Pixel Theories | a gamer getting older...

e3 '08 - Ninty and Sony keynotes...

Yesterday I was going to post two seperate responses to Nintendo and Sony respectively.  But after some internal deliberation, I found both addresses to be lacking.  So much so that they don't deserve individual posts.  As I said previously I don't pay much attention to the figures that are stated, they've never really impressed or surprised me.

What did surprise me was the lack of innovation from both companies.  As Nintendo and Sony are both veterans that have, in the past, proved themselves by releasing/showing various new hardware and software which have had serious impacts on the industry.  Instead what was delivered was statistic after statistic.  As both companies had to have realized the at the end of the day previous, that they just brought their knife to a gun fight.

So in light of their lack of commitment to e3; I feel competent that I can summarize both Sony and Nintendo's keynotes each in a first-person perspective:

Sony: "Okay we f*^&ed up. We know we f*^&ed up.  But we're going to make it better by cutting prices; mainly because we can't compete.  So please, come back.  We've got a new SOCOM game, God of War III, and.....well....please, come back."

Nintendo: "We'd like to show you forty-two other things we can do with wiimotes.  None of which relate anything to Mario, Zelda, Kid Icarus or the many other licenses that we've got locked away in a vault and aren't going to do a damn thing with.  Sure we've got new games in the pipeline, I don't know what they are, but if I find Shigeru; he can go through them in great detail.  Shiggy?  Shiggy?  Has anyone seen a creative little Japanese guy around here somewhere?  Seriously, this isn't funny anymore!?!"

Two companies who have both at one time or another dominated the games industry; have now become the underdogs.  And only time will tell if MS can learn a thing or two from history.  Mainly, that this is one market where you can never rest on your laurels.

e3 '08 - Microsoft keynote address...

I used to think that e3 was a great expo.  I used to take the week off, read as much as I could, play with other individuals that I could talk to about the event and I even had my own mecca to LA back in 04'.  But now the lack of intimacy of the event has made the 3-day extravaganza a little bit of a bore.  Used to be that e3 was the an all-in moment at the poker game for first party developers.  Now, it's just a jockeying point for 1st party execs to recite arbitrary stats, that couldn't be verified by the best financial analysts.  Fact is that these guys cook their virtual books before they take the stage in July.  And I've seen so much of in the last 14 years that I've grown tired of it.

That being said Microsoft has made an interesting move at this year's e3.  Their interesting list of features for the new and improved 360 dashboard has me a little excited for the fall update.  And there's the rub.   When exactly is their fall update going to be?  With a lackluster spring update, and the lack of games from June to late-October, and a plethora of mediocre XBLA games, the house of M has been one of respite.

Hopefully, this latest addition to the dashboard will quash statements from those within the community who bitch and complain about paying for XBL.  Say what you want about the free services from Sony and Nintendo, it is becoming more and more apparent that those services can't hold a candle to the innovations and adjustments that are made to XBL via dashboard updates.  And it should also be noted that these adjustments are tailored specifically from community members that use the product most.  When you think about it it's really quite impressive.

Never made it to Emerald City Comicon

I never made it to the Emerald City Comicon.  You really have to wonder about the timing of this expo though, it's during Mother's Day weekend.  Horrible timing in my opinion.  Anyway, I've been looking at Flickr pages and reading up on the con, It doesn't look like I missed a whole lot.  But still would've liked to attend; I was on the fence about buying the limited edition Hulk piece.  So perhaps someone can change the date of 09's ECC.  Cause this year's scheduling was crap. 

Jet City Retro a NWCGE experience.

Jet City Retro was a NWCGE (Northwest Classic Gaming Enthusiasts) expo held this last weekend in Seattle's U District at the Hotel Deca.  This is the first time I've seen the Deca since it's remodel, but like many boutique hotels in the area, Hotel Max, etc., the Deca blends its old world architecture with modern design and lighting.  And while it was a perfect place to hold a small expo, the expo itself was...well...underwhelming.

The problem was a lack of information, while I was interested in the vendors, I had a hard time adjusting to the lack of people who had shown up for the event.  There were three rooms: vendors, free play, and Rock Band.  Had I, or the rest of the individuals showing up known there would be a Rock Band tourney, and NES competitions etc. I imagine the turnout would have been better.  That being said, I did have fun in the freeplay room, the highlight was some quality time on a Mame cabinet playing Rolling Thunder.  In the vendor room I almost bought a Electronic Quarterback game that I remember playing as a child, but it's condition/price was beyond what I was going to pay for it.  The other noteworthy item from the vendor showing was a Classic Game Watch handheld that was overpriced.

Thankfully I live close to the city so this really wasn't a disappointment, but for those who drove from Portland, or parts of E. Washington, Idaho, Montana, Canada, I feel that it may have been not worth their while.  If I go to another NWCGE it'll be larger with more to offer in terms of entertainment and interaction.  Besides this was a two hour stop, I had other plans which included a trip to Pagliacci's, a visit to my old elementary school, now a U District community center, and the Husky Spring Game.