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· RttS 2008 · Games · Features · News · Media · Release Dates · Newsletter · Chat · Message Forums · Staff Bios · Feedback · Jobs Listing  |
by Wisdom Surprisingly enough, this editorial probably won't be too sarcastic. Although I do glean a sort of sick pleasure from employing acerbity, I think it's time that I took a step back and examined an issue in which there aren't really any idiots to poke fun at. (Well, aside from the "hardcore" gamers. Jackasses...) This editorial will be about a much-debated topic: emulation, from our friend ZSNES to the big bad Bleem! monster. (Heh. Sorry, I couldn't resist.) For those rare few gamers that do not know what emulation is, (where do YOU live?), it's the term used for any tool, utensil, or program that allows one to play console-based, or different OS-based, games on a standard machine. In effect, it creates a "virtual" console on one's computer. (Hence the name "emulation"--look it up, it makes sense. Really.) I'm not too familiar with how it all started, but I do know that I got involved when ZSNES was released on its .457 release, or something to that general number. My point is, when I got ZSNES, it was still on somewhat shaky grounds. The only relevance this has to my point was that by this point, as well, the SNES console and its games weren't in circulation anymore. This may come as a shock to Nintendo, but they're not making profits on those three copies of Super Mario World floating around my local Toys 'R Us store. The "man," so to speak, has also since deemed emulation legal, as long as it's backwards-engineered. (I think. Seriously, people, don't crucify me if one fact or term isn't completely accurate. I'm just trying to get an idea across.) So, generally, things such as ZSNES and Genecyst weren't illegal. Good for gamers, right? In a sense, yes. I'll be the first to admit, playing all of my old SNES games on my computer was damn cool. I'm not a nostalgia freak, but I have to admit that I sat down and beat Final Fantasy I with more determination than I ever put into Parasite Eve, Saga Frontier I, or II, for that matter. It was fun. Lots of fun. And as the emulation level increased, so did my enjoyment. Seeing the Mode7 effects on my favorite RPG ever, Final Fantasy IV, AND playing it's originally translated form, was a wonderful experience. Emulation introduced me to some incredible Japanese RPGs that, unfortunately, never made it to US soil. Of course, ROMing is a different story, but nonetheless, any right-minded gamer (This does not include you, "hardcore" gamers. Go sit back in the corner. Now.) saw emulation as a great thing. Then, all hell broke loose. A company called Bleem! decided to take this untarnished gem, this little halo of the gaming world... and taint it, twist it, and rape it into a profit-driven scheme of Satan. With devious intentions and horned skulls to prove it, they engineered an emulator for a currently circulating console, the Playstation, and then marketed it. "Hardcore" gamers everywhere rose in unison, screaming unintelligibly about their Sony god being cheated, and waving their otaku flags as they prepared for war. Sony smacked its legal division into action, and even now, the court case is underway. God stirred in heaven and sent down the Three Horsemen, which is why I'm sitting in a bomb shelter as I write this. (Yeah, ok, I failed miserably on keeping the sarcasm out. Deal with it. Nobody's perfect.) So in essence, I want to approach this rationally. What we're dealing with is a company, Bleem!, that's created an emulator for the Sony Playstation that apparently works pretty badly right now. (Not surprising, considering their head developer looks like a mutated smurf...) But the real clincher is that Bleemcast! will be coming out soon, and that will emulate the PSX... on the Dreamcast, which means that people can bypass buying a Playstation altogether in favor of a Dreamcast, which will offer higher resolutions, anti-aliasing, and digitized mind-control. >From a gaming standpoint, I don't see this really affecting my outlook too much. I already have a Playstation and I'm a firm supporter of Sony; they had the balls to bring over some controversial stuff, and I appreciate their devotion. They treat their developers well, unlike Nintendo, and their console has been reasonably reliable. I don't plan on buying a Dreamcast, mainly because its RPG library is miniscule, so I'll probably never come in contact with Bleemcast! And really, the idea behind Bleem! has merit. The Playstation is reaching its hardware limitations, and seeing some of the old games with improved graphics is an enjoyable thought. But honestly, what Bleem! is doing just isn't right. Don't get me wrong, I don't bow down to the Sony shrine every night, but they haven't committed any grievous sins. They ARE a licensed company, and Bleem! is not only copying their idea, but trying to sell it as their own. I don't have any problems with free-access emulation, such as ZSNES and SNES9x, but selling emulation would be the equivalent of me grabbing a Pepsi can, pouring its contents into a clear can, and marketing it as Pleem! It's just idiotic. But even worse is that Bleem! is actually supporting Sony's competition. Instead of just mooching off of Sony's profits with a PC-oriented emulation program, they're creating a CD that will allow people who buy Dreamcasts to play Sony's games. That shows a startling lack of integrity, people. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a Sony supporter, but I don't kiss their feet. I support emulation, and I think that Bleem!'s idea is a remarkable one. If it was free and PC-oriented, and maybe released after the Playstation 2, so Sony doesn't lose a huge margin of its profits, I would probably support Bleem! wholeheartedly. But I have to object morally, not only as a gamer but as a human being, to a company being so brutally mistreated. I may buy a Dreamcast, or a Game Cube, but it will be for ITS games, not Sony's. I don't condone Sony fanatacism, (Dammit, didn't I tell you "hardcore" gamers to sit in the corner! Back off! And that includes the Dreamcast people too! I don't want to hear about how great the system is! SIT DOWN!), but I do think a company's legal rights should be respected. If we keep pulling crap like this, we could seriously hinder our chances at seeing more RPGs released on American soil. Steal enough of Sony's profits and we're gonna see a cut in their release list, which means Bleemcast! will have even fewer games to improperly emulate. Don't bite the hand that feeds, people. Sony is my only source of RPG sustenance, and I'm a hungry bastard.  |
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