All Things Virtual 7.0

Here I am for another installment of my work of horror. My blog. My crap receptacle, if you will.
I’m a little over 40 hours into Final Fantasy XII now. Man, is it a good game! Just beat Zalera - an optional Esper/Summon - the other day. I had stumbled upon his chamber by accident, not knowing what I was walking into. After he slaughtered four out of the 6 characters in my party, I managed to revive them all back and set them to the task of kicking this monstrosity’s tuckus. Very satisfying.
I got the guide for the game recently, the Brady Games one, and it is quite massive. Very, very thorough! There is one glaring mistake, however: The conditions to trigger the appearance of the rare monsters is not listed anywhere in the guide. Hmm. I guess Gamefaqs is still the place to go for completionist nuts. No matter, I wanted the guide for collection purposes. Now, if only I could play more and get this baby out of the way before my copy of Twilight Princess arrives…


The Sony Shuffle

Sony has shuffled its top executives, making many industry analysts and gamers everywhere wonder what such a move might entail for the hemorrhaging electronics giant. Some have even gone on record to state that, given these changes and the current state of Sony’s latest console, it is unlikely that a PlayStation 4 would actually be produced.
Sony certainly needs to make changes in its approach to the current generation of consoles, especially when some of the executives shuffled have had a rather glaring case of foot-in-mouth disease. Only time will tell if these changes will ultimately benefit Sony.

PSP Evolution

It is widely known that the PSP’s software library is rather slim as far as quality offerings go and that the install base is lagging behind Nintendo’s DS; the breach between portable sales numbers growing with time.
Many analysts and several developers have been speculating that a redesign for the portable system is in order and would greatly benefit sales, especially if said redesign lowers the non-too-friendly price tag of $250. Lately, however, there has been mention of not one, but two redesigns. One being the above mentioned economical version, the other being a deluxe, high-end version of the PSP, logically claiming a higher price tag.
Whether a redesign is in the future for the Sony portable or not, the fact remains that there is a great need for quality software lest sales for the system fall by wayside and the format be relegated to the homebrew niche alone.

Bundles of Joy

Last year, when the Xbox 360 shortage was made evident, most stores carrying the highly sought after console rode the wave of opportunity by imposing ridiculous bundles as the only possible means of acquiring said console for those without the foresight or luck to have pre-ordered it. Well, bundle packages were looking to rear their ugly heads once more courtesy of Toys R Us via the hottest new family-friendly console: the Nintendo Wii.
A great many shopper found that the system, which was advertised by the store chain as being priced at $249.99, was actually bundled with three games and an extended warranty for some $450. Bundles of this sort are a pretty ugly thing, but when they are not advertised as such and people are mislead in this manner, it really reeks of foul play.
Apparently, the myriad complaints and negative reports brought the Better Business Bureau into the matter. Toys R Us is currently in pretty bad standing with the BBB regarding many customer service issues, this last bit regarding the Wii bundles caused some ripples and so the chain has rectified the situation somewhat.
Unfortunately, bundles may not be gone forever as I’m sure they’ll be popping up all over the place when the circumstances are right. Gods, I hate bundles!

Links to the story here and here.

Save The Kingdom

It called my attention that the denizens of an ailing MMORPG world would have the dedication to actually pursue the purchase of said virtual kingdom following the declaration of bankruptcy by the game’s developer Nevrax. That is precisely the case regarding online RPG Ryzom, originally launched in September of 2004 under the title The Saga of Ryzom. The game’s rights may be going up for auction after an expected court decision early this month.
What astounds me is the devotion the many player of this game are showing by raising a mean amount of money in order to not only save their beloved virtual kingdom but also have even more freedom to modify its content than it sports in its current form.
I know it won’t happen, but what if Blizzard’s World of Warcraft faced a similar situation? I’m still giving the whole MMORPG the cold shoulder, as it seems to require and abnormal, unhealthy amount of dedication for little, if any, real payoff.

More on this can be found here.

Blockbuster or Bust

This is possibly the most revealing statement I’ve read regarding the many rumors about developers jumping ship from the PlayStation 3 and onto the Xbox360. When a company as big in the game as Namco states that, in order to start making any kind of profit, any given game title will have to sell over 500000 units. That’s right. Half a million copies in order to break even and then some to make some money. This paints a grim scenario for a machine that doesn’t even have the necessary install base at launch, not even the necessary amount of units worldwide, to insure such a possible sales forecast.

Superman, the Failure

Not much to say here, really. It’s disappointing to see a venerated intellectual franchise such as Superman failing to produce a game worthy of its appeal. Not single Superman game to date has been good. Once again, the hopes of the comic book faithful have been squandered on a cheap cash-in, this time courtesy of EA.

Wii not gonna rock?

I was reading this article at Gamedaily, which was basically enumerating what, the author believes, are the reasons why the Wii won’t be anything special, at least, in the long run. Now, I understand the points detailed in the article, but I can’t help but feel that they are not all that critical.
Now, for the sake of argument alone, I have taken it upon myself to analyze, to the best of my meager abilities, the points contended for the possible failure of the Wii. Behold, the idiotic fruit of my endeavor:

In the article, the author lists the graphical department as perhaps the greatest detractor to Nintendo’s cause. Mulling this over and putting it in contrast to all that I’ve read in message boards and industry related sites, I’ve come to the empirical conclusion that this may not be such a determining factor after all. Sure, the hardcore may balk at the lower resolution and sheer lack of power in comparison to the other options, a good portion of the general public might be a little wary as well, but that is only relative to the power of acquisition of the public in question. At the current prices, even in the long run, the Wii is the more accessible, both budget and family friendly option on the market for the new generation of home consoles. How many families will be purchasing a Wii as the new activity for family night in replacement of the old board games? What about the Wii as a party implement? Graphics only go so far, and the general public, from what I gather, is realizing this.

Another argument in the article is that of the Wiimote. The author disputes the implementation of it into third-party games as well as painting it as an underdeveloped, weak gimmick, one that won’t last long in a favorable light. While I can see the apprehension towards the Wiimote as reasonable, I have to call attention to the fact that it is the first time in history that a system has been built around motion sensing technology and not, as it has been the case in the past, an accessory afterthought with little if any applications to the actual gameplay.
As for the actual implementation of the Wiimote by third-party developers, that will come soon as they become accustomed to programming with the feature foremost in mind, knowing well how to work with the processing hardware already. It’s certainly easier than learning how to program for completely new architecture as is the case of the PlayStation 3 (much like the PlayStation 2 before it).
Now, what is this hubris about ambidexterity being a must in order to make proper use of the Wiimote in nunchuck form? I find it ridiculous for anyone, save those with special physical or mental conditions, to find it particularly difficult to use the Wiimote. These hypothetical people the author has in mind must be either suffering from palsy or be severely lacking in the coordination department, for it is quite easy to learn how to use the peripheral in question, one need not be a particularly physically adept person. It is, after all, a freaking controller that requires a few simple motions which last I checked were considered to be easier to learn than the “complicated” button combinations that turn-off so many would-be casual gamers. It is not some complex dance choreography; it is, once more, a few simple movements any able-bodied person can perform.
The author cites the 18-34 demographic as being reluctant to join in the tomfoolery of the Wii. To wit, as far as I have been able to witness and judging by the many accounts I’ve read, those in the abovementioned demographic seem to have no problem “making fools of themselves” in good company Nintendo’s newest console. Hell, it might even make working out fun for those who normally eschew any physical strain.
Nintendo wanted to change things up a bit and the certainly see to be doing so. I say give it time, its already gaining momentum.

The next argument plays the tune of Nintendo’s loss of the majority market share ten years ago, stating that, by not being the leader in this new generation it stands to lose even more ground.
I see Nintendo’s move to not directly compete with Microsoft and Sony as a wise, ingenious move. The Nintendo brand has lost a lot of ground, so it cannot reasonably hope to regain any terrain by charging head-on against more powerful brands. No. Instead, Nintendo has chosen to seem innocuous, to tackle the lower end and infiltrate the competition’s camp as the cheaper, innovative alternative thus appearing not to pose any real threat to the other players. Not only that, but it has become a different manner of creature in the mind of the consumer altogether. People might not see it now as just another game console in the vein of the PlayStation or Xbox. Instead, people see it as a variation, perhaps different enough to warrant a purchase even if the person already owns an Xbox360 or a PlayStation 3. A very good strategy, if you ask me. Then again, what the hell do I know?
As it stands now, the Wii is making a killing by not only being more economically accessible, but also by raking in the frustrated, would-be PlayStation3 owners who got left out in the cold courtesy of Sony’s seemingly incompetent handling of hardware production. Sony has failed to capitalize on the PlayStation3’s launch and Nintendo, as well as Microsoft, are lining their pockets as a direct consequence.

Ah, the price argument. The author concedes the Wii’s price advantage, but questions how well that might hold up in the long run. The author bases his questioning on the possibility of price cuts on both the PS3 and the X360, stating that Nintendo might find it hard to follow suit given that the Wii is already priced considerably lower than the competition. Hardware power, he writes, will play a part in this for just how much can a person put off the purchase of the PS3 when it is only a hundred dollars more that the Wii after a considerably price drop? He even says it won’t be too long before the price drops to match that of the Wii.
Just how plausible is a $100 (or more) price cut on the PlayStation 3 when Sony is already losing around $200 for every console sold? Miscrosoft is now apparently making a profit off of the 360 and Nintendo, having banked on updated technology instead of an entirely new outfit, are in the best position to actually make a price cut when the competition introduces theirs. Let us remember that, even though the GC was in third place as far as market share goes, it was the only console actually making money for its parent company. The PS3 for $250? Sony would really have to be in deep in order for the console to reach such a price point within the next two or three years. It would make Sony bleed even more money and where would that leave the company? No. It will be a few good years before we see the PS3 at the price Wii is today and, even then, by the time the Sony lowers the price so significantly, both the Wii and Xbox 360 will likely be in more homes than Sony could possibly hope to fill.

In conclusion, perhaps the Wii isn’t quite as revolutionary as we would like it to be. Perhaps it won’t change the way we think about games. But maybe that’s not quite so important. Games are about having fun, and Nintendo seems to have nailed that right on the head. With an install base that looks a lot better out of the gate than that of the Gamecube and with a competitive hardware alternative to the competition, third-party support seems to be slowly moving back into the big N’s camp. As it is with all things, only time will tell how this generation will conclude, but one thing’s for sure: Nintendo is standing better now than it has in the last decade.

The Chronology of Zelda

In light of the recent release of Twilight Princess for the Wii and the nearing release for the title on the Gamecube I have decided to take a look at the history and chronology of the Zelda canon and, perhaps, try to piece it together into a semblance of sense.
From what I gather, after trying to be as thorough as possible, the timeline for the Zelda series so far is as follows (I am obviously neglecting Zelda titles not developed for Nintendo consoles):

Ocarina of Time: Where Ganon’s origins are first given and where his official first appearance takes place. He is sealed away by the Seven Sages. Ganon becomes shape-shifts into his beast form at the very end.

Majora’s Mask: Officially taking place a short time after OoT.
Twilight Princess: Nintendo reps have stated that TP occurs several decades after OoT. (I have not played the game as I am awaiting my copy for the Gamecube, so bear with any inconsistencies as a direct consequence of my not playing this game yet.)

Minish Cap: This game takes place before Four Swords, being Vaati’s first appearance.

The Fours Swords: The return of Vaati.

Four Sword Adventure: Vaati returns once again to wreak havoc. Here it is revealed that Ganon is behind Vaati’s return and is eventually sealed within the Four-sword. He makes use of his pig form once again, where he acquires his trident.

Note: Here, I surmise, there might be gap of several generations. That, or my interpretation of the chronology is utterly wrong.

The Legend of Zelda: Though hardly any background info or story is given in the game, Ganon is already in his pig/beast form.

Link’s Adventure: The game manual reads that this takes place several seasons, or years, after the Legend of Zelda. It is debated that this might be a different princess Zelda than that of the previous game, but it wouldn’t hold consistency with the fact that it is the same Link as that of LoZ. Here, dark forces are attempting to revive Ganon.

A Link to the Past: Some think of this as a remake of the original Legend of Zelda, I myself did so for a time. However, I believe this to take place some time after the NES games. Though there is no mention of the ancient Hylia civilization in the original games, it may very well be attributed to both the fact that these were the first two games made for the series and the limitations of the system they were designed for. Here the wizard Aghanim is attempting to bring Ganon across the rift of the Dark land, what was once the Golden Land before Ganon took possession of the Tri-Force of power.

Link’s Awakening: Taking place some time after AlttP, it features Link sailing back to Hyrule after spending some seasons abroad. His ship is caught in a storm and is subsequently sunk. Link washes up in Koholint Island, which turns out to be a dream of a slumbering Whale called the Wind Fish, which Link manages to wake and thus return to the waking world.

Oracle Games: These games, I think, might take place after AlttP and LA given the fact that Link is referred to as a Hylian. But I’m not really sure where to stick these two games.

Wind Waker: Currently the latest game, chronologically speaking, in the series. Hyrule is sunk beneath and ocean and Ganon, again, attempts to take possession of the Tri-force.

Phantom Hourglass: As yet to be released, Nintendo has stated that it is a direct sequel to WW.

Sadly Nintendo has never released an official chronology, and so we are left with our own interpretations for the history of the beloved kingdom of Hyrule. My loose interpretation thereof, the order of the titles, is easily interchangeable and may be put in many different orders. For that matter, your interpretation may be as correct or as incorrect as mine.

The Rape and Post-Mortem Defilement of a Blue Hedgehog

The ending of the latest iteration in the Sonic the Hedgehog series is perhaps the most preposterous of them all. Turns out our Hedgehog has an un-cartoon-like human companion who, in the end, kisses the blue rodent, reviving him, and gets him all Super Saijan-like. Not only that, but Robotnik/Eggman is not a bad guy! I don’t know about you, but somebody should get shot over at SEGA, especially somebody in Sonic Team.

In Closing

That is all for now. You know the drill. Now, back to obsessing over Final Fantasy XII.