Well before i start let me say this is something that been a long time coming, just needed time to put this into actual words. This may be edited and update in future until this message is gone.
Back in 2005 the Nintendo DS was made. Afterlooking at it and examining it, i called it "A super nintendo controller with 2 screens on it." Cause it just seemed that way to me. Of course i just seen it, actually playing one is a different story. From what i seen, it was basically the successor to the gameboy advance system, Nintendo DS, what exactly does it stand for? Well all i can think is Dual Screens, maybe not i dunno, doubt nintendo actually stated what it meant. So only observing it, it kinda seem like is based off the old game and watch games from 1980 (I was not born at that time, but a decade later) I mean come on take a look at it, the resemblence is strikingly obvious.
Well after seeing it, i had ideas of my own. What exactly does this mean? Well before this, we used to play games on one screen, but two was maybe a bit more complicated. Of course my idea was "Oh wow 2 screens, great for like rpg games, you can focus on the game on one screen, then use the other as like a map, taking notes or shortcuts, makes things easier. Now if i play a megaman game i don't need to waste time pausing to switch weapons, i can just touch it and it happens easier. That is a great idea." To me it was, making games easier to control and understand, adding shortcuts to games that may be complex for new players like (your over 50 year old parents) or something, it was a nice thing to have. After owning one and playing some games on there, it was probably not what i expected.
Super smash bros Wii u has so many different options for controllers is amazing, is the only game that managed to preserve past gen player control. You can use wii u game pad, wii u pro controller, Wii mote, Wii mote with nunchuck, Wii mote and classic controller, and Game cube controller, you can even use your 3DS as a controller, it has many options, the wii brawl game also had game cube controller support (if your wii has the compatibility) makes thing easier for people who like playing a certain way.
Then end point, i don't think the devices ideas were awful the idea is there, it works it enhances playability and catches attention well to new players who may want to join the games, but just some games just kinda suffer for the idea of adding it as requirement to be on the system. I made this point in a blog post a day ago that someone asked why paper mario sicker star is controversial game to like or discuss? While i sit there and wonder why paper mario the thousand year door is the most popular one? I like super paper mario best, i think sticker star was a fine game for the 3DS but the problem for me was it was on 3DS
All this is opinion, people can make games however they like, if the idea is good and people like it, that is great, i hope so, sometimes is not always good, not possible to please everyone but i still respect the idea of trying new things even though most of people are comfortable with the gaming standards. But options is always good thing, having show case or demo for the new tech you come up with helps how people should understand the use of these things. Wii sports included with the wiis was very good idea. Why something like this wasn't done with NDS 3DS or WII U (My wii u came with Nintendo land but only if i bought the deluxe edition which cost more) i feel maybe didn't help so well. While NDS and 3DS did well in market is not much to complain about but the wii u maybe needed it the most.
Back in 2005 the Nintendo DS was made. Afterlooking at it and examining it, i called it "A super nintendo controller with 2 screens on it." Cause it just seemed that way to me. Of course i just seen it, actually playing one is a different story. From what i seen, it was basically the successor to the gameboy advance system, Nintendo DS, what exactly does it stand for? Well all i can think is Dual Screens, maybe not i dunno, doubt nintendo actually stated what it meant. So only observing it, it kinda seem like is based off the old game and watch games from 1980 (I was not born at that time, but a decade later) I mean come on take a look at it, the resemblence is strikingly obvious.
Well after seeing it, i had ideas of my own. What exactly does this mean? Well before this, we used to play games on one screen, but two was maybe a bit more complicated. Of course my idea was "Oh wow 2 screens, great for like rpg games, you can focus on the game on one screen, then use the other as like a map, taking notes or shortcuts, makes things easier. Now if i play a megaman game i don't need to waste time pausing to switch weapons, i can just touch it and it happens easier. That is a great idea." To me it was, making games easier to control and understand, adding shortcuts to games that may be complex for new players like (your over 50 year old parents) or something, it was a nice thing to have. After owning one and playing some games on there, it was probably not what i expected.
I didn't own one untill about 2 years later, Capcom was gonna be making games for it, Mega man starforce and mega man zx, Gameboy advance successors will be made and i had to get it being the mega man fan i am. I had worked summer saving money for this and went to game stop to finally get one. It was the DS LITE one at the time, black with glossy red and had a case to hold 3 games in, it wasn't a case like with zipper but more like a turtle shell, you just lift up a single string, fold the system on it and it covers it. Anyway it came with 2 games, New super mario bros, and Brain age 2. Well the one i played first was mario of course. And i beat the whole game in less than a week, playing the game was fun, one thing i liked was the second screen showing a display of your status while the main screen had all game, i like the idea, score, collectables, items and stage progress all on one screen. Sometimes when you go down pipes the screen swaps, it was a cool thing but during the time you cannot use reserved items. Reserved items can only be used on touch screen and if mario goes down pipe, the screen swapped meaning you need to wait, one simple flaw, i get that it was a clever thing to do but it very minor, not a real complaint.
After playing mario, i didn't have enough money to get another game so soon. So i just tried the only other option i had, brain age 2. Turning the game on i am greeted by a floating polygonal head that look like the final boss from star fox on snes or the "30 FIGHTING POLYGON TEAM" From n64 smash bros.... or porygon the pokemon from cyberspace. The name was Dr.Kawashima (I think, not sure if i remember it) First he asked me to turn the system side ways to look like a book. I wondered if i was gonna be reading something. Well no, i was gonna be writing. Yes, time to pull out the stylus that came with the system, cause is time to start writing. I had hope it was a joke, but it wasn't, he asked me to solve some math problems, to determine my brain age... which i guess according to him is over 63. Not sure if is a insult or complement. Anyway, i wondered what kind of game was this, then i thought. "I guess educational games got turned up another notch over the years.
Last time i remember playing educational games was on old Macintosh computers, that look like space helmets, you can see through it, inside elementary school at the computer lab. There was super munchers, Reader rabbit, math rabbit, math blasters, and everyones favorite, OREGON TRAIL! That was over 15 years ago. After moving to windows computers we had stuff like mavis beacon teaches typing, and even less stuff to play, also there was those other bad home console ports of educational games like mario is missing and mario history lesson, but let's not go that far. Brain age 2 i guess was not really a educational game, it was more like a fitness game, the idea was to play it consistently to train your brain to be sharper, (Results may vary) You would do all exercises to keep your mind from getting "Older" And keep it "younger" which is the preferred result. Young means quick, sharp, and functional, while old means, umm... not to sound insulting but.... slower, soft, spongy, and seem like you have a serious problem.
Anyway is classified as a game, and then before i new it there was more games like this. Some games were how i expected it to be, a game where one screen was your primary focus while the second one handled important necessary info as shortcuts, notes, maps and easy operations. Most of the benefit was from RPG games like Final Fantasy 4 and Chrono trigger, you use the second screen to display a map so you don't get lost Unlike the original SNES and PSX ports. During battles, you can use it to see all battle data like players HP and enemies HP, status, and such while the other screen shows the game. You can even use the touch screen to give commands instead of using the buttons, having options like that was great. With the already reduced screen size you now divide responsibility between the two screens. Not only that but you can make game easily accessable to new players, who think perhaps having so many buttons on the controller is too complex and will reject it.
Then you had games like Brain age and Ninja gaiden Dragon sword (DS) Where you hold it side ways like a book and using stylus and touch screen is mandatory, which by the way if you played any of the other ninja gaiden games may feel like is not what you expected when they said "NINJA GAIDEN FOR DS" By the way is not as impressive as one may think, everything is done with touch control, draw lines on enemies to attack, swipe to move jump, draw Japanese Symbols to do special moves, is probably the easiest ninja gaiden game in the whole series that has the title ninja gaiden.
The idea is that using touch controls is not really a problem, is not a bad idea, just some games don't always need it, some games force you to use it, some have optional choice, and the best ones usually have optional choices. To be honest all games for the systems all play differently, i had hoped to like the console for the idea of making games easier for people to enjoy, people like me can use buttons to improve skill of games you play, while new players who never play games before can also enjoy trying games with simple functions using touch screen shortcuts. It was a good balance. It would seem like everyone has fair chance to play even with each other of varying skill.
I noticed myself playing most of the games that use less of the touch screen as mandatory functions, Games like Mega man star force, Mega man ZX, Castlevania games, Bleach, fighting game by sega, i actually liked it, but then games like legend of zelda phantom train or whatever is called. (there was 2 one with a hourglass and another with a train) where you had use touch screen the whole time. It was no choice. I do acknowledge that some games also had no choice when using game pad buttons as well but, like i said, optional choices are best ones. Is the same thing with wii, 3DS and wii u as well. Some games not having optional controls.
Perhaps i understand the idea is you create a new device, and it has features you hope people will like and like to make use of and show off. But isn't that why you include a game that does it primarliy to see how well people respond to it, like a tech demo? Wii sports, nintndo land, the built in games on 3DS, face radiers, ar games? Most of the games bearly use the augmented reality features, some still use gyroscope aiming like with first person view, in Ocarina of time/ Majora mask 3D Using augmented reality you can take pics of things and use it as camoflage in metal gear solid 3D but not much else use of it that i know. It would mean people didn't respond to those things or ideas as well probably why it wasn't used as much.
I respect the idea of trying the new ideas of games and gimmicks to increase value and entertainment in games but having the option to choose is always good. Not only nintendo games is like this, Sonic free riders for xbox 360 was disappointing cause according to many "Is unplayable" it requires xbox kinect which was mostly a failure, if it just had normal controls like the other previous two it would probably had been a more positive experience. Most people will play the game cube twilight princess zelda game over the wii one (Before the WIi u HD port that is) cause motion controls of wii mote was not mandatory.
Super smash bros Wii u has so many different options for controllers is amazing, is the only game that managed to preserve past gen player control. You can use wii u game pad, wii u pro controller, Wii mote, Wii mote with nunchuck, Wii mote and classic controller, and Game cube controller, you can even use your 3DS as a controller, it has many options, the wii brawl game also had game cube controller support (if your wii has the compatibility) makes thing easier for people who like playing a certain way.
Then end point, i don't think the devices ideas were awful the idea is there, it works it enhances playability and catches attention well to new players who may want to join the games, but just some games just kinda suffer for the idea of adding it as requirement to be on the system. I made this point in a blog post a day ago that someone asked why paper mario sicker star is controversial game to like or discuss? While i sit there and wonder why paper mario the thousand year door is the most popular one? I like super paper mario best, i think sticker star was a fine game for the 3DS but the problem for me was it was on 3DS
Most of my reason is the idea of the game is you go around, peeling sticker off stuff, discover secrets, turn things into paper to use as a key item, make things paper and other such things. Is on 3DS a system that uses touch screens, included with it is a stylus pen for drawing and such, the other paper mario games was not like this, it was on console, and had no acess to touch screen or such things. Sticker star is the first and only one of the series on a portable system, of course is just opinion based, my reaons may not match many but is okay, just observations, perhaps it was on console it could be different following more of the first wii or game cube games, or maybe it would still been exacly the same on wii, is just some games don't need to be utilizing the additional functions as mandatory gameplay fillers weather it be touch control, motion controls, or ven less popular microphone speech input. That is mostly my honest opinion on the systems, it should always be optional just in case. Star fox zero was announced, was you happy? When you played it and found out how aiming was mostly you having to actually move the control around, was you still happy?
All this is opinion, people can make games however they like, if the idea is good and people like it, that is great, i hope so, sometimes is not always good, not possible to please everyone but i still respect the idea of trying new things even though most of people are comfortable with the gaming standards. But options is always good thing, having show case or demo for the new tech you come up with helps how people should understand the use of these things. Wii sports included with the wiis was very good idea. Why something like this wasn't done with NDS 3DS or WII U (My wii u came with Nintendo land but only if i bought the deluxe edition which cost more) i feel maybe didn't help so well. While NDS and 3DS did well in market is not much to complain about but the wii u maybe needed it the most.
