More Tokyo Game Show Wrapup

There's a few interesting tidbits left over from last week's Tokyo Games show worth noting. Wired categorizes the whole event as other gamemakers fighting over Nintendo's scraps in an overview piece. Certainly with titles like the new version of cult-classic Nights , Nintendo has a lot of heavy artillery this year. Just the same, (keynote aside) Sony had a fair showing at the event. Gamespot's chat with Phil Harrison gives us another glimpse inside their headspace, a useful measure given the swirl of news around their products. They also have a lot of new Square/Enix titles to look forward to. Microsoft ... pretty much just has Lost Odyssey and Infinite Undiscovery for Japanese fans to look forward to.

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FIST SPORT

[ringbarer]

Purveyor of racist yet truthful anti-islamic Slashdot troll postings, Ringbarer, today announced the formation of Ringbarer Interactive Entertainment - providing games for Linux.

"With the recent announcement that Linux is still not ready for the desktop, we thought it was time that Linux users had more games to play than poorly coded Tetris clones, Tux Racer, and that hilarious applet where you stop Bill Gates from installing Windows over Operating Systems that don't exist anymore.

To that end we have created a new dynamic episodic series of franchised Interactive Entertainment Experiences, catered for the Linux demographic. So we'll be forcing the games to be registered and installed online because we know fine well that Linux users would just try to steal them."

But what about the games? The 2007 release catalog promises to have something for all Linux gamers:

SIM NIGGER
Ringbarer Interactive Entertainment's flagship title - SIM NIGGER is a freeform sandbox game containing a miniature representation of New Orleans. The floods may have been drained, but that gives your SIM NIGGER opportunity to indulge in the kind of behaviour that only Niggers know and love. Smoke crack; rob tourists at gunpoint; do drive by shootings; eat stolen watermelon; loot televisions; acquire 'bling'; anally rape children; spout incomprehensible gibberish into your (stolen) mobile phone; draw welfare checks; and all that other wholesome stuff. Only with SIM NIGGER can pasty white overprivledged middle-class suburban teenagers express their dislike for Mommy and Daddy by adopting a culture that was never theirs in the first place. Featuring a meticulously marketed 'Urban' soundtrack from Eminem, Fiddy Cent, and Vanilla Ice.

Contains inbuilt advertising from Massive Entertainment who shall plaster every available in game billboard with the same picture, whilst claiming it makes the game more 'realistic', because you're stupid enough to fall for that thing.

ESRB WARNING: Contains hidden scenes of consentual fucking available by manually patching the game to include a DivX viewer and several separately downloaded gigabytes of pornography.

BATTLEFIELD: NOW
The poorly-optimised lagfest that is the Battlefield franchise finally wheezes its way onto the Linux platform. The latest Cancerware(tm) technology ensures that not only will your games take even LONGER to start, thus building anticipation; but even the fastest machine will be ground to a halt - ensuring a fair playing field for all.

Cancerware(tm) is an exciting and revolutionary addition to the franchise, as it shall interface with our servers every game to deliver the very latest geopolitical situation to eager gamers. Whichever enemy the USA are at war with at the moment will be the enemy you are shooting on screen, taking realism to the max! You can be shooting ungrateful Iraqi Insurgents one minute, and nuke-wielding North Koreans the next. Remember, folks, we have ALWAYS been at war with North Korea!

Guaranteed to force you to manually rewrite your firewall's bytecode and install every possible graphics development kit on the planet just to be able to run the fucking thing! And then do it all again every time it's patched! Just be fucking grateful!

SPACE MARINE XENOMORPH BUGHUNT 4 - EPISODE 1
Exciting and revolutionary FPS from the makers of SPACE MARINE XENOMORPH BUGHUNT 3. Control a tough talking American Space Marine through several levels of tense, pulse-pounding point-and-click action. Listen to poorly written contrived banter which was considered embarassing when James Cameron first wrote it twenty years ago. Fight ever larger and fatter aliens which are so ludicrous that even Todd McFarlane would wipe his ass on the sketchpad if he ever drew one. Contains the terrifying "Industrial Factory" level, as well as "Sewers", "Crate Warehouse", and "Industrial Factory 2", leading to an exciting plotline cliffhanger

What's Left For 360?

[MBCook]

After reading a few things I just wonder what's left. The Wii looks like it will stay pretty fantastic. I've got a whole little list of games I'm waiting for. I'm glad I've got my Wii (and I'm loving Metroid Prime 3, which I'm playing now).

But what is left for the 360? The entire time it's been out people have been saying "Wait for Halo 3... that will do it". What if it doesn't? I'm not saying there won't be some new breakout game, but with Halo 3 out there isn't much on the way that I know of that will have that kind of draw. Nintendo has their series. The PS3 has Final Fantasy XIII (I'm laying XII now, it's great) and Metal Gear Solid 4. What is coming for the 360 like that?

So if Halo 3 doesn't skyrocket sales of the 360... short of a come from nowhere hit MS looks like it will not be catching up for a long time.

Sony has a few good looking games coming, but the price point is still a big problem for me.

I used to say "Wait until GTA comes out on the PSP, that will really drive sales" but when it happened... things didn't seem to really change. Halo 3 is supposed to be good and all but the system is still up there in price. I don't think most people can just drop the near $400 to buy the system and game if they weren't planning for the release.

But if you like the 360 and think it has a really bright future (nice console, I might buy one this XMas)... what exclusive content is coming that has you excited? I don't deny that as the "which system should I buy to play multi-platform games" the 360 is very appealing, but what is coming is a great draw that the PS3 doesn't have?

Re:What's Left For 360?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm laying XII now That's not what the hole in the middle of the disc is for.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[spirit of reason]

Over the PS3? A lower price. Over the Wii? Games that are actually just a little bit complex (I know, I'm generalizing, but let's face it -- the games that appeal to the mass market do so because they only feel difficult and are more accessible. And since I'm on this digression, I should note that includes the Halo series, which is basically just a slower paced run-and-gun shooter).

I'm personally looking forward to seeing if Sakaguchi still has it. Blue Dragon didn't get the best reviews, but it wasn't meant to have the same kind of appeal as a Final Fantasy game. Lost Odyssey, on the other hand, seems to have that similar feel (for better or worse). Also, Fable 2 should be fun when it comes out. I mostly play RPGs, sports games, and fighters on the console; the FPS is better played on the PC.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[Aladrin]

http://xbox360.ign.com/index/release.html

Apparently...

Halo3
Beautiful Katamari
Need For Speed Prostreet
Bladestorm
Assassin's Creed
Beowulf
Mass Effect
Devil May Cry 4
Heist
Lost Odyssey
Fallout 3
Alone in the Dark
Burnout Paradise
Culdept Saga
Dark Sector
Legendary: The Box
GTA4
Lego Indiana Jones
Prototype
Alan Wake
Dynasty Warriors 6 ...

Oh, I give up. There's a lot, okay?

Re:What's Left For 360?

[GrayCalx]

what exclusive content is coming that has you excited?

Are you talking Japanese content or just games in general. I think even the most adamant 360 fans will admit that there just isn't much Microsoft is offering to cater to the Japanese audience. Like the headline pointed out there are a few games, and Eternal Sonata is getting relatively good reviews, but they'll never beat out Sony in Japan. Never.

As far as just general exclusive content? Wow, what isn't there to look forward to? Mass Effect of course (which I'd buy a system for). GTA4 extra content. Halo 3 (which as you say, may not skyrocket 360 sales, but its hard to argue that it won't boost them temporarily). Fable 2. Project Gotham 4, etc etc. The list goes on and on. But to be brutally honest with you, its a stupid question. I could go load up a list of exclusive PS3 content and I'm sure I'll find some games that interest me there. Your point of "but what is coming is a great draw that the PS3 doesn't have?" is just dumb. I've listed several things that I'm interested in that the PS3 doesn't/won't have. But I can go dig up a list of "what the 360 doesn't have" if I owned a PS3.

Your real question was "What does the 360 have that the ps3 doesn't have that *I* am interested in?" Which no one has an answer for but yourself.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[MBCook]

Strange, I remember saying exclusive and after Halo 3. Halo 3 is not after Halo 3.

Mass Effect looks to be exclusive. Lost Odyssey too. Culdept Saga too.

That's 3 out of 21 games, 20 if you don't count Halo.

You made a list of 3 games. Good job.

I said it was a nice console. I said I'll probably buy one. I said it looked like a great console to play multi-platform games on. I asked for exclusive games. The vast majority of your list can be played on a PS3.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[KDR_11k]

And? That's still something, it's not like the PS3 has many games over the 360.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[ookaze]

This was about what is left for japanese fans, as everyone can read in the article.
And as for the list of Aladrin of exclusives content (no multiplatform, no remake) that MAY appeal (no FPS, no WRPG) to japanese fans, it reduces to : Lost Odyssey.
Adding Infinite Undiscovery, that's pretty much what the original article said.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[LKM]

As far as console movers go, the 360 has nothing coming up after Halo 3. The PS3 has MGS and FF.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[SuiteSisterMary]

My main problem with Lost Odyssey, while watching Sakaguchi demo it at the TGS, was that the combats appeared to be Final Fantasy style 'you're wandering in the overworld, and BOOM! Random combat!'

Come on. It's 2007.

Re:What's Left For 360?

[Gravatron]

It was odd standing in line for halo 3 last night, and hearing people's comments about the ps3. Some folks generaly thought it didn't have anything. One fellow was particularly adament about that. Another guy, a rather nice game developer, had said it wasn't very good as a platform to develop for.

But As we stood in line, right next to the demo ps3, I heard quite a few comments and praises for certain games on the reel. GT prolouge floored them, Home seemed to generally impress them, LittleBigPlanet was a HUGE hit (doubly so with the game developer) and folklore and Eye Of Judgement drew a few nods of approveal.

I honestly think sony's biggest issue is people just don't know whats comming for the console, outside of the folks who already were ps3 fans. MS has flooded the market and press with hype for it's major games like mass effect and halo, and nintendo just sells people on wiisports. Meanwhile the constaint bashing, downplaying and FUD against the ps3 just kills the console in many folks eyes. I mean just look at this article. no mention of the numerious playable titles on show, the new annoucements, just remarks than sony is fighting for scraps with ms, despite MS being outsold by sony in japan, dspite the price difference. If sony can push what it's got even half as well as MS does, they will be in much better shape.

And did anyone notice the sort of games the developers seem to be tossing the wii compaired to the ps3/360? It always seems like the ps3 and 360 get the big titles, and the core series, and the wii gets tosses offshoots of series, striped down games, or simple minigame or puzzle games. It seems to be playing first chair in sales, but second fiddle in actual game quality and substance.

Looking forward to...

[the dark hero]

I'm looking forward to a long wait and seeing my savings go bye-bye.