She’s Watching You

10Jan08

Well, it’s been a long time since I last updated here. One of my resolutions for 2008 is to write in this blog more often! I’m going to try to keep it going, but real life can be hectic sometimes, so bear with me. To get back into the swing of things, I’ll share my thoughts on my most recently completed game: Portal.

From Valve, the creators of Half-Life, Portal was packaged along with Half-Life 2, Episode One & Two, and Team Fortress 2 in “The Orange Box”, a five-in-one deal for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. It’s a must-have, in my opinion, no matter which system you use. Half-Life 2 is one of the greatest games ever created and Team Fortress 2 is fun, but Portal is an experience like no other. It’s short, yes, but short games have never bothered me as long as they’re well-made.

In Portal, you play a human test subject for a series of experiments conducted by a company called Aperture Science. Each experiment requires you to use a “portal gun” to, obviously, create portals. You use these portals to carry out various tasks, and all the while you’re led by a computer-generated AI called GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System). GLaDOS is one of the best video game characters ever, hands down. Which is amazing, really, considering that she’s a machine. She probably has more quotable lines than any other video game character in the history of video games, and they’re all delivered in a monotone robotic voice, which just makes them funnier.

Each test chamber in Portal is essentially one huge puzzle that you have to solve. Each puzzle is harder than the last, and you’re introduced to a variety of methods of solving them, including using items such as the Companion Cube, which fans have made a character out of in its own right. The atmosphere of the game is pretty creepy. You’re all alone in the building, which is evident by the empty observation rooms you see in each test chamber. All alone except for GLaDOS, that is, and the fact that she keeps malfunctioning and spouting out weird nonsense adds to the creepy factor.

Basically, Portal is extremely entertaining. I’m hoping for a sequel, or at least another Valve game with the portal gun as a main weapon. That’s the least they can do after teasing us so. If you play it, be prepared to want more when you’re finished, and don’t forget: the cake is a lie (you knew it was coming ).

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Silent Hill 2: Better with Company

10Apr07

I’ve been meaning to play through the Silent Hill series for a while. I watched my brother play the first one a few years ago, but I wanted to experience playing them myself. The first Silent Hill is hard to find, so I started with Silent Hill 2.

If you’re going to play this game, I highly recommend that you get someone, a friend or someone you’re close to, to watch you. Not only does having someone else in the room make the scariness easier to bear, but it’s super fun to have two people reacting at once to a game like Silent Hill. The simultaneous screams, clings, and “holy shit!”s are priceless. Plus, if you’re like me and you enjoy speculating about the story of the game while you’re playing it, it’s nice to have someone to discuss things and theorize with. Also, watching a game like Silent Hill can be just as fun as playing it. I know this from experience.

I played SH2 with my boyfriend-and-best-friend-in-one, Adam, watching the whole time. We huddled together under a blanket in a room devoid of light except for the TV screen. It became almost a cinematic experience for him. He would beg me to play SH2 so he could find out what happened next. One of the highlights of the game happened at a point when I, as the main character, had to run down the deserted, foggy streets of Silent Hill. Suddenly, monsters started flying out at me from seemingly nowhere! It was pretty freaky but also slightly humorous, so Adam began to sing “The Man On The Flying Trapeze”. All the while, the monsters continued to fly in what I could now see was very trapeze-like fashion. It certainly lightened the mood.

Anyway, all that aside… Whether you’re playing by yourself or with a friend, you’ll most likely enjoy Silent Hill 2. I might have to edit my “top ten” list to fit this one in somewhere because it’s easily one of my favorite games ever. It’s survival horror at its best, from the creepy atmosphere to the disturbing monsters to the interesting characters and involving story. You really can’t get any better.

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My Top 10 Games

04Mar07

This isn’t a list of what I think are the best games ever to be released. I think it’s probably impossible to tell which games are the best because, although it’s simple to distinguish between a good game and a downright crappy one, everyone has different ideas about what makes a great game. This is simply a list of my personal favorites — the ones that struck a chord in my heart when I first played them and that still stand out in my mind. Your top ten may be completely different.

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Introduction

28Feb07

This is my gaming blog. It’s as simple as that. From here on out I’ll be writing about the various video games I play and enjoy. The only things you need to know are as follows:

• I’m a nineteen-year-old girl named Alyssa.
• I’ve been gaming since I was really young. I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I do know that I wasn’t in school yet. The first game I can remember playing is Super Mario Bros. 3 on the SNES.
• I love to play games of all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s on the PC or a console, whether it’s RPG or FPS, action/adventure or strategy, I’ll play it. And then I’ll write about it!

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