Dear Readers,
I received a very unexpected reaction to my Dear Readers column last month (though, mostly via “invaders” from the GameFaqs board “Life, the Universe, and Everything”). Many people seemed to think that my game ideas are “retarded” and “gay” (which should give you an idea of the reactors’ age level and intelligence) For some reason, I feel that I should address these complaints.
For those calling me a “moron”, I’d like to point out the obvious: Despite what you think, I was actually not being serious when I put forth that Nintendo should hire me based on my game ideas. I feel that my ideas could easily sell well as budged titles (or could even be included as “extras” with other games), especially considering the current trend towards all things “retro”, and the recent success of the Super Mario Advance series. However, I actually am fully aware that working for a major video game developer/publisher requires a little more than some rudimentary Photoshop skills, and quite frankly, it never occurred to me that so many people could believe that I feel Nintendo should hire me. But I suppose something so obvious could be easily lost on a group of people whose default insult is to compare someone to a homosexual.
Now, with that out of the way, I’d like to take a paragraph or two to discuss Sony’s PlayStation 3 — specifically, the future system’s online component. Rumor has it, for it’s next console generation, the consumer electronics giant will be ditching it’s current laissez faire online system in favor of something akin to Xbox Live. This would mean that no longer would free online games be available for PlayStation, and instead, we would have to pay a monthly fee that would allow us to play the online mode of all Internet-enabled games. Presumably, this is because Microsoft has been far more successful in regards to online play than has Sony.
Perhaps Xbox Live is proving me wrong, but I do not feel that the average console gamer is willing to shell out extra cash every month just to have the ability to play games online if he feels like it that month. I know I’m not. There would have to be many, many titles available for PS3 with online modes that I really want to play before I would even consider paying any monthly fee, and in looking at Xbox’s current crop of online titles, I can’t really see that happening. I’ve quite enjoyed playing Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest with my friends online over the past month or so, and I hope to do the same with Trivial Pursuit: Unhinged and Serious Sam: Next Encounter (notice all the colon usage again.. what a horrible trend) over the next few months. It’s just a shame that I, and many other gamers, may not get to enjoy this in the future because of a combination of Sony’s decision and our being cheap.
All right, I think that’s enough for this month. Please enjoy this latest issue of GameCola, and remember this one piece of advice: If you’re going to insult our newsletter, at least try to have a valid claim or two.
Thanks.
Love,
Paul Franzen
Editor-in-Chief
e-mail: pfranzen@gamecola.net
P.S. Wanna write for GameCola? We’ve got a few open spots if you’re interested.
