If you somehow slept through the last couple of days, Sony and Microsoft had their big pre-E3 press conferences. While the Wii U watched from the stands, Sony and Microsoft went head to head in the next-gen ring for console superiority.
Sony left with a trophy, and Microsoft, well, they didn’t leave at all. I think Sony might have killed them.
For the past few weeks we’ve been very vocal about things here at NAG Online. Some of us here and on the forums added our voices to the fight against DRM on the next-gen consoles and we’ve discussed at length why DRM and second-sale restrictions are a bad idea even in modern countries like America. Well, Sony played the Good Guy role last night and gave us our wish and even added in more treats to sweeten the deal, like that stunning US $399 price tag. The real winners in the race aren’t the ones in the news today, however, its you and a company called AMD.
Gather round the fire, children, I’ve got a few tales to share and the night is growing dark and cold. I may be a simple-minded old man, but I have wasted many years playing video games and devouring the internet. Throughout these years I’ve collected the most unlikely legends, unbelievable anecdotes and surprising stories.
So come in close and listen carefully, as I spin a yarn of accidental boob jobs, origin stories and real-life supervillains.
So, there I was, laying in bed at 4:30 wondering what the hell I’m doing. Gamers are a special breed – we’ll do anything for the latest copy of Call of Duty, Diablo, Gran Turismo or Uncharted. Or Halo. We’ll camp outside the store and we’ll be jovial with other people in the line and wait for whatever sale or launch we were gathering there for. That’s what makes this hobby so special – it brings people together. Unlike the launches of Apple’s i-devices, where people just want to buy them and leave, everyone was comfortable chilling out for the morning with like-minded people. And when I say “chilling”, I mean we were really freezing our butts off.
The Xbox One reveal was kind of a disaster. Most people who watched the livestream or just read the salient points in the news afterwards were left feeling confused, underwhelmed and essentially disappointed.
One of the most highly anticipated gaming consoles of the last five years shoehorned games into their reveal like some kind of afterthought. Spectators were treated to boring, long-winded discussions about streaming video and voice-controlled browsing, and I think most of the audience was simply wondering, “This is cool and all, but where the hell are the games?”
It got me thinking though on marketing in this industry in general, and just how awful it generally is. These companies just seem so out of touch with their target market, and some of the decisions made are baffling. Stupid mistakes are made consistently, such as:
I’m all about equality, political correctness and empowerment here at NAG Online, so I thought it would be a little unfair to shine a big spotlight on the best video game villains and forget their counterparts, the heroes.
To recap, in case you missed last week (for which you better have a damned good excuse), I took a look at five of the most badass villains in video game history (or rather, the five my feeble mind could most easily produce).
Thus, to maintain my high standards of equal opportunity, this week I’ll be looking at five of my favourite heroes that I used to kick the snot out of those other guys.
Wednesdays have been a little serious around here as of late, and I apologise for that. It’s been all ranty and sober; less pretty pictures and more wall of text. Well I’ve decided to restore the balance this week with something a little more upbeat.
In that spirit, I’m going to be having a look at some of the most awesome/difficult/pants-wettingly terrifying video game enemies I’ve ever had the misfortune (or indeed, pleasure) of attempting to kill.
Basically, all you had to do to make the list was be memorable, much like your trip to Mauritius was as memorable as that time you got haemorrhoids and had to carry an inflatable ring with you into the cinema.
Here then are five of my favourites, in loosely (lazily) arranged order of awesomeness.
In last week’s This Week in Gaming, the Wii U dominated the news. It’s no secret that sales have been crawling since the release boom, and Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has had a lot to say on the matter.
I shared some of my views briefly in the article itself, and it sparked somewhat of a friendly debate between me and fellow NAG Online writer Miktar Dracon, who made the relevant point that this isn’t the first time people have predicted doom and gloom for the Japanese gaming giant.
I’m not going to light up a cigar and be an armchair economist – I’m certainly not qualified to speak to Nintendo’s finances, projections and other such things I haven’t researched – but what I am going to talk about is why I think the Wii U is going to lose this generation’s console war handily.
Aren’t public holidays awesome? You wake up naked, and you just stay that way the whole day. Or maybe you live with other people, in which case you maybe put on some underwear. Unless of course you’re a free spirit such as myself.
So you’re sitting at your computer after a good sleep-in, munching on something unhealthy and browsing NAG Online (and nothing else). All this mouse clicking and angry commenting though is a bit too much like hard work for Worker’s Day (ironically a day in which no work gets done at all), and you decide to collapse onto the couch like a beached whale and watch a movie.
But what will you watch? You’re not in the mood for something overly complex, and it’s too early for a comedy. “Wait a minute,” you think to yourself, oblivious to your impending doom, “How about a sweet video game movie?”
Somewhere, far away, a young woman starts to cry. A baby throws his toy to the ground in disgust. A dog pees on a carpet. It’s a small disturbance in the universe, a ripple in the matrix, an unexplained feeling of repulsion and terror – and it happens everytime someone makes the decision to watch a video game adaptation.
Have you ever spent hours and hours playing a game, finished it, and then wondered why the hell you even bothered? Some of my favourite games are also some of the most frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. It fills me with misplaced rage and existential doubt – am I some kind of masochist? Do I just hate myself? Has it really been three days?
There’s something about these games, you get to a point where you’re no longer playing them to have fun, but because you’re angry and you want to defeat them. It’s only really when you finish them that it dawns on you that they’re not actually sentient beings, and also that you’re kind of an idiot.
And yet, I look back on them fondly. Perhaps it’s that misguided sense of achievement, or an overwhelming sense of relief. I’m not exactly sure, but these are the ones that made me feel angry/happy/depressed the most.
