Please Stop-- I Need More Time!
Well, we're fast nearing November, and the release date of the XBox 360, the first in the next iteration of consoles, is nearly upon us. The next generation of console gaming is coming, promising better graphics, greater levels of connectivity and customization, and expanded multimedia functionality. Yes, a veritable gamer's utopia is fast approaching. And I desperately wish that there was something that I could do to stop it.
We don't NEED a new generation right now. Previous console generations, while similarly timed, often produced quantum leaps in graphics and gameplay, or at least a considerable difference. But to be frank, I just don't see that happening this time (although, admittedly, the Nintendo Revolution, if successful, could provide such a leap to gameplay). I've seen lots of pretty demos, and talk of teraflops and what not, but no actual gameplay footage that I've seen is that much of a graphical departure from what is achievable on current systems. As for connectivity and customization, I hate the first, and consider the second silly and unnecessary. And as far as expanded multimedia goes-- I don't WANT a console that will let me play AVIs, play DVDs, and browse the internet. I want a gaming console that will, get this, PLAY GAMES. I don't want it to do anything else besides that. Admittedly, I've gotten use to the idea of watching DVDs on my PS2, but if I have to give that up to get a pure gaming console, then I'll do it happily.
And then there's the games. I have... *pauses to count*... 19 games still shrink-wrapped for my current consoles (and I'll be buying two more this week). I need more time to get through all of those games before I can worry about games for new consoles. And think of the shelf space! I already have an entire coffee table devoted to my current generation of consoles-- there's no room for more. I'll likely be able to replace my PS2 with my PS3 entirely, but backwards compatibility is less certain for the other two consoles. Which is scary, because, as far as I'm concerned, backwards compatibility is the single greatest change in gaming brought by the current generation. I owned my PS2 for roughly a year before I played any actual PS2 games on it (excepting brief trysts with a pair of dismal launch titles, Summoner and Kessen), with Final Fantasy X finally breaking into my library, and a pause of almost another year after that before I played any more. Because, quite frankly, the PS2 launch lineup was awful. Which just goes to show you that the 360 is hardly screwed at this point. So, essentially, for 2 years my PS2 was a glorified PS that would play DVDs.
I hate how the game industry always forces new consoles upon me like this (yeah yeah, "free will", blah blah). They always make me invest in the next generation before I'm ready (although, to be fair, the N64 came out of the gate running, and I loved it from day one), and I think I'm finally getting wise to them. When the PS2 came out roughly half a decade ago, I waited in line outside Toys'R'Us for hours, before the mall even opened, and was one of the first few people in town to own one (3rd in line, I think?). Well, not this time. I'm not buying any of these new systems until there are some games for them that I actually want to play. And even then, I might hold off a bit (I own three DS games right now but have yet to buy a DS). So, until Bioware finally releases their first game for the 360, I'm not going anywhere near it. I hope.
We don't NEED a new generation right now. Previous console generations, while similarly timed, often produced quantum leaps in graphics and gameplay, or at least a considerable difference. But to be frank, I just don't see that happening this time (although, admittedly, the Nintendo Revolution, if successful, could provide such a leap to gameplay). I've seen lots of pretty demos, and talk of teraflops and what not, but no actual gameplay footage that I've seen is that much of a graphical departure from what is achievable on current systems. As for connectivity and customization, I hate the first, and consider the second silly and unnecessary. And as far as expanded multimedia goes-- I don't WANT a console that will let me play AVIs, play DVDs, and browse the internet. I want a gaming console that will, get this, PLAY GAMES. I don't want it to do anything else besides that. Admittedly, I've gotten use to the idea of watching DVDs on my PS2, but if I have to give that up to get a pure gaming console, then I'll do it happily.
And then there's the games. I have... *pauses to count*... 19 games still shrink-wrapped for my current consoles (and I'll be buying two more this week). I need more time to get through all of those games before I can worry about games for new consoles. And think of the shelf space! I already have an entire coffee table devoted to my current generation of consoles-- there's no room for more. I'll likely be able to replace my PS2 with my PS3 entirely, but backwards compatibility is less certain for the other two consoles. Which is scary, because, as far as I'm concerned, backwards compatibility is the single greatest change in gaming brought by the current generation. I owned my PS2 for roughly a year before I played any actual PS2 games on it (excepting brief trysts with a pair of dismal launch titles, Summoner and Kessen), with Final Fantasy X finally breaking into my library, and a pause of almost another year after that before I played any more. Because, quite frankly, the PS2 launch lineup was awful. Which just goes to show you that the 360 is hardly screwed at this point. So, essentially, for 2 years my PS2 was a glorified PS that would play DVDs.
I hate how the game industry always forces new consoles upon me like this (yeah yeah, "free will", blah blah). They always make me invest in the next generation before I'm ready (although, to be fair, the N64 came out of the gate running, and I loved it from day one), and I think I'm finally getting wise to them. When the PS2 came out roughly half a decade ago, I waited in line outside Toys'R'Us for hours, before the mall even opened, and was one of the first few people in town to own one (3rd in line, I think?). Well, not this time. I'm not buying any of these new systems until there are some games for them that I actually want to play. And even then, I might hold off a bit (I own three DS games right now but have yet to buy a DS). So, until Bioware finally releases their first game for the 360, I'm not going anywhere near it. I hope.
posted by Jordan at 2:59 PM
2 Comments:
You wouldn't complain about it quite so much if you didn't mean to buy it almost immediately. At least not with the complaint "I need more time"
I would have to agree. There will come a point when you will not be able to afford to buy games at the rate you do. Face up to it man.. sooner or later adulthood will catch up and you'll have to start putting money towards more bills than you already have.
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