Back to Basics
I was very close to putting up Sinistar as my icon, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I subconsciously stole it from someone in the Gamers community. It's okay, I prefer the Mafia icon anyway.
I picked up Okami on the PS2. Let me tell you something: everyone should do themselves a favor and try this game out if they haven't already. Anyone who likes a good adventure game or who has any leaning at all toward an Eastern style of storytelling would really be pleased. I really enjoy most everything about this game, and it's a welcome change as I haven't had so much fun for a little while. The music is so spot-on, the graphics so beautiful, the story so magical, the way it's written is just perfect. The jokes are genuinely funny, the characters are just genuine altogether. I mean, 99% of the time I play video games and I read dialogue between characters it will either make me groan or make me roll my eyes because in general most games, good or bad, are not known for their ability to write something special or realistic. This game dispells that and so much more. The Asian culture doesn't feel like a cheesy add-on --think Dynasty Warriors-- the developers seem as though they have a humble respect for the idea and they show that with their work. The best part, notice I used the word magical to describe the story, that's not a word I use carelessly, is how everything flows together so fluidly. The art, the music, and the story, they work, in unison, to make you feel so connected to the video game. Magical is a good one word summary of the game.
I was at GameCrazy the day before yesterday to take advantage of their 50% extra trade-in value for next-generation games. I took back WiiPlay and Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Aside from the tank game on WiiPlay, you can count the number of valid replay hours on one hand. Trauma Center had an unacceptable script that left me not just unfulfilled but, rather, upset with the obvious lack of comprehensive storytelling elements. The game is so childish, it's a wonder they didn't just have little Miis sitting around a cartoon operating table with a Mii patient that, upon a successful surgery, would immediately leap from the table and give the player(s) a thumbs up. When I traded the games in I went ahead and reserved Brawl. If Brawl doesn't really knock my socks off (I know for a fact that Galaxy and Corruption won't) I might seriously consider selling while I can still get a good price for it. I scoffed off all the slings and arrows directed at Nintendo over the Wii Remote "gimmick" that took America by storm. I feel so shafted though. I take full responsibility for letting my priorities get out of whack and being led into thinking that I would love this system. Don't misunderstand though, I admire Nintendo for what they're doing. I think they're making serious moves, seriously strategic moves that keep them playing off (as opposed to in) of the Sony/Microsoft fight. They've conquered the sales in Japan by a gigantic margin, especially if you include their handheld business. The problem is I was suckered into this comfortable niche that Nintendo made, despite the fact that I've matured -- or evolved, the context of the term isn't meant to signify that one style of gamer is higher than the other but more so synonymous with an interchangeable concept -- beyond the 64/Gamecube/Wii mentality. I no longer consider 4 controller ports a necessity but instead a welcome option. The writing has been on the wall, but I've come up with a pretty good outlook on the theory of these, now three, gaming giants.
The writing has been on the wall, Nintendo says games are meant to be fun. Period. They'll sacrifice any and all other qualities to achieve fun with their first party titles. Nintendo loves to get third party support, but they exist as a first party platform. Why not? They have tradition on their side. Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, Fox McCloud... these aren't just characters in video games, they work for Nintendo as much as any other employee. They're the salesmen (and saleswoman) that keep the consumers coming back. As Nintendo thinks of new ways to use their sales staff, they value imagination and, like I said, fun. No HD? Who cares? Online capabilities lacking? Oh well. Lack of multi-tasking qualities? That's what Panasonic is for. This mentality appears so strangely unique, yet, it feels warm because it really isn't very unique at all. To Nintendo, you're buying a game first and an experience second. That's not a bad thing in and of itself, it's all a matter of the individual's perspective.
Sony has taken quite a different approach. Sony says, look, gamers aren't just ten to sixteen years old, gamers aren't just interested in gaming, and gamers, more and more, want an immersive experience. That's what the PlaySTATION is all about. It's not a gamecube that sits next to a DVD player and a 10-disc CD changer, the Playstation is meant to be at the center of the action. Sony says, Sony demands, that the audience has an entertainment experience with the Playstation. Whatever it takes to make this experience happen, that's where the Playstation will be. It is a cutting edge product meant to be displayed as such.
Microsoft sees this gap, and it has the money to fill it. Microsoft is buying its way into the gaming world, and although they hit a number of bumps with the Xbox, the 360 has taken a much more grounded approach. In almost a piecemeal sort of fashion, it says that Sony is doing this right, but not this, and Nintendo has this, but not that. Microsoft doesn't have Mario, so they buy Master Chief. Almost sheer opposite of Nintendo in this fashion, Microsoft exists as a third party platform. Microsoft thinks, like Sony, that experience is key, so the 360 incorporates HD and multi-functionality. The thing is, at least in this stage, Blu-ray is much more significant than HD-DVD. No one can see the future but if HD-DVD falls to the wayside, that can be a serious blow to the Microsoft team.
I picked up Okami on the PS2. Let me tell you something: everyone should do themselves a favor and try this game out if they haven't already. Anyone who likes a good adventure game or who has any leaning at all toward an Eastern style of storytelling would really be pleased. I really enjoy most everything about this game, and it's a welcome change as I haven't had so much fun for a little while. The music is so spot-on, the graphics so beautiful, the story so magical, the way it's written is just perfect. The jokes are genuinely funny, the characters are just genuine altogether. I mean, 99% of the time I play video games and I read dialogue between characters it will either make me groan or make me roll my eyes because in general most games, good or bad, are not known for their ability to write something special or realistic. This game dispells that and so much more. The Asian culture doesn't feel like a cheesy add-on --think Dynasty Warriors-- the developers seem as though they have a humble respect for the idea and they show that with their work. The best part, notice I used the word magical to describe the story, that's not a word I use carelessly, is how everything flows together so fluidly. The art, the music, and the story, they work, in unison, to make you feel so connected to the video game. Magical is a good one word summary of the game.
I was at GameCrazy the day before yesterday to take advantage of their 50% extra trade-in value for next-generation games. I took back WiiPlay and Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Aside from the tank game on WiiPlay, you can count the number of valid replay hours on one hand. Trauma Center had an unacceptable script that left me not just unfulfilled but, rather, upset with the obvious lack of comprehensive storytelling elements. The game is so childish, it's a wonder they didn't just have little Miis sitting around a cartoon operating table with a Mii patient that, upon a successful surgery, would immediately leap from the table and give the player(s) a thumbs up. When I traded the games in I went ahead and reserved Brawl. If Brawl doesn't really knock my socks off (I know for a fact that Galaxy and Corruption won't) I might seriously consider selling while I can still get a good price for it. I scoffed off all the slings and arrows directed at Nintendo over the Wii Remote "gimmick" that took America by storm. I feel so shafted though. I take full responsibility for letting my priorities get out of whack and being led into thinking that I would love this system. Don't misunderstand though, I admire Nintendo for what they're doing. I think they're making serious moves, seriously strategic moves that keep them playing off (as opposed to in) of the Sony/Microsoft fight. They've conquered the sales in Japan by a gigantic margin, especially if you include their handheld business. The problem is I was suckered into this comfortable niche that Nintendo made, despite the fact that I've matured -- or evolved, the context of the term isn't meant to signify that one style of gamer is higher than the other but more so synonymous with an interchangeable concept -- beyond the 64/Gamecube/Wii mentality. I no longer consider 4 controller ports a necessity but instead a welcome option. The writing has been on the wall, but I've come up with a pretty good outlook on the theory of these, now three, gaming giants.
The writing has been on the wall, Nintendo says games are meant to be fun. Period. They'll sacrifice any and all other qualities to achieve fun with their first party titles. Nintendo loves to get third party support, but they exist as a first party platform. Why not? They have tradition on their side. Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, Fox McCloud... these aren't just characters in video games, they work for Nintendo as much as any other employee. They're the salesmen (and saleswoman) that keep the consumers coming back. As Nintendo thinks of new ways to use their sales staff, they value imagination and, like I said, fun. No HD? Who cares? Online capabilities lacking? Oh well. Lack of multi-tasking qualities? That's what Panasonic is for. This mentality appears so strangely unique, yet, it feels warm because it really isn't very unique at all. To Nintendo, you're buying a game first and an experience second. That's not a bad thing in and of itself, it's all a matter of the individual's perspective.
Sony has taken quite a different approach. Sony says, look, gamers aren't just ten to sixteen years old, gamers aren't just interested in gaming, and gamers, more and more, want an immersive experience. That's what the PlaySTATION is all about. It's not a gamecube that sits next to a DVD player and a 10-disc CD changer, the Playstation is meant to be at the center of the action. Sony says, Sony demands, that the audience has an entertainment experience with the Playstation. Whatever it takes to make this experience happen, that's where the Playstation will be. It is a cutting edge product meant to be displayed as such.
Microsoft sees this gap, and it has the money to fill it. Microsoft is buying its way into the gaming world, and although they hit a number of bumps with the Xbox, the 360 has taken a much more grounded approach. In almost a piecemeal sort of fashion, it says that Sony is doing this right, but not this, and Nintendo has this, but not that. Microsoft doesn't have Mario, so they buy Master Chief. Almost sheer opposite of Nintendo in this fashion, Microsoft exists as a third party platform. Microsoft thinks, like Sony, that experience is key, so the 360 incorporates HD and multi-functionality. The thing is, at least in this stage, Blu-ray is much more significant than HD-DVD. No one can see the future but if HD-DVD falls to the wayside, that can be a serious blow to the Microsoft team.