Twilight Prince
06-06-2005, 08:33 PM
As I was reading some intresting thoughts by the incredilble Gollum in the forums I decided to write this.
So now what? Another graphics upgrade...more in depth online. And what comes after that? Nintendo really are right. Things are slowing down. This gen I have lost so much of the passion for games that I used to have. Next gen I think I'll lose even more, or would if it weren't for Nintendo.
Let me tell you about my domestic revolution!
I do agree with you Gollum, I have been feeling the same way... how can it really improve from here?
But some games do stand out. If someone would have let me play windwaker or RE4 and told me it was on a next gen machine i would have believed them because these games are so solid that they feel one level up.
And when it comes to graphics, who can say that they would NOT like to play a game that looks as real as that final fantasy movie they did some years ago?
But it's probably right that we will not know so much difference over the next years' progression... the peak is really soon to be reached. Now it's just up to the creators' innovation.
THOUGH...
I can proudly say that I've created my own little revolution in my home. It cost me extra money but it's definitely been worth it.
The story begins two or three years ago. I had been doing other things than playing video games for a couple of years but when I bought a cube with Zelda Windwaker i found that the magic was definitely still there and looking really good too.....
Halfway through the game I was thinking: "this game is so beautiful... but still i have a pretty hard time sometimes to keep up with what's happening on the screen". I was sitting on a wooden chair, in a smelly room in front of a 14" tv with mono sound and the sun was shining in, ruining the picture... AND my flatmate was playing music in the other room. I was hungry with no food in the fridge and no clean plates to eat from either.
I knew I was going to move to my own flat in two months and since I loved the game so much I decided to wait with playing the second half until i could find a situation where i could do the game justice...
At the time i was moving a friend of mine who worked at a Hi-Fi store said they had a projector for sale for only 1200 $. At that time it was a killer price, but it's cheaper these days. I had to buy it. Also I borrowed my friend's Logitech surround sound system.
Finally installed in my new flat I had a clean room, a nice comfy sofa and blinds for the windows. After a good dinner I sat down in front of the 2x2 meter screen, i had lit some nice smelling aroma candles, i had some dark chocolate and a glass of whisky on the rocks. I started the cube and took a deep breath as the landscape of Link's home island was panned over in the opening sequence. The sound system revealed bass sounds that i didn't even know was in the music, the wind blowing behind me in the rear speakers, and the huge screen covered almost my entire field of vision...
I started to play the game from the very beginning again.
It's easy to predict that in a peaceful and comfortable enviroment, with fully enhanced vision and sound, I was in the game. It was a totally different experience. And that's what it boils down to: the experience. Right?
Sometime's i think: why do we care so much about the system specs of the consoles and the sound and graphics of the games when most people still only play them on their old TV? It's a bit like talking about CD-quality audio and still have crappy speakers from the 70's.
Ok, I know a projector is not the only choice, there are big screen HDTV's out there and a lot of people probably allready play with both good vision and sound. But then again a lot of people don't.
Also I know a lot of gamers are teenagers who don't make their own money yet and can barely afford the console and that's, of course, understandable.
But what I'm trying to say is that there are ways of enhancing your gaming experience other than waiting for the companies to upgrade the specs of the consoles we play on. Take a game like Eternal Darkness for example. There has been a lot of effort put into making it in widesreen and surround... and most gamers never even experience those dimensions of the game!
When I heard the regenerator sniffing behind me for the first time in that autopsy room in RE4 and turned around to find out it was right behind me, throwing it's head back, revealing it's razor sharp teeth taking a big bite on my head! Am I being too bold if I claim I was twice as scared as if i would have played on a normal TV with the lights on?
Sure, you can't make your gamecube's graphics 6 time's better. But with a projector you can make them 6 times bigger!! That's a pretty revolutionary step if you ask me!
And with surround sound you get the whole picture of what's happening around you character. Playing super mario bros. 1 on a projector is, of course, a bit pointless but ever since games turned 3D i think surround is a pretty important part of the experience.
I get the impression a lot of people just play video games like they'd be taking drugs... game after game just playing them through without relally feeling it.
I only have so much time playing games. I'd rather buy 5 really good games in one year and play on a massive setup for a really great experience than afford buying 15 games every year and just play games whenever like a zombie (like i used to do).
It's not super expensive to get really good vision and sound these days. For example my setup (Projector and good surround sound) cost under 1000$ (750+220=980$) together.
I do realize this text probably comes across as a pretty camp statement from someone who thinks he's become a mature connaiseur gamer just because he's 24 years old. And it's probably the sad and naked truth. :) But if you're able to ignore that then do take the domestic revolution into consideration.
I cannot recommend it enough, for me it's been totally worth it.
So now what? Another graphics upgrade...more in depth online. And what comes after that? Nintendo really are right. Things are slowing down. This gen I have lost so much of the passion for games that I used to have. Next gen I think I'll lose even more, or would if it weren't for Nintendo.
Let me tell you about my domestic revolution!
I do agree with you Gollum, I have been feeling the same way... how can it really improve from here?
But some games do stand out. If someone would have let me play windwaker or RE4 and told me it was on a next gen machine i would have believed them because these games are so solid that they feel one level up.
And when it comes to graphics, who can say that they would NOT like to play a game that looks as real as that final fantasy movie they did some years ago?
But it's probably right that we will not know so much difference over the next years' progression... the peak is really soon to be reached. Now it's just up to the creators' innovation.
THOUGH...
I can proudly say that I've created my own little revolution in my home. It cost me extra money but it's definitely been worth it.
The story begins two or three years ago. I had been doing other things than playing video games for a couple of years but when I bought a cube with Zelda Windwaker i found that the magic was definitely still there and looking really good too.....
Halfway through the game I was thinking: "this game is so beautiful... but still i have a pretty hard time sometimes to keep up with what's happening on the screen". I was sitting on a wooden chair, in a smelly room in front of a 14" tv with mono sound and the sun was shining in, ruining the picture... AND my flatmate was playing music in the other room. I was hungry with no food in the fridge and no clean plates to eat from either.
I knew I was going to move to my own flat in two months and since I loved the game so much I decided to wait with playing the second half until i could find a situation where i could do the game justice...
At the time i was moving a friend of mine who worked at a Hi-Fi store said they had a projector for sale for only 1200 $. At that time it was a killer price, but it's cheaper these days. I had to buy it. Also I borrowed my friend's Logitech surround sound system.
Finally installed in my new flat I had a clean room, a nice comfy sofa and blinds for the windows. After a good dinner I sat down in front of the 2x2 meter screen, i had lit some nice smelling aroma candles, i had some dark chocolate and a glass of whisky on the rocks. I started the cube and took a deep breath as the landscape of Link's home island was panned over in the opening sequence. The sound system revealed bass sounds that i didn't even know was in the music, the wind blowing behind me in the rear speakers, and the huge screen covered almost my entire field of vision...
I started to play the game from the very beginning again.
It's easy to predict that in a peaceful and comfortable enviroment, with fully enhanced vision and sound, I was in the game. It was a totally different experience. And that's what it boils down to: the experience. Right?
Sometime's i think: why do we care so much about the system specs of the consoles and the sound and graphics of the games when most people still only play them on their old TV? It's a bit like talking about CD-quality audio and still have crappy speakers from the 70's.
Ok, I know a projector is not the only choice, there are big screen HDTV's out there and a lot of people probably allready play with both good vision and sound. But then again a lot of people don't.
Also I know a lot of gamers are teenagers who don't make their own money yet and can barely afford the console and that's, of course, understandable.
But what I'm trying to say is that there are ways of enhancing your gaming experience other than waiting for the companies to upgrade the specs of the consoles we play on. Take a game like Eternal Darkness for example. There has been a lot of effort put into making it in widesreen and surround... and most gamers never even experience those dimensions of the game!
When I heard the regenerator sniffing behind me for the first time in that autopsy room in RE4 and turned around to find out it was right behind me, throwing it's head back, revealing it's razor sharp teeth taking a big bite on my head! Am I being too bold if I claim I was twice as scared as if i would have played on a normal TV with the lights on?
Sure, you can't make your gamecube's graphics 6 time's better. But with a projector you can make them 6 times bigger!! That's a pretty revolutionary step if you ask me!
And with surround sound you get the whole picture of what's happening around you character. Playing super mario bros. 1 on a projector is, of course, a bit pointless but ever since games turned 3D i think surround is a pretty important part of the experience.
I get the impression a lot of people just play video games like they'd be taking drugs... game after game just playing them through without relally feeling it.
I only have so much time playing games. I'd rather buy 5 really good games in one year and play on a massive setup for a really great experience than afford buying 15 games every year and just play games whenever like a zombie (like i used to do).
It's not super expensive to get really good vision and sound these days. For example my setup (Projector and good surround sound) cost under 1000$ (750+220=980$) together.
I do realize this text probably comes across as a pretty camp statement from someone who thinks he's become a mature connaiseur gamer just because he's 24 years old. And it's probably the sad and naked truth. :) But if you're able to ignore that then do take the domestic revolution into consideration.
I cannot recommend it enough, for me it's been totally worth it.