Saturday, Feb 2, 2008
I've been away for a while. Two weeks to be exact. So, as you do after a long time without video games, you sit down, grab a litre bottle of Red Bull, sickening amounts of chocolate and have one of the gaming binges that last so long, you hear people on the news that have died attempting such a feat. Luckily for me, I'm fine and dandy. Even luckier for me, however, is that I had a host of games to come back to.
The anticipated release of Burnout Paradise happened while I was away, so that was first on my list. Then there was PAIN, the hugely funny download only game that, for the moment, is only released in the US. So I was lucky to get it, even luckier to get it for free. Decided to grab Go Sports Ski, another download only game for the PS3. High Velocity Bowling also grabbed my attention. And then there was lots of Team Fortress 2 to catch up on. What a binge indeed.
But after reluctantly switching on Go Sports Ski after reading GameSpot's 4.0 review of the game, I have to say that I completely agree. Not only are the customization options so limited a flash game would be embaressed, but the controls suck, too. Motion sensing only...Yawn. Unfortunately, this isn't the first game with crappy motion sensing controls. Anyone tried completing MotorStorm using the motion sensing? Good luck to you. Over sensitivity makes it almost impossible. Burnout Paradise's aren't any better either. Especially in traffic filled roads. The infamous Lair is also guilty of crappy motion sensing controls. And there are plenty more I haven't mentioned.
So it hit me: Are the SIXAXIS' motion sensing abilities destined to fail? Sure, videogames are nothing without the all so mighty analog stick (minus PC games), and quite frankly that's a great thing. They're easy to use and a lot of fun trying to pop headshots in the terrifyingly addictive Team Fortress 2. But think back to the pre-analog days. Back when the D-pad was number one. I can say for most of us that I was reluctant to make the almighty switch to the analog stick. Mainly because I found it hard, and I (stupidly) felt that the D-pad gave me more control. But, alas, we all made the switch. And I'm sure none of us regret one second of 'giving the analog stick a second chance.'
So, is this the same case with the SIXAXIS? Are we afraid of using it just because it's different and not used to it? Or is it ok to give props to lazy developers who sloppily throw motion sensing in to the game like a donut into chocolate sauce? To be honest, I think it's a bit of both. Sure, there are those games that badly represent the SIXAXIS' motion sensing, but there are those that do motion sensing really well. Look at Folklore for example. It's superb motion sensing controls give the game that special charm, the same charm of playing through Resident Evil 2's Duel Shock Edition for the first time. So, within time, I'm sure we'll be tearing through the streets of whatever comes next in the Burnout series, using the SIXAXIS as a steering wheel, like we've done it all of our life.
The anticipated release of Burnout Paradise happened while I was away, so that was first on my list. Then there was PAIN, the hugely funny download only game that, for the moment, is only released in the US. So I was lucky to get it, even luckier to get it for free. Decided to grab Go Sports Ski, another download only game for the PS3. High Velocity Bowling also grabbed my attention. And then there was lots of Team Fortress 2 to catch up on. What a binge indeed.
But after reluctantly switching on Go Sports Ski after reading GameSpot's 4.0 review of the game, I have to say that I completely agree. Not only are the customization options so limited a flash game would be embaressed, but the controls suck, too. Motion sensing only...Yawn. Unfortunately, this isn't the first game with crappy motion sensing controls. Anyone tried completing MotorStorm using the motion sensing? Good luck to you. Over sensitivity makes it almost impossible. Burnout Paradise's aren't any better either. Especially in traffic filled roads. The infamous Lair is also guilty of crappy motion sensing controls. And there are plenty more I haven't mentioned.
So it hit me: Are the SIXAXIS' motion sensing abilities destined to fail? Sure, videogames are nothing without the all so mighty analog stick (minus PC games), and quite frankly that's a great thing. They're easy to use and a lot of fun trying to pop headshots in the terrifyingly addictive Team Fortress 2. But think back to the pre-analog days. Back when the D-pad was number one. I can say for most of us that I was reluctant to make the almighty switch to the analog stick. Mainly because I found it hard, and I (stupidly) felt that the D-pad gave me more control. But, alas, we all made the switch. And I'm sure none of us regret one second of 'giving the analog stick a second chance.'
So, is this the same case with the SIXAXIS? Are we afraid of using it just because it's different and not used to it? Or is it ok to give props to lazy developers who sloppily throw motion sensing in to the game like a donut into chocolate sauce? To be honest, I think it's a bit of both. Sure, there are those games that badly represent the SIXAXIS' motion sensing, but there are those that do motion sensing really well. Look at Folklore for example. It's superb motion sensing controls give the game that special charm, the same charm of playing through Resident Evil 2's Duel Shock Edition for the first time. So, within time, I'm sure we'll be tearing through the streets of whatever comes next in the Burnout series, using the SIXAXIS as a steering wheel, like we've done it all of our life.
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