The Road to E3 – The Casuals

So E3 is right around the corner. I’m not much of a prediction maker, so I won’t start rambling on what I think will be coming out from the Big 3 (though hopes aren’t out of the question).  Instead I’m taking a look at really what the big build up as been on leading to E3.

Looking back on the last few conferences that have happened, it’s becoming more and more evident that this is going to be the year of motion gaming or casual gaming. I put these two in different zone, because to me, they really are in different camps. By the end of this year every console should have a motion controller of some sort and everyone is talking about the casual gamer and how their new controller will bring these customers into their respective folds. A question that I have been posing lately (and trying to get on Feedback for the last few weeks – awesome show/podcast, watch it) is if these companies are on the right track. Flash back to when the Wii, then the Revolution, was first shown, that weird little controller was what everyone was ogling about. 5 or so years ago, everyone thought that gaming was going to the more-immersion camp and leading to things like Virtual Reality, so a controller like the WiiMote would naturally garner a lot of attention. But back in today, the biggest thing that seems to have moved the Wii units is accessibility. The price point was nice, but coupled with the WiiMote, the easy, fun, quick, software was what people ultimately were snapping up. I can’t count the number of times friends said, “Dude, lets go play WiiBowling! You can touch my Wii!” Should probably ignore that last part, but phallic jokes aside, at a time before Smash Bros Brawl was out, people couldn’t stop playing those simple party games. Though those games lent themselves really well to the WiiMote and the controller made it much easier for non-gamers to understand  how to play, it was still the software that made everything a lot of fun. As we get closer to E3, I’m becoming more and more worried that the new motion controllers are a misplaced effort. I’m all for something that adds to gaming in some way, but for me the big 3 things that I consider when I look to buy a console is the games available, how long it will last/reliability, and price point. That’s why I love the PS3, especially now, the thing has some great games, LBP, MGS4, to name a few, especially now, the price is awesome at $299 for the slim, and I’ve always had good experiences with Sony and repairs, I’ve never heard of a PS3 failure like I have for 360s, and my PS2 is still kicking it next to me – the original one, big, thick, and gotten Christmas after it launched. I don’t think I’ve ever EVER considered the controller when buy a system. Sure, when I played Twilight Princess on the Wii for class I thought I was going to get carpal tunnel or something, but I still rock the lone WiiMote for Brawl, I’m a fan of the PS3 controller, but I wouldn’t curse the 360 controller by itself. How many people really think about how they are going to play games as opposed to what games they are going to be playing? (And don’t bring up the Mouse+Keyboard vs Controller argument, I don’t care)

Look at games like Little Big Planet, that’s a great casual game! I love that game, just because the first time I played with friends we spent 10 or so minutes slapping each other silly doesn’t change that it’s a great experience and not to hard to figure out. I think companies are become confused by what exactly ease of entry is. You can design software with a very simple mechanic and control scheme without having to design a new controller all together. So I guess my main opinion/message is gear your software to casual players with out calling them to make a new investment. Making the leap of only buying a game is a lot easier than a game and a $100 piece of hardware on top of their current $300 investment.

Also, where does this leave us hardcore types? Everyone looking forward to Gears 3, Killzone 3, those playing Mario Galaxy 2, and everyone but me that’s up to their waste in Red Dead Redemption (Thank you R* you all are GODS), where do things like Natal and Move leave us and what are they going to give us? Sony has been showing us Socom as a “Hey guys, Move is for you too! BUY IT!” Ok that might be a little harsh, but we’re being reassured that these are something for everybody, not just Mom, Dad and Grams that can’t make the leap to pushing the analog stick in some way or pressing a combination of buttons causes their character to jump or swing a bad or club. I can’t speak for everyone, but I play games to sit on my duff and have a good time, not to jump, flail, and make obscure hand gestures, at least not all the time. I know I’d LOVE Galaxy 2, God I know I’d love it, and other offerings on the Wii but with the controller, the Nunchuku and WiiMote floating in mid air, I have a problem playing some games, it just gets uncomfortable for prolong plays, and I love my 4 or 5 hour afternoons of just playing games on the weekends. I don’t think I can do that with something like the Move or Natal, hell the WiiMote would be a stretch. And that’s not saying I’m naturally lazy or unfit, ok I might be a little, but I just don’t feel like being really active at that time. I have nothing against these new controllers, I really don’t, but they just don’t seem like the right move to me (NOT A PUN), especially when the financial environment is still in the pits (I’m still trying to save money for my own PS3, and I’m an unemployed college student). It’s the same as my opinion of the PSP: It doesn’t need a new analog stick, just software that takes advantage of what is there and isn’t a PS2 port or a spin-off of a PS3 game that needs that camera analog stick. But, on the flip side, that same principle can be used to be these new controllers’ saving grace. I touched a little on it, but the games that use the WiiMote, like WiiSports, do it awesomely, at least many of them and those are the fun ones. If the software comes, and it doesn’t just feel non-gimmicky, but also offers an experience that truly enhances the controller and is enhanced by the controller, then we’ll have something truly good. BUT, I still don’t see those games as being hardcore gamer games. Hardcore games are intense and deep, and back to my marathon gaming, something than the initiated will play for HOURS on end, and these motion controls just don’t look like they are manageable for those long bouts.

I guess my ending summary would go something like this: Are motion controllers a misplaced effort? To me, yes. Are they really necessary for casual games? I don’t think so. I think Sony and Microsoft are getting confused when they look at Nintendo’s success and owing it all to that little WiiMote instead of what the players are playing. Yes, the games might work awesome for that handle of plastic, but they were designed to work with them. I’d rather see the companies build casual software for what customers have already bought.

So E3 is right around the corner. I’m not much of a prediction maker, so I won’t start rambling on what I think will be coming out from the Big 3 (though hopes aren’t out of the question).  Instead I’m taking a look at really what the big build up as been on leading to E3.

Looking back on the last few conferences that have happened, it’s becoming more and more evident that this is going to be the year of motion gaming or casual gaming. I put these two in different zone, because to me, they really are in different camps. By the end of this year every console should have a motion controller of some sort and everyone is talking about the casual gamer and how their new controller will bring these customers into their respective folds. A question that I have been posing lately (and trying to get on Feedback for the last few weeks – awesome show/podcast, watch it) is if these companies are on the right track. Flash back to when the Wii, then the Revolution, was first shown, that weird little controller was what everyone was ogling about. 5 or so years ago, everyone thought that gaming was going to the more-immersion camp and leading to things like Virtual Reality, so a controller like the WiiMote would naturally garner a lot of attention. But back in today, the biggest thing that seems to have moved the Wii units is accessibility. The price point was nice, but coupled with the WiiMote, the easy, fun, quick, software was what people ultimately were snapping up. I can’t count the number of times friends said, “Dude, lets go play WiiBowling! You can touch my Wii!” Should probably ignore that last part, but phallic jokes aside, at a time before Smash Bros Brawl was out, people couldn’t stop playing those simple party games. Though those games lent themselves really well to the WiiMote and the controller made it much easier for non-gamers to understand  how to play, it was still the software that made everything a lot of fun. As we get closer to E3, I’m becoming more and more worried that the new motion controllers are a misplaced effort. I’m all for something that adds to gaming in some way, but for me the big 3 things that I consider when I look to buy a console is the games available, how long it will last/reliability, and price point. That’s why I love the PS3, especially now, the thing has some great games, LBP, MGS4, to name a few, especially now, the price is awesome at $299 for the slim, and I’ve always had good experiences with Sony and repairs, I’ve never heard of a PS3 failure like I have for 360s, and my PS2 is still kicking it next to me – the original one, big, thick, and gotten Christmas after it launched. I don’t think I’ve ever EVER considered the controller when buy a system. Sure, when I played Twilight Princess on the Wii for class I thought I was going to get carpal tunnel or something, but I still rock the lone WiiMote for Brawl, I’m a fan of the PS3 controller, but I wouldn’t curse the 360 controller by itself. How many people really think about how they are going to play games as opposed to what games they are going to be playing? (And don’t bring up the Mouse+Keyboard vs Controller argument, I don’t care)

Look at games like Little Big Planet, that’s a great casual game! I love that game, just because the first time I played with friends we spent 10 or so minutes slapping each other silly doesn’t change that it’s a great experience and not to hard to figure out. I think companies are become confused by what exactly ease of entry is. You can design software with a very simple mechanic and control scheme without having to design a new controller all together. So I guess my main opinion/message is gear your software to casual players with out calling them to make a new investment. Making the leap of only buying a game is a lot easier than a game and a $100 piece of hardware on top of their current $300 investment.

Also, where does this leave us hardcore types? Everyone looking forward to Gears 3, Killzone 3, those playing Mario Galaxy 2, and everyone but me that’s up to their waste in Red Dead Redemption (Thank you R* you all are GODS), where do things like Natal and Move leave us and what are they going to give us? Sony has been showing us Socom as a “Hey guys, Move is for you too! BUY IT!” Ok that might be a little harsh, but we’re being reassured that these are something for everybody, not just Mom, Dad and Grams that can’t make the leap to pushing the analog stick in some way or pressing a combination of buttons causes their character to jump or swing a bad or club. I can’t speak for everyone, but I play games to sit on my duff and have a good time, not to jump, flail, and make obscure hand gestures, at least not all the time. I know I’d LOVE Galaxy 2, God I know I’d love it, and other offerings on the Wii but with the controller, the Nunchuku and WiiMote floating in mid air, I have a problem playing some games, it just gets uncomfortable for prolong plays, and I love my 4 or 5 hour afternoons of just playing games on the weekends. I don’t think I can do that with something like the Move or Natal, hell the WiiMote would be a stretch. And that’s not saying I’m naturally lazy or unfit, ok I might be a little, but I just don’t feel like being really active at that time. I have nothing against these new controllers, I really don’t, but they just don’t seem like the right move to me (NOT A PUN),