Being that E3 is less than a week away, I suppose it’s time to get my thoughts out on predictions/expectations/blood threats in case my demands aren’t met. There’s a lot to talk about, so I figure I’ll take the next couple of days to cover what I hope to see on the show floor. To kick things off, let’s start with the hardware that the Big Three plan to offer.
Natal
Microsoft’s big hardware peripheral is Project Natal. Whether or not this name will remain after this year’s show is in question, but Nintendo’s Wii, or Revolution as it once was called was changed to it’s current title the same year the Wii was released. So Natal could end up “Microsoft Dairy Doo” before the week is out. Natal to me has a lot of potential. We’ve only seen it paired with a select few titles, but I think it’s got some incredible potential. I’m not sure how I feel about using my body for everything. The fact that I was born in the late 1980s has made me spoiled by technology and as a result clicking a button just makes more sense then violently swinging my arms just to change the channel. All right, so perhaps I’m exaggerating, but just like a “Love Maker” machine needs your sweaty palm to determine how attractive you are, I need a physical object when I’m pretending to change gears in a virtual racetrack. But like I mentioned before, I’m intrigued by Natal’s potential. Not what I’ve seen so far. The game that really got me interested in Natal was Peter Molyneux’s Milo. If they can make a virtual avatar recognize something as distinctive as your facial expressions and voice, then Natal may have a very bright future, and may end up paving the way for something even greater. Or it may instead just explode popularity of Japanese sex simulators. Pair Natal with the ever-evolving 3D technology and grimy pudgeballs with cheese puff stained glasses will never leave the house again. But maybe that’s for the better.
Playstation Move
Ok, I have to say that there’s nothing I dislike more in the video game industry than copying. A lot of people are snapping their own necks with excitement over PS Move, but I find the general concept shameful. Microsoft’s Natal is a completely new concept. Sure it’s motion controlled, but... well I already ranted and raved about it’s potential so let’s get back to Sony. PS Move, from what I’ve seen, is essentially Wiimote 2.0. It may have better controls than the Wii, it may pop out better games, but it’s ultimately the same idea. The Wii’s innovation is what makes it a really unique console, and I feel that Sony is shamelessly trying to snag that title for themselves. But enough complaining, let’s consider its potential. Instead of holding one wand, you can have two. Oh, but Nintendo’s Wiimote does have the Nunchuck. Ok, well the wand itself does have buttons so it’s not purely motion play. Oh right, so does the Wiimote and Nunchuck. Well it probably is at least more accurate than Nintendo’s technology. The Wii’s been out since 2006, so Sony’s technology is probably much more sensitive. Oh right, Wii Motion Plus. Forgot about that. Ok, well forget all of the hardware then. Hardware doesn’t matter unless the games show how great it is anyway. So I’ve seen archery. That looks pretty cool. And boxing. Uh…how about first person shooters? Sword fighting!....Table tennis?…. You know, the more I try to find a difference between the add-on, optional, Playstation Move peripheral, the more I see it’s just a carbon copy of the Wii’s built-in motion technology that’s already been made use of the past four years. I can’t decide if that’s better or worse than Sony’s first attempt at copying Nintendo’s motion technology with the god-awfully useless Six-axis controls in 2006. At least this time they’re using a formula that works. As far as Move goes though, I hope Sony can differentiate themselves from a formula that’s already been made good use of, because Move could really be a great addition to the Playstation 3 given it's already incredible hardware capabilities. So please Sony, try your hardest to impress me and deliver a solid, unique product.
Nintendo 3DS
Anyone who knows me knows how sick I am of all this 3D nonsense that every movie seems to be jumping on nowadays. For anyone curious, I did see Avatar in 3D, but I wasn’t impressed, likely because of the seat I was in. However I did see Alice in Wonderland 3D, and Imax 3D, and The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D as well. Not one of those movies made me feel immersed in the world of the movie. Point being, I think 3D is a waste of time and money, and is ultimately going to die out just like it did once before. That said, Nintendo’s new 3DS I’m actually very interested in. Like Natal, more for its potential than the product itself. But after watching the videos that show off what it's capable of, I have to say that it seems to push away all of my gripes about movie 3D. Firstly, those awful 3D glasses are annoying. I don’t want to have to wear those stupid glasses just to watch a movie. Without them the movie looks like garbage. Furthermore, the movie looks like garbage even with the glasses anyway. All today’s 3D does is separate the screen into layers and make it look more like an un-rendered Nuke project. It doesn’t actually immerse me into what I’m seeing on screen. And even if I do feel like I’m a part of the world, my fantasy is tragically cut short by the bounding box that holds this incredible wonderland. The black edges of the defined world make for an unsatisfying buzz kill. Finally, the blur of the two mildly separate images distort the picture and skew any fine detail that you might appreciate in exchange for a fake leave of reality. To me, it’s not worth it if I can’t even appreciate the fine detail of nine years worth of render time. But now I'm rambling. What the 3DS has shown so far that DOES interest me is the fact that it creates a 3D environment within the system without the use of 3D glasses. Although most people thinking of 3D popping out of the screen and into our faces, this 3D makes sense as well, and may pave the way for a really interesting experience. Let’s be honest, exterior 3D that doesn’t use glasses just isn’t going to happen without holographic technology. Not to mention the fact that some people can't see current day exterior 3D anyway because of the way their eyes work. Whether it's lazy eye, poor vision, busted retina or whatever the case. I have hope that 3DS will work fine considering I can still see the effect by watching it on youtube with one eye closed. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Wasted on the DS? No, I don’t think so. Interior 3D has to start small. We won’t be seeing this kind of stuff in Imax theatres until Nintendo has perfected the formula and made it successful. But just imagine it. Going to an imax dome, where there are no border edges, with interior 3D. For the three people who don’t have faith in Nintendo, please grab your prayer beads and the blood of a baby lamb and start praying with me that this will work out. Because until I have a robot girlfriend driving my hover car to our summer home on the moon, this is the best kind of 3D we’re gonna get.
Vitality Sensor
Now that I’m done putting Nintendo up on a pedestal, let's talk about something I haven't quite figured out yet. Now, I’ve never lost faith in Nintendo. They’re an incredible company. They make solid products, they’re innovative, they’re creative, they take the stupidest ideas and make them fun. They’re also full of great businessmen to boot (why else would we have 5 different kinds of Nintendo DS’s?) But I can’t help but question their Vitality Sensor. Since the Wii’s release, we’ve gotten many add-on peripherals from the Wii Balance Board, to the Wii Wheel, to the Wii Zapper, to Wii Motion Plus. Some have been more useful than others (we speak of Wii Speak of course), but all have been useful to some extent. But hard as I try, I really can’t think of many uses for the Vitality Sensor. So I’m really looking forward to this year’s E3 because it was first announced at E3 2009, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think they’ve announced a single game for it. But let’s consider what the Vitality Sensor is. From the sounds of it, it goes around your finger, and measures your pulse. How many games could make use of that? Trauma Center could certainly, causing higher pulses to have shakier movements. And the potential for the survival horror genre could really immerse the gamer. Imagine a game like Clock Tower or Haunting Ground where you’re being stalked by a killer, and your heart beat determines how loud you’re breathing and whimpering as you desperately hide in a locker. Or perhaps you could be playing a sports game or Wii Fit, and higher heart rates causes your avatar’s performance to decrease, forcing you to make up for it with more precision. So although there aren’t very many uses I can think of for the Vitality Sensor, I haven’t and probably never will lose faith in Nintendo, so I’m really looking forward to whatever they have to offer.
New Consoles?
I’ve heard this topic brought up before and I don't really understand why. Chronologically speaking, yes I suppose it’s getting to be time for new consoles considering each round of consoles usually lasts around five or six years. Although that time is about now, I feel that this generation of consoles just hasn’t lived up to the diverse potential the past generations have. Many series that usually pump out game after game still only have one or two titles out (Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear, just to name a few). So even though I suppose it is technically time, I feel the true potential of the consoles still has yet to take place. But maybe that’s just because First Person Shooters have been the domineering genre this time around. Granted, I can like FPS’s, but more often than not it’s the same apocalyptic, alien-invaded, bleak, brown, scenario that all the rest share. Which is why I don’t see as much diversity when scanning the shelves at the local game store. However, I think the introduction of the new peripherals is going to help guarantee that these consoles are going to stick around a little while longer. It would make no sense to release Natal, Move, and the Vitality Sensor if they’re only going to be used for a little bit. But as I said, I feel that this generation of consoles has only just started to reach it’s potential (not to mention become relatively affordable) in the past year or so, so I’d like a few more successful years before we start thinking about the Playstation 4, Xbox 1080, and Nintendo Epic.
In closing, there's still a lot to cover before E3 arrives six days from now. I'm going to try and post more each day. It should be about a four part discussion. Software discussion starts tomorrow so keep reading.
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