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Getting back into gaming

Submitted by Steven on 23 March, 2006 - 8:11am
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I've been playing games a little bit more lately, not just because they're fun, but because I suck at it. I should've realized this a long time ago when my own sister beat me at Bomberman, but it hasn't quite sunken in until I saw my co-worker cleanly slice through Geometry Wars, a space arcade game, on the new Xbox 360 at work.

Oh, and half a year ago, my sweetie thrashed me soundly on Puzzle Fighter.

Maybe I'm missing something. Is it because everyone else has better visual reaction times? I don't drive a car, so maybe that's part of the problem. Driving a car is essentially a game in itself, except, if you mess up, you lose your life. Literally.

So what did I end up doing? I used up a gift certificate (thanks Lindsey!) and acquired a brand-spanking new Logitech Joypad. This thing is solid, works very well on a Mac. It's the first game controller I've owned since ... 10 years ago? I had a Gravis gamepad back then too. Anyways, I'm trying to get my head wrapped around Descent (yes, another old-school game) and Grid Wars, a clone of Geometry Wars.

I'm sure it's useful. Video games seem to have a lot of claimed health benefits these days (like treating ADD or helping surgeons make fewer errors).

w00t! Oh, again, here's the new Xbox 360 at work. The HDTV-quality graphics and the interface are absolutely gorgeous, and the controls are quite intelligent.