The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1927)

Beautifully animated, if you can call it that, tale of adventure straight outta Germany, dog. This film is entirely done with the silhouettes of big cardboard cut-outs either shot a frame at a time or several in succession as a cut-out-ateer moves them. The narrative is a fantastic adventure following a prince and his various adventures taking him to magic mountains, Alladin's palace, and China... or something. It's silent and short and really worth checking out if you enjoy silent, foreign, animated films from the 1920s or if you just like good films. A truly unique experience.

OK, so... I lied.

I'm not one for beating a dead horse, but when it came column time this week I was still thinking about that damn Revolution controller. At the beginning of my last post I said I wasn't going to explain how it worked but I did for the article. Because they edit it down for the paper I'm still going to put it up here, but it contains a lot of what is written below. Just a warning.

Click here for the Daily Cardinal Version
September 21, 2005

Last week, after months of waiting, Nintendo finally revealed the controller for their next generation game console, code-named Revolution, at the Tokyo Game Show. And after months of waiting two things became apparent; all the speculation on the controller in the gaming community over the last half year was nowhere close to what we saw and Nintendo may have finally gone completely insane.

It’s evident from Nintendo’s recent endeavors in hardware and game play that they have entirely lost interest in competing with Microsoft and Sony on a purely “top hardware lots of software” business model. Exhibit A: the bongo controller for several GameCube games. This input device allows characters to be controlled on screen with rhythmic tapping and clapping. Exhibit B: the Nintendo DS. This handheld comes equipped with everything you’d expect, plus an additional display that has touch-screen capabilities and a microphone for audible input. Though not many games have taken full advantage of the hardware it showcases Nintendo’s wanting to take game interaction to another level.

Finally exhibit C: the Revolution controller. The controller resembles, and is held like, a television remote. There is a trigger underneath and a few face buttons and a D-pad on top. What makes this controller really different, as though it weren’t off-beat enough, is its ability to convey its position in three dimensions relative to the television screen to the Revolution. It does this through sensors placed on the TV and in the controller itself.

This has the potential to affect game play in radically new ways. Imagine playing the next Zelda game and instead of pushing a button to swing your sword you actually have to move your arm. The same for baseball and tennis games could be applied. Or perhaps holding the controller upright it could be used as a flight stick for plane combat games. Put another controller in your other hand and play a virtual drum set.

With several additions to the controller Nintendo has hinted at even more will be possible. At TGS Nintendo President Satoru Iwata also unveiled an analog stick attachment. This left hand device is tethered to the bottom of the other controller and could be used in conjunction with the remote side. The first person shooter genre may see the most use out of this setup. For example, the player could control their character’s position with their left had and their weapon facing and aiming by pointing at the screen with their right.

The possibilities are as far reaching as the developers’ imagination. But some big questions have yet to be answered. Will anybody want/be able to develop for the Revolution? Many game companies may choose to focus their efforts on safe, proven methods of game play that Xbox 360 and PS3 will offer. Will the control be as precise as a standard controller for twitch-based games like Halo? When speed and accuracy are everything in a game can this wireless wonder deliver?

Finally, will there be a market for the Revolution? Nintendo is expected to be last to market with this hardware and may very well find out that many potential customers have purchased a 360 or PS3. Nintendo thinks this won’t be the case and that they’ll also be able to tap a market of people that haven’t played video games yet or were alienated by their complexity long ago.

All these things remain to be seen. Nintendo could be right and may very well revolutionize an industry that is stagnating right now. They have in the handheld market by outselling the PSP by nearly 2 to 1. Will their luck carry over to the next generation? Time will tell.

Nintendo Revolution Controller

Have you seen this thing? I'm not here to tell you how it works or what it can do, you can figure that out on your own here and here. I'm just going to tell you what I think of it, because you should respect my opinion... or something.

Anyways, I believe Nintendo is poised to hit a home-run with this thing. Why? Are you aware that the new Xbox or PlayStation will arrive within the next year? No. Do you care? Not really. Do you know why? Because we aren't ready to move on from the current generation. Many of us are satisfied with our PS2, Xbox, or GameCube and probably aren't going to feel like forking over the $300 to $600 Microsoft and Sony will want for their new machines. What can the new machines offer that we can't already get? Sound can't get any better. The graphics are already near-photorealistic. And the entire industry is stagnating because of too many sequels and too few original ideas and franchises.

Nintendo probably won't excel in sound, visuals, or content much more than Sony or Microsoft, so they're going to change what seems like the last possible means of change the industry can muster; the input device. Since 1985 and the NES we've been using our two hands, our thumbs, and a couple other digits to control the action. During this time the other three things I've mentioned have improved by leaps and bounds. Now we've reached a wall with these aspects of games.

When the Nintendo Revolution, or whatever they're going to call the bloody thing, hits next year and we finally start looking around are we going to reach for more of the same or something different? And are new consumers going to reach for a sequel machine who's predecessor they didn't like or are they going to try this obscure, intriguing, original... thing.

Don't get me wrong, I'll probably get/want all three for my own reasons, and I know that if the controller doesn't work as well as Nintendo hopes it can then this will be a bust. But look at these pics, read those couple of links, and tell me you're not the slightest bit intrigued.

Summer Game Round-up

Daily Cardinal Version
September 4, 2005

As we begin to recover from our summer hangover many of us will probably resist the urge to stay focused and not procrastinate this semester in favor of doing “it later.” What better time than now is there to reacquaint yourself with some of the games you may have missed during the past few months? Despite an unusually slow summer season there were a handful of games that stuck out as worth playing.

Forza Motorsport
Hailed as Microsoft’s answer to the Gran Turismo series, Forza does everything we wished GT4 had. The visuals are über realistic and the sound is top-notch. You’ll wile away hours unlocking licensed cars, special tracks, and new options. Where you’ll spend most of your time, though, is online. Competition is fierce and the learning curve is steep, but the rewards are well worth the trouble. And it’s worth mentioning that when you slam your ride into a barricade at 100 mph you’ll see damage modeling on your car, something a certain PS2 exclusive racer won’t do.

GTA San Andreas
Yeah, it’s the same game your friend played last November, but you didn’t. Help CJ reclaim what The Man has taken from him and build a criminal empire while you’re at it. A few things both suffer and flourish in this port. Visuals are touched up over the PS2 version, but only slightly and not what we know the Xbox is capable of. The control scheme suffers, too, as firefights and certain objectives require unparalleled dexterity. Also, if you get sick of the provided soundtrack you can also listen to your HD tunes. For series vets and newcomers alike, this is a definitely worth your time.

Kirby Canvas Curse
For the seventeen of you out there that own a Nintendo DS you’ll find what could be considered its first true game. Kirby’s adventure is some half-assed tech demo or a port but a game developed solely and explicitly to take advantage of the DS’s unique gaming abilities. Guide Kirby around using your stylus in a multitude of ways accomplishing unique objectives and advancing the simple and quirky story.

NCAA Football 06/Madden NFL 06
Another year, another football game. Each year EA Sports offers up slightly improved editions of the past year’s game. Whether the college or pro game is your cup of tea either game will suffice if you feel the need to update your rosters. There are a few new things to note this year, though. NCAA has finally been treated to a graphical facelift. There is also a new mode that lets you more closely control a characters quest for the Heisman trophy. Madden, likewise, has a new superstar mode, which is a souped up model of the Heisman race. Gameplay-wise Madden was treated to a passing cone gimmick. This hinders the already tricky passing mechanics of Madden but it can be turned off. With EA obtaining the exclusive rights to both the college and professional ball titles these two games represent the full spectrum of football sims this year. Each plays as well as it ever had and the additions are a pleasant enough distraction. If you feel the need to some virtual pigskin betwixt class then you won’t be disappointed.

As we approach the end of console life cycles developers are putting most of their time and effort into the new batch of hardware. This means the rate at which quality games are released slows down considerably. Fall holds the promise of a few more top tier titles vying to capitalize on the holiday season, but the last few months, with a few exceptions, have been disappointing at best.