Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Forgot to mention...
As those of you who listened to the radio show a while back might know, my nickname is now DJ Goron, not DJ Komali.
Unnecessary Trash Talk
Lately, Sony executives Jack Tretton and Kaz "Ridge Racer" Hirai have been bashing their competition a lot. I'm not really sure what right they have to do that, considering both their platforms are "losing" terribly in all regions (I put "losing" in quotes because even though the executives of the Big 3 and the Type-A fanboys seem to think so, it isn't a competition). Trash talk in competition is natural; all three companies are guilty of it. But Sony seems to be doing it more than the others. Microsoft is not innocent of this; I'll be talking about their offense later in this post. It's just that Sony seems to have the most to say.
It's understandable that they'd be upset about losing the exclusivity of Final Fantasy XIII, but bashing Microsoft for "currying developers" is just dumb. For one thing, Microsoft doesn't neet to "curry developers" to make the 360 an appealing platform; it's outselling the PS3 by a wide margin, and THAT'S why Square Enix made their decision.
It's also preposterous to say that Metal Gear Solid 4 would be impossible on the 360. It might be different (possibly on multiple discs, for example), but not impossible; they're making Dead Rising for Wii, after all (and no fanboys or companies seem to have any problem with that, which surprises me). And who says having multiple discs is a bad thing? I want to remind Sony and its Type-A fanboys that both the original Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII ran on multiple discs, and they did pretty well. Is Sony going to say that those games were bad? I doubt it.
And finally, there's Kaz Hirai saying in a very assholish way that just like the PS1 and PS2, the PS3 will keep selling well as its competitors die. Yeah, there's just one problem with that: the PS1 and PS2 outsold their competitors from the very beginning, while the PS3 has never been in the lead. The PS1 and PS2 didn't gain their leads at the end of their "console wars"; they just kept the leads they already had. And it's a lot easier to keep a lead than to gain one. The continued success of the PS2 is a result of its consistently large fan base, which the PS3 currently does not have. As time goes on, people aren't going to magically decide that the PS3 is for them. Whatever Sony's doing now is not working, and rather than just sitting around and saying "we're the best and you will love us," they should actually work on making that true. The PS3 won't sell well simply because it follows the PS1 and PS2; it's foolish of them to count on that.
Again, while Sony seems to be doing this bullshit the most, they're not alone. Recently Microsoft denied that Miis had any influence on its upcoming "Avatars" for the 360, and also downplayed the idea of Playstation Home, saying they're "not holding their breath". Not quite as inflammatory as what Sony said, but obviously not true. There's nothing wrong with being influenced by your competitors, as long as you just admit it.
Nintendo hasn't really said anything of this sort lately, but that doesn't mean they haven't said it. I'm too lazy to go back through archives of gaming news blogs to find examples, but I'm sure they exist. If anyone knows of any, please comment on this post so I can add them to the article.
This kind of talk is what's fueling the Type-A Fanboys and making the gamer community segmented and angry. The more I hear this kind of talk, the more I worry that these companies don't care about the wellbeing and happiness of their fans at all. All companies care more about making money than pretty much anything else; that's why they're companies. But I like to think they put the happiness of their fans as a high priority too. If they keep talking like this, I'll start to believe that they want us to fight with each other, and that's not cool.
It's understandable that they'd be upset about losing the exclusivity of Final Fantasy XIII, but bashing Microsoft for "currying developers" is just dumb. For one thing, Microsoft doesn't neet to "curry developers" to make the 360 an appealing platform; it's outselling the PS3 by a wide margin, and THAT'S why Square Enix made their decision.
It's also preposterous to say that Metal Gear Solid 4 would be impossible on the 360. It might be different (possibly on multiple discs, for example), but not impossible; they're making Dead Rising for Wii, after all (and no fanboys or companies seem to have any problem with that, which surprises me). And who says having multiple discs is a bad thing? I want to remind Sony and its Type-A fanboys that both the original Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII ran on multiple discs, and they did pretty well. Is Sony going to say that those games were bad? I doubt it.
And finally, there's Kaz Hirai saying in a very assholish way that just like the PS1 and PS2, the PS3 will keep selling well as its competitors die. Yeah, there's just one problem with that: the PS1 and PS2 outsold their competitors from the very beginning, while the PS3 has never been in the lead. The PS1 and PS2 didn't gain their leads at the end of their "console wars"; they just kept the leads they already had. And it's a lot easier to keep a lead than to gain one. The continued success of the PS2 is a result of its consistently large fan base, which the PS3 currently does not have. As time goes on, people aren't going to magically decide that the PS3 is for them. Whatever Sony's doing now is not working, and rather than just sitting around and saying "we're the best and you will love us," they should actually work on making that true. The PS3 won't sell well simply because it follows the PS1 and PS2; it's foolish of them to count on that.
Again, while Sony seems to be doing this bullshit the most, they're not alone. Recently Microsoft denied that Miis had any influence on its upcoming "Avatars" for the 360, and also downplayed the idea of Playstation Home, saying they're "not holding their breath". Not quite as inflammatory as what Sony said, but obviously not true. There's nothing wrong with being influenced by your competitors, as long as you just admit it.
Nintendo hasn't really said anything of this sort lately, but that doesn't mean they haven't said it. I'm too lazy to go back through archives of gaming news blogs to find examples, but I'm sure they exist. If anyone knows of any, please comment on this post so I can add them to the article.
This kind of talk is what's fueling the Type-A Fanboys and making the gamer community segmented and angry. The more I hear this kind of talk, the more I worry that these companies don't care about the wellbeing and happiness of their fans at all. All companies care more about making money than pretty much anything else; that's why they're companies. But I like to think they put the happiness of their fans as a high priority too. If they keep talking like this, I'll start to believe that they want us to fight with each other, and that's not cool.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sharing the Love
E3 is almost finished. Doesn't seem like there were any huge announcements this time around, except for 1: Final Fantasy XIII coming to the Xbox 360. Many people were excited, but many more were pissed. Why? Well, most of them were probably Type-A fanboys (see the post "Types of Fanboys" for a definition). The same goes for Bioshock coming to the PS3 with exclusive content, though not quite as strong a reaction. Still, both of these show how irrational and selfish Type-A fanboys can be.
Final Fantasy XIII coming to the Xbox 360 will not at all change the experience of playing it on the PS3, despite what some people think. Square-Enix confirmed this. Yet the Type-A Sony fanboys are still upset. They seem to think Square Enix owes them something; that putting the game on the 360 breaks the tradition of all Final Fantasy games being on Sony consoles. Obviously that's ridiculous; the first 6, and many spin-offs, were on Nintendo consoles, and XI came out for the 360. Square-Enix is smart to put their games on the consoles with the highest install base. Square-Enix, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are companies; companies exist to make money. None of them are non-profit organizations, so to say that one of them only cares about money while excusing the others is stupid. And it's not like Sony or PS3 owners have done anything for which Square-Enix owes them. Square-Enix doesn't owe anyone anything; they're making their own choices. Yes, they have created a tradition of releasing Final Fantasy games on Sony consoles, but again, they also had a tradition of releasing them on Nintendo consoles. And once again, the PS3 is still getting it, so they're not breaking that tradition anyway.
So that explains how the decision is good for the company, and that's their priority. It's also good for gamers. Type-A Sony fanboys are being selfish. That's the real problem. They don't want 360 owners to enjoy FFXIII so they can boast about how the PS3 has it. They want to have something that others don't have. That's human nature; it's understandable. But it's the kind of human nature we have to fight. Why shouldn't as many people as possible be able to enjoy the game? As we've already discussed, it doesn't hurt PS3 owners. In pushing their Type-A fanboyism, they're trying to keep other people from having fun. Type-A fanboys, think about it that way. Is it really fair for the millions of 360 owners not to be able to play the game? Just so you can say your console is better?
That's what this is all about. It's the Type-A fanboys wanting to keep millions of people from having fun so that they can feel better about their console choice. Putting themselves above millions of others when it won't hurt them either way. And that's just stupid. It's also stupid to say they're doing it for Sony. Their complaints are not going to help Sony, and Sony won't know who they are anyway. It's immature selfishness, and nothing else.
Final Fantasy XIII coming to the Xbox 360 will not at all change the experience of playing it on the PS3, despite what some people think. Square-Enix confirmed this. Yet the Type-A Sony fanboys are still upset. They seem to think Square Enix owes them something; that putting the game on the 360 breaks the tradition of all Final Fantasy games being on Sony consoles. Obviously that's ridiculous; the first 6, and many spin-offs, were on Nintendo consoles, and XI came out for the 360. Square-Enix is smart to put their games on the consoles with the highest install base. Square-Enix, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are companies; companies exist to make money. None of them are non-profit organizations, so to say that one of them only cares about money while excusing the others is stupid. And it's not like Sony or PS3 owners have done anything for which Square-Enix owes them. Square-Enix doesn't owe anyone anything; they're making their own choices. Yes, they have created a tradition of releasing Final Fantasy games on Sony consoles, but again, they also had a tradition of releasing them on Nintendo consoles. And once again, the PS3 is still getting it, so they're not breaking that tradition anyway.
So that explains how the decision is good for the company, and that's their priority. It's also good for gamers. Type-A Sony fanboys are being selfish. That's the real problem. They don't want 360 owners to enjoy FFXIII so they can boast about how the PS3 has it. They want to have something that others don't have. That's human nature; it's understandable. But it's the kind of human nature we have to fight. Why shouldn't as many people as possible be able to enjoy the game? As we've already discussed, it doesn't hurt PS3 owners. In pushing their Type-A fanboyism, they're trying to keep other people from having fun. Type-A fanboys, think about it that way. Is it really fair for the millions of 360 owners not to be able to play the game? Just so you can say your console is better?
That's what this is all about. It's the Type-A fanboys wanting to keep millions of people from having fun so that they can feel better about their console choice. Putting themselves above millions of others when it won't hurt them either way. And that's just stupid. It's also stupid to say they're doing it for Sony. Their complaints are not going to help Sony, and Sony won't know who they are anyway. It's immature selfishness, and nothing else.
Types of Fanboys
NOTE: I know that fangirls exist too, but I'm too lazy to write both every time and "fanboys" is the more recognized term.
This post is mostly just to set up my next post, as well as other posts that involve fanboys. Basically, there are two main types of fanboys. Usually the term has a negative connotation because people always think of the first type; I'll call them Type-A fanboys, because it's a good classification system, and also because they tend to exhibit Type-A personalities. These are the fanboys that I rant about; the ones who are loyal to one of the "big three" (Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft) and go on forums and blogs to complain about the other two. Any time something good happens to one of the other two companies, Type-A fanboys complain and complain, apparently thinking the companies (or other gamers for that matter) give a rat's ass about their opinions. And of course, they fiercely defend any stupid move that their preferred company makes. Nintendo sues Nyko for making a wireless nunchuk? Type-A fanboys say Nyko should have asked permission first (while also buying up the wireless ones). Microsoft creates "avatars" and claims they were not at all inspired by Nintendo? Type-A fanboys believe it (and continue to bash the concept of Miis despite even the official Xbox Magazine using them). Sony removes backwards compatibility, one of their big selling points, from the PS3? Type-A fanboys claim that nobody really cares about PS2 games (while also talking about how great it is that PS2 games are still being made). And of course, whenever representatives of the preferred company say things that are clearly not true (like the avatar/Mii example above), Type-A fanboys believe and defend it. Type-A fanboys flame and insult anyone who disagrees with them. I mentioned the hilariously named "Mr. Common Sense" in a previous post; he's a prime example.
Then there are Type-B fanboys. I admit to being a Type-B Nintendo fanboy, and I have no problem admitting to it because I have nothing against Type-B fanboys. Type-B fanboys also have a strong loyalty to one of the "big three", whether it's because that's what they've always had, or because they just like that company's products a lot. What separates them from Type-A fanboys is that they're not assholes about it. Type-B fanboys spread their opinions, sure. And they may dislike one or both of the other companies, regardless of which company they do like. But they don't insult people who disagree with them, try to look at things objectively, and don't blindly agree with everything their preferred company does. I mentioned earlier my distaste for Nintendo suing Nyko, and I'm not a fan of some of Nintendo's other choices. That doesn't mean I don't love Nintendo.
It's hard to be a Type-B fanboy. I do dislike Sony, and while that is not because I like Nintendo (it's because of their business practices and bad PR), it's hard to deny that I probably wouldn't have as much of a problem with them if I wasn't a Type-B Nintendo fanboy. But that still doesn't make me a Type-A fanboy, for two simple reasons: I'm not an asshole to others about it, and I don't blindly follow Nintendo. There are subtleties; Type-B fanboys can do Type-A things, and vice-versa. But those two factors (not being an asshole and not blindly agreeing) are the key difference.
This post is mostly just to set up my next post, as well as other posts that involve fanboys. Basically, there are two main types of fanboys. Usually the term has a negative connotation because people always think of the first type; I'll call them Type-A fanboys, because it's a good classification system, and also because they tend to exhibit Type-A personalities. These are the fanboys that I rant about; the ones who are loyal to one of the "big three" (Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft) and go on forums and blogs to complain about the other two. Any time something good happens to one of the other two companies, Type-A fanboys complain and complain, apparently thinking the companies (or other gamers for that matter) give a rat's ass about their opinions. And of course, they fiercely defend any stupid move that their preferred company makes. Nintendo sues Nyko for making a wireless nunchuk? Type-A fanboys say Nyko should have asked permission first (while also buying up the wireless ones). Microsoft creates "avatars" and claims they were not at all inspired by Nintendo? Type-A fanboys believe it (and continue to bash the concept of Miis despite even the official Xbox Magazine using them). Sony removes backwards compatibility, one of their big selling points, from the PS3? Type-A fanboys claim that nobody really cares about PS2 games (while also talking about how great it is that PS2 games are still being made). And of course, whenever representatives of the preferred company say things that are clearly not true (like the avatar/Mii example above), Type-A fanboys believe and defend it. Type-A fanboys flame and insult anyone who disagrees with them. I mentioned the hilariously named "Mr. Common Sense" in a previous post; he's a prime example.
Then there are Type-B fanboys. I admit to being a Type-B Nintendo fanboy, and I have no problem admitting to it because I have nothing against Type-B fanboys. Type-B fanboys also have a strong loyalty to one of the "big three", whether it's because that's what they've always had, or because they just like that company's products a lot. What separates them from Type-A fanboys is that they're not assholes about it. Type-B fanboys spread their opinions, sure. And they may dislike one or both of the other companies, regardless of which company they do like. But they don't insult people who disagree with them, try to look at things objectively, and don't blindly agree with everything their preferred company does. I mentioned earlier my distaste for Nintendo suing Nyko, and I'm not a fan of some of Nintendo's other choices. That doesn't mean I don't love Nintendo.
It's hard to be a Type-B fanboy. I do dislike Sony, and while that is not because I like Nintendo (it's because of their business practices and bad PR), it's hard to deny that I probably wouldn't have as much of a problem with them if I wasn't a Type-B Nintendo fanboy. But that still doesn't make me a Type-A fanboy, for two simple reasons: I'm not an asshole to others about it, and I don't blindly follow Nintendo. There are subtleties; Type-B fanboys can do Type-A things, and vice-versa. But those two factors (not being an asshole and not blindly agreeing) are the key difference.
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