The Steam Box is a bad idea for everyone but Valve.
There, I said it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think the idea of a platform where a gamer can go and get virtually any game, agnostic of a console, usually at a steep discount is a great idea. I want something like this to work. For the record, Valve, the maker of the Steam digital platform will probably make a ton of money on this idea, but it will almost certainly be at the expense of the independent manufacturers.
Let’s take a step back here and think about what Valve’s idea is all about. Valve created a digital distribution model for computer gaming called Steam. With Steam, users have an account which keeps track of all the games they have purchased so they can download them at any time they like in the future. Anyone who has used iTunes can understand how awesome this is. Say your computer shits the bed out of the blue. You don’t have to worry about losing all the games you bought, because it is all accounted for. This is something that Nintendo has screwed up mightily with the Wii and now the 3DS. If you download games (which they encourage you to do) and lose your system… TOUGH LUCK.
Steam also offers awesome deals to consumers all the time. This is a tactic Sony has started to emulate with their PlayStation Plus service, which I fully endorse… this is a story for another column, but I pretty much don’t buy games anymore thanks to the monthly free games. I’m not really sure how anyone actually makes any money with this. Shhh… don’t tell anyone.
One of the problems with PC gaming is the prohibitive cost of the hardware needed to run these games. We’ve all been through the hassle of having a computer that at one time was cutting edge amazingness only to see it become a relatively slow piece of garbage a few years later. Hell, I remember getting a Packard Bell with a Pentium 75 and being completely blown away by it’s raw power compared to my previous PC’s 486 processor. Since game makers can keep pushing the envelope of what is possible graphics-wise with new video cards and things like that, the PC gamer feels compelled to constantly upgrade their rig to be able to play the latest and greatest the industry has to offer. Making things worse for the layman, like myself, many of the upgrades need to be done manually, and frankly, digging into a computer and replacing key components scares the hell out of me.
Enter the Steam Box! The idea here is that these are PCs designed to be not only cheaper than your average PC (the lowest priced costing around 500 bucks or so), but with all the specs necessary to run today’s best games. On the surface, this is a really good idea. It will take the confusion out of PC gaming. No longer will someone like me be wondering if the video card I have is up to snuff.This, in theory, is a nice happy medium between a PC and a console. The convenience of having a box that “just works” like a PS3 with the open system of a PC.
It’s not all lollipops and rainbows though. There are already more than a dozen companies that will be making their own version of the Steam Box. The prices of these range from $500 to more that $1000. This is confusing to me, considering I thought that the thing that makes the Steam Box attractive in the first place was the fact that someone would not need to worry about their computer’s power. Obviously, the more expensive machine’s must be “better” than the cheap ones. I find this odd.
If you dig a little deeper, you’ll notice that Valve is not making a Steam Box of their own. They are making the OS for it, called, wait for it, Steam OS, and are designing a nifty, new controller that has haptic feedback equipped touch pads, but are leaving the actual hardware business to anyone that actually wants to make it. On the surface, this seems like a very democratic idea on Valve’s part. Why not spread the wealth to any company, large or small, that wants to get in on the ground floor of what could be the future of games as we know? The problem is, we’ve seen this before.
Remember the 3DO? I can vividly remember reading an issue of EGM (I was a subscriber) where they showed screenshots of this new system that had true 3D graphics! This was before the Nintendo 64 or PlayStation 1. We were firmly entrenched in the 2D sprite based graphics of old at this time. Not to say 3D had never been done, I mean, we had StarFox (I still don’t know how the hell they pulled that off on the Super Nintendo) and games like Doom, but you get the idea. This stuff was so cutting edge that they were able to show a sphere, a cube and a pyramid rendered in 3D as a screenshot (these 3 shapes would go on to be their logo) and it BLEW ME AWAY! I had to have this!!!!
The company that held the license for this (called, creatively, the 3DO Company) decided to let manufactures like Panasonic and Sanyo make their own versions of the console. They treated it like a VCR or DVD player. Many companies pay a licensing fee for the right to use the new technology. Why should video games be any different?
There is a business strategy that is most commonly referred to as “The Razor Blade” model. The idea is that you sell something cheap to someone that will make them spend much more money in future. In the titular example, when you buy a new razor set, the handle and first few blades cost like 12 bucks… then each 4 pack of blade replacements cost like 20 bucks. Ouch.
Console manufactures know this all too well, and will often sell the hardware AT A LOSS, knowing that they will get a cut for every game bought during the life of the console (I’ve heard this is upwards of 10 bucks for 60 dollar game sold). Even when the Playstation 3 cost $600, the rumors were Sony was losing money on every one. They were in it for the long game. They didn’t need to make money on the console itself, since they got their cut for every game sold for it. That adds up fast.
This is why the 3DO failed. The companies that actually made the console needed to sell it for a profit, which made the 3DO very expensive for the time. After all, they weren’t reaping the benefit of a fee for each game sold. As a result, not many consumers bought in, seemingly from the high cost of the hardware.
I think the same thing is going to happen to the manufacturers of the Steam Box. Even the cheapest model is on par with the Xbox One in terms of price. These companies will not be able to profit from game sales, so they will not be able to sell their boxes at a loss like Sony and Microsoft are almost definitely doing at the moment. The only company that really stands to make any money in this endeavor is Valve.
Basically, for Valve, this is a win-win scenario. Steam is already an incredibly popular platform for PC gaming. They get their cut of every game sold, just like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo do for their systems. If the Steam box is a success, they greatly expand their business. Yay. If these independent companies are not able to sell many Steam Boxes? Bad news for said companies, but the status quo remains for Valve… they will still have the #1 digital sales platform. And the best part is, they don’t have to risk any of the R&D of manufacturing costs to actually make a new console at all.
It’s actually a genius move on their part. They stand to benefit greatly from other people’s risk without putting too much on the line themselves. What I’m trying to say is, The Steam Box is a great thing for Valve’s bank account; just not a great idea for anyone else trying to get a piece of that pie. This isn’t to say Valve are bad guys in this scenario. I think they really do think everyone will make money. Only time will tell how this will all shake out, but know this: YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Video James: The Stunning Debut!
Hello! You are about to embark on a “journey” of mind-bending magnificence rivaled only by the limits of our collective imaginations. Also, you are about to read my thoughts about video games.
As my friends and fiancé can attest, I have many opinions. I like to share them. A lot. These last few years, I’ve gotten very into the hobby of video games and have developed many thoughts about where it is going and where it has come from. I’ve been inspired by Giantbomb.com as well as IGN, more specifically their PlayStation podcast, “Podcast Beyond.” Sometimes I can see eye to eye with the experts. Sometimes I think they are dumb. Now it’s time for YOU to decide. At least I’d like to pretend, anyway.
My history with video games is not defined by an obsession with the from, but I was definitely VERY into them from the ages of 6 to 13 or so. It all started when my parents got me an Atari 7800. At the time, I thought this was state of the art. In fact, I learned about the IDEA of video games from playing that very same model of Atari at my friend Ken Finney’s house one weekend. I knew I needed to have this immediately. Little did I know that the now classic, Nintendo Entertainment system already existed and was blowing kid’s minds on a daily basis and would continue to do so for years to come. I don’t think this was a calculated move by my parents to save money… but I CAN’T RULE IT OUT. I saw a similar scenario unfold with my cousins (my Dad’s brother’s kids) when I was over my Uncle’s house for Christmas one year and they were playing with their NEW Nintendo 64, when the PlayStation 2 had already been out for at least a year. Damn.
My sorry state of less than desirable gaming systems didn’t stop there though. After being convinced that I should have a Sega Master System INSTEAD of a Nintendo a few years later by my at the time best friend, Matt Rushton, I immediately became a “Sega” kid. I don’t have a ton of memories of the Master System, but I played the HELL out of “Great Baseball” “Missile Defense 3D” (The tech is still cool… I think). “Shinobi” and that damned maze game that was built in to every Master System. Also, the system had a way to buy games on cards as well as cartridges… the cards were smaller, cheaper games… sort of a precursor today’s downloadable titles. DIGRESSION: Sega has been ahead of it’s time a lot. They tried to bring CD-ROM gaming to the mainstream with Sega CD, attempted to make online play a reality with the Dreamcast and INCREDIBLY tried to make headway with a streaming (words not yet used) gaming service that worked over the phone lines called “Sega TV” which, to me at least, sounds eerily similar to Sony’s, just announced, “PlayStation Now” service. What I’m trying to say is, Sega had some great ideas, but were just a bit too far ahead of the technology curve for the general audience to be able to accept what they were trying to offer.
I plugged along with my Master System, for what seemed like an eternity, until one fateful Christmas, in 5th grade, when I received a Sega Genesis. Truth be told, this was also the year I had discovered the oh-so-secret hiding spot my Mother used to store my gifts (under the guest bed). I regret it now, because as an old man, I really miss the excitement of Christmas, but at the time, I HAD to know if I was going to get a Genesis or not. Well, I did! I saw the box, under the guest bed in all it’s glory! It even came with the original “Sonic the Hedgehog” packed in. IMAGINE THAT! Also, TWO controllers included in the box… my how the times have changed! At any rate, the excitement and wait for actual Christmas morning nearly killed me! I think I did a good job of pretending that I didn’t know what the box was when I unwrapped it, but after many years of seeing myself acting in my own film and video projects, I feel like my parents probably knew my shame. Or maybe they were in denial? Couldn’t be sure. <This should be read in a Ringo Starr or Paul McCartney voice, FYI>
My parents weren’t ones to shower me with gifts on a regular basis. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact, I think it helped me really appreciate the things that I have. However, as a result, the only game I had for a long time was the very same “Sonic the Hedgehog” cartridge that was packaged with the Genesis system. BOY, did I play the HELL out of that game! I loved every minute of it too, even though the later levels, as far as I can remember, are super annoying. I played it so much, that it lead to my, to this day, crowning achievement in all of video games: I beat that fucking game with ALL SIX CHOAS EMERALDS!!!! For those of you that remember this game, the chaos emeralds were a BITCH to get. Basically, at the end of each level, if you had at least 50 rings saved up, you could jump into a gigantic golden ring which would transport you to this weird rotating level that had an emerald in the middle, surrounded by gems you had to bust in order to get said emerald. For most people, this “bonus” level was a crap shoot at best, but since I played the game so damned much, I started to get good at them. The real crappy thing though, is that with only 7 worlds, you only could mess up one time and still beat the game with all 6 emeralds. Sure, you can win without all 6 emeralds, but it’s this empty sort of feeling, at least it was to me it was. Also, more importantly, if you DO manage to beat the game and also get all the emeralds, you are treated to Sonic, the titular hedgehog turing from blue to gold… a ripoff of “Dragon Ball Z” that I was not yet aware of at the time. AMAZING!
I did actually play other games on my Genesis, I just never loved, or tried as hard with any ever again. In fact, I think the only other one I was able to actually beat was “Captain America and the Avengers.” (I CAN’T MOVE!!! THANK YOU… QUICKSILVER!). Part of this was the fact that games weren’t meant to be beat in the same way that they are now, but that’s a discussion for a different day. There were many great games for the Genesis that I played constantly… the ones that come to mind at the moment are “Mortal Kombat”, “NBA Jam”, “Earthworm Jim”, MANY NHL games, “Street Fight II: Turbo: Championship Edition” that shitty “X-Men” game, “Madden” and probably a ton others I can’t remember. Point is, I loved that system… but then a funny thing happened. I decided that I was “tool old” to play video games anymore. I actually gave my Genesis and all the games I had away to a family friend. (I maybe have sold it for like 50 bucks… I really can’t remember). Nonetheless. I was out of the gaming scene.
[SMALL ASIDE: During this time I was playing some games on the PC, most notably “Sins of the Fathers: A Gabriel Knight Mystery” and “Rebel Assault”. I also had a Gameboy (which I still have to this day) that came in very handy on those long, Summer road trips. One day I’ll talk about my love of “Gabriel Knight.” One day.]
What this means is, I largely missed out on N64, the original PlayStation and everything else that came out during that time. Not to say that I didn’t play any of these games, I just didn’t have them at home, so I never had a “true” love for them. My friend Craig had an N64 with which we played endless hours of “Goldeneye” and I tried out some of the wrestling games on the system, but that was about it. That was largely the same story for me concerning the original Nintendo. My across the street neighbor (and STILL good friend) Ben had one and we played it a lot. But it was never mine, so it’s hard to think of myself as a “Nintendo” kid.
When I got my own apartment in college, I decided that I “needed” to have a DVD player, so I decided to get a PlayStation 2. I had played a tiny bit of games on it before and was amazed at the graphics, to say the least. The problem was, since I largely missed out on the previous generation, I was TERRIBLE at using the now normal, twin-stick configuration and plethora of buttons and triggers found on the Dual Shock 2, Sony’s standard controller. I did my due diligence and bought “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” and “Virtual Fighter 4 (?)”. I quickly realized that not only did I suck at GTA, but fighting games are REALLY boring when you don’t have a best friend like Ben to play them with every day after school.
With the exception of the Tiger Woods game I got and played to death (party due to an addiction to the bar game “Golden Tee”) I pretty much didn’t care about games anymore. It felt like a part of me had died, but also a new part of me, one that liked to drink a lot in bars and think about girls I’d never ask out had been born!!! The PlayStation 2 wasn’t a total bust though… at least it was a DVD player that had a “remote” that was a wired controller; sort of like one of those super old VCR remotes that was connected to the device via a wire… yes, I’m that old that I can remember that.
Flash Forward several years. I decide to get a Wii!!! I was enamored with the idea of motion control. I was fooled into thinking it would make games “simple” again and that they would be something that I’d like to play. With the exception of the still amazing “Wii Sports” and the phenomenal “Super Mario Galaxy”, the Wii just didn’t turn me into a gamer like I had hoped. I sure tried though! I got to this mountain/underwater section in “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (is that far??) and I attempted to play “Resident Evil 4” but just found the games to be too frustrating. Plus I had BAND PRACTICES to go to (have I mentioned I was in band… ) so I just never really got good at the games.
Eventually, my parents decided to get me a PlayStation 3 for Christmas. This was because I had recently acquired an HDTV. You see, when they upgraded their setup to HD, the dude at the store convinced them to get a PS3, as it was the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market. They liked using it, and figured I would too. Considering the struggles Sony faced in getting the PS3 to be as ubiquitous of a device as the PS2, perhaps someone at the company’s heart would be warmed to know that they were able to sell some boxes with the Blu Ray strategy.
After receiving this gift, I decided that I should give games one more shot. I got “Uncharted 2” and was completely blown away by the graphics, the storytelling, the gun-play and the puzzle solving. I was HOOKED and there was no looking back!
That’s where this column comes in. I’ve become entrenched in the world of videos games. This was true even when I had a Wii. In that time I was fascinated by the new developments in games, but felt left out because not only was the awesome stuff not coming out on the Wii, but I also felt like I sucked at games too much to enjoy the best the industry had to offer anyway. Luckily for me, “Uncharted 2” and then many games after that taught me how to play again and now I feel like I have a real opinion about how these things are supposed to go. At least I think I do. I don’t play everything, and sometimes I give up on a title too fast, but in the last 3 or so years, I’ve clawed my way back into the world of having a real understanding of this amazing medium.
My goal in this column is not to be a “journalist” or an “expert.” I want to call it like I see it and see if people agree with me or not. I want to review games, but not in the standard sense that your average video game site would; if I’m playing a game and I think it sucks, I’m not going to finish it so I can definitively say it sucks… I’m just going to stop and say what I think. Also, since I am cheap, the reviews will most certainly not be timely. That being said, if you are a gamer like me, you play games way after they come out anyway, so WHO CARES? When news comes down the pipe, I’ll try to put a spin on it that maybe you hadn’t thought of before. At the very least, I plan to not be a glorified Press Release delivery system, which, in my opinion, has become the fate of many an online gaming outlet.
I have lots of ideas and theories and other bullshit that I’d like to share here, so my plan is to do just that. It should be a fun ride! Join me… IF YOU DARE!!!!!!
As my friends and fiancé can attest, I have many opinions. I like to share them. A lot. These last few years, I’ve gotten very into the hobby of video games and have developed many thoughts about where it is going and where it has come from. I’ve been inspired by Giantbomb.com as well as IGN, more specifically their PlayStation podcast, “Podcast Beyond.” Sometimes I can see eye to eye with the experts. Sometimes I think they are dumb. Now it’s time for YOU to decide. At least I’d like to pretend, anyway.
My history with video games is not defined by an obsession with the from, but I was definitely VERY into them from the ages of 6 to 13 or so. It all started when my parents got me an Atari 7800. At the time, I thought this was state of the art. In fact, I learned about the IDEA of video games from playing that very same model of Atari at my friend Ken Finney’s house one weekend. I knew I needed to have this immediately. Little did I know that the now classic, Nintendo Entertainment system already existed and was blowing kid’s minds on a daily basis and would continue to do so for years to come. I don’t think this was a calculated move by my parents to save money… but I CAN’T RULE IT OUT. I saw a similar scenario unfold with my cousins (my Dad’s brother’s kids) when I was over my Uncle’s house for Christmas one year and they were playing with their NEW Nintendo 64, when the PlayStation 2 had already been out for at least a year. Damn.
My sorry state of less than desirable gaming systems didn’t stop there though. After being convinced that I should have a Sega Master System INSTEAD of a Nintendo a few years later by my at the time best friend, Matt Rushton, I immediately became a “Sega” kid. I don’t have a ton of memories of the Master System, but I played the HELL out of “Great Baseball” “Missile Defense 3D” (The tech is still cool… I think). “Shinobi” and that damned maze game that was built in to every Master System. Also, the system had a way to buy games on cards as well as cartridges… the cards were smaller, cheaper games… sort of a precursor today’s downloadable titles. DIGRESSION: Sega has been ahead of it’s time a lot. They tried to bring CD-ROM gaming to the mainstream with Sega CD, attempted to make online play a reality with the Dreamcast and INCREDIBLY tried to make headway with a streaming (words not yet used) gaming service that worked over the phone lines called “Sega TV” which, to me at least, sounds eerily similar to Sony’s, just announced, “PlayStation Now” service. What I’m trying to say is, Sega had some great ideas, but were just a bit too far ahead of the technology curve for the general audience to be able to accept what they were trying to offer.
I plugged along with my Master System, for what seemed like an eternity, until one fateful Christmas, in 5th grade, when I received a Sega Genesis. Truth be told, this was also the year I had discovered the oh-so-secret hiding spot my Mother used to store my gifts (under the guest bed). I regret it now, because as an old man, I really miss the excitement of Christmas, but at the time, I HAD to know if I was going to get a Genesis or not. Well, I did! I saw the box, under the guest bed in all it’s glory! It even came with the original “Sonic the Hedgehog” packed in. IMAGINE THAT! Also, TWO controllers included in the box… my how the times have changed! At any rate, the excitement and wait for actual Christmas morning nearly killed me! I think I did a good job of pretending that I didn’t know what the box was when I unwrapped it, but after many years of seeing myself acting in my own film and video projects, I feel like my parents probably knew my shame. Or maybe they were in denial? Couldn’t be sure. <This should be read in a Ringo Starr or Paul McCartney voice, FYI>
My parents weren’t ones to shower me with gifts on a regular basis. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact, I think it helped me really appreciate the things that I have. However, as a result, the only game I had for a long time was the very same “Sonic the Hedgehog” cartridge that was packaged with the Genesis system. BOY, did I play the HELL out of that game! I loved every minute of it too, even though the later levels, as far as I can remember, are super annoying. I played it so much, that it lead to my, to this day, crowning achievement in all of video games: I beat that fucking game with ALL SIX CHOAS EMERALDS!!!! For those of you that remember this game, the chaos emeralds were a BITCH to get. Basically, at the end of each level, if you had at least 50 rings saved up, you could jump into a gigantic golden ring which would transport you to this weird rotating level that had an emerald in the middle, surrounded by gems you had to bust in order to get said emerald. For most people, this “bonus” level was a crap shoot at best, but since I played the game so damned much, I started to get good at them. The real crappy thing though, is that with only 7 worlds, you only could mess up one time and still beat the game with all 6 emeralds. Sure, you can win without all 6 emeralds, but it’s this empty sort of feeling, at least it was to me it was. Also, more importantly, if you DO manage to beat the game and also get all the emeralds, you are treated to Sonic, the titular hedgehog turing from blue to gold… a ripoff of “Dragon Ball Z” that I was not yet aware of at the time. AMAZING!
I did actually play other games on my Genesis, I just never loved, or tried as hard with any ever again. In fact, I think the only other one I was able to actually beat was “Captain America and the Avengers.” (I CAN’T MOVE!!! THANK YOU… QUICKSILVER!). Part of this was the fact that games weren’t meant to be beat in the same way that they are now, but that’s a discussion for a different day. There were many great games for the Genesis that I played constantly… the ones that come to mind at the moment are “Mortal Kombat”, “NBA Jam”, “Earthworm Jim”, MANY NHL games, “Street Fight II: Turbo: Championship Edition” that shitty “X-Men” game, “Madden” and probably a ton others I can’t remember. Point is, I loved that system… but then a funny thing happened. I decided that I was “tool old” to play video games anymore. I actually gave my Genesis and all the games I had away to a family friend. (I maybe have sold it for like 50 bucks… I really can’t remember). Nonetheless. I was out of the gaming scene.
[SMALL ASIDE: During this time I was playing some games on the PC, most notably “Sins of the Fathers: A Gabriel Knight Mystery” and “Rebel Assault”. I also had a Gameboy (which I still have to this day) that came in very handy on those long, Summer road trips. One day I’ll talk about my love of “Gabriel Knight.” One day.]
What this means is, I largely missed out on N64, the original PlayStation and everything else that came out during that time. Not to say that I didn’t play any of these games, I just didn’t have them at home, so I never had a “true” love for them. My friend Craig had an N64 with which we played endless hours of “Goldeneye” and I tried out some of the wrestling games on the system, but that was about it. That was largely the same story for me concerning the original Nintendo. My across the street neighbor (and STILL good friend) Ben had one and we played it a lot. But it was never mine, so it’s hard to think of myself as a “Nintendo” kid.
When I got my own apartment in college, I decided that I “needed” to have a DVD player, so I decided to get a PlayStation 2. I had played a tiny bit of games on it before and was amazed at the graphics, to say the least. The problem was, since I largely missed out on the previous generation, I was TERRIBLE at using the now normal, twin-stick configuration and plethora of buttons and triggers found on the Dual Shock 2, Sony’s standard controller. I did my due diligence and bought “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” and “Virtual Fighter 4 (?)”. I quickly realized that not only did I suck at GTA, but fighting games are REALLY boring when you don’t have a best friend like Ben to play them with every day after school.
With the exception of the Tiger Woods game I got and played to death (party due to an addiction to the bar game “Golden Tee”) I pretty much didn’t care about games anymore. It felt like a part of me had died, but also a new part of me, one that liked to drink a lot in bars and think about girls I’d never ask out had been born!!! The PlayStation 2 wasn’t a total bust though… at least it was a DVD player that had a “remote” that was a wired controller; sort of like one of those super old VCR remotes that was connected to the device via a wire… yes, I’m that old that I can remember that.
Flash Forward several years. I decide to get a Wii!!! I was enamored with the idea of motion control. I was fooled into thinking it would make games “simple” again and that they would be something that I’d like to play. With the exception of the still amazing “Wii Sports” and the phenomenal “Super Mario Galaxy”, the Wii just didn’t turn me into a gamer like I had hoped. I sure tried though! I got to this mountain/underwater section in “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (is that far??) and I attempted to play “Resident Evil 4” but just found the games to be too frustrating. Plus I had BAND PRACTICES to go to (have I mentioned I was in band… ) so I just never really got good at the games.
Eventually, my parents decided to get me a PlayStation 3 for Christmas. This was because I had recently acquired an HDTV. You see, when they upgraded their setup to HD, the dude at the store convinced them to get a PS3, as it was the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market. They liked using it, and figured I would too. Considering the struggles Sony faced in getting the PS3 to be as ubiquitous of a device as the PS2, perhaps someone at the company’s heart would be warmed to know that they were able to sell some boxes with the Blu Ray strategy.
After receiving this gift, I decided that I should give games one more shot. I got “Uncharted 2” and was completely blown away by the graphics, the storytelling, the gun-play and the puzzle solving. I was HOOKED and there was no looking back!
That’s where this column comes in. I’ve become entrenched in the world of videos games. This was true even when I had a Wii. In that time I was fascinated by the new developments in games, but felt left out because not only was the awesome stuff not coming out on the Wii, but I also felt like I sucked at games too much to enjoy the best the industry had to offer anyway. Luckily for me, “Uncharted 2” and then many games after that taught me how to play again and now I feel like I have a real opinion about how these things are supposed to go. At least I think I do. I don’t play everything, and sometimes I give up on a title too fast, but in the last 3 or so years, I’ve clawed my way back into the world of having a real understanding of this amazing medium.
My goal in this column is not to be a “journalist” or an “expert.” I want to call it like I see it and see if people agree with me or not. I want to review games, but not in the standard sense that your average video game site would; if I’m playing a game and I think it sucks, I’m not going to finish it so I can definitively say it sucks… I’m just going to stop and say what I think. Also, since I am cheap, the reviews will most certainly not be timely. That being said, if you are a gamer like me, you play games way after they come out anyway, so WHO CARES? When news comes down the pipe, I’ll try to put a spin on it that maybe you hadn’t thought of before. At the very least, I plan to not be a glorified Press Release delivery system, which, in my opinion, has become the fate of many an online gaming outlet.
I have lots of ideas and theories and other bullshit that I’d like to share here, so my plan is to do just that. It should be a fun ride! Join me… IF YOU DARE!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)