With motion control looming on the horizon (and already here in the case of the Wii!), I wanted to discuss the future of gaming control. Perhaps a scary subject for those of us that had come to love the humble joypad controller. With Nintendo having changed it almost beyond recognition and Sony, who already have motion sensitivity in their existing control pads, seeking to take it one step further with their answer to motion control, it truly looks like the end for the classic joypad. What’s more, Microsoft, with Project Natal, are looking to do away with them altogether! Are we losing control?
To discuss what I thought of the matter I found it was best to fully explain my position. It turned in to a personal journey through the history, present and future of controller design. It is not a list of dates and facts and figures about controllers. It is a lot of personal opinions about how I have interacted with various controllers over the years. I very much doubt you will agree with everything I have to say, and I will be keen to hear where your opinion differs to mine, just try to comment without losing control…
Many of you are probably aware that the much-anticipated Ghostbusers: The Video Game has finally been released, and today Sarcastic Gamer’s own Havok Saunders did a great review of the title.
What you may not realize is that I also consider myself to be an amateur “Ghostbuster,” or “Ghost Hunter” as the case may be. This inspired me to present to the community a look at “Games vs. Reality,” from the perspective of today’s most popular Ghost hunting group, TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) from TV’s “Ghost Hunters.” For those of you not in the know, they have a very popular weekly show on Sci-Fi channel, now with its own “International Ghost Hunters” spin-off.
If you find this remotely entertaining, let us know! I hope to make this a regular feature on SG, to help keep us gamers grounded in reality.
It was recently noted by Frontier Developments head David Braben (developers of the WiiWare game Lost Winds) that the reason Wii Metacritic scores are usually so abysmally low compared to the rest of the pack is that these games are being reviewed by “core gamers” and that “family focused games tend to appeal less to them.”
Braben continued by saying, “It throws up a difficult dilemma for those reviewers … are they reviewing the game for those people likely to play it, or for those people who form the bulk of their readership?”
Britney Spears has beaten Carmen Electra in the battle to put out the first ever Wii game to use a stripper pole! If you love stripper poles as much as Britney, then this is the game for you! Hit the jump to get the inside scoop on this amazing game AND for the first time ever, the Wii achievement list! (more…)
After what seems like ages, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will finally hit North America and PAL regions next week. The game has been in development for roughly two years, which is, admittedly, a pretty normal cycle these days. However, to a rabid “Ghostbusters” fan such as myself, it is an eternity. Honestly, anything longer than a month is too long.
The game is a timed exclusive for Sony’s home consoles in Europe and other PAL territories, but it appears that Atari is providing Xbox 360 owners with a workaround.
Nintendo is apparently fed up with companies like Sony copying their motion controllers and decided enough is enough. As witnessed on the show room floor, Nintendo is taking a page out of the competitor’s book and copying their controllers! This is a first party Wii controller that will be out in Japan soon. Yes, you read that right, this is not a third party knock off, this is manufactured by Nintendo.
It’s raining here in the UK today. Been inexplicably sunny and hot all week and now this; cold, miserable, stereotypical British weather. “Why do you feel the need to inform us of such things?” I hear you all utter in a questionable tone. Well it was during my miserable bus ride home this morning that I got to thinking; What effect will the “Motion Control War” have on hardcore gamers? (How perfectly segued was that?!)
Read more about my thoughts on the subject, and very little about my bus ride, after the jump!
Was that Cammie Dunaway crashing and burning on stage yesterday?
Over five years ago, I used to work for the now defunct website called Hopelesslyrandom.com; a bunch of old Army buddies and myself would get on and post editorial rants about things that drove us nuts.
Keep in mind, this article is half a decade old. Yet after Nintendo’s abortion of a press conference, it generally still rings true. It was actually one of the audition pieces I used to get a writing job on the site, and while the editor’s at the time claimed the information is dated, how about you go through it and tell me how “dated” it actually is?
Sorry Wii owners. You aren’t getting a new Zelda anytime soon. However, perhaps you would enjoy another 3D Mario game.
During the company’s press conference, Cammie Dunaway officially announced the sequel to Mario’s first Wii adventure, Super Mario Galaxy 2. I think it was the first time I heard the journos clap during the entire event, and the first time I’d heard Cammie say anything interesting.
Based on the video shown, the game looks like the 2007 title, except that Yoshi will be involved this time around. The perky Nintendo exec didn’t provide any specific details so the game’s release date and its premise is still a mystery.
Nintendo have just revealed a new collaboration with Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja, and it’s a Metroid game! Subtitled Other M, it’s a third-person action adventure game that will be, according to Nintendo, “mature” and “edgier” than what we’ve come to expect from the publisher.
We don’t know much else, other than that it’s on the Wii next year and looks pretty damn slick. But at least Nintendo ended their presser on a high note.
Nintendo’s Press Conference has been filled to the brim with dramatic build-ups and overwhelming climaxes, and it doesn’t stop with Wii Fit Plus or Super Mario Bros Wii! They’ve saved some crazy-awesome content for the half-way point, in the form of a future peripheral that you can plug your finger into! That’s right, just plug in your finger and your Wii will tell you that your heart-rate is too high and you should calm the f**k down!
I think all Wii owners out there can agree with me when I say, WE NEED THIS! Often has been the time whilst playing Wii games when I needed to know my heart-rate, and it seems Nintendo have heard my prayers!
Thank You Nintendo. Thank You for all your innovation and First Class peripherals!
Here’s something to try for the next hour: Sarcastic Gamer’s very own Nintendo Drinking Game. Play it with alcohol if you’re legal, soda if you’re not. Be responsible!
Nintendo announce a Mario game: 1 drink
Nintendo announce a Zelda game: 1 drink
A trailer receives no applause: 1 drink
A trailer ends with a “whoosh” noise to mask no applause: 1 drink
Nintendo roll some stats: 1 drink
Nintendo roll out some charts: 1 drink
Nintendo make an interesting announcement and gloss over it immediately: 2 drinks
Reggie/Cammie enjoys “witty” stage dialogue with game producer: 2 drinks
Cammie talks about her family: 3 drinks
Reggie flexes the financial muscle: 3 drinks
Nintendo talk about Everyone’s GAME: 7 drinks (to ease the pain)
Wii Music 2 is announced: 200 drinks
SarcasticGamer.com accepts no responsibility for mishaps resulting due to the announcement of Wii Music 2.
Fat asses around the world rejoice! Nintendo has plans to make us all skinny again (after shelling out the bucks for an original WiiFit, which we got bored with, and gained back the two pounds we’d lost by balancing for a few weeks) by introducing the all-new WiiFit Plus!
WiiFit Plus features fifteen new minigames. The two shown in the conference featured a math mini-game, with a girl wildly swinging her hips to hit balls with numbers on them. You know, 4 + 4 + 2 = 10, 5 + 5 = 10, etc. Cammie Dunaway termed it “Brain Age for your backside” (to which Pillowfort quickly responded, “so it’s Butt Age?”). Oh, and apparently there’s an obstacle course.
Amazingly enough, this announcement was met with no applause, laughter, or any other reaction from the in-house audience beyond sheer boredom. Lord help us all.
