More Fun Than Good

I don’t remember when it was, but do I remember being puzzled by Jeff Canatta on the Weekend Confirmed podcast when he claimed a game to be “more fun than it was good.” It took some explanation even to the rest of his podcast crew for them (and the listener) to understand his meaning. But since then, the coined phrase has practically become his moniker, and one that I have come to employ.

When it comes to games, you may be familiar with the term “Triple-A.” These are the games that are the flagship titles for publishers, games that get TV advertising, games that multi-sequel franchises are built upon. It doesn’t always mean that they are the best reviewed games, but they are often the most popular in their genre.

What about all those other games? Are there Double-A, Single-A games, etc.? Not really. In today’s environment, games are seldom developed deliberately to start their life as a second- or third-tier title. However, most games do live somewhere in the spectrum from struggling-to-make-a-profit to making-enough-profit-to-risk-a-sequel. When this happens, regardless of game quality, a publisher may start dropping prices early on a title that appears to be lagging in sales. Now, kids games, value-priced games, or games designed for a very specific audience (like hunting games or movie tie-in games) are somewhat review-proof. In other words, they are not always adversely affected by reviews when it comes to sales. Blockbuster games, however, are affected by reviews and word-of-mouth. When a title is priced down to move, it is not often perceived as a must-buy or even must-play experience.

This means that a lot of really interesting games can slip through the cracks. I seem to have a lot of these kinds of games in my collection. Well, it’s more like a pile. A pile that is far too tall, composed of games that have waited far too long to be played. However, from time to time, I get around to one of them. Some are indeed as bad as I feared—while others are little gems that I wish I could have championed at the time. Not surprisingly, these gems are often flawed.

One such game that stuck in my mind recently was Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

I’m not going to go into a review of the game. Others have done that long ago and far better than I could. I will tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It won me over. I found myself rooting for the game itself. “Hey, that battle was fun! Wow, that cut-scene made me feel for that character. . . . Keep being awesome!” Inevitably there would be a glitch or excruciating gameplay scenario in which I would come to understand . . . ”Oh, that’s why they didn’t love you.” But even in all that, the game was like a cute little puppy that did something very wrong. I just couldn’t stay mad at it for long. I was having too much fun in general to care that, at specific times, it wasn’t being very good. That’s when I understood what Jeff Canatta meant.

I almost wish “More Fun Than Good” was a rating, or a special sticker that could be placed on the box. This way, more people would have a chance at discovering and experiencing it. If they did, maybe we could better bolster the games that we want to play before they are lost to obscurity.

Anyone interested in an Enslaved 2?

Falling in LIKE with Windows 8

It’s often part of our human nature to be uneasy with change. But when it comes to Microsoft operating systems, there is a reasonable amount of precedence on which to base this uneasiness. Windows Vista still gives me fits. And now we are stuck with Windows 8.

We all knew that it would be different, even drastically so. The interface looks so much like the Windows phone OS, with its flat meaningless icons and unsettling color palette. Why would Microsoft commit to this direction? It’s not as though the Windows phone was a huge success, or had a significantly large install-base.

Yet even with all those detractions, Microsoft deliberately added one more: making even the most basic interactions non-intuitive…no, counter-intuitive.

I like to think that I am fairly proficient with computers, but when I first started working with Windows 8 I was faced with an operating system that stymied me at times. Experience with previous versions of Windows and even other operating systems failed to give me context. Finding once familiar ways to get the simplest things done became a tedious challenge. I even started trying to navigate through using the Windows Shortcut keys. (That’s typically the symbolic key between the ctrl and alt keys that no one ever uses.) It didn’t make things much better.

Then something happened. It might have been Stockholm Syndrome. Like anyone buying a Windows computer, phone, or gaming system, I was forced to acclimate to Microsoft’s new interface. I dealt with the seven stages of grief and came out achieving acceptance. What caused me to embrace this operating system to which we are now captive?

It was engaging with Windows 8 on a touchscreen. 

Suddenly it made sense. My previous use of smart phones and tablets caused my fingers to interact on their own accord. I got it. What’s more, Window 8 started to change how I regarded traditional peripherals. Using a mouse now seemed cumbersome, as it brought me out of direct engagement with the screen. It was slowing me down. If I could think of using the screen like a tablet with access to a physical keyboard, I was on track. In reality, this was the experience I had actually been wanting for years. The difference was that it came by nontraditional means.

Being an avid PC and console user, I’m quite accustomed to buying hardware based only on the then-nebulous promise of what it can do. By that I mean that there is seldom software at day one that can fully take advantage of the new system’s power: to integrate the unique platform features, or push the device to its limits. With Windows 8, the opposite is true. I think we have witnessed the release of an operating system in search of hardware that was not readily available. Windows 8 absolutely works best in a touchscreen environment. The problem is that not enough touchscreens were present amongst customers. Microsoft did a poor job communicating that this was how they meant it to be used. Unless you were already using it on a Surface or other Windows tablet, it felt like a harsh punishment. As a result,“I just want my Start button back” became a rally cry.

I mentioned that Windows 8 was an operating system that I really wanted without realizing it. This is because I am subject to our cultural phenomenon: a love of tablets. As anyone that owns a tablet can tell you, they are incredibly portable and very useful for accessing information from the internet, viewing all sorts of media, and quickly responding with limited amounts of text. They are a blend of the best aspects of computers and phones, all in one. Of course, unlike a phone, they don’t replace the need for voice and text messaging. And, unlike a computer, they do not replace the ability to run power-intensive programs or facilitate heavy editing and content creation.

In Windows 8, we witness the potential to have the ease of a tablet with the power of a PC. I think in the long run, Microsoft will have been vindicated and not reviled as they are now. As for me, I finally look forward to my Windows 8 experience.

Like I have a choice.

Why you MIGHT care about Oculus Rift

If you play video games or are a tech junky in any form, then you probably know about Oculus Rift. Even if you aren't the type that pines for the next big gadget, you likely have heard its name or seen images of it in passing.

For those of you that are still completely in the dark, Oculus Rift is a virtual-reality headset. It has been most often demonstrated by enthusiasts and skeptics who don the gear and slip into a virtual world that responds to their head movement while they interact with a game controller. There is always a lot of jaw-dropping on behalf of the participant, while the rest of us viewers stare like we just watched the latest David Blaine stunt. We are really impressed even though we have no idea what we just saw.

But don't worry. Although we enthusiasts might be drinking the Kool-Aid, there is a part of our collective geek mentality that is thinking just like you. Oculus Rift kind of makes you look stupid. Now even those uber-nerds sporting the Google-Goggles have someone that they can point at and laugh. Oculus Rift looks like some sci-fi torture device from Flash Gordon. And yes, early feedback from some indicates that it can make you nauseous after wearing it for a while. But it might be worth it.

Each year, television manufacturers try to create new iterative and innovative technology to make you unsatisfied with what you have. They need you to want bigger and better. I have no problem with that. They hoped 3D would be their next holy grail, but it didn't really trend. Ever wonder why?

The novelty of 3D display has actually been around a long time. But from Jaws to (insert latest horror flick here), the effects have usually been overt and gimmicky. The cool 3D moment is often so staged that you are no longer immersed in the movie. You become aware of it. You suddenly remember you are wearing the world's most uncool sunglasses.

I recently saw Gravity in 3D (don't worry, no spoilers here). It was one of the few movies since Avatar where the 3D aspect of the film wasn't just a gimmick. It was a movie where distance and perspective were two uncredited lead characters in every scene. It actually helped make me feel more immersed in the story than less. When it ended, I felt a bit sad. Not because of the movie, but because at that moment it was forever gone. I'll never experience the film like that again outside the theater. In fact, I can't really experience any movie the way I can in a theater. It's likely a major factor why theaters still exist (outside of first-run rights). Movies in theaters are big—really big. Bigger than any TV that the manufacturers can sell me.

Oculus Rift might be the answer to that. While it currently is destined to be a gaming platform of sorts, it boasts the ability to span 110 degrees of your view. It’s almost like wearing an IMAX theater on your head. Almost. Imagine being able to watch the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or any number of your favorite movies become larger than life in your own personal theater. That kind of experience could bring the inner geek out in everyone.

As an added bonus, being able to watch movies might avoid some of Oculus Rift’s early user issues. Relaxing and leaning back in your most comfortable chair could virtually eliminate nausea and head strain.

To my knowledge, the ability to play media and not just games has not been discussed. But surely that ability is not difficult to include. If the movie industry were to back this, it could be a boon for them as well. The Oculus Rift is boasting the ability to display resolutions up to 4K. That’s much higher than any current Blu-Ray player can manage. I would now have a compelling reason to start rebuying my movie collection…again.

Oculus Rift.

Did I mention that it can do 3D?

No new consoles under the tree this year.

This is not Santa’s punishment for me being bad this year (although I would understand if he thought that should be the case). It was my decision and it was a long time in coming.  It started with the question “Should I pre-order the PS4 or the XBOX One?”  I didn’t immediately know the answer, so I decide to wait a while.

Let’s give a little context here.  I was that gamer that bought XBOX, the PS3, the XBOX 360, the Wii on day one.* When it came to the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD wars, I didn’t choose sides; I got them both.  (Once a year, I still attach the drive to my XBOX 360 and play a movie from that dusty collection.)

With that in mind, when I asked myself the question “What system do I pre-order?” I expected my gut to respond “Order both, moron!”  But it was quiet.  When I paused to listen, I could only hear a faint “…ehhh...”

It took a little digging, but I think I understand now why I didn’t commit, and I suspect that I may not be alone in my reasoning.  If I’m right, it may take longer for this generation of consoles to reach Sony and Microsoft’s first-year goals, as opposed to the way the last generation did.

The previous generation had a demonstrable jump in technology and in user-experience.  You could see the difference immediately in graphical resolution and in frames per second. You could now game in ways you’d never been able to before motion controls.  This generation of consoles, on the other hand, struggles to come up with obvious innovation as opposed to improvements.  (Many people are challenged to be able even to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p graphics, unless it’s specifically pointed out or they’re put side by side.)  

The XBOX 360, PS3, and Wii offered brand-new environments.  You could play a game and connect with other gamers through their networks, or from within a game itself.  You could revisit an older game from your collection, put in your new game from the store, or download a game on-demand without physical media.  Then came all the third-party apps and services to entertain me when I wasn’t playing a game.  It was as though the collective mantra of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo was “Yes!  And now you can also….” 

While it is true that many of these great experiences are still present in the PS4 and XBOX One, the mantra has seemed to have changed to “No. Sorry about that. We’re hoping you’ll forget about how good it used to be.” Remember all those changes that Microsoft wanted to instill back when then announced the XBOX One…and later recanted? Remember not having to pay for basic network services on Sony?  Remember being able to play Blu-Ray movies on the PS3? Remember being able to play all the games from your library regardless of generation?

For me, that last point was the proverbial straw.  It’s what is holding me back from purchasing right now.  Pretend for a moment that XBOX One was able to play XBOX 360 games. I would then be able to justify purchasing the console.  It would immediately replace the 360 that’s sitting in my living room.  I could have that wonderful/frustrating new-console experience, and when I was done with the limited selection of XBOX One games, I could return to my existing favorites in my virtual or physical library.  

But no. This time Sony and Microsoft have not caught me in new-console frenzy.  Rather than wooing the gaming community, they are trying to force their vision and revenue model onto us in a shotgun-wedding scenario. They’ve forced me to examine the cost versus value of the experience.  So far, it’s not compelling.  They have caused me to join with my friends, waiting.  Waiting for that game that I simply MUST play.  That can’t be played anywhere else, on any other system.

Well, I guess there is always next year.

*The author also concedes to having purchased a Wii-U, but is still trying to justify that purchase.