Nearly a year ago, I posted a blog, Video Games of My Life. And though I am an avid gamer supporter, I had no idea what was in store for me in 2009, game( r )-wise. I started playing along, to various degrees, on the 360. And I also met a bunch of truly awesome people on the video game forum at Amazon.com. So almost a year later, I have a newfound love of video games, and though my gamer status is dubious at best, I now present to you:

Video Games Of My Life: Part II

Grand Theft Auto IV

I was at one gathering in Oneonta at someone’s apartment, where people were playing Grand Theft Auto. Not sure which one, all I know is that I was unsettled. So when my ex anticipated GTA IV with glee and gusto, I was not thrilled. But it was an Important Game, and I stepped back and tried to support. And here and there, he’d present to me choices he had to make. “Should I kill this guy or stay loyal to him?” I’d give my take. Some of the time, like I believe when it came down to whether to kill Jacob or not, he would take my advice.

I was drawn in by Niko’s story, and really took to heart, how he wanted to make a better life for himself here in New York. So when I played as navigator (still can’t work those darned controls — too many buttons!), I tried to help him become an upright citizen. I didn’t let him steal any cars. My poor Niko, running around and around. I tried to play with him stealing no cars, or doing anything shady. As a result, Niko spent most of his time jogging from place to place, getting hot dogs from the vendor and taking naps, and calling up Jacob to hang out like a lovestruck booty call. “Not now, I’m busy man!” Jacob would say whenever I called.

Though I finally relented on ethics in order to complete missions, I still kept Niko pretty much on the up and up. And still have not even come close to beating the game. So I might need to revisit it and allow Niko to get his hands dirty a little bit. We shall see.

Mass Effect

Another game where I played navigator. On the plus side, I’m very happy with Commander Shepard’s look — I spent a lot of time on her avatar (is that the right term for what she is?). On the minus, I have no idea what in the world I was doing. She seemed pretty cool and sympathetic, jogging around, asking questions. But overall, I lack a sense of what Shepard is doing to begin with. Something with…I don’t know. Bad guys who seem good but are threatening a world, good guys who aren’t. A) It’s been awhile since I played, and B) I really think Mass Effect requires a player who is simply better at games than I am. I had a good time though. And I understand it’s a brilliant game.

Rock Band

The very first night I played this game, I got put on drums, and steadily lost my religion. I SUCKED. So, so bad. I got booed off the stage, and though it was humiliating, I was relieved. No more terribleness in front of everyone. Until the people I was with got all high school volleyball nightmare flashbacks on me: “It’s okay, try again! You can do it!!!”

I could NOT do it. I can play the guitar and the bass all right, so long as I don’t try Expert or even Hard, most days. Mostly, I prefer to sing. It’s still technical, and more about how you fit your voice to the notes than actual singing (though I’m sure excellent singers can do it justice), but I can do it. And man, is that game fun. I understand it’s not necessarily a gamer’s game, but I love it big time. I love unlocking venues, and figuring out where to go next, and the charge of the crowd experience while on stage, trying my very best to keep up with “War Pigs” and the like. It’s probably my favorite video game I’ve ever played, point for point.

Arkanoid/Alleyway/Circus

After doing my last blog, I felt horrible about leaving this out. My childhood friend Tina introduced me to Circus on her Atari, and for the first time EVER, I felt like I could actually rock out an Atari game. Then I played Alleyway on Gameboy for many, many hours. Now, I play Arkanoid. Same concept, on the 360. I love it and hate it at the same time, because it rules, but man is it stressful when you lose your bottom line and fly without a net. Fun, though (TM Felicity).

.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time

My toes, my toes! ’Nuff said. Love the TMNT, but outside of Gameboy Fall of the Foot Clan, I suck. Where does my turtle go! He spends most of the time either off screen, or with foot damage.

Word Puzzle

This is barely a game. But I LOVE it. It’s a word search, and very stressful, because when someone finds a word, the game lets out this BANG BANG BANG BANG sound, one for each letter. It’s fun when you’re winning, obnoxious when you’re not. But definitely worth playing for me, because it’s one game I stand half a chance at winning.

Marvel Fighting Game

I’m not sure what this game is called. The pic seems right, if not I’ll remedy later. I’m worried that if I try to find it on the Xbox, I’ll break the whole system at worst, and at best get distracted and not finish the blog. But it’s a cool game. The thing is, I never have any idea what is going on. I mash my fingers on the buttons and try to give it all my spirit. Sometimes I win; sometimes I lose. One thing I always do is pick the brunette pirate chick in green, though on screen she’s blonde in blue. She’s always been there for me, and though this game hurts my fingers without fail, I enjoy being loyal to a character, and if I win, it’s nine times out of ten because of her. She is majorly bad ass.

Tetris Splash

I included Tetris and all its forms in my last blog on this. But Tetris Splash is new to me. I’ve never gotten to go toe to toe (My toes!) with another person on a two-player game of Tetris. It is awesome. So inherently stressful, but Tetris Splash is like metal (music) to my brain. Enough screaming, and it all balances out in the end. I love Tetris and all it entails. PLUS, I won like two or three fish for my video game aquarium, and what’s not cool about virtual fish?

Peggle

Ahhhhh, Peggle. The one game I’ve ever brought to the table, and one of the more controversial games, from what I understand. There are people who HATE this game and dismiss it as video game schlock. Fair enough, but I don’t care, because I think it’s brilliant. I was told about Peggle by my friends in the video game forum, when they found out I adored Tetris. Some people were like, “NOOOOO not Peggle!” But I checked it out, and fell in love with it. The entire game is one big, awesome acid trip. Mind you, I’ve never taken acid and never plan to, but this game is a psychedelic DREAM! Full of unicorns, flowers, brightly colored pegs, bouncing balls, and a healthy dose of irony. It is genius. When you clear a board of orange pegs, the game plays “Ode to Joy.” It is a fluffer, Peggle is. And I love every second of it. Some say it’s too much of a luck game, but I’m pretty proud of my increasingly good shots. And really, it’s hard to be upset at life when you’re on the “Working from Home” board, with bears and picnics and daffodils, just because, why not? LOVE!

What are your favorite games?

PS3 or Xbox 360? Or Wii?

What is your stance, if any, on Peggle?

Is there a way of helping Niko make a better life for himself without spending the entire GTA game at the hot dog stand and Jacob’s?