411 Games Fact or Fiction 09.15.06: Wii, The Importance of Graphics, Apple's Future, More!
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 09.16.2006
Brandon Ratliff and Damien Wilkens take a break from their daily lives to tell us what they think about Microsoft’s Achievements and Sony’ Entitlements, their next system purchases, how much a two player experience is worth, the importance of graphics, Apple’s game offerings, and Nintendo’s press conferences in another edition of Fact or Fiction Games.
Welcome back to another edition of Fact or Fiction. This week we have one of 411's editors going up against one of our reviewers. Over in the Music Zone, Brandon Ratliff acts as the spokesman and PR contact for the entire section. In addition, he writes news, reviews, and columns from time to time. He is also one of the reasons we have our current games section up right now. Damien Wilkens, on the other hand, has written several reviews for the Games section. His latest is a review for Dead Rising. Check it out! Will two writers from different sections have completely different viewpoints on the video game industry? Lets find out!
1. You care about Microsoft's Achievements and/or Sony's Entitlements.
Damien Wilkens: FICTION
Though I completely understand why others do. From a personal standpoint, I've never much been into the online gaming trend (outside of a brief period in my life when Diablo 2 was more precious to me than air itself) and I much more prefer the intimate single player experience.
It was a very smart move on the part of Microsoft to make achievements a mandatory part of every 360 title, as it gives the more obsessive gamers incentive to quite literally play every game available to them, regardless of the quality, but I fear it may grow to create a generation of gamers that are more concerned with their gamerscore than they are with actually experiencing the games.
Brandon Ratliff: FICTION
Even when I did play my 360 (nothing against it as it is a great system, but the whole music zone editor thing and... you know, real life stuff... takes up most to all of my time), I didn't care a single bit about achievements because when it comes down to it, all it was was bragging rights. Well, if you suck, then people can see that. BUT, if you didn't try, you can laugh in the face of the people that try to say "oh, you mean you DIDN'T actually kill like 53,000 zombies in Dead Rising?!" No, but... I just got laid. Can your zombies do that?
Score: 1 for 1
2. Now that all of Sony's, Microsoft's, and Nintendo's cards are on the table, you know what your next system purchase will be.
Damien Wilkens: FACT
I already have a 360, so it may seem that my only options from this point on are the Wii and the PS3, but to be honest, neither have me chomping at the bit to get my hands on them, at least not until after the crazy holiday season.
So I'm going to cheat a little bit and go with the DS. With the current-gen home consoles waning down, and the next-gen not fully in gear just yet, the DS is cranking out quality titles every month, adding to a library that's already much stronger than the PSPs, and for a much better price.
Brandon Ratliff: FACT
I also have a 360, and I am going to sound like a complete fanboy in saying this, but the ONLY way I will plop down $600 bones to get a PS3 is if Square-Enix delivers on the Final Fantasy VII remake. I've played all of them, but aside from Super Mario RPG, FFVII was my first true RPG, so it holds a special place for me. Is it flawed? You'd better believe it, especially since you can't skip the two and a half minute long Knights Of The Round summon sequence (I've literally thrown down a W-Summon and two mimes, gotten up and made a sandwich, went to the bathroom, came back, and it STILL wasn't done), but otherwise I won't care enough to pay that kind of money.
The Wii however? The more I see, the more I am interested, especially with the attractive $250 price point. I doubt I'd get one until well into 2007, but I will definitely have my eye on it for a while. The DS however, kicks all sorts of ass. Fuck the PSP.
Score: 2 for 2
3. $39.99 for a Wii Remote and $19.99 for a Nunchuck. $60 (rounded up of course) for a two player experience is just too much to swallow.
Damien Wilkens: FICTION
A second 360 controller is $50, not even taking into consideration the higher price of the system, and judging by how Sony's been lately, I'll bet that a second controller for the PS3 will run for a price comparable to a kidney surgery. Sure, it could be cheaper, but I'm betting it won't affect the Big N's standings too much, as their system hasn't even launched yet and most are already predicting a resurgence for the company.
Brandon Ratliff: FICTION
I hate to keep following along, but I think in this day and age of higher prices for better equipment (such as the kickass wireless 360 controller) and games (well, in theory), $60, especially considering the system is a mere $250 to start, isn't that bad of a price. Besides, with a lower system price, more people will be able to afford the console to begin with, and don't tell me you've forgotten the days of having friends bring their own damn controllers. I remember the days of having friends come over with their own Sega controllers for some after-school NBA Jam TE gaming sessions. Those were the days... You know, before they tried to resurrect the game and FAILED miserably.
Score: 3 for 3
4. Despite what many hardcore gamers say, graphics actually do matter.
Brandon Ratliff: FACT
Gameplay is by far more important, but show me a game anymore that isn't well done in the visual department, and while you can look past that, you know full well you want to blast stuff and watch pretty Havok-induced explosions rather than a few red and orange pixels. Take two games by two different developers... gameplay wise, they are exactly the same quality, but one has a lot better graphics. Which one would you play?
Damien Wilkens: FACT
FACT, although their importance can be more than a little overstated at times. In this era of gaming, especially with the next generation on the horizon, gamers, hardcore and casual alike, are just waiting for that one game that breaks the barrier between CG and photo-realism. It won't happen for a while, but it's something in the back of our minds that we're all secretly waiting for.
Gameplay is what makes us keep playing, but graphics are what make us start in the first place.
Score: 4 for 4
5. This week Apple made downloadable games available on iTunes. If Apple were to implement a more game-friendly control system, the iPod could be a real threat to Nintendo's portable gaming dominance.
Brandon Ratliff: FICTION
Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a real question? Dude, if even Sony with their shiny PSP couldn't take Nintendo down, do you really think some punk-ass company with no experience in real gaming could do any better. Does anyone remember the N-Gage? I rest my case.
Damien Wilkens: FICTION
Keeping with that theme, does anyone but me remember the Game Gear, the Nomad, the Neo Geo Pocket, the Gizmondo, the Atari Lynx, the Wonderswan (which to be fair was a decent seller in Japan), the Game.com, and the Zodiac? Yeah, didn't think so.
If Apple is able to knock Nintendo down from it's nearly 20 year position as the market leader, I'll eat my shoe. I won't even use ketchup.
Score: 5 for 5
6. The information that Nintendo provided during their recent press conferences in New York and Japan was everything that gamers could have hoped for.
Brandon Ratliff: FACT
Let's see... $250 retail, Wii Sports bundled, no region encoding, and Twilight Princess launching with it? Where do I get in line? Seriously though, while a lot will rest on if people want to take the plunge into the experimental stylings of the Wiimote and a lot of the games on the system, you gotta love Nintendo... I say this in all seriousness, but where would gaming be without them?
Damien Wilkens: FACT
They said pretty much exactly what people wanted to hear and they have everyone forgetting about the Gamecube, which is an accomplishment in itself, really.
Score: 6 for 6
Fact or Fiction Games' first perfect score! Surprised? Dont forget to come back again next week for more of the goodness.
