Life Imitates Video Games

General and high profile video game topics.
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VideoGameCritic
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Life Imitates Video Games

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 16th, 2022, 6:26 pm

With the summer coming up, it reminds me when I was down the beach (Ocean City MD) walking along the main strip near a grocery store, and my wife found a wedge of cheese (shrink-wrapped) right on the sidewalk that had fallen out of somebody's bag. I told her to leave it be, but she insisted on taking it - just like Streets of Rage! And our health increased.

Another time I was showing my friend Kevin my back yard and there's a manhole back there. He started pointing to it all excited, and I was like "what?" And he exclaimed "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" LOL. I didn't see the big deal at the time but I think we may have just been playing one of those games.

So, can you recall instances where you life was like a video game?

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Matchstick
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Matchstick » May 16th, 2022, 6:58 pm

Fun topic!

I have definitely picked up a trashcan off the sidewalk and thrown it at someone before. Oh, come on, don't act like you haven't!

My then-girlfriend and I came home from skating one night in Eugene, OR, to find some dudes shuffling around in our front yard, digging through our trash. While she went inside to call the cops, I took to trying to get them to buzz off. One guy apologized and started gathering his grocery cart to leave, while the other guy just ignored me, and continued to rifle through our recycling bin.

Once I realized he wasn't taking the hint, I picked up the trash can next to him and heaved it at him to let him know I meant business. Much shouting ensued, and once the GF came back out to let them know the cops were on the way, they split. Thankfully, I never saw them again.

Not my wisest decision, getting into a physical altercation with a hobo, but the phrase "young and stupid" persists for a reason!

(For those that don't know, Oregon is one of those states with a "bottle bill," where anyone can gather up and return empty drink cans and bottles to a drop-off point for ten cents a piece. It leads to many, many instances of bums going through your trash, hoping to find a few stray cans. So, in saying that, seeing people going through your trash cans is not all that uncommon!)

For a less-violent approach, I'll borrow a post of mine from about a year back.


Sunset Bay, Wave Race 64:
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Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon Coast:


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Stalvern
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Stalvern » May 16th, 2022, 7:36 pm

One rainy day, my car slid into a curb and simply glanced off, none the worse for wear besides a scuff on the wheel. Felt like Need for Speed or something.

Many years later, I slid in the snow into a curb and shattered my entire suspension, totaling the car.

Zack Burner
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Zack Burner » May 16th, 2022, 7:56 pm

3 years ago I was on a tour trip with Gate 1 in beautiful Costa Rica, one rainy day adventure was in some park up in the lush rainforests, walking the trail and crossing some bridges. Made me feel like in Donkey Kong Country in one of the tree top levels or the famous level "Ropey Rampage" since it featured rain. I even caught sight of a howler monkey! Speaking of which Donkey Kong Country was also one of the many things that inspired me to go to Africa which I accomplished in September 2018!

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Matchstick
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Matchstick » May 17th, 2022, 2:55 pm

Stalvern wrote:Many years later, I slid in the snow into a curb and shattered my entire suspension, totaling the car.

As someone with several snow-related single-vehicle accidents of their own, I can totally relate to this :D

GAME OVER, YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!

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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 17th, 2022, 4:59 pm

I think I mentioned that on one Monday night while driving with Sudz in the car, while approaching an exit a deer ran out in front of my car. I swerved to avoid it, and then performed a perfect power slide to get back onto the ramp. And we had just been playing a racing game.

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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Herschie » May 19th, 2022, 3:20 pm

I posted this in the Skyward Sword message board on Gamefaqs in March of 2010:

Very warm in Chicago today, so I thought I'd see if the grill worked. So I go outside. We have one of those doors that locks automatically, and as soon as I heard it slam behind me, I realized that I had forgotten my key. No worries, my roomate's car is in the driveway, I'll just ring the doorbell, and she'll let me in.

I ring the doorbell. No answer. I bang hard on the door. No answer. Thinking that maybe she didn't hear me, I went over to her open window and called out her name. No answer. Uh oh. My roomates all get home and random times, so no telling how long I'd be out there.

Here is where solving all those Zelda puzzles helped me. I noticed before that she had her window upen due to the warm Chicago weather. Perhaps I could get in my window somehow. Problem is I live on the second floor, and there is no hookshot lying around.

But then I noticed a shed right underneath my bedroom window (I just moved here in early February, so I didn't know the yard that well). Still, the shed was a little too high to just jump onto. That was when I spotted the air conditioner right next to the shed. Perfect!

The problem was it was still too big of a jump. So then I spotted an empty recycling bin that was a few feet higher than the air conditioner. I just had to find something to weigh it down with so that I could use it to get onto the shed. I saw a rolled up hose, so I put that into the recycling bin, and it weighed just enough. I could now get onto the shed.

Unfortunately it was one of those cheap plastic sheds that wasn't sturdy enough for me to stand upright on. Still, I could at least see whether or not my window was unlocked. By some miracle (I'm very big on locking doors and windows), the window was unlocked and I was able to open it!

The problem was I still couldn't get myself in without standing up, and I wasn't about to risk breaking my neck (Anymore than I already was!). I looked around the yard for a ladder. Nothing. Perhaps the garage. Also locked. Just then I spotted the ladder to the pool. And it was high enough. But heavy.

So much like one of those big blocks that Link pushes so that he can climb on it and get to a higher place in a dungeon, I pushed this ladder to the window. I moved my laptop out of the way and climbed in.

Amazing how much I had to do to pull this off, and my buddy just reminded me that it was like playing Zelda.

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Matchstick
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Matchstick » May 19th, 2022, 4:00 pm

Herschie wrote:Amazing how much I had to do to pull this off, and my buddy just reminded me that it was like playing Zelda.

Bravo, Herschie!! I hope you leveled up at least once during that experience!

Sounds like a Hell of a way to improve your Sneak and Lockpicking skills :lol:

comchia
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby comchia » May 19th, 2022, 6:33 pm

Recently, while visiting Universal Studios Orlando, my girlfriend effectively re-enacted part of the opening scene of Wing Commander IV by chewing out an incredibly rude and impatient guest who was lashing out at an employee/team member stuck by himself on a busy day. She was celebrated by everyone in the room right after the guest left. :)

The relevant part starts at around 10:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYAcyeQQlq8&t=683s

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Matchstick
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Re: Life Imitates Video Games

Postby Matchstick » May 20th, 2022, 5:59 pm

comchia wrote:...my girlfriend effectively re-enacted part of the opening scene of Wing Commander IV...

I knew exactly what you were getting at before I even finished reading your post, comchia.

Few things in life make me happier than hearing Mark Hamill's gruff, "This pisses me off," replay in my mind. It's been decades since I played through WC4, but those dialogue trees definitely had some memorable gems!


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