Creativity, Profit, and You.

Thanks to some Internet and real life issues, I've been out of commission for a while. The same can be said of my PS2, sadly. It died on July 24th at roughly 11 PM. It is already missed. The week was already bad, thanks to this news about Persona 3 being delayed til' August. Obviously, there's always room for things to get worse.

Originally, this was intended to be a response to this article about Roger Ebert's position on videogames as artistic expression.

Thankfully, I realized that the Games-As-Art debate has been completely exhausted years before. So I canned the idea. My late PS2 gave me another one.

In your life as a gamer, you have had consoles stop working, for one reason or another, by your own doing or as the result of a manufacturing mishap. Hands thrown up in the air, perhaps even controllers in the air, cursing all the while. DREs. Brickings. Dead pixels. Red ring of death.

Do I have you cringing yet? If I don't, consider yourself lucky. You've dodged the bullet. Chances are, you've had a console die on you in a different way. How, you ask? Well, for example:

Dreamcast. PS1. Saturn.

This fate is a common one. The bigwigs decide when a console has overstayed its welcome on the market, and replace it with something newer and shinier and most importantly, more profitable. Sometimes, consoles that are six feet under come back, as you may already know. Take the Dreamcast, for example. Years after its official "death", games are still being ported over from arcade boards to everyone's favourite little white box.

This brings us to the heart of the matter. When a console breaks, it's shipped back, re-bought, and what-have-you. Obviously, that can't happen when a company stops supporting their console.

So who should step up to take their place?

Indie developers.

Face it, games these days are just way too expensive to make. What was once a solo effort, and cost about the equivalent to a day at the beach is now a multi-million dollar affair, with teams of hundreds working for years to realize their goal. So expensive that smaller development houses and publishers can't quite keep up, so they're left producing sub-standard, mediocre, third-string titles. The only way to make it as an independent in this business is to get yourself eaten by a bigger fish, and lose all control. (Rareware, the N64 goliath development studio that got absorbed comes to mind here...) So why not stop fighting against the current? Last I checked, all three next-gen consoles are backwards compatible. So is the Nintendo DS.

In other words, more developers should take advice from the big N and stop trying to compete directly with the competition, and once the stampede has passed, keep on panning for gold. Amazing, Earth-moving things can happen if you simply stop trying. Case-in-point: Cave Story (Doukutsu Monogatari in Japanese), arguably one of the best non-Metroid games to actually get the Metroid formula down perfectly. I bring it up for those who aren't aware: Cave Story is the work of one man. That's all. No million dollar studio. No artists. Just one bored Japanese salaryman, working for a programming company, programming in his spare time.

Must be a fluke, right?

Wrong.

Touhou games, Melty Blood, La Mulana, Radurgy, Kourous....The list goes on. All of these created by small, independent development teams. All excellent games. All from Japan.

Are our companies that afraid to take a gamble? Clearly, there's a market for these independent games here; all the titles up there have earned a place in our gamer "fringe". Games by small development houses have huge underground followings even today. Take the original Fallout games. Black Isle Studios, makers of Fallout and Fallout 2 were small by today's standards. The same is the case with all old PC RPGs. I've been playing a lot of Wizardry 8 lately, a game developed by small time Canadian developer Sirtech. So, what became of Black Isle and Sirtech? Well, that's the other half of the equation for indie developers. Unless backed by a big company, being niche will make you run out of cash very, very fast.

If things continue as they are, it will eventually be nearly impossible for anyone to be able to even fund a new project unless they're on the top profits-wise. Staying on the top profits-wise means sacrificing creativity and not taking risks.

That isn't to say we're doomed, quite the contrary. This generation has seen Nintendo's Virtual Console and Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade take the forefront, allowing small development companies to create original games readily available for mass consumption. That's the best way to make sure the little guys can stay in the game. They may not be our last hope or anything dramatic like that, but they will prevent us from a future wrought with sequels, sports games, and unimaginative drivel.

And that's a good thing.

Money Can Buy Happiness, But Not Japan

Credit goes to this blog.

Interesting article posted over at Kotaku, explaining why Japan hates Xbox 360. Well, I should say elements within Japan. The comments come from the Internet's premiere BBS/cesspool, 2chan. You may have heard of the North American iteration, 4chan. If you know 4chan, you know what to expect from the comments.

Gems of insight, such as this:

"Foreigners are satisfied only with killing. Japanese are not that stupid."

If that's not snort worthy, I don't know what is.

In all of those comments there were a select few that seemed to be actual informed criticisms of Microsoft's strategy in Japan as a whole.

"Instead of saying the Xbox is bad, it's important to note that Sony and Nintendo are too established. There isn't much room for them to enter."

That's exactly it right there. As popular game designer Suda 51 put it in this interview: Japan hates change.

"...the American and European audiences are more receptive to new games. They welcome change. The Japanese are more close minded and the market is showing signs of rejection towards new games."

So, if they show rejection towards new games, why not newcomers to the console market? If you look at things that type of mindset, 360's poor performance starts to make more sense. Nintendo is successful because they're the oldest name in console development that Japan can remember. Sony was successful with the Playstation in 1994 because their name been trusted in the Japanese consumer electronics market since 1958.

As for Microsoft?

Well, they're known for selling Windows, and that's about it.

Couple that with the fact that Japanese computer culture is completely different than in North America, and you get the reason why MS is seen as the outsider. For the 360 owners out there, the situation doesn't look like it'll improve anytime soon, either.

What can be done? Not much. For now, MS needs to keep pouring the money into the 360 Japan division and hope for something that moves units on a more permanent basis, unlike the temporary jump in sales following the release of Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata.

Yep, the 360 definitely needs to follow SNKs example and get down with some witch-touching, or something.

Until then, it seems like the 360 will be staying where it is for a while:

According to the latest Media Create numbers, the 360 sold less than the PS2 last week.

The False lure of console QA.

No update since Friday. I've been rather busy of late.

This article in the Seattle Weekly talks about QA, the dusty, forgotten corner of the industry. Of course, as is the case with all game-related articles in mainstream media, the piece is liberally swabbed with elements of disdain for gamers and gaming culture, with a dash of BS, and some flim-flam thrown in for good measure. (The writer claims that 90% of gamers are male...Enough said) Regardless, there are some points to be found in here, much like digging through that bargain bin for a good game, among all the copies of Madden 2001. Among other things.

Not surprisingly, the quotes are where the creamy goodness is to be found, since they are given by actual people in the industry versus a news writer who fancies herself an expert on the industry and the dubious subject of video game addiction that seems to pop up more and more nowadays.

You can quote me on this: I hate QA. Working in it at least.

While a lot of what went on at the lab in the article is the most extreme case scenario that rarely happens, a lot of it is extremely accurate. If anyone at all reading this is thinking of testing games, and if they're thinking it'll be fun, allow me to set things straight: It's not fun.

Two things though, are worthy of attention:

"Most of the girls who come through have enough intelligence, so that they're the ones who get other jobs quickly or move up," Theuret says. "Stuck in the tester position are the other guys. It's just the difference between the gals and the guys."

Now many would say that females being promoted over men can and does happen in any corporate environment, but this seems to be amplified when you take a look at the industry. This is the reality in a culture that seems to worship female participation. "Gamer girls" are a badge of honour for some, sought after much like one would search for a rare baseball card.

Why the pedestal? Beyond sex and gender, we're all just in it for the games. That should be something that goes beyond not only sex and gender, but race, religion, creed, orientation, and really any other criteria we have for dividing ourselves.

The second point touches on money. Most game testers make minimum wage, or slightly above it. This seems fine for entry level stuff until the realization that the average income of a tester hardly changes. Yes, it does fluctuate a little if you are an in-house tester, but generally, it's seen as the grunt work, and treated as such.

That's not right.

QA is perhaps the most important step in the development process if you like playing games of the bug-free variety.

Yet, QA gets a ridiculously small part of the game development pie.

Why is that?

E3 2k7: Friday the 13th: Sony's Revenge

Photo credit goes to kotaku, yet again.

Burning the candle at both ends tonight. It's time to pick up the pace.

Yesterday's entry was a little more impression-heavy than I would have liked. I think this altogether odd E3 has done something permanently bad to my state of mind. I've forgotten my main purpose in starting this blog: commentary. That's what NPC is supposed to be made of: equal parts information and cynicism. Without Sony, there'd be much less of that to go around.

As almost everyone in the scene, as some call it knows, the big S has a history of being complete corporate asshats, which is pretty much common knowlege in the gaming community at this point.

This latest chapter continues the now time-honoured tradition of utterly awful Sony business strategy. For your consideration, a chain of events:

1. At their presser, Sony announces a $100 USD price drop of the current 60 gig PS3, and announces the new 80 gig model, retailing for $599 USD. This is posted on several news sites. Reaction is mostly positive, most think Sony has a long way to go to make sales.

2. A day goes by. This morning, the 13th, a report comes out on Kotaku and other sources that claims SCEE President David Reeves stated that no new 60GB consoles will be produced following the sale of the price cut PS3s

3. In the afternoon, SCEA releases a cryptically worded statement denying that the 60GB consoles would be discontinued.

"Those quotes from David Reeves are not accurate. He said that if they had lowered the price in Europe, that territory would have run out of their current inventory by the end of July... As announced this week, SCEA's product offering in North America consists of a 80GB PS3 available in August at $599 and a 60GB PS3 available now for $499. We have will have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of our consumers for the foreseeable future."
(From http://kotaku.com/gaming/durr/the-great-60gb-phase-out-clusterfuck-278256.php)

This was also confirmed by Sony president Kaz Hirai in a video circulated on several foreign sites.

The result? Mass confusion.

This is all we have, at the moment. A shining example of Sony business strategy at work, and the frantic scramble for a cover-up as quickly as possible. Clearly, they plan to sell off the 60 GBs as soon as possible, then keep the 80GBs inflated at their $599 USD price point. As I said, business as usual.

What, you ask will come of this?

Probably nothing.

We as gamers seem to have trouble identifying, or even caring about a corporate cover-up when we see one. Brand loyalty plays a big part to be sure. For the record this situation has more "cover" than a Duvet.

Something like thiss takes a special, corporate brand of foolishness. It is a foolishness bred from complacency and garnished with whole generations leading the easy life. Complacency that can only come with having a top selling console for two generations running, getting comfortable in your situation, and becoming stagnant. As a company, a growing, evolving entity, you cannot expect to coast on one success for all eternity. The greater they are...well, you know the saying, I'm sure. As far as I'm concerned, this is it. The proverbial nail in the coffin that brings Nintendo and Microsoft to the forefront, where they belong.

It pays to ask: What the hell went wrong? If their marketing VP had any sense in his head...But wait, it's this guy Peter Dille, who apparently had better things to do.

He must have missed the memo.

UPDATE:

Well, I started writing this at around 8. When I got back from work, much to my surprise, I found this in my inbox. To quote from the article:

"We are offering the full-function 60GB PS3 for $100 less than the original price and we have ample supply to meet consumer needs for months. We think this is great news for the PlayStation fans. Throughout the remainder of the year, we will constantly be evaluating market conditions and will develop strategies to further meet the needs of consumers in this market."

Well, I called it. Car salesman strategies in order to move systems.

On the bright side, if Sony's business practices weren't this horrid, there'd be nothing to write about.

E3 2k7: Day Two: Ubisoft, Mass Effect, and...Retirement?

Credit to Gameguru.in for that one.


And so, day two of this truly underwhelming E3 experience is nearing a close. So, what do we have to show for it...? Well, not much that we weren't already expecting, which was the theme yesterday, for those who remember. There were some HOT GRAFIX (see above) , of course, as is expected of any E3.

The good folks at Kotaku had a chance to try out Mass Effect, probably one of my most anticipated titles this year. You can read that here.

Personally, I didn't even need to be told any of that. Its sheer level of awesome, as you can see for yourself speaks volumes. Moon. Buggies. That's all I need to say. Mass Effect is part of what I like to call the 360 triumvirate of awesome RPGs; that, Blue Dragon, and Eternal Sonata. I'd include Lost Odyssey, but that won't be out this year, I weep to say...so I'll just let it slide. RPGs on 360s? Soon my precious. August soon.

Also, for those interested, apparently Crysis isn't just sweet, sweet eye candy. Now, those of us who are all burned out the sometimes relentless hype machine that is the video game industry will remember the rules: Until it's out, it's still all hype. I'm still wondering when we'll see an FPS that DOESN'T involve a guy in a futuristic suit of power armor. Doesn't look like we'll see that this year, but at least WWII shooters seem to be dying out, thank CTHULU.

On a non-gameplay footage related note, apparently veteran game designer Hideo Kojima claims that MGS4 won't only be end to Metal Gear Solid, but to his career. Yep. He claims to be retiring again. Says Gameguru;

"He also announced his retirement, which he has done many times before, but this time it seems serious."

Hilariously, I couldn't find a link talking about this on any of the big news sites. I suspect they just laughed it off, as this makes at least three times now.

Personally, I say Chewie did it. That bastard was up to no good at the Sony press conference, I tell you.

Still, it's good to see that some people won't be retiring anytime soon. I suspect we'll be seeing more Nintendo Yoga simulators for years to come.

E3 2k7? More like C3 2k7…

So here we are, friends, at the end of what is officially day two of E3 If you recall, as recently as last year. E3 had the rep as the Mecca of gamers everywhere. Things have definitely gone full circle. In other words, Mecca has undergone a bit of downsizing in the last three-sixty five. Compare last year’s floor:











to scenes like this one

























Credit to E3cast.com and Kotaku, respectively.

Apparently, E3 has transmorphigated (V. The act of something transforming. Yes, I made it up.) into something akin to the annual summit of the American Association of Chartered Accountants with all the grace of your high school prom.

Still, it’s good to see that our beloved E3 press conferences of yore still are relatively intact. Corny over-the-top-ness, laughably skewed statistics, and pointless celebrity cameos. For those of you who missed the live streams for this year's for whatever reason, I’ve decided to give you a quick sum-up of what I absorbed from the conferences. Your mileage may vary. And this is as I remember it, so all in no particular order, nach.

Microsoft

Games you’ve already heard about, numbers, Rock Band played by people who suck at games,. Trailers. Reggie Bush, highly scripted banter. Genesis and other XBLA games a-plenty. Disney signs a deal to have downloadable movies available. Now, you can throw down the Hunchback of Notre Dame before you throw down some Gears, yo.

Nintendo

Reggie Fils-Aime. Numbers, graphs, charts, pie graphs. Pointless video (one of many.) Zapper attachment, stuff we already know about, and Mario Kart Wii. Mario Olympics. SSBB in December. Reggie attempts to lay a smackdown people who claim the N has no online strategy. With soccer games. And more numbers. Fails. Cue Satoru Iwata wanting us to be “Playas for life." and Wii Fit, which involves a wireless bathroom scale, and plays like DDR, but less fun.

Sony

PSP with video out. Games you’ve already heard about, MGS4 is PS3…Or PS TRIPLE BALLIN` if you prefer, exclusive. Blah blah. Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet.



Now hopefully, with that drudgery out of the way we can move on to actual surprises tomorrow. But considering the ghosts of E3 past, I won't be holding my breath.

Until then, get out on that dance floor and DO THE EVOLUTION.

Or something.

Outset Island – Because every journey begins with drunken floundering and procrastination.

Greetings to all of you out there in blogland, or what I am told by those with sofistication is referred to by the Internet avant-garde as the Blogosphere, of all things. Writing at you is the very NPC alluded to in the title of this wonderous weblog of wonders, this Sistine chapel of video game blog aficionados everywhere if you will, perhaps even the pinnacle of blog-kind.

Well, not really. I’m just writing about video games.

And write about them I surely will, frantically pounding at the keys as if a man possessed, filling your eyes with the very paramount, the pinnacle, the bleeding edge of video game journalism.

Or not. Like it or hate it, love it or lump it, welcome. Pull up a chair and stay a while. Of course, there are no real chairs, but that’s a minor detail.

Regardless, I can only aspire that you, gentle readers, will enjoy this weblog experiment as much as I enjoy conducting it. So, as they say, let's roll.