is onto the amateur series with many, many less days.
Last night, while racing Lagune Seca I came around that little dip toward the end, where you come down the hill and swerve left than right. Well, I never stay on the road. I cut it sharp and skid (barely) around that corner and take it straight through. As I hit the wall on the second lap (yeah, I hit it the first lap also) I saw a Viper and two other cars shoot by me. As I pulled out, figuring I'd lost my first place I saw the viper had spun-out and was coming directly at me. He had also managed to hit the other two computer cars and I regained first.
I decided I had to watch the replay. This alone reminded me why this game was so awesome with it's graphics and music. But it also showed me something else.
I can't drive for anything.
I knew I bumped a lot. But I never realized how much until I watched the replay.
I knew I skidded my turns a lot, but now I realized that I shouldn't have any rubber left on the tires when I'm done.
But you know what? It's a game, so I don't really care. I hate braking...ever... I prefer to skid around a corner and barely, BARELY pull it out before slamming into a wall rather than slow down and take the faster way. I prefer to go full speed, hit the e-brake and slam into a wall sideways and take off and try to cut-off the person behind me, than to slow down and corner tight.
So, I'll probably finish the game in about 10,000 race days. I'll have a zillion miles on my car, I'll own the worst cars you can possibly have just because I thought it looked cool, or I screwed up and saved my game when I didn't mean to. But you know what? It doesn't matter. This is hands down the funnest racing game I've ever played and I can't quit playing even though I used to hate these type of games.
NHL 98 for the PC is still the best video game ever, but this is a close second.
Then I got to college and played computer games. I had my Quake phase, my Starcraft phase. But school and work left me little time to re-train my abilities. During this time I used to laugh at my friends hopelessly playing Nascar and others. NHL 98 was the only game I truly loved on the PC and I thought driving in a circle was the dumbest form of entertainment known to man.
Fast forward a few years to when my roommate brings home GT3. My old roommates played the heck out of GT2 and I would laugh at them for wasting their time. I was a bit put off by the fact that I had to buy a memory card to play my roommate's game on HIS PS2.
I endured the beginning races with my VW Beetle. I thought I was doing ok. Then I got into a rear-wheel drive car and sucked it...sucked it hard... I buy all the wrong cars, I buy all the wrong mods and I race a track way too many times before I finally win it. I wind up wasting an hour here and there just to get more money to get more horsepower to make up for my poor driving skills.
It's now day 200 and I'm still finishing up the Beginner races while my roommate is onto the amateur series with many, many less days.
Last night, while racing Lagune Seca I came around that little dip toward the end, where you come down the hill and swerve left than right. Well, I never stay on the road. I cut it sharp and skid (barely) around that corner and take it straight through. As I hit the wall on the second lap (yeah, I hit it the first lap also) I saw a Viper and two other cars shoot by me. As I pulled out, figuring I'd lost my first place I saw the viper had spun-out and was coming directly at me. He had also managed to hit the other two computer cars and I regained first.
I decided I had to watch the replay. This alone reminded me why this game was so awesome with it's graphics and music. But it also showed me something else.
I can't drive for anything.
I knew I bumped a lot. But I never realized how much until I watched the replay.
I knew I skidded my turns a lot, but now I realized that I shouldn't have any rubber left on the tires when I'm done.
But you know what? It's a game, so I don't really care. I hate braking...ever... I prefer to skid around a corner and barely, BARELY pull it out before slamming into a wall rather than slow down and take the faster way. I prefer to go full speed, hit the e-brake and slam into a wall sideways and take off and try to cut-off the person behind me, than to slow down and corner tight.
So, I'll probably finish the game in about 10,000 race days. I'll have a zillion miles on my car, I'll own the worst cars you can possibly have just because I thought it looked cool, or I screwed up and saved my game when I didn't mean to. But you know what? It doesn't matter. This is hands down the funnest racing game I've ever played and I can't quit playing even though I used to hate these type of games.
NHL 98 for the PC is still the best video game ever, but this is a close second.
