This weekend I was browsing the Web as part of my ongoing quest to learn EVERYTHING and I stumbled across Etsy.com. This is a site where a number of different people/companies offer their handmade creations. I must admit, there is a reporter from Moses Lake, Washington who calls her creative endeavor Digital Soaps and makes some very interesting (wait for it…) soap. If you need some form of incentive to get your kid off the console and into the tub, or if your spouse would get a kick out of such a novelty, I have to say that these are pretty neat. Click below to see even more of these creations!

Click on the Pictures to take you to the appropriate page if you’re interested.

Keep it clean…for Mario’s sake!

Wanna bet that the cat is a big Metal Gear Solid fan?

Stackable soap, how do I love thee…let me count the lines.

No Halo in the tub!

“Bustin’ makes me feel good…” and clean!

Fun in the tub? Wii!!!

And finally, for the comprehensive evolution of gaming cleanliness…

For years writers have found ways to leverage interesting characters, stories, and experiences through sequels, spin-offs, and ongoing storylines. Another strategy to increase profitability of  lucrative franchises is to place them into another media all together (i.e., successful books made into films, television series yielding books, and films spawning games). But with the advancement of gaming technology we are witnessing a new way to make money without creating all new titles.

The current platforms all have the ability to download content and many developers are taking advantage of this to create supplemental levels, characters and features to enhance games that have already proven successful. Rather than attempt to re-create “the magic” in a sequel, many have chosen to extend the experience for those who are still interested. The beauty of this approach is that it can offer enhanced value for an already owned title which a player knows he or she likes.

An example from the last year that has offered such enhancements is Soul Calibur IV. Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 versions offer downloadable content through their online services (Xbox Live and The PlayStation Network respectively). These upgrade packs enable further customization of characters within the game. For an example of such modifications, see the trailer below.

Though customization of characters in a fighting game can be a treat, it doesn’t really approach the level of enhancement provided by a furthering of the story. The 2008 release of Prince of Persia offers additional narrative gameplay. In order to provide an enhanced experience to those who enjoyed the title, Ubisoft offered a download called “Epilogue” that gives the player a chance to enjoy more challenges and provides further closure to the story. For an idea of what is offered, view the trailer below.

Never willing to be an “also ran” in the video game industry, Rockstar Games produced one of the most striking game enhancements available within the last year – the Xbox 360 exclusive side story for GTA IV entitled The Lost and Damned. Though a little more expensive than other supplemental downloads available, this is an entire playable side story that adds at least another 10 hours of scripted gameplay to this title. View the trailer below for an idea of what this adds to the experience. (Keep in mind that this is very much a mature title and though it is an impressive and involved story, it is not intended for those under 17 years of age.)

But perhaps my favorite examples of developer-provided downloadable game enhancements are for Burnout Paradise. This title is over two years old and Criterion Games is still creating new content to keep this game fresh and fun. These upgrades include the Bikes Pack (which was free!), the Legendary Cars Pack, and the Cops and Robbers Pack. But one of the most impressive upgrades just came out earlier this month and it’s called Big Surf Island. This pack includes not only new vehicles, but an entire new island to explore! For an idea of what is included in this pack, watch the trailer below.

Granted, there are some who believe that all downloadable content should be free. in fact, there are many downloads that incur no charge. However, if developers are going to continue to invest their resources to enhance their customers’ gaming experience, it should only follow that they recover their costs. We as gamers and game-playing families can decide what options are worth our hard-earned dollars and what aren’t.

As a game-playing parent, I appreciate the option of spending only a fraction of what a new game costs to get added value for some of my favorite titles. And in the case of Burnout Paradise, you can currently find it new for $19.99 and the Big Surf Island is only $12.99 on top of that. Together, that’s just a little more than half of the original price of the game two years ago. Criterion Games is well aware of the current bargain price of their title and by providing continued support, many who originally purchased the game are rediscovering it while others are just seeing it for the first time and recognizing the continued enhancements to the gaming experience.

Consider it all food for thought from a frugal gamer. Enjoy!

As Chris mentioned in his last post, we’re always on the lookout for game deals as part of our mission of sharing valuable information with fellow parents. Well, I stumbled across some price drops at GameStop this week that I thought would be of interest including these PSP titles at $9.99 (new):

• Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles (ESRB-T)
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (ESRB-T)
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (ESRB-T)
• Silent Hill: Origins (ESRB-M)

These NDS titles are $9.99 (new):

• Chicken Shoot (ESRB-E)
• Exit (ESRB-E)
• Line Rider 2 Unbound (ESRB-E)
• My Do It All (ESRB-E)

These XBOX 360 titles are $9.99 (new):

• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith – Game Only (ESRB-T)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Game Only (ESRB-T)

In addition to these thrifty options, I am delighted to say that it appears that the PSP title God of War: Chains of Olympus (ESRB-M) has dropped to $19.99! (For more information about this gem, feel free to read our article HERE.) GameStop also appears to have dropped the price of Chrono Trigger (ESRB-T) for the NDS to $29.99.

Enjoy!

It’s official. As of THIS PRESS RELEASE The Beatles Rock Band has a release date of September 9th. For those of you who love numerology, that’s 09-09-09! For those of you who are old Beatles fans, you may remember Revolution 9 off of The White Album. Any way you look at it, mid September will be an opportunity for Beatles fans and their families.

Harmonix has created a teaser site HERE and we expect that it will become more realized as the release date approaches.

According to the press release, this is the expected availability and pricing for September 9th:

• The Beatles: Rock Band Software:
- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
• The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars:
- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
• The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle:
- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP

Limited edition instruments will be available that represent the Liverpool lads’ choices over the years, so I’d expect (minimally) Paul’s Höfner bass, John’s Rickenbacker, and George’s Gretsch among others. Also, the game is supposed to be compatible with existing Rock Band hardware.

For more information, you can also read THIS ANNOUNCEMENT on MTV’s site too. Come September, you may get to enjoy reliving classic Beatles moments with a little help from your friends!

Micro transactions…downloadable content…updates…expansions…whatever you call it, the gaming industry is leveraging online marketplaces to sell additional gaming goodness for less than the cost of a whole new game via your local brick-and-mortar location.

Expansion packs are nothing new with this generation of gaming, however there are a number of factors that are making this a more feasible option for many console players. Right now all of the current generation systems have the ability to store content locally. The Wii uses flash ram. The Xbox 360 has an optional harddrive. Even if you choose to buy the Xbox 360 Arcade without a harddrive, you can add one on later. And all PS3s come with a harddrive. This means that each system has a place to store downloaded content.

Add to this our current economy and finding cost-effective ways to re-vitalize gameplay of your favorite title seems far more frugal than buying a whole new game at full-price which you may or may not enjoy as much. This is an important concept for parents. How many times have you heard a child (yours or another) beg for a game only to realize later that it was a total dissappointment. (Anyone my age remember E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial for the Atari VCS?) The fact is that if you know your child likes a game and you can add new levels to it or add another character which changes the gameplay experience, you get more fun for less than buying another game.

The industry is leveraging this more than ever even to the point that some games are created with the expectation that people will invest more in downloadable enhancements to the game than the original investment in the game itself. Look at the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises. Every week Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony push the latest song packs for these titles through their online marketplaces. Granted, there is logic to extending the value of something you enjoy as long as the original game is worth its initial investment freestanding. My biggest concern is that at some point the industry may choose to release Rock Band 7 with only one demo song per each of 5 genres because they expect you to fully customize the experience. Yet, they will charge the full amount for the title.

Perhaps it’s the cynic in me.

Anyway, for now there are some real interesting options available for all three current generation platforms. Those who have the Xbox 360 who enjoy GTA IV (M-rated – not for the kiddies) are probably excited that Microsoft has secured an exclusive expansion which has an entire new story and characters using the original engine. Burnout Paradise (E10+rated) has offered a number of enhancements on the PS3 and 360 and many were free! And Little Big Planet (E-rated) for the PS3 has a number of costumes and levels available online.

However, LIttle Big Planet offers something which I hope to see more frequently. It presents the ability for the community to create their own content and share it free of charge. This is nothing new to the mod scene for PC games, but it has been much less common on the consoles. I hope that we see more games with this ability because it not only creates additional content with which to enjoy the game, but it opens provides a whole different form of entertainment through the creative process and, thus, offers a whole different type of “play.”

Enjoy!

Photo by Great Beyond

As with all new presidencies, there is a time of transition as one administration takes over the work of another.   Apparently President Obama is having some tech issues.

 
Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts…

“It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs.

He really shouldn’t be complaining.  I mean he did only help Obama win the presidency of the United States of a America…

Wait, I guess that means he can complain.  Someone get this man an Xbox!

There’s nothing like hearing your son sing, “I’m Going Faaaast!” only to hear his friend echo the same thing about a major third higher. I got to appreciate this aria this afternoon as my son and his friend enjoyed the Pod Race sequence from Episode I in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

My parents took me to see the original Star Wars (now known as Episode IV: A New Hope) in the summer of 1977. I’ve been a die hard fan of the franchise ever since. As far as the new trilogy (Episodes I-III), one scene has been the source of more videogame content than any other. The Pod Race sequence from Episode I. I own the original Star Wars Episode I Racer for the Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and Star Wars Racer Revenge for the PlayStation 2. I even own Star Wars Super Bombad Racing thanks to a friend who was working at LucasArts during the development of the title. Though each of these is a fairly kid-friendly title based on this part of the film, Lego Star Wars offers a simplified, yet fun re-interpretation.

There’s no question that if you’re looking for more advanced gameplay and a more strategic experience, the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 incarnations of Racer offer much more depth. However, for a kid-friendly dose of speed-based-fun, the simplified version offered in Lego Star Wars is sublime. And keep in mind that it is one level of a larger adventure. Often children can get a little bored with repetitive gameplay (as offered in the racer games themselves). The variation in these comes from unlocking different tracks and characters, but the primary experience is the same: go as fast as you can and avoid all obstacles. The Lego Star Wars games offer platforming, shooting, simplified puzzle-solving, and flying sequences in addition to the Pod Racing. So there’s less of a chance for your child to get bored with one aspect of the game. And even if he/she does, plenty of genres are represented for other gameplay options.

Enjoy!

I just found out about this really cool site Microsoft has started.  While it only covers the Xbox 360 (naturally)  the principals behind family gaming extend across all systems.  The site covers how to set parental controls, how to manage the time spent playing games, and even has a section for kids, letting them know to tell an adult if they see something that upsets them.

 

Maybe a certain Web site upset you. Maybe you were playing a video game online and another player bullied you. Maybe someone you met online wants to meet you, but you’re not sure.

Whatever it is, if it bothers you, if it doesn’t feel right, turn off the screen and tell an adult you trust. It could be your parents, a teacher, a family friend, even a police officer. Just don’t keep it to yourself. It’s not your fault.

 

That’s great advice and couldn’t have been said better.  I have a sneaking suspicion Microsoft got some really smart people to work on this site.

Oh wait, they did!

Another section of the site is the Experts blog  While a bit light at the moment it contains posts from folks like David Walsh, Ph.D, founder of the MediaWise Movement and author of the book No: Why Kids – of All Ages – Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.  In other words, real experts who know their stuff when it comes to kids!

We at GameApparent always enjoy hearing about new resources to help parents better understand video games and how they can positively fit into their time with their children.  This is a great start on Microsoft’s behalf, and we look forward to hearing more.

I have two more friends who have added PS3s to their household as of this holiday season and, in both cases, they were shocked that they cannot enjoy any titles from their PS2 libraries on their new consoles.

Granted, if we step back a few years backward compatibility was never a given. We couldn’t play original NES cartridges on our Super Nintendo systems. And neither of those would fit our N64s. In the case of Sega’s Genesis, we had the option to buy a Power Base Converter to play Sega Master System Games. And in spite of the popularity of the original Atari 2600, it wasn’t the follow-up 5200, but the eventual release of the 7800 that finally allowed the player to enjoy backward compatibility with their old VCS cartridges.

The two big obstacles in providing backward compatibility are cost and size. In the case of these older cartridge-based systems, creating a separate port into which one can plug a cartridge is both expensive and drastically increases the size of the system. Selling an adapter (like the Power Base Converter) provides an option that lets the end user pay for the additional hardware and keeps the access through a single slot.

However, these days our current generation of consoles no longer use cartridges. They use a standard disc format. If we take a cue from the evolution of the media disc, we see backward compatibility as a standard. For example, a DVD player can play audio CDs. A Blu-ray player can play DVDs and audio CDs. Heck, the now-abandoned HD-DVD format went so far as to put standard DVD content on one side of a disc while putting the HD-DVD content on the other. As media consumers, we build libraries and we don’t want our investments to appear worthless. With this in mind, let’s look at the current generation of consoles…

Of the current systems, the PlayStation brand has the longest history of using disc-based media. The original PlayStation used a CD to house the game content. The PlayStation 2 used both CDs (for smaller games) and DVDs (for larger titles). And the PlayStation 3 uses Blu-ray (or digital download from the PlayStation Store) for title distribution. The PlayStation 2 was backward compatible with the original PlayStation. The PlayStation 3 is also backward compatible with the PlayStation. However, only a handful of PS3 systems are backward compatible with the PS2 library. Through their communication Sony has conveyed that they believe that backward-compatibility was more of a transition tool for early adopters to make sure that they could play games on the new system until the PlayStation 3 library became viable in and of itself.

The original two PS3 systems (the 20Gb and the 60Gb) had built-in hardware compatibility with PS2 games. They included the emotion engine chipset which ran the games themselves. Though there were some initial challenges in the way the new upscaling video chipset handled the older content, these problems were resolved with subsequent firmware upgrades and now these first generation PS3s are coveted. Since these launch systems, the 80Gb system is the only other PS3 that can play PS2 games and it handles this via software emulation. This fact begs the question, “Why can’t Sony make a downloadable emulator for the current PS3 systems to enable them to play PS2 games?” Until they wake up and smell the opportunity to increase their market share, we’ll have to hit Ebay and used game stores to find the older systems.

Since not every game plays flawlessly on the PS3, Sony created THIS PAGE that searches a database and lists any potential problems with certain titles on backward compatible systems.

As for emulation, this was the Microsoft approach from day one. Though they announced that the Xbox 360 would be backward compatible with the original Xbox before launch, it wasn’t until the system arrived that we understood what they meant. In fact, as frustrated as many have been with Sony’s approach, the Microsoft backward compatibility plan can be even more disappointing. On the plus side, if you have an Xbox game that you want to play on your 360, it won’t matter which version of the 360 you own. However, you may find that the game you want to play is not supported at all. For example, if you want to play the Xbox version of Beyond Good and Evil (one of my favorite titles from the last generation) you better find an original Xbox. In fact, before you assume that something will play on your 360, you should check THIS LIST. Also, just because a game makes the list doesn’t mean that it is without it’s own glitches. Check out THIS LIST for possible problems.

What I find particularly disappointing about Microsoft’s lack of proper backward compatibility is that the original Xbox was arguably the most advanced console of the previous generation and many of the titles that were released on all platforms looked best on the Xbox. For example, the Xbox version of Soul Calibur II is the only incarnation that runs at 720p. Fortunately, this is one of the titles that is supported on the 360. Unfortunately, the controller vibration does not function.

Then we come to the Wii. Lately Nintendo has made some very wise decisions and this console has quite a bit going for it. First, the Wii’s backward compatibility is the best of the current generation of consoles. This is even better than it sounds because there are a number of brilliant titles that came out on the Gamecube that were never fully appreciated because the system didn’t compete as well with the Xbox and PS2. Also, many of these titles were designed to take advantage of 480p resolution (although the Gamecube component cable that allowed players to experience this was downright elusive). This means that in many cases, they look every bit as good as the current generation Wii games. To take backward compatibility even one step further, the Wii is the only current generation system that can use it’s predecessor’s controllers. In fact, I heartily recommend hunting down a used Wavebird over the current Classic Controller any day of the week.

On the portable front, Nintendo has always understood the value of backward compatibility. However, their most recent handheld has cut the cord with some of the ongoing legacy support. The original GameBoy line had an impressive history of building a living library for the system. Games for the GameBoy worked on the GameBoy Pocket, GameBoy Color, and even the GameBoy Advance. As for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo made it clear that this was not a “GameBoy” product. However, the system included a second slot so that it could still play GameBoy Advance titles. Considering the robust library for that system alone, this is a worthwhile addition.

However, unlike the original DS and the DS Lite, Nintendo is on the verge of releasing a new incarnation of the DS called the DSi. It has some benefits including a built-in camera and larger screens. However, they are removing the GBA slot, thus eliminating the backward compatibility of the system. (Oh, so close!)

In Conclusion
It appears that most of the current console manufacturers see backward compatibility as a less-crucial feature on their systems that can be eliminated once they have a large enough library available on their current platform. (I hope that Nintendo doesn’t release a version of the Wii that follows in the footsteps of the DSi.) As players we recognize the value of our investment in our libraries. As parents, we know how much we’ve spent on games for our kids over the years and the ability for our kids to still enjoy them years later has value. (I still recommend the Gamecube version of Mario Kart!)

At the same time, we have to recognize that the manufacturers are in the business of making money. They don’t make much if we spend more time playing older games or buying used copies of Halo 1 and 2. Furthermore, with the virtual marketplaces that the big three have for their current consoles, it’s obvious that they are recognizing the opportunity to re-sell older titles through new channels. It’s harder for Sony to sell a downloadable version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night if you can just buy the original disc from a friend and pop it in the PS3. I only hope that we can find a balance in this situation. As gaming parents, I want us all to be able to enjoy these older titles with our families, but not at the expense of destroying the business model of the companies who create these systems in the first place.

Lego Star Wars is nothing new. In fact, the complete Saga (first and second trilogy) is nothing new either. However, for parents who are looking for a kid-friendly title after the holidays, it’s hard to beat this one for sheer fun and replay value. And speaking of value, the current $19.99 price (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and NDS) makes this title hard to resist!

I picked this up at a local GameStop this past weekend and my son and I played through the first three chapters of Episode I. I couldn’t tell who enjoyed it more – him or me! The version that we played (PS3) has co-op 2-player local and online. This is great for a parent/child team-up. It gives your kids a chance to explore a little while you try to protect them (kinda like our daily job as parents). Another great thing about the game is that even though it provides a bit of a visceral experience (light sabers and blasters), all of the characters in the game are made of Lego. This keeps the violence toned down and when a character is down for the count, he or she simply turns into a pile of Lego bricks. No blood. No guts.

The title has quite a bit of variety too. You play different chapters as different characters and while the default mode of the game is 3-D action platforming and exploration, there are flying and combat levels too. Also, the sense of humor in this title is really quite clever. Many of the jokes were lost on my son who has yet to see the films. However, as a lifelong fan, I was chuckling the whole time. Check out the clip from GameTrailers for an idea of the experience:

The game can be played in single-player mode and characters can be switched on-the-fly to use special skills, but the real fun comes from playing with a teammate. I know that my son hopes to put in more time this coming weekend. (Between you and me, I do too!)