Welcome to my profile. Take a look around to see what kind of games I like and play I'll sometimes post a new blog. Most of these blogs are articles I write for a Dutch gaming site.

• 3Sep 12

  The 10 best known video game cliches

  It doesn't matter in which era or setting a game takes place, you're always going to end up in a situation that makes you say 'well damn, I've seen this before'. Clichés are not just a thing in movies. Guaranteed you ran in half of these 10 clichés in your career as a gamer.

  1. Explosive barrels
  Enemy AI takes huge steps forward but there is 1 cliché they just cant seem to get used on: the explosive barrel. These much used barrels seem to be something enemies love to take cover behind. Extremely effective to take out a group of enemies but actually this cliché isn't logical anymore.

  2. Double jump
  This one is older than the most people who read this text. This year the Double Jump has its 28th birthday! First seen in Namcos game Dragon Buster back in 1984, this trick gives you the opportunity to make a jump during a jump, on air.
  
  3. Ammo boxes
  'Hey look, some ammo. Even a med pack? How lucky!' 9 out of 10 times you walk into a boss fight after this situation. You're never empty handed when going head to head with a big boss with these nice boxes.
  
  4. Switches and levers
  The genre doesn't matter; in almost every game at some point you'll have to pull a lever or turn a switch. Running into a lever or switch always means 2 things: 1. It's now in the wrong position, and 2. You'll have to pull it in a sec, why would it else be there? Won't take long before gamers start to look for levers and switches in real life to access unreachable area.
  
  5. Sidequests while the world is falling apart
  The world is falling apart! You're the only one who can save it, no time to waste.. but first go look for a missing cat or gather some animal skins. Especially RPG let the fate of the world wait for as long you need to complete your quests.
  
  6. Boss fights in stages
  After a tough, heavy fight the boss finally goes down, but you're afraid to let the controller rest for a while. Most bosses have the habit to evolve or somewhat become stronger after you thought you nailed them. A boss who just has 1 life with 1 health meter is unique these days.
  
  7. Rubber banding
  A lot of racing games are victim to this cliché. No need to worry after your car went in a spin just crashed into a wall or something. You'll be back in the action in no time. But getting away from your opponents after that is impossible with this technique. Rubber banding keeps the race exciting till the end. Great feature when you just crashed your car, but a pain in the ass if it prevents you from taking a lead.
  
  8. The silent hero
  There wont be a lot of people who get things done without saying a word, ever. In video games it's nothing but normal. Multiple times the world has been saved by characters who never speak a word. Isaac Clarke in Dead Space and Gordon Freeman in Half-Life rather use their skills instead of their voice, and no one in the game seems to bother.
  
  9. The weak spot
  Whether its an enemy you need to take down or a ship or anything, there always is a weak spot. Often highlighted in red or another prominent color. Also often a continuing patron of a boss can be seen as a weak spot.
  
  10. Death is just an inconvenience
  Most game characters are really tough when you look at everything they go through, but they often have something is common: death is just an inconvenience, not a tragedy. Potions, spells or med packs bring you back to life in no time.

  That is my top 10 which comes up when I think about video game cliches. How about your cliches you keep running into? Let me know

  • Posted Sep 3, 2012 7:06 pm GMT
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• 22May 10

  Games I've Beaten (version 3.5)

  This is an overview of all the games I've beaten so far in my live. You see games you've also beaten? comment and say so.

  Games in red are newly added to the list.

  Playstation 1:
  Demoltion Racer, Final Fantasy IX, Gran Turismo, Hydro Thunder, Medal of Honor Underground, Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Sled Storm, Spyro the Dragon, Tekken 3.

  Playstation 2:
  Big Mutha Truckers, Black, Blade II, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, Bully, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3, Def Jam: Fight for NY, Disney's Tarzan Untamed, Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Gun, I-Ninja, Jak and Daxter, Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Underground, Need for Speed Underground 2, Onimusha: Warlords, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Resident Evil 4, Spider-Man 2, Splashdown, The Getaway, The Godfather, Tomb Raider: Legend, True Crime: Streets of LA.

  Playstation 3:
  Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Burnout Paradise, Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty 5: World at War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Condemned 2, Def Jam: Icon, Formula One Championship Edition, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto 4,InFamous,Heavy Rain,Killzone 2, NBA Street Homecourt,Prince of Persia, Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2, The Darkness, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune,Wanted: Weapons of Fate.

  
  I'm now playing Red Dead Redemption and Final Fantasy XIII so you should see those in the list at the next update.

  • Posted May 22, 2010 2:51 pm GMT
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• 16Jun 09

  My most anticipated games of 09/10. What are yours?

  Now that E3 is over and almost the complete line-up for PS3 is known I must say that late 2009 and early 2010 can become some amazing gaming months.

  Here are some games I'm really looking forward to (not in order)

  1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The first one was great and the second looks to be even better, also with multiplayer. Visuals look great. Probably my most anticipated game of 2009.
  2. God of War III. Don't think I have to explain myself here. Have to wait a little bit longer, scheduled for March 2010.
  3. Final Fantasy XIII. Finally a new Final Fantasy on PS3. The trailer on E3 looked great.
  4. Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer. Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in US) really impressed me on PS2. This new game looks great and looks to have some nice gameplay elements.
  5. Mafia II. The first one was great on PC.
  6. Bioshock 2. Looking forward to the great atmosphere and new story.
  7. Gran Turismo 5. Haven't heard many of GT5 but finally a new trailer at the E3. Of course it looks great, can't wait to get my hands on it.
  8. I Am Alive. Seen the first trailer and thought 'whoa, this can be great'. Haven't heard a thing since that trailer. Hope that isn't bad news.
  9. FIFA 2010. Of course new football season new football game. It looks to be very close this year between PES 2010 and FIFA 10.
  10. Modern Warfare 2. First one was the best online game I ever played. 2nd looks to bring back that same addicition and an even better singleplayer. Must-buy.
  11. Assassin's Creed 2. The trailer looked amazing and it seems they changed some nice things like more diversity in missions. Looking forward to it.
  12. The Last Guardian. New project of the ICO/Shadow of the Collosus team. Trailer looked nice, lokking forward to new info.

  I can name a few more but these 13 games ar on top of my tracked list and probably all I will buy. I think I have to start saving money for the upcoming months, this line-up is insane!

  So, do you agree on the list and what are the games you are looking most forward to?

  • Posted Jun 16, 2009 8:03 am GMT
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