And now for something different

Found this quote from an old (and final) issue of XBN: X-Box Nation. It's a short quote but pretty much sums up how I feel about about the age old controller/mouse and keyboard argument.

"Clicking a mouse is not pulling a trigger. Gripping a controller with both hands is not like tapping a couple of keys with one hand and rolling a rubber ball around with another. It plays itself out in the same room, on the same screen that you watch your Aliens, Blade Runner, and Lord of the Rings DVDs- and not at your Ikea desk where you surf the internet and look at your digital holiday snaps. Screw the PC version. "

Well said, I miss XBN. Hope to see a magazine of it's caliber return one day.

E3 2010: The Aftermath

E3 ended and the dust has settled. Time has been given to let the initial judgement of each company's presentation to settle and see if what they were shilling has been worth it.

Overall this year's E3 was pretty great. I was very impressed with the overall quality of new games and devices being presented this year. It seemed that this was a year less reliant on sequels and more on new games and new concepts. As predicted the big focus was on motion controls and 3D presentations being pushed towards the consumer during the show. Nintendo had their 3DS, Sony had their move and list of games supporting 3D, and Microsoft had their Kinetc. even the games which were sequels were arguably strong sequels with big names such as Killzone 3, Halo Reach, and Fable 3.

If anything Nintendo proved to be the strongest of the big three who presented at E3. Their game selection was the most impressive mining a ton of older games which the SNES/N64 generation could identify with. On the technology front their 3DS showcased a handheld system which did not require a additional items to utilize the 3D and a very strong selection of games planned for the handheld.

Sony came in a close second with their strong showing for the Playstation Move and number announcements involving the PS3. A premium service of PSN, a variety of games which will support the Playstation Move which go beyond mere collection of mini games and some strong sequels such as Infamous 2 and a new Twisted Metal. The big surprise was the announcement of Steam services for PS3 and that PS3 will have the strongest console platform for Valve's newest title Portal 2. Big and shocking news for a man who has said some pretty hateful things about the platform in the past.

The biggest disappointment to me was Microsoft. From their lack of surprise titles to their weak selection of exclusive titles available this year, to their aggressive push of their new Kinect product which at this point appears to be nothing more than a collection of mini game like games with motion controls which either a. don't work or b. are sloppy and would benefit from any kind of button or controller input. Time will tell but seriously, where was Milo from last year? That was the Kinect project which got me interested in the first place. Outside of a newly designed X-Box 360 sku there was little excitement for me for Microsoft this year.

On a final note the Konami conference will go down as one of my favorite conferences ever for all of the wrong reasons. The spokesman was incoherent and his sales pitch consisted of babbling on for about 20 minutes about features in a game which have been around since the beginning of this gaming generation and telling the audience that he loved them. There are countless jokes running around the internet about drug use being involved, I'm willing to believe them.

Great job this year guys. I enjoyed watching the madness as it developed through websites and twitter updates. Maybe one day I'll be there in person.

I can only hope anyway.

E3 2010 Day 2: Awesome! Totally Awesome!

Yesterday's E3 was probably one of the best showings I have seen in years. Not only did it involve Nintendo doing a stellar job with their future lineup but even Sony's presentation while a little short on surprises had a lot of entertaining moments and the further reveal of their 3D and motion controls along with a few surprises.

Nintendo for the past few E3's has been a disappointing to me. Not only have they shown a trend in pushing their core gaming audience aside for a stronger focus on their more casual audience. Their third part support has also been week with impressive third party games being few and far between, a trend which has been occurring since their N64 days. Their first party support has always been strong and this year was no exception. A new Zelda, which after a glitchy stage showing proved to control much better without other technological interference, new Kirby, new Donkey Kong, a Mario sports title, and a remake of Goldeneye. For the core gamer this was an extremely strong showing of support for the upcoming gaming season. Third party support still looked a little week but in all honesty this was something I did not expect to change. Their first party was fantastic, even more so than usual. With titles from nearly every major franchise including the surprise announcement of Goldeneye. Where Microsoft stumbled with their showing of games Nintendo soared.

It got even better with their unveiling of their new portable 3DS, the first 3D handheld system to enter the market. My current DS is a first generation one where I have a sizable collection of DS games for it. I enjoyed it quite a bit but was always disappointed with their lack of touch screen usage and general disappointing selection of third party titles with the exception of JRPG's. The 3DS was different. It was the exact opposite of the business creed of Nintendo with their handhelds. A technological powerhouse with revolutionary 3D and gyroscope technology and a very strong selection of games including strong third party support.

Along with the revival of a new Kid Icarus title, big Nintendo titles were also shown in either demo or video form. Star Fox 64 3D, Mario Kart, Pilotwings, Paper Mario, and an Ocarina of Tine remake headlined Nintendo's offerings. As for third party Resident Evil, Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, and Kingdom Hearts were also shown. As for the 3D aspect from what I saw worked well, and without glasses or other features. Combine this with a strong showing of support from first and third parties, and you got the attention of all kinds of gamers. Nothing else like this has ever been produced before and with some of the strongest support seen for a handheld since the Game Boy, the only flaw of the 3DS presentation was an absence of release date and price. Either way I was blown away, Nintendo was back inf prime form and I cannot wait to reap the results.

Sony's conference while not as exciting as Nintendo's or filled with as big of surprises as Nintendo's I was still very impressed with what they had to offer. Most of the games shown were titles that we were previously aware of. A few new surprises were the announcement of a new Twisted Metal game, a Sly Cooper collection, and the biggest surprise of all: Steam coming to PS3. Gabe Newell himself took the stage and made this surprising announcement his claim of Portal 2 being the best on the PS3 was certainly a surprise to the gaming community since Newell's alleged dispute with Sony in the past during the release of the Orange Box. It seemed that surely if Valve were to release a Steam application for consoles that the more favored 360 would be the candidate. Color me surprised. As for the rest of Sony's lineup the Move was heavily promoted however while they had a collection of casual games for the Move the amount of games waiting to be supported with new Move controls through patches was exciting to see. Sony seems to want to use the Move for more than casual games and with the Move working fantastically with SOCOM 4 and Gran Turismo 5 it just might be enough to get the core gamer interested. The price was admittedly steep but for a collection of Move, the "nun-chuck" like attachment, and Eyetoy but a single Move remote can be used with a normal Duelshock 3. A nifty idea and proof that Sony really is pushing this to a much broader audience beyond the casual one. A premium Playstation Online service was announced. The features seem very similar to what 360 offers and while my initial fears was that the free service would be striped to allow more of the features for paying customers I was happy to hear it was not the case. The premium service offered great incentives like game trials and free content, while keeping the same features for free members. As of right now it sounds like a win, win situation. Hope it stays that way.

Oh and Kevin Butler, I officially love that guy. Sure he's an actor but he is charismatic and entertaining and just the spokesman a video game company needs to get the customers excited for their product. His speech was arguably one of the highlight of Sony's conference.

Strong showings from two gaming juggernauts. The future of gaming still appears to be in good hands.

E3 2010 Day 1: From mediocrity to excitement

If there is one thing I always look forward to the entire summer it's the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo. I've been following E3 every year since a child and have always looked forward to exciting new game announcements and new innovations in the gaming industry. The coverage here isn't all of the news. it's only the stuff which caught my attention since it's my blog after all.

This year E3 began last night with Microsoft's Project Natal presentation and from what I saw it was ridiculously over the top decadent. Circus Solei performers MTV performers and young celebrity hosts were part of the over the top eye candy. I can't honestly remember the last time there was such an over the top presentation for a new gaming accessory. Wait, scratch that, the X-Box 360 reveal. That was Microsoft too.

On to the games. 15 titles confirmed for launch and a name change, from Natal to Kinect. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the name. Natal was a weird name but Kinect seems weird as well. I guess it's supposed to connect to gamers, but you move so it's kinetic as well? Anyway a weird name, but then again a console named Wii sold millions of copies. As for the titles, they seem to be mild distractions rather than full featured games. Many of the games seem to be copies of Wii titles which really cannot be blamed since they did very well. I guess it just goes to show that the Kinect is not for me.

Microsoft also unveiled a new X-Box 360 model. This has been done before but the new model does look at least a little interesting. Not only is it a little sleeker but at the same time sports a built wi fi adapter. I won't be picking one up anytime soon but it did grab my attention.

Games wise there were really no surprises on 360. All of the big announcements were games we already knew existed. Although they did show a little more game play behind their big titles Halo: Rising, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, and Fable 3. All of them look interesting and have grabbed my attention. I enjoyed the Reach beta, enjoyed Fable II, and am a fan of the Metal Gear franchise so these bode well with me, I'll be watching these titles closely.

Ubi Soft really struck a chord with me. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was given a release date. What really grabbed my attention was the announcement of previously unannounced games. Children of Eden the spiritual successor to Rez, Project Dust, and a new 2D Rayman game were great announcement as each game looks fantastic, especially Children of Eden which will be controlled with Kinect and Playstation Move. This is what I want to see with motion controls, giving me an experience which cannot be done on the Wii. I hope to see more of this.

As for what has me most excited was the announcement of a possible Goldeneye remake for the Wii. I know it's an older game and a lot of nostalgia is powering my love for this game but damn it, any excuse for me to revisit one of my favorite games of all time is a good one to me. It worked with Perfect Dark on XBL and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.

Nintendo's is tomorrow. If the rumors are true then I can't wait to what they bring to the conference. Hopefully it's more entertaining than Microsoft. Sans Circus Solei.

The fine wine: Nintendo

I don't know what is is about Nintendo. How they can take a decades old concept and keep it fresh years later. How they can refuse to include modern features such as voice acting and a functioning online system and still be as fun and as fresh as most competing games and in some cases even better than the competition. I don't know another company in the video game industry that has created a lifelong fanbase and a group of internet dwelling fanboys who will defend their beloved lord and savior Nintendo at the slightest sign of a threat. Nintendo has got it made despite the flaws, but what makes them so good? What brings them the the fans and loyalty that every console generation?

I think it has to do with that the basic formula behind a majority of Nintendo's games. When you get down to the basics they are simple game play formulas but being simple is what actually makes them so appealing. Mario is getting from point A to point B with a munch of obstacles in your way. Zelda is going through a series of dungeons with puzzles, traps, and bosses at the end. Metroid is the same only focusing on one huge world to explore and secrets to find hidden in the world to make you stronger. These basic game play elements have been around since the beginning of time every modern game has some of these styles of game play in them. Nintendo keeps it simple and focuses on game play over all else. Just take a look at their latest console the Wii and you can immediately see their design philosophy reflected through their creation. Nintendo spent their resources on new ways to play and control games instead of HD graphics and online play like their competitors. Nintendo made games have always been about game play over all else and that is why they last, because at the end of the day no matter how they look compared to their HD counterparts they are still fun and still engaging to play. Even though a majority of their modern games do look fantastic, but that's a completely different argument.

Characters are also what makes Nintendo memorable. Everyone knows who Mario is whether you play games or not. His face, his voice, and just his colors have become character trademarks and made him know around the world. Link and Samus while not as famous as Mario are still well know by many people and if you play games or have played games at all during the last 15 years you probably are aware of who these characters are. Once again these characters are minimalistic. They don't have amazingly deep back stories and layers of human nuance but it's minimalistic approach to character actually helps the gamer identify. In Zelda, the main character has been established as Link but at the same time you can name him any name you want. Samus is a mute and rarely ever speaks. This like Claude Speed from GTA III and Gordan Freeman from Half Life 1 and 2 allows the player become the protagonist and lets them live the game from their own perspective.

Finally it's the charm and lightheartedness in their games which makes them enjoyable. Zelda and Mario is about saving the princess and saving the world. However, they never delve into the realm of being too dark, too depressing, and too serious to be unfun. Even Nintendo's "darkest" games like Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess still had light hearted characters and in jokes to take a break from the bleakness. The games do a great job balancing serious fare and a level of casual light heartedness to make you keep in mind the important task at hand and still feel comfortable in the world in which the game takes place.

Nintendo keeps it simple and in doing that keeps it's fanbase happy and the rest of the gaming population having fun. Their philosophy still stays the same today and in a generation of graphics, online gaming, and FPS fare, still makes them fresh and stand out from the crowd.

I Love it When a Plan comes together

The A Team should not be still in my mind right now. I should be thinking about other things, more important things than some 2 hour action movie, scratch that, new age action movie or what I call nearly every CGI laden special effect extravaganza but I can't help it, I probably had the the closest to a perfect movie experience I have ever been a part of and reminded me in this age of flash and little substance why I still go to the movies.

To have a really good time.

I started the night with meeting my friend and chatting about random things in our life. The conversation eventually went to movies and all of our favorite action flicks of the past. Titles such as Predator, Aliens, Terminator 2, Hard Boiled, and The Matrix came up and the conversation then veered of into moder territory. "I wonder how Stanley Tucci will be in Captain America?" "I cannot wait for Predators!" "Yeah, let's go see Scott Pilgrim, it's Edgar Wright how can it go wrong?" We had a few drinks, and had a few laughs. It was a movie discussion that you can only have with that one person who understands you, the person who watches just as many movies as you do. The one you can name drop acronyms like TINO (Transformers in Name Only) and KOTCS (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and they will immediately know what you are talking about.

We then made our short journey to the theater, we joked about having a plan come together and how we should have showed up to the theater in a black van and jumped out. Once there, we bought our ticket, took our seat and watched the crowd file in.

The movie started and as the characters were introduced in a way only modern Hollywood could do, with spray painted esque titles next to each new character, I started to enjoy myself. The characters were goofy and fun to see them interact with each other. It was like watching a bunch of guys playing a video game together, joking around with each other and having a good time except these guys were actually in the action. I was laughing along with them. Between the over the top (and I mean really, really over the top) action scenes and the dialog between each character it was fun to watch how everything unfolded. It felt like a big budget action cartoon and I loved it for that. It felt more like GI Joe than it's own big screen counterpart did and more fun than Iron Man 2 which decided to suddenly take itself seriously.

Towards the end something which has only happened once to me before, the movie suddenly stopped. An usher comes in to tell everyone that they are aware of the problem and it is being fixed. Surprisingly there were no angry outbursts, just people laughing and talking to one another. They were having a good time and the festive mood seemed to rub off on everyone in the theater.

The movie came back on and the action packed ending came up and left our heroes right where the TV series picks up.

I walked out of the theater with my friend and remembered why we go to the movies in the first place. We go to be challenged, moved, stimulated, shocked, saddened, and amazed. We also go to have fun too, something that when watching so many movies I forget to do sometimes and end up taking my hobby a little too seriously. This night took me back to a time when movies were at their purest for me and having fun was my main objective when going into a movie.

I'll still bash bad movies until the sun sets, but I'll still remember to have a little fun now and then too.

I'm in Love with the Wrong Format

I don't know what it is or why it is but I always seem to have a weird love affair for obsolete media formats, especially when it comes to movies. Sure DVD's were a big innovation for home entertainment but I remember still watching VHS's long after DVD's were released and liking them too. When the next generation movie media format war started I went with with HD DVD over Blu Ray where only a few months later I was eating my words as HD DVD was declared dead and Blu Rays ended up becoming the number on high def format.

I don't really mind though. I still have my VCR and I still have my X-Box 360 HD DVD player. In fact last night was spent watching the Bourne Ultimatum on HD DVD with the awkward HD DVD player attached to my 360 like some kind of tumor grown out of control. It looked fantastic on the tv screen and sounded just as great as any Blu Ray. I didn't care the format was dead. I didn't care that they no longer are being made. I was watching high def movies on my X-Box 360 and I was happy, fate be damned.

The same thing happened to me with Laserdisk. I never owned a laser disk and I never watched one but I want to own one. There is no logical explanation me wanting one and even less of an explanation for me needing one when clearly better options exist. I just have this weird fascination of video formats long gone. Maybe it's the tech indie cred that is subconsciously lying in the back of my brain where I can prove how cool I am by watching an older more obscure format, I don't know but I am constantly fascinated by these failed and dead formats. I hope one day I can figure out why but for the time being the reason is escaping my mind.

Either that or when we get into the future and we're uploading movies in our brain ala the Matrix I'll be the crazy old guy who still watches movies on the ancient formats of DVD and Blu Ray.

Ain't no machine jacking into my brain!

The generation's worst

I once heard a comment by some cynical old gamer that this generation of gaming has been the worst generation gaming he has ever experienced. He then proceeded to point out this generation's flaws including over priced DLC, a focus on online gaming over single player gaming, and an oversaturation of FPS games on the market. This is a statement I hear more and more from gamers, particularly older gamers who have seemingly become cynical towards their once favorite past time. The older more cynical crowd has also developed a resentment towards the younger generation of gaming as well. Often called the casuals, new gamers have been blamed for game designers making games easier or in their words "dumbing down" games to the point of being mind numbingly easy. They also blame them for being over privileged, ill mannered youth who pollute the digital airwaves of multiplayer services such as X-Box Live and Playstation Network with their homophobic, racist, and sexist remarks. Is the older generation correct? Has gaming begun it's slow, steady decline into oblivion?

There are somethings I absolutely hate about this generation. I hate the fact that DLC is often overpriced for arguably not a lot of content or even worse, what was already on the game disk to begin with. I hate the way that most companies are starting to turn single play campaigns into mere afterthoughts and focus on a more intimidating, more complex multiplayer game. I also hate how Japanese games re starting to become generic, almost parodies of themselves rather than the story and gameplay innovators they were last few console generations.

However despite these minor annoyances and the fact that more may be soon on the way (3D and unnecessary motion controls) I still do not mind, nor am I ready to declare this generation the worst out of all of them because it's not, in fact it's far from being the worse.

It's just a different generation, things are done differently and once looked at a little closer, things don't seem all that bad. Sure DLC has done some things wrong but it has also done a lot of things correctly. Burnout Paradise and Fallout 3 are excellent examples of DLC done right. Not only are the additions substantial and bring an entirely new playable are to the game, they were also reasonably priced and in some cases offered for free. Valve frequently updates their PC titles such as Team Fortress for free and adds numerous amounts of content to the game.

The emphasis on multiplayer over single player is disappointing but at the same time while single play campaigns may be shorter, they are also usually more intense and diverse than many of the other single player focused games of the past. Sure Modern Warfare 2 may have a shorter campaign than Goldeneye's but it also has more interesting set pieces, more intense levels, and more diverse combat situations than all of Goldeneye together. For the multiplayer argument, well it has been a part of gaming since the beginning of online and foul mouth racist homophobes have been here even longer, online gaming just gave them a new outlet.

Sure there is a lot I don't like about this generation, I am a more jaded adult who expects more from my games for the price I pay for them but as much as I have been disappointed I have been wowed even more. Some of my most favorite gaming experiences have come from this generation and hopefully even more await.

PS: For all of you retro fans, you have nothing to fear either, retro is making a comeback in a big way. More next post