The Negative Edge News Report 12.27.06
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 12.27.2006
What I did with my Wii, the gamer’s version of the Rocky Balboa moment, and my wallpaper rundown.
Welcome back to another edition of The Negative Edge. Last week, thanks to the fact that I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I was able to get my hands on a Wii. The plan was for me to keep it for myself, but I eventually decided to give it to my sister's children instead. All I really want to do at this time is to try out the new control scheme so it isn't necessary for me to own one myself. The little ones pass by a lot so there will always be a chance for me to mess around with the system. In most situations I'd be kicking myself right about now after once again realizing that I was being a little too generous for my own good. However, something happened on Christmas day that made it all worth it - while my niece and two nephews were playing Wii Sports Bowling my dad actually decided to play the game himself. Not just him - my mom also got in on the action. Without any coaxing from me at all the Wii got both of my parents - two people that I never thought would ever pick up a controller - to play video games. This wasn't a one time only thing either as the next day I saw them playing it again. This alone made the act of giving worth it. Congratulations Nintendo - you really did make a system that non-gamers can and do enjoy.
On a related note, while looking for an extra Nunchuk at Frys I found that they had some PS3s available for purchase. Since I was looking around anyway I decided to come back to the video game area right before I left. I was in the store for a good thirty minutes so I expected all of the systems to be gone by the time I left but lo and behold there were still plenty of them in stock. So, on one of the busiest shopping days of the year (December 23rd), an electronics store in San Jose was having a hard time with getting rid of PS3s. This of course brought a smile to my face. Anything that helps to facilitate a price drop is welcome, especially if the system costs $600. Hopefully, by the time some worthy exclusives get released I might be able to afford one. You never know...
A little bit of randomness
The video game world needs more Rocky Balboa moments
Just a few years ago I never would have imagined that I'd see a Rocky movie on the big screen. For one thing, the last Rocky came out years ago in 1990. It didn't help that the movie was pretty much panned by everyone. Maybe if the movies had stopped at IV people would have been more receptive to the idea. Also, Stallone was getting old so most didn't expected him to be able to play Rocky in a way that would make sense. Despite all the naysayers, I still had hope that another sequel would be squeezed out before it was too late. In fact, in one of my business classes in college back in 2002 (I'm not a business major by the way) I did a presentation on why there should be another Rocky movie. I used George Foreman becoming the champ at an old age as one of my arguments. I also told this story about how I was in the television section at Frys where Rocky IV was playing on a big screen - I was waiting for someone so I just stood around until the movie got to the fight scene. When it finally came around I noticed that a bunch of random people just stopped in front of the TV to watch. Rocky might be old but people still enjoy watching him. I also made a trailer with Booker T as the antagonist to go along with the presentation (though I didn't finish it fast enough to use in the presentation). I actually paid a voice actor to do the voiceover but I never got around to integrating it (the current voiceover sounds like crap but I'm too lazy to change it). In hindsight, the video was poorly conceived but it was fun putting it together and it had quite a few views in its time. Yeah, you could say that I'm a fan of the movies. All four of them. Rocky V was just a dream, right? Knowing this, it shouldn't surprise you when I say that I went to see Rocky Balboa on opening night. It's a great movie by the way. Go and watch it! Anyone that has seen a few Rocky movies knows that there are three things that all four Rocky movies have - an intro with a fighting scene, a training montage, and a big fight at the end. Every time Rocky Balboa hit one of those points I had a moment where I thought to myself - "Dude! This is awesome! I never thought that I'd be seeing a Rocky movie on the big screen." While I can already think of a few movies (sequels to Army of Darkness, Phantasm, and Indiana Jones for instance) that could have those moments, it seems to be a lot harder to think of video games that would elicit the same kind of response. These days, if a game makes a lot of money for a company it is a given that it will have a sequel sooner rather than later. Considering the popularity of Final Fantasy VII and the fact that there hasn't been a true video game sequel or remake for it, I might have pointed it out as a game that could possibly give gamers what I like to call the "Rocky Balboa moment." However, Square-Enix just released movie and game spin-offs so the impact of a remake or sequel may have been diminished. So, for the most part, sequels these days don't have much of a chance to give us those "I can't believe I'm playing this" type moments.
The only time that I can think of where I had such a moment was when I first played Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 for the first time. When I saw the announcement for the game I was sure that someone was just playing an early (or late) April Fools Day joke. Seriously, who would have believed that both companies would combine forces to make a fighting game? Certainly not me.
After thinking about my CVS experience it became clear to me what upcoming game has the potential to give gamers a "Rocky Balboa moment" - Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The inclusion of Sonic would be enough. However, what if they included Bonk as well? Bonk was in a GBA game so the "game must have been on a Nintendo console" stipulation may allow it. The inclusion of all three mascots from the three main consoles that were out when most of us were growing up is something that nobody would have expected. What if they included Ryu or Chun Li? Mario and Ryu fireball fight anyone? Chun Li vs Samus? How about Bomberman, Mega Man, a Belmont, or a New Zealand Kiwi? The potential is there. As was the case with Rocky Balboa, I can't wait to see the finished product. Can you think of a release, realistic or otherwise, that would give gamers that "Rocky Balboa moment?"
What was on my desktop this year?
Today, instead of having new images, I thought that I'd just go over some of my favorites from this year. Remember to click on the picture to go to the original page so that you can download a bigger version. Enjoy!
Samus Aran Open Hatch
While inaccurate considering the fact that Samus' suit is more of a body suit than a mech, I still think that this is pretty cool.
Peach's Piranha plant power
Still the only picture of Peach that doesn't annoy the hell out of me.
Chun Li by Satoshi Urushihara
Hands down the best picture of Chun Li that I've seen. Please note that the site where this came from is extremely slow so it might take you a little while to get the image.
Jack Frost by Kazuma Kaneko
Probably my favorite video game character. You can find him in every MegaTen game (as far as I know).
Kingdom Squish
In the real world Donald would be a psychopath so this picture is very appropriate.
DARK MAGICIAN G.
Do you like Chocobos?
Cute and grotesque at the same time.
Wii Shot First
The caption on the top right is kind of off but that can be photoshopped out.
That's it for this year! I just received a message from Dr. Light. If I agree with his message I'll be back next year.
