Why the World is so Bad |
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Why the World is so Bad |
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NOTE: this feature has been lifted direct from NINTENDOJO website and I urge all Konsole Kingdom visitors to check out this great site. The UKKK agrees 100% with the issues raised in this feature and it is well worth the read..
Imagine this: You're with the person you love most in the world, enjoying life, smiling, and just thinking of nothing. Suddenly the piercing shriek of a digital alarm clock throws you forward to the foot of your bed. You realize you were dreaming; that it's 5:30 A.M. and it's time for work. How ironic; how unfair. The only thing you have left is a memory of something that was never tangible in the first place...
I'm sure that's happened to almost all of us at some point in our lives. The thought of something so good shattered into a million shards by a harsh reality. But what does that have to do with video games? Well, a lot actually. Take F-Zero X, for example. Now, those who have played the import can easily identify with this but for you other people out there just hear what has to be said. F-Zero X is Nintendo's latest and probably one of their best games in a long time. Now, I am not speaking in terms of graphical finesse, super dazzling special effects, or the most realistic looking race simulation ever. No, I'm just writing based on the feeling I have after walking away from the game after months of play time. As jaded as the saying is, F-Zero X should not be judged by it's cover.
One of the most annoying things in life has to be when something you enjoy is trashed by another. Sure, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but at least the opinion should be based on something instead of just hasty judgment. Let's relate this to F-Zero X for a moment. When I received my import copy of the racing game I quickly slammed it into my system and moments later my sibling (an extreme Playstation fan/Nintendo hater) was very interested to see the game running. However, after only 12 seconds, yes 12 SECONDS of spectating he commented with "Nice to see there's more fog in the distance than track.", and then he walked away never to look at or play the game again. What!? To this day he slams F-Zero X in all game related discussions about its simplistic graphics and its flat color display. Excuse me, I make strong vocal judgments about games as well, but not until I play them.
Case two proves how cruel the world can be. Venture into any Toys R' Us sometime soon and you'll be treated to a play test arcade of some games already released or on the verge of release. Among those games the Nintendo 64 lineup consists of Cruis'n World, NFL Blitz, and the American version of F-Zero X. Out of curiosity to the contents of the domestic version, I began a King Cup race in F-Zero X. Besides being in English, nothing looked that much different, except the reflection of two kids in the screen who were standing beside me watching attentively. I was just about ready to offer them a chance to play when a little conversation broke out about how much better the Super Nintendo version of F-Zero looked leaps and bounds better. Next thing I know, they began chuckling down an aisle throwing insults towards the game solely based on what they saw of me playing it for the thirty seconds into the Fire Field track. I stood in awe as the two kids turned into silhouettes at the rear of the store while the Wild Goose crashed into the competing racers on the screen. Sorry Pico.
So whoop-de-do. A couple of punk kids think the game looks bad, right? Wrong. These three people are archetypes of exactly what's wrong with the industry. No, strike that, this is what's wrong with the world. I wouldn't have cared if the people just played the game for the amount of time that they watched it and then remarked all night on how terrible it was, but they didn't even touch it! They've never handled the smooth control, they've never tried to hug on to the spine of Big Blue while going 1236 km/h at sixty frames per second, and they've never seen how truly awesome the X Cup can be with four on the floor.
Truth is this happens everywhere. See an ugly girl walking around the mall alone and I bet you money there's some snickering males close behind. Or worse yet, an overweight guy on an airplane is bound to get some negative attention. Come on people, opinions based off of aesthetics is in our blood, I'm not denying that; but it's having the wisdom to look for something deeper that makes individuals more individual. But this is where the graphical "glitz" that so many companies love to dish out stems from. People will pay money for an NHL game that looks like it's broadcast quality. In fact, if you have a game that looks that good and that realistic you'll sell millions, maybe more, just based on visuals alone! But what if there's nothing to the game? What if you start up a match and after five minutes the score is twenty to nine with your team in the lead? What if it plays atrociously and lacks innovation, meticulation, and just pure heart. Remember the beautiful CGI commercials for Final Fantasy VII that were airing at the break of every program this time last year? How much of those commercials reflect the actual game-play? Zero. And that adds to the problem.
Someone once told me that a positive appearance is vital in order to want to look for inner value. This person was speaking in reference to human to human attraction but he was right. If you want to relate it to the game world, no one would buy Pong 64 no matter how many new features it had if it looked like the original incarnations. People want to be optically stimulated, and if F-Zero X is so disgustingly ugly to you that come October you cease play because of it's visuals, then you need to rethink why you play video games in the first place. Gameplay can overcome substandard graphics, not the other way around.
Where Nintendo went right with F-Zero X is sacrificing graphics for gameplay, and I know that gets said every once in a while in the industry but F-Zero X is the epitome of that statement. The basic polygonal structures, the barren track ambiance, and the solid color/flat shaded cars were chosen in order to keep the engine running at a pace that gives the player the feeling and excitement of speed. With that feeling nailed down, the player can more naturally assume he's flying down the third incarnation of Rainbow Road and grabbing some air off of the last jump of the lap. The sense of urgency to boost during the entirety of the final run of Mute City 3 is more important and certainly more memorable to me than some cut scene that's supposed to evoke those emotions in the first place.
When you play a video game so involving that you swerve left in your chair when you
attempt to turn left in the game at play, you know there's something special. I have not
done that since Starfox for the SNES, but I frequently find myself falling off the couch
when playing F-Zero X. And after two months of play I've come to the conclusion that
F-Zero X is almost a pure genius of a game. It does the original racer justice and shows
Extreme G and WipeOut exactly what a futuristic racer is. If you want realism and
customization, grab Gran Turismo, but if you want pure video game racing with blazing
arcade speed, then F-Zero X is what you need. Actually, the world would be a better place
if the entire population could get ten hours alone with the copy. F-Zero X is a good kick
in the ass for any graphic tart who thinks visuals are everything, so if you're out there
and you're willing, drop your pants and give ugly a chance.(mv)
Associate Editor, Mikey Veroni