Plotting the Revolution's Arc

Very few things surprise me about videogames anymore. I won't claim to be all-knowing by any means, but there are very few genuine surprises these days. Release dates are known well in advance, endless features and interviews are conducted with developers during the course of a game's creation, and what few elements that publishers try to keep under wraps get leaked to the media by individuals wanting their moment in the sun. Even the big gaming news stories of this past year (Hot Coffee, the PS3 PreRendered Movie Debate) were more frustrating than surprising. Happily, Nintendo managed to pull a rabbit out of their hat. Today's announcement of exactly what the revolution behind the Revolution will be is nothing short of a showstopper. Read on for my reaction to Nintendo's new bid for the brass ring. I know it's already been discussed, but I'll go ahead and say it here for the record. The GameCube failed as a console. Despite the excellent first party games that have been released for it, and the occasional exclusive (Resident Evil 4), Nintendo has definitely stumbled it's way through this generation of consoles. The failure of the GameCube makes this the second generation of console systems where Nintendo has been left essentially sitting on the sidelines. Every time I post a story about someone editorializing Nintendo's death, or how Nintendo will never die, it saddens me a great deal. Nintendo is the company that brought a lot of the people of my generation into gaming in the first place. The Christmas morning I sat down for the first time with a NES controller in my hand was a life-changing moment. If not for smashing evil mushroom people and searching for Triforce pieces in my youth, my life would be very different today. Every flashy Xbox commercial, PS2 exclusive, or can of crap with Mario's mug stamped on it has made the little kid inside me become more and more jaded about the possibilities this industry can offer.

Today, that little kid is beaming. The company that introduced me to gaming so long ago has picked itself up off the mat and looks ready to come out swinging this time around. We've already linked to 1up's coverage of the announcement, but if you haven't read it yet there are plenty of other places to get the specifics. Gamespot, Gamespy, IGN, and Game Informer all have photo spreads, video, and first hand impressions from their experiences with Nintendo's next venture. Commentary is available from CNN Money, Wonderland, Jeremy Parish, The Game Chair, Joystiq, and Next Generation. An interview with Nintendo's Senior EU Marketing director is available on Eurogamer, and if you want to see the announcement firsthand a webcast of the presentation is available.

All of these pieces spend at least a paragraph or two wondering about the future, and with good reason. Within half an hour of the story being posted to the internet there were already lamentations about "the end of an era" and blistering condemnations of the controller as a lark that will fail as badly as the Virtual Boy. Specifically, both the professional media and fan commentaries seemed to center around the reaction that third party developers may or may not have to this extremely intriguing idea. The combination of this new controller style and the mentality that "Nintendo is for kids" may cause the company some problems down the line. They're almost certainly right.

That said, if you've read the description of the Metroid Prime demo you can't help but pause. The mental gymnastics required to use a mouse and keyboard in a First Person Shooter have confounded non-gamers since the genre began. As anyone who's played an FPS on a console can tell you, the two joystick approach gets the job done but is far from intuitive. Attempting such a title on the console is basically out of the question unless you can work at the interface, something a non-gamer is rarely willing to do. Nintendo deftly sidesteps this with an interface that has ties directly into what we do in our everyday lives. Turning your head to observe your environment is already an instinct we posses, so not only will it be easy to explain it will be trivial to do. The natural flow of such an interface opens up many horizons. Shooters are well and good, but the immediacy of the first person perspective is a tempting way to just tell a story. Divorced of its more violent aspects and with an interface that doesn't require years of practice to use, who is to say that our mothers won't be playing something built in the Unreal Engine a year from now?

The FPS is just one example of a genre that we traditionally think of as "hardcore" which could be opened up to non-gamers by an interface that allows the user to interact with a gameworld in a less artificial manner . Real Time Strategy games would be a snap, as you wave your hand and the map moves effortlessly along beneath your outstretched hand. Driving games where you could actually apply your real life driving reflexes. Puzzle games where manipulating pieces is second nature. Sports games that require you to actually swing the bat or catch the football. Fighting games where you can feel a guy get punched in the face. At the end of the day, games are about having fun. Say what you will about their business acumen, Nintendo has always understood that. With the Revolution interface, the company is reaching out to the millions of people who have yet to pick up a controller. Why should those of us who have been playing since that first grey box reached our shores be the only ones who have access to the fun?

This is a risky venture, no doubt about it. If third party developers don't catch on to the possibilities here, if the EAs of the world don't take a chance with the new interface, then Nintendo will be looking at a big problem. This may be the last console larger than the DS we see out of the company for quite a while. If that's the way it's going to be, then I say so be it. Finally, at least, Nintendo isn't just going to sit there and try to imitate the other consoles poorly. Sony and Microsoft are very, very good at what they do. Instead of keeping up with the Jonses, Nintendo is striking out on its own. For better or worse, they've taken steps to expand the field of game players and change the nature of game playing.

The number of games at launch, third party commitment to the console, and the commercial reaction to this departure from the norm will be the only way to determine if Nintendo has made the right call. Either way we can look forward to a generation of consoles that will not only be graphically more impressive, but fundamentally different from the gaming systems we've played in the past. For me, at least, when I pick up the remote for the first time it will be like sitting down again on Christmas morning. I can't wait.

I've had my say ... what do you think? The controller announcement was put up early this morning. Now that you've had the chance to look at it more carefully, is your opinion any different? Most importantly, are you planning on buying one?

Comments

retro

[Anonymous Coward]

I have poured hot grits down my pants.

Thank you.

Re:retro

[TrippTDF]

Natalie Portman unavailable for comment.

who the fuck is "Zonk"

[Anonymous Coward]

I know it's already been discussed, but I'll go ahead and say it here for the record. Zonk failed as a Slashdot editor.

Re:Who CARES? This was done before

[tont0r]

no, it was ATTEMPTED 20 years ago, and failed. everyone knows all you had to do was point the stupid glove at the screen and it would do stuff. with the sensors built into it, its a whole new ballgame.

"Very few things surprise me about videogames"

[l3v1]

I guess you know nothing about the "Spore" game (check at http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/). A friend of mine sent me the link, and the game seem nothing less than amazing.

OT: is /. a blog now

[rsilvergun]

ya know, I've been steadfastly holding back on complaining about Zonk (gotta love his name), but come on, this is a news site. Come on Zonk, post you comments with the article like the rest of us.

Zonk, Zonk, Zonk....

[wiggles]

Does anyone else find it hysterical that Zonk thinks his comments are so important that he has to write them up and post them on the front page instead of commenting to an article like everyone else does, including Taco?
 
It's like duping a story on purpose just so he could have first post!

And I care about Zonk's opinion, Why?

[rAiNsT0rm]

I already know I will get modded down and flamed, but fuck it.

So Zonk is basically a wannabe game reviewer who never got to do so for real, so he now constantly interjects his opinions in reviews and editorials on a NEWS site. I'm sick of it. I have worked as a reviewer, and I have respect for a number of talented folks who are real reviewers. Zonk isn't one of them. Not even close.

The Revolution will be innovative and it will change gaming, I think we all can see that. Zonk, the real news was posted early morning... no one gives a rat's ass about your opinion on matters. Post a comment in the actual NEWS story if you want to discuss your opinions. You are a blight on a once great site, you are not the only problem but you are one major one.

Give it a rest Zonk. Stick to news, not dupes, opinions, and non-factual stories... news.

Re:And I care about Zonk's opinion, Why?

[rAiNsT0rm]

Yeah, I have the balls to use my real account to post my feelings and I will do so regardless of the inevitable modding that will take place.

It is perfectly true, and if any other "news" site would resort to shit like this it would get blasted eight ways from sunday. But for some reason people tolerate this around here, and don't see the downward spiral.

Instead people will say: "use the filter" and "STFU, leave then". Well, I for one, do not like the direction things have been going around here and will make my voice heard. Like it or not it is the truth and needs to be addressed. Leaving will do nothing, making myself heard may help. Mod me down all day long, I can assure you there is no trolling nor flamebaiting behind my post.