Nine Years. Nine Lives? Not I.

I want to paint a picture for you all and of course, since this is "The Thoughts and Adventures of Player One" after all, I will use gaming references throughout.

In any gaming achievement where I challenge myself, I push myself to get said achievement (or trophy) or any feat I want to accomplish for that matter. Not all gaming accomplishments are tied to a digital number or percentage. When you want to do something, you simply set out to do it and let nothing stand in your way.

I spent several months trying to accomplish the final achievement I had left in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, "Mile High Club". One day, I decided, I will not stop playing this game until I get this achievement. I spent six hours straight trying to get it. I won't say it wasn't frustrating, it MOST DEFINITELY was. Life is like that sometimes, but in the end, there is the possibility of success. Now if you didn't try at all, there is no chance of success.

Now, trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results, is the definition of insanity. As much as I'd like to think that I do the same thing over and over in games and eventually it works, something changes. One slight thing done different is what makes the difference when you are finally successful. Imagine spending nine years of your life on one simple achievement. Let's assume it's not simple, but you're wasting away nine years of your life, simple or not. Not only that but you are trying the EXACT SAME THING each year that passes by. Why not properly apply yourself? Because it's easier to try and take the quick route. To find a quick answer to your problems. Even if it doesn't work, it's a easy method that you hope to dear god will eventually work, and your troubles will be over. After nine years, it matters not what you try. You've become so used to NOT being successful you start to live by it. At this point, it won't change regardless of what you do.

What happens is you end up doing the same stupid things over and over and expecting things to change. Let's go back to Modern Warfare. No matter how many times I kill someone and expect my character to realize there is a dead body there and maybe he should hop over him when I walk up to the dead body, it will not change. The game's mechanics do not allow the action to be done. You can't even jump over (stupid I know). Now with this knowledge, instead of trying to go around, I keep trying to walk over, but not only that, I become mad, frustrated even. The results don't change but it's what I'm used to. It's all I know, so why not do it? At this point, why bother trying? You see, Yoda (Star Wars) pictured above, said it best...

"Do or do not, there is no try". - Yoda

Now this statement isn't completely fair. In certain scenarios, one's efforts deserve credit. To try is to at least put forth an effort. Trying time and time again at times can lead to success. To not try at all would be classified as an excuse. Make enough excuses and you start to believe those excuses. You end up starting to live this way by human nature. If you make no attempt at something it all, you obviously get no results. Trying at least gets you a result, even if it's not the one you wanted. You think I wanted to die a number of times, which I'm sure is somewhere in the triple digits, to be able to get the final achievement? Hell no. But I did do just that and eventually, I would be successful. Excuses simply get you nowhere.

Why hold back, really? I recently started playing DmC (Devil May Cry) again on the PC. When I got the PC version (and realized how much better it is than the consoles) I changed my mind about something that was mentioned to me on a livestream I did for the game. I was asked if I would try and "trophy whore" the game. Looking at the trophy list, I thought no way. My mind changed when I had a functional game. That's another story in itself. The point is, I set a goal for myself, and I went for it. No excuses.

In ten days, with only a few hours to spare each day, I would surpass my PS3 file on the PC, and get near all of the difficulties completed. Another day or two I think would put me through all of Dante's missions through and through. I had gotten all of the retail DmC achievements. Might have been ten days total. Maybe it was eleven. You guys get the idea...

Now I may have touched on this type of message in previous posts, and I feel like lots of them on this very blog obviously come from some personal experience of mine. As a result of this, the posts tend to end like the end of a South Park episode where they reflect on what they learned today. I don't claim to know it all. Anyone who does is just flat out ignorant. What I do know is this. Sometimes, you just have to stare life in the face and take whatever comes at you. In other words, like I said in a VGHC post, embark on a quest to be legendary. Why not, right?

The alternative is being a downer and when all is said and done, no one likes a downer. Eventually people will gravitate away from you and you've no one to blame but yourself. You did nothing to achieve any sort of possible result which could eventually lead to success. Game over, man. You've chosen to accept failure and I feel bad if you do, because that's just flat out boring. That's no way to live. Get a life if need be and start over.

This time, go out there and make it count. You never know what could happen, because this time, things could be different.

Deciding on "Go-To" games for each Gaming Platform

So, here we are, towards the end of another year. Here I am, making a post before Christmas Eve. A time of celebration and people show their true colors as well. Christmas is all supposed to be about what you give to others and a good time spent with such people. Friends and family time. Of course that comes later, onto some games.

PlayStation 3 - PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

Sony Smash Bros. as I commonly refers to it as, with good reason, has enough similarities in it to Smash to just pick up and play. When you start playing Ranked Matches and such, you start to realize how very different the game is. Even in playing Arcade Mode, you see this. When you play online however, you are forced to think and use your supers properly, with good timing and predict things that you opponents are going to do. This is the case with any fighter but being able to do this with no lag is what keeps me going. Bring a friend to do 2v2s, and you're golden. It gets points over Smash Brawl for this reason and will keep it in my PS3 for months to come.

You will see this. A lot...

PC - League of Legends

This is a strange pick for anyone that knows me and for me personally as I am still trying to learn this game. Based on games I have played and skills I've become used to, I think I've decided on a Champion. That being said, I'm told you don't really "main" a Champion and should know how to play with multiple Champions. There's something to this feeling like you have an army, with a team of five (yourself included) against an opposing army. A game that seems so simple, in theory, but once you play for yourself, you may find yourself not just curious about the game but stuck. There always seems to be something to learn. I'm still misplaced on my feelings with this game, but it has me interested enough to have made time for in a already busy schedule. That being said, I haven't touched Torchlight II yet, and I'm not even gonna get started on Diablo III. I already did that.

Badass Sword. Badass Female. The bunny suit is a bonus. Thank you, Jeremy.

Nintendo Wii - Super Smash Bros Brawl

Alright, so this one didn't come out this year. Well, I didn't want to leave out the Wii. Unfortunately, since I got the console for Christmas for some time ago, the very reason I wanted a Wii is still the only game I'm really that attached to, provided I have friends to have fun with it in. If I want to play online, I'll stick with PlayStation All-Stars. That's all I've got.

Peach Power!

Xbox 360 - Halo 4

Honestly, this whole list is somewhat surprising, because every game on here I have originally thought not much of. Except Smash and that's the one out of all of these I come to the least. Go figure. Anyway, sidetracked, Halo 4.

I hated on this franchise for multiple reasons. Ignorant twelve year-olds who think Halo revolutionized console shooters, being taken advantage of in Halo 3 when I first attempted to play the game, and others I can't remember. I decided to try it. I had little faith in both this and Black Ops 2 but I knew they would be hot games regardless. As it turns out, Black Ops II continued to only bring so much different to the table, while Halo 4 just flat out impressed me. The multiplayer works much better than any Call of Duty since the original Modern Warfare ever will, and the campaign was quite enjoyable; on Solo Legendary. Yep, first Halo game I play and this is what I do. Short story, I succeeded at this earlier today. I will probably make a separate post to get into all this after Christmas. Maybe before the new year. We will see.

These things are assholes. All of them.

Well, that will just about do it. With holiday cheer, comes holiday rushing out the door due to horrible planning. For now, I must run. Merry Christmas everyone and with Christmas, came yet another video. Yep, even right before Christmas Eve I'm putting out content. I play through the Giana Christmas level.

- Victor Max Vellon