Extra Punctuation: Getting Innovation Wrong

[cynicalsaint1]

Can't really say that I agree with this much. For one I actually like the 3D effect on the 3DS and find it rather easy to maintain a proper position while playing, nor does it give me a headache or any kind of eyestrain (and this is coming from someone who suffers it watching 3D movies). Also isn't it a little early to call the 3DS 'failed'? I mean sure the launch titles don't have anything particularly impressive, we really won't know for sure until its been out awhile longer. Really I think we need to give it time to get some decent software. The DS had some great titles for it - I have a hard time imagining that things aren't going to pick up for the 3DS.

While motion controls may not have panned out as well as Nintendo would have liked, at least they're trying things - it seems a little hypocritical to bemoan lack of innovation in the same breath as you decry Nintendo for trying new things out because apparently they aren't the "right" innovations. Last time I checked figuring out what works and doesn't tends to involve actually trying them in the first place.

More than anything this article just makes you come off as biased against Nintendo.

 

[Awexsome]

Are people so quickly bashing designs before they've even had a chance to get a preview of them yet?

The 3DS's 3D is a good design. Optional, and was an extra on top of the added power to the handheld. Yeah Yahtzee will complain about the Nintendo franchises but it doesn't stop them from being fun. I mean he hates on a lot of good games and plenty of great ones.

The new controller might work. First off if it incorporates that technology that actually lets you "feel" through the screen then that solves your physical feedback when tapping a button there or something. It will undoubtedly be used for quick time events that you'll have to maybe draw something onto the touch screen and be forced to look away from any events on the TV and that'll probably be bad.

What I think it'll be great for is like a weapon select or inventory system. Something that required menus of navigation just always up in your hands. I think a designer could come up with some innovative way to use that before immedietly dismissing it. You'd rather have Modern Warfare 6?

 

[Optimystic]

Does that make the Wii remote less of a "gimmick" to you?

I just reread my entire post, and don't see a mention of the Wii anywhere in it. I said THE 3DS IS A GIMMICK, and I stand by that statement.

Now show me a hack that makes the 3DS useful.

 

[TaboriHK]

Excuse me, buddy, but I'm pretty sure enslaving Zeus to power our homes is less convenient than just setting them on fire.

 

[I forgot]

"Neither motion controls nor 3D represent the way forward because they both involve making games and movies less immersive"
I'll take games that are more fun than more "immersive". I don't give a shit if I feel like I'm there if the game is boring as hell. Also the whole reason for 3D is because not everyone finds it easy to judge depth on a 2D screen, so it does help.

Immersion is not nor ever was the way forward in gaming.

 

[Beautiful End]

I'm not impressed with the 3D gimmicks at all. The 3DS is selling at a more expensive price than when the PS2 was released (Or even the Gamecube). I know these are different times and inflation and everything but still! My problems with the current consoles are that A) The incredibly ridiculous price tag and B) Developers giving us stuff we don't want/need but end up getting used to. I mean, I get it, developers. If people are buying it, then it works. Keep 'em coming, right?

But 3D? Yahtzee is right; it's not that convenient when you gotta stand still in front of the screen. Move an inch off and whoops! No more 3D! When they said "3D WITH NO GLASSES!", I though "OH SNAP! Holograms like Star Wars?! I'm sold!". I mean, that IS 3D without glasses, right? But instead we got the 3DS that, mind you, it's still very glitchy. I don't want to pretend that Mario is right beside me, teaching me how to speak Italian. I know he's not no matter how real he looks or not. I just wanna play my friggin' game!

I'll admit I bought a PS3 about a year ago after resisting the temptation a hybrid between a computer and my beloved PS2. I already have two computers, Sony! Don't try to sell me another one! And while we're at it, I'm also happy with my PS2's DVD player! I had to buy my PS3 because I was being left behind and well, I'm a gamer. You can't keep me off new, cool games for too long. So here I am.

But still...it seems developers are focusing on everything but gaming. Online playing, internet browsing, Netflix, computer-like gimmicks; all that are things that are irrelevant to gaming and that we don't need that badly. Sure, they're cool gimmicks but hey, I was happy with my PS2. And my SNES. And my 64. And my NES. Now every time I play, I worry about my computer hybrid (PS3) dying on me or needing an update or...getting hacked. I didn't have to worry about that with my other systems...

My point is! The industry needs to focus on a console that goes back to enhancing the gaming experience. Yes, keep online co-op; we're all used to it now. Keep the cool stuff but remember that at the end, people just wanna play their games. They don't want to be forced to stand up and look like a retard in front of the TV, they don't want to be fooled into spending more money on a console that just looks pwetty and they don't want their system to come with a DVD player, blu ray player, a TV, music player, a microwave, a can opener and a banana. Make a better systems, come up with original games and not remakes of old ones, remember that your audience is made of kids whose income is 5 dollars a week to grown ups whose income might be 5 dollars per week or 100 dollars. I don't need gimmicky consoles, I need something that keeps me truly entertained without the fear that it might implode on me due to my lack of computer knowledge.

Man, I wish my PS2 was still cool...

 

[lord.jeff]

I'm not sold on 3-D yet but I think I soon well be. I'm basing this on the experiences with HD with movies it made little difference at first, all it did is triple the price of film, and then they tried to put it on the TV and it made the image worse, in fact HDTV still looks worse then the old standard but I have come around and started to like it as the movie visuals are improving with it and Blu-rays do look nice. Things like this make me wonder how did people react to color and sound getting introduced into movies.

As for the touch screen I look forward to not pausing my game to switch weapons.

 

[BoredDragon]

That's one thing I do like about the XBLA is that they have an indie section where people can program their small scale games and put them up for about $1 for people to buy. Some of my favorite games come from that section of the XBLA. There is Baby-Maker Extreme, Try Not to Fart, and Cthulu Saves the World.

The last in that list I highly recommend, it is turn-based combat but it's not too punishing and the humor that the game has is well worth it

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I disagree. I love 3D, and I love it mainly because of the level of depth it adds to the picture. It makes whatever you're viewing much more like you're experiencing it.

I realize that a ton of people do not share this view, and do not appreciate 3d. Good for them. But at least let me enjoy my 3d, okay?

Amen, brother.

I don't get upset when 3D isn't an option, but when it is it's preferable. I certainly miss it when I boot MK and forget to turn it on before I start a fight. I've also had great fun watching 3D films with my brother. Piranha 3D just a few nights ago, stupid but hilarious.

My only complaint is the price of the 3D blu-rays. If they weren't so dear, I'd own them all.

 

[Antari]

3d was useless in the early 80's and its not much better now. Good to see people are noticing it.

 

[geldonyetich]

Having played with 3D shutter glasses on the PC before, I have to say that I like true 3D, I feel that true 3D is a step forward that I'd like to see the gaming industry make. There were relatively few PC games that made really good use of it, but when I found those gems then I was fairly blown away with how much more immersive true 3D made the game feel, Natural Selection and Sinistar Unleashed being some of my better experiences.

Only trouble is, the 3DS may be a rather poor example, what with its tiny screen and very poor app support. A larger screen eliminates the bothersome requirement of having to sit in an exact position to do use it. Good 3D-centric games would be Metroid Prime 3D or StarFox 3D, those would really make gamers aware of what true 3D can do, but there's no sign of them.

As it stands, the 3DS is a platform that makes true 3D look bad, and I'm hoping its poor reception doesn't bury what would be an excellent feature in future games.

 

[timeadept]

I summon...

Spoiler: WALL OF TEXT!

I agree that 3D is just a gimmick and doesn't actually have much, if anything to contribute to my over all entertainment of the medium. I saw Avatar in 3D and every once in a while i would look up and notice it and think "well that's kinda cool" and then get back into the movie and not think about it for a while. Then again, I've heard it said that the best special effects are the ones that you don't notice at all. But in any case, I honestly don't feel like 3D contributed anything to my enjoyment of the movie (and if the 3D were so good that i never noticed it then what's the point? It's not like I find 2D movies inherently distracting due to their unrealistic lack of depth or something.)

In any case I still don't agree that motion controls have nothing to contribute to games. I found using them while playing Twilight Princess to be very entertaining. Though the connection between the wiimote and link's sword were by no means 1 to 1, I found my self mimicking his movements. I would hit button combinations and swing the wiimote(even if i didn't need to) while mimicking what i was telling link to do. Sure I probably looked like an idiot while doing it, and i had to tone down my actual movements due to space limitations, the maximum distance between my two arms (due to the cord), and the fact that the entire house should never be shaking like that while i'm playing a video game (or maybe ever); but i had a great time doing it!

The touch screen is a bit of a grab bag though. When added to a game unnecessarily it is a pain in the ass. The Phantom Hour Glass isn't all that impressive as far as TLZ goes... but it's a little less so when you force the player to abandon their perfectly good D-Pad and make them use the touch screen to move. Clumsy, unresponsive, and unnecessary were three words i used to describe that system, though i had to eat two of those words.

The system is, over all, clumsy until you get used to it. It is always difficult to tap on the edge of the screen to move, and there is something inherently flawed about putting the players hand in between their eyes and the screen where all the action is going on. But at the same time it adds a certain smoothness to the game. Using Items like the Boomerang is more fun because of the touch screen. I also liked being able to add notes to the map, that was a nice touch that allowed memorization puzzles without the need of pen and paper or a lot of going back and forth. Finally, I'm actually glad that they ditched the D-Pad entirely because it's clear to me that it wasn't done in the name of making a gimmicky game. It is irritating as hell to switch between using the D-Pand and touch screen. The DS isn't exactly balanced to be held with one hand, unless that hand is directly below it in the middle. But if one hand is below the DS then you louse access to one of the sets of buttons. At the same time, holding the styles and playing with that hand is difficult to pull off, so i just put it away when I'm not using it. End result is a transition of a few seconds between the two hand positions(and possibly more for a more comfortable sitting position), and if you need to make that transition often, you're in for an extremely irritating game.

So pretty much using the touch screen for everything just makes it unresponsive when it confuses what my styles strokes mean (not to mention the fact that it also restricts me to a single action at a time).

There was a game though Elite Beat Agents, it's kind of a tap to the music game and it's a lot more fun than that might sound. It's difficult to describe so you're better off looking it up on You-Tube if you can find it. It really is a great game though and i recommend it if you can find it. It uses only the stylus to tap points as they appear on the screen in time with the music.

 

[KilloZapit]

Did that picture of the controller say something about streaming video? Cause honestly this is the only way I see the point is if it was using the console as a server for the game and wirelessly streaming the video to the controller to play else where in your house without needing a TV. I can get behind that. I hardly play consoles anymore because I just don't feel like sitting in front of a TV all day and rather lay in bed or something.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Just because Project Cafe will have superior hardware doesn't mean 3rd party developers will have to use them. As a PC gamer, I still buy, play, and enjoy games that I can't run in 1920x1080 resolution. Sure, it'd be better if they could, but graphics don't make the game.

This. Case in point - Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (or if that isn't good enough for you, then Ocarina of Time).

 

[beema]

Then they'll probably think, "Ah, why not cut out the middleman?" and then just kill us and take all our money.

I thoroughly expect to one day see the headline:
Apple Stores Unveil New Policy: Pay Us Before Entering
and people will just go along with it

I haven't been bothered so much by the 3D thing. It's still expensive enough that it hasn't become immensely widespread and popular, so I don't see it being "mandatory" any time soon. Motion controls freak me out way more since they have proliferated to an astounding degree.

 

[Sicram]

Seeing as I'm one of those rabid PC only "nazi" people I let everything that is 3D and motioncontrolled slide. I won't beleive one squat that 3D is the future until I can play RTS games on a holodeck, an FPS? Maaaaaaybe, if it's done right. Motioncontrols? Not accurate enough even if wearing an exosuit that helps stabilize ones hands.

I for one welcome more oomph in hardware for the consoles. I'm tired of low-res textures and sloppy AA. Even in some cases game mechanics suffer because there's too little RAM, too slow CPU or GPU.

 

[Jumwa]

Usually the "Extra Punctuation" articles are a little more thought-out than the gripe and mock shtick for the videos, but this is just whining. And frankly, it's gotten tedious. Yes, you don't like motion controls. Yes, you have many convoluted reasons for why you think making a gimmicky new controller is a bad thing. We get it.

It's the same old thing repeated over and over on a topic that seems little more than purely personal opinion justified by rambling sort-of-sensical arguments.

 

[shadowmagus]

Yahtzee I expect better from you. Typically you have something that gives your point some validation. While I don't think the 3DS will really take off, bitching about it because you dislike the direction Nintendo is taking for the sake of bitching is beneath you. At least Nintendo had to balls to actually try something different instead of, "oh let's pump more graphics into it". It may not be perfect, but the first steps towards real change never are.