This may sound obsessive, but what with there being so many games to keep track of, I maintain a spreadsheet listing the ones I'm interested in for each platform.
Shockingly enough, the Wii has the most interesting exclusives, with the 360 having the lowest number of exclusives overall. In some sort of twisted ironic turn, while the PS3's exclusives are mostly first-party, the Wii's aren't.
So, likewise, I'm really looking forward to what my favourite system will have to offer in 2009 and beyond. It's cheap, it encourages developers to make up for (relatively) low technical specs by optimizing and tricking (something I love watching different developers do), and it's expanding the industry blah blah, and it has a TON of really unique games coming to it next year.
Great write-up Colin. And I love the pic you chose for it, too. Very, very tasteful.
While I'm not very excited by the prospect of a future where you plug a fleshlight into your DS's GBA slot (Yes, yes, I know...DSi doesn't have one) and connect wirelessly to someone halfway across the world, as someone who has played and enjoyed many a hentai game (there, I said it), I'm glad there are others who are of the opinion that sex will, in some form, continue to become a bigger part of videogames.
Do videogames NEED sex to be good? No. Does it add another level of immersion to the experience if handled appropriately? It does. A lot of people may not agree with me on this subject, but my fascination with h-games is more or less due to the fact that the good ones almost always have excellent character development. I'm always amazed by the dialogue and character interactions in a lot of h-games I've played.
Clearly, there are things we can learn from that niche list of titles.
Ugh. This tendency to trash talk the competition really disgusts me at times. Do they really think the majority of the games market can't tell the difference between a product that delivers and one that doesn't?
Everyone buys the DS. EVERYONE. Sony need to pull their heads out of their asses and take a good long look at reality.
Just a few things that need to be pointed out to put all this in perspective:
1. Dragon Quest IX is on Nintendo DS, where it will sell best.
2. The next main "Tales of..." game is going to be on the Wii. This has been confirmed by Namco already.
3. Even if Final Fantasy XIII was to be released on the 360 in Japan, most Japanese gamers would rather play it on PS3, considering Versus XIII is going to be exclusive to that platform.
4. Every single Japanese developer -- every single one -- is aware that the Japanese consumer's tastes today are vastly different from what they were years ago. The kinds of games that would be relevant in Japan at this point in time are not going to be on the 360. They're going to be on DS, Wii and PSP.
It sounds like both you and Ben have sacrificed your fair share while working on Bionic Commando. If only success didn't come at such a high price.
I haven't had the chance to check out BCR yet, but definitely plan to do so within the next week. And of course, the next-gen Bionic Commando once it is out.
Quick question: How do you know when you're striking the right balance between nostalgia and discovery? Were focus tests and/or public opinion involved, or was it mostly internal discussion and gameplay refinement till you felt you had got it down?
Hey Ishaan, read your post on the bionic commando article. You mentioned that both Simon and Ben has suffered from making that game. The way Simon says it it sounds like he and his girlfriend broke up, but I haven't heard anything about Ben. Did he also break up?
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Ishaan's Comments
This may sound obsessive, but what with there being so many games to keep track of, I maintain a spreadsheet listing the ones I'm interested in for each platform.
Shockingly enough, the Wii has the most interesting exclusives, with the 360 having the lowest number of exclusives overall. In some sort of twisted ironic turn, while the PS3's exclusives are mostly first-party, the Wii's aren't.
So, likewise, I'm really looking forward to what my favourite system will have to offer in 2009 and beyond. It's cheap, it encourages developers to make up for (relatively) low technical specs by optimizing and tricking (something I love watching different developers do), and it's expanding the industry blah blah, and it has a TON of really unique games coming to it next year.
Great write-up Colin. And I love the pic you chose for it, too. Very, very tasteful.
While I'm not very excited by the prospect of a future where you plug a fleshlight into your DS's GBA slot (Yes, yes, I know...DSi doesn't have one) and connect wirelessly to someone halfway across the world, as someone who has played and enjoyed many a hentai game (there, I said it), I'm glad there are others who are of the opinion that sex will, in some form, continue to become a bigger part of videogames.
Do videogames NEED sex to be good? No. Does it add another level of immersion to the experience if handled appropriately? It does. A lot of people may not agree with me on this subject, but my fascination with h-games is more or less due to the fact that the good ones almost always have excellent character development. I'm always amazed by the dialogue and character interactions in a lot of h-games I've played.
Clearly, there are things we can learn from that niche list of titles.
Ugh. This tendency to trash talk the competition really disgusts me at times. Do they really think the majority of the games market can't tell the difference between a product that delivers and one that doesn't?
Everyone buys the DS. EVERYONE. Sony need to pull their heads out of their asses and take a good long look at reality.
Just a few things that need to be pointed out to put all this in perspective:
1. Dragon Quest IX is on Nintendo DS, where it will sell best.
2. The next main "Tales of..." game is going to be on the Wii. This has been confirmed by Namco already.
3. Even if Final Fantasy XIII was to be released on the 360 in Japan, most Japanese gamers would rather play it on PS3, considering Versus XIII is going to be exclusive to that platform.
4. Every single Japanese developer -- every single one -- is aware that the Japanese consumer's tastes today are vastly different from what they were years ago. The kinds of games that would be relevant in Japan at this point in time are not going to be on the 360. They're going to be on DS, Wii and PSP.
Great post Simon!
It sounds like both you and Ben have sacrificed your fair share while working on Bionic Commando. If only success didn't come at such a high price.
I haven't had the chance to check out BCR yet, but definitely plan to do so within the next week. And of course, the next-gen Bionic Commando once it is out.
Quick question: How do you know when you're striking the right balance between nostalgia and discovery? Were focus tests and/or public opinion involved, or was it mostly internal discussion and gameplay refinement till you felt you had got it down?
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