I enjoy playing video games for the same reason I enjoy playing sports; and that’s to be challenged. Many of my favorite video games, especially the older ones, are incredibly difficult and arduous to beat; Super Mario Brothers, Mega Man 4, Left 4 Dead (on expert). Furthermore, these are the games I enjoy and want to play more than some others. For example, the idea of a challenge answers the question of why I like RTS games; if I can outsmart my opponent in order to beat them, I feel as though I accomplished something, rather than having a kill-death ratio of -5 and winning the game. However, many other genres need strategy in order to win, and with level difficulty changes the game can be enjoyed as I continue to get better.
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Back in the days before computers, before even color television, there was a time of peace and tranquility, so to speak. Kids and adolescents played in the streets, opened fire hydrants and ran around, and many of them read books on rainy or dull days, or sometimes simply for the sake of reading a book and being entertained. However, today’s world has begun to see the extinction of reading for pleasure, and there are many different complex answers to this, what has since become an incredibly complicated and intricate question itself, “why don’t kids read?”
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So yesterday morning I was playing a little Halo Wars online because it’s awesome and I love RTS games, when out of nowhere my TV blacked out. Although the green light was on signifying the television was on, and my controller was vibrating because I was being attacked, there was no picture. I proceeded to unplug the TV, plug it back in, waited about 10 seconds and finally the screen came back on to reveal my base was swarmed with Marines and Hornets, and I was boned. I didn’t think much of this because it had never happened before. But I decided to give my TV some rest and I had to go to work anyway. Well then later that night, after I got back from work, around 10:15, I went back online to play a couple games to unwind. When the game began, I wasn’t overly thrilled with the map, but I was playing as the UNSC against the Covenant, so I figured I had a good chance of winning. Little did I know, this epic battle had just began. Allow me to interject here, and I’m not trying to brag, just telling it how it is, in 31 games I’m a rank 30 in Halo Wars and I’ve only lost 6 games, my best genre of video games is RTS—I challenge anyone reading this to Halo Wars, or Starcraft (the best game ever).
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First Impression: Eh, it’s no Starcraft.
Second, and third impression: Wow, this game is really, really solid.
As you know, Halo Wars is a new real time strategy game within the Halo universe. Now, to begin, if you don’t play many RTS games you probably wont have as many issues with the game that I have; this is because when I play RTS games I compare them to, what I believe is still the best RTS game out there, Starcraft. An interesting thing happened however; Halo Wars really stood up and succeeded very well with all the issues it could have had being a console RTS game.
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It seems no one is immune to the economy. Earlier today Microsoft released their 2Q earnings, and although it was in the green, it wasn’t as high as they would have liked; 16.63 billion vs the over 17 billion expected (which was low to begin with). However, their Entertainment and Devices revenue grew by 3% due to the high Xbox 360 sales. Microsoft has come out and said they are going to cut spending by 1.5 billion, and over 5000 jobs in the next 18 months; this is the first time in the company’s history they are going to cut jobs.
But this begs the question, what sectors of the company are going to be hit the hardest? It seems that since the Xbox 360 has increased in sales, they probably will not cut jobs and spending in the gaming sector. It also asks the question, what will Microsoft do with the Xbox 360 over the next 18 months when, as they said last week, they will not be creating a new console or instituting a Blu-Ray addition. It’s obvious, from companies like Apple and Nintendo, that innovation succeeds so Microsoft must begin thinking about how best to innovate and make, not only the Xbox 360 better, but the company overall. But from what I have heard around the news, “the future is so opaque it’s not going to be able to provide a forecast for the coming year.”
[Microsoft stock chart courtesy of Yahoo Finance]
Over the past couple weeks, I have begun to lose some slight respect for Sony and have since gained respect for Nintendo and the Wii. As we all know by now, Kaz Hirai bashed Microsoft, and sincerely bashed the Wii stating, “It’s difficult to talk about Nintendo because we don’t look at their console as being competitors.” I don’t care what kind of esoteric meaning or different ways you can read into this statement because it’s ridiculous. Last time I checked, the Wii sold more systems that both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 combined and the DS outsells the PSP. Business has nothing to do with who has the best product, because we can say all we want that the Wii isn’t the best system on the market but it sells head and shoulders above its competition. How can a company whose sole purpose is to sell video games, consoles, and handhelds, not be considered competitors to companies who also are in the market to sell video games, handhelds and consoles?
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After careful deliberation with myself, I have rescinded my original animosity toward Microsoft for the things they have done over the past week; deciding that Blu-Ray is unimportant, and that they are in no rush for the next generation Xbox. Originally I thought it stupid of them to state, or even think, both of these things. However, with second sight, and my breath back from screaming so loudly at them, I decided that maybe I was a bit harsh and abrupt.
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Holy Jesus Batman. As we know, last year Activision told us the Guitar Hero franchise sold over $1 billion, and now Mike Griffith is telling us that Guitar Hero 3 (the single game) has sold $1 billion in North America. This is crazy for 2 reasons. One; it took three games in the franchise to sell the initial billion in 26 months and Guitar Hero 3 has sold its $1 billion in a little over 14 months. Secondly; it’s the first single video game to make over $1 billion dollars in North America alone, which is ridiculous.
During Mike Griffith’s Keynote he stated,
“Music has a history of evolving through technology and we are at the beginning of the latest chapter in that story.”
The Beginning? I can’t even imagine where Activision is going to take their next steps. It is true that the Guitar Hero franchise is a great game for everyone. Like the Wii, at times, the GH franchise encompasses everyone from hardcore gamers, to family-friendly gaming, older generation gamers, and young people. All around it’s the most available game to the overall public.
We know it’s coming eventually, it’s really just a matter of how soon and who it will be that does it. We are privileged every so often to see a 3D movie, and soon 3D commercials on television. All you need is to pick up those goofy 3D glasses and BAM, 3D (maybe it’s a bit more technical than that but you see what I mean). With the next generation-super-systems must come the next generation of graphics, controls, games, genres, and anything else that has been created or improved throughout the course of video game history, and I think 3D graphics is definitely a way they can and will go.
From an article about Sony’s CES keynote:
“When it came to the idea of 3D gaming, Sony was implicit but never explicit. During his keynote, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer showed attendees a still from Gran Turismo 5, rendered in 3D. “You’ve never seen the game like that,” he claimed.”
So it seems Sony is trying to break into, or create, this new generation of gaming. NVIDIA has also released 3D glasses that can bring your video games to 3D life. All of this is speculation, but it’s obvious the video game world is going to move in specific directions, and 3D gaming, as well as possibly virtual reality gaming, is definitely, more than likely, on their plate of things they are going to try. So which system, or company will be able to change the gaming community this time? Who knows, but we can always speculate.
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Recently, I have been in love with all the small downloadable games off the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. I honestly believe these games are better values, and many times better overall games, than the big release games like Gears of War 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. This is because they are relatively inexpensive, quicker and easier to play, and I don’t have to schedule two or more hours to feel like I’ve actually completed some of the game; I can turn on my TV and play for twenty minutes and feel satisfied.
The game is as solid as a downloadable game gets; it has great 2-D graphics and effects, great surround sound, vast weapon choice, and exceptional online play. The best part, in my opinion, with these types of games, is that there is little to no story other than run around and have fun; I think it’s been made clear by myself that the majority of video game stories don’t interest me (it’s that the story does not make the overall video game more interesting). The graphics are very rich and detailed for a 2-D graphics game, and when you kill your opponents (or you die), their body explodes everywhere, which is always cool and fun.
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