For my first article I was asked by my cohorts here at the Erudite Gamer to write a piece in defense of the PS III. “Kink!” they said, “You seem like just the kinda man who would own a Playstation III. So go forth, educate the masses on the foibles and follies of this system, while we sit here smoking hashish and discussing Chaucer.” What else could I say? When faced with a proposition like that there’s only one alternative and that’s to take a big puff of hashish and read Chaucer. So I chose to do this. Before we go on though I want to point out that I am in no way an expert on this subject I just happen to be well equipped. That’s right, for those of you playing along at home you may have noticed that they didn’t give me this job because they thought my silver tongue could convert the masses to the cult of Crash Bandicoot. They didn’t give me this job because I am a shrewd fellow who could perhaps see through the murky haze that is the PS III and extract a pearl of wisdom. No they gave me this assignment because I’m the only one on the crew who owns a PS III. Really. So with my jade in full swing let’s talk consoles.
Imagine yourself transported back to the year 2006. Gas cost $2.50 a gallon, president Bush was in office, and those groovy kids from Linkin Park were making boys and girls fall in love to the sweet sound of what I call miserableism. Well actually it’s still pretty much the same, except Bush isn’t president any more. Anyway in this far away land of 2005, three little bears were getting ready to put their consoles on the market. The first was Little Baby Bear, who had developed the Nintendo Wii which he hoped everyone would love, so he decided to make it cheap so that even jobless pot smokers could buy one. However, since he was a baby he made it out of Popsicle sticks and glue, so when he turned it on the graphics weren’t very good. Next there was Middle Brother Bear. Now Middle Brother Bear liked cool things like skateboards, ninjas, and guns so he decided to make a console that would be rad and allow people to ride skateboards, fight ninjas, and shoot guns, sometimes all at the same time. He called it the Xbox 360 because the x makes it sound like the nineties and the three sixty reminds him of skateboarding which he still thinks is awesome. Finally there was Big Brother Bear. Now Big Brother Bear had been very successful with his last console selling more than both Baby Bear and Middle Brother Bear combined. So he takes a long sit and thinks and thinks and finally decides to make a console even better than either Baby Bear’s or Middle Brother Bear’s by making it more than just a console, but part of an entertainment system.
So all three brothers go down to the market and to Big Brother Bear’s total surprise everyone starts buying the shit out of the other systems. “Why? Why is this happening?” Asks Big Brother Bear as he bites down on the gun. “How could I possibly mess this up so bad? I had the PS II library, the tech, the blue ray player…How could this happen.” At this point a crow lands on Big Brother Bear’s shoulder and asks: “Did you make any games?” That’s when Big Brother Bear pulls the trigger.
Now, before anyone starts sending me nasty e-mails about how this analogy is all wrong, how Microsoft should be Baby Bear because they were the last into the market, or how Nintendo should be Big Brother Bear because Nintendo’s been making money off racism since the Reagan administration, that’s not the point of the analogy. The point of the analogy is to characterize which niche of the market each company wanted to exploit and what they did to get there. Nintendo as a baby since they wanted to market a feel good family system of cotton candy and fluff, Microsoft as a teen since they wanted to grab that xtreme sports frat boy crowd, and Sony is the older brother since they wanted the uh…people who like to play games on their blue ray player crowd. Which brings me to my first point, that Sony didn’t know who they wanted to buy their goddamn system.
The thing about cramming so much awesome tech into a box is that eventually it gets expensive. Maybe if they paid their workers less they could have made it cheaper but that wasn’t really what they were going for. They wanted to be the Cadillac in a market of Camrys and unfortunately they suffered for it because they weren’t selling a luxury product! Consoles are an entertainment good and as such they are only as good as the entertainment they provide. No one cares how cool a movie theater is if it only shows one movie. Ask any indie movie theater owner and they can tell you that even though they sell beer and Dutch chocolate it’s really hard to make a profit when you only show the same subtitled French movie and everyone wants to see “Big Space Man Kills Aliens Part 4.” And that’s really what gamers want, some form of “Big Space Man Kills Aliens Part 4” and Sony was only more than willing to oblige they just couldn’t get it shoved out the door. Meanwhile Microsoft is having their big space man killing legions of aliens and Nintendo has taken their myriad of racist characters and having them doing things in space, all to the joyful giggles of gamers.
Now I know that I’m supposed to be defending the system I’m just acknowledging its flaws. A high price tag and a limited library of games will always hinder the PS III but there have been some recent developments that make it an outstanding system. First, and I know that I’m going to get in trouble for saying this: The Console War is Over! Or at least the mad rush. The “Who’s Beating Whom” phase is over. We are now in the console marathon where a system must be judged by its overall library rather than its launch titles. Recently we’ve entered the phase in a console’s life where we’re tired of seeing what sort of gimmicky games or sequels are coming out and really start wanting the big ticket innovative games. Now this is also where I’m going to get in trouble, because the word innovative in most cases lacks definition. The Wii has always gotten the praise of being the innovative system but after a short spell of wiggling, gyrating, and twirling, the Wii-mote seems to have forgotten what the hell it was supposed to be doing. We got it, you have a motion tracking system. I can wiggle this thing and enemies will die. Super fun. The promise of a true motion capture system that can make you into a swordsman was long ago lost and the whole system is little more than button mashing. Once more everyone is going to say “But the Wii-mote is a sensitive system, you’re not using it right.” Really? Then tell me what game there is that I can’t be just as good at by wiggling the goddamn Wii-mote faster than the other guy. WarioWare does not count.
Ok. So with that said, I should probably explain what I want in a game: I have always looked for good storytelling, impressive locations, and a move to promote the idea that games can be art. And if you ask if better graphics make a better system, ask anyone who played The Force Unleashed on the Wii, then ask someone who played it on the PS III or Xbox 360. Graphics create ambiance, mood, and an immersive environment which sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re about to get your intestines ripped out by a rampaging hunter. “Oh but it’s not about that it’s about game play!” Wrong again. Ask anyone who played Half life 2 if they didn’t think that game had great game play. Ask anyone who played Gears of War 2 if that game didn’t have great game play. Ask people who played Little Big Planet, or Assasin’s Creed, or Bioshock, or Resistance, or Fallout 3, or Portal. Christ the list goes on and on and on. All of those are remarkable games and I never had to wave my controller around like an idiot to experience any innovation.
So now we get to my final point. Big Brother Bear did do something right and that was looking ahead. Blue rays are finally making a big splash on the market and if you’ve never watched a blue-ray treat yourself sometime because it really is a remarkable experience. Also the power of the PS III is definitely noticeably higher than the Xbox 360 and what you may have noticed about some of the above titles is that they are joint releases. Unfortunately, some of the games that I most enjoy are on the Xbox 360, and because of that it will always have a hold on my heart (deep down I want to be a rad skateboarder from the nineties). But when given the option of picking up a game on the Xbox or PS III, I’m always going to pick the PS III because it’s just that much more powerful. Plus with my HDMI cable hooked up to my blue ray player I don’t have to switch it back and forth to make my games rock. So that’s the thing. The power of the PS III makes it the Cadillac in the land of Camrys. But you know what? I’ve always wanted to drive a Cadillac.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Consoles and the Bazaar
Hi. My name is Dev and I’m a PC Gamer. There seem to be a dwindling few of us these days. Consoles are selling in the millions and every time I stop by the PC gaming aisle, the selection of games is depressingly thinner. Writers have been predicting doom (not Doom) for the PC gaming market for a while now, but I don’t think I fully grasped the overwhelming odds PC gamers are up against until I played Halo. Not Halo for the XBox, but Halo for the PC.
History Lesson: In 1999, Bungie Studios showed up at E3 with the first glimmers of a game called Halo that made game journalists crap their pants. It promised fantastic real time 3D rendering and realistic physics. PC fans were officially stoked. A year later, so much had changed. Microsoft dropped a bomb on the gaming community by announcing its own console. And in perfect Microsoft fashion, they went out and bought the shiniest game development asset to install as the crown jewel of their new game “box”. Suddenly, PC gamers lost a fantastic looking game and I admit I was fairly bitter for a long time. The rest is history. In 2001, Halo came out along with the original XBox and wasn’t just a fantastic success for the console but became a cultural event.
Then in 2003, Halo finally arrived on the PC. I picked it up, played it front to back, single and multiplayer, and I was completely surprised that my overall experience was a resounding “meh.” What happened? Where was the transcendent gaming experience that I had heard about for 2 years? The game that both fanboys and non-fanboys alike raised up as a pinnacle of video gaming? The game that helped sell nearly 25 million consoles and established Microsoft as a viable game company? All I knew was that this game did not hold up to the quality first person shooters I have experienced over the years as a PC gamer. To this day I replay the original Half-Life once every couple of years. I’ll still fall back into a quick Counter Strike addiction every once in a while. I’ll even load up some old Call of Duty. But I haven’t touched another Halo since I finished the first one.
It bothered me that I didn’t really like this game, so my brain kept trying to figure out why it was so freakin’ popular. I eventually came to a realization: How many quality first person shooters were on a console before Halo?
* Goldeneye (Which doesn’t really hold up very well anymore.)
* Maybe some early Medal of Honors
* Maybe Perfect Dark (Which was really Goldeneye 2.0.)
That’s it. Count ‘em. That’s all that console players had in one of the most dominant genres in video gaming. Meanwhile, from Doom onward, the PC was the home of the top notch shooter. Then Halo comes along, and in spite of its quality compared with contemporary PC shooters, it completely blows away every other game on the list above.
This led me to an even greater realization. The number of console gamers so outweighs the number of PC gamers that Halo had no other fate but to become the smash hit that it was. This may not be a great surprise to many, but it hit me like a headcrab to the face. I always saw the PC and consoles on an equal footing, each with their particular strengths, but none of them dominating to such a degree. A rock vs. paper vs. scissors vs. stick(?) type situation. Only now everything beats stick which was never a part of the game anyway. I leave it as extra credit to figure out which console equates to which object.
So what happened? How has the PC fallen so? Really it’s not a question of what the PC lost but what the consoles have gained. First off, computers always used to have in edge graphics-wise on consoles and still do, but graphics and graphics hardware have become so advanced that the difference between the tippy top eye burstingly gorgeous games and the plain ‘ol eye bleedingly purdy games is becoming increasingly negligible. It’s also becoming more of a chore to keep your computer stocked with the necessary hardware to guarantee consistent eye burstage. Furthermore, PCs used to be the sole masters of the internet, but with the most recent generation of hardware, consoles have finally gotten their act together on the online front. Finally, the third addition to consoles also came full force with the most recent generation: hard drives. Consoles have dominated PC gaming by blurring the line between the two. The only difference between them now is that consoles are customized PC platforms with a standardized programming model and hardware specific controllers. This basically guarantees that if a game runs on one XBox it’ll run on every XBox, which isn’t always the case for you every day PC.
So what’s left? Consoles have taken the hard drive, the internet and graphics, so how does the PC gaming market survive? A couple of months ago I urged my friend to get Valve’s Orange Box and play Portal as soon as possible. Anyone who hasn’t played Portal should consider it a Secret Shame of their gaming experience. He said that he’d pick it up for the XBox as soon a he could. Of course I protested, “No, no, no you have to play it on PC if at all possible.” To which he replies, “Why?” The best answer I could muster was “Uhhh....Feng shui?”
However, there’s hope yet. PCs will survive. They still retain a couple of aces that consoles may never be able to steal. Most obviously, the mouse and keyboard. There are just some games that will always work better with a mouse and keyboard. There are numerous high quality first person shooters on consoles now, but you’ll never get that whip fast “should I aim for the head or the nuts” quality precision that a mouse gives. Real time strategy also remains almost exclusively in the pocket of PC gaming. And I would be remiss without a mention of World of Warcraft which is like a small country of 800 pound gorillas. It and other complex MMOs seem to be firmly held by PCs and while each of these genres may eventually find a worthy representative on a console, it’ll take a spectacular feat of user interface design to make them work without a mouse and keyboard.
Keyboard and mouse aside though, here’s the biggest strength of the PC that will keep it gaming for many years to come. The PC is the most open, accessible and adaptable gaming platform there is. There may come a day when it’s simply not good business to release a Triple-A game on the PC. I believe we are currently seeing a shift in the PC gaming market. Big name titles are decreasing but for any new developer looking to make a splash and prove himself, any programming nut strapped for cash and any guy with a brain full of crazy new gameplay ideas will go to the PC first. Big game developers are scared of the new and crazy stuff. They simply can’t afford an expensive and risky concept to bomb. Like big Hollywood movies, the monster developers will go with something that’s worked before rather than take a chance. However, what the big guys can’t afford, the PC independent programmer can. The cost of creating a game on the PC is simply the cost of the computer and then the time, sweat and blood you pour into it. Want to make a game for the XBox, PS3 or Wii? Not so fast. You have to register and be approved as an official developer for those platforms and lay down a large chunk of change just for the necessary hardware and software tools to make a game for them. No game design noob is likely to jump through those hoops and saw blades just to get started. I believe PC gaming will become the bazaar to the console’s cathedral. The Linux to its Windows. A place where short, cheap and innovative games spread through out the internet and give developers a chance to test and implement their crazy new gameplay ideas.
This is the future of the PC. This is what the consoles will never have. So let Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft keep on with the endless hardware arms race. Let them have their Halo. Consoles will come and go but the PC will be hanging around for a long time to come.
-Dev Null
History Lesson: In 1999, Bungie Studios showed up at E3 with the first glimmers of a game called Halo that made game journalists crap their pants. It promised fantastic real time 3D rendering and realistic physics. PC fans were officially stoked. A year later, so much had changed. Microsoft dropped a bomb on the gaming community by announcing its own console. And in perfect Microsoft fashion, they went out and bought the shiniest game development asset to install as the crown jewel of their new game “box”. Suddenly, PC gamers lost a fantastic looking game and I admit I was fairly bitter for a long time. The rest is history. In 2001, Halo came out along with the original XBox and wasn’t just a fantastic success for the console but became a cultural event.
Then in 2003, Halo finally arrived on the PC. I picked it up, played it front to back, single and multiplayer, and I was completely surprised that my overall experience was a resounding “meh.” What happened? Where was the transcendent gaming experience that I had heard about for 2 years? The game that both fanboys and non-fanboys alike raised up as a pinnacle of video gaming? The game that helped sell nearly 25 million consoles and established Microsoft as a viable game company? All I knew was that this game did not hold up to the quality first person shooters I have experienced over the years as a PC gamer. To this day I replay the original Half-Life once every couple of years. I’ll still fall back into a quick Counter Strike addiction every once in a while. I’ll even load up some old Call of Duty. But I haven’t touched another Halo since I finished the first one.
It bothered me that I didn’t really like this game, so my brain kept trying to figure out why it was so freakin’ popular. I eventually came to a realization: How many quality first person shooters were on a console before Halo?
* Goldeneye (Which doesn’t really hold up very well anymore.)
* Maybe some early Medal of Honors
* Maybe Perfect Dark (Which was really Goldeneye 2.0.)
That’s it. Count ‘em. That’s all that console players had in one of the most dominant genres in video gaming. Meanwhile, from Doom onward, the PC was the home of the top notch shooter. Then Halo comes along, and in spite of its quality compared with contemporary PC shooters, it completely blows away every other game on the list above.
This led me to an even greater realization. The number of console gamers so outweighs the number of PC gamers that Halo had no other fate but to become the smash hit that it was. This may not be a great surprise to many, but it hit me like a headcrab to the face. I always saw the PC and consoles on an equal footing, each with their particular strengths, but none of them dominating to such a degree. A rock vs. paper vs. scissors vs. stick(?) type situation. Only now everything beats stick which was never a part of the game anyway. I leave it as extra credit to figure out which console equates to which object.
So what happened? How has the PC fallen so? Really it’s not a question of what the PC lost but what the consoles have gained. First off, computers always used to have in edge graphics-wise on consoles and still do, but graphics and graphics hardware have become so advanced that the difference between the tippy top eye burstingly gorgeous games and the plain ‘ol eye bleedingly purdy games is becoming increasingly negligible. It’s also becoming more of a chore to keep your computer stocked with the necessary hardware to guarantee consistent eye burstage. Furthermore, PCs used to be the sole masters of the internet, but with the most recent generation of hardware, consoles have finally gotten their act together on the online front. Finally, the third addition to consoles also came full force with the most recent generation: hard drives. Consoles have dominated PC gaming by blurring the line between the two. The only difference between them now is that consoles are customized PC platforms with a standardized programming model and hardware specific controllers. This basically guarantees that if a game runs on one XBox it’ll run on every XBox, which isn’t always the case for you every day PC.
So what’s left? Consoles have taken the hard drive, the internet and graphics, so how does the PC gaming market survive? A couple of months ago I urged my friend to get Valve’s Orange Box and play Portal as soon as possible. Anyone who hasn’t played Portal should consider it a Secret Shame of their gaming experience. He said that he’d pick it up for the XBox as soon a he could. Of course I protested, “No, no, no you have to play it on PC if at all possible.” To which he replies, “Why?” The best answer I could muster was “Uhhh....Feng shui?”
However, there’s hope yet. PCs will survive. They still retain a couple of aces that consoles may never be able to steal. Most obviously, the mouse and keyboard. There are just some games that will always work better with a mouse and keyboard. There are numerous high quality first person shooters on consoles now, but you’ll never get that whip fast “should I aim for the head or the nuts” quality precision that a mouse gives. Real time strategy also remains almost exclusively in the pocket of PC gaming. And I would be remiss without a mention of World of Warcraft which is like a small country of 800 pound gorillas. It and other complex MMOs seem to be firmly held by PCs and while each of these genres may eventually find a worthy representative on a console, it’ll take a spectacular feat of user interface design to make them work without a mouse and keyboard.
Keyboard and mouse aside though, here’s the biggest strength of the PC that will keep it gaming for many years to come. The PC is the most open, accessible and adaptable gaming platform there is. There may come a day when it’s simply not good business to release a Triple-A game on the PC. I believe we are currently seeing a shift in the PC gaming market. Big name titles are decreasing but for any new developer looking to make a splash and prove himself, any programming nut strapped for cash and any guy with a brain full of crazy new gameplay ideas will go to the PC first. Big game developers are scared of the new and crazy stuff. They simply can’t afford an expensive and risky concept to bomb. Like big Hollywood movies, the monster developers will go with something that’s worked before rather than take a chance. However, what the big guys can’t afford, the PC independent programmer can. The cost of creating a game on the PC is simply the cost of the computer and then the time, sweat and blood you pour into it. Want to make a game for the XBox, PS3 or Wii? Not so fast. You have to register and be approved as an official developer for those platforms and lay down a large chunk of change just for the necessary hardware and software tools to make a game for them. No game design noob is likely to jump through those hoops and saw blades just to get started. I believe PC gaming will become the bazaar to the console’s cathedral. The Linux to its Windows. A place where short, cheap and innovative games spread through out the internet and give developers a chance to test and implement their crazy new gameplay ideas.
This is the future of the PC. This is what the consoles will never have. So let Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft keep on with the endless hardware arms race. Let them have their Halo. Consoles will come and go but the PC will be hanging around for a long time to come.
-Dev Null
Waggle On You Crazy Cowboy
I am Evil Stoat and I am a hardcore Wii gamer. Take a second on that one. I am a man who loves gaming and loves his Wii. On weekends, I get together with Santa Claus and Bigfoot and we talk about how irritating it is that no one believes we exist. Amidst the soccer moms and hip geriatrics, we, the hardcore Wii gamers, tend to get overlooked. Occasionally you’ll see us in out of focus shots near Loch Ness or once every hundred years in the highlands of Scotland. Don’t be fooled though. We’re out there.
Nintendo has served me well over my many gaming years. It first brought me into the gaming world and has provided me with countless hours of entertainment ever since. I will admit to being a Nintendo fanboy. Not the kind that is blind to reason and capable of shattering a sane person’s mind with the sheer force of his inconceivable hyperbole, just the kind that really enjoys Nintendo products. What sets Nintendo apart from the rest is that they are a gaming company, pure and simple. Sony has a wide variety of focuses and Microsoft only recently extended their reach into the gaming world. Not Nintendo. They’ve been doing it since the ‘80s and have been all about the gamer that whole time. Who developed the idea of a joystick on a controller? Vibrating feedback? Thank Mr. Miyamoto and his team. How about picking up a product you won’t need to replace? Buy from Nintendo and you can beat it to hell and turn it right on. No red rings of death or any of the various Sony related bugs. The Big N has been good to me. So when they moved into the current generation, I went right along with them.
So on to the Wii. Let’s get a few things out of the way first. The Wii is not the most powerful machine on the market. The graphics aren’t the most awe inspiring. They cater to the “casual” gaming crowd. Waggling your Wiimote is seen as a pointless gimmick. These are the primary arguments against the Wii. To many a gamer, they render this console meaningless. I, however, dare you the reader to consider these points in more detail.
Graphics mean different things to different people. I have never been the kind of person to judge a game based on graphics alone. It’s great to see a game that blows you away with amazing visuals. However, in another year or so, some new game will come along and blow that one away. Then you’re just left with a game that used to have amazing visuals. Graphics are fleeting. Gameplay lasts forever. When I pick up a game, I intend to keep it. I never know when I’ll have an urge to jump back into a long forgotten title and relive the joy I once had with it. Were I one to be so hung up on look alone, I would never even consider busting out my old PS1 for a rousing bout of Chrono Cross out of disgust at its notably dated appearance. And then a sad individual I would be. The Wii may be less impressive graphically, but that doesn’t mean its titles are instantly hideous. Furthermore, developers have used this impediment to create more stylized games that are fascinating to watch for their unique style (take for instance No More Heroes or the upcoming MadWorld). I am in no way advocating that designers get lazy and make no attempt to create something visually stimulating. Laziness in any part of the process detracts from the final product as a whole. However, if given the choice, I would rather have an ugly game I can’t put down over a gorgeous gem that bores me to tears.
Many gamers over the past year or so have decried Nintendo for turning its back on the hardcore gaming crowd in favor of the easily placated casual crowd. There is some truth to this statement. With the Wii and the DS, Nintendo has managed to bring gaming to those who previously never even considered it. And with that came money. Lots of money. We’re in a recession right now and Nintendo executives can pull off a Scrooge McDuck style nosedive into their piles of cash. As such, this has affected them. Nintendo is running a business after all and it would be financial suicide for them not to capitalize on this market. Sadly, the past year didn’t have them churning out that many titles for the hardcore crowd. They started off with their big guns then kind of petered out (not to mention their dismal showing at the equally dismal E3). However, Nintendo knows this. They have heard the cries from the gamers. A whole host games designed specifically for the gaming community are poised and ready to be unleashed during 2009. Nintendo is an ambitious company. They essentially created the casual gaming audience. However, they were the ones who kept gaming afloat and have been about just that for the past twenty-odd years. They have always been about the gamers and they will never just leave us out in the cold.
The Wii is nothing but a gimmick. There are many titles out there that do little to challenge this comment. Many developers see that they’re creating a Wii title and add in unnecessary waggling or imprecise motion controls for little more reasoning than “because”. When implemented poorly, these mechanics come across as gimmicky. They add nothing to the game as a whole and often prove downright irritating. That is not to say that all motion controls are unnecessary. The Wii is an innovative system, particularly in regards to its control. Nintendo decided to try and change the way people thought about and played games and the Wiimote is a direct result of that. However, it’s still new. Having used a standard button press for all controls previously, it’s going to take some time for developers to get a strong grasp on the best way to implement the Wii’s uniqueness. Fortunately, it isn’t impossible. Games such as Wii Sports showcase its attributes phenomenally and produce games that truly can’t be played any other way. Furthermore, the controls scheme of Metroid Prime: Corruption and the Wii version of Resident Evil 4 further demonstrate that in capable hands, motion controls are capable of engaging gamers on new and intuitive levels. Bear well in mind also that the Wii Motion Plus will soon be arriving to bring the 1 to 1 ratio of input to action officially into play. Lastly, the Wii also offers a plethora of options for play controls. In many titles, motion controls are optional, allowing the player to decide their own level of “gimmick”. Whether you’re using the Wii Wheel or standard controls, Mario Kart is still damn fun. And that’s really what it’s all about.
While Nintendo has always been a company for the gamers, it has never been about being excessively “hardcore”. You may not find game after game of continuous bloodshed, but I’ll tell you what you will find: Fun. Nintendo is exceptionally skilled at not only creating games that are amazingly entertaining, but transcending so many barriers to do so. Anyone can pick up a Legend of Zelda title and have days’ worth of fun. Truly, when Nintendo puts its mind to making a quality product, you can bet I’ll be interested. They also are interested in handling things their own way. In the modern gaming world, online play is all the rage. True, Nintendo’s system is not the most ideal. However, unlike how everyone else immediately rips them off, Nintendo has taken its time to find the best possible solution for their system. Anxious to avoid the horrendous vulgarity and shamelessness present on XBox Live, for instance, they have refrained from simply using that model. As an important side note, I am far from a prude (you pretentious whoremongers). However, being assaulted by a hideous amalgamation of racial epithets and staggering ignorance is one of the reasons my experiences in online battles have been less than enjoyable. Nintendo may not have the answers yet, but I trust them to consider it thoroughly before throwing out their retort.
So yes, I love my Wii. It’s true that multi-platform titles aren’t best represented here and that developers haven’t quite gotten a full grasp on its potential, but it’s got it where it counts. It’s fun. And to me, that’s the mark of a true success. To the naysayers out there, bash me all you like. It won’t make me enjoy Smash Bros. any less. And to my Wii-centric brethren, hold strong my brothers and sisters. You have found something that touches on that inner part of your being that is full-fledged entertainment. The best is yet to come.
-Evil Stoat
Nintendo has served me well over my many gaming years. It first brought me into the gaming world and has provided me with countless hours of entertainment ever since. I will admit to being a Nintendo fanboy. Not the kind that is blind to reason and capable of shattering a sane person’s mind with the sheer force of his inconceivable hyperbole, just the kind that really enjoys Nintendo products. What sets Nintendo apart from the rest is that they are a gaming company, pure and simple. Sony has a wide variety of focuses and Microsoft only recently extended their reach into the gaming world. Not Nintendo. They’ve been doing it since the ‘80s and have been all about the gamer that whole time. Who developed the idea of a joystick on a controller? Vibrating feedback? Thank Mr. Miyamoto and his team. How about picking up a product you won’t need to replace? Buy from Nintendo and you can beat it to hell and turn it right on. No red rings of death or any of the various Sony related bugs. The Big N has been good to me. So when they moved into the current generation, I went right along with them.
So on to the Wii. Let’s get a few things out of the way first. The Wii is not the most powerful machine on the market. The graphics aren’t the most awe inspiring. They cater to the “casual” gaming crowd. Waggling your Wiimote is seen as a pointless gimmick. These are the primary arguments against the Wii. To many a gamer, they render this console meaningless. I, however, dare you the reader to consider these points in more detail.
Graphics mean different things to different people. I have never been the kind of person to judge a game based on graphics alone. It’s great to see a game that blows you away with amazing visuals. However, in another year or so, some new game will come along and blow that one away. Then you’re just left with a game that used to have amazing visuals. Graphics are fleeting. Gameplay lasts forever. When I pick up a game, I intend to keep it. I never know when I’ll have an urge to jump back into a long forgotten title and relive the joy I once had with it. Were I one to be so hung up on look alone, I would never even consider busting out my old PS1 for a rousing bout of Chrono Cross out of disgust at its notably dated appearance. And then a sad individual I would be. The Wii may be less impressive graphically, but that doesn’t mean its titles are instantly hideous. Furthermore, developers have used this impediment to create more stylized games that are fascinating to watch for their unique style (take for instance No More Heroes or the upcoming MadWorld). I am in no way advocating that designers get lazy and make no attempt to create something visually stimulating. Laziness in any part of the process detracts from the final product as a whole. However, if given the choice, I would rather have an ugly game I can’t put down over a gorgeous gem that bores me to tears.
Many gamers over the past year or so have decried Nintendo for turning its back on the hardcore gaming crowd in favor of the easily placated casual crowd. There is some truth to this statement. With the Wii and the DS, Nintendo has managed to bring gaming to those who previously never even considered it. And with that came money. Lots of money. We’re in a recession right now and Nintendo executives can pull off a Scrooge McDuck style nosedive into their piles of cash. As such, this has affected them. Nintendo is running a business after all and it would be financial suicide for them not to capitalize on this market. Sadly, the past year didn’t have them churning out that many titles for the hardcore crowd. They started off with their big guns then kind of petered out (not to mention their dismal showing at the equally dismal E3). However, Nintendo knows this. They have heard the cries from the gamers. A whole host games designed specifically for the gaming community are poised and ready to be unleashed during 2009. Nintendo is an ambitious company. They essentially created the casual gaming audience. However, they were the ones who kept gaming afloat and have been about just that for the past twenty-odd years. They have always been about the gamers and they will never just leave us out in the cold.
The Wii is nothing but a gimmick. There are many titles out there that do little to challenge this comment. Many developers see that they’re creating a Wii title and add in unnecessary waggling or imprecise motion controls for little more reasoning than “because”. When implemented poorly, these mechanics come across as gimmicky. They add nothing to the game as a whole and often prove downright irritating. That is not to say that all motion controls are unnecessary. The Wii is an innovative system, particularly in regards to its control. Nintendo decided to try and change the way people thought about and played games and the Wiimote is a direct result of that. However, it’s still new. Having used a standard button press for all controls previously, it’s going to take some time for developers to get a strong grasp on the best way to implement the Wii’s uniqueness. Fortunately, it isn’t impossible. Games such as Wii Sports showcase its attributes phenomenally and produce games that truly can’t be played any other way. Furthermore, the controls scheme of Metroid Prime: Corruption and the Wii version of Resident Evil 4 further demonstrate that in capable hands, motion controls are capable of engaging gamers on new and intuitive levels. Bear well in mind also that the Wii Motion Plus will soon be arriving to bring the 1 to 1 ratio of input to action officially into play. Lastly, the Wii also offers a plethora of options for play controls. In many titles, motion controls are optional, allowing the player to decide their own level of “gimmick”. Whether you’re using the Wii Wheel or standard controls, Mario Kart is still damn fun. And that’s really what it’s all about.
While Nintendo has always been a company for the gamers, it has never been about being excessively “hardcore”. You may not find game after game of continuous bloodshed, but I’ll tell you what you will find: Fun. Nintendo is exceptionally skilled at not only creating games that are amazingly entertaining, but transcending so many barriers to do so. Anyone can pick up a Legend of Zelda title and have days’ worth of fun. Truly, when Nintendo puts its mind to making a quality product, you can bet I’ll be interested. They also are interested in handling things their own way. In the modern gaming world, online play is all the rage. True, Nintendo’s system is not the most ideal. However, unlike how everyone else immediately rips them off, Nintendo has taken its time to find the best possible solution for their system. Anxious to avoid the horrendous vulgarity and shamelessness present on XBox Live, for instance, they have refrained from simply using that model. As an important side note, I am far from a prude (you pretentious whoremongers). However, being assaulted by a hideous amalgamation of racial epithets and staggering ignorance is one of the reasons my experiences in online battles have been less than enjoyable. Nintendo may not have the answers yet, but I trust them to consider it thoroughly before throwing out their retort.
So yes, I love my Wii. It’s true that multi-platform titles aren’t best represented here and that developers haven’t quite gotten a full grasp on its potential, but it’s got it where it counts. It’s fun. And to me, that’s the mark of a true success. To the naysayers out there, bash me all you like. It won’t make me enjoy Smash Bros. any less. And to my Wii-centric brethren, hold strong my brothers and sisters. You have found something that touches on that inner part of your being that is full-fledged entertainment. The best is yet to come.
-Evil Stoat
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Console Wars
Console fan boys are the lowest form of life. They are irritating, noisy, and blind. They have been around since the beginning, in various forms. Even the good-old Sega Master System had, and still has, its obsessives. To me, it stems from insecurity. There’s a fairly common conception that the most virulent homophobes are those who question their own sexuality. Likewise, the obsessive fan boy operates under the constant fear that he may have backed the wrong horse. Perhaps they’re even afraid that they aren’t really enjoying themselves, maybe they’re afraid that if they can’t enjoy the other systems, it’s because something is wrong with them.
Who knows? Looking into the minds of those who may not necessarily have functioning minds to look into is a fruitless exercise.
While the console vs. console arguments are multifaceted, there has not been a console yet with absolutely nothing going for it. Ok, except the Jaguar. Every console has had some kind of redeeming quality. Ok, except the 3DO. Maybe they excelled in a particular genre, or had a couple really good games to redeem an ocean of crap (Saturn). Ok, except the Lynx.
We’ve been lucky. The last two console generations haven’t had any system that really needed to be apologized for. The Playstation 2 may have been the clear winner, most notably because after nearly 10 years it’s still going, rivaling the survival of the original NES which lasted so long and acquired such a large library that at some point in the future it will likely get its own wing in the Library of Congress. The PS2 possessed, and still possesses a ridiculous variety of Triple-A games in nearly every genre that can be named.
Much as I acknowledge the PS2’s dominance, my love has always been for the Gamecube. The lunch box may have had a small number of games, but when they were good, they were good. They were also, frequently, highly inventive games like Pikmin and Eternal Darkness. Rare to mention those two in the same sentence, but both, highly original.
And then there was the Xbox. It had Halo. And Knights of the Old Repulbic. And to be fair, when you have Halo and Knights of the Old Republic you don’t actually need anything else. It also was the only console that was essentially a blunt instrument and could do a lot of damage if used as a weapon.
Today, however, things are more complicated. Far too complicated to cover in a single article. Therefore, for our inaugural week, Erudite Gamer will be running a four article breakdown of the current generation. We have brought out our partisans on every conceivable side to argue their cases. You should be aware now, that there will be no winner to this battle. Next week, we will not crown “Erudite Gamer’s Favorite System.” Our aim is to provoke your thoughts. Perhaps you will see the appeal to a system you never considered. Perhaps you will find your own opinions strengthened and reaffirmed. Perhaps, God forbid, you will think.
Stay tuned.
-Educated Guess
Who knows? Looking into the minds of those who may not necessarily have functioning minds to look into is a fruitless exercise.
While the console vs. console arguments are multifaceted, there has not been a console yet with absolutely nothing going for it. Ok, except the Jaguar. Every console has had some kind of redeeming quality. Ok, except the 3DO. Maybe they excelled in a particular genre, or had a couple really good games to redeem an ocean of crap (Saturn). Ok, except the Lynx.
We’ve been lucky. The last two console generations haven’t had any system that really needed to be apologized for. The Playstation 2 may have been the clear winner, most notably because after nearly 10 years it’s still going, rivaling the survival of the original NES which lasted so long and acquired such a large library that at some point in the future it will likely get its own wing in the Library of Congress. The PS2 possessed, and still possesses a ridiculous variety of Triple-A games in nearly every genre that can be named.
Much as I acknowledge the PS2’s dominance, my love has always been for the Gamecube. The lunch box may have had a small number of games, but when they were good, they were good. They were also, frequently, highly inventive games like Pikmin and Eternal Darkness. Rare to mention those two in the same sentence, but both, highly original.
And then there was the Xbox. It had Halo. And Knights of the Old Repulbic. And to be fair, when you have Halo and Knights of the Old Republic you don’t actually need anything else. It also was the only console that was essentially a blunt instrument and could do a lot of damage if used as a weapon.
Today, however, things are more complicated. Far too complicated to cover in a single article. Therefore, for our inaugural week, Erudite Gamer will be running a four article breakdown of the current generation. We have brought out our partisans on every conceivable side to argue their cases. You should be aware now, that there will be no winner to this battle. Next week, we will not crown “Erudite Gamer’s Favorite System.” Our aim is to provoke your thoughts. Perhaps you will see the appeal to a system you never considered. Perhaps you will find your own opinions strengthened and reaffirmed. Perhaps, God forbid, you will think.
Stay tuned.
-Educated Guess
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Erudite Manifesto
The internet is a cesspool: a raging sea of filth and stupidity, like the Potomac River or the state of Arkansas. Unlike the
Yes, I am aware of how pretentious I sound.
Nowhere is this truer than in the area of video gaming. As the technology and production values surrounding games become more sophisticated, the fanbase seems to become less so. Why?
Is this community truly composed of only the 21st Century’s waste and refuse?
Is there something in video games that destroys the mind, making us incapable of the basic fundamentals of the English language?
Are we so far regressed that we can’t see a question from both sides?
Can we not accept that another person’s opinion may actually be as valid as our own?
If I were to search the web for people writing about games, I would be forced to answer all of those questions with a resounding, and disappointed, “yes.” This community goes on about how it is not taken seriously, how we are not respected, and how the established world of art and literature refuses to accept video games for the unique creative endeavors that they are. Perhaps we have not considered that the blame for this does not lie with the creators of the games themselves, or with the established arts and literature community, but with us, the gamers.
Let me put this another way. If I were to discuss The Great Gatsby, and why I liked it, with another reader, it would involve me pointing out what was so great about the novel, what F. Scott Fitzgerald did as a writer in making one of the finest American novels ever. I would construct an argument of carefully reasoned points, backed with some kind of supporting evidence. I would not begin ranting about how amazing it is, how other books should be burned or ignored, and how anyone who didn’t enjoy the book was so-fucking-retarded-and-you-should-really-just-put-a -bullet-in-your-head-now-because-how-can-you-have-such-a-stupid-idea. Why don’t you just go and read Ethan Frome like the loser you are?
This is not how civilized discourse takes place.
Let’s say, on the other hand, that there was an internet forum discussing the success of the Xbox 360 versus the success of the Playstation 3. Burn down the gates, Romans, and say hello to the Visigoths, because civilization is not long for this world.
To be “erudite” is to be refined and cultured and articulate. I don’t believe that gaming culture is incapable of being erudite, but I think that those who would be inclined that way are choked out in a sea of obscenity, poor grammar, and hyperbole.
Thus, Erudite Gamer is born. We are the vanguard of responsible and intelligent reflection on all aspects of gaming culture. We will keep an open mind, and a ready delete key. We’re not just shoring up the gates against the Visigoths, however. Right now, there’s no
This may seem high minded, and a little pretentious. It is. Come back, though. See what content we begin to create, and then, judge for yourselves. This is not a review site. It is my belief that the multitudes of websites dedicated to that cause are more than adequate to the task. This is not a gossip, or a news site. Again, that base has been covered by those who came before us. Erudite Gamer is here to do something different. Or more, to do something that has been done from the beginning, but never done well. Think of us as the comments page, if it were populated by exceedingly wordy people with liberal arts degrees, and not by idiots who need to turn off the Caps Lock. That’s us. We want to talk about what’s going on and what it means. We want to compare games, look at the trends, speculate about where gaming is going, and generally say what needs to or wants to be said. We want to create a place where people can have intelligent conversations about video games instead of just screaming at each other. Our posts will be opinionated and open to your responses. Your responses will be open to our critique, and possible removal.
I close with one final thought, something to remember when you consider us. There is no such thing as an opinion that is wrong. We encourage people to disagree with and criticize us. But we also encourage you all to be civilized. To those of you unused to the concept, I assure that both are possible.
This is Erudite Gamer, and that’s my opinion till you show me a better one.
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