Introductions
I've been playing computer games when I got my first computer during my early teens. I started off with Wolfenstein 3D, from which I got hooked to 3D shooters such as id Software's Doom, Doom II, Doom III, Quake, Quake II, Quake III Arena and Quake IV.
I am never a fan of "realistic, one shot kill, team-based" 3D shooters such as Counterstrike or Rainbow Six but when it comes to team-play in a sci-fi setting, Unreal Tournament 2004's Onslaught mode had me at hello.
Aside from 3D shooters, I also have a penchant for strategy games, be it real-time or turn-based. From building theme parks in Bullfrog's Theme Park game, I went on to building transportation networks in Chris Sawyer's Transport Tycoon. I dabbled in the SimCity series but the only title in the series to hold my attention long enough to produce a decent end-game would be SimCity 2000.
In terms of turn-based strategy games, I had my fill with Sid Meier's Civilization series in which my favourites are Civilization 2 and Civ 4. Heroes of Might and Magic 2 further expounded the appeal turn-based strategy games by making the "just one more turn" itch so much harder to scratch.
Just recently, two RTS games had grabbed my attention, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. Westwood Studio's (and subsequently EA's) line of Command and Conquer games have always established the bar in which other games strive to achieve or overcome. Red Alert 2 represents the perfect balance between presentation, game play and storyline which I think has not been surpassed by any RTS game yet.
Advancements in computer games such as hyper realistic graphics, physics algorithms and improved artificial intelligence have all led to increased demands for more powerful computer equipment. As a PC gamer, it is quite difficult "keeping up with the Joneses" in both technical and monetary terms. So from hardcore gamer, I decided to become a casual player. How did I do that? I bought a Nintendo DS.
