October
24, 2006 - Walking
As October's cold winds begin to blow once again, darkness descends. Air
clears, leaves fall from the trees, I think I've been here before. In the
stars above, there are mysteries that cannot be explained. Celestial
visions of worlds unseen, dreams float through the endless night, a mirror
of time, space and energy. Nothing anyone can measure, nothing anyone can
comprehend. Hidden among these millions of worlds, billions of stars,
trillions of photons beyond the reach of any machine, she wanders
alone.
A solitary figure walking through the stars, watching for signs, waiting
patiently for the moment to arrive. A moment she cannot understand, a time
when she will no longer walk alone. I see her face, lit only by the
solitary moonlight. I wonder who, or what she really is. She might be a
ghost, an angel, a phantom, a dream, a figment, an illusion, a nightmare,
a dream, a spirit, an alien. There's nothing I can do, nothing I can say
that can accurately convey the space, the world, a time spent alone.
It seems strange, but these visions seem to persevere, endure, echo, warp,
bend, dissolve, emerge, change. A constant reminder of a larger force, a
smaller world, a bigger idea, shrinking and expanding, becoming ever more
distant - only to completely vanish, subsequently return in new forms,
ever fascinating, ever blaring, making me become ever more remote from
reality. And I see her wandering endlessly through time, somehow watching
me, looking over me.
I look to her for guidance, but I don't know what I'm supposed to be
hearing. Her messages turn into stars - entrancing me, enhancing me,
challenging me, supporting me, encouraging me. Yet, I cannot begin to
verbalize any of this in any adequate sense, only to say that I know she
is real, if no one else can see, or feel, or know. This doesn't matter,
she is there for me, when all others seem to have abandoned me. I still
need her, especially now. I wonder if she feels what I feel. I hope she
feels better than I have lately.
October 18, 2006 -
Reviews Reborn
After using pretty much the same style and format for reviews since
the site launched six years ago this month, we've finally upgraded the
style and presentation of these articles. We hope this change will please
our readers. Not all the reviews on The Laser have been changed, just the
most recent ones going back the past month, but you should have a pretty
good idea what's in store.
First, the old style of three small screen shots on top has been dropped
in favor of a more open style. We've adopted a single, larger shot will
give you a better look at the games, while not taking up too much
additional space. With the advent of High Definition gaming, those old
small screen shots hardly did the games justice so it was definitely time
to upgrade the site. Besides, trying to squeeze three horizontally larger
shots would've made them even smaller. Hopefully, you'll find this to me
an acceptable change. We've also added some backgrounds to make the
site look a bit more coherent in design.
Additionally, The opening blurb is now in a separate box, which makes it
easier, and is now italic instead of bold, which saves space and eye
strain. Much of the content and depth you've come to expect remains very
much intact. The presentation makes for a much more exciting look at the
games, while also having the benefit of fixing many of the formatting
issues that have plagued the more recent reviews. While we haven't
finalized the format, it's pretty close and we should be issuing
refinements through the next few weeks. Meantime, drop us a line and let
us know what you think of these changes.
October 15, 2006 -
Greed
It never fails to surprise me how many stupid people there are in
the world. Friday was another pre-order day, and of course, I was there.
There were more people on line, but I still managed to grab a Wii. The bad
news, is of course, that I managed to get a Wii. The odd thing this time
around, is thanks to the pre-announcement and longer gestation, there were
more people on line. Everyone who was there, it seemed, was only there for
the money. God forbid, anyone would stand in line for a game system they
actually wanted to play. Fortunately, it looks like Ebay will not allow
people to sell their systems until they actually have them in hand. Maybe,
this will reduce the profit margins on these new consoles, so the next
time around, gamers can grab their systems, not dealers.
There's definitely too much greed going around these days, and I blame
ebay and greedy people who don't want to work for a living. Back in the
old days, you could walk into a tag sale and find some old games at reasonable
or even cheap prices. Now, if you are lucky enough to find anything at all
(that hasn't been scooped up the night before by the underhanded dealers
or the no-life crowd), you'll have to pay full value or hear about how
much this goes for on ebay. I heard this speech too many times and I just
got so fed up with these professional dealers that I decided to stop going
to tag sales altogether. This past summer, I traded in all my extras and
gave up on the resale market altogether. I have enough games already, and
If I want to pay full market value, then there are other means of finding
games at decent prices. Not that I'll tell you, since this is likely to
only ruin whatever's left. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
October 11, 2006 -
Be One with
Scum
After spending three excruciating hours outside the local GameStop, we
were lucky enough to grab a Playstation 3 preorder yesterday (this
explains the lack of updates, doesn't it?) Now whether we actually
get a PS3 on launch day isn't guaranteed, but at least we have a chance
for it. One thing that won't happen - our system will be played and
enjoyed, not re-sold. A lot of people complained about the PS3's high
retail price, but given how much the Pre-orders are going
for on Ebay, the retail price suddenly looks cheap. One guy on the Digital
Press forums was kind enough to offer his system for only $1499.99. This
is actually half the price I've seen some Buy-It-Now systems already
asking (and probably getting) on Ebay. Mind you, these prices don't
include games. Or shipping charges.
Thanks, all you profiteering scum, for
sucking more joy out of the hobby which was actually supposed to be fun
once a long time ago. Now, I'm going to have to hire a bodyguard to watch
me on November 17th.
October 6, 2006 - Rat Race
Am I the only one dreading the upcoming system launches? It seems
that retailers, who screwed up last year's Xbox 360 launch aren't going to
be taking pre-orders for the Wii and PS3.
Ironic, seeing that these same stores can't stop themselves from harassing
you about pre-orders on everything else - even lame sports games -
relentlessly. Because you know, they just won't make enough copies of
Madden and Gears of War to go around. This is seriously messed up.
I wonder how long it will be before you
walk into a store for a replacement power supply that's not in stock, and
the clerk tells you to RESERVE it, because you know, everyone and their
uncle is looking for a Game Boy Color power supply.
Of course, the limited supply and the sheer number of people who've come
into this hobby over the past ten years means most of the new consoles
will probably end up on ebay anyway. Most of the chain Game Stores lately
are awful and depressing places, with stacks of DVD's and pre-owned games
spilling all over the place, you have to wonder if you should they even
really care.
There's no sense of fun in the places I
visit, it's an ugly experience lately, devoid of magic or class. I'm very
tired of their limited selection, insulting pre-owned policies and general
arrogant attitudes. Not to mention their policy of placing large, ugly
unremovable stickers on said pre-owned games, which just makes you not
want to buy them at all in the first place.
Most of these stores (at least the ones around me) seem to employ people
who don't know or care about games. The lack of history is also depressing
- you can't even find anything that old anymore, which makes it all the
more depressing. There's plenty of room for DVD's, but none for even Super
Nintendo or Genesis titles. What a dull thing these chains have become.
Lately, I've been buying more and more items online and bypassing the
unpleasant experience altogether.
If rumors of severe shortages caused by ugly, greedy ebay people are true,
then most gamers might be better off just enjoying what they have now and
waiting until next spring or summer when the madness drops off a
bit.
Sorry, I'm in such a bad mood, but
visiting these stores always does this to me. I long for the days when
this was still a hobby and not some ugly rat race where predatory
retailers played on people's insecurity and greed relentlessly.
Whatever happened to just having fun,
walking into a store and not feeling like you're being harassed and
berated every single fucking time you walk in without trade-ins. Why do
these lousy stores expect their customers to provide them with
games to stock, shouldn't it be the other way around? That's what I'd like
to know!
And don't even get me started on those rip-off warranties.
October 1, 2006 - The Chase
Like many other gamers of a certain age, the Atari era still rings a
special bell inside of me, and what could be mere numbers, like 2600 and
5200 to most people, mean something to me as a gamer. Of course, there
have been a lot of significant numbers coming to me over the past few
months. I wonder sometimes, if these have some deeper meaning. I don't
know, it just seems like something is happening, but I don't know what
it's supposed to signify. In the midst of all the surreal, bizarre and,
strange occurrences that have happed, I received a boxed and complete copy
of Astrochase for the Atari 5200.
Two things about this strike me as weird: I completely forgot that I even
ordered this, and when it arrived, it seemed to be almost like a gift from
someone. Of course, this might seem strange to you, attaching such significance
on a video game cartridge, given the thousands of games I've played since,
but some memories stay with you, and Astrochase's music and dazzling
visuals were some of my happiest as a young gamer. The opening cinema was
amazing for its time and I still find it charming. I was definitely in
love with the Atari 5200, I liked the Colecovision, but the 5200 and Atari
in general are what truly defined my younger gaming years in ways I can't
explain.
Astrochase was always one of my favorite
games, but for many years, it seemed to elude me in boxed, complete form.
I still had the worn but loved cartridge I bought at a tag sale back in
the early 80's, but never seemed to come across or feel the need to
purchase one until now. I think what happened was that somewhere, In the
middle of the night a few weeks ago, I must have purchased the game in a
half-asleep daze and completely forgotten about it. Not that I'm unhappy,
this is definitely one of those 'sentimental' games like Blue Print and
Countermeasure that defined the 5200 for me, and having this one, and
finally getting a chance to read the actual instruction manual is quite therapeutic
for me, as bizarre as that might sound.
I know for a lot of collectors, Chase the Chuckwagon is their Holy Grail
of video game collecting, but to me, a complete copy of Astrochase is much
more meaningful and valuable as a connection to that time in my past. The
fact that it has eluded me until now, or something I've put off is
just one of those weird things I never really put together until now. It's
strangely therapeutic to own a little piece of my childhood, especially
after all the darkness and sadness I've been through over the past
year. If you've never played the game, it's brilliant and way ahead
of its time, well worth purchasing.
I still dislike rom downloads and playing classic games on PC, it can
never capture the feeling or essence of the earlier classic consoles, especially
not their controllers or that fuzzy yet warm picture quality you get from
the RF modulators. To explain to some of you younger players, this is akin
to a record collector who still prefers his scratchy old 45's to a
'flawlessly remastered' CD, pops, hisses and cracks in all. Some people
won't understand and want everything in 'perfect' quality. All of this is
likely to be lost on some of you younger gamers, but for me, it means a
lot to have a complete AstroChase in my 5200 collection.
September 29, 2006 -
Now Playing
Not too many new reviews this week on the Laser, but that doesn't mean
we've stopped gaming. Much more next week, as things begin to heat up. We
have some cool stuff in the pipeline and we want to share our impressions
of what we've been playing, consider this a preview of things to come over
the next week or two.
Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360) A really impressive racer, with
excellent visuals, a ton of cool sports cars and some really interesting
modes. TDU's GPS interface an interesting innovation, but the navigation
menus is a bit confusing, making it hard to know where to go next.
However, with patience, the game opens up. This should be first on the
list next week.
Okami (PS2) This looks to be one of the more interesting titles of
the year, and the unique cel-shaded graphics, expansive gameplay and
brilliant design should definitely prove that the PS2 has some life left
in it yet. Definitely lives up to the hype.
Lego Star Wars II (Xbox) Playing the first three movies is cool and
the game's sandbox levels are really loads of fun to play. This is
definitely one of the most appealing and charming titles to come from
LucasArts in some time. We want to go deeper before making a definitive judgment.
Gangs of London (PSP) This demo looks promising, taking The Getaway
portable seems to have worked well, and the driving and environments are
already impressive. While we would ordinarily jump right in with a
preview, the release date is too close to make a preview worthwhile.
Moto GP (PSP) An excellent racer from Namco, while it probably
won't win any awards for innovation, the Moto GP's presentation and solid
presentation should win praise for those looking for some two-wheeled
action. A bit iffy on the controls, however.
September 26, 2006 -
Innovative?
While everyone seems to be criticizing Sony's recent statements about
innovation, I think maybe there's too many witters missing the point.
Sure, the Wii controller is a clever diversion, but the real problem with
the console isn't its controller, it's in the processor. Let's face it,
Nintendo has chosen to release a system that will be outdated the day it
comes out, at least from a technical standpoint. System advocates can
dispute this, but this is a fact that can't be ignored. The PS3's Cell
processor and Blu-Ray format allow developers much more freedom of
movement and creativity than the constrained confines of the Wii. PS3 may
be a lot more expensive, but in the long-run, the system seems more future-proofed than
Wii does. Wii doesn't support HD in any configuration and this might end up being its Achilles' Heel over the long haul. Microsoft
also seems to have jumped the gun with the 360, saddling it with at best
an expensive HD-DVD add-on and at worst an expensive movie player that
doesn't actually help the hardware produce better games. Or it might
just be a crazy gamble that ends up working. There's no rhyme of reason to
these things sometimes.
Before you listen to the endless gloom
and doom, you might want to remember history - Any company that comes in
and dominates the industry the way Sony has for the past decade isn't run
by idiots, and I doubt that the PlayStation 3 design was thought up solely
to make a short term gain over a single holiday season. This might be a
tougher launch for Sony than what had been expected, but when the PS3
drops in price and gains market share quickly, we wonder how long
Microsoft and Nintendo will be able to keep up, especially in late-2007 and beyond.
Once the novelty of the Wii controller wears off and the 360 software
starts to look a bit dated next to the PS3's second and third generation
titles, things might change rapidly and the PS3 might actually live up to
it's potential in the longer term, rather than being judged by what
happens over the next six months.
Meanwhile, the Wii seems to be repeating Nintendo's last two failed
consoles - The N64's non-standard controller mixed with the Gamecube's
underpowered hardware. How come everyone automatically assumes combining
these two failed strategies equals success anyway? I think maybe some
writers are so enamored by their DS hand-helds, they don't realize two
very important facts. Handheld and console audiences expect different
things. Using the same approach that worked with a handheld might not be
what console gamers expect, want or need. Will third-parties be as enthusiastic for the console after
the first year, or if their will fade away, just as the Gamecube did
five years ago. The paths seem to be parallel, and this is worrying for
Nintendo, who might be falling into the same trap again.
Sure, the Nintendo faithful always fall back on the repeated line about
Nintendo's innovation, but forget it was Sony that introduced CD-Rom, DVD
and now Blu-Ray/HD technology to the market. It usually takes Nintendo a
generation or so before they catch up to their rivals. Except this time,
DVD playback has been stripped out of the Wii, making it cheaper but also
less valuable as a component. It's strange, no one complained about
Nintendo scooping the EyeToy when Wii's controller came out. Meanwhile,
Sony adds motion sensing to the PS3's controller and gamers accuses Sony
of 'stealing' Nintendo's idea. The same one that many hardware companies
have been attempting for almost a decade. On the other hand, the
length of stay at the top doesn't always translate to continued success.
Atari ruled for nearly a half-decade, and then - Poof! - suddenly one day
in November, 1983 - it was all over. These things can happen. It's what
makes the game industry so interesting to write about.
Any discussion of innovation in gaming is dishonest without acknowledging
the basic fact that all technical advances are based on one group of
designers or engineers building on the foundation of those laid before
them. For example, we would not have Nolan Bushnell, Pong or, Atari
without Ralph Baer's work at Magnavox and the original Odyssey system. We
wouldn't have Nintendo without the foundation Atari laid before the NES.
Sega wouldn't have the Dreamcast without copying the Playstation. Analog
controllers were invented in the early 80's and the Vectrex, not the
Nintendo 64, was the first console to have an analog joystick. High
Definition displays have been in development for decades and Memory Cards
are evolution of older flash memory technology. We wouldn't have today's
print magazines and websites without pioneers like Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel
and, Joyce Worley who set the standards and many of the conventions still
being used ny some journalists even today. None of these things we enjoy
now would have been possible without someone going before and innovating
or creating something for us to build on.
You really have to wonder about the bias of some of these game journalists
who are so quick to jump down Sony's throat, yet take everything Nintendo
does as undying truth. Why does an innovative title like Loco Roco or God
of War get ignored when it comes to discussions about platform holders'
commitment to innovation, yet these same journalists fall over themselves
praising Nintendogs and Brain Age? You really have to wonder if
they're really being objective, or acting as advocates, using their
emotions more than their common sense. It's this same fraudulent
mentality that convinces people to buy Macs because this will somehow make
them more creative and different than people who choose PCs. Remember,
It's not who makes your brushes, it's the picture you paint with them.
Sony might be in trouble over the first year, but once the vision begins
to come into view, and developers really get a handle on Cell and flex
their wings with the Blu-ray, things should improve quickly. Sony will
probably end up winning again and by a large margin. This isn't a popular
call, but it's probably more realistic than thinking a cute controller
alone will win this round in of the never-ending console wars. Then again,
maybe the industry is overdue for a change. It won't be dull, at least.
