Strategies for casual gamers so they can enjoy the hardcore game experience

Casual gamers. Some say they are the moving force within the gaming industry, some say they represent the industry's downfall and others just don't care. From my point of view as a hardcore gamer, it is best to say that casual gamers are in a vast majority just entry level gamers. As we all know today's hardcore gamers didn't began playing video games with games like Call of Duty 4. We old schoolers started with a bunch of simple games and then we went up the gaming ladder as richer gaming experiences arrived. The goal of this article is to give casual gamers some tips on how to handle different hardcore games so that if one day they are interested in one, they don't get scared by the game's design, difficulty, game play, etc. Each one of the guides will consist of tips on what to do in certain situations that usually frustrates casual gamers. If you are a casual gamer this article may open yourself to some great games on different genres that you may be missing.

Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360)

Survivor's guide on JRPGs:

-Patience is a virtue. Take your time to become familiar with the game's system. Get some levels, skills and powers and then proceed carefully. At first it seems tedious but it pays off when that boss cannot even touch you. Doing this at the beggining of an JRPG makes the gameplay a lot smoother and easier to digest.

-When going into a big city or dungeon divide the place in zones and check them well before going further. Feel a sense of exploration and try to poke your own curiosity. Visualize the place as if you were watching a movie, wanting to know what the townsfolk say or how to solve a puzzle. Avoid looking the place as a big maze because most of them aren't as hard as they look.

-Learn the different uses for items and keep a steady stock always. Most players spend all their game money on weapons and armor but then lack in items and support. For entry level players, Items and support make wonders because it is easier to see that many potions will keep you alive than to calculate weaknesses, damage % and other stuff.

-Most JRPG uses elemental systems for weapons, armor and enemies. The most used basics are (Fire dominates Earth and Wind, Earth dominates Water, Water dominates Fire, Wind dominates Water and Light Dominates Darkness) These elemental attributes can change from game to game but the names and classifications are always similar.

-If you lose more than 2 times on a certain place, boss, etc. Take a break to do other things or play other games. The ideas on how to win will come later and all will even feel easier when you play later with a fresh mind. Been stubborn and forcing yourself to keep playing will only make you hate the game in the long way.

-If you really like the game, share the experience. Having more friends liking the game and been hooked will make the experience a lot richer and more fun than just playing alone and keeping your excitement to yourself.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC)

Survivor's guide on American RPGs:

-Because it is harder just to level up at the beggining, try to enjoy every level you gain. American rpgs are best known for their freedom and emulation of life itself. Do what you would do if you were really there and level ups will come without you even noticing. Be sure to assign skills points after each level up.

-Be careful with who you fight. Level differences are not very palpable on american RPGs. If your gut tells you that the enemy will be too strong chances are that you are right.

-Talk with everyone! On american RPGs a great deal of the NPCs (characters you don't control) have quests to give and after games like Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Borderlands, Fallout 3, etc. It is known that most of those quests will be fun and worth a ton of experience points and/or money.

-Money on american RPGs is very scarce. Try to always "find" your weapons and armor by defeating enemies or looking for treasure (this is called looting). You will be amazed when you see that the sword you just found on that cave later sells for a very expensive price on the nearest town and you got it for free (Of course not all equipment can be obtained this way).

-Try a little bit of everything. Some american RPGs have different options to join groups, guilds, factions etc. The best thing is that each one has a different set of quests and missions.

Myst 3: Exile (PC)

Survivor's guide on Adventure games (point and click):

-Always have a pencil and piece of paper ready to write down anything that look suspicious. For example if you see a strange riddle, clue, object pattern write/draw it on paper so you don't have to backtrack later just to read it. (Some adventure games nowadays come with features like taking photos and/or writing notes in game but not every game is like this)

-Divide big places into areas and start solving puzzles in one place at a time. If you cannot work out a puzzle on some area then you can go to another and give it a try. Puzzles may or may not be related between places but if you do everything neatly, you won't get lost.

-If you get really stucked, first check your items to see if you can combine any of them. Then try to use a little logic to use those items in certain places (ex: Keys at doors, Mysterious stone at pedestal, etc). If logic doesn't work then go to each area and use all items on all possible puzzles.

If that doesn't work, Then there is a high chance that you missed an item or a simple puzzle somewhere. Check all areas carefully be on the look for strange shapes that doesn't seem to fit with the scene, you will eventually find what you are looking for.

-Some adventure games require the player to know certain real life knowledge to proceed. Don't be afraid of using the web to learn how to do that certain things (For example in the game Dracula: Path of the dragon you must decipher the type of blood of some people by using catalysts and stuff like the pros do. I'm no lab assistant but I figured it out by using the net to look on how to do the procedure).

Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC)

Survivor's guide on Fighting games:

-Start by playing on practice mode with all the available characters until one fits your style. Don't judge a character by their looks, some can even look dumb but be devastating.

-You don't have to learn in depth stuff to win at a fighting game. You just have to master the art of blocking and counterattacking. Each character does it on its own way.

-Don't jump too much. Jumping makes you really vulnerable in most situations.

-Always keep on the move. Been a sitting duck will give the opponent a chance to jump at you and trap you in a corner.

-Every character has a move for getting out of corner traps, be sure to master it and use it wisely because sometimes if the move fails to hit, it will leave you open.

-Stay cool trough out the fights. The whole idea of a match is to make the opponent make mistakes, so keep it steady and try to break the opponents patience. If your opponent starts nagging and complaining pay it no mind and keep putting pressure on him.

Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

Survivor's guide on Racing simulation games:

-These racing games are not the same as the arcade games that you may have played. Here you have to use the brakes and take curves effectively. The basic way of taking a curve is enter from the outside slowing down a bit. Then take the curve moving to the inside and exit the curve as tight a possible. You will see the car move to the outside again, itfthe speed is correct you won't go off the road to braking is important. (For a deep explanation on taking curves see the Gran Turismo 2 player manual).

-Go automatic. Driving on manual transmission won't do much of a difference unless you are a professional player playing in competitions and such.

-If you see you can tinker a bit with your car do it, and then do test runs to see how well the car works. Always try to read about good car tuning for certain situations, write down information than can be related to the tuning you can do on the game and see if the real life tips apply to the game itself. If they don't then you have to use trial and error to get the most of your ride.

These are the hardest genres to play for the casual gamers and that's why I focused on them. Hope that these guides are helpful to casual gamers out there so they can enjoy the experience of a hardcore game and have the same fun we have. Thanks for reading, see you all on my next blog.