Encyclopedia Spartannica

It's amazing how much you don't realize you've missed a console until you haven't had it for a few months. I've been just fine with my Wii in the meantime, but I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that I'm also glad my 360 is back. I'm highly convinced that gamers skew time in a way that's similar to the way many animals age; what's really a short span seems like eons to the average thumb twiddler. It definitely feels that way when I realize what I've missed in the world of Xbox Live: Twitter(worthless if you can't access it from the guide), Last.fm(while cooler, refer to parentheses on Twitter), Facebook (I'm over the site, but even if I wasn't the interface is busted) and the Rock Band Store (which I love because I can listen to new tracks without having to insert a disc).

But the one thing I've heard the least about actually happens to be the one thing that got me really excited: Halo Waypoint.

I guess I should get this bit of information out of the way: I am a fan of Halo. Mind you, I didn't say fanboy; I'm well aware of it's warts and realize that more ardent gamers dislike it's broader appeal. Regardless, I've fallen into the rabbit hole that is it's overarching storyline; believe it or not, it's actually some very solid science fiction. Which is why Waypoint has grabbed me so; it is at it's core the bible of all things Halo.

The app is separated into two distinct sections, one based on game play and the other a cache of lore. The game play portion keeps track of your achievements throughout the 360 titles, rewarding you with avatar gear the further you get. It's a cool idea; unfortunately I'm not the achievement hound I used to be, so I've only scoped it out a few times. The verbose encyclopedia is amazing, even if they only parcel off information at a slow rate. You can't blame them; it's a way to keep us coming back periodically, and it works quite well. I keep showing up, anyhow. I'll spare you any further babbling, except to say that it's really nice to have a solid chronology to keep up with.

Waypoint has me hoping that more games have a hub for fans to go to. I miss the days when we weren't constantly inundated with new titles weekly and we held tightly to the games we loved and praised them to the point of near worship. Publishers are more worried about pushing more product instead of fostering a desire to enjoy the worlds they create and the minutiae within. While I appreciate fan sites and wikis, there's something to be said for when the creators show the same amount of care and admiration. It may start becoming a trend; the aforementioned Rock Band Store and the forthcoming Rock Band Network are promising, and Irrational Games has rebuilt their homepage from the ground up with community in mind.

But before that happens, I think publishers need to stop worrying about the short term and start digging in for the long haul. I think the medium tries too hard to emulate film; but it fails from the get go because there is no equivalent to going to the theater. If they start to realize that they have a different kind of market, one that has the potential to be "evergreen", the better off we'll all be.

Well, I won't until Nintendo gives the Mother series it's due. But that's another story for another day.