Boogie Nights

Being frugal in regards to your gaming isn't just a way of life, it's also a blog, podcast and forum! I know, that was terrible. Bad writer! Must try harder. Anyway, those of you who have the odd browse about all the clutter on the right hand column of this page will have noticed that I have a small space dedicated to other blogs and websites that I either feel are of a high quality or an essential part of your web browsing experience in regards to video games. One of these blogs is Frugal Gaming. 

The blog and its companion podcast and forum have been set up with the intention of saving you some much needed cash in these financially difficult times, and even includes a twitter account for those who need to know about those essential bargains straight away. Whilst I had been following the blog/twitter/podcast for some time, it was only recently that I decided to join the forum. It had been some time since I had joined a forum, but the ethos surrounding the idea of Frugal Gaming seemed a good one, so I thought 'what's the harm'. It turns out that this was a decent decision, because the people who run the forum and who contribute to it are a really decent bunch, who apart from having questionable morals (something that does seem to occur with gamers from time to time), seemed really like minded and genuinely have something to say.

Don't panic by the way, I do have a point to this post. The forum organises Game Nights, in which the game of choice is voted upon in a poll and then played at a decided time with the other forum members. So we all agreed on Left 4 Dead after a landslide vote in its favour, and I have to say (with hand on heart), it was the most fun I've had playing the game online to date. There was no selfish hogging of health, as soon as anyone went down or was under attack help was on the way as soon as possible and the game truly felt like a team game. Exactly how it should be played. I think most of the people from the forum are probably sick of the majority of selfish gamers who don't play the game as a team effort and go Rambo, subsequently getting everyone killed.

Then the real fun began. I got to play as the undead. I had yet to do this before last night, and playing with other human controlled players made the odds of the survivors getting out alive drop drastically. Playing as a Hunter, Smoker, Boomer or on one occasion the Tank made the game extremely fun, and totally turned the way you play on its head. No longer were you on the look out for AI controlled zombies you took reasonably predictable paths. Now you were the hunter, and the prey was the very people you enjoy talking to online. I was absolutely amazed at how good a handful of players were at being the undead, attacking at perfectly planned opportunities to cause the most damage. Suffice to say, few made it out of the campaigns alive.

If you want to really enjoy Left 4 Dead, I highly recommend playing with like minded people. If you think that Frugal Gaming sounds like your cup of tea, then get down to the forums, sign up, and take part in the next Game Night. I know I'll be there.