Got Dramamine?

Sometimes you need to step away from your comfort zone in order to enjoy new types of games. When action/adventure platformers begin to get tedious; when you've played through so many RPGs that you think you're going to scream the next time you have to go level grinding; when over-the-shoulder shooters cease to be challenging... It might be time to try something new. Never tried a skateboard game? Always worried that first person shooters are going to make you ill? Well, it's time to put aside your well-loved games and try something new.

Trying Something New

And attempting not to get nauseous in the process.

Recently I got my Xbox (as you all well know, but I'm still going to be bringing it up for a while because I'm so excited about it) and getting that new system completely opened my eyes to a whole new realm of genres. While previously I owned a PlayStation 3, the only FPS game I had played was BioShock (which combines the three things I'm afraid of: the ocean, darkness, and an FPS. It was not a good combination (and don't even get me started on my trials when I tried to play through Dead Space (I seriously don't even understand how my brother dealt with me (I only got twenty minutes into it I was so terrified (But, I digress.)))) So, the Xbox was a wonderful way for me to step out of my comfort zone of puzzles, adventures, and level grinding, and finally take that ultimate leap into the genre.

Now I mostly picked up Left 4 Dead 2 because Player One highly recommended the game and, in my separation anxiety, I really wanted to play something with her. So I went to GameStop, browsed through the games, left the $5 RPG on the bargain bin behind, and picked up Left 4 Dead. I was kind of worried about this purchase (which I'm sure many of you will be when you take the leap and try something new), but I trusted Victoria, and, I mean, I love killing zombies, so what could possibly go wrong? (Well, besides motion sickness, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be an issue with this game (Call of Duty on the other hand...))

Well, I found out that I'm horrible at first person shooters. Like really, really terrible at them. I felt like I was just starting to play games all over again, and the first few hours of Left 4 Dead involved me dying more times than I could count, me not understanding how to move the characters around, me absolutely failing at aiming weapons, me falling off buildings because I couldn't control the characters well... The list goes on. But, this experience humbled me. Not that I thought I was an ~uber gamer~, but because in the genres that I'm good at, I got through the games with little to no effort on my part, and I became good at them within the first hour.

Now, after owning Left 4 Dead 2 for about two weeks, I'm still struggling through it. Player One is outstanding in playing it (in the one multiplayer game that we played through, I felt like more dead weight than Rochelle), and I'm slowly working toward becoming competent at it. Every time I improve I always feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, and this keeps me going back to the game again and again and again, working toward becoming sufficient enough at the FPS that I can finally get through some Call of Duty games and stand a chance at going against those Nazi zombies.

So what genres do you guys struggle with? Let me know!