Hey, Gamers! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that a year ago, I had written off FPS games as “not my type of game”. Now, things are different. During my hiatus, I really branched out and I want to talk about the games that helped me do that. Let’s Go!
The first FPS game that started to change my mind was Fallout 4. It’s one of Josh’s (my partner) most played games on the PS4, so I’ve seen a good portion of it (Editor’s Note: Just to clarify, I don’t actually like Fallout 4 very much and I have no clue how it got to be my most-played PlayStation game). I think the V.A.T.S. system helped me a whole bunch. Something that’s always put me off using guns is aiming. I can hardly see what I’m meant to be shooting by the time I’m dead so it’s always been a problem for me (even back before I became a proper gamer, when I just dabbled in Resident Evil with my dad). I think being able to identify an enemy with V.A.T.S. and then not have to aim was a great way to get me started. Pretty quickly, I started picking up on the slight moments on the screen being the target I’m meant to be shooting. I went from using V.A.T.S. all the time, to most of the time, to only when I was sure I wouldn’t be able to get the shot myself.
Similar to this in the sense of it having a system to identify what I’m meant to be shooting is Cyberpunk 2077. Now, this game (in combination with another) was what made me and Josh sit down and have a talk about guns. I didn’t know the difference between them in any way. Through Cyberpunk 2077, we identified that I liked using shotguns the best. Despite having a primarily hacking build, I still use my guns when it’s needed but by that point, the enemy is usually close enough to me so my shotgun would be the best bet. Also, fun fact, the shotgun that I use is the same one Rebecca uses in Edgerunners, if you haven’t seen it, you should.
The other game I talked about was Fortnite. Fortnite is a game that I never thought I would play and actually enjoy. I don’t play it as much as I want to. I tend to get super hyped on it for like a week or two, and then it drops off my radar for a month or two. Anyway, whenever I get a shotgun in Fortnite, I get so excited. Josh helped me, again, understand the difference between all the guns. I think with Fortnite, more so than any other game on this list, you get dragged through game after game based on the adrenaline rush you get whenever you get in the top 10. I don’t play many multiplayer games, but Fortnite seems to be the fairest that I’ve played so far. I actually won my second and third games of Fortnite, which I always thought was pretty cool. I know it’s cringy, but it is worth the try if you want to get into more social games.
Which leads us well onto the game that kinda started this whole thing: GTA Online. I never, ever, ever thought I would be able to play something like this. I actually did pretty well, though. I don’t even know why I started playing it. I think I saw Josh play it and it actually looked fun. This was the first game I started actively using guns in. While I never sought out a gun fight, it got to the point where I could competently defend myself. If someone killed me, I would go after them. It got to the point where I felt comfortable with combat, which I never thought would happen in any game, never mind an online game. I will say that I did end up playing in a solo session towards the end, just because I couldn’t be bothered with other players trying to steal my business’ goods. It got me confident enough to try other shooters and FPS games, which is pretty cool and was completely unexpected.
And that, Gamers, is how FPS turned out to be my ‘genre of the year’ on my 2022 PlayStation Wrap-up. I didn’t even screenshot it because I really, really never thought I would speak out about this on my blog. I think the reason I wanted to write this post is because… thinking that you can’t play FPS games because of a skill issue limits the games you play drastically. It limits the amount of social interaction you have in games, it can limit so many stories you can experience… and I used to think that it was a barrier I’ll never get over but the barrier was more like a poorly put up fence when in my mind it was the wall from Attack On Titan.
My point is: branch out. Try it. Try different types of games of the same genre. I really wanted to like Deathloop and we even bought it but I wasn’t able to do it. I cannot wait to try it again now that I have much more experience with that type of gameplay. You are going to be amazed at your own ability whenever you overcome a hurdle like this.
That’s it for this post, Gamers! I know it’s on the shorter side but I didn’t think you’d want another list and I felt like this post was a good one to get out now before I try Deathloop again. Don’t forget to like this post if you liked it, follow this blog for more gaming content and check out my socials to… be social. See you next post!
Eleanor Rees Gaming 