I've got a lot lately I've been considering, maybe this will get some stuff going.



1) I've been wondering how much of an impact peripherals are having on the console market. Gimmicky controllers have always been part of consoles, and lately there's been a rush to use peripherals like headsets (SOCOM, Rainbow Six 3), cameras (eyetoy), dance pads (DDR games). I have always thought the light gun was a good controller, but I think the demand for games like this has dwindled.



I wasn't necessary to have, but I recently bought an EyeToy for my PS2 the last trip I took to Best Buy. I've had a lot of fun playing with it, but what lies in the future? I don't have a need to send pictures to anyone that I can't already take care of on my PC, and the games, while fun, aren't exactly of the deepest gameplay.



Which brings me to another query that I have made to myself...



2) What about the "mini-game"?



Lots of games lately have got me wondering about how complicated games are lately. I have been playing Wario Ware on the GBA for over 9 months now and I still don't tire of it. I've noticed that the mini-game portions of role-playing titles on many systems have become a major selling point (at least that what I've concluded from the fact publishers use space on the back of titles to advertise the fact). Finally there has been a addition lately of the "Classic" versions of newer games included as hidden features (i.e. Metroid Prime including NES Metroid, SpyHunter on Xbox including the classic arcade edition, and, one of my personal favorites, Animal Crossing including a myriad of old NES titles as unlockable features).



Don't get me wrong, I like the inclusion of the classics. What brought this about? Nostalgia of older gamers? I thought this might be the case. Maybe companies are trying to include these features to make an extra buck or two on players that haven't experienced the games before. This is also a possibility.



I would like to think of this phenomenon as a throwback to when the games were only about high-scores and not about completion. A running joke I hear from friends sometimes concerns an Ultima title on NES. The way the game ends is somewhat anti-climactic saying "Congratulations, you have completed Ultima" or something to that effect. I like the replay factor that only a high score or timed run provide in games. The mini-game system provides this feeling of accomplishment to me.



Another idea I have always wanted to persue was finding out the preferences of buyers when it comes to used v. new and old v. new. I like to think of myself as a collector and archiver of games and look at used games (in good condition) as a benefit, where others look at them as a curse on humanity. I kind of want to know what others think about these sorts of things.