Curmudgeon Gamer
30 November 2005
Story vs. Choice in Konami Games (Part 1)
Few videogames offer true self-determination. Some tell a fixed story divided into episodes by sections of free-form gameplay. Others limit gameplay freedom yet permit the player to determine how the story ends. I'm going to look at how three Konami series -- Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania -- integrate self-determination with story and gameplay.
Choice Diagrams
I want to start with a choice diagram, or flowchart, showing how player choices affect the game's ending.
Here's how Metal Gear Solid plays out. (Click the image for the full-sized version.)
The game has only one player choice of any consequence, so the game's plot branches in one place.
People will no doubt object that there are lots of choices to be made in Metal Gear Solid, and that's true: the gameplay itself lends itself to a variety of strategies. It won't matter how stealthy or lethal or efficient the character Solid Snake actually is, the game's outcome is actually determined by whether the player can withstand Revolver Ocelot's torture without giving in.
Now, here's a choice diagram for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. (Click the image for the full-sized version.)
There are more choices, but not as many as in Metal Gear Solid.
Finally, here is a choice diagram for Silent Hill. (Click the image for the full-sized version.)
This is the most complicated of the three games, offering four distinct endings with multiple paths to some.
Metal Gear Solid: Meryl or Otacon?
Providing player self-determination and telling a fixed storyline may well be opposing goals. Metal Gear Solid's notably contorted plot and lengthy cut scenes indicate that Hideo Kojima, the director, wishes to tell a fixed story. Within that framework, players may make only one significant choice: whether or not to withstand Revolver Ocelot's torture and save Meryl, Solid Snake's partner, from death. If she lives, he and she escape together at game's end. Otherwise he escapes with Otacon, the scientist who created the Metal Gear.
That the player has a choice is made explicit in the game: Ocelot explains it to Snake, and therefore to the player. The game cannot continue beyond this point without the player making a decision, either through action or inaction. It is notable that the remaining part of the game, after the choice, differs in only some details. As a result, the larger story, about the destruction of the Metal Gear and battle between Solid and Liquid Snakes, changes little.
Outside of this single decision, the player is afforded extensive freedom in the gameplay itself, even though the ending of the game itself won't be altered. The game does recognize some gameplay actions in the ranking presented at game's end. For example, the game rewards the player for killing fewer enemies and healing fewer times, and creative use of the game's stealth system can achieve these and other goals.
Subsequent Metal Gear Solid games are even more simplistic: there are no branches to the storyline. In fact, one version of the rerelease of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, called Subsistence, will include a cinema disc that allows the player to watch the game as if it were a movie.
Next time I'll address the interesting cases of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Silent Hill. Each offers a different balance between story and player self-determination that I want to discuss.
In the meantime, perhaps you'd just like to comment on what I've said so far.
Update: Part 2 has been posted.
Choice Diagrams
I want to start with a choice diagram, or flowchart, showing how player choices affect the game's ending.
Here's how Metal Gear Solid plays out. (Click the image for the full-sized version.)
The game has only one player choice of any consequence, so the game's plot branches in one place.People will no doubt object that there are lots of choices to be made in Metal Gear Solid, and that's true: the gameplay itself lends itself to a variety of strategies. It won't matter how stealthy or lethal or efficient the character Solid Snake actually is, the game's outcome is actually determined by whether the player can withstand Revolver Ocelot's torture without giving in.
Now, here's a choice diagram for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. (Click the image for the full-sized version.)
There are more choices, but not as many as in Metal Gear Solid.Finally, here is a choice diagram for Silent Hill. (Click the image for the full-sized version.)
This is the most complicated of the three games, offering four distinct endings with multiple paths to some.Metal Gear Solid: Meryl or Otacon?
Providing player self-determination and telling a fixed storyline may well be opposing goals. Metal Gear Solid's notably contorted plot and lengthy cut scenes indicate that Hideo Kojima, the director, wishes to tell a fixed story. Within that framework, players may make only one significant choice: whether or not to withstand Revolver Ocelot's torture and save Meryl, Solid Snake's partner, from death. If she lives, he and she escape together at game's end. Otherwise he escapes with Otacon, the scientist who created the Metal Gear.
That the player has a choice is made explicit in the game: Ocelot explains it to Snake, and therefore to the player. The game cannot continue beyond this point without the player making a decision, either through action or inaction. It is notable that the remaining part of the game, after the choice, differs in only some details. As a result, the larger story, about the destruction of the Metal Gear and battle between Solid and Liquid Snakes, changes little.
Outside of this single decision, the player is afforded extensive freedom in the gameplay itself, even though the ending of the game itself won't be altered. The game does recognize some gameplay actions in the ranking presented at game's end. For example, the game rewards the player for killing fewer enemies and healing fewer times, and creative use of the game's stealth system can achieve these and other goals.
Subsequent Metal Gear Solid games are even more simplistic: there are no branches to the storyline. In fact, one version of the rerelease of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, called Subsistence, will include a cinema disc that allows the player to watch the game as if it were a movie.
Next time I'll address the interesting cases of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Silent Hill. Each offers a different balance between story and player self-determination that I want to discuss.
In the meantime, perhaps you'd just like to comment on what I've said so far.
Update: Part 2 has been posted.
--jvm at 16:59
Comment
[ 5 ]
28 November 2005
Target Arcade Machine = Windows PC, Rip-off
Ok, this officially kills my interest in Target's top-line arcade machines. From the updated description:
So, let's see:
Sure, I might not be able to get all 80 of those games legally for $2500, but compared to the price-per-game at StarROMs, this is a total rip-off.
Multifunctional console plays thousands of retail Windows-based titles, lets you surf the Internet and plays MP3 music and DVDsOooooooh! I can stand up in front of an arcade machine and play Windows games, download pr0n, listen to my Burt Bacharach CD (with rootkit!), and play my Matrix DVD. Brilliant. How exactly does this make any sense, given that anyone in America who might be interested in this machine already has a Windows PC, a stereo, and a DVD player.
So, let's see:
- Middlin' speed Windows PC, $500
- 27" monitor, $500 or less (example)
Sure, I might not be able to get all 80 of those games legally for $2500, but compared to the price-per-game at StarROMs, this is a total rip-off.
--jvm at 22:14
Comment
[ 5 ]
The Xbox 360 Verdict: Sony's Screwed
Ok, maybe that's not quite what Christian Svensson meant in his Next Generation story, but that's what I took away from it. Even to a hard-hearted curmudgeon like me, he makes the system sound attractive. Here are the details that add up to "Sony's screwed".
On the games:
On the network:
Sony should already have a plan for implementing a common network interface across all their games and systems (PS2, PSP, PS3), and use their market position to force it right down every developer's throat. If the roles were reversed, and next year they may well be, you can bet Microsoft wouldn't be shy about pushing their advantage to keep second place well behind.
Here's the real danger: If Xbox Live becomes the gold standard for online gaming, you can bet that the developers will cling to it and sell everyone else's solution short. (Just ask GNU/Linux users why SDL/OpenGL/OpenAL isn't getting any traction.) Giving Microsoft even that thin wedge between developers and the Sony systems could be fatal.
And if the players start buying stuff online, all those extra blades that Microsoft sells will make up for the loss they're taking on every razor.
On features:
Trust me, if Sony's biggest selling point is Blu-Ray compatibility, I'm skipping the PlayStation 3. And so will everyone else.
On usability:
Look, I'm not saying the Xbox 360 is ready to take over the world. Frankly, it's still a big yawner for me. But the bar for Sony just got a lot higher, and there is no indication that they even realize they've got to jump.
On the games:
Despite these [launch day] games only being competent executions of established gameplay, there are glimpses of brilliance in how these games interface online, even with single player content.Let's face facts: Sony's PlayStation 2 launch day was dreadful. Even if the Xbox 360 comes off as "merely competent" this time around, they may be ahead of PlayStation 3 come Fall 2006. Sony needs a game as good looking and exciting as what we've all seen in the Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2 trailers. If they can't deliver that, the Xbox 360 will be eating the PlayStation 3's lunch, especially with Halo 3 leading the second-generation game attack.
On the network:
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on the creation and evolution of Xbox Live. It is now prepared to monetize that investment in infrastructure and user base with Xbox 360.This Sony vs. Microsoft reminds me of Netscape vs. Internet Explorer: Microsoft waded into the fray and innovated right past the established standard. Whether they innovated or cheated or what have you isn't the point. They made a better mousetrap.
Sony should already have a plan for implementing a common network interface across all their games and systems (PS2, PSP, PS3), and use their market position to force it right down every developer's throat. If the roles were reversed, and next year they may well be, you can bet Microsoft wouldn't be shy about pushing their advantage to keep second place well behind.
Here's the real danger: If Xbox Live becomes the gold standard for online gaming, you can bet that the developers will cling to it and sell everyone else's solution short. (Just ask GNU/Linux users why SDL/OpenGL/OpenAL isn't getting any traction.) Giving Microsoft even that thin wedge between developers and the Sony systems could be fatal.
And if the players start buying stuff online, all those extra blades that Microsoft sells will make up for the loss they're taking on every razor.
On features:
If Nintendo's Revolution has its controller and PS3 has Blu-ray as their keystone innovations, then Xbox 360 has this iteration of Xbox Live as its worthy response.If I were an Xbox devotee, I'd almost be angry at that wording. Xbox Live, the best online system for gaming ever seen, which came out before the Nintendo Revoluion and Sony PlayStation 3, is a worthy response to a ridiculous controller and a proprietary media format? What the heck?!
Trust me, if Sony's biggest selling point is Blu-Ray compatibility, I'm skipping the PlayStation 3. And so will everyone else.
On usability:
Connecting my wireless bridge to the Ethernet port was all it took to get my machine online. Converting my old Xbox Live account took seconds. Navigating through the blades through all of the various options takes only a few minutes to figure out. Even my wife, who doesn't touch games figured out how to fire up the system and get our pictures on the television without my input.Sony's online games still require you to click "Ok" on the End User License Agreement every time you play. My wife sill can't figure out how to make the PlayStation 2 work as a DVD player consistently. The PSX media box was a complete failure. These missteps make me doubt Sony's ability to put together anything half as easy as what Microsoft has managed.
Look, I'm not saying the Xbox 360 is ready to take over the world. Frankly, it's still a big yawner for me. But the bar for Sony just got a lot higher, and there is no indication that they even realize they've got to jump.
--jvm at 19:19
Comment
[ 1 ]
27 November 2005
Practical Experience with ESRB Rating M
A question: What is the difference between a Mature and a Mature 17+ rating?
This came up this afternoon while I was shopping at a local used bookstore. I encountered a woman talking loudly on a cell phone about whether the games she held in her hand were appropriate for her child. After she got off the phone, I carefully offered to help, if I could.
She showed me two games, both for the Xbox: Rainbow Six 3 and Unreal Championship. Then she flipped them over and pointed out that Unreal Championship is rated Mature and Rainbow Six 3 is rated Mature 17+ yet both say "Blood and Gore, Violence" below the rating. Click the image on the right to see the ratings as they appear on front of each game.
So, there's the question: What is the difference between a Mature and a Mature 17+ rating?
I didn't know. Do you?
The answer is that in mid-2003 the ESRB announced a refinement of their rating system. For more information, there is a handy PDF explaining the differences, one of which is the switch from Mature to Mature 17+.
That is, Mature and Mature 17+ are essentially the same, from a consumer's point of view. I didn't know this before, but I do now.
Back to the lady in the bookstore, I did explain that the blood and gore would mean seeing humans killed, with blood splatters and explosions that would reduce bodies to bloody pieces. I asked if the kid would be playing online, and when the answer was "Yes" I explained that the child could hear others talking online and that the game wouldn't be able to filter that. The woman said that these games looked mostly like what her son was already playing, and that she just wanted to know what the 17+ meant, since her son was only 14.
I told her about the ESRB website where she could look up the ratings and explanations, if she were interested. She shrugged and said she might.
As we parted I said "I hope you enjoy the games." She replied, "Well, they're not for me, after all."
This came up this afternoon while I was shopping at a local used bookstore. I encountered a woman talking loudly on a cell phone about whether the games she held in her hand were appropriate for her child. After she got off the phone, I carefully offered to help, if I could.
She showed me two games, both for the Xbox: Rainbow Six 3 and Unreal Championship. Then she flipped them over and pointed out that Unreal Championship is rated Mature and Rainbow Six 3 is rated Mature 17+ yet both say "Blood and Gore, Violence" below the rating. Click the image on the right to see the ratings as they appear on front of each game.
So, there's the question: What is the difference between a Mature and a Mature 17+ rating?
I didn't know. Do you?
The answer is that in mid-2003 the ESRB announced a refinement of their rating system. For more information, there is a handy PDF explaining the differences, one of which is the switch from Mature to Mature 17+.
That is, Mature and Mature 17+ are essentially the same, from a consumer's point of view. I didn't know this before, but I do now.
Back to the lady in the bookstore, I did explain that the blood and gore would mean seeing humans killed, with blood splatters and explosions that would reduce bodies to bloody pieces. I asked if the kid would be playing online, and when the answer was "Yes" I explained that the child could hear others talking online and that the game wouldn't be able to filter that. The woman said that these games looked mostly like what her son was already playing, and that she just wanted to know what the 17+ meant, since her son was only 14.
I told her about the ESRB website where she could look up the ratings and explanations, if she were interested. She shrugged and said she might.
As we parted I said "I hope you enjoy the games." She replied, "Well, they're not for me, after all."
--jvm at 14:29
Comment
[ 7 ]
25 November 2005
Violence, Games, Children: Many Questions, Few Answers
Ruffin emailed that two of my recent posts (here and here) indicate I'm going to shelter my son from certain types of games. This much is true: time and reflection have made me consider more closely what I'm willing to show my young son, including violent videogames.
I already have a head full of images, stories, and ideas I'd rather my son never have to know. The sources are numerous: books, history, movies, games. I see my boy's innocence, and I wish no part in its corruption. I wish I could prevent such corruption altogether.
It is impossible. My efforts to protect him will be for naught, except to demonstrate that I cared and I tried my best. At some point, he will see how awful Humanity really can be. At that point, I will tell him where I've ended up: that there is much evil but also some measure of good in the world, that I choose to use my short time granted here to create more good as I am able, and that somehow we all make do with what joy we can eke out while we're here.
In some sad way, I perhaps anticipate and even welcome his inevitable induction into this unfiltered reality. A shared perception of the world contributes to my relationship with my own parents. As my parents and siblings and I provide support for each other, so I hope it shall be with my wife and children.
Let me bring this back to videogames.
Taking such a dim view of the world, it's fair to ask: Why would I still want to play Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, a game which acts out a part in a sadistic criminal world? This is a game that revels in Man's inhumanity to Man, that embraces and celebrates it. How could I enjoy this, and even seek it out?
I wish I knew.
As with Pulp Fiction, a movie filled with the kind of people I would avoid in my real life, there is something voyeuristic and thrilling about doing precisely those things, criminal and evil, that society prohibits. With luck, I will never commit a drive-by shooting. I will never snipe down dozens of men in the street from a rooftop. I will never stand atop a parking deck, destroy a passing SUV with a rocket launcher, watch bystanders run to see the wreck, and then cheerily toss a Molotov cocktail amongst them.
Yet, a game like Grand Theft Auto permits me to commit precisely those acts. Let me tell you, vile as they are, they are darkly thrilling to behold.
I am simultaneously repulsed and attracted; is that really healthy?
As Ruffin asked in that email: Why is it ok for us, the adults, to play these games?
Somedays I think I know the answers. My mind separates moral from immoral and simulation from reality thereby permitting me to express safely that part of me my inhumanity. I know it's an illusion and that no one is physically harmed. As 50 Cent said, "There's the part where you actually press start on the controller -- after that you are playing a game."
Other days I'm less optimistic. If I wrote short stories about the same events I might see playing GTA and my friends read those stories, my actions would likely draw some serious questions about my intentions. If I drew pictures of gang members being burned with a flamethrower in the streets of a city, people might question my mental health. Yet acting these things out in GTA would draw decidedly less attention, both from me and those around me. Why?
Will I let my son play GTA:LCS, or the decade-hence equivalent, with my permission before he can leave home and do as he wishes? How will I know he's ready to face those ugly parts of humanity and not be irreparably warped by them? If I misjudge, what will be the consequences, both for me and -- more importantly -- for my son?
I have no idea how to answer all these questions.
I already have a head full of images, stories, and ideas I'd rather my son never have to know. The sources are numerous: books, history, movies, games. I see my boy's innocence, and I wish no part in its corruption. I wish I could prevent such corruption altogether.
It is impossible. My efforts to protect him will be for naught, except to demonstrate that I cared and I tried my best. At some point, he will see how awful Humanity really can be. At that point, I will tell him where I've ended up: that there is much evil but also some measure of good in the world, that I choose to use my short time granted here to create more good as I am able, and that somehow we all make do with what joy we can eke out while we're here.
In some sad way, I perhaps anticipate and even welcome his inevitable induction into this unfiltered reality. A shared perception of the world contributes to my relationship with my own parents. As my parents and siblings and I provide support for each other, so I hope it shall be with my wife and children.
Let me bring this back to videogames.
Taking such a dim view of the world, it's fair to ask: Why would I still want to play Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, a game which acts out a part in a sadistic criminal world? This is a game that revels in Man's inhumanity to Man, that embraces and celebrates it. How could I enjoy this, and even seek it out?
I wish I knew.
As with Pulp Fiction, a movie filled with the kind of people I would avoid in my real life, there is something voyeuristic and thrilling about doing precisely those things, criminal and evil, that society prohibits. With luck, I will never commit a drive-by shooting. I will never snipe down dozens of men in the street from a rooftop. I will never stand atop a parking deck, destroy a passing SUV with a rocket launcher, watch bystanders run to see the wreck, and then cheerily toss a Molotov cocktail amongst them.
Yet, a game like Grand Theft Auto permits me to commit precisely those acts. Let me tell you, vile as they are, they are darkly thrilling to behold.
I am simultaneously repulsed and attracted; is that really healthy?
As Ruffin asked in that email: Why is it ok for us, the adults, to play these games?
Somedays I think I know the answers. My mind separates moral from immoral and simulation from reality thereby permitting me to express safely that part of me my inhumanity. I know it's an illusion and that no one is physically harmed. As 50 Cent said, "There's the part where you actually press start on the controller -- after that you are playing a game."
Other days I'm less optimistic. If I wrote short stories about the same events I might see playing GTA and my friends read those stories, my actions would likely draw some serious questions about my intentions. If I drew pictures of gang members being burned with a flamethrower in the streets of a city, people might question my mental health. Yet acting these things out in GTA would draw decidedly less attention, both from me and those around me. Why?
Will I let my son play GTA:LCS, or the decade-hence equivalent, with my permission before he can leave home and do as he wishes? How will I know he's ready to face those ugly parts of humanity and not be irreparably warped by them? If I misjudge, what will be the consequences, both for me and -- more importantly -- for my son?
I have no idea how to answer all these questions.
--jvm at 20:33
Comment
[ 1 ]
Xbox 360 Has Nothing On Atari 2600 - Forbes.com
Caught this link from rgvc and thought this take on the Xbox 360 deserved a quick study:
The influence of movies and the movie industry has destroyed the gaming field in recent years. Is it possible to play a game that doesn't have tiresome cinematic introductions and cut scenes interspersed? Even more disingenuous are the screen shots from those clips passed off as actual scenes of game play.
There's something to this and there's no reason every game has to converge with movies, but obviously they don't. Now some of those games are available on consoles with limitations -- I'm thinking of Wario Ware and friends on the Game Boy, which will by definition pretty much always have an extremely small screen which, strangely, forces innovation -- but they do exist.
How do you judge a successful system if you're Forbes' Ed Lin? Apparently by its ability to have games that are difficult to classify.
The best gaming platform of all time is undoubtedly the Atari
2600. What other system had or will have as wide a variety of games that were genre-less (Human Cannonball and Lost Luggage, for example)? What other system will have the permanence of Atari 2600 games, which are available on every modern platform in the form of anthologies and as mobile games?
Sounds a little like a thirty-something with a bit of a bias. The point is well taken, and games could use some innovation as Matt often rants, but I'm not sure Human Canonball, as much fun as it was to play a few times before sliding it back into the storage rack for pretty much forever, is the poster boy of what should be done in the industry.
[this post written while feeding breakfast to a small, parentless child, so please go easy on what doesn't make too horribly much sense...]
The influence of movies and the movie industry has destroyed the gaming field in recent years. Is it possible to play a game that doesn't have tiresome cinematic introductions and cut scenes interspersed? Even more disingenuous are the screen shots from those clips passed off as actual scenes of game play.
There's something to this and there's no reason every game has to converge with movies, but obviously they don't. Now some of those games are available on consoles with limitations -- I'm thinking of Wario Ware and friends on the Game Boy, which will by definition pretty much always have an extremely small screen which, strangely, forces innovation -- but they do exist.
How do you judge a successful system if you're Forbes' Ed Lin? Apparently by its ability to have games that are difficult to classify.
The best gaming platform of all time is undoubtedly the Atari
2600. What other system had or will have as wide a variety of games that were genre-less (Human Cannonball and Lost Luggage, for example)? What other system will have the permanence of Atari 2600 games, which are available on every modern platform in the form of anthologies and as mobile games?
Sounds a little like a thirty-something with a bit of a bias. The point is well taken, and games could use some innovation as Matt often rants, but I'm not sure Human Canonball, as much fun as it was to play a few times before sliding it back into the storage rack for pretty much forever, is the poster boy of what should be done in the industry.
[this post written while feeding breakfast to a small, parentless child, so please go easy on what doesn't make too horribly much sense...]
--ruffin at 08:01
Comment
[ 2 ]
Playing: Liberty City Stories
As predicted, my winter vacation is taking place in Liberty City, with GTA: Liberty City Stories for the PlayStation Portable. It is engrossing. If you own a PSP and liked the 21st century GTA games then put GTA:LCS on your shopping list.
My complaints are that the primary story missions are very uneven, the violence tends toward grotesque, and the characterizations are gritty in a way that I don't recall from GTA3 or Vice City.
Some of these missions stink. Apparently some designers still think "go to A then B then C" is fun and original. Some missions simply cannot be completed the first time you play them. These are the same missions that are trivial once you've seen the pattern, so they fail to be fun twice. The missions are strongest that integrate the storyline and supporting cast. Otherwise, I'm just playing an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.
To address the level of violence, I'm going to spoil the ending to a sequence of missions. Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read the spoiler. Ok, here's the spoiler: one sequence of missions ends when you chainsaw to death a butcher who's not paying his protection money and then sell him back to his own shop as sausage meat. Why do this? Not for the money, really, but to please your spiteful mother.
That's bordering on Manhunt-level deviance, and I think it was a poor design choice. I have been relieved that most of the game is not that bad, but there are times when it gets close. At some risk of seeming fickle, I prefer my gangsters a little less vile.
Liberty City Stories is filled with hard drugs, some domestic violence, dirty sex, and many, many four-letter words. I'm sure I sound like a horrible prude, but I'd probably not let my son play this game, even under my supervision, as long as he's in my care. It's a difficult subject, and I'm fortunately several years from actually having to make decisions like that, but I am uncomfortable being party to showing one more innocent what the corruption of the world looks like, especially through the eyes of a videogame like this one.
On a technical level, I have no complaints. Like other GTA games, Liberty City Stories makes you forget the technology and focus on the story, missions, and exploration. And exploration is just as fun here as it was with GTA3. The game's environment is rich enough to evoke the "Can I do that?" question often (i.e. "Can I make that jump?" or "Can I get on top of that building, and what might be up there?"). The result is captivating
Liberty City Stories is, as its predecessors, a rich soup of cultural references, mostly from movies. The main character's relationship with his mother shares more than a passing resemblance to that between Psycho's Norman Bates and his mother. (I found it obvious, but I haven't been able to find anyone online who's made that connection. Perhaps you can find one?) The incident in the spoiler above I'd guess was influenced by another famous horror movie. A non-Leone character thinks he's going to become a made man, with results that are a mix of Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction. There is even a Star Trek reference: one mission is called The Trouble with Triads. Like watching a good episode of The Simpsons, these references make for good material and are entertaining to spot.
According to the game's statistics, I'm 20% done with the game. That said, I'll probably still be playing when winter is officially over and spring has begun. Maybe that's all I really need to say about it.
My complaints are that the primary story missions are very uneven, the violence tends toward grotesque, and the characterizations are gritty in a way that I don't recall from GTA3 or Vice City.
Some of these missions stink. Apparently some designers still think "go to A then B then C" is fun and original. Some missions simply cannot be completed the first time you play them. These are the same missions that are trivial once you've seen the pattern, so they fail to be fun twice. The missions are strongest that integrate the storyline and supporting cast. Otherwise, I'm just playing an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.
To address the level of violence, I'm going to spoil the ending to a sequence of missions. Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read the spoiler. Ok, here's the spoiler: one sequence of missions ends when you chainsaw to death a butcher who's not paying his protection money and then sell him back to his own shop as sausage meat. Why do this? Not for the money, really, but to please your spiteful mother.
That's bordering on Manhunt-level deviance, and I think it was a poor design choice. I have been relieved that most of the game is not that bad, but there are times when it gets close. At some risk of seeming fickle, I prefer my gangsters a little less vile.
Liberty City Stories is filled with hard drugs, some domestic violence, dirty sex, and many, many four-letter words. I'm sure I sound like a horrible prude, but I'd probably not let my son play this game, even under my supervision, as long as he's in my care. It's a difficult subject, and I'm fortunately several years from actually having to make decisions like that, but I am uncomfortable being party to showing one more innocent what the corruption of the world looks like, especially through the eyes of a videogame like this one.
On a technical level, I have no complaints. Like other GTA games, Liberty City Stories makes you forget the technology and focus on the story, missions, and exploration. And exploration is just as fun here as it was with GTA3. The game's environment is rich enough to evoke the "Can I do that?" question often (i.e. "Can I make that jump?" or "Can I get on top of that building, and what might be up there?"). The result is captivating
Liberty City Stories is, as its predecessors, a rich soup of cultural references, mostly from movies. The main character's relationship with his mother shares more than a passing resemblance to that between Psycho's Norman Bates and his mother. (I found it obvious, but I haven't been able to find anyone online who's made that connection. Perhaps you can find one?) The incident in the spoiler above I'd guess was influenced by another famous horror movie. A non-Leone character thinks he's going to become a made man, with results that are a mix of Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction. There is even a Star Trek reference: one mission is called The Trouble with Triads. Like watching a good episode of The Simpsons, these references make for good material and are entertaining to spot.
According to the game's statistics, I'm 20% done with the game. That said, I'll probably still be playing when winter is officially over and spring has begun. Maybe that's all I really need to say about it.
--jvm at 00:42
Comment
[ 0 ]
24 November 2005
Microsoft Still Doesn't Understand the Net
Folklore tells us that Microsoft had to add internet connectivity to Windows 95 after launch because they didn't fully appreciate how important the web would become. The Xbox 360 launch teaches us that Microsoft -- and Sony and Nintendo and everyone else -- is still fumbling to deal with the secondary effects of that connectivity. In today's lesson, it's the instant spread of information, from some dude with his Xbox 360 in his living room to worldwide headlines.
My guess is that the glitches reported in some new Xbox 360s affect just a tiny fraction of the shipped hardware, yet those glitches rate a headline on CNN's front page (based on an AP report). The story quotes Molly O'Donnell, a spokeswoman for Microsoft's Xbox division saying:
It should be obvious to everyone that information travels ever faster, and stories grow from a single forum post to CNN in less than 24 hours. Look at how fast the Sony rootkit story grew. Sony is learning that lesson, the hard way. Microsoft, who used Alternate Reality Gaming techniques to hype their Xbox 360, should already have known how fast they could distribute a message.
Here's a simple solution to the glitchy Xbox 360 problem: have every Xbox 360 that connects to the Xbox Live! service report in if the system has been working without crashes for 3 hours. Get this data published, as percentages, on a prominently displayed webpage at xbox.com. If these really are isolated reports we would see something like:
Now someone somewhere is going to say "You mean 6 people in every 100,000 are without a game system!?! Oh the humanity!" Fine. But Microsoft is controlling the message, and is probably in a position to say 100% of reported problems have been addressed and replacement systems have been next-day shipped to the unfortunate consumers, each with a free game (chosen by each consumer) in the box.
The lack of control, or the perception that they're not in full control, is precisely what they're fighting. That could have been avoided.
Nintendo, of all these companies, appears to understand controlling the message. They've pretty deftly handled their Revolution controller story. I think it's still a pretty weak idea, and that the Revolution stands a good chance of failing, but at least Nintendo is leaking information in just the right ways to keep the fires stoked and the system in the public eye.
More later. Time for Thanksgiving dinner.
My guess is that the glitches reported in some new Xbox 360s affect just a tiny fraction of the shipped hardware, yet those glitches rate a headline on CNN's front page (based on an AP report). The story quotes Molly O'Donnell, a spokeswoman for Microsoft's Xbox division saying:
"It's what you would expect with a consumer electronics instrument of this complexity .... par for the course."Good, you expected some problems. Then why wasn't a swift, effective response at the ready? I don't mean replacing broken units and mollifying the few consumers who have troubles. I mean fighting what will really hurt Microsoft: a dozen squeaky wheels reporting on website forums which then get reported in the gaming press and from there to the mainstream press.
It should be obvious to everyone that information travels ever faster, and stories grow from a single forum post to CNN in less than 24 hours. Look at how fast the Sony rootkit story grew. Sony is learning that lesson, the hard way. Microsoft, who used Alternate Reality Gaming techniques to hype their Xbox 360, should already have known how fast they could distribute a message.
Here's a simple solution to the glitchy Xbox 360 problem: have every Xbox 360 that connects to the Xbox Live! service report in if the system has been working without crashes for 3 hours. Get this data published, as percentages, on a prominently displayed webpage at xbox.com. If these really are isolated reports we would see something like:
Percentage of Xbox 360s Reporting for Duty: 99.994%That's just a made up number, of course. I bet the actual number is closer to 100%.
Now someone somewhere is going to say "You mean 6 people in every 100,000 are without a game system!?! Oh the humanity!" Fine. But Microsoft is controlling the message, and is probably in a position to say 100% of reported problems have been addressed and replacement systems have been next-day shipped to the unfortunate consumers, each with a free game (chosen by each consumer) in the box.
The lack of control, or the perception that they're not in full control, is precisely what they're fighting. That could have been avoided.
Nintendo, of all these companies, appears to understand controlling the message. They've pretty deftly handled their Revolution controller story. I think it's still a pretty weak idea, and that the Revolution stands a good chance of failing, but at least Nintendo is leaking information in just the right ways to keep the fires stoked and the system in the public eye.
More later. Time for Thanksgiving dinner.
--jvm at 11:53
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[ 2 ]
23 November 2005
Quick Videogame Quiz
What do the following have in common?
I'd sure like to know how many units of Popeye: Rush for Spinach actually sold. Yuck.
- Berenstain Bears
- Gumby
- Hello Kitty
- Peanuts
- Popeye
I'd sure like to know how many units of Popeye: Rush for Spinach actually sold. Yuck.
--jvm at 23:27
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[ 4 ]
22 November 2005
50 Cent: Jack Thompson's Evil Twin
Just go read this. In a nutshell, rapper 50 Cent says buy his violent game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, and play it with your children. No really.
Best quote: "I think everyone knows that a game is a game. There's the part where you actually press start on the controller -- after that you are playing a game."
If you thought Jack Thompson, the world-famous violent-game eating attorney, had gone off the deep end before, just wait 'til he gets a load of this. Matter...meet anti-matter. The press releases should start up any minute now. Game Politics, please call the office.
As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of violence for the sake of violence. The notorious game Manhunt was one of the worst experiences I've ever had, for example. But I kind of understand where 50 Cent is coming from on this. If my son is going to have a first game of DooM (or the equivalent 10 years from now), I'd rather that he be fragging me than be out fragging with his friends where I can't monitor his reactions and behavior. If he wants to play GTA then I'd rather he do so with me to provide a tether to reality, and just maybe morality.
As 50 Cent says: "Play the game and explain to them what they are playing."
Interestingly, I don't recall my own parents closely monitoring my consumption of violence. Then again, the kind of violent game I played was Blue Max on the Commodore 64.
Best quote: "I think everyone knows that a game is a game. There's the part where you actually press start on the controller -- after that you are playing a game."
If you thought Jack Thompson, the world-famous violent-game eating attorney, had gone off the deep end before, just wait 'til he gets a load of this. Matter...meet anti-matter. The press releases should start up any minute now. Game Politics, please call the office.
As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of violence for the sake of violence. The notorious game Manhunt was one of the worst experiences I've ever had, for example. But I kind of understand where 50 Cent is coming from on this. If my son is going to have a first game of DooM (or the equivalent 10 years from now), I'd rather that he be fragging me than be out fragging with his friends where I can't monitor his reactions and behavior. If he wants to play GTA then I'd rather he do so with me to provide a tether to reality, and just maybe morality.
As 50 Cent says: "Play the game and explain to them what they are playing."
Interestingly, I don't recall my own parents closely monitoring my consumption of violence. Then again, the kind of violent game I played was Blue Max on the Commodore 64.
--jvm at 19:52
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[ 5 ]
21 November 2005
Don't Put Perfect Dark Zero in Perspective
Ever seen a reviewer try to defuse criticism before it starts? Now you have:
Using this new standard for reviews, I hereby declare Irritating Stick for the PSOne a terrific action game. Now, I can already hear you gasping in disbelief, but I assure you it's true. All I ask is that you not bring up the terrible graphics, the vapid gameplay, nor its limited Japanese niche-game appeal.
If you do, you've succumbed to the temptation to put the game in perspective by spending a lot of time on topics other than what makes Irritating Stick a terrific action game.
Update: The score is what it is. I am not in a position to debate that. I can point out that the reviewer is playing word games and failing to do precisely what he says he will do.
Here is my complaint, more succinctly:
By this standard, if he says it's a great action game, who can debate it?
The review says in the first paragraph:
Why is that?
It's tempting to try to put Perfect Dark Zero in perspective by spending a lot of time on topics other than what makes it such a terrific action game.That's the opening line of GameSpot's review of Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360, Score 9.0, a.k.a. Superb. Here's my translation:
Comparing to any other game just detracts from a deep discussion about how incredibly awesome Perfect Dark Zero actually is.Comparison to other launch games? Pointless, because it misses how Perfect Dark Zero is terrific! Comparison to Halo or Halo 2? Don't even try, because that's just distracting perspective! Comparison to previous games by the same developer? Even if it's just Rare's GoldenEye 007 with better graphics, Perfect Dark Zero is still terrific! And surely don't try to compare to action games on other systems.
Using this new standard for reviews, I hereby declare Irritating Stick for the PSOne a terrific action game. Now, I can already hear you gasping in disbelief, but I assure you it's true. All I ask is that you not bring up the terrible graphics, the vapid gameplay, nor its limited Japanese niche-game appeal.
If you do, you've succumbed to the temptation to put the game in perspective by spending a lot of time on topics other than what makes Irritating Stick a terrific action game.
Update: The score is what it is. I am not in a position to debate that. I can point out that the reviewer is playing word games and failing to do precisely what he says he will do.
Here is my complaint, more succinctly:
The reviewer essentially limits debate to just what makes PDZ a terrific action game, by itself, without comparison.
By this standard, if he says it's a great action game, who can debate it?
The review says in the first paragraph:
But let's stick to the point: Perfect Dark Zero's [outstanding laundry list of features] combine to make it easily one of the best first-person shooters this year and one of your best options in the Xbox 360's starting lineup.I bolded the important part. That thesis is never addressed. No other first-person shooter of this year, or any year, is used for comparison. Nor is any other Xbox 360 launch game used for comparison.
Why is that?
--jvm at 22:44
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[ 6 ]
How Demos Fail
A game demo should con me into trading my money for your game. The Sony Holiday 2005 demo disc fails this simple test.
I spent time with Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, Soul Calibur III, and Pac-Man World 3. Not a single one of those games makes me want to part with my money before they're under $15. The closest was Sly 3 which had a neat (but not compelling) biplane dogfight sequence that I enjoyed. Wasn't that in the first game though? I sure feel like I've played it before.
I should mention that Shadow of the Colossus is on this demo disc and is worth my money. I'd already played that demo a couple of weeks ago and the game is on my Xmas 2005 list.
What about the other five games? None were interesting looking enough for me to even wait through the 20 seconds to boot them up. Another Mortal Kombat? And Jak racing? And Ratchet? Something about Global Terror? And EyeToy?
Let me try to say something positive: At least this year the demo disc won't eat my memory card.
I spent time with Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, Soul Calibur III, and Pac-Man World 3. Not a single one of those games makes me want to part with my money before they're under $15. The closest was Sly 3 which had a neat (but not compelling) biplane dogfight sequence that I enjoyed. Wasn't that in the first game though? I sure feel like I've played it before.
I should mention that Shadow of the Colossus is on this demo disc and is worth my money. I'd already played that demo a couple of weeks ago and the game is on my Xmas 2005 list.
What about the other five games? None were interesting looking enough for me to even wait through the 20 seconds to boot them up. Another Mortal Kombat? And Jak racing? And Ratchet? Something about Global Terror? And EyeToy?
Let me try to say something positive: At least this year the demo disc won't eat my memory card.
--jvm at 21:56
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[ 1 ]
20 November 2005
jvm's Xmas 2005 Wishlist
Here are the games I'm asking for this year, roughly in order of preference.
The new Castlevania for PS2 might make it after I play this demo disc that Sony sent. Any other recommendations?
If anyone wants to get me a Nintendo DS, feel free. That new 2D Castlevania looks good.
- Shadow of the Colossus, PlayStation 2
- Katamari Damacy, PlayStation 2
- Resident Evil 4, PlayStation 2
- Taito Legends, PlayStation 2
- Psychonauts, PlayStation 2
- Ultimate Spider-man, GameCube
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong, GameBoy Advance
- Metroid Zero Mission, GameBoy Advance
The new Castlevania for PS2 might make it after I play this demo disc that Sony sent. Any other recommendations?
If anyone wants to get me a Nintendo DS, feel free. That new 2D Castlevania looks good.
--jvm at 20:44
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[ 7 ]
Tomb Raider: Delay
This past week I was going to read reviews of Tomb Raider: Legend, slated for a 15 November release, and decide if it belonged on my Christmas list. After a week of no reviews I checked around and it's now slated for a late January/early February 2006 release. The PSP release has been pushed out to possibly March 2006.
From what I can tell, no one in the media has reported the fact that this big-name game will miss the crucial holiday buying period. Sales and the company bottom line will probably suffer as a result. Not a single reporter can be bothered to make some phone calls and write even a short post on this? Way to go!
All you Lara haters can post your "Tomb Raider is crap!" comments below.
From what I can tell, no one in the media has reported the fact that this big-name game will miss the crucial holiday buying period. Sales and the company bottom line will probably suffer as a result. Not a single reporter can be bothered to make some phone calls and write even a short post on this? Way to go!
All you Lara haters can post your "Tomb Raider is crap!" comments below.
--jvm at 14:26
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[ 1 ]
Whar'd mah games go?
I know admitting this blacklists me from being a rocket scientist forever as I should have realized this months before, but I finally figured out that if I shell out for a new Intel Mac, all the Mac games I own now are kaput. Makes it difficult to upgrade by selling my current high-end hardware.
Ouch.
Ouch.
--ruffin at 11:51
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[ 1 ]
19 November 2005
Slashdot | John Smedley Answers Your Questions
Slashdot recently posted some questions to John Smedley (who answered), apparently of Star Wars Galaxies fame, an MMORPG with, you got it, a Star Wars theme.
Here's the one that interested me:
Unfortunately, no. I absolutely love Macs (I've got 2 at home myself). I wish we could [port to the Mac in light of the move to Intel], but it's enormously cost prohibitive if you didn't start out from the beginning with Mac development in mind.
If you recall the rather long piece we had with Aspyr's Glenda Adams a while back, I wondered what it would take to make creating crossplatform games easier to make than Microsoft-specific ones. Her answer surprised me a bit, as she said that even if it was easier to program an xplat game (though there was some issue with the term 'easier' as well), MS's marketshare meant that developers would still prefer to use MS's techs. So even in a hypothetical world where it was easier to program for Windows and Macs at the same time, her contention was that Microsoft-only PC games would still be most prevalent. Who could change this? She very insightfully answered, "Microsoft, but I don't see why they would want to."
So here we see Apple bowing down to at least half of the evil bi-opoloy (it's not quite an oligarchy, so I'm not sure what the term would be; sorry) with the switch to Intel -- so in one sense, Macs now use a large subset of what were once 'Microsoft' programming techs, particularly when it comes to machine language and byte endian-ness. With Star Wars Galaxies, we've got a large company who says it's still not worth it to start working on a Mac version to grab some extra marketshare. Admittedly, it's not like Apple's retrofitting PPC Macs, and in the same story I was using, above, Adams told us, "Mac users hold onto their hardware longer," but as I've seen a few other places, I think we can safely assume the death of porting issues as in break-the-bank porting issues is still a long ways off. I'll be intrigued to see if the people who felt that Mac ports will die now that, assumedly (and that's a big "assumedly") Macs with Intel innards will be able to boot Windows.
It is encouraging, if I can silver lining anything, that at least Smedley recognizes that targeting the Mac up front is an option and a business model worth mentioning. The person who asked the question being answered went a bit overboard, suggesting World of Warcraft's success is due, in large part, to the xplat-ness of the game, but I think/hope Blizzard and World of Warcraft do have other gaming co's listening and interested.
Here's the one that interested me:
Unfortunately, no. I absolutely love Macs (I've got 2 at home myself). I wish we could [port to the Mac in light of the move to Intel], but it's enormously cost prohibitive if you didn't start out from the beginning with Mac development in mind.
If you recall the rather long piece we had with Aspyr's Glenda Adams a while back, I wondered what it would take to make creating crossplatform games easier to make than Microsoft-specific ones. Her answer surprised me a bit, as she said that even if it was easier to program an xplat game (though there was some issue with the term 'easier' as well), MS's marketshare meant that developers would still prefer to use MS's techs. So even in a hypothetical world where it was easier to program for Windows and Macs at the same time, her contention was that Microsoft-only PC games would still be most prevalent. Who could change this? She very insightfully answered, "Microsoft, but I don't see why they would want to."
So here we see Apple bowing down to at least half of the evil bi-opoloy (it's not quite an oligarchy, so I'm not sure what the term would be; sorry) with the switch to Intel -- so in one sense, Macs now use a large subset of what were once 'Microsoft' programming techs, particularly when it comes to machine language and byte endian-ness. With Star Wars Galaxies, we've got a large company who says it's still not worth it to start working on a Mac version to grab some extra marketshare. Admittedly, it's not like Apple's retrofitting PPC Macs, and in the same story I was using, above, Adams told us, "Mac users hold onto their hardware longer," but as I've seen a few other places, I think we can safely assume the death of porting issues as in break-the-bank porting issues is still a long ways off. I'll be intrigued to see if the people who felt that Mac ports will die now that, assumedly (and that's a big "assumedly") Macs with Intel innards will be able to boot Windows.
It is encouraging, if I can silver lining anything, that at least Smedley recognizes that targeting the Mac up front is an option and a business model worth mentioning. The person who asked the question being answered went a bit overboard, suggesting World of Warcraft's success is due, in large part, to the xplat-ness of the game, but I think/hope Blizzard and World of Warcraft do have other gaming co's listening and interested.
Labels: apple
--ruffin at 15:06
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[ 2 ]
Perfect Dark Zero: Instant Reviews
As noted earlier, Perfect Dark Zero is late getting to reviewers. The gaming public are hungry for any and all information, eager to answer the question "Is it crap?"
My question: Can you really judge a game, I mean really know it, in the first couple of days?
Games often start off as obsessions and later wear thin very quickly. And I don't see how one adequately judges things like replayability and depth after one play. Could you really know how deep Madden's AI is from two or three days of play? Could you know how the online system is going to work out? Can you discuss a dynasty mode effectively?
Now, how much of that carries over to a game like Perfect Dark Zero? If the game offers varied enough gameplay that you can proceed through it with different strategies, then that's essential. It has an online component, but how do you evaluate it when you're playing against only the elite few who already have a system? That's hardly the horde of hooligans who'll be playing next week, after all. And if the game offers higher difficulty levels, how do you complete a good, lengthy game on all of those in time for a launch-day review?
There is an answer, of course. Cheat and get the developer to tell you how to play and how to finish and how to see all the sights in the shortest time possible. I surely hope that's not what's happening.
When the first few reviews come out, keep an eye out for these things: replayability, depth of gameplay, and online experience. Do you really think those are well-considered, thoughtful judgments?
My question: Can you really judge a game, I mean really know it, in the first couple of days?
Games often start off as obsessions and later wear thin very quickly. And I don't see how one adequately judges things like replayability and depth after one play. Could you really know how deep Madden's AI is from two or three days of play? Could you know how the online system is going to work out? Can you discuss a dynasty mode effectively?
Now, how much of that carries over to a game like Perfect Dark Zero? If the game offers varied enough gameplay that you can proceed through it with different strategies, then that's essential. It has an online component, but how do you evaluate it when you're playing against only the elite few who already have a system? That's hardly the horde of hooligans who'll be playing next week, after all. And if the game offers higher difficulty levels, how do you complete a good, lengthy game on all of those in time for a launch-day review?
There is an answer, of course. Cheat and get the developer to tell you how to play and how to finish and how to see all the sights in the shortest time possible. I surely hope that's not what's happening.
When the first few reviews come out, keep an eye out for these things: replayability, depth of gameplay, and online experience. Do you really think those are well-considered, thoughtful judgments?
--jvm at 09:01
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electricBIT: Legal Emulation? Maybe not.
There's a new site called electricBIT touting legal emulation of classic games. They offer games for the TurboGrafx 16, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, and ColecoVision. I'm not convinced they truly are legal.
Here's the important part of their explanation:
This is not a positive defense, you'll notice. I bet electricBIT thinks that's enough, but I think it's hardly clear.
The explanation continues and there is a special bit I want to focus on:
Here's an obvious question: are they running the emulator on their end and just handling input/output over the wire to the client? That's the only way I can see the ROM image, as a sequence of zeros and ones, not ever being passed to the client in some form.
If they are not handling I/O over the wire, then it seems to me they have to have sent the ROM, either in part or whole, to the client. Even if that bit pattern is embedded in an executable, cut up into pieces, or otherwise transmogrified, it's still the ROM or a derivative work of the ROM.
And if they are sending that data to the client, then they potentially have two problems: copyright violation and misleading customers about the legality of their business.
If they are actually keeping the data locally on their end at all times, then they're probably safer. That being said, copyright law is awfully confusing.
One final question: They're offering some of the same games that GameTap, the Turner Broadcasting downloadable game site, offers. Can Turner, who spent a tremendous amount of effort and money to license games, allow any dude with a garage full of Genesis cartridges to put out a virtual shingle and compete at a much lower cost?
Here's the important part of their explanation:
How electricBIT keeps this site legal is simple. electricBIT purchases in high quantities copies of the games offered on this site.I've seen this before. There is another site out there, whose name escapes me at the moment, which I recall does the same thing with NES games. I don't know if that site charges money; maybe they do. That other site has something in their site description that says they've not been shut down by the copyright holders, so they think they're in the clear.
This is not a positive defense, you'll notice. I bet electricBIT thinks that's enough, but I think it's hardly clear.
The explanation continues and there is a special bit I want to focus on:
When a user accesses a game via electricBIT to play, our server will search to see if an available copy of that game is open to play. If every copy that we own is currently being played, the user is redirected back to that console's main page. To avoid availability issues for more popular games, the volume of units purchased for that game is much higher in comparison to games which dont have as high of a user interest. No game ROM images are ever stored, distributed, or downloaded to our users computers. They remain secure on electricBIT.com servers AT ALL TIMES.That's my emphasis at the end.
Here's an obvious question: are they running the emulator on their end and just handling input/output over the wire to the client? That's the only way I can see the ROM image, as a sequence of zeros and ones, not ever being passed to the client in some form.
If they are not handling I/O over the wire, then it seems to me they have to have sent the ROM, either in part or whole, to the client. Even if that bit pattern is embedded in an executable, cut up into pieces, or otherwise transmogrified, it's still the ROM or a derivative work of the ROM.
And if they are sending that data to the client, then they potentially have two problems: copyright violation and misleading customers about the legality of their business.
If they are actually keeping the data locally on their end at all times, then they're probably safer. That being said, copyright law is awfully confusing.
One final question: They're offering some of the same games that GameTap, the Turner Broadcasting downloadable game site, offers. Can Turner, who spent a tremendous amount of effort and money to license games, allow any dude with a garage full of Genesis cartridges to put out a virtual shingle and compete at a much lower cost?
--jvm at 07:08
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[ 0 ]
17 November 2005
Kotaku, Best Buy, Leaks, and Valerie Plame
The use of leaked information is at the heart of one of the biggest stories in American politics in years: the publication of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity and the subsequent indictment of I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, for committing perjury (among other crimes) in the investigation of the leak.
Leaks are a slippery subject, but as long as they are legitimate, something a source and journalist should address together, their use in the press is proper. (What Novak should have done is a debate for another place and time.) Once the information is out, journalists should be free to report. If the information is in the public's interest, then in fact they are probably obligated to report.
What does this have to do with videogames?
Well, popular blog Kotaku published several stories based on a leaked document from Best Buy. As a result, Best Buy threatened them wtih legal action, in part based on a claim of copyright for the leaked document. While I think the copyright argument is bogus, I'm bothered by the stifling of reporting. What Kotaku engaged in what appears, at first glance, to be a clearly journalistic enterprise.
Kotaku caved in and took the stories offline. I understand why, but I wish it weren't so. Not that it matters: the information is still out there, and will continue to be out there. In fact, it will probably be published more widely because it has been threatened.
Best Buy, already a frequent target of scorn, is clearly a villain. They lost control of their information. Once that happens, you cannot -- and should not -- try to stop it. Kotaku was clearly serving in a journalistic role and should be treated with the same respect as if the New York Times or the Washington Post had reported on the leaked documents. The freedom of the press from undue influence, from both the government and any corporation, should be a basic part of our world.
Years after AOL and its ilk opened the internet to the unwashed masses, we're finally seeing the rise of a class of citizen reporter. We are just now coming to terms with that fact, and should understand that bloggers and in fact any Joe with a website can receive and publish leaked information and thereby act as a citizen reporter.
Best Buy needs to realize this. They're not alone, regrettably, for much of the established media outlets are just now feeling the power of several thousand freelance reporters (aka bloggers) publishing every minute of the day.
But Best Buy should be an example to everyone who doesn't yet get it. If I could call a boycott, I would. The best I can do, however, is to tell everyone I know about this story and to urge them to contact Best Buy online or in person and tell them to respect the freedom of the press.
Blogger or not, someone reporting news is part of the press. Respect that, or be reviled.
Update: Just saw this timely story over on DailyKos: FEC Says Blogs Are Just as Much "Press" as Everyone Else. So, Best Buy should ask themselves "Would we be sending amateur lawyer letters to The New York Times over this?"
Leaks are a slippery subject, but as long as they are legitimate, something a source and journalist should address together, their use in the press is proper. (What Novak should have done is a debate for another place and time.) Once the information is out, journalists should be free to report. If the information is in the public's interest, then in fact they are probably obligated to report.
What does this have to do with videogames?
Well, popular blog Kotaku published several stories based on a leaked document from Best Buy. As a result, Best Buy threatened them wtih legal action, in part based on a claim of copyright for the leaked document. While I think the copyright argument is bogus, I'm bothered by the stifling of reporting. What Kotaku engaged in what appears, at first glance, to be a clearly journalistic enterprise.
Kotaku caved in and took the stories offline. I understand why, but I wish it weren't so. Not that it matters: the information is still out there, and will continue to be out there. In fact, it will probably be published more widely because it has been threatened.
Best Buy, already a frequent target of scorn, is clearly a villain. They lost control of their information. Once that happens, you cannot -- and should not -- try to stop it. Kotaku was clearly serving in a journalistic role and should be treated with the same respect as if the New York Times or the Washington Post had reported on the leaked documents. The freedom of the press from undue influence, from both the government and any corporation, should be a basic part of our world.
Years after AOL and its ilk opened the internet to the unwashed masses, we're finally seeing the rise of a class of citizen reporter. We are just now coming to terms with that fact, and should understand that bloggers and in fact any Joe with a website can receive and publish leaked information and thereby act as a citizen reporter.
Best Buy needs to realize this. They're not alone, regrettably, for much of the established media outlets are just now feeling the power of several thousand freelance reporters (aka bloggers) publishing every minute of the day.
But Best Buy should be an example to everyone who doesn't yet get it. If I could call a boycott, I would. The best I can do, however, is to tell everyone I know about this story and to urge them to contact Best Buy online or in person and tell them to respect the freedom of the press.
Blogger or not, someone reporting news is part of the press. Respect that, or be reviled.
Update: Just saw this timely story over on DailyKos: FEC Says Blogs Are Just as Much "Press" as Everyone Else. So, Best Buy should ask themselves "Would we be sending amateur lawyer letters to The New York Times over this?"
--jvm at 18:39
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[ 0 ]
Perfect Dark Zero: Zero Reviews
I was sent this link to a quote by IGN's Doug Perry saying IGN still doesn't have a copy of Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360. They'll buy one and review it as soon as possible.
Say what?
I guess I should know, but has any recent console launch failed to have its top game reviewed on launch day? I certainly don't remember one. A quick browse through sites like IGN, GameSpot, and 1UP shows several lesser Xbox 360 games already reviewed.
It sure sounds like they've got a stinker on their hands and they want to minimize the damage until all the launch-day schmucks have bought their systems, doesn't it? Of course, that's awfully short-sighted, but if they locked Rare into having the game ready for launch, and Rare can't pull off a good game in that time, then what choices are left?
If this were the old Xbox, then they could release a huge SiN-style patch to fix any problems, storing the data on the hard drive. But now that the user base is fractured, some with massive local storage and others without, that's not feasible.
Update: How close are they cutting it? So close that the game wasn't "certified" before going to be pressed onto discs.
Say what?
I guess I should know, but has any recent console launch failed to have its top game reviewed on launch day? I certainly don't remember one. A quick browse through sites like IGN, GameSpot, and 1UP shows several lesser Xbox 360 games already reviewed.
It sure sounds like they've got a stinker on their hands and they want to minimize the damage until all the launch-day schmucks have bought their systems, doesn't it? Of course, that's awfully short-sighted, but if they locked Rare into having the game ready for launch, and Rare can't pull off a good game in that time, then what choices are left?
If this were the old Xbox, then they could release a huge SiN-style patch to fix any problems, storing the data on the hard drive. But now that the user base is fractured, some with massive local storage and others without, that's not feasible.
Update: How close are they cutting it? So close that the game wasn't "certified" before going to be pressed onto discs.
--jvm at 10:15
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[ 3 ]
16 November 2005
Zero Tolerance Trademark Law
I almost wrote a few weeks ago about the new first-person shooter Zero Tolerance: City Under Fire coming out from Eidos and how it apparently had no relation to the Zero Tolerance on the Sega Genesis. At the time that I saw the news release, I wondered if Eidos had made sure there were no legal conflicts.
Now it appears that Randel Reiss, president of Technopop, publisher of the Genesis game, has sent Eidos a Cease-and-Desist letter claiming he has the trademark on Zero Tolerance. I'm not totally sure I feel he's got a case, but perhaps he's got a Zero Tolerance game in the work that we don't know about.
For what it's worth, Zero Tolerance for the Genesis is liberated and legal to download. I know because Randel emailed me about it himself back in the 1990s, when I asked about the link cable that could be used to network two Sega Genesis machines running Zero Tolerance. He also liberated the unfinished sequel, Beyond Zero Tolerance, so it is also legal to download.
Now it appears that Randel Reiss, president of Technopop, publisher of the Genesis game, has sent Eidos a Cease-and-Desist letter claiming he has the trademark on Zero Tolerance. I'm not totally sure I feel he's got a case, but perhaps he's got a Zero Tolerance game in the work that we don't know about.
For what it's worth, Zero Tolerance for the Genesis is liberated and legal to download. I know because Randel emailed me about it himself back in the 1990s, when I asked about the link cable that could be used to network two Sega Genesis machines running Zero Tolerance. He also liberated the unfinished sequel, Beyond Zero Tolerance, so it is also legal to download.
--jvm at 21:05
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[ 0 ]
Terrible Timing or Hats of Money?
Within a week of the launch of the Xbox 360 the persona non grata Xbox is now getting what should have been a very important release: Half-life 2. Who planned that? I have a theory.
The thing is, Half-life 2 just won't be the huge seller on the Xbox. It could, however, be a huge seller on the Xbox 360.
The advantages are significant:
However, the 20% higher price will be the standard on the Xbox 360, and it makes sense to wait out this last cycle with a quick port and then hit people with a new version of Half-life 2 on the new system early next year, perhaps around E3.
Put out Halo 3 and the Aftermath expansion for Half-life 2 during the Holiday 2006 season and Microsoft is looking good for the launch of the PlayStation 3.
Just a thought.
The thing is, Half-life 2 just won't be the huge seller on the Xbox. It could, however, be a huge seller on the Xbox 360.
The advantages are significant:
- better graphics, especially on HDTV systems
- captive, easily controlled (non-cheating) online population
- online population being trained to pay for extras
- universal voice chat adds nicely to the online Half-life 2 experience
- Xbox 360s with hard drive could download the game (a la Steam)
- and most of all...$59.99 standard price point for top-tier Xbox 360 games!
However, the 20% higher price will be the standard on the Xbox 360, and it makes sense to wait out this last cycle with a quick port and then hit people with a new version of Half-life 2 on the new system early next year, perhaps around E3.
Put out Halo 3 and the Aftermath expansion for Half-life 2 during the Holiday 2006 season and Microsoft is looking good for the launch of the PlayStation 3.
Just a thought.
--jvm at 11:04
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[ 10 ]
15 November 2005
Robotron Murder Simulator: E for Everyone!
Somehow I missed the fact that Robotron: 2084, in all its various incarnations, has been rated "E for Everyone" by the ESRB.
Here's what that E rating means:
Then there is the larger statement about Humanity: We will be destroyed by our own creations. As a teenager reading science fiction, this wasn't a foreign concept, but I'm not sure I was ready for that at age six. While it wouldn't bother me terribly for my own son to eventually cultivate a dim (or shall we say balanced) view of Humanity and its delusions of importance and omnipotence, I'm not sure I want him burdened with it when he's just learning fractions and basic English grammar.
Defender and Defender II are also rated E and are disturbing in their own way: alien ships absorb humans to become more virulent mutant aliens.
What got me thinking about this, incidentally, is that the new arcade machine from Target has an ESRB rating of E for all of its twelve games: Joust, Defender I and II, Robotron, Rampage, Splat, Satan's Hollow, Root Beer Tapper, Bubbles, Wizard of Wor, Timber and Sinistar.
Here's what that E rating means:
Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.I know I'm just a crotchety old man now, but when did it become acceptable for kids to see even cartoon depictions of robot masscres of Mommies, Daddies, and Mikeys? Or the wholesale conversion of those persons into murderous borgs, which you then have to kill? The ESRB description above doesn't seem quite apt, at least to a Robotron vet.
Then there is the larger statement about Humanity: We will be destroyed by our own creations. As a teenager reading science fiction, this wasn't a foreign concept, but I'm not sure I was ready for that at age six. While it wouldn't bother me terribly for my own son to eventually cultivate a dim (or shall we say balanced) view of Humanity and its delusions of importance and omnipotence, I'm not sure I want him burdened with it when he's just learning fractions and basic English grammar.
Defender and Defender II are also rated E and are disturbing in their own way: alien ships absorb humans to become more virulent mutant aliens.
What got me thinking about this, incidentally, is that the new arcade machine from Target has an ESRB rating of E for all of its twelve games: Joust, Defender I and II, Robotron, Rampage, Splat, Satan's Hollow, Root Beer Tapper, Bubbles, Wizard of Wor, Timber and Sinistar.
--jvm at 10:16
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[ 2 ]
14 November 2005
Xbox 360 Launch: Flop
I'm calling it. The Xbox 360 launch will be a dud.
Before I explain, a confession: Despite my animosity toward Microsoft, I wished I could play Halo when it first came out. Having now played it, its solid mediocrity consoles me in my shame. But the point is, at the time I felt a pang of jealousy that I was stuck with my crappy PlayStation 2.
Now, back to the Xbox 360. Where is its Halo? Its Dead or Alive 3? Its Project Gotham Racing? There is nothing on this new box that makes people go WOW! quite like those three games did in 2001. (Sure, PGR3 is there at launch, but is making jaws drop like the original?)
I've still got my launch-day PlayStation 2 that I bought in 2000, and you know what? Nothing on the Xbox 360 makes me jealous. Nothing.
Just look, these Xbox 360 exclusives are terrible.
Finally, I just want to point out this awful, awful tripe on Kameo's page over at xbox.com:
Update: This Next Generation analysis seems similarly pessimistic about the launch games.
Before I explain, a confession: Despite my animosity toward Microsoft, I wished I could play Halo when it first came out. Having now played it, its solid mediocrity consoles me in my shame. But the point is, at the time I felt a pang of jealousy that I was stuck with my crappy PlayStation 2.
Now, back to the Xbox 360. Where is its Halo? Its Dead or Alive 3? Its Project Gotham Racing? There is nothing on this new box that makes people go WOW! quite like those three games did in 2001. (Sure, PGR3 is there at launch, but is making jaws drop like the original?)
I've still got my launch-day PlayStation 2 that I bought in 2000, and you know what? Nothing on the Xbox 360 makes me jealous. Nothing.
Just look, these Xbox 360 exclusives are terrible.
- Kameo - No one cares about "morph-into-monster" action. Really.
- Perfect Dark Zero - Only N64 fanboys really give a rip about this, which is why they had to sexualize poor Miss Dark.
- Ridge Racer 6 - I love that series, don't get me wrong, but it's not going to sell systems.
- Condemned - Tracking down serial killers is sure to be a hit with the little kiddies.
- Amped 3 - I'm still waiting to meet someone who actually remembers, much less loved, the first two.
Finally, I just want to point out this awful, awful tripe on Kameo's page over at xbox.com:
Experience next-generation gaming: Transcending the common gaming aesthetic with greater cinematic appeal, Kameo represents the cutting-edge graphics and gameplay expected of next-generation gaming on Xbox 360. The game boasts stunning battlefield experiences where you'll experience thousands of simultaneous enemies with independent artificial intelligence, as well as exciting special effects, high-quality voiceover, and high-definition visuals.Does this really sell games?
Update: This Next Generation analysis seems similarly pessimistic about the launch games.
--jvm at 21:14
Comment
[ 11 ]
Xbox 360 Launch Day Games
Back on Curmudgeon Classic I tried to document launch-day games for several systems. For the purpose of history, here are the games that Microsoft claims will be out at launch for the Xbox 360:
- Kameo: Elements of Power
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Project Gotham Racing 3
- Call of Duty 2
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Peter Jackson's King Kong
- Madden NFL 06
- GUN
- Condemned: Criminal Origins
- NBA 2K6
- Ridge Racer 6
- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
- QUAKE 4
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06
- Amped 3
- FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
- NHL 2K6
- NBA Live 06
--jvm at 16:56
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Target Spy Eyes Arcade Machine
As noted in the comments of the previous post the new machines at Target aren't terribly big. This morning Powet Games! gives a firsthand report in this "Midway Arcade machine arrives at Target" post, complete with FuzzyCam pictures.
If it's really this bad, and I have no reason to doubt it, you can count me as one full-grown adult who'll take a pass on these vertically-challenged machines.
If it's really this bad, and I have no reason to doubt it, you can count me as one full-grown adult who'll take a pass on these vertically-challenged machines.
--jvm at 10:39
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[ 1 ]
13 November 2005
PS3 Killer Already on Store Shelves
No, not the Xbox 360. I'm talking about the PlayStation Portable.
Put aside all the jokes about the price and the weak line-up of games and reams of statistics showing the Nintendo DS trouncing the PSP in Japan. Just follow me for a bit and see what I see: even modest success of the PSP means the traditional console market now has to compete with the traditionally distinct handheld market.
With Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories winging its way to my mailbox this very instant and several days of time sunk already into Ridge Racer and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee in the past couple of months, the entertainment-per-dollar ratio has been leaning in Sony's favor for a while now. Most other people's opinions about the PSP are irrelevant once you pay your dues and join the club.
As a club member, the PSP has totally changed my outlook on the next year. Sure, I am considering a PlayStation 3, whenever it should arrive. I still enjoy my PlayStation 2, and have lots of good games ready to be played. I've even got a few PS2 games on my Christmas list, like Shadow of the Colossus and Taito Legends. Heck, I've even thought that in the next year, if new Xbox systems and games cease production, I might even consider a used Xbox system and cheap used games.
But those systems are less important to me now. My buying outlook has shifted. Got a new, interesting game that catches my fancy? If it's available in reasonable form on the PSP then I'll buy that version over a PS2 version, even though I own both systems. This has happened already with at least one game: Tomb Raider: Legends. If Lara's new adventure reviews about as well as the last one and is put onto the PSP without performing a full lobotomy on the console version, then I'll probably go for the PSP version.
Going forward, my first question after I see an interesting game will be "Great, now can I get it on the PSP?"
Why? Because I can play the PSP for 3 minutes and then put it to sleep when Daddy Duty calls. Because I can play the PSP without finding a free TV in the house. Because I can put on headphones and set the sound like I want without bothering anyone else. Because it fits easily alongside my laptop and goes with me when I travel.
Because it's a console that fits the lifestyle of someone with a real life.
So for me, the PlayStation 3 isn't competing with the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Revolution. It's going to be competing with the PSP. And right now, the PS3 is losing.
Put aside all the jokes about the price and the weak line-up of games and reams of statistics showing the Nintendo DS trouncing the PSP in Japan. Just follow me for a bit and see what I see: even modest success of the PSP means the traditional console market now has to compete with the traditionally distinct handheld market.
With Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories winging its way to my mailbox this very instant and several days of time sunk already into Ridge Racer and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee in the past couple of months, the entertainment-per-dollar ratio has been leaning in Sony's favor for a while now. Most other people's opinions about the PSP are irrelevant once you pay your dues and join the club.
As a club member, the PSP has totally changed my outlook on the next year. Sure, I am considering a PlayStation 3, whenever it should arrive. I still enjoy my PlayStation 2, and have lots of good games ready to be played. I've even got a few PS2 games on my Christmas list, like Shadow of the Colossus and Taito Legends. Heck, I've even thought that in the next year, if new Xbox systems and games cease production, I might even consider a used Xbox system and cheap used games.
But those systems are less important to me now. My buying outlook has shifted. Got a new, interesting game that catches my fancy? If it's available in reasonable form on the PSP then I'll buy that version over a PS2 version, even though I own both systems. This has happened already with at least one game: Tomb Raider: Legends. If Lara's new adventure reviews about as well as the last one and is put onto the PSP without performing a full lobotomy on the console version, then I'll probably go for the PSP version.
Going forward, my first question after I see an interesting game will be "Great, now can I get it on the PSP?"
Why? Because I can play the PSP for 3 minutes and then put it to sleep when Daddy Duty calls. Because I can play the PSP without finding a free TV in the house. Because I can put on headphones and set the sound like I want without bothering anyone else. Because it fits easily alongside my laptop and goes with me when I travel.
Because it's a console that fits the lifestyle of someone with a real life.
So for me, the PlayStation 3 isn't competing with the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Revolution. It's going to be competing with the PSP. And right now, the PS3 is losing.
--jvm at 14:31
Comment
[ 1 ]
10 November 2005
Target Sells More Arcade Games
Two weeks ago I wrote about Target's $500 arcade machine. In fact, they're selling four arcade machines, ranging from $500 up to $6000!
Also, the Dream Authentics guys seem to have their own business online. You'll see they sell the 2 Player and 4 Player systems with some licensed games. (The cheaper of the two Target offerings appear to be from that other company.) Dream Authentics even has a custom version of MAME designed to run licensed games, which is an interesting twist I'd not seen before. Does that mean it runs only licensed games?
Anyway, this is a good time for home arcade systems. Provided a test-drive at my local store happens and turns out well, I might drop everything from my Christmas list and put the $500 system on there.
- Midway Home Use Arcade: 12 Midway games for $500, see it here. Says "full size", which is not what reports said two weeks ago.
- Arcade Legends Full-Size Arcade Cabinet: 35 Atari and Capcom (whoa!) games for $3000, see it here. Games include Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command and Tempest. Has a trackball!
- Dream Authentics 2 Player Video Arcade Game: No details now on what games, but costs $3500. See it here. It is a larger system than the first two.
- Dream Authentics 4 Player Video Arcade Game: Like the 2 Player system, only accomodates 4 players. No idea what games. Also costs $6000. See it here.
Also, the Dream Authentics guys seem to have their own business online. You'll see they sell the 2 Player and 4 Player systems with some licensed games. (The cheaper of the two Target offerings appear to be from that other company.) Dream Authentics even has a custom version of MAME designed to run licensed games, which is an interesting twist I'd not seen before. Does that mean it runs only licensed games?
Anyway, this is a good time for home arcade systems. Provided a test-drive at my local store happens and turns out well, I might drop everything from my Christmas list and put the $500 system on there.
--jvm at 23:40
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[ 6 ]
Cathode Tans Blizzard & FilePlanet's Hides
I'm no big fan of GameSpy or their evil spawn, FilePlanet. (I believe Ruffin characterizes me as anti-business. Oh well.) So it warms the cockles of my shrunken, hate-filled heart to see Josh at Cathode Tan savage Blizzard for partnering with FilePlanet to distribute a World of Warcraft free 14-day trial (that's actually a 10-day trial for cheapskate non-paying-FilePlanet-members) through an ActiveX plug-in that doesn't work.
Here's an idea, geniuses. Put your installer up on BitTorrent and forget the scoundrels at FIlePlanet or GameSpot or anywhere else. You'll be hailed on Slashdot within hours, toast of the town for being hip and cool and oh-so-generous.
Here's an idea, geniuses. Put your installer up on BitTorrent and forget the scoundrels at FIlePlanet or GameSpot or anywhere else. You'll be hailed on Slashdot within hours, toast of the town for being hip and cool and oh-so-generous.
--jvm at 23:04
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[ 2 ]
Picture Worth a Thousand Dollars
Over at Next Generation they're reporting that Halo and Halo 2 will display at a higher resolution with antialiasing when played on an Xbox 360. Here's the image. Click it to make it big.
If this "bonus" means enough to you that you want a $1000 Xbox 360 bundle just to upgrade the image quality a game you already own that plays on a machine you also already own, then please, in the name of all that's good and wholesome, get out of the house now and find something meaningful to spend your life on.
That said, this gets my juices going to find out how great my PS3 will make my old PSOne games look. w00t!
If this "bonus" means enough to you that you want a $1000 Xbox 360 bundle just to upgrade the image quality a game you already own that plays on a machine you also already own, then please, in the name of all that's good and wholesome, get out of the house now and find something meaningful to spend your life on.
That said, this gets my juices going to find out how great my PS3 will make my old PSOne games look. w00t!
--jvm at 12:41
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[ 2 ]
09 November 2005
Machinima or home movie?
I've seen a number of people term movies made using game engines machinima, apparently literally meaning "machine movie", but with the release of several new fan created movies for Second Life, The Sims 2, and now a really scary video about World of Warcraft, I'm starting to wonder if the name machinima should be replaced with "home movie". Machinima now seems a touch overly-simplistic.
This doesn't require much of a jump -- once you've exterioralized the self to the point that you, at least for some significant period of time, identify more with your in-game avatar than your body, well, then these videos are movies of your life. Look, I realize how geeky that sounds, and I hope it doesn't happen to too many people too often else we'll be Matrixin' our way to 2084, but seriously, these are no longer simply stories being told through game engines that might be heavily manipulated, like Red vs. Blue, in part because it's easier/uses a different skillset than stop-motion animation, cartooning, or marionettes. These flicks really are ways to express what's important in someone's [virtual] life. If the money can be real, why can't the rest of the life?
This doesn't require much of a jump -- once you've exterioralized the self to the point that you, at least for some significant period of time, identify more with your in-game avatar than your body, well, then these videos are movies of your life. Look, I realize how geeky that sounds, and I hope it doesn't happen to too many people too often else we'll be Matrixin' our way to 2084, but seriously, these are no longer simply stories being told through game engines that might be heavily manipulated, like Red vs. Blue, in part because it's easier/uses a different skillset than stop-motion animation, cartooning, or marionettes. These flicks really are ways to express what's important in someone's [virtual] life. If the money can be real, why can't the rest of the life?
--ruffin at 20:40
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[ 0 ]
08 November 2005
The Future is Nigh
Used games are loved by gamers, hated by game makers. Sony will kill that joy. From a Sony patent:
Reminds me of the most popular article on Curmudgeon Classic, Welcome to the Future, Mr. Gamer. Here's what I said back then:
It's a wonderful time to be a gamer, no?
Since only titles for which legitimate software has actually been purchased and which have been initially registered in the machine table can be used, resale (so-called used software purchase) after purchase by an end-user becomes practically impossible.
Reminds me of the most popular article on Curmudgeon Classic, Welcome to the Future, Mr. Gamer. Here's what I said back then:
No physical media. No rentals. No used games. No sharing games among friends. Limited hardware upgrades. Pay-to-play. Unless something seriously changes the course of the industry, this is the future.GameTap, Xbox Live Arcade, and of course Steam are leading the charge on games without physical media. GameTap is also trying out the software-as-service model. And now Sony is tackling the problem of used games by tying any purchased game to specific hardware, and that stone also kills the rental and sharing birds at the same time.
It's a wonderful time to be a gamer, no?
--jvm at 20:45
Comment
[ 4 ]
04 November 2005
NEX RULES!1!shift1
The Generation NEX console is a failed attempt to clone Nintendo's classic NES system. [blather blather] (from here)
Okay folks, it's time for the NEX bashing to stop. Let's review what's bad about the NES clone:
1.) They took preorders from people who believed their admittedly incredibly shady press releases, interviews, FAQ answers, and fanboy marketing.
2.) They seem to have a few pins miswired in the Famicon port. Nobody's sure yet if that means that the games won't sound right for Famicon games.
3.) They posted compatibility testing (still in progress) after starting NEX production. (That really is less than impressive.)
4.) Nobody's tested the wireless base in it yet.
Now let's hang on and step back. Assume you're an NES lover and you've managed to create wireless NES controllers that apparently work fairly well. You know there are NES clones out there for $38 shipped. You've got no Ellsworth quotient, so you'll never be able to swing creating a better NES-on-a-chip, but you'd still like to make the best NES clone out there. Nintendo, by the way, ain't giving out the design to the NES innards any time soon.
What do you do? Well, you take the most affordable NES on a chip (NOAC) out there and make the NEX, that's what. Now that we know that it's using the ever so dreadful NOAC, which strangely means something much more sinister than Ellsworth's Commodore on a chip (which apparently recreates C=64 internals pretty danged accurately), let's see what the NEX upside is...
1.) Best cartridge slot in the clone business. Very small footprint in your entertainment console.
2.) No Famicon adapter needed, provided the pins aren't a big issue.
3.) A no footprint wireless base built-in. Now I'll admit, that's bringing the price way up if you don't want to use 'em, but remember, that's what the NEX creators know how to do well. Let's pretend you want 'em. I do.
4.) Compatible with original NES controllers (not a big deal; many clones seem to have this, but this NEX slam seems to ignore this feature).
5.) Coolest looking case for an NES clone out there, bar none.
Look, I agree, people who preordered got screwed. The FAQ for the NEX allows optimistic people to believe this isn't some old, crappy (possibly even a particularly crappy) NES on a chip. Still, I'm not sure why people expected too much different. The first few Atari retro collections had trouble -- the Activision stick's emulator had collision detection issues in some games (the Imagic game(s), iirc), the Atari 10-in-1 joystick had Pong on it (are you kidding? A paddle game that really should only be played with two players that's on a one-player joystick?!), the Flashback 1.0 had freakin' 7800 controllers and was, itself, an NES on a chip rigged to emu the Atari, and did that poorly... The NEX really is toeing quality control expectations pretty well.
If you preordered, take it back. You were sold something you didn't order. If you didn't, consider the NEX. I've read nothing that tells me this isn't the highest quality NES clone (as oxymoronically as that sounds) on the market. It really is an impressive, unique, intriguing piece of hardware. As I told Matt, it's got it all: something crappy (its NOAC), something done horribly right (dual cart slots and footprint), and something completely random jacking up the price (integrated wireless base). Now that's interesting hardware. And if it plays Double Dribble, Baseball Stars, Tecmo Bowl, Blades of Steel, Duck Hunt, and Golgo, well, I'm game. And if there's an NEX 2.0, even those burned by the preorder should think about coming back.
Okay folks, it's time for the NEX bashing to stop. Let's review what's bad about the NES clone:
1.) They took preorders from people who believed their admittedly incredibly shady press releases, interviews, FAQ answers, and fanboy marketing.
2.) They seem to have a few pins miswired in the Famicon port. Nobody's sure yet if that means that the games won't sound right for Famicon games.
3.) They posted compatibility testing (still in progress) after starting NEX production. (That really is less than impressive.)
4.) Nobody's tested the wireless base in it yet.
Now let's hang on and step back. Assume you're an NES lover and you've managed to create wireless NES controllers that apparently work fairly well. You know there are NES clones out there for $38 shipped. You've got no Ellsworth quotient, so you'll never be able to swing creating a better NES-on-a-chip, but you'd still like to make the best NES clone out there. Nintendo, by the way, ain't giving out the design to the NES innards any time soon.
What do you do? Well, you take the most affordable NES on a chip (NOAC) out there and make the NEX, that's what. Now that we know that it's using the ever so dreadful NOAC, which strangely means something much more sinister than Ellsworth's Commodore on a chip (which apparently recreates C=64 internals pretty danged accurately), let's see what the NEX upside is...
1.) Best cartridge slot in the clone business. Very small footprint in your entertainment console.
2.) No Famicon adapter needed, provided the pins aren't a big issue.
3.) A no footprint wireless base built-in. Now I'll admit, that's bringing the price way up if you don't want to use 'em, but remember, that's what the NEX creators know how to do well. Let's pretend you want 'em. I do.
4.) Compatible with original NES controllers (not a big deal; many clones seem to have this, but this NEX slam seems to ignore this feature).
5.) Coolest looking case for an NES clone out there, bar none.
Look, I agree, people who preordered got screwed. The FAQ for the NEX allows optimistic people to believe this isn't some old, crappy (possibly even a particularly crappy) NES on a chip. Still, I'm not sure why people expected too much different. The first few Atari retro collections had trouble -- the Activision stick's emulator had collision detection issues in some games (the Imagic game(s), iirc), the Atari 10-in-1 joystick had Pong on it (are you kidding? A paddle game that really should only be played with two players that's on a one-player joystick?!), the Flashback 1.0 had freakin' 7800 controllers and was, itself, an NES on a chip rigged to emu the Atari, and did that poorly... The NEX really is toeing quality control expectations pretty well.
If you preordered, take it back. You were sold something you didn't order. If you didn't, consider the NEX. I've read nothing that tells me this isn't the highest quality NES clone (as oxymoronically as that sounds) on the market. It really is an impressive, unique, intriguing piece of hardware. As I told Matt, it's got it all: something crappy (its NOAC), something done horribly right (dual cart slots and footprint), and something completely random jacking up the price (integrated wireless base). Now that's interesting hardware. And if it plays Double Dribble, Baseball Stars, Tecmo Bowl, Blades of Steel, Duck Hunt, and Golgo, well, I'm game. And if there's an NEX 2.0, even those burned by the preorder should think about coming back.
Labels: nintendo
--ruffin at 20:15
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[ 2 ]
01 November 2005
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