Yes, yes, sit down. Would you like some coffee? Tea? Milk? Water? Fruit Punch? Sunny D?
Now, I want you to tell me about when you used to be a Console Warriur.
Yes, back when you supported one game console company and were willing to ignore facts, logic, sales figures. Back when you thought the only key to a game's success was how much advertising it had, and not how good the game actually was. Back when you insulted anyone who claimed your system wasn't the pinnacle of human achievement. Are you still waiting for a "thank you" note from that company?
Oh you want to hear from me? Ah yes. I was a Console Warriur for Nintendo, long ago. By the time they revived the videogame industry I had just become interested in games. I was young and impressionable. And when The Wizard came out in movie theaters and featured Super Mario Brothers 3 (never before seen!) I joined the ranks of Nintendo, brandished my NES Zapper and jumped into the trenches. I still fondly remember that "USA=Mario Face" SMB3 commercial...
The Sega Genesis emerged soon after, claiming better graphics and that it can do "what Nintendon't." I was angry, how dare they attack my console and declare it worthless? So I called the Genesis garbage. It doesn't have Mario, it doesn't have any good games. And Nintendo soon announced a new system...a "Super" version. It would have even better graphics than the Genesis. YES! Better graphics! YES! That's what matters! Better graphics means...um...better games! So the SNES MUST be better!
I held onto every feature. I didn't know how well it affected the console sales, it didn't matter. All I had to say was "The SNES has THIS feature, so it's betterthan THIS console!" and when the competitors out-featured it, I said "The SNES has this exclusive game, no one cares about this feature." That, sadly was my strategy. No need to go into further detail, I had deflected the conversation.
So when the N64 was announced, I was ecstatic. 3D would be great, Mario 64 and Zelda: OoT would sell consoles (and Goldeneye also proved itself.) And Final Fantasy 7? That wasn't on a Nintendo console, it was bound to fail!
The next 10 years my diet consisted of nothing but crow and humble pie. But, it did mellow me out. Taught me some game design, showed the strengths and weaknesses of marketing. The joys of competition, and bad marketing executives.
Most importantly though, it taught me to quit the Console Warz. Not worth it. Oh, I still like Nintendo and I'm glad the Wii has been so successful. But i's not perfect, and the other systems have their advantages.
Why am I doing this? I am sure there are Console Warriurz out there who believe they can "win" the "war." I hope by reading others' experiences they can realize the path they are going down is not worth it. Maybe I can save a few people before they waste their life on pointless arguments. Maybe they can start learning how to tell blockbuster games from overhyped videoflops.
So now, your story as a Console Warriur?
There is no such thing as a console war. This is the first step to game design.
