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It's worth noting that Soul Calibur III, in spite of its new options, only made the Top 10 sales chart in Japan for a single week (11/21/05), with a grand total of 106,920 units sold during its initial release window. Since then, Soul Calibur III promptly dropped off the Top 10 and has not appeared since.

Games like Rockman EXE 6 and Animal Crossing have blown it out of the water in terms of overall performance, in the same span of time.

For the record, the following week saw a game with about 26,000 units sold achieve 10th place in the sales rankings, meaning Soul Calibur went from 100,000 to less than 26,000 units sold in the span of a single week. It's pretty clear that the exclusive license (1) damaged the selling potential of the title and (2) insured it will not even sniff the sales totals of its older relatives.

Being someone who despises exclusive licenses (see EA's NFL license as an example), I cannot help but feel some satisfaction knowing that, no matter what may have been paid to Namco, they hopefully learned a lesson about selling out potential sales for cash. I suppose it's possible Sony dumped a lot of green at them, but ... here's hoping.

Add another 130,000 copies. However, note Monster Hunter Portable, launching with over 100,000 copies. Maybe that is the kind of games people really want?

Monster Hunter Portable... Monster Portable... Portable Monster... Pocket Monster... Pokemon

I own a DS, and will probably be buying a PSP once the price drops and some interesting RPG are launched. Unless the redesigned DS is launched before.

As everyone is talking about the next gen consoles the revolution is rarely mentioned.

DUH, everybody already knows that N1NTENDO is T3H D00M3D!!11

He made an interesting comment according to the article, which was a tactical error on his part:

"Certain regional governments in Japan have banned the sale of the Grand Theft Auto games to minors, but Japan's Sony has no problem whatsoever dumping this garbage into American kids' brains. Looks like Pearl Harbor 2 by Sony/Take-Two..."

"Insensitive? What the Japanese are doing to our kids is insensitive and racist. The Japanese have for a very long time dumped pornography into this country in a fashion they would not tolerate in their own country. It is another version of Pearl Harbor."

It's very crude, and he probably could have got his intended effect in the minds of his audience, that "the evil Japanese are trying to destroy America's youth" without being so blatant. Especially considering that Pearl Harbor doesn't have the kind of visceral resonance with people who don't remember it as it does with people of his generation. Subtlety is not his strong point.

I remember that one of the articles I read, had the line "Jack seems to be intent on looking like a narrow-minded bigot in the eyes of all as he continues to dig a deeper and deeper proverbial grave for his own career." News - Miami's Corrupt Counsel Adds Racism to his List of Idiocies This makes me sigh, as the man has built his extremely odd career on race-baiting, starting with his attacks on rap stars and the following it up with gay baiting against Janet Reno. So this isn't anything new.

Personally, if I were trying to profit from a moral panic, I wouldn't have opened myself up to the charge that I was a racist, unless I was sure that I could get away with it. This isn't the 40's after all.

Here's a nice little article that came out on GAF today: http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5630 Exerpts: "Microsoft seems to be wasting no time with their online program for Xbox 360 - the company has announced the first download-only game, the exclusive Xbox Live Arcade game Marble Blast Ultra....it's expected to be available as soon as the Xbox 360 is out, and requires the hard drive equipped Xbox to download." I wonder what he would say to that?

http://gamesarefun.com/

Of course if you want to glorify the "technical race" over gimicky things like novel methods of input (like joysticks and d-pads?) than PCs have the dedicated gaming systems beat hands down.

The only similarity between Animal Crossing and a typical RPG is the camera angle. I don't know if I'd call the game as a whole innovative, but it has a lot of clever ideas. It's definitely not an RPG, though.
And while Nintendogs may be the spiritual successor to Dogz, it's only the fifth game to receive a perfect score from Famitsu, one of Japan's harshest and most respected publishers. It's implementation of voice recognition, touch screen interaction, and wireless interaction make it the one of the most innovative games in recent years, and a huge leap over previous "virtual pet" games.
I can't speak for Killer 7, but I've heard from several people that it's a very interesting game. You assume that its cel-shading is the only form of innovation it contains, and from what people have told me, that's just the beginning.

It sounds to me like you haven't played any of these games you're so quick to dismiss. Any one of them looks pretty average in screenshots, but innovation doesn't always jump out of every scene like it does in Katamari.

And I agree with the GP about Katamari's "overratedness". It's a very fresh and interesting game, but it's gotten a ridiculous amount of media attention while other similarly innovative games have gone completely overlooked. The game's distinctly unique style may have contributed to media perception, but I think its "innovation" has been exaggerated a bit, especially now that its sequel is using a nearly identical formula.

I also contend that if it doesn't hamper your ability as an adult to acquire your games, I still cannot comprehend why it is such a sticky issue to place tighter restrictions on violent games that might adversely affect children, especially when you concede that most children are poorly parented.

I also personally think that it is disgusting and immoral that a store clerk would be subject to potential jail time or fines over something like this, particularly given the state of American jails and the fact that we still had a First Amendment last time I checked, but that's beside the point.

I have a prediction as to where things are going if this current legislation is more than hype:

1. The 'M' for Mature rating will be retired and not used anymore.

2. Games will be rated E, E-10, or T.

3. In 20 years, 'T' will be the equivalent of todays 'M.' (Well, provided we are still a free country by then, which I wouldn't give good odds on.)

Heck, the ratings system has already led to censorship in this country, which is why the US version of Sonic Gems won't contain the Streets of Rage trilogy, but other countries will get it:

Sonic Gems Collection US = no Streets of Rage

According to GameSpot, who spoke to Sega regarding this topic, the Streets of Rage games will definitely not be in the US version of Sonic Gems Collection. Ready for the reason? Chances are it's going to piss you off.

It's because Sega would have had to change the game's ESRB rating from an "E" to a "T" to accommodate the inclusion of the somewhat violent titles, and Sega opted to go for the "E" rating instead.

Because of people like Leland Yee, the American version of Sonic Gems will be significantly different than the Japanese version:

Sonic Gems Collection US = no Streets of Rage

According to GameSpot, who spoke to Sega regarding this topic, the Streets of Rage games will definitely not be in the US version of Sonic Gems Collection. Ready for the reason? Chances are it's going to piss you off.

It's because Sega would have had to change the game's ESRB rating from an "E" to a "T" to accommodate the inclusion of the somewhat violent titles, and Sega opted to go for the "E" rating instead.

I know my girlfriend's 10 year old daughter wouldn't be very interested in Streets of Rage, and I seriously don't think it is going to "affect" her if it were in a game. (Oh look, the little cartoon people are beating each other up, heaven forfend!) This particular case affects mostly people like me, older gamers who really want to play old Genesis games that we may have missed the first time around (I never got Streets of Rage III or Bonanza Brothers.) More broadly, it will effect games that aren't guaranteed sellers and cause the whole market to become more homogenized (while still being just as offensive to those of you who hate the ultra-violent games that are a license to print money.)

Not just that:

http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=4781

Two of those games are versions of Nintendogs. The other one, in what can only been seen as a good sign, is the DS Bomberman, which uses both the classic game and art style of the game along with supporting 8-player games. (Are we finally getting a Bomberman equal to the sainted Super Bomberman back on the SNES? I certainly hope so.)

But back to Nintendogs.... that week when Shiba and Friends was #4, the other two games were #5 and #6. Added together, and it would have placed second, right behind a Romancing Saga game (and interestingly enough, displacing the GC Fire Emblem to #3).

Um....

Did you know that DS sales have once again surged ahead of PSP sales in Japan because of this game?

It's may be considered quite surreal, but it's true. Take a look:
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=4781

Does this mean Nintendo will certainly win? No. But it's definitely an encouraging sign for them.

Games Are Fun had a blog of the Nintendo conference with smaller "wrap-up" articles about the details for the DS and the Revolution. As well as lots of other E3 coverage of course :)

Games Are Fun had a blog of the Nintendo conference with smaller "wrap-up" articles about the details for the DS and the Revolution. As well as lots of other E3 coverage of course :)

Games Are Fun had a blog of the Nintendo conference with smaller "wrap-up" articles about the details for the DS and the Revolution. As well as lots of other E3 coverage of course :)

Games Are Fun had a blog of the Nintendo conference with smaller "wrap-up" articles about the details for the DS and the Revolution. As well as lots of other E3 coverage of course :)

Is it just me or is the font that says PLAYSTATION 3 on the side same as the one used for the Spider-Man movie? The fact that they're both from Sony makes it seem more than just coincidence, even though it probably is.

The consoles that the games in Majesco's E3 lineup will be for were confirmed a few days ago. Namely, with regard to this Slashdot summary and not mentioning the other games, the new 'A Boy and His Blob' title will apparently be a DS game.

GAF - News - E3: Majesco announces its lineup
Nintendo Now - News: Majesco Unveils Their Arsenal

It would appear that at least one of these sites seemingly did verify this.

... PSP will probably marginalize Nintendo's handhelds.

What the fuck are you talking about? I love the anti-Nintendo sentiment expressed by absolute idiots all over the internet. Why not wait until we see what actually fucking happens instead of "OMG teh PSX pwnz0red teh n64, psp must kill teh big N lololol!!1111". For some objective analysis of this meme-esque bullshit (I admit this comment is neither objective nor non-kneejerk), why not check out these articles.

... PSP will probably marginalize Nintendo's handhelds.

What the fuck are you talking about? I love the anti-Nintendo sentiment expressed by absolute idiots all over the internet. Why not wait until we see what actually fucking happens instead of "OMG teh PSX pwnz0red teh n64, psp must kill teh big N lololol!!1111". For some objective analysis of this meme-esque bullshit (I admit this comment is neither objective nor non-kneejerk), why not check out these articles.

... PSP will probably marginalize Nintendo's handhelds.

What the fuck are you talking about? I love the anti-Nintendo sentiment expressed by absolute idiots all over the internet. Why not wait until we see what actually fucking happens instead of "OMG teh PSX pwnz0red teh n64, psp must kill teh big N lololol!!1111". For some objective analysis of this meme-esque bullshit (I admit this comment is neither objective nor non-kneejerk), why not check out these articles.

... PSP will probably marginalize Nintendo's handhelds.

What the fuck are you talking about? I love the anti-Nintendo sentiment expressed by absolute idiots all over the internet. Why not wait until we see what actually fucking happens instead of "OMG teh PSX pwnz0red teh n64, psp must kill teh big N lololol!!1111". For some objective analysis of this meme-esque bullshit (I admit this comment is neither objective nor non-kneejerk), why not check out these articles.

at GamesAreFun.

No, Nintendo has patents for vibration that predate the Immersion patent. Looking at the design of the rumble pack for the N64 and the GC controller it seems that the vibration is implemented differently.

The last paragraph of this article deals with the Nintendo question.

You're paying for a video game system. You're paying for games. That's pretty much it. It's a strong system, it's got strong titles behind it from the early looks, and it's got an upcomming release list that puts the DS's to shame.

You're paying for a video game system. You're paying for games. That's pretty much it. It's a strong system, it's got strong titles behind it from the early looks, and it's got an upcomming release list that puts the DS's to shame.

Yes, sony are geniuses...as seen here...lol

There's another review of the concert over at Games Are Fun

There's another review of the concert over at Games Are Fun

http://www.gamesarefun.com/consoles/psp/square.jpg

Just look how it all lines up.

Quite a bit, since the launch of the PSP, actually. This article from 12-13-04, just a few days after the release of the PSP in Japan shows a gamut of reported defects, including the square button problem and a pic that shows the problem.

You also apparently believe Sony will never fix the problem. IT will be fixed. theres a coming American release of the PSP and I bet money all these glitches will be gone with it. (I mean, they are not even difficult to fix!) probably later and update will probably be released in Japan. Sony does this.

Funny, according to Sony, there is nothing to fix. This is how they designed the unit.

Guys I hate to break your bubble BUT where I live my friends (and customers) are buying the PSP at $500 (almost 4 times the estimated final price)

Oh, so the PSP is only going to be $125? Is that why it's more expensive than the DS in Japan as well? Most places are setting up pre-orders with an estimated base price of $200 for the PSP. So, tell us; how do you know that it's coming out at such a lowered price, oh great seer into the future?

no one has complaint about the battery (they charge it once a day, and we actually advice them that)

People can go a few days without charging their GBA SP or DS...

no one has found or noticed not even one single glitch (this button glitch will be news to them).

So no one has noticed the buttons not being responsive, or any dead pixels or anythig, eh? Maybe they got good units designed AWAY from Sony's specifications.

They are as happy as can be with it and surpringsily the psp's are outsold here.

And where, pray tell, is "here?"

I have only seen 2 DS being sold (by known n fanboys btw), most customers ask for it then return it after seing the graphics/games and checking the price.($200)

Which is why the DS has sold over 1 million units in North America and over 1 million units in Japan, right? Because only 2 people have bought them. They just have lots and lots of money to run around between North America and Japan buying up the DSes out there.

Do try to troll better next time. You're ludicrous assumption that the PSP will be only $125 and that the DS is actually more expensive than it is at retail, alone, show you're a brain dead fucktard who thinks he can sound intelligent.

0.6% of the products were not broken, .6% of the people who bought one were annoyed enough (or had the button stick PERMANENTLY) to complain to Sony asking for a new one.

You can see for yourself how the buttons line up here:

http://www.gamesarefun.com/consoles/psp/square.jpg

Having talked to people who own the console, when pressing right on the pad you can hear grinding on the side, the square button is less responsive than the other buttons and meets resistance about 2/3rds of the way down with an audible click. If you try to push over the pad, eventually the button gets stuck, and apparently can get stuck beneath the screen just by pushing straight down.

This hardly new information, it's just that the major media is finally starting to pick up on it. Not owning up to a mistake that could be fixed by extending the unit an eighth of an inch or removing around two vertical columns of pixels is not only stupid, it's asanine.

0.6% of the products were not broken, .6% of the people who bought one were annoyed enough (or had the button stick PERMANENTLY) to complain to Sony asking for a new one.

You can see for yourself how the buttons line up here:

http://www.gamesarefun.com/consoles/psp/square.jpg

This hardly new information, it's just that the major media is finally starting to pick up on it. Not owning up to a mistake that could be fixed by extending the unit an eighth of an inch or removing around two vertical columns of pixels is not only stupid, it's asanine.

Actually, it was Visual Concepts Entertainment, a studio owned by but separate from Sega. They are a talented bunch of guys. Their 2k* lineup really took sports gaming ahead a few years.

Kush Games also took over some of the 2K* duties, with college basketball and hockey games under their direction. They are not owned by Sega. At least, not as far as I know.

As a side note, I wonder how much longer vcentertainment.com will refer people to the ESPN branded site?

An example would be my WWE Day of Reckoning review. Typed out it was about 7 pages, but most of it goes into the controls, and create-a-wrestler modes, and touches on how the story works without giving it away. Or my Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords review, also long.

Then there's some games that I can get the whole point accross in a fairly concise review, like my Midway Arcade Treasures 2 review.

I prefer to let the readers know as much as possible without any spoilers. I realize some of my reviews may be long winded, but that's just me and my writing style. Some people like the reviews, some don't. And that's how it always will be as well.

An example would be my WWE Day of Reckoning review. Typed out it was about 7 pages, but most of it goes into the controls, and create-a-wrestler modes, and touches on how the story works without giving it away. Or my Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords review, also long.

Then there's some games that I can get the whole point accross in a fairly concise review, like my Midway Arcade Treasures 2 review.

I prefer to let the readers know as much as possible without any spoilers. I realize some of my reviews may be long winded, but that's just me and my writing style. Some people like the reviews, some don't. And that's how it always will be as well.

An example would be my WWE Day of Reckoning review. Typed out it was about 7 pages, but most of it goes into the controls, and create-a-wrestler modes, and touches on how the story works without giving it away. Or my Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords review, also long.

Then there's some games that I can get the whole point accross in a fairly concise review, like my Midway Arcade Treasures 2 review.

I prefer to let the readers know as much as possible without any spoilers. I realize some of my reviews may be long winded, but that's just me and my writing style. Some people like the reviews, some don't. And that's how it always will be as well.

An example would be my WWE Day of Reckoning review. Typed out it was about 7 pages, but most of it goes into the controls, and create-a-wrestler modes, and touches on how the story works without giving it away. Or my Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords review, also long.

Then there's some games that I can get the whole point accross in a fairly concise review, like my Midway Arcade Treasures 2 review.

I prefer to let the readers know as much as possible without any spoilers. I realize some of my reviews may be long winded, but that's just me and my writing style. Some people like the reviews, some don't. And that's how it always will be as well.

[Nintendo is] not selling as well as Xbox and PS2 stuff.

Hmm, really? The numbers disagree

I only rented it, but now it might become a collector's item, much like all of Traci Lords' pre-18 pr0n is.

Still, it was her fault for doing the game in the first place... but also Topheavy Studios fault for not verifying ages more thoroughly.

For anyone reading this, hopefully you read this, and this

I have, however, clicked on Google's text ads several times--they were actually relevant! Anyone who feels their product or service is more important than the reason I visited the site doesn't deserve my attention.

This is why when we were deciding on if we were going to do ads on GamesAreFun.com, we only seriously looked at Google AdSense as the major porvider of ads. Google AdSense ads are text based, non intrusive, and 99% of the time relevant to what is on the page (or at least the site, being as we are a video game site, all the ads have something to do with video games or peripherals).

What if I can't pay attention to the content because the ads are screaming for my attention? I get easily distracted by stuff moving in my peripheral vision, such that I can't concentrate on an article or whatever. It's not like magazines, where the ads just sit there, waiting patiently for your attention.

The only other ads we have are ads that we decided on ourselves, as static banners. One of these links to our merchandise on Jinx.com, and the other links to GameMusic.com; and the banners are small, and you only see one at a time.

We're web surfers. We know how shitty pop ups, pop unders, Flash based ads, animated banner ads done to completely overwhelm your eyes, and other forms of advertising are. We oppose them, and we will not subject our readers to them. The ads we do have are non-intrusive, and esily clicked on or ignored at the reader's discretion.

In fact, most of the staff does not use IE to browse the web, we're either Mozilla 1.x or Firefox users (and since I have a Mac, I'm a Safari user); which helps to show we're aghainst the pop up/under ads.

Metal Gear Solid, Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil, yeah, they're all kid games.

Enlighten Yourself

I know it's a bit late, but you need to remember this:
OMG N1NT3ND0 SI T3H D00M3D!11

Couldn't find any samples but:

Info
purchase @ Amazon
purchase @ Yesasia
Hope this helps

I still take the 4-6 hours of battery life to be optimistic given their past articles wrote on this topic.
There are articles like this one circulating the web that says developers are responsible for good battery life on the PSP

http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=2305

What are developers going to do ? Randomly decrease the screen brightness or turn off the screen for a couple seconds at a time ? Half the processor speed ?

Maybe games like Metal Gear Acid and Gran Turismo run fine for 4-6 hours now and that is why they are releasing these figures. I guess we will have to wait and see.

To each his own, though.

It depends on how they are used in a game, honestly. If the second screen just gets regulated to maps and item screens, then yes. If the second screen is used for other things, especially relating to control, then it is innovative.

1.8GB DVD in a handheld - innovative

Easily scratched, longer load times, skipping problems, drains battery faster. Where's the innovation there?

stereo - still havn't reached the 60 have we?
7.1 3d audio in a handheld - innovative

Well, Sony has not provided an optical out on the PSP, only stereo out. Also, 7.1 surround sound headphones, last time I checked, were around $300 per unit. Are you honestly going to spend around $300 for a pair of headphones for use on a handheld device?

"It's so innovative that I spent as much on my headphones as I spent on my PSP!"

Good logic.

more mario games - got any other charactors? or is the plumber the only one making you money
ports from PS2, and completely new 3D games with real content - innovative for Portables

I haven't seen much in the completely new category for either handheld... or is a Metal Gear game completely new? Or THPS for the PSP? Or Tiger Woods 2005? Or Gran Turismo?

If I want to play console games, I'll play them on my consoles on my HDTV, not on a handheld. If I want to play games on a handheld not available on my consoles, then I'll play them on a handheld.

2-10 hour battery life depending on use and programmer skills - so far, the PSP's only shortcoming

Price? The fact it looks to, so far, be around double the price of the DS isn't a shortcoming? What about the lack of screen protection on the PSP? Is a scratched and broken screen not a shortcomming? Size? The PSP will not easily fit in normal sized pockets. This isn't a shortcoming? Oh, wait, you can always carry your PSP around your neck on this innovative and oh-so-stylish lanyard made from hard plastic (two pics)...

Then there's the need to buy Sony Memory Sticks to save your progress in games. Added price for that should be listed as a shortcoming.

Wow, I found 4 additional shortcomings that you neglected, or were too ignorant to mention. And that isn't including the $300 7.1 headphones you'd need to get 7.1 surround sound out of the PSP.

Seems, to me, that there are more shortcomings for the PSP than you think there are.

It depends on how they are used in a game, honestly. If the second screen just gets regulated to maps and item screens, then yes. If the second screen is used for other things, especially relating to control, then it is innovative.

1.8GB DVD in a handheld - innovative

Easily scratched, longer load times, skipping problems, drains battery faster. Where's the innovation there?

stereo - still havn't reached the 60 have we?
7.1 3d audio in a handheld - innovative

Well, Sony has not provided an optical out on the PSP, only stereo out. Also, 7.1 surround sound headphones, last time I checked, were around $300 per unit. Are you honestly going to spend around $300 for a pair of headphones for use on a handheld device?

"It's so innovative that I spent as much on my headphones as I spent on my PSP!"

Good logic.

more mario games - got any other charactors? or is the plumber the only one making you money
ports from PS2, and completely new 3D games with real content - innovative for Portables

I haven't seen much in the completely new category for either handheld... or is a Metal Gear game completely new? Or THPS for the PSP? Or Tiger Woods 2005? Or Gran Turismo?

If I want to play console games, I'll play them on my consoles on my HDTV, not on a handheld. If I want to play games on a handheld not available on my consoles, then I'll play them on a handheld.

2-10 hour battery life depending on use and programmer skills - so far, the PSP's only shortcoming

Price? The fact it looks to, so far, be around double the price of the DS isn't a shortcoming? What about the lack of screen protection on the PSP? Is a scratched and broken screen not a shortcomming? Size? The PSP will not easily fit in normal sized pockets. This isn't a shortcoming? Oh, wait, you can always carry your PSP around your neck on this innovative and oh-so-stylish lanyard made from hard plastic (two pics)...

Then there's the need to buy Sony Memory Sticks to save your progress in games. Added price for that should be listed as a shortcoming.

Wow, I found 4 additional shortcomings that you neglected, or were too ignorant to mention. And that isn't including the $300 7.1 headphones you'd need to get 7.1 surround sound out of the PSP.

Seems, to me, that there are more shortcomings for the PSP than you think there are.

But, the full version runs fine (except I can't demorec) on my iBook (1 Ghz G4, 640 MB RAM, Radeon 9200 w/32MB VRAM), provided I just keep the detail settings low. But, I can run it at 1024x768 with workable framerates (25-40 fps), or at 800x600 with better framerates. And the demo ran smooth on a dual 1.8 GHz G5 I played it on before as well.

I really want to try UT2004 on a dual 2.5 GHz G5 with 8 GB RAM and a GeForce 6800 Ultra, though...

Oh, if you want to read a review of UT2004 on Mac, there's a few to read:

GamesAreFun (yeah, I wrote it, so I get to plug myself)
Inside Mac Games
Applelinks

And others like GameSpy and such.