2011…The year was filled with great games and fond memories of head shots, kill streaks, sinking ships, game winning shots, walk off homeruns, power hungry robots, giant, purple sex toys, fatalities, and arrows to the knee. Batman, Sackboy, Nathan Drake, Marcus Fenix, The 3rd Street Saints, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Deadpool, Dante, Ezio Auditore, and the many different characters the world of gamers created on their own. It was a year of great games. Though the roles of the games were great, the stories that came out of this year alone might be felt for years to come. These are…
The Top 5 Video Game Stories of 2011
5) Rise of Mobile and Handheld Gaming
With the rise of technology in cell phones, games are increasingly more accessible to not just people who pride themselves as “gamers” but everyone with a cell phone. Larger companies are working their way to develop mobile games, while independent companies are looking to make the next “Angry Birds”. Throw into the fact that Nintendo released the 3DS this year, and the definition of “gamer” could be anyone.
What To Expect In 2012-With Sony’s Playstation Vita hitting American and European shelves in late February, the increase in mobile/handheld games will only increase even more, pending a massive failure in either the 3DS or Vita, or both. Still, expect the lineup of mobile/handheld games to make a greater impact in 2012 now that the 3DS has formal competition in the Vita.
4) Nintendo Announces A New Console
It was a strange June morning at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Nintendo had finished announcing future titles for their 3DS, and were getting ready to formally introduce the world to their new console, the Wii-U. The video package highlighted a controller with a video screen, that can work along side what looked like the Wii’s motion controls. It left a lot of people scratching their heads as to if the Wii-U was a new console, or the controller itself. After a little more research, we come to find out that the Wii-U is indeed a new console, with a new controller, however very little is still known about it.
What To Expect In 2012-All the mystery surrounding the Wii-U SHOULD be gone if it is to be released in 2012. Nintendo still has been very secretive about it’s release, and my guess is that we will see a working demonstration as late as the 2012 E3 conference. The next steps might be Microsoft and Sony’s to make after this one.
3) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Reaches $1 Billion In Sales…In 16 days
To give you a scale to kind of measure that to, the last 2 Call of Duty games, Modern Warfare 2 reached the billion dollar mark in two months after it’s release, and Black Ops reached it in a month. This is a big deal because it shows how video games are now crossing over into a mainstream form of media such as television and movies.
What To Expect In 2012-Activision has had a great deal of success from the “Call of Duty” name, and with an annual release of games lately, I wouldn’t expect them to stop. When they announce the next game in the series, it might be worth looking to see if they still have that same success or even greater. Is this the pinnacle of the Call of Duty franchise, or a sign of greater things to come?
2) Sony’s Playstation Network Hacked
April was set to be a big month for gamers. The new Mortal Kombat, and Portal 2 were released within succession of each other. Both Motorstorm Apocalypse and Socom 4 were released the week prior to, and after Mortal Kombat and Portal 2 respectively for the Playstation 3. Then Thursday April 21, The Playstation Network shut itself down. The next few weeks users were denied access to the Playstation Store, ther Quirocity service, and playing online via the Playstation Network. It was an event that changed the way Sony looked at their online security.
What To Expect In 2012-I won’t go so far as to say both systems are 100% safe, but hopefully Sony, and to an extent, Microsoft learned something that April. Nobody wants their information compromised, but in these times, that kind of privacy and security are hard to find. I don’t see this as a major issue for Sony or Microsoft, because they now should be ready at all times. Nintendo on the other hand with a new system on the way should take notice if they wish to really test themselves with online gaming.
1) Shigeru Miyamoto Announces His Retirement…Or Does He?
In an interview with Wired Magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto stated “What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once again myself,” Miyamoto told Wired, adding, “I might be interested in making something that I can make myself, by myself. Something really small.” The gaming world was abuzz. Nintendo, in seemingly a panic move later released a statement:
“Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s role at Nintendo is not changing. He will continue to be a driving force in Nintendo’s development efforts. In discussing his priorities at Nintendo in a media interview, Mr. Miyamoto explained how he is encouraging the younger developers at the company to take more initiative and responsibility for developing software. He attempted to convey his priorities moving forward, inclusive of overseeing all video game development and ensuring the quality of all products. Mr. Miyamoto also discussed his desire to pursue fresh ideas and experiences of the kind that sparked his initial interest in video games.”
Some may have said that the “retirement” comments were a translation miscommunication, Wired is sticking to their story that Miyamoto is indeed retiring.
What To Expect In 2012-It’s hard to say. Shigeru Miyamoto is an icon. If he were to retire, it would be a huge blow to the gaming world, and maybe he will step down one day, maybe he’s already helping the younger Nintendo developers. Maybe 2012 might be that transition year for Nintendo to move in a new direction, or maybe 2012 will be a year for Miyamoto to shine again. Either way, with the development of great games outside of Nintendo, and the new ones within Nintendo that are working with Miyamoto, I think the gaming world is in great hands.