Reviving The Gamer In Me

When I studied in MMU Malacca many years ago, Counter-strike was all the rage and it was the very first FPS I played that didn't make me feel like puking. I played for fun in cybercafes that I frequented, made a lot of friends in the process and some even went on to become very good friends. Damn, it was absolutely addictive, which explains me failing quite a few subjects during those times =P

I really loved those days, when all we talked about were headshots, fragging and kills. Eventually, I got really good and became a professional Counter-strike player. I formed and joined teams to play in friendly matches with other teams and to compete in competitions. I was sponsored by a cybercafe there and competed in local and nationwide tournaments, such as ESWC and WCG (which we nearly caused an upset when we fought against the Malaysia #1 team, FMJ) . Ah...those were the days, and I really miss them. Heck, even after I finished my studies and moved on to working life a couple of years ago, I was still clicking away and killing online players from Malaysia and Singapore. The version I loved playing the most was 1.6 because I think that it retains the original essence of the game, as opposed to Counter-strike Source and Condition Zero which has a lot of modifications.

At the same time, I also played an online game named Pristontale, which originates from Korea. It was addictive and I was playing from my Uni days until I started working too. However, I abandoned it since the Malaysian Pristontale servers were always lacking updates and the latest events, as compared to other regional servers. Furthermore, there were very little quests and the skill tree had little room for variety, so there was only mindless leveling to be done which becomes boring and unappealing after some time.

During my last years in Uni, Dota appeared as the buzz on Counter-strike died down and began to reign as the most-played game in cybercafes. Somehow, I wasn't caught in the craze and addiction of it. I found it average and didn't really bother with it. I've stopped playing any PC games for more than a year, except experimenting with a free online game called Cabal for a while last year. Great graphics with lots of quests and boosting a combo system, it looked great. But it was still new so the maps were limited and so were the characters and equipments to choose from. Eventually, I got bored of it.

I absolutely love gaming so I'm getting back into it. I'm gonna start by participating in the online game that is most played around the world right now, World of Warcraft. I've been wanting to play a really good online game but felt reluctant to pay for it, which is why I tried Cabal. But now, I wouldn't mind paying a small amount for something that promises hours of fun and enjoyment (NOT sex!).

I've always loved games by Blizzard. The very first strategy game I got addicted to was Starcraft. I would play online on Battlenet almost daily in my teen years, challenging players from around Asia. I can't wait for the upcoming Starcraft 2 to be released! As for role-playing games from Blizzard, Diablo I kept me entertained while I was in school and Diablo II had me glued to the PC during my Uni days. Soon, Diablo III will be out! As for hot-selling strategy games, the latest by Blizzard would be Warcraft III and from Warcraft III, spawned Dota and WOW (World of Warcraft). So, it's about damn time I joined the online sensation that is WOW. I just purchased the original World of Warcraft: Battle Chest online from PCgame.com yesterday, which includes the Burning Crusade expansion. Cost me RM 159 but I have a feeling it's gonna be really worth it.

Hello, endless hours of entertainment and player ownage! The time has come to play until I lose track of reality and can't feel my butt again.

Goodbye, social life! Well...almost =P