Episode 50 - The 2006 List

I’m just going to throw up a short list… maybe it will be a top 10, maybe it will only be five, I’m just making it up as I go… of games that I enjoyed this year and a brief reason why.

I know you’ve probably seen hundreds of these types of things as of late, but oh well here I go. In no particular order my top whatever:

Sketch Fighter - Mac - Sorry Windows gamers this is a Mac only game. There really aren’t too many of those, well none that are good anyway. This game rocks. It is a hand drawn space shooter. It looks like the kinds of things I drew when I wasn’t paying attention in school. Oh, who am I kidding, it looks like something I draw now when I’m not paying attention to anything. You can download a free trial version or purchase it for 19 dollars. Totally worth it. I read somewhere that they were looking to get LIVE distribution. I’m crossing my fingers.

New Super Mario Bros. - DS - Game that brought me most nostalgia. This is one of the best side scollers since the launch of the N64. Yea that’s right. I said it. This game to me represents everything that a Mario game should be. Fun, Exciting, Adventurous, and full of adjectives hat remind you of being a kid. This game brings me right back to 1990… when Super Mario 3 was released.

Geometry Wars - Xbox Live - Best reason to get a 360. Well… best reason to plug your 360 into the Internet. Seriously downloading this game may have been the best thing I did for my console. This is the single game that opened me up to the idea of downloading games onto my console for casual play. Shapes have never been more devastating to my ego.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 - DS - Puzzle game of the year. With out a doubt. I love this game. It has great use of the stylus, innovative game play and great replay value. I have played through it twice and it didn’t loose its touch. The levels are short enough that you can take it with you and pop out a few levels wherever you are then come back later. What’s also awesome is the level creator… because you can send the levels you make to your friends over Nintendo Wi-Fi. Now if I only had some friends…

Dead Rising - Xbox 360 - This was the game I anticipated the most for the 360 his year. And I love it. I love slaughtering zombies. It’s true. Matthew (you know the writer that doesn’t write) actually considered getting a 360 after playing this game. It’s that good. The guys over at Capcom thought of just about everything. Different outfits, mostly sandbox style, and of course… using everything as a weapon. Did you ever think you would be able to throw a guitar at a zombie? Me neither, but you can. If you own a 360 this game is defiantly worth getting. If you don’t then this game is worth getting the system.

Gears of War - Xbox 360 - If Halo was combat evolved then Gears of War is combat re-defined. Best looking game of the year, with out a doubt, best game play by far. And it captures my inner man and makes me really want to kill Locusts. It’s a pretty fantastic feeling. I’ve never loved cover so much. Ducking, hiding popping out and then blasting the crap out of something that’s not human makes me feel real good. You should try it sometime. It also has a great multi player, so there’s that as well.

Wii Sports - Wii - Best game to bring home to mom… seriously, your mother will play this game. I don’t actually own a Wii… I know scandalous… but I have played it quite a bit and this game is so much fun to play. And you get to play as yourself so that’s even better.

Mario Hoops - DS - Hardest goddamn game I’ve played in a long time. You know how usually with enough persistence you can get past a certain part of a game? That is NOT the case in Mario Hoops. Unless you get lucky you will not be able to beat the game. Difficulty aside, it was also a lot of fun. Mario Hoops is to Basketball what Maro Kart is for Racing… only the basic fundamentals are there. Everything else has been Mario-ized. There’s even a red turtle shell.

Biggest Let Down: After waiting since 2004 to play Twilight Princess I have no Wii, and the game I was most excited for has moved out of my grasp until I can get a hold of one. :(

So there it is. The games I have enjoyed this year. I guess the winning console this year goes to my DS Lite since it procured 3 of my top titles (and has Mario Kart as an honorable mention). Congratulations DS Lite.

Episode 49 – Sick

Sick. Not the definition that goes along with rad, cool, gnarly and tubular. I mean being sick. What games do you play when you are sick?

I am sitting in my old bedroom in my parents house after a full day of nausea. Having only played Tetris DS (since there are no systems hooked up here) it got me thinking about good games to play when you’re sick. Trauma Center would be ironic… playing doctor when you’re sick yourself… hilarious.

Ok… that’s all I have. I don’t feel good. Maybe more tomorrow…

[side note: As I post this I’m feeling fine. I actually I forgot that I wrote it and I should have posted it before episode 48… my bad.]

Episode 48 – Escape Artists

Escaping. It’s what we do. Weather we are street racers in a made up city, or a sword toting hero in a made up world we play games that allow us to escape our world, and be new people that we couldn’t otherwise be. I cant really go back to fight World War II, but I can in a video game.

I think that’s why it seems video game players are also into other fantasy things as well… Not Fantasy, necessarily… just other escapist tendencies. For me I divulge into comic books. To me they go hand in hand. Both allow me to follow fantastic stories that I would otherwise not be privy too. With comic books (rather than actual books) I can follow the character and stories I like knowing that it’s ongoing and wont really end. Just like in a game, things don’t have to necessarily end in a game… you can just keep going (second life, or any MMO really).

I really like the way comics do that. Keep going I mean. Yeah there are different arcs, and certain things and people come and go, but at the end of the day you’ve still got Cyclops, and he’s always the same character you can rely on. And once you really get to know the characters and the history behind most of them they almost become friends of yours. The pictures along with the words really allows you to live the story with them.

I started reading comics in 1994-ish. I dropped off at about ‘99, maybe 2000, and then started back up again in 2004. And you know what, the characters are still the same as when I left them. Sure, other things have happened to change them. Lovers have died, and that might have damaged them, or caused them to change a costume or codename, but at the core, those characters are still the same.

There is consistency in gaming also. There were how many Mega Man games? It’s what makes us go back and replay video games we have already beaten, and what keeps us buying the next game in a franchise.

As people trying to escape our world, be it the monotony of paying the bills or a horrible roommate, we like to know what we’re getting ourselves into. I find myself having a lot of escapist tendencies. Reading comics, playing video games, and pretending a LOT. Probably more than someone my age should. You know, when I go on a job interview I pretend I’m meeting the president… or, I have an important message to deliver… or any one of a thousand things, every day at all times. Mostly though, I like to pretend that I have a million readers…

Memories

(I blame Kotaku but) Today i was thinking about video games (of course) and the consoles and games i have received in Christmas gift form. In 1992 (i believe) I received an SNES... well my house received an SNES. I had to share it with my two sisters. I got a lot of mileage out of that system. It replaced the NES that we only half owned... It's long and complicated and not worth telling... regardless, we had an SNES and got Mario Kart and Mario Paint also that year. Definitely enough to keep us occupied.

The year after that i think (yes Wikipedia confirms that it was 1993) a game that is still one of my favorite games of all time. That game being Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Good times indeed.

Honestly I didn't receive any other video game anything until Last year... when my mom gave me a brand new in the box Atari 2600. For the most part they don't like to contribute to my addiction... however, this is more of a collectible.

I probably will not receive any more video game paraphernalia again. Mostly because when there is a game i want, I'll buy it. I don't wait around for Christmas or my birthday. Besides I'm an adult (kinda). I can do what I want.

So now i'm going to pass on the message Kotaku passed on to me. Take some time to reflect on the video games you have received and all the fun times you had playing them...

[Editors note: back on this horrid computer wi-fi-less.]

Episode 47 – Musically Challenged

So since I wrote the article about music influencing my opinion about the next Mario I’ve been thinking about um… well music. People who write music for video games don’t get nearly enough credit. While most people can tell you who composed the music for their favorite movie but cant for the life of them tell you who wrote the music for their favorite game.

People can tell you just about every movie that John Williams has scored but for the life of them can’t tell you who wrote the theme to Super Mario Bros… actually I had to look it up to be sure. It’s Koji Kondo in case you didn’t know.

When you think about it it’s kind of absurd and kind of a shame. You spend 40, 50, sometimes 60 hours with a game and yet movies only last about 2 hours. With the magic of mathematics I am able to figure out that you would have to watch your favorite movie 30 times to match the time it takes to play through one game.

Video game consoles now over 30 years old and still there is no category in the Grammy’s for video game score. No matter how hard the ESRB or any other organization tries, video games scores don’t seem to get the public recognition they deserve.

So next time you are with people who are talking about the best movie scores, and talk about Williams Star Wars score, or Elfmans score for Batman. Talk about Animal Crossing. And the next time you hum the Zelda remember how great Koji Kondo’s compositions are.

[Editors note: I have discovered WiFi at my aunts house. Victory.]

not an episode...

I wish i was posting an episode today... and actually i wish i posted one yesterday too. Thing is, they are written and saved on my MacBook... but my MacBook doesnt seem to want to play with the router at my parents hosue. I think the eithernet port is cooked.

Either way, It appears there won't be an post until the 27th. I know... i'm breaking your heart. And i'm sorry. Hey, maybe my parents will get a wireless router for christmass... it'll be a chirstmas miricle!

Either way, i hope everyone has a great time, and i hope Santa can take Manhattan and still have time you pick you up what ever you wanted. Ok, this was supposed to be a quick message before i depart to eat lots of food and now its dragging out too long. So i'll go. We'll talk again soon...

Episode 46 – Use It!

I kind of have an issue with sports games. Let me tell you a story:

For the 2004-2005 season 2K is making sports games that only cost 20 dollars branding their games with ESPN. I don’t have a hockey game for my Xbox so for 20 bucks I’ll defiantly grab ESPN NHL 2K5. Ok there’s a lock out in 2004 so actually there was no season. They should have given this game away… but that’s something else.

But ok, 2005-2006 comes around and there’s a whole new set of rules in the NHL along with entire new rosters and two years worth of rookies, and a lot of players who retired, (Mark Messier). Now 2K has dropped the ESPN partnership but still managed to keep the price down, at 30 dollars. Seems like a good price, plus with all the new rules and rosters and such, I feel 2K6 is a game I need to buy. So I do. And when I pop the disc into my Xbox I get old rosters.

What the hell is that? You had a whole year to change the rosters and they didn’t.

So I started my season in August (because I always end up behind the season anyway) with these BS rosters. I could manually change every player but that would take forever. I’m not happy.

Then all of a sudden in mid September or October I forget, I get a little blip on my Xbox through Live (the old Live). It tells me there is an update for NHL 2K6. Sweet, its new rosters. Totally makes my day. I was hoping that next year they would put update again with the next years rosters… but no. Not the case.

What also sucks is that 2K (and EA) had their hockey games at 60 dollars this season (2K7 and 07 respectivly for the 360). So now that you’ve heard my whole ordeal about hockey games and all that I’ll get to my point.

It can’t cost too much money to build and create a game each year where there aren’t too many changes overall. I would bet that most of the money is spent in new packaging and distribution. And since not too much has to change offering a free (yeah right) or reasonably priced update over Live, or WiiConnect or the PlayStation downloadable service would be awesome. Even if it was only supported for one year.

So if I spend the ungodly 60 dollars on NHL 2K8 next year when 2K9 is released for 5-10 bucks I should be able to download the new rosters for the 08-09 season. Think what it would do for 2K. Well, they would defiantly get my 60 dollars, and eventually 10 more down the line with out having provided me with anything more really.

And all I really ask is for that kind of support be made available for the next season. After that, I’ll go and buy the game again. I’ll have to, or I’ll have to play with old rosters. I think its is something that 2K would do sooner than EA. Knowing EA's history with mirco-transactions they would probably charge for other unlockables, but certainly not support for their games.

Every console is equipped with online functionally. Use it!

Episode 45 – This Generations Mario

The name Mario evokes such a great feeling of nostalgia in me, and many other people who had an eight bit childhood. Saying it or even hearing the tiniest bit of that theme song floods me with emotions and memories of happier times when we had zero responsibility and life was good. Since the original Mario was released a lot has changed in the world, and in video games. It’s hard for me to remember sometimes that there are a great number of people who didn’t grow up playing 8bit games. They grew up playing 16 bit games, or 32/64 bit games! And I’m sure there is some kid whose first console ever is the Wii, and he wont understand how revolutionary it truly is.

A current high school senior was born in 1989. That means they probably didn’t even see a video game until they were 5… 1994. That’s 2 years after the SNES dropped. If they were the eldest in their family, then they never even saw my beloved NES, and (unless they had Mario All Stars) never played Super Mario Bros.

If that’s not enough to freak you out consider this: anyone just a mere 2 years younger than the current Seniors (that would be Sophomores for those playing the home game) probably didn’t even play the SNES and jumped right into the PlayStation or N64. Now that really freaks me out.

So if Mario, and the Mario theme (along with seeing that 8bit pixilated beauty of a sprite) can bring such a sense of nostalgia what will do it for these guys?

For players of those two generations I think it may maintain at Mario, either World or 64 as those are quite iconic and two really great games. However I can easily see Sonic replacing Mario for those unfortunate children who didn’t have an SENS, and instead had a Genesis. As I said before Sony never really had a mascot or a game that was bundled with the PS1 so I don’t really know where those kids will turn for nostalgia.

The thing with those games though is that none of them were as groundbreaking as Super Mario Bros. I mean that game set the bar for just about every video game that was released after it.

This may sound a little pre-emptive but I have a sneaking suspicion that Halo may very well be this generations Mario, in terms of nostalgia. Halo, like Mario before it, really set the standard for every game to follow it. Just think about how many other games have been called the “Halo killer.” It seems like every first person shooter that comes out on the PS2 (and now PS3) is being called “Sony’s Halo killer.” Most recently it was Resistance: Fall of Man. But what ever the next one is, it will don the title too.

The Master Chief certainly is iconic looking enough. He has the clean lines that icons yearn for, the kind of guy that even the most terrible of artists can draw and people will understand who it is. Mario had that. You put any guy in overalls and a red shirt and you’ve got Mario.

But to make a game rich in nostalgia it must have memorable music. I’d say Halo’s music stands out among other games. And I’d also say most gamers would be able to pick it out; much easier than say from Call of Duty or Project Gotham Racing.

Coupling all these things together with the fact that Halo 2 is still the most played game on Xbox Live a solid two years after its release. And if Live was invented when Halo 1 came out I can guarantee that would be the most played game on Live. It’s still a favorite when people get together. All this tells me that the Halo brand is alive and kicking ass in more places than just my own mind. And we all know that when a brand gets this much esteem and praise it was because the first title was solid.

So I’ll say it again. I truly believe that Halo will be this generation of gamers Mario.

I had been thinking about this for a while… until I saw this video. It is an extremely talented group of High School students performing the Halo theme at some HS talent event in the middle of nowhere Illinois. They totally rock the song, with much of the rocking coming from a violin… my new favorite instrument.

So obviously these guys know what they’re doing they could have played any song and it would have been awesome. I can only imagine what the Zelda theme would have sounded like. Probably beyond anything I could ever hope for in my lifetime. So with any piece of music ever written at their disposal they chose the theme from Halo. That right there speaks loads about them.

What I thought was most interesting was that towards the end of the song just as they are kicking as and rocking harder than Kiss in the 80s they launch into the Super Mario Bros theme. It got the (mostly non-gamer) crowd a little more into the performance because they all cheered once it started. I initially took it as just that, a simple “here you old fogies might recognize this” additive to appease the parents in the audience.

But the more I think about it, and listen to the song (which has to be near a dozen times in the past two days) I think its more of a passing of the torch, a nod to the elders as the new generation moves foreword. A subtle way of saying, “this is the song for our generation, you guys had Mario, and we respect that, but this one is ours.”

Some gamers might not be happy about this and really, calling something the "new Mario" won't make anyone who is archaic enough to remember Super Mario Bros happy. And while Halo may not have had the effect on us the way Mario did, but we are passed the age where these things can make a difference. It's up to the new generation. They need to choose the game upon which their nostalgia lays. And I believe they have spoken...



(there is also a 'studio' version… also amazing)

[Edit: added the last paragraph. - eight]

Episode 44 – A Clusterfuck of Stupidity

That’s a technical term in case you are wondering. I don’t like ranting, partly because the inflection in my voice is lost over a blog, and partly because it’s not proactive. However, there’s always a however…

I love video games. I think that was pretty obvious. I currently own/run a video game site called eight bit childhood, which pretty much tells you that I played video games when I was a wee boy in the old country… that country being Long Island. And its that love that gets me angry over this: video game ratings.

Now, I don’t mind that they are rated. And actually I agree with the ESRBs system and their ratings. I like that no one under 17 can buy an M rated game, like no one under 17 can buy a ticket to an R rated movie. That all works for me, and I’m glad that a 10 year old cant purchase Leisure Suit Larry.

The thing that gets me angry is that people don’t know. People don’t look at the god damn boxes. The ratings are right on the outside. Right on the front in big text, right there just look and READ. And if you’re going to be stupid and not read the huge ratings on both the front and back of the box explaining why something is rated the way it is then you have no right to complain about “violent video games.”

I guess when get down to it its that term that really gets me angry. Parents and parent organizations banning together to try and put a stop to violent video games because they are harming our children. Well guess what, your children are not allowed to buy these games with out you. So just stop. Stop with the organizing and just read the box. Stop with the passing of the anti video game laws, and just think about what you’re saying. These parent groups want to stop the selling of the games to kids… guess what, the ESA already does that with their ratings board. It’s the parents who don’t pay attention.

You cant blame a 10 year old for playing GTA (that seems to be the favorite whipping boy of anti games groups). How did a ten year old get his hands on GTA anyway? He doesn’t have a job and cant drive himself to the store. And even if he managed to save his birthday money and walked to the store he STILL couldn’t buy the game because its rated M, and you have to be over 17 to buy it. So how does a 10 year old get his hands on GTA, he asks for it for his birthday. And the parents are just trying to make their child happy purchase it with out even looking at the box. Idiots. If the kid asked for Texas Chainsaw Massacre on DVD you would probably check the rating the movie. I bet that’s the first thing they would do.

Parents need to wise up and shut up. You cant try and regulate things that are already regulated. And you cant complain about your own idiocy. Short from having a rep from the ESA go to every house in America and explaining what each of the ratings represents I don’t know what more people want… it is all right there on the box.

Episode 43 – Someone Make this into an Ad

I just had this idea for a commercial for a game console. Two guys are hanging out and one says, “what did you do last night?” and the second launches into his story about he was on the run from the cops, then after he evaded them he found a downed alien space craft and had to fight hundreds of hostel aliens in the woods. You would see footage of all this, and the kid is getting really excited while he tells the story. Then he asks. What did you do last night?” “um, just watched TV.” Man, you should come to my place. Then boom, “Live In Your World. Play In Ours.” PS3. That would be awesome.

[editors note: aparently i wrote this on Saturday though i have no recolection of it. I don't know when i could have wrote it since i was working all day and went strait to a birthday party all night... this blog is writing itself now. I didn't even remember this idea, but i'll say this, i like it.]

Episode 42 – Monotony

It’s just such a great word. And easily linked to what I would call our culture. Go a head and use it in a sentence. I’ll go first, “After another monotonous day at work I was able to lift m spirits with some Mario Kart.” Wasn’t that easy. Video games are never quite the same experience every time you play them and they do so much to get you out of your daily rut.

Even if you’re angry at the current line up of titles like “dude, killing aliens is so monotonous.” A valid point for sure. When you get to this point, it’s time for another game. Maybe a racing title will suit you… or perhaps a puzzle game. You can come over if you like, I have several.

Personally I think it’s a great word, and one of the few things you cant say about video games, and the video game industry. I thought about this while I was doing laundry today. Yes, laundry. The only true never ending story. I thought how monotonous the dryer was… until I pulled out my DS Lite and played me some video games. Just popped it out, played some Mario Hoops, and put it away after the ninjas kicked my ass. If you’re wondering, I have not beat the Hard level in that game. I have reason to believe that there may be an even tougher echelon after that but I am actually afraid to check on the Internet.

Anyway I just wanted to thank video games for making my doing of laundry more interesting and generally taking a good chunk of the monotony out of my life. Now, if only I didn’t start every post with Episode I could probably remove even more of that monotony.

Episode 41 – Behind the Scenes

That’s the new thing now in video games now. The behind the scenes features. The first game I remember doing that was Halo 2. It came with a DVD showing the making of the game. I thought it was a little excessive. So I didn’t get the special edition. Now it seems more and more games are getting special editions. Everything from the big budget shooters like Gears of War to Forza 2 are getting behind the scenes documentaries.

I enjoyed it when DVD came along and introduced the making of thing to the public. But that’s because you can see the actors there, and the director and all these people in real space and time. The thought of watching some people on a computer as they progress in creating a sniper riffle doesn’t really appeal to me. There’s no rehearsal type, for a video game. And therefore either something can do what it needs to do, or it can’t. To me that’s not interesting.

My friend Dorian bought the Halo 2 SE as well as another special edition… though I cant think of it right now… and never watched it. When Halo 3 drops next year there is going to be a Legendary Edition, or Extreme Excessive Edition as I call it. Included in the box (which is shaped like the Master Chief’s helmet) is the game plus 3 discs of bonus content. 3? That’s more content then the actual game itself. It includes all of the cinematics from the first two games in HD. So you’re selling me things I already bought?

The whole thing makes no sense to me. I enjoy games. I just want to play the game. By including the behind the scenes stuff it makes it less real. Videogames are supposed to allow you to submerge yourself in a world. That’s not happening if I can see that world being created.

(I know this post isn’t so good… but I’m in a rush, and was only given 20 minutes to write this as I transfer 50 gigs of data from one hard drive to another… You can see the making of this blog in stores next week…)

Episode 40 – If Consoles Were People

Which one would you date? I look at each console as it made its American debut.

Xbox 360: The early bloomer. Though its older sibling was not so attractive it was beautiful on the inside… for containing a hard drive. This one, however, is a little more superficial… probably because it had its coming out party so early. Ditching the standard hard drive for sheer power and gorgeous looks the 360 is a real head turner. It comes in all white, so it will make you feel special and elite. Like how iPods were back in 2004. It’s got the processing power and the graphics capabilities in one sexy looking machine. No wires will be able tie this monster down. Don’t even get me started on the ease of its OS. With the automatic downloads, and the keeping track of who you played with last time. The Live service makes you feel like the most important person in the world. With all the killer apps that are out the 360 makes demands for HD and dolby 5.1. And with those looks, and those oh so pretty graphics… you say yes. Because you want to give her everything she wants. The Xbox is like that girl in high school that was found womanhood early and looked hot. Everyone wanted her. This machine knows it’s wanted and will give you everything you need… that’s right… it rumbles. But even though it is looking very good right now, in a year or two, the early bloomer might have been too early.


PS3: We all drooled over the PSP. So when the sexy looking PSP came to town talking about its cousin the PS3 we all assumed that it was going to be as good looking. We were let down… at first. We realized that getting to know the PS3 was kind of clunky. Though the interface is stupid, and the outside is not terrible but it’s not perfect either. After talking to the PS3 for like an hour we soon realized that while not the head turner we expected it has a pretty decent personality. All the PS3 seemed to talk about was cell processor and blu-ray. It kind of made us back away. When it mentioned that it couldn’t vibrate either, our attention wandered and we stared at the wall for a little while. Then the PS3 reminds us that it can do everything our previous girlfriends have done to us… this includes multiple versions of MGS. Our ears went up and we listened. It seemed that actually the PS3 was pretty sweet on the inside, and after seeing how much weight the PS2 lost, the superficial side of us also saw potential. While the PS3 might be a little like the slightly awkward girl in the front row at school, we don’t know what she is going to grow up to be. She might be a late bloomer and become a supermodel… a cancer-curing supermodel. You’re chance to get in before you’re just another stupid guy is now. The PS3 is demanding however. She wants to make you earn her love. She demands TRUE HD, and 5.1 audio. Though currently the PS3 is having trouble learning unique tricks to keep us happy, if you can sit tight for the long haul, it might surprise you.


Wii: The Wii was brought up with prestige. Its family has been in the business for generations longer than anyone else in the game, and it has the best chance of staying in the business for a long time. As in any high profile family, there is always one black sheep. The Wii is the Nintendo family’s outcast. Everything about the Wii is new and fresh. She’s here to rock your world and make you realize that all the things you thought you were doing right with a console, you were doing oh so wrong… and nobody had the heart to tell you. Don’t expect to just be sitting on the sofa as you play with this piece. Oh no. You want to have some fun, this is your stop. You’ll be doing a lot of standing, and jumping and moving around. The Wii is crazy, and will want you out of breath, or she hasn’t done her job. The Wii is like the spoiled rich girl who had the opportunity to have everything handed to her, but decided to do things her own way, without the help of her family. She’s had to make some sacrifices, in the graphics department, but she’s easygoing and not demanding like the other two. She doesn’t need a fancy HDTV, she’s fine with what ever you have. She also doesn’t need ridiculous surround sound, or any of that. She has a vast collection of titles that have come up through her family so she will love you no matter who you are or other titles you love. The Wii is just so adorable. She’s the kind of console you bring home to mom and introduce to the whole family. She’ll even get along with your weird cousin who collects worms.

So there it is. All laid out for you on blog. So make your choice world… make your choice.

Episode 39 - Making Dreams A Reality

Yesterday Microsoft released XNA. For those of you who don’t exactly know what XNA I’ll try and explain it as simply as possible. Basically anyone who knows how to code things (I don’t) can make a game for windows and have people download it and that’s all well and good. Well what Microsoft is trying to do now is get people to develop for the Xbox 360. XNA is kind of a community and a developer situation where by you can download this software that will help you move your controls onto the 360 controller so when you burn your disc (I guess?) your controls will work with the 360 controller. With XNA other people who pay the annual fee of 99 dollars will be able to play your game and be able to give you feedback and all sorts of good things.

In short, Microsoft will let Joe Nobody make a game playable on the 360.

When XNA was unveiled at E3 this year nobody really understood what they were talking about. It was kind of… well confusing… as I’m sure my description is. Anyway, during E3 MS said their eventual goal was to allow everyone on Live to have access to these games, not just the people paying the subscription fee. So (hopefully soon) we will be seeing people creating games at home, and putting them on live and then I can go and download them. Or, we might even see some online retail where the money goes to the programmer, and not to MS through their convoluted points system.

Do you know what this means?

Of course you do. It means Santa Takes Manhattan is coming to the 360! Oh yes. And it will be amazing. I have decided that tomorrow… well tomorrow I’m busy... Wednesday I will pick up a book and start learning how to code things for video games.

It also means that Xbox Live will be an awesome place where indy developers will be able to actually get their games distributed. Much like iTunes has become a place where indy bands can get their music out to more people than their website, Live is soon to become a place bustling with independent games. I know that I am going to be all over that once it starts in full swing. 20 dollars says the top 5 selling Indy Live games are more innovative than anything EA has put out in the past 3 years.

Oh, and Santa… I’m coming for you!

Keeping Score

Those of you keeping score at home you will have noticed that i have missed posting on two days. The most recent was yesterday (sunday). I just wanted to let you know that yesterday i decided that i would be not posting on sundays and since it was a sunday i didn't... so thats not my fault. The first was in november and i was actually busy (oddly enough) and didnt have time to write something. So now that you know i wont be posting on sunday anymore please only deduct 5 points from my final grade.

hmm... keeping score would be a great name for an episode.

Episode 38 – In Sync

I know there is probably a good reason but I cant come up with one. But how come in video games the lips are never in sync with the dialogue? Seriously is that the best they can do?

Playing Gears of War, it looks great. The textures, the colors, the good guys the bad guys… everything is gorgeous. The voice acting is really good too. Voice acting in video games has come a long way. Starting with no sound, and only subtitles (much like movies) we have progressed rather nicely to today where most games have stellar voice talent. Yet for some reason the lips never sync up right during those scenes with heavy dialogue. The lips look… funny. They don’t move properly.

If it was something I thought was impossible then I wouldn’t be writing a post about it. But you know what, Toy Story came out in 1995, and proved to me that it was possible to sync computer animation and human voices.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “I bet he has a great story to share with me.” Nope. This is just one of those things that bothers me quite frequently in games. Especially when there was so much time taken on other things its almost as if they didn’t care about it. Granted lip-syncing is not the most crucial part of video game making. Yet when it’s the only thing that is lacking, in a game that has everything else it bothers me.

why i won't kill someone.

becasue eightbitchildhood looks pretty much the way i want it to... except for the whole logo thing, which i cant put at the top where it says "eight bit childhood" i was hoping that could get fixed but no dice. maybe if i'm a good boy santa will bring it to me.

why i'm going to kill someone.

Mostly because Blogger needed to be updated and because of this i lost hours of work i had done to this site. Thank you google. Just allow me to write my own code for this and and i'll be much happier.

Episode 37 – Something Old

I was on the street and overheard some businessman say to a girl “Remember the Sega Menacer? The light gun? No?” I instantly smiled. Yeah, I remember the Menacer. But I remember the Super Scope more. I never used the Menacer because well… I didn’t have a Genesis. I had a SNES. But I didn’t have a Super Scope either… because it looked idiotic and I can’t think of a single game that made use of it… none that I wanted anyway. Wikipedia tells me that there were only 11. And all of them look horrible.

Those two light guns were created at the end of a kind of era where peripherals for the NES were so well received. Everyone had the light gun because it came with the system. A lot of people had the arcade pad (or NES Advantage) as well… although I always found it harder to use then the actual controller.

I can think of only one person I knew who had the Super Scope and I remember it took an insane amount of batteries to operate, and they didn’t last very long. It seems after the NES the light gun didn’t really make the transition to the next-gen (haha, because the snes was next… get it?).

I don’t even know of a light gun made for any other system after that. I’m pretty sure there were none. Although I think it would be fun if there were one on the Xbox. I wonder what it would look like. If the Zapper was a pistol, and the Menacer is some kind of automatic thing, and the Super Scope was easily rocket launcher (the thing rested on your shoulder) would the Xbox version be like a sniper? That would be pretty cool. Or a shotgun… or the chainsaw gun from Gears of War.

My guess is we will never see another light gun again. There is too much of a need for walking around and shooting these days and nothing really works better than a controller. That’s right, I said controller not keyboard + mouse. Why? Because the controller has two joysticks and was designed to play videogames. The keyboard was not designed for that purpose. Everyone knows it was designed so people could blog.

So, take this time to think about what the businessman said, “Remember the sega Menacer? The light gun? No?” because that is the future. Our kids will have never played duck hunt, or picked up a gun shaped controller, and for that I weep.

Episode 36 – A Group Effort

We’ve talked about playing alone and together before. And I think each one of those points of view is a little strong and closed minded. I think its obvious I was playing devils advocate… not the movie with Al ‘best devil ever’ Pachino and Keanu ‘whoa’ Reeves.

I talked about playing together with people over the intertubes but I don’t think I talked about playing together with people who are in the same room/apartment/house as you. It is way crazier than any other kind of togetherness. I have played a lot (a whole lot) of Halo (1 and 2) in a lan setting with two teams and two TV’s and there really is nothing else like it. Just the knowledge that you are sniping people who are sitting in the next room, or right across from you (depending on the setup) is probably the coolest feeling ever.

I think I have mentioned that me and my roommate both have 360’s, and they’re networked. Well I if I haven’t then now you know. Anyway… a few people came over for some Gears of War action and it was unlike any Halo event we have ever had. Part of the reason might be because it was a new game with a whole new experience and some new controls for many people. The night hit the apex when my friend Stephen came running into my room after sniping out my entire team and gave us the “suck it” gesture… that or the people below us banging on the ceiling at 2am presumably with a broom causing the floor to shake a little.

I wanted to talk about this phenomenon. The one that gets people crazy after sniping out an entire team. I don’t think he would have gotten that worked up if they were strangers on the other end of a microphone. I never have on Halo or Crimson Skies. I’m pretty mild mannered and very quiet on Live. But I found myself cheering after every kill. Didn’t matter whose side got the kill. And let me tell you, the chainsaw gun… best idea ever. Evoked cheering and yelling and all sorts of crazy reactions. It got me really excited.

There is something about having someone else playing with you who is next to you that is way cooler than playing alone or over the internet. There is a personal connection there that you can work off of when your completion and teammates are with you. The atmosphere is freaking electric, and neighbors pounding is fantastic. Makes you feel naughty… and I liked it.

I get almost the same feeling as the multiplayer as I do currently in the campaign (for Gears of War) since I am playing it with someone who is in the same space as me. It really brings the game more to life when you can share the experience for the first time with someone else. We are constantly yelling at each other from our respective rooms about how cool shit looks.

Video games are an experience. One that can be shared… if you wishIt actually reminds me of the first time I beat Contra on the NES. After not being able to beat it alone, I joined forces and did it with my cousin Tim. It was way more fun because we were figuring things out together and playing off each other. Playing games that way to me is a lot more enjoyable. . Personally, I have come to enjoy the networking situation that I currently have. It’s pretty damn good… aside from the grumpy neighbors it works out pretty well.

So to amend what may have been said earlier. Playing together can be fun, when the people you’re playing with are with you.

Episode 35 – On Karts

What was it that Freud said about dreams? Something about wish fulfillment? I don’t remember either, but what I do remember is that Mario Kart haunted my dreams last night. It has gotten into my head and wont leave.

Command and Conquer Generals used to be this way too… back in 2002. I would dream about mining my resources so fast and building Patriot Missiles… and life was good. But that was then. This… this Mario Kart situation has taken over my life. I don’t even have anymore to unlock and yet I find myself wanting more.

It has even transplanted itself into other games. I played some Need for Speed Most Wanted yesterday. A game I beat in a kind of co-op fashion with my roommate last year, on his 360 and his Gamer Tag. Well, I decided it was time for another play through… anyway, I found myself racing and not only wanting to drop banana peals but actively looking for boxes. After completing the first race I actually thought to my self, “Man, I didn’t get any boxes that whole race.”

It took me a little while to actually make the switch in my mind to go from Mario Kart to racing game. If I had jumped into a racing simulator (Forza, Gran Turismo) I think my head would have exploded.

It kind of reminded me of my Double Dash days. My Game Cube has been at my parent’s house in the suburbs for about a year now. I wasn’t playing it and my younger sister loves her some Double Dash. So it landed there. Anyway I remember after a long session of Double Dash I had to run to the grocery store. I got into the car and pulled out of the driveway onto our street. I got halfway down the block and had to stop. Because if I made it to the corner I was going to try and make the little Mazda MX-6 slide around and try for some blue sparks. Mario Kart then actual driving is not a good combination. I’m surprised Nintendo hasn’t posted a disclaimer for that yet.

Anyway, there are few games that can get me obsessed to the point of me dreaming about them. Obviously Mario Kart DS is one of them. Command and Conquer Generals as well. I’m trying to think if Ocarina of Time did it for me when I played it (for the first time) in 2003… but I don’t think it did. Those might be the only two games that have had such a great impact on me… though I’m hoping to dream of a twilight princess soon.

Episode 34 – The Computer Cheated

I am currently very frustrated at my Mario Kart DS. And I thought I’d bring up something that (I assume) everyone has said at least once during their eight bit childhood. That is of course: The Computer Cheated.

It seems the computer cheated a lot during racing games. Right as you were so close to winning, the guy behind you would get a burst of speed and pass you. Though it happened in racing more, other genres were victim of cheating as well. You know, when your ‘guy’ wouldn’t do everything you wanted it to do. Or you totally pushed ‘a’ but he didn’t jump.

We said this as if the ‘computer’ has any stake in the game at all. As if it has a goal to achieve, a quota of losses possibly. If it cheats it has nothing to gain. As 8 year olds, we did not know this. But even as you got a little older and knew there was no way the computer could cheat, you were always suspect. Every now and then when you were frustrated you would blame the computer. I do. I did it today (well, yesterday by the time you read this). That damn blue shell cost me at least 4 races today. I got hit right by the finish and then Yoshi passed me to take first. Stupid dinosaur.

The computer cheated. Is there any other explanation?

As our brains and thumbs evolved, we had fewer excuses, and fewer reasons to blame things on the computer. I bet now most people don’t even blame the computer anymore. We’re older, and a bit more logical than that.

But what if the console (or handheld) was sitting there… just biding its time. Waiting. Waiting to cheat. What if a sleeper program has been embedded into every gaming device? And now that they are all online, including the handhelds, that sleeper program can be activated at any time. Then one day you found that you cant come in first place in racing games. And your sniper shots just don’t have the kick they used to. The computer really was cheating…

It would be one hell of a day I know that. The gaming blogs would be crazy, and I can’t even imagine what GameSpy/IGN/GameSpot/1up would do. Probably go nuts. There would be insane amounts of YouTube videos of blue shells coming out of nowhere and taking out your kart. It would be pretty awesome come to think of it.

I will say this; it would make me feel a lot better if I knew the computer actually could cheat. Because then that would actually explain why the goddamn ninjas in Mario Hoops were so good, and why those damn blue shells are kicking my ass right now at Mario Kart.

Episode 33 – Just A Passing Fad

Is that what game consoles are? As I wonder this I am staring at an eBay auction for pogs. Yes. Those circle pieces of cardboard that had stuff printed on one side. One of the stupidest fads that ever hit the masses… it’s right up there with the pet rock.

But some things are destined to fade. Pogs and the pet rock were both very short lived. If you blinked you missed them. Music videos are on their way out too. You may think not, but how many channels show music videos? Not MTV, not MTV 2 (a channel created for music videos), Not VH1. The channel that pretty much brought about the invention of the music video doesn’t even support it, that alone should be a clear signal that music videos are going the way of the pog.

It’s strange to say that. Music videos were just a fad. But they were around for so long, they couldn’t be just a fad, could they? Well, they came and went and currently no one is batting an eye as they leave us. The drive in movie theatre left too, a long time ago. It had a really good run as well. With televisions getting larger and picture quality getting better and better I wouldn’t be surprised if in 20 more years there were no movie theatres. Going to the movies was something we did, and once the demand has diminished the market will move on.

I think consoles might be on their way out…at least what we think of as a console.

The console was created back when computers were very expensive and the price of a computer wasn’t justifiable if you were only going to use it for videogames. The Atari 2600 and eventually the Nintendo Entertainment System were cost effective solutions to getting computer games in homes. Launching at 200 dollars the NES brought videogames to millions of people who couldn’t afford a computer. Consoles did one thing. Play video games. Since it only did one thing it kept costs down and kept it way cheaper than buying a new computer.

That was true until this year. All three current generation game consoles do much more than just play video games. They play movies and music, you can buy television shows, surf the web, check the weather, leave messages for people on your console, leave messages for other people you know on their console… the list goes on.

Sony’s gaming console is 600 dollars. That’s not cheaper than a new computer. You can get a Dell for that, or a Mac Mini. But wait, Ken said it’s not a gaming console. It’s not? Then what the hell is it? A computer… like a Vaio? But it has a cell processor… ok, so it’s a SUPER Vaio. You can even plug in a keyboard and mouse you say? It’s not a console then. They call that a computer.

Microsoft’s gaming console costs 400 dollars. It’s cheaper, but not by much. What caused it to be so much money? There’s a freakin’ operating system in the damn thing. And it has more USB ports than my computer. Seriously, it has 3… I have 2 on my tower.

Nintendo’s gaming console is at least at the right price point. 250. I like the sound of that. But I bet if it didn’t connect directly to CNN for news, and checked the weather, and also had its own OS we could have had that cost down even more.

We are nearing the point where consoles do almost as much as the computers in people’s homes. Microsoft and Sony are competing to make their console a one stop home entertainment device. The 360 is a media center. It will play music and movies off your computer. You can also rent movies or buy TV shows off their service. That’s a pretty big draw. To also know that it does all that, AND if there is a game you want eventually down the road, you can play that too. Or maybe you just want some hot Mrs. Pac Man action… that’s ok too.

Sony’s not there yet. But it’s coming. I’ll bet you the ability to download anything from the Sony Pictures and Sony Music libraries then sync them onto your Sony Portable Media Player will be here by next Christmas.

Even Nintendo announced a Wii that plays DVD’s will be available by next year. That plus being able to store all those channels on the Wii Dashboard, or whatever its called, and having an SD slot for expandable memory. You could get yourself a couple of gigs of storage in that tiny box.

This could be very bad for gamers. Once a device starts to do multiple tasks, it begins to appeal to more people. Once it begins to appeal to more people something has to start suffering. Since there are more non gamers, than gamers, and that’s where there is an issue.

I see one of two things happening as consoles drift away from only playing games.

1) As they become more media center than gaming platform more people will buy the consoles, but there will be less games sold. With the decline of games developers will take less and less time with their games until we start getting lots of crap. Those small downloadable games become huge hit, but that because the people buying those aren’t gamers and they are more of a novelty and the smaller companies turn to developing those over new titles.

2) As the consoles become more of a media center the consumer doesn’t buy them. The price is too high and they can pretty much get a Media Center PC for a little more. Since the functionality has already been implemented in the consoles they have already seemingly turned their backs on gamers in an attempt to get more market share. But it doesn’t work. And with Games for Windows picking up speed we will migrate to PC gaming. Which won’t be a big deal because we’ll have a media center hooked into our TV anyway, and it will play our games.

I’m not a fan of either of these scenarios. I like the idea of one machine doing one task and doing it well. But our gaming consoles are beginning to do many things coupled with they are more powerful than our home computers. Right now there are small additions that are taking us away from consoles, eventually well… consoles may go the way of the pet rock.

Episode 32 – Have We Run Out Of Genres?

So last night I started playing Gears of War… Finally. I’ve had it for like 3 weeks and just haven’t been able to get me and my roommate together to start the campaign. Well it has begun and after a few hours of playing I am extremely impressed. The thing looks gorgeous even on my slightly damaged television. It’s a great game for Co-op, but I don’t want to talk about the game itself. Just this:

Have we run out of genres?

I don’t want to sound cynical… playing Gears of War was fun, but it was nothing new. It has some new elements, but that’s really it. It’s a pretty standard shooter. I haven’t actually played a new genre in a really long time. As I look around at my stack of games I see much of the same. Sports, Survival Horror, First Person Shooter, Third Person Strategy Shooter, Racing, Puzzle, Action RPG, Real Time Strategy, Platformers … Thinking back to other games I have owned in the past, they all pretty much fit into those categories. There are other games, like Turn Based RPG, Space Shooters, and Creation games like, Sims, Sim City, and Rollercoaster Tycoon, (and probably Spore when it comes out) but all of these genres have been out for a long time.

I’m not quite sure how long we, the gamers, are going to be able to deal. It’s a large amount of genres, yes. I wont argue with that. But the last first person shooter I played was exactly like every other previous first person shooter I’ve played… only it had better graphics. That’s only going to sustain me for so long. Actually, it’s already starting to wear on me. That’s why I wont get Call of Duty 3. Because graphics don’t make a game for me. The team thing is nice, because it’s a new aspect. I liked GRAW, because you have to rely on the computers characters for certain things. Same with Gears. But how long with last?

Maybe that’s it… we wont get new genres just new aspects of the same genre. It hasn’t actually failed me yet. Just as I’m getting sick of the standard shooter, the team aspect drops in. I like that now, and in a few years, who knows, maybe something else will drop into the game.

This is a really shitty post. I feel like there is so much more to say, but I can’t vocalize it, and I don’t want to rant.

So I’ll just leave it as a question to you dear readers. Do you think games are getting to repetitive?

Episode 31 - Shhhh

You know whats awesome about video games? Nobody talking through the entire thing. I realsied that last night while watching the Fountain. People need to learn to shut up.

Episode 30 – Wrong and Right

I wandered into my local EB… or GameStop… I don’t actually know which it was and now that they are the same company it doesn’t matter any more. Either way, I walked in… and they had all three consoles lined up.

As I still have not had the opportunity to play the PS3 even though I worked the launch event I really wanted to get my hands on it. The store was pretty much empty, so it was unattended. I walked up to the kiosk and noticed that it the PS3 was not connected to the TV. The TV was on and said IMPUT 2 and I could hear the PS3’s fans were kicked on into overdrive. I picked up the controller and pushed a few buttons, thinking for some reason that it would bring the PS3 back to life. The controller was really light. I don’t trust things that are too light. I need them to make a solid sound when I drop them… because I will drop them.

I asked an employee if he could turn the system on (even though it was clearly on). He said no. I then asked if there was something wrong with the system. He said no to that as well. Ok… so now, it works, but he won’t turn it on. He then told me that if he turned it on everyone would play it.

Now, maybe it’s just me, but I always thought that was the idea of the demo. So people will use it and then maybe they will buy it. I understand there are no PlayStations to actually sell, but that’s not really the point. If you are going to have the damn thing on the floor taking up space at least let it play something, even if it’s a Blu-Ray movie. I would bet if a Sony person came in they would be furious that their console was disconnected from a television and the Xbox sitting right next to it had demo disc in it.

This is the second time in 3 days that I’ve been to an EB/GameStop where the employee denied a customer access to a demo console. On Thursday there were four kids (about 13 years old) in the store drooling over the Wii. It was about 3:30 and the store was dead empty (I was picking up 3 copies of Mario Kart DS… don’t ask). They asked for the wiimote and were told they needed to have photo ID with their address on it. The employee knew that these kids didn’t have ID. When they told him that, he yelled at them, “no id, no controller.” Wow. Way to be an asshole.

These guys need to go back to training. You never, ever, tell a customer they can’t have something that they are entitled to. These are the people who are going to be spending money in your store, and paying your wage. It bothered me even more when it’s done to kids. These kids weren’t causing trouble, being loud or bothering anyone. I even think one of them was going to buy a DS game. So, seriously, treat your customers a little better.

Ok, so that was wrong. Then there’s right…

At the same store that one guy wouldn’t let me enjoy the fruits of the PS3, there was another employee who was the most helpful guy I have ever seen work in an EB. This guy heard me talking about Halo 3, and I mentioned that you can preorder it now even though there is no release date. He quickly jumped in saying, “actually there is a release date now. It’s November 1st of ‘07.” I’ve been following this. I pretty much know my shit. There is no release date for Halo 3. His computer has one for inquiring minds. It’s Q4 of 07, yes, but there is no real date. But that was nice of him to try and help. He also quickly (he pretty much ran) got me a release date for when BioShock is coming to the 360. I wasn’t sure if there was a solid date but he assured me it was April 5th. He then asked if there were any other questions we had. I had none. I had no reason to be in there I just like to stop in and look around. It’s fun to see some of the used titles.

This guy was probably only recently hired and recently brainwashed. But he was awesome and generally interested in videogames, always a plus if you ask me. I think the only question on an application for EB should be “Please Name the Consoles You Have Owned.” If there are more than 3 on the list you’re hired. They could make it tricky and write “p0wned.” But that could hold that one for the manager’s test.

Episode 29 - Episodic Content

It is the future. I really think that with the new consoles having built in storage devices and built in online functionality it moves us only one short step away from having full episodic content.

Think about it. What do we have right now? Right now we have all three console makers pushing for you to use their online service to buy small games to play and relax. It caters to those times when you are at home and just need to kill some time. A little Geometry Wars can go a long way when waiting for your roommate to come out of the shower, or while you wait for dinner to cook.

You can even download nostalgia games. That’s what Nintendo is banking on anyway… that the people who grew up with an eight bit and sixteen bit childhood will want to relive that and purchase all those titles one more time. You know what… I’m all for that. Little Blades of Steel… maybe some Contra… oh yeah.

The PC side of things is very interesting. You have a game like Half Life 2 that came out in 2004. It was ported to the Xbox at the end of last year and did ok. Now, they are releasing episodic content for it in the form of … you guessed it, episodes. Three additional levels for one low(er) cost. The idea is to release these episodes every few months to keep you interested, (consistently take your money) and keep you anticipated and excited. Instead of waiting years between full games, you can wait months between episodes.

That makes a lot of sense to me. And I like it. Sam and Max are doing the same thing, releasing episodes more consistently however. I would love to have this on all of the consoles. As far as I know there is only one game for the 360 that has actually added levels and that is Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW). After you beat the game you can purchase, (on the Live Marketplace) a package of new levels. Four I think. Not unlike Half Life 2.

I think this is the coolest feature of the current generation of consoles. I am hoping more games will follow the ways of GRAW. Downloading an extra quest or two for Legend of Zelda every few months would be delicious. Eventually though, I’m hoping that games will be released ONLY this way. Not every game. But it would be a cool new way to tell a story. And by new, I mean old.

We get so many other types of media in the form of episodic content. It started with radio programs, then it was the serial films of the 40’s, those became television shows, and comic books… don’t forget comic books. That’s a long history of episode content and I think video games will follow suite.

While I think it will definitely lower development costs, will the consumer see any of that?

I’d like to say yes, but I doubt it. While, the middleman (EB, Best Buy et al) would be cut out from the equation we know how greedy the developers can be (i.e. EA is making an estimated 4 million dollars on in game advertising this year for Need for Speed Carbon alone… where’s the price drop?).

Creating games that are only 3-4 levels long hinges on one thing. Timely release! You can’t give us three levels, then not have anything for a whole year. That doesn’t work. It needs to be every 4-6 months. After that, people will loose interest, and wonder why not just release a whole full game. There may even bee a subscription thing hooked into Xbox Live… that could be cool. Like pick 3 Episodic games for X dollars. Ideally it would work out so you save some money… somehow.

All the pieces are there, it really hinges on the developer to come through on this one. I for one am excited by the possibilities. Being able to try out 3 levels of a game, for 15 bucks, rather than buying the whole thing only to find out it sucks appeals to my wallet. Getting a story in chunks with the possibility of having awesome cliffhanger endings, as well as some real development in characters and who knows, maybe even a game that in total runs hundreds of hours but is spread out over years… and you keep your character and all of your accomplishments… but linear.

If only Santa Takes Manhattan could be released like this…