E3: Press Confrontastic!
One of these days, I'd love nothing more than to go to E3. I've pursued several rather crappy "Dream Jobs," for no other reason, than because working for these companies would afford me the opportunity to walk on the traderoom floor and rub elbows with people from some of the biggest companies in gaming. And some day, it is my hope that I'll actually get to do it. Until that time, however, I'll cover my thoughts on what has been revealed by somebody else!
X-Box 360:
What We Know:
-Has a Stupid Name
-Bill Gates LOVES holding pep rallys
-Limited Backwards Compatability (Microsoft won't say what is and isn't compatable)
-X-Box Live Marketplace Feature allows anybody who owns an X-Box to create and sell game content, chat with other users.
-Has some sort of compatability with the PSP
-Wi/Fi and wireless controllers
-Hi Def
-Available for $300 this November (but it will be sans any big franchise games, Halo 3 will be released during the PS3 rollout, as for Microsoft's other big franchises...uh...No telling when the next Blinx game will be out)
What We Still Don't Know:
-I've yet to see anything in screenshots or video that demonstrates to me that X-Box 360 (graphically or in terms of AI/Playability) is a necessary step up from the current generation console, except that SONY is releasing a new platform
-What does "top selling games" mean, in terms of backwards compatability support? Only Halo? Only games that are currently utilizing X-Box Live? That's too vague for my liking
-Microsoft's scheme seems to be to target casual gamers who never took to X-Box last time around, this includes a long speech at the press conference about how people who don't like video games could create and sell content (but WOULD they? And would they pay $300 to do it? And would somebody who actually DOES play games trust the content of somebody who never has? Enough to buy it?) or use it for video chat and that kind of crap. The MTV special was a perfect example of that. Here's a screen shot! Awesome! Now here's 20 minutes of Elijah Wood and the Killers! Seems like a lot of hype for a console that A) isn't exactly bowling people over, and B) isn't coming out for six months. Is Microsoft scared or overcompensating?
-Will it still flop in Japan (sources say: YES)
My Take: They've really got to deliver in a big BIG way come November. They've hardly even used the potential of the last console to be jumping so quickly into another generation. As a result, all the customizable faceplates in the world won't be able to hide the fact that this has all the look (right now) of a rushed, hackneyed attempt to beat the competition to the market. I'm afraid Microsoft may end up getting Dreamcasted with this system, if for no other reason than because there's nothing they've revealed so far that makes me say, "Wow, I've really got to get one of those." We'll see. Maybe they'll suprise me. They've got four months. Maybe they should hold more Pep Rallys.
Playstation 3
What We Know:
-Backwards compatable back through Playstation One (!)
-Blue Ray DVD Player
-Comes with a Boomerang
-Wi-Fi allows Seven controllers 0n one box
-Possibly a George Foreman Grill with computers in it
-"Cell" Processor Eats Souls for power.
What We Still Don't Know:
-Sony showed some FANTASTIC stuff in their demos, buuuuut, how much of that will they actually be able to do?
-How will the Boomerang Controllers feel?
-How much will all that technology cost by next year? Right now the graphic cards alone would be pushing $1,000
-A lot about the system itself, since nobody's actually seen one, you know, running
-What about the rumor that it would launch with a new Grand Theft Auto (thereby negating the Halo effect, one would think).
-The DVR rumor - True or False?
My Take: SONY came out swinging. The console is still at least a year away, and Killzone and Fight Night especially looked nothing short of amazing. EA would like very much for you to believe that not only was the Fight Night stuff in-game footage, but that it was running on an old model development kit which severely limited the rendering. If that's true, I give up. If it's not though, SONY is in trouble. The PSP isn't exactly setting the world on fire (not that it's doing bad, but it's not doing near so well as they'd hoped), but the "Playstation" brand is still considered by many to be IT, in terms of hardware. If they can deliver 75% of what they showed, they won't have any trouble keeping that.
Nintendo Revolution
What We Know:
-Smaller than anything else!
-Plays DVD (if you have an attachment)
-Downloadable content makes it backwards compatable to the NES (!!)
-Mario! Zelda! Metroid! Something NEW from Miamoto!
-Also more powerful than the 360
-Online with Wi/Fi
-Links via wireless communication with DS
What We STILL Don't Know:
-What the hell the controller looks like
-Why Link is turning into a werewolf
-Pretty much anything else about this console
My Take: Did I miss something, or did they base their whole press conference around Tina Wood and Nintendogs? Seriously, though, there's no reason Nintendogs won't hit huge here (like it's spiritual parents Tomagochi and Pokemon), but Nintendo basically said alot about nothing as it pertains to the Revolution. Hardware specs, the AWESOME news that it will support NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube emulation, and that's...about it. They're planning on a 2006 release, but they didn't have anything to say about anything. Not even a tech demo video of some nicely rendered, but impossible gameplay footage like SONY. Just...Nintendogs. And Zelda. That said, the system looks WAY cooler than the Cube, and Nintendo prides itself on cheap pricing for its consoles (because they make tons of cash on first party titles). I mean, they really didn't show ANYTHING here, so the only thing to criticise, of course, is the fact that they gave us nothing to criticise. Also, that Nintendo continually claims that they are going after older, more hardcore gamers, and then hits us up with a press conference about Nintendogs. Yes it will sell well, but call a spade a spade, guys.
And finally
GameBoy Advance: Micro
What We Know:
-ANOTHER Gameboy Advance
-WTF?
-REALLY SMALL!
-Could probably be used as a keychain
-Plays all your favorite GBA games, but so small you can't see them!
What We STILL Don't Know:
-Does the world need ANOTHER Gameboy Advance?
-Where does one put all those buttons comforably on something that small?
-Can you read the screen? At all?
-How much longer will support continue for the GBA until they roll over to the next GameBoy (not the DS, the long-rumored GameCubeBoy)
My Take: I guess it's ok. If you're afraid the GBA will get you beat up at school, or need to hide it during meetings, it's sleek and tiny, and thus must be totally cool. It actually IS a neat idea, but this is the third incarnation of the GBA, and they've done nothing different but make them smaller. I know people will buy it, but it's crazy, because almost everybody already has one. My biggest question is about the screen. It's tiny, and I think it might be REALLY hard to see, which would make it nearly impossible to play any sort of text heavy game (like Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced) or any sort of "little map" game (like Advance Wars). I'm sure Mario looks killer, but will you be able to see anything else? Also, button placement might be a problem, but then again, I've got a little Tetris game from years ago that's no bigger than a watch, and the button placement is fine. But that's Tetris, you know? Only a couple little buttons. We'll have to wait and see, I guess.
That's it for now. Check back with you later.
-Matt
X-Box 360:
What We Know:
-Has a Stupid Name
-Bill Gates LOVES holding pep rallys
-Limited Backwards Compatability (Microsoft won't say what is and isn't compatable)
-X-Box Live Marketplace Feature allows anybody who owns an X-Box to create and sell game content, chat with other users.
-Has some sort of compatability with the PSP
-Wi/Fi and wireless controllers
-Hi Def
-Available for $300 this November (but it will be sans any big franchise games, Halo 3 will be released during the PS3 rollout, as for Microsoft's other big franchises...uh...No telling when the next Blinx game will be out)
What We Still Don't Know:
-I've yet to see anything in screenshots or video that demonstrates to me that X-Box 360 (graphically or in terms of AI/Playability) is a necessary step up from the current generation console, except that SONY is releasing a new platform
-What does "top selling games" mean, in terms of backwards compatability support? Only Halo? Only games that are currently utilizing X-Box Live? That's too vague for my liking
-Microsoft's scheme seems to be to target casual gamers who never took to X-Box last time around, this includes a long speech at the press conference about how people who don't like video games could create and sell content (but WOULD they? And would they pay $300 to do it? And would somebody who actually DOES play games trust the content of somebody who never has? Enough to buy it?) or use it for video chat and that kind of crap. The MTV special was a perfect example of that. Here's a screen shot! Awesome! Now here's 20 minutes of Elijah Wood and the Killers! Seems like a lot of hype for a console that A) isn't exactly bowling people over, and B) isn't coming out for six months. Is Microsoft scared or overcompensating?
-Will it still flop in Japan (sources say: YES)
My Take: They've really got to deliver in a big BIG way come November. They've hardly even used the potential of the last console to be jumping so quickly into another generation. As a result, all the customizable faceplates in the world won't be able to hide the fact that this has all the look (right now) of a rushed, hackneyed attempt to beat the competition to the market. I'm afraid Microsoft may end up getting Dreamcasted with this system, if for no other reason than because there's nothing they've revealed so far that makes me say, "Wow, I've really got to get one of those." We'll see. Maybe they'll suprise me. They've got four months. Maybe they should hold more Pep Rallys.
Playstation 3
What We Know:
-Backwards compatable back through Playstation One (!)
-Blue Ray DVD Player
-Comes with a Boomerang
-Wi-Fi allows Seven controllers 0n one box
-Possibly a George Foreman Grill with computers in it
-"Cell" Processor Eats Souls for power.
What We Still Don't Know:
-Sony showed some FANTASTIC stuff in their demos, buuuuut, how much of that will they actually be able to do?
-How will the Boomerang Controllers feel?
-How much will all that technology cost by next year? Right now the graphic cards alone would be pushing $1,000
-A lot about the system itself, since nobody's actually seen one, you know, running
-What about the rumor that it would launch with a new Grand Theft Auto (thereby negating the Halo effect, one would think).
-The DVR rumor - True or False?
My Take: SONY came out swinging. The console is still at least a year away, and Killzone and Fight Night especially looked nothing short of amazing. EA would like very much for you to believe that not only was the Fight Night stuff in-game footage, but that it was running on an old model development kit which severely limited the rendering. If that's true, I give up. If it's not though, SONY is in trouble. The PSP isn't exactly setting the world on fire (not that it's doing bad, but it's not doing near so well as they'd hoped), but the "Playstation" brand is still considered by many to be IT, in terms of hardware. If they can deliver 75% of what they showed, they won't have any trouble keeping that.
Nintendo Revolution
What We Know:
-Smaller than anything else!
-Plays DVD (if you have an attachment)
-Downloadable content makes it backwards compatable to the NES (!!)
-Mario! Zelda! Metroid! Something NEW from Miamoto!
-Also more powerful than the 360
-Online with Wi/Fi
-Links via wireless communication with DS
What We STILL Don't Know:
-What the hell the controller looks like
-Why Link is turning into a werewolf
-Pretty much anything else about this console
My Take: Did I miss something, or did they base their whole press conference around Tina Wood and Nintendogs? Seriously, though, there's no reason Nintendogs won't hit huge here (like it's spiritual parents Tomagochi and Pokemon), but Nintendo basically said alot about nothing as it pertains to the Revolution. Hardware specs, the AWESOME news that it will support NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube emulation, and that's...about it. They're planning on a 2006 release, but they didn't have anything to say about anything. Not even a tech demo video of some nicely rendered, but impossible gameplay footage like SONY. Just...Nintendogs. And Zelda. That said, the system looks WAY cooler than the Cube, and Nintendo prides itself on cheap pricing for its consoles (because they make tons of cash on first party titles). I mean, they really didn't show ANYTHING here, so the only thing to criticise, of course, is the fact that they gave us nothing to criticise. Also, that Nintendo continually claims that they are going after older, more hardcore gamers, and then hits us up with a press conference about Nintendogs. Yes it will sell well, but call a spade a spade, guys.
And finally
GameBoy Advance: Micro
What We Know:
-ANOTHER Gameboy Advance
-WTF?
-REALLY SMALL!
-Could probably be used as a keychain
-Plays all your favorite GBA games, but so small you can't see them!
What We STILL Don't Know:
-Does the world need ANOTHER Gameboy Advance?
-Where does one put all those buttons comforably on something that small?
-Can you read the screen? At all?
-How much longer will support continue for the GBA until they roll over to the next GameBoy (not the DS, the long-rumored GameCubeBoy)
My Take: I guess it's ok. If you're afraid the GBA will get you beat up at school, or need to hide it during meetings, it's sleek and tiny, and thus must be totally cool. It actually IS a neat idea, but this is the third incarnation of the GBA, and they've done nothing different but make them smaller. I know people will buy it, but it's crazy, because almost everybody already has one. My biggest question is about the screen. It's tiny, and I think it might be REALLY hard to see, which would make it nearly impossible to play any sort of text heavy game (like Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced) or any sort of "little map" game (like Advance Wars). I'm sure Mario looks killer, but will you be able to see anything else? Also, button placement might be a problem, but then again, I've got a little Tetris game from years ago that's no bigger than a watch, and the button placement is fine. But that's Tetris, you know? Only a couple little buttons. We'll have to wait and see, I guess.
That's it for now. Check back with you later.
-Matt
posted by El Pollo Diablo at 12:13 AM
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