According to the rest of the world, this is going out a day late. All I can say is that sometimes these things take time. So, January 2nd just around 1 in the afternoon (Mountain Standard Time) I am writing this. I suppose it is my New Year's Resolution.
It is an odd ritual, the making of resolutions. People pick an arbitrary day in the Solar year and make a statement that they will strive to Eat Better, or Exercise Regularly; Work Harder, or Play Smarter; Succeed More or Fail Less. And then they declare that they will begin doing these things promptly tomorrow, because right now they are enjoying themselves.
For me a decade has just ended that began with me in High School (grade 11). 10 years ago I fell in love with the woman I am now married to and having a child with. This year will see me a father (something I certainly didn't see coming back then). This year is going to be a bumpy ride for us as we figure out how to raise a kid, pay for bills, and be a family. This is something I've been trying to wrap my head around for the past few months.
So, today, despite the miasma of vague illness and the remnants of Holiday Funk that linger, I am resolved: I want to make this year, more than ever, something to remember and something to be proud of. And I know I can. I can see it.
I had one of those wonderful moments of clarity. You know the ones. Things snap into place, or shift into focus and you can see clearly. You are renewed with energy; are given a purpose and direction. A moment where you start off reflecting on things that have passed and suddenly it all seems to fit.
It just resolves.
Happy New Year. Blessings and Fortune to us all. Make 2010 a year to remember.
Showing posts with label General Meanderings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Meanderings. Show all posts
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Marketing Gap
I ran across this in a Wal-Mart the other day, and it made me shake my head. A quick bit of research later (ie - two minutes of Google searching) and I'm even more baffled.
I'm standing there, browsing the DS games. There is little order behind the glass; a haphazard attempt at alphabetization at best. My eyes skim over title after uninteresting title. Past Harvest Moon DS, which I take note of because I think Morgan might like it. Then on, to the end of the row and back across the next. Then I spot Harvest Moon again. Only "Cute". Harvest Moon DS Cute.
Now, don't get me wrong. I think that marketing a game for a wider audience is fine. However, this boggles me. I know that, traditionally, the Harvest Moon series has had male protagonists. Since the game centers around making a living and finding a wife, I can see how this might limit the number of women who would want to play. Opening the game to a female protagonist sounds like the perfect solution.
But why two releases? Animal Crossing didn't need to have two releases to firmly land the coveted female game market. So why the *shudder* Cute release? The cases are nearly identical. Both have a variety of cute farm animals. Both have your agriculturally adept lead. One just happens to be a girl, and have the word CUTE, in pink, slapped over the corner of the Logo. Inside, from what I understand, the games are nearly identical too. Was there really too little room on the cartridge to put options for both male and female protagonists? Wait, the cute version also appears to have a few more ways to customize your clothes and house. Boys don't get to accessorize? No Queer Eye for the Game Guy? These options couldn't be added to the standard release?
And, icing on the already too-sweet cake, the games seem to have different prices. My Wal-Mart (Canadian) had the cute version of the game priced $10 lower than the standard version. Gamestop.com (US) has the cute version $10 more.
Sometimes I wish we could stop spending so much time marketing games to squeeze every last dollar out of the "new gaming markets".
I'm standing there, browsing the DS games. There is little order behind the glass; a haphazard attempt at alphabetization at best. My eyes skim over title after uninteresting title. Past Harvest Moon DS, which I take note of because I think Morgan might like it. Then on, to the end of the row and back across the next. Then I spot Harvest Moon again. Only "Cute". Harvest Moon DS Cute.
Now, don't get me wrong. I think that marketing a game for a wider audience is fine. However, this boggles me. I know that, traditionally, the Harvest Moon series has had male protagonists. Since the game centers around making a living and finding a wife, I can see how this might limit the number of women who would want to play. Opening the game to a female protagonist sounds like the perfect solution.
But why two releases? Animal Crossing didn't need to have two releases to firmly land the coveted female game market. So why the *shudder* Cute release? The cases are nearly identical. Both have a variety of cute farm animals. Both have your agriculturally adept lead. One just happens to be a girl, and have the word CUTE, in pink, slapped over the corner of the Logo. Inside, from what I understand, the games are nearly identical too. Was there really too little room on the cartridge to put options for both male and female protagonists? Wait, the cute version also appears to have a few more ways to customize your clothes and house. Boys don't get to accessorize? No Queer Eye for the Game Guy? These options couldn't be added to the standard release?
And, icing on the already too-sweet cake, the games seem to have different prices. My Wal-Mart (Canadian) had the cute version of the game priced $10 lower than the standard version. Gamestop.com (US) has the cute version $10 more.
Sometimes I wish we could stop spending so much time marketing games to squeeze every last dollar out of the "new gaming markets".
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Return to Reality
(Image used without permission from Savage Chickens)
Returning to work after the holidays always feels like coming down off of some strange sugar buzz. I've had a week and a half of no responsibility, no deadlines, and little stress. I've had time to read comics, play games, visit family, relax. And while the time off has not been free of busy-ness, it has been free of a lot of the structure that I live on.
So going back to work feels like a big downer. Winter has me depressed, and the year, while shiny and new, is a long road ahead. But I'm being self indulgent and depressing. No one wants to read about how blah I feel (not even me!). Better to look back at the fun I just had and all the good things that happened. Like how I got my Mom to play Mario Party.
Actually, I had a couple of nice successes with the Wii this Christmas. Just before the office closed down for the break, we decided that the last Friday (the 21st) would be a short day, followed by pizza and relaxing. Morgan and I were planning to be on the road early the next morning, so packing for a week in Saskatchewan had already begun a couple of days before. I planned to take the Wii with me, so I packed it up on Thursday and schlepped it to work on the bus with me for our Friday Fun Day.
We didn't get a lot of time to play with it, due to an abnormally busy day, but play we did. Bowling and Mario Party on a projection screen. And I got a bunch of people, all a fair bit older than me, to play. I got to show them that all video games are not quite beyond them.
Then the trip to the middle of nowhere, where my parents live. We brought the Wii with us the last time we visited, in the summer. I got my Dad to do some bowling then, but my Mom was a staunch holdout, preferring the safety of the couch. But after a little pleading, and a bit of bullying, we got her playing too. First it was a bit of bowling (which seems to be the ultimate gateway game), and then some Mario Party 8. I think that once the controller was in her hand she realized that it was easier to use than she had thought. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a DS in the next year.
I also got to play Guitar Hero (3) for the first time. Not my own copy, but a friend's. Took on a few songs on easy, and even managed to 3-star a couple of songs on medium. I get the appeal, and I had a good time with it. I just wish I could justify the price-gap. Perhaps my birthday will yield the gift cards required.
There was also some board games, and card games. I tried to play something at every chance I got, and I got a few chances. I don't think I'll ever get tired of playing games, or learning how to play new ones.
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I suppose with it being a new year and all, I should be reflecting on 2007 and speculating on 2008. Except that last year was a blur, and a fairly unproductive one for me. And I have no idea what I want for 2008. Too much introspection makes me antsy, and I don't want to get lost in the woolgathering. It's time to get back to work, and make the next year as full and worthwhile as possible. Here's to getting over the holiday hangover.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Back in the Game
For all of you that noticed that I dropped off of the radar for a while: I'm not dead. I've just been busy. Back in August I wound up in crunch-time developer mode and had no time to blog, let alone keep up with things. By the end of September I was weeks behind in my current news and furiously trying to catch up. Thanks to a combination of Google Reader and fall cleaning, I've fully caught up. Now I just need to find time to put words to page.
But I'm back, and hoping to blog more as things turn around in the holiday season, and the new year. I've also been gaming more lately. That's a good thing.
So here's a quick look at what I've been playing, and some off the cuff impressions.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
I was hooked in this for about 2-3 week after I got it. It was light, fun, and easy to play in half-hour segments on the bus to or from work. I even dropped the occasional evening on it to scour a dungeon. Then I hit just past the half-way mark and the game became all slog. The dungeons became too large to manage in a lunch break, or on a bus. The side quests became more tedious than fun, and fishing is just boring.
I only have the final (that is, main, repeating, annoying) dungeon and boss to beat. I've been at this point for about 3-4 weeks and haven't had the time or desire to continue. I want to finish this game, but it now just feels like too much work.
Sam & Max, Season 2, Episode 1
The dynamic, deadly duo return in their second episodic series. This time they have to save Christmas. That bodes ill for the holidays. The writing is full on course with this episode, and it is fun, clever, and easily playable in a single evening. This is the only game so far in the last half-year I've been able to finish and enjoy all the way through. I highly recommend playing it (or at least one of the Telltale crew's Freelance Police episodes). You can get them direct or through GameTap.
Overlord
Which leads me to another game I've gotten to play a little bit of. I don't own an X360 yet. I don't have the TV for it, I don't have the money for it, and I so much want one. So when my friend picked up Overlord for it, I was disappointed that I had another game I couldn't play. Until I found out that it's on GameTap. Joy!
The game itself (so far) is a mad romp through every fantasy cliche, except that you get to inflict bodily harm (somewhat indirectly) on the lovable inhabitants of the world. Controlling your horde of minions is rather intuitive, just point them at something you want killed, or broken, or desecrated, and they'll happily take care of it for you. You hardly have to lift a finger. And you get to be evil, or at least malevolent, which is always a nice escape from constantly being the icon of good. I've only had the time to play the first couple of missions, but they've been fun. I'll need to get on my computer more just so I can play this.
Super Mario Galaxy
My wife got me Super Paper Mario for my birthday, back in August. I feel bad because I have barely cracked the case on it. However, getting Galaxy I think makes up for it. Not only is it incredibly fun, but I can play the game with her. It makes the game a lot easier when I don't have to worry about collecting all the star bits myself, or she can hold off some of the dangers while I blunder around. While some levels are a little headache inducing (winding up upside down with stars swirling in the background can be a little much) the creative use of space and classic platforming constantly makes me smile. I'm addicted (at least for now).
-----
And I think that brings me up to date. I'm also sitting at about 60% done Okami (and have been since July). However, that game sets off my OCD so playing is a study in list and checkmarks. I also recently bought Ico, but have no idea when I'll get to it.
So many games, so little time. Oh, almost forgot about Worms 2 for DS. They fixed everything that was stupid and broken about the first Worms for DS. Apparently they did it by giving the license to someone else and throwing out all the code and design from the first try. Good for them. The game brings back the fun of madly destroying your opponent with overpowered explosives and oddball weapons. There is nothing so totally Worms as dropping a concrete donkey on your enemies. It is worth the money if you can find it. It also has WiFi, so if you have a copy let me know and we can blow each other up some time.
But I'm back, and hoping to blog more as things turn around in the holiday season, and the new year. I've also been gaming more lately. That's a good thing.
So here's a quick look at what I've been playing, and some off the cuff impressions.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
I was hooked in this for about 2-3 week after I got it. It was light, fun, and easy to play in half-hour segments on the bus to or from work. I even dropped the occasional evening on it to scour a dungeon. Then I hit just past the half-way mark and the game became all slog. The dungeons became too large to manage in a lunch break, or on a bus. The side quests became more tedious than fun, and fishing is just boring.
I only have the final (that is, main, repeating, annoying) dungeon and boss to beat. I've been at this point for about 3-4 weeks and haven't had the time or desire to continue. I want to finish this game, but it now just feels like too much work.
Sam & Max, Season 2, Episode 1
The dynamic, deadly duo return in their second episodic series. This time they have to save Christmas. That bodes ill for the holidays. The writing is full on course with this episode, and it is fun, clever, and easily playable in a single evening. This is the only game so far in the last half-year I've been able to finish and enjoy all the way through. I highly recommend playing it (or at least one of the Telltale crew's Freelance Police episodes). You can get them direct or through GameTap.
Overlord
Which leads me to another game I've gotten to play a little bit of. I don't own an X360 yet. I don't have the TV for it, I don't have the money for it, and I so much want one. So when my friend picked up Overlord for it, I was disappointed that I had another game I couldn't play. Until I found out that it's on GameTap. Joy!
The game itself (so far) is a mad romp through every fantasy cliche, except that you get to inflict bodily harm (somewhat indirectly) on the lovable inhabitants of the world. Controlling your horde of minions is rather intuitive, just point them at something you want killed, or broken, or desecrated, and they'll happily take care of it for you. You hardly have to lift a finger. And you get to be evil, or at least malevolent, which is always a nice escape from constantly being the icon of good. I've only had the time to play the first couple of missions, but they've been fun. I'll need to get on my computer more just so I can play this.
Super Mario Galaxy
My wife got me Super Paper Mario for my birthday, back in August. I feel bad because I have barely cracked the case on it. However, getting Galaxy I think makes up for it. Not only is it incredibly fun, but I can play the game with her. It makes the game a lot easier when I don't have to worry about collecting all the star bits myself, or she can hold off some of the dangers while I blunder around. While some levels are a little headache inducing (winding up upside down with stars swirling in the background can be a little much) the creative use of space and classic platforming constantly makes me smile. I'm addicted (at least for now).
-----
And I think that brings me up to date. I'm also sitting at about 60% done Okami (and have been since July). However, that game sets off my OCD so playing is a study in list and checkmarks. I also recently bought Ico, but have no idea when I'll get to it.
So many games, so little time. Oh, almost forgot about Worms 2 for DS. They fixed everything that was stupid and broken about the first Worms for DS. Apparently they did it by giving the license to someone else and throwing out all the code and design from the first try. Good for them. The game brings back the fun of madly destroying your opponent with overpowered explosives and oddball weapons. There is nothing so totally Worms as dropping a concrete donkey on your enemies. It is worth the money if you can find it. It also has WiFi, so if you have a copy let me know and we can blow each other up some time.
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