I completely agree. 600 is insane for the PS3. However, picking them up used (at least where I live) is fairly easy, and knocks a good 200 bucks off the price. I got my PS3 (still in the original packaging, manual not opened) for 44,000 yen (about $390). There are still no games I want to play on the system yet, but I'm enjoying the large number of free demos and playing all my PS2 games in HD.
When I first heard about the different PS3 models, I was all for the "why would I buy a gimped version of the PS3?!?" argument. Then I started considering the prices.
The benefits of the 60 gig are: +40 GB drive memory card slots Wifi
And it costs 100 dollars more.
I have a wifi router in my house. My entertainment system is close enough to my router (for my Xbox, et al) to connect with a cable. I connect it, BAM I have WiFi access to my PS3.
A USB Memory card adapter is $10 at the Electronics store.
So I'm left paying $90 for 40Gigs of storage? I'd rather shell out the extra $30, get a 500Gig drive, and plug it in myself (standard SATAII cables, doesn't void warenty).
So, the 20 Gig was the only version I was actually looking at to buy. That and the fact that upgraded versions of the PS3 have a good chance of being "Software backwards compatible" like in the UK, which is to say "not backwards compatible at all"
I can only hope that they won't get rid of the 20gig here as well.
I remember being completely disturbed and frighted by that cover, as it was (if I remember correctly) a human actor holding a model of a sever head, which was dripping blood.
Oddly enough, it made me really want to play the game. And made me really disappointed when I couldn't hold Dracula's head aloft at the end.
Just for all those people saying that there are no PS3s, and lots of Wiis, and that's why they're selling so well, let me put in my anecdotal evidence.
I live in a town of about 500,000 people, and work in Nagoya, which I belive is the 4th largest city in Japan (maybe 5th).
I can go into any store on any day and pick up a PS3. That includes both 20 and 60 GB models. I can go to my local game store, the mall, electronics Depot, even my Video Rental service is selling PS3s and have a bunch in stock.
Wiis? Good luck. Wiis sell out in about 5 minutes whenever there's a shipment. I haven't seen one on the store shelf EVER. DS Lites (and even DSs) are pretty much the same story. If you're not incredibly lucky, or incredibly determined, there's no way to pick up any Nintendo consoles. And that's with shipments coming once every week.
Even people I know who were gung-ho about the PS3 have wavered, and are buying Wiis instead. When I tell them that there are PS3s available, they just kind of shrug and say "Yeah... Maybe next year."
I just updated the Weather Channel yesterday, and started having graphic problems. I was wondering if anyone had had anything similar?
Using D-SUB cables (progressive HD) I get these wierd black lines that look like digital noise running down the center and left of my screen, always in the same possition. They're most noticeable on the main wii page, but I've seen little flickerings even in my games (Made in Wario, etc). Has anyone else had this problem?
Granted I have not read TFA, but this comes a little surprise to me, as it is currently impossible to purchase a Wii, even in the most country of country in Japan.
I was lucky enough to have a pre-order and get my wii (and zelda) on launch day, but since then, there have been almost no wiis available in any stores (I'm searching for a wii twice a week at about 3 stores, and still have had no luck).
If no one has the hardware, no one will buy the game.
Everyone always harps on the Friend Codes, but I love em. I can play with my friends that I know in person, or that I chat with online, or even entire message board communities if I post my code somewhere.
It also means I don't have to endure being team killed by a whiny little 12 year-old who just learned the word "cock-slut."
Let me tell you a little thing about AMC theatres in Japan.
Like all theatres, they have the anti-piracy video clip before the movie. Like all theatres, the volume on this clip is twice that of the movie or trailers. Unlike all theatres, the face of the young crying woman in the clip turns into a huge skull with the words "Anti-Piracy Campaign" under it. Unlike all theatres, they show this clip before childrens movies.
I went to see Over the Hedge with my neice, and as soon as that skull comes up, every child under the age of 8 starts bawling their little heads off, and more than a few need to be taken out of the theatre.
I wonder to myself how many of those children will never want to see a movie at the theatres again.
The original article states that he was arrested, but not yet deported. He hasn't yet been found guilty (still a suspect), but has admited to the crime. It also mentions that he is suspected of raising over 6 million yen (about 60,000 dollars) from April to May of 2006.
So, I decided to go to my local game store (Famicon Jungle) the other night to see the status of the PS3 in Japan (not really giving a crap, as I have my Wii on pre-order, but just to see what games are out and whatnot).
So, I go to the store, and there's about 3 cars waiting outside of the store. 2 have the geekiest geeks you've ever seen in your life sitting in them, 1 has a couple just kind of hanging out eating snacks. They're all waiting for a PS3 shipment that is apparently late getting to the store.
I walk up to the store and there is a big sign on the front that says "We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we will be getting only 1-3 PS3s, and they will be given out at a first come first serve basis." It was 9pm on launch day, and apparently they still hadn't come yet.
To give you some background of where I live: I live in a town of around 500,000 people. The surrounding area is all farms, so I figure within 20km of me, there are all of 3 stores that are selling PS3s. If each one gets 1-3 machines, that means that if one in 100,000 people decides "hmmm, I would like a PS3.." then they will sell out.
Well, with the recent price drop in Japan, as well as the inclusion of HDMI in the "lite" version, that holds less and less true. I was completely anti-PS3 until I saw their offering at the Tokyo Game Show this year. They really have their act together, and while it might not seem so in America or Slashdot (same thing for me, as I get all my news here), the reality is that Sony is probably going to dominate this round as well, with Nintendo getting a hefty 2nd place.
I know personal anecdotes are horrible for proving things, but in the Japanese company I work for, there are 12 people in my section. 3 of them have special savings that they've been putting away just for a PS3.
I personally would love to support the 360, but I see that this generation is going to play out just like the last one in Japan. I also have no use for live, so for me, I'm relegated to buying a Wii and a PS3.
Similarly, Xbox 360 titles Dead Rising and Lost Planet will be priced at ¥8,379 ($72) when they are released -- ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 ($9 to $17) more than usual.
This really isn't news, because it was the same in the last generation.
Popular games are more expensive when they come out. That's just how it is.
Ninja Gaiden was 9000 yen when it came out, as is most of Team Ninja's stuff.
Now you can get it for 1000 in the bargain bin.
I was in a similar prediciment a couple of years ago when I moved abroad. There were no English speaking gamers in my area, and so I resigned myself to gaming online with my friends.
After trying voice, we realized that getting everyone to talk in turn, and notice who was saying what was a major pain, and switched around through various chat/whiteboard systems.
I've tried OpenRPG (not very user friendly) ScreenMonkey (very nice, but the flashing screen refreshes drove my players batty) and FantasyGrounds (gorgeous system, but expensive and only does D20).
Eventually I just gave up and decided to write my own system. I wrote a 1 meg client with a PHP telnet server for the GM. It supported mapping, whiteboard drawing, player actions, customizable backgrounds, player colors, pre-prepared icons and character sheets.
As soon as I finished writing it, all my friends got too busy to game anymore.
I can't believe changing the name of something as old as the Comic Cafe (manga kisa) to "Media Immersion Pods" suddenly makes a 30+ year old thing news.
In other news, Microsoft announced today that it was dismayed at the delay in the launch of the PS3. A spokesman was quoted as saying "Come on Sony, get your act together! Gamers are waiting for Halo 3, and we're not going to sit on this thing forever!"
This is actually an issue that has been plaguing me with Kingdom Hearts 2 as of late. It seems like the only time that the game play is NOT in a cutscene is when you're fighting enemies in a pre-scripted battle.
Although the cutscenes are interesting, it makes me feel like I'm not playing a game, but rather watching a story where I occasionally get to beat up bad guys. In one section there was a room full of treasures chests that I ran through in a cut scene. I then had to defeat the main boss, which gave me a cutscene, and then exited me out to the world map. I had to go BACK to the stage. Fight through the ENTIRE stage again, just to get the treasure chests that I ran by in the cut scene.
FMVs are great. Cut scenes are great. But they have to be used sparingly, otherwise it stops feeling like you're playing a game, and more like you're watching a movie.
Actually, it's a common myth that anime is cheap in Japan. Maybe you're thinking of hongkong? Anime is a nitch market both in Japan and abroad, thus it ganers nitch market prices. Japanese media is also more expensive in general.
Stand Alone complex season 2 discs run 8154yen (around 80 dollars) a DVD at most stores, and 6552 yen on Amazon.co.jp
Ok, granted, I haven't read the article, so take this for what it's worth.
I was reading weekly famitsu (largest gaming magazing in Japan) the other week, and they had a new years special about the next gen, and what people were looking for. From their website poll, the thing that ranked second on everyone's minds was the Xbox 360. People are interested in this console. Then why the lukewarm reception?
In the reader comments sections, some of the issues were * Didn't give a crap about HD * No good games at startup (but wants to wait and see) * The commericals don't show screenshots. They have no idea what the next gen games look like.
However, everyone expressed hope that the Xbox would get some good games out. People are not looking to hate this console because it has an X on it, or because it's made by america, or some other sort of nationalism. They just don't have a compelling reason to buy one. As for it not selling out, I tons of DSs and PSPs on the shelves two days after launch -- it may just be my experience, but I don't notice wide-spread shortages of new products like in America.
I still wonder at all these people shouting racism about the Japanese culture. I think there are few countries in the world that are more forgiving to foreigns (at least western foreigners). I wonder if these people are coming from an informed (live in Japan & can speak Japanese) perspective, or something that they heard from people who went to Japan 30 years ago.
So, I'm still only partway through the game, but I have to agree with most of what the reviewer said. This game is incredibly beautiful. Everything about it screams style, and it's obvious that when they made the game they did so from the viewpoint that they're making a movie. They even have crossfades within the engine (no black screen or fade out between camera changes).
The gummi ship battles (my least favorite part of the game in I) have been completely redone in II, and are now by far my favorite part.
However.
After an amazing first 10 hours, I've come to realize that II is essentially just a better version of I. The plot isn't as thrilling as I hoped it would be, and although the connection between XII and Sora and Roksor are interesting, I'm fiding myself visiting the same Disney worlds that I did in 1 (nightmare before xmas, atlantis, arabian nights, olympus) with only a few additions (tron, lion king, old town). Even the winny the pooh adventure is similar.
Perhaps I'm just jaded, but I was hoping for something more far reaching in terms of plot. So far it feels like more of the same. Hopefully that will change in the next 20 hours or so.
That being said, I do recommend the game, because even though the plot may not have progressed as much as I would have liked, it's still an amazing game with beautiful graphics and a deep combat and custimization system. Hell, I'd buy it just for the gummi battles.;)
Slashdot Mirror
I completely agree.
600 is insane for the PS3. However, picking them up used (at least where I live) is fairly easy, and knocks a good 200 bucks off the price. I got my PS3 (still in the original packaging, manual not opened) for 44,000 yen (about $390). There are still no games I want to play on the system yet, but I'm enjoying the large number of free demos and playing all my PS2 games in HD.
I had a sinking feeling that this was coming...
When I first heard about the different PS3 models, I was all for the "why would I buy a gimped version of the PS3?!?" argument. Then I started considering the prices.
The benefits of the 60 gig are:
+40 GB drive
memory card slots
Wifi
And it costs 100 dollars more.
I have a wifi router in my house. My entertainment system is close enough to my router (for my Xbox, et al) to connect with a cable. I connect it, BAM I have WiFi access to my PS3.
A USB Memory card adapter is $10 at the Electronics store.
So I'm left paying $90 for 40Gigs of storage? I'd rather shell out the extra $30, get a 500Gig drive, and plug it in myself (standard SATAII cables, doesn't void warenty).
So, the 20 Gig was the only version I was actually looking at to buy.
That and the fact that upgraded versions of the PS3 have a good chance of being "Software backwards compatible" like in the UK, which is to say "not backwards compatible at all"
I can only hope that they won't get rid of the 20gig here as well.
khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
* Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
* Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
I remember being completely disturbed and frighted by that cover, as it was (if I remember correctly) a human actor holding a model of a sever head, which was dripping blood.
Oddly enough, it made me really want to play the game.
And made me really disappointed when I couldn't hold Dracula's head aloft at the end.
Just for all those people saying that there are no PS3s, and lots of Wiis, and that's why they're selling so well, let me put in my anecdotal evidence.
I live in a town of about 500,000 people, and work in Nagoya, which I belive is the 4th largest city in Japan (maybe 5th).
I can go into any store on any day and pick up a PS3. That includes both 20 and 60 GB models. I can go to my local game store, the mall, electronics Depot, even my Video Rental service is selling PS3s and have a bunch in stock.
Wiis? Good luck. Wiis sell out in about 5 minutes whenever there's a shipment. I haven't seen one on the store shelf EVER. DS Lites (and even DSs) are pretty much the same story. If you're not incredibly lucky, or incredibly determined, there's no way to pick up any Nintendo consoles. And that's with shipments coming once every week.
Even people I know who were gung-ho about the PS3 have wavered, and are buying Wiis instead. When I tell them that there are PS3s available, they just kind of shrug and say "Yeah... Maybe next year."
I just updated the Weather Channel yesterday, and started having graphic problems.
I was wondering if anyone had had anything similar?
Using D-SUB cables (progressive HD) I get these wierd black lines that look like digital noise running down the center and left of my screen, always in the same possition. They're most noticeable on the main wii page, but I've seen little flickerings even in my games (Made in Wario, etc). Has anyone else had this problem?
Granted I have not read TFA, but this comes a little surprise to me, as it is currently impossible to purchase a Wii, even in the most country of country in Japan.
I was lucky enough to have a pre-order and get my wii (and zelda) on launch day, but since then, there have been almost no wiis available in any stores (I'm searching for a wii twice a week at about 3 stores, and still have had no luck).
If no one has the hardware, no one will buy the game.
Some other Square-Enix games, from the Nintendo website:
e x.html
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/software/lineup/ind
Wii -- DRAGON QUEST SWORDS Spring 2007 Square Enix
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/index.html
DS -- Dragon Quest Monster Joker Dec 2006
DS -- Chocobo Magic Picture Book 12/14/2006
Everyone always harps on the Friend Codes, but I love em.
I can play with my friends that I know in person, or that I chat with online, or even entire message board communities if I post my code somewhere.
It also means I don't have to endure being team killed by a whiny little 12 year-old who just learned the word "cock-slut."
While slightly off topic, I think another thing that should be added to our currency is numbers denoting the value of each coin.
Look at a quarter, penny, or dime (I think).
They proudly say on them:
One Quarter
One Cent
One Dime
Let me tell you a little thing about AMC theatres in Japan.
Like all theatres, they have the anti-piracy video clip before the movie.
Like all theatres, the volume on this clip is twice that of the movie or trailers.
Unlike all theatres, the face of the young crying woman in the clip turns into a huge skull with the words "Anti-Piracy Campaign" under it.
Unlike all theatres, they show this clip before childrens movies.
I went to see Over the Hedge with my neice, and as soon as that skull comes up, every child under the age of 8 starts bawling their little heads off, and more than a few need to be taken out of the theatre.
I wonder to myself how many of those children will never want to see a movie at the theatres again.
The original article states that he was arrested, but not yet deported. He hasn't yet been found guilty (still a suspect), but has admited to the crime. It also mentions that he is suspected of raising over 6 million yen (about 60,000 dollars) from April to May of 2006.
So, I decided to go to my local game store (Famicon Jungle) the other night to see the status of the PS3 in Japan (not really giving a crap, as I have my Wii on pre-order, but just to see what games are out and whatnot).
So, I go to the store, and there's about 3 cars waiting outside of the store. 2 have the geekiest geeks you've ever seen in your life sitting in them, 1 has a couple just kind of hanging out eating snacks. They're all waiting for a PS3 shipment that is apparently late getting to the store.
I walk up to the store and there is a big sign on the front that says "We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we will be getting only 1-3 PS3s, and they will be given out at a first come first serve basis." It was 9pm on launch day, and apparently they still hadn't come yet.
To give you some background of where I live: I live in a town of around 500,000 people. The surrounding area is all farms, so I figure within 20km of me, there are all of 3 stores that are selling PS3s. If each one gets 1-3 machines, that means that if one in 100,000 people decides "hmmm, I would like a PS3.." then they will sell out.
Calling that a victory is just lunacy.
Well, with the recent price drop in Japan, as well as the inclusion of HDMI in the "lite" version, that holds less and less true.
I was completely anti-PS3 until I saw their offering at the Tokyo Game Show this year. They really have their act together, and while it might not seem so in America or Slashdot (same thing for me, as I get all my news here), the reality is that Sony is probably going to dominate this round as well, with Nintendo getting a hefty 2nd place.
I know personal anecdotes are horrible for proving things, but in the Japanese company I work for, there are 12 people in my section. 3 of them have special savings that they've been putting away just for a PS3.
I personally would love to support the 360, but I see that this generation is going to play out just like the last one in Japan. I also have no use for live, so for me, I'm relegated to buying a Wii and a PS3.
Similarly, Xbox 360 titles Dead Rising and Lost Planet will be priced at ¥8,379 ($72) when they are released -- ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 ($9 to $17) more than usual. This really isn't news, because it was the same in the last generation. Popular games are more expensive when they come out. That's just how it is. Ninja Gaiden was 9000 yen when it came out, as is most of Team Ninja's stuff. Now you can get it for 1000 in the bargain bin.
I was in a similar prediciment a couple of years ago when I moved abroad. There were no English speaking gamers in my area, and so I resigned myself to gaming online with my friends.
After trying voice, we realized that getting everyone to talk in turn, and notice who was saying what was a major pain, and switched around through various chat/whiteboard systems.
I've tried OpenRPG (not very user friendly) ScreenMonkey (very nice, but the flashing screen refreshes drove my players batty) and FantasyGrounds (gorgeous system, but expensive and only does D20).
Eventually I just gave up and decided to write my own system. I wrote a 1 meg client with a PHP telnet server for the GM. It supported mapping, whiteboard drawing, player actions, customizable backgrounds, player colors, pre-prepared icons and character sheets.
As soon as I finished writing it, all my friends got too busy to game anymore.
I think I've used it once.
If you find a use for it, check it out at http://www.rabidcomics.com/yumichat/
It doesn't even require an install.
I can't believe changing the name of something as old as the Comic Cafe (manga kisa) to "Media Immersion Pods" suddenly makes a 30+ year old thing news.
In other news, Microsoft announced today that it was dismayed at the delay in the launch of the PS3. A spokesman was quoted as saying "Come on Sony, get your act together! Gamers are waiting for Halo 3, and we're not going to sit on this thing forever!"
The satisfying climax of Star Wars is the transformation of the galaxy
Are you just trying to start a fight or something?
Trekkies have killed for less than that.
We must burn the false prophet, Ultra-Magnus!
This is actually an issue that has been plaguing me with Kingdom Hearts 2 as of late. It seems like the only time that the game play is NOT in a cutscene is when you're fighting enemies in a pre-scripted battle.
Fight 20 enemies.
Watch 10 minute cut scene
Fight Enemies.
Watch 20 mintue cut scene.
Repeat
Although the cutscenes are interesting, it makes me feel like I'm not playing a game, but rather watching a story where I occasionally get to beat up bad guys. In one section there was a room full of treasures chests that I ran through in a cut scene. I then had to defeat the main boss, which gave me a cutscene, and then exited me out to the world map. I had to go BACK to the stage. Fight through the ENTIRE stage again, just to get the treasure chests that I ran by in the cut scene.
FMVs are great. Cut scenes are great. But they have to be used sparingly, otherwise it stops feeling like you're playing a game, and more like you're watching a movie.
Actually, it's a common myth that anime is cheap in Japan. Maybe you're thinking of hongkong? Anime is a nitch market both in Japan and abroad, thus it ganers nitch market prices. Japanese media is also more expensive in general.
Stand Alone complex season 2 discs run 8154yen (around 80 dollars) a DVD at most stores, and 6552 yen on Amazon.co.jp
1st season seems to run around 5040 yen/DVD
Ok, granted, I haven't read the article, so take this for what it's worth.
I was reading weekly famitsu (largest gaming magazing in Japan) the other week, and they had a new years special about the next gen, and what people were looking for. From their website poll, the thing that ranked second on everyone's minds was the Xbox 360. People are interested in this console. Then why the lukewarm reception?
In the reader comments sections, some of the issues were
* Didn't give a crap about HD
* No good games at startup (but wants to wait and see)
* The commericals don't show screenshots. They have no idea what the next gen games look like.
However, everyone expressed hope that the Xbox would get some good games out. People are not looking to hate this console because it has an X on it, or because it's made by america, or some other sort of nationalism. They just don't have a compelling reason to buy one. As for it not selling out, I tons of DSs and PSPs on the shelves two days after launch -- it may just be my experience, but I don't notice wide-spread shortages of new products like in America.
I still wonder at all these people shouting racism about the Japanese culture. I think there are few countries in the world that are more forgiving to foreigns (at least western foreigners). I wonder if these people are coming from an informed (live in Japan & can speak Japanese) perspective, or something that they heard from people who went to Japan 30 years ago.
So, I'm still only partway through the game, but I have to agree with most of what the reviewer said. This game is incredibly beautiful. Everything about it screams style, and it's obvious that when they made the game they did so from the viewpoint that they're making a movie. They even have crossfades within the engine (no black screen or fade out between camera changes).
;)
The gummi ship battles (my least favorite part of the game in I) have been completely redone in II, and are now by far my favorite part.
However.
After an amazing first 10 hours, I've come to realize that II is essentially just a better version of I. The plot isn't as thrilling as I hoped it would be, and although the connection between XII and Sora and Roksor are interesting, I'm fiding myself visiting the same Disney worlds that I did in 1 (nightmare before xmas, atlantis, arabian nights, olympus) with only a few additions (tron, lion king, old town). Even the winny the pooh adventure is similar.
Perhaps I'm just jaded, but I was hoping for something more far reaching in terms of plot. So far it feels like more of the same. Hopefully that will change in the next 20 hours or so.
That being said, I do recommend the game, because even though the plot may not have progressed as much as I would have liked, it's still an amazing game with beautiful graphics and a deep combat and custimization system. Hell, I'd buy it just for the gummi battles.
And why would I go to a Lawson and deal with their horrible markup, when I can go to... oh... a VIDEO GAME STORE and buy it there cheaper?
The Video Game stores (not convenience marts) where I am have a large number of pre-orders.