Me, Myself & Games 12.18.06: Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Console Wars!

Posted by Keith Perera on 12.18.2006

In the first episode of my stupid attempt at making something that might catch on and become an ongoing thing.... I talk about the future of Grand Theft Auto and Sandbox games in general, why Halo is so addictive and my thoughts on the console Wars!!

GRAND THEFT AUTO



It's more then just a video game. It has become a part of pop culture and moved into that realm where few games have gone. But I think the future of GTA and their clones should pay attention and listen to this, I think they need to take a new direction, or at least someone of this genre needs to.

There are Millions of rumors on what will be in the new GTA game coming out next year. Some say it will take place in Europe, some say it will involve six different countries with no load time just like in San Andreas. Now I can see this happen and it's easy to believe it for let's say the Playstation 3, either for GTA 4 or beyond, with the size of space they have to work with on a disc.

Now as amazing as that would be and I would love it, I think GTA and those clones of the series need to put more attention into the detail of the city or town they are in. I mean wouldn't you love it if you could enter a big building full of offices and companies and interact with the workers inside as each floor would be different from the next? If I was to do that in games today it would be a dead empty space with little or no interaction really.

I think the future of sandbox type game-play is to keep the size of the space we can move around with from Vice City let's say or San Andreas but put more detail into having active houses and apartment buildings. Something like a mix of GTA, Oblivion and Half-Life and the kind of interaction you can do in those games with the people, city etc...

Here's an example I was thinking of... like being in the backseat of a car while in San Andreas going to do a drive by shooting on a rival gang. Wouldn't it be cool if you could be in the back seat loading your guns and playing with how low you want your tinted window to be? Or be riding shotgun and playing with the air conditioning, radio, glove compartment etc... I think they need to focus more on these kinds of small details rather then making the next game a free roam of the entire planet. While I would love to play that I think we need more depth to the cities and the sites we visit inside them. Why not have a fully functioning ball park with an actual game happening inside it?

--I also thought this may be a good idea... although a bit of personal taste. If you don't like it..Too Bad--
I would love if they could add Sirius to the radio selection just so I can hear pornstars riding the Sybian on Howard Stern and hear Howard and the gang or Artie yelling at Crazy Alice. Driving around with that playing would be freaking awesome!


"Hey now."


HALO



Which album or release is Halo 3 for NIN? Anyway...I digress.
I love Halo. I love Halo 2. I will love Halo 3 and Halo 4 which they pretend won't happen. And so will Millions of other gamers. Something about the game is so addictive, from the environments to the game-play to the weapons and vehicles. Oh wait, that is what's addictive about the game oh crap... No wait, there's more. Believe me there's an actual reason why I'm writing this you prick, so let me finish before you think I'm saying the same thing others have in the past.

I have to say the number one reason I love Halo and find it more addictive then any other shooter, Including Gears of War and etc... Is that the game itself isn't too... creepy? How do I explain this better for you. Basically I think games like Gears of War are amazing and so was Doom or Quake and many other shooters. But something about Halo is almost....cartoon like, with the weird funny voices of the enemy as they laugh at you or scream in fear of you. The game really does focus more on the game-play number one above all. And I think it does so even more then Gears of War in my opinion because Gears has a look to it that is a part of the presentation and an important part. Halo never really amazed me graphics wise... But I could replay the game again and again with my brother in co-op many times. Something about the overall game makes you feel at home... although the levels with the Flood in the original Halo were kind of creepy I admit. Something about it being a little cartoon like made it more open to a lot more ages and different kinds of gamers worldwide. While something like Call of Duty or Gears of War would have a more specific audience for the most part.

Another thing is that the game-play is challenging enough that it's not easy, depending on the setting, but yet not hard enough to the point where you say "screw this, I give up" because with Halo you know you will beat it, it's just a matter of time and effort. I've played games and settings where I just say what's the point and stop playing but with Halo that's never the case on any setting.

So will Halo 3 be better then Gears of War? Of course it will. I don't know why people even compare Gears of War with Halo 2 to be honest. Comparing a Next-Gen game with an older generation game is dumb, especially one that came out a while ago. I just hope Halo 3 on the 360 is more then just better looking graphics though but I have no doubt I will love the game and fall asleep playing it and remain single.



CONSOLE WARS - (XBOX360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii)



Well I'm not going to tell you anything too different here. I think Sony made some mistakes that are going to allow Microsoft and Nintendo to make a lot of gains in the process.

Already Nintendo has climbed back into the console race after what happened with the Gamecube. Of course we'll see what happens with the Wiimote Lawsuits.

I think the fact that the 360 has an option to upgrade to the HD-DVD drive is a big deal to me. I myself won't be getting a PS3 for a while because really I can't afford it. I'm in Canada and I'm looking at about $830 or so after taxes (with the 60GB model) just so I can play one game! And I know the Blu-Ray drive costs so much more in stores blah blah blah I don't care. I like the option to upgrade to it if I want to rather then being forced to get it and pay a lot more. I mean is the PS4 going to cost freaking $800 and not even come with a controller next time, I mean COME ON! How crazy can we get with these prices, it seems like it will only get worse. Pretty soon consoles will become a thing people get just to seem cool but never really use. It will become a fashion statement soon like getting pregnant seems to be now a days with teens. Haha… you know it's true don't lie.

I think Sony should have thrown some kind of freaking game in there man come on! A Talladega Nights Blu Ray movie? WTF!! Are you kidding me? After all that money I can't even play a game yet!? I feel sorry for the parents who don't know much and buy this expensive console because their kid is throwing a fit for them to get one. And then on Christmas day, they open the gifts and find out it didn't come with a game and the kid ruins Christmas by pissing on the turkey and... Ok I'll stop...

But you get the point. One game dude, just one freaking game man!!! What the hell!!!! Just throw in the Hamburgerler's greatest hits! Something dude! I mean I was pissed when the 360 came out also and didn't offer a game, but at this price...

I think a lot of parents who came down to a Bestbuy or Ebgames or Monkeyshop whatever is going to just settle for something cheaper like the 360 or more so the Wii which is more family friendly looking and more family friendly priced. And it comes with a game! Well so do most Xbox360's now as well.

Basically Sony has allowed their competitors to make some gains and in Nintendo's case, come back into the game. Also with the little amount of shipped consoles I won't be surprised if more games are released on all platforms or the 360 as well like Assassins Creed, which was supposed to be a PS3 exclusive game at first.

In closing...I think Sony came to the party with no panties on and is friends with Paris Hilton now. Or... rather they have some work to do… that sounds better. They'll win in the end, that's expected, but how much will they win by is the big question. And it will make the (PS4 vs. Xbox720 vs. Nintendo Yippee) console war a lot more interesting. And with talk of Apple maybe joining the Console wars, who knows, we could be seeing an iGAME or iPLAY soon.



Hell I may join the damn console wars and come out with my own console bitches! But I'm working on my own clothing line and perfume line right now. That's right, I said perfume!

How the hell should I end this dumb thing, I literally just wrote and erased five different jokes and ideas for what to end this with. Stupid endings! OK I'M DONE! GO AWAY! I don't care if this conclusion is as bad as Halo 2 or Gears of War, I have to go play me some Gears of Halo!