Pokémon, Streaming, and Final Fantasy’s…

Quite an amazing realization that my desire to actualize thoughts through writing is only ever impeded by the presence of a keyboard in front of me.

I can put my thoughts “in” the computer?

Today is definitely one of those days I’m attempting to squeeze blood out of stone right now, as a lot of the gaming news I see is a little bit too by the numbers to share for my liking, and I haven’t really started any new games as of late. I’ve have one article idea in mind for awhile now, but that bun still needs more time in the oven before it will be ready. The problem is only furthered by the notion of me not even really sure who I am even writing for, the demographics of that happening are completely beyond my reckoning, and something I even brought up in my recent musings involving Pokémon “getting real”.


Which the series has displayed flashes of,
from time to time

Maybe it was obvious by the article’s conclusion, but my insistence was in fact sincere, even if it was dressed up in irony…largely the approach I’m known for. “Getting real” in this instance was more of an insistence of getting more relatable, as the series needs to propound it’s very core fundamentals in order to grow. Not just in the competitive realm of course, though a focus on what makes the meta-game tick would do wonders for long time players, but also within the notion of being relatable to the every day. The games have this weird habit of being too abstract almost, their own little world feeling too microcosmic in scope, or “shut off” from greater realities, whether they be fictionalized accounts or otherwise. I think Pokémon Go did tap into an idea of creating greater context for the game series, and something the games would benefit from moving forward.


Nintendo could also just continue to get fucking weird
with it, take the easy route, give the fans what they want

Whatever floats your S.S. Anne.

I also saw this little tidbit involving the PS5, with Sony SVP Naomi Matsuoka uttering the phrase: “Looking ahead, PS5 will enter the latter stage of its life cycle,”. I can’t fathom why any Sony exec would even begin to dream about saying this phrase out loud anywhere on this planet ever, let alone when they’re still hyping up the announcement of the PS5 Pro and even still selling the regular PS5 as their go to console which is currently seeing new releases.


Whole lot of nope coming out of the Sony camp
recently, with varying flavors of nope to choose from

I know my existence is not the end all be all of what dictates the gaming world, but I haven’t even obtained a PS5 as of yet, inspite of my desires to do so for the last four years. In my defense, the first two years of the god damn thing’s existence saw the device being next to impossible to find, and following that, it really wasn’t until the last few months I even gave a shit about a successive number of games launching for the system that would compel me to get it. Hearing now that the PS5 is in it’s twilight years isn’t exactly a comfort in raising any kind of hype levels for a system I have always remained relatively luke warm on, and now the only silver lining I’m left with is the very notion of much cheaper hardware being available with the inevitable launch of the PS6 on the eventual horizon.


Some random PS6 mockup I just pulled from google.
I know it’s fake but, probably close, right?

Over in Microsoft land, the company announced they would finally allow users to stream their games, after a long line of delays involving the eventuality. This does feel as if a massive delay in what should have been an obvious go to option for Xbox players for awhile now, but better late than never. MS apparently had to clear up some licensing issues publishers and developers in regards to being able to stream as one of the biggest culprits for the delay. As I mentioned during one of my Gamescom articles, Microsoft is positioning itself in a very peculiar way these days, in terms of how easily and accessibly you are able to enjoy their offerings regardless of system or setup. On top of how many big publishers and devs they do have at their disposal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a big pivot in the future to focusing more on software, streaming, and online services as being favored over hardware. Reports have always suggested the hardware side of things for Microsoft has always been an area of discomfort in regards to their gaming offerings, and with Game Pass helping them to generate so much money, the whole shift in market perspective might make more sense than one thinks initially.


Though Microsoft has a track record of doing
very stupid things, so it’s hard to say what their next
greatest bed-shitting extravaganza will take the form of

And finally, the gaming world is faced with an epic conclusion of sorts, as iconic Final Fantasy composer, Nobuo Uematsu, has announced Fantasian Neo Dimension will be the last title he works on as a video game composer, effectively announcing his retirement from the industry. With decades of releases under his belt, and essentially setting the standard for how RPG’s should sound like with his work at Squaresoft throughout the 90’s, the industry icon made a short statement involving a press tour for the upcoming release date of Fantasian Neo Dimension, which launches on December 5th for most platforms, with a simple sentiment: “This is my final project as a composer of video game music. I hope you’ll pick it up and play it! Thanks for your support!”.


The characters from the game reacting to the news:
even they were shocked to hear it!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Black Mages songs to go listen to…

~Pashford

Get That Bread: Economics 101

I had mentioned wanting to discuss more of the culture and news involved with the gaming industry for awhile now, partly because I enjoy the coming and goings within the realm, but also so I don’t have to start a new game I then low key lament wanting to then finish in it’s entirety once I’ve previewed it.


“Let me just preview this one and then blow through it real quick
for a review, I’m sure it won’t take long at all…”

Once I remembered Gamescom was about to pop off, I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized there should be no shortage of things to discuss during the events time frame, so keeping ears and eyes out for such happenings would take little effort. I also don’t always have an amazing amount of time in which to balance recreational activities, of which I am including game journaling, so any interesting ideas or quick concepts I can shoot the shit about are par excellence in my world.


Especially if the subject matter is legendary of it’s own accord

One interesting nugget that came across my dashboard in the past day was this brief exchange Phil Spencer had at Gamescom involving Microsoft’s lineup, including the fact that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle had been announced for the PS5. That sentence perhaps doesn’t come off as either head scratching or shocking to some of you reading this, so I take this moment now as a reminder that Microsoft acquired Bethesda awhile back, meaning they own the intellectual property holders of such series as DOOM, Wolfenstein, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls series, and Commander Keen, just to name a few of the juggernauts they’ve got on their side.


The Commander having such a legendary pedigree, his progeny
would go on to destroy both the Nazis and the hordes of hell themselves

To that point, and perhaps speaking redundantly so, the traditional school of thought involved with such an arrangement would be platform exclusivity, for many obvious reasons. There has been a long standing historical precedent within the gaming realm of exclusivity being a real but understandable evil in terms of console wars and there relevant ups and downs over the years. The needle has moved considerably from generation to generation in many different regards, and Spencer reminds us that it will continue to forge ahead with innovations and trying new things with the Indiana Jones brand moving forward.


Which, you know, hasn’t historically always worked out for
the best, but I think we good this time

Which all in all, felt like a bizarre but noteworthy share in terms of gaming news relevancy, as I mean…obviously that is going to happen. It is currently happening already with many of the previously mentioned game franchises on other consoles. But, much like Spencer felt the need to make a statement on the reality of the situation, I too felt the need to chime in on the happening, as gaming is continuing to evolve, and what once was just can’t be anymore. As much as Microsoft wants people to buy an Xbox for their games, some consumers will just never be sold on that system ecosystem, and with the Playstation brand being such a massive seller, MS would be dumb to just leave money on the table like that, especially when they’ve already played nice with both Sony and Nintendo in the recent past about collaborating on shared value in terms of content and reaching across the virtual aisle in doing so.


With smashing results, I may add

With others like Square even dwelling in possible regret about part 2 to the FF7 remake underselling due to it’s exclusivity on the PS5, I’m simply amazed we haven’t already heard of a “demake” of sorts coming to at least the PS4, if not downright porting it to the Xbox family to recoup losses on the development side. Console exclusives were always divisive, and represented a different time in gaming that didn’t have to deal with all of the realities that modern day gaming does, and in most cases make absolutely no viable business sense in placating a smaller group of would be buyers in such a modern cut throat market. If the massive layoffs of this year in the gaming industry is any indication, then making sure as many people get their hands on a game as possible is a win/win/win for both gamer, developer, and publisher a like, and will continue to be the reasonable way forward.

If a mode of thought has no practical application or sustainability to it’s premise, what value remains attached to the premise at hand?

~Pashford