Kick names, take ass.
11-26-2013 2:39 pm
fuzmeister: The Era of Poorly Named Video Game Consoles
DISCLAIMER: I do not believe the name of any object can determine the overall quality of said object. With that being said, I was considering how poorly-named the new generation of video game consoles is the other day.

Xbox One is meant to convey a sense of unity on a single device through its name. Xbox Unity might have actually worked better considering I have known people to refer to the original xbox as xbox one for several years regardless of that title being incorrect. We live in a world where numerics indicate iteration, not functionality. Imagine if the Nintendo DS was called the Nintendo Two because it had two screens...

Secondly, we have the Wii U. Technically, this is a current generation console even though it's really kind of shoved between this generation and last's due to some under-powered hardware. That's a different post for a different day though. The Wii U sounds a lot like a college where Wiis graduate too after they've received enough credits playing Wii Sports. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure I understand the naming convention of Wii U at all. Is it supposed to be a system all about U? Unfortunately, the name rhymes with P.U. which is exactly what we'll all be saying in two years when Nintendo's system can't keep up with any current third party software.

Lastly, we have the Playstation 4. The Playstation 4 gets the award for best naming between the three major home consoles. However, I think it's a tad lazy on Sony's part to keep simple appending numbers onto the end of each Playstation. I understand that there is significant brand recognition with the Playstation name, but there's also significant brand recognition with the name Sony. Why not use an arbitrary word after Playstation instead of a number? Playstation Blade. Playstation Onyx. Playstation Entertainment System. These are all legitimate options. Again, I think Sony has the best system name of the three major consoles.

Honorable mention goes to the Ouya console which I don't rank in the same league as the other three. What the hell were they thinking with this name? All I can hear in my head every time I read it is Macho Man Randy Savage saying "Ohhhh YEAH."

Mood: Moderately Amused


Tags (beta): video games

Comments (0)

9-18-2012 8:46 pm
fuzmeister: Video Game Blues
I think my biggest regret with relation to video games is the fact that I traded my Gamecube in when buying my Nintendo Wii. The problem is that I had no idea how successful or unsuccessful the Wii system would be at the time.

Sure, I can play Gamecube games on my Wii, but it isn't the same. I feel like I gave a way a trusted old friend and started hanging out with an unreliable, alcoholic one. My new friend seemed cool at first, but I eventually realized he was only cool on the outside and had no substance. You live and learn, I guess.

Another regret is buying virtually every Phantom Menace tie-in game released... wow, that was so stupid of me. That's a different story for a different day though.

Mood: Nostalgic


Tags (beta): video games, gamecube

Comments (4)

4-16-2012 2:17 pm
fuzmeister: Skyrim
Before I go on this little rant, I just want to make it known that I really do enjoy Elder Scrolls V and am only throwing my two cents out into the ether for discussion's sake.

I appreciate the longer side quest story arcs, but I wish they would have fleshed more out for the main storyline. I don't feel like the story is really epic in tale - merely in scope. The story itself seems kind of cliched. The side quests and additional sub-stories are where the meat n' potatoes really are. In all fairness though, I'm only about 2/3 through the story quests from what I understand.

I also wish you could get some kind of experience for completing quests. As it stands, you get experience based on the things you do (similar to Final Fantasy II), but not for actually completing quests. Some may say that wouldn't work as there is no generic experience pool, but why not have the experience you earn from a quest go towards a specific skills. A stealth-heavy mission, for example, would yield experience towards the "sneak" skill on completion.

I'm obviously not a commercial game designer or anything and people will never totally agree on what the best systems for a game are. I just think the folks saying Skyrim is the best game ever aren't really all that right in the head... or haven't played many games...

Mood: Sore
Music: Carbon Leaf - Nowadays


Tags (beta): video games, skyrim

Comments (8)

12-21-2011 2:09 pm
fuzmeister: Fellow Amazonians
Anyone ever notice how the video game trade-in values for Wii games on Amazon are insanely higher than other systems?

As an example, Mario Galaxy 2 has a trade-in value of $26 today.

I'm curious as to why Wii games are rated significantly higher value-wise.

Mood: Mediocre
Music: Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack


Tags (beta): wii, video games, amazon

Comments (1)

11-22-2011 1:56 pm
fuzmeister: Best Amazon Review of The New Zelda Game EVER
I hope this is a joke.

Mood: Amused
Music: Black Sabbath - Megalomania


Tags (beta): video games, nintendo, amazon

Comments (0)

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