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Console Musings
By Corvus | January 22, 2008
I just trawled through my Gamefly queue, looking at upcoming releases and massaging my queue (i.e. moving all the DS games to the top in anticipation of GDC) and I thought I’d take a quick nose count of games I’m interested in checking out during the first half of the year, seeing which of my three platforms would be getting the most attention. I wasn’t surprised at how the numbers stacked up, but I was a bit sad.
Each console has around 60-70 titles listed as ‘upcoming release’ on the site. Of those titles, I’m interested in about 10 DS titles, 6 Xbox 360 titles and 3 Wii titles. It should be noted that if I didn’t own a 360, my Wii title count would be higher. This is due to the fact that I’ve decided to only play Wii exclusive titles on the Wii, unless I hear really, really, really great things about the controls. The addition of achievements on the 360 totally trumps crappy waggle-mapping on the Wii.
The fact that the DS sits at the top of the list is due to the fact that there is zero barrier to entry for the DS. My DS sits near-to-hand all day. It is almost always on with a game loaded, waiting for me to flip it open and start playing where I left off–no finding the television and receiver remotes, no loading save games, no delays at all. This makes it the console of choice for brief stress breaks throughout the day. Additionally, developers are really starting to use the DS’s capabilities to good effect. The DS also has the most exclusives due in part to it’s unique niche and in part due to its high saturation.
I still love the Wii. I wish there were more compelling things being done with it. I don’t blame Nintendo for the shallow offerings… yet, although I’m starting to wonder if they could be doing more, really evangelizing the consoles capabilities by working with developers more. The hype is nice, but when people aren’t playing well with your toy, when do you start showing them how its done? It’s probably only a matter of time. Regardless, I mostly fault the industry for not really challenging our own assertions about control mapping and game design when designing for the Wii. When you look at what people like Johnny Lee are doing with the Wiimote on the PC, it’s obvious there are some boxes we could be thinking outside of.
So, I expect that most of my living room time this year will find me with the 360 powered up. But most of it will find me wherever I happen to be, learning Spanish, pulling off sweet Ninja moves and exploring mysterious villages, all with the stroke of a stylus. As for the Wii? Well, I won’t be ignoring it entirely. I’m playing Zack & Wiki at the moment (which is good old school adventure-game style fun) and my mother in law is visiting next month, which always means more Wii Sports.
Tagged:nintendo-ds, wii, xbox-360. | 5 Comments »
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
I’m not sure I get the whole point of the Achievements. Is there some kind of financial reward involved? Do I get some Microsoft points I can put towards Arcade games? If so, I’m going to be working a lot harder to get them. If not, then I simply don’t care. Information on achievements has been pretty vague, so I’m still not sure why I should care. This is not to be contrary or dismissive, I really don’t understand why I should care. I’d love to get some straight dope on why achievements are so great.
That said, my own reasons for preferring the 360 is similar, I don’t think every game on the Wii needs to abandon the fact that there is a perfectly functioning analog stick and the capacity for standard controls. “Trying too hard” comes to mind. I was playing Call of Duty 3 last night, which I thought did a fair job of utilizing the remote when I came upon the first melee encounter, and the controls are tedious and frustrating. It went from an exciting and thrilling mission to maddenly frustration. It was almost enough to make the controller “slip” and fly in the direction of the TV (Darn wrist strap).
The only purpose for putting in that stupid “melee interface” was to show how “well” they were using the Wii controls. Unfortunately, it also means you can’t use the Wii Zapper with Call of Duty 3 (Melee involves holding the controllers on their sides facing each other’s front ends and then alternating moving them back and forth. Stupid.)
The biggest push for business to change or take advantage of a concept is usually to increase business. With the Wii selling out consistently and soon overtaking the 360 in sales, I don’t see Nintendo’s incentive to do more with the system or to evangelize anything. I applaud Nintendo for playing to their strengths and remembering what makes them strong in the market, but they also have a history of complacency. The GBA SP and DS would suggest that that complacency can be overcome, but I wouldn’t hold on to any high hopes.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:23 am
Bragging rights?
It depends on the game, I suppose. I don’t usually specifically hunt down achievements, but I’m often amused by what I’ve accomplished (or what the developers feel I ought to have accomplished) when I review them. It often gives you a sense of how many little extras are in a game, or how much further you have to go.
Ultimately, it’s a social measure by which to compare your gameplay to your friends. for example, I’ve overheard some truly enthusiastic gamers talking about unlocking the achievements in LEGO Star Wars and how much fun it was, comparing strategies, etc.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 pm
It’s a good point about the DS. I’ve been waiting forever to have a cell phone that was worth using as a portable gaming console, and now that I’ve got an iPhone, I’m waiting for someone to put some games on it.
Convenience is probably one of, if not the, top factor in what I choose to play. 90 % of the time I play Counter-Strike because it’s three clicks away, and I can play for as little or as long as I like.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 am
Lego Star Wars of all things? Surely most of the achievements there are simply grinding through the game picking up every last minikit piece and bolt, no?
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:05 am
Evidently not, Weefz. The examples I remember them talking about involved winning battles with the character that died during them in the movies and completing certain levels without switching characters.