Tis the Season
Here I am. Sitting alone in an apartment gradually emptying itself out. Deb's gone home to see her family for a few days. I just put a week's worth of clothes into a laundry basket so I can bring the dresser to the new place. Earlier, I got all of the bookcases out of here. At some point, they will need to be arranged within the new place and covered with stuff, but I don't have time for Tetris right now. I still have a ton of shit to move.
Tomorrow is the family Christmas gathering. Usually, I show up early and my brother and I watch movies and play games all day. This year, I said I had a movie we could watch. His reply, "You can bring it, but I'm going to play World of WarCraft all day."
Fuck WarCraft!
I'm getting sick of the idea that I MUST play WarCraft if I wish to stay in touch with people. It's actually a decent game, and I probably would play it if I had a more powerful computer. I just don't want it to be a requirement for having a social life. "Nah, I can't come over and hang out tonight... but if you get on WoW, you can join my guild."
I guess I can see the appeal. On WoW, you can hang out with all of your friends at the same time. You can meet tons of new people. None of them have to see your messy living space. You can be far more attractive than you are in real life. You can wander around a beautiful world without litter, smog, or nasty chemical fertilizer smells. You can kill shit with swords and magic spells, and begin a promising career in the profession of your choice. You won't starve. You won't grow old. You don't have to wear glasses. You don't need braces. You can be good at all of the things you'll never be good at in real life. All you have to give up is a small monthly fee and any friends who don't play.
No worries. If they don't play WoW, they probably weren't very good friends anyway.
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary, While I Pondered Weak and Wii-ry
After finally playing with a Wii earlier this week, I now have experience with all three of the new game consoles.
There's nothing interesting about Sony's PS3. It's an insanely powerful console, but most developers don't know how to harness that power yet. Most of the current games are also available on other platforms. The graphics are very good, but good graphics don't make games more fun to play. Sony is going to have an uphill battle against the XBox 360, but brand loyalty could save them when the 110 million PS2 owners decide to upgrade. Until some serious games come out, the PS3 is not worth the $600 price tag. (And most certainly not worth $8000 on eBay)
I must admit that Microsoft, one of my least favorite companies on the planet, has a good thing going with their XBox 360. Most XBox 360 games coming out in the next year will also be available for the more powerful PS3. However, are many developers going to put forth the extra effort to tap into the PS3's power when making cross-platform games? I don't think there is much incentive to do that. Microsoft and Sony are fighting for the same space by creating a straight up evolution from the previous generation's consoles. Microsoft has a 1 year head start, a better price point, a superior online experience, and some strong exclusive developers such as Rare, Bungie, and Silicon Knights. Also, a lot of formerly Sony-exclusive developers are putting their games on the 360 now. Microsoft has major advantage over Sony, and the 360 is currently a much better buy than the PS3. (Though I don't think it's worth the $400 price.)
Is an evolution of the previous generation what we need? Sony and Microsoft think so, but what does that get us? Madden Football 2007. Another Need for Speed game. More first-person shooters. Nothing original, but prettier graphics and bigger price tags. I remember arcades were like that in the early 90s. All of the new games were fighting, light gun shooting, or driving. The graphics kept getting better, and the games got a lot more expensive, but the innovation stopped. Most of the arcades have shut down since then, and I think consoles have reached that stage now.
Having similar feelings, Nintendo decided to go in an entirely different direction with the Wii. The Wii is half the price of the other systems, and is not attempting to compete on power. Nintendo's new console seeks to broaden the video game market and create a new gaming experience with a unique motion sensitive controller.
I was quite skeptical when I first read about it months ago. More recently, however, the employees at GameZone were constantly talking about the Wii's greatness. Drunks were stumbling in from a bar across the street, "Can we play with the Wii?" My co-workers, who said nothing about video games during the last 18 months, were all raving about the Wii. Nintendo was able to create a new audience.
Did the big N also create a new gaming experience? Yes. I broke a sweat punching and dodging in a boxing game. I had a blast swinging my controller like a baseball bat and pretending to roll a bowling ball. Slashing my controller like a sword in the new Zelda game felt natural, and targeting my slingshot with the remote was much better than aiming with an analog thumbstick. The controls were very intuitive, easy to use, and enjoyable. Most of the games could be picked up and learned within seconds, and the experience felt more involved. Hearing the remote's built-in speaker crack! and feeling it vibrate when you hit the baseball was just amazing. I don't know if the novelty will wear off, but my first impression was very positive.
The Wii will not come in last place this generation like the Game Cube did in the previous generation. Between the new gamers the Wii is creating, the die-hard Nintendo fans, and the existing gamers looking for a new experience, the Wii is going to do very well. Even in situations where a game is available for all three consoles, the Wii version is going to play differently enough to create a unique experience, so it won't be plagued by the "me-too" syndrome that hurt the Cube. Nintendo is also the best game developer in the industry, and I wouldn't bet against them right now.
Anyway, enough nonsense about video games. I need some sleep so I can wake up and move more stuff. Then I can watch a movie alone while my brother plays WoW.
Tomorrow is the family Christmas gathering. Usually, I show up early and my brother and I watch movies and play games all day. This year, I said I had a movie we could watch. His reply, "You can bring it, but I'm going to play World of WarCraft all day."
Fuck WarCraft!
I'm getting sick of the idea that I MUST play WarCraft if I wish to stay in touch with people. It's actually a decent game, and I probably would play it if I had a more powerful computer. I just don't want it to be a requirement for having a social life. "Nah, I can't come over and hang out tonight... but if you get on WoW, you can join my guild."
I guess I can see the appeal. On WoW, you can hang out with all of your friends at the same time. You can meet tons of new people. None of them have to see your messy living space. You can be far more attractive than you are in real life. You can wander around a beautiful world without litter, smog, or nasty chemical fertilizer smells. You can kill shit with swords and magic spells, and begin a promising career in the profession of your choice. You won't starve. You won't grow old. You don't have to wear glasses. You don't need braces. You can be good at all of the things you'll never be good at in real life. All you have to give up is a small monthly fee and any friends who don't play.
No worries. If they don't play WoW, they probably weren't very good friends anyway.
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary, While I Pondered Weak and Wii-ry
After finally playing with a Wii earlier this week, I now have experience with all three of the new game consoles.
There's nothing interesting about Sony's PS3. It's an insanely powerful console, but most developers don't know how to harness that power yet. Most of the current games are also available on other platforms. The graphics are very good, but good graphics don't make games more fun to play. Sony is going to have an uphill battle against the XBox 360, but brand loyalty could save them when the 110 million PS2 owners decide to upgrade. Until some serious games come out, the PS3 is not worth the $600 price tag. (And most certainly not worth $8000 on eBay)
I must admit that Microsoft, one of my least favorite companies on the planet, has a good thing going with their XBox 360. Most XBox 360 games coming out in the next year will also be available for the more powerful PS3. However, are many developers going to put forth the extra effort to tap into the PS3's power when making cross-platform games? I don't think there is much incentive to do that. Microsoft and Sony are fighting for the same space by creating a straight up evolution from the previous generation's consoles. Microsoft has a 1 year head start, a better price point, a superior online experience, and some strong exclusive developers such as Rare, Bungie, and Silicon Knights. Also, a lot of formerly Sony-exclusive developers are putting their games on the 360 now. Microsoft has major advantage over Sony, and the 360 is currently a much better buy than the PS3. (Though I don't think it's worth the $400 price.)
Is an evolution of the previous generation what we need? Sony and Microsoft think so, but what does that get us? Madden Football 2007. Another Need for Speed game. More first-person shooters. Nothing original, but prettier graphics and bigger price tags. I remember arcades were like that in the early 90s. All of the new games were fighting, light gun shooting, or driving. The graphics kept getting better, and the games got a lot more expensive, but the innovation stopped. Most of the arcades have shut down since then, and I think consoles have reached that stage now.
Having similar feelings, Nintendo decided to go in an entirely different direction with the Wii. The Wii is half the price of the other systems, and is not attempting to compete on power. Nintendo's new console seeks to broaden the video game market and create a new gaming experience with a unique motion sensitive controller.
I was quite skeptical when I first read about it months ago. More recently, however, the employees at GameZone were constantly talking about the Wii's greatness. Drunks were stumbling in from a bar across the street, "Can we play with the Wii?" My co-workers, who said nothing about video games during the last 18 months, were all raving about the Wii. Nintendo was able to create a new audience.
Did the big N also create a new gaming experience? Yes. I broke a sweat punching and dodging in a boxing game. I had a blast swinging my controller like a baseball bat and pretending to roll a bowling ball. Slashing my controller like a sword in the new Zelda game felt natural, and targeting my slingshot with the remote was much better than aiming with an analog thumbstick. The controls were very intuitive, easy to use, and enjoyable. Most of the games could be picked up and learned within seconds, and the experience felt more involved. Hearing the remote's built-in speaker crack! and feeling it vibrate when you hit the baseball was just amazing. I don't know if the novelty will wear off, but my first impression was very positive.
The Wii will not come in last place this generation like the Game Cube did in the previous generation. Between the new gamers the Wii is creating, the die-hard Nintendo fans, and the existing gamers looking for a new experience, the Wii is going to do very well. Even in situations where a game is available for all three consoles, the Wii version is going to play differently enough to create a unique experience, so it won't be plagued by the "me-too" syndrome that hurt the Cube. Nintendo is also the best game developer in the industry, and I wouldn't bet against them right now.
Anyway, enough nonsense about video games. I need some sleep so I can wake up and move more stuff. Then I can watch a movie alone while my brother plays WoW.