As I said before, one of my interests is gaming. Why? Simple, I like to play games. What type of games I play? I love playing PC games. When reviewing back to my old times when I was 8 years old (1998), that was my first time ever in touch with computer because during that time my mother bought a computer. Well, you simply can imagine how primitive computer during that era. My computer was a local clone model as that time there were so many clone computers. If I’m not mistaken, the brand of my computer was Amija. I don’t know what sort of brand like that. Well, as I said before local clone computer. According to what I could remember, my mother bought it from her office colleague named Amin. No wonder the brand of the PC is Amija! (Amin=Amija) . Haha.. his own clone product!! The PC uses an old chipset, the IDT C6 processor at around 70 MHz like that. I’m quite sure nobody ever heard this kind of chipset. It is somehow at the same par with the Pentium MMX processor (the first well known Pentium processor by Intel during the time). I hardly remember how much RAM on that PC. I think maybe less than 100MB while the hard disk is less or exactly IGB. You see? How primitive that PC! When it was bought, it used the Windows 95. Haha… the first time I use PC I just meddled with the Paint program and a program which can pronounce whatever word we type in. In the Paint, I like to just messing around (draw something, put colour and spray) and after that I like to erase everything I‘ve messed using the bomb option (the most interesting feature I liked most). That bomb feature will explode and erase everything on the space. Haha.. I liked the sound and animation of the bomb. It just fun…. Haha, I was a kid during that time. Sadly, such bomb option no longer exists in later Paint program of Windows 98 and so on. Regarding the sound program, I like it so much as it is able to pronounce whatever word we type in. Haha.. I was used to type in funny words in Malay. Hilariously, the program pronounces the funny Malay words in a very amusing way. Hahaha… I still can remember that. It was very fun. In addition, that program features several type of sounds ranging from sound of a kid to sound of an old woman. Hahahaha, it was very humorous you know to hear each type of sound pronouncing Malay words! Again, sadly such program mysteriously disappeared in later Windows versions. I don’t know why. The Paint and the sound pronouncing program I mentioned were only existed in the old Windows 95. Both of these disappeared in later Windows 98. Sad enough, they bring good old memories to me……
That was my very early experience of playing with computer. Then, my PC was infected by a virus ( a year after the PC was bought) and it was formatted with Windows 98. I hardly recount back when I started to play true games but I think maybe around when I was 9 or 10 years old, my father suddenly brought home a cd which contains 200 games. Well, most of the games inside are of arcade type ( e.g: platformer like Mario) . I kept playing that games for a period until came a day I visited my uncle in Sungai Buloh. Surprisingly, the son of my uncle, my cousin unexpectedly introduced me into the real world Of PC gaming. That day, my cousin whom at the time was around 4-5 years old introduced me the real time strategy (RTS) game. He like a pro gamer, was playing Command & Conquer Red Alert in front of me. Shockingly, he could play the game well though he was just a little boy! Imagine how clever he was to understand a strategy game at a very young age like that, even not yet enter school! Amazing! When he was playing, I was very fascinated with the gameplay. I was quickly fall in love with the expanding bases, harvesting trucks as well as assaulting soldiers and tanks. Wah, such gameplay is very interesting as I can play a role of a general to manage a base and control an army. Hmm, I was keen on it. That moment was a new turn in my gaming interest. It brought me a new era in gaming. However, after that I didn’t know how to acquire such game. Then, came the turning point. When I was in primary 4, I was befriend with this guy, Fitri Nasir. Hahaha, interesting about him was that he shares the same interests like me. Luckily enough, he got a great deal of games as his father is a hardcore gamer. Thanks to him, I got the chance to play RTS game at last as he lent me Warcraft 2: The Tides of Darkness. That was the first RTS game I ever played. Then, after several persuasions he at last lent me the Command & Conquer Red Alert, the first RTS game I fall in love with. Starting from that point on, I was used to only play RTS games as I was too keen on it. Later, I was introduced with other Command & Conquer series such as Tiberian Dawn, Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 as well as other series such as Age of Empires 1 and 2. When entering secondary level (2003), Command & Conquer Generals and Rise of Nations appeared. Then, in 2005 Age of Empires 3 was unveiled and it became my top favourite RTS game until today.
First Red Alert game is the classic RTS game which still best being played today. Warcraft 2 gave me good old memories of my first time with RTS genre.
My first touch with First Person Shooter games started around 2006 when I was actively searched for DOS games via the Internet. Hahaha, somehow on that time I suddenly wanted to change my taste to play something different from RTS games which I were keen on since before. During the searching process, I hovered to a website which provides plenty of good old school DOS games. As I was searching, I went to the shooting type category and suddenly I was interested with this game entitled Quest of Hussein. In the description, the game features players to hunt down Saddam Hussein in several levels. Hahaha… that game is very amusing! It contains several levels where the last one we will be able to shoot Saddam himself as the final boss. Hahaha.. funny to see the figure of Saddam in game with big real head but small cartoony body wielding an AK-47. Amazingly, it is not easy to shoot this ‘Saddam’ because he is somehow invulnerable and even can dodge bazooka shells like an acrobat. The funniest part is that this ‘Saddam’ bubbling like a kid while he fires his AK-47. So tough to be defeated, around hundred of machine gun fires and several bazooka hits are needed to put him down. Hahaha.. I couldn’t stop laughing when playing that game. Very humorous! But remember people, in reality I don’t offend Saddam at all and I think he was being treated and judged unfairly by the Americans. His death was unfair as his trial was unfair and just puppet of the Americans. That game on the other hand, just a mere of fun and I simply didn’t relate it with Saddam Hussein in reality. I don’t hate him. Back to the main story, I think that game was my first FPS game I ever played.
Quest of Hussein. Dos FPS game. Fun because of its humorous style. Surprisingly, this one was my first experience with FPS genre.
Next, I played Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Redneck Rampage and Doom as well as the grand daddy to all FPS games, Wolfenstein 3D. If you notice all that games are old DOS games. Hmm… my first intro phase with FPS genre was the DOS games. Then, came the next phase where in 2007 when I was started liking to go to cybercafé to play games. Initially, I often went to CC to play RTS games and somehow came the moment when I was playing the guy sitting beside me was playing something that is very hardcore and extreme. I learnt from my friend that the guy was playing Call of Duty 2. Wah, I somehow fascinated with the intensity and authenticity of the game. Other day later on, I tried to play Call of Duty 2 and surprisingly that game is not that difficult to what I’ve thought earlier. After that moment, I quickly became pro to that game and I love it so much. Since at home I didn’t have yet a powerful PC, I often went to PC to play that game. I even play it by LAN and I became one of the top players among my gaming friends. After that, my friend Nas introduced me to Medal of Honor series. He lent me Medal of Honor Allied Assault as that game is compatible with my low tech PC at home. From that moment on, I love the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor series. Starting from that point, I became a serious gamer till this day. I prefer mostly RTS and FPS games. I also play 3rd person games but only a little bit. For RTS games, I prefer authenticity and reality things and somehow I dislike Warcraft series starting from Warcraft 3 The Reign of Chaos. I dislike RTS games which include fantasy and heroes elements with magic power because they are out of reality.( I dislike fantasy and excessive fiction). I like RTS with real strategy where we become general to manage a base and command an army. I like to think of military strategy and tactics in games as that make me like a general and I like that. Yes, if we can’t be true general we still can be armchair general in RTS games, isn’t it? Hahaha.. joking. For FPS games, I prefer mostly WW2 theme but I still can accept modern theme as well. To date, I had played all Medal of Honor series and Call of Duty series including the latest Call of Duty 6 Modern Warfare2. For Brothers in Arms series, I had played all but one, The Road to Hill 30. I also played Far Cry 1 & 2 and Stalker series. However, it must be noted that I somehow dislike Counter Strike though that is the prime FPS game since ever among FPS fans. I’m somehow crap on that game and I don’t know why. For me, for modern theme FPS, I prefer Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare over Counter Strike. Counter Strike is aging right now (appeared since I was in primary school) and its gameplay is unrealistic and old fashion based on today standard FPS. Hahaha.. if somebody invite me to play it by LAN, I will be the most lame player in the server! I don’t know why I can’t master Counter Strike. Usually, people who know how to play CS will be able to play Call of Duty series. However, such mindset is wrong. Most CS fans when I asked they said they don’t dare to play Call of Duty. Hmm.. a kind of weird . Call of Duty shares the same basic like CS but people still claim that Call of Duty is tougher and more difficult. I don’t understand this. I’m pro in Call of Duty and Medal of Honor series but I feel they are not that complicated at all. In contrast, I’m crap in CS though I’m expert in Call of Duty. Hmm.. what to say? Hahaha.. That’s weird but it is me! Anyway that’s all for my intro of my gaming habit. Later on in games section, I will include if possible my view on all of my favourite games I’ve had played. Stay tune comrade. There will be more to come soon, Insya-ALLAH.
3 great FPS series with one theme, World War 2.
