January 18, 2008

I started recently to play way more to Mario Galaxy and used the Wii in general without turning on other consoles or else. Well, I must say that if you have casual time as a HC gamer, the wii is very cool to use, between already too much good games, (Zelda, Zack and Wiki, Paper Mario, MP3, Fire Emblem far from being finish or started and that will probably join for most of them my “pile of shame” (“good” games I never played), or using all the Wii channels and virtua-consoles or Gamecube games library, there is way more stuff to do every day than the time I really have nowdays to spend in front of this console. I would say that the only big stuff missing is the fact that I cannot play DVD from it. That’s mainly what I’m using my 360 for but it’s then annoying to switch from one console to another.

It make me think a lot that, like the previous generation, having three console is too much already for 99% of people… and having two of them is too much for 95%.
During the previous generation, I already thought, even if it was probably the part of my adult life when I played the most, that having more than two was already too much. I had the Ps2 and Gamecube, played a shit lot of both equally, but never had the necessity to own the (ugly and fat, but that’s not the point) Xbox. I think that there is no space for thee different console manufactures in the same market, Nintendo “nicely” decided to see somewhere else with the success we all now know…it was that or dying anyway as a console manufacturer and become like sega, just a software provider.
Even two on the same market will be kinda hard for Sony and Microsoft, after all, there might be in the future, and I see where David is going by trying to speak of it, a unique platform (he just probably forget to precise) “PER MARKET”…
I can see the next gen of console being one hardware where you would choose you Microsoft or Sony channels to pay for to download games and services, like you would choose your different TV cable or satellite, or internet provider from the same computer or TV… Nintendo staying with another type of product, a console more “toy” (fun, possibilities and price) in a traditional (and not negative) kind of way.

But to get back to Mario galaxy that I finally have the time to play between 2 and 3 in the morning after a good day of work :P….
Well, it’s a very good game ;)
Very polish like every Mario, a collection of fun, a demonstration of what video games can be on the Wii. But far from the amazing sentence you can see everywhere acclaiming the game like it was a never seen before experience, I see it more like something very well done and full of idea, which is already very impressive to do that is true, but not the new future of video game (like Mario 64 could have been seen back in time), much more another episode of something I played during 15 years and once again surprised us by being innovating based on what you already know. A new soup in the old caldron…

I’m surprise to have the same feeling I had when playing Mario Sunshine: that mean enjoying it enough to continue, but being kinda bored after doing three missions. I must say that I loved Sunshine (and never played Mario 64 more than 10 minutes). It was THE platformer of the previous generation by far in front of any others (and I played many), and only Jak and Daxter or Pop, in a different style, were close to it, (with Sly cooper and Ratchet )
Mario Galaxy make me smile and happy when a little unexpected idea is popping!... and it happened to me right now two or three times after being around 40 stars, but for most of it, I just enjoy the game as mush as Mario Sunshine or New super Mario bros on DS but not more or less, just differently, because galaxy is getting back sometimes to some old “A to B”game design, removing the liberty and exploration I loved in Sunshine. (very good article about it there in French ). So it’s finally a mixed feeling I have, of enjoying a game with some polished part most developers don’t care or don’t have the time to aim anymore (Framerate, no bugs, no loadings…), with sometimes one or two amazing idea too, and at the same time, being old enough or spoiled to be kinda critic and not thrilled into this experience because it’s not totally new…
I must say that the last game blowing my mind was Ico… a perhaps, one of a time game experience, that I will never live again… Shadow of the colossus was already "like" Mario galaxy, a pleasure to get back to what Ico give me, with some one or two never experienced part in it, but with the lost of something you can have only once… the discovery of something new from beginning to the end…

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree but I also think the three consoles are already in different market. For the Wii it's obvious, but for the PS3 and 360, the consoles have lots of similarities and a look-a-like market but still different.
The 360 is more US/EU hardcore gamer, social teenager (all the new modern social networking).
The PS3 is more media oriented targeted mainly for young adults.
(it's about target here, not market share).

And for the one console plateform, it's an utopia that will not work easily because of the current market.
For manufacturer, profit come from third party licencing. They spend time and money on killer app to sell consoles to be able to sell more game.
At the current time, market pushes manufacturer to create quality and innovation. If propriatery plateform stops, there will be a real drop in quality during few years (think about sega during Dreamcast and after).

A one plateform console seems to be a bit difficult to be introduced right now.

Nico. said...

Yeah, 1up and some other guys were having the same argument... still, i think that's an interesting subject or possibilities to argue (with interesting people, not with gamers on forums :), even if it's, from the January 2008 point of view, it's a total impossible utopia.