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Get 'Em While=20 They're Young With the Force

Editorial by J. M.=20 Vargas

This past weekend I went to see "Star Wars Episode I: The = Phantom=20 Menace" (you may have heard about it), one of the most hyped = movies in=20 history and the next installment in the hugely profitable George = Lucas=20 franchise that, since 1977, has become an integral part of the pop = culture=20 and psychological profile of almost every young man and woman who = grew up=20 watching these flicks on movie theatres or TV. Stay tuned until = the end of=20 this Editorial, because what I personally thought about "The = Phantom=20 Menace" might end up surprising you considering the meat of the = following=20 lines, which are anything but friendly to the older movies that = have=20 inspired a generation of little kids to grow up and bring THEIR = kids to=20 the theatres to see the latest "Star Wars" (I guess they weren't = all nerds=20 and geeks because, if " they had kids, it implies they were able = to meet=20 girls and f*** them... but I digress! :-P).=20

I myself NEVER liked, cared, understood, admired or gave a = rat's ass=20 about anything related to "Star Wars", and didn't even bother = seeing any=20 of the trilogy flicks ("Star Wars: A New Hope", "The Empire = Strikes Back"=20 and "The Return of the Jedi") until they were re-released in = theatres in=20 1997, which confirmed my low opinion of the series with its sucky = acting,=20 childish humor, decent but unimpressive special effects, cliche' = storyline=20 and cardboard characters (the notable exceptions being Liam Neeson = and Sir=20 Alec Guinnes... they were both incredibly cool!). I distinctly = remember=20 when the flicks opened in my home country of El Salvador in the = late=20 70's/early 80's, and my mom and friends kept egging me to go see = the=20 flicks with them (I was between five and ten years-old at the = time); I=20 told them that no thanks, there were better things for me to do = than waste=20 my time seeing 'those stupid robot people' in that retarded = 'Guerra de Las=20 Galaxias' series. Every other cool special-effects flick that came = out in=20 the early 1980's I swallowed and watched: "E.T.", "Gremlins", = "Raiders of=20 the Lost Ark", "Poltergeist", etc. But for some reason, all the = "Star=20 Wars" set-ups and storylines simply failed to ignite an iota of = interest=20 on the conscience of this tiny little kid; BTW, am I losing all my = Reader=20 Review credibility by publicly stating my disdain of "Star Wars"=20 (blasphemy!)? Oh Lord, help me survive this test of fire (read = on). Of=20 course I'm the exception to the rule of thumb that prevails in the = entertainment industry: "Star Wars" is the profitable franchise = that=20 everyone loves regardless of age and gender, an evergreen license = to print=20 money that doesn't seem to be growing weak with age (quite the = contrary)=20 when it comes to toys, videogames, books, clothing and every other = merchandise one can think of (Jar Jar toothpaste at Toys'R'Us? = Yikes!). I=20 have a simple theory as to why so many people are in love with = "Star=20 Wars": people that saw it as kids (or older moviegoers used to = crappy=20 special effects) were traumatized by the sights and sounds of the = flick's=20 then-impressive special effects, and to this date are CONDITIONED = INTO=20 LIKING A SERIES OF VERY BAD MOVIES because of the trauma of being = exposed=20 to it at an impressionable age; that pattern has extended into the = next=20 few generations, which are probably exposed to the "Star Wars" = movies on=20 video by an older sibling or friend at that impressionable age of = five/six=20 years-old. It seems to be a youth rite of passage in America to = have the=20 next generation know that young Jedi Luke Sywalker's father IS the = freaking main villain, the CNN-sponsored Darth Vader.=20

The absence of a "Star Wars" movie in my young psyche prevents = me from=20 being traumatized by their force (bad pun!), but I had other media = elements that traumatized me as a kid and have affected me as both = a=20 little kid and a grown-up. Some of them include "The Incredible = Hulk" TV=20 series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno (to this date I'm in love = with=20 flicks featuring the pain of a human being going through the = process of=20 'metamorphosis', like "The Howling" and "An American Werewolf in = London"),=20 the first and third Indiana Jones movies (the "Tomb Raider" games = are=20 worthy interactive companions to the flick) AND an Atari VCS 2600 = gaming=20 unit with thirteen cartridges (to this date I'm a console gamer, = and it=20 all started on that system in the Christmas of 1981). Who needed = those=20 stupid "Star Wars" traumas in my life, when I could see the = anguish and=20 pain in the white eyes of Bill Bixby suffering the punishment he = brought=20 upon himself for his scientific curiosity? Or the thrill of = finishing=20 "Kangoroo" with a broken controller after a whole day of being = stumped? Or=20 the shock of seeing Indy pull a 360 degree stunt around the truck = he was=20 riding WITH A BULLET IN HIS ARM? Do not underestimate the power of = exposing a young generation of gamers to sights and sounds that = will shock=20 them into a trauma that could cause loyalty among them for = generations to=20 come. Those thoughts should be firmly in the mind of Bernie Stolar = and the=20 crew at Sega of America as they are readying the launch of the = Dreamcast=20 in the United States, and they should put an extra incentive in = the=20 company to create EXCLUSIVE HOME-MADE games that will make a new=20 generation of tykes go 'Sega's cool!'. It worries me to no end = that the=20 titles that most gaming sites and news magazines (seganet.com = included)=20 describe as the must-have titles with potential to sell the = machine are=20 either third-party offerings or sports games: Namco's "Soul = Calibur",=20 Midway's "NFL Blitz 2000" and "Ready 2 Rumble", Visual Concepts' = "NFL=20 Football" and "NBA Basketball" games (yummy!), etc. As good as = these games=20 are, they are not EXCLUSIVE to Sega (Midway's games, for example, = will=20 also be available on PlayStation and the N64... and Namco can jump = ship=20 back into Sony's camp faster than you can say 'Use the Force') in = either=20 concept or execution of previously-implemented ideas; as = good-looking as=20 Sega's NFL and NBA games are on Dreamcast, they are bound to be = eventually=20 matched or surpassed by the second-generation PlayStation that's = looming=20 in the horizon. With only "Virtua Fighter 3", "Sonic Adventure", = "House of=20 the Dead 2", "Sega Rally 2", "Get Bass", internet gaming (PC's do = it too!)=20 and other 'B' titles ("Fighting Vipers 2", "Virtual On 2") and = unproven=20 properties ("Shen Mue", "Crazy Taxi", "Virtua Striker", = "Spike-Out") as=20 the Sega-owned properties that are the opening salvos of the=20 next-generation war for the hearts and minds of gamers, our = beloved=20 company has yet to come up with the type of ground-breaker with=20 mass-appeal that will sell Dreamcasts and traumatize the gaming = press into=20 writing good (biased?) stuff about you.=20

IS THERE ANY DOUBT IN YOUR MIND THAT THE REVIEW CREW OF EGM IS = A BUNCH=20 OF TRAUMATIZED FORMER NES OWNERS THAT WERE KIDS AT THE TIME, and = that=20 explains why they tend to gravitate toward high scores for games = like=20 "F-Zero X", "Mario Kart 64", "Starfox 64" and "Caslevania 64"? = It's that=20 "Star Wars" trauma theory at work here folks, and a glance at some = of the=20 less-than-stellar ratings that magazine gave to good Sega Saturn = games=20 like "Fighting Vipers", "Virtua Cop", "Powerslave", "Fighters = Megamix" and=20 "The Legend of Oasis" goes a long way to prove the power of a = young=20 generation of gamers being seduced by a gorgeous console and its = many=20 games at an impressionable age (to be fair though, games like = "Sega Rally=20 Championship" and "Panzer Dragoon Saga" also received outstanding = scores=20 from the EGM Crew... and crappy titles like the first version of = "Daytona=20 USA" received their share of deserved low scores).=20

Have you noticed that, to this date, Nintendo's "Super Mario = 64" still=20 shows up in the top 10/15/20 charts of several retail companies? = That's=20 the caliber of game that Sega needs BADLY if it wants not only to = sell the=20 machine (which is priority #1 at this point and time after the = Saturn=20 retail debacle soiled the realtionship between SOA and its = partners) but=20 to convince a new generation of little kids not exposed to the = retail=20 fiascos that were the Sega CD and the 32X that it pays in the long = run to=20 harass Mom and Dad for Sega product. It's one thing to try to lure = back=20 the older/wiser Sega gamer that has been burned once too many = times by the=20 company under-supporting promising platforms (the Nomad, Genesis, = 32X and=20 Game Gear were allowed to die a too-premature death that didn't = take full=20 advantage of those console's full potential), but it's another = different=20 thing to create software that will blind you of any platform = loyalty and=20 take you to another world and state of mind... gaming nirvana, if = you=20 will. Nintendo seems to have this category locked thanks to = Miyamoto San's=20 magic touch on games like "Zelda: TOOT" and the programming skills = of Rare=20 and their "Goldeneye" title, and even the rare jewel sneaks up on = you from=20 the PlayStation and scores a knock-out of the caliber of Capcom's=20 "Resident Evil 2", Namco's "Klonoa: Door to Phantomile" or Sony's = "Gran=20 Turismo" (as much as some of you might dislike Sony and their = tactics, you=20 cannot deny the quality of these and MANY, MANY other PlayStation = quality=20 titles). Sega's only potential blockbuster with trauma potantial, = "Sonic=20 Adventure", needs some tweaking and publicity before it can prove = itself=20 worthy of being called a killer-application. But even in this = flawed=20 stage, I'd venture to say that "Sonic Adventure" could work its = visual and=20 gameplay magic with impressionable young minds that have grown-up = for an=20 entire gaming generation without the blue one as a gaming icon, = the result=20 of Sega neglecting the star status of its major star with three=20 less-than-stellar Saturn offerings ("Sonic Jam", "Sonic 3D Blast" = and=20 "Sonic R"); as sad as it might sound today's kids regard Jill = Valentine,=20 Neo Cortex, Cloud Strife, Banjo the Bear and the ships in "WipeOut = XL" as=20 cooler and more identifiable gaming characters than Sonic the = Hedgehog,=20 and that might all change with a successful American Dreamcast = launch with=20 "Sonic Adventure" at the helm of the opening charge. We all have = our own=20 Sega properties that wish were updated to the next visual level, = and that=20 might also be a turning point into selling the system to a whole = new=20 generation of young people not exposed to original software with=20 64/128-bits of technology behind it. In no other platform will you = ever=20 see the display of imagination and creativity that a potential = sequel to=20 "NiGHTS... Into Dreams" could bring to Sega's gamers, or a slew of = VISUALLY STUNNING RPG'S like "Climax Landers", "Evolution" and = (dare we=20 speculate?) "Phantasy Star V" that could bring the trauma of a = one-two=20 punch (creative story-telling AND kick-ass graphics) to the life = of a=20 young kid that still thinks rough-looking 3D models of characters = walking=20 over pre-rendered backgrounds are cool ("Final Fantasy VII", "Star = Ocean=20 2", etc.).=20

I personally know a co-worker who isn't interested in gaming = consoles=20 because he's infatuated with his 3D-accelerated PC games ("Postal" = and=20 "Carmagedon 2" are his current favorites) that has told me he = would buy a=20 Dreamcast in a second IF they came out with a sequel to the game = he grew=20 up playing on the forgotten Sega Master System, a game so hard = that he=20 spent an entire summer in the early 80's defeating on his own = without any=20 help... an experience he described to me with his eyes lit up and = a=20 twinkle of nostalgia in his voice. That game was the first = "Phantasy=20 Star", and the trauma of playing (and conquering) that game still = holds=20 enough strength on this 25 year-old guy's psyche to make him a = ready-made=20 Dreamcast buyer IF Sega taps into his emotional connection to the = world of=20 gaming. And Sega needs a lot of little trauma-ready kids to start = playing=20 those HOME-MADE EXCLUSIVE Dreamcast games so, when we're being = sold on the=20 256-bit and 512-bit systems in the future (assuming the current = trend of=20 doubling on the previous generation of console's processing power = keeps=20 going into the future) there are enough nostalgia-riddled members = of the=20 press and hardcore gamers to recall the fun times they had with = those=20 games, and are asking for second or third installments. Unlike = Nintendo=20 and their duper-stellar line-up of classic titles that keep = getting=20 updated for the N64 (everything from the NES Mario Bros. series to = the=20 little GameBoy title "Waverace" being turned into a blockbuster = water-sky=20 simulator), Sega only had limited success creating = Saturn-exclusive=20 franchises that are worth continuing into Dreamcast ("NiGHTS" and = "Panzer=20 Dragoon" come to mind); this sad trend must not continue even if = the=20 Dreamcast is a retail hit on the strength of sports and = third-party=20 offerings alone, or SOA risks losing the long-term battle for the = wallet=20 of the gamer that grew up with an emotional attachment to the = company=20 mascot and/or original title. Do you remember a long time ago, in = a galaxy=20 far far away... when we started this Editorial talking about "The = Phantom=20 Menace" (SPOILER ALERT)? After seeing it I have praised it and = liked it=20 more than I expected to friends and family (not saying much when = you=20 realize how low an opinion I hold of the three previous one's) = because=20 George Lucas, despite American society going more cynical and = jaded than=20 ever before, sticks to his flawed and innocent view of the world = from the=20 perspective of a 10 year-old kid. By virtually remaking = plot-by-plot the=20 storyline of the first three "Star Wars" (the death of the mentor = of a=20 young Jedi trainee, the Jar Jar people as the Ewoks-type lovable=20 characters, the accidental destruction of the space station, the=20 exhilarating POD racer sequence, etc.) into a new shiny package = with=20 blow-your-mind visuals and special effects, Lucas is trying to = HOOK AND=20 TRAUMATIZE ANOTHER GENERATION OF YOUNG KIDS that have yet to = experience=20 (what I would assume is) the thrill of a "Star Wars" they can call = their=20 own, without the baggage of outdated special effects and the flaw = of being=20 daddy's "Star Wars"'. If you ever go to see "Star Wars Episode I: = The=20 Phantom Menace" again, do what I did the first time I saw it and " = look at=20 everything from the perspective of a 10 year-old kid (I bit my = tongue so=20 many times during the flick, when I wanted to express a sarcastic = response=20 to an idiotic plot on-screen, that for a moment I felt like Marv = Albert=20 :-P); YOU (the little kid watching "Phantom Menace") are the one = that=20 races the cool POD racer, YOU save the day by blowing up the bad = guy's=20 space station, YOU are the reason the Jedi warriors are fighting, = etc.=20

Sega needs to use its marketing budget, its long-term creative = vision=20 (does it have any? :-( ) and its limited resources to start anew = the=20 gaming trauma that got interrupted by the 32X and Saturn failure = to hold=20 onto the empire that the Genesis built in the United States (and = we know=20 that, in gaming years, a generation is all it takes for a slick = underdog=20 like Sony to take over the world). You want to know what 'The = Force' is in=20 the "Star Wars" universe? It's childhood trauma, a force George = Lucas=20 understands and has perfected into a movie-making and marketing = juggernaut=20 that SOA and SOJ could, if properly channeled, turn into a = resurgence of a=20 once-great videogame company that went array. Will the empire = (Sega)=20 strike back with Dreamcast? Only if they can manage to control = that=20 f***ing force with the $100 million they have saved for = advertising, and=20 if they manage to traumatize me again with a game of the sweet and = unimaginable caliber of "NiGHTS... Into Dreams". Now, where's = "NiGHTS 2",=20 for Christ's sake?

=20

" Sega needs = a lot of=20 little trauma-ready kids to start playing those HOME-MADE = EXCLUSIVE=20 Dreamcast games..."