The Lair of the Monkey

Don’t worry - for those of you who were concerned the Sony PS3 has gone off to an unrivalled success.  Literally.  More than 160,000 sold in the first weekend.  Wow.  Unsurprising really as it has the motion sensing of the Wii without the tired Nintendo franchises and the power of the 360 wiithout the fork-out for live.  Go Sony!  No wait, I’m not a crazy fanboy.  My real take is that sure, initial success was guaranteed - but it’s still one damn expensive piece of kit that you may need to upgrade your TV to get the best out of.  Until it does more than my 360 then I probably won’t go near it for the time being.  However, step forward mates with more cash to splash and I’ll be playing a bit of PS3 soon I’m sure.  Well, here we are.  Roll on the next gen, ha ha!

The Wii isn’t at a chump-change pricepoint yet, but it is the cheapest of the 3 nex-gen systems.  Solid Games (a now defunct podcast) pointed out some time ago that if you’re a hardcore gamer you’ll want a 360 or a PS3.  They also point out (in cast 18) that perception on the Wii is split.

As a hardcore gamer, I’m leaning toward the 360 (ummm maybe because I have one I think) but I still enjoy playing the Wii.  Given both the 360 and the PS3 are pretty much on an even keel (at least so far), the Wii is an obvious choice of a second system really.  Do we really need two systems though if we buy a PS3?  Or what about a 360 with a Live subscription?  Will the Wii just keep getting better and better?  I still can’t help but think that Nintendo has made the wrong choice in this race - or at least they have for me.

There was a classic incident some time ago where Street Fighter EX Alpha vs something-or-other where a rather stupid boss caused me to choke.  On my own annoyance.  Now normally I’m not a controller-thrower or anything, and games rarely upset me, but this game was taking the proverbial.

I was so damn frustrated and it happened again - my Ryu folded like a pretzel and ARRRGHHH!  I was now speechless.  No, more than that.  I wanted to physically kick M Bison through the ceiling.  So have you ever been mad at a game?  Shogun also made me mad, but that’s because it kept dropping sound for no reason, but PC annoyances are a completely different matter…

Well - no.  The BBC are reporting that through the PS3 launch event Microsoft have been up to some tricks, such as a boat with Xbox 360 plastered on it and a few chairs with a website.  Well that’s a load of rubbish, lets face it.  If Microsoft really wanted to upstage Sony they needed to do two things.  First, they should have released a massively hyped, excellent game.  That would have taken the shine off the PS3’s launch.  Second, they should have given out a major announcement and a few press releases for the Xbox360 and Live, or offered a free month’s Live subscription.  They didn’t do this either.  So all in all, a pretty lame effort and a missed opportunity really…

GamaSutra has some excellent coverage of a study by the University of Bolton on how MMO’s are addictive - and indeed on how addictive they really are.  It seems that some previous studies somewhat overestimated this.  In my opinion it would be easy to proselytise on this subject (especially as a few cousins of mine were addicted to the things) but on the other hand is it really as harmful as going out and getting mashed every weekend, or getting high on some weed?  Is playing World of Warcraft any more harmful than sitting in front of the TV, vegetable-like as the latest Coronation Street drama plays out in front of your eyes?  Well yes and no.  In both cases you’re getting no exercise and some severely limited stimulation.  Both have become some people’s lives.  I guess that’s the point.  Everything in moderation.  If anything keeps you up at night or even stops you eating (as the study suggests) you should really examine very carefully whether it’s worth the effort you’re expending.

Well, what more can I say beyond the title really?  Yes, it’s true.  The PS3 has arrived.  This means that the nex-gen is now the current gen so to speak and all previous formats are set to be buried.  Except the handhelds and the PS2 of course, which will continue to live on due to the huge success it so richly deserved.  Will Sony fare as well this time around?  Well early opinions are divided.  Beyond the fact that the PS3 is a top notch piece of kit, it is also an unreservedly expensive piece of hardcore tech.  Sony did this deliberately, saying that people would have to work more to actually buy it.  Now, bear in mind that artificially raising prices can be a marketing gimmick.  Would prestige items seem as special if all and sundry could afford them?  Of course not. 

Would it feel like you were getting such a special piece of kit if it was priced the same as the Wii?  No.  Whilst Nintendo have gone for deliberately underpowering the Wii as a point of difference, Sony have gone the opposite way and deliberately overpriced the PS3.  According to my calculations, this has not gone in their favour.  For one, the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii both sold out - not just to varying degrees either but in both cases giving months of waiting to fans of both systems. 

On the other hand, I see that both Play.com and Amazon have the system in stock.  On launch day.  Erm - how did this happen?  From a consumer point of view this is great news - a piece of technology that’s pretty cutting edge and that is actually reasonably easily available.  For Sony though, I don’t see how they could possibly claim that the same demand for their console is there as for their rivals.  Then again, I don’t have the distribution/stock figures.  Maybe they just shipped a whole batch more.  I doubt it though. 

Anyway, I really want to try to have a go of the PS3 and whilst this ‘informal discussion’ might have sounded mostly negative, please bear in mind my previous critique - this is, the PS3 has essentially the best of both worlds.  It has motion sensing, it has high def, it has HDMI and an online component that is getting better seemingly every month.  So no doubt whilst the best is still to come for all three consoles, I see greatness for Sony yet.

I like my retro.  However, I know you’re not going to believe me when I say what I’m about to say.  Older games, on the whole, aren’t as good as their modern counterparts.  What are you talking about, I hear you cry.  Older games are ace!  No, no they aren’t.  This is for one simple reason.  Expectation.  Modern games have developed out of their history.  Their collective timeline.  Older games, no matter what their perceived ‘cool factor’ is, will never be able to compete.  On every level we’ve seen improvements.  Gameplay, storyline, graphics, sound, AI - almost every part of every game has been improved upon.

Now, of course retro gaming has its’ place.  That’s what makes things like Xbox Live so good.  You get the best of both worlds.  I just don’t want you all being swept up in this mad craze of what is about buying games that you’ve already bought.  Do we really need to play YET ANOTHER version of Mortal Kombat?  Okay so 3 was probably better than the new 3d versions so sure.  On the whole though, times have changed.  This is evident by sequels continuing so unabaited.  Sure, people like what they know, but improvements are always worth having.  Are they worth the £40 outlay though?  Well that’s another question entirely…

Over at Consumerist they have an excellent article on how retailers make us spend more on games, hardware and other stuff like warranties.  A really interesting read.  I’ve never gone in for buying any extra stuff or really pre-ordering, but I did buy my 360 before a price drop and didn’t get the best bundle deal.  Never mind.  I’ll be sure to do better when I get my Nintendo DS!

Apparently Jack Thompson is at it again in his insane tirade against videogaming.  This time however it is Take2 who are bringing a pre-emptive strike his way.  Apparently he has quoted everything from the Bible to God himself in his defence.  To my mind it shows how ’strange’ a place America can be when a guy like this can legitimately get press and coverage (as well as a license to practice law) when going on a rampage about the videogames industry.

I’ve spoken about this game before but I haven’t spoken about the fact that I’ve only ever preordered one game.  So it’s with much surprise that I found myself outlaying the cash for this:

But why is that?  Well it has fast cars, brilliant modification sets and looks a bit special in motion to boot.