April
26, 2007 - Forked
There can be little doubt for anyone who's watched this generation
of consoles evolve that things have unfolded in a radically different
direction than anyone could have predicted. Two years ago, it looked like
the Playstation 3 would completely dominate the industry, now Sony
suddenly finds itself in a distant third place, and struggling to gain
even a little bit of momentum. It's like waking up inside a strange dream,
inside an alternate universe. Of course, the PS3's high price and the Wii
phenomenon have played key roles in this, but I think the problems run
deeper. Games themselves seem to becoming ever more elaborate, with huge
budgets, massive teams and marketing budgets that seem to resemble movies
more than games. This has definitely caused a secondary market to emerge,
where simpler more accessible titles have made a stunning resurgence.
While many developers still seem content to let the process of game
creation go on for years and years, smaller more nimble creators have come
in and shaken many of the game industry's presumptions to their core. If
you look at something like Prey, which took many years to create and
thousands of man hours and put it up against something like Wii Sports,
the difference couldn't be more clear.
On the one hand, you Prey which is something that looked like it would be
an epic and genre changing title that ended up causing barely a ripple at
retail and with gamers, while the Wii's supposedly throw away pack in blew
away many in the industry with its sheer simplicity and fun. No one would
have predicted this, but it happened, which seems really odd in
retrospect. While I'm not knocking Prey, it's a solidly enjoyable shooter,
you have to wonder if this model, which has seemed to predominate the
industry for the past decade, has outlived its usefulness in terms of
economics and scale. Most of the excitement among gamers doesn't seem to
center on these big titles the way they used to, though the changing model
of download games versus retail boxes seems to be predestined to change
things even more radically. Let's face it, the moment broadband becomes as
ubiquitous as telephones and television, most developers will probably
switch en masse to this cheaper, far less risky model. This new world is
already starting to emerge and it seems the next generation of consoles
(as has already been hinted) will be even more net-centric than the are
now. Nintendo's smaller is better approach seems to have hit the nail on
the head, while the Xbox 360 and PS3 now seem like over-priced, bloated
dinosaurs. Of course, the production values on these systems are much
better, but the marketplace and gamers themselves don't seem to be placing
as much importance on this as they used to. This is actually a much
stranger outcome than anyone would have predicted, but as anyone who's
followed the industry for the past decade knows, the only thing you can
count on is another unexpected fork in the road.
The art of deception seems to have become widespread in gaming over
the past few years, as companies and system advocates have become ever
more aggressive and ugly in defending their chosen systems. A lot of this
phenomenon can be traced to the changing demographic that's embraced
gaming over the past few years. With an ever increasing audience, there
seems to be a vocal minority that's desperately afraid of these changes
and have responded by clinging to their 'hardcore' status even more. You
can see this most clearly in the comments sections and in a lot of the
mainstream blogs, whenever people seem to want to embrace something
outside the expected field, it's almost certain that they'll be attacked
by self-appointed keepers of the flame. What's so unsettling about this,
is that the very people so adamantly opposed to change fail to see that an
increasing size will benefit all gamers in the long run. More people
playing means more diversity in the types of games we can play, which
should make the hobby even better. Unfortunately, by clinging to tired
genre conventions and failing to see a bigger picture, those who've spent
so much time complaining are losing out.
By keeping their minds closed, they are missing out on a lot of fun. I
know a few gamers personally who absolutely refuse to accept Guitar Hero
as a legitimate game and instead spend all their time focused on anime and
Japanese imports, while steadfastly ignoring what is one of the most
enjoyable and innovative music titles to come out in some time. For me,
it's difficult to argue with people who are so set in their ways - it's
like talking to a brick wall - they have little to really back up their
arguments except to say that they don't like it. Usually, it's this kind
of mindset that sets in when people get older. From that perspective, it's
probably understandable, but from a gamers/journalistic perspective, it
can become very dangerous. Failing to embrace change and try out new
things in an industry who's very foundation lies on technological
innovation leads to rapidly becoming left out and disconnected from the
very hobby that some of us claim to love so much. It's a stranger
contradiction when you consider, on the other hand, how much respect the
industry has shown over the past few years with the many classic game
compilations that have come out - not to mention the extensive library of
classics on Nintendo's Virtual Console. What a lot of people I talk to
don't seem to understand is that you can have it both ways - you can
appreciate the classics and embrace the future. This doesn't have to be a
contradiction if you don't want it to be.
April
6, 2007 - Open Doors
Harmonix and EA's announcement of Rock Band seems to represent
another key milestone where electronic gaming seems to be heading towards
a more mainstream, open audience. It's been interesting to watch over the
past few years as music and casual games have infiltrated the hobby,
bringing with it a different type of gamer and expectations. Games seem to
have emerged somewhat from their hermetic seal and emerged differently.
You can see this in the reaction Rock Band's announcement had compared
with the long-awaited Nights sequel on the Wii. While Rock Band was
greeted as a natural evolution of the way things are headed, while the
hardcore gamers rejoiced at the rare 'game' coming from Sega that seemed
more likely than it should have been. While everyone is enjoying the
'innovative' types of gaming that Nintendo has pioneered, you have to
wonder if some of the spirit has been lost. Walk into any Gamestop and the
feeling of entering a community you once might have had in your local
gaming store seems to have vanished. Today's gamers seem to have about as
much in common as music factions. While it's nice from a corporate
standpoint, increased profits and all, there seems to be something missing
that once bound gamers together. A hyper-reactive blogosphere definitely
feels less magical than it once did. This makes things more convenient but
also has the effect of making the hobby feel less special. You look at
something like Guitar Hero and wonder why it even exists, and then you
wonder why another Panzer Dragoon doesn't. Of course, clinging to the past
can be dangerous and cause you to miss what's out there and enjoying
what's happening now. It's definitely a contradiction and while games like
Singstar and DDR have broadened the audience of gaming, you have to wonder
whether there's as much commitment as there once was. The club has
definitely opened it's membership - there's more company now but is it the
right company? That's the question the companies haven't answered
yet.
March
30, 2007 - Elite Status
Not much of a week for gaming news this week, the biggest highlight was
probably Rockstar's release of the long awaited Grand Theft Auto IV
trailer. The new graphics engine look impressive and its return to Liberty
City seems promising. On the new releases front, March seems to have gone
out like a lamb with only Singstar Pop and Metal Slug Anthology coming on
the PS2 while gamers await additional information on upcoming HyperScan
releases. In boring news, Take Two has new management after a shareholder
revolt replaced the board and CEO. Not that should have much of a material
effect on gamers in the wild. The latest sales figures are out and once
again, it looks like Nintendo's Wii and DS are selling well, while the
PS3, PSP, Xbox 360 and Zune aren't selling as much as some people expected
them to. Microsoft announced it's new Xbox 360 Elite system, which is
pricey but does include a bigger Hard Drive and HDMI cables. Our take?
It's a nice model, but probably won't make much of a difference in the
long run. Early Adopters are probably going to be annoyed, and the system
still doesn't integrate HD-DVD. Not that the whole high-def DVD battle is
really material to gamers, aside from the extra storage capacity on PS3,
which might have an effect long term. On the game magazine front, several
print titles like Computer Games and MMO Gamer are going out of business,
while Gamepro and Edge seem set to stay around now. A lot of blog
operators seem to think they're going to single handedly end the reign of
the print magazines, but I think the best mags will find a way to co-exist
with them. Speaking of Blogs, one phrase that's really getting annoying is
"Not so Much", please shut up. Anyway, that's about it for our
weekly summary, have a good weekend and talk to you soon.
March
27, 2007 - Played Out
It's one of those things that seems to happen periodically, when you kind
of need a recharge and a change of pace. This is probably premature, since
the vast majority of you haven't even started yet, but I'm already growing
a bit weary of the current generation of games. Between the Xbox 360, PS3
and yes, even the Wii, it doesn't really feel like anything has changed
that much. Some minor improvements have been made, but the basic paradigms
and conventions haven't really been challenged. It's still a bit early,
but I get the sense that outlines of what the hobby has become won't be
changing for awhile. Maybe it's a bit of malaise that has set in, I walk
through the stores and see rows and rows of nearly identical DVD cases and
wonder why things seem to have become so predictable and uninspiring
lately.
A lot of this may be something inherent
in my senses and things lately, I definitely don't feel as connected to
video games as I did once. This actually makes me sad, but maybe I've
finally started to grow up after all these years. A little late, but what
can you do? While others seem content to obsess endlessly over sales
figures and gossip, I can't bring myself to care nearly as much as I once
did. Of course, this preoccupation with the business side and what PR
people/celebrities are up to can become very distracting after awhile. It
helps to lose the excitement and magic of what was once a hobby. I've been
trying to avoid the business side of things, it seems to have come up
behind me and sucked some of the mystery from the hobby. There definitely
seems to be a bit too much cynicism about games lately - I think I've
gotten myself over-saturated with information over the past few years. I
guess staring at too many pie charts might make you lose sight of why you
loved the crazy things in the first place.
In other news, a lot of people have asked me what the future holds for me
and the Laser. I certainly do have a few plans in store, mostly involving
a book I'm thinking of doing, perhaps a combination of my comics and a
kind of retrospective on the laser's past and games. I don't want to give
too much away right now but I am trying to perhaps do a zine-type special
just for the fun of it again. I'm thinking of a real stapled, old
fashioned zine with stamps, not a PDF or some stupid reactionary blog.
Maybe something like this might re-energize the spark for things that
seems to have been pushed away from me in the past year or so. I am
trying, but there's some difficulty in moving forward. I definitely had
more fun when I first started the Laser 14 years ago than I am now.
Perhaps a return to my published, printed zine roots might help me get
back the enjoyment I once felt in what is now a kind of monotonous and
depressing rote of sometimes mechanical reviews about games I'm not
completely passionate about.
On the other hand, it might just be too late, in which case I'm screwed
since I don't really have a Plan B if the Laser reveals itself to be a
failure despite all the years I've put into it.
March
21, 2007 - Messages
One of the things I've considered over the years is adding a forum or
message board to the site, while it would be nice to hear from all of you
out there and give you a place to talk back, there are several reasons why
I haven't done this yet. While I enjoy reading other message boards, such
an addition would require a lot of time to manage. I know that there will
be times when I'd need to block or censor posts and ban people from the
board, and I'd also have to spend a lot of time weeding out any spam
messages as well. This would be fine except that it would take away
valuable time from the writing and editing of the Laser, which isn't
exactly something that can be rushed. Since its inception, I've tried a
few public message board programs for short periods of time in the past
only to quickly take them down due to abuse and flames. Understandably,
this does tend to make the Laser feel a little bit more antiseptic than
I'd like it to be, and maybe makes things feel a little too imperious
sometimes. It's a difficult situation to be in, but for now, I'd rather
spend my time writing with the depth and passion I feel you out there
deserve, rather than worrying about what anonymous posters are saying on a
comments section. I know this can sound snobby and elitist and for that I
apologize to you.
March
16, 2007 - Digital Distribution
Everything we've heard over the past few weeks, from Warhawk on PS3
becoming a download-only title, through the emergence of episodic online
content with titles like Sam & Max is pointing towards a very
different future for gaming. There's been a lot of speculation, and
complaining about Warhawk becoming a download only, multiplayer only
title. It sounds pretty odd for gamers accustomed to the old ways of doing
things, but in the end, this probably marks the beginning of an inevitable
evolution for games. Brick and Mortar stores are quickly becoming
parasites on the industry as they push used games more and more, with no
concern paid to the development or marketing costs of games. They mark
these titles up massively and the industry, the people who actually create
the products recieve none of the profits. Nationwide chains have abused
their place in the industry and have become a detrimental force, so it's
no wonder why new releases have pushed up to the $60.00 mark. While the
average gamer might benefit over the short terrm, those with a longer term
view probably see these excessive used game sales for the corrosive forces
they are quickly becoming. The games industry's business model is breaking
down, but with so much at stake, it looks like console manufacturers are
beginning to push into a new model for the future. With Xbox Live and
Playstation Home, the industry is taking the first steps forward into the
era of digital distribution. Valve's Steam for the PC is already making a
good case for this model, which allows gamers to download full-length,
high-quality games at less cost and inconvenience than before.
Adding to the industry's push is the ability to perform micro-transactions,
where gamers can purchase extras items and levels for a small fee. It
hasn't always been implemented smoothly, but if developers and publishers
get better at it, gamers will probably approach this with less trepidation
than they have recently. This new era can also have the potential to help
smaller developers create more experimental, niche-oriented titles that
can appeal and succeed outside the currently stifling environment. This
definitely feels like more than a trend - it's almost inevitable. While
some might scoff at this prediction, you only need to look at what's
happened to print magazines over the past year. Page counts are dwindling,
titles are folding and becoming less relevant. Why is this happening? For
the simple reason that internet sites offer more content, better content
and mostly free content and do it much faster. A system of episodic
releases, demos and betas might perform a similar function for games, as
Half-Life 2 has demonstrated. Instead of waiting years and years for a
game to be polished, you might be able to play the first few levels with
more becoming available sooner, instead of waiting for every aspect of a
title to be polished. This might finally be what breaks the logjam into a
brighter, more interesting time for games. Many gamers will probably mourn
the end of pre-packaged games, but looking at how absurdly bloated and
ridiculously expensive things are getting with limited editions
(Reference: Halo 3's Legendary Edition), it might not be such a bad thing
at the end of the day to strip things back to basics and focus on games of
instead of hype and packaging.
March
13, 2007 - The Phantom Console
Prevailing opinion on the internet would have you believe that the
console war consists mainly of the Playstation 3 vs. Wii, which is
understandable, considering that these are the two latest systems to come
out. Suppose for a minute, that the conventional wisdom is wrong. One
factor that people seem to be forgetting is the Xbox 360, which has
performed solidly, if unspectacularly since its launch a little over a
year ago. The console has seen some really good games like Ghost Recon,
Gears of War, and has a promising lineup this year with Forza 2, Mass
Effect, BioShock and Halo 3 ready to burn. It's more powerful than the Wii,
and seems to offer at least competitive performance with the PS3, though
it lacks the bonus features of a gizmondo controller like the Wii or the
PS3's Blu-ray technology. One thing Microsoft does have in their corner is
price - the system is much cheaper than the PS3 and the cheap version is
only marginally more expensive than the Wii. Of course, the system's trump
card has always been it's Live online service which remains the best on
the market, though it isn't as flashy as HOME - it has the advantage of
actually existing right now. The market seems to have reacted nicely to
the console, though it obviously hasn't had the impact MS probably thought
it would. It's also had some high-profile flops like Ninety-Nine Nights
and Viva Pinata along with it's successes. While the majority of attention
and headlines are on the new systems, the Xbox 360 has generally been
ignored by the media lately. It's a shame, since the system is really
producing consistently now and should have a bright future.
March
9, 2007 - Old Fan
Now that the storm of GDC has ended, gamers everywhere are looking forward
to/dreading this year's E3. While the shape and form of the new expo seem
up in the air, one thing is certain: It looks like it will be a very
different show this year. While the legions of prozine editors and
professional bloggers probably don't have to worry about being invited,
smaller sites like this one probably won't be. In another life, I would
care but the events of the past year have really put things in
perspective.
I could go out there to Santa Monica in
July, interview all the developers, celebrities and other big shots, play
all the new games and pretend it mattered like I did in previous years,
but at the end of the day, it's just not as important to me as it used to
be.
Don't get me wrong, I still love playing
and writing about games, but the truth is, I'll probably never have the
intensity and desire to compete like I used to. This is probably more a
kind of a hobby and once I get some things straightened out, I'll probably
be writing even less than now as I focus on other things.
I'm actually probably going to transition to a 50/50 split between new and
old games, and I am thinking about dropping the advertising as well, since
it really doesn't make much difference, at the current rates whether or
not the site makes $50.00 a month or whatever anymore. I'd rather go back
to the way things used to be, when the Laser was more about fun and
personal enjoyment, than rather the half-hearted attempt at
professionalism it's seemed to have morphed into over the past few years.
Speaking of the old days, I've updated my old 1997 era MMCC fanzine review
of Sega's classic Fighter's Megamix, which is today's Lasercade flashback
feature. Enjoy, this is the shape of things to come here, not endless
previews of games no-one cares about that I spent so much of my time
worrying about, when there was time I could have been doing something
better.
I'm still proud to call myself a "Faned," even though its
derivative, "Fanboy" has become a slur these days., Anyway, If I
did decide to publish another issue of MMCC, I'd call it MMCCX since it
was ten years ago this month thay the last issue came out.
March
7, 2007 - Sony's 'Home' Run?
There's been a lot of speculation over the past few weeks regarding Sony's
rumored Home service for the Playstation 3 console. Most rumors described
the service as a mix of Xbox Live-style achievements wirh Nintendo Mii
characters. Now that this has been officially announced, reactions range
from surprise to outright shock, at least amongst game writers and
bloggers. While this is essentially true, the form of the service unveiled
today seems to have a much broader goal - creating a robust user
community. Utilizing an approach similar, yet slicker than Second Life,
the Home service will allow you to create a realistic version of yourself
and walk through slick modern spaces and interact with other users. Home
will also allow you to use what are called Trophies that you'll earn in
games, which are 3D items that look cooler than some generic photo. The
world will be quite elaborate and will also allow its users to share video
and wallpapers, plus create custom private 'apartments' where they can
host games.
The other half of the puzzle is
LittleBigPlanet, another free downloadable title that seems to mix Animal
Crossing's approach to social play with standard platformer. The twist is
that LBP allows users to create entire levels with simple tools and
objects, then play their levels online with other users. This approach
feels fresh and, in typically Sony style forward looking. For a company
often accused lately of stealing ideas from the competition, it's nice to
see something truly innovative from the company. Will this be enough to
overtake Xbox Live? There are two main reasons why it might. First the
interface is social and quite accessible to a mainstream audience used to
games like the Sims, when combined with the fact that the service is free,
which might help adoption more than most commentators realize, being that
most of them are the hardcore gamers at heart. This approach means that
the Home Service, just might be exactly what Sony needs. When this
long awaited response launches this fall, it's 3D approach might actually
be an improvement. It's too early to really say, and a lot depends on the
execution but things just got a lot more interesting for PS3 owners.
March 6, 2007 - Return to 'Snivilisation'
After almost a year in somewhat of a dream state, things are finally
feeling slightly less depressing for me. One of the most important things
that has helped, at least for me, is rediscovering my old tunes. I've been
spending time listening to some of my old techno favorites like FSOL,
Aphex and Orbital, and one of these discs that changed my perception of
what music could be was Orbital's classic Snivilisation. I reviewed the
album in one issue of my short-lived Laser fanzine MMCC, nearly a decade
ago, and while some of the writing feels a little bit embarrassing for me
these days, the music itself has held up quite well and feels even more
vital and even eerily prophetic.
It's strange to say, but this nearly
entirely instrumental album seems to have anticipated the kind of
dystopian, dysfunctional post-technological world we live in now, more
than a decade later. On some levels, it seems to be almost
anti-technology. Orbital's trademark beats and sound that those who loved
the first few albums seem almost twisted to a complete opposite effect.
What felt beautiful and soothing in early tracks like Lush, suddenly feels
unsettling and alienating in Sniv's "Sad but True". Both of
these songs feature the now legendary voice of Allison Goldfrapp, but the
effect on the listener is completely different. When her vocals seep
through in Lush, it feels like a zen-like mantra of promise and hope - in
Sad but True, the vocals feel like a desperate cry for help, a scream of
humanity against an almost unstoppable wave of technology and
dehumanization. It's brilliant they way they incorporate post-modern
samples, industrial sounds and brutal beats to create a fantastically
bleak netherworld. Snivilisation isn't entirely bleak and dark, and there
are some surprisingly beautiful moments as well, in tracks like 'Kein
Trink Wasser' and 'Attached' but are these reassurances real, or do they
create a false sense of security? This is a question that only the
listener can answer. The album's stand-out track is Are We Here,
which is a kind of mini-drama sequenced around a sudden nuclear war, a
theme of global panic that Orbital seemed to focus on in other songs like
Impact as well. Goldfrapp sings a haunting theme here as well, which seems
more like a requiem for the entire planet after it's destroyed.
Fear also seems to permeate other tracks, which focus on extreme plastic
surgery and alienation, technological phobia and dark forces of human
civilization, where we're subsumed under ever increasing layers of
technology which become unstoppable forces out of our control. While this
is probably Orbital's darkest and bleakest record, it doesn't lack for the
warmth and depth of an Orbital record. It's hard to believe it was
recorded in 1994, yet it feels like it could have come out yesterday. It
definitely creates a conflicting, chaotic mixture that feels conflicted,
almost to the point of collapsing in on itself and then exploding like a
White Dwarf star. The album speaks to the present and definitely sounds
strangely prescient. In my opinion, it remains the most fascinating,
interesting and best album they recorded and one of the greatest techno
albums ever. Most commercial techno doesn't doubt itself, content to dance
away into the promise of a perfect, flawless future. By questioning the motivations
behind their own beats, Orbital made elements of what would normally be
merely a dance record into something else entirely. This is why Sniv
remains such a fascinating and cool album.
March
1, 2007 - Transitions
We've finally reached the first day of March and it looks like the long
drought has come to an end, with many more interesting releases finally
coming to the light of day. It looks like a busy month ahead with Ghost
Recon AW 2, SSX Blur, MotorStorm and several other high profile games on
the way. This is where things are going to get interesting. Some questions
will finally start getting answered at GDC, the biggest of these is
whether Nintendo can keep it's Wii momentum going, whether Microsoft has
enough of a head start and how Sony plans to change the negative
perceptions of the PS3. With E3 gone, the GDC is looking like one of the
most important to date, so keep your eyes peeled next week as the news
comes out - it should be a key indicator of how things are going and what
is likely to unfold in 2007.
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