In and Out of Place

The strength of the partnership of the gamers can affect how effective these two partners are in the game

So when I was age 5 I beat Super Mario Brothers on my Nintendo. I was the wunderkind of my Kindergarten class, and relished the opportunity to beat the game when someone said no one my age could do it. I was good at video games, and over the years I dedicated countless hours to becoming a perfect gamer.

However, once I began college, I knew my days as a gamer were limited. I couldn’t possibly study, act, and be a video game guru. Something had to give, and so I decided that my abilities to be a video game god would now have to rest. Oh sure, when Christmas break or summer vacation came by, I would take up the old controllers and make sure my thumb callus was still there. The thumb callus is an important feature of the gamer as it allows you to do annoying repetitive movements without rubbing your thumb raw.

I found that my skills were cemented from childhood, and that without very much difficulty I could still master any game. After college, I occasionally played a game, but not with the same fervor as before.

Since I met my fiancé, videogames were shuffled even further to the back of the list. Instead I learned how to be a better chef, and of course a better boyfriend. My fiance hates complicated games, where you had to hit 4 buttons and move the joystick or d-pad in a complicated series of movements in order to blast your opponent with some cool looking special move. He does, however, like simple games. The Wii is a system full of games for him, and I enjoy picking them up and destroying him with very little practice.

However, my fiancé was good at a game I was not. The series known as “Resident Evil” was one I just sucked at. Mainly because I am easily frightened and the game was the first to establish the genre of thriller style games. So I played Resident Evil when it came out on the original playstation. I marveled at the initial cinema scene with live action people dressed like video game characters. I also laughed at the hilariously bad acting! However, once I beat Resident Evil I was done. The game’s engine was annoying for me, as you had to stop moving to shoot. You were often encouraged/required to run away from chasing zombies because if you killed them all you would run out of ammo.

My fiancé, however, became super boy when it came to Resident Evil 2. He could beat it easily, and I was always shocked at the idea of him being so much better at that style game than me. So when Resident Evil 5 came out for PS3 he wanted to get it. I figured I’d play a bit, but get frustrated and watch him do it alone. BOY WAS I WRONG! Now, he is hesitant to keep playing, and I am BEGGING him to let us play more.

The game is intense, and the system of co-op play is a total treat! I have played the game alone with the computer AI controlling the secondary character “Sheva” but the computer is a poor substitute for myself. My fiancé and I make a great team both in video game land and in real life. A lot of our relationship quirks even seem to manage to manifest themselves in how we play. I’m meticulous, as a former perfect gamer, and want to explore every corner for hidden secrets. He wants to get in and get out, like a true Resident Evil guru. So in the instances where our characters are separated, or worse, I freak out at having to be on my own. I like knowing we have each others back, and the fact that I can talk to him as he sits next to me on the couch makes it really easy to communicate what my needs are. Although co-op mode is split screen when not playing with someone else on-line the comfort and ease of communication is more than worth the sacrifice.

I have not completed the initial play through of Resident Evil 5, but I am glad to say we are almost done! However, I have decided to once again embrace my love of games, and I hope to post some reviews of new and old games up here.

HAPPY HUNTING!