...but I can't help thinking that it was only because Nintendo and Microsoft were smart enough not to blow their load all at once. Maybe I'm just projecting my personal feelings for the companies, and I do have to give Sony a lot of credit for at least TRYING to turn its image around (after all, they have had a brain transplant since the release of the PS3), but I kinda get the feeling that that's ALL we're going to hear from Sony for the rest of the year. Maybe Microsoft and Nintendo knew this, and are waiting until Sony's reputation is back down to it's normal low (after the innitial hype of the new releases subsides) before announcing anything else? I don't know.
Wasn't it partially oppositiong from the Big Three that temporarilly killed E3, anyway? It really felt like Ninty and MSoft were just going threw the motions. I'm happy we now have a Brawl release date, and the new Lost Odyssey trailer has me sold on the 360 now, but besides that, we're all left feeling "meh" at them.
And I'm really glad. Their latest album is excellent... much better than their previous one, possibly their best since the late 80s/early 90s. I'm a big prog geek though, so my opinion doesn't really count for much.
I'd like to see prog find its way back... but with bands like Dream Theater now doing dungeons and dragons style lyrics (listen to their new album, if you can stand it) I think that's going to be kind of hard.
At this point, I'd like to see a resurgence of instrumental rock and jazz, but people seem to like their "words", and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon. In the meantime, I'm just happy to see bands like Rush back at the top of their game.
Yup, "Stay the Course" it worked for Bush, it can work for you. Doesn't matter that it's a sinking ship, and you're going to drown in the end, and no one's going to care about you any more, but it's the honorable thing to do.
Well, after about 8 months in, the DreamCast was no longer in the running, and the XBox and GCN came in about 3 years later (or was it 2?) So maybe 3 years is an exaduration. But between the time after the DC kicked the bucket to the XBox/GCN release, the PS2 was all by itself, and by the time the XBox and GCN launched, it was so far ahead, that many developers wouldn't dream of switching.
Well, the PS2 is kind of an unusual phenominon. It basically ran, without competition, for about 3 years. Even the GBA doesn't have it's numbers. It's doubtfull we'll see those kinds of numbers for a VERY LONG TIME, if at all.
They're sorta trying to. The 360 doesn't allow AO games (people seem to have failed to mention this, simply because MH2 is not for that system), also, Microsoft is TRYING to start the "Games for Windows" campaign, which basically tries to build a console-style infrastructure in the PC world, although it's not catching on very quickly.
If the "Games for Windows" campaign (which won't accept AO games) takes off, you'll see exactly that.
You realize that there are other options besides CareBears and Hostel, right? Growing up is about finding a balance in life, in every aspect. Youth is about exploring the bounderies, and CareBears and Hostel are definitely that.
I see the ultra-violent games as being the LEAST mature, actually. Because a lot of the simple, innocent games appeal to older gamers who grew up with Mario and Tetris... games started out innocent and simple, it's called nostolgia.
For the most part, I know very few people outside of the 13-19 age range who are really into stuff like GTA, Manhunt, and the like. They're kids games, older kids games, but still kids games.
I can see Hostel and Saving Private Ryan... but Pulp Fiction? That's pretty tame as action-based movies go. It has about 2 gorey scenes in the whole thing, and what's more is that they're supposed to be funny (well, one of them, at least).
I'll also mention that, while not selling very well, it still made Nintendo lots of money... and everyone who had it was extremely pleased with it (myself included), and paved the way for the Wii.
Usually a consoles' true popularity isn't felt until the next generation. The N64 did pretty well, but it made a lot of enemies. Therefor, Nintendo had to sit in the "time out chair" through the GameCube era. But everyone who had a GameCube loved it, and Nintendo has now been forgiven for their arrogence during the N64 era. We're starting to see that now with the Wii's sales. The Wii did a lot of that on its own, but it wouldn't have gotten there if GameCube fans hadn't been making sure that it was at the top of everyone's talking list, from day one.
Actually, you're the kind of person Nintendo hopes to see more of: where their console is so prodominant that many people don't feel the NEED to buy them, because all their friends have them. They may not make any money off of you, but you're a good sign for their marketing.
Depends upon how you look at it. The PS2 had about 10x as many games as the GCN or XBox. But pound for pound, the GCNs library kicks the SHIT out of the PS2s library, it was just tiny. Of course, the basic number of good games is what really counts, because you can weed out the shitty ones.
I'm a serious gamer, but I'm tired of the "hardcore" crowd. It's becoming a cliche like the "extreme sports" fad. I'd like serious, involving games... but I don't care about shit like high-end graphics, or shock-value elements like lots of blood and sex everywhere, that the hardcore crowd seems to be getting at. I'd like a game that will immerse me in its game world, or tell a good epic story, or something to that extent.
How is that "sticking to the product?" So they're releasing a few exclusive titles to the PS3. Did you even READ my post? As I said, probably 1 or 2 titles are going PS3... but pretty much all content announced after FF13 is slated for the Wii, DS, or PSP. They're going to put out FF13 on the PS3 because they pretty much have to. But after that, it looks like they're going to jump ship along with everyone else (Konomi just announced plans to multi-platform Metal Gear Solid 4, for instance).
The PS3 has a total of ONE AAA exclusive title: Final Fantasy XIII, after an original 8 or so were slated. Good luck to them.
The sales suggest otherwise. The PS2 is selling extremely well. The 360 and Wii only just past PS2 sales last month, and PS2 sales are still going strong. Not only that, but there are still games coming out and being announced for it. If you think that it's going to plummit, that's your speculation, but it's only just speculation... the facts suggest that the PS2 is holding steady. It even took an upturn in sales a few months back.
Every previously-launched game console has had price drops sometime during its life, so it's safe to assume that Sony planned to drop the PS3's price eventually.
Yes, consoles tend to drop in price after about TWO YEARS! 8 months is the fastest ANY console has ever been dropped. It's 8 months too late, but it still shows a certain amount of desperation.
I'm still skeptical, as they already had a perfectly good model for $500 before, and they bearly delivered (in quantity), it's likely that they'll just do the same thing here, make 10 80GB units for ever 1 60GB unit, and you're basically back up to $600 again.
They've already had a $500 PS3... and it bearly existed. Are they going to drop its price to $400? No fucking way, the 20GB model is unquestionably getting dropped (like it really ever existed in the first place). So, now what? We get a 60GB model that bearly exists, and an 80GB model that's everywhere.
Seriously, this isn't a price drop, it's just a bait & switch with a slightly higher end model.
As much as I'd like to believe that... no, absolutely not. In fact, it currently has a better chance of coming to the Wii (which is very small, unfortunately).
Actually, Square made a press confrence, recently, completely bashing the 360, and took a lot of flack for it... even their appology was half-assed. FF13 and FFv13 are looking to be PS3 exlusives, although a lot of their spinnoffs are looking to be for the DS and Wii. In any case, I find myself more interested in Crystal Chronicals: The Crystal Bearers than FF13. It looks almost like a direct cross between two of my favorite games: Skies of Arcadia and Zelda. Don't get me wrong, FF13 looks great, I'm excited to see a true Sci-fi Final Fantasy, and featuring a strong heronine, for a change, is a great move. But FF:CC:TCB looks to be all about the epic adventure and exploration, like in Skies of Arcadia, which I feel like the recent Final Fantasy mainstays have been lacking, as of late.
The previous Crystal Chronicals was terrible, but I think it had some good ideas, just poorly executed. Everything I've heard from the team suggests that they've completely learned from their mistakes, and are taking a totally new direction with this: it's going to have a very in-depth plot and characters, vocus on expansive exploration, be perfectly good as a single player game, and finally... NO MORE FUCKING BUCKET! It really looks to be a completely different kind of game, I don't even understand why they're putting it under the Crystal Chronicals name.
...and then, because I've gone blind from doing it too much... I grab my stick and go look up slashdot on my braille computer, and then I look at pr0n on my braille computer, and then I reflect on how much my life sucks, and go back to sleep.
Unless you're in Japan... no. Nintendo is doing a universal bundle all around. They didn't want to do the same thing as with the SNES, where there were 50 different bundles to choose from. Outside of Japan (which doesn't get the Nunchuck), ALL systems come with Wii Sports, a Wiimote, and a Nunchuck. It's even pointless calling it a "bundle", since it's the most basic way you can purchase it.
You do realize that the stripped down version, practically doesn't exist? They made a few (very few), and put them out on the shelves at launch, JUST so that people would start quoting the $500 price point as the minimum... when they go to the store, though, they only see the $600 units, and most of the time, they just bite the bullet.
It was a decent business strategy. But no, the $500 PS3 was kind of a red hearring.
Is there a term for products like this? I'm sure there is... ya know, something that is put out in very small supply, just so that a company can claim it exists?
This reminds me of a game I played while in early high school called "Journeyman's Project 2: Buried in Time." The game was essentially a standard old-school graphical adventure game, in the style of Myst or Return to Zork. It just happened to revolve around some important parts in history. All the gameplay elements that made games like Myst so popular, as well as artfully done graphics and sound, were there. The game was fun, but it could definitely be used as a history lesson at the same time. About 2/3rds the way through, I started asking myself, "is this an edutainment game?" but by that point, I was so immersed in the game that I didn't care.
Of course, I really think that it IS the gameplay elements that teach the most important lessons: how to think and problem solve, for yourself. I feel that teaching facts, like historical events, scientific principals, and whatnot, are much less important than something that actually teaches students HOW TO LEARN. Zelda can do that, Myst can do that, just as well, if not better, than most edutainment games.
That makes a lot of sense, actually. I'm not an appologizer for Rockstar or anything, but I'm not an appologizer for the ESRB either. A game trailor should be rated NO DIFFERENTLY than a realistic animated movie. And if you think animation doesn't have an effect on ratings, think again... animated violence is given a lower rating than actual film. Now, seeing that the difference between photorealistic graphics (especially FMVs) and film is becoming pretty pretty small (especially seeing as how large parts of some films, like Lord of the Rings, are technically computer animated), probably it's more appropriate to look at things like Manhunt and The Darkness as being on par with cinematic violence. That said, I've never seen a videogame trailor that comes anywhere close to the violence you see in movie trailors.
A game trailor, after all, isn't a game... it's a movie of a game. "Interactivity" should have no relievence.
Actually, living in rural Alaska, I didn't even have TV for the first 6 years of my life, when my ADD exhibited its worst symptoms. I've never been much for TV, myself... even if I am a TV producer, now.
Slashdot Mirror
...but I can't help thinking that it was only because Nintendo and Microsoft were smart enough not to blow their load all at once. Maybe I'm just projecting my personal feelings for the companies, and I do have to give Sony a lot of credit for at least TRYING to turn its image around (after all, they have had a brain transplant since the release of the PS3), but I kinda get the feeling that that's ALL we're going to hear from Sony for the rest of the year. Maybe Microsoft and Nintendo knew this, and are waiting until Sony's reputation is back down to it's normal low (after the innitial hype of the new releases subsides) before announcing anything else? I don't know.
Wasn't it partially oppositiong from the Big Three that temporarilly killed E3, anyway? It really felt like Ninty and MSoft were just going threw the motions. I'm happy we now have a Brawl release date, and the new Lost Odyssey trailer has me sold on the 360 now, but besides that, we're all left feeling "meh" at them.
And I'm really glad. Their latest album is excellent... much better than their previous one, possibly their best since the late 80s/early 90s. I'm a big prog geek though, so my opinion doesn't really count for much.
I'd like to see prog find its way back... but with bands like Dream Theater now doing dungeons and dragons style lyrics (listen to their new album, if you can stand it) I think that's going to be kind of hard.
At this point, I'd like to see a resurgence of instrumental rock and jazz, but people seem to like their "words", and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon. In the meantime, I'm just happy to see bands like Rush back at the top of their game.
Yup, "Stay the Course" it worked for Bush, it can work for you. Doesn't matter that it's a sinking ship, and you're going to drown in the end, and no one's going to care about you any more, but it's the honorable thing to do.
Well, after about 8 months in, the DreamCast was no longer in the running, and the XBox and GCN came in about 3 years later (or was it 2?) So maybe 3 years is an exaduration. But between the time after the DC kicked the bucket to the XBox/GCN release, the PS2 was all by itself, and by the time the XBox and GCN launched, it was so far ahead, that many developers wouldn't dream of switching.
Well, the PS2 is kind of an unusual phenominon. It basically ran, without competition, for about 3 years. Even the GBA doesn't have it's numbers. It's doubtfull we'll see those kinds of numbers for a VERY LONG TIME, if at all.
They're sorta trying to. The 360 doesn't allow AO games (people seem to have failed to mention this, simply because MH2 is not for that system), also, Microsoft is TRYING to start the "Games for Windows" campaign, which basically tries to build a console-style infrastructure in the PC world, although it's not catching on very quickly.
If the "Games for Windows" campaign (which won't accept AO games) takes off, you'll see exactly that.
You realize that there are other options besides CareBears and Hostel, right? Growing up is about finding a balance in life, in every aspect. Youth is about exploring the bounderies, and CareBears and Hostel are definitely that.
I see the ultra-violent games as being the LEAST mature, actually. Because a lot of the simple, innocent games appeal to older gamers who grew up with Mario and Tetris... games started out innocent and simple, it's called nostolgia.
For the most part, I know very few people outside of the 13-19 age range who are really into stuff like GTA, Manhunt, and the like. They're kids games, older kids games, but still kids games.
I can see Hostel and Saving Private Ryan... but Pulp Fiction? That's pretty tame as action-based movies go. It has about 2 gorey scenes in the whole thing, and what's more is that they're supposed to be funny (well, one of them, at least).
I'll also mention that, while not selling very well, it still made Nintendo lots of money... and everyone who had it was extremely pleased with it (myself included), and paved the way for the Wii.
Usually a consoles' true popularity isn't felt until the next generation. The N64 did pretty well, but it made a lot of enemies. Therefor, Nintendo had to sit in the "time out chair" through the GameCube era. But everyone who had a GameCube loved it, and Nintendo has now been forgiven for their arrogence during the N64 era. We're starting to see that now with the Wii's sales. The Wii did a lot of that on its own, but it wouldn't have gotten there if GameCube fans hadn't been making sure that it was at the top of everyone's talking list, from day one.
Actually, you're the kind of person Nintendo hopes to see more of: where their console is so prodominant that many people don't feel the NEED to buy them, because all their friends have them. They may not make any money off of you, but you're a good sign for their marketing.
Depends upon how you look at it. The PS2 had about 10x as many games as the GCN or XBox. But pound for pound, the GCNs library kicks the SHIT out of the PS2s library, it was just tiny. Of course, the basic number of good games is what really counts, because you can weed out the shitty ones.
I'm a serious gamer, but I'm tired of the "hardcore" crowd. It's becoming a cliche like the "extreme sports" fad. I'd like serious, involving games... but I don't care about shit like high-end graphics, or shock-value elements like lots of blood and sex everywhere, that the hardcore crowd seems to be getting at. I'd like a game that will immerse me in its game world, or tell a good epic story, or something to that extent.
Sure, they're called Adobe and Nintendo... but besides those three, you're pretty much fucked.
How is that "sticking to the product?" So they're releasing a few exclusive titles to the PS3. Did you even READ my post? As I said, probably 1 or 2 titles are going PS3... but pretty much all content announced after FF13 is slated for the Wii, DS, or PSP. They're going to put out FF13 on the PS3 because they pretty much have to. But after that, it looks like they're going to jump ship along with everyone else (Konomi just announced plans to multi-platform Metal Gear Solid 4, for instance). The PS3 has a total of ONE AAA exclusive title: Final Fantasy XIII, after an original 8 or so were slated. Good luck to them.
The sales suggest otherwise. The PS2 is selling extremely well. The 360 and Wii only just past PS2 sales last month, and PS2 sales are still going strong. Not only that, but there are still games coming out and being announced for it. If you think that it's going to plummit, that's your speculation, but it's only just speculation... the facts suggest that the PS2 is holding steady. It even took an upturn in sales a few months back.
Yes, consoles tend to drop in price after about TWO YEARS! 8 months is the fastest ANY console has ever been dropped. It's 8 months too late, but it still shows a certain amount of desperation.
I'm still skeptical, as they already had a perfectly good model for $500 before, and they bearly delivered (in quantity), it's likely that they'll just do the same thing here, make 10 80GB units for ever 1 60GB unit, and you're basically back up to $600 again.
They've already had a $500 PS3... and it bearly existed. Are they going to drop its price to $400? No fucking way, the 20GB model is unquestionably getting dropped (like it really ever existed in the first place). So, now what? We get a 60GB model that bearly exists, and an 80GB model that's everywhere.
Seriously, this isn't a price drop, it's just a bait & switch with a slightly higher end model.
As much as I'd like to believe that... no, absolutely not. In fact, it currently has a better chance of coming to the Wii (which is very small, unfortunately).
Actually, Square made a press confrence, recently, completely bashing the 360, and took a lot of flack for it... even their appology was half-assed. FF13 and FFv13 are looking to be PS3 exlusives, although a lot of their spinnoffs are looking to be for the DS and Wii. In any case, I find myself more interested in Crystal Chronicals: The Crystal Bearers than FF13. It looks almost like a direct cross between two of my favorite games: Skies of Arcadia and Zelda. Don't get me wrong, FF13 looks great, I'm excited to see a true Sci-fi Final Fantasy, and featuring a strong heronine, for a change, is a great move. But FF:CC:TCB looks to be all about the epic adventure and exploration, like in Skies of Arcadia, which I feel like the recent Final Fantasy mainstays have been lacking, as of late.
The previous Crystal Chronicals was terrible, but I think it had some good ideas, just poorly executed. Everything I've heard from the team suggests that they've completely learned from their mistakes, and are taking a totally new direction with this: it's going to have a very in-depth plot and characters, vocus on expansive exploration, be perfectly good as a single player game, and finally... NO MORE FUCKING BUCKET! It really looks to be a completely different kind of game, I don't even understand why they're putting it under the Crystal Chronicals name.
...and then, because I've gone blind from doing it too much... I grab my stick and go look up slashdot on my braille computer, and then I look at pr0n on my braille computer, and then I reflect on how much my life sucks, and go back to sleep.
Unless you're in Japan... no. Nintendo is doing a universal bundle all around. They didn't want to do the same thing as with the SNES, where there were 50 different bundles to choose from. Outside of Japan (which doesn't get the Nunchuck), ALL systems come with Wii Sports, a Wiimote, and a Nunchuck. It's even pointless calling it a "bundle", since it's the most basic way you can purchase it.
You do realize that the stripped down version, practically doesn't exist? They made a few (very few), and put them out on the shelves at launch, JUST so that people would start quoting the $500 price point as the minimum... when they go to the store, though, they only see the $600 units, and most of the time, they just bite the bullet.
It was a decent business strategy. But no, the $500 PS3 was kind of a red hearring.
Is there a term for products like this? I'm sure there is... ya know, something that is put out in very small supply, just so that a company can claim it exists?
This reminds me of a game I played while in early high school called "Journeyman's Project 2: Buried in Time." The game was essentially a standard old-school graphical adventure game, in the style of Myst or Return to Zork. It just happened to revolve around some important parts in history. All the gameplay elements that made games like Myst so popular, as well as artfully done graphics and sound, were there. The game was fun, but it could definitely be used as a history lesson at the same time. About 2/3rds the way through, I started asking myself, "is this an edutainment game?" but by that point, I was so immersed in the game that I didn't care.
Of course, I really think that it IS the gameplay elements that teach the most important lessons: how to think and problem solve, for yourself. I feel that teaching facts, like historical events, scientific principals, and whatnot, are much less important than something that actually teaches students HOW TO LEARN. Zelda can do that, Myst can do that, just as well, if not better, than most edutainment games.
Nice... Always great to see a Rush reference. New album is amazing, btw... been listening to it non-stop.
That makes a lot of sense, actually. I'm not an appologizer for Rockstar or anything, but I'm not an appologizer for the ESRB either. A game trailor should be rated NO DIFFERENTLY than a realistic animated movie. And if you think animation doesn't have an effect on ratings, think again... animated violence is given a lower rating than actual film. Now, seeing that the difference between photorealistic graphics (especially FMVs) and film is becoming pretty pretty small (especially seeing as how large parts of some films, like Lord of the Rings, are technically computer animated), probably it's more appropriate to look at things like Manhunt and The Darkness as being on par with cinematic violence. That said, I've never seen a videogame trailor that comes anywhere close to the violence you see in movie trailors.
A game trailor, after all, isn't a game... it's a movie of a game. "Interactivity" should have no relievence.
Actually, living in rural Alaska, I didn't even have TV for the first 6 years of my life, when my ADD exhibited its worst symptoms. I've never been much for TV, myself... even if I am a TV producer, now.