April 18, 2007

• //It's About Sharing...

  Several of my friends consult me a lot when it comes to things that I hold some expertise in, and console videogame being one those things. But I think, for the most part, my friends find asking me about these information rather, err, informative because I always tried to keep a clear distinction between the information I know and the point of view I draw from it. It's never my agenda to steer someone toward a direction I would take. But I certainly hope whatever information I gave up can help steer toward a direction from whatever conclusion that is drawn.

  Now that a new generation of a videogame console war has begun, many of my friends are coming to me again asking about what I think about the new systems. Just to sum it up a bit: I think Nintendo did a great job bringing out the Wii with its gimmicky motion-sensing controllers. The question for me is that how deep can the game play be, and how long can swinging a controller around last without feeling a little outta breath? The important thing for the developers is for them to figure out how to innovate upon this innovation, so the games for the Wii doesn't just end up being GameCube games that you swing to play instead of hitting buttons. Which brings up the issue of graphics: The Wii is one generation behind the Xbox 360 and two to three behind the Playstation 3 in graphical power. It holds its own against the competition, for now. But what will happen in a few months when the competing machines' true power shows up?

  Xbox 360 has a head start on its competitors. It has the biggest library of games and carries over all the experience Microsoft has from its PC online development. But that's the double edge sword - It's pretty much a un-upgradable PC. The 360 is also more like a Xbox 1.2, where the jump from Microsoft's previous system isn't the leap the next-gen consoles promised. It also isn't as a complete of a package as it's major competitor - the PS3, as you would have to shell out more a HD-DVD drive and pay for online services. Its long term staying power will probably be dependent on how well it can be accepted as the system to own in Japan, where the majority of console games are made.

  The Playstation 3 is having a really rough start. Talk about blowing the best lead one can ever built with the PS2. It's simply too expensive for most gamers. It, however, is the system that has the most capabilty to last longer outta the system war due to its power, a more complete of a package, and brand name. It's not a system I would count out.

  "What about hand held systems?" She asked. "There are so many good games made for the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP."

  My answer to this simply comes down to my preference. Games, digital or general, are social tools for me. If I were to dump a hundred dollars and there and I can't share that enjoyment with my friends, it's almost worthless. Almost a little selfish, I would think. I think it's always cool for me to own a PSP and a DS. But... that's about it. It's probably why I don't play my GameBoy Advance SP very much, because my friends and I cannot play it at the same time.

  Yeah. My frakking roommates are the luckiest gamers in the world.

  • 3:46 pm
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