25th January 2005, 12:39 AM
The Gameboy Player, if you ask me, is a living breathing purpose defeat. Also, I have one. Really, the only thing it does is give you your own TV to control a game. Most of the time I prefer using the system those games were made for instead, due to portability. Not a terrible device, but really it's something they could just as soon not made and no one would care. Hardly innovation OR quality gameplay addition there.
Oh, those devices you list, allow me to make my say about each one indivitually...
Virtual Boy? True 3D imagery isn't a bad idea, but that was living poor execution. It was a wanna-be portable. That is, not portable at all, but they wanted it to be I guess. Also, it lacked color, well, unless you count red and black. Finally, it wasn't even powerful enough to really realize the one thing it actually was supposed to do. Most of the games used sprites! Kinda hard to sell 3D gaming on a device where everything still has to be flat anyway. Essentially, while true 3D imaging in a display would be nice, in and of itself, the virtual boy was terrible. I have one...
E-Reader, what a horridly useless device with NO potential at all. Seriously, nothing. Every single NES game released for that thing can, and is being, released on the GBA anyway. The only difference is the cost. Actually, price is the only thing cards have going for them, and you have to buy the e-reader anyway just to take advantage of that. Oh yes, the additional gameplay features it's supposed to add? Well, in the case of animal crossing, every single one of those items it "adds" are already in the game's code. In the case of something like Super Mario Bros 3, it actually does add levels, but those don't HAVE to be added that way. This is where Nintendo decided to make a silly gimic instead of something like, oh say, an online adapter for the GBA. They could have added data THAT way. Actually, speaking of, Nintendo could actually design DS games that can be expanded and start giving people downloadables they can run that will send out the update over their wi-fi access point, wherein the DS will then pick it up. Of course, people would need an access point to do that...
Oh yes, the GCN/BGA link-up is actually a pretty good idea now that I've seen the games they actually work well with. Before it was used for unlockables, not just boring, but a total con there. However, if you play Four Swords Adventures, it's hardly a gimic. The GCN's power is used to display the really nice game, but the 4 unique screens can be used to privatly sneak around. Hardly gimicy there, it's actually an important gameplay feature that a LOT of games could make use of. However, it is a very EXPENSIVE thing. Also, it's something that the ENTIRE industry just making ALL new systems super powerful handhelds would make pointless, since people would no longer need the super powered system on da big screen, just the little screens. However, since that won't be happening, this is good enough.
Light guns speak for themselves, they go "clack". They should stick around simply because it's fun to shoot your TV.
Okay, now for the DS. I'm... mixed to say the least.
First off, the touch screen is something that's been proven to me VERY well thanks to mini-game madness. The touch screen is something I think all handhelds should have from now on, if they can only manage to make it easily reachable! It's just too uncomfortable to use the thing right now. It doesn't help that the DS is heavy enough that my wrists actually get strained from holding the thing for more than 5 minutes. Seriously, it's a first, and that's coming from someone who has failed to even flinch on controllers I was supposed to find horribly uncomfortable.
That said, I will add that while the touch screen and microphone thing is a great idea, as good as the eye-toy in the control it adds anyway, the duel screen thing is just plain useless. Nintendo can't prove it's usefullness, because it isn't useful and it's impossible to prove something that isn't true. There's cost, but for sheer use, there's no point at all. It really could have easily been just one really big screen like on the PSP. The duel screen setup really is completely pointless in every way. If anything, it hurts it because now a game can't use the entire screen area to display one camera view. Well, they can but it will be split in the middle, and that would be VERY annoying.
Also, the DS is lacking in a few other areas. They really should have added analog support to the buttons. They could get full control in 3D games if they just made the d-pad analog. As it is, Mario 64 is HELL to control! The touch screen, as much as I like it, is A HORRIBLE way to control that game! Seriously, it's aweful! The D-pad is surprisingly decent, but really, analog support in there would have been much appreciated. I kinda wonder if the designers of that port even tried playing the game with the touch screen... The touch screen is good, but NOT for platformers. Oh, the touch screen is a little iffy in FPS games too. I mean, once you scroll to the edge, you have to move your stylus back to the other edge of the screen, and that takes milliseconds you don't have in a fire fight. Continous non-stop movement is a must in that sort of game. In games like strategy, or drawing, or crazy mini-game madness, or I'm seeing lots of stuff where direct touch it and move it there control would really be great, it'll be great though.
Eye-toy... On the one hand, I REALLY want to hate that thing :D, you know, for being so gimicky. On the other hand, I realize deep down how nice a device it could be, essentially replacing countless other devices all at once, thus making it very worthwhile.
Oh, those devices you list, allow me to make my say about each one indivitually...
Virtual Boy? True 3D imagery isn't a bad idea, but that was living poor execution. It was a wanna-be portable. That is, not portable at all, but they wanted it to be I guess. Also, it lacked color, well, unless you count red and black. Finally, it wasn't even powerful enough to really realize the one thing it actually was supposed to do. Most of the games used sprites! Kinda hard to sell 3D gaming on a device where everything still has to be flat anyway. Essentially, while true 3D imaging in a display would be nice, in and of itself, the virtual boy was terrible. I have one...
E-Reader, what a horridly useless device with NO potential at all. Seriously, nothing. Every single NES game released for that thing can, and is being, released on the GBA anyway. The only difference is the cost. Actually, price is the only thing cards have going for them, and you have to buy the e-reader anyway just to take advantage of that. Oh yes, the additional gameplay features it's supposed to add? Well, in the case of animal crossing, every single one of those items it "adds" are already in the game's code. In the case of something like Super Mario Bros 3, it actually does add levels, but those don't HAVE to be added that way. This is where Nintendo decided to make a silly gimic instead of something like, oh say, an online adapter for the GBA. They could have added data THAT way. Actually, speaking of, Nintendo could actually design DS games that can be expanded and start giving people downloadables they can run that will send out the update over their wi-fi access point, wherein the DS will then pick it up. Of course, people would need an access point to do that...
Oh yes, the GCN/BGA link-up is actually a pretty good idea now that I've seen the games they actually work well with. Before it was used for unlockables, not just boring, but a total con there. However, if you play Four Swords Adventures, it's hardly a gimic. The GCN's power is used to display the really nice game, but the 4 unique screens can be used to privatly sneak around. Hardly gimicy there, it's actually an important gameplay feature that a LOT of games could make use of. However, it is a very EXPENSIVE thing. Also, it's something that the ENTIRE industry just making ALL new systems super powerful handhelds would make pointless, since people would no longer need the super powered system on da big screen, just the little screens. However, since that won't be happening, this is good enough.
Light guns speak for themselves, they go "clack". They should stick around simply because it's fun to shoot your TV.
Okay, now for the DS. I'm... mixed to say the least.
First off, the touch screen is something that's been proven to me VERY well thanks to mini-game madness. The touch screen is something I think all handhelds should have from now on, if they can only manage to make it easily reachable! It's just too uncomfortable to use the thing right now. It doesn't help that the DS is heavy enough that my wrists actually get strained from holding the thing for more than 5 minutes. Seriously, it's a first, and that's coming from someone who has failed to even flinch on controllers I was supposed to find horribly uncomfortable.
That said, I will add that while the touch screen and microphone thing is a great idea, as good as the eye-toy in the control it adds anyway, the duel screen thing is just plain useless. Nintendo can't prove it's usefullness, because it isn't useful and it's impossible to prove something that isn't true. There's cost, but for sheer use, there's no point at all. It really could have easily been just one really big screen like on the PSP. The duel screen setup really is completely pointless in every way. If anything, it hurts it because now a game can't use the entire screen area to display one camera view. Well, they can but it will be split in the middle, and that would be VERY annoying.
Also, the DS is lacking in a few other areas. They really should have added analog support to the buttons. They could get full control in 3D games if they just made the d-pad analog. As it is, Mario 64 is HELL to control! The touch screen, as much as I like it, is A HORRIBLE way to control that game! Seriously, it's aweful! The D-pad is surprisingly decent, but really, analog support in there would have been much appreciated. I kinda wonder if the designers of that port even tried playing the game with the touch screen... The touch screen is good, but NOT for platformers. Oh, the touch screen is a little iffy in FPS games too. I mean, once you scroll to the edge, you have to move your stylus back to the other edge of the screen, and that takes milliseconds you don't have in a fire fight. Continous non-stop movement is a must in that sort of game. In games like strategy, or drawing, or crazy mini-game madness, or I'm seeing lots of stuff where direct touch it and move it there control would really be great, it'll be great though.
Eye-toy... On the one hand, I REALLY want to hate that thing :D, you know, for being so gimicky. On the other hand, I realize deep down how nice a device it could be, essentially replacing countless other devices all at once, thus making it very worthwhile.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)