Linger In Shadows
A rather strange ‘game’ appeared on the PS3 store a while ago. Well actually, ‘game’ is probably the least accurate description of it. A demo, or better yet, a demoscene appeared and went by the name “Linger in Shadows.” From Wikipedia:
“The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer. The main goal of a demo is to show off programming, artistic, and musical skills”
The Problem With Game Sequels
So, as we should all know by know, the gaming industry is practically built on copying each other and whoever manages to copy the other, the best, wins! Every now and again, something new and fresh comes along, such as Mirror’s Edge, but this is a real risk. The cost of producing a game for consoles is now so high, a new company can’t take risks. Only the big and bloated can do so. Granted there are always the bedroom programmers.
However, it seems that now copying each other is no longer enough, even when they make small changes to them. There needs to be something brand new in that game to separate it from the pack of mediocrity. Seriously, how much difference is there between Halo and Resistance? Not much, you shoot aliens, fighting for your species survival with a range of weapons in a multitude of environments. Yet they continue to sell well.
Retraction – Achievement Culture
So a long time ago I wrote a post about how I felt that games and gamers were entering into an achievement culture and proceeded to swiftly insult them on their stupidity and how I just don’t see the bloody point in them.
Well, anyone with a PS3 will know that trophies (achievements if you will) have been introduced and soon any game released for the PS3 must have a list of trophies to collect. All I can say is that I have never had so much fun trying to get trophies, while I was always under the impression that they were stupid and unnecessary, I now see them in a new light. Instead of just artificially extending the length of a game, they introduce new challenges, trying to do something that the main game may not reward you for doing, but something interesting or hilarious. While I’m not saying the new trophy system for the PS3 is perfect, there are some flaws.
Why I Like The Wii (and Why It Isn’t Even In The Console Wars)
Well, the Nintendo Wii. What I would consider a brilliant move from Nintendo. It has easily outsold all the other consoles, but I don’t want to look at it as a console, at least not in the regular sense. With it’s motion sensitive control system and what some would consider brilliant games, it is easy to see why it has even won some ‘best gadget of the year’ awards.
The Wii is probably one of the smartest moves I have seen a console developer do. Instead of plunging loads of cash into the development of top of the range hardware, it used that money in a smarter way by focusing on creating an innovative control system. The Wii is essentially a Gamecube in a new case with a fancy control system, but it is this control system that separated it from the rest of the pack and helped to make it so popular. Just to even make a point how easy it is for parents and non-gamer types to play the Wii, both my mother and grandmother, both self-confessed non-gamer technophobes started playing Wii sports with ease.
By focusing on a much larger target market, which included a lot more than just gamers, has helped to make it sell so well. On the selling front, the Wii has sold almost 22 million units, which is just over double that of the PS3 and over 25% more than the XBox 360 in total. I also want to point out that Nintendo is actually making a small profit on each console sale, as opposed to the 360 and PS3 which are losing money with each sale. Though I don’t count this as the Wii isn’t really a console in a traditional sense.
Then again, how do you say what a game console is in the traditional sense, as they continue to evolve, they seem to become the centre of out media experience, offering DVD and Blu-ray playback, being able to stream data from media servers full of XviD’s. If anything, the Wii is actually more of a console than any of the others! However, the games and graphics are rather pitiful.
By going for innovative controls than good graphics, the Wii seems to have almost chased off all developers than those that run under it’s own name. You have 5 seconds to name me 3 good Nintendo Wii games that didn’t come from the studios of Nintendo or isn’t a washed down version of a game found on another console.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Times up
If you managed to get some, then congratulations, 5 points for each. If you didn’t manage to get one, that’s OK, no points to you and if you named one with the word “Mario” in it, deduct 1000 points. Developers avoid trying to make games for the Wii as they want to create the next triple-A blockbuster, to do so they have to develop it for the 360 or PS3 as they are the only consoles with the power to do so, you cannot do it with the casualness of the Wii. However, this is not to say that the Wii has no games, on the contrary it has quite a few decent games I enjoy to play.
So, to wrap all this up, I want to share my thought with you on what the future may hold, what the Wii2 will bring to the table. Seeing as Nintendo should logically keep with this intriguing control system and the PS3 will continue to remain as a powerhouse console. Nintendo should be able to create a console to handle current generation graphics whilst maintaining the Wii’s controls, imagine that, a Wii with the power of a PS3 and the third-party game support that the 360 has.
Excuse me, I need to change…
