The Next-Gen System of
Nintendo; The Gamecube is it's predecessor, and not the other way around. Whether you support it or not, this system is considered/promoted as being 'revolutionary' for its controversial new controller, a remote shape with a D-Pad and 2 Buttons; An analog
stick and 2 triggers can be attached if needed. The remote acts as a freehand pointer and can be held like a baseball bat, gun, drumstick, etc; This along with the analog
stick supposedly is equal to if not better than a keyboard/mouse combo (most helpful in
FPS games), hence its 'revolutionary' tag. It also offers free wi-fi online play, the ability to download games from
Nintendo's extensive library, gamecube backward-compatability, and dvd
player functions.
The other 'revolutionary' aspect of this system is that its headed in a totally different direction than its competition, Sony's PlayStation 3 and
Microsoft's Xbox 360. Where as the aforementioned are geared to be high-end media powerhouses with many features, the
Nintendo is striving for improving the quality and 'fun' of playing the
game; this can turn out wonderful or utterly crappy, depending on the general public's acceptance of the new controller and the ability of 3rd Party developers to make full use of its capabilities.
PS3/360: Traditional approach, focusing on better, stunning graphics and sound as well as
extra media features such as MP3 playing. Critics argue that a
game with crappy gameplay that looks beautiful just makes it beautiful
crap; also, the more of a powerhouse a console is, the more expensive it is to develop for.
Revolution: Radical approach, focusing on the gameplay. The controller should be easy to use by anyone, but above all fun to play with. Critics say that the Revolution will not be able to run games with graphics within this generation's standards. It is also thought that the controller will make you
tired after swinging it around so much.
Its name is slated to change before release, sometime after Q2 2006.
The Revolution is coming, whether you hate it, love it, or just
don't give a
f*
ck. Games planned for release at launch include new
Zelda, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Metroid, and highly anticipated Super Smash Bros. sequels. Many, many 3rd party software developers, including Capcom and Squaresoft, excluding Epic Games, have admitted their apprehensive-but-supportive excitement for the revolution.
