Thursday, March 10, 2005
Wireless bus
Huh, I just realized that Nick threw me under the boss in his last update. "So I was out of town..." eh? I didn't realize that sucking the organic teat of a land loving bovine constituted being out of town. I did a little research beforehand and found no conclusive statement on what constitutes going "out of town." With no definition available, I'll supply my own: if you have to spend the night somewhere, it's out of town. If you are just going to Wisconsin for one day, that doesn't really count. Is it ok if I just refer to Nick as Kobe from now on? Would anyone really have a problem with this?
Anyway, if you must know why I went a few days without updating, I can reveal my motives to the world right now - I had nothing to write about. During that dry stretch, there was no gaming news to speak of and the only new title I had played was Devil May Cry 3. For those who have been reading this site for longer than a few months, you are fully aware of Nick's unbridled wrath when I write about one of his games before he has a chance to. See my God of War post if you are wondering what happens. So, I decided to let him take the first crack at this simple buttons masher. If you want to know how I feel about this title, check back next Tuesday for a full review. I'll give you one clue: don't buy it.
It's time to move on to some gaming news. At the annual Game Developers Conference held in lovely San Francisco, Nintendo unveiled a few more nuggets about their Revolution. Unfortunately, neither of their tidbits confirmed the name will actually be Revolution, but I assume that is only a matter of time. It's a catchy name, and may actually be the best name for a video game console since the Genesis. No one cares about the smell of roses or stink blossoms, though, so I'll move on to what was actually said.
First, the Revolution will be backwards compatible with the Gamecube. I have to admit I'm a little surprised about this. With all the talk about how the Revolution would forever change the industry, I expected some fundamentally difference so severe the mere thought of playing older titles on it would appear laughable. I guess the confirmation that the Revolution can play GC games means their latest controller will not be as drastically different as everyone assumed. After the rumor a few months back that the new controller would have neither a digital pad nor an A button, everyone feared the worst. It would be pretty hard to play Pikmin without the A button, so I can only assume that's another very wrong report.
While this news doesn't make a ton of difference to me, it still is very important. While the draw of the Gamecube's library probably won't be enough to lure early adopters to the Revolution, it does show that Nintendo is listening to what gamers want. While I still expect them to do whatever they want, it's nice to see them cave ever so slightly and offer something that haven't in the past. All it means to me is that I have a nice spot under my TV for the newest system. For everyone else - you can finally pick up that copy of PN 03 you've been eyeing.
The other thing they revealed is that the Revolution will be come fully loaded with Wi-Fi technology. Again, something that isn't "revolutionary" so much as doing what everyone expects anyway, but still important. By not offering online as an added peripheral consumers may or may not buy, they can ensure that everyone has the ability to go online. As long as they keep the costs low, somewhere around free would be ideal for me, they can quickly build up an online community. The only question remains: how will Nintendo convince the average consumer that online is the way to go? How can they convince someone like me, who has been online and is not impressed, that this is every bit as important as traditional multiplayer? I'm not sure if they will be able to, but I am confident that if anyone can make such a game it will be Nintendo. If they fail, be prepared to play FPSes for the rest of your life.
Anyway, if you must know why I went a few days without updating, I can reveal my motives to the world right now - I had nothing to write about. During that dry stretch, there was no gaming news to speak of and the only new title I had played was Devil May Cry 3. For those who have been reading this site for longer than a few months, you are fully aware of Nick's unbridled wrath when I write about one of his games before he has a chance to. See my God of War post if you are wondering what happens. So, I decided to let him take the first crack at this simple buttons masher. If you want to know how I feel about this title, check back next Tuesday for a full review. I'll give you one clue: don't buy it.
It's time to move on to some gaming news. At the annual Game Developers Conference held in lovely San Francisco, Nintendo unveiled a few more nuggets about their Revolution. Unfortunately, neither of their tidbits confirmed the name will actually be Revolution, but I assume that is only a matter of time. It's a catchy name, and may actually be the best name for a video game console since the Genesis. No one cares about the smell of roses or stink blossoms, though, so I'll move on to what was actually said.
First, the Revolution will be backwards compatible with the Gamecube. I have to admit I'm a little surprised about this. With all the talk about how the Revolution would forever change the industry, I expected some fundamentally difference so severe the mere thought of playing older titles on it would appear laughable. I guess the confirmation that the Revolution can play GC games means their latest controller will not be as drastically different as everyone assumed. After the rumor a few months back that the new controller would have neither a digital pad nor an A button, everyone feared the worst. It would be pretty hard to play Pikmin without the A button, so I can only assume that's another very wrong report.
While this news doesn't make a ton of difference to me, it still is very important. While the draw of the Gamecube's library probably won't be enough to lure early adopters to the Revolution, it does show that Nintendo is listening to what gamers want. While I still expect them to do whatever they want, it's nice to see them cave ever so slightly and offer something that haven't in the past. All it means to me is that I have a nice spot under my TV for the newest system. For everyone else - you can finally pick up that copy of PN 03 you've been eyeing.
The other thing they revealed is that the Revolution will be come fully loaded with Wi-Fi technology. Again, something that isn't "revolutionary" so much as doing what everyone expects anyway, but still important. By not offering online as an added peripheral consumers may or may not buy, they can ensure that everyone has the ability to go online. As long as they keep the costs low, somewhere around free would be ideal for me, they can quickly build up an online community. The only question remains: how will Nintendo convince the average consumer that online is the way to go? How can they convince someone like me, who has been online and is not impressed, that this is every bit as important as traditional multiplayer? I'm not sure if they will be able to, but I am confident that if anyone can make such a game it will be Nintendo. If they fail, be prepared to play FPSes for the rest of your life.
// posted by Tom @ 2:43 PM 
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