With 2009 just days away, it seems fitting to take a moment and look back at all the things that happened in 2008. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on 2008…
2008’s Biggest News Story:
Nintendo Wii Becomes #1 Selling System From This Generation
I’ll be the first to argue that the Wii isn’t a real competitor to the 360 & PS3…but it’s hard to fight numbers. In 2008 the Wii officially surpassed the other console systems from this generation (even if tech was last-gen :P ) world-wide making it the #1 console in terms of installed userbase. This actually came as a big shock to me because I was convinced the mainstream media would’ve have gotten bored of the motion controls and phony “supply issues” by now…but, they weren’t. So, I must say “congrats” to Nintendo on a fine marketing job and reaching out to a completely different market to sell systems.
Runners Up:
Blu-ray beats HD-DVD, becomes the official HD format.
While Sony’s tactics are admitedly shady in how they “won” the format war (hint: They paid all the studios off), at least an HD format is now standard and, luckily for Sony, the PS3 suddenly became a good investment once Blu-ray survived the fight.
WoW passes the 10…then 11…then 11.5 million player mark.
You gotta give credit to Blizzard for making a game that continues to dominate a genre 4 years after its initial release. While I and my friend InvaderGamer figured out the actual “active” WoW player number to be closer to 6 million worldwide, that’s still impressive. That’s 6,000,000 x $15 every month and that equals a ton of money for one company.
The ”Duh!” What Did You Expect Award:
The 2nd “Tiny & Initimate” E3 Flops, Forcing The ESA To Return To The “Booth Babes” Version For ‘09.
I don’t see why the ESA was shocked by this. For years E3 has been America’s answer to the Tokyo Game Show, an event where gamers and journalists come together to get hyped up about the slate of games coming out later that year (or beyond). For the past two years though E3 has been a “gaming industry only” event where suits walk around to various conference rooms and hear the PR blabber more clearly. I heard how ’07’s E3 was a snore-fest compared to years’ past and this summer’s late-in-the-game event was apparently even worse. In short, tons of companies left the ESA out of disgust for the “new” E3 format (which was changed to accomodate Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo mostly) and ESA had no choice but to return to the old E3…or close up shop.
Runners Up:
Sega Releases Yet Another Horrible Sonic Game
Sega just needs to stop. Really. They need to stop. There hasn’t been a good Sonic game since Sonic Adventure in ‘99 and even then everyone overlooked certain issues because hey, it was Sonic’s first time in E3. Nearly a decade later though Sega is still struggling with a 3D camera and controls in its Sonic games. The latest Sonic title (Sonic Unleashed) has been a critical failure, as was 2007’s Sonic & The Secret Rings and 2006’s Sonic the Hedgehog. In short, the hedgehog needs to go away, possibly for good.
Grand Theft Auto IV Sells $500 Million In Games In First Week
Did this surprise anyone? Not me. The GTA series has been one of the most hyped things in existince since the debut of GTA III in 2001. Apparently Rockstar was later upset by the quick drop-off in sales and blamed the used gaming market (Gamestop) for cutting into its sales. Nope, Rockstar, don’t blame Gamestop…blame all the gamers who got tired of GTA IV and decided to trade it in soon after purchase, forcing the used game price to drop like a rock.
Midway’s MK vs. DC Universe Flops, Forces Company To Edge Of Bankruptcy
Yup. Nothing helps a company thrive like milking a franchise that died over a decade ago yet again. For Midway, some moron decided it would make sense AND be profitable to release a Mortal Kombat game…where Sub Zero fights Superman. Yeah…um, okay. While gamers everywhere scratched their heads and asked themselves WHY another MK game was even being made, the economy took a fast nosedive and forced the Chicago-based gaming company to quickly shut down its Dallas branch and “trim the fat” locally. When MK vs. DC finally limped out to stores in November, no one cared and the company soon after revealed $150 million debt to the SEC because it can’t pay it without help.
Most Disappointing News:
Nintendo Wii Becomes #1 Selling System From This Generation
Yup. That means casual gaming has reached critical mass, with senior citizens, soccer moms and teeny bopper girls mucking up the industry. This also means of course that Nintendo has completely turned its back on real videogamers — people who bought all their games for decades (like Zelda: OoT, Super Mario 64, Star Fox, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Kart, etc.) when average Joe & Jane couldn’t care less about gaming.
It also means that game development is backsliding in a weird way because companies like Capcom & Square Enix are developing games for the Wii instead of the PS3 or 360, due to lower production costs (games like Monster Hunter 3 and Dragon Quest IX [which is now coming to the DS & Wii]). Basically, the gaming industry has become divided. On one side you have this gigantic pool of casual gamers who love their Wii but have no intention of ever getting a 360, PS3 or possibly even any system besides the Wii ever again. On the other side you have a market that is getting punched in the gut by the MSM whenever possible simply because the systems aren’t moving the units Nintendo is. As a result, game developers are stuck in limbo trying to figure out what market to support and, if both, how much in each.
Runners Up:
Dead Space & Mirror’s Edge, EA’s First New IP Titles In Forever…Are Rubbish
It sucks because I wanted to like them both…but Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge felt more like experiments in trying something new rather than a good, solid, new concept being given to the gaming community. The graphics in both are nice and the effort of at least attempting something new is appreciated [in thought at least]…but the sad truth is that the games have been commercial flops and not really huge critical successes either. In other words, these games probably should have been tweaked more and released in 2009.
The Gaming Industry Decides To Release 80% Of The AAA Titles In Q4…Yet Again…
Really, this crap needs to stop. As InvaderGamer has expressed on his blog, when so many companies try to release their games at the end of the year there are too many titles that either get unfairly praised or ignored. Gamers only have X amount of dollars to work with near the end of the year and in this economy (which wasn’t even so hot early in ‘08 giving publishers a heads up) it’s downright stupid to honestly think a game like MK vs. DC or Sonic Unleashed will even have a chance competiting against Little Big Planet, Fallout 3 or Guitar Hero/Rock Band at Christmas time. Space the game releases across ALL the months in ‘09! Geez!
…and finally…
The Dumbest Thing That Happened In 2008:
Reggie Fils-Aime & Cammie Dunaway Create The Worst Press Conference / E3 Event Ever
This needs no explanation, only viewing. Here are some great sites that summarize the traumatic experience far better than I can (or care to): http://games.genieknows.com/features/7-Reasons-Why-The-E3-Nintendo-Press-Conference-Was-The-Ultimate-Troll-Job, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XR7LaJLLf8, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGvaE6tsSSY & http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/cammie-nintendo-disappointed-with-e3-performance/
Runners Up:
Microsoft Drops Price Of XBox 360 Arcade To $199…Then Basically Makes HDD Required
In the biggest ass-hat move I’ve seen by a company in a long time, Microsoft announced a crucial and much needed price drop below $200 in Q3 ‘08…only to totally kick gamers in the nuts (who bought it or were planning to) by introducing a new & required interface which couldn’t really fit on a Memory Card. So, what’s your option? To fork over another $100 and get a Premium version with a HDD. My biggest argument for the 360 Core/Arcade model was that not everyone wanted or needed the online parts of the 360, so why should they pay extra if they were never gonna use it? But with this move, anyone who bought or buys an Arcade model will feel cheated after realizing all the stuff they are missing out on…if they only spent another $100. Boo Microsoft. Boo.
Sony Cuts PS2 Backwards Compatibility In PS3
Smart move Sony. NOT! Seriously, why do this? Every model of the PS3 before 2008 had some sort of backwards compatibility with the PS2! Then, for unknown reasons Sony just said, “Nah, we aren’t offering that anymore.” I will say that I bet Sony lost a lot of sales thanks to that boneheaded move, only because it wasn’t an issue of the hardware being incapable of running PS2 games…it was that Sony wanted you to buy a PS3 AND a PS2 (if you hadn’t already). I suspect PS2 backwards compatibility will come back in late ‘09, early ‘10…but for now, dust off that PS2 if you want to play Ico or FFX.
The Best Thing That Happened In 2008:
The Gaming Industry FINALLY Turned On The Wii
Thank GOD. Took long enough. From day one of its announcement I knew the Wii and its “Motion Controller” was a short-lived gimmick and in 2008 game journalists, gamers and big-name websites like Gamespot, IGN & Kotaku finally became vocal about their dissatification with the console and its offerings. In 2006 Twilight Princess made a few people say “Meh…” (like super reviewer Jeff Gerstman) but Zelda was still very much a Sacred Cow to the industry. Then, in 2007 Mario Galaxy came out and again, no one dared say anything bad about Miyamoto’s “true” sequel to Super Mario 64 (apparently SM Sunshine didn’t count!). Finally, in 2008, after gamers realized Nintendo two biggest series were done (face it, Mario & Zelda ARE Nintendo) they started to see the light and realize the Wii is the Gamecube and N64 all over again…except this time it’s worse!
There is no Pikmin or Banjo Kazooie to look forward to, no Perfect Dark or GoldenEye to drool over and no Eternal Darkness or RE4 to shiver about.
Hell, in 2008 it was even confirmed by the announcement of the Wii Motion Plus that the Wiimote was never that accurate to begin with (like I suspected from the first time I played Wii Bowling or Baseball). Oh, and that Nintendo was dead set against making a HDD for the system. Oh, and that multiplatform titles usually resulted with the PS2 AND Wii being the gimped versions.
Wii owners, you’re screwed. And now you gotta either buy a 360 or PS3 if you want to actually play halfway decent games…or, you can sit there and convince yourself that Wii Music and Wii Fit are actually “pretty gosh darned fun.”
Runners Up:
Monster Hunter 3, Monster Hunter Unite Announced
In a somewhat cruel twist of fate the next MH3 is apparently going to be released on the Wii in 2009. That being said, I wouldn’t be shocked if the game was somehow ported over to the PSP or PS3/360 soon after. Also, MHU has been announced for release in North America in ‘09 which will allow for true online multiplayer action using the PS3 as a router of sorts. As a die-hard MH fan now, this is awesome.
Halo 3 Recon…I Mean ODST…Is Announced
Sure, Diablo III was announced…but that isn’t coming out until 2010…if then. The next Halo game is coming much, much sooner and looks to add a different type of gameplay style to the Halo series. Again, like the MH post above, this is really just “awesome” news to me…but I love my Halo FPS games. Because of this title, I’ll have to pick up a 360 in ‘09.
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Well, that wraps up my review of 2008. All in all it was an “okay” year for gaming but I will say that there wasn’t a single “must have” game come out that I absolutely love to death. The games I had the most fun playing all came from 2007 for the most part (MHF2, Crysis & CivIV:BtS). 2008 was the year I realized completely and accepted that Nintendo was no longer very important to the gaming world and that Sony deserved another chance from me thanks to the powerful PS3 and PSP systems it still continues to strongly support. So that’s all from me…let’s all hope for a better 2009!
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