Nintendo Made Good Impressions; But They Aren't Leaving Empty Handed

Nintendo didn’t have a new console to unveil this year, but that didn’t stop them from making an appearance at E3. I’m excited for Nintendo’s first party games like Mario Kart 8, but that’s just the problem. It’s “Mario Kart 8”. As a retro gamer I don’t see a problem with popping in Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart Double Dash!. I have to admit that the 12 player online deal is pretty cool, but outside of that it isn’t something I’m willing to fork dough over for just yet. Don’t get me wrong- Nintendo made it look like a lot of fun- but I’d have to invite my adult pals over to play it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.. though in college this game along with Dokapon was known to ruin relationships. Although Retro, the gaming studio behind Metroid Prime is back making a Donkey Kong sequel, it feels the same as Super Mario Kart- I’m going to wait.

The format of the latest Mario games is cool and well done, but it’s getting stale in my opinion. It does seem like a fun muitiplayer game though. You can never go wrong with a good Mario platformer though- I just wish I could get more than 15 hours out of one. While I have never played Pikmin, I know a buddy of mine is very excited about Pikmin 3 coming out. That’s an actual change I am very happy to see. Ditto on Bayonetta 2- if I recall correctly this is exclusive to the Wii U. If I were to pick up the Wii U in the future- I am probably going to look into getting this game. There was a secret trailer release of some game that looked like it combined Zone of the Enders and Monster Hunter- I’m definitely interested in that bit.

It’s always good to see Zelda in almost any form, except the CDI games. I like the look and UI changes to the Wind Waker HD remake, but as a hardcore Zelda fan this isn’t enough to get me to bite. I will tell you what is though- that new Zelda game coming out for the 3Ds- A Link to the Past 2. That’s enough for me to bite, and it helps that the 3Ds has a healthy selection of titles to choose from. I know we should really be discussing the Wii U here- but the 3Ds has some good stuff for it down the pipeline. I know quite a few people who are going to go bonkers over the new Pokemon X and Y games. Hell, I might even bite. I haven’t played a Pokemon game since Red/Blue/Yellow, so I might as well put that on my bucket list.

I really liked the look of Skylanders SWAP Force- and again it’s a 3Ds title. I am really excited about Sonic: Lost World though. It seems SEGA went retro on this one and took a playbook from Mario Galaxy in its unique level designs. And hell… you know what? It’s coming out on the 3Ds too. One place I think the Wii U really shines along with the Playstation 4 this year is there friendliness with indie developers. Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara peaked my interest- it looks like a remake of Golden Axe, but better. Depending on the price I’d give Shovel Knight a try too. 

It looks like Super Smash Bros was Nintendo’s trump card this E3- and for good reasons, the series is extremely popular. I’d be interested in getting at least one of the titles, and to make a safe bet I would probably pick up the 3Ds version. I know a lot of people that are going to be very happy about Mega Man joining the fray. Super Smash Bros. was kind of…. Ruined for me during college, however I am still willing to play the way it was meant to be played- with friends. It should be a lot of fun. 

I like what Nintendo has put down on the floor- their lineup isn’t as solid as the behemoth Sony, but they make dang good games and Nintendo is historically the best when it comes to 1^st party titles. I am sold on one thing however- and I wasn’t sold on it back in 2011 when I got to get my hands on a demo unit. For the Wii U- I’m really not that enthralled with it yet. I may look at it again at next year’s E3, but right now I’m looking at the food in the oven and it just isn’t ready yet. 

I am thinking about looking at buying a Wii U in either 2014 or 2015, with the latter more likely. As for the 3Ds, that baby is done and ready to enjoy. Nintendo has convinced me to get the handheld- not just for the Zelda game, but for a couple of other first party hits and third party ones as well. Good job Nintendo, you made a sale. My final verdict on E3's press conference? good. They have some exciting stuff in the pipeline, especially for the 3Ds. If you're like me and you're on the fence about something Nintendo, I say now is a good time to bite on the 3Ds, but give the Wii U a little more time in the oven. Hopefully the temperature wasn't set too low initially.

Post E3 Coverage: Final Thoughts on the Xbone

So let’s talk about the Xbox one. A few weeks ago Microsoft revealed their new “entertainment center experience” called the Xbox One and centered its focus around water coolers, television, sports and a real seal team dog. The response wasn’t too good for Microsoft, and they exclaimed high on the mountain top ‘we haven’t forgotten you, the core gamer’.

Recap: My Expectations

Let’s take a quick recap: as a gamer I expect content and value for the money I am putting out. I expect to put the game in and play it. I also expect companies to keep their hands off of the product I just purchased, after I purchase it. Those are the core tenants of my gameplay philosophy and my expectations for game publishers. 

Xbox Claims It’s the Wave of the Future

Microsoft (according to the Wall street Journal) claims that the Xbox One’s new technologies, which we will call “DRM”, are the wave of the future of gaming and that they “the DRM measures” are the reason you should be buying their console. That’s a pretty ballsy move, and after the Redmond Campus incident they didn’t have much of a choice here. CNET says that Microsoft has regained “gamer credit” with E3’s showing. While that may be true just for the author of that article, the rest of gamerdom as a whole seems to disagree with him. One thing is correct though: Microsoft said not one thing about the intrusive DRM at E3.

There’s just one problem. Microsoft wants to demand what the future will be (that’s nice), but gamerdom as a whole has already spoken negatively about the intrusive DRM and privacy breaking Kinect 2.0. Hey- some people who adore and love Microsoft won’t care and are willing to shell out the money for the shiny new box. I’m here to pick between the three consoles- because every generation I like to pick, at a minimum, one game console.

Indie Support

According to TGS, Microsoft really has not gained indie support- and that can spell disaster for sales. Other sources I have looked into state that Indie developers are raving about the Playstation 4, it’s friendliness to work with and the capabilities it presents to developers. TGS also commented that “this is what Microsoft needed in terms of gameplay”. I disagree- they needed console exclusives at E3, and most of the stuff showed there was CGI or multi-platformed games. 

You see- I have this awesome thing I am talking to right now through an integrated device known as a PC. For $500 I can get a machine that runs every single game in existence at a respectable framerate with room to upgrade in the future. One downside to consoles is that you are stuck with what you have until the next generation. There’s nothing mysterious or high tech about them- if you want that stuff you’ll have to look at high end gaming rigs, of which mine is not one. If It’s on the PC it’s going to run better and look better. Controller support is increasing for PC games. So…. If Metal Gear Solid V is on the PC or is a multi-plat game, for example, I’ll take a pass on Xbone.

Xbox Live Required

For the console to even work you’re going to need to pay a fee to Xbox Live to get the thing jump started. Just to update my games and for Microsoft to “authenticate” me, I’ve got to pay money. In addition, a new “reputation” system will come into play. Other players will be able to vote you up or down depending on if you play like a moron or not. I see this system being abused to the core and not a good idea in practice.

At ‘Authorized Retailers Only’

There will be no freedom to do what you want with your used games. You’ll be free to trade them into Gamestop, which is so far the only authorized retailer. No other information has been put out about that, but it is a fact that if you want to trade/sell games with your friends, or at all, you will only be able to do it once, and ONLY once, AND the person has to be on your friends list for more than 30 days. There will be no game rentals. Microsoft is exploring that option (which means they may or may not be looking into it).

Again, if they can come up with a competitive pricing model like Steam, then it isn’t such a big deal. However the industry’s track record has proven to be poor when publishers want $39.99 to $49.99 for used games that are five years old. Like I said previously, I won’t bite on that. Publishers will now dictate the sale of used games- and that’s going to open a whole lot of problems under First Sale Doctrine.

What’s the Kinect 2.0 Really For?

So what’s the dang camera for, anyways? Microsoft has not put out any exclusives that used motion controls let alone talked about them at great length. So what exactly is that camera for? It’s always watching and always listening. Contrary to what Microsoft has said, that “they” are the ‘stalwarts’ of privacy, I do not trust a corporation such as Microsoft to handle my private information.

With CISPA and government spying roaming around, and that’s a topic for another day, I am not about to trust Microsoft sharing private information with the government, the CIA, the NSA, or anyone relevant. Yes, they can do that with each other. Yes, it is unconstitutional. No, the majority of people don’t care. Microsoft also has a patent to charge pay-per-view from what the Kinect 2.0 sees. 

I don’t trust Microsoft to keep personally identifiable information secure. That information is open for Microsoft to misuse, or more practically- available to hackers, thieves, and corporations that want to sell me products. To top it all off- if Kinect doesn’t recognize someone in the room, they ask that person to identify themselves. The Kinect then stores that information, including if the person made a rude gesture.

Why You Should Really Buy a Console

The main reason you should buy any console is the availability of good titles, exclusives as well as, nowadays a network that allows you to play multiplayer games and download extra content/DLC through that Network. Microsoft wants to take it one step further to make you pay to get in the door, and pay to get your brick to work. That is an unacceptable practice.

Always online DRM has been implemented in Xbone. 

In order to “authenticate”, which is a fancy term for Microsoft checking that you aren’t pirating, you need to connect to the internet once every 24 hours, even for single player games. Failure to do so means your console is temporarily bricked until you authenticate. If you log onto a console not your own, you have to “authenticate” every hour.

So let’s conclude with my thoughts on the Xbone. It’s always on and always watching and listening. The Kinect 2.0 serves no other practical purpose. There is a requirement to be online once every 24 hours, you have to register your games through the console on the internet to authenticate, You can’t resell your game more than once, the camera stores personally identifiable information, you have to pay to get into the “online store” so to speak, let alone pay Xbox Live to even make the console work, and to top it all off- the games revealed at launch are multi-platformers available on other consoles. They then have the balls to ask me for $500 for this DRM ridden entertainment box.

This is an immediate no. I am still waiting to give the PS4 a chance though as I consider it and the Wii U for a console purchase. Overall I am disappointed with where companies such as Microsoft and Electronic Arts want to take the industry. Let them defy gamers at their own peril.

Thoughts On The Xbox One: Innovative Tech, Or a Privacy Breach?

Now- at the time I am writing this article I have been sick with a cold and severe congestion. Although my sore throat is mostly gone- it is still very difficult to speak. I wanted to record my thoughts on the new Xbox One- but the voice quality would not only be poor- it would be non-existent. 

A week or two ago, Microsoft had a reveal on one of their campuses regarding the new Xbox console. It has been titled the Xbox One. If you missed the live broadcast; you aren’t missing much of anything: the main highlights were “TV, TV, TV, TELEVISION, WATER COOLER, TV, TV, sports, sports, sports, EA sports, sports, sports, television, rocket science, not rocket science, Call of Duty, Call of Duty, Call of Duty, Call of Duty, a dog, real seal team dog, Call of Duty; “Xbox off””.

The reveal wasn’t anything spectacular. Words buzzed around the internet and even through the press. Many call the Xbox One just a big entertainment box; which may potentially alienate gamers who want a dedicated gaming console. With so much focus on dogs, Call of Duty, rocket science technicalities, TV, water coolers and SPORTS SPORTS, MADDEN SPORTS, Microsoft certainly has not impressed very many crowds. You can only put an Aussie sounding guy on stage for so long that it no longer remains cool.

There are many types of game players out there. Some like PC only; others like consoles and a mix of PC games. Some like tablet and phone stuff. But the expectations set forth by core gamers like myself, who have been at this now for 21 years; are the following:

The game must pack enough reasonable content for my bottom dollar. Look. The industry standard for a video game is $60 US for about 25 hours of content. When we do some math, we get a number: $2.40 per gameplay hour. I will admit that not every gamer is good with numbers or looks at the details as close as I am: but the central point is the same. When discussing games in the realm of, say for example: action RPG games, we can look at Skyrim v. Mass Effect 3, although I’ve already broken my own rule because 

Mass Effect 3 is a 3^rd person shooter with RPG elements. When we’re talking about a $60 game, you are getting about 50 hours maximum out of it. Not bad, not bad- so you’re paying about $1.20 per game hour. When we talk about Skyrim, a game so jam packed with content that the game turns platinum- you’re looking at about, so far, to my estimation, 300 hours of gameplay. For $60, that’s $0.20 per game hour. That is bloody excellent.

As a gamer I want value. I want content, no filler, and stuff to do. Achievements don’t cut it for me. I don’t care about them. More importantly, I like it when a brand new game console does not phase out the previous generation. I do not have a $100,000 a year salary to splurge on games and fun. While I will make enough money in the very near future, I am frugal by nature. I don’t like paying these “premium” prices for video games. So that means I like buying used games. After all, I’ve purchased two pre-owned, used vehicles, one from Ford and one from Pontiac (who is now Chevrolet), and after the initial purchase off of the dealer lot from the original owner, that vehicle was none of their business. They sold it, it’s mine, and they can fuck off.

It’s the same with used video games I’ve bought from people. When I buy something online through a site like EBay, and very, very rarely from GameStop- who I have an entire rant to go on- I am buying to play the game that I missed out on. I understand that intellectual property is a thing. I understand that businesses must make money to make a living. Of course I am against people ripping off another’s IP without permission.

However, when that game disc or game content is purchased, keep your fucking hands off of it. It’s mine, and when the cash is handed over, I don’t care what EULA you forced me to sign, it’s my property, it’s protected by first sale doctrine and I have the legal right to resell it and loan it without the initial company’s interference. What if Ford came to me wanting a royalty on the sale of that used car? I’d tell them to fuck off.

I want a fun game. I want a good time- and for some gamers that may mean online multiplayer. A CD key, if needed should stay with the disc or the data bits on the HDD. Someone already bought the rights to play online, and by selling their copy of the content, they sold that right to play that copy online. If game publishers want my money, they’d better provide bug fixes and free online servers for multiplayer. Better yet- allow users to make their own servers. Microsoft would call me an entitled little bitch. They would be correct- because it’s my bloody money.

To recap, here is what I want as a gamer. Let’s recap with the obvious: I want to be able to take the game, install it and then play it. I want to be able to take a game disc, pop it in, possibly install it, then play it. The whole CD Key thing is a pain in the ass, but it’s ok- I power through it. I want value, content, things to do and an awesome experience- preferably where the user is not constrained or “guided” by an invisible hand. I want my right to first sale doctrine respected, and if the company fucked up with bugs I want the fixed, if at all possible. If you want my money, that’s what it’s going to take to get it.

Let’s backup to motion controls briefly. It’s a neat concept. Nintendo has shown that it can work- but more often than not the industry is too stubborn to learn new tricks- except where it protects their flanks on the business end of things. I thought the Kinect was cool as a casual gamer device. However, I am not interested in the Kinect, the features it includes or the games that run on it. I’ve tried it, it’s different, some people may not like it, but I am an old war horse here. Come on.

It is my opinion that the Xbox One failed to deliver at the latest reveal for core gamers. There will be people who enjoy Call of Duty and Madden games like a religion, and already they have come out in small droves gnashing their teeth in defense of Microsoft. Let’s start with my #1 beef with the new Xbox One; and that is the Kinect 2.0.

In order for the Xbox One to function, the Kinect 2.0 must always be connected. It scans the room and asks to identify who people are. Once it knows, it stores information on the console, and possibly to an external server. I’ve got huge privacy concerns over a device- connected to another device connected to the internet- that is watching me through a camera and listening to me with a microphone. I don’t care if Microsoft says “we are the pioneers of privacy”. Things go wrong; people get hacked, and I do not trust Microsoft to do the right thing. Especially with CISPA floating around, what is to stop Microsoft from collecting this information and sharing it with the government? It doesn’t matter- it is neither of their business! GET OUT of our private lives!

Why must the Kinect be mandatorily connected all the time? So that my “experience” can be enhanced? Bullshit. I don’t want it- and right off the bat Microsoft has alienated me as a potential consumer. I am literally sick and tired of the social media movement on the internet requiring everyone’s name and personally identifiable information. I am about to tell Google to fuck off about it because they want me to use my real name on YouTube. Fat chance.

When Diablo III came out, they made it a requirement that you must be connected to the internet in order to play single player or otherwise. Disturbingly they are setting a trend in the gaming industry. In order for your Xbox One not to become a brick, it must connect one every 24 hours, according to executives, in order to authenticate your account. That means check if you are hacking or violating their “property” that they just sold you. We might as well just call it an always online DRM scheme- but that’s not entirely accurate- and not entirely fair. The console must be hooked to the internet once every 24 hours, so call it an ‘always on’ system. I’ve got a major problem with that.

I said earlier that I just want the damn game installed so that I can dive right in. Not so with the Xbox One. In order to play the games, you MUST register them through the console onto the internet in order to install them. From that point on, the game key becomes tied to your account. It doesn’t help the fact that Microsoft has patented technology to count the number of people in the room in order to charge them per person. I am also deeply concerned that the Kinect 2.0 will not recognize “you” as someone else plays your game in your home, and that it will not let that authorized user play the game. Horse shit. Remember what I said about getting out of my private life? This is a huge intrusion into it. Once I give you the money, you have no fucking business monitoring me and what I choose to do with the product- except if I try to sell it as an IP for profit- then I am guilty of copyright violations.

Okay Microsoft okay… you’ve pounded and crushed the corpse into the ground enough now. Sadly I am not done. Microsoft wants a royalty fee for used games. So I cannot go to the second hand market to buy a game. They’ll let me, but in order to activate it I have to pay $52 US dollars in order to do it! Why not just buy the fucking game while I am at it! That is a major deal breaker for me; but everything wrong with this… device… has been a deal breaker for me.

An unconfirmed source indicates that in order to stream Hulu and Netflix- you’ll have to pay Microsoft for the Xbox live service. I can hook up my PS3 and Wii, and probably the PS4- and definitely the Wii U- and they won’t charge me for multiplayer access or an internet connection. If you want more money from me as a consumer, you’d better offer more content- not charge me for something I already pay the internet company for!

Here’s another biggy- the One is not backwards compatible. Big mistake- because now you are alienating games to play with during launch, and as a matter of fact gamers actually do like backwards compatibility. This competitive advantage has been removed from the One. The PS4 offers it through emulation, and the WII U is one generation backwards compatible plus emulation back to NES including (I believe Turbografix 16 and Sega Genesis titles).

From the campus introduction, it seems that the One will connect to your cable set box in order to provide an overlay on the screen. I really don’t care and I don’t see the usefulness in this technology as a gamer. Blu-ray player sure, but this? Are you guys really out of ideas?

There are very few good things, if any to say about the One- but I thought I would throw them in here. The 8GB of GDDR3 is nice, but it highlights the fact that Xbox One is becoming a computer/entertainment device rather than a dedicated gaming console. I like Blu ray and I like storage on the console; but the One is attempting to cater to a larger market than gamers- and if folks with half a brain look at the Kinect 2.0 requirement they will think twice about using this for its ultimate, intended purpose: to be an entertainment center device. The PS4 in contrast will have 8GB GDDR5. That is dedicated graphical RAM.

While memory v. processing capabilities is a complimentary deal in my limited knowledge of electronics engineering, from what I have been told from friends, the processor speeds will be sub-par to what I currently own in my gaming PC. If they wanted to WOW me further they could increase the quality of the processor- but then why call it a gaming console? Why not call it a computer with a fancy controller? In five years the tech will be out of date, and those who wish not to jump to PC gaming will be stuck with the same hardware for about a console generation- which lasts on average about 6-7 years now.

There is a longer battery life in the controller and I can’t pin down the source of that information, but I did read it. That is a good thing when you can increase the battery power capabilities in a wireless controller- but it’s kind of a given. The quiet operation is nice, but it doesn’t earn the One many brownie points. One thing I do like about the console is Skype connectivity. That’s actually cool and potentially something useful. That’s really all I can say about the One.

I need to wrap up here as we should be around the 10 minute mark, but with the way the One has been portrayed with all its privacy invasions and DRM, I am going to take a major league pass on this “device”. I refuse to call it a console because it has strayed from its main purpose- and they have alienated me as a gamer from finding value in their games and for treating me like a potential pirate stealing their plunder. 

That type of behavior from any corporation is unacceptable- and I will not support the schemes that Microsoft is imploring. This means that I get to decide between a Wii U and a PS4- so the PS4 reveal at E3 will be interesting. Sony is lined up to take the gold here- and if they took any lessons from the One reveal, they will steal a lot of business from folks who not only are angry with these DRM and privacy violations, but from the core, rabid fanboys of games such as Call of Duty who “don’t want to bother with the DRM and paying for live, so I’ll just get a PS4”.

We'll see.

Wii U looks like my alternative to a tablet PC, but will it deliver?

You know I had to do something in regards to the new Wii U- so here it is. I have some concerns about it, and at this point we don’t know enough information in order to make an informed decision. Let’s start with an overview of what we do know about the U. I am getting a lot of my information from Gizmodo.com, so I recommend heading over there to check out their excellent Wii U article.

The Wii U is combining Nintendo’s mastery of touch screen handhelds with the prowess of a current generation console machine. The controller features a touchpad that is said to revolutionize how you play games. It features its own sensor bar, and has motion detection built in.

What’s genious from an engineering standpoint is that they are using semi-last gen technology in the new design. The tablet isn’t the only controller- in fact you will still use motion controls. This excites me and worries me at the same time- Nintendo has capitalized on excellent 1^st party games that use great motion controls, and it worries me because designers are still slow on the motion controls. Fortunately, the rival KINECT and MOVE systems are familiarizing publishers who neglected NINTENDO in the past.

We don’t know anything about the power of the system yet. What we do know is that it is on par with current generation systems. To my knowledge, it is using an IBM multi core processor. That’s all I’ve got for ya.

One thing that was complained about in the past was storage space on the Wii. This time around, the U will support external storage. Good way to break it too, probably. To my satisfaction, there is a HDMI port. In terms of backwards compatibility, it is compatible with everything your WII had, with the exception of Gamecube games. That is a let down, but we also have to acknowledge moving towards the future here.

One thing I really do like about the potential of the system is this: although it is not a tablet computer- it may as well compete with them. I can see myself sitting in the living room using the tablet to search the internet on my TV. The potential to stream Netflix or other services is there too- and in HD. I would imagine there is huge potential for a catalog of retro games, too (like Wii’s virtual console).

Because Nintendo has a strong line of video games, if they can capture the third party market- it may be advantageous to keep with this system for a couple of years. Even if the competition moves to the next generation- Nintendo has a key advantage- good games with decent specs at an affordable price. To the budget gamer and the casual gamer- this is a good prospect.

Here are my concerns.

1) Lack of third party support. I know that Nintendo is addressing this, but their promises are not backed up by a good 5 year track record. My needs as a gamer have changed. I like single player games which may have a multiplayer component. I like puzzle games, the occasional arcade game, the oddball game, but mostly action adventure games, RPGs, and shooters. The Wii showed off a lot of demonstration games that merely showed off capabilities that very few outside of Nintendo capitalized on. No one wanted to spend the extra coin to develop on a different system. Publishers like it cheap: port to multiple consoles and rake in the easy dough.

2) Nintendo’s target audience. We don’t know who exactly Nintendo is targeting with the U. Hints at last year’s E3 said that it was for the dedicated fans. We will have to wait and see if Nintendo holds to their promise. If they are targeting just casual gamers, then the system is going to leave out a lot of potential for people like me that have been dug into games for the past 20 years.

3) Cost. To get this new system, I am going to have to shell out a few hundred dollars for it. For that price, versus a PC, I need compelling reasons to buy it. The hardware needs to be decent, but above all, the games must reign supreme. Proprietary only titles won’t cut it anymore- I need a damn good reason to play the Wii U over another console.

4) Multiplayer. I am not big on internet multiplayer, but it would be nice to have a comparable system to Xbox Live. The problem is- Nintendo traditionally, and I say the word “traditionally” with emphasis- does not like their consoles going online.

What are your thoughts? Concerns, comments? Drop a line below.