They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, unless it's that weird guy from the mailroom who suddenly started dressing exactly the same as me, starts talking like me in the staff lunchroom and insists that everyone else in the office refers to him as Twinsy Jez...but the less said about that the better. Where was I? Ah yes, imitation. There's been a lot of discussion about Sony's new controller. To the Nintendo fanboys, Sony’s motion sensing controller is a clear sign that, at best, Sony has lost its imagination, and at worst, that the company has lost its way altogether and simply copied a competitor's good idea.
Which is not really surprising. Fanboys (and girls I presume) show an intense blind loyalty to their console of choice that makes Ford and Holden supporters look positively disloyal, and religious fanatics look like they're wavering by comparison. Nintendo is on record as saying it half expected Sony to announce a motion sensor controller, but that Nintendo's Wii controller and nunchaku attachment is far superior. Well, they would say that. In a similar vein, Sony's attempts to compete with Microsoft's online abilities is also seen as Sony playing catch-up and blatantly copying the good work of their rival. Which begs the question, what do we actually expect from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft? Just because Nintendo are the first to bring motion sensing capabilities to a home console, should the other two companies not follow suit? Nintendo has pursued motion sensing because the technology is refined, the price is right, and lastly and most importantly, the concept (hopefully) improves gameplay. If that’s the case, then I’d urge Microsoft to jump on in too.
Sony's detractors will have us believe that Sony wasn't even considering motion sensing until Nintendo first showed their hand. Perhaps, perhaps not. Frankly I don't care and I don't think it really matters. Motion sensing controllers, wireless controllers, online play. We're talking technological advancements. As long as neither company infringes on the patents and intellectual property of the other then what does it matter? It's called progress, people. Sometimes people act as if the video game industry exists or should exist on a separate plane to the rest of the grubby corporate capitalist world. It doesn't.
I'm not calling for an end to innovation. But when one company comes up with a better way of doing things, either step up and improve on that idea or the very least incorporate the idea and vision into your own product. If anything, I'm critical of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft for not doing this more than they do. Back at E3 2002, Nintendo were first to release a first party wireless controller, the WaveBird; and a damn fine controller it was/is. It's taken three years for Microsoft to finally up the ante, releasing the Xbox 360 premium pack with a wireless controller as standard and freeing all those smart enough not to buy the core pack, from the tyranny of controller wires for ever.
Three years it's taken, and in the meantime we've put up with over-priced, dodgy, 2nd party offerings. Sure, the odd second party wireless controller has been okay, but there's been nothing out there that could compete with its wired first party equivalent. Had Microsoft and Sony taken Nintendo's lead back in 2002, we'd have all been the better for it. Sure we could have moaned about their lack of imagination, but when not complaining, we could have at least enjoyed wireless gaming without compromise.
Imitation without innovation.
Sure it's duplication, but that's capitalism. That's why today you can't walk through your local Westfield without tripping over juice bars. One guy with a blender and too many guava fruits comes up with an idea and before you know it, everyone is doing it. In the utopian world that some fanboys mistakenly think they already live in, there would be only one console made by (Insert your Company of choice here). Incorporating all the great cutting edge ideas from an open development community, it would be more original and more innovative than Björk. But that's not the world we live in.
Of course there's a place for innovation. Without it, the industry would surely die. But we all gain the most, if all three companies both innovate and also adopt and reshape the best ideas from their competitors. It happens in every other industry and rather than bitch or moan about it, it's embraced and expected by the mass market. When horse and buggies became horseless carriages, buggy manufacturers either got with the times and gave the market what it wanted, or soon went out of business. Automotive advancements trickle down to all manufactures, who either licence technology or develop their own. Car manufacturers suffer if they can't provide the same level of safety and comfort as their competitors. Far from frowning, consumers expect it. All other sectors are driven by constant imitation and constant innovation. The video games industry should be no different, and thankfully it’s not.
Not drowning, spinning.
I swear UMD video still has a pulse. I can see the disc spinning through the clear plastic case. Sony has recently marked down over fifty UMD video titles to below $20. Not spectacular savings, but certainly a step in the right direction. Video retailer EzyDVD have gone one step further, taking the axe to a selection of Universal Studio releases, lowering the price to below $10. There are bargains to be had and we're talking some decent recent releases, including King Kong, and Serenity. The King Kong release is a two UMD compilation and I doubt we'll see a more keenly priced, better value UMD video release this year.
I swear it's still spinning.
So is this a well overdue sign of smarter retail pricing or the first UMD fire sale? A case of pre-death twitching or a genuine sign of life? Either way, I'm doing my bit. If it's the death of UMD video, I'll at least have added to my collection, and if it's not yet time to administer the last rites, I'll have helped sustain a category for at least a few more months. I'd love to see an across-the-board price slash on all current and future releases. Barring that, perhaps we'll see some imaginative UMD pack-ins, along the lines of Capcom's recently announced Finder Love Special Edition.
As the Japlish suggest, this is a love sim aimed squarely at the Japanese market. Think Nintendogs with cute Japanese girls instead of labs and poodles and you're on the right track. Less virtual patting and more virtual photographing, and targeted, as you would expect, at a male demographic. You'll play the role of rookie photographer and have to capture winning shot of the girls which can then be traded with your fellow stalkers, sorry...gamers. If you're good enough you'll be awarded the S rank. Presumably the S stands for sleazy, sordid, seedy or shady? I'd like to see them work in some Talkman compatibility and voice recognition, ("Work it baby, that's it, make love to the camera, sexy baby.") cause without it the game's just not tacky enough!
But wait. It does get worse. Capcom's throwing in a bikini, the one worn by your favourite Finder Love girl, to those happy to shell out almost twice the standard price, for a limited edition copy. What are the purchasers going to do with the bikini? Give it to their girlfriend? I don't mean to be unkind, but if you’re playing Finder Love, you either don't have a girlfriend or certainly not one you'd encourage to wear a bikini! Even stranger, Capcom is on record as saying the bikini is not to be worn, which begs the question, what exactly is it for? Okay, don't answer that. This is a weird marketing gimmick, even for a country that used to sell used teenage girls panties in vending machines.
Still there's a good idea somewhere under all this smut. Taking a cue from Capcom's inventiveness, perhaps the movie studios can make their tired UMD video offerings a little more interesting with some added gimmicks. I'm thinking Deuce Bigalow - European Gigalo, with all the jokes they forgot to put in the original theatrical release. The Bone Collector with bones, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with chocolate, the exorcism of Emily Rose with a bonus exorcism, and XXX with...well you get the idea.
Postscript
Last week I proclaimed that at the first sight of a video gaming tambourine peripheral I'd reconsider my involvement in gaming. As one knowledgeable PALGN member, the aptly named 'troublemaker' pointed out last week, a tambourine game has in fact already been released by Sega, back in 2002 no less. Thankfully, by my reckoning anyway, the game, Shakkato Tambourine never saw release outside of Japan. Nor did the Samba De Amigo inspired game have any Christian hymns to accompany the gameplay. There was no 'Abide With Me' and no 'All Glory be to God on High'. Instead, the game featured a tie-in with the popular (at the time) Japanese female group, Mini Moni. Players would hit and shake the tambourine to the beat of such wonderful songs as 'Mini Moni Telephone'. Just proves that truth is stranger than fiction. If you’re reading this ‘troublemaker’, as god is my witness, consider my video gaming involvement reconsidered. And I've put my researcher, Pablo on notice also. Good god Pablo. Don't you know how to Google?
God damn it Pablo, I said Mini Moni.
Catch you next week on The Wrap.
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Then the "Motion Sensing" thing... What next? Downloading old Playstation games.. oh wait... >__>
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