All Gamers Are Equal

All Gamers Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others.

It’s no secret that living in New Zealand can make it hard at times to be a gamer. Because of our Commonwealth roots, we have historically used a television format known as Phase Alternating Line (PAL), which is the ugly, redhead, bastard stepchild of the video game industry.

Infamously called a “necessary inconvenience” by ex-Nintendo head Hiroshi Yamuachi, PAL territories have always been treated with nothing but contempt. Even today, despite having sales figures equal to the United States, PAL territories still get the short end of the stick.

So I have decided to sit down and take a look at just how New Zealand gamers get shafted compared to our udon-slurping and freedom fry-loving peers by the video games industry. So without further ado, let’s begin.

Slow, Bordered Games
The difference between PAL and NTSC (National Television System Committee) is that PAL has 625 lines of resolution (576i) and runs at 50Hz, whereas NTSC has 525 (480i) lines of resolution and runs at 60Hz. The upshot of this is that historically most video games (as opposed to computer games) were made in America and Japan, which use the NTSC format, and this caused problems when porting them over for PAL territories.

Because PAL televisions have more lines of resolution and run slower, concessions had to be made, mainly that games had to flesh out the extra 100 lines with blank space and that the games ran slower than their NTSC counterparts. This can be seen far back in the NES days – Mega Man II’s iconic soundtrack just doesn’t pack the same punch when its tempo is reduced – but it was more prevalent in the 16-bit era.

Classics like Street Fighter II and Sonic the Hedgehog ran far slower than they should have in PAL territories. Sonic was fast, but not that fast, and Street Fighter II played like the fighters were underwater. Occasionally this was fixed with optimisation, but it was a rare gesture towards what was considered an unimportant market.

It might not seem like such a big issue anymore with high-definition television almost making it a moot point. However, the current bestselling console worldwide, the Wii, doesn’t support HDTV. Although it does have a mode for PAL 60Hz (full speed PAL) it doesn’t allow this option for the Virtual Console games.

As a consequence, PAL Wii gamers must suffer slow, bordered and frankly inferior ports of the classic games on offer. It’s a bit hard to stomach paying so much for a slow, bordered version of Sonic the Hedgehog when a full speed version with achievements is available for half the price on XBLA.

Delayed Consoles
Everyone knows it sucks getting picked last for lunchtime dodgeball, rugby or whatever - you get the feeling that no one wants you. And that’s exactly how it feels when a video game company tells you that despite the fact that PAL regions buy more video game consoles than Japan, they are going to give you consoles and titles last.

And last is usually once everyone else has been playing with their new toys for six months, only to have already moved onto the next best thing. Take, for example, the PSP. Released in Japan in December 2004 and America in March 2005, New Zealand didn’t see the PSP on these shores until September 2005. Pretty poor form when you consider that the PSP is largely region-free and that the AC adapter supports dual voltage (I should know; I imported mine from Japan).

As well as the PSP, Sony also backed out on their international launch of the PS3 by telling PAL gamers that they were inferior citizens and would be getting a gimped version of the PS3 six months later than the rest of the world. It’s not just Sony though: Microsoft told New Zealand that it wouldn’t get the original Xbox for almost a year after the American launch and that it wouldn’t be included in the European launch of the Xbox 360.

Instead, we were supposed to get the 360 on March 3, 2006, only to then have that delayed until March 23. To make matters worse, Kiwi gamers were allowed to purchase a special pack that could be bought with a pre-order, which contained a copy of Perfect Dark Zero and another wireless controller, in December, months before release. I’ll tell you, nothing sucked more than watching that copy of Perfect Dark Zero taunt me for so long.

Delayed Titles (If They Get Here At All)
It’s not just consoles though; titles are also frequently delayed or held back. Take, for example, the fact that Americans are already enjoying Metroid Prime 3 while we have to wait until October. But that’s not so bad compared to some delays.

Kingdom Hearts 2 was released in America in March 2006, whereas the PAL version came in September. Apologists who claim that it was because of the translation issues would probably do well to note that the New Zealand version contains no option to play in any other language but English.

Some games don’t even turn up at all. BloodRayne 2 might not have been a perfect game, but it would have been nice to see it on these shores – I enjoyed the first one, and I went through painful efforts to find the sequel. But perhaps the most famous examples are Squaresoft’s pre-Final Fantasy VII efforts. We didn’t even get Chrono Trigger, a game many consider to be perfect. It’s hip to be square? I think not!

High Prices
Perhaps the worst thing about being a PAL gamer is the ridiculous high prices that we are forced to suffer. Whereas Americans moaned about their games increasing in price to US$60, New Zealand gamers have been used to paying far more. Indeed, when the Kiwi dollar gained some strength against the US dollar, we were almost paying twice as much!

It’s not just games, however, but also console prices. Whereas the 360 has a price that is somewhat decent compared to overseas markets, both the Wii and the PS3 retail for almost twice as much as they do overseas.

Even more insulting is that when a price cut was announced for the PS3, PAL territories were told they would not be getting one on our Emotion-Engineless model. Instead, they would get a bundle with two rather average games and a second controller for the same extortionate price.

However, it’s nothing new. Those of us that have been gaming for decades will remember the days of buying Sonic 3 and Super Street Fighter 2 turbo for over NZ$200!

What Can You Do?
Unfortunately, there is little Kiwis can do about the high prices. Short of a mass boycott (which, apart from being impossible to execute, would cripple the New Zealand gaming industry) there isn’t really anything we can do about it except e-mail the various companies and distributors to let them know your discontent.

Remember, Microsoft are able to get most first party titles out here on time (New Zealand will actually be the first country to get Halo 3!) and the Wii released in New Zealand only a few days after it launched in Japan, so there is really no excuse for poor form in the video games industry.

If PAL territories are getting the raw end of the stick, it’s because we are still seen as second class citizens compared to America and Japan. Despite the fact that as a whole we purchase just as many consoles and games as America (and more than Japan), we still draw the short straw.

In short, the only solution is to support the companies that treat us well and ignore the companies that treat us poorly. Remember, voting with your wallet is the most powerful way to vote. It might be painful to have to pass up on Final Fantasy XIII, but if you want a proper conversion, rather than the half-assed efforts Square-Enix usually give, then you’re going to have to stop saying that this contempt is acceptable.