Shiny Trashcans

You know those people you meet who are just effortlessly good looking? So good looking that you need to hate them in a pointless attempt to even out the free ride through life you're sure they've lucked into?

See, attractiveness in and of itself is fine. I know plenty of good looking people who are awesome. But attractive, vacuous morons are a constant source of irritation.
The thing is, when someone is really good looking, they learn they can do no wrong. They end up in a cycle where the vast majority of people treat them great, and the few people that are willing to call them on their idiocy are pushed aside for being a negative nancy. They take nothing to heart and thus never improve. Hence the irritation.

They're like highly polished, stainless steel trashcans.

Tangent #1: The above informs my strong opinion that everyone should have to suffer through at least one truly awful haircut during adolescence for character-building purposes. Then they can know what its like on the other side of the tracks once they've blossomed. I myself attribute my strength of character to having sported a mullet for much of my childhood. It was a ringlet-infused party in the back, and confused shame in the front.

Of course, this rant is another way for me to talk about video games.

I'm a Nintendo guy. Always have been. My first gaming console was a Nintendo Entertainment System that came as a Christmas present I shared with my brother. I have gone on to own a Gameboy, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Xbox, Gamecube, and now a Wii. As you can see, I have only taken one brief detour from the Nintendo path.

Tangent #2: At the time, Christmas was the only way I could hope to own a game console. I loved it, and grew to monopolise it, despite my brother holding equal share. We got two game - Ninja Turtles and Legend of Zelda. Dazzled by product placement I latched onto turtles and wasted hours on what may be the brokest game in history. I never completed it, and came close to juvenile stroke. My burgeoning gaming addiction was obvious, and while my brother also enjoyed the pastime he never fell into digital oblivion like I did. If we would fight, he learned the best way to punish me was by claiming that his half of the console included the controllers. He would then disconnect them and walk away, leaving me to enjoy my half of our now stylish paperweight.

When the Wii was announced I was pumped. My interest in gaming had waned owing to a lack of time and a broken, cracked X-Box. Everything about the Wii sounded innovative and fun. I couldn't wait, and promptly lined up on release day to pick one up. It has gone on to the be the single greatest piece of technology I've ever purchased.

The thing is, since all my gamer friends have picked up an Xbox 360 and giant plasma screen. This leads to obvious comparisons about their main difference - graphical output.

Tangent #3: The Wii outputs at 480i, while the 360 outputs up to 1080p. I'm the kind of ravenous nerd who prides himself on knowing what these numbers mean. Suffice to say, the 360 looks shinier. My own TV is a plasma that can handle up to 1080i, but I don't have anything that plugs into it that delivers that kind of resolution.

This ongoing graphical debate seems to show up that there are two broad categories of gamers - those who appreciate graphics from a technical standpoint and those who appreciate them from a design standpoint.


For example: I am currently playing Super Mario Galaxy. My 360 friends are playing Call of Duty 4. Now, Call of Duty 4 is a great game, and technically the graphics are excellent. They look near-realistic throughout. However, a blackened, burnt out building is just that, no matter how well rendered. I'm not all that interested in looking at that all the time.
Now Galaxy is lampooned by the 360 crowd for falling short of the High Def margin. But I think it looks better. It obviously doesn't have the grunt of the 360 behind it - you'll always know you're watching a video game with its expected jaggies - but the creativity of the design drips off the screen.
Numerous galaxies are all unique. Countless planets are-self contained explosions of gorgeous.

Now both are accessible. My preference doesn't invalidate that of others. I notice however that Wii games are often written off immediately as graphically inferior, and no more is said. On the other hand, stunning graphics are used to defend games that just aren't that much fun to play. Shiny trashcans.

That bugs me. I'm obviously biased towards the Wii, and I'm kind of lukewarm on the whole First Person Shooter thing these days, but it is irritating.

Graphics are important, but no more so important than the other factors of game design - controls, camera, gameplay, intuitiveness, story, etc, etc.

Tangent #4: Maybe I'd be more into graphics if my eyes hadn't been sitting behind glasses of varying thickness since the age of two, when my rebellious eye was fixed through corrective surgery. I've got to sit pretty close to the TV.

At the end of the day, the Wii is a vastly different system to the 360. Neither is superior. I like it that way.

To sum up the moral of the piece, as if I was Bob Saget whispering softly to a girl named DJ; don’t judge a book by its cover.