Refleksi Minda

I have a passion for video games. Ever since I was young, I have owned a Sega Mega Drive, a Sega Saturn, a Sony PlayStation, a Sony PS2 and a Game Boy Advance. Every week, regardless of where I am, I buy one or two magazines dedicated to video games. Everyday, whenever I surf the net, I will surely surf a few video games website without fail. Video games make up a huge chunk of my life, even if I am a 23 year old BVC student.

And for a ‘gamer’ such as myself, nothing is bigger than the Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3). It is an annual event held in Los Angeles, where developers and publishers of video game software and hardware converge every year to show off upcoming games in their library. And this year, the event had just concluded last week.

What’s so interesting about this year’s event is that 2006 is a so-called ‘transitional year’. What this means is that the current hardware technology (the PS2s, the X-Box and the Gamecubes) make way for the next wave of hardware, those being the PS3, the X-Box 360 and the Wii. Unlike the PC, game hardware usually has a lifespan of about 4-5 years before new hardware are introduced and render the old obsolete.

By the end of the year, all three major ‘next-generation’ hardware would already be available in stores throughout the year. Microsoft’s X-Box 360 is already available since December, with Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii expected to be released by the end of the year. With new hardware, so comes better technology and that is what makes this year’s E3 so interesting; catching a glimpse of what the games of these ‘next-gen’ machines will look and play like.

For most, Sony’s PS3 would be the machine they are waiting for. And I am one of those people. The PS3 by far has the widest range of support from developers and publishers and the PlayStation brand is the home of many well-known and well-received franchises such as Metal Gear Solid series, the Final Fantasy series and the Grand Theft Auto series. Also, for the past two generations, Sony, with its PlayStation and PS2 has dominated the video games market, and many people predict that they will do so for the next generation.

And the PS3 looks to be a powerful beast indeed. I am in no position to drool over specifications, but from what I perceive, it looks to be the most advanced out of the three machines. More importantly, the games that are revealed appealed to me the most.

Square-Enix, makers of the famous RPG Final Fantasy series have revealed for the PS3 two Final Fantasy XIII (that’s 13, for those with patchy knowledge of Roman numerals). Namce revealed their next iteration of their famous Tekken fighting game series, Tekken 6. Sega revealed a Sonic the Hedgehog game as well announcing that the latest incarnation of their Virtua Fighter series, Virtua Fighter 5 will appear on the PS3 (much to my delight, as Virtua Fighter 5 looks absolutely stunning). Konami also revealed more details of their highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriot in the form of a trailer. All in all, the games showcased for the PS3 looks very promising.

As for the X-Box 360, I have to say that not many of the games shown for Microsoft’s hardware caught my eye. This is probably because of the fact that in Japan, the 360 has not been selling very well and as such, the big publishers from Japan like Sega, Namco, Square-Enix, Konami and Capcom has limited support for the machine. And as any gamer will tell you, these companies make the best games in the world and their lack of support is a very big disadvantage for Microsoft.

As for Nintendo’s peculiarly-named Wii, I must say I am quite exited about the prospects of the machine. This is particularly because of the innovative, non-conventional controller that it boast; a controller that looks nothing like any controllers before. Check it out here. The machine also has a motion sensor mechanism, so for example, you would use the controller for a fishing game as would would use a fishing rod in real life. For an example of how it is used, check it out here. It’s hard to describe, but if the controller succeeds, Wii looks to innovate video gaming in a wholly different way. If I have the financial resources, I would definitely look to pick one up when it launches.

All in all, it looks to be a very exciting time for gamers everywhere indeed. Coupled with the fact that there are still great games lined up for the current generation of machines, especially the PS2 (Final Fantasy XII!!! That’s 12, in case you didn’t know), and the battle between Sony’s PSP and Nintendo’s DS for handheld supremacy, the next few months look to be very interesting indeed.

Extreme display of geekiness now stops

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 18th, 2006 at 1:06 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.