One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Sega's Finest of the '90s

I was going through the Playstation Network the other night, just window shopping all the various games that I want, don't want, and simply can't afford, when I came across an odd entry: Wonder Boy In Monster Land.

Now I like Wonder Boy.  Especially the Monster Land versions, they are great fun.  I have played that game almost to it's death along with its sequel "The Dragons Trap".  I think I even got Mum to buy it on her Wii many moons ago just so I could play it again.

But when I saw it sitting in amongst the W-Z section of the PS3 Downloads, it hit me.  We still live in the 80's and 90's.

It's been over 2 decades since they released the Sega Master System.  Two Decades.  Video games have grown exponentially since then.  They no longer have cartridges or wired controllers with two buttons and a D-pad.  They aren't limited to 16 Colours and a resolution that's smaller than what my phone can produce.

Yet I can still pick up for $7.50 a game that I played as a child. (And didn't finish until I was in my 20's, on the same console no less)

Then I look at some of the other games I have.  They're fairly big games, like Crysis 2, Little Big Planet, Skylanders.  They're all fairly intricate games in their own rights, and are siginificantly prettier than a game like Wonder Boy.  Probably much better too, even though it doesn't have basic amenities that games have today, such as an Auto-save.  Mind you, the game could be completed in 20 minutes given a perfect run, so no need to worry about it.

It was then that I remembered a recend release, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the rain slice precipice of Darkness Episode 3.  This iteration of the game was released in an old 16-bit V-RPG format, a throwback to games like Final Fantasy, and a need to actually strategise when you enter a battle.

I was somewhat disappointed that the guys at Penny Arcade didn't make a competition with a prize of a remade Sega Mega Drive and a Cartridge with the game on it.  Maybe it's an idea for them in the future.  Like PAX Aus.  Though I suppose it doesn't stop others from porting it.

Anyone looking through digital distributors would find more and more games released in 16-bit formats.  And I can't help but look at it and think how ironic it is that even though we're at a point where a game can be as immense and intricate as your own city, yet there is still a place in the world for a world that could be drawn with Lego.

Does the world really need games like World of Warcraft when you could be playing a Final Fantasy MMO with a toon no more intricate than your desktop icons?

Well apparently not.  Introducing Minecraft.  While it incorporates the 3D sort of scale of a modern game environment, it has the graphical application of Pitfall.  Okay, I exagerrate a little, but it's only a little.  It's still not the most glamorous of games.  Yet it's still one of the most popular because of what you do in it.

What do you do?  Well you mine and you use various levels of cubes to create your very own personalised island of insanity in between mining for certain cubes and fending off monsters during the night.

While the game may sound as simple as the bitmap images for the cubes, it has brought forth many creative results.  So it's not all bad for those who are either determined, or have enough spare time to do these sorts of things.

So while there is a place in the world for high resolution and detailed scenery, it still makes you wonder how much worth blockbuster games will provide in the end.

Wii U - the Wii 2

Okay, so I was skeptical at first about the next Nintendo Console. It was cool with the controller and all, which turns out to be massive after all with a screen three times the size of a DS (That's pretty big).

But this video from Kotaku was pretty cool. It could be the three ciders I drank before i watched it, but I reckon it's pretty sweet.

[Link]

Hand Held, eh?

Project Cafe is the next console in the Nintendo range and mockups of it's controller seems pretty awesome, though ugly. But with the rising generation of Touch screens coming everywhere, making the world a little more intimate with technology, it makes me wonder whether putting a touch screen into a controller is a good idea.

I do approve of the idea. Game developers everywhere will have a Blast giving the players those additional features. Cursors you'd expect to move about using your thumbstick? Use the touchpad instead. Need to assign multiple buttons to get a mid game feature? Use the touchpad. Want to minimalise the players HUD? Use the touchpad! Want to include a minigame for Player 2 to complete while player 1 does something else? Use the touchpad! Want to change songs while in the middle of a game? Use the touchpad!

And there's more where that came from, and developers will take full advantage of the fact. Just ask Sega.

However, what about the consumer? When I buy a console I get a second controller then and there, in case I want to play 2 player or if one controller runs out of battery, or it breaks. I got another controller for my PS3 when I got it, and that put me out of pocket about $75. And that's with discount. While Touchscreens are getting cheaper, the price of a controller will be phenomenal.

I will admit I'm not the most careful person in the world with my controller. I throw it about, I get my greasy pizza fingers over it, etc etc etc. I put this Touchpad controller on a similar level as a PSP, which regrettably has a massive crack in the corner of the screen. So were I to get a controller such as the suspected Project Cafe's, I'd have to take care of it like I do my Game Discs (Which I actually get a little protective of if they're left to collect dust).

Then there's the Rechargeable batteries. Wii and Xbox 360 controllers don't come with this feature, whereas PS3 do. So if you need to buy yourself rechargeable batteries, then that'll increase my budget by like $25.

So I'd wager about $200, including discounts for bulk buying with a console, just to get a preferable controller setup. Seems a bit rich to me, but Nintendo try and do something different with every console. It's an endearing fact, and I do approve of the idea. I just hope the execution works out better than on paper.

Alternative Image?