News Hound: This Week In Gaming Issue 30

By James Temperton 07.01.2004

News Hound

One man and his dog, went to mow a meadow. The dog got bored, ran back home, and became a journo...


2004 Views
Well, by my watch it is 1997 but seeing as it also has a picture of a Tweenie on it I think I'll go with common beliefs and see it as 2004. In a way the last collection of 12 months, also known as a year, has been an interesting one. But you always get the feeling that it is far more interesting when you are sitting at the start of a whole new year, with over 350 days left to be expired. In this special issue I am going to look at two issues that I feel will be the biggest for gaming in 2004. Not so much gaming in the shape of games, but more of the culture and the area itself. The absolute turnip you get from other such analysts predicting the demise of Nintendo and a slow Sony shaped lump devouring the world and visa versa will not be found here. Gaming is often seen a tad trivial for my liking. The industry is about big money and the big men, who have that big money and what those respective large gentlemen do with their considerable financial wad, which will affect gaming in 2004. Any hippie that claims 'It's all about the games...man!' is purely an idiot and should have his testicles gone at with a garrotte wire before being shot on the spot. Gaming, ironically is not about the games; it is about the industry, which make the games.

Online Gaming

XBOX live is building the foundations for online gaming Billions are being poured into getting the XBOX online all over the world

The first issue to my mind is online gaming. There is no doubt it is one hell of an innovation for console gaming. Any PC anorak will point out to you that online gaming is nothing new, and they would be right, but there is a massive difference between online console gaming and online PC gaming. Plugging in a modem and playing Age of Empires is a far cry from the cool image that Microsoft are frantically trying to wedge over the misshapen and lost head of console online gaming. But don't get me wrong on this, I strongly believe that online gaming on consoles will be rather delicious, but like any good meal it needs time to cook; unless you want it raw of course.

It is no gargantuan secret that Nintendo are less keen on going online than John Prescot is on going on a diet. The idea, I presume, involves a bit too much forward thinking, something that should always be left to these new fangled companies like Sony and Microsoft. Indeed, when you look at it Nintendo could be counted as the grumpy old man of gaming. The dithering old fart that stumbles about complaining and ranting about nothing in particular, you know the type. Using an old man as a metaphor for a global corporation is perhaps a tad unfair but it gives the right idea. Nintendo don't rush into anything, they like to take time to look at things and think. The thing is Nintendo's idea of thinking is 'sit there for as long as possible and do something when it is just too late for it to be the success that it could have been' thus since the days of the SNES the company has danced about like a drunken-Irishman on fire. Now for the case of online gaming things are a bit unclear. It is clear that Nintendo are taking an interest, but what is not clear is what they plan to do about it. You still have this feeling that they will inform us all of something big only to show the next Mario title with amazing orgasmic link-up capabilities (orgasm may not be induced by playing). It has been rather amusing over the last few years to see how Nintendo act. Look at the 'Megaton' thing, it turned out to be nothing, yet Nintendo didn't deny it. With the push for online gaming there are bound to be rumours started out that Nintendo are planning some of the most elaborate online projects ever for their major franchises, in 2004 they are not, for their next console perhaps but this reporter feels it is still too soon. Now I don't mind Nintendo being like an old man, it is the way that works so well for them and to go all guns blazing at the industry would end in their demise with total lack of dignity.


Despite all the high technology you have no option but to wear an idiotic headset (perspex head not included) Will Shigsy be making online moves in 2004? Answer...NO

The XBOX is the best console out of the three technologically speaking and what it can do hardware wise is quite simple stunning. It makes the perfect online platform and the gaming experiences that Microsoft are promoting in the form of Project Gotham 2 and earlier on Halo show that online gaming on a console can work. Sony are doing it to a lesser extent but they don't have the bottomless pockets of Billy Boy Gates. Europe is not taking up online gaming. Very rarely can you log-on to XBOX LIVE and find anyone other than a British of French gamer as far as Europe goes. Yes you get the occasional lost looking German but the general continental pick up is small. America is broken as is Japan, as to why Nintendo are not acting in those regions is beyond me but they must have their reasons, good or not.

Online gaming will be the way forward for gaming. Microsoft are very much pioneering it, they are spending all the money and allowing Nintendo and anyone else wise enough to sit on the sidelines and lick their cooperate lips with glee. They are opening up the market, laying down the foundations and when the time is right Nintendo will dip more than a tepid toe into the pool of online gaming. The XBOX online experience is superb, whilst there is nothing like hitting your mate on the foot with your controller when you emerge victorious there is something equally enjoyable and slightly more exotic about insulting people whilst wearing a stupid headset. Yes the neighbours will think you are totally insane but who cares about Mildred at No. 48?


The small amount of focus being put into Nintendo's online work, this piece of plastic allows you to play virtually no games online And this one lets you play all of those games on Broadband. Ingenious

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