An Interesting Time for Gamers

It is. I'd say 2008 is shaping up to fall just below what 2007 ultimately was, but I'm still very excited about the rest of 2008. E3 isn't technically over yet, but all other games yet to be announced or spotlighted are likely to be 3rd party borderline titles -- i.e. games that will either be just fine, mediocre, or plain terrible. There are exceptions, I'm sure, but this is how it usually pans out.

I watched all three press conferences today. Nintendo's and Sony's were live, Microsoft's was from yesterday.

I have to say, I was extremely impressed with Sony's presentation until I watched Microsoft's. It became very apparent to me that FFXIII's exodus to greener pastures is going to hurt Sony quite a bit -- more than I originally expected. Xbox seems to be cornering the Nintendo niche without forsaking the "hardcore gamer." I'm not sure I like the phrase "hardcore gamer" to describe anyone who likes their games with narrative, complexity, and depth, but we'll use it anyway since I'm hard-pressed to find a better descriptor. I may not like the exclusives and the "hardcore" games Xbox has lined up, but they'll sell like nobody's business. The avatar system and the new Xbox Dashboard pretty much even them up with Nintendo and Playstation in terms of overall presentation (though I am still partial to the minimalist PS3 dash). Sony seems a great distance away from putting a date on Home, which isn't great news for PS3 fans. The movie/TV rental/purchase system for PS3 is impressive (especially since they announced it today and it's already up and running as I write) but suffers from a thin library when compared to the Netflix system on Xbox.

I think connectivity options with the PSP and the fact that they offer HD titles give Sony the edge here, but it's not by much when all is said and done.

What I want to see -- what Jeremy and I want to see -- are old-school remakes that are Sony exclusives. We're talking Road Rash, Battle Arena Toshinden, Final Fantasy titles of the past, Vagrant Story, Jumping Flash, etc. Nintendo can update their titles. 3rd parties (poorly) update their titles. Sony should get their hands on these IPs and run with them. Spend some money here. They love doing it already, why stop now? Make the PS3 the gaming powerhouse you know it can and should be.

It will hurt them not to have exclusive FFXIII. It'll hurt because GTA4 sales for PS3 paled in comparison to GTA4 sales for 360. It'll hurt because Madden for 360 will probably outsell PS3 Madden by a 3:1 margin or something like that. When games show up on both consoles, people flock to 360, and that's bad business for Sony, great business for Microsoft, and wonderful business for the developer of the IP.

There's such an emphasis on innovation in peripherals when developers by and large are forgetting how to make wonderful games to go along with the innovation. Little Big Planet looks like pure magic and I really can't wait to get my hands on it. Sony announced an MMO action game that promises 256 players in a game at one time. I think we're righting the ship a little bit from this "Nintendo-centric" world we're in right now. I think it's funny how the once-saviors of the videogame industry (and financially, they still are) are now public enemy number one for anyone who gives a shit about really well-made games.

Don't get me wrong, I think the last Zelda and Mario IPs are fantastic and stand up incredibly well against games with better graphics, sound, and replayability on other systems. But, for the most part, Nintendo is only interested in coming out with little tech demos for their motion innovations. It's cool shit, but the rest of the industry seems positive they should follow suit and make everything about accessibility when quality is being forgotten.

It did make me happy to hear that no one thought Nintendo's familiar song and dance at E3 was a good thing. Wii Music looks exactly as lazy as what I was talking about earlier. Shaun White Snowboarding was a massive flop. These peripherals are cool, for sure, but developers should take some time to make sure the games that go along with them are fun beyond a "honeymoon" period.

I'm jumping around, I know.

Let me summarize by saying this: I like what Microsoft is doing from a business standpoint. They're making their product more accessible without jeopardizing their core market. They want a piece of the pie without forsaking the thing that brought them to the dance. Sony, while I'm impressed with how they stand up to everyone else now more than ever, seems to be responding to Microsoft by mimicking their actions. I think this path makes them less likely to stand out to developers and, subsequently, gamers. I think they should focus on making exclusive IPs that really pop in the market. Of course, this is risky because they could lose a whole lot of money, but maybe this is the next paradigm shift. Nintendo seems to think they're the Messiah of the gaming industry -- they thought the same thing in the mid-90s, too, when Sony, at that point not a developer of videogames, shoved the industry on its ass with the release of the Playstation. I wish Sony would quit worrying about Microsoft and Nintendo and start making game after game after game that make people realize why they started gaming in the first place. They could be forced out of this race doing this, much like Sega was, but I've always had a very, very soft spot in my heart for Dreamcast and Saturn.

And maybe that will be Sony's legacy, but I wish they wouldn't sell out this much to keep up with people who are losing sight of what gaming was and what it should be.



"Spirits in the Material World"
The Police