Where Are They Now…And Where Will They Be Then?

A quick glance at my “Now Playing” sidebar over there on any given week will usually display more older games than newer ones. In that magical stretch of time when I was still living at home but was working my first well-paying full-time job, I amassed literally hundreds of video games. So between those and the steady trickle of games I had accumulated throughout my life prior to that, 99% of which I still have in my posession, the backlog of games I have yet to finish – or even start – is more than enough to keep me plenty busy without needing to have every hot new game as soon as its fresh from the mint. I occasionally make exceptions (see my previous entry), but for the most part, I don’t mind waiting until a game’s price tag sheds a couple of sawbucks before I bring it home. Basically, they aren’t going anywhere. No matter how long I wait, even if it’s a number of years, I’ll still be able to get my hands on that game one way or another, be it used, eBay, or emulator (hypothetically, of course, since I would never do anything illegal). 

A Traditional Gamer

I’m not even going to pretend like I can relate to kids today in regards to how much or little (most likely little) they appreciate the little treasures in life. In this age of high-speed internet, iPods, and the various other forms of technology that bring instant, on-demand entertainment of every kind, I would imagine something as trivial as getting one new video game is just a blip on the life radar of a kid or teenager who never had to worry about rewinding or fast-forwarding a movie. But for those of us who grew up in the days when video games came on cartridges so big that we had to lift them with two hands lest we pull our backs out, each and every new game was a magical event. This was especially the case for the kids like me who didn’t get them very often, and almost never outside of a birthday or [insert religious holiday of your upbringing]. One of my favorite new-game rituals was actually opening the thing up for the first time: Tenderly removing the outer plastic so as not to damage the box (that my mom would end up throwing out with the wadded up wrapping paper and TMNT action figure cardboard backings soon after anyway), sliding the game out in a manner that suggested I was expecting the actual characters to be riding on top of it, and perhaps my favorite pre-first-play ritual, reading the instruction manual. There was a time, young grasshoppers, when the manual was the only place to learn how to play the game, what the game’s story was, and what the names of the heroes and villians were. Such information was often not even found in the game itself. Anyway, the best was on those rare days when I was actually along for the ride to purchase the new game, and the treat on those occasions was that I’d get to excitedly open and ogle my new game’s assets on the car ride home.

Yeah, they say life goes on, long after the thrill of getting new games is gone.

Tecmo’s Perfection: A Tribute to Tomonobu Itagaki

In case you haven’t heard, longtime Tecmo developer Tomonobu Itagaki recently surprised the gaming world by announcing his resignation from, and subsequent lawsuit against, his now former employer. If his name doesn’t ring any bells, you’ll certainly know his work: His Team Ninja is responsible for the Dead or Alive series and the latter-day re-imagining of the Ninja Gaiden franchise (which began with the Xbox release in 2004 and continued to the recently released sequel for the Xbox360). The popularity and success of the games on his resume aren’t the only components of his legacy, however. Itagaki is just as well-known (maybe more so) for his often controversial opinions about not only his own games, but the work of his peers as well. In case you are unfamiliar with his musings, I’ll sum them up for you: He is a god who manufactures orgasmic perfection in polygonal form. If you make games and you aren’t him, you’re a no-talent hack. Especially if you make Tekken.

(Note: there is a YouTube video within this article that features some racy video game footage. Granted it’s YouTube so there’s no nudity or anything too graphic, but I wanted to warn you anyway. Maybe don’t open it at work is what I’m trying to say.)   

Now You’re Playing With Power…Tightwad Power!

Nintendo is a very old, Japanese company. One of those very old Japanese companies that firmly believes in having its own traditions, values, and beliefs and in upholding them above all else. Of course, arguments can be made that they have often held onto those traditions to the point of stubborn arrogance, and in doing so they have made decisions that led them from being the saviors and rulers of the video game world to the company that was a distant 2nd- and 3rd-place runner-up in the previous two console generations. As we all know, that is no longer the case with the Wii, which has put Nintendo back on top and once again made them the household name that they arguably haven’t been since the NES’s dominance two decades ago.

Besides the obvious main factors of a cheap price point (with included game) and the anyone-can-use-it Wii-mote, the other key to Nintendo’s return to glory is them finally striking the right balance between upholding their tradition and embracing the new. I’m not going to go into the things they did the same and the things they did differently, because that’s not what this article is about. Instead, I’m going to focus on one particular (and particularly annoying) long-held Nintendo tradition that has always been my least favorite thing about my most favorite company: Their strict adherence to releasing all of their in-house games at full price and waiting far longer than almost any other company to drop the prices.

Total Play Time: 5,874,315 hours

I was listening to 1up.com’s fantastic Retronauts podcast a few days ago, and they were taking a look at the history of the Street Fighter series. After spending a better part of an hour discussing the minute details about the changes between the various versions of each game, be it from the arcade to the home port, or from the originals to their updates (SF2 Hyper Fighting, SF3 Third Strike, etc), one of the guys finally spoke up and said something that really resonated with me. I’m completely paraphrasing in the loosest sense of the word here, but it was something along the lines of him not really devoting enough time to Street Fighter games to get into the extreme minutae of parries and cancels and isms, because he simply has too many other games he wants to play.

That’s always been my approach to gaming.

My Game Can Beat Up Your Game

Crossovers and guest stars seem to be all the rage in video games these days, with the recently announced Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, the Star Wars characters in Soul Calibur IV, and the dream match that was once thought to be impossible but finally happened, Mario vs. Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And while some quibble over the details and inconsistencies that some match-ups present (why can’t Darth Vader’s lightsaber slice right through a sword, for example), I think ultimately most of us are just giddy to see characters out of their elements and interacting with characters from other universes. That is, those of us who don’t think we are just too good and too passionate about our games to have a little nonsense fun. Get over yourselves.  

But Sir, The Large Popcorn Is Only 75 Cents More….

I go to the movies a lot, on average 4 or 5 times a month. And I do the whole soda and candy thing (I’m not a popcorn guy); sometimes I may even get some actual food depending on the theater. Hey, don’t turn your nose up at me, there are some nice theaters out there with decent food. I even know of one with a full restaurant-caliber menu, as a matter of fact. While I often go during the day, even matinee prices are only a buck or two off of the full price anyhow so it barely even matters. So basically, my average trip to the movies can run me $20-$30 when you factor in treating my girlfriend (although she often pitches in). So how do I feel about that? Just fine, thanks. And if you are the type to complain about how the moviegoing experience is too expensive, I’d like to say a few things in defense of a pastime that I still thoroughly enjoy, and one that I feel that no amount of at-home technical gadgetry can ever duplicate.    

Groovy!

After a false start on PSP last year, Earthworm Jim is again poised for a comeback. Very little is known thus far other than there’s a new game, TV series, and movie all said to be forthcoming, with original EWJ character creator Doug TenNapal set to be involved in all three. There was no mention of any involvement by original Earthworm Jim developer Shiny (now a part of supergroup Double Helix Games) and/or David Perry, the shiny-headed former head of Shiny. Which is a shame, really, because I for one love it when there’s a big-time David Perry game in development: the hype, the promises, the delays, the cuts, the disappointment, the backlash…it’s all just so magical.

In the meantime, we’ll be able to relive EWJ in his glory days as his two Genesis outings are on their way to the Wii Virtual Console, along with two other Interplay, um, classics, Boogerman and ClayFighter.

Quadraphonic Quandary

I find it interesting that, while we demand that almost every form of audio/visual media improves in technological quality as time passes, most of the population seems more than happy to sacrifice quality for convenience when it comes to music. We have these ridiculous home theater systems, and overpay for Blu-Ray versions of movies (while the DVDs often still have far more special features) just so our movies can look and sound that much better. Of course, video games continue to demand equal attention in the technology department. Even televison, a medium that long relied on wire coat hangers jutting out in all directions just so the picture wouldn’t be fuzzy is so advanced that Jay Leno has been in High Definition for longer than the average person was able to afford to watch it that way. It’s just too bad HD doesn’t make you funny. But I digress…    

Previously on…

I finished Bioshock within about 2 months of getting it as a Christmas present. And I absolutely loved it. I’m not writing a review here so I won’t go into too many specifics, but it was one of those mind-blowing gaming experiences that had me consistently riveted from start to finish and I have almost no ill to speak of it. If I were to write a review, I’d be sure to give attention to the amazing story in the game, which (I’d say in the review) had me captivated throughout its many twists and turns, the emotions it stirred, and the psychological questions it raised.

But really, in all honesty, I wasn’t exactly sure of the details of what was happening a pretty good chunk of the time.