A Thumb To The Eye Number 7

Regards,
-Drew Johnson

-Drew

I do, however, own a GBA (two, actually, if you count my g/f’s), a
GBA-GC link cable (which I bought for Animal Crossing — the only game
I have that needs it at present), and an e-Reader (using a coupon that
came with Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire). I’ve also bought a few Animal
Crossing e-card packs with some spare cash I had, just for fun. Those
purchases were by no means necessary for my enjoyment, but I
voluntarily made them.

As I see it, the difference between Online and Connectivity is that
Nintendo’s GBA-related stuff is useful for other situations. If you
have a GBA (and a $10 GBA-GC cable), then that one-time purchase is
good for most of the connection features AS WELL AS being a kickass
little system in its own right. I may only have one game that uses the
$10 connection cable, but every other one I do buy that uses it (such
as Nintendo Puzzle Collection and/or Pokemon Coliseum) amortizes that
cost; if I have two or three of them, then that cable turns out to
cost less than a meal at McDonald’s. If I want to use a game like
FF:CC, I can either buy more of the inexpensive cables or tell my
GBA-owning friends to bring their own if they want to play.

Whereas just about any online game that wants to charge a monthly fee
can and usually will do so, turning one $50 game into a $100 game
after a few months. Even if you pay for only the service (like with
all XBL titles save PSO, I believe), you still have to repay that cost
every year. That’s not even considering the “companies pulling down
the servers and making the games useless” point you kicked off your
column with.

The main problem for GBA-GC connectivity arises when Nintendo releases
a new system in the near future. The GBA SP was/is compatible with the
connection cable (and is probably better for most games that use it,
frankly), so that half-step in progress didn’t make a big impact. The
next Nintendo handheld system will probably come out before their next
console (anticipating a 2004 release to counter the PSP); as long as
it’s compatible with the same cable (or a similar one for about the
same price) and has the same virtual memory capabilities as the GBA,
then the games are still good on that end.

On the other end, Nintendo has kept the same A/V impute for its last
three consoles (SNES, N64, and GCN all use/d the same basic RCA
cable). If their next console uses the same controller port as the GCN
(much like the PS1/PS2 evolution did), then the connectivity games
will still work. Since Nintendo is pushing this so hard, they’d have
to be even dumber than most people think they are to not support it as
their systems go through their next Evolutions.

So, to answer the two questions you posed at the end of your column:

“What it all comes down to is this: will anyone still play these games
in a dozen years?”

They may or may not actually be playing them, but the *option* seems
like it will still exist. I’ll certainly be playing whatever Nintendo
handheld is out at the time, and will more than likely own the current
Nintendo console as well.

“Will they be playing them next year?”

I’ve only missed two days in Animal Crossing since getting it on
September 17th, and those were both due to having no electricity at
the time. Seeing as how it’s 8/19 right now, that’s less than a month
shy a year. And I’ll continue to play it until AC2 comes out. As I’ve
mentioned, at present, it’s the only game I own that utilizes
connectivity in any significant way (I don’t count Prime, since those
are minor bonuses). How many games have you played for 11 months
straight (even if only for 20-30 minutes at a time, although some days
could span hours), whether they were gimmicky or not?

If the game is fun, it will be played. That’s all there is to it.

I did enjoy the column, even if it seems like I completely disagree
with it. If nothing else, it made me take a look at “the racket” being
thrown at me and evaluate whether or not it was (or will be) worth it.
For me, the answer is yes.

– You could now set your defensive formation, and offenses had *16* plays to choose from. While this wasn’t Madden-level complexity, it was the correct balance. The plays themselves are a lot better if you want to run a west-coast-style offense, with a lot of short out and hooks that weren’t really available in the NES days due to the crudeness of the engine.
– There’s a freaking CAREER MODE. In an SNES game. You can create players and watch them develop. Again, I repeat, in an SNES GAME.
– You can trade players prior to the start of a season.
– The salary cap comes into play, in a REALLY nice touch that I think only one other football game (Troy Aikman’s Football) even bothered to implement.
– LT’s an unlockable hidden character, in a nice nod to the original game. But that only happens when you win three straight Super Bowls.

It’s easily the best of the series and deserves a port. Not as much as BLADES OF STEEL~!, mind you. :)

– Sven Mascarenhas

At any rate, I consider myself a gamer. Not casual, not “hardcore” but a gamer. I like to thing a smart gamer. I freely give my opinions and offer advice at game stores when I see it needed. Usually this is only when asked, but when I see a mother about to purchase a horrible licensed game or a buggy mess like Enter the Matrix, I give a polite warning. The kid is usually present and doesn’t heed my warnings, but at least they were informed.

I confess I own a lot of games. Currently I have a SEGA Genesis, SNES, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, and I traded in my GBA and am getting an SP. I used to own a SEGA CD and 32X. The SEGA CD I got used for a good price, but the 32X I bought new the release day.

I’ll wait for you to quit laughing….I was young and dumb, okay!?

Back on topic, I don’t think I’ve extreme enough to fit any of the categories you listed, however I have “hoardcore” qualities. I was a bit of a packrat prior to ever getting into gaming, so I think that’s just an aspect of my personality, and likely it is the same case with others.

I mostly buy used games–my people are kinda cheap like the Poles (my brother in law is one–and he fits every stereotype) so the value is great for me. And if I see a rare game, I will buy it. I’ll play the games, and if I enjoy playing it, I usually keep it. If not, I sell it online. Sometimes if I get bored with games I end up selling them, but I don’t think I have more than 2 dozen games for any system. The ones I usually keep are the good ones, though. The following games I have are kinda rare, and I actually PLAY them too. Such as Metal Slug X, Power Stone 2, Guardian Heroes, Vampire Savior, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Virtual On: Oratorio Tengram, Bangai-O, Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves.

I own them and play them because they rule, as well as other games. Yet, I don’t play them all that much. There are simply too many good games I own and too many good games coming out to really appreciate them to the fullest. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s bonus disc should have come out far earlier, because I didn’t get too far into OoT before WW came out. I’ve played through both of them, and I’ve beaten OoT on N64, but I’ve yet to finish those Gamecube discs. They might sit on my shelf as I’m engaged in a Metroid title, or playing a GBA Castlevania, or Castlevania IV, or Mark of the Wolves. I don’t know…I seem to enjoy playing the new 3D titles for a while, but I get to a certain point where I have no desire to play further even though reviews are good, I can see the great work that went into creating it, and I actually enjoy them when I play them.

Maybe I’m just not cut out for long, expansive games anymore. I was able to sell the copy of Xenogears I had sitting on the shelf for over a year because I honestly grew to hate the game for many reasons. Turns out I’m not alone and many think that game is horribly overrated–after seeing the press about Xenosaga I hate the Xenosaga series with a passion and vow never to spend a cent towards it. GTA3…bored with it. Sold it after completing about half the missions. FFIX…got bored with it, but I think I hate that game because of PlayOnline. I guess I “outgrew” RPGs. I’d rather get together with a friend for No Mercy, Smackdown, or team up to blow the shit out of things in Metal Slug. Changing game tastes–there’s an article idea. Oddly, I played and loved Lunar on PS and beat it. I almost did the same for Eternal Blue on PS, but the final boss is too tough to beat and I don’t have the resources to level up. I’m too low on supplies to level up and heal and I don’t even remember if I could actually get any new supplies if I actually were able to leave the final dungeon.

In short, I have far too many games than I can really devote the time to enjoy. I know it, though. I try to sell off the ones I won’t be playing. However, good games keep being released and it compounds the problem.

Thank goodness for companies like Acclaim, releasing total shit that I know I won’t have to waste a second of my life playing, rather than spending money on it, playing it a few days, then never getting to enjoy it to the fullest.

I think the only way you could really truly savor each game is to have only a system or two, and a small library of games. If I quit college I think I would be able to devote more time to gaming, but damnit, can’t do that, can we? I propose longer days!!