Saturday, May 20, 2006
E3 2006: Nick's final G-Pinion
Playable Game of the Show
Gears of War
Considering that the multiplayer hadn't before been shown or discussed, it was very tight, looked and felt great, and already had a very nice strategic flow to the gameplay. The single player looks equally well done, if a bit less unique. It's a bit frustrating giving such a recognition to a game that ultimately isn't anything new or revolutionary, but that's not the 360's job at this point; it's just to do what we like, and do it really, really well.
Honorable Mentions:
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
This was easily the most fun I had at the show, it's just tough to put it up against proper gaming experiences when the series is barely a game in it's final form. But let me tell you - running, hula-hooping, turning a crank, cutting cookies, etc. - all full body actions, all infinitely more fun than the real actions somehow. It doesn't exactly demonstrate what the Wii is capable of in terms of gameplay experiences, but it does show exactly how precise the Wiimote is and how entertaining waving yourself around like an idiot can be.
Dead Rising
The controls in the demo couldn't be inverted, which sucked, but no other game displayed anywhere close to the potential for fantastically mindless fun (please, no pun intended, don't insult me), and good ol' fashioned ridiculousness. The first time through, I hit zombies with a sledgehammer, a shotgun, a potted plant, a cash register, a giant teddy bear, milk, an orange, a cash register, a plastic sword, clipping shears and a bench. And then proceeded to play the game on two more occasions while wandering by later in the show, with entirely different weapons. All this while completely ignoring the other survivors or anything remotely objective-based. I hope they tighten up the controls a bit before release, but it's a really good time as is.
Saint's Row
Weird, I know. It's all the fun of GTA, with easier, more consistent physics and dynamic environments. It seems to have benefitted greatly from the various delays, as the graphics are sharp and every element of the controls works well, even hand to hand combat. Character creation is also the deepest I've ever seen, with the sliders within sliders within slider to sculpt every inch of your in-game persona. The whole thug vibe is a bit obnoxious obviously, but it quickly fades to the back of your mind when the gameplay gets going and it's any more obtrusive than GTA ever was. It's tough to judge a sandbox game in fifteen minutes of play, but what was there worked really well and I'm definitely looking forward to the release and the "TBA" multiplayer modes they're working on.
Heavenly Sword
It was a very compact demo taking place entirely in one arena, but was easily the most "next-gen" PS3 experience on the floor, and it looked and felt fantastic. It pitted you, a rather violent redheaded young lass, again two dozen or so brutes hopping down into a fully furnished arena to fight you. Many of the combat maneuvers were ridiculously cinematic, but it all worked well in context and was a breeze to pull off. Timing exercises and experimentation were dually threaded throughout through the gameplay, adding a lot to what would otherwise feel a bit too much like Devil May Cry. Physics were also at the top of their game, as vanquished foes were thrown haphazardly into the stands above, bodies rolling down and breaking through tables. Go find a video, and know that it's incredibly easy to pull off anything badass that you see happen. It's that simple.
"Playable" (Closed Door playthrough by the developers) Game of the Show
BioShock
Stunning art and environment design, incredibly promising gameplay. The exploration of a destroyed sunken city with an amazingly imaginative cast of organisms and security robots has been fully realized, rendered in by FAR the most striking and unique use of the Unreal 3 engine yet. Every room was dripping with atmosphere and detail, and most importantly, gameplay possibilities. The "food chain" hierarchy of the world is equally unsettling and intriguing, and can be used to your advantage in all sorts of ways. The game was just completely fascinating on every level, and something I'm dying to play through myself but will wait patiently until they're done.
Honorable Mentions:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Action/RPG was one of my surprise favorite genres last generation, and this seems to be a step in the right direction for the next batch. Gorgeous, completely unique character models (yay for self-shadowing!) in equally impressive scenery, causing all the mayhem you'd expect from a rowdy bunch of super heroes. I like the idea of being able to create your own four-person hero team, though the developer was awfully quick to answer 'no' to my "can you play as four Wolverines with different costumes?" question. Boo.
Army of Two
EA had a great show, as we were expecting, but Army of Two was the real star in their lineup (well, besides Spore, but that's a given). Despite what Penny-Arcade says, by the way; they seem to have missed the entire point of the game. It's all based around co-op play, whether it's your buddy or the A.I. There are plenty of cool touches if it's the latter, such as your teammates not letting you make the all-important dual-sniper countdown if you botched it last time. I'm just happy seeing EA let their creativity catch up to their presentational talent.
Mercenaries 2
Exactly what I expected from a series that could have befitted greatly from a next-gen sequel. Bigger, prettier explosions, with a somehow even more flexible engine. I like the new dynamic of playing with fire too - you can dribble gas along the ground, and light it up to create a trail of destruction wherever you like. Good times, and the kind of thing I would buy a PS3 for if it does end up being exclusive. Oh, and co-op.
Viva Pinata
All the appeal of complete openendedness, none of the slightly off-putting art design of Animal Crossing. Actually, it's much more unstructured and open than AC, if you can believe it. There aren't really any goals outside of growing the most badass garden and filling it with every Pinata species you can lure. Rare has kind of fallen out of sync with making good games in popular genres these last two generations so far, so I'm glad they're using their talents for something this fresh. I'm sure it will all be a whole lot less charming when the commercials for the TV show start blaring with annoying voices, but as it stands right now I'm dying to start my own garden.
The Darkness
It's not really fair that we saw BioShock right afterwards, which would make anything look like crap in retrospect. I swear the game was looking really good though, from what I can unbiasedly remember. Shoot out lights and your body becomes a swarming mess of black mouths and tentacles, and devious Darklings are summoned from the ground (who like to kill your enemies, with, say, a jackhammer). There's even a very phallic tentacles emerging from your lower region that can be used for tossing around police cars and breaking through walls. It's one of those experiences that should really make you feel powerful, and the atmosphere and art direction are really in sync with the gameplay motivations.
Turok
While I was quite excited for Turok going into the show, I secretly had very low expectations for it after the underwhelming screens that had been released. Well, the game looks about ten times better than the screens in motion and seems to play really well so far too. The dinosaurs are fast and scary, and the combat is violent and well-animated. Much of the gameplay direction seems undecided at this point when asked, but the demo was impressive and they have a very large, experienced team to follow through on their ideas. I probably now have unreasonably high expectations for the final game.
Biggest Disappointments
Red Steel
It just doesn't look or feel good at this point. Not intuitive, not striking, not anything really. There were definitely some cool ideas in action, but I don't see why I'd ever play this over an FPS on the 360. I would love a reason to, and I'm sure the game will feel a lot better at launch, but they're going to have to do some serious refinement.
Crackdown
As it stands, it's much more entertaining to watch someone play who knows what they're doing than to play yourself - which is a bad thing. It's not really a fair comparison since it's coming out so much sooner, but Saint's Row felt much more grounded (yes, I know you jump very far in Crackdown, no, that wasn't a pun). This could very well shape up to be a game of the year contender, with fantastic RPG elements, co-op, and a very realized stylistic city, it just feels very rough and flimsy at this point.
DS Lineup
There were plenty of great games - dozens even. Starfox DS and Yoshi's Island 2 were both fantastic. But seriously, almost everything was a sequel. No Nintendogs, no Electroplankton, no Trauma Center, no Brain Age, nothing striking or new. In a system that has defined itself through those unique experiences, it doesn't excite me in the least to know that I'll be playing nothing but SNES sequels for the next year. Weak.
Shadowrun
Ugh.
Zelda: Twilight Princess
I don't like the N64 Zeldas, and haven't played more than a couple minutes of Windwaker. Everyone should know this about me. As expected, TP did little for me. The movement and camera feel archaic, the Wii functionality comes off as completely tacked on, and the world is drab and visually inconsistent. I should have probably just played the fishing demo, I'd be a lot more excited about it then. I'm sure I'll get caught up in the hype and play it when it hits, maybe even enjoy it, but I couldn't have been less enthralled with it at the show.
Most Potential
Mass Effect
The NPC interactions were brilliant and cinematic, and the combat seemed interesting even if real-time seems like a step back from the interesting pace of KOTOR's. I ultimately wasn't super-impressed with what we saw, but it certainly peaked my interest. With such a large game (at least as promised) it's hard to get a proper feel from a ten-minute demo, but I'll definitely be following the development and hoping for the best.
Too Human
Dyack made it sound good, and talked me into having patience so that their vision could be realized. He's lucky he's a much better speaker than his game is a....game.
Superman
TONS of visual glitches and inconsistencies were present (probably why they only had EA reps doing the actual playing), but the basic framework looked solid and the Superpower mechanics looked like a lot of fun (blowing cars down the street, flying from sky to ground in seconds, etc.). I also like that the city has a health bar, not you (great solution to the lame power of being unkillable). It's tough to imagine that this will come together completely in five months, but it certainly COULD, so keep an eye on it (I will be).
Super Mario Galaxy
Definitely the best-looking Wii game on display, and probably the most interesting take on a traditional genre on the system thus far. But it wasn't immediately intuitive, and therefore wasn't Mario as far as I'm concerned. It also had a ton going on at any given moment, and having to stay on your toes to that extent isn't really a hallmark of the series. It was super fun, and could turn out to be as classic as the best in the series, I just hope they chill out on the pacing and focus the myriad gameplay mechanics a bit more.
Gears of War
Considering that the multiplayer hadn't before been shown or discussed, it was very tight, looked and felt great, and already had a very nice strategic flow to the gameplay. The single player looks equally well done, if a bit less unique. It's a bit frustrating giving such a recognition to a game that ultimately isn't anything new or revolutionary, but that's not the 360's job at this point; it's just to do what we like, and do it really, really well.
Honorable Mentions:
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
This was easily the most fun I had at the show, it's just tough to put it up against proper gaming experiences when the series is barely a game in it's final form. But let me tell you - running, hula-hooping, turning a crank, cutting cookies, etc. - all full body actions, all infinitely more fun than the real actions somehow. It doesn't exactly demonstrate what the Wii is capable of in terms of gameplay experiences, but it does show exactly how precise the Wiimote is and how entertaining waving yourself around like an idiot can be.
Dead Rising
The controls in the demo couldn't be inverted, which sucked, but no other game displayed anywhere close to the potential for fantastically mindless fun (please, no pun intended, don't insult me), and good ol' fashioned ridiculousness. The first time through, I hit zombies with a sledgehammer, a shotgun, a potted plant, a cash register, a giant teddy bear, milk, an orange, a cash register, a plastic sword, clipping shears and a bench. And then proceeded to play the game on two more occasions while wandering by later in the show, with entirely different weapons. All this while completely ignoring the other survivors or anything remotely objective-based. I hope they tighten up the controls a bit before release, but it's a really good time as is.
Saint's Row
Weird, I know. It's all the fun of GTA, with easier, more consistent physics and dynamic environments. It seems to have benefitted greatly from the various delays, as the graphics are sharp and every element of the controls works well, even hand to hand combat. Character creation is also the deepest I've ever seen, with the sliders within sliders within slider to sculpt every inch of your in-game persona. The whole thug vibe is a bit obnoxious obviously, but it quickly fades to the back of your mind when the gameplay gets going and it's any more obtrusive than GTA ever was. It's tough to judge a sandbox game in fifteen minutes of play, but what was there worked really well and I'm definitely looking forward to the release and the "TBA" multiplayer modes they're working on.
Heavenly Sword
It was a very compact demo taking place entirely in one arena, but was easily the most "next-gen" PS3 experience on the floor, and it looked and felt fantastic. It pitted you, a rather violent redheaded young lass, again two dozen or so brutes hopping down into a fully furnished arena to fight you. Many of the combat maneuvers were ridiculously cinematic, but it all worked well in context and was a breeze to pull off. Timing exercises and experimentation were dually threaded throughout through the gameplay, adding a lot to what would otherwise feel a bit too much like Devil May Cry. Physics were also at the top of their game, as vanquished foes were thrown haphazardly into the stands above, bodies rolling down and breaking through tables. Go find a video, and know that it's incredibly easy to pull off anything badass that you see happen. It's that simple.
"Playable" (Closed Door playthrough by the developers) Game of the Show
BioShock
Stunning art and environment design, incredibly promising gameplay. The exploration of a destroyed sunken city with an amazingly imaginative cast of organisms and security robots has been fully realized, rendered in by FAR the most striking and unique use of the Unreal 3 engine yet. Every room was dripping with atmosphere and detail, and most importantly, gameplay possibilities. The "food chain" hierarchy of the world is equally unsettling and intriguing, and can be used to your advantage in all sorts of ways. The game was just completely fascinating on every level, and something I'm dying to play through myself but will wait patiently until they're done.
Honorable Mentions:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Action/RPG was one of my surprise favorite genres last generation, and this seems to be a step in the right direction for the next batch. Gorgeous, completely unique character models (yay for self-shadowing!) in equally impressive scenery, causing all the mayhem you'd expect from a rowdy bunch of super heroes. I like the idea of being able to create your own four-person hero team, though the developer was awfully quick to answer 'no' to my "can you play as four Wolverines with different costumes?" question. Boo.
Army of Two
EA had a great show, as we were expecting, but Army of Two was the real star in their lineup (well, besides Spore, but that's a given). Despite what Penny-Arcade says, by the way; they seem to have missed the entire point of the game. It's all based around co-op play, whether it's your buddy or the A.I. There are plenty of cool touches if it's the latter, such as your teammates not letting you make the all-important dual-sniper countdown if you botched it last time. I'm just happy seeing EA let their creativity catch up to their presentational talent.
Mercenaries 2
Exactly what I expected from a series that could have befitted greatly from a next-gen sequel. Bigger, prettier explosions, with a somehow even more flexible engine. I like the new dynamic of playing with fire too - you can dribble gas along the ground, and light it up to create a trail of destruction wherever you like. Good times, and the kind of thing I would buy a PS3 for if it does end up being exclusive. Oh, and co-op.
Viva Pinata
All the appeal of complete openendedness, none of the slightly off-putting art design of Animal Crossing. Actually, it's much more unstructured and open than AC, if you can believe it. There aren't really any goals outside of growing the most badass garden and filling it with every Pinata species you can lure. Rare has kind of fallen out of sync with making good games in popular genres these last two generations so far, so I'm glad they're using their talents for something this fresh. I'm sure it will all be a whole lot less charming when the commercials for the TV show start blaring with annoying voices, but as it stands right now I'm dying to start my own garden.
The Darkness
It's not really fair that we saw BioShock right afterwards, which would make anything look like crap in retrospect. I swear the game was looking really good though, from what I can unbiasedly remember. Shoot out lights and your body becomes a swarming mess of black mouths and tentacles, and devious Darklings are summoned from the ground (who like to kill your enemies, with, say, a jackhammer). There's even a very phallic tentacles emerging from your lower region that can be used for tossing around police cars and breaking through walls. It's one of those experiences that should really make you feel powerful, and the atmosphere and art direction are really in sync with the gameplay motivations.
Turok
While I was quite excited for Turok going into the show, I secretly had very low expectations for it after the underwhelming screens that had been released. Well, the game looks about ten times better than the screens in motion and seems to play really well so far too. The dinosaurs are fast and scary, and the combat is violent and well-animated. Much of the gameplay direction seems undecided at this point when asked, but the demo was impressive and they have a very large, experienced team to follow through on their ideas. I probably now have unreasonably high expectations for the final game.
Biggest Disappointments
Red Steel
It just doesn't look or feel good at this point. Not intuitive, not striking, not anything really. There were definitely some cool ideas in action, but I don't see why I'd ever play this over an FPS on the 360. I would love a reason to, and I'm sure the game will feel a lot better at launch, but they're going to have to do some serious refinement.
Crackdown
As it stands, it's much more entertaining to watch someone play who knows what they're doing than to play yourself - which is a bad thing. It's not really a fair comparison since it's coming out so much sooner, but Saint's Row felt much more grounded (yes, I know you jump very far in Crackdown, no, that wasn't a pun). This could very well shape up to be a game of the year contender, with fantastic RPG elements, co-op, and a very realized stylistic city, it just feels very rough and flimsy at this point.
DS Lineup
There were plenty of great games - dozens even. Starfox DS and Yoshi's Island 2 were both fantastic. But seriously, almost everything was a sequel. No Nintendogs, no Electroplankton, no Trauma Center, no Brain Age, nothing striking or new. In a system that has defined itself through those unique experiences, it doesn't excite me in the least to know that I'll be playing nothing but SNES sequels for the next year. Weak.
Shadowrun
Ugh.
Zelda: Twilight Princess
I don't like the N64 Zeldas, and haven't played more than a couple minutes of Windwaker. Everyone should know this about me. As expected, TP did little for me. The movement and camera feel archaic, the Wii functionality comes off as completely tacked on, and the world is drab and visually inconsistent. I should have probably just played the fishing demo, I'd be a lot more excited about it then. I'm sure I'll get caught up in the hype and play it when it hits, maybe even enjoy it, but I couldn't have been less enthralled with it at the show.
Most Potential
Mass Effect
The NPC interactions were brilliant and cinematic, and the combat seemed interesting even if real-time seems like a step back from the interesting pace of KOTOR's. I ultimately wasn't super-impressed with what we saw, but it certainly peaked my interest. With such a large game (at least as promised) it's hard to get a proper feel from a ten-minute demo, but I'll definitely be following the development and hoping for the best.
Too Human
Dyack made it sound good, and talked me into having patience so that their vision could be realized. He's lucky he's a much better speaker than his game is a....game.
Superman
TONS of visual glitches and inconsistencies were present (probably why they only had EA reps doing the actual playing), but the basic framework looked solid and the Superpower mechanics looked like a lot of fun (blowing cars down the street, flying from sky to ground in seconds, etc.). I also like that the city has a health bar, not you (great solution to the lame power of being unkillable). It's tough to imagine that this will come together completely in five months, but it certainly COULD, so keep an eye on it (I will be).
Super Mario Galaxy
Definitely the best-looking Wii game on display, and probably the most interesting take on a traditional genre on the system thus far. But it wasn't immediately intuitive, and therefore wasn't Mario as far as I'm concerned. It also had a ton going on at any given moment, and having to stay on your toes to that extent isn't really a hallmark of the series. It was super fun, and could turn out to be as classic as the best in the series, I just hope they chill out on the pacing and focus the myriad gameplay mechanics a bit more.
Quick Oblivion update
At E3 I had the opportunity to talk to the Lead Producer of Oblivion for about a half hour. You may remember my column from a few weeks ago when I said that Oblivion is a really fun game, but not a good representation of what an RPG should be. I was promptly lambasted on this site for saying something negative about the holy grail of Xbox gaming. Everyone pointed to small examples of choice and consequence in the Oblivion universe, ignoring the big picture. You can imagine how excited I was when I had a chance to talk to someone who actually worked on the game.
He agreed with me. He said it was a conscious decision during development to tone down some RPG elements. For instance, he said they decided to not close any doors on gamers, no matter how egregious their errors were. Oblivion was designed as a game that could be picked up and enjoyed by a casual gamer. Making every action have consequences would frustrate casual gamers, he explained. He thought it would be more fun to just present a huge world to gamers and let them explore every nook and cranny they could fit into. Obviously, many people agree with this idea of game development, but just because it's "fun" does not mean it's a true RPG. Oblivion does not offer the consequences of other RPGs because it is made for the mass market. This is also why there are no time constraints. I told him that I was frustrated that no one in the game world actually cared if I beat up Goblins instead of closing the Oblivion gates. I mentioned this made the game seem like a series of fetch quests. He understood my point, but said they made the decision to not enforce a time limit of any kind because, like offering consequences for actions, it would force gamers to play a certain way. The original Fallout started with a quest to obtain a water chip within 100 some days. He said people were frustrated when the limit was reached and the game abruptly ended. To avoid frustration, they took out anything that could hold back the gamer from playing at their own pace.
It feels good to be redeemed. I never said Oblivion wasn't a really fun game. I said it was lacking in major RPG elements by not offering any real choices or consequences. I was called horrible names by readers and writers of this site, but the Lead Producer of the game agreed with me. He did not say it outright, but he suggested that Fallout 3 would offer the pure RPG experience I desired. They haven't started development yet, but they plan on making it a faithful sequel to the original titles, which will please people like me. He mentioned that Elder Scrolls will continue in the more action oriented path whereas Fallout will offer a more strategic alternative.
I realize how lame it is to write a "Nya Nya! I was right!" post, but it was quite frustrated arguing with people who simply refused to look at the game in front of them. You see, it is actually possible to enjoy a game while critiquing it. Oblivion is a really fun game, but it is not a great RPG.
He agreed with me. He said it was a conscious decision during development to tone down some RPG elements. For instance, he said they decided to not close any doors on gamers, no matter how egregious their errors were. Oblivion was designed as a game that could be picked up and enjoyed by a casual gamer. Making every action have consequences would frustrate casual gamers, he explained. He thought it would be more fun to just present a huge world to gamers and let them explore every nook and cranny they could fit into. Obviously, many people agree with this idea of game development, but just because it's "fun" does not mean it's a true RPG. Oblivion does not offer the consequences of other RPGs because it is made for the mass market. This is also why there are no time constraints. I told him that I was frustrated that no one in the game world actually cared if I beat up Goblins instead of closing the Oblivion gates. I mentioned this made the game seem like a series of fetch quests. He understood my point, but said they made the decision to not enforce a time limit of any kind because, like offering consequences for actions, it would force gamers to play a certain way. The original Fallout started with a quest to obtain a water chip within 100 some days. He said people were frustrated when the limit was reached and the game abruptly ended. To avoid frustration, they took out anything that could hold back the gamer from playing at their own pace.
It feels good to be redeemed. I never said Oblivion wasn't a really fun game. I said it was lacking in major RPG elements by not offering any real choices or consequences. I was called horrible names by readers and writers of this site, but the Lead Producer of the game agreed with me. He did not say it outright, but he suggested that Fallout 3 would offer the pure RPG experience I desired. They haven't started development yet, but they plan on making it a faithful sequel to the original titles, which will please people like me. He mentioned that Elder Scrolls will continue in the more action oriented path whereas Fallout will offer a more strategic alternative.
I realize how lame it is to write a "Nya Nya! I was right!" post, but it was quite frustrated arguing with people who simply refused to look at the game in front of them. You see, it is actually possible to enjoy a game while critiquing it. Oblivion is a really fun game, but it is not a great RPG.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Five million mindless drones
Check out this quote from David Reeves, the CEO of Sony's European PlayStation division: "We have built up a certain brand equity over time since the launch of PlayStation in 1995 and PS2 in 2000 that the first five million are going to buy it, whatever it is, even it didn't have games."
I am actually embarrassed for Sony at this point. Think about this for a second: they had a horrible E3 by all accounts. Warhawk was pretty fun and Heavenly Sword fills the God-of-War-with-a-chick genre well enough, but they didn't have one marquee game. Resistance would have been completely ignored had it not been publicized that the creators of Ratchet and Clank were at the helm. As recently as a few months ago, though, Sony was still saying they were going to release their system in the Spring of '06. When they should have been launching their system they showed a few shoddy games that honestly looked no better than some Xbox titles (the original Xbox). Then they announce this ridiculously high price. I still believe they only announced the price to gauge consumer reaction. Remember when they showed off that boomerang controller and everyone laughed? They changed that pretty quick, eh? I assume the same thing will happen with the price. But, for now, we have to take Sony at their word. We have to assume they'll actually release a system that costs twice as much as the PS2 did upon release.
However, it's comments like the one I posted above that really make me worry about Sony. I honestly think they have lost touch with what makes gaming fun. They have been sitting in their tower for so long they don't know what people want anymore. Look at the PSP. No one wants to play a complex 3D game on a portable. The best games are 2D titles that could have been done on the Gameboy Color. Do Exit or Loco Roco really need all that processing power? Nope! But you'll have to pay for all those wasted specs. Sony wanted to compete against Nintendo and Apple, so they created a system that does a poor impression of the GBA and the iPod. Sony proceeded to push out retreads of console titles and Nintendo, with their original hardware, made genre creating software like Nintendogs and Brain Age. Now that Nintendo has built a huge lead, guess what's coming out on the PSP? There are versions of Nintendogs, Brain Age, Animal Crossing and Advance Wars coming out (or already out in Japan). Sony expects people to shell out more cash to play the PSP version of these games, even though the NDS versions have been out for a while already. Does this make sense?
They are doing the same thing with the PS3. They have built a monster system that costs way too much but completely forgot to make compelling software. Do we really need Blu Ray built in? Is this Cell chip really worth the extra money? The $400 MS is charging for the X360 is already too high for the casual gamer. MS has the luxury of chopping that price down to $300 when sales dry up. What is Sony going to do? How will they ever get a large enough user base so developers can take a risk with the next Katamari? I still think Sony needs to remove the Blu Ray player (or make it optional) to make this system affordable. They may be arrogant now, and I'm sure they'll have no trouble selling out this year, but what happens next year? What happens when everyone has played the rich kid's PS3 and realizes it isn't even as fun as the PS2? What happens when Halo 3 come out? And Mario Galaxy? There's no way the PS3 will have better games than those. They'll have their own version of these games out at some point, but why pay more money for an imitation?
Seriously, what is Sony doing? And just so people don't miss the point of my column, I do not doubt the PS3 will sell out this year. There are probably more than 5 million gamers out there just itching to throw their money away. I'm just concerned about Sony's thought process. Shouldn't they think "We better have something good at launch or we won't sell a single system!" Wouldn't that make you more confident that Sony is actually trying to convince people the PS3 is worth buying rather than relying on a stupid name? Need I remind anyone how crappy the Rolling Stones have been in the last decade or two? You aren't going to make the most engaging product if you assume people will buy it regardless of the quality.
I am actually embarrassed for Sony at this point. Think about this for a second: they had a horrible E3 by all accounts. Warhawk was pretty fun and Heavenly Sword fills the God-of-War-with-a-chick genre well enough, but they didn't have one marquee game. Resistance would have been completely ignored had it not been publicized that the creators of Ratchet and Clank were at the helm. As recently as a few months ago, though, Sony was still saying they were going to release their system in the Spring of '06. When they should have been launching their system they showed a few shoddy games that honestly looked no better than some Xbox titles (the original Xbox). Then they announce this ridiculously high price. I still believe they only announced the price to gauge consumer reaction. Remember when they showed off that boomerang controller and everyone laughed? They changed that pretty quick, eh? I assume the same thing will happen with the price. But, for now, we have to take Sony at their word. We have to assume they'll actually release a system that costs twice as much as the PS2 did upon release.
However, it's comments like the one I posted above that really make me worry about Sony. I honestly think they have lost touch with what makes gaming fun. They have been sitting in their tower for so long they don't know what people want anymore. Look at the PSP. No one wants to play a complex 3D game on a portable. The best games are 2D titles that could have been done on the Gameboy Color. Do Exit or Loco Roco really need all that processing power? Nope! But you'll have to pay for all those wasted specs. Sony wanted to compete against Nintendo and Apple, so they created a system that does a poor impression of the GBA and the iPod. Sony proceeded to push out retreads of console titles and Nintendo, with their original hardware, made genre creating software like Nintendogs and Brain Age. Now that Nintendo has built a huge lead, guess what's coming out on the PSP? There are versions of Nintendogs, Brain Age, Animal Crossing and Advance Wars coming out (or already out in Japan). Sony expects people to shell out more cash to play the PSP version of these games, even though the NDS versions have been out for a while already. Does this make sense?
They are doing the same thing with the PS3. They have built a monster system that costs way too much but completely forgot to make compelling software. Do we really need Blu Ray built in? Is this Cell chip really worth the extra money? The $400 MS is charging for the X360 is already too high for the casual gamer. MS has the luxury of chopping that price down to $300 when sales dry up. What is Sony going to do? How will they ever get a large enough user base so developers can take a risk with the next Katamari? I still think Sony needs to remove the Blu Ray player (or make it optional) to make this system affordable. They may be arrogant now, and I'm sure they'll have no trouble selling out this year, but what happens next year? What happens when everyone has played the rich kid's PS3 and realizes it isn't even as fun as the PS2? What happens when Halo 3 come out? And Mario Galaxy? There's no way the PS3 will have better games than those. They'll have their own version of these games out at some point, but why pay more money for an imitation?
Seriously, what is Sony doing? And just so people don't miss the point of my column, I do not doubt the PS3 will sell out this year. There are probably more than 5 million gamers out there just itching to throw their money away. I'm just concerned about Sony's thought process. Shouldn't they think "We better have something good at launch or we won't sell a single system!" Wouldn't that make you more confident that Sony is actually trying to convince people the PS3 is worth buying rather than relying on a stupid name? Need I remind anyone how crappy the Rolling Stones have been in the last decade or two? You aren't going to make the most engaging product if you assume people will buy it regardless of the quality.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Check out the hands on that Warhawk
This is the only time I've actually contributed something to YouTube so, if the G runs slower now, or you just hate have a non-playable video so prominently on display at a video game site, just give me the word and I can change it to a simple link. For now, enjoy footage of Warhawk being controlled by Nick. Yes, those are the hands of Nick on the screen. Note how seamlessly he is able to fly around that barren frigate. I don't want to toot my own horn, but how come this is the only video I've seen that has both the game and hands in the same shot? Doesn't it seem logical that someone would like to see what hand motions are required to move the plane around? Anyway, the Dual Shock 3 (we need it a new name for it now that it doesn't shock) doesn't offer as much freedom of movement as the Wii-mote, but Warhawk was intuitive and instantly fun.
I refuse to believe this will be the reason to own a PS3 come November. I mean, it certainly is fun, but I can't imagine any rational gamer would shell out $600 for a chance to play this game. I wouldn't even pay $60 to play it if I already owned the system. If Resistance continues to play like a slightly prettier though sluggish version of Timesplitters it should be quite awhile before any gamers buy this system. Techno-nuts who just want an affordable Blu Ray DVD player in their homes will eat this thing up though.
By the way, I find it funny that Blogger still doesn't recognize Blu as a word. If Google isn't sold on this Blu Ray thing, how the heck can I be?
I refuse to believe this will be the reason to own a PS3 come November. I mean, it certainly is fun, but I can't imagine any rational gamer would shell out $600 for a chance to play this game. I wouldn't even pay $60 to play it if I already owned the system. If Resistance continues to play like a slightly prettier though sluggish version of Timesplitters it should be quite awhile before any gamers buy this system. Techno-nuts who just want an affordable Blu Ray DVD player in their homes will eat this thing up though.
By the way, I find it funny that Blogger still doesn't recognize Blu as a word. If Google isn't sold on this Blu Ray thing, how the heck can I be?
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Like a tiny phoenix.... I have been disgraced
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is just a huge event. There's something like 79,000 people who attend. I read somewhere that only 80,000 people live in the entirety of Delaware, and that's our first state. Not to mention the LA convention center is roughly the same size as that door-manufacturing pseudo-colony. You could see how two gamers who suffer from next gen tunnel vision could miss a few games. I could even make a joke here how hard it is to find such little cars, micro-sized cars if you will, in such a large building. However, I feel Nick and I have let down our readers enough. Micro Machines was playable on the show floor and we just flat out missed it. Shall I hand in my gaming badge now or at the end of the week?
How could I have know the Codemasters booth held this gem? IGN scooped us on this story so I'm just going to tell you about the game based on their brief preview. So, you drive these little vehicles around tracks based on real life locales. They mention how "different" this new Micro Machines game is because you can drive outside. They even specifically mentioned the beach track. Well, we all know you could fly helicopter through a bramblin' beach in that NES Machines game, so at least we have something on IGN. There's obviously a multiplayer mode which apparently works over something called Ad Hoc. I never remember if that is local or via the internet, though, so can't help you there. I'm going to assume it means offline because they'd probably just say WiFi if it was online compatible. Also, there are more than 750 little vehicles to earn and, if you're feeling feisty, you can risk your cars in a winner takes all match with a buddy.
Oh, and the new game is on the NDS and PSP. The NDS actually uses two screens with a friggin' steering wheel taking up the entirety of the bottom screen. I think they tried this "feature" in one of those horrible racing games that launched with the system. Take that as a warning that this game might suck as well. Let's just hope they don't force you to move the steering wheel with the stylus. I can't imagine anything less fun that trying to race with a stylus.
Anyway, I send my sincerest apologies for not actually seeing this at the show. If I could go back in time I would first play this game and then get a couple more of those Gears of War faceplates. But those are my only regrets.
To make up for my blunder, here is a third look at the Nintendo DS Lite. Enjoy.
How could I have know the Codemasters booth held this gem? IGN scooped us on this story so I'm just going to tell you about the game based on their brief preview. So, you drive these little vehicles around tracks based on real life locales. They mention how "different" this new Micro Machines game is because you can drive outside. They even specifically mentioned the beach track. Well, we all know you could fly helicopter through a bramblin' beach in that NES Machines game, so at least we have something on IGN. There's obviously a multiplayer mode which apparently works over something called Ad Hoc. I never remember if that is local or via the internet, though, so can't help you there. I'm going to assume it means offline because they'd probably just say WiFi if it was online compatible. Also, there are more than 750 little vehicles to earn and, if you're feeling feisty, you can risk your cars in a winner takes all match with a buddy.
Oh, and the new game is on the NDS and PSP. The NDS actually uses two screens with a friggin' steering wheel taking up the entirety of the bottom screen. I think they tried this "feature" in one of those horrible racing games that launched with the system. Take that as a warning that this game might suck as well. Let's just hope they don't force you to move the steering wheel with the stylus. I can't imagine anything less fun that trying to race with a stylus.
Anyway, I send my sincerest apologies for not actually seeing this at the show. If I could go back in time I would first play this game and then get a couple more of those Gears of War faceplates. But those are my only regrets.
To make up for my blunder, here is a third look at the Nintendo DS Lite. Enjoy.
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