• Authors opening

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog. In this first entry I will give you some insight into who I am, and what I will be discussing in the following entries.

• Who I am.

My name is Anthony, I am twenty years old, an avid gamer, writer, and game designer. I have been playing games since I was two years old and writing since I was eleven, yet I am still just as addicted to both as I have always been. I am coming up on my year anniversary with a wonderful woman. She knows who she is. She is my rock. She is what helps me move forward with my dreams and continue to prosper.

• What this blog will be about.

This blog will be about several things. Including…

1. I will be touching on the console wars, and who I think will win ‘08
2. Game reviews.
3. My top ten, past and present.
4. Your 15 minutes. (This is where a reader will have something they submitted to me, either through IM or email, about a heavy topic. Such as…games in the news. Use your imagination, and don’t be shy, and good luck. Maybe you will see your opinions voiced here.)
5. Lastly, I will discuss the games I am designing, which is two, currently.

The five things listed above will always be included in my posts. To end each of my posts, I will do so by responding to a few comments, answering questions from the previous posting. After doing so, I will end the post with my last thought.

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First topic.

The console wars. Is there a clear winner?

Xbox 360 has some good games out. Such as Lost Odyssey, Assassins Creed, Lost Planet, Prey, Gears of War, Bioshock and Rainbow Six - Vegas. Just to name a few of my favorites. It seems well rounded this year, a good balance of game genres in my opinion. A little light on the RPGs though, sadly. The few that came out, and I had the pleasure of getting, I enjoyed.

Playstation 3. This console was a big let down for me in the beginning. It lacked quality games and seemed to be nothing more than a super powered PS2. Then it started getting some games out that started to catch my attention. Got to play with the system at a family members house, and after seeing it and so of it’s games in action, I must say that I am truly impressed.

Wii. When I first heard about the wii, at first I thought “Hey! This sounds like it could be fun! I must try it!” So I did. For the first few weeks of Wii Sports and Zelda: Twilight Princess. The controls suddenly not so much fun anymore. I couldn’t immerse myself into the story of the games, having to flail my arms about like I am some stubby winged bird trying to fly for the first time. The only games I found the most entertaining with the motion sensing was Wii sports, because it was innovative, a good idea…that just needs serious work and better motion sensing power. Shooter games I enjoyed greatly. Red Steel, while a disappointment to most, I thought was good. As it was stated this game was simply a “test venture” into the controls and power of the Wii. Well if you ask me, if this game was just a “test” then it deserves much more praise than it has gotten. A test, or a demo if you will, tends to be a small snippet of an idea, that really tells you nothing about the game. However, with Red Steel, being a full game, or rather, a full “test” game…We now have an established story, one that some people enjoyed, and possibly, with this insight into the game, will coax more people into buying the “real deal.”

So! Xbox360, PS3, Wii.

Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo.

Which will win ‘08?

The Wii has been leading in sales for a long time, and believe it or not, it carries a big fan base. People can claim it is a “child system.” But the fact remains that is not the child demographic, but the adults who seem to enjoy the quirky party games. Now considering that most kids who want the Wii, normally don’t have the money to shovel out for the system and games…Who pays? The parents. So what needs to be done, is have something that appears to the parents aswell. That being the party games. Something they can bond with their kids over and have fun. So, call it kiddy. Call it lame. Point is. Nintendo made a smart move…That being said, Nintendo, it’s time to move on. Drop the party games and hit the hardcore crowd with something to make our mouths water.

Xbox30 got a jump on the competition, and I think has done a wonderful job. Save for the issues that came with rushing their product. Red ring of death, anyone? In any case, the issues, to my knowledge, have been solved, and now that they have hit stride, they are doing rather well. The games are nice, and are plentiful. I never find myself without a game choice with this system. Being as I grabbed this system late, I had a large selection of older games, and a growing selection of new games. Paradise? I think so…granted Walmart is your place to shop.

Playstation 3. I don’t own this system. In fact, I have only played it three times, but I have watched tons of people play it and it’s games. The graphics are amazing. I’ll give it that. But as a game designer myself - It’s not supposed to be about the graphics. What, if someone made a ball rolling simulator, where the ball and the surface it was rolling on looked AMAZINGLY real, but had no story and no fun gameplay…would you still buy it and enjoy that game? I don’t think so. You’d throw that thing in the trash compactor long before the system even heated the cd.

So who do I think will win?

I have to place my bet between Microsoft and Sony. Microsoft has been going strong for a while now, and Sony is finally hitting stride, and has hit it hard.

Sorry Nintendo, but until you start catering to the hardcore, you are going to be left behind. Pick up your game.

Game over.

Well, this does it for the first post of DarkerGaming’s blog. I hope it was as fun to read as it was fun to write, and I will see you next time. Feel free to comment, ask questions. You may be included in the next post in the ‘Your 15 minutes” section.

Final thought.

Why is the princess always in another castle? …It hardly seems worth it.

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