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How 2008 Will Define the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 Generation
Each generation of consoles has made an advance in gaming unlike any other. For the N64/PS1 generation, it was the jump to 3D; for the Xbox/PS2/GC generation, it was online gameplay and sandbox games. But what about now? Aside from prettier graphics, micro-transactions, and (arguably) motion control, what has defined this generation of consoles? The answer: nothing. Yet. This year, however, that's going to change. 2008 will go down in gaming history as the year of user-created content's rise to prominence, with XNA and LittleBigPlanet leading the charge.
XNA was actually touted before the Xbox 360 had even made its star-studded debut on MTV. But regardless of its apparent age, the idea behind XNA has always been the same. Through it, Microsoft wants to provide budding game designers and hobbyists with a method to realize their dreams. And now, with Microsoft's announcement that XNA-developed games will appear on Xbox Live for even the lowliest of gamers to play, XNA's true potential is beginning to show through.
LittleBigPlanet appears, at first blush, to be a traditional-style game. But first glances can be deceptive. The player guides a hilariously (googley-eyes are merely the beginning) customizable "sack-boy" through 2.5D platforming-focused stages. After a few seconds of random button-pressing, the player is sure to encounter the "create" menu, which enables players with a nearly infinite amount of possibilities.
As you can see, XNA and LBP present differing executions of a similar idea. But upon examining their many differences, you'll find that these two methods, like the consoles they reside upon, have plenty of space to do their own thing in this soon-to-be burgeoning sector of our medium.
Continue Reading.
XNA was actually touted before the Xbox 360 had even made its star-studded debut on MTV. But regardless of its apparent age, the idea behind XNA has always been the same. Through it, Microsoft wants to provide budding game designers and hobbyists with a method to realize their dreams. And now, with Microsoft's announcement that XNA-developed games will appear on Xbox Live for even the lowliest of gamers to play, XNA's true potential is beginning to show through.
LittleBigPlanet appears, at first blush, to be a traditional-style game. But first glances can be deceptive. The player guides a hilariously (googley-eyes are merely the beginning) customizable "sack-boy" through 2.5D platforming-focused stages. After a few seconds of random button-pressing, the player is sure to encounter the "create" menu, which enables players with a nearly infinite amount of possibilities.
As you can see, XNA and LBP present differing executions of a similar idea. But upon examining their many differences, you'll find that these two methods, like the consoles they reside upon, have plenty of space to do their own thing in this soon-to-be burgeoning sector of our medium.
Continue Reading.
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