I wrote this a few years back for my now dead website, and while some things are out of date i feel the pasion i put into this more than makes up for that. I hope you enjoy it.
I remember back in 1990 I got my first proper games console. I had various other ?computer systems?- an acorn electron, some weird grandstand thing with chunky cartridges and an old c64, but it was the excitement of having a pure games system with true 8-bit quality games that really turned me on. I was and still am very proud of my Sega Master System. Double dragon was my first game, I?d played it in the arcade and now I was actually playing it in my own home. Wow. Christmas was great. I believe this started of my love of video games and all things Sega. My brother, being the awkward bastard that he is, decided he wanted a NES.
Although furiously denying that I liked his console, looking back now I realise it was healthy as we both supported the different sides of the coin. He always had the Nintendo machines, I stuck with Sega. This gave me the opportunity to play on all the best games on whichever machine it was available on. And then it happened. The days of the master system, NES, mega drive, SNES, game gear, gameboy, 32x, mega c-d and Saturn were about to be shattered. Like a little grey dog turd the playstation sat there under the T.V. Little did I know this was about to change gaming forever.
It was quiet at first but then came the marketing. Radio, TV and magazine adverts were coming at me from all angles, this was the beginning of the end. 5 years on from the psx Sony released the ps2, which was about as advanced in technology as a gameboy pocket was from a gameboy.
Admittedly the psx is capable of better graphics and sound than the Saturn was, but the ps2? What the **** is that? I know a fair few people would agree with me when I say that the Dreamcast is a far better console than the ps2. Shenmue 2 is a highly advanced game and the sheer playability of virtua tennis, crazy taxi and sonic are unrivalled. The ps2 sold purely on the strength of the ps1 and its DVD function (and even that was ****ed-up unless you like watching dvds in a nice shade of green). Ps2?s games look and smell just how they did on the previous console, but Joe public doesn?t give a **** because it?s cool to have a playstation. Sony managed to rope in those boys in the street. You know, the ones with Burberry caps and one trouser leg tucked in to their socks. Its all well and good appealing to a mass market, but as with all businesses whenever someone gains a monopoly over the market the industry suffers.
AFTER THE PLAYSTATION WAS RELEASED VIDEO GAMES BECAME ****ED.
It reached a point where developers were making the most awful games and still releasing them because they knew they would sell (anyone for an army men game?). Complacency amongst developers has meant there? a terrible amount of **** being released. Sure the ps1 and 2 has hundreds of games, but how many are honestly good? I?m not trying to detract from the fact that there are some good games on the playstations, gta3 and gt3 are highly enjoyable as are medal of honour and devil may cry, but the amount of **** that you have to sit through until a genuinely good game shines through is unbelievable.
As mentioned the sheer popularity of the psx pushed the ps2 further than what it deserves. DAT sound? Id rather have Dolby digital 5.1. Sharp jagged graphics? I prefer rounded and smooth edges on my graphics. Green DVDs with less-than-perfect picture quality? Give me crystal clear pictures and sound any day. This is where I truly believe the xbox comes in. No other company has the technology or money to defeat Sony other than Microsoft. I can put my hand on my heart and say the xbox has been the best console I?ve owned since the mega drive.
Gaming is now fun again.
Sony should stick to what they are good at: making walkmans!!
With Microsoft?s console and money, the gamecube looking stronger all the time, and Sega developing for all formats, early indications suggest that we can bring gaming back to the glory days. Come on developers , you cant fob us off with any old ****, give us decent games. We deserve a little respect. We have the power, hope lies in us. Together we are strong.
Yet after this rant and rave my spunky monkey juices began flowing, I realised something was wrong. I consulted my mystical pigeon of the oracle and realised maybe some people may have got the wrong end of my stick. You see I don?t just hate Sony, I love them. Lets be honest, one of the bleakest days in console gaming came a few months ago when Sega announced they wont be making any more consoles. After this sorry state of affairs rumours began circulating that the Gamecube may be the last console by Nintendo. THANKS A ****ING BUNCH SONY! If it wasn?t bad enough that Sony continue to hold a monopoly over the video game market it?s now become apparent that they are beginning to push out the veterans of the industry. If it wasn?t for Sega and Nintendo establishing the building blocks for computer games there would be no need for a Playstation. So let?s just recap, Sony have not only delivered a great deal of complacency in the industry but they also may have saved it.
Sony favoured the quantity over quality approach and it worked. It may have the wrong principles but it seems that Mr. Joe Public doesn?t mind buying **** games. Look at the N64, Nintendo didn?t release many games, instead they released classics every once in a while such as Goldeneye and Mario 64. And it?s this approach that meant the N64 was never going to be a mainstream console; instead it was destined to be held in the realms of cult favourite by hardcore gamers forever. Shame. The exact same thing happened with the Dreamcast. Both N64 and Dreamcast are far superior consoles to the playstations, yet the user-friendliness of the playstations and the appeal of playing sub-standard games was the major factor in the demise of the true games machine. But wait, on the other hand there?s no denying the good Sony have done. Its quite fair to state that without the mainstream appeal of the Playstation many developers wouldn?t have been able to break into the industry. Would we have Grand theft auto 3 without Sony? Could Rockstar games have existed without the playstation?
But alas, for every beautiful pair of bouncy tits in the world there is an equally unattractive saggy, hairy pair of man-breasts. You see, Sony have done good. They have brought interest into the market from other mediums such as the music and film industries and they have helped bring video games into the general public meaning more developers, more designers, more shops and more money is brought into the industry. Now call me old fashioned but I preferred the classic era of gaming in the mid-nineties. I preferred when I could talk computer games without some kid butting in thinking he knows everything just because he?s had a playstation for a few years. These little bastards wouldn?t know the difference between Alex Kidd in wonderland from Streets of Rage. Why don?t they **** off, go and hang around street corners, drink alcopops, have one trouser leg tucked into their sock, talk about football and garage music like they always used to. Kids of today haven?t got as clue about games.
So basically what im saying is that Sony have brought a lot of good but they?ve done a lot of bad.
In a way it?s like stealing a porno mag and going to have a wank. Sony have stolen the jazz mag and is happily wanking the corner, but in the end they could take the mag back to the store. Its up to you Mr.Sony. You have the final say on what games are released. DON?T RELEASE **** GAMES! Back in the good old days gaming was fun and enjoyable. I?ve mentioned before that the xbox is definitely the most fun console to play with since the megadrive. If Microsoft can do it so can you Sony. For the greater good of all the gaming industry. Now i've said my bit, lets all live in peace.
I remember back in 1990 I got my first proper games console. I had various other ?computer systems?- an acorn electron, some weird grandstand thing with chunky cartridges and an old c64, but it was the excitement of having a pure games system with true 8-bit quality games that really turned me on. I was and still am very proud of my Sega Master System. Double dragon was my first game, I?d played it in the arcade and now I was actually playing it in my own home. Wow. Christmas was great. I believe this started of my love of video games and all things Sega. My brother, being the awkward bastard that he is, decided he wanted a NES.
Although furiously denying that I liked his console, looking back now I realise it was healthy as we both supported the different sides of the coin. He always had the Nintendo machines, I stuck with Sega. This gave me the opportunity to play on all the best games on whichever machine it was available on. And then it happened. The days of the master system, NES, mega drive, SNES, game gear, gameboy, 32x, mega c-d and Saturn were about to be shattered. Like a little grey dog turd the playstation sat there under the T.V. Little did I know this was about to change gaming forever.
It was quiet at first but then came the marketing. Radio, TV and magazine adverts were coming at me from all angles, this was the beginning of the end. 5 years on from the psx Sony released the ps2, which was about as advanced in technology as a gameboy pocket was from a gameboy.
Admittedly the psx is capable of better graphics and sound than the Saturn was, but the ps2? What the **** is that? I know a fair few people would agree with me when I say that the Dreamcast is a far better console than the ps2. Shenmue 2 is a highly advanced game and the sheer playability of virtua tennis, crazy taxi and sonic are unrivalled. The ps2 sold purely on the strength of the ps1 and its DVD function (and even that was ****ed-up unless you like watching dvds in a nice shade of green). Ps2?s games look and smell just how they did on the previous console, but Joe public doesn?t give a **** because it?s cool to have a playstation. Sony managed to rope in those boys in the street. You know, the ones with Burberry caps and one trouser leg tucked in to their socks. Its all well and good appealing to a mass market, but as with all businesses whenever someone gains a monopoly over the market the industry suffers.
AFTER THE PLAYSTATION WAS RELEASED VIDEO GAMES BECAME ****ED.
It reached a point where developers were making the most awful games and still releasing them because they knew they would sell (anyone for an army men game?). Complacency amongst developers has meant there? a terrible amount of **** being released. Sure the ps1 and 2 has hundreds of games, but how many are honestly good? I?m not trying to detract from the fact that there are some good games on the playstations, gta3 and gt3 are highly enjoyable as are medal of honour and devil may cry, but the amount of **** that you have to sit through until a genuinely good game shines through is unbelievable.
As mentioned the sheer popularity of the psx pushed the ps2 further than what it deserves. DAT sound? Id rather have Dolby digital 5.1. Sharp jagged graphics? I prefer rounded and smooth edges on my graphics. Green DVDs with less-than-perfect picture quality? Give me crystal clear pictures and sound any day. This is where I truly believe the xbox comes in. No other company has the technology or money to defeat Sony other than Microsoft. I can put my hand on my heart and say the xbox has been the best console I?ve owned since the mega drive.
Gaming is now fun again.
Sony should stick to what they are good at: making walkmans!!
With Microsoft?s console and money, the gamecube looking stronger all the time, and Sega developing for all formats, early indications suggest that we can bring gaming back to the glory days. Come on developers , you cant fob us off with any old ****, give us decent games. We deserve a little respect. We have the power, hope lies in us. Together we are strong.
Yet after this rant and rave my spunky monkey juices began flowing, I realised something was wrong. I consulted my mystical pigeon of the oracle and realised maybe some people may have got the wrong end of my stick. You see I don?t just hate Sony, I love them. Lets be honest, one of the bleakest days in console gaming came a few months ago when Sega announced they wont be making any more consoles. After this sorry state of affairs rumours began circulating that the Gamecube may be the last console by Nintendo. THANKS A ****ING BUNCH SONY! If it wasn?t bad enough that Sony continue to hold a monopoly over the video game market it?s now become apparent that they are beginning to push out the veterans of the industry. If it wasn?t for Sega and Nintendo establishing the building blocks for computer games there would be no need for a Playstation. So let?s just recap, Sony have not only delivered a great deal of complacency in the industry but they also may have saved it.
Sony favoured the quantity over quality approach and it worked. It may have the wrong principles but it seems that Mr. Joe Public doesn?t mind buying **** games. Look at the N64, Nintendo didn?t release many games, instead they released classics every once in a while such as Goldeneye and Mario 64. And it?s this approach that meant the N64 was never going to be a mainstream console; instead it was destined to be held in the realms of cult favourite by hardcore gamers forever. Shame. The exact same thing happened with the Dreamcast. Both N64 and Dreamcast are far superior consoles to the playstations, yet the user-friendliness of the playstations and the appeal of playing sub-standard games was the major factor in the demise of the true games machine. But wait, on the other hand there?s no denying the good Sony have done. Its quite fair to state that without the mainstream appeal of the Playstation many developers wouldn?t have been able to break into the industry. Would we have Grand theft auto 3 without Sony? Could Rockstar games have existed without the playstation?
But alas, for every beautiful pair of bouncy tits in the world there is an equally unattractive saggy, hairy pair of man-breasts. You see, Sony have done good. They have brought interest into the market from other mediums such as the music and film industries and they have helped bring video games into the general public meaning more developers, more designers, more shops and more money is brought into the industry. Now call me old fashioned but I preferred the classic era of gaming in the mid-nineties. I preferred when I could talk computer games without some kid butting in thinking he knows everything just because he?s had a playstation for a few years. These little bastards wouldn?t know the difference between Alex Kidd in wonderland from Streets of Rage. Why don?t they **** off, go and hang around street corners, drink alcopops, have one trouser leg tucked into their sock, talk about football and garage music like they always used to. Kids of today haven?t got as clue about games.
So basically what im saying is that Sony have brought a lot of good but they?ve done a lot of bad.
In a way it?s like stealing a porno mag and going to have a wank. Sony have stolen the jazz mag and is happily wanking the corner, but in the end they could take the mag back to the store. Its up to you Mr.Sony. You have the final say on what games are released. DON?T RELEASE **** GAMES! Back in the good old days gaming was fun and enjoyable. I?ve mentioned before that the xbox is definitely the most fun console to play with since the megadrive. If Microsoft can do it so can you Sony. For the greater good of all the gaming industry. Now i've said my bit, lets all live in peace.