I can't wait for this to hit shelves, Outrun was probably one of my favorite Sega games. I know Outrun 2 is out in the arcades, but which arcades those are, I dunno. You used to be able to find a new machine like that randomly, maybe at a movie theatre or something similar.
If Sega is smart, and their lackluster push behind the Xbox port seems to be leaning this way, they should release it for $29.99 or maybe as high as $39.99. It doesn't sound like the replay value will be high enough to warrant a $49.99 price tag.
If you've read any of the Metal Slug 3 reviews, they mostly say that the game is great but it's a little pricey for the amount of content. Sega should avoid this trap.
I honestly doubt ESPN Football would be able to compete with EA's bid, don't forget that it's still published by Sega. Now that Sammy is buying Sega, I don't have much hope for their line of sports games.
Furthermore, ESPN doesn't give a shit about their games. During football season last year, SportsCenter would use a game to demonstrate certain plays and matchups. Did they use ESPN Football? No, they used Madden.
Also don't forget that Madden is employed by Monday Night Football, which is owned by ABC, who also owns ESPN.
Good lord, my eyes may explode from too much misinformation.
For one thing, the PS2 is not "mainstream", there are just lots out there. I'm sure the kid who plays Disgaea and La Pucelle Tactics has a PS2 just like the guy who just plays Madden all the time.
It doesn't matter that the game won't be a million-seller, I seriously doubt SNK created the title with that in mind. I don't want Sony to scare off new blood for their system, and they're nuts to do that at this point of the cycle. In case you haven't noticed, the PS2 is losing momentum because it's starting to look weak compared to the other systems.
The games are not rehashes, both of these games have been awaited for a long time. I love how SNK was "milking" $250 per game for their system, I also love how people can't remember the outrageous memory costs during the 90's.
Finally, there are plenty of people who support SNK and this type of gaming in general. They've been doing this for 15 years, they might know a little more about the target audience than you, eh?
Thank you for mentioning Mega-Tech. I racked up $300 in long distance charges from calling their BBS to download the demos for Cobra Mission and Metal & Lace. What 11-year-old knows that the modem caused long distance charges?! All I knew was that boobies were there, and I would acquire them.
I don't think the Xbox ports are surprising at all. I'm a big fan of SNK and games in general, and I would put the Xbox at the top of the current generation. Xbox has a hidden side to it, not the FPS/Sports one. Tecmo and Sega are primarily responsible for that.
If I could have every game I own for PS2 on Xbox instead, I wouldn't have a PS2 anymore.
Yes, the E3 awards are usually fluff pieces. Of course, all "previews" of games are usually fluff pieces. The reporter can't give an honest opinion of the game, since the problems may not be there when the final version is released. Even taking that into account, I can't count how many times the preview has said something about a flaw in the gameplay, mentions that hopefully the developer will fix it in time, yet the problem is still in the finished product and hurts the overall rating of it.
E3 is not all bad though! New hardware such as the Nintendo DS is always fun to see unveiled and next-generation titles usually incite some drool when revealed. Come on, you know your jaw hit the floor when the Metal Gear Solid 2 trailer was shown for the first time.
I think the overall lesson is that all news/hype/etc. that you read before a game is actually released should be taken with a grain of salt.
I'm not seeing a problem with anything. If you make your character within the permissible rules of the game, you've done nothing wrong.
There are a lot of people better than you in a certain area in real life, MMOs are no different. Some people want to roleplay and some want to wreck shop, each group pays their $9.95 per month.
The upcoming NARC update may have some of this included, but I'd like to see a RPG or survival horror game including a heroin addiction. It would probably work like the sanity meter in Eternal Darkness, where a lower meter makes the graphics and control all wonky.
One of the reasons that games haven't dealt with more serious subjects is that they are not based in reality a lot of the time. GTA/Shenmue are some of the only recent games that are someone grounded. If a game was based in NYC without supernatural stuff happening, and with real character development, it could address some of these social issues. Any city would fine, really.
I've never played Golden Tee, I'm curious to know how the holes are laid out and what the maximum power is. Is it possible to drive the ball 400 yards if you can hit the trackball the right way? And if so, is hitting a long ball beneficial? Depending on the physics, seems like the ball should bounce right off if a player tried to drive the green.
Either way, I don't see why anyone is surprised by this. Money - supervision = People taking advantage.
I know anecdotal evidence is pretty much worthless, but my friend got infected with all sorts of nasty ad/malwares, along with Blaster and a couple other worms. Cox deactivated his cable modem, he had to call them and go through phone hell to get his service back. So I'm not really sure it's only Comcast doing this.
This is bigger news, since games are what make the money. More systems being sold would mean more software being sold, chicken/egg etc.
The most important part of the software sales is what games were bought specifically. I'd like to see if 75%+ is Nintendo first and second-party games. It would look great if Prince of Persia and some other third-party games sold well.
It's very important that Nintendo keeps good relations with third-parties. Nintendo DS is going to need developers for this completely new hardware, the GameCube successor is going to need a lot of games also. In the meantime, support needs to be maintained for GBA/GC.
I want Nintendo to start looking and sounding like a winner again. This is just the first step.
Microsoft threatening modchip distributors, system locked out of Xbox Live if a mod is detected, Nintendo using a proprietary disc format (the streaming method is not a viable way to pirate).
Once again, Sony has the system that's the easiest to pirate. Doesn't seem to hurt them though.
Another contributing factor is that games have a much better entertainment value to cost ratio.
This is the second post in this story where you've bashed the Xbox controller for its digital triggers. They're analog! Just like the Dreamcast. Have you not played a racing game or anything that uses them?
Then I spray painted a set of good headphones to be the same color as my hair so the cops won't notice that I'm wearing them and give me a big honking ticket.
I hope you're talking about riding a bike. Otherwise, turn that shit off so you can hear my horn.
I could be totally wrong, but whoever puts out the first MMO that's fun to play without investing ludicrous amounts of time in it will make a pretty penny. Something along the lines of online PS2 game My Street, except, you know, good. Problem is, it's a lot easier to make some more shitty monster models and yet another barren wasteland in EQ than to make some interesting content.
So far all I've seen is leveling with swords, leveling with light sabers, etc. Who is going to innovate first?
It's naive to think that federal government policies doesn't have a trickle-down effect to the states. Sure, nothing is affected in writing, but putting forth new ideas in the Fed will make those ideas seem more plausable in the States.
Please learn some reading and writing comprehension before posting. Your original post said that Nintendo WOULDN'T LET publishers put out mature games on their systems and that is completely inaccurate.
Re:It is still better than anything else....
on
The Simpsons Movie
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· Score: 1
IMO, the show jumped during the medicinal marijuana episode. It was such pandering to their (admittedly large) stoner audience.
Nintendo are known for their bias towards "family-oriented" entertainment, and only tend to allow publishers to release such games on their consoles. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are very, very few.
a console like the PS2 DOES support games written for every demographic. and that is one of the reasons why they have the biggest market share
Hahaha. That's why Sony made Acclaim edit BMX XXX for PS2, and Nintendo didn't? Nintendo hasn't had a 'clean' policy since 1993 and Mortal Kombat.
You're confusing Nintendo as a manufacturer and a publisher. They don't develop very mature games in-house. But you don't think they would jump at the chance to have a port of GTA for the GC? I can't believe a bunch of idiots modded you up for that.
The biggest thing a game manufacturer could do would be to drop their release prices from 50 to 40 dollars in the US market. They'd sell so many more to make up for lost profit that the end result would be amazing.
Let's do some simple math, boys and girls! The $50 price point is made by the retailer, the wholesale cost per game is around $45. So let's assume that $35 will be the new amount that's going to the publisher.
Let's say that I have a moderately successful game that sells 100,000 copies. Therefore:
That leaves a million dollar gap between the two price points. To make up that deficit by volume, you would need to sell 28,500 more copies, or 28.5%.
Sony has been putting their 1st-party (technically 2nd-party) games out at $39.99, and I don't see them flying off the shelves any faster than games priced at $49.99.
Lower prices makes sense for smaller games, like Contra: Shattered Soldier or anything that doesn't have mass appeal. The price increases the chance of someone buying it. For GTA or Zelda or anything like that, the people who want it are going to buy it. The $10 difference isn't going to double sales of it or anything ludicrous like that.
All of the talk about XBox's games is "Halo this" and "Halo that." Halo alone cannot sustain a console. While people are awaiting Halo 2, I'll be playing Baten Kaitos, PSO 3, Chrystal Chronicles, and the Tales of Destiny games, Metal Gear Solid remake, Metriod Prime 2, All of which will never come out on the XBox.
I'm going to go with the standard canned reply here. Halo is not the only game for Xbox. I own a GCN too, so I'll be playing the games you mentioned as well. But I'll also be playing the excellent Xbox games: Halo 2, Half Life 2, Max Payne 2 (the crap PS2 port doesn't count), Project Gotham Racing 2, Ninja Gaiden, Links 2004, etc.
Your list contains mostly Japanese-styled RPGs. As you know, the Xbox doesn't have any of those. But then again, my list contains a lot of FPSes.
You know what we can determine from this? People will go where the games are! If people want to shoot things, they'll get an Xbox. If people want to cast spells with doe-eyed characters, they'll get a PS2/GC.
You can't compare game lineups anymore. It just comes down to taste.
As an aside, I take issue with your comment about the hard drive being wasted. No, games aren't taking full advantage of it. That'll be for the next generation. But how can you possibly tell me that spending an extra $20 on a *slow* memory card is superior?
Slashdot Mirror
I can't wait for this to hit shelves, Outrun was probably one of my favorite Sega games. I know Outrun 2 is out in the arcades, but which arcades those are, I dunno. You used to be able to find a new machine like that randomly, maybe at a movie theatre or something similar.
If Sega is smart, and their lackluster push behind the Xbox port seems to be leaning this way, they should release it for $29.99 or maybe as high as $39.99. It doesn't sound like the replay value will be high enough to warrant a $49.99 price tag.
If you've read any of the Metal Slug 3 reviews, they mostly say that the game is great but it's a little pricey for the amount of content. Sega should avoid this trap.
It's the Peter Gunn theme. You can probably find a version by the Blues Brothers fairly easily.
I honestly doubt ESPN Football would be able to compete with EA's bid, don't forget that it's still published by Sega. Now that Sammy is buying Sega, I don't have much hope for their line of sports games.
Furthermore, ESPN doesn't give a shit about their games. During football season last year, SportsCenter would use a game to demonstrate certain plays and matchups. Did they use ESPN Football? No, they used Madden.
Also don't forget that Madden is employed by Monday Night Football, which is owned by ABC, who also owns ESPN.
My car requires 93 octane, a Mazdaspeed Protege. It and other cars with turbochargers run a lot more efficiently with higher octane.
I get around 30mpg. My engine goes boom without 93 octane. Perhaps you should go talk to some Hummer drivers?
Good lord, my eyes may explode from too much misinformation.
For one thing, the PS2 is not "mainstream", there are just lots out there. I'm sure the kid who plays Disgaea and La Pucelle Tactics has a PS2 just like the guy who just plays Madden all the time.
It doesn't matter that the game won't be a million-seller, I seriously doubt SNK created the title with that in mind. I don't want Sony to scare off new blood for their system, and they're nuts to do that at this point of the cycle. In case you haven't noticed, the PS2 is losing momentum because it's starting to look weak compared to the other systems.
The games are not rehashes, both of these games have been awaited for a long time. I love how SNK was "milking" $250 per game for their system, I also love how people can't remember the outrageous memory costs during the 90's.
Finally, there are plenty of people who support SNK and this type of gaming in general. They've been doing this for 15 years, they might know a little more about the target audience than you, eh?
Thank you for mentioning Mega-Tech. I racked up $300 in long distance charges from calling their BBS to download the demos for Cobra Mission and Metal & Lace. What 11-year-old knows that the modem caused long distance charges?! All I knew was that boobies were there, and I would acquire them.
I don't think the Xbox ports are surprising at all. I'm a big fan of SNK and games in general, and I would put the Xbox at the top of the current generation. Xbox has a hidden side to it, not the FPS/Sports one. Tecmo and Sega are primarily responsible for that.
If I could have every game I own for PS2 on Xbox instead, I wouldn't have a PS2 anymore.
Yes, the E3 awards are usually fluff pieces. Of course, all "previews" of games are usually fluff pieces. The reporter can't give an honest opinion of the game, since the problems may not be there when the final version is released. Even taking that into account, I can't count how many times the preview has said something about a flaw in the gameplay, mentions that hopefully the developer will fix it in time, yet the problem is still in the finished product and hurts the overall rating of it.
E3 is not all bad though! New hardware such as the Nintendo DS is always fun to see unveiled and next-generation titles usually incite some drool when revealed. Come on, you know your jaw hit the floor when the Metal Gear Solid 2 trailer was shown for the first time.
I think the overall lesson is that all news/hype/etc. that you read before a game is actually released should be taken with a grain of salt.
I'm not seeing a problem with anything. If you make your character within the permissible rules of the game, you've done nothing wrong.
There are a lot of people better than you in a certain area in real life, MMOs are no different. Some people want to roleplay and some want to wreck shop, each group pays their $9.95 per month.
The upcoming NARC update may have some of this included, but I'd like to see a RPG or survival horror game including a heroin addiction. It would probably work like the sanity meter in Eternal Darkness, where a lower meter makes the graphics and control all wonky.
One of the reasons that games haven't dealt with more serious subjects is that they are not based in reality a lot of the time. GTA/Shenmue are some of the only recent games that are someone grounded. If a game was based in NYC without supernatural stuff happening, and with real character development, it could address some of these social issues. Any city would fine, really.
I've never played Golden Tee, I'm curious to know how the holes are laid out and what the maximum power is. Is it possible to drive the ball 400 yards if you can hit the trackball the right way? And if so, is hitting a long ball beneficial? Depending on the physics, seems like the ball should bounce right off if a player tried to drive the green.
Either way, I don't see why anyone is surprised by this. Money - supervision = People taking advantage.
I know anecdotal evidence is pretty much worthless, but my friend got infected with all sorts of nasty ad/malwares, along with Blaster and a couple other worms. Cox deactivated his cable modem, he had to call them and go through phone hell to get his service back. So I'm not really sure it's only Comcast doing this.
January software sales were up 101 percent
This is bigger news, since games are what make the money. More systems being sold would mean more software being sold, chicken/egg etc.
The most important part of the software sales is what games were bought specifically. I'd like to see if 75%+ is Nintendo first and second-party games. It would look great if Prince of Persia and some other third-party games sold well.
It's very important that Nintendo keeps good relations with third-parties. Nintendo DS is going to need developers for this completely new hardware, the GameCube successor is going to need a lot of games also. In the meantime, support needs to be maintained for GBA/GC.
I want Nintendo to start looking and sounding like a winner again. This is just the first step.
Microsoft threatening modchip distributors, system locked out of Xbox Live if a mod is detected, Nintendo using a proprietary disc format (the streaming method is not a viable way to pirate).
Once again, Sony has the system that's the easiest to pirate. Doesn't seem to hurt them though.
Another contributing factor is that games have a much better entertainment value to cost ratio.
This is the second post in this story where you've bashed the Xbox controller for its digital triggers. They're analog! Just like the Dreamcast. Have you not played a racing game or anything that uses them?
Then I spray painted a set of good headphones to be the same color as my hair so the cops won't notice that I'm wearing them and give me a big honking ticket.
I hope you're talking about riding a bike. Otherwise, turn that shit off so you can hear my horn.
What cartoon was that? I have a vivid memory of that particular scene but can't remember what cartoon it was. Woody Woodpecker maybe?
I could be totally wrong, but whoever puts out the first MMO that's fun to play without investing ludicrous amounts of time in it will make a pretty penny. Something along the lines of online PS2 game My Street, except, you know, good. Problem is, it's a lot easier to make some more shitty monster models and yet another barren wasteland in EQ than to make some interesting content.
So far all I've seen is leveling with swords, leveling with light sabers, etc. Who is going to innovate first?
It's naive to think that federal government policies doesn't have a trickle-down effect to the states. Sure, nothing is affected in writing, but putting forth new ideas in the Fed will make those ideas seem more plausable in the States.
Please learn some reading and writing comprehension before posting. Your original post said that Nintendo WOULDN'T LET publishers put out mature games on their systems and that is completely inaccurate.
IMO, the show jumped during the medicinal marijuana episode. It was such pandering to their (admittedly large) stoner audience.
Nintendo are known for their bias towards "family-oriented" entertainment, and only tend to allow publishers to release such games on their consoles. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are very, very few.
a console like the PS2 DOES support games written for every demographic. and that is one of the reasons why they have the biggest market share
Hahaha. That's why Sony made Acclaim edit BMX XXX for PS2, and Nintendo didn't? Nintendo hasn't had a 'clean' policy since 1993 and Mortal Kombat.
You're confusing Nintendo as a manufacturer and a publisher. They don't develop very mature games in-house. But you don't think they would jump at the chance to have a port of GTA for the GC? I can't believe a bunch of idiots modded you up for that.
If you want to spend $20 so you can bring your saved games, Xbox has memory cards available as well for exactly that purpose. :)
The biggest thing a game manufacturer could do would be to drop their release prices from 50 to 40 dollars in the US market. They'd sell so many more to make up for lost profit that the end result would be amazing.
Let's do some simple math, boys and girls!
The $50 price point is made by the retailer, the wholesale cost per game is around $45. So let's assume that $35 will be the new amount that's going to the publisher.
Let's say that I have a moderately successful game that sells 100,000 copies. Therefore:
100,000 * 45 = $4,500,000
100,000 * 35 = $3,500,000
That leaves a million dollar gap between the two price points. To make up that deficit by volume, you would need to sell 28,500 more copies, or 28.5%.
Sony has been putting their 1st-party (technically 2nd-party) games out at $39.99, and I don't see them flying off the shelves any faster than games priced at $49.99.
Lower prices makes sense for smaller games, like Contra: Shattered Soldier or anything that doesn't have mass appeal. The price increases the chance of someone buying it. For GTA or Zelda or anything like that, the people who want it are going to buy it. The $10 difference isn't going to double sales of it or anything ludicrous like that.
All of the talk about XBox's games is "Halo this" and "Halo that." Halo alone cannot sustain a console. While people are awaiting Halo 2, I'll be playing Baten Kaitos, PSO 3, Chrystal Chronicles, and the Tales of Destiny games, Metal Gear Solid remake, Metriod Prime 2, All of which will never come out on the XBox.
I'm going to go with the standard canned reply here. Halo is not the only game for Xbox. I own a GCN too, so I'll be playing the games you mentioned as well. But I'll also be playing the excellent Xbox games: Halo 2, Half Life 2, Max Payne 2 (the crap PS2 port doesn't count), Project Gotham Racing 2, Ninja Gaiden, Links 2004, etc.
Your list contains mostly Japanese-styled RPGs. As you know, the Xbox doesn't have any of those. But then again, my list contains a lot of FPSes.
You know what we can determine from this? People will go where the games are! If people want to shoot things, they'll get an Xbox. If people want to cast spells with doe-eyed characters, they'll get a PS2/GC.
You can't compare game lineups anymore. It just comes down to taste.
As an aside, I take issue with your comment about the hard drive being wasted. No, games aren't taking full advantage of it. That'll be for the next generation. But how can you possibly tell me that spending an extra $20 on a *slow* memory card is superior?