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Editorials 
A History lesson
- By Kevlar
Gorilla
Kev gets serious
Okay, I’m serious. I’m addicted already.
Ever had those dreams when you do something important and then you wake up relieved that it happened, but then you realize it really didn’t happen? Well, that happened to me and buying a Gamecube. Say it with me: “Kev, you need help.” I do.
This is the first console launch that I knew what was actually happening and what dynamics it has on the video game industry. After much research, I have made a short list consisting of things three I never knew about the game industry or just didn’t care about before. They are just facts with proof and nifty things that you may or may not have heard before.
Sony and Nintendo were once in cahoots
It’s true, I'm not lying! At the 16-bit generation, when it became “cool” for add-ons and peripherals to be added to systems, Nintendo and Sony spent several months in development to make a CD based peripheral for the SNES. It would attach to the well-hidden expansion slot found on the bottom of the system. In fact, it may be assumed that buy what was discussed and engineered from this development group the modern day Playstation was conceived. Don’t believe me, look it up!
Sega’s dynamic
Alright! On to the good stuff! Odds are, if you are reading this page form this site, you either didn’t like Sega, or you changed you mind and now like Nintendo more (lucky you)! About twenty times a day, people come up to me and ask “Hey! you! the guy with the shirt! Why did Sega have to recess into the mid-limbo of third-party developing?” And usually say “Well... read my column on it at NGenres.com.” So here I am, typing it out. Well, it all started with the Sega Genesis. It was 1994, and the 16-bit console wars were coming to a close. Sega needed something to jumpstart the generation, so they decided to make SegaCD and 32x. Now, no peripheral ever made ever has ever been distributed to more than 20% of any console. Not light guns, not specialty pads, not ram expanders (The only games requiring it were Perfect Dark, DK64 and Majora’s mask, but it’s debatable. Rumble paks may be excluded.) , not even Game Genies or Game sharks. Obviously, if this fact holds any water, developers were less then eager to develop games and sales just ka-flopped. Sega needed a new independent console with some 32-bit power, and fast! Thus the Sega Saturn was born. In the short 10 months that it was popular, it gained the reputation of being an unruly bitch to develop for, yet still was more than adequate for any 2D games thrown at it. Several years passed and the sales only worsened. I picked up a Saturn myself with Daytona USA for a measly $20 Canadian. Along came the Dreamcast, yet Sega’s reputation preceded itself. They had to literally beg retailers to hold them in stock. The Dreamcast is a very tight console, but it was overshadowed by Sony’s Monstrosity and fate repeated itself.
All I can do now is take off my hat and give a nod to those hard-working folk at Sega. They have weathered through the years... and Nintendo kicked their ASS! Woot woot! *clears throat* Never mind that... take it upon yourself to, in the near future, stop playing your Gamecube and rent a Dreamcast for a weekend. You won’t be disappointed. You could do a lot worse... like rent an Xbox.
Panasonic’s part in it all
Panasonic made it’s first entry into the video game biz with the 3DO. It was the first stab at a full dedicated 32-bit CD based console. It didn’t soar because in the following months leaps and bounds were made in the department of 3D acceleration and general processing power. Now a days, Panasonic is bigger than Sony and they know it. Now, Panasonic likes people’s business and they know that their business is hardware, so why should they have to compete with Nintendo, not a hardware company, not a software company, but a video game company. Panasonic makes some parts in the Gamecube plus the disks and Nintendo can highly recommend people to “Play it on a Panasonic”. I believe that Panasonic’s quality for almost anything, from CD players to TVs to digital media, is much better than most stuff from Sony. You know what they say: “If you can’t smash them into a bloody pulp because they are not your competition, make a multi million dollar deal with them and be pals in general.” It’s a bargain.
Here, are my thoughts on stuff. Now, before you send flaming bags of poo to my doorstep, I am more than willing to participate in a humane debate using AOL instant messenger. I am available 4:30pm-7:00pm CT on weekdays; my AIM is Kevlar Gorilla . Thank you and good day.
Agree with what I'm saying? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts on this issue in our mail bag. The views of Kevlar Gorilla are not necessarily the views of NGenres.com or its affiliates.
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| "The Dreamcast is a very tight console, but it was overshadowed by Sony’s Monstrosity and fate repeated itself." |
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