This One's For All The Gamers

[jmfargo]

God I feel like crap.

I'm coming down with a summer cold and I hate that. Colds are nasty as they are, but they're supposed to come in the winter, you know, when it's cold? I know I said I was trying to keep cool and out of the warmth, but this is ridiculous.

Now, to bring this away from me, and more towards, well, me, I have a question for all my gaming friends out there. I've found that I don't do well on the regular first person shooter games, or most player versus player games at all, to be honest. I find them fun for a while, but after a relatively short time just give them up and go back to stupid little games like Splash Back or The Yeti Olympics (what's your highest score?), and when I'm feeling particularly masochistic I play this typing game I found, because typing for my job for hours on end just isn't enough. I was in the top ten on that last game a couple of times. I'm strangely proud of that, it's sad.

Then I found games in outerspace, flying a spaceship and dogfighting, blowing other fighters out of the sky while also setting Capital Ships aflame. This interests me as much as it did when Star Wars Trilogy (the big game you could sit in and fly around in different scenarios in the Star Wars universe) came out in arcades and I got to the point where I could devastate any high score that was previously made. On one quarter.

So, I like these games.

Here's where the questions come in:

1) What is the best joystick out there for these kinds of games? It's just not the same without a good joystick, a mouse doesn't have that kind of control.

2) What are some good games in this genre? Note, I don't necessarily care about planes, I like the 3d aspect of a fight in space or something similar.

2a) Does anyone know if Star Wars Trilogy came out for the computer? Because that would kick ass, and I would pay a lot of money for it.

Thank you for any thoughts, comments or suggestions. I promise that later I'll write an entertaining post, and it will probably be about zombies, ghosts, or an amalgamation of both.

Comments

[kmg-365.livejournal.com]

I think the Star Wars coin-ops were available on the PC through MAME, but that site has since been shut down. Thank you coin-op companies - you define teh suxX0r!!!

Anyway, if you're looking for space combat, have you not checked out the classic X-Wing or TIE Fighter games? Consumed many hours of my time, they did.

True

[akdidge.livejournal.com]

have you not checked out the classic X-Wing or TIE Fighter games? Consumed many hours of my time, they did.

Yes, I too wasted many hours in the pursuit of being a flying ace. I actually enjoyed it very much. Nothing quite like blowing up a star destroyer (without god mode) with an A-wing. Not to mention the cool video log you could do to play back some of your awesome shots/moves.

Re: True

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

So that's two to three people suggesting these games. Hmm. I guess I'll have to give them a try.

As for blowing up a star destroyer without god mode goes, only a true Jedi could do such a thing, and you sir, are only a ninja. You must work your way up to earning your lightsaber.

Plus? A-wings are too slow and clunky. :p

Re: True

[kmg-365.livejournal.com]

Dude, B-Wings are slow and clunky. In the game, A-Wings are the shizznit. Kind of weak shielding, but they're hella-fast and have decent armaments.

Re: True

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

Must have had them mixed up, I suppose. I thought the A-Wings were the bombers, slow, clunky, with heavy armaments, but the most important part was the yield of their firepower.

It's been a very long time since I've been a real Star Wars geek and read the books. Thank goodness. :)

Re: True

[kmg-365.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite things to do in X-Wing: after the mission is over, you just sit there and don't hyperspace back to the base. The computer will continue to send trios of TIEs your way, and you can blow them up before they even begin to fire.

I received many a medal that way.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I really haven't checked out much of anything beyond Star Wars Battlefront 2, and that's pretty fun. I'll probably try and pick up some of the older ones quickly. As killians1978 says, basically anything from Star Wars is pretty much a winner. I say this, not really having played any, but damn it, I want to be a jedi!

[kmg-365.livejournal.com]

Definitely check out X-Wing and TIE Fighter, if they're available and/or can be played on current operating systems.

They were DOS games.

[pleepleus.livejournal.com]

I have no comments on the gaming stuff - over my head and all..

As far as around the house, honey-do list talents, you should know some basic plumbing, like how to repair a toilet or change a faucet, maybe how to change a light fixture, painting, and how to fix breakfast in bed. ;p

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

The last one? Yeah, I know how to do that. Maria, however, doesn't like breakfast in bed. Something about not wanting to eat in bed. Poor misguided young girl - thinking there's something wrong with breakfast in bed. Where has all the romance gone? :)

The rest? Good suggestions. Thanks!

[pleepleus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, breakfast in bed is really kinda awkward. But, anything in the "simple but romantic" category is always good to know. ;)

[killians1978.livejournal.com]

Star Wars: Rogue Fighter was a great game for this, and I had alot of fun with it. If I still have my copy, you're welcomed to borrow it (if you ever come by LARP again, *hint*nudge*wink*stuff*)

If you want realistic physics and sweet dogfighting, do check out Battlefield 2: Special Forces (original BF2 needed to play) - I recommend checking it out at CyberJocks, since you can test the game out. Flying in BF2:SF is difficult to say the least, and takes a LOT of time to master, but if you can pull it off, you can be one of the deadliest people in the game easily.

Aside from that, I don't know much about the interstellar flying or fighter games. There surely aren't enough out there. Anything with a Star Wars label on it featuring air or space battles typically has my stamp of approval, as opposed to most of their turn based, land or party games which generally suck balls.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the offer to borrow, but my days are unfortunately impossible to do anything with. I work all day Saturday and on Sunday nights I go eat dinner with Maria's parents. My weekends completely suck. Seriously.

I'll probably pick up Rogue Fighter on the cheap-side from one of the local places that sells used games. EBGames stopped doing it, so I guess it's time to support the local, dirty-looking stores I always avoid. I'm not sure if I'm trying to be funny on that or not.

[ariochqw.livejournal.com]

Free space and also Free space 2. They both have plot and they are good games. I used to play FS but not my usually kind of game. Ari got me to try that freelancer, but I HATED it. I usually don't hate a game within 30 seconds, but this one fit that bill.--Derek

PS. Both FS games can be found for like $10 with sime luck.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I'll look up both Free Space and FS2, thanks. I saw Freelancer, and it looked okay, but I wasn't supremely impressed or anything.

You wouldn't happen to know a good joystick for these games, would you? I don't remember if you happen to have one or not for comparisons sake.

[sundustrise.livejournal.com]

Dude, that typing game? I just dropped an hour into it. Clink. Clink. I love it.

I know nothing about joysticks, except that I knew people who used to like the Sidewinder. My last video-game joystick was on an Atari 2600.

Also, I keep coming back here, and noted your visit and comment to my public posts, so I'm gonna add you. Hope that's cool with you :-)

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it. I tried to match your score and only found myself in fourth place after the first game. *sigh* I must be getting rusty. Yes, I find myself strangely competitive when it comes to my typing speed. I understand that's perfectly normal, right?

Welcome to reading me - I'm not always quite this witty and amazing, but I do try to entertain and be interesting every now and then.. ;)