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So thank God for SONY; Well Naughty Dog, Insomniac and Sucker Punch, to be honest, but SONY too. Platforming, for developers must seem like a step backwards. Sure, some of the best games evr made were platformers, but nowadays, with the all the talk of HALO, GTA, GT4 and Half Life 2, platforming games seem to have been put on the back-burner by the industry's head honcho's.
It's good then, to see 3 top quality PS2 platforming games all released within a month of each other. I've played Sly 2 and Ratchet 3, but not much of Jak. And from what I've experienced they're all amazing. Not overly original, but neither are HALO 2, GTA: SA, or HL2.
Sony seem to have taken over. Nintendo have certainly dropped the ball. They don't release anything. 2 games, for Christmas. They obviously don't realise how little people are willing to replay single player games. if they're good, maybe 3 times, usually 1. I've finished HL2. I'll uninstall it, and give it to a friend, if he can play it with Steam's permission. I don't keep many games. I've been into games since the SNES days, and have a handful of N64 cartridges, about 4 PS2 games, and 5 XBOX games. )My brother handles the GC side of things.)
Anyway, what bothers me about Nintendo, if I can use that word in here, is that they're so lack-lustre in market agression. It took SONY to jump up and slap them in the face and say: "Hey, Nintendo.. your DS looks like it was designed by Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, look at this fancy PSP that pieces all over your new handheld!" Almost as if SONY was upset that Nintendo were releasing crap things. Don't get me wrong. My friend works for Nintendo, and, Shigsy allowing, i'll get to play on one in a matter of days. Should be good, but better than it was going to be.
Sony's platforming dominance isn't down to them. It's all about market share. Circle Software or Triangle Games naturally release games on the PS2, because there's more chance that people will buy them. Business Sense. But SONY as a company have taken Naughty Dog and Insomniac under their wing, and actually picked up a gun and battled themselves. They haven't relied on anyone to do the job for them. They've successfully snatched the title of 'Platforming King' from under Nintendo's face.
Nintendo have Mario, which still sells more copies than any Jak, Ratchet or Sly game, maybe even put together. But as a console, the PS2 offers way more than the GameCube. If you want Platforming games and enjoy collecting coins, bubbles, tokens, whatever, the PS2 is the console for you. Naughty Dog and Insomniac have proven that the PS2 can turn out fancy platformers. The stories are compelling, appropriate for any audience and the games, especially the above mentioned, are incredibly well-made.
The PS2 is the best machine for platforming. Nintendo don't seem to care. Instead of reacting fiercely and retaliating when Microsoft took 3rd place in Europe and the US, Nintendo curled up tighter into it's little ball. To lighten the load, SONY seem to have taken the platforming ticket and ran with it, making what could be classed as some of the best looking games of this generation... I know Jak 3 certainly is one of them. Granted it may not look as good as HALO 2, but it doesn't have any graphical problems. You can see a mile, and the framerate VERY VERY rarely dips.
I'll still buy a Mario and Zelda game, but what have Nintendo released this christmas that is any competition? Echoes? Hell no, people expect to shoot things in an FPS, not explore, get this, go all the way back there, get that and jump all the way up there. PIKMIN 2? Hardly a chart contender. It may well be good, but it's audience is a small one. Microsoft have HALO 2, SONY have GTA, and Nintendo have nothing to compare. There has been no Mario game on the GC since 2002, if I remember correctly. 2 years, and we've had 2 GTA games.
This isn't about Nintendo, really. Although after being a long-time fan, their actions anger me... more upset me. Because I see the potential. What else do they have to lose. I had more fun playing SLY 2 than I did any GC platforming game (Other than Mario, Zelda being an 'RPG'), but 1 Mario game can't compare to 2 Jak games, 2 Ratchet games, 1 Sly game and a couple of other decent efforts.
Well, rant over. I just praise SONY for what they've done for fans. Through Naughty Dog and Insomniac, they've bought forth 2 of the best platforming franchises ever. All credit to them.
Finished with them?
I'll take 'em off your hands.
Anyway..
I played RC3, and it was quality. I didn't have time for it, with HALO , Half-Life and all. The multiple control schemes, draw-distance, comedy, character relationships. it is genuinely all amazing. Mario 64 was revolutionary, so may deserve the top spot, but for Execution and fun, RC3 is unbeatable. I'm not overly keep on the dark turn the Jak series has taken, but I loved Sly 2.
Although you seem to presume that this win naturally extends to every single issue.
And:
"There has been no Mario game on the GC since 2002, if I remember correctly"
My my, your memory sucks.
Personally I hate platformers, always have, the one exception being Jak and Daxter, for me there's just too much going on and too many leaps of faith involved to make the genre immersive.
However, considering that I'm buying R&C3 anyhow for my nephew this Christmas, and considering that a lot of other parents/guardians are probably going to do the same thing this year, I think this will be Sony's best selling title of 2004. Well done Insomniac Games :)
A GAD ATTEMPT!
Muhahahahaha... Good luck to ya.
So thank God for SONY; Well Naughty Dog, Insomniac and Sucker Punch, to be honest, but SONY too. Platforming, for developers must seem like a step backwards. Sure, some of the best games evr made were platformers, but nowadays, with the all the talk of HALO, GTA, GT4 and Half Life 2, platforming games seem to have been put on the back-burner by the industry's head honcho's.
It's good then, to see 3 top quality PS2 platforming games all released within a month of each other. I've played Sly 2 and Ratchet 3, but not much of Jak. And from what I've experienced they're all amazing. Not overly original, but neither are HALO 2, GTA: SA, or HL2.
Sony seem to have taken over. Nintendo have certainly dropped the ball. They don't release anything. 2 games, for Christmas. They obviously don't realise how little people are willing to replay single player games. if they're good, maybe 3 times, usually 1. I've finished HL2. I'll uninstall it, and give it to a friend, if he can play it with Steam's permission. I don't keep many games. I've been into games since the SNES days, and have a handful of N64 cartridges, about 4 PS2 games, and 5 XBOX games. )My brother handles the GC side of things.)
Anyway, what bothers me about Nintendo, if I can use that word in here, is that they're so lack-lustre in market agression. It took SONY to jump up and slap them in the face and say: "Hey, Nintendo.. your DS looks like it was designed by Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, look at this fancy PSP that pieces all over your new handheld!" Almost as if SONY was upset that Nintendo were releasing crap things. Don't get me wrong. My friend works for Nintendo, and, Shigsy allowing, i'll get to play on one in a matter of days. Should be good, but better than it was going to be.
Sony's platforming dominance isn't down to them. It's all about market share. Circle Software or Triangle Games naturally release games on the PS2, because there's more chance that people will buy them. Business Sense. But SONY as a company have taken Naughty Dog and Insomniac under their wing, and actually picked up a gun and battled themselves. They haven't relied on anyone to do the job for them. They've successfully snatched the title of 'Platforming King' from under Nintendo's face.
Nintendo have Mario, which still sells more copies than any Jak, Ratchet or Sly game, maybe even put together. But as a console, the PS2 offers way more than the GameCube. If you want Platforming games and enjoy collecting coins, bubbles, tokens, whatever, the PS2 is the console for you. Naughty Dog and Insomniac have proven that the PS2 can turn out fancy platformers. The stories are compelling, appropriate for any audience and the games, especially the above mentioned, are incredibly well-made.
The PS2 is the best machine for platforming. Nintendo don't seem to care. Instead of reacting fiercely and retaliating when Microsoft took 3rd place in Europe and the US, Nintendo curled up tighter into it's little ball. To lighten the load, SONY seem to have taken the platforming ticket and ran with it, making what could be classed as some of the best looking games of this generation... I know Jak 3 certainly is one of them. Granted it may not look as good as HALO 2, but it doesn't have any graphical problems. You can see a mile, and the framerate VERY VERY rarely dips.
I'll still buy a Mario and Zelda game, but what have Nintendo released this christmas that is any competition? Echoes? Hell no, people expect to shoot things in an FPS, not explore, get this, go all the way back there, get that and jump all the way up there. PIKMIN 2? Hardly a chart contender. It may well be good, but it's audience is a small one. Microsoft have HALO 2, SONY have GTA, and Nintendo have nothing to compare. There has been no Mario game on the GC since 2002, if I remember correctly. 2 years, and we've had 2 GTA games.
This isn't about Nintendo, really. Although after being a long-time fan, their actions anger me... more upset me. Because I see the potential. What else do they have to lose. I had more fun playing SLY 2 than I did any GC platforming game (Other than Mario, Zelda being an 'RPG'), but 1 Mario game can't compare to 2 Jak games, 2 Ratchet games, 1 Sly game and a couple of other decent efforts.
Well, rant over. I just praise SONY for what they've done for fans. Through Naughty Dog and Insomniac, they've bought forth 2 of the best platforming franchises ever. All credit to them.