Best and/or Brightest

The new. It’s something I, and I assume others, struggle with. Always wanting that new thing. The latest and greatest. This mantra seems to apply pretty evenly across a bunch of aspects of the industry. From the latest consoles – which even seems to apply several times across a generation now, to new fads like Virtual Reality and even to updates in games like new characters. And that’s where I want to start.

I exist inside of paradox where I both understand and am baffled by people’s desire for the new. So let’s start with the small stuff.

As I’ve said a lot lately – I’ve been playing Overwatch again. And, in Overwatch, Blizzard has recently release a new character: Sombra. Now, I get that everyone, to an extent, is always going to want the new characters and everyone is going to want to play that character. But come on guys. Like everything – there is a time and a place. This is one of those paradoxes I was talking about. I understand wanting to play as a new character after a year of playing with the same 20. But at the same time, playing it in competitive mode where ranks are decided and team composition is important, is not the time to learn how to play the new character.

VR. That’s a big one for this generation. The proverbial toe in the water. VR is fancy, and it’s new. And, as such, carries a price tag that matches its status. But is it really that exciting? Or, I guess the real question to be asked is: Is it worth 700$ plus the applicable taxes to find out? It’s an interesting foray into an undiscovered medium – I’ll grant it that. And I think in time it will prove to be the next major leap that games take: Total immersion. I mean, we’ve seen it in science fiction in books like Neuromancer and TV shows like Star Trek’s Holodeck. It’s the logical progression.

Lastly – consoles. Now, in the past – and we don’t have to go back that far to see it, the PS3/360 generation had it – we’ve had multiple versions of consoles be delivered throughout the life cycle. PS3 started fat, with a small hard drive and it was backwards compatible. Then we go the slim, which offered a significant improvement on design, HDD size, over all size of the console and better functionality (i.e. less burnout). And the 360 saw several iterations of the same concept. But they were all effectively the same system. More or less, anyway. But this generation is funny. We’re being “treated” to several versions of the console, some with “vast” improvements.

Now, how vast that improvement is is definitely based off of what kind of tech you have supporting the console. If you’ve got a 4K TV and you’re fully set up with the next rung of Blu-Ray discs, then consoles like the Xbox One: Scorpio are definitely what you should be aspiring to. Now, that’s to say, if you don’t already have a console from this generation. Because, if you do, and you have all of those supporting pieces of tech, the reviews are pretty underwhelming. Anyone with a good 4K TV will tell you, the upscaling that the TV does, regardless of whether or not you’re running the PS4 Pro, Xbox One: S or (granted this is an impression at this point) the Xbox One: Scorpio, is going to provide a significant improvement in graphical quality. Of course, the rest of the tech specs and in the case of Microsoft, the added 4K Blu-Ray player is something to consider I suppose. At least until things are developed in native 4K.

But I leave you with the question – is newer always better? Does it have to be the latest and greatest to keep you happy, or are you good with what you’ve got?

Sound off below or hit me up on one of the social media platforms that I’ve linked below.

Twitter. Facebook. YouTube.

– The Ego

Classic vs Classic

So the NES Classic edition is coming out in just seven short days. What are people thinking? I just inherited (no, they didn’t die, they just gave them to me) two-too many original NES’ from my grandparents. I was fortunate enough to already have one, and a few awesome games. Some of them were my grandmother’s – and are straight out of my childhood. I also snagged my old N64 and their SNES. Which is definitely one of my prized possessions. If only I could find a reasonably priced copy of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Mario RPG – I’d be all set.

So, personally, I’m torn. Do I or don’t I?

The thought of having an NES that doesn’t require me blowing into every cartridge is incredibly appealing. Even though this apparently “does nothing”.

And, even though I do have a fair assortment of games, like I said – stuff like Tiny Toons and Zelda – there are a lot of games built into that console that I don’t have. Castlevania,  Donkey Kong (and Jr), Ghost N’Goblins and Punch Out! Oh man. Plus Dr. Mario. The nostalgia is just flooding back. I used to have a running competition with one of my elementary school teachers in Dr. Mario.

Plus, from what I’ve read, the updated graphics are something to write home about. I’ll chalk it up to the HDMI running the show instead of an RF cable. As a side note – when I unpacked my NES to hook up to my 4K TV, I wasn’t even sure it was going to hook up. But it did. Plus the “classic” look mode is supposed to be pretty cool as well.

And the new console looks pretty awesome. Tiny, but awesome. Apparently the controllers are as wide as the entire console.

The controllers have been upgraded as well. The new controllers include tighter, better functioning D-Pads. Which will hopefully make playing games like Mega Man 2 – with it’s incredibly infuriating platforming sections – a more workable nightmare.

But, and yea we’re onto the negatives now – on the topic of the controllers: The cord. It’s way too short. For me, it’s not a huge issue. My living room isn’t large, so short wired controllers isn’t a big deal. But, the choice to do that in the first place is kind of baffling. It’s a Nintendo decision for sure. “Do people still sit two feet from the TV like they did when they were kids? No? Fuck it. Make the cords 3′ long anyway”.

The biggest no for me is the pre-loaded games. I don’t mean the choices – although while I’m at it, some of the choices are a little wonky. Super C instead of Contra? Why? I digress. The real problem is that there are only 30 games built into the console. Which, for a start, is perfectly fine. And at (I’m assuming 80$) 30 games is a good amount. Even if they aren’t all winners. But the fact that you can’t upload, download or add any more games in any way makes this system kind of a let down. I think I speak for most people when I say that when this system was announced and they said pre-installed games, that at some point we would be able to take advantage of the built in hard drive and actually be able to get some new games for it. Of course, it’s Nintendo, so I assumed it would be at my expense from the Nintendo eShop. Which, I guess, is to be expected. It’s not like they’re going to just hand out free titles – I mean, their competition has been doing it for years, but hey, it’s Nintendo.

So, with that in mind, I still don’t know what to do. If I buy the Classic, I’ll still have to buy some of the NES games I don’t have. But it’ll save me a bunch of money and time not having to track down the games that are already installed.

What am I to do?

– The Ego

 

First Final Fantasy Foray

In an uncharacteristic show of competence, Canada Post delivered my copy of World of Final Fantasy first thing in the morning Thursday. Granted – it was two days late – but that was Amazon’s fault. I digress.

I know I don’t traditionally do reviews (they’ve reared their heads a few times) but I was pretty excited to check this game out – it was the outlier in all of my pre-orders for the next year or so. I’m only about 10 hours in, but I think I’ve got a good grasp on it.

Pros:

So this game plays extremely well. It’s a combination of the standard Final Fantasy trope and Pokemon. Basically you need to be constantly hunting down, capturing and leveling creatures called Mirages (basically Final Fantasy Pokemon).

The mechanics are solid, once you get used to them. The whole concept surrounds catching different typical FF monsters and recruiting them to your party and then creating stacks with your own characters. Once you dig into the way the whole thing works, you can come up with some pretty cool combinations. The only problem is that there are too many cool mirages to pick from! The battle system works somewhere in between some of the more recent Final Fantasy games (like FF13) and classic FF and it’s all turn based. I mean, you can use their new battle commands where you can short cut everything, or you can change it back to the old menu – which is what I’m obviously using. The other really cool thing worth mentioning is the appearance of tons of classic FF characters. Cloud, Squall, Sephiroth – just to name a few show up as “champions” which function as one of the summons in the game.

The music, for any old school fans, is something worth paying attention to as well. If you listen closely, you’ll hear a lot of classic tunes remixed for the game.

And so far – the story is pretty solid. There’s enough intrigue to keep me hooked, and the characters are interesting and believable…with a few exceptions. I mean, this isn’t Shakespeare, but it’s classic FF. Classic JRPG.

Cons:

I only have three complaints:

1. Graphics. Well, not the graphics persay, but the choice of art style. For some reason Square decided to go with a Nenodroid style of character for pretty much everyone in the world – including the PCs (except that you can also grow big to a normal looking character as well). Otherwise, the game is bright and colourful and looks great.
2. For whatever reason (I’m assuming for comedic purposes) they made the male lead (Lann) a total idiot whose reactions to things are long past hamming it up. I mean, Shatner would shake his head at this guy on his worst day. Now, I guess it’s good that they didn’t just automatically make the sister (Reynn) dumb by default, but I think they could have skipped making either of them stupid in some poor attempt to make them “funny”.
3. Finally: Tama. The dialogue coming out of this things mouth makes me wonder what Square was thinking? It’s so bad, it makes me wonder who I hate more. Tama or Navi.
   
   If I were a religious man, I’d wonder if the devil created Tama to test my willingness to murder. Basically: Tama puts the word “the” needlessly in front of words that just don’t make a lick of fucking sense. As a writer, it baffles me endlessly. As a gamer, I want to see bad things happen to whoever thought it was a good idea.

 

Would I buy it at full price? Yes. The mixture of the two tropes works. Square was smart to capitalise on the Pokemon gameplay and the classic FF aspects just work. It’s a colourful and fun to play game that boasts a 50+ hour campaign. Despite what IGN said – I don’t find the battle system wears over time. All I can say is: If you weren’t prepared to grind – you’re in the wrong game IGN.

– The Ego

 

We built this city

No, not on rock and roll, but on a mountain of backlogged games. No, I’m not going to drone on for 600 words about how I’m backlogged to all Hell and how life is busy, etc. No, today I think I’m going to talk about what I am playing. I’d like to know what other people are playing. Are you staying current? I know I’m not. And frankly, till someone starts paying me to do this, I don’t foresee myself catching up. So here’s where I’m at:

Overwatch: Yup, I’m still playing this. I had taken some time off of it after the first competitive season – which kind of broke me. I just don’t understand why people who are terrible play competitive. Well, I do. There’s an exclusive item involved. Part of the problem with Blizzard games is that they’re grindy. You see a guy with a crazy high level and your normal reaction is to think “phew, someone who knows how to play” but really all you’re seeing (with exceptions, of course) is someone who dumped (likely) hundreds of hours into the game – win or lose.

Rant aside – it’s still a really fun game. I like putting myself to the test in games like that. And I like that there are over 20 characters for me to choose from. And I’ve taken to the most unlikely character too – Zarya. She’s a challenge to play well. Ever since I read the article about the Korean girl who ended the career of two pros, the character intrigued me. I even picked up this awesome print from Johnni Kok at a comic con:

If you like that, you can find his page here.

All in all, it’s one of Blizzards best games. Definitely crushed poor Gearbox’s Battleborn. Like Blue Rodeo said – just bad timing I guess.

GTA V Online – I played a bit of this when the game first came out. Played more when I upgraded to the PS4 version. But since they released the Bikers update – I’ve been all over this game. Like many, I’m a huge Sons of Anarchy fan. And I’ve always had a soft spot for bikes. Runs in the family and I’m just waiting for the day I can buy my own and ride it across the country. I liked the Heists update. They are REALLY fun – at least the actual final missions anyway. The lead-ups are pretty tedious. Well, most anyway. But the Bikers expansion finally let me dress and ride like I have been trying to for the length time I’ve been playing this game in the first place. Plus the buying and running of the illicit businesses hearkens back to the good old days of Vice City. Now, they businesses aren’t as clandestine, or as “fun”, because you just straight up own a weed farm or coke lock-up, but it’s a fun addition nonetheless.

Lastly, I’ll drop a demo in here:

World of Final Fantasy: Played through the whole demo, and I spent some time just running around Grimoire trying to check out all of the monsters. At first – I didn’t get it. The whole stacking thing threw me off. But in the end – I loved it. It’s one new game that I’ll push my backlog back for. I’m a sucker for a good Final Fantasy game. Admittedly, it’s a bit too cutesy for me. But the core game and the mechanics are solid. I watched the IGN “review” just for giggles. I don’t disagree with everything – but their reviews are generally pretty bad. At least with the video version, I didn’t have to suffer through the typos…

Now – if only Amazon had the foresight to, I don’t know, ship my game ahead of time instead of making me wait till the end of the week. If I had it in hand, I’d be writing a review of it, instead of the demo. So, I guess once I sink a few hours into it, I’ll give you something more in-depth.

– The Ego

Just a few days behind

Red. Dead. Redemption. 2.

YES. OH MY YES.

Sorry, I’ve got a hold of myself now. The funny thing is that the reaction isn’t even based off of the trailer. Which, granted, was pretty exciting though incredibly brief as per the Rockstar usual. But it just looked so amazing. Waves of nostalgia just swept over me. Back to the end of the first game and that heartbreaking moment and for the first time I saw GTA V.

And yea, I know this came out a few days ago, and I’m just getting to it, but I wasn’t writing then, and I am now. So lets talk RDR2:

Watching a true current-gen offering from Rockstar is like watching Cirque de Soliel for the first time. It’s beautiful, unique and stirs up a million questions. What can we expect? Unlike the majority of the articles that are kicking around the web, I’m not as concerned with the whole “Is it John Marston?” debate. Whether or not it ends up being him, or if the game focuses on a new/series of protagonists, is secondary in my opinion. What I want to know is: What has Rockstar got up it’s sleeve this time? How, pray tell, could the possibly out do themselves this time around. I mean, Red Dead Redemption is iconic. There are few games that have come out in my lifetime that are so universally loved. The only other series that has generated that kind of universal acceptance and admiration is the Elder Scrolls series.

So what can they add? The online was prolific for the time. It was one of the first online games I actually engaged in. The range of activities was pretty vast, and of course had the standard “oh look, there’s another person, I better just shoot them”. So, I’m not sure what they can add to improve it. I mean, I’m sure they’ll have something new in the offline game that will translate over to the online. My big concern with the online side is that they go the same was as GTAO has. Where only the online aspect of the game gets all of the DLC. And this is coming from someone who actively plays the online in GTAO. And given the extremely high quality of the DLC for Red Dead. Undead Nightmare – despite being yet another zombie DLC in a time where that had sadly become the norm – was incredible.

So far the single player looks like it’ll be true to form. The hunting will likely return and looks like they’re putting a greater emphasis on it. Of course, everything at this point is speculation. More of the same would really hit the spot. I trust in Rockstar. I know a lot of people have gone down the path, likening Rockstar to companies like EA and Cashcom – only being about the moolah via micro transactions. But it’s not the case. I mean, I know GTA hasn’t gotten any single player DLC like they did for GTA 4. That being said – every piece of GTAO DLC has been free. And let’s face facts – they haven’t disappointed so far. I haven’t played a Rockstar game since GTA 3 that wasn’t good.

The one thing I hope for is more fun little things like some of the trophies and the horses of the four horsemen. Dastardly  was probably one of my favourite things in the entire game – and that’s not just because I always root for the villains in the movies. Hunting the Chupacabra, tracking down the pale horse – also pretty damn awesome. I always find it’s the little things that make Rockstar games great. Like when you realise that Donald Love is a cannibal in GTA 3.

So this week past begins the countdown to fall 2017. That’s the one thing they do that I can’t deal with – tease (in the most literal sense) a game a year in advance. It’s hard enough waiting in between releases, but it’s worse when they give us just enough.

– The Ego

 

Last ditch Switch

I know the title implies a pretty negative connotation to what I’m about to lay down – but trust me – it isn’t.

I haven’t been this excited for anything Nintendo since the N64 released Pokemon Stadium! I mean, I’ve bought every Nintendo console since the dawn of time…Or, you know, had it bought for me. Not a lot of disposable income in 1987 being that I was 4.Though, admittedly, both iterations of the Wii were giant flops. Not just for me either and I don’t need to go through the list either. If you read through my previous posts, you know how I feel about the Wii (U).

But the Switch holds a hell of a lot of promise for Nintendo. If they handle this right – they could completely turn their company around. And just in time too. Because if this doesn’t take, well, see the title. Time to hang up the ole’ spurs.

Here’s what’s on my mind:

Nintendo, for a long time, has been a much better software developer than hardware. And, frankly, that’s been true since the N64. Things have been going downhill since then. I’m sorry Gamecube die-hards, but you know I’m right. But one thing Nintendo does extremely well is make hand-held consoles. Vita who? Sony, you really shouldn’t have bothered. But the 3DS is doing, and historically has done, really well. Now just think of it – a home/hand-held console. The lack of divergence in R&D, both teams working towards one end – that’s a winning idea. And the promise that holds – oh boy. We may get what we’ve (read me) been asking for for a long time – a fully 3D rendered Pokemon game! Of course, all of this is operating on the premise that there won’t be a heir to the 3DS throne. Since 3D is a fad of the past, one can only hope that the successor will be the Switch. I mean, it only makes sense to focus all of the effort on one machine.

Now, I’m sure a lot of you are skeptical, and I understand. So am I. I’ve been burnt twice too. I bought both of the last consoles at full retail and regretted it. But, like many of you, I will be in there in March picking up my switch.

I also know a lot of you are reading this, saying: “But Ego, how is it going to compete against the PS4 and Xbone?”

To you I say: It doesn’t have to. Nintendo has always exited in a curious niche of the industry. The gimmick niche. And I think that the Switch will continue to exist there as well. But if they can put out an offering that at least matches the visuals of the generation (I’m not talking PS4 Pro and Scorpio) – I think that the Switch will have a lot to offer. The hardware difference has never been a real deterrent for people buying Nintendo consoles anyway.

Now, this is the part where I talk about the meaning behind the title. In my ever so humble opinion – this is it for Nintendo. This is their absolute, dying on the vine, last ditch effort at being a hardware developer (outside of maybe sticking to just handheld games, but I really don’t see the point of that). If the Switch doesn’t succeed – take my advice -hang it up. Do yourself (and your investors) a favour and become a software developer. That is something Nintendo does very well. License your titles to Sony and Microsoft. Let them shoulder the burden on losing money on consoles. You’ve proved you can win on platforms other than the home console – look at Pokemon Go. Hell, strike an exclusivity deal with Sony or Microsoft and let them take Mario, Luigi, Link, Zelda, Donkey and Pikachu under their umbrellas and just watch the truckloads of cash pile up. With the winning franchises you’ve created, you don’t need to make the system to play them on too. It worked for Sega.

– The Ego

When games are art

Well, here we are. Something that’s been bouncing around my head as I see reviews for some of those up-and-coming games. Games like Journey, The Unfinished Swan and No Man’s Sky. Now, I know the former two aren’t new games by a long shot, But the PS4 remakes are a little more recent, or on their way in the near future.

The games don’t have any kind of central narrative, save for Unfinished Swan. They are games with the intention of capturing the senses through sheer visual appeal. Frankly, I think they’re on to something. Don’t misread me. I still think a well crafted story is the key to a fantastic game. Granted, I’m biased. I couldn’t draw, paint or craft a decent picture/object to save my life. I’ve always been a word person. So at the end of the day – the words the game chooses to impact it’s world and the end user – that’s always going to be where my bread is buttered.

That’s not to say, though, that those games don’t have something going for themselves. The majestic dunes in Journey and the picturesque planets and galaxies that we’ve seen of No Man’s sky thus far are exactly the kind of games I’m talking about.

No Man’s Sky may be the first time, in games at least, where true inspiration can be born. Now, I know games like Minecraft and Littlebigplanet have been around for some time and they are by and far away the best games to inspire creativity. However, they are limited to the extent that their creative spaces are only creative within the enclosure of their models. Meaning, they are creative but limited to the tools given to the end user by the developers. Yes, I know this is more true for LBP than Minecraft, but I feel my point stands. No Man’s Sky gives you the ability to explore and interact with planets and people to whatever end works for you. Discovery – I think that’s the key. Bear in mind that I’ve said some of this before and the game still isn’t out – but I really think the potential here is colossal.

Journey – I won’t lie, I’m not crazy about the game. I bought it because it was something that was talked about and raved about for some time. Now, gameplay wise, not my cup of tea. But the game is majestic looking at the worst of times. Does that make up for the game’s flaws in terms of structure – no. But, it does present a unique insight into the game/art paradigm. The game is a moving Monet. There really is almost nothing like it. Keep in mind too that the game was released on a 720p console. Seeing something like that is tantamount to something directed by Kubrick. It’s a world that is amazingly beautiful and mysterious at every turn and every frame. It’s clear that painstaking efforts were put forth to make this game what the developers had in mind.

The Unfinished Swan deviates from the others mentioned in the sense that it does have a linear story and, basically, an on-rails story. That being said – the world that is there – even though it’s white from the get-go, is still yours to create to an extent. At least in the sense, that the world doesn’t appear without you. Your interaction, either through paint or water or the problem solving that is necessary to advance, is all there because you make it. Much like the story in the game, it’s a world that is a blank slate until you are involved. And then, much like moving through a gallery or museum, the paintings change when you move through them and they only exist (existentially speaking) because you are there to be a part of them. To bear witness, as it were.

Enough of my bloviating on art. Frankly, it’s always been a subject I’ve known very little about and therefore, interacted with it on a limited basis.

– The Ego

Let me get my crystal ball

Sorry for the late posting.

What’s the future dear gamers? Whenever I talk to people, all I hear is digital. That seems to be where the publishers want to go. I’m just not sure the world is ready. Well, maybe ready is the wrong word. I think a lot of people are comfortable with the digital model already. But really – I just don’t think it’s as good of an idea as some people think.

Thanks to the good people at Sony (and the 50$ I shell out every year), I have ended up with a ton of free games. What I can say is this: I can’t for the life of me think about which ones are just rotting in my consoles at the moment. It’s not that I don’t want to play them. I wouldn’t have downloaded them if I hadn’t gotten the spark of interest. But there are so many. Like I said in my last post, finding the time, it’s a problem.

I think the real problem, at least for me, is the price. I get that with the value of our dollar plummeting, that prices will go up accordingly. So when it comes to picking up games, I do wait for sales. The digital model costs less – to some extent. I realise that it still cost a lot to produce a game. But if I’m going to pay the same price as something manufactured – I need to have something tangible, something I can take home with me. The least the publishers could do is pass the savings on to the end user. Seriously.

I guess the other option is the Netflix model. Sony’s already gone there with the purchasing of Gaikai, and turning it around and calling it Playstation Now. I still think it’s a bit early to proclaim this a success or a failure. But I just don’t know that it’s a model that’s quite ready to be a success. Don’t get me wrong – I love Netflix. I predominantly use it as my source of entertainment. But at the same time, I prefer the ease of picking something off of my shelf, putting it in, and not worrying if the net is too slow for the quality I want, or if the connection is going to drop.

There are other problems. Mainly that this (see below) isn’t quite true.

With Microsoft proclaiming backwards-compatibility will be forthcoming, Sony needs to step it up. Though, to be fair, there are some serious problems with both models. With Sony, you need to be a pretty steep monthly fee. That’s one. Well, a pretty big one actually. But you also need to make sure that you are kicking out some serious bandwidth to keep those games streaming without interruption.

With Microsoft, yeah, popping in the old disc will give you the game. Eventually, they’re probably going to be able to get you a copy of every game in the past gen. Probably. But, the downside is: You’re going to need one hell of a hard drive. I mean, the games were probably smaller than a lot of the installs and day-one patches for the next (when are we going to start calling it current) gen games, but if your collection looks anything like my collection, you’re going to need a few of those bad boys. I guess that’s something a lot of PC gamers are already dealing with. I have a friend who is a Steam gamer, and buys into the model of picking up everything when it goes on Steam-sales and he’s got a few terabytes dedicated to his game collection. He’s probably never going to get through all of them.

So digital or physical? I want to say at some point I’ll make the switch. But I’m a gamer – and a collector. Sometimes I’m not sure which side is making my buying decisions, but I do like having something in hand, something with nice art and something I can pick up whenever.

– The Ego

To buy or not to buy, aye, that’s the rub!

Man. I just don’t know sometimes.

Every day I’m surrounded by games that I desperately want to play. They call out to me. They haunt my dreams. In 1910 H.P Lovecraft thought the image of C’thulu was a maddening force and certain doom. In 2015 – it’s the PS4 aisle at the store where I work.

On the one hand – I love games. I’m super ambitious about picking up, playing the hell out of and then completing all of these amazing games.

On the other – I have to work for a living (mostly to pay for the games I want to play, the TV I play them on and my obscene action figure collection) and I’m married. So, you know, there are some expectations. Like, showing up for work and putting down the controller to help fold the laundry and, you know, stuff.

Not sure what to do these days. Aside from the simple fact that I can’t find enough hours in the day or enough money in the bank to pick up everything I’m missing, I just can’t get through my backlog.

I guess this is the part of the discussion where I have to admit I have a problem and potentially surrender myself to some sort of higher power. I won’t lie, I’ve done that already. But, for some reason neither Bane nor the dread-god C’thulu haven’t made any headway towards helping me.

But yea, I do have a problem. I’m an adult gamer with a (relatively) normal “addiction”. I want to take part in all the industry has to offer. Like I said in a previous post, I just want to be able to try as much as I can because there is so much on offer. Not unlike a buffet, I hit as many stations as possible, and then I end up bloated and sick. That was a bit of a laboured metaphor, but the point is there.

Where it really gets complicated: Games like Evolve. I played the beta (well, as much as I could on my PS4, which was frustrating at the best of times) and it really was awesome. Since then, I see it every day. I want it. Nay, need it. But when I think about adding another game to the pile, I get discouraged.

So I’ve come to three conclusions:

1. I need to build a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, grab my consoles and say goodbye to human contact for a year, and just bang out those games.

2. I need to resign myself to the fact that I just can’t pick up every game I want to play.

3. Well, three isn’t a pretty picture…

When it comes to single player experiences, it’s not as dramatic a problem as I make it out to be. I just need to relegate myself to the idea of having to wait a while, picking it up on sale, and then working my way through the list a bit at a time. It’s the multi-player games that make it tough though.

Games like Evolve, who knows how long the community is going to be around for it? It seems to be front-loaded with a pile of micro-transactions, which pisses off a lot of gamers (myself included) so that trend tends to alienate a pretty big segment of the gaming world. So, if that is the case, and people are trending towards avoiding the game – if I wait too long, I might miss out on the chance to take part in what could otherwise be an amazing game. Now, I know you’re reading and thinking “Well, it didn’t review all that well anyway”. This is just an example. In the past, games like Rage and Bulletstorm, which were a ton of fun to play solo, had the multiplayer attached, but by the time I got onto them, it had all but dried up. Something I do try to avoid.

But, what is one to do? One can only do so much. I’ll figure something out. Probably.

– The Ego

/Rant

I’m not even going to pretend that this isn’t a single-malt diatribe.

I unequivocally hate used games.

Places like EB Games (Gamestop) are the bane of the existence of the gaming industry. I don’t know what compels people towards purchasing a used copy over the new. I suppose, in the case of a startling gap between the new and used price, I can understand it to some extent. But anyone having set foot into their retail locations knows that the price difference, is negligible at best.

I’m going to assume, going forward, anyone still reading this you’ve never bothered to google the information to find out for yourself. Here’s a fun little info-graphic I found with a quick google search. Bear in mind, it might not be a 100% accurate, but it’s more about making my overall point, than being pin-point accurate.

So, according to the fine folks at Feedvibe who took the time to (I’m assuming) research and make this handy pie chart, that’s basically your standard breakdown. I can tell you, from working retail, the amount the retailer makes it a lot smaller than depicted. Well, at least in Canada. And, at least, where I work.

Regardless.

Here’s how much the developers and publishers make when you pick up that 5$ off used copy of your next adventure:

Zero.

Yup. I hope you knew that. But if you didn’t there it be.

So when you pick up that used game, here’s a few things to bear in mind:

1. The person who “traded” that game in, probably got a whopping 10% of the actual MRSP. Now, maybe they also bought it used, or got it on sale, beat it and flipped it. Either way, they sure didn’t see a whole lot of that money back. And that’s the vicious cycle at it’s start.

2. Used games almost always get sold back to the retailers multiple times. People don’t assign any value to a used game. It’s a commodity to be purchased, used to delight, and then thrown back onto the heap to be purchased again.

3. At this point, you’re probably asking: “But Ego, who cares? Isn’t all that matters is that I’m playing the game, and (potentially) giving free marketing by telling my friends about my experience?” Maybe you’re not saying that, but I’m going to pretend that’s what I heard. Sure. Word of mouth reviews probably sell more games that any info a retail salesperson is going to be able to do. I mean, after all, who trusts sales people? Here’s the issue: Every time that game is bought used and sold again, is money not going to the devs/publishers. So, when companies like THQ fold (maybe a poor example, but sit tight) and your favourite franchises disappear, it’s because those valued dollars used by said companies to actually be able to cover their costs and go forward into the next project simply aren’t there.

Now, I’m sure some of you are giving the same “cry me a river” looks to your screens. I hear you. Everyone is guilty of pirating something, at some point. And yea, that’s more money that developers of things we love aren’t getting. And, yea, at the end of the day, a lot of those things we love are probably still going to come out.

But it’s going to be that odd time out that something you want just won’t be there in the future, and the only people we’ll have to blame are ourselves. I know as capitalists, we all want to be the end-users-owners of the software we buy. That’s cool. That fight I get. If we pay for it, it should be ours. But that doesn’t mean we should all be blind about how this whole thing works.

I know some of you are thinking: Kickstarter. Well, there are problems there too. Another fight for another day.

Going to break my rules and throw in one more pic.

Remember: We vote with our dollar. Make your vote count.

– The Ego