Random thoughts that are almost always about video games

Sunday, April 24, 2005

I Was Wrong About You, Xbox

When Microsoft first announced that it would compete with Sony and Nintendo, I couldn't have rolled my eyes with more disgust. I mean, here was "Big Brother", the monopoly that can be sooo easy to hate, daring to tread on the sacred ground of Yamauchi, Miyamoto, and Kutaragi. At every step of the Xbox's unveiling, I got a sick kind of glee scoffing at it. First the gigantism of the system and controllers, then the PC-port jokes, the lack of major franchises, the utter hopelessness in the Japanese market... Bill Gates simply had no business in OUR business.

Man, what a few years can change.

I've got to hand it to those guys; despite a million insurmountable challenges, they've not only stuck around, but have begun to thrive. Yes, they still don't have many major exclusive franchises; yes, they're still dead as 3DO in Japan; yes, the Xbox is still THAT ridiculously huge. But, they've also got the better-looking versions of most third-party games, they have an online service that makes Sony just look lame, and they've got the most momentum going into the next generation. Xbox seems to be where most of the buzz is these days — at least, among the hardcore.

And now, after all of the crap I gave Microsoft in the past, I have to give credit where credit is due. When it's all said and done, they’ll have lost boatloads of money on Xbox, but they did what they set out to do — they forced themselves into the market and into gamers' mindshare. Microsoft representatives have always said that this first console was just to get their foot in the door, and you really get the sense that, with Xbox 360, they're about to kick things off for real.

So much about the next Xbox is known at this point that you have to wonder whether the leaks were on purpose. It would be a fitting addition to the company's unconventional marketing approach, one that has included fake websites, internet puzzles, and placemats with Bill Gates holding an S Controller and a hamburger — not to mention the radical May 12th official unveiling of Xbox 360 on MTV.

I respect Microsoft because they've (usually) done what they said they'd do. For example, they talked big about building an online community, and they got it done — while Sony looked lost. Not bad for the new guy.

So now, after I've overanalyzed every Xbox 360 pic and scrap of info along with everyone else on the 'net, I am seriously hyped for this machine. Of course, I'm hyped for PS3 and Revolution as well, but I always knew I would be. Microsoft has won me over the hard way, and I'm just so damn ready to kick off the next generation with them. I'll be glued to my TV on May 12th, and I'll be ready to believe at the Xbox pre-E3 conference the week after.

There are still plenty of challenges facing Microsoft, and in many ways round two is going to be even tougher. But I just had to take a moment to recognize what "Big Brother" has accomplished so far, and at long last, say this:

Welcome to the club.

Monday, April 18, 2005

I HATE Auto-Adjusting Difficulty

I'll make this short and sweet:

Some developers may think that it's cool for a game's difficulty to auto-adjust to each unique player, but — in actuality — it is an idea worthy of being shot and drug through the streets.

I hate auto-adjusting difficulty for three main reasons:

1) It punishes good play by making the game endlessly tougher. "You thought you'd gotten good? HA! We'll REALLY kick your ass, now!" Part of the fun of a game is the satisfaction of seeing how good you've gotten; to expertly clear areas that were tough at first. Auto-adjusting difficulty takes that away.

2) It indirectly encourages you not to excel, but rather, to do just good enough to get by in order to keep the difficulty manageable.

3) It creates an uneven measuring stick between yourself and other players. Any moron that sucked enough to get a free ride through a game that an expert busted his ass to beat gets the same reward at the end. This destroys any true sense of accomplishment in beating a game. It also hurts the feeling of community between people playing the same game. GOOD GAMER: "Man, that level seven boss was a bitch, huh?" BAD GAMER: "Uh, what? He went down in, like, three shots for me."

Auto-adjusting difficulty is a poor and lazy replacement for good game balancing. Simply offering different difficulty settings (i.e. Easy, Normal and Hard) is a much better solution. It still lets gamers of different skill levels play, but that measuring stick is still in place.

So, in short, you game developers out there — no more auto-adjusting difficulty. Please.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

What's in a (Videogame) Name?

Y'know, sometimes the simplest titles are the best choices.

Case in point: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. I'm a big fan of the series, but half the time I couldn't tell you whether that game came before or after Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. Then there's the upcoming Ratchet: Deadlocked, which is only a side game and not meant to be "Ratchet & Clank 4" (I guess the clue is that it doesn't have "& Clank" in the title.) God help new players who come to the series looking to play the games in order. Would it really have hurt to have put "2s" and "3s" in the titles?

There's another problem with dropping numbers. In the past I've been conditioned to look at unnumbered sequels as side games, like Resident Evil: Outbreak. People might pass up a title like Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and wait for "Ratchet & Clank 2" instead.

Many other game names are either too bland and undescriptive (Cold Winter; Snowblind), or too confusing (Viewtiful Joe; Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus). And let's not forget the trend to tack on long, unncessecary subtitles (like Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, and the Scrabble-winning Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords).

Japanese titles are weird because, while they often don't make any sense, they still sound cool (see Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and Resident Evil). Having a nice ring to your title still isn't enough in today's market though, when western-developed games are making the English-as-a-second-language titles look more awkward. Then there are the Japanese game names that mean nothing whatsoever to U.S. consumers, like Onimusha, Tekken, Tenchu, etc.

What makes a good game title? To start with, it should be unique, reflect the feel of the game, be clear and catchy, and be as succinct as possible. A subtitle can work, but it should also adhere to these goals, and it should also help to differentiate the game from the others in the series. Using a movie as an example, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope works well.

I'll bet that something as seemingly trivial as a game's title can have a massive impact on its sales. A good title will hook you, excite you, and convey the type of amazing experience that awaits you. A bad title is generic, dull, confusing, and long-winded. Most publishers can really improve on how they name their games.

I could also talk about bad box art and advertising, but I'll save those for later rants ;)

Monday, April 11, 2005

Will MTV Steal Xbox 2's E3 Buzz?

Man, what a massive announcement today — Xbox 2 (or 360, or whatever it's called) will debut on MTV on May 12th, four days before Microsoft's annual pre-E3 press conference. When I first heard the news, it felt like someone had spoiled Christmas morning. I mean, that's what E3, and all of the pre-show press conferences, are to me — Christmas morning. You gather with thousands of like-hearted game fantatics and gawk at what Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have under their trees. I'd been looking forward to unwrapping the Xbox 2 at the E3 press conference, and now that day I'd marked on my calendar seems a lot less special.

But, what a nutty view, right? Two seconds after my initial feeling, I realized what a lucky life I lead as a games journalist. This MTV unveiling — celebrity-tacky and faux-cool as it may be — will be a great way of letting *all* gamers share in this historic moment, and not just lucky bums like me. It's a revolultionary idea that should have the competition slapping its heads and saying "why didn't *we* think of that?" The whole world will be able tune in at the same time to get its first peek at the future of gaming. What a brilliant way to kick-start critical momentum for Microsoft's next-gen console. They know they've got a small window before Sony crashes the party with PS3, and they're starting the next round with guns blazing.

I wonder though, if the early reveal will dull Microsoft's buzz at E3... The world press — from gaming mags, to CNN, to Newsweek — everyone will be looking for the big stories; the products and events that will define this year's show. Usually, the top stories are decided on before the show even opens, once the three first-parties' pre-E3 conferences have concluded. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will take turns selling their visions of where gaming is heading, wowing audiences with their Next Big Things. As the excitement builds to a climax for those three presentations, what will the big stories be? Microsoft will surely get a lot of attention, but before, the full debut of Xbox 2 was a shoe-in to steal the most headlines. With Sony and Nintendo not likely to reveal nearly as much about their next systems (which won't hit until next year), Microsoft's vision of the future will be the only one you can touch, experience and play. But when E3 week rolls around, Xbox 2 will already be yesterday's headlines. Reporters will be looking for the big *new* stories. And what the press latches onto, what gets them the most excited at the show, could likely influence coverage (and therefore, valuable exposure) heading into the rest of the year. Will the exclusive MTV deal outweigh a potential drop in coverage elsewhere, as the gathered world press searches for their own breaking stories?

It will be very interesting to see what people are buzzing about, and getting excited about, the week *after* the MTV special. Will Microsoft hold back certain key announcements until E3 to give the audience at its conference reasons to cheer? And, with not as much to show or reveal, will Sony and Nintendo be able to hold their own against any momentum the MTV special starts to build?

I'm really just thinking out loud; I don't have the answers, but I'm getting more and more excited to find them out :)

Thursday, April 07, 2005

OMFGod of War

Wow. I mean, just... WOW.

Today I finished Sony's God of War in God Mode, and it was one of the most fun, challenging and rewarding playthroughs of a game I've ever done. I guess I'm bragging a little, but I just had to gush about how cool this game is for those that haven't played it yet. Not only is it freaking amazing to play, but the rewards that you're given for beating the game, then beating the Challenge of the Gods side game, then beating God Mode, are some of the coolest unlockables I've ever seen.

Bravo Sony, and major kudos to David Jaffe's immensely talented and hard-working team. God of War II is easily my most anticipated game, no matter how long you make me wait. We're only a few months into 2005, but GOW's going to be damn tough to beat for Game of the Year!

God of War, Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3 all within a few months of each other — is this one of the best streaks in the history of gaming, or what?