Xbox Reveal

[Armando]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Agreed. I think that, looking long-term, we really need a way to preserve the best of what video gaming has to offer. We already have a whole genre of games that is virtually impossible to preserve (MMOs), but to push an entire platform that will basically make it impossible to pass games onto the next generation of gamers is just irresponsible moneygrubbing.

Agreed. It's kind of tangential but I think our inability to get a hold of old games is a big barrier to being able to study video games at schools (much in the same way you'd be assigned a book report over the summer), and that's part of why they're still not valued by society. I wish console makers would cut out the middleman and sell ROMs.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Even with ROMs freely available there's still the issue of hardware. Don't sit there and tell me that playing Super Mario 64 on a dual shock clone from Logitech is the same as playing with the actual N64 controller. The experience will be different. We can argue about how important that difference may or may not be, but it's still there. Hell, I still have issues with playing SNES ROMs using a dual shock 2. Nothing feels quite the same with a different controller, it's part of the experience.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Developers and publishers aren't earning enough from their products because they're overspending. Hollywood is continually learning that lesson (Waterworld, John Carter, etc.), why shouldn't the video game industry do the same? If you spend more than you can reasonably make back from a movie or video game, then you just suck at budgeting. That's not the fault of the consumer, it's not the fault of piracy, it's not the fault of used games. These are things you have to figure in before you even think about making a game, and this attitude of "Well this is what I wanted to make so fuck you, PAY ME" irritates me to no end.

Don't you just love it when a game sells like 50k or 180k and that's considered a success? Terry Cavanagh sells like 9k or anything and that's great for him. Publishers really, really need to start putting budgets and expectations within the boundaries of reality.

How much do you think Zenimax is giving Shinji Mikami to work with on The Evil Within, for example, versus what Capcom blew on Resident Evil 6. I'm actually incredibly curious to see how RE: Revelations pans out on 360, PS3 and Wii U and if Capcom kept their expectations within reality.

As it stands the 3DS version was a big success because it was so focused and budgeted well. So was Dragon's Dogma, for that matter.

[Armando]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Even with ROMs freely available there's still the issue of hardware. Don't sit there and tell me that playing Super Mario 64 on a dual shock clone from Logitech is the same as playing with the actual N64 controller.

There's adapters for that, for those who care. But last I checked N64 emulators are still in a sorry state (and forget about finding a good one that's also cross-platform) and downloading ROMs off the net is still illegal. Could buy it on Virtual Console, and that'll work just fine for the next 7-8 years, but it's not a long term solution unless Nintendo commits to making my purchases available on every future Nintendo console. And even that is far from ideal since no platform is as ubiquitous as PCs. Not to mention a full-blown emulator is more convenient for other things like streaming, screenshots, save states, cheats, and ROM hacks.

[Malacite]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Agreed. It's kind of tangential but I think our inability to get a hold of old games is a big barrier to being able to study video games at schools (much in the same way you'd be assigned a book report over the summer), and that's part of why they're still not valued by society. I wish console makers would cut out the middleman and sell ROMs.

Or even keep some of the really best ones in the Smithsonian/National Archives. I mean there's already an ever-growing library of music and films, why are games exempt from this?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Music used to be as poorly curated as games are now. Before Napster and iTunes if a record label didn''t want to keep an album in print on CD, their attitude toward you was "tough shit."

Right now, PC services like Steam, GoG and Green Man gaming and also piracy are our best curators of games. Some software makers do a decent job of this, too - like SNK and Nintendo - but its generally in limited ways and never a long term solution.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Xbox Reveal

There's adapters for that, for those who care.

That still doesn't solve the problem of the hardware no longer being manufactured. Once all the hardware finally dies that's pretty much it. There's not really a huge market for new N64 controllers so once they're gone they're gone. That could change in the future, but right now things are looking pretty bleak.

[Armando]

Re: Xbox Reveal

That still doesn't solve the problem of the hardware no longer being manufactured. Once all the hardware finally dies that's pretty much it. There's not really a huge market for new N64 controllers so once they're gone they're gone. That could change in the future, but right now things are looking pretty bleak.

I don't know, I've seen 3rd party SNES and N64 controllers being sold at used game shops. I'm sure it's a niche market but there seem to be companies willing to fill it. That aside, old controllers are pretty simple circuits; they don't have much of a reason to spontaneously die.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Dies spontaneously no, but dying from over two decades of use is not uncommon. The few third party controllers I've encountered have been surprisingly terrible. Maybe that's improved in the last couple years, but my experience has lead me to prefer first party controllers if at all possible. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there's some niche market there, but it could stand to provide better quality and ideally they'd just get the blueprints from the original companies and start up production again with the same molds, materials, etc. But that's not going to happen.

I just find it a frustrating situation.

[Firewind]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Even with ROMs freely available there's still the issue of hardware. Don't sit there and tell me that playing Super Mario 64 on a dual shock clone from Logitech is the same as playing with the actual N64 controller.

It's completely different. I don't have to use a fucking N64 controller to start.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Really? No love for the N64 controller?

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Xbox Reveal

I for one think that the N64 controller is still one of the more brilliant controller designs to date--in concept, even if nothing else.

[Malacite]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Really? No love for the N64 controller?

I hated playing Mario 64 and Zelda on my Wii without one ><

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Xbox Reveal

Really? No love for the N64 controller?

I would say yes but the GameCube controller or CCPro on Wii was generally better for those old N64 games

[Malacite]

Re: Xbox Reveal

It's fine for Mario Kart and Starfox I guess, but I couldn't tolerate it personally when it came to Mario or Zelda - the controls just aren't mapped comfortably and of course there's no option to re-map any buttons so...