Is Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo Forgetting Hardcore Gamers in Favour of Motion Control Gaming?

Back at E3 this year, the big three gaming companies, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all debuted their plans for the next year. All of the announcements followed the same particular trend.. Motion gaming. Nintendo planned on releasing their latest console called the Wii U, a completely redesigned device that utilises a new controller with a built-in touch screen display. Microsoft showcased more titles for their latest platform Kinect (a device that captures the users movements and actions, making people the controller) and Sony try to push their Move controller (based on the Wiimote, it interprets the user gestures and movements into the game). It seems like the big three are forgetting about the people who used to buy their products ten years ago, the hard-core gamers. In a bid to push their new devices to the main stream public, there was very little mention about games that didn't involve waving your arms in front of a TV screen or jumping up in down in your living room. Call me old-fashioned, but I care about games that are filled with game play and a deep story rather than games that leave me a in a sweat and looking like an idiot.

Ever since Nintendo released the Wii back in 2006, Sony and Microsoft have been playing catch up, desperately trying better Nintendo's attempt of making gaming available of the masses. Video games have long been associated with a small group of people, generally male and in their early teens. However Nintendo broke that trend and made a console designed for the mass market, bringing mum and dads, grans and grand dad's in on video gaming. To be fair to Nintendo, they have done well with the Wii. It was a great success, selling 89 million units so far (33 million more that the PS3 and Xbox 360) making it Nintendo's best-selling games control. As far as Nintendo is concerned they had achieved what they set out, making Video gaming more appealing to the main stream market.

However as a by-product of making video gaming more appealing to a wider audience, (In my opinion) the games became easier and less appealing to the hard-core gamer. I think, in a trade-off between making games more appealing to a wider audience, Nintendo have alienated the people who might have bought their controls 10 years ago. The question is, while the big three pushing their latest devices, how long will it be before we see established PS3 and Xbox franchises such as Final Fantasy, Call of Duty and Gears of War adopt motion controlling. I cant imagine playing my favourite games without a controller joystick in my hand. For example at E3 this year, Lion head studios (The developer of the Fable series) announced they would be releasing Fable: The Journey. The new title in the series would abandon the traditional controller, in favour of adopting Microsoft Kinect. Watching the trailer it looked very promising, letting the user cast spells and fire guns by just using gestures with their hands, until it became clear that you didn't control your characters movements, just where he fired his guns. Essentially the game's character was on rails, in a fixed place until you defeated the enemy's on the screen. The ability to roam around freely and adventure on your own (One of Fables previous selling points) has been removed in favour for motion gaming. I don't think I'm the only person to feel cheated that one of my favourite franchise title's gameplay had been watered down to take advantage of gimmicky motion gaming.

To close, I hope Sony and Microsoft don't forget about their loyal following that appreciate games which involve depth and gameplay and don't sell substandard games in order to appeal a wider audience. Call me old-fashioned or a skeptic but I would prefer playing Skyrim or Call of duty sitting on a sofa and not waving a remote in front of a TV, and I hope I'm not the only one.

For more articles and news on gaming, please visit blog.jackalcomputers.co.uk

Liam Miller
Jackal Computers
http://www.jackalcomputers.co.uk/

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Pokemon - The Nintendo Company's Multibillion Dollar Game Franchise

Pokemon, a portmanteau for the words pocket and monsters, is a very successful game title created by the Nintendo Company. The game was developed by Satoshi Tajiri in the nineties. This video game title is the second most lucrative franchise developed by Nintendo, after Mario. Pokemon was so successful, it is said to improve the marketability of Nintendo's handheld consoles which experienced a dip prior to the release of the first generation of the games.

The newest addition to the video game franchise is the 5th Generation Pokemon Black and White which features new creatures and characters from the region of Unova. Since its inception, the video game there are several movie adaptations, anime, manga, and other items inspired by Pokemon.

The concept behind Pokemon's gameplay draws heavily from the game creator's hobby of insect collecting. Similarly, the gameplay in Pokemon involves collecting creatures to add to the game's Pokedex or creature catalog with the intent of completing it, and training a team of Pokemon to battle against other wild and trained creatures.

Pokemon, as a popular franchise, has indubitably left a mark in pop culture. A number of movies and television programs have made references and spoofs of Pokemon. All Nippon Airways Boeing 747-400 are dubbed as Pokemon jets because their exteriors are painted with a Pikachu and/or several other Pokemon. The franchise is hugely popular among the kids, but there are also young adults who consider themselves as fans, having played the video games in their childhood.

The 5th Generation of Pokemon is said to be designed to appeal to older gamers who were introduced to the game during their younger years. One of the newest features on Pokemon Black and White is the C-gear which helps you connect with other players using wireless technology. It also has Pokemon Global Link, which is a platform where you can add new creatures otherwise unobtainable in Unova to your Pokemon Black and White Pokedex. You can also get custom skins for your Pokemon Black and White Pokedex from Global Link.

There are plenty of web forums about the video game. You can obtain Pokemon Black and White walkthroughs to help you complete difficult tasks much faster. There are also complete walkthroughs about them which basically provides you with a strategy guide on the best way to complete the game. Apart from walkthroughs these forums are also teeming with its cheats. These Pokemon Black and White cheats can quicken the evolution of certain creatures or so that they heal faster during Boss battles.

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