09/05/2013

All Aboard the Hype Train! Next Stop... The Same Place as Last Year!

As I was scrolling around my Facebook news feed today, I noticed a strange little post by made via the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 page. It featured a picture, with all of the CoD games going straight back to the second version. It also included the Ghosts logo. It then prompted it's fans to tell them what their favorite game of the series was. Like you would expect, being the people they are, the CoD fans swarmed in with thousands of little answers. Oddly enough, a fair amount of them listed the unreleased Ghosts as one of their favorite... What the flying fuck?

This is where I get a little bit baffled. This game has been officially announced for less than a month. So far we have zero information on the product aside from the fact that it will be a new story arc. We have no footage, no teases or anything to tell us what sort of game Activision is bringing to replace Modern Warfare 3. All we know is that is will be a Call of Duty game. Apparently that is all people need.

This of course is not the first time I've been exposed to such a phenomena. The concept of pre-ordering these days is really the biggest example you can get. People will bet their sixty dollars right off of the get go that this game will be good. They do it in situations similar to this one, where we are all walking blind yet still being asked to purchase the game. Usually, this is done just by flashing a name. Once that happens it essentially sells itself. This of course is a problem.

Games like Call of Duty are essentially all hype these days. I'll be the first to admit that I enjoy the gameplay to a degree. I've purchased my fair share of them as well. What I will not do is blindly believe that I am getting a new game every time. Yes, they storylines are different (which isn't really a big deal, they only clock in at about five hours per game), and the graphics get a little bit better with each installment. But those really aren't the bread and butter of the series. Everyone knows what really brings people back. It's the multiplayer. And that is where things basically stay the same.

If one is to be realistic, then they would come to the conclusion that in reality, a lot of things added to the CoD online experience could essentially be added in with DLC content. New guns, maps and occasionally a new mode are essentially all you see when you jump on to the online for the first time. Yet even with this glaring and obvious point, the fans of the series still stand in line on release day, and run home to crank the sales numbers up for Activision again and again.

Then, you get people who go online and rage that the game was the exact same as the last one. That they didn't change anything, or improve stuff exactly how they had wanted it. The truth of the matter is, the developers and publisher for games that get this sort of treatment don;t have any incentive to change things in any drastic fashion. Their sales data is all they need to see. And what does 6.5 million copies in just 24 hours tell them? That people are perfectly fine with the game the way it is.

And even more confusing about the matter, after about another year, the exact same process occurs. The same people line up, buy the game and then complain about it as much as they can. What did they expect? The game is released on a yearly cycle and people drop money in to it like it is a bank. If they have so many issues with it, and want to see some significant change in the series, then why are they giving their money to the product every single year. Why are they ignoring the biggest weapon that they, as a consumer have?

It comes down to the simple fact that they won't. In a way, the people that give in to this sort of hype can't. Maybe it is just down to the fact that Call of Duty has been one of, if not the biggest releases on the calendar for the past eight years. Maybe they want to feel like they are part of the next big thing and just can't help themselves. Maybe they actually like the game just the way it is, and they only complain about it because that is the in thing to do. Or maybe they are just vulnerable to the very core of the matter, they hype.

It's a shame that the gaming community has this sort of problem present. We see the sort of innovation possible in the hobby. We know the sort of quality that can be given to us if the publisher cares enough to give it. Yet as long as people keep dumping their money on a yearly title, that sort of change will be stagnated. We will make no progress and year in, and year out we will be doused in more Hollywood action shooters than we actually want.

Hopefully one of these days the hype train will come to a stop, and people will get smart enough to speak with their money. If you don;t want something, don;t buy it. Eventually, the people in charge won't be able to hear the sound of money puring out of their asses. They will be forced to adapt and change their product. They will give the consumer what they want, because they will have to as a business. It's really not that complicated, simply buy smart. And don't proclaim that a game you know nothing about is your favorite from a series. That's just flat moronic.

05/05/2013

Innovation, or the Lack There of...

Anyone even marginally in to the gaming scene knows that we are very rapidly approaching E3 season. This means, that very soon we will be getting blasted with a lot of shiny new toys. Innovative ideas and concepts from every corner of the industry should soon be drowning us with information. And as a result, gamers everywhere should begin to get very, very excited. This year more so than the usual, as this is the E3 that will in a way, usher in the new generation of gaming. This should be the E3 where the consoles of old begin to actually die after their many years of service.

What I've found though, as the year has paced itself along, is that I am really all that excited. A few years ago, around this time, I was usually buzzing with anticipation. I couldn't wait to see the new games that were going to be announced. I wanted to see just how the industry would be innovated. I wanted to see the changes that would occur. Now though, I find myself just idly waiting. While I am still looking forward, I find that I presently am not excited.

Somewhere along the line, something caused me to lose that initial excitement. Their are a few culprits that could end with a finger pointed in their direction. It could be the endless tide of first person shooters, with their yearly installments and never truly evolving gameplay. Or maybe it is to blame on the mobile gaming trend, with it's over saturation of games that are basically the exact same. It was difficult to really figure out why it's so hard to get excited, but I think I have actually managed to nail it down.

The blame could be said to rest on the simple fact that innovation and change just aren't as blatant as they once used to be. In older days, we would look at a new console and be blown away by what we were seeing. Graphics crept closer and closer to being real with every step. Games became more complex and all the more immersive as new technologies came in to existence. The biggest jump obviously would have been when we made the leap from the Super Nintendo and Genesis to the first Playstation, and the excellent Nintendo 64.

When we were seeing those consoles for the first time. We were truly seeing something different. We were greeted by the sight of true 3D imagery for the first time. Instead of jumping and running on a 2D plain, Mario could now jump and run wherever he could see. This changed gaming, and people took notice.

As things went on, we were greeted by similar jumps in technology and things were well. Microsoft gave us the first dedicated online service for home consoles in the form of Xbox Live, Nintendo delivered the first motion based home gaming system. Now though, the jumps seem smaller in significance, and as a result, don't quite create the massive explosion of anticipation that we would normally have expected. So far, we have received on of the next generation consoles, and been given a small glimpse at another. And it feels like we are just stuck right where we had begun.

Nintendo was the first of the big three to make a mistake. While anyone in the know was aware of what the Wii U was, those in less attentive groups may have missed the point entirely. The biggest issue may simply be the name of the device. Wii U doesn't really sound like a new console, does it? What it actually accomplishes is sounding more like an expansion to the already existing Wii. Which, as they found out pretty quickly, could confuse their targeted consumers without much pause.

This may seem like a marketing problem more than anything, but I'm blaming it more on the fact that there just isn't enough different about the Wii U. It still has the same rectangular Wiimotes, it still possesses the same name, and has only slightly upgraded graphical ability. The biggest addition to the console, was the tablet-styled controller. While a nifty little idea, and certainly something worth exploring, it really doesn't feel like something you can sell an entire console on(Couple that with so far, a ghastly line up of games, and we aren't doing so good).

So let's go over that again. Nintendo expects people to pay $300 for a console that they already probably have at home, some slightly flashier images, and a tablet controller. Call me a skeptic, but was the success of the Wii not resting solely on the shoulders of the motion control. At the same time, was that not also hinged on the idea that the more casual, non hardcore market of people would be into the idea? Why release another more casually aimed device, if you had already nailed down that market?

I could probably go on and on about the failures of the Wii U, but that really isn't the point of this entry. So let us refocus our eyes to someone who is actually targeting a more core audience- Sony, who has officially announced their next generation console, the PlayStation 4. What we get here, like the predictable name, is actually of no surprise. Details so far are fairly slim, but what we do know has not really given me a whole lot of hope.

Like we would expect from a new piece of hardware, the PS4 comes equipped with a lot of upgraded internals. Normally, I would be all kinds of excited about this, unfortunately this doesn't make much of a difference to me. We have seen games already running on next generation engines and hardware, and the difference isn't big enough to really cause much of a stir(at least as far as I'm concerned).

In fact, the only big change that Sony has applied, like Nintendo, is to the controller. What we get now is a clusterfuck of gadgetry that is really hard to understand. Like a lot of people withing the core gaming community, I'm fond of my controller. I'm more than happy to see that Sony did not kill it in favor of the motion craze. At the same time, I'm not exactly jumping for joy at the amount of stuff they decided to strap on to the predictably named DualShock 4 controller.

These additions include a small touch pad on the front of the controller. While and interesting concept, that builds on today’s trends, and makes an attempt at capitalizing on them. I really fail to use the practical use for any core gaming experience. Along with it they have upgraded the six axis system from the previous controller. One thing instantly comes to mind though. Wasn't the motion gimmick on the DualShock 3 all but ignored during the life span of the PS3? The answer is a booming yes. Why do we need this again? Why would Sony decide it was necessary to include once more?

While the other two new additions seem far more useless, the third addition to the controller is by far my least favorite. Sony has seen it fit, to include a share button. Of course, trying to take advantage of the ever popular social media craze. This little button, will allow users to quickly share game footage and stats, all at the click of a button. While I have had a few moments where I would think, “Hey, that was awesome... Too bad no one saw it.” I can also come to one simple conclusion, no one actually gives a fuck. I could only name a few select people on the entirety of my Facebook list that would even bother to click play on a shared video. So again, this feels like a limited, and almost unnecessary addition, just trying to take advantage of a craze that will inevitably die out(At least I hope... ).

Now, while I do feel that Nintendo and Sony haven't quite brought enough to the table. And yes, I will be fair and say that Sony still has a lot to show us. We still have one of the big ones remaining to try and wow us. Yet even they aren't on a good track yet. Microsoft has a devil on it's back, and it is casting a shadow bigger than I would have though. That devil has a simple name Always Online.

While that idea doesn't instantly make me want to lift a pitchfork, I can see where some people would come to blows over it. I live in an area where my internet is always steady and very rarely cuts out. In essence, I am already online twenty-four hours a day. This really, would not change a whole lot for me. I am aware though, that not everyone has that luxury. You hear internet horror stories all the time. People unable to connect, or those who lose their connection constantly.

On top of that, we have already had a few mishaps involving the concept. Diablo III and the newest Sim City both released and played with the idea of needing a constant connection to be accessed. This created all kinds of server related issues, and to put it simply, pissed off a whole lot of people in the process.

This is where I get confused by the idea of Microsoft building such a concept in to their next home console. The biggest trend in gaming these days is accessibility. We have already seen how always online can go wrong, and how people react when it does. It just seems like bad business for one of the biggest technology developers in the world to ignore such blinding evidence. Are we to believe that they are so crass and full of themselves that they would blindly ignore it. While I do see where they could get away with it, I also would like to put faith in the idea that they are a little bit more savvy than that. And I'm putting my two cents in now, the next branded Xbox will NOT require an internet connection at all time. Simply on the preface that it is a dumb fucking idea.

With all that said, we are not entirely doomed. Smaller gaming platforms are beginning to surface. Mobile gaming is on the rise, and crowd funding has become a real thing(Though, to keep length in mind, I will bypass those topics today). There are still ways games can be innovated. And there are plenty of people out their who want to see it happen. Maybe we just need to rely on someone who is willing to take the risk. Someone who has nothing to really lose, and the world to gain. Maybe that's what the stagnant nature of the big three is showing us right now. I just hope I'm proven wrong.

04/05/2013

Say Hi!


Lately, I can't help but notice that I've been more or less losing my drive to write. I don't mean in the sense that It's not something I enjoy doing, or something that I don't want to do. Instead, I mean that my usual outlets just don't to be hitting the spot anymore. I want to move on, maybe have people see that stuff that I am willing to put to digital paper. So, here we are, a blog. A web journal with a big old sign on it screaming, read me, read me! Which to be honest, I never thought I would really be willing to do. My thoughts are usually a private matter, as well is my writing. I want to be a journalist though, so I have to start somewhere, right?

And of course a big part of being a journalist is actually writing. With my interest in said avenues of writing dwindling, I find that my output has gone with it. So I really need to start tackling some subjects that I have an interest in actually talking about. This will hopefully get me writing, and get me used to doing it as frequently as I used to. Help me find that proverbial spark that has gone missing in the current stretch of my life.

As far as the journal thing goes, I doubt I will actually use this for that. While I am usually fairly content with my life, I'll admit the day to day is lacking in a certain element. Talking about it for paragraphs at a time wouldn't really generate any real interest. And I would prefer people not pretend that such a topic was interesting either. Instead, I'll use this little slice of data to practice and hone my craft to a degree. That means I'll be posting my thoughts on games, movies, music and other such things. With just a little bit of off topic ranting thrown in here and there. It's my blog, I'll do as I please!

Normally, this is where someone would ramble a little bit about themselves, in hopes of introducing themselves to any prospective readers. I'm going to save on that, as I imagine most of the people willing to read this already know me about as well as I'd allow a reader to. And this is really just intended as a sort of opener for the blog. You know the content, you know me, and hopefully my currently open schedule will allow me to post stuff on here, and help get me kicked back in to gear.