For love or money? -
January 31, 2001 - Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed
within this column are those of the participants and the
moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the
GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive
material afoot. The Ur-Quan Korh-Ah taste like chicken. Ironically, the
Yehat taste like beef.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
It's blue. Very, very blue.
The box for the PS2, I mean. I've been staring at it for most of the past
hour, debating if I should open it up or move it on. Most of the box is
very spare and austere, with only the PS2 logo in silver and a few small
copyright notices. The box is smooth and cold, and smells ever so
slightly of fresh paper... er, not that I'd smell the box, or anything...
It's blue.
I don't think I need a PS2 at the moment - I've got Lunar 2, Skies of
Arcadia, and even Majora's Mask to finish up. The fifty or so bucks I
might get from a resale, while not huge, still aren't completely
negligible... especially when you figure that if I hold off until the
first real must-have PS2 game comes out (MGS2), the price may have
dropped even further. I'd essentially be paying a hundred bucks for a few
months worth of possibly mediocre games.
But how can I walk away from something so... blue?
Onward.
| It's 5, 7, 5! How hard
is it to count? |
| Dude,
Don't give it up (the PS2 that is, not your virginity)! Trust me, from one
tech geek to another, the PS2 has many advantages as of right now.
Take a gander at these reasons, na-hoy!
1) It's a DVD player.
2) You can play PSX games in higher quality, and trust me, there's a
noticeable difference, especially in Xenogears (it actually makes it look
good)!
3) There are a few decent PS2 games out right now (Tekken Tag, for
example)
4) They don't go for that much on eBay anymore, you're most likely looking at
an extra $50 bucks or so.
And finally the most important reason ...
Metal Gear Solid 2 is only a year away!
-mista tea, defying you to go against the hype.
PS And now a brief haiku:
Chris owns PlayStation 2
Many things to do with it
Can't resist Sony. |
1) I've got a DVD player already. What's more, the sound system
depends on the DVD's built in 5.1 decoder, so switching over would be a
decrease in both picture (don't have component cables for the PS2) and sound
quality.
2)Maybe, but I'm not sure it's worth $300.
3) I've seen Tekken Tag - Soul Calibur's far superior.
4) If you saw $50 in the street, wouldn't you pick it up?
But you're right, there's that Kojima monkey on my back...
| Destiny! Destiny!
Everything comes back to Destiny! |
| Hello,
I say you keep your PS2. It's all part of karma. Things exist for a
reason.
Just as a book yearns to be read; just as a 10-ounce filet mignon yearns
to be eaten; just as a Mustang convertible yearns to be driven; just as
a can of Bud Light yearns to be chugged; just as the The Rock, the most
electrifying man in sports entertainment, yearns to be WWF champion;
your PS2 yearns to be played.
So I say, don't waste any more time. Open the box, plug that bad boy
in, and play the hell out of it! That's what it was meant to do.
--S.O.
|
Hard to argue with - I mean, denying good karma is bad karma in and
of itself, and I don't need any of that.
| Denying my darker urges |
| Chris Jones' Soda-
Sell! Sell! Sell now! yes, the techno geek in you wants you to keep
it, but what of the RPG geek? The one who buys a system to play a specific
game? What of the little elitist Old Schooler in all of us that demands
pre-Jurassic Graphics in all games? What about them?
Garvo |
It's true that one of my fondest gaming memories is walking into an
Electronics Boutique soon after I cashed my first paycheck from a new
co-op tour, and telling the salesman to give me a PSX and a copy of Final
Fantasy 7. (But no memory card, had to wait until the next day to be
able to save my game.) I'd like to do the same thing for FFX, but what would
happen if there aren't any systems available when it comes out? How could
I live with myself, not playing the latest Final Fantasy on launch
day? Would Sakaguchi ever forgive me?
| Yamauchi isn't
personally smiting me? |
|
First things first. I think that everyone is over reacting to Yamauchi's
recent statements. Especially you, Chris. It seems that every letter sent
in defending Yamauchi's comments is meet with an equally bitter and childish
comment from you, almost as if Yamauchi is personally smiting you.
His comments aren't exactly trash talk. Square said they wanted to develop
for the GBA, that doesn't mean there's a contract. Essentially, Yamauchi
has confirmed that there are no talks as of yet.
Okay, so he's says that he doesn't think a contract will ever be signed. So
what? Nintendo has proved that they can continue to be extremely profitable
in the hardware and software market without Square. They are seeing a 40
percent increase in profit for the upcoming quarter. That's insane.
Yamauchi isn't.
Square had stated that they were willing to do everything they could to
release the FF remakes on the GBA. Let's see them prove that. There's no
doubt in anyone's mind that companies close to Nintendo do well. Take the
recent example of Camelot Software Planning. Sure, the Shining series is
incredible, but I don't think any of the Shining games sold as well as Mario
Golf and Tennis.
My point is, is that Yamauchi's statement isn't really all that harsh. He's
positioning his company. If he was insane and crazy, he'd let Square walk
all over him, taking advantage of the lucrative GBA market as they please.
Square can't expect to position their premiere PS2 game, FFX, against the
launch of the Gamecube, and somehow bridge the gap between the two companies
at the same time. That's insane.
All this talk of an old, cynical, crazy president at Nintendo is a bunch of
crap. Sure, he LOOKS crazy, but he's got to be one of the most brilliant
businessmen alive. A playing card company? Who would've thought?
Graeme
|
He's positioning his company all right, but how is he
positioning his company? There are people out there who'll buy Mario
Tennis and Pokemon, and Nintendo will get by without Square. If the
Game Cube is as well designed as it seems to be, and we get solid
entries in the Mario, Zelda, and Metroid series, they could even be
extremely successful. Maybe they'll even overtake Sony and make sure
the X-Box is the only console Microsoft ever makes, who knows?
But I don't see how Yamauchi's interview can be interpreted as anything but a complete
insult to Square, one that will prevent the companies from getting
together for years to come, all done in the name of personal
spite. Square will never again be under Nintendo's thumb the way it was
in the (S)NES days, but they could still have been a (very) profitable
partner, one that at least partially negated Sony's lead, even if they
didn't single-handedly win the war. Is Yamaguchi's pride worth that
sacrifice? How could it possibly be?
| Bloody revolution is
our only hope |
|
Hey Chris, what i'd really like to know, what nobody commented on, pertains
to Yamauchi's refusal to name a successor. Now, unchecked, this obstinacy could
last another 20 years... Will Yamauchi ever be deposed? WHEN will the madness
end??? Who comprises the board of directors, anyway?
ah yes... I'm pretty sure that having my willpower fall out after 3 months and
making a certain $500 purchase precludes me from the other part of today's
discussion....bleh
machka drek
secret of evermore is in my top 5 |
But as Graeme just pointed out, Yamauchi's done some good stuff, and
Nintendo likely won't crash and burn because of him just yet. Serious
gamers may not be a big fan of him, but if I was a Nintendo board
member I wouldn't vote to impeach just yet, myself.
| We have concerns about
your long term stability... |
|
What are you going to play? A snowboard game? A skydiving game? A really
lame RPG? There's only one use for a PS2 right now, and that's to make a few
bucks.
The PS2 you have now is probably not very well made either. Will it even
last the PS2's lifespan? You are a real loser if you keep a potentially
defective PS2 just because it's "cool" to have one at your
palace/mansion/house/townhouse/condo/apartment/dorm/van down by the
river/cardboard box. |
That's actually a significant worry - that the system won't survive
for its full life span. The PSX I got 3 years ago has never given me any
trouble, plays without problem, and doesn't even get that hot... but
for a lot of people who got a Playstation when they first came out,
it's an entirely different story. Hopefully Sony's learned something
about making spinning drives last a while by now, tho... it might be
worth taking a chance on.
| Ode to a tough old bird |
| Hey Chris -
You're probably sick of the Yamauchi topic by now, but I wanted to remark on
something Chris Kohler wrote yesterday - specifically, that Square's abandonment
of Nintendo came as a shock. I don't really think that's the case. I had heard
talk about their discontent with Nintendo's licensing model for the large-
capacity carts needed for big RPGs (which caused Chrono Trigger and SD3 to retail
for a terrifying ¥11000 in Japan). And remember that the announcement that N64
would use carts caused pretty much everyone in the industry to stare in horror
and slowly back away; check out some gaming magazines from 1994-95 and you'll
notice a definite cooling effect.
If Nintendo couldn't see it coming, Yamauchi is as ignorant as everyone likes to
jest... and I honestly doubt that's the case. He's an opinionated, sometimes even
cocky old goat, but regardless of the seeming inanity of his comments there's a
remarkable degree of perspicacity behind them. Not that it isn't incredibly fun
to use him as a comic foil (heaven forbid he should retire) but despite his
ability to provide topics of incredulous conversation for weeks at a time, it's
hard not to look at his track record and recognize that he seems to make all the
wrong decisions yet has some unerring sense of business that has made Nintendo
improbably profitable for years. Yes, Nintendo's solid development record is
partly responsible, but he's still the captain. He's a scary man, like some sort
of quiet vagabond who sits in the corner of the bus station every day muttering
to himself about waffles and penguins while sketching perfect schematics for a
nuclear weapon.
I want to marry into his family. Holidays would be so fun...
J. Parish |
Jeez, Parish, what more do you leave me to say? Except that as
impressive as your mad word skillz are, Yamauchi would never accept a
nerd gaijin such as yourself as one of his own, so the final laugh's
mine! Ha!
| Never tear us apart |
|
Chris,
How could you ever think of selling one, thereby giving up on enjoying the envy
of every regular Joe who wants one?
*looks at her PS2*
How could you not give in to those mismatched eyes, looking up at you?
*looks at her PS2 again*
I...I...I love you darling! No X-Box, no GameCube shall ever part us!
*hugs her PS2*
On to other serious matters. I'm thinking this whole Yamauchi shooting his mouth
off business is being blown out of proportion. While older Japanese businessmen
may operate on an honor system (it's debatable: can one really be completely
honorable and successful in business at the same time?), Yamauchi might not speak for
the rest of the (probably younger, and more bottom line oriented) Nintendo Execs.
Who knows, one of those cracks may be the one that finally forces him into retirement...
Hey, it used to be a Sega fan's dream ;)
Princess Jemmy, knows she's doomed to cheat on her PS2 someday ;) |
Funny, I always thought of console systems as being female,
myself...
But I'm not sure I can commit to such an exclusive relationship. I've
been pretty exclusive with the PSX, but she knows there've always been the
occasional N64 flings, and lately I've been seeing a quirky, fun,
attractive girl who may not have much longer to live... but I've cherished
our time together. The PS2 could be everything I ever wanted, but it could
also be a failed first date that never goes anywhere, or worse yet, "just
friends". Do I really want to risk my heart getting broken?
| Sanction |
|
Dear Chris,
You sound just like me a few weeks ago when I took my little brother to Target
to buy a Lego set and I walked out with a PS2. I even waited a few days to decide
what I wanted to do with it. In the end, FFX was a good enough reason if any.
Don't worry, you weren't being hypocritical. You knew eventually you were going
to have to buy it for FFX. You had absolutely no reason to rush to buy it when
it first came out. Everything is ok.
-Fares |
Thanks for the vindication, man. After all this, I gotta say: I'm
just gonna bite the bullet and keep the thing. If I can sell my old
PSX, so much the better, if The Bouncer turns out to be good, great,
and if I just use it as a glorified PSX for the next few months, ok.
But in the end, I'm just too selfish to give it up, even if it ends up
as a doorstop while the Game Cube and X-Box claim permanent spots under
my TV.
And now for something completely different...
| A Green and Glorious
Destiny |
| I went and saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon last
night. It was a good movie. The fight scenes were awsome, the acting
was pretty good (even if I couldn't understand what they were saying)
and Chow Yun-Fat was spectacular. Heck, it even had some humor in it.
I was at the largest theater within 100 miles from my house (one of those
one's with the stadium seats that recline) and their were only 9 people in
the theater. That's sad that a company took the chance of releasing something
that is different and people won't take advantage of it.
In alot of ways this same thing happens in the wonderful video game world.
This movie received wonderful reviews from movie critics. But still, the
theater was dead. We will just wait and see how uncreative games and movies get since the good ones don't make any money.
Go see this movie, and ignore the cheesy ending. And make sure you go and
see Akira if it is re-released in theaters with all new dubbing. Thanks,
and have a wonderful day.
~Fear Factory
"aka Beer Boy"
|
|
About two weeks ago someone pointed out that CTHD, the new movie by
Ang Lee starring Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh (and Zhang Ziyi... wow)
was a film where characters gave long metaphysical spiels that didn't
interrupt the flow of the story. After seeing the movie twice in the
past two weeks (it's that good) I can say that this is not the case -
there are no long speeches in the film, but it is true that the
metaphysics in the film mesh perfectly with the characters and the
plot. I can't go into the details too much without spoiling it, but I
can say that the short declarations the characters make(sometimes
without saying a word) about what their lives are about, are exactly what
RPG characters should be saying and should be doing. Whoever can make a
game like that may not sell millions of copies, become a deciding factor
in the console wars, or even win any best of the year votes... but they'll
have done more to advance the field then anything since the original
Zelda.
And I thought the ending was excellent, but I encourage you to go see it and
make up your own mind.
Closing Comments:
Talking about CTHD also brings me to a topic I've wanted to use
since Monday, but haven't been able to get around to - power. Consider
the kind of stuff that the characters in CTHD are able to do, or, to
use a more popular example, The Matrix. These are people that can fly,
catch bullets, effortlessly fight off entire armies single-handed...
basically all the stuff you wished you could do as a kid, but haven't
quite figured out how to pull off yet.
So my question is, why haven't games given us the ability to do this
kind of stuff? Game characters can squeeze off a fireball spell or a dragon
punch as a special move, but you never get the feeling of what it would
be like to be able to pull this stuff off at will, whenever you liked,
all the time. Game characters live in a virtual world, one that has
no limits - why can't we control a character that, rather than calling a
lightning bolt with a spell, can become a lightning bolt, one that
you directed and controlled? What's
holding games back, or am I looking at this wrong and there's not really a
desire for those kind of characters? Let me know, and I'll talk to you
tomorrow.
-Chris Jones, addicted to blue
|
