iPad: DSi and PSP's Worst Nightmare?

We've heard all about how the iPad can do wonders, but it seems as though Apple really wants to screw over every gaming company, even though they're still eons away. One of the things that the iPad is capable of is HD gaming that looks a lot better than a PSP. Plus, since it is effortless to produce an iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad game and only requires review from Apple (and we all know about how weird they are in this process) to be posted, it can somewhat damage the two portable consoles. Another thing that can make it even harder for Nintendo Wi-Fi and PlayStation Network is that the iPad now has an online gaming service where leader boards and multiplayer exist for around 800 titles. That's more online titles than the Wii and DS's Wi-Fi titles combined! However, think about it; is the iPad really going to destroy both the DSi and PSP? On the first day of its release, many stores said that they still had a few iPads to go around at closing time. Now, when the DS came out, it was sold out just about everywhere; same goes with the PSP. So, do we really want to consider the iPad a threat? I don't think we should right now, since it will be mainly used with people that don't know squat about what a tablet-PC is all about. (I'm not calling all users that.) Plus, the price is a pretty penny, so I don't think that it will be a significant threat now, unless a whole bunch of developers make really, really good games that aren't just 5-minute time wasters.

Petman's Mind...now on Facebook!

Well, we all know about the world wide web and how everything is starting to connect to it, from the Nintendo DSi to the Microsoft Xbox 360. Well, I've decided to 1-up a bit and open up a Facebook page in order to do some things that I can't do here...like show that I actually have fans and whatnot. If you don't have a Facebook, feel free to make one so that way you may become a fan (well, now it is "like"), as well as connect to your friends across the Interwebs. You can become a fan by clicking on the box on the side-bar, which you can click at any time.

Arcade, where have you gone?

The classic arcade seems to be a nearly extinct species. While there are some arcade games that seem true to the classic games (Crusin', for example.), it seems as though all is lost. Arcade games were known for innovative (at the time) controls, such as the rolling ball in Crystal Kingdom or the light gun from just about every arcade game. There are still some arcade games that are becoming innovative, such as motion simulators for aviation games. However, arcades have been in decline since the Video Game Crash of 1984, and more recently due to the popularization of home consoles. Many companies that got their start-up in arcade found the popularization of video game consoles as a source for ports of their arcade games for consoles like the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, etc. Microsoft has loved the old arcade for quite a while. In fact, during the mid-'90s, Microsoft released 5 games for the PC via floppy disc from Namco. More recently, Microsoft released Game Room for Games for Windows and Xbox 360 that (so far) has games from Konami, Atari, and games on the 2600 and Commodore 64. However, there are some characteristics that these can't really bring back, such as the massive joystick and indented plastic buttons, as well as blowing off all of your quarters trying to beat some kid's high score. However, there are some nice features that are added to these arcade games from services like Game Room and Gametap, such as pausing the game where it is, rewinding to undo a screw-up, etc. Even though there are online leader boards and local multiplayer, it isn't as fun as having a whole bunch of people you haven't met before meet eachother at an arcade and compete head-to-head while popping quarters like there is no tomorrow while eating a bunch of pizza in order to obtain tickets to buy the fabled plastic, $0.05 toys. While there are a bunch of positives about newer services, those services can never replace what has been.

Additions to the Mind

Well, I figured I should try to make the blog more appealing by making some changes. One of them is the first thing you see, which is a new theme that still reflects upon the same color styling that I have used since May 2009. In addition, I will be linking my YouTube and this blog together so that ways you make look at a few of the games that are around here. In addition, I have a slight intention to start performing video-blogging in addition to my text posts. If such a thing is possible, then I will attempt at getting this on iTunes, since hosting podcasts is as free as the download so that way you may see my face and thoughts wherever you go (as long as you have an iPod). Due to my lack of coding skills, I think I'll just leave that up in the air. Plus, I'm going to start making use of gaming news articles out there and give my own opinions on the stories to see if you appreciate it or not. If you have any other suggestions, then please feel free to give them here. Plus, if you don't mind, feel free to spread the word a little. Having 3 visitors besides myself isn't that great for my ego…

PC Gamers vs. Console Gamers

The war has always gone on about which console is the best. However, there are not a lot of references towards the PC when it comes to this world. Everyone just thinks that Microsoft's only weapon is the Xbox 360, but those people are quite very wrong. Everyone thinks that Nintendo is selling the most consoles, but those people are, again, wrong. I'm not going to say anything about Sony right now simply based upon the fact that they've still got the PS2 going at a high velocity. What is this foreboding console? Is it the iPad that comes out in April? Is it, perhaps, some new contender to the gaming world? No. In fact, you are most likely using this fiery machine right now. That's right, I'm talking about the PC.

The thing is that the PC was not the best until around the 64-bit era, around the time of the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, etc. If you do not believe me, go look up screenshots of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, which came out in 1998: the same year as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The PC had games that allowed online multiplayer by default in 1995 in the United States (A feature that only existed in Japan until things like Xbox LIVE and the such came out.), not including unsupported 3^rd party online multiplayer venders. Even consoles like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Nintendo 64 offered online multiplayer with exclusive downloads, game lobbies, demos, music, and other features that are very similar to Xbox LIVE…in Japan. While that is going on in Japan, U.S. gamers are playing WarCraft II online on their PCs!

In addition, PC gamers had the CD long before the other consoles did. If you want to go back to the whole Nintendo x Sony deal that fell through, that would have made Nintendo and Sony take down Microsoft's plans of the Xbox. It could play CDs and likewise, as well as online and such. However, for some reason, the deal did not go out so well, so Nintendo tried with Phillips, and that did not work as well. Then, we are tortured with 3 painful Zelda titles and a few other painful Mario titles.

However, PC games have far more potential than any console game could ever dream. For starters, the programmers are not restricted by any amount of storage space. All they need is for the potential player to have the hard drive and RAM for it, while PS3 games are locked at 50 GB and Xbox 360 and Wii games are locked at 8 GB. Then, it is much easier to put a game onto a PC instead of putting it on every single console. I may not be a programmer, but I know that it must be painful trying to re-write a game for multiple consoles. In addition, the controls are virtually unlimited in a PC game, which is what I really want to emphasize.

Compare a mouse to an analog stick. The mouse is much more comfortable because it is using your entire hand instead of just your thumb. Then, you also have your classic trigger buttons on the mouse if you are playing a FPS, and you can use the scroll wheel to change weapons. If it is a racer, nine times out of ten, you are using the directional arrow keys, a force feedback steering wheel, or a gamepad. What if you use the keyboard on a flight simulator? You could have a joystick as the main flight stick and then have the keyboard with its hundreds of keys be all of the control buttons on the airplane so that way you don't risk having a tragedy in the skies. Now compare all of that to a gamepad, which does not have as many buttons, so you cannot obtain full control of your plane.

However, there is one thing that consoles can beat PCs at, and that thing is the consoles' "one size fits all" deal. The thing is that eventually, your computer gets old and you have to go out and buy a new graphics card; of which we all know aren't the same. While on a console, you can get great visuals and such without having to go out and buy a new card every generation comes out. However, it is relatively cheaper to just replace a graphics card instead of dishing out several hundred dollars on a console that will most likely not even work with your game unless you pay extra to reuse it (such as the Wii and the Virtual Console). The thing is that PC gamers have a different standard than console gamers do in the magical world of gaming. In some areas, the PC gamers come out victorious with their infinite control schemes, while console games are all the same graphically without having the need to purchase a new graphics card. What is fun is that there are select games on Games for Windows - LIVE that allows for multiplayer with Xbox 360 users without having to pay for Gold membership, which could perhaps prove which gamers truly have the ultimate advantage. On a FPS and RTS, I think that the PC could win due to the mouse, especially with controlling armies and having a sniper. However, in other games, I think they are evenly matched.

Video Game Rumors…

We've all heard about the rumors for the fabled Zelda Wii. It's really starting to annoy me in many ways. For starters, we have websites that have conflicting rumors, so we have no clue as to what is true and what isn't false. Recently, someone online released a set of photos that appear to be a mod of either The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess or The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. In addition, some report the interface to be based upon fan artwork from some works. However, it has been confirmed by Nintendo that they will be presenting both Zelda Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2 at E3. Most likely with that time set, the amount of rumors is most likely to increase until E3. I would not be surprised if the amount of rumors drop severely when Nintendo proves them wrong within the next several months.

This graph I randomly threw together seems to be true. This was actually true in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which the title was announced when the Wii came out; people started making rumors and "leaks". Then, at that point, Nintendo decided to release an E3 video and several videos after that to show how they're doing, which sparks more rumors. Then, the title is released in Japan, and everyone goes crazy and looks for it in Japan with things like ROMS or plot details. Then it is released in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc. It is then that some people decide, "Rumor time!" and end up trying to theorize a sequel for a next game until one is either announced or not announced. I really don't like this; this is more of a rant than anything, but after getting a message from G4 Mobile Text saying that Nintendo will announce SMG2 and Zelda Wii and after seeing all the fake rumors and "leaked" images, I had to say this.

The new Decade

Well, it seems that 2010 has decided to show its unpredictable face. What new trends shall begin and which ones shall end in the new decade? Remember the 1970's was the "Golden Age of the Arcade", the 1980's was the "Nintendo Empire" (Nintendo nearly monopolised the video game company until Supreme Court slapped them on the wrist for anti-trust laws), the 1990's was the "Birth of the Polygon" (Starfox on the SNES and up, and even games like A Link to the Past were seeing polygons; the N64 and PS were the starters of nothing but polygons), and the 2000's was the "Birth of HD", in which nowadays most games are in High Definition resolutions on computers and almost any game console with the exception of the Wii, DS, and PSP. Now, what is 2010 going to bring for us? At this rate, it seems as though it could be the "Reign of Motion Control" considering that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are getting interested in motion controls. However, I'm also thinking that video games are starting to be online exclusive, in which you have to download games in order to play them, which is what we can do with the Wii/DSi Shop, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Marketplace. However, as Internet speeds increase each decade and as we gain more space and better compression, we could see massive games like Grand Theft Auto expansions (which are over 1 GB) become full blown games that we could just pay $30-50 to download. This could be great for production since cartridges and discs wouldn't have to be produced, thus making it cheaper. Remember, the most a N64 game cost was $80 due to the cartridges (well, Nintendo of Europe was accused of price fixing), yet the PS production didn't take long thanks to the discs. So, all we can do now is simply wait until the next generation of consoles to come out. However, for some reason, it seems that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are more interested in improving their current systems. The Xbox 360 has already exceeded the lifespan of the average generation, and the Wii and PS3 are getting close to their lifespan. Then again, the N64 lasted only 8 years and was able to create innovative things like the Expansion Pak and Rumble Pak. We can only wait and see.