console gaming

My recently bought Xbox 360 is providing me with short but pleasant gaming experiences. I don't play it much, as most of my time is still devoted to World of Warcraft (although things will change next week, once I finally get new shoulders for my Paladin), but those fleeting gaming hours have been surprisingly enjoyable.

Two years ago, I considered myself a JRPG fanboy. I played nothing but J-RPGs and the occasional Metal Gear Solid. My life post-WoW, though, is completely different. My MMO-exclusive years have given me a newfound appreciation for the Western RPG style, which, coupled with the utter lack of quality J-RPG releases that greatly dampened my enthusiasm for the genre, I reached a point where I haven’t a clear first choice when it comes to Western or Japanese. I'm looking equally forward to Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Quest IX and Diablo III – back in the day, there wouldn't be even a competition, FFXIII would win. And not only because of Snow Villiers (although he’s surely a boner-inducing sight factor).

I have to say, console gaming feels awkward after spending so much time gaming on a desktop. I don't think I'm still used to controllers again, and that was the most natural thing ever. The games themselves are also so… different. Not only from WoW but also from the last generation I was so familiar with. One of the strangest things to me right now is not having people to talk to while I’m gaming. MMOs might have their several flaws, but their main quality – fostering sociability – is outstanding in more ways than one, and once you get used to chatting while you’re playing, it's hard to go back to solo gaming. I plan on joining Xbox Live ASAP.

So far, I've played mostly Fable II, The Last Remnant and Street Fighter IV, all very good games. Even though I'm hopeless in SF4, Abel is just so goddamn hot I feel the, let’s call it, "urge" to play. Even though I inevitably get spanked (...which is really hot, actually). Abel skyrocketed straight to the top of my list of favourite fighting game characters (formerly composed of Ramon from King of Fighters, Mitsurugi from Soul Calibur, Eddy Gordo from Tekken and Daigo from Rival Schools) in no time. Shame my personal god Shoutaroh Kojima isn’t a fellow fan!