I am rarely one to jump on new technology when it’s first put on the market. The reason being is it usually has bugs in it and it costs too much. Take for instance the Iphone 3GS everyone is now salivating for when it comes out on June 19. I’d be more likely to buy the Iphone 3G because they just dropped the price by a 100 bucks and I don’t really care if I can’t send pictures or take videos without having the new one (the software update fixes the MMS problem anyhow).  Iphone 3G still browses the web–oh, and I can use it to make phone calls.

 The newest is not always the best because companies rush to put their products out without discovering all of the flaws. Then the feedback, or rather complaints, come in from users and they start fixing the software and possibly even the hardware. Apple is better than most, only they always are pricey…that’s going to change as far as I’ve read though. Watch your ass, Microsoft.

So it’s not a surprise that I just purchased a Wii along with Wii Fit. And I did it on an impulse because I’m always interested in anything related to fitness that will keep me motivated. I find that variety is the key to maintaining an exercise regiment because we tend to get bored fast.

My first time trying the Wii beat my expectations. For once they got it right for those of us who aren’t kids and don’t have the spare time to figure out multiple button moves, complex storylines, and long instructions. You jump into a game with Wii and start playing immediately. And isn’t that the future of games? Isn’t that what we all envy when in Star Trek NG the crew members take vacations by going to the holodeck. You enter a virtual world where you use your body and know-how, not a gamepad. I have high hopes for Wii to continue towards that end result.

Wii Fit is a great introduction to exercising for the novice, but my question is does anyone lose weight with it? Or is it just a fad. My wife loves it and currently we are both on our 3rd day. It’s not quite as intensive for me to match a workout on the treadmill or jogging outside, but on the other hand I rarely do strength exercises or yoga so I believe I’m hitting new spots to get sore on the ol’ bod.

Since 3 days doesn’t tell you much, I started looking for articles on the web from game players that had actually tested Wii Fit and this one from Kotaku.com says yes on weight loss. However, I think something the author wrote is very telling: “Like when anyone starts a new exercise program, I went all out when I started. And like most, my goal wasn’t to be fit, per se, but to drop a few extra pounds.”

That’s the key to exercise in general. When you first buy any piece of exercise equipment you get all excited and dream big and then go all out–like those pair of dumbbells you used one day, burned out your arms and never picked them up again. I would have to say I was guilty of doing this with the Wii on the first day. I played all the Wii Sports and then started Wii Fit. Now I’m nervous if I’ll continue day by day so I’m trying not to overdo it. I think Wii Fit is an addition to my exercise routines and not the sole piece of equipment I’ll be using.

USA Today seems to think Wii Fit may be more than a trend. It’s still selling. “Think about it: A game that teaches yoga poses and calisthenics is outselling games that teach warfare and auto theft. ” That is promising, though I don’t have anything against violent games or stealing virtual cars (just leave my Honda alone, you bastards–it’s all I got). Fact is, I’m hoping that Wii will come out with a super involved violent game using swords or other weapons as well as martial arts. One from a first person point of view like the boxing game on Wii Sports.

Imagine the workout let alone the coordination you could build by fighting imaginary villains using your arms and feet and possibly your head. All it might take is some sensor bands that you attach to your body. With regular workouts you are very aware of “time.” With games you lose track of time, thus you are more likely to put in a good workout. The possibilties for getting obese kids fit are endless.

The one game I keep hearing about that people are losing weight with is “Dance, Dance, Revolution.” I am a horrible dancer, but I’d like to pick it up and give it a go. Even attempting dance moves for me would be a good way to exercise. I’ll just have to do it when my wife’s not around to laugh at me.

I’ve lauded GameTap many times in the past because it brought back several beloved and nostalgic games from the eighties and nineties as well as games from only a few years ago. Seeing as how I like to revisit Galaga, Pac Man and Joust and then try out the newer games I never wanted to pay the box price for the GameTap setup was ideal.

So I just logged in to play a little classic arcade inbetween drawing and they prompted me to update. Not to worry, I’ve done updates with them before. The prompt pops opens my Firefox browser…why?

Because the new update puts GameTap into a browser window. The games can no longer be played full screen. Galaga is reduced so that a blind person like myself with tired eyes from working on the computer has to squint to see the white bullets. GameTap, what the hell did you do?

GameTap is now like any other website with a dull gray blog-template like interface and banner ads you’re required to see–I’m looking at one for H&R Block. When you subscribe to a premium cable channel do they show you ads? Was GameTap hurting that much for money? There has to be some better ways to improve revenue than tearing down the concept that was such a refreshing winner with gaming enthusiasts.

Originally it was this beautiful program that opened up on your desktop and took over your screen, much like a boxed game would. You had all the options you needed to find the games you wanted and install them. And all the games were full screen! Classics like Galaga showed up like they were on the original standup arcade console monitor. Hit enter for your quarter and you’re ready to go.

I visited the forums to make sure there wasn’t a full screen option and someone beat me to the punch with “Can I have the old interface back?” and “How do I play Pac-Man, ZORK, etc, in a full screen? I have to play in a little window? You’re kidding right?”

Answer: Fullscreen is not supported at this time.

To be fair newer games will jump to full screen because they are “Window Titles” and use Direct X as told by one response.

But ultimately GameTap went from something special to business as usual. I understand having to make money, but this model does not work. Popping the games into the browser reminds us that we’re playing online and not the original arcade game. It’s like playing in some Joe Schmoe’s blog system and why pay for that?

Stupid move, GameTap. Did anyone test this idea first? Did marketing survey the players to understand why they were subscribing and hanging out. Or did marketing want to start targeting the youth market only and forget that game players now range from the teens to the fifties. GameTap is for archiving and rescuing older games, that’s the theme. Don’t drive away your fan base.

I put in a request to cancel, which was very convoluted due to a missing order number on my account. I’ll have to see if it goes through. What a disappointment. And the sad thing is no one else can come along and compete with GameTap to reinstate something close to the original design. They have the license to the games and I’m sure it’s exclusive.

I think I’ll have to invest in a stand up arcade machine for Galaga. Browser windows don’t do it justice.

It had to be coming. With the explosion of games both online and for your computer or console, there is a nostalgic mood for games of the past. The best comparison might be antique toy collecting; looking for that lost childhood novelty item.

Now gamemakers have decided that heavy-end CGI graphics with the latest game engine isn’t always what the public wants. Sometimes we long for games from a simpler time. Why not design video games to look like they were made in the eighties?

Xseed Games fills that niche and may be fueling a new game design category with Retro Game Challenge for Nintendo DS. Per GDMag.com: “…an intentional 8 bit throwback aesthetic; four channels of audio, a palette limited to sixteen colors, and occasionally unforgiving play mechanics and level design.”

If you go to the site for Retro Game Challenge they have a nice collage of eighties icons, including Max Headroom, against the backdrop of controllers that look like they’re from a Commodore 64 and a TV with turn knobs (geez, I had one of those. I tuned in The Fox Station when it first went on the air and played unedited movies like Animal House).

Some of the game titles include Cosmic Gate, Haggle Man, Rally King, Star Prince (which looks awesome), Haggleman 2 (a sequel already?), Guadia Quest (an old-fashioned RPG), and more. All designed to make you feel like you went back in time.

This brings hope to all game designers who feel they are being put out of date by the next generation coming up. What if you could design games based on your childhood loves like retro-Mario sequels or retro-Zelda rpg’s with new stories? Hell, what if you could take a new game like Fallout or Silent Hill and do a retro-inspired version?

The possibilities are endless. Nostalgia has been fueling movie remakes and tributes for decades, gaming may begin to see the same thing happen; it’s not bigger and better technology, it’s retro-technology done on purpose for an old-school effect.

 After all, we love Donkey Kong because of the old audio and graphics, not some modern 3D sculpted version. How about a retro-Donkey Kong sequel. How about retro-crossovers like PacMan versus Donkey Kong?

The scenarios are limitless. And the job opportunities for game designers who thought their skills and sensibilities were put out to pasture are now available once again.

Play the game here if you’re in the mood…

I always find it amusing to read histories of pop culture icons from movies to comics to games–in almost every case you find someone hated what is now universally loved. In this case “Donkey Kong.”

Donkey Kong saved Nintendo.

In its early days Nintendo was struggling to find an identity–a game that could bring it the attention it needed to succeed with American gamers and gamers worldwide. And not just enthusiasts, everyone was popping quarters into arcade machines from kids after school to adults getting drunk in the bars after work.

As with any great success story it starts with failure. Nintendo had released a series of arcade machines called “Radarscope.” A game that everyone ignored. Something had to be done to recover the loss of revenue and their reputation.

What did they do? The head of the company handed the assignment of fixing the Radarscope game to a 27 year old who had never programmed a game in his life. That was  a good thing. His name was Shigeru Miyamoto and he decided he needed to create a game with characters and a story, not just pixel lasers and explosions.

It seems obvious now that we want our games to have stories, but back then they were still shooting spaceships and steering objects through mazes. Miyamoto was influenced by the comic strip Popeye and the movie King Kong. He came up with a storyline where a carpenter’s pet ape escapes and kidnaps his beloved girlfriend.

And thus the big ape game with the catchy music was born. When it was delivered to United States the sales manager hated it because it was so different. According to this article on GameSpot.com he even quit. The American distributors Ron Judy and Al Stone found the title perplexing and wanted to change it. Fortunately, the Japanese held their ground and the game was released as Donkey Kong.

Now Donkey Kong is a classic and has spawned numerous Mario Bros titles. That sales manager probably still hates the game if he’s alive and is wondering how he could be so wrong about it’s success.