Game companies prod us forward with the promise there’s something better ahead.
This article comes at the heels of today’s big announcement by Sony, which we all know is the unveiling of the PS4. With the next generation of consoles upon us, maybe taking a step back and looking at things from a different perspective might be in order.
Many years ago in 1985 (28 years ago in fact) Nintendo single-handidly saved the day when they arrived on the scene in North America with a little known consumer product called the Nintendo Entertainment System. The original system released in Japan two years prior was called the Famicon (Family Computer) and finally graced the shores of America. The “day” in question here being the entire video game industry, which a current generation of kids just takes for granted considering it’s now a multi-million dollar industry. You see, there was a little something called the Video Game Crash, of which many books are written and I won’t go into here. Suffice to say, Atari, Intelivision, and many other small publishers and developers were devastated when the market for video games tanked. Many saw them never coming back – until Nintendo rose up when the dust had settled.
My favorite gaming console ever.
Through the NES, Nintendo brought us Mario – a platformer with so much gameplay coming out of its ass it made Pitfall look like Pong. It started a wave of people buying the system and paved the way for many more action, adventure, and roleplaying games. Zelda was historical when it allowed users to save their data onto the cartridge and resume play, making the development of longer games possible. Metroid took exploration to a whole other level, and Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, and others proved that games can be difficult. Very, very difficult. You even filled the addiction hole with Tetris. Yes, the NES had it all despite it being only 8 bits in power. Five years later in Japan, Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), doubling the power of the original NES from 8 bits to 16 bits. Many people fondly remember this era being the golden era of video games, where franchises were started, the graphics were just perfect before the move to 3D was made, and the games had incredibly crafted storylines, musical scores, and imaginative gameplay. And this didn’t even happen on the SNES, because the Genesis at the time was also vying for number one video game console.
More quality from Nintendo.
When the move to 3D was made with the 32 bit era between the Playstation first and the Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 following it up (yeah yeah Jaguar, 3DO and all that were there, but no one cared then and we still don’t now), it further revolutionized gaming. The graphics were rough around the edges, especially in the beginning of the generation, but gradually became more refined and even more franchises were started, while others still either adapted and grew exponentially (Final Fantasy and Zelda) or they couldn’t handle the transition right away (Sonic). Eventually we moved to more and more powerful systems, with later generations changing the way we play games by going online. No longer did you need friends sitting next to you to enjoy a co-op or competitive game, they could be in a room miles from your house. And they didn’t even have to be your friends!
So what’s the point about this trip down memory lane? The point is we’re at a crossroads – a situation where graphical power is increasing so much that the evolving graphics are barely detectable to the average user. We’re in the Uncanny Valley right now, and probably several generations away from crossing it. Online play, or at least functionality, has become a given in most titles, so what’s left? Microsoft and Sony are throwing gimmicks at consumers now with the Kinect and Move, as well as touchscreen play. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me at all that the PS4 and Xbox 720 makes touchscreen controls and/or motion function a basic for their next systems. Nintendo was at the forefront of the motion realm with the Wii, and with the touchscreen with the DS. With Nvidia and Valve joining the console wars in the near future, I imagine the only main thing they’ll have to their name is more power and more online functionality and throw in a gimmick or two. At this point – at this moment in time – who honestly gives a damn!?
My trip down memory lane was intentional. Nintendo (and Sega) did some amazing things with just a very limited power base to work on. The storylines were imerssive and gameplay dynamic. No you couldn’t have a Skyrim on an SNES or a Call of Duty on a Genesis, but the point is console manufacturers have given so much time and energy into trying to create the “next big thing”, they miss what’s right under their noses – better gameplay. Let’s face it, the gameplay of this generation has seen a steep decline, and that’s in large part to the sheer amount of sequels and me-too games. This year alone saw only a few really good IPs, and really the only one I can list off the top of my head is Dishonored. To The Moon, an indie developed game that uses 16-bit graphics, was a huge success on the indie front because it had an amazing story despite the point and click gameplay. Hell Telltale Game’s The Walking Dead was nothing more than an interactive comic book – a choose your own adventure style game – and yet it won far more awards than the latest Call Of Duty could piss on after a night of beer pong. Shouldn’t that tell people something? Shouldn’t that tell megapublishers and developers something? That needing huge, exorbant budgets and blowing all that cash on fancy graphics and the Philharmonic is kind of a waste if no one even wants to play your game? Games are slowly falling out of a category I never thought they would – they’re no longer fun.
Should we stand for more of the same everytime? No, we do not.
Nintendo has gotten a shit-ton of flack over the last several years due to it’s underwhelming consoles. The Wii? People were bitching and moaning how it wasn’t as powerful as the PS3 or 360 and focused too much on motion controls. Part of that statement is true – Nintendo so heavily pushed the motion gimmick that is turned off many developers and led to a huge amount of shovelware. The same with the Wii U. No one is buying a Wii U because it can’t play the next generation of games due to a sorely lacking graphical punch. And yet, I see Nintendo as the only console maker left alive that’s here to try and bring gameplay back into video games. Think about it, you’re getting the same experience on either the PS3 or 360, and that’s not going to change with the next generation. Multiplatform games are the norm now, with exclusives locked down to either first-party franchises at most, or just your timed exclusive releases for downloadable content. Same experience, same big budget games with pretty graphics to be sure, but lacking in the way of substance.
The Wii U has great potential. The touchscreen can definitely be gimmicky like we’ve seen with other DS titles and even Vita software, but it can have great gameplay implications too. Aside from streamlining gameplay experiences, what would it be like to have a Dungeons and Dragons game, and actual tabletop iteration, where the Dungeon Master uses the gamepad to interact with the players, while the actual players use the Pro controllers to play in a world setup by him? This device could breath life into competitive and co-op gameplay with a person sitting next to you as opposed to miles away. The problem with the next generation, is that companies are so focused on making sure you can share your annoying crap with your friends (who don’t give a shit about your driving skills, points scored, or what you think is an awesome kill/death) that they can’t understand why people play video games in the first place – to have fun by themselves or with others. To experience sweeping stories either by themselves or with others. To be able to lose yourself in another world…by yourself, or with others. And to solves puzzles and find secrets again…by yourself, or with others. I tend to game by myself more often than not, because that’s what I prefer. I don’t need to be constantly bothered by other players, I just want to have fun. Too often I feel like Nintendo is the only company left standing that actually understands that. And for that reason alone, I will always root for Nintendo’s success.
You’re alright in my book Nintendo! We’re still rooting for you.
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