What he doesn't realize is that there is somebody ELSE scrutinizing HIM

      

  Scrutinized is a new indie game that recently made it's gamer rounds. You scrutinize cases of crime in your neighborhood, and you are scrutinized by a "doctor" and a kidnapper.It's basically detective Five Nights at Freddy. 

     You need to keep the doctor away by flashing security camera lights, and the kidnapper...well, to be honest, I don't know how to keep him away. 

     The best thing about this game is that you decide your experience. If you like scary games, but aren't a fan of jump scares, you can turn those off before playing. And if you just want to worry about being a neighborhood nosy pants, you can decide to play detective mode. No characters to kill (or kidnap) you. 

     The computer layout is super basic. Nothing high-tech, just a few software apps to use in your fight against dog theft. I highly recommend reading the "how to play" before you play. I ignored it, and was completely lost.

     One of my best strategies, after reading the report, is to crack into their phone. People are stupid with their phones. And if you can't crack it the first time (multiple tries under my belt), you can wait for the Root kit to "cool down" by using all of your other apps to possibly learn what your drunk neighbor is up to.

Wolfenstein 3D - 1992

You wouldn't know by playing it now, but Wolfenstein 3D was groundbreaking. At least in my household. My dad installed it on our ancient computer and played for an hour or two, before he came to find me.

"The gun shots sound so realistic!" I remember his enthusiasm. And of course, me being me, I had to see and hear for myself.

It wasn't a side-scroller or a platformer. The doors opened and closed with (at the time) realistic sound effects. The gun blasts were loud and you could actually see, in your hand, first-person-style, the gun you were shooting. The AI responded accordingly and even zig-zagged to make it harder to aim. My first German words were "Mein Leben!" and "Halt da!" 

Every room could have held a secret treasure trove, health packs, food, and new, more powerful guns. When you grabbed a gun upgrade, the little man face at the bottom of the screen flashed a big, toothy grin. 

Another neat feature was being able to see that face at the bottom of the screen become more and more bloody as you were shot and bitten (because of course, German shepherds). I learned I really didn't need to keep an eye on my health bar, because just a glance at the man at the bottom would show all the damage quite succinctly. A little bloody - that's fine. Lots of blood? Oh, shit, find food or health. Anything to save yourself!

Another good lesson to learn quickly: after a shoot out, always reload! It's never a good situation to have to reload while being shot at. And of course, conserve bullets! How many times did I run out of ammo and have to rush a guard or three with only a knife in hand? 

And the best surprise of all? (Well, besides secret elevators that took you to the end from level 1). Cheat codes! I always played the levels at "Daddy, Don't Hurt Me," (I was six, give me a break), but God mode was my favorite. I would laugh in the face of an onslaught of bullets as I shot my way, unharmed, through levels: collecting ammo, ignoring health packs, and taking my time searching for those little hidden rooms you could discover by pressing against every inch of a given wall. In fact, that was one habit that was hardest to break: other games didn't hold as many secrets. It was pointless to look so methodically. 

Yeah, Wolfenstein 3D was a real game changer. It added realism with the technology of that time, and was the first of it's kind to do a lot of extra with it's controls, graphics, and fighting scenes. It also managed to tell a story through setting alone. Walking past jail cells with skeletal remains, finding Nazis and they're paraphernalia draped across levels. 

I think Wolfenstein 3D was the beginning of a beautiful friendship with gaming. And God mode.

WTF Dad?!

     I've been gaming since I was a tiny sprog. I was probably 4 when my dad got this "cool new game" with "realistic" sound effects and "great graphics." It was Wolfenstein 3D. Looking back, it was violent, bloody (although pixelated), and it scared me, but I played it on our new computer. I remember we had Windows then, but occasionally I would have to boot up DOS to play other, more kid-friendly, games.

   After beating Wolfenstein 3D, I remember a myriad of other games my dad let me play. I played Doom, with it's terrifying monsters and gruesome visuals. It scared me so much that when my dad turned off the lights in the house, I would make him walk me to my room. Then there was Duke Nuke 'Em. Oh, man. I was recently reminiscing about the "good ol' days" of gaming, and it came to my attention that the video shop I had entered was actually a porn store. The main character goes into a strip club. The guy curses and says the most random things you do *not* want your 7-year-old repeating, but my dad let me play it. Good thing all of it went over my little head.

     When Unreal came out, my mind was blown. I loved it. I thought it was tons of fun and made it a personal mission to save and protect all Nali, (a tribal peoples with four arms that are very peaceful on the planet you crash land on), that I came across. I was an old hand at shooting aliens and solving puzzles. After Unreal, I played some version of Quake, and then I don't remember playing much until Half-Life. That game is still, hands down, my favorite.

     Half-Life was interactive, with amazing graphics and crazy monsters (my favorite being the headcrab, which were in abundance and fun to kill). We waited for awhile for Half-Life 2, which I have not played and...is Half-life 3 even out yet??

     I've asked myself often if I would let my kid play these same games when he turns four or five or six. I feel as though it didn't damage me too terribly. I'm not a violent person; I've never wished death upon anyone; I'm not easy to scare (never been to a haunted house that actually did anything for me); I'm not emotionally damaged or whatever. But still. I hesitate. I have a son, and he is currently two years old. I won't watch "scary" or "violent" video game Let's Plays or movies or TV shows in his presence. Even though it would all go over his head, probably.

     Eh, whatever. The point is, I've been playing computer and video games for basically my entire life. And then I wondered if maybe I'd like to start a blog about those games. The ones I play now, as an adult. Maybe it will be a nice endeavor. Maybe someone else might enjoy it, too.

     Here's hopin'!