Comments on: Retro Gaming Month: Use Your Imagination http://oddballupdate.com/2006/12/16/retro-gaming-month-use-your-imagination/ Write the sequel first. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:03:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Chief Oddball http://oddballupdate.com/2006/12/16/retro-gaming-month-use-your-imagination/#comment-409 Chief Oddball Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:13:27 +0000 http://oddballupdate.com/2006/12/16/retro-gaming-month-use-your-imagination/#comment-409 I guess I just wondered where the idea to make games featuring Lego guys came from -- especially if you're you're not building things with them. I have heard several people mention that those games are actually fun, though, which I don't doubt. Not a design decision I would make, but then I've said that about a lot of Nintendo products before, most of which have a large following as being very fun to play. Speaking of Nintendo, I'm actually more interested in getting a Wii than a PS3. I sorta feel the same way about shooters anymore. I mean, the FPS is still my favorite genre, but these days there's almost nothing to differentiate one from another. They're all generic war shooters, usually WWII (Call of Duty) or modern day team warfare driven (Ghost Recon) and aren't necessarily lousy games, but the novelty seems to have worn off. I find myself wishing for more games like the old <i>Star Trek: 25th Anniversary</i> where you walked around, talked to people, examined objects, used them to solve puzzles, etc. Jesus, as an indication of how dumbed down games have become, I actually went back and installed <i>ST: 25th Anniversary</i> on my DOS rig a few months back, and was shocked at how HARD it was! I mean, how did I ever figure out these arcane puzzles? I think I've had my IQ reduced by all the mindless shooters and what-have-you. Anyway, about the Wii...a friend of mine got one, and I went over to his place to try it out...damn, even though the graphics aren't anything amazing, and the game concepts are goofy (like <i>Lego Star Wars</i>!), they were damn <em>fun</em>. Like <i>Rayman: Raving Rabbids</i>. It's just all kinds of fun. When I first started to play, I honestly thought "Come on...this looks stupid." But the more I got into it, the more cool it was. I guess I should retract my bash of <i>Lego Star Wars</i>, because I seem to be disproving my own point about it. :) Seems like a lot of the Wii games are based on non-standard concepts, like <a href="http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=230032" rel="external" rel="nofollow">Trauma Center: Second Opinion</a> (which looks fun), and <a href="http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product_id=230033" rel="external" rel="nofollow">Elebits</a>. And the PS3...? Jesus Christ, 600 bucks and all I get is a WWII shooter with aliens in it. Every game coming out for PS3 that even remotely interests me is also going to be on the 360, according to the various game websites, so I don't see a compelling reason to drop that much coin. I guess I just wondered where the idea to make games featuring Lego guys came from — especially if you’re you’re not building things with them. I have heard several people mention that those games are actually fun, though, which I don’t doubt. Not a design decision I would make, but then I’ve said that about a lot of Nintendo products before, most of which have a large following as being very fun to play.

Speaking of Nintendo, I’m actually more interested in getting a Wii than a PS3. I sorta feel the same way about shooters anymore. I mean, the FPS is still my favorite genre, but these days there’s almost nothing to differentiate one from another. They’re all generic war shooters, usually WWII (Call of Duty) or modern day team warfare driven (Ghost Recon) and aren’t necessarily lousy games, but the novelty seems to have worn off.

I find myself wishing for more games like the old Star Trek: 25th Anniversary where you walked around, talked to people, examined objects, used them to solve puzzles, etc. Jesus, as an indication of how dumbed down games have become, I actually went back and installed ST: 25th Anniversary on my DOS rig a few months back, and was shocked at how HARD it was! I mean, how did I ever figure out these arcane puzzles? I think I’ve had my IQ reduced by all the mindless shooters and what-have-you.

Anyway, about the Wii…a friend of mine got one, and I went over to his place to try it out…damn, even though the graphics aren’t anything amazing, and the game concepts are goofy (like Lego Star Wars!), they were damn fun. Like Rayman: Raving Rabbids. It’s just all kinds of fun. When I first started to play, I honestly thought “Come on…this looks stupid.” But the more I got into it, the more cool it was. I guess I should retract my bash of Lego Star Wars, because I seem to be disproving my own point about it. :) Seems like a lot of the Wii games are based on non-standard concepts, like Trauma Center: Second Opinion (which looks fun), and Elebits.

And the PS3…? Jesus Christ, 600 bucks and all I get is a WWII shooter with aliens in it. Every game coming out for PS3 that even remotely interests me is also going to be on the 360, according to the various game websites, so I don’t see a compelling reason to drop that much coin.

]]> By: Pooch http://oddballupdate.com/2006/12/16/retro-gaming-month-use-your-imagination/#comment-408 Pooch Sat, 16 Dec 2006 20:47:44 +0000 http://oddballupdate.com/2006/12/16/retro-gaming-month-use-your-imagination/#comment-408 To be fair, the Lego Star Wars games are fairly fun -- Reaper has both volumes. Except for things that explode into Lego pieces and using the Force to reshape some things here and there, the Lego bit isn't a major thing...at least to me. I can see where you're coming from, though -- but it's not like you sit there and pretend to build things with imaginary Legos. As for your main point, you may be correct. But seeing as most of the games I play are fantasy RPGs and the like, the realism isn't a big selling point (or maybe I'm just easily pleased). :) But I see so many ads for first person shooters and the like anymore (heck, most games in general) and I'm pretty much yawning. Maybe that's why I try to gravitate more towards games with compelling storylines (when I can find them, that is). I dunno. To be fair, the Lego Star Wars games are fairly fun — Reaper has both volumes. Except for things that explode into Lego pieces and using the Force to reshape some things here and there, the Lego bit isn’t a major thing…at least to me. I can see where you’re coming from, though — but it’s not like you sit there and pretend to build things with imaginary Legos.

As for your main point, you may be correct. But seeing as most of the games I play are fantasy RPGs and the like, the realism isn’t a big selling point (or maybe I’m just easily pleased). :) But I see so many ads for first person shooters and the like anymore (heck, most games in general) and I’m pretty much yawning. Maybe that’s why I try to gravitate more towards games with compelling storylines (when I can find them, that is). I dunno.

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