Lateral Thinking - Uncontrollable
Is a new type of control really expanding on a developer's freedom?
Sideath
Once upon a time, there was a Spectrum System - the first games 'console', with a specialised 'gamepad' - a D-pad and a button. Then there was an Amiga 4X - but thins time with its own keyboard (whooo). In the next 20 to 25 years, over 50 variants of console, and unlimited numbers of PCs and Macs have been designed and released, however, they still orbit around the same two styles set down by these original giants. Yes, they may increase the number of joysticks (which are basically analogue D-pads), increase the number of buttons (including [drum roll here] shoulder buttons), but nothing revolutionary, nothing fantastic. And frankly, by March 10 2005, I was getting bored with WASD and and joysticks.
Then, on the dawn of March 11 2005, I went into Gamestation and bought a Nintendo DS and a copy of Wario Ware: Touched!
The rest is history.
OK, it isn't. Basically, I was so amazed by the touch screen I spend 5 hours straight playing on it, and still it doesn't get boring. Yes, the DS may look shoddy. Yes, the DS may feel plasticky. Yes, the touch screen gets dusty easily. But this new form of control really makes up for it, and then some.
And as for the PSP? Apparently, in America, people are buying PSPs, and then playing them at home. In front of a switched-off TV. With a PS2 underneath it. Now, I'm not one to be playing Devil's Advocate, but surely that's just a waste of $300? There really isn't anything the PSP can do that the PS2 can't. (Or a $300 laptop, for that matter)
Anyway, back to the original topic. Is the new form of control expanding freedom for developers? Ironically, it should do. Nintendo announced at its European press conference that the touch screen was an 'optional extra' - Mr. Miyamoto claimed that 'a developer can, if they wish to, use the touch screen as an extra feature, as with the dual screen, but they don't have to'. However, on the majority of Nintendo magazines which review DS games (NGC, Cube), they have ratings for 'Dual' and 'Touch', thus incedentally, low scorers in these areas could put off potential buyers from buying that game.
In that sense, the DS almost forces developers to use the dual screen and touch screen in there games, therefore even limiting further the number of choices the developes have - yes, there's more space for innovativity, but there is less space for expanding current genres - I can just see the review scores for Castlevania DS - '75%. Would be 95% if it used the touch screen more...' - sad, isn't it?
Sideath
Once upon a time, there was a Spectrum System - the first games 'console', with a specialised 'gamepad' - a D-pad and a button. Then there was an Amiga 4X - but thins time with its own keyboard (whooo). In the next 20 to 25 years, over 50 variants of console, and unlimited numbers of PCs and Macs have been designed and released, however, they still orbit around the same two styles set down by these original giants. Yes, they may increase the number of joysticks (which are basically analogue D-pads), increase the number of buttons (including [drum roll here] shoulder buttons), but nothing revolutionary, nothing fantastic. And frankly, by March 10 2005, I was getting bored with WASD and and joysticks.
Then, on the dawn of March 11 2005, I went into Gamestation and bought a Nintendo DS and a copy of Wario Ware: Touched!
The rest is history.
OK, it isn't. Basically, I was so amazed by the touch screen I spend 5 hours straight playing on it, and still it doesn't get boring. Yes, the DS may look shoddy. Yes, the DS may feel plasticky. Yes, the touch screen gets dusty easily. But this new form of control really makes up for it, and then some.
And as for the PSP? Apparently, in America, people are buying PSPs, and then playing them at home. In front of a switched-off TV. With a PS2 underneath it. Now, I'm not one to be playing Devil's Advocate, but surely that's just a waste of $300? There really isn't anything the PSP can do that the PS2 can't. (Or a $300 laptop, for that matter)
Anyway, back to the original topic. Is the new form of control expanding freedom for developers? Ironically, it should do. Nintendo announced at its European press conference that the touch screen was an 'optional extra' - Mr. Miyamoto claimed that 'a developer can, if they wish to, use the touch screen as an extra feature, as with the dual screen, but they don't have to'. However, on the majority of Nintendo magazines which review DS games (NGC, Cube), they have ratings for 'Dual' and 'Touch', thus incedentally, low scorers in these areas could put off potential buyers from buying that game.
In that sense, the DS almost forces developers to use the dual screen and touch screen in there games, therefore even limiting further the number of choices the developes have - yes, there's more space for innovativity, but there is less space for expanding current genres - I can just see the review scores for Castlevania DS - '75%. Would be 95% if it used the touch screen more...' - sad, isn't it?
posted by sideath at 6/17/2005 03:28:00 pm
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