Happy New Year! It’s 2011 and it also happens to be a new decade, though some would argue 2010 was the start of the new decade. Who knows? I barely caught up with games that were released in 2009 and already a slew of new titles will be upon us to bring all kinds of productivity to a halt.
When the PlayStation 2 was released in 2000, I have to say I wasn’t that impressed. Sure it had more powerful innards and the graphics were an obvious step up from the previous generation. Maybe it was a combination of its tepid launch lineup and because I was rooting for its underdog competition, the Dreamcast.
It was 1995 and Sony, at the time known best for its high quality consumer electronics like TVs, VCRs, and Walkmans, came out with its own game console, the PlayStation. The previous two generations were dominated by archrivals Nintendo and Sega, two actual game companies. What did Sony know about video games? Apparently enough to be the champion of its era, easily outclassing the immediate competition from the prematurely released Sega Saturn and the stubbornly cartridge based Nintendo 64.
2010 seems to be the year the stars align. That’s because three Very Important Consoles celebrate anniversaries this year. Those would be the Nintendo Entertainment System (25 years), the Sony PlayStation (15 years), and the PlayStation 2 (10 years).
Here’s a conversation that never comes up in the RPGs I’ve played, but really should’ve.
Main Bad Guy: At last! You sniveling fools have finally reached my lair. I hope that 7 headed dragon, each with its own elemental weakness, hasn’t tired you out completely. I look forward to killing you all with my might.
The upcoming Medal of Honor, set in present day war torn Afghanistan, drew fire recently due to the option for players to play a Taliban soldier in multiplayer. The ability to play as one of these woman mutilating, school burning, Buddha statue destroying throwbacks (I never said I was unbiased, especially after reading the Time Magazine article accompanying this rather disturbing cover.) has understandably sparked strong reactions from families of fallen soldiers, various media outlets, and British Defense Secretary Liam Fox. But Electronic Arts stated today that it stands by its decision and will not alter any content, according to Industrygamers.
As the biggest Nokia N-Gage supporter of all time, a new gaming phone is extremely good news. The N-Gage was awesome because it was released seven years ago and its 3D capabilities rival those on the Nintendo DS. But I won’t get into all my love for the hated device. What is awesome is that Sony Ericsson and Google are putting together a dedicated gaming phone with some cutting edge technology.
It’s ironic that a series with so many sequels, spinoffs, and fan obsession is called “Final” Fantasy. But here we are at lucky number 13, and it shows no signs of reaching an actual finality. Final Fantasy has become synonymous with the big budget, blockbuster Japanese RPG.
(Week 2 has been posted. Click on the link at the bottom of the page)
I have a terrible memory. I couldn’t tell you how old I am unless I know what year it is. Even that gets shaky sometimes, so when people asks me about trends in video game releases, I just spout out whatever general wisdom there is about video game releases. “Oh yeah, there’s too many games in November.” “Yeah I agree. There’s just way too many FPS out there.” “I wish they would spread out their releases throughout the year.” These are just some of the little general knowledge that I have about video games releases, but I never had any hard data to back it up. That is until I realized that I do have the hard data. Hell, I’ve been compiling it weekly for almost an entire year!
I don’t care much for most horror movies. The majority of them rely too much on gore, shock value, and the sudden appearances of the monster/killer/psycho. But when the horror is psychological-slowly built up from isolation, strange and abandoned surroundings, and enveloping darkness then I’m the first in line for the experience. Since video games are interactive, horror can be incredibly effective in this medium when done correctly.
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