The 2010 Video Games Thread

[sterlingice]

How about.... *NOW*?

Don't get me wrong- those three alone will keep me busy for a long time but I realize they're not for everyone.

The Wii, well- that's a pretty darn good lineup coming down the pipes and they've needed that for a year or so now.

SI

[MJ4H]

Hell, I might even buy a 360 soon, too.

[cartman]

Here's some footage of the Rock Band 3 real guitar controller in action. This should quiet some of the "it's not a real instrument" criticism of the game. (some NSFW language in the vid)

[sterlingice]

I'm curious about that, particularly the pricing, how good the tutorials are, and if it works for the Wii.

SI

[DataKing]

Gimme.

[MJ4H]

Yeah Rock Band 3 = MIND BLOWN

[Chubby]

drool

[MJ4H]

NBA Jam Wii looks so sweet

[SackAttack]

Welp guess I'm upgrading all my Rock Band instruments.

[sterlingice]

Looks like old school NBA Jam only updated 2 generations forward in graphics and some minor tweaks to gameplay. Sign me up!

SI

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Looks like old school NBA Jam only updated 2 generations forward in graphics and some minor tweaks to gameplay. Sign me up!

SI

Yep, looks sweet!

[MJ4H]

Loving the hybrid 2D/3D gameplay of Metroid, too.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by cartman

Here's some footage of the Rock Band 3 real guitar controller in action. This should quiet some of the "it's not a real instrument" criticism of the game. (some NSFW language in the vid)

This is pretty awesome - merging Rock Band gameplay with actually teaching you how to play a real guitar is genius. Hopefully it actually does a good job with the teaching part, but the potential is fantastic.

[Groundhog]

Just heard that there is going to be a new Shogun: Total War. Best news I've heard in a long time. Takeda 3 filled the void nicely, but it doesn't seem to run in Windows 7...

[digamma]

I went to an E3 party tonight a friend was putting on...some of the buzz (I didn't go to E3 and don't know much about this stuff, I was just seeing a college buddy)...

-3DS was super cool to demo

-New Zelda is fun, but not great.

-Homeland or Heartland (can't remember the name, but the game about Korea invading the US) looks incredible.

-Graphics on NCAA 2011 look awesome.

-The Sprint Evo 4G phone is really good.

-The IGN Video Girl is super hot.

[spleen1015]

Does anyone know if they are going to have a regular button configuration for the new Zelda? I don't want to play it is the control scheme is all motion. I want to be able to play without all of the motion BS.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like the rumors were true. Kinect priced at $149. I guess we know why MS didn't mention a price point at E3 now.

Kinect priced at GameStop: $149, $399 for Elite bundle -- Engadget

This is totally puzzling. Why did MS redesign the 360 without a stabilizer on the disc drive? One of the big complaints behind RROD has been the scratched discs and a stable disc drive like what they have in the PS3 and Wii would have easily solved this problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdOjzuJByXg

[MJ4H]

3DS to Allow the Dumping of Games to Internal Memory

June 17, 2010 at 7:36 PDT – Source: Andriasang
Discuss it in TalkBack! - 3 Comments


It looks like you won't have to swap cartridges any more.


In a move that mimics the Xbox 360's ability to install games to its hard drive, Nikkei is reporting that Nintendo's 3DS system will allow users to copy cartridge-based games to internal memory.
Once a game is "dumped" to the system's memory, it can be launched by selecting it from a menu listing the games stored on the system. Users will no longer have to carry their cartridges with them on the road in order to play multiple games.
Nintendo has yet to discuss this feature, so we'll have to wait and see if there are any caveats.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

3DS to Allow the Dumping of Games to Internal Memory

Obviously just a rumor at this point, but I'd definitely upgrade if it had that feature (as long as the price doesn't see a significant increase).

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Looks like the rumors were true. Kinect priced at $149. I guess we know why MS didn't mention a price point at E3 now.

Not a bad price considering you don't have to buy controllers for it.

[tyketime]

post deleted by author

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

3DS to Allow the Dumping of Games to Internal Memory

June 17, 2010 at 7:36 PDT – Source: Andriasang
Discuss it in TalkBack! - 3 Comments


It looks like you won't have to swap cartridges any more.


In a move that mimics the Xbox 360's ability to install games to its hard drive, Nikkei is reporting that Nintendo's 3DS system will allow users to copy cartridge-based games to internal memory.
Once a game is "dumped" to the system's memory, it can be launched by selecting it from a menu listing the games stored on the system. Users will no longer have to carry their cartridges with them on the road in order to play multiple games.
Nintendo has yet to discuss this feature, so we'll have to wait and see if there are any caveats.

I'm curious what kind of DRM would be in place to keep people from renting games, dumping them to the internal memory, and then returning them. Either some seriously limited memory, or maybe it'd disable the cartridge until after the dump gets deleted from the 3DS.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Gabe Newell comes out and does a little self deprecating humor (I loved his line about Butler being the "VP of sharpening objects" or something like that) before showing Portal 2 coming to PS3.

There's big news with this as well. A version of Steam is apparently coming to the PS3 which means Valve will be able to get it's DLC out for free on PS3s. This means Microsoft won't be able force Valve into charging for it's DLC on their console.

Valve found a way to get what they wanted all along. Free DLC for everyone.

[RainMaker]

$149 for the Kinect seems fair considering what it opens the system up to do. Especially when you look at what's being charged for other peripherals on the consoles. My guess is that it's down to $99 the following year.

I'll be picking it up and I'm guessing they'll sell a shit-ton of these at that price.

[dubb93]

Say what you will, but I am absolutely blown away that they are making games that aren't just mini game collections/fitness products for the Kinect considering the damn thing can't be played sitting down. They almost had me hooked right up until that part. I stand on my feet enough at work/doing house and yard work. I really don't need to stand in front of my TV during leisure time.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I'll be picking it up and I'm guessing they'll sell a shit-ton of these at that price.

And I'll be FLOORED if you're correct. The backlash at that price has been negative thus far.

FWIW.......I don't think Sony's option will do any better for the same reason. $100+ is just way too expensive for either option. $150 is borderline insane. These things have Sega CD written all over them.

[Big Fo]

I was thinking more like 32X than Sega CD, but yeah.

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I'm curious what kind of DRM would be in place to keep people from renting games, dumping them to the internal memory, and then returning them. Either some seriously limited memory, or maybe it'd disable the cartridge until after the dump gets deleted from the 3DS.

I share your curiosity. It will be nice not having to bring a few different cases/cards with me whenever I take a trip if this report is true. In a recent interview with Miyamoto he evaded a question on this reported function.

[spleen1015]

I picked up ModNation Racers with Sony Reward points and got it in the mail yesterday.

It is pretty damn neat if you like this style of game. Playing online is pretty easy and quick. The modding is cool, lots of different options for you character and your kart.

Did anyone else pick this up?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

And I'll be FLOORED if you're correct. The backlash at that price has been negative thus far.

FWIW.......I don't think Sony's option will do any better for the same reason. $100+ is just way too expensive for either option. $150 is borderline insane. These things have Sega CD written all over them.

I don't see it being too expensive. People are dishing out over $100 on peripherals that can only be used on one game. I don't see why one that really pushes technology and has more games available would not work.

I think the issue isn't price, but logistics of owning one. That'll be the bigger factor when all is said and done. Along with the quality of games available. Price has not been the issue if the product is good in the video game industry.

[cartman]

And MBBF has been a regular Amazing Kreshkin will all of his other predictions on this board.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I picked up ModNation Racers with Sony Reward points and got it in the mail yesterday.

It is pretty damn neat if you like this style of game. Playing online is pretty easy and quick. The modding is cool, lots of different options for you character and your kart.

Did anyone else pick this up?

Have you played some user created tracks yet? Some great stuff out there that really adds to the game. The creation tool and its ease of use is really something that other developers should look at for ideas.

I was a bit disappointed in the single player career/story mode just because it's not terribly deep, but there is still plenty of gameplay in it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Really excited about the new physics and damage engines in Gran Turismo 5. Looking very nice.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

And MBBF has been a regular Amazing Kreshkin will all of his other predictions on this board.

So do you have an opinion on the motion controllers or are you just trolling?

[Kodos]

Yeah. It's not like other games have had damage modeling for years, dating back to the previous generation...

Oh, and actual racing!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't see it being too expensive. People are dishing out over $100 on peripherals that can only be used on one game. I don't see why one that really pushes technology and has more games available would not work.

I think the issue isn't price, but logistics of owning one. That'll be the bigger factor when all is said and done. Along with the quality of games available. Price has not been the issue if the product is good in the video game industry.

Price has absolutely been an issue. The industry has a long history of accessories that have cost over the $50-60 price range that fail miserably. There was an article in the past that detailed the overwhelming odds against a $60+ accessory having any real commercial success. If I can find it, I'll add it to this thread.

There's no real technology being pushed here. The Sony controller is an updated version of the Wii controller system. Natal is an updated version of what the Playstation Eye was doing a generation ago.

Even the support that the PS3 is providing to add Move functionality to old games won't help its case. People want something new, not just a new way to play something old.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Yeah. It's not like other games have had damage modeling for years, dating back to the previous generation...

Oh, and actual racing!

I don't think you'll find any arguments regarding the damage modeling. The racing AI has also needed some work. It's still a fantastic series. I'm sure this one will do well too. I'm really looking forward to the NASCAR license and what they can do with it.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

So do you have an opinion on the motion controllers or are you just trolling?

On cue, here comes the persecution complex!

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by cartman

On cue, here comes the persecution complex!

Well when you lead off with:

Originally Posted by cartman

And MBBF has been a regular Amazing Kreshkin will all of his other predictions on this board.

After he gives a perfectly reasonable opinion... Seriously, MBBF has made his share of personal biased fueled statements over the years, but you aren't encouraging decent discourse by jumping on the dude when he has a well formulated opinion that you may/may not agree with.


Bottom line for me, developers aren't going to develop enough good games for either accessory to make it a good buy a year from now. Why use the money/time to develop a current/next generation game around these accessories that are not in many homes yet, when you can develop a last generation tech. game on the system that is in most homes that has a similar capability already?

If you have the ability to pick which system to design for to sell your game, it is almost a no brainer.

Edit: And then there is the alternative that some games will just add on mini-games and such to make use of the technology. Which won't make the accessory purchase worth it either.

[cartman]

He does give opinions, and they have consistently been borne out to be off base. Until that track record changes, it is hard to take them with any reasonable amount of seriousness, and it is amusing that he acts amazed if people don't buy into his observations.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

Bottom line for me, developers aren't going to develop enough good games for either accessory to make it a good buy a year from now. Why use the money/time to develop a current/next generation game around these accessories that are not in many homes yet, when you can develop a last generation tech. game on the system that is in most homes that has a similar capability already?

If you have the ability to pick which system to design for to sell your game, it is almost a no brainer.

Edit: And then there is the alternative that some games will just add on mini-games and such to make use of the technology. Which won't make the accessory purchase worth it either.

This.

I expect to see a lot of 'Carnival Games HD' for these accessories. Cheap to make with low risk. And for the big games that are adapted to support these accessories, the functionality will feel 'tacked on', which has been a complaint on some Wii games. I suspect that feeling will be magnified on the HD consoles.

[stevew]

Gamestop is running b2g1 on used.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Price has absolutely been an issue. The industry has a long history of accessories that have cost over the $50-60 price range that fail miserably. There was an article in the past that detailed the overwhelming odds against a $60+ accessory having any real commercial success. If I can find it, I'll add it to this thread.

There's no real technology being pushed here. The Sony controller is an updated version of the Wii controller system. Natal is an updated version of what the Playstation Eye was doing a generation ago.

Even the support that the PS3 is providing to add Move functionality to old games won't help its case. People want something new, not just a new way to play something old.

I guess I look at Rock Band and Guitar Hero and wonder where this pricing issue comes in. People are willing to pay over $100 for a peripheral for one game.

The Playstation Eye is nothing like the Kinect. The Eye is basically just a webcam. The Kinect is a webcam with an infrared camera that can sense depth. That's like saying the iPhone is just an updated version of some phone Motorola released 5 years ago.

The games that worked with the Eye did nothing close to what the games made for the Kinect are doing. Make the excuse that people won't want to play those kind of games, but saying this isn't something new is plain wrong.

[rjolley]

Has anyone seen the new 360's in stores or know of any deals on them?

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by rjolley

Has anyone seen the new 360's in stores or know of any deals on them?

I want one but don't have one. I'm really thinking about selling my Elite on Craigslist to get it... stay tuned

[DataKing]

Originally Posted by rjolley

Has anyone seen the new 360's in stores or know of any deals on them?

A buddy of mine took in his current 360 along with a few games/peripherals earlier this week, thinking to get store credit towards one of the new 250gb 360s. He was advised by the person at Gamestop to wait until the new ones actually came in, and it was stated that he would get a better deal then, though he wasn't given any details. This would imply that Gamestop will be running some sort of deal for people looking to upgrade. Unfortunately I don't have any more details just yet on how this works, but when I do hear something more I'll be sure to post it here.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I guess I look at Rock Band and Guitar Hero and wonder where this pricing issue comes in. People are willing to pay over $100 for a peripheral for one game.

The Playstation Eye is nothing like the Kinect. The Eye is basically just a webcam. The Kinect is a webcam with an infrared camera that can sense depth. That's like saying the iPhone is just an updated version of some phone Motorola released 5 years ago.

The games that worked with the Eye did nothing close to what the games made for the Kinect are doing. Make the excuse that people won't want to play those kind of games, but saying this isn't something new is plain wrong.

Rock Band/GH is the exception rather than the rule.

You're incorrect about the camera. You can call it an upgrade (as I did) or an evolution of the PS Eye, but it's certainly nothing new. Adding a third dimension of movement and little else isn't going to create a demand for a $150 accessory.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DataKing

A buddy of mine took in his current 360 along with a few games/peripherals earlier this week, thinking to get store credit towards one of the new 250gb 360s. He was advised by the person at Gamestop to wait until the new ones actually came in, and it was stated that he would get a better deal then, though he wasn't given any details. This would imply that Gamestop will be running some sort of deal for people looking to upgrade. Unfortunately I don't have any more details just yet on how this works, but when I do hear something more I'll be sure to post it here.

They always run upgrade specials when new models come out. They usually toss an extra $40-50 onto the trade-in price to get you to purchase the new console.

[Voo]

Originally Posted by rjolley

Has anyone seen the new 360's in stores or know of any deals on them?

I picked one up at my local Best Buy today.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by DataKing

A buddy of mine took in his current 360 along with a few games/peripherals earlier this week, thinking to get store credit towards one of the new 250gb 360s. He was advised by the person at Gamestop to wait until the new ones actually came in, and it was stated that he would get a better deal then, though he wasn't given any details. This would imply that Gamestop will be running some sort of deal for people looking to upgrade. Unfortunately I don't have any more details just yet on how this works, but when I do hear something more I'll be sure to post it here.

Basically an old 360 with a hard drive, and an ethernet adapter gets you 170 dollars in store credit. details are on gamestop.com.

Basically an upgrade for 130 if you have the ethernet, or 170 if you don't.

[rjolley]

So they're in stores? Ok, I'll go take a look and use some reward certificates.

Still, would be nice to get a deal with a free game or something...