Attendees of the Festival can enjoy over 30+ hours of keynotes, presentations, panels and more. In addition to various live play sessions, this year’s event will feature a “Game Arcade”, highlighting the nominees for this year’s Games for Change Awards. And while the focus is on games, our Festival is the perfect place to network with decision-makers from the government and NGOs, innovative game designers and publishers, visionary thought leaders in education and global development and members of the media.

Register before April 15th and save 30% at:

http://www.gamesforchange.org/festival-2011/

While playing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, something happened to my attention span…It just disappeared. Or maybe not “just disappeared” but rather “beaten into submission by multiple boss fights.” Do you guys ever have a moment after you’ve just spent an inordinate amount of time beating a challenging boss, and there’s another, different yet more arduous boss battle immediately following, when you toss up your hands and think “Screw this mechanical spider laser monster. I just want to run around and play for a while!”? Well, I had that moment with CLoS.  It isn’t a matter of a lack of desire to continue sitting on my couch playing video games until my eyes can’t shut due to dryness. It’s more, I’ve been operating under a serious amount of tension for an extended period and if I don’t commit some silly fun now, I may actually pass out.  (I feel that there has been this theme of “blowing off steam” recently in my posts and I will have to address my feelings on what that means in a later post.)

For now, just know that Donkey Kong Country Returns was there for me. And it can be there for you, too.  I received DKCR as a xmas gift and, besides a few 2-player games with my boyfriend, hadn’t really gotten into it.  I had seen all the positive reviews and I like Super Mario Brothers Wii just fine but, with all my super hardcore adventure death dealing gameplay, it really didn’t register on my radar.

That, folks, has changed dramatically over the last few days. DKCR is awesome. It is difficult and beautiful and charming (just like me!). It beats the snot out of SMBW through sheer charm and joy. That’s right. Donkey Kong’s joy beats Mario. Call your shrink if this upsets you.

Why am I so enamored with our simian friend? First, the platforming is superb. It has a great mix of nail-biting maneuvers and eureka puzzle solves. I am further impressed by how much humor can be expressed without words. We’ve been making a game that has really complex ideas, a young audience (5-10) base and a total lack of voice over.  Let me tell you that this particular game has tons and tons of reading but I would love for it to work akin to DKCR. I bet it could if we had 100x the budget. (any takers?) Also, DKCR is actually funny. Sorry plumber pals, but your butt as the crack of jokes does not appeal to me. Kidding. Mario and Luigi are definitely gentler humorists when it comes to the Nintendo World but Donkey Kong has more humor in his raised eyebrow than the straight-laced Peach or gender-confused Birdie. A small confession- when I restart in DKCR and our monkey heroes celebrate excitedly, I feel warm and good inside. It’s like when I figured out how to place the tape back on wrapped presents so no one would know I peeked. (sorry ma)

The 2-player mode is fun and great for a date but if you really want to get a feel for the game, 1-player is the way to go. Not only is there a chance for more health hearts, you can team up with Diddy Kong and his jet pack to help navigate especially tricky passes. Diddy rides Donkey (watch out for that monkey on your back, eh?) in such a way that it’s almost like Donkey is naked without his buddy. I should not be this attached to virtual monkeys. Oh, well.

This does not mean that I am kaput with CLoS but rather, I now am switching between the two games for variety and peace of mind.

Jess Grade-O-Rama: A

As is the inherent nature of gamers, we love a good console war. We take sides and defend our platforms of choice. There’s no rational reasoning for any of it. In the end, isn’t it really all about the games? Nonetheless, we have our favorites and will defend them to the death. Gamers are an eccentric bunch.

In the span of a couple of weeks, Nintendo revealed more information about their groundbreaking glasses-free 3D portable–the Nintendo 3DS–and Sony unveiled their next generation PlayStation Portable–tentatively titled the Next Generation Portable. We won’t see the NGP until the end of 2011 while the 3DS will be in consumer’s hands in March. Nintendo gets a bit of a head start but, one would have to say that Nintendo isn’t really ready to launch in March–their launch titles span a launch window of about 3 months with Kid Icarus Uprising and Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D not available on day one. The 3DS “launch” is effectively a launch in name only.

Assuming Sony will have their ducks in a row for the NGP launch, the real showing is going to come at the end of the year when both the 3DS and the NGP will be in full force.

Let the Battles Begin

Sony has not announced a price for the NGP although GameStop decided $999.99 was a good guess. The actual price will probably fall around $300 and $350 taking into account past Sony practices and the technological beast that the NGP is. This will make the Nintendo 3DS look like a much more affordable purchase even though the $250 price tag isn’t sitting well with many.

While the price is important, we all know that both portables will fall to much more acceptable price levels within a few years and then it’s going to come down to the games. The question then is: will 3D portable gaming enough of a revolution to best a modernized super PlayStation Portable?

The Nintendo DS offered features that were more than just a visual gimmick: dual screen, microphone, touch screen, and wireless connectivity. The 3DS is really just a more powerful DS with the ability to display 3D without glasses. Yes, it has two cameras and better wireless connectivity but, the NGP has all of those things minus the 3D capabilities.

I am still excited by the 3DS and first hand accounts does make it sound pretty awesome to play games in eye-popping 3D. However, if there’s one thing that I learned in the last five years, it is that Nintendo has generally left the more serious gamers in the cold. I enjoyed Twilight Princess, Metroid Other M, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. DS, etc. but, my Wii collected more dust than it logged play time. I own more PS3 and XBOX 360 games each than I do Wii games.

Granted, I am not much for portable games anyway. I don’t own a PSP and probably wouldn’t play it any more than my DS. I play games on my iPhone about as much as do on my DS. For me, portable gaming is more or less a crap shoot. I don’t game on the go. However, the NGP looks like it can occupy a space much like the iPad. That intriques me.

I don’t own an iPad but, if I did, it would never leave my house. The NGP is bigger than the PSP which I thought was already pretty big. It looks like it is capable of current generation console gameplay experiences and then some with the dual analog sticks, front touch screen, and back touch pad. It just needs some amazing games and I think it can occupy the unchallenged third space of a portable home console.

Bottom Line

I love how the gaming industry continues to revolutionize technology and interactive experiences. No matter how we want to slice this, the 3DS is an impressive consumer innovation. Retailers have been pushing 3D TV’s that require you to wear glasses–who is going to watch a movie at home with silly glasses? 3D viewing should be glasses-free and the Nintendo 3DS will deliver just that.

The NGP is little short of a super computer in the palm of your hands. In proper Sony fashion, all their products have more raw power than whatever their competition has. (You have dual screens? We have quad cores! Eat it.) The games are going to look and perform even more incredibly than they did on the PSP.

I believe technology isn’t going to be the deciding factor. It is going to come down to how developers can best utilize each platform’s traits to create engaging and memorable experiences. If the 3DS allows for a Mario experience that I’ve never had before and will never forget–like Super Mario 64–then the 3DS will be golden. If the NGP does something similar then it will be golden.

It all comes down to the games. Speaking of which, wouldn’t it be nice to play Propaganda Lander on the NGP?

It is official! The Nintendo 3DS will be launching March 27th with a price tag of: $249.99?! Too high? Too low? I really don’t know.

Nintendo is being fairly coy on what games will be out on launch day. We know there is a 30 game launch window spanning roughly 3 months. So the 3DS doesn’t have as much of a launch date as it does a launch window. Gaming hardware–no matter how technologically groundbreaking it is–is of little use if there’s no games for it to play.

I’d feel pretty safe betting the house that Nintendo isn’t going to drop the price shortly after launch so we’re stuck with this price until the holidays at earliest. And even then I doubt a price drop will happen. Maybe holiday 2012. So deciding if the 3DS is worth it based on a reduced price is a moot discussion. And without knowing the launch titles, it is a moot point discussing whether it’ll be worth it on launch day.

So, I’m going to judge it’s worthiness through the launch window and assume that Nintendo will live up to their word and release all the games they plan to in those 3 months. Based on past history, we can be pretty sure that some games will fall through the cracks–especially first party Nintendo ones. A good deal are just remakes of older games so there is a lesser chance of delays.

3DS 125% Better Than the Wii?

The most obvious oddity–for a Nintendo product–is that a handheld gaming device is going to cost more than the home console. Is there a logical reason to why this is strange? Not really. There’s just been no historical precedent–that I know of–by Nintendo. Granted, there’s also no precedent for glasses-free 3D games so, precedence doesn’t account for much here.

The worth of a $250 3DS is in the eye of the beholder–and that beholder will need both eyes working. The most die hard Nintendo fan will be in line for the 3DS on launch day’s eve. There’s no stopping them. They are going to get their hands on it come hell or high water. These are sales Nintendo can confidently expect.

The real question is whether everyone else will pay $250 for a portable gaming device. The launch window titles suggest that Nintendo is aiming broadly. This isn’t the Wii launch where they clearly aimed for the less serious consumer. There are some serious games in this launch window like the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D–or what I’d call the Greatest Game Ever Made 3D–and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D plus games like Animal Crossing and Nintendogs + Cats.

This is a broad spectrum, bait for everyone kind of launch.

For the more serious mobile gaming consumer, there are no other products coming soon to compete with their game buying dollars. The holidays have passed and no one else is launching new hardware. This price tag will be easier to swallow for them. There’s also enough games for this audience to justify the purchase: Resident Evil, Madden NFL, Street Fighter, and Splinter Cell to name a few and all in eye popping 3D! This audience isn’t just drawn to franchises they know but, also the magical new technologies that these games pioneer.

The real test of this price point’s success is going to lie with the less serious mobile gamer. Nintendo knows that they are competing with Apple. The iPod Touch is $229. Not very different price wise but, there’s enough apps in the Games category alone to drown Nintendo several times over. Nintendo isn’t a game factory and the App Store model is going to win in sheer magnitude every time.

Can the adorableness of Nintendogs + Cats, the coziness of Animal Crossing, and the often irresistible charm of Mario be enough to entice the less serious gaming consumer to shell out close to $300–3DS and a game–compared to $250–iPod Touch, Propaganda Lander, and a handful of other games and apps?

It is honestly too close to call.

Bottom Line

It is entirely unlike me to avoid making a stand but, I am torn myself! I am not a serious mobile gamer. I may not even be a casual mobile gamer. I do not mobile game. I have a DS. I have an iPhone. I don’t play games on either with any regularity. I am a Nintendo fan and the glasses-free 3D is exciting. I haven’t seen it in action so I can’t judge if the product is as mind blowing as I want to think it is. And I can’t make a stand based solely on my imagination.

I am sure that Nintendo will sell a lot of 3DS units. There is little doubt that there will be impressive numbers during the launch window. If there aren’t, Nintendo’s PR team will spin some up. However, I cannot confidently forecast the success of the device 6 months after launch and into the holidays. The launch itself is going to play a large role in building anticipation for the product during the holidays.

It might seem like the holidays are far away in March but, a poor launch will be anything but helpful if Nintendo wants to share stories of 3DS inventory shortages 8 months later.

I was sure of the success of the DS and the Wii. I don’t have that same sense of certainty now which may be telling but, I can’t bring myself to damn the product and the price. I will forecast a successful launch. Everything else I leave to the gods.

This year I was the recipient of a Christmas Miracle. Under my tennenbaum was a mysterious and heavy square box. Oh kiddies, the interior of that box contained a shiny new PS3. Joy! Angel Wings! Pig Snouts! I win!!! I have been coveting a PS3 since it’s debut but my tight-wadedness blocked my purchasing impulse. I have a soft spot for the Playstation. While the game cube and Xbox were in my periphery 10 years ago, it was the Playstation that reminded me why I love video games. I love the juxtaposition of technology and art. Of interaction and isolation. Of Marvel Vs. Capcom….and so on. I recently fostered a love for the Game Cube but I never have truly warmed to the Xbox. Maybe it was the huge controllers that my tiny hands couldn’t feel comfortable with. Or maybe it’s Microsoft’s penchant for nickle and diming the player but I am not, and probably never will be, a Microsoft gal.

I now own all three of the newest generation consoles: Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3. On the train ride home from my parent’s house, I explained to my boyfriend all the awesome things the PS3 can do. His wise response was that he no longer saw the purpose of owning a Wii and, possibly, the Xbox. As I had just received games for all three consoles, I nervously scoffed at his assessment. If he was correct, then the dollars spent on the other two consoles would be lost in uselessness. This was not good news for my tiny tight wad heart.

I knew that when I got home that I wanted to play some game. Would I continue on with Splinter Cell? Or would I jump right into GOW 3? I was nervous about breaking the PS3 seal. Would I ever go back? Well, it was my boyfriend who gave me the PS3. When he saw me attempt to turn on the Xbox to get some quality time with Sam Fisher his face fell as if I had just punted his disabled puppy. So there you go. Time to turn on the PS3 and see what she can do.

Wowza. Eddie was right. I may no longer have any use for the Xbox and Wii. Especially if Mass Effect 3 is going to be simultaneously released on the 360 and PS3. The Wii might still entice me with the new Zelda but after the poor showing known as Metroid: Other M, I feel no pressure to jump on the re-visioned Zelda train. As it is, I barely use the Wii. The most attention it receives is when I want to watch Netflix but now the PS3 even does that better. Oh well.

From the moment I switched the PS3 on, I was in love. I dig the simple interface. I find the Wii and the Xbox’s interface too busy for my tastes. I hate clutter. I hate in at my workspace or in my apartment or in my interface. This is not to say that, left alone to my own devices, my personal spaces are spic and spam but I will say that my desktop has a minimum of icons and files.

I also have to say that the PS3 is super quick. It downloads files fairly speedily. I didn’t download anything too huge, like I have on the Xbox, as of yet but, call it a hunch, I bet it’s quicker. Internet connection is where the PS3 and Wii beat the Xbox. Both consoles come wired with Wi-Fi while the Xbox asks you to buy a peripheral or plug into the wall. Really? Come on Microsoft, don’t be so lame. Name me another internet capable device being sold today that does not come equipped with Wi-Fi and I will show you a shoddy product. From what I know, Wi-Fi shouldn’t really be that difficult (or expensive) for Microsoft to implement and yet, they chose not to. Why? To squeeze another $100 from the consumer. Maybe they wanted to keep the price down to compete with the PS3 but when the cheapest console (Wii) can manage it, so can Microsoft.

While we are on the topic of boldly lame moves, how about the lack of a rechargeable controllers in both the Wii and Xbox? The PS3 comes with a rechargeable controller that is charged by connecting it to the console. In both the Wii and Xbox, the consumer must purchase a recharging peripheral. By the way, I bought the recharging dock for the Xbox and it broke immediately. Just like the first Xbox I bought home. Awesome. Oh and pay for Netflix? When I already have a subscription?!? Crazy.

Obviously the PS3′s graphic quality is going to outperform the Wii. Even Nintendo will admit that, so I don’t feel the need to drag them into the HD battle. I think they are planning to address the HD issue soon anyway. As for the PS3 to Xbox debate I would have to say that the PS3 does seem a bit more glossy when I compare games like Dragon Age to God of War. But I have to admit that Splinter Cell: Conviction is as nice looking as God of War. I know that developers have just begun to explore the PS3′s capabilities while the Xbox has already been heavily mined. This leads me to believe that the PS3 will triumph sooner rather than later. I get the feeling that the Xbox and the Wii will release at least one more generation before Sony has to revisit the Playstation.

I am so happy that my bordering on irrational love for the Playstation is not misguided. If any other of you cheap bastards are on the fence about whether to buy a PS3 or not, do it. From one cheapo to another: It’s worth it.