(Page 1 of 2)
You've gotta give kudos. The folks behind the PlayStation Network have done some really compelling things in the way of content over the last year. Games like
PixelJunk Eden are effortless to learn but difficult to master. The online element of the upcoming
LittleBigPlanet will be huge.
Resistance 2 is going to rock online, too, with a mammoth 60 players trying hard to control chaos in Skirmish mode.
And yet, the PlayStation Network is not considerably different from Microsoft's Xbox Live -- which, in turn, is not so different from Nintendo's Virtual Console. So, what could the PlayStation Network do that's really new? When I was at Sony, execs used to call it "thinking outside of the box." I used to hate that term and still do. But Sony (and Microsoft and Nintendo, too) has to think hard about doing completely original things -- inventing, creating, innovating the network portion of the console experience. That's especially true now that Sony's stock is hitting the $25 mark and everybody will be buying fewer games due to the recession. (Don't let them fool you: The industry is not recession-proof -- not this year, anyway.)
Here are my two cents, which urge: "Sony -- you go, girl."
Yo, Jay-Z. Wanna play?
Imagine artist Jeff Koons working for you at Sony.
Get really famous people to do really ground-breaking things. Having worked inside Sony, I know that the corporation has really deep pockets. When I was there, I had movie director Gus Van Sant, Vanity Fair's Nick Tosches, horror novelist John Saul, actress Michelle Williams and Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton working for me. Before I left, I signed up Harlan Ellison and David Byrne, too. By ground-breaking, I don't mean playing a game online with a C-grade celeb, either. Wouldn't it be exciting to play a level of
LittleBigPlanet created by Bono or Britney or one of the Gossip Girls? OK, if that's too pop for you, let's go deeper. How about a level by Michael Crichton or Coldplay, or by the biggest selling artist in the world, Jeff Koons? Wouldn't that be a lot more fun than seeing yet another trailer or set of skins for your PlayStation 3? And you know what? Those people I hired didn't cost that much in the scheme of things. For a lot less than Sony pays to rent a club for the evening, the Big S could make its mark with something really revolutionary.
Don't bore us with "Qore"
Have a show that says something witty, funny and unique. If you read this column, you know I already dislike "Qore," the not-that-different interactive show that Sony pays Future to produce. Man, there are so many revolutionary things that so many smart game critics have to say beyond the usual television and Web shows that are available today. And here's the thing: This isn't the Age of Bush, not anymore. People don't want to be pandered and talked down to. We're about to enter the Age of Obama, the age of smarts and depth. Find the folks who can say it succinctly and don't pussyfoot around with lowest-common-denominator Dick and Jane pablum. Find the Lester Bangs of videogames, give him a little direction, and let him wax poetic about games.