Gaming by GlossGreen

Mobile gaming is nothing new, it's been popular since the original Gameboy way back in 1989. Since then, numerous other systems have come and gone from various companies, but none as successful. Today we have 2 handheld gaming systems, one from Nintendo and the other from Sony. We are seeing a very heated competition between the two for the mobile market, and it's only getting hotter. These two systems are not the only ones out there vying for the almighty portable gaming dollar though. There is another competitor. This one is a little different. There is no standard platform, not many big name publishers, and not much in the way of gamer recognition. Even so, most people these days have one of these systems right now. I have one here, beside me, and you probably do, too. What system am I talking about? The humble cellphone.

Yes, the cellphone is turning into the next lucrative gaming platform. I know, I'm surprised myself. But, this is a growing trend, and no, it's not new. I used to work in the cellphone business, way back in those glory days of the mid 90's. Back then cellphones did not have color LCD screens. All we had back then were the standard one line number-only displays. State of the art was the Motorola StarTac phones. A game on a cellphone in those days? Not a chance, never happened. A couple of years later, something funny happened. Cellphones ended up getting LCD screens, and with them, games. They started with simple games are first, black and white versions of Snake or Tetris rip-offs were common, but not today.

The mobile gaming business is huge, and only getting bigger. It's been estimated that the mobile gaming business could possibly reach $8.4 billion by 2010. Now that's a lot of money up in the air, and todays big name publishers are trying to take advantage of it. Take a look at EA and Activision Blizzard. EA owns a company by the name of Jamdat, which in 2005 had an estimated $80 million in earnings and 31% market share in the cellphone gaming market. Second place was a little company called Namco that held 9%. You can see the logic behind the EA purchase of this company. Cellphone games are, by console gaming standards, cheap and easy to make. Why not jump into this ever growing market.

And jump in they have. We have heard recently that a company called IG Fun has secured the rights to make games based on the BioShock property for the mobile market. And that's not the only big name game announcement about mini-sizing themselves. The co-founder of Blizzard, Frank Pearce, in an interview stated that they are looking at bringing some of the World of Warcraft world to the cellphone market. In the interview, Pearce does state that the game itself won't be ported over, that instead they could provide, via cellphones, access to auctions, in-game mail, and other gaming functions to enhance the game experience for the player. In itself, this is an innovative way to integrate new technologies into the lives of WoW players. Maybe by having this ability on cellphones will allow these people to leave their homes more often and see daylight. Have you seen one of those people? They practically glow from being so pale.

This year looks to be very interesting in the mobile market. Whether they realize it, Nintendo and Sony have more then each other as competition in the mobile marketplace. Cellphone games are very popular in other parts of the world, and it's only a matter of time they become popular here. Let's see what they can do with BioShock and (believe it or not) Spore. Yes, Spore, the massive evolution simulator, is scheduled to have a cellphone version too. What this means, we don't know, but it should be interesting.

Today's words of the day* are FLAME and BAIT. Let us begin with the formal definitions provided by Dictionary.com. (For this post I've omitted any irrelevant definitions)

flame /fleɪm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fleym]
- Show IPA Pro–noun

7. intense ardor, zeal, or passion.

12. to burn or burst forth with strong emotion; break into open anger, indignation, etc.

13. Computer Slang. to send an angry, critical, or disparaging electronic message.
–verb (used with object)

14. Computer Slang. to insult or criticize angrily in an electronic message.
—Verb phrase

—Related forms:


bait /beɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[beyt]
- Show IPA Pronunciation –noun

11. to worry, torment, or persecute, esp. with malicious remarks: a nasty habit of baiting defenseless subordinates.

12. to tease: They love to bait him about his gaudy ties.

—Synonyms:
badger, heckle, pester.

Combining the words is where we really see the relevance to our culture. Flamebait. Reading the message boards of a few sites recently, I found the following examples. This first one is from N4G. This poster is obviously anti-PS3. A search of some of his other posts show a pro-Xbox mentality. This next one is from the 1Up boards. Unfortunately, this type of topic generally leads to trash talking about the systems and other negative comments. Now, liking one console over another is not necessarily a bad thing. It becomes unbearable when people attack other people strictly on their console choice.

I know you've seen it elsewhere before. You have a guy (or girl, no need to be sexist) that writes just the right thing to piss you off. Pick any gaming message board and you will see it. There's that one person that is always looking for an argument. The one that gets enjoyment out of criticizing your console of choice or that favorite game of yours. Why do they do it? Short answer. They like to see you get angry. Long answer. They like to see you get angry because they feel inadequate with the choices they've made. It's possibly because they feel that the console they've chosen to support is, they feel, not as good as a competitors or has an exclusive game that is not coming to their system. That could be why they feel the need to lash out at others. Their reasoning behind this lashing out is to make their victim feel as if they, in fact, have made the wrong choice, and not the aggressor.

So, how do we avoid flamebait and the resulting flamewars? You can't. You will always see that offensive person and his or her opinion about your favorite console. Should you let it get to you? No. You can post a response to a person like this, but just don't sink to their level. Be logical, concise, and know what you are talking about. It is doubtful you will get a logical response back, but on the good side, you may just convince the offending poster to not add to the conversation. These people do not like being proven wrong, and if you do so, they just might go away. It won't work all the time, but it has worked for me. You might also try ignoring them. That will also prevent them from getting what they want. Angry responses.

Let me add just one more definition to this post:

gamer [gey-mer]
-noun

a person who plays games

This what I am and what I believe in. I play for the games, not the consoles. I'm not an Xbot. I'm not part of the Sony Defense Force (SDF). I'm not a beWiiver**. I'm a gamer. Pure and simple.



*Disclaimer: In using the phrase "word of the day" I am not stating that I will, in fact, write about a word every day. It just sounded better than "word of the week" or "word of the whenever the hell I feel like writing about a word".

** I'd love to take credit for this word, but that belongs to Penny Arcade.

I just got my issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine today, and I'm happy to say that I'm really stoked. Flipping through the pages, I gaze in wonder at the newest games to be released and revealed in this glossy tome. I can honestly, and probably for the first time, say that I'm really excited about the coming year for the PS3. My only complaint? That I have to wait a damn year to play some of these games. Which games am I talking about? What am I looking forward to? None of your business! Just kidding, here's what's got me pumped.

All things Final Fantasy. I can't believe it. A game spin-off from FF VII that I actually want to play. No offense to Dirge of Cerberus, well, maybe a little. The game did suck after all. Crisis Core seems to have it all. The return of Cloud (different from the one we all grew to like), Sephiroth, Aerith (or Aeris for all us English-speaking types), and Zack (the unsung hero of Final Fantasy VII). Why is he so important to this story? If you have to ask, go play the game again. Taking too long? OK, here's the short version. Zack and Cloud were both in the same military unit. Zack was in Soldier, and Cloud was a basic bullet catcher type. When he witnesses Zack get killed by Sephiroth, Cloud goes a little crazy and ends up adopting Zack's personality as his own. Later Cloud goes to Midgar and ends up working for Avalanche against Shinra. It's kinda confusing, but makes for a great game. Hopefully this prequel will be just as good. Also, it wouldn't hurt to actually learn who Zack really is. We know a little bit about him, but not enough. My only problem with this game is that I have to buy a damn PSP to play it. I guess there are worse things to have to put up with.

Crisis Core is not the only FF love we may be getting this year. A real numbered game is in the works. Final Fantasy XIII is due to come out sometime this year...or next. We don't quite know when it's coming out, but it will be released eventually. One thing we can count on though, is that it will be good and very polished. What I do like seeing is a return to the sci-fi type feel that X had. In fact, my favorite games of the series so far are VII, VIII, and X. All had decidedly futuristic settings and technology. The fantasy stuff just never really sat well with me, just couldn't get into it. The other FF XIII game coming out next year is Versus. Again, another one that I am hopelessly anticipating.

Now, here's a series that I've never had any real interest in playing. Tomb Raider. Sure, there have been some good games in the series, but not any of what I've wanted to play. I've never been one for third-person platforming games, but one game recently changed that for me. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. That one game has opened my eyes to this genre. The only thing I expect now for Tomb Raider is for it to be as good as Uncharted. If it isn't it'll lose me and a lot of fans and potential fans forever. So far, it does look promising. But, looks are only half of the equation. It has to play good too.

There are also a couple of other games that have caught my eye. One is The Force Unleashed. That is a game that seems to have a lot of potential. Intriguing story, interesting characters, empowering abilities, and eye-popping visuals. It won't be out for a while, but It's got my attention. The last game is that damn Turok game. Everywhere I look I see these huge 2 page spreads for it. I've also played the demo. Good environments, fluid controls, and of course, the dinosaurs look plenty menacing. Can't wait to see the bigger ones later in the game. Taking a bow and arrow to the T-rex will be pretty hopeless, but looks like a hell of a lot of fun. Being a fan of the N64 series, this is one game I have to get.

Well, that's my list for what really has me excited this year. Of course, there are many other games coming out that look great, but these are the top of my list. For now. So, what did I miss that you are really looking forward to? Drop me a line and let me know.

And Speculation.

Last month I gave my thoughts on the upcoming year for all the consoles. I thought the PS3 and 360 could have a strong year. I also wrote that I thought the Wii was on shaky ground. Now we are hearing news and speculation from some of the other media outlets. Was I on the right track? Will the PS3 make a comeback? Can the Wii maintain it's momentum? Let's see what the experts are saying.

First up with the big announcements is EA. We all know EA is fond of making grand statements with regards to its competitors and partners. So them coming out with a statement from left field is nothing new. This is what they had to say about the coming year. EA thinks that the Wii will stay on top in 08, not much of a surprise there with the Wii's current sales figures. What is surprising is EA's prediction that the PS3 will outsell the 360 in the upcoming year. But, should that really be surprising at all? According to sarcasticgamer.com, the PS3 has already outsold the 360. Check out their article to see how they came up with the numbers.

If what they say is true, the PS3 outsold the 360 by 1.53 million in 07. If that comes as a surprise to you, join the club. All we've heard this year is how the 360 is trouncing the PS3. Are we being lied to or is this just something that no one has really paid any attention to? If it's a case of the first, I get that. Microsoft definitely does not want this to get out. But, if it's a case of the second, now that's a problem. We all know the ignorance the mainstream media has in regards to videogames, but what about the typical gaming media outlets? Why is this being reported only by sarcasticgamer.com? Are they way off base, or are they onto a story that has yet to break big? Definitely something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

As far as the Wii goes though, EA's assessment is not the only one out there. Microsoft has it's own ideas. Jeff Bell of Microsoft has said that the Wii is kinda like a gateway device to the world of gaming. His thoughts are that the Wii is getting people into gaming that may not have thought about owning a console before. Unfortunately for Nintendo, Microsoft doesn't think people will stick with it for the long haul, and will be looking for a new system when they grow out of the Wii. This is simplifying Jeff's statements quite a bit. Read the full interview with him here. Does his theory hold water? In a way it does. The theory of the Nintendo bubble bursting has been making its rounds on the internet lately and has been getting a lot of attention and speculation.

What? You haven't heard of the Nintendo bubble theory? Well here it is: The latest thoughts are that the Wii's game line-up can't support the sales the console have achieved as of late. What this means is that the gamers will realize that all there is to play on the Wii are the typical Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games, plus lots of crappy third party games. In the past Nintendo has had the problem of not being able to get consistent third party support. Nintendo doesn't have that problem this time. The new problem is all the really bad third party games that are on the console now. Aunt Trudy may buy that cool looking game for little Timmy, not realizing it's a complete disaster and pretty much unplayable. This may lead to a backlash of people not purchasing third party games, even the good ones, and stick to the first party games. That in turn, could lead to the third party developers pulling their support. The result being a drought of good third party games similar to what the N64 and and Gamecube were plagued with. The result will be less game sales, and then less console sales. The bubble, being the currently huge sales numbers, will eventually burst.

Overall, I think my ideas were pretty close to some of those in the industry. I was surprised about the bit of PS3 outselling the 360, but the Nintendo bubble bursting idea didn't surprise me at all. It just doesn't seem to have the credentials to hang with it's competitors. Game-wise, Nintendo doesn't have the library. Tech-wise, there's no contest to either platform by its competition. Even if it adds DVD support this year, I don't think it'll be able to maintain the top spot past 2008. I may be wrong, after all, I'm just the average gamer.

So you think you have it so bad here in the good ol' U.S of A. Well, you are wrong, very wrong. "Oh, poor us. We have to pay $400 for a 40 gig PS3. Boohoo, games cost $60 each, they used to only cost $50 for a new game. We are being ripped off". First off, quit your whining, I'm tired of hearing it. Games are more expensive to make, hence, more expensive to buy. Second, we don't have it as bad as those blokes in Great Britain, or where I am, Germany have it.

I've lived here about a year and a half now. I'll probably be here for a couple of more years. Yesterday I after reading an article on the price of the next gen consoles in merry old England, I decided to see what the good people in Deutschland have to pay for their gaming experience. I can't say I was surprised, I did expected higher prices. I'm just disappointed.

Here's what I found. First, it was hard to find a system that wasn't bundled with one or two (or in the 360's case, 3) games. Granted, the games themselves were quality games, but you had to buy them with the console just to get what you wanted in the first place. (Kinda makes me wonder if these situations are taken in account when the industry compiles it's sales numbers. If you are forced to buy a game you may not want should it count as a sale, or should it not be counted at all?) Second, the prices for the PS3 and the 360 were not much different. The base 40 gig PS3 was 400 euro, no games included. The 360 bundle (no 360s were sold without games) with Halo 3, PES6 and Forza was also 400 euro. Because I couldn't find a single 360 console without a game bundle I had to consider the prices pretty equal. Sure, you get 3 games, but what if you didn't want those games. And yes, some people out there do not want to play Halo. 400 euros, not bad right? Wrong. The euro currently has a higher exchange rate then our almighty dollar. Right now you get about $1.30 for one euro. This figure is not exact (the exchange rate is closer to .68 but using .70 is just easier). That is bad people. What that means is for every 100 euro of price, add 30 to it to get the dollar amount. So, 400 euro equals $520 dollars. And you thought we had it bad.

Games also have inflated prices. The average for a new PS3 or 360 game is between 59-69 euro. That would be about $78-$91 for us. Wii games are 49-59 euro or $65-$78. Still feel like complaining? I sure don't. From what I understand, England has it worse then this. Sucks to be a gamer in Europe doesn't it? Price isn't the only thing that the Old World gets shafted on. Oftentimes, games are released here months after their Japanese or American releases. Why? Transferring the game to the PAL system may be a reason, but is it a valid one? I don't think so.

I'm trying to figure out if the game companies and console makers hate these guys or if it's something else. I've heard a lot of excuses, from it being a smaller market to tariffs and other import taxes. Is it actually the European governments' fault? Is it the console and game makers fault? I really don't care. Just get it fixed people so all gamers can pay a reasonable price to play the games they love.

May I Have Another?

I've had Call Of Duty 4 sitting on my shelf for a while. I was putting off playing it for a few days. I had planned on playing a couple of other games first, but I just couldn't put if off any longer. Why, you ask, would I put off playing a game like COD4? Why didn't I play the game the first day I got it? Am I crazy, or just plain stupid? No, I'm not crazy, and I happen to be as intelligent as the next guy, I think. The reason is simple. I know myself.

Alright, most of you know nothing about me, so I'll let you in on a little secret. Certain games tend to suck me in. Not just any game, just the real special ones. FF VII was one of those games. I put in over 140 hours on that one game. The second time I played it. I played for 70 the first time.

I had a feeling Call Of Duty would be one of those games. It wasn't the actual game that I was worried about. It was the multiplayer. Anyone whose read my stuff before has seen the post I did a while back about my first adventures with multiplayer. The experience wasn't all bad, and I've never been really good at flight games anyway. First person shooters tend to be my thing. COD4 seemed right up my alley, and from everything I've read and heard about this game, I was prepared to be sucked in.

I first put the disc in my PlayStation three days ago. I've had a chance to build up my stats and unlock a few things. My stats aren't that impressive right now, but they're improving. I have a score rank of 736,554, a win rank of 929,362, a kill rank of 624,681, and a accuracy rank of 694,407. Today I managed to advance to 2nd lieutenant and I have unlocked all of the game modes. And just how long did these momentous take to achieve? 16 hours and 23 minutes. That's 16 hours and 23 minutes of actual play time, not counting the time in between matches and in the lobby tweaking my loadout. I have a problem, I know. That's why I was putting it off.

There is only one cure for this affliction of mine, and any kid (or adult, I know there's more then a few closet players out there over the age of 12) that's ever played Pokemon knows what I'm talking about. I have to get them all. By all, I mean all the weapons, perks, accessories, max out my rank, and complete all the challenges. The challenges are by far the most time consuming of all these tasks. First, each weapon in each of the five weapons classes has it's own challenges to unlock extras. Then there are the boot camp challenges. the operations challenges, the killer challenges, the humiliation challenges, and the elite challenges. 16 hours and 23 minutes in and I've only completed 2 of the weapons challenges and almost all of the boot camp challenges. At this rate, I'll be doing this for another month, at least. At least I have a fun addiction.

I don't have an Xbox yet, but this still hasn't prevented me from becoming a PS3 trophy whore. Games like Uncharted, The Darkness, and Folklore have had me hooked due to the collecting and achievements that you can get in those games. Uncharted has the challenges and collecting the treasure. The Darkness has challenges and collecting of papers. Folklore has the challenges and the collecting of the folks themselves. Notice a trend here? Having games with these types of added features really does (at least for me) add to the enjoyment of the game. There is nothing as satisfying as collecting everything there is to get. The only downside is the amount of time required to complete it all. My family definitely doesn't like that. However, I still manage to get out of the house to get some air. A nice long walk on a cool clear winter day is the best. Oh, and work. Of course all this is all secondary to actually completing the game itself. It's just a real nice extra to make the game a little deeper.

I feel bad for my family, I really do. This is just something that when I start, I just have to finish. Many other people have symptoms like mine. Most of the time they revolve around illegal drug use, but still, mines legal. And I only ignore my family for a few hours a day. I don't know if I should get an Xbox now. I may never be seen or heard from again.

If anyone happens to see me on PSN, say hi. I'd be more than happy to swap bullets and grenades with anyone interested.