[quote name='Hired.Geek']Cheapy, and Wombat as always enjoyed the show. I noticed that Cheapy dropped the F-Bomb once, making it hard for me to listen to the show at work. Nothing like the 1UP show, but I was just saying I really enjoy listening to the show at work and that makes it a little hard since I have to keep the volume way down.
Before I get into my rant here, I would like to say I am hoping to win SOCOM II Fire Team Bravo for the PSP. And I am still waiting to see a tall, bald Mii show up on my Mii Channel.
Console manufactures need to do a lot more to keep their customers coming back to them as repeat customers. While I think all three of the major players made significant improvements to address the concerns of previous versions of their consoles, there is still allot more work to be done.
First off Microsoft I think has done a great job in making PR people like Larry Hryb, Trixe, and others available to answer questions and get information out to consumers. If problems arise with the console or the LIVE service I think they have been fairly quick to act on that. One good example was extending the warranty of the 360 to one full year and giving retro refunds to customers who have already had to pay for 360 repairs that happened inside of the year time line. Another thing they are doing to keep customers is continuing to update and upgrade their online service. Adding demos, and game trailers as well chat feature in and out of games is a really good feature. The one area that they have completely dropped the ball in is backward compatibility. They told us that they were working hard and that most major titles would become backward compatible, and with the companies history of keeping programs backward compatible with previous versions of Windows I believed them. In reality they started out strong getting a number of titles backward compatible every few months, but now they have all but dropped off in that effort. This is a massive disappointment to me, and I think it really re-enforces the idea that in Peter Moore’s mind playing older XBox games is not that important since it does not make more money for his company. Overall on XBox LIVE I play with allot of people who were previous owners of the XBox 1. I think Microsoft has addressed one of the biggest complaints from their last generation console, and that is it only has shooters. I think Microsoft has really tried hard to recruit new developers and create games for all sorts of gamers.
Second off Sony, well what do I say here. With the first two consoles they had I think they really had the idea of customer services down pat. They continued to create a product that was almost completely backward compatible, and creating remarkable gaming consoles that gamers and developers loved. Now enter the PS3, and it seems that they have lost all sight of customer service. The PS1 & PS2 games run on the PS3 which is a considerable step up from Microsoft’s attempt at backwards compatibility. But this time around they did not do quite as good of a job as they did in previous consoles. Sony on the other hand is not quite as accessible to consumers and press. They really need to send a PR person around with every Sony executive, and the second they start to say something stupid, the PR person should smack the executive in the back of the head. Perfect example is the giving away $1200 for any PS3 that has been sitting on store shelves for more then five minutes, that should have resulted in a sever open handed smack to the head. I think Sony has listened to the complaints of the last generation console and improved the graphics, and shall I say started down the path to an online gaming strategy.
Finally Nintendo, who I think has done the best job to date in keeping their customers over time. The Wii is virtually completely backward compatible with the Game Cube. It is very user friendly and has really aimed itself at offering something to all levels of gamers. I think they are leading the industry in trying to retain customers by creating consoles (DS & Wii) and games that appeal to all level of gamers. Gamers who are long time gamers can have fun with the console and some of the advance titles, while new gamers can start their journey on easy to learn games like Wii Sports, Excite Truck, Wii Play and others. Even the Wiimote is new and improved, but still holds to the basic design of the NES controller which was something that most gamers from previous generations may remember and feel more comfortable with. One thing Nintendo is completely falling on their face is the online. The GameCube had nothing, verybody complained about the DS friend code system, and now they are making the same mistakes on the Wii, and releasing a console that is only fractionally functional. They should have sold the system with combination component-composite cables similar to the way the XBox 360 premium did. And having the online functionality working out of the box would have been another thing that could have vastly improved the consoles release. Nintendo addressed the major complaint of the last generation in creating a product that is not just viewed as a toy for children, but as a console for all ages. We are starting to see quite a few games that are aimed at adult audiences.
Wombat’s comparison of minors selling games that are rated mature or adult only, to minors selling alcohol is not completely correct. You can be 18 and work in a bar as wait staff or a bartender, but you can not purchase alcohol until you are 21, at least here in the USA. Sorry Wombat it seems like someone is always working you and your comments over in the forums every week, and this week we all gathered around and I drew the short straw! But I do agree with Wombat in that it is pretty hard to take advice from a 36 year old full grown man, that still has a roommate (unless he is gay, then I guess his advice is just as qualified as anyone else’s. But man honestly just say it, it is nothing to be ashamed of).
To the guy who does not like the Wii Store music I say really? It honestly reminds me of walking around in a store and that cheesy music they play in the back ground.
As to the benefits of living in Japan, all I can say is the freakin hot women! WOW, it seems like every time I am seeing video of people standing in line for games or consoles there are tons of smoking hot chicks! That has got to be a super big plus. Cheapy, do you get hit on quite a bit? I had a friend in the army stationed there who told me that most guys over six feet tall can do very well at a bar in Japan? Not that I am saying you would do anything about it, but do you get a few offers? Maybe some little hotty wants to go home with you and Mrs. Cheapy since you have this huge open shower?
As for the customer service at the post office that is amazing. I can not get my mail carrier to deliver mail to mailbox if there is more than three inches of snow on the ground that is not shoveled clear.
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Sorry HG, but the format was killing me.