Now that 2011 is here, its time to reflect back on the world of gaming. Let us start by saying that 2010 was one of the greatest years of gaming that the industry has ever experienced. The incredible amount of excellent games that came out on all the systems remains quite staggering to the analysts. Even PC gamers got a few nice additions to their lineup of games (do we even call it a lineup?).Then there’s Apple and their small little games selling like hotcakes. To add to that, all three systems sold very well, with the PS3 filling the gap it has against the XBox 360, and the Nintendo Wii suddenly receiving some competition in its innovative form of gaming. While the Nintendo Wii is still dominating in sales, it has no longer become the only place for wildly interactive and physical gaming, with Sony quite literally copying its controller and Microsoft releasing games that don’t even require one.
Now, the next statement may not sit well with the old-school gamers, but it is about time that somebody brings it up. This has been, the greatest generation of video games in history. Okay, so it might not be a shocking statement, considering just all that we’ve seen in the past couple of years. For the first time since the early 90s, we have true deadly competition amongst the consoles. The Nintendo Wii is winning by a longshot, but its market share is at 46%, which is much smaller than PS2 and PSX’s leads over XBox and Nintendo 64 previous generations ago. In the meantime, second and third place is dead-heat with the 360 at a mere 27% and PS3 at only 25%. Nobody bring up handheld, because the DS is at 70% with the 3DS and next installments of Pokemon right around the corner.
All three systems have had a great assortment of instant classics that will stand the test of time. What makes this generation the best however is the influx of excellent third-party games that have invaded all three systems, which is something that has not happened since---of course the early 90s. Sony used to have all the third-party exclusives, now Microsoft and even Nintendo gets its share of great games from independent and third-party companies. Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid are the three biggest franchises that removed its exclusivity and moved on to other systems. EA’s stranglehold on sports games is weakening, leading to more successful and quality-filled sports games when compared to the past.
This is also the cheapest generation of gaming in history. Although the video games have racked up as high as $80 (Guitar Hero/Rock Band anyone?), we have never before seen a barrage of games that range from 30 dollars down to mere $5. While this used to sound like its going to be a short and bad experience, we’ve had some killer titles that have cost nothing more than $10 on WiiWare or XBox Arcade. To add to that, this generation has linked to the past better than any previous generation, with the Virtual Console (although its infinitely better in Japan), XBox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and the dozens of remakes and re-releases seen over the years.
But the next three paragraphs will show you the biggest reason why this has been the best generation of gaming ever: Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Twilight Princess, Smash Brothers Brawl, Cave Story, World of Goo, Monster Hunter Tri, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, Okami Wii, Wii Sports Resort, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Sin and Punishment II, Punch-Out, Boom Blox, Super Paper Mario, Mario Kart Wii, Mega Man 9, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, DJ Hero, Madworld, No More Heroes…
Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare II, Grand Theft Auto IV, Bioshock, Portal, Fallout III, Mass Effect II, DJ Hero 2, Rock Band: Green Day, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Forza 3, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed, Gears of War II, Elder Scrolls, NBA 2K11, Halo Reach, Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur IV, ‘Splosion Man, Marvel vs. Capcom II Revival, Perfect Dark (revival), Uncharted II, Metal Gear Solid IV, Gran Turismo V, Final Fantasy XIII (Totally kidding), God of War III, Little Big Planet, Ratchet and Clank Future, Rock Band: Beatles, Uncharted, Fifa Soccer 2010, Resident Evil V…
Chrono Trigger DS, Mario Kart DS, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Mario and Luigi III, New Super Mario Bros., the Professor Layton franchise, the Brain Age franchise, Elite Beat Agents, Final Fantasy revival games, Phantom Hourglass, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Kirby Canvas Curse, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kingdom Hearts: Death by Sleep, etc…
As you can see, we gamers have very little to complain about, as there are plenty of excellent games out there, expensive and cheap. So with that being said, where do we go from here? Where should the gaming industry go in their next direction as the next generation eventually approaches? While 2011 and potentially 2012 will remain in the Wii/360/PS3 warfare, one has to ponder just where we can possibly go next. We have online gaming, we have controller-less gaming, and we have some of the most visually-appealing video games ever created. So what now? Here’s what I think the Big 3 should do.
On Nintendo’s standpoint, they should continue doing what they always do: find new ways to play video games while still keeping the depleting hardcore happy. The hardcore all but abandoned Nintendo back in the Gamecube, but did make a slight comeback with awesome sales of Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, plus the decent sales of Twilight Princess and Kirby’s Epic Yarn. However, there is no denying that Nintendo’s mammoth comeback success is linked to its new generation of gamers and utter appeal to the mainstream. Also, there is no denying that Nintendo’s linking to the past could have been so much better this generation. Instead of bringing back unsung classics and more Japanese exclusives to the States, we were stuck with seeing re-releases of the same group of masterpieces. Yes, Mario Bros. 3 is great, but how many times do we have to see it re-released? Where is the love for Yoshi’s Island? Or Earthbound? Or F-Zero for that matter?
The Virtual Console was the biggest wasted opportunity amongst the big three systems this generation. The Japanese gamers however are much luckier, as they receive thrice as many games as Americans do. In the meantime, we American gamers pretty much gave up on VC years ago as its potential was not met at all. It took way too long to release games like Mario RPG and we are still waiting on other SNES/N64 classics to get the re-release treatment. Not to mention, Nintendo’s lack of linking to the past has led to us still wondering where are the sequels to Earthbound, F-Zero, Star Fox, among others.
The biggest thing Nintendo needs to do however is revamp some of their franchises and give them the added production oomph that we see in games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Bioshock, Uncharted, and the higher-profile XBox 360 and PS3 titles. That being said, maintain its roots, which is something Metroid: Other M forgot to do. Can you imagine an epic Pokemon game in which the handheld adventure was brought to 3-D, leading to grander-looking battles, much more massive locations, and a strong potential for the greatest online experience around? I think Nintendo should team up with a company with a good online gaming history (Capcom? They did do well with the Zelda franchise for the GBA) to make this Epic Pokemon a reality. Trust me; a very good Pokemon adventure on a console would sell just as good as any handheld Pokemon game 2:1.
Zelda, Star Fox, F-Zero, Pikmin, and even Kirby can definitely benefit from a ramped-up production value and a sharper edge in presentation and gaming. Imagine Star Fox with the production value of a Star Wars film; complete with great orchestrated score and intense action. Nintendo has indeed proven that they can make some awesome gameplay with a heftier budget (Super Smash Brothers Brawl, even though it looks like Melee is the best of the three). I think come next generation, if Nintendo can step up and truly deliver on its more unsung franchises, they can continue to dominate the console market. The 3DS is definitely a good start.
Microsoft delivered the greatest American console in the history of gaming, destroying the Sega Genesis and Atari of back then. But in order to even come close to Nintendo, they need to crank out some more exclusives, and hang on to those they already have. While their lineup is eerily similar to that of the PS3, they still rank superior in terms of quality and success because of its incredible online capabilities, which stretch far beyond gaming. XBox Live is the best online service of the Big 3 systems, which makes sense—because it’s Microsoft. They should be happy that Apple has yet to come out with a console, because the IPad and IPod Touch have released a lot of successful games too. Can you imagine Apple joining in on the console wars? Okay, off-topic lets move on.
Microsoft still has Rareware, still has Bungie, and a few tricks up its sleeve. However, in order to distance itself from Sony and move on towards Nintendo, they need more games that are exclusively theirs. Otherwise, PS4 and XBox 720 will continue to battle and cancel each other out, leading to another Nintendo victory. All of the best XBox 360 experiences can indeed be found on other systems, even on the usually-third-party-vacant Nintendo systems. The Playstation 2 won because it had all the great exclusives, the next XBox needs to pull a PS2-like feat.
Running on that note, the Playstation 3 does indeed have the exclusives; they just need to market them better. We knew virtually nothing about Little Big Planet or the Uncharted games, with its success happening only after it started racking up awards and excellent scores across the board. Sony instead focused on games already coming out for other systems. What also severely hurt the PS3 was its ridiculous beginning price and its more ridiculous launch. It had such a rough start, Sony did not find its footing until this year, when they lowered the price, released the Move controller, and had a great library of games released. For the PS4, they need to focus more on exclusives, and try to image itself as not just a competitor of Microsoft, but as the superior gaming system. Ironically, PS3 has the best marketing, but they are the ones that need it the most.
So what should we expect from the next generation of gaming? I predict more hands-on gaming, and much more family-friendly gaming. The Nintendo Wii has changed the world of video games for good, whether you like it or not. Now, video games make more money than practically any other entertainment industry out there---excluding theme parks. And 3-D gaming may happen to consoles in the future, as it’s already happening to the 3DS. But, if the games become expensive, it will become a fad that will quickly die out—much like what happened to music-based games.
I can’t complain about the world of gaming much, but there are some things I would love to see as the next generation approaches. First off I would love to see the NFL 2K games make a return, with the NFL not renewing the contract with EA Games. NBA 2K11 emerged as one of the greatest sports games of all-time, as the Sega Sports crew continue to prove that they are the leaders in sports simulators. Remember NFL 2K5? Still the best football video game perhaps ever. I would like to see what Sega can do to football video games, as there hasn’t been a good one in quite some time.
Anyone notice how the games, despite most of them being good, have gotten a bit...shorter in length? I want to see more companies step up and deliver mammoth games that take forever to finish, giving the game strong value. Back in 1991, Super Mario World had 70+ levels. Donkey Kong for the Game Boy had over 100 levels. New Super Mario Bros. Wii however, somewhere in the 70-80 range. Come on! We should be technologically advanced enough to provide games with 100, 125, 150 levels! Just something that will take you weeks of gaming to accomplish. Racing games, this applies to you too. We should be seeing games with 75, 80, 100 courses! Mario Kart Wii had how many, just 32? Lame. Mario Kart 64 had somewhere around that amount---after we include the fabled Mirror Mode. The next Mario Kart should contain tracks from all previous Mario Karts for a delicious package. Now I know I am asking for too much. RPGs, you should also start having playtimes in the upper 70s in gameplay hours. Only Pokemon has been able to provide so many hours of gameplay---and they hit only the 40s.
I would love to see more game collections too. The Sega Classics were good, and Namco every so often releases their same, repetitive collection. But, we had collections of Prince of Persia, Metroid Prime, and even Splinter Cell is getting the original trilogy treatment. Now, its time for collections of Street Fighter, F-Zero, Earthbound, the older Final Fantasy games, etc. Its also about time for Nintendo to catch up technologically with the competitors in terms of two things: HD gaming and full online support. While Nintendo lacks the technology history and expertise of Microsoft and Sony, imagine a Nintendo Live of some sort—in which games like Mario Kart, Pokemon, Smash Brothers, and F-Zero get the XBox Live treatment, complete with leaderboards, lagless online battles, and live chat. Nintendo would definitely win back its hardcore audience.
Last but not least, we need more games that change dramatically depending on what you decide to do throughout your quest. Mass Effect 2 was a major stepping stone, but shouldn’t stop there. The Legend of Zelda would benefit the most from this, as Link’s quest from child to adulthood should vary in pacing, difficulty, length, and content depending on what you decide to do earlier in the game and a bit later. Just imagine the tagline: “What if Link doesn’t save Zelda?” Almost all gaming quests tend to go in one or two directions. Now, imagine a game with a dozen potential quests, each with their own ending, depending on what it is you do. Another franchise that would definitely benefit from this would be Pokemon, which I had discussed a long-arse time ago.
Bottom Line: After two generations of ho-hum gaming, we finally got a group of systems that consistently releases great games, whether from third-parties or from in-house developers. The competition is at its best, which means more great games and a much quicker rate. Unfortunately this great era of gaming has to come to a close eventually, but it was a heck of a ride while it lasted. And for the first time since the late-90s, I am truly excited about what the gaming world is going to provide in the coming years.
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