A year ago, I was sitting in my basement wondering what the hell I was doing. I was 48 hours from getting married and I was trying to figure out a good gaming joke. You see, one year ago I was submitting, what hopefully turns out to be the worst thing I will ever write, my first Chud column. Somehow I conned an obviously punch-drunk Nick Nunziata that I could provide some sort of gaming content for his massively successful website. So for whatever reason, I decided that I should write a column attempting to compare the next-gen consoles, mere hours before my wedding. And while as I said above, it’s not the best thing I ever wrote, I still agree with the premise.
So no news this week. Instead, a look back in time to where I was a bachelor with a live-in fiancé and a look ahead to where I’m a husband with a live-in and very understanding wife.
At first, I was going to take quotes from the column, but after reading through it, I decided against that course. The basic premise, however, was that there was a philosophy debate between the Wii and the PS3. In terms of philosophy, the Wii represented a new way of gaming, simple, casual and accessible. The PS3, meanwhile, represented the next step in the ongoing evolution same games with better sound, better graphics, better frame rates, and better add-ons.
In the end, I still believe that the Wii is a philosophy shift and with its sales, has changed the course of gaming. However, the old guard isn’t dead yet.
So what have the consoles show us in the past year?
Wii
The Wii launched to a public that couldn’t get their hands on the machine fast enough. Wii Sports, while simple, was one of the most perfect launch games in the history of video games. I cannot imagine a better introduction to the next generation of gaming than Wii Sports. And because of the perfect combination of buzz, Wii Sports, a Zelda game and inadequate supply, the Wii became the hot toy of not only the 2006 Christmas season, but of 2007.
Mainstream recognition aside, the Wii has provided its share of disappointments. While Twilight Princess was a nice game, buzz, nostalgia and excitement got Twilight Princess to be declared game of the year in many circles, it is one of the most forgettable entries into the series. And after Twilight Princess, nothing. Not a single remarkable Wii game for months. Oh we got Wii Play and its controller, but Wii Play, which unlike Wii Sports is a plague that not even Pat Robertson would wish on the Gays. As for third-party games, they faltered due to either a lack of belief in the system or piss-poor execution.
Adding to the disappointment, Nintendo stuck by its Friend-Codes and has zero chance of being in an exacta payout of the online race anytime soon (I haven’t used a gambling expression in ages). The virtual console has become a textbook in anal-retention. Nintendo, in an effort to squeeze every penny from its consumers, leaks games out as if its prostrate is the size of a Jupiter. Taking into account the virtual console is pure profit, Nintendo’s hopes that people will buy a shitty Turbo-Grafx game because it’s the best of the bunch that week, is disturbing at best.
But worst of all, Nintendo has disappointed in its own output. Metroid Prime 3 was as forgettable as Twilight Princess and the rest have been pushed back until next year. Yes, I imagine Pokemon was pleasant and Mario Strikers Charged was enjoyable, but Nintendo’s wait-and-see approach left them snake-bitten in terms of new IP in 2007.
But hope is on the horizon. Third-party developers have found faith in the system, including EA (who might get more of their sports games online). Next week, also brings the release of Super Mario Galaxy, which appears that it’ll be the hit Nintendo needs. Wii Ware will come along somewhere in the future, allowing gamers more access than before. Finally, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. and hopefully a host of other titles will hit in 2008, allowing me to pick-up the Wii once again.
PS3
The PS3 launch was a disaster. Having squandered its good-faith in PR’s screw-ups, only to be surpassed by it’s post-launch PR’s gaffs, the PS3 launch was overshadowed by the Wii launch. A core reason, parents were willing to spend $250 over the wallet-bulge crushing $600. Also hurting the PS3 launch, the unreliability of the 360. The 360, which broke approximately 50% of the time, lead consumers to be cautious with launch consoles. Even price aside, the PS3 had nothing unique for launch. Instead, the console launched with games readily available to the 360 and not much else.
Post-launch, just about everything that could go wrong for Sony went wrong. PR nightmares struck like a massive grandfather-clock loud and regular. After awhile, it became comical. Hell, without Sony’s PR, I don’t know how I would have filled the space the past year.
As an added bonus, Sony couldn’t decide how to react to its machines negative reception. Change the components? Lower the cost? Add new models? Drop models? For the amount of time and speculation spent by the media looking into what Sony would be doing, it was surpassed by Sony’s waffling on the issue. In the end, models were dropped, models were added, changes made (leading to my emulation-free PS3 purchase).
In terms of exclusives, thud. Heavenly Sword, the proposed first "must-have game" for the PS3 came out with a tiny and clunky preview, followed by a tiny and clunky title. As for the remainder of the games, while Ratchet & Clank finally gave the PS3 a successful exclusive (fuck Motorstorm), the muddle that is Lair and the delay of Metal Gear Solid 4 have been more evident of the PS3 line of games. Frankly, when the best game your company has produced all year is for your older system (see War, God of) you know that you’re in trouble.
The greatest comedy is that the PS3 is overall the best console. Sony’s inability to disseminate that message to the public is their greatest blunder of all.
As for the future, well it can only get better. Sony’s online network, while not as good as the 360, is light-years ahead of Nintendo and has potential. Furthermore, the next PS3 firmware update will allow the PSP Remote Play option of activating the PS3 from any hotspot in the world, allowing for tons of entertainment at a gamer’s fingertips. Also, Metal Gear Solid IV, God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII are three very secure buoys. If Sony can get its message in line with it business model, Nintendo and Microsoft won’t have something to look at in their rearview mirror for too much longer.
360
The reason I didn’t include the 360 in my first column was a) I was trying to make a point with the launch consoles and b) I didn’t have much hands-on 360 knowledge. A year and three 360 consoles later, I have a much better understanding.
Microsoft got a nice head-start in the next-gen race and has maintained its lead for two reasons: its online capabilities and console exclusives.
Microsoft in rushing its console out, allowed developers to learn the 360 and develop games for the 360, which Microsoft has gobbled-up like me at a free buffet (honestly, I can’t get enough food when it’s free). Add in its near perfect online set-up (well it’s not perfect, but like Windows, it’s now regarded as the standard) and gamers have been more than satisfied.
Alright, another slight backtrack, the negative story of the year for the 360 is the widescreen issue for Bioshock (I kid, I kid). In reality, the issue has been three red rings. The fact that Microsoft rushed 360s out, with the knowledge that it many, if not most, would breakdown is so well accepted that if the 360 was a robot, it’d be the fourth law. Despite, however, the knowledge that my 360 is more likely to intentionally burn my house down than if I was the abusive foster parent of Charlie McGee, I still love it for the games. Bioshock, Mass Effect, The Orange Box and shit, even Halo 3’s multiplayer, it’s been Murderer’s Row the past twelve months.
For the 360, the future is bright. It appears that Microsoft has finally resolved the console issues (at the hefty cost of a billion dollars), but barring some major shift in the planets, will not finish this console race behind Sony, which was Microsoft’s goal with the 360. While the 2008 exclusive list does not match the 2007 list, (which was colossal) there is always the threat of Sony losing another game and with the current 360 catalog, Microsoft will hold onto its lead well into (if not through) 2009.
Yes, I’m being highly optimistic about all three consoles over the next year. And while I’ll delightfully mock the missteps of the Big Three as they battle to win the “console race,” I also hope to point out the progress and success of this wonderful craft/art that I love way too much. It’s been a great year and I can’t wait to write this column one year from now.
That’s all for now.