What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

[23]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Im not sure its the rehashes thats the issue as much as it is the amount of rehashes being released.

We have games like Mario Brother, Metroid, Zelda, and so on lasting for decades and people still love them.

It just wasnt that every game was a rehash back when. There were more classics because of the originality.

Contra and Rush N Attack were both successful yet different types of games, but still military based. You get the point.

[Wheele8]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Great topic: Next gen as I understand it, are games that add something new and innovative or "wow" to a genre while not taking any steps backward from what's already been established in that genre. And the addition(s) are not possible on current gen hardware. This can be in the form of gameplay, graphics, animation, presentation, etc. I can honestly say that I don't think I've played anything that offers next gen gameplay, but there are a handful of games that I consider to be truly next gen.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Im not sure its the rehashes thats the issue as much as it is the amount of rehashes being released.

Same was true of the movies the last couple years and the box office has been down because of it. They simply use the formula that 70% of movie-goers will go watch the sequel (if released within 4 years) so if you made $100 million the first time, they feel $70 million is still good even if its a drop from the past. Games are doing a bit of the same and the huge development costs now are probably a big reason. Nobody wants to pour a ton of money into a new game to see it flop. They like guaranteed mediocre success as opposed to failure.

Nintendo has tried to keep their system simpler and offer innovative things like the nunchucks to bring gamers in. Graphics aren't as good but maybe there will be new gameplay and cheaper costs for developers. Nintendo feels simply adding more horsepower to a system to improve it is a blueprint for failure. The DS got them back on track with being unique and they are doing the same with the Wii. I personally won't have any interest unless sports games like NCAA are fully supported.

[Wheele8]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

I'd also like to add that I think sports gamers have absolutely gotten the shaft so far with next-gen. It's obviously early, but current gen (starting with NFL2k on Dreamcast) was huge for sports games, and the only thing that even comes close to next gen so far is NBA 2k7 (though I haven't played NHL 07), while most games have taken major steps backward. (Madden, MLB, NBA LIve)

[Skyboxer]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

To me next gen is taking a decent leap forward in everything: Graphics, Sound, AI and gameplay.
The problem I have is that you can have great graphics and sound yet if the developers don’t go “next gen” with the gameplay/AI then what’s the point.

It’s becoming more of a trend to release new hardware, regardless of whether there is a need for new hardware.
We’re still seeing some very good games for current gen and I’m a firm believer the XBOX and probably even the PS2 never reached full potential. Yet we have new hardware and more coming this week.

Yes I am having a blast with the 360 and probably will do the same with the Wii and PS3 when I get them as there have been some really great games for the 360, IMO.

Bottom line for me is next gen, when played for the first time, should make you think to yourself “How can I ever play a current gen game again”

We haven’t got there yet (360) and from what I’ve seen of the Wii and PS3 we won’t be for a while.

Again I’m not bashing the 360, Wii or PS3. They are /will be great systems and while we accept them and want them I don’t think the developers/programmers are ready for them.

Just my .02

[pk500]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

It’s becoming more of a trend to release new hardware, regardless of whether there is a need for new hardware.
We’re still seeing some very good games for current gen and I’m a firm believer the XBOX and probably even the PS2 never reached full potential. Yet we have new hardware and more coming this week.

Exactly, because non-gaming companies like Sony and MS are using gaming console hardware as pawns in their chess match for control of the living room entertainment center.

Meanwhile, a gaming-only company like Nintendo is making machines that focus on gameplay.

It's why as MS and Sony pack more irrelevant, non-gaming sh*t into their expensive machines, I root for Nintendo to do very well. It still has gaming at its core, something I'm unsure about with Sony and MS.

The Xbox 360 and PS 3 are ultimately about control of the living room for MS and Sony, respectively, not pure gaming. Both will be fine gaming machines, but at what cost, and at what innovation for gaming since most of the new wrinkles aren't made with gaming as the focus? Examples: Windows Media Center and Zune integration with the 360; Blu-Ray with the PS3.

Take care,
PK

[DaveDQ]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

No one should have expected anything "next-gen" the first year of the 360's life. The hype was easy to read through, especially with the Sports titles.

I stayed away from the 360 at launch because it was obviously way too early to even consider it. They rushed Madden out the door and hyped that, charged people 60 bucks and it was one of the highest selling games at launch. Go figure.

In the next year I believe we will see titles that go deeper and deliver the immersive gameplay we are all seeking, but you probably won't see them outside of folks like Microsoft Game Studios and other major developers/publishers.

Also, being very picky can be a poison. I have learned that the hard way. With message boards and online reviews etc., everyone has an opinion and if you let it, you can make a decision on the quality of a game before you ever play it, and that should never happen.

[DaveDQ]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

It's why as MS and Sony pack more irrelevant, non-gaming sh*t into their expensive machines, I root for Nintendo to do very well. It still has gaming at its core, something I'm unsure about with Sony and MS.

Take care,
PK

I'd have to disagree that it is irrelevent. Gaming is a culture that is surrounded by those such things. Peter Moore has always stated that the center of the 360 is gaming and will always be that. MS is going to great lengths to appease developers and make the system developer friendly.

I do not believe the 360 has abandoned gaming. I believe they have very efficiently incorporated the culture of gaming in a way that allows the consumer to choose yes or no.

I have no idea how Sony will pan out as we haven't seen their schematic yet.

[Skyboxer]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

I do not believe the 360 has abandoned gaming. I believe they have very efficiently incorporated the culture of gaming in a way that allows the consumer to choose yes or no.

I have no idea how Sony will pan out as we haven't seen their schematic yet.

Agree. I don't have a problem with the 360 design/capabilities.

[pk500]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Agree. I don't have a problem with the 360 design/capabilities.

I do, because I don't need a gaming machine to do these multimedia things.

I own an MP3 player; I own a DVD player; I have other methods to display digital pictures, etc., etc. The TV is not the epicenter of my household, so I don't want or need everything to channel into that through my gaming console.

MS and Sony have this belief that the TV is the air traffic control tower of the home entertainment world, and maybe that's the case for most. It's sure as f*ck not the case for me. It's one of a variety of options.

It would be one thing if these "features" incorporated into the 360 were new to the market. But I would guess that most of the people who own 360s already owned equipment to handle MP3, videos, DVDs and digital images.

So it's a case of tossing a lot of sh*t into a gaming system that I don't need or want, increasing the cost. I want my gaming machine to game, and very little more. That's where Nintendo has an edge, in my mind. It concentrates on its core reason for existence and is able to produce hardware that does it very well, very reliably and at a reasonable cost compared to the competition.

As another example: Would you buy a digital camera that also played MP3's and video games, and would those extra features be a strong selling point? If no, then why do you want a game machine to do the same thing?

At least Sony is throwing Blu-Ray into the PS3 during the infancy of the technology. I don't think there are many households with standalone Blu-Ray players.

Take care,
PK

[DaveDQ]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

MS and Sony have this belief that the TV is the air traffic control tower of the home entertainment world, and maybe that's the case for most. It's sure as f*ck not the case for me. It's one of a variety of options.

Take care,
PK

I wouldn't say MS believes that. When I decided on which system to go with, I looked at all 3 of the console's capabilities and philosophies. One of my favorite people involved with the 360 is Peter Moore. He certainly does not believe the TV is central. He has said time and time again, the core is gaming. Everything else is secondary. He has even noted that adding certain features like a web browser is somewhat not needed, and not in demand. "when I want to browse the web, I use my laptop."

I suppose it all comes down to preference. Personally, I think there is a place for these additions, but it doesn't make the system next-gen.

[pk500]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

I wouldn't say MS believes that. When I decided on which system to go with, I looked at all 3 of the console's capabilities and philosophies. One of my favorite people involved with the 360 is Peter Moore. He certainly does not believe the TV is central. He has said time and time again, the core is gaming. Everything else is secondary. He has even noted that adding certain features like a web browser is somewhat not needed, and not in demand. "when I want to browse the web, I use my laptop."

Well, then Peter Moore is full of sh*t, just like he was with the Dreamcast.

Think about the one device you need to use almost everything involved with an Xbox 360 -- a television.

Let's run down a checklist:

Gaming -- need a TV
Watching DVD's -- need a TV
Streaming videos from Windows Media Center -- need a TV
Viewing digital photos through 360 -- need a TV
Listening to music -- need a TV (if you want to do more than stream a playlist and actually control the songs from a menu outside of your PC)
Watching on-demand pay content pushed by Microsoft through the 360, such as movies and TV shows -- need a TV

So I would love to have Peter Moore explain to me how a TV isn't central to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience. Can I do all of these things through my home stereo instead? Maybe all of this can be channeled through my microwave oven, a cell phone or a PDA instead?

Sorry, I'm not that naive.

Moore has a track record of being one of the largest bullsh*tters in the gaming business. Just look at his grand proclamations for the Dreamcast when he led that division for Sega. Moore is a Microsoft puppet, nothing more, just like the PS3 brass are nothing but Sony puppets and Reggie Fils-Aime is the top Nintendo puppet.

Take care,
PK

[DaveDQ]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Well, then Peter Moore is full of sh*t, just like he was with the Dreamcast.

Think about the one device you need to use almost everything involved with an Xbox 360 -- a television.

Let's run down a checklist:

Gaming -- need a TV
Watching DVD's -- need a TV
Streaming videos from Windows Media Center -- need a TV
Viewing digital photos through 360 -- need a TV
Listening to music -- need a TV (if you want to do more than stream a playlist and actually control the songs from a menu outside of your PC)
Watching on-demand pay content pushed by Microsoft through the 360, such as movies and TV shows -- need a TV

So I would love to have Peter Moore explain to me how a TV isn't central to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience. Can I do all of these things through my home stereo instead? Maybe all of this can be channeled through my microwave oven, a cell phone or a PDA instead?

Sorry, I'm not that naive.

Moore has a track record of being one of the largest bullsh*tters in the gaming business. Just look at his grand proclamations for the Dreamcast when he led that division for Sega. Moore is a Microsoft puppet, nothing more, just like the PS3 brass are nothing but Sony puppets and Reggie Fils-Aime is the top Nintendo puppet.

Take care,
PK

Ok, but why should anyone apologize for offering such an efficient means of obtaining all of the above (for your TV). Yes, the television is the mediator between the console and the person, but I don't see the problem with having it being there in the 360.

Peter Moore knows what he's doing, and while yes he is accountable to MS, his leadership is key in their success thusfar.

If the 360 did these things in a crappy way, I could see room to complain, but they've done a great job of incorporating the periphials, and they don't get in the way of the central purpose, games.

[pk500]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Ok, but why should anyone apologize for offering such an efficient means of obtaining all of the above (for your TV). Yes, the television is the mediator between the console and the person, but I don't see the problem with having it being there in the 360.

No one should apologize. But Moore is flat-out lying if he says control over family entertainment through the TV isn't the end goal of MS with the 360. If good gaming is a key part of that, then great. But he's a f*cking liar if he says the 360 is all about gaming.

Peter Moore knows what he's doing, and while yes he is accountable to MS, his leadership is key in their success thusfar.

Forget about a guy named J Allard, who was the top Xbox pimp and the leader of that program? Without Allard's vision of online gaming through Xbox Live and tireless pimping of the original Xbox to core gamers, the 360 never would have existed. While Allard was leading the Xbox charge, Moore was going down with the Dreamcast ship.

Allard left or was transferred from the Xbox team to weave similar magic with the Zune.

If the 360 did these things in a crappy way, I could see room to complain, but they've done a great job of incorporating the periphials, and they don't get in the way of the central purpose, games.

But what if you don't need that stuff, like me, and would prefer to pay $100 less for a machine that just played great games?

That's my point, along with my belief that Moore is full of sh*t, preaching a party line to consumers who are willing to camp out for days for a toy. Not exactly a discerning market.

If it's all about gaming, it's a toy, right? But you'd never hear Moore or anyone from MS call the 360 a toy, because it isn't. It's the central technology platform for MS' desire to control family entertainment.

Take care,
PK

[Pete1210]

Re: What is Nex gen and what are you expecting from it?

Bottom line for me is next gen, when played for the first time, should make you think to yourself “How can I ever play a current gen game again”

I felt that way with GR:AW. As soon as I played it I traded in GR:Summit Strike.
I'd say the 360 is a success in that I have no desire to game on my xbox, (which I used nearly every day) anymore, except for NFL 2K5.