7 ideas for Nintendo South Africa

The Nintendo Wii has plateaued, with sales now dropping at an alarming base. Here are seven ideas for Nintendo to use to help them bolster their position and regain any lost ground (and if Nintendo is reading this and they like any ideas – a free 3DS with Super Mario 3D would be great)

1. Make Mario the face of Movember.

The Movember campaign has gained considerable speed, and who better to be the face (or moustache) of the campaign than Nintendo’s flagship character. Older gamers who grew up on Mario’s adventures will be targeted through magazines like FHM and Mens Health. This does not have to be a exclusively symbolic campaign but can feed into Nintendo’s CSI initiatives – I have identified a few local cancer organisations that Nintendo could partner with (like Cansa) to roll out this campaign. A small percentage from sales of a particular title could be given to Cansa.

2. Update the facebook page

The bane of social media is that information needs to be updated on a regular basis. The official Nintendo SA facebook page (please remove distributor from your name) has not been updated in a while – the info page still says ‘3DS. Coming soon!’ Also, I’m wary of getting followers by giving away prizes. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for prizes, but some of them need to be earned. Which brings me to

3. Link with Draw Something

Draw Something has exploded onto the market with 50 million downloads in 5 weeks. One of the possible drawings that you could get is Mario. Why not combine these two gaming juggernauts – you can have a Mario Draw Something competition – get folks to pose with their Mario pics (so that we can verify that it is their work and not ripped from the net) and award prizes like that, as opposed to the current lucky packet method.

4. Dust off that Wii

I don’t think that Nintendo should chase after new markets (or the hardcore Modern warfare fan). Rather, they should concentrate on people who have bought the Wii, played bowling for a couple of months and then put it away. I would rather plan a campaign to get people back to playing wii as opposed to chasing those who don’t have one yet. Software makes money, not hardware.

5. Create a Mario Kart league for schools

One of my fondest memories growing up was playing Mario kart 64 with my little sister. The game was made for multiplayer – why should we approach the new one any differently. I suggest that Nintendo get in touch with select schools across the country – I would target schools that belong to the company I work for, Advtech (they own Crawford etc) and have a huge Mario kart tournament. All you need is a couple of Nintendo 3DS’s, a digital scoreboard and a few prizes – I did something similar with Standard Bank’s achiever account last year to great success. The Nintendo 3DS has to be seen to be experienced – TV spots don’t do the 3D effect justice. The more impressionable hands we get it into, the better.

6. More exposure in local media (including websites and print)

I had a cursory glance at some of the bigger gaming websites in the country (Mygaming, lazygamer, mydigitallife etc) and unlike the PS3 and Xbox reviews which are up every week, Nintendo hardly features. I review PS3 games for Mydigitallife and occasionally write a gaming related column for the Sunday Tribune, and I don’t get that much exposure to Nintendo either – This is problematic because the moment Nintendo leaves the gamers consciousness, it stops becoming relevant.

7. New Super Mario Bros 2

Nintendo need to get behind this title in a big way. It comes out in August, so the hype machine should start now. The 3DS wasn’t great at all until Super Mario 3D was released last year, and proved to be a system seller. Nintendo need to ride the momentum by hyping this title.

Do you have any ideas?

MJ

MJ's Top 50 Games of All Time (10 - 1)

10. Metal Gear Solid 4 (ps3)

The brilliance of Kojima isn’t his meticulous attention to detail and pacing, but rather his ability to weave narrative. No other franchise would be praised for so many cut scenes but this is lauded in Metal Gear Solid 4. The first game that stood up and said ‘this is why you need to buy a PS3’.

9. God Of War (ps2)

The problem with playing a game like God of war is that you can never quite go back to other action games and be satisfied. This game set the bar (which incidentally is also one of the reasons why I still rate it higher than its sequel. Ambitious, with a rousing score – God of War remains to this day, as Sony’s most powerful IP.

8. Bioshock (xbox 360)

Morality in gaming is something that has always fascinated me (my day job is lecturing media ethics) and Bioshock (and more recently Call of Duty Modern warfare 2) deal with this in a way that makes you sit up and say, this isn’t a kids play thing anymore. Is it ok to sacrifice someone for personal gain? My top ten is filled with games that have ‘wow’ moments in them. Moments that make me smile and remind me why i love this hobby. With Bioshock it came in the second minute – when I resurfaced and witnessed the flames engulfing the aeroplane in High Definition.

7. Call of Duty Modern warfare 2 (xbox 360)

I know some people might be sceptical about this choice, especially since its so high up in my list, but I absolutely love this game. It took everything that was good in Modern Warfare and flung all types of awesomeness at it. Yeah, the single player is short, but I’d rather have six hours of intense action than an additional two hours of just running from A to B in the same locations. To make up for the length theres Special Ops mode which is difficult without being frustrating (most of the time at least) And I haven’t even touched on the multiplayer. Heres a little injoke – when we play my friends call me rapunzel because i sit in the tower with my long hair and sniper rifle

6. Ratchet and Clank 3 (ps2)

At any one time I juggle five or so games. At the moment its mostly Assassins Creed, Band Hero, CSI and GTA Lost and Damned. Because i’m always getting new titles I don’t have the time to finish most games. I finished this one three times! I absolutely adore this series and one of the hardest cuts I had to make was to leave out sunset riders and ratchet and Clank 2 from this list.

5. Metal gear Solid 3 (ps2)

Remember the whole moment in gaming thing that I seem to be going on about. In Metal Gear Solid 3 its when youre climbing up a tunnel and as you start nearing the top, the theme music kicks in (snake eater) Awesomeness personified! And in the end credits when Ocelot revealed he was Adam. Woah moment number 2.

4. Grand Theft Auto 4 (xbox 360)

I’m not a huge GTA fan. Yes, Vice City has one of my top five gaming moments in it (the first time you jump on a bike and Billie Jean starts up) and San Andreas was more ambitious than 99 percent of all games and had Samuel L Jackson, but GTA just isn’t my thing. Or at least it wasn’t until I started GTA 4 . Without a doubt the greatest game of this generation, GTA 4 fixes all the problems I had with the previous ones (lousy graphics, poor racing mechanics and horrible aiming) I would sit for hours and just watch television, listen to right wing radio stations, go John Allen Muhammed on civilians or just try to figure out what I couldn’t do. And there wasn’t much.

3. Super Mario 64 (N64)

My folks went on a pilgrimage just over a decade ago, and I remember my dad calling me one morning and asking me whether I still wanted that Nintendo console that he couldn’t seem to find in most stores or whether he should just get me a playstation instead. And I told him to keep looking (spoilt brat) A week later he called me again and said he found a store selling it but that the same store was offering him a playstation with thirty games for the same price of the Nintendo with five games. Its hard to explain quality over quantity over a long distance call, especially when the only thing my dad knew about video games was that it cut down his tv hours. They ended up getting me the Nintendo 64, and I was introduced to Mario 64. (I did end up getting a ps1 as well but I hardly used it) OK, so whats the point of this story? I don’t really know – all I do know is that Super Mario 64 is awesome.

2. Super Mario Brothers (Family Computer/Nes)

The granddaddy of all video games. I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who is reading this list can hum the Mario theme, thats the power and influence of this game. Not many of us know of the Great Video Game Crash of 1983, and if it hadn’t been for Nintendos super Mario Brothers, Videogames as we know it today would have not existed at all. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario is largely considered to be the greatest Video Game creator in the world. I remember a few years ago when I bought my PSP. The first thing I did was run a Nes emulator on it so I could play Mario Brothers the entire day. You cant think videogames, without thinking Mario

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)

Another Miyamoto classic, Legend of Zelda can be summed up in one word, magical. Its disappointing really, that Nintendo never introduced the N64 into South Africa and alot of people weren’t exposed to Metroid or Zelda or any other of the Big N’s strong IP’s. When I was compiling this list, I made alot of changes and some games moved up and some moved down... but Zelda was always number one.


MJ

MJ's Top 50 Games of All Time (20 - 11)

20. New Super Mario Brothers (Nintendo DS)

The only DS game on my list, New Mario Brothers is also one of the best games ive ever played. Ive got alot of DS games, but none come close to the awesomeness that is New Super Mario Brothers. A version has just been released on the wii. I'l pick it up in a few weeks. Lets see if that gets a place here too.

19. Ratchet and Clank : Tools of destruction (PS3)

The Ratchet and Clank series is one of those strong franchises, which combine great graphics, cool weapons and lovable characters and the PS3 edition is no different. While we have yet to play games that are on the level of CGI movies, Ratchet and Clank on the PS3 is the closest we have got to 'playing a cartoon'.

18. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3/ xbox 360)

A recent addition to my list , Arkham Asylum stuns critics into accepting that a video game based on a licenced product needn’t necessarily suck. Some may say this is one of the greatest games of the year – I would say its one of the greatest. Period. Ive included both versions n this list because while the Xbox nudges out with better controls and slightly better graphics (and I completed it on Xbox- the PS3 version lets you use Joker in the Challenge rooms.

17. Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)

You probably noticed quite a few games in my top fifty list are from Nintendos ill fated N64 system, but the truth is - it is my favourite console of all time. While most critics still consider the original to be the best, I enjoy mario Kart 64. It still stands as the only game I could convince my little sister to play with me. Well, this and Mortal Kombat - weird kid, go figure)

16. Def Jam 2: Fight for New York (Xbox)

Sporting a line up of some of the most influential hip hop stars out there as well as some of the most outrageous finishing moves, and an interesting story, Def Jam is without a doubt the best beat em up ive played. Everything about this game oozes quality, from the opening video to the cut scenes between beat downs. Besides - how can you not enjoy a game that allows you to beat up Sean Paul?

15. Super Mario Brothers 3 (Nes)

The ultimate gaming icon provided me with many hours of gameplay as I once again visited the mushroom kingdom. The biggest selling franchise in video game history, every Mario game is pure quality. Frog man and Racoon man - I salute you

14. NBA Street Vol 2( PS2)

I dont play many American Sports in real life (Actually i dont play any), but I really enjoy video game basketball, and this is one of the greatest ever made. Its actually in my top 5 PS2 games of all time. Awesome game (as you can see, i chose 2 over 3. 2 just Feels right)

13. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Yes folks, another Mario Game - Super Mario galaxy is the best game on the wii, and is also one of the best games made in the past few years. If you have a wii, this needs to be in your library. Stop kidding yourself with the wii fit, youre not going to lose weight by looking at that balance board - so you might as well have some fun with the console.

12. Call of duty Modern Warfare (Xbox 360)

The single player was short, really short. But like a one night stand with a film actress, It was something I will remember for many years. Call of Duty 4 dropkicked the franchise into the modern age, and delivered a nail biting and action packed adventure that no other war game has been able to recreate. Not to mention the fact that I still played this in multiplayer every week until the new one came out

11. God OF War 2 (ps2)

Two years ago I only really played one PS2 game, and after you play God of War 2 you dont really want to play any other PS2. A fitting swansong for Sonys beautiful console, God of War 2 puts you back into the blood filled sandals of Kratos as you aide the Titans against the Gods. Boasting graphics that are comparable to most Xbox 360 games, God of War 2 is just that damn good.

Check back tomorrow for my Top Ten.

MJ's Top 50 Games of All Time (30 - 21)

30. Unreal Tournament 3 (xbox 360)

It could be that the characters look like they were ripped straight out of Gears of war (same developer) or it could be that the stinger mini gun is one of the coolest weapons ever, but what sealed the deal for me was the system link co op campaign. Capture the Flag has never been this much fun.

29. WWF No Mercy (Nintendo 64)

I enjoy my wrestling games alot, having owned more than fifteen wrestling titles and while I spend hours every weekend playing Smackdown vs raw 2009 with my mates, my favourite Wrestling game will always be WWF No Mercy on the Nintendo 64. The follow up to their critically acclaimed Wrestlemania 2000, if you havent heard of WWF No mercy - google it. Smackdown is good, but No Mercy was pure fun.

28. Prince of Persia 3. The Two Thrones (XboX)

The Prince of Persia series has always been one of the better franchises in the video game world, from the groundbreaking original of yester year, to the time manipulating beauty of the recent trilogy. My favourite however, has to be Prince of Persia 3. The first one was really good, but had a flawed combat system. I did not like the second one, Warrior Within at all because of the dark and mature theme that it had. I was disappointed with the direction that the game had taken, even though the combat elements were tightened. Luckily, for the third game, Ubisoft went back to its roots and produced a legendary title worthy of a top fifty accolade. I have played all three versions (Ps2, xbox and Wii) and I enjoyed it the best on the Xbox (better graphics and the controls seemed better suited to the controller) so that version gets the nod.

27. Conkers bad Fur day (Nintendo 64)

I remember seeing the first images of Conker and thinking 'Oh great - another kiddies platformer on a system that was already straining under the weight of too many platformers (kinda like the FPS and the Xbox 360). I heard nothing about the game for two years and then, BAM, Rare hits us with one of the crudest yet funniest games ever. A swearing drunk squirrel. Cant get much funnier than that.

26.Fable 2 (Xbox 360)

I love games that deal with morality (one of the reasons that Bioshock is so high on my list. When I started Fable 2 I intended to be good, but it wasnt long before I started implementing shariah law in Bowerstone and killing all the hookers and drunks. I loved the idea of consequence affecting gameplay.

25. Sonic 2 (Sega Mega Drive)

I had the tv on in the background the other day( something i usually do when I’m on the pc) and I heard a familiar tune, and without even looking at the screen I knew that it was Sonic the Hedgehog) Sonic 2 remains my favourite in the series. And I doubt Sega would have been a serious contender in the market if it hadn’t been for this blue haired wonder.

24. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers (NES)

Cartoons and their game counterparts always seem to come in the form of Platform games, be it Aladdin, or Ducktales, Tailspin or Darkwing Duck. It seems that platformers were the obvious choice for any game developer. As you probably might have noted - co op games feature prominently on my list, and Rescue Rangers is no exception. One of the best platformers I played.

23. Lion King ( Sega Mega Drive)

Continuing with Disney Intellectual Properties that have been converted to videogames, One of my favourite movies of all time - Lion King, is easily one of my favourite games as well. From the upbeat theme music, to the darker, more mature end level, The Lion King videogame captured the movie perfectly.

22. Goldeneye (Nintendo 64)

Critically acclaimed, twelve years later and Goldeneye is still considered to be the quintessential console first person shooter as well as the best game adaptation. No other James Bond game managed to capture the feel of Goldeneye (the closest is Everything or Nothing for the PS2)

21. International Superstar Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64)

Before Pro Evo, and Winning Eleven - Konami developed ISS, and since then I have been hooked on the series. While some might argue that Pro Evo 2008 on the PS2 is the best version yet, my favourite still remains the one released a decade ago.

MJ's Top 50 Games of All Time (40 - 31)

40. Worms: Open warfare (PSP)

While this version of Worms is not as critically acclaimed as previous releases (they trimmed down the arsenal so no more holy hand grenades) I still found it to be the best purely because of the Platform, the PSP. And I remember many hour playing multi player wi fi with my mates during media lectures. Worms went the Mario route and tried 3-D, but like many other successful 2D franchises that didn’t make the transition that well (Earthworm Jim I’m looking at you)

39. Viva Pinata (Xbox 360)

It feels weird having a farming game up here nestled between all the violence, but I truly love this game. Often overlooked as a simplistic kids game, Viva Pinata balances between being an addictive collect a thon to a more casual 'i just want to water the garden' game. Ive put in over 80 hours into the single player mode - thats more than any other xbox game i Have.


38. BattleToads and Double Dragon (Nintendo Entertainment System)

When we think crossovers in gaming, the first thing that comes to mind are the Capcom vs SNK or Marvel vs SNK beat em ups, and crossovers are becoming increasingly popular (Think about Kingdom Hearts or MK vs DC) My favourite Crossover game is still battletoads and Double Dragon. Which other game could you literally pound your enemy into the ground before punting them out of the screen.

37. Tetris (Almost any system out there)

Three years ago I read a Book called Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children which covered the Tetris saga, and unveiled how Governments stepped in to procure the rights to the game. Any game that has that kind of impact deserves to be in a list. Also, when you draw up a list of the most influential people in video games, alongside Miyamoto, and Meier and Kutagari, you will find Tetris inventor, Russian mathemetician, Alexey Pajitnov.

36. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (PS2)

In popular culture, the term jumping the shark denote the point at which the characters or plot of a TV series veer into a ridiculous, out-of-the-ordinary storyline (wikipedia) Usually this occurs after a series has reached its peak. For me, Tony Hawk Underground 2 represented that point in this series, with the two previous games (Thug 1 and Tony Hawk 4 initiating the decline) For me, Tony Hawk 3 will always be the best T.H experience.

35. Pong (Magnavox but I used to play it on the Mega Drive)

My fondest memories of Pong actually come from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. There is a cheat you input at the title screen in UMK3 which loads a game of Pong, and as ridiculous as it sounds, my mates and I spent half the time actually playing Pong instead of other Mega Drive Games (UMK included) Pong is regarded as the first commercially successful video game ever, and if it was not for it, The first console, The Magnavox back in 1972, would have never taken off. In some part, your shiny Xbox or Ps3 owes a bit to Atari, and their smash hit, Pong

34. Smash Bros Melee (wii)

Im a Nintendo fan (Now im more into Xbox but growing up, ive always preferred Nintendo) so its a huge treat to be able to play something like Smash Brothers and beat the crap out of pikachu with Mario. Ive owned all three of these games - The N64, Gamecube and Wii editions, and I must say that the Wii Edition is by the far the best.

33. Forza 3 (Xbox 360)


I’m not a huge racing fan. I enjoyed Need for Speed Most wanted, and Midnight Club 3 but thats about it. I can handle arcade racers like Burnout but I find Gran Turismo to be a tad sterile for my liking. Thats why I was mildly surprised to enjoy Forza 3. Great Game that should be in any petrolhead gamers collection. This was actually a tough call because I really enjoyed Shift this year, and Need for Speed Most Wanted was also up for contention for this spot. But Forza gets the nod.

32. Chronicles of Riddick. Escape from Butcher Bay (Xbox)

I prefer the Ps2 to the original Xbox, and even though I had many of the exclusive XBox titles (fable, halo etc) none of them could stand up to the Gamecube or Ps2 exclusives. Until I played Chronicles of Riddick that is. Five years later and I have yet to see a PS2 first person shooter that looks as good as this game (Black and Timesplitters 3 come close though) Most games that are based on Movie licences are destined to fail miserably, so extra points to Riddick for breaking the generalisation.

31. Jak 3 (PS2)

Unlike Hollywood, most Gaming trilogies actually get better with each title, and usually the third game is the best (Prince of Persia comes to mind) In fact, Jak shares many parallels with Prince Of Persia. With both series, I disliked the second game because it was too dark and moody for my liking. The thing about Jak is that after playing it, its hard to accept the mediocre graphics of most other PS2 games.

Join me again tomorrow for another ten games

MJ's Top 50 Games of All Time (50 - 41)

Gaming has always been a passion of mine, and i'm very lucky in that I have had the opportunity to play thousands of games in my life.

What follows below is what I consider to be the fifty Best games that Ive played. I have broken it down into batches of ten and I will add a new batch daily. I feel that at the offset I must mention that many big name franchises are not on my list - most notably - Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo. Please bear in mind that this is a personal list. Also, I am primarily a console gamer so WoW etc will not be on the list. I have only included games that I have played so the two big Holiday releases - Uncharted 2 and Assassins Creed 2 will not feature in this list. Perhaps they will be in future lists. Without further ado - Lets start the countdown

50. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (arcade)

There have been many TMNT games over the years, the latest one coinciding with last years movie, but none could capture the franticness and multiplayer goodness (up to four people could play on four different arcade cabinets) that the original offered. At a time when it was cool to say Cowabunga, you couldnt find a more authentic TMNT experience than this

49. Druglord (PDA and PC)

Perhaps the most bare bones of all the games on this list, drug Lord has you training to be an aspiring Drug trafficker. Imagine GTA meets Wall Street and you have a rough idea of what to expect. Drug Lord probably gave me my first taste of economics (who says games arent educational) its also freeware so I recommend you download it and give it a try today

48. Mortal Kombat Trilogy (Nintendo 64)

Ive always been a huge Mortal Kombat fan, owning every title in the franchise (except MK Mythologies Sub Zero because its crap) However, you might be wondering why Ive chosen this version over say, the latest one , MK vs DC, well, its because I think Mortal Kombat works better as a 2D game (2.5 D rather as UMK3 has polygonal characters against a 2D backdrop) Besides, who can forget Sub Zero unmasked or being pummelled to the ground courtesy of Shao Kahns Hammer.

47. Contra (NES)

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. The famous Konami Code which was for many of us, the first cheat that we ever used in gaming. But with a game like Contra, it can be overlooked. Contra offered two player simultaneous gaming at a time when it was not common. Also, the lack of skill on behalf of player two (mostly stalling meant certain death for player one) Yes, Contra is responsible for many strained friendships back in the late eighties

46. Resident Evil 4 (gamecube)

I never really got into the Resident evil franchise (I love the movies though) but the biggest problem that I had with the games was the clunky controls. For me, controls make or break a game. All this changed with Resident Evil 4, a game that many critics lauded as game of the Year 3 years ago. Personally I prefer the Gamecube version to the ps2 (even though the ps2 has bonus content) The wii version is said to be the ultimate one, so if you have a wii and find that most games are developed for five year olds, I recommend Resident Evil 4. I loved Resident Evil 5, and it is one of the best ive played this year, but 4 will always be better I guess.


45. Soul Calibur 4 (xbox 360)

I prefer Soul Calibur to Tekken. Last years version was amazing. I dont usually invest too much time in Beat em Ups. But I have clocked well over 60 hours going through Soul Caliburs modes. I even created a Ghandi character complete with Staff/walking stick.

44. Gears of War 2 (xbox 360)

The reason I chose this over the original Gears of War (which I think is the first real taste that gamers had of Next Gen) is that this was more fun. Fleshed out, with good pacing (I wont let the horrible anti climax affect my opinion) And Horde mode which is just unbelievable when you have a mate over.

43. Quake (pc)

It might have been Castle Wolfenstein that pioneered it and Doom that popularised it, but it was Quake that perfected it. 'It' here refers to the genre we now call, the first person Shooter. I have a love hate relationship with Quake. I loved the first one, hated the second. Enjoyed Quake 3 but I dislike Quake 4 on the Xbox 360.

42. Bejewled 2 (PC)

Addictive, easy to pick up and most importantly, fun. Popcap Games hit tile is nothing less than this generations answer to tetris.

41. Snow Bros (Arcade)

Two Snowmen who roll their enemies into snowballs and smash them against walls. Easy enough premise one would think, but add in a dash of franticness in the form of a pumpkin headed villain who haunts you if you take too long and you have a hit on your hands. The game also gave us a boss after every ten stages, which really mixed it up. Two player co op games feature highly on my list as Artificial Intelligence can never replace a human partner.

Check Back tomorrow for the next Ten. leave a comment if you have any fond memories of any of these games.

MJ

History of Gaming in South Africa

Just over a month ago I started writing for a technology based website

www.mydl.co.za

So far it has been a very fruitful venture. I'd like to highlight my most popular article from the website.

History of Gaming in South Africa

Before PC fanboys start snarling - this is purely a console only expedition.

In 1972, The first Home gaming console, The Magnavox Odyssey was released in the States.
In 1976, Television was introduced in South Africa

OK. So we missed the first generation of gaming (Game Consoles are broken into 7 chronological generations - I’ll highlight them in this piece)

The second generation, also known as the Atari Generation, started in 1976. Space Invaders, Pong, Pacman and Pitfall pushed the fledgling medium into many homes. But back in South Africa, you had to be an Oppenheimer to get your hands on one.

The third generation introduced gamers to a fat Italian plumber named Mario. Finally, gaming had come to South Africa. The only problem was that most South Africans bought knock offs, instead of the Nintendo Entertainment System. These knock offs (or nes clones), known as Golden China or more simply T.V Games, were extremely popular here, with many gamers owning them along with a variety of compilation cartridges. We all remember blowing the cartridges before inserting them in again. Aah - fond memories (I found six facebook groups dedicated to this activity) Who can forget Super Mario Brothers, Islander, Snow Brothers, Excite Bike. The Sega Master System had a tiny support base, which was reflected in global preference to Nintendo.

This however changed in the fourth generation as South Africans flocked towards Sega's Mega Drive system. Sonic soon replaced Mario as the mascot of choice. This was probably due to a lack of Interest in the African market on Nintendo's behalf. A mistake that Sony would capitalise on when they released the PS1.

Ster Kinekor, the distributors for Playstation in South Africa released the PS1 with virtually no competition. Nintendo's N64 and Sega's Saturn never saw our shores. Those of us who wanted them had to rely on importing them, or getting them from specialist game shops that often charged much more than the market price. Sega didn’t launch the Saturn in South Africa, allowing the Playstation and its successor, the PS2 to have a monopoly control over the South African market for almost a decade.

Riding strong from the success of the PS1, Ster Kinekor and Sony launched the PS2 in South Africa and suddenly, gaming became cool again.(Microsoft didn’t bother to market the original Xbox here, and only Makro and a few other retailers burnt themselves with the Nintendo Gamecube)Sega's Dreamcast wasn’t launched here (some might say thankfully) Even now, as we watch the seventh generation unfold - Sony's PS2 is still shifting machines across the rainbow nation. The sixth Generation came and went and like the generation before, Sony were still the Big dogs in South African gaming.

All this looks to change now, in the seventh generation. Microsoft came in with a bang at the end of September 2006, and since then has slowly built a sizeable fan base with more and more gamers appreciating franchises like Halo, Project Gotham Racing etc. The Xbox 360 launched at the same price in South Africa and the U.K (one of the prime indicators that it was looking to make an impact in the country. The Playstation 3 launched in March last year, with less fanfare than the Xbox ( a few top Billing presenters playing motorstorm doesn’t make for a convincing launch) and a price tag that resembled a down payment on a car as opposed to a new videogame system. Sony it seems, have gotten too comfy at the top and let down their guard. Sony launched the PS3 at R6500 making it wildly inaccessible for most consumers who wanted to upgrade from their PS2's. Then out of nowhere, the Core group got the rights to distribute Nintendo’s revolutionary new console, the Wii. Finally, after three decades, South Africans are now included in the global gaming market like never before. Where to from here? Here's hoping to more 'localisation' in games, and even some South African developers making it in the big leagues.

MJ

Concerning Kratos

I have just finished perhaps the best PS2 game ever made. Took me two days(nine and a half hours) to pace myself through the lush terrain of God of War 2. I think the last game that I played non stop from start to end has been Prince of Persia 3, almost a year and a half ago.

Well, where do I start – graphically, its head above shoulders over every single other ps2 game, and I dare say its prettier than many off my Xbox 360 games. The story line is well thought out wit a healthy dose off Greek mythology (people who got hard-ons watching 300 will love the Sparta shit. I enjoyed the interweaving off different mythological figures (from a young age I was interested in mythology, so it was cool to see Prometheus, Icarus, Zeus etc in polygonal beauty) I don’t want to give away any part off the story, needless to say that I found it to be a little predictable at places. The puzzles were well thought off and hardly as frustrating or painful as the first game ( some off the first game puzzles felt like humping a cheese grater) As for difficulty – well, I finished it on easy mode (or more affectionately known as pussy mode) and I tried playing it on Titan mode earlier tonight (needless to say I was violated in the ass repeatedly by large burly Cyclops's – I have much respect for anyone who can complete this game on Titan mode)
The last great PS2 game? Yeah – but if you are going to bow out of the race, I see no better swan song for the best selling console off all time, than God of War 2.

MJ