I am 8-bit

There was once a time when games weren't in 3D. Instead of cell-shaded, bump mapped, high-definition polygon characters, we just had sprites. Good old fashioned sprites. Now, rather than reminisce on days gone by, it's possible to actually live in the glory days of 2D gaming thanks to this 8-bit tie from Think Geek.

I purchased one myself the other day and was surprised how quickly it came in the mail - obviously everyone at work was super jealous. It's available in clip-on only, at least this way I know it will keep it's shape. The only problem is that now I can't stop making sound effects everywhere I go! Need something from that top shelf? Let me jump up and get that for you........

Get one for yourself here.

Happy GTA Day!

Well, you'll never guess what I've been doing today. What did you say - playing GTA4? Damn, you got me. Well, I guess I'd better talk about it a little.
Honestly, what can I say? Is it worth all the hype surrounding it? You can go to any number of places to get full reviews of the game, so I'm just going to talk a little about some of the things that stood out to me within the first few hours of play. I wont give away any of the story, but some of these things could still be considered spoilers if you like to be surprised by new gameplay mechanics, so be warned.

The first thing that really surprised me was only a few minutes into the game. After the opening sequence and short drive I found myself in the apartment of the main character Nico's cousin, ready to start the first mission. Instead I decided to turn on the TV for a minute to see what the programs were like. I found myself engrossed in the hilarious programs and commercials for about 45 minutes, unable to bring myself to turn them off. I couldn't believe I had just sat there watching for so long when I was so eager to play the game, but it really showed me that Rockstar have put a hell of a lot of time and effort into building a believable, living city. I even saw a short stand up comedy set by a well known comedian - amazing little details that many might never even see.

Another nice aspect is the new cellphone system. Using your phone you can start missions, contact friends, receive text messages, as well as initiate multiplayer modes. Losing a mission no longer requires a long trek halfway across the map to re-try, a simple phone call is all it takes. Also, the game now Autosaves after every mission, which again lessens the time you will spend needlessly traveling. The phone seems to be quite important, and more uses for it become unlocked as you play through, streamlining some of the time consuming tasks of previous games in the series. I also noticed something called Phone Sleep Mode which turns off all missions and essentially pauses the story until deactivated - Good for people who just want to screw around without being interrupted.

Getting into a vehicle shows the difference in the physics model this time around. The cars are harder to handle than in earlier installments - they feel heavier and will swing wildly out of control if you try to corner at high speed. This probably all comes with practice though. A nice feature is the ability to set a destination on your map, and have the GPS plot a course for you on the mini-map, allowing you to concentrate a little more on the road. Some of the luxury cars even have a GPS that talks, telling you when to turn.

Despite these little changes, I have to say that it feels a lot like a Grand Theft Auto game (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). It definitely seems fun and I want to carry on playing, but nothing has stood out as a giant revolution so far. There are some nice little details and I'm sure many more things become available as the game goes on, but it hasn't re-invented the whole franchise or anything like that. I'm sure this isn't the last I'll write about GTA4, just a few early impressions, but I'm guessing most of you out there will know these things already!
Meanwhile, more shining reviews keep coming in for the game. We are stating to see some more reasonable ratings that are bringing the average down, but it's still really high. Check them out here.

Wow.........that's long!

How long is too long? That's a question I have to ask myself fairly often. No - about game length you pervs! Get your mind out of the gutter! I've found that in recent years I've been finishing less games as they seem to drag on and I get distracted by something else.
The reason this is on my mind right now is because of Crisis Core: FFVII for the PSP. That's right, I'm still playing it, only the last few hours have really begun to be an effort. There is nothing wrong with the game - the combat is better than at the start and the story is still sort of intriguing. The problem is that I've been doing pretty much the same thing for over 20 hours now. It's especially hard with handheld games because rarely do I play those for marathon-length sessions so it takes me even longer to finish them. Not all handheld games are this long though - The last one I played was God of War: COO, also on the PSP. At only 5 or 6 hours long I had time to play it through on normal and hard mode before the next big game came out.

This is the interesting thing I've found about shorter games - I'm more likely to play through them multiple times so I end up spending longer playing them than a really long game I only get through once (if that!). Let me look at a couple of examples from 2006: The first is Okami for PS2, a Zelda-style RPG with some really creative ideas and wonderful art design. I really enjoyed this game but sadly, never made it to the end. I didn't get bored of it, I simply got distracted by something else (Rockstar Games' Bully) after about 30 hours of play. The thing is, I actually went back to Okami later to try and finish it, played for another 10 - 15 hours and still didn't make it to the end. It's a real shame as this is a good game that just drags on a little too much.
The second example is Dead Rising for the 360, my favorite game of 2006. It's zombie-bashing main story mode is a mere 6 hours long, no matter how you play. However, there are so many different ways to spend those 6 hours, I had to play through many times to get all the achievements and unlock all the hidden stuff. It didn't feel like playing through the same game over and over as I had totally different goals each time, so ended up with a unique experience with every new game. So overall, I played Dead Rising for many more hours than Okami, even though it's a lot shorter.

I hear many people complain that they can't finish long games because they simply don't have the time. Well, I have the time, I just don't have the patience. If I've been playing a game for a couple of Weeks and then a new game comes out that I also want to play, I find the old one starts to seem a little boring. This is especially true with RPGs which can go on for a long time without much change in the gameplay throughout. Maybe if I was still a kid who only got one or two games a year I would want them all to go on forever, but these days I like to finish games, so want them to be reasonable length. I'm really starting to feel that if a game goes over about 10 hours, then it better have some really varied gameplay or I might start to get bored. Damn this mile-a-minute, ADD-inducing society we live in!

So anyway, I'm going to try and stick out Crisis Core to the end. I really want to get started on another game - The World Ends With You for the DS (another Square Enix title so probably just as long unfortunately), but I know that if I stop Crisis Core now, I wont ever go back as I'll never remember the story later on. It's a shame because there's so much I'm going to miss, as I've stopped caring about all the side missions and bonus stuff and really just want to finish the main quest and find out what happens to everyone. If it goes on for more than a few more hours though I probably wont bother (this happens to me with most FF games - I've only ever finished three of them).

So that's how I feel about Crisis Core. This post is by no means a full write up on everything game-length related, just a few ideas from my head. I'll no doubt have more to say on the subject later on (I hear GTA4 is 25-45 hours long, we'll see how that works out), but for now I'll just say one more word for all those people who still insist games must be long to be good - Portal.
'Nuff said.

Zelda better watch out!

Only two days to go until the release of the most highly anticipated game of the year (so far), the one and only Grand Theft Auto IV. The reviews have started coming in and so far it seems all the major outlets have given it a perfect score. I must say I'm actually a little surprised. I knew this game had a lot of hype surrounding it, but often it can be the most hyped games that end up disappointing. We all know that reviewers can't be completely objective and they don't just have a list of things a game needs to be good that they can tick off to decide it's score. A good score comes from a generally fun experience, and if this many professional game reviewers all had this much fun playing, then I'm pretty excited. Not that I wasn't excited before, but even the coolest looking game can end up falling flat at the last minute. Anyone play Assassin's Creed? I'm sure you see my point.

As for Zelda, I'm of course referring to The Ocarina of Time, which to this day has the highest overall review score according to Game Rankings, with an average of 97.7%. Last years Super Mario Galaxy almost took the top spot, but a last minute score brought it's average down to 97.3%. So far, GTA4 averages 99.2% on Xbox 360 and 99.7% on PS3. I'm fairly sure we'll see some less favorable reviews as well, and the average will go down, but so far it stands a chance of taking the place of the best reviewed game ever.

So what do I think about this? Honestly, I don't really care that much about point values in reviews. Some people bitch and moan when a game they like scored 1% lower than they think it should have. As far as I'm concerned, if a game I'm looking forward to gets generally good reviews, then I'm happy and look forward to buying it. It doesn't matter if it scored half a point lower than some other game I don't like. The point is, I would have bought GTA4 whatever the scores were (assuming they weren't really bad), but now that so many people say it's fantastic, I'm looking forward to it even more. Only two days to go........

Check out the Game Rankings scores here.

Brawls to the wall

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw is an Englishman who has no problem speaking his mind. Over at site The Escapist he offers a weekly video to share his opinions on popular video games. However, unlike most reviewers who seem to focus mainly on what they like about games, he tells it like it is, and he pulls no punches. This is not to say he hates all games, but if he can find nothing bad to say about about a particular title then you know it must be really good.
This week he reviews Super Smash Brothers Brawl, apparently not out of any interest for it, but rather to shut up everyone who keeps pestering him to cover it. Now I've watched all of his videos and he's usually pretty rough on games, but this one...... wow......... he's absolutely merciless. I wont say any more for fear of spoiling it, just watch and see for yourself. It contains plenty of strong language so is definitely not safe for work. Oh, and if you're a huge Nintendo fan, you might want to sit down first..........


Check out the rest of his videos here.

A game that helps blogging?

"My typing skills are better than yours!". "Are Not!". "Are Too!". "Are Not!" etc.......
If you're like me, then this argument is all too familiar. If only there were a way we could end this squabbling once and for all.......But wait! There is! That's right, thanks to the magic of Flash we can finally put this age-old argument to bed with TypeRacer.
Guide your race car along the track by typing out sections from famous books, movies and songs. Quite a simple premise, and really, it's quite a simple game. Online multiplayer only, it has a Halo-style matchmaking system that ensures that no matter how good you get, you'll always be matched up against people a little better than you. The most notable aspect really is the selections you'll be typing. With film quotes from movies like A Clockwork Orange and Pulp Fiction, as well as lyrics from artists like Pink Floyd, this wont be your usual selection of classic literature and poetry.
As I've said before I don't usually play Flash games but, like everyone, I sometimes need to kill a few minutes when I should be working. And the great thing about this game is that to anyone listening it sounds like you are working. Working really fast.........

Check out the game here.

Does the price fit?

All over the World, people are using gaming machines for something other than gaming - they are using them for learning and fitness. That's right, rather that confine your self improvement to books and DVDs, it's now possible to use your favorite entertainment device to make yourself into a better (?) person. With the success of titles such as Brain Age and Face Training for the DS, Nintendo are trying their hand at a fitness game for the Wii.
Wii Fit has already released successfully in Japan, with the Europeans getting their hands on it today, and the US on May 19th. Nintendo recently revealed the price of the game in the US to be $90, but is this too much to pay(I realize it costs even more in the UK, but I've already explained why it's hard to convert game costs between countries)?

There have been many games in recent years that have relied on the use of a special peripheral, the most notable being the Guitar Hero series, but many others including Rock Band, Donkey Konga and the Dance Dance Revolution games have enjoyed reasonable success, even with the cost of expensive accessories attached. The last Guitar Hero game cost $100 on Xbox 360 and PS3 and Rock Band weighs in at en even more hefty $170, so in comparison Wii Fit isn't really that bad. But should it compared to these prices? If you think about development cost, a game like Guitar Hero requires licensing of music, which factors into the price of the game. It also costs more to develop high definition graphics. Since neither of these things are a factor in Wii Fit, the game certainly cost less to make. In fact, looking at sceenshots and videos of the game, it looks like it didn't really cost much at all, with low quality graphics and sound and no licensing of music or characters. Of course, the point of the "game" isn't to dazzle with stunning HD panoramas and 7.1 surround sound. Much like Wii Sports, the fun comes from participating in the events, and trying something unique for a video game. It's also possible that the Balance Board (the device you stand on to play Wii Fit) has more expensive technology in it than the bathroom scale it's been compared to.

But so far I've only thought about the price compared to other games and I think this is the problem. Nintendo have shown that they are targeting a whole new audience with the Wii, and many of these people don't have other games to compare prices to. For these people, Wii Fit's cost is being held up against expensive home fitness equipment and gym memberships. Gym memberships can set you back hundreds of dollars a year and a home fitness setup can also cost hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. Does Wii Fit offer the same benefits as these more expensive alternatives? Well, the balance board itself contains no weights or lifting equipment, no rowing machine or pull-up bar. In fact, it really does nothing to aid you in your quest for a better body, it just measures the results and helps you judge which areas you need to improve.
So if the game itself didn't cost much to make and the balance board is really only a measuring device, what exactly are we paying for?
This is actually quite simple - motivation. We are paying Nintendo to motivate us to get ourselves in shape. We live in a generally lazy society where self-motivation towards things like fitness and health are sorely lacking. Anyone who has ever tried a home workout without the aid of a trainer, or at least a DVD pushing us to try harder, will know how difficult it can be. This is where Nintendo have really shown how clever they are, taking things like math and exercise and making them into something people actually want to do. As we all know, in every job that must be done there is an element of fun, you find the fun and snap, the job's a game. Nintendo have certainly found that element of fun and it seems to be working out pretty well for them so far. Being able to chart your progress against other members of your household will be a further push for people trying to get in shape. Now if only I could get some achievements for it.......I'd have a body like Jet Li in no time!

So is Wii Fit worth the price? I think it could be. It's not really clear so far if it's much help when trying to get into shape, but it might be quite fun and if my overall fitness level goes up in the process, well that's just a bonus isn't it? I will certainly be interested to try this product when it comes out in the US - it's a unique idea that only Nintendo (or maybe Mary Poppins) could ever really get away with!

PSP Dominates Japan.....again

Well, this Weeks Japanese hardware totals are in and once again PSP is at the top of the charts. For anyone keeping track it's been over a Month of great sales for Sony's portable Playstation. The release of a recent Monster Hunter game, along with Crisis Core: FFVII have certainly helped, but it's still interesting to see the over-3-year-old machine finally starting to get some decent sales. Nintendo have always been the king of handhelds and, while that isn't going to change anytime soon, it's good to see some competition in the market, if only to keep everyone on their toes.

Here are the hardware totals according to Media Create:

• PSP - 85,421
• Nintendo DS - 44,551
• Wii - 44,241
• PlayStation 3 - 7,438
• PlayStation 2 - 6,545
• Xbox 360 - 1,076

Yes, it's true - the PSP sold almost as much as the DS and Wii combined! Those Japanese sure do love their Monter Hunting! The funny thing is that only in the last Month have I really begun to enjoy my PSP, thanks to some long awaited games. I think we will see an upswing in Worldwide PSP sales as good software continues to be released (finally!), but this in no way means that the DS is going anywhere - it just may be possible that two handhelds really can co-exist. Or maybe even three! Come on Sega - where's my Game Gear 2?

Escher would be proud

Have you seen Echochrome, the new puzzle game available soon on the Playstation Network? If you haven't it's high time to check it out! A demo has been available for a few weeks on the Japanese store and, thanks to some clever people on the internet, it's possible to play on a US PSP. However, for those who don't want to go through the hassle of making it work, a proper US demo has been announced for release today.

For those unsure about the game, it's basically a cross between Lemmings and an MC Escher painting. Your only real control is the camera, and by changing your perspective, you essentially change the level. As your little man wanders around you must adjust the camera to ensure his progress through the level - if it looks like
two platforms are joined, then they are joined. If there is a hole in the way, and you move the camera so you can't see the hole, then it isn't there. These are the kind of mechanics you will use to guide your little dude through the levels, and from what I have played, it works really well.
The game is due for release sometime in May for the low price of $10, but you can head over to the Playstation Store to check out the demo yourself.

Here is a trailer for the game so you can see it in action before you try the demo:

Another Thing of DLC Comin'

This week in Rock Band saw another first. Last week we had a never before released song, and this week we see the release of an entire album, at the modest price of $15. Unfortunately, it wasn't Who's Next as they previously announced, rather Judas Priest's 1982 Screaming For Vengeance.
This hopefully marks the beginning of a long list of albums to be released. Already announced are The Cars' self-titled album and Dolittle by The Pixies. Previously announced albums such as Who's Next by The Who, and Nevermind by Nirvana were not mentioned, but hopefully they are still being worked on.
Although Screaming For Vengeance is available as a whole album download for $15 (1200 MS points), each track is available separately for the usual price of $2 each (160 MS points). The ten tracks available are as follows:

1 - The Hellion
2 - Electric Eye
3 - Riding on the Wind
4 - Bloodstone
5 - (Take These) Chains
6 - Pain and Pleasure
7 - Screaming for Vengeance
8 - You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'
9 - Fever
10 - Devil’s Child
Note: Click on any song to see expert drum videos.

I'll be honest with you - I'm not really a Judas Priest fan, so I skipped the DLC this week, and can't really offer an opinion on it. I was tempted to buy You've Got Another Thing Comin' and re-live some of my Guitar Hero 1 days, but this was one of my least favorite tracks in the game anyway. If I get really bored and need some new songs, I may check one or two of these out, in which case I may offer my review later on. After the surprises Harmonix revealed to us these last couple of weeks, one thing's for sure though: Friday's DLC announcements just can't come quick enough!

A PSP PSA

Okay, I know this message may be kind of old, but I feel that good advice is always relevant. Namely, don't settle for inferior screen protectors for your handheld video gaming device. Back when the PSP was released everyone said "Get Hori screen protectors - they're the best!". Well, Hori screen protectors were hard to get hold of at the time, so I settled for another similar looking product. They couldn't be too different right? Wrong.
Only recently did I decide to get some screen protectors for my new DS (replacement for a broken one), and after finally seeing the Hori in action, I bought one for my PSP as well. It's like having a whole new screen! I can't believe I put up with that piece of crap I had on before for so long. I didn't realize before how much it's anti-glare protection (or whatever it was) made the screen look bad. Only in comparison do I see the difference, and it makes me want to re-play recent games like God of War: COO, to see how they are really meant to look.
So don't end up like me - buy a decent screen protector right from the start. It makes a world of difference. This has been a public service announcement on behalf of everyone who likes their games to look as good as possible.

I got mine quickly and cheaply from Decal Girl. You can find PSP protectors here and DS lite ones here.

(no longer just) Guitar Hero

Who didn't see this one coming? Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has recently made a statement concerning the future of the Guitar Hero franchise and guess what? He says they are going to include other instruments in the game as well. Anyone who thought Activision would let Harmonix take all the glory with Rock Band was sadly mistaken.
Just in case anyone doesn't know the relationship between these two franchises allow me a minute to briefly summarize (skip ahead if you already know):

Guitar Hero was a joint venture between game publisher and peripheral manufacturer Red Octane, and game developer Harmonix. Red Octane had experience making rhythm game accesories (such as DDR dance mats), and Harmonix had experience making rhythm games (such as Frequency). Together they made a great game, with a great guitar controller. After the release of GH2 a year later, the two companies split up - Red Octane was acquired by Activision, and Harmonix by MTV. Now that Activision owned the Guitar Hero name they put developer Neversoft (who make the Tony Hawk games) in charge of GH3. Meanwhile Harmonix and MTV teamed up with publisher EA to work on Rock Band.

In a way, Rock Band is the true sequel to the first two Guitar Hero games, as it is made by the same people. GH3 is the real imitator, being made by a whole new company. At this point Guitar Hero is still the number one selling rhythm game, but Rock Band has a lot of mind share as it is the next big thing, instead of the continuation of a game people are already familiar with.
One way in which Rock Band differentiates itself from Guitar Hero (apart from the instruments) is all the DLC. Releasing new music every week has kept the game constantly fresh, and although GH3 has had some downloadable songs, they are not on a regular schedule and seem to be more of a once in a while thing. Activision's plan with the Guitar Hero franchise seems to be the same as with their other games - release a new one every year (or more - see GH: Aerosmith and GH4), and keeping the old one fresh probably doesn't help when trying to sell the new one. Hopefully they wont expect people to buy a new $170 full band kit every year for the new game though!
One thing that might be good is to see Red Octane make a drum kit. EA have had plenty of problems with their Rock Band instruments, and if they turn out to be compatible with each other (here's hoping...) then it might be worth picking up the drums, just to use with Rock Band.

Activision haven't given an official statement about the game yet, but we will no doubt be hearing something before too long, probably after the release of GH: Aerosmith at the end of June.

Is it time to buy a PS3?

When Sony first announced the PS3, I was among the many people who just assumed they would buy one on day one. I bought the PS2 and PSP on launch day, and had no reason to believe this system would be any different. Then Sony began revealing details about the system, and things began to change - No rumble in the controllers; No HD cables in the box; The loss of exclusive titles such as Assassin's Creed and GTA, and of course, the price.
All of these factors, coupled with the fact that I was really beginning to enjoy my Xbox 360 (which I bought as a sort of stop-gap console at the time) meant that I suddenly didn't feel the fanboyish need to get Sony's new system as soon as it hit shelves. In the year and a half since then, I have been tempted to buy one from time to time, to play exclusives such as Uncharted, or Ratchet and Clank. However, I wasn't interested in any game enough to justify the expensive purchase.
It may be time to re-evaluate soon though, as there are a couple more factors to think about now:

The first is the death of HD DVD. I know that the format war was definitely something holding my dollars back, as I didn't wan't to back a losing horse and find myself with an obsolete format a few years down the line. Now that the format war is officially over, and stores like Best Buy have stopped selling HD DVDs, I feel more confident in backing the Blu-ray equipped PS3.
The second thing to think about is exclusive content. Okay, so this hasn't really changed - there was always going to be exclusive games, but it's getting closer to the time or their release. Obviously, I'm talking about Metal Gear Solid 4, and more specifically, the MGS4 Bundle that was recently revealed. The problem is that it's (the bundle) still going to cost $500, which was that high price that put me off to begin with. Plus the fact that Sony have made it really confusing for the consumer by selling lots of different versions (SKUs) of the PS3, so I'm not even sure which one this is. It says 80Gb on the box, so does it have backward compatibility (a feature removed from recently manufctured PS3s) or not? It's nice that they added rumble back into the controllers, but really this feature should have been in from the start.
Also, am I that bothered about MGS4? I liked the others fine (er, I actually still haven't finished the third one....) but maybe not enough to spend 500 bucks to play. This isn't the only exclusive game though, as the one I'm looking forward to most is LittleBigPlanet, supposedly due out this holiday season. This game has had my eye (and many other peoples too) ever since they first began releasing videos, and it is a definite PS3 exclusive, so no chance of a 360 port. I've been saying for a while that I would have a PS3 by the time this game came out, so unless it gets delayed again I guess I have to buy one soon anyway.
Of course, the US government is sending everyone up to $600 each in the next few Months, in an effort to stimulate the economy, and this would be more that enough for my new system. And I suppose that by putting that money back into the economy I would be helping the whole country right? Okay, so maybe I can't justify my purchase like that, but it is another factor to think about, and I have a feeling that all these things combined mean there will be a new shiny black box sitting under my TV at some point soon......

We need to talk.....

Tell me if this situation sounds familiar: You're at home, playing a nice game over Xbox Live, when all of a sudden someone else arrives in your house. Be it friend, sibling, or significant other one thing is clear - conversation is suddenly going to get quite difficult. Not wanting to prematurely end your game or ignore your new guest you attempt to hold some kind of three-way chat, relaying the funny things your friends say, to each other.
What you need is some kind of Xbox Live speakerphone device, so everyone in the room can be part of the conversation with your online buddies. The only problem is that there isn't such a device for sale, or at least, I can't seem to find one. The closest thing I found was this sort-of speaker device, but it's only for Xbox 1, and therefore no use to me.
If anyone knows of a place where I can get such a device, please tell me so I can order one immediately. And if there really isn't such a product anywhere in the market, I have drawn up a concept for one. Anyone looking to manufacture a new video game accessory, please feel free to take this idea and actually make it. It's not patented and I feel that it's so obvious I promise I wont sue later if you do decide to manufacture it. Just do me a favor - tell me when the product will be on shelves so I can buy it right away. Thanks.

Here is the concept. Click on the image to enlarge. Oh yeah, and sorry for the poor MS Paint quality - it's about the only art program I can really use!

You didn't read closely enough.....

As if in response to the article I wrote about innovation, BusinessWeek published their list of the World's 50 most innovative companies, and they seem to agree with me. That's right - Microsoft (number 5) beat out Nintendo (number 7) and Sony (number 9), but not exactly for the reasons I would have thought.
Nintendo was praised for their ability to reach a whole new audience, as well as the soon-to-be-realeased Wii Fit and Wii Ware service. While I agree that Wii Fit may offer something new, the Wii Ware service is just a digital distribution center, the likes of which we have seen for over 2 years on Xbox Live Arcade.
Sony was recognized for their not-yet-out Home sevice as well as their recently updated Playstation Network (PSN). I agree that Home is something we haven't seen on a console before, but once again, the PSN seems like a service very similar to the Xbox Live Marketplace. I suppose the ability to access it from a PC differentiates it from Microsoft's service.
Microsoft, however, did not beat them because of the 360. It was the Microsoft Surface that seemed to be the main reason they gained such a high spot on the list. That, and their continuing research into search algorithms, in an attempt to catch up with Google. I'm really not sure what to think about this, as I've never used the Surface before. I guess it could be cool, but I think the people over at BusinessWeek need to re-read my article to see what real innovation in video games is.

You can read the whole list of 50 here.
And for those of you who really think that Wii Fit and the Surface are great new pieces of technology, maybe you should check out Sarcastic Gamer's videos about the products. Here are some links:

Sarcastic Gamer Wii Fit video
Sarcastic Gamer Microsoft Surface video

It's 2277 - Do you know where your kids are?

You are in a tunnel. It is very dark. A faint light shines at the end. This may sound like a standard setting for many games and movies, but this is no ordinary tunnel, oh no, for when you emerge you find yourself able to see and breath for the first time.
No you're not in the Matrix, you're being born. This is the beginning of Fallout 3, the latest game from Bethesda - the company that brought us the Elder Scrolls series, the most recent being the 2006 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
People have been talking about this game for a while, but only recently did I really begin to take notice. I mean, I did like Oblivion, but I'm sure that, like many people, I found some aspects of it to be a little overwhelming. Not just the scope of the world, but the entire leveling system. I won't go into the details now, but lets just say that once you realize the only true way to play if you want to end up with an awesome character, the game suddenly becomes a little less fun. Keeping track of all the abilities I had used, on a piece of paper, just to ensure the right stat bonuses when I leveled up might sound like work to you, and, well, it kind of was. This was part of the reason I never really got into Oblivion as much as I thought I would. However, the game had a lot in it that was really quite ambitious, so the thought of the same team working on a post-apocalyptic RPG shooter actually sounds pretty good to me.

Set in the year 2277, Fallout 3 follows your custom character's journey away from the safety of his home, into the unforgiving wastelands that span the country after an atomic war 200 years before. The game really does start with your birth (even allowing you to press A to cry - this later becomes your "DaDa" button - I'm not kidding!), and subsequent life as a young child. Skipping forward to your tenth birthday, you begin to make some of the decisions that will affect the type of person you become later on in the game. Fans of Western RPGs will be familiar with this concept - choosing to be light side or dark side (so to speak) is an option gamers have been deciding a lot in the last few years thanks to games like Star Wars: KOTOR, Fable, and the recently released Mass Effect.
The combat sounds like part RPG, part 3rd person shooter, with your statistics playing as much of a role in your fighting skills as your hand-eye co-ordination. This sounds to me to be similar to Mass Effect, and may end up turning off some gamers who are looking for the kind of hardcore shooter action found in games like Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4.
Another aspect that has me intrigued is the supposed huge number of endings. Announced at first as over 200 endings, this number has recently been upgraded to over 500! It's obvious that there can't be 500 completely different endings and many are probably variations on the same theme. I personally think that there is only one ending, but with 500 different shades of hat your character can wear during the ending sequence, so technically they're all different. Either way, this game sounds like it will have a lot of replay value, and I shall definitely be keeping an eye on it up to it's release later this year.

In the meantime, here's a teaser trailer to whet your appetite:

Sending out an S.O.S.

This week in Rock Band saw the release of a Classic Rock 3 pack. The songs were announced last Friday, as usual, but on the following Monday, people were in for a surprise. A forth song was announced, this one off of Mötley Crüe's latest album. Although I had absolutely no interest in downloading the song as it sounds terrible, it marks the first time a brand new song makes it's debut in Rock Band, and it's only a dollar!
This could mark the start of a whole new way of distributing music, and once again shows that Harmonix are not going to let Activision's Guitar Hero series keep the rhythm game crown without a fight. I personally think that for fans to be able to not only hear their favorite band's new song, but to actually play along will give them a better appreciation for some of the subtleties of the music that they may otherwise miss. Either that, or fans will never get to hear the band's awesome guitar and drum solos, as they are just too damn hard to play in the game, and the music is not yet available on CD for them to listen to!
Anyway, here are the songs for this week:

Blondie - Call Me
The Police - Message in a Bottle
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man
Mötley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles
Note: Click on any song to see expert drum videos.

As I said before, I didn't buy Saints of LA, nor did I buy the really long, really slow Simple Man. I couldn't pass up on the other songs though. Message in a bottle had been rumored for a while and I was eagerly awaiting it's arrival. Sure, the song may have already been in Guitar Hero 2, but there were no drums in that game! The song is fairly fun to play, not nearly as difficult as Truth Hits Everybody, or Next to You, but still with some little challenging bits. The end section of the song reminds me a lot of the end of Enter Sandman by Metallica, with a steady drum beat allowing you to concentrate on your hands. I would recommend it, especially if you enjoyed any of the other Police songs that have been offered so far.
Call Me by Blondie is fairly fun as well. The announcement of this was a very welcome surprise, and honestly, who doesn't know this song in some form or another. With a beat reminiscent of I Need a Miracle by The Grateful Dead, this one doesn't provide too much challenge, except during the drum fill sections which, although not too fast, seem to be in 3/4 time, which I'm still having trouble getting the hang of. Still a worthwhile purchase, except I've had the damn song stuck in my head for the last few days now!
Good job once again Harmonix. Rock Band continues to improve every week with no sign of stopping any time soon.

Where's the real innovation?

Innovation - it's a word that seems to be on everyone's lips the past few years in the world of video games. Every company feels that they must innovate in some way, to differentiate themselves from the competition, and ultimately win the console war (or at least have the leading platform for this generation). So how have the big console companies handled this prospect differently?
The last huge leap in gaming technology was really the leap from 2D to 3D, saying goodbye to consoles like the SNES, and hello to ones like the Playstation, but has anything really been innovative since then? Many would argue that the current games market is growing stale, as publishers are spending more and more money so are willing to take less risks, instead trying to emulate the success of other big hits (much as in the film industry). Thankfully, some companies are trying to beak away from the mold and create something truly original.

Back in 2005, Microsoft were getting ready to launch their brand new Xbox 360, and people all had something to say about it. Described as Xbox 1.5 by many, it seemed as though Microsoft had no interest in creating something new, and instead were happy with simply upgrading the graphics on their old machine, changing the controller layout slightly, and releasing it as a whole new console. People expected to see all the same type of games they had played on Xbox 1, just now with HD graphics.
Meanwhile, on September 16th 2005, at the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo shocked the world by revealing the details of their system's (then called "Revolution") brand new motion controllers. We all watched their original concept video and then had to pick our jaws up off the floor - it looked as though Nintendo were really trying something new here and if it worked out then it could signify the biggest leap in video game technology in years. They kept using the words "disruptive technology" when talking about their new system (as well as their handheld - the DS), implying that they needed to shake the market up a bit by creating something completely different, even if it seemed controversial at the time. All over the world gamers began conjuring up images in their minds of fighting with virtual swords, swinging virtual baseball bats, and playing music with virtual drumsticks. Maybe Nintendo were really on to something here, and it could create a revolution in games the like of which we hadn't seen for a long time.

The release of the Xbox 360 in November of 2005 brought with it some pretty familiar looking launch games. Between sub-standard shooters (Perfect Dark Zero), and HD ports of current-gen games (Gun), it looked as though everyone's fears were coming true, and the 360 really was just going to be Xbox 1.5. The introduction of things like an improved online service, achievements and the Xbox Live Arcade seemed like minor improvements at the time, and were overshadowed by seemingly bigger innovations going on elsewhere in the console world.

A year later Nintendo released their new system, now called Wii, and the public at large got a chance to try out Nintendo's new control scheme with their biggest launch game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This was a continuation of one of the companies biggest franchises, and had been delayed on more than one occasion, originally scheduled to come out on Nintendo's Gamecube system. So how was this new innovative control scheme?
Well, having an IR sensor meant that you now had a cursor (fairy) on screen all the time, so I eagerly started trying different things. Could I use the cursor to click on objects or talk to people? No. Well, could I turn the camera by moving it to the edge of the screen? No. Could I at least point the cursor to where I wanted to throw objects? No. So what was it good for? It turns out that about the only thing it could be used for was when aiming a bow or slingshot, which is still useful, but I feel it could have been used for so much more.
They also added some new motion controls to the game, which basically amounts to flailing the controller around when you want to swing your sword, instead of simply pressing a button.

The other big Wii game at launch was Wii Sports which came bundled with the system. Now, I guess I should mention Wii Bowling, one of the five games included on the disc. This game is about the only one that really showed how motion control could work, and is still the closest thing to real bowling that any electronic device has managed to emulate. The problem is that a year and a half later this is still the game people mention when talking about the Wii as no one else has come close to making any game that feels so realistic.
It was also around this time that the public got a chance to check out the sensor bar, the piece of technology that picks up the Wii-remote's position in 3D space. Or does it? It turns out that it's actually the other way around - It's the Wii-remote that does the sensing, the so called "sensor" bar just gives off some IR waves for the remote to pick up on. But what difference does this make? Well, the Wii-remote can only pick up the position of the sensor bar when it's facing towards it so any swing of the remote like a sword or bat will break the IR link and the remote won't "know" where it is anymore. This ultimately means that many of the games we had all imagined simply wouldn't be possible with the system.

It had been, at this point, a year since Microsoft had released the Xbox 360 and we were starting to see the release of some great looking titles (such as Gears of War and Viva Pinata). It also meant that gamers had had plenty of time to get used to Microsoft's new system, and a few of the "minor" additions turned out to be more significant that people envisioned. I'm going to take a few moments to go over some of these features:
One of the smaller additions is the ability to have different user profiles directly on the system. This means that any number of people using the same console can have their own wallpaper, icons, game saves, friends list, and settings. Many common game options, such as inverting of the right stick, are found on the Xbox dashboard and, once set, will carry over into every game you play so you don't have to set up control options with every new game.
The achievement point system was also a new addition, giving gamers points for completing certain tasks within each game. Although many people saw these points as useless, only once you have played games with achievements do you begin to see their brilliance. All of a sudden there were whole new incentives to play through games multiple times, or to play them in ways you hadn't imagined before. Some achievements were (and are) so difficult to obtain that they became a sort of badge of honor for those gamers hardcore enough enough to get them. It also brought the whole point of gaming back, full circle, to where it began - a time when people played games to get the highest score, not necessarily to "beat" the game.
Of course the biggest addition to their new system was their improved Xbox Live service, which had been further updated in the year since launch. Users now had the ability to check on their friends, see what they're playing, check out what games they've played in the past and achievements they've unlocked. One could send messages, invite people for a voice (and later video) chat, or leave feedback, all without even having to stop the game they were playing. All of a sudden the gaming console became a social thing, where you may not turn it on to play a specific game, but to say hi to friends, see what they were playing, maybe join them in a game or chat, or simply check out the latest game demos and videos. Nothing like this had ever been done on a gaming system before.
It also brought with it the idea of downloadable content. This had been tried before on original Xbox, but only with the release of 360 did this distribution method start to really take shape. This went hand in hand with it the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) and the Xbox Live Marketplace, a digital distribution center specializing in small $5 and $10 games as well as SD and HD TV shows and movies. One of the big attractions of these smaller games was the addition of online leaderboards. Being ranked against everyone else who has ever played adds a whole new dimension to games and is a big incentive to get better and beat your old scores.
There were also some other small features, such as the ability to have a custom soundtrack for every game, even streamed directly from an mp3 player plugged into the system. This was something else never before seen on a game machine.

So what did Nintendo's new system offer that could be comparable to some of these features?
Well, instead of user profiles they decided to use Miis. These are virtual avatars created by the user for use in some games. However, nothing can be linked to these avatars, such as game settings, saves, or friend lists, so it really just ends up being a fairly basic character creator, a stripped down version of those seen in games like WWE SmackDown vs. Raw or Soul Caliber III.
They made no attempt to emulate the success of Microsoft's achievement point system, so no comparison can be made here. What they did add is a number of interesting features, such as a weather channel and voting channel, where users can vote on inspirational topics such as "Which color do you prefer? Red or Blue?". Stimulating.
An area they have been receiving praise for is their Virtual Console service, offering a growing selection of old games from a number of different systems. My problem with the service is that they added nothing at all to the games. I don't mean like new levels or characters, but some online play, leaderboards or some kind of achievement system would have been nice, and would have breathed some fresh life into these old games. Also, the Virtual Console can't really be counted as innovative, as Xbox Live Arcade had been offering retro games for over a year at that point (and these ones did have those added features).
So what about the online system? Well, since they introduced friend codes back on the DS, it was pretty clear that Nintendo didn't want people to play online together. The system of having to exchange 12 digit codes with people for every different game you want to play is just too much hassle, and they still haven't released any games with voice chat support, so playing with friends is little different from simply playing against the computer. We know they can support voice chat as it is a feature on select DS titles, so why not on Wii?

Let me take a moment to talk about the DS. Now before I go any further lets just get this on record - I love the DS. I play it all the time. This was another system billed as innovative because of it's touch screen, and recently we have begun to see games that really make use of this control method, such as Zelda:Phantom Hourglass and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. However, these games have only come out recently, and for the first few years most of the best games (Animal Crossing, Castlevania, New Super Mario Brothers etc..) made little to no use of the touch screen and simply relied on good game design, not innovation.

So what it really comes down to is that Nintendo have put all of their eggs in the motion control basket, hoping that this will be enough innovation to distinguish themselves from the competition. So have they been making good use of it? Well, so far, no. It seems like Nintendo is adamant to add new control to their established franchises. The soon-to-be-released Mario Kart Wii can be played with a Gamecube controller, and the recently released Smash Brothers Brawl is universally recognized as having the best control when using a Gamecube or Wii "classic" controller.
This is another problem I have with Nintendo - many of their biggest franchises such as Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros. and Mario Kart seem to stick very closely to the same game design that they have had for years. Sure, they all had to make the jump into 3D at some point, all with great results, but have been fairly stagnant since then. In fact the 2007 Pokemon Diamond/Pearl were so similar to the earlier games that even someone who had played only one Pokemon game ten yeas ago (me) new instantly what to do, where to go, what powers I needed to get past certain areas etc....My girlfriend informed me that every single Pokemon game was like this and no, nothing had ever really changed.
The one exception to this rule seems to be Mario, who recently appeared in the excellent Super Mario Galaxy. This game was one of my favorites of last year, but much of it's brilliance stemmed from it's unique level design and interesting use of gravity. Sure, it had some neat motion control sections, but its innovation came from it's design, not it's control. I think that apart from a few areas, this game could have been pulled off back on Gamecube and would not have suffered much for it.
Nintendo have started some new franchises in the past few years, but they seem to be going after a different market now with titles like Brain Age and the not-yet-released Wii Fit targeting non-gamers who may want to use a console to improve themselves in some way, or learn a new skill. It's debatable whether or not these things really work, but I suppose getting the mainstream public to buy your new system could be considered innovative in itself.

So what about Microsoft? Where are all their revolutionary games? Well, Microsoft have never been known as the strongest game developers and instead focused on their online service to allow third party publishers to add new game features. Things such as Halo 3s Forge mode or Rock Band's DLC could never have been possible on earlier generation consoles (except maybe original Xbox). Another thing to remember is that Microsoft never claimed to be really innovative, unlike Nintendo, and this is really the whole point. I'm not trying to say that companies must be innovative to make good games. I'm just saying, don't claim to be the most innovative and progressive company, only to release the same damn games year after year, thinking maybe people wont notice that nothing has changed.

So what about Sony? - I haven't mentioned them. The simple reason behind this is that I don't own a PS3 (yet) so can't really give an informed opinion on the system. Also, Sony have never really been a company that thinks of new things, rather a company that takes other people's ideas, copies them, and often makes them better (such as with the analog stick). Maybe after I get a PS3 I might have a stronger opinion on the subject.

The final thing I want to mention is the rumor of Microsoft releasing their own motion controller, very similar to the Wii-remote. Not only is this a bad idea because console peripherals are hardly ever supported unless they come with the system (Xbox Live vision cam anyone?), but also because Nintendo have shown that motion control alone does not necessarily make a good game. It still takes good game design and the 360 has had a huge amount of great games released in the not-too-distant past, with many more great looking games coming in the future. I will continue playing both systems and look forward to the next huge revolution in game design, but for now, when we talk about innovation in the console world, let's try to give some credit where credit is due.

To be this good together takes ages

Gears of War - one of my favorite games of 2007. The single player was, well, okay, but the real fun in that game came from teaming up with a friend to tackle the hoards of aliens together.
The concept of co-op play isn't a new one, but seems to be getting a resurgence in popularity recently, thanks to shooters like Gears of War and Halo 3. But co-op games have been around for a long time and thanks to Nintendo's Virtual Console service, many younger gamers now have the chance to try out some of the classics.
Nintendo, however, have decided to release direct ports of those old games without adding any modern functionality such as online play. This is a real shame, as I personally would have a lot more opportunity to play if I could link up with my e-buddies, so my hope right now is for Microsoft to release some of these classics over Xbox Live Arcade.
As my console of choice back in the day was the Sega Genesis I have decided to compile a list of five co-op games from the system that I feel are in desperate need of an XBLA re-release:

Gunstar Heroes

2D shooters were all the rage back in the day, and this one was definitely one of the best.
Featuring multiple weapons and shooting modes, melee combat moves and fun 2 player co-op, this game stands above many other wanna-be-Contras of the day.
Gubstar Heroes has little-to-no story, and is really all about the frantic, high intensity shooter action, something that players of XBLA have had some practice with thanks to some more modern games released for the system.

Streets of Rage 2

Brawlers, fighters, side-scrolling beat-em-ups. Whatever you want to call them, they are a genre that has definitely died out in recent years (thanks a lot The Bouncer!).
The Genesis had plenty of this type of game and SOR2 was a fine example. Taking the things that made the original great, this one added some extra characters, and some proper special moves, bringing even more depth to the excellent first game, although once again, the story is almost non-existent (who cares though?).

ToeJam and Earl

One of my all time favorites this one, casting you in the role of two goofy-yet-funky aliens as they attempt to rebuild their crashed spaceship and make it safely back home.
Featuring slow gameplay, and randomly generated levels this one might not appeal to all. In fact it's difficult to categorize, but lets just say that fans of funny games they can play together wont go wrong with this offering. The sequel is also worth a mention. Even though it is vastly different (platformer), it's still fun.

Cyborg Justice

Another brawler, this one slightly more obscure. You are cast in the role of a cyborg who rebels against his cruel masters and attempts to escape his robot colony.
Although the level design was rather boring, this game featured some interesting play mechanics, such as customizable cyborgs (you could even pull body parts from enemies to attach to yourself), and the ability to rebuild a fallen comrade (or rival, if you so desired), and definitely should not be overlooked.

California Games

Okay, so I cheated a little bit on this one. Yes, technically this game does feature co-op play, but only in two of the events.
A collection of fun summertime games, from footbag to BMX to surfing this is a game i still go back to from time to time, as it's beat-your-old-score gameplay is very addictive. This is the real reason it needs an XBLA port - online leaderboards. As the game is entirely score-driven, some worldwide rankings would ensure that people keep playing for a long time.

So there you go. This is by no means a complete list of co-op games for the Genesis, just a handful of my favorites. If Microsoft decides to try and take on the Virtual Console, then I hope we see some of the games from this list appear. That way, those of us who like playing games with their friends rather than against them, will be able to re-live a simpler time, updated into the modern age. Oh yeah, and Microsoft, I'm willing to pay five dollars for these games, you hear me? Five dollars. Lets not go down the Nintendo route shall we......

The Collar comes off......

Had to give a quick mention to this just because, well, it's Sonic. Screens of a new Sonic game leaked out a few weeks ago, which were promptly pulled by Sega, only to be essentially re-released a few days later, along with a trailer video.
Now, I'll be honest, I wouldn't exactly call the Sonic games great overall, but I feel that the first two are masterpieces of 2D platforming that rivaled anything by Mario at the time. It's unfortunate that his games seemed to digress into roller coaster ride levels in which you have little control, and must simply watch as a blue ball shoots through loops and turns for what seems like forever. I know that there were sections like this in the first two games as well, but there were proper platforming areas too.
As game technology advanced Sonic, like many others, made the leap from 2D to 3D, in Sonic Adventure. It's really a shame that while Mario went on to create what was basically a whole new genre of game, Sonny the Hog disappeared into relative obscurity. Mediocre games since this have ensured Sonic remain a shadow of his former self. Sega claim that Sonic Unleased will be a whole new start to the franchise, and though I'm not holding my breath, my love of those first two games means I will have to at least check this one out when it's released this holiday season.

Here is the trailer in case you didn't get a chance to see it:

Bullshipping

Every child knows the wonderful feeling of waking up on Christmas morning (or whatever you celebrate), knowing that today you may get something really awesome, and have a great time playing with it all day.
We, as gamers, still get a chance to feel that special, child-like joy whenever the morning of a big game launch comes around.
So imagine if, as a child, you rushed downstairs on Christmas morn only to find, well, nothing. What if your parents told you "It's okay - we're gonna have Christmas tomorrow this year,"? How would you feel?
Unfortunately, this is another feeling we gamers have to deal with. I'm not talking about delays, I'm talking about ship dates. For some reason game publishers must find it really funny to announce the day they ship the game to retailers, not the day it's necessarily for sale. The thing is, sometimes it is for sale on that day. I never know whether or not to get excited anymore? Game release dates usually seem to be on Tuesday, and that's the day it may be available, but often they don't actually come in until Wednesday.
Why do we have to deal with this? If I see a poster in a movie theater, I know that if I go in on the day it says, the movie will be there. Same thing with DVD releases. So what's the problem? If the game wont be for sale until Wednesday, then just put that date on all of your advertising so I know when to get excited.
But wait, it's only a day right? I shouldn't have a problem with waiting one measly day should I? Well, try it on your kids this Christmas morning and find out for yourself.

Gamestop, you shall (not) be missed

D&D. Two letter that mean a lot of different things to different people. To some it means epic quests, warlocks, and 25-sided dice. To others it stands for a nice place to get hot coffee and donuts in the morning. And for some, it could mean the end of game collecting as we know it. That's right, I'm talking about digital distribution. It's a phenomenon that's being gathering steam a lot in the past few years, thanks to faster internet speeds, increased storage space, and a wide variety of devices that play digital media. If, even 10 years ago, you told people that soon the majority of music would be sold and downloaded over the internet, I think they would have a hard time believing you.
Right now digital distribution is mainly used for music, but movies and games are starting to make the jump too. Services like Steam (games) and Netflix (movies), as well as Xbox Live (both), allow users to download content directly to their hard drive and start using right away. But is this all we're going to see in the future? According to Sony - Yes (well almost).
In a recent statement by Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire, he states that 90% of game sales will be online by 2018. Is this really how it's going to be in just 10 years? Well, as I said before, a lot can change in 10 years, but will people be happy about it?

I, for one, like having a game collection. I like having a movie and music collection too. I'm one of those people who still buys all of their music on CD. I mean, I rip it straight onto my iPod when I get home, but I still like to have the disc. I like to have the box, and the inlay booklet. I like to put it on my carefully organized shelf with all my other CDs and enjoy my, now slightly larger, collection. I feel the same way about games and movies.
A question people always ask is whether brick and mortar stores allow game companies to cut them out of the business by selling direct to the consumer. After all, stores don't make a profit on selling consoles, they make a profit on the games. So if they aren't selling any games, why would they even bother selling the systems? This is the problem console developers trying out digital distribution are facing. They need those stores or there wont be anyone able to play their downloadable games.
But what about the iPod? I mean, there's another product that retailers don't make any money from selling, and they don't make money on the music either as Apple sells their music direct through iTunes. So why do they sell them? Well, I suppose they do make some money on the music if they sell CDs as well, but mainly the profit comes from accessories. Cases, cables, chargers and such, many of which have a nice mark-up for the retailer.
But would stores like Gamestop be able to stay in business with just these sales? After all, much of the income from video game shops comes from used game sales, on which there is a huge mark-up. Used game sales would disappear if everybody downloaded games directly from the publishers. Of course this is another reason console and game makers want digital distribution. It's quite a strange conflict of interests really, that may end up with stores like Gamestop, and other video game specialty stores being completely wiped out, leaving only larger electronic and department stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart to sell the consoles, making a profit the same way as on iPods.
Another thing to think about is the growing popularity of peripheral-based games, such as Guitar Hero, and Rock Band. None of these games would work without the special controllers you have to buy, so you still have to go to a store one way or another. These are still only really accessories though, and probably couldn't bring in enough profit alone for a specialty video game retailer to survive.

One final issue to think about is Digital Rights Management (DRM). This concerns what you can do with content once you purchase it. Can it be used on more than one device? Can it be copied? Do you have to be online to use it?, along with various other issues concerning copyright. The people selling these things don't want to get ripped off after all.
The various companies have come up with their own ways of dealing with DRM, and they don't seem to have all go the hang of it yet. Many people who have had problems with their Xbox 360s have sent them in for replacement and got them back with, what I would consider, a major issue. It turns out that whenever you buy content over Xbox live, the content pairs itself to the system it was bought on. You can still access your purchases on another system, you just have to be online at the time. The problem is that when you send your system to be replaced, you often get back a different machine from the one you sent in. All of a sudden, games, movies, DLC, gamerpics, that you paid good money for, become inaccessible when you are not conneted to Xbox live. This is total crap! It's not always possible to be connected to Xbox live, and I'd like to think that I can use things I've paid for whenever I want. I mean, what if 20 years from now I dig up my old 360 and want to play some old games from my past? Am I going to have to remember sign in names and password information? Will I need to know the billing address on the credit card I used to sign up with 20 years ago? Will Xbox live still even exist? This is a problem I have with all digitally distributed media - if these services go out of business at any point, what happens to the stuff I bought? Unless I have it actively stored on a hard drive, it might be gone forever. That's another reason I still buy CDs. I know that at any point I can dig up an old CD player and listen to all the music I loved.

It's not all doom and gloom though. I may have made out that I don't like digital distribution but that's not so. Microsoft have shown me a whole new way to use my system, thanks to small $5 and $10 games that I can buy directly from my living room. I still go back to play Geometry Wars whenever I have a few minutes to kill on my 360.
And Nintendo are doing a good job with their Virtual Console service, offering many excellent games from the past at somewhat reasonable prices. It would be quite hard for me to leave my house and drive around to stores looking for a copy of ToeJam and Earl to play on my Sega Genesis (Believe me, I've tried), so it's nice to know that I can still buy the game and play with my friends, without even having to put my shoes on. I just wont be able to glance at my shelves, see the box and think "Hey! I own a copy of ToeJam and Earl! I should totally play that!"
Sigh........

PS2 > 360 (?)

A couple of years ago I saved up my money and bought a widescreen TV. Nothing too fancy - 30", 1080i tube TV. I really just wanted it for HD gaming, but being able to watch movies in 16:9 was a definite plus.
Anyone else who owns a widescreen will (or at least should) be familiar with the different screen modes on your TV. The TV doesn't know whether you are watching a DVD that's shot in fullscreen, fullscreen that's been cropped to look like widescreen, or so-called "true" widescreen. If you play a DVD with the wrong screen mode selected then the picture will look either stretched or squashed, or parts of the picture will be cut off from the top and bottom of the screen.
Needless to say, I immediately familiarized myself with the different modes so I would always have the best looking picture.
I would sometimes come home to find my girlfriend watching a movie, and the characters wouldn't look quite right. A simple change of the screen mode would fix the issue, but with five modes to choose from I don't blame her for not wanting to memorize what they all do.
Why couldn't my TV just switch itself over automatically? (Note: When watching anything in high definition it's fine, only standard def needs to be switched).
I would usually use my 360 to play DVDs but recently it's been on the fritz so I've switched to playing them on my PS2. This is when I first noticed an interesting thing - the PS2 always changes screen modes by itself! Whatever DVD I play on it, whether old or new, fullscreen or widescreen, it would always put the TV in the correct mode.
Now if my PS2 is advanced enough to communicate to my TV the aspect ratio of the movie I'm watching, why isn't my 360? In fact, the PS2 is the only thing I've plugged into it that can do it, be it gaming system or cable box (I don't own a standalone DVD player).
I know it's not too much trouble to press a couple of buttons on the remote and fix it, but I like to know that if someone else in my house is watching a movie, they will have the best picture possible, without having to mess around with my TV settings.
Of course, it could be that Microsoft doesn't want me playing DVDs on my system. They probably only want me buying content from their Video Marketplace.....
Hmmm......I smell a conspiracy.........

The real cost of UK gaming

Something has been bugging me for a while now. I will often listen to a podcast, shortly after a new game system has been priced in the UK, only to hear everyone going on and on about how all of England is getting totally screwed price-wise.
The fact is that the US dollar has been decreasing in value steadily for many years now. Being originally from the UK myself, I remember in the past getting about $1.50 for every UK £1 (please note: I just spent the last five minutes searching this stupid American keyboard for a pound sign, but apparently there isn't one, so I had to copy and paste one from another site), but these days the exchange rate is a lot closer to $2 for every £1 ($1.97 to be precise). But what does this mean?
Well, for one, it shows that the value of the dollar is not set in stone and should not be used as the "standard" when people talk about the cost of gaming. It's kind of like measuring yourself against a stick that's slowly sinking into the ground. You may appear to be getting taller, when it is actually the stick that's getting shorter. This is why gaming in the UK seems to be getting more and more expensive - It's actually because it's getting cheaper in the US.

So how much do consoles actually cost overseas? Right now the cost of a PS3 in the UK is £299 ($589), or a cost increase of 40% over the US price of the same model.
The Xbox 360 is going for £199 ($392), or a 7% price increase over the US (again, same model).
Please note that I added 5% sales tax to the cost of the US prices, as this is the tax here in Massachusetts. I did not add tax to the UK prices as it is already included.
So wait, they really are paying a lot more over there, aren't they? Well, there's something we haven't factored in yet, and that's wages.
As of right now, Federal minimum wage in the US is $5.85 an hour. I know it is higher in many states, but I want to go with the minimum.
National minimum wage in the UK is £5.52 ($10.88) an hour for workers over 22 (the ESA states that average age of a gamer is 33, so I think this is fair).
This means that minimum wage in England is 86% higher than in America. I know this is only the minimum wage, but I would expect the rest of the wages to follow a similar pattern.
Now, if they make 86% more, but only have to pay 40% more for a new PS3, are they really paying more than us?
Let me put it this way - In the US a minimum wage worker would have to work 71.6 hours to buy a new PS3. In the UK a minimum wage worker would have to work only 54.1 hours to afford the same new system. So who is really paying more?
We have also not factored in many other variables such as cost of housing, cost of transportation, cost of food, taxes etc...... I'm not going to work all those things out now, but it should be clear that a simple conversion of currency is not nearly enough to work out prices overseas.

Let me look at one more thing now - Rock Band. The recently announced price in the UK has left many people around the world shocked. Buying the game with all the instruments works out to about £180 or $354!
This is a still a big price hike, even factoring in the cost of wages. It works out to be about 108% higher in price than in the US (that's over twice the price, for those bad at math). Wow EA, after people condemned you for price gouging in Battlefield: Bad Company, you'd think you would have learned something right?
I feel very upset that many of my fellow Brits will be unable to play my favorite game of 2007, simply because of cost.

So anyway, Rock Band aside, I hope you now see that the cost of gaming over in the UK isn't always more expensive, but sometimes companies decide to be greedy bastards, and we have to show them that we wont take it, or we'll see a lot more.
And for those of you who can afford to rock in the UK, I salute you.