The House of Irony / Videogames

Today I searched for Nazi ghost movies set in bunkers, Balrog’s ‘tin can’ move, and Kim Jong-Il’s giant monster movie.

There are some things that just get me going, and trying to load Linux on my computer devices is definitely on that list. I was looking forward to trying out the iPod Linux distro, but there’s a delay in the 5G Video release, so no luck yet. Truth be told, I’m sure it’s nothing more than a cool trick—the iPod’s user input is fairly limited. Don’t feel like scrollwheeling through the alphabet, thanks!

Naturally, once I heard the news that the DSLinux project had made progress accessing the system’s Wi-Fi, I started drooling all over my Linus t-shirt. I’d love to have a portable Internet device, especially one running Linux, and with a touchscreen keyboard I could definitely see myself tap-tapping out email, or web browsing, SSH, with the microphone I can almost picture VOIP. Big dreams attached to that, right?

My hopes were dashed once I started doing a little more research—turns out that there are some rather irritating hardware requirements necessary:

Just not what I was picturing. I’d break that off in a matter of weeks, not a doubt about it.

I’m sure the hardware will change and evolve, there’s even a small one out now, though it doesn’t work on the latest versions of the DS. Eventually I’m sure to take a crack at this, but for now, it’s just too damn ugly to consider.

There’s some discussion going around the Interweb about Videogames that keep pulling you back, and it’s got me thinking about the games that’ve kept their grip on me over the years.

I mean, there’s games that I absolutely love, like Star Wars:KOTOR, the Zelda games (especially Ocarina of Time), and even the Halo games, which I’m playing through again right now. BUT, if I was to gauge it in terms of sheer addictiveness, there are two games that I cannot even allow in my vicinity: Eastside Hockey Manager and Civilization II. I have lost months of my life to this duo of doom, and have such a hold of me that I’ve had to officially ban them from my life. I shouldn’t even be talking about them, really, such is my worry that I’ll hunt them down and abandon all else. To explain their pull is difficult, though I’m sure it would be similar to being able to smoke crack without care or worry. I even have to ignore their entire genres, I can’t allow myself to play any sport sims or world building games for fear of a similar addiction.

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I apologize to anyone that tries either of these games because of me. Please remember to eat, and drink lots of water. It will pass eventually, unless it doesn’t.

Nintendo announced their redesign of the Nintendo DS, dubbed the “DS Lite.” It’s a fine looking system, no doubt due to its resemblance to the Goliath of portable electronics, the iPod.

As a “Fat DS” owner, my immediate concern was that this was a repeat of what happened with the Gameboy Advance, when a much improved SP version was released to address flaws in the original. Instead, I see something more in line with the Gameboy Micro, which is turn Nintendo’s stab at the casual gaming market, the most potentially lucrative audience out there.

From the released images, this design could practically be a mockup for an Apple PDA (ignoring the obvious gaming elements like the D-Pad and buttons), and I’m sure this was more than intentional. Right down to the hinges, this looks straight out of Cupertino, and more importantly, it works. The original DS is like playing with building blocks, and it’s very obvious their first audience was kids. This new look is much more suited to an older audience, and, I think, going to be very successful.

Nintendo deserves credit for this move, even if it lacks somewhat in subtlety. It’s funny to see them working the angles after playing conservative for so long, and I’m happy to see it. I think that if Nintendo’s history shows anything, it’s that gaming popularity moves in cycles, and if they can get the public to stay interested, Nintendo might be the one plotting the path of the next videogame generation.