Not Your Normal E3

All of the sudden, I feel like a Nintendo hater, but I am not. I just think they are continuing to make one wrong publicity move after another. E3 is arguably the biggest video game show that we see every year. Other than the Video Game Awards, E3 is the only time you se the industry come together to dazzle us with surprise announcements and larger than life shows.

It has always been a tradition that the big three give a huge presentation in the first two days. They show off what they have coming up. After the show, these games are made available in the form of demos and things such as that. Well, this year Nintendo has decided to be different.

In lieu of the big presentation, Nintendo is hosting Small Events. They are said to be more hands-on. I ask you with interest waning lately on the Wii U, does this sound like sound strategy? If you have the slate of first party games that Nintendo is telling us they have, why in the world would you not want to show that off? This is most likely their only opportunity to stay a step ahead of the competition, and for lack of a better term, they are pissing it away.

The Nintendo Direct’s have been great. It has been a great way to stay connected to the fans, but in my opinion, they are really dropping the ball on this one. I just do not think they can afford to do that.

Wii U Virtual Console List

It seems like every time that I am writing an article about the Wii U, I have to start this with the following sentence. I am a Nintendo fan first and foremost. They have and always will have a place in my video game playing. However, I think that in the case of the first Virtual Console list they could have done something a little more dynamic than they did.

Before we get to the list, let’s talk about my gripe. The Wii gave us virtual console titles for NES, SNES, Genesis, NEO GEO, even the Commodore. They really did do a good job with that until they decided to abandon it for the most part after a couple of years. You really did not need the Gamecube on it because it was backwards compatible.

The Wii U is not backwards compatible to the Gamecube which is okay. As long as I can play Wii games on it, I am okay. However, there should have been a Gamecube game on this initial list. Most of if not all of the games on the list can be played on some other Nintendo device. Why in the world would I want to buy Punch-Out!! again?

As much as I am a fan of Nintendo, I am beginning to get frustrated with the current string of decisions they have made for the Wii U. The 3DS has been performing well, and their is some great support for it. I just do not understand why they can make it happen with the handheld, but the console seems to be lost. Below as promised is the list:

NES
Balloon Fight
Donkey Kong Jr.
Excitebike
Ice Climber
Kirby’s Adventure
Punch-Out!!

SNES
Super Mario World
F-Zero

Time Draws Near

At the moment, we are in a funk when it comes to gaming. I know we have had some high profile titles release this year, and we have some still yet to come. However, I can’t help but think that those great releases have been overshadowed by the new technology that is on the horizon. Under normal circumstances, this would be a banner year for releases, but I am just not feeling it.

There are a lot of uncertainties in the industry, right now. Will the Nextbox be always on and prevent you from buying used games? What will the price of the PS4 be? Will Nintendo finally convince third party publishers they are hear to stay, and can the first party titles coming up resurrect the Wii U? Then, there are the Android based consoles coming out in the next few months. What kind of impact will that have on the big three? All of these questions will soon be answered, but in the meantime, I am personally in a holding pattern.

It’s obvious that the Wii is all but done. Sure, Disney is going to release Infinity, and Activision will most likely release Swap Force on it. Outside of those title, you may see a stray movie adaptation release on it, but at least, we know where that is going. With Wii U’s backward compatibility, I am not as worried about Nintendo. As much as I want the third parties to support them, Nintendo may be the only company that can sell a system on first party titles alone.

Sony has already shown us their hand as far as a new systems go. It is a beast internally, and the decision to use known technology as opposed to making their own chip set should keep the price down. The question is how much is that going to save when it comes time to price this to the public? Sony’s current financial situation puts them in a precarious situation. PlayStation is one of the divisions of the company that has propped Sony up during a tough time. I do not see how they can afford to pull a Nintendo or Microsoft and sell the system at a loss.

Microsoft has been very disappointing as of late. The company’s ego has been getting in the way of the feelings of the public if the rumors are true. It seems to be a given that we can expect their next generation system to be always on despite the outcry from fans. If you couple that with the inability to play used games, this next generation for them could be a disaster. They have got to realize the public is what will make or break them. In my opinion, they just do not have enough in the way of exclusive titles to afford to be this cocky.

Again, the next few months will determine a lot when it comes to the future of console gaming. The wait and see is killing me. However, the one thing I hang my hat on is I have a large enough back catalog to never buy a new system. Therefore, this might be the first time I wait a year and let these guys get the kinks out.

Games Gone Hollywood

You know they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That is all well and good, but my mamma once said, “Son, if your best friend jumped off of a bridge would you?” It could have been that my mamma was talking about the state of gaming in 2013. You heard it first…My Mamma the Prophet.

All joking aside, here is a list of the top releases this year in gaming: Tomb Raider, Dead Space 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Skylanders : Swap Force, Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 3, Metal Gear: Revengance, I know enough already. You get the point. This is utterly ridiculous. These are either all sequels of prequels. The writer of Ecclesiastes was right all those years ago, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

I guess whoever was in charge of Hollywood has moved over to the video game industry. I guess it is somewhat our fault as gamers. The budgets of these games have gotten so incredibly high, they have to make something that is sure thing. Grant it. Sequels in games are not always hits, Ninja Gaiden 3, but for the most part, a Far Cry 3 or a Gears of War: Judgement is going to be more of a sure thing than a new IP. It’s because we as gamers do not do a real good job of supporting new IP’s.

This brings me to the other similarity between Hoolywood and the gaming industry. We are quickly seeing a shift to either the big blockbuster game or the indie, quirky, low budget game. This is where Kickstarter is really helping out. This article was originally going to be about the perils of Kickstarter, but I quickly realized that I would be remiss not to stand up for them in stead. With fewer and fewer games coming from the major publishers, we are going to need Kickstarter in the future if we want any of those original, indie, quirky, low budget games.

Playing in the Toy Box

I will admit I am a sucker for Skylanders. I have touched on it here before. I finally found Ninjini so my character list is complete. I am also a sucker for all things Disney. I know what most people think. They look at Disney as the Walmart of the entertainment business. That means they are hated by some and loved by others.

It is no secret that Disney took a lesson from Activision and created there own cash cow I mean game and toy combo. I am sure they had myself in mind when they did this. I have tried to refrain from beating the drum too much for Disney Infinity on here. Part of the reason why is I am just not sure how I feel about it.

The individual play sets are expensive, and the extra figures are quite a bit. However, this week Disney showed off Infinity’s Toy Box mode. If this does everything they say it can, we may have a pretty big hit on our hands. From what I can tell, you can create your own games inside this world. The trailer showed everything from Wreck-It Ralph in a platformer to a kart racing type game with Buzz, Jack Sparrow, and the rest of the gang.

The few questions I do have could make or break this game. In Toy Box mode, do you have unlimited space to create? The idea is to upload your Toy Box to share with others. From what I can tell, this is going to have major marketing backing it. How can Disney afford to have millions of copies with millions of people uploading there Toy Boxes?

The final question I have is what are they going to do about the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. This generation is coming to an end. With most purchasing a version of Infinity for one of these formats, how is Disney going to live up to the yearly updates especially if the new Sony and Microsoft Systems are not backwards compatible. There is no doubt that this is going to be a hit, but the longevity of the hit could be sketchy if these questions are not answered.

The Real Reason Kinect is Integrated Into Nextbox

All of the latest news is that Microsoft will ship their next console with a better version of Kinect integrated. I think I have an idea of what is going on here. The planets are lining up, and Microsoft’s true colors are shining through. Sorry, Cyndi Lauper. Before I reveal the true reason, let us look at the evidence.

One, as mentioned earlier, a new-and-improved Kinect will ship with the Nextbox. That console is said to always be on. That means that it will be hooked up to the Internet. They are now reporting that not only will you play games on it, but it will also work directly with whatever medium you use to watch television. Multiple users may interact at the same time. Isn’t it obvious…

Microsoft wants to watch people making fools of themselves 24/7/365. They all probably will just sit back at the headquarters and watch some four hundred pound dude pretend that he is gliding down a ski jump ready to take off and fly. Now, with the inclusion of integrating it with television services, they will be able to watch about 50 million people act like they are swaying flies all day just to turn the channel.

I know you all thought it was the ultimate case of companies trying to invade your privacy. You maybe even thought that Microsoft was the evil minion of Barak Obama sent to spy on the American people. You get out of line, and it is Guantanamo for you. In all actuality, Microsoft is just setting themselves up to make a nice reality TV run. They are looking for something that can compete with America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Greedy Money Grubbers

I have tried to stay away form this argument. I primarily play one player games. As a guy that plays for recreation and has a wife and two kids, I really do not have time to get into a multiplayer game. Therefore, I am not the authority when it comes to new maps and skins, and avatars, and just about anything else they can come up with for a reason to charge you extra.

I was in GameStop this past weekend, and I caught the poster of Bioshock Infinite. This game is $59.99, and a season pass for the downloadable content is $19.99. It’s been some time since I was a math class, but is that not just two pennies away form $80 for the complete Bioshock Infinite experience? Am I the only one who find that utterly ridiculous.

You know there has been a lot of talk as of late about how fewer and fewer games are made for one player. If the average Joe is willing to pay an extra $20 for a couple of multiplayer map packs, I can see why. These companies are licking their chops with the everyday consumer. The not-so-funny things is we let them get away with it.

This just furthers the wide gap between indie games and big budget games. Gone are the days of your Capcoms of the world releasing games like Zack and Wiki. Those games are going to be left to the indie developers. I can foresee a future of gaming when the major players put two or three games out a year and just charge the consumer extra to continue with the story.

The further I go down this road the more things disappoint me. I know I am not alone with this. It seems everyday I am reading more and more people fed up with the ways things are going. Until they get this hammered out, I think I will stick to my one player games.