I'm not a big console person, but I enjoy following the soap opera that is the console wars. Reminds me of the home computer wars when consumers actually had choices. But, anyway. Rumor has it that Microsoft's next incarnation of the Xbox will not be backwards compatible with the current generation because it wouldn't be a selling factor. Also, with radically different hardware, it'd be too difficult--although that's the part that they aren't saying.
I don't have an Xbox, but I always thought the hard drive was a superb idea, and I'll be really sorry to see it go. And as for backwards compatibility, when I got my PS2 that was a selling point to me even though I didn't have a PS1. I realized, hey, look, if there's a game I want in the PS1's huge library, I can still play it. Excellent!
Certainly, historically there is much more justification for MS's decision. The only consoles I recall being compatible were Atari 7800 with the 2600, certainly nothing from the Nintendo/Sega wars.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Now that summer's here, I've been playing lots of the games I didn't have a chance to during the school year. It's been interesting.
I keep reading that NCAA Football is Electronic Arts' second string game behind Madden. That is so grossly unfair. NCAA rocks. It is reason enough to own a PS2. Heck, if it were out on the PC, I wouldn't even own a PS2 probably. Madden does have the aesthetic edge, but the 2004 version feels sluggish to me in terms of navigating menus and waiting on the field. I used to be OK with the commentary, but it is now just getting on my nerves. Too often, what is said has nothing to do with what's going on the field.
Even though Madden is EA's premiere title, NCAA is where the heart is. You can tell that for the people on that team, it's a labor of love. Ironically, I'm not even a big NCAA football fan, but, for me, it's the best version to play.
I hope, though, that in future versions the same attention will be paid to audio that is paid to the graphics. There has to be a way to get better, more accurate commentary. If Earl Weaver Baseball could handle player names in the '80s, you would think someone would be able to program it now. Speaking of that classic, I learned so much about baseball strategy from playing that game--and it was seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. I still struggle with football strategy after years of playing the various pro and college incarnations from EA. Why is that?
I keep reading that NCAA Football is Electronic Arts' second string game behind Madden. That is so grossly unfair. NCAA rocks. It is reason enough to own a PS2. Heck, if it were out on the PC, I wouldn't even own a PS2 probably. Madden does have the aesthetic edge, but the 2004 version feels sluggish to me in terms of navigating menus and waiting on the field. I used to be OK with the commentary, but it is now just getting on my nerves. Too often, what is said has nothing to do with what's going on the field.
Even though Madden is EA's premiere title, NCAA is where the heart is. You can tell that for the people on that team, it's a labor of love. Ironically, I'm not even a big NCAA football fan, but, for me, it's the best version to play.
I hope, though, that in future versions the same attention will be paid to audio that is paid to the graphics. There has to be a way to get better, more accurate commentary. If Earl Weaver Baseball could handle player names in the '80s, you would think someone would be able to program it now. Speaking of that classic, I learned so much about baseball strategy from playing that game--and it was seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. I still struggle with football strategy after years of playing the various pro and college incarnations from EA. Why is that?
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