Matt’s Somewhat Serious Bit
Speaking of E3, it’s really quite interesting to jump back one year, and see just how differently events unfolded, considering people’s expectations. A year ago we first heard the name “Wii” and hilarity* ensued. Nintendo’s software display at E3 convinced many that the Wii was the real deal, with ridiculous numbers of people lining up to test the console. The machine has been a ridiculous success for Nintendo – the Kyoto-based company announced a 77% rise in net profit, driven by the Wii and the DS, while every other hardware company in the industry is bleeding money from the ass. Does this come from the fact that Nintendo is selling “last-gen” hardware at a premium, or is the Wii actually reaching an expanded audience? I’ll let you folks argue over that one. Just imagine how well it would be doing with more compelling software – though word has it that Nintendo has 45 Wii games in development (and 79 for the DS – yikes). Perhaps something within that lineup will entice this writer into jumping onto the Wii bandwagon (if I can find a US console – NAL and PAL be damned).
Perhaps the thing that bothers me most in relation to the Wii (and SIXAXIS, to a lesser extent) are the people who still whinge about “waggle” and motion sensory being a gimmick. You people are impatient, short-sighted fools. Honestly, you can’t expect these things to happen overnight – perhaps this age of superfast internet has dulled your ability to wait. Remember the transition to 3D – it was pretty rough, with a lot of crappy games, but in time, they nailed it. I don’t like making particularly bold predictions of the future, but I think in time there is the possibility that the major video gaming audiences will split between traditional gamers and more active gamers – between those who use regular hand controllers on the HD systems, and those who prefer to move around with the Wii. I’m already seeing it as a situation similar to the old test cricket vs. one day cricket argument – the old guard who grew up playing games on hand controllers refusing to embrace the more dynamic and more popular method of the game. One day cricket took a few years to evolve, but ultimately all parties have embraced it, and it is the most popular format.
I'll waggle your face
Microsoft’s entry into the home console market has always been quite amusing to me as someone who works in business. The only strategy they really had at the beginning was to throw money at it, and hope they got some market share. The Xbox project is something like $US7-8 Billion in the hole, and we’re supposed to think that they’re achieving something? Last E3 they were out bragging about how their one year advantage was going to let them blast away the competition, yadda yadda yadda – but we all know that Microsoft’s “success” is largely owed to their opponent’s blunders moreso than anything they’ve done. If you look at the fancy sales numbers released every month, the Xbox 360 was tracking above the Xbox’s best year – but keep in mind that the Xbox sold one console for every five PlayStation 2s sold. Now it can’t keep up with the Wii – HD era indeed.
There’s going to be a place for the traditional forms of gaming, and the Xbox 360 certainly has its fair share of good games, and will continue to do so. There’s just not the level of innovation involved this time around as there has been around in the past – in fact, their much touted major innovation for this generation involves dropping $5,000 on a high definition display. Microsoft hasn’t tried any aggressive market expansion either – Viva Pinata was hyped up to be their big mass appeal title, but the marketing effort was something of an abortion on their part – and just one game like that isn’t enough. This holiday season is going to be the true test for the HD machines with big guns GTA IV, Halo 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4 leading the charge – we all know that this will be the season where many gamers “jump in” – but just how many will?
Still the one?
The PlayStation 3 arguably had the toughest E3 in 2006, with much scrambling for justification of its hefty price tag, and perceived downgrades from their CGI extravaganza at E3 2005. The US launch was rabid – hopefully we won’t see something that disgusting again (it’s just a damn game machine after all), but the launch hype has really cooled off. I’m not really quite sure of why I bought the console either - I mean it was a frigging grand! The machine has this air of potential about it, it looks as expensive as it is, and you know there’s some serious horsepower under the bonnet, but nobody has done anything with it just yet – patience is a virtue. It’s not looking quite so good for Sony as a company though, with jobs being slashed at SCEE and PlayStation project champion Ken Kutaragi taking one for the team.
I do think that Blu Ray will be important this gen, but I don’t think developers should be short selling the Xbox by cutting features to cram it all into one disc – there’s nothing wrong with a bit of disc-swapping. It’s not like it’s going to be a revert to the days of the C64 and Amiga or anything. The painful thing about Blu Ray at the moment is that the load times are somewhat consistent with those of old C64 games – minute plus load times on MotorStorm and Fight Night 3 have me wondering why the hell more developers don’t make more use of the hard driving caching options in games such as Virtua Fighter 5. We’re already seeing a lot less exclusive content for each console from third party developers and I think this trend will continue. Sony arguably has a stronger first party development division, with much better integration and communication between its studios than previously. Microsoft still seems to be learning the ropes with first party studios, having had to abort most of its first party development efforts on the Xbox due to having very little success outside of Halo and Fable – I think that their strategy of working closely with big name third party developers and funding those exclusives works a little better for them.
Probably not worth a grand, but still probably awesome
Perhaps the one thing I won’t miss about E3 is those developers who let the lid off their game a bit too soon. Each year, we saw some very awesome games, and even got to play some of them that year, but the reality of the situation was becoming clear – most popular games would have an E3 debut, an E3 encore and then you’d get to play it. It’s really quite reflective of the age we live in – longer development times and internet proliferation lead to us knowing about games earlier, and thus spending more time following their development than we do playing them (for the most part). Hokey CG trailers with no gaming footage are something else I won’t miss, but we’ve covered that ground before.
It will be interesting to see what form E3 takes in July, and how it will affect developers and publishers, particularly those smaller publishers to whom E3 was a valuable opportunity to build hype that they would otherwise never have garnered.
* Reader's definition of hilarity may differ significantly from writer's
License to Thrill
Life is a bit like a hurricane, especially if you live in Duckburg. After a diminishing box office numbers in the 80s, Disney began to turn their attention to TV animation, and DuckTales was the first cartoon the studio produced specifically for syndication. The show followed the exploits of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie (all of whom had featured in previous Donald Duck material) and a host of other mallards, most of which were out to steal Uncle Scrooge’s fortune. The show was a big success for Disney, spawning comic books, toys, a feature length film and a number of video games. Arguably the best of these was DuckTales for the NES.
Scrooge loves bush
Developed by the team behind Mega Man, DuckTales put you in the role of Scrooge, who just happens to be on a bit of a quest to boost his fortune by collecting artefacts from across the globe. Scrooge’s formidable list of enemies discovers his goal, and attempt to beat him to each one. Not exactly a prize winning narrative, but it’s not really a factor – the main thing that causes DuckTales to kick so much butt is its platforming action and luscious graphics. Scrooge’s cane forms the basis of his movement and attacks, working as both a pogo stick and golf club. Bounce on your enemies’ heads, or whack them with a loose rock.
Scrooge in a dark cave with his nephew - nothing suss!
Much of the show’s cast makes it into the game – Huey, Dewey & Louie, Launchpad McQuack, Roboduck, the Beagle Boys, Bubba and more. DuckTales may be a little easy, but compared to many licensed titles on the NES, it’s gold.
From the bowels of the Internet
If you grew up in the golden age of gaming like I did, chances are you’ve played a few vertical or horizontal shooters in your time. While the genre is fading away on consoles, many independent developers are making shmups for the PC, particularly in Japan, where the genre is still quite popular.
Shoot the Core is a site which acts as something of a database for PC shmups. They currently host playable versions of 975 games, which should keep any shmup fan happy for a couple of weeks.
Easy Feedback
When you think of E3, which moment from the show’s history immediately comes to mind? Share your opinion in the comments thread.
Always get a laugh out of easy mode.
E3, I will miss you.
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