Malik
(5/18//04)
Sammy
To Buy Sega According
to some business news on MSNBC.com,
Sammy is all set to buy out Sega. Most of the news is on the
business side of things...in other words, pretty damned
boring. The only part I found interesting is how Sega
stockholders are going to be given the shaft...that must feel
painful (0.28 shares of Sega Sammy stock for each share of
previously owned Sega stock while Sammy stock holders get a 1:1
turnover...sorry, I will never do that stock/business crap again...I
swear). However, I personally am a little hyped about this
deal now that I have given it some thought. Considering
how much Sega has been slipping in recent years, I am hoping for a
breath of fresh air to be brought from Sammy into some of my old
time favorite Sega franchises. I have missed Sega standing for
something besides really cool sports titles (which I never can get
into...just not my thing) and a lame crop of rehashed Sonic titles
and a really memory-centered version of classic racing games (F-Zero
GX). I am hoping that Sammy can give some direction to our
terminal hedgehog friend. Not to mention a little more of the
same style of innovation that gave us monkeys in balls.
Anyways, only time will tell, but considering the path Sega had been
on in the last year or two, only good things can come out of this
deal. E3
Getting Stale According
to another story at MSNBC.com,
E3 is doing what I have felt video games have been doing for a few
years...getting stale. It seems that the amount of innovation
for new games showcased at E3 is getting pretty limited. Like
usual, there are plenty of zombies, wars, and FPS action, but not
much in the way of new concepts. The only really new idea
being seen is from two of the less than likely to be on Malik's TV
section; Donkey Kong games featuring bongo drum controls and a new
Eye-Toy game that doesn't show the player, but rather uses the
camera to capture your movements to be used only as the controls
(not the visuals) for a snowboarder. On
the same note, it sounds to me like E3 is moving a bit further from
the news/convention attributes which originally defined the Expo in
it's original incarnations. The eye-candy and aesthetics
(booth babes and playable games) are now becoming more integral and
the actual news worthy information is starting to take the back
seat...that's pretty sad since so many of the games showcased at
this year's event seemed so cookie-cutter. I personally would
rather hear something from Warren Spector about some innovative new
game development mechanisms and use of audio and see them in use
than play another beta incarnation of a survival horror or FPS-war
game. But then again, I don't like to throw my money away
without researching a game first...did that too many times in the
past...I, like many who research their future purchases, get more
research from E3 news than anywhere else and when the sights
outweigh the information, it is truly a sad days for geeks who like
to know what the future holds for them.
Malik
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