So if people find the PS3 too expensive they will just choose to buy nothing or just hold out until prices drop? Prices normally drop when prodcution gets less expensive, sales have started to offset costs or popularity wanes. If sales are not generated that allow those things to happen then price cuts are generally a long ways off unless they console in jeopardy in which case people wont buy it anyway (i.e. dreamcast). That wont happen with the ps3, it will be successful its just a question of how successful.
I really dont thing any one console is going shrink the market, increase it maybe, but not shrink it. If a gamer wants to play games he is going to buy something, especially when his old console is no longer supported with new games, he/she just might not be buying the one he originally wanted. If this was truly the case wouldnt the market today be slowed by the death of Sega hardware due to all those Sega fans dropping out of gaming?
The best thing they can do for Fable 2 is to perhaps go easy on the hype. With the first one, after the hype that it was the best game created since pac-man and the delays in its release anything they did was doomed to be a disapointment. Once the game was finally released it was pretty and fun but so short that most gamers and reviewers just said "meh".
Spend some time creating a bit lengthier story and concentrate on gameplay rather than interviews and hype, if its truly worthy the reviewers will give you more hype than you can handle anyway.
I bet they wish it was Torchwood, then they could just say the consoles were all manufactured on alternate earth but the hole closed before they could get them here for shipping.
For the past few years I havent had nearly the urge to upgrade that I did in the past. Most games have become so gpu dependant that upgrading the video card has been sufficient enough to keep the latest games running on even a 2-3 year old machine. From what I read it appears that dx10 is more of an attempt to make the rest of the hardware insufficient than any real improvement in the gaming experience.
With all the talk of physics engines and vista exclusivity it has me concerned that what is already a small market is just going to get smaller. My last video card upgrade was $400 and it was an upper mid-range card (x850 xt platinum) not top of the line. My friends and family thought I was insane since many of their pc's cost less than that. I cant even count how many clients I have that get pissed off that their new dual core system cant run a two year old game because the video included was an onboard intel gpu.
IMHO thats whats wrong with the PC gaming world and what pushes users to "casual" gaming. Most folks I know dont even bother to look at the new games on the shelves because they assume they cant run it and refuse to put up the cash to upgrade what they see as a minor part of their pc. I understand Microsofts and their vendors desire to get people upgrading again but unless computer manufacturers either start uncluding decent video cards or intel increases their integrated performace by leaps and bounds the market is just going to dwindle even more.
Im sure your right in regards to that, I also have a coworker who is online and much more into gaming than I am and he is getting PS3, he claims that there are few 3rd party developers for the wii and that M$ is just trying to force users into the next version of webtv. I dont even bother to comment, usually just nod and smile.
Its all just rumors and speculation and even disproved rumors still abound. In the end people will buy consoles based on what they can afford, what their friends are playing and whatever rumors they choose to believe.
Actually coward it did, but he read it in a game magazine, I had forgotten he gets EGM, so I guess he is more in touch than the vast hordes of clueless people that sony fans are relying on.
There is a big difference though at least Nintendo let people actually play some wii games on some actual hardware while Sony showed video that they said was being rendered in real time behind a curtain. Im sure the ps3 will be released on time and specs wise will be infinately more powerful than the wii, but until someone actually can touch one and see a game being played on one its still vaporware.
If the general interest everywhere else is like it is here, 2 million should be more than enough to cover launch. Its a bit jacked up how the "bad buzz" has spread well beyond the internet, especially since its somethig none of us have seen yet. My brother in law was asking me about the xbox 360 yesterday, and was telling me how he heard the ps3 was an overpriced piece of ****. He has no home computer nor email account so how he heard this I have no idea, but if its any indication of the "general public" that is always discussed here as not knowing anything its not a good sign.
There are some simple things to do that can fix the industry
Voices: First get rid of all the actors and actresses doing voice work, nobody else cares if Alec Balwin is doing the voice of bobo the clown in Flaming Death Racer 2k6, so why should the publisher.
Visuals: Get rid of the lame ass cinematics that delay the games for a year. Most everyone skips after the first time and many dont watch at all. If you really need a cinematic intro or cut scene render it in game and show off your ai skills rather than trying to make us drool over graphics that we wish were in the actual gameplay. If we need more background give us a text screen to read or throw in the manual, if thats not enough to explain things perhaps your story is half baked and needs to develop a little more before you make a whole game out of it.
Packing and Paper: Speaking of manuals, put that on the disk, text, pdf who cares just searchable and handy...save a tree. On the subject of saving trees, why not just ship games in a dvd style case and be done with it.
Game Licenses: A kids movie hitting the theaters is not enough of a reason to shove a bunch of money at a "license" to create a crappy game based on it. History has shown that most of the worst games in history have been based on movies, its not hard to see the trends. Licenses trap and restrain a game to stay within the boundries of something that has already been created. Look at Star Wars, there are tons of bad Star Wars game with only a handful of good one, the best being based on Lego's. Bottom line is if you are going to use a license think outside the box.
You want to really know what broke the game industry, its the idiots in the movie business thinking they could run the games business like movies and television, sorry to disappoint but in games its not the voice talent or number of explosions that the star its the fun level of the game. Get rid of the crap and bring back the fun and games will succeed, heck they might even end up profitable AND affordable...a win-win for everyone.
I went to college at a state university but ended up completing my degree via online courses with another school. I value what I learned from the online courses much higher than what I recieved from the state school. When I was in college my biggest concerns were getting stoned with my roommate, playing my guitar and watching my girlfriend do keg stands. With the online courses all the time was spent actually learning and studying.
How long will it take some CEO to read about the treadmill cubicles and mandate "cubicle fitness", all the cubes can be wired up to generate power to the computers and lights. When the lights go dim someone is slackin...
Ok you have a good point there, I guess comparing my console habits, I buy 1 new than after the price drops I usually hunt the pawn shops for a cheap second one.
I like the option of episodic games on the market though not for a reason that game companies would appreciate. Half the games I buy only hold my attention for a few levels and episodic content gives me enough of a feel for the game that it doesnt take as much for me to feel as I have gotten my moneys worth. OTOH, the few that I have played were good enough to make me want to get the next chapter.
I think what this really comes down to is that without hype only good games will survive, perhaps that is more what Mark fears. I did find this quote funny "Episodic games that offer faster turnaround will inevitably be using a lot of recycled content, walking through the same environments and shooting the same enemies with the same weapons." especially since Epic has been rereleaseing the same crap in its unreal franchise for the past 8 years.
Im sure Sony is glad you're that impulsive but for most of us, not being able to rent or borrow means not buying it at all. I've been burned by hype and advertising too many times in the past to buy a game without at least checking it out first, I would imagine the majority are in the same boat.
With the overheating and lens problems of the 1st and 2nd generation consoles from Sony, doing this could and probably would become their worst public relations nightmare. Also cant forget homes with more than one console, I have had 2 ps2's in the house at one time, and still have two GC's one for the kids and one for me, do they really expect me to buy two copies? They might as well have labeled this one "Patent For Future Class Action Suit". Of course I would love to see them try it, since a good bitchslap has been months overdue for them. I give 2 weeks after release before the first lawsuit fly.
I can relate to that. It used to be that I would upgrade my computer around every six months, had to have the latest pda or gadget and the newest game consoles. A few years ago I went through a bout of unemployment and couldnt afford the new toys. I sold my ps2 and my xbox (kept my gamecube) and stopped upgrading my computer. Unemployment was short but two years later I still havent bothered to replace anything. I did finally upgrade my computer but only after my boss bought a buch of parts and told me to upgrade my machine as a reward for completing a big project early and under budget. I evidently weaned myself from the addiction, I just dont care much anymore.
Of course I dont see them as equal as far as relations with most of the world. However, with the sabre rattling that India and Pakistan have engaged in over the past couple years, im not real thrilled about either of them having Nukes either. Its been relatively quiet lately but it was only a short while ago that their bickering was quickly elevating to complete lunacy.
The "kiddie" image is constantly brought up but in reality only seems to really exist with teenagers who like all generations before them are desperately trying to separate themselves from "kiddie" so they can feel more mature. Its rather funny how if you ask a 15 year old about GTA he will respond that its an "adult" game, ask a 35 year old and most will say its a "childish" game. Its all about perception and comfort level. I have no problem playing Mario Party with my kids or playing animal crossing but ask my teenage nephew and he would freak out...he's 14.
Perhaps is Romero actually releases something worth while the bashing will go away, Sim Health was very early in the Maxis days and the dozens of games that Wright has been involved with since then have more than made up for one disaster. If anything Wright managed to catch lightning in a bottle twice, first with Sim City, then a decade later with The Sims, both pretty much revolutionalized their genres. Gamers are fickle, all it takes is one hit game and the game mags will all declare "Romero Is Back!".
It sounds kinda goofy but the Mr Clean Magic Eraser works great at cleaning the DS. Though its too early in its lifecycle to be a problem yet, I am betting odds on NON-Acetone based nail polish remover working great at removing any future discolorations as well. I'd love to take credit, but both are tricks the Ipod and Ibook communities have found and use regularly.
he's still making games?
on
Romero's New Gig
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Has Roemero completed anything since Daikatana? (yes I know its "completion" is itself questionable) I know at one point he was with some "mobile" gaming company that flopped, then was supposedly with Midway but I never saw anything indicating he actually producted something. Interesting to see the hype machine starting up. Perhaps Romero is pissed that Duke Nukem Forever took his vaporware crown. At least with a mmorpg he has the excuse of never being finished so he never has to realease it.
Slashdot Mirror
So if people find the PS3 too expensive they will just choose to buy nothing or just hold out until prices drop? Prices normally drop when prodcution gets less expensive, sales have started to offset costs or popularity wanes. If sales are not generated that allow those things to happen then price cuts are generally a long ways off unless they console in jeopardy in which case people wont buy it anyway (i.e. dreamcast). That wont happen with the ps3, it will be successful its just a question of how successful.
I really dont thing any one console is going shrink the market, increase it maybe, but not shrink it. If a gamer wants to play games he is going to buy something, especially when his old console is no longer supported with new games, he/she just might not be buying the one he originally wanted. If this was truly the case wouldnt the market today be slowed by the death of Sega hardware due to all those Sega fans dropping out of gaming?
The best thing they can do for Fable 2 is to perhaps go easy on the hype. With the first one, after the hype that it was the best game created since pac-man and the delays in its release anything they did was doomed to be a disapointment. Once the game was finally released it was pretty and fun but so short that most gamers and reviewers just said "meh".
Spend some time creating a bit lengthier story and concentrate on gameplay rather than interviews and hype, if its truly worthy the reviewers will give you more hype than you can handle anyway.
There is a bit more detail here, including a picture:
a chine-29616.shtml
http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Atom-Sorting-M
I bet they wish it was Torchwood, then they could just say the consoles were all manufactured on alternate earth but the hole closed before they could get them here for shipping.
For the past few years I havent had nearly the urge to upgrade that I did in the past. Most games have become so gpu dependant that upgrading the video card has been sufficient enough to keep the latest games running on even a 2-3 year old machine. From what I read it appears that dx10 is more of an attempt to make the rest of the hardware insufficient than any real improvement in the gaming experience.
With all the talk of physics engines and vista exclusivity it has me concerned that what is already a small market is just going to get smaller. My last video card upgrade was $400 and it was an upper mid-range card (x850 xt platinum) not top of the line. My friends and family thought I was insane since many of their pc's cost less than that. I cant even count how many clients I have that get pissed off that their new dual core system cant run a two year old game because the video included was an onboard intel gpu.
IMHO thats whats wrong with the PC gaming world and what pushes users to "casual" gaming. Most folks I know dont even bother to look at the new games on the shelves because they assume they cant run it and refuse to put up the cash to upgrade what they see as a minor part of their pc. I understand Microsofts and their vendors desire to get people upgrading again but unless computer manufacturers either start uncluding decent video cards or intel increases their integrated performace by leaps and bounds the market is just going to dwindle even more.
Im sure your right in regards to that, I also have a coworker who is online and much more into gaming than I am and he is getting PS3, he claims that there are few 3rd party developers for the wii and that M$ is just trying to force users into the next version of webtv. I dont even bother to comment, usually just nod and smile.
Its all just rumors and speculation and even disproved rumors still abound. In the end people will buy consoles based on what they can afford, what their friends are playing and whatever rumors they choose to believe.
what no "I blew through 25 million dollars and all I got was this lousy keyboard tray" t-hirts??
Actually coward it did, but he read it in a game magazine, I had forgotten he gets EGM, so I guess he is more in touch than the vast hordes of clueless people that sony fans are relying on.
There is a big difference though at least Nintendo let people actually play some wii games on some actual hardware while Sony showed video that they said was being rendered in real time behind a curtain. Im sure the ps3 will be released on time and specs wise will be infinately more powerful than the wii, but until someone actually can touch one and see a game being played on one its still vaporware.
If the general interest everywhere else is like it is here, 2 million should be more than enough to cover launch. Its a bit jacked up how the "bad buzz" has spread well beyond the internet, especially since its somethig none of us have seen yet. My brother in law was asking me about the xbox 360 yesterday, and was telling me how he heard the ps3 was an overpriced piece of ****. He has no home computer nor email account so how he heard this I have no idea, but if its any indication of the "general public" that is always discussed here as not knowing anything its not a good sign.
There are some simple things to do that can fix the industry
Voices: First get rid of all the actors and actresses doing voice work, nobody else cares if Alec Balwin is doing the voice of bobo the clown in Flaming Death Racer 2k6, so why should the publisher.
Visuals: Get rid of the lame ass cinematics that delay the games for a year. Most everyone skips after the first time and many dont watch at all. If you really need a cinematic intro or cut scene render it in game and show off your ai skills rather than trying to make us drool over graphics that we wish were in the actual gameplay. If we need more background give us a text screen to read or throw in the manual, if thats not enough to explain things perhaps your story is half baked and needs to develop a little more before you make a whole game out of it.
Packing and Paper: Speaking of manuals, put that on the disk, text, pdf who cares just searchable and handy...save a tree. On the subject of saving trees, why not just ship games in a dvd style case and be done with it.
Game Licenses: A kids movie hitting the theaters is not enough of a reason to shove a bunch of money at a "license" to create a crappy game based on it. History has shown that most of the worst games in history have been based on movies, its not hard to see the trends. Licenses trap and restrain a game to stay within the boundries of something that has already been created. Look at Star Wars, there are tons of bad Star Wars game with only a handful of good one, the best being based on Lego's. Bottom line is if you are going to use a license think outside the box.
You want to really know what broke the game industry, its the idiots in the movie business thinking they could run the games business like movies and television, sorry to disappoint but in games its not the voice talent or number of explosions that the star its the fun level of the game. Get rid of the crap and bring back the fun and games will succeed, heck they might even end up profitable AND affordable...a win-win for everyone.
I went to college at a state university but ended up completing my degree via online courses with another school. I value what I learned from the online courses much higher than what I recieved from the state school. When I was in college my biggest concerns were getting stoned with my roommate, playing my guitar and watching my girlfriend do keg stands. With the online courses all the time was spent actually learning and studying.
How long will it take some CEO to read about the treadmill cubicles and mandate "cubicle fitness", all the cubes can be wired up to generate power to the computers and lights. When the lights go dim someone is slackin...
Ok you have a good point there, I guess comparing my console habits, I buy 1 new than after the price drops I usually hunt the pawn shops for a cheap second one.
I like the option of episodic games on the market though not for a reason that game companies would appreciate. Half the games I buy only hold my attention for a few levels and episodic content gives me enough of a feel for the game that it doesnt take as much for me to feel as I have gotten my moneys worth. OTOH, the few that I have played were good enough to make me want to get the next chapter.
I think what this really comes down to is that without hype only good games will survive, perhaps that is more what Mark fears. I did find this quote funny "Episodic games that offer faster turnaround will inevitably be using a lot of recycled content, walking through the same environments and shooting the same enemies with the same weapons." especially since Epic has been rereleaseing the same crap in its unreal franchise for the past 8 years.
Im sure Sony is glad you're that impulsive but for most of us, not being able to rent or borrow means not buying it at all. I've been burned by hype and advertising too many times in the past to buy a game without at least checking it out first, I would imagine the majority are in the same boat.
With the overheating and lens problems of the 1st and 2nd generation consoles from Sony, doing this could and probably would become their worst public relations nightmare. Also cant forget homes with more than one console, I have had 2 ps2's in the house at one time, and still have two GC's one for the kids and one for me, do they really expect me to buy two copies? They might as well have labeled this one "Patent For Future Class Action Suit". Of course I would love to see them try it, since a good bitchslap has been months overdue for them. I give 2 weeks after release before the first lawsuit fly.
I can relate to that. It used to be that I would upgrade my computer around every six months, had to have the latest pda or gadget and the newest game consoles. A few years ago I went through a bout of unemployment and couldnt afford the new toys. I sold my ps2 and my xbox (kept my gamecube) and stopped upgrading my computer. Unemployment was short but two years later I still havent bothered to replace anything. I did finally upgrade my computer but only after my boss bought a buch of parts and told me to upgrade my machine as a reward for completing a big project early and under budget. I evidently weaned myself from the addiction, I just dont care much anymore.
Of course I dont see them as equal as far as relations with most of the world. However, with the sabre rattling that India and Pakistan have engaged in over the past couple years, im not real thrilled about either of them having Nukes either. Its been relatively quiet lately but it was only a short while ago that their bickering was quickly elevating to complete lunacy.
Actually it was one day after India tested their missile.
From the Article:
"It came a day after a test-fire of India's longest-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile ended in failure."
Yep, it didnt get much press, guess no one cared since it was a "friendly" country testing this time.
The "kiddie" image is constantly brought up but in reality only seems to really exist with teenagers who like all generations before them are desperately trying to separate themselves from "kiddie" so they can feel more mature. Its rather funny how if you ask a 15 year old about GTA he will respond that its an "adult" game, ask a 35 year old and most will say its a "childish" game. Its all about perception and comfort level. I have no problem playing Mario Party with my kids or playing animal crossing but ask my teenage nephew and he would freak out...he's 14.
Perhaps is Romero actually releases something worth while the bashing will go away, Sim Health was very early in the Maxis days and the dozens of games that Wright has been involved with since then have more than made up for one disaster. If anything Wright managed to catch lightning in a bottle twice, first with Sim City, then a decade later with The Sims, both pretty much revolutionalized their genres. Gamers are fickle, all it takes is one hit game and the game mags will all declare "Romero Is Back!".
It sounds kinda goofy but the Mr Clean Magic Eraser works great at cleaning the DS. Though its too early in its lifecycle to be a problem yet, I am betting odds on NON-Acetone based nail polish remover working great at removing any future discolorations as well. I'd love to take credit, but both are tricks the Ipod and Ibook communities have found and use regularly.
Has Roemero completed anything since Daikatana? (yes I know its "completion" is itself questionable) I know at one point he was with some "mobile" gaming company that flopped, then was supposedly with Midway but I never saw anything indicating he actually producted something. Interesting to see the hype machine starting up. Perhaps Romero is pissed that Duke Nukem Forever took his vaporware crown. At least with a mmorpg he has the excuse of never being finished so he never has to realease it.
At e3 Satoru Iwata stated that retiring the Gameboy is indeed a possibility.
http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/708/708063p1.html