The 2009 Video Game Thread

[cartman]

Here we go again. MBBF is going to bitch and moan about unfair attacks and how threads devolve into simply piling on him. At some point the light has to go off as to the root cause, don't you think?

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

A $100 price drop coupled with the rumored release of Gran Turismo 5 this fall and Final Fantasy XIII in March will create a substantial surge in PS3 sales. The failings of the management in the past aside, it's not terribly difficult to see what's going to happen in the coming months. They should easily meet their goals in North America.

Last year they had MGS to drive sales as well. The only difference this year is the rumored price drop.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

The only difference this year is the rumored price drop.

That's a pretty big difference.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

Here we go again. MBBF is going to bitch and moan about unfair attacks and how threads devolve into simply piling on him. At some point the light has to go off as to the root cause, don't you think?

He admitted he was the one being the jerk in the first place. Best to ignore and return to discussion.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Best to ignore and return to discussion.

... of you once again making broad sweeping predictions that only Sony believes. My point is that the new titles are cancelled out by last year's blockbuster release that drove sales then. The hope here is that a $100 price drop means 70% more sales than last year, in a horrible economy. That's a pretty big leap o' faith.

But who knows, maybe you'll get this one right. Shoot enough bullets and eventually one will hit the target...

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

My apologies. I was hoping you'd show respect to another poster despite your tone if I replied in a respectful manner the first time. If your solely interested in being a jerk, move along. The thread was relatively flame-free until your post.

Dude. Don't you know that no one here fucking respects you?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

That's a pretty big leap o' faith.

Given the massive sales figures for the category overall despite the drop in sales volume for virtually everything else on the planet, including food, I'd say it's hard to completely write off any projection as too over the top optimistic.

"We may not eat well but by God we're going to have the next whatever-comes-down-the-pike game that's released" certainly seems to be a prevailing attitude among a lot of consumers.

[stevew]

Video games are still a very economical form of entertainment, even in a shitty economy.

So yeah, nothing suprises me.

[RainMaker]

If you're looking to play Battlefield 1943 on the 360, the servers are still shit. Maybe next week I'll be able to play the game I paid for.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

If you're looking to play Battlefield 1943 on the 360, the servers are still shit. Maybe next week I'll be able to play the game I paid for.

I heard about that. PS3 servers are running lag-free. I was surprised to hear the 360 servers weren't handling it well.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Dude. Don't you know that no one here fucking respects you?

Sorry you feel that way. It's certainly not accurate, but I hold no ill-will against you.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I heard about that. PS3 servers are running lag-free. I was surprised to hear the 360 servers weren't handling it well.

They were till Coral Sea was unlocked and everyone went on to play it. I got on later that night but am still not real impressed. As a sniper, items in the distance tend to be real choppy.

[Mustang]

I'd comment on 09' games, but I'm still stuck in 08' (mainly because those games are cheaper now and I've had a hard time justifying a $50-$60 tag on new games.

[SirFozzie]

And another PS3 game, the much bally-hooed MAG (Massive Action Game) has been put off till 2010.

MAG Reloading For Release In 2010? - Mag - Kotaku

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

And another PS3 game, the much bally-hooed MAG (Massive Action Game) has been put off till 2010.

I'm out of the loop.. Massive Action Game was the title of a game? What, was A Bunch of People Blowin' Shit Up taken?

[RainMaker]

I'd rather have games delayed than come out early and suck.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Mustang

I'm out of the loop.. Massive Action Game was the title of a game? What, was A Bunch of People Blowin' Shit Up taken?

Well, it was a play on Massively Multiplayer, it's going to support 256 player maps/

[Big Fo]

Even Sony doesn't want to release their big shooter that close to Modern Warfare 2.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mustang

I'm out of the loop.. Massive Action Game was the title of a game? What, was A Bunch of People Blowin' Shit Up taken?

Made me

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

And another PS3 game, the much bally-hooed MAG (Massive Action Game) has been put off till 2010.

MAG Reloading For Release In 2010? - Mag - Kotaku

It was 'much bally-hooed'? By who? Outside of PR releases from Sony, I don't think anyone is expecting much of this game. There are far bigger games on the release calendar.

Out of the Sony presentations, MAG was easily one of the weakest. It's probably a big reason it was delayed. They'd be much better off releasing a second Warhawk instead of MAG.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

It was 'much bally-hooed'? By who? Outside of PR releases from Sony, I don't think anyone is expecting much of this game. There are far bigger games on the release calendar.

Out of the Sony presentations, MAG was easily one of the weakest. It's probably a big reason it was delayed. They'd be much better off releasing a second Warhawk instead of MAG.

I think they touted this game quite a bit actually. They've been doing it for almost two years if I'm not mistaken. This is not going to be a massive blow but it hurts yet again.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by rowech

I think they touted this game quite a bit actually. They've been doing it for almost two years if I'm not mistaken. This is not going to be a massive blow but it hurts yet again.

I don't think it does, though. Or if it does, it hurts because it's a promise they couldn't deliver on - but that's a tightrope all developers/hardware manufacturers have to walk. It's not exclusive to Sony.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by rowech

I think they touted this game quite a bit actually. They've been doing it for almost two years if I'm not mistaken. This is not going to be a massive blow but it hurts yet again.

"They've" being the key word. I agree that it was hyped by Sony, but no one considered it a AAA title. I'm not trying to downplay the effect of the delay specific to the game itself, but it's not a serious situation in any way. That game isn't going to sell units. It's just a nice complimentary game at best.

[SirFozzie]

U.S. Console Sales Take Another Big Hit In June - Console Wars - Kotaku

"On the other end of the scale, without the help of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV, PS3 sales dipped from 405,500 last June, to 164,700 this June."

That's a near 60% drop in sales. Yes, a price cut will help slow the bleeding, but Sony's dreams of 30% more fiscal year over year in sales is just that at this point. A pipe dream. They don't have the horse power, and they will not be able to get the view that it is a luxury item in a horrible economy to change. Their main opponent, the 360, is the only sales unit to be going up in sales at this point. The gap is not shrinking, it is widening.

Sony has to realize at this point they are not only going to be #3 this generation, they are going to be a DISTANT #3. Well, I doubt they're smart enough to realize that, they are still thinking in terms of a ten year cycle, yadda yadda yadda... it's pride only keeping them from admitting the truth.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

U.S. Console Sales Take Another Big Hit In June - Console Wars - Kotaku

"On the other end of the scale, without the help of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV, PS3 sales dipped from 405,500 last June, to 164,700 this June."

That's a near 60% drop in sales. Yes, a price cut will help slow the bleeding, but Sony's dreams of 30% more fiscal year over year in sales is just that at this point. A pipe dream. They don't have the horse power, and they will not be able to get the view that it is a luxury item in a horrible economy to change. Their main opponent, the 360, is the only sales unit to be going up in sales at this point. The gap is not shrinking, it is widening.

Sony has to realize at this point they are not only going to be #3 this generation, they are going to be a DISTANT #3. Well, I doubt they're smart enough to realize that, they are still thinking in terms of a ten year cycle, yadda yadda yadda... it's pride only keeping them from admitting the truth.

This is the same company that desperately needs to move more PSPs and they finally come out with the PSP Go which looks interesting, but they decided to price it at $249 even though it costs less to make than current PSPs. Reason?

When you introduce a new piece of hardware you have the opportunity to say there is a certain premium that is associated with it, and we took that into account.

They seem to be happy with their position as long as they're milking as much money out of the people that are buying their consoles as possible.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

U.S. Console Sales Take Another Big Hit In June - Console Wars - Kotaku

"On the other end of the scale, without the help of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV, PS3 sales dipped from 405,500 last June, to 164,700 this June."

That's a near 60% drop in sales. Yes, a price cut will help slow the bleeding, but Sony's dreams of 30% more fiscal year over year in sales is just that at this point. A pipe dream. They don't have the horse power, and they will not be able to get the view that it is a luxury item in a horrible economy to change. Their main opponent, the 360, is the only sales unit to be going up in sales at this point. The gap is not shrinking, it is widening.

Sony has to realize at this point they are not only going to be #3 this generation, they are going to be a DISTANT #3. Well, I doubt they're smart enough to realize that, they are still thinking in terms of a ten year cycle, yadda yadda yadda... it's pride only keeping them from admitting the truth.

So two consoles selling at a price point 40% cheaper are outselling the PS3? Some ground-breaking stuff there.

As has been mentioned several times already, there's little reason to get caught up in the numbers until the PS3 price drop occurs. Until then, it's not tough to figure out what will occur regarding sales.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

As has been mentioned several times already, there's little reason to get caught up in the numbers until the PS3 price drop occurs. Until then, it's not tough to figure out what will occur regarding sales.

When you say "we will increase sales 30% over last year" and yet each month goes by you sell many fewer than the year before, you're getting farther and farther behind and better pull something big out of your butt to meet your projection. At the rate they are falling behind last year, a $100 price cut may help them MATCH last year's sales, but it's going to have to move an awful lot of consoles to be 30% better than last year. They are so far behind that projection it's not even funny anymore.

And keep in mind all those cheap Blu-Ray players coming out will eat into that side of the business...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

When you say "we will increase sales 30% over last year" and yet each month goes by you sell many fewer than the year before, you're getting farther and farther behind and better pull something big out of your butt to meet your projection. At the rate they are falling behind last year, a $100 price cut may help them MATCH last year's sales, but it's going to have to move an awful lot of consoles to be 30% better than last year. They are so far behind that projection it's not even funny anymore.

And keep in mind all those cheap Blu-Ray players coming out will eat into that side of the business...

No question about it. They need to come through with that projected price cut in August as has been rumored. Any further delay beyond that will severely cripple their ability to make up the difference in their goal.

With that said, no one thought they would make the FY08 goals when they announced them, yet they managed to do so without a price cut.

I'm not sure that the drop in BR player prices will make much of a difference. People searching for the $99 (or lower) BR players likely weren't going to buy a PS3 until it was $199 or lower anyway. I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but it would be a pretty small number.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Atocep

This is the same company that desperately needs to move more PSPs and they finally come out with the PSP Go which looks interesting, but they decided to price it at $249 even though it costs less to make than current PSPs. Reason?

Since the PSP Go doesn't have a UMD drive, many games will be sold as downloads. According to Sony part of the PSP Go's increased price is to give a bigger cut to retailers since those retailers won't be selling UMD games to PSP Go owners.

IMO they would have been better off releasing a brand-new handheld in a year or two, maybe with a touchscreen and the device could double as a phone or something, I dunno. PSP Go looks like a failure before it's even been released.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Since the PSP Go doesn't have a UMD drive, many games will be sold as downloads. According to Sony part of the PSP Go's increased price is to give a bigger cut to retailers since those retailers won't be selling UMD games to PSP Go owners.

I'm keeping my PSP just because it has the best of both worlds. UMD, downloadable games, and bigger screen. I don't see much advantage to the PSP Go personally.

Originally Posted by Big Fo

IMO they would have been better off releasing a brand-new handheld in a year or two, maybe with a touchscreen and the device could double as a phone or something, I dunno. PSP Go looks like a failure before it's even been released.

I'm confused by your statement. I'm assuming you know that it's widely rumored that Sony will release an all-new portable in 2011, but maybe I'm wrong in that assumption. The PSP Go isn't anything more than a niche product to hold over until the new portable comes out. I'd also expect the next portable to play all PSP games and likely be able to download the already purchased games, much like the PS3 and PSP now. They'll all have a common network.

[Calis]

Are they going to be discontinouing the PSP's apart from the Go?

I'd still like to pick up a PSP at some point, because there's some nice strategy games on there I want to try, but I think I'd prefer the current to the new Go and was wondering if there'll be trouble getting the others later.

I would imagine they're not stopping it, but haven't heard anything.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I'm confused by your statement. I'm assuming you know that it's widely rumored that Sony will release an all-new portable in 2011, but maybe I'm wrong in that assumption. The PSP Go isn't anything more than a niche product to hold over until the new portable comes out. I'd also expect the next portable to play all PSP games and likely be able to download the already purchased games, much like the PS3 and PSP now. They'll all have a common network.

I figured one would come eventually but hadn't heard about a true PSP successor coming out that soon. If so then why even bother with the PSP Go...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Calis

Are they going to be discontinouing the PSP's apart from the Go?

I'd still like to pick up a PSP at some point, because there's some nice strategy games on there I want to try, but I think I'd prefer the current to the new Go and was wondering if there'll be trouble getting the others later.

I would imagine they're not stopping it, but haven't heard anything.

No, they will continue to sell both according to their announcement at E3.

[RainMaker]

Why do you guys keep arguing about this PS3 shit? They lost the console war. They're a distant third and will remain that way till the next generation of consoles. Even if a price drop happens and they take a bigger hit on each sale, they've still lost.

[JonInMiddleGA]

AAA Lucha Libre headed for US - News at GameSpot

While wrestling fans may have qualms with THQ's WWE SmackDown vs. Raw and Midway's TNA Impact!, they may be happy to know they're guaranteed at least one "AAA" title in the near future. Upstart publisher Slang has announced AAA: El Videojuego, the first Mexican wrestling game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PSP, and DS.

The Xbox 360 and PS3 editions of the game are being developed with the Unreal Engine 3 by Immersion Software, with offices in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Bogota, Colombia. An Immersion representative today confirmed for GameSpot that the game should arrive on both those platforms in late 2009 or early 2010, with launches targeted for Latin America and the United States. Argentine developer Sabarasa Studios is handling development on the Wii, PSP, and DS editions of the game, with those editions set to trail Immersion's efforts to retail.

AAA: El Videojuego will feature the league's familiar six-sided ring, as well as a number of international stars, including ex-WCW wrestlers La Parka and Konnan. Other AAA stars who could be included but are not yet confirmed for the game include Octagon, Abismo Negro, Jack Evans, Teddy Hart, and Silver King. One issue not addressed in the teaser is whether the game will feature the company's "mini" division of diminutive wrestlers like El Guapito and Mascarita Sagrada.

Official trailer is at
YouTube - Lucha Libre AAA El Videojuego En HQ

[MJ4H]

Preliminary sales numbers show Wii Sports Resort is a huge hit


Wii Sports Resort has already sold nearly 1.5 million copies worldwide and like Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii is expected to be a strong seller for the remainder of the year.
When comparing Wii Sports Resort to previous Wii openings, the title is only beaten by Super Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit. With Wii Sports Resort releasing on Sunday in America, “week one” will be a whole seven days which we are estimating from the strong day one sales (~300,000) to be around the 700,000. The ten largest debuts for Wii titles are shown below.

Title	Japan	Americas	Others	Total
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	842,536	1,593,621	286,949	2,723,106
Mario Kart Wii	580,510	1,212,795	579,136	2,372,441
Wii Fit	252,510	729,598	644,865	1,626,973
Wii Sports Resort (Estimated)	349,411	700,000	330,000	1,379,411
Wii Sports	181,902	529,658	361,526	1,073,086
Super Mario Galaxy	260,993	619,379	180,754	1,061,126
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	146,367	432,504	236,882	815,753
Animal Crossing: City Folk	306,986	219,653	98,074	624,713
Mario Party 8	282,003	309,705	28,383	620,091
Wii Play	178,367	180,390	123,388	482,145

[VGChartz]

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Not a big surprise, but worthy of note. Sony has doubled their purchase orders for PS3 components, likely confirming that either a new PS3 Slim and/or a price cut will occur in the August/September timeframe.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20090727PD219.html

Also, it was leaked that a PS3 version of Star Ocean 4 is on the way.

[Mustang]

Oh NOES!!1!!!!!1!1!

Games maker EA has incited a wave of backlash over the latest marketing ploy for their upcoming action game, Dante's Inferno.

In an effort to promote the title at last week's San Diego Comic-Con event, EA decided to run a contest asking showgoers to "commit acts of lust" with any models working at the convention's myriad booths. They were then instructed to submit photos via social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook. The winner would receive "dinner and a sinful night with two hot girls, a limo service, paparazzi and a chest full of booty," while five runners-up would have to make do with a copy of the game, a $240 gift card and assorted game merchandise.

Of course, EA gave themselves an out, noting on the official rules page that "...judges reserve the right, in their sole and absolute discretion, to disqualify any Submissions that are inappropriate for any reason, including without limitation, for depicting or mentioning sex, violence, drugs, alcohol and/or inappropriate language." In other words, don't get crazy while you commit your "acts of lust."

Unfortunately for EA, the gaming community hasn’t responded well. Twitter posts about the marketing effort have been largely negative; tweets to #EAfail have spiked, with many accusing the company of being tasteless, immature and sexist. In turn, those responsible have issued a respectful if unapologetic tweet right back:

"'Commit acts of lust' is simply a tongue-in-cheek way to say take pictures with costumed reps," it reads. "Also, a ‘Night of Lust’ means only that the winner will receive a chaperoned VIP night on the town with the Dante's Inferno reps, all expenses paid, as well as other prizes."

It's just the latest EA marketing stunt to go awry. Back in April, the company got in hot water for sending journalists illegal brass knuckles to promote their game based on The Godfather II. And at the E3 trade show in early June, EA angered Christian groups after making waves with a viral marketing campaign for -- you guessed it -- Dante's Inferno, this time featuring fake protesters.


Tweets to EAFail spiked... that is like noting posts on the KKK message board spiked after Obama was elected.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Mustang

Unfortunately for EA, the gaming community hasn’t responded well. Twitter posts about the marketing effort have been largely negative; tweets to #EAfail have spiked, with many accusing the company of being tasteless, immature and sexist. In turn, those responsible have issued a respectful if unapologetic tweet right back:

I'm not sure how they jump this conclusion. I absolutely cannot see the "gaming community" having an issue with this. I would bet money that the "#EAFail" posters are not gamers.

[Big Fo]

Little King's Story is great so far, I'm well on my way to world domination. I like the combination of RTS, adventuring, and some light RPG elements. The music and graphics are some of the best I've seen and heard on the system as well. Overall it's living up to the hype so far, give it a shot if you like strategy games.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I'm not sure how they jump this conclusion. I absolutely cannot see the "gaming community" having an issue with this. I would bet money that the "#EAFail" posters are not gamers.

I'm sure people that are at EAFail hate EA anyways so, just posting some mock anger over anything EA would do anyways. Kind of like our political threads...

[Mustang]

Playing Ghostbusters right now on the 360. Definitely a rental. Good for the nostalgia value since it is like I'm watching Ghostbusters III, but gameplay is little light.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Just a heads up to PS3 owners that Fat Princess will be released on Thursday. Really excited to get this game. 32 player battles to stuff cake down the throat of a princess. It doesn't get any better than that. Early reviews have been very good.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Just a heads up to PS3 owners that Fat Princess will be released on Thursday. Really excited to get this game. 32 player battles to stuff cake down the throat of a princess. It doesn't get any better than that. Early reviews have been very good.

Looking forward to this too. But will probably wait until the fall/winter to buy it.

[MJ4H]

Got to admit that sounds effing epic.

[Calis]

Got a chance to spend Sundat afternoon playing Wii Sports resort with a friend. Very impressed. Tiger Woods had me convinced of Motion Plus already but this game really hammers it home.

Standouts are the ones you'd expect with Bowling and Table Tennis both being extremely well done. Was surprised how much fun we had with the basketball. It is simplistic but challenging and there is some strategy involved.

Archery feels great also. Really impressed with the feel of that one.

There is some filler crap as expected. The water sports are boring, and the dogfights are nothing special. I can't see bicycling or canoeing holding up either.

Swordfighting is a blast also and I can't wait to see a game flesh this out.

This was how I enivisioned the Wii controllers working from the start. I think we are finally there.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Calis

and the dogfights are nothing special.

lol what!

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Calis

Got a chance to spend Sundat afternoon playing Wii Sports resort with a friend. Very impressed. Tiger Woods had me convinced of Motion Plus already but this game really hammers it home.

Standouts are the ones you'd expect with Bowling and Table Tennis both being extremely well done. Was surprised how much fun we had with the basketball. It is simplistic but challenging and there is some strategy involved.

Archery feels great also. Really impressed with the feel of that one.

There is some filler crap as expected. The water sports are boring, and the dogfights are nothing special. I can't see bicycling or canoeing holding up either.

Swordfighting is a blast also and I can't wait to see a game flesh this out.

This was how I enivisioned the Wii controllers working from the start. I think we are finally there.

I picked it up for my son on Sunday. It's a very good upgrade from the original Wii Sports and, as always, Nintendo did a great job with the controls. Archery is really nice and even the frisbee game is pretty cool and shows off just how accurate the motion plus controls are.

I want to see someone other than Nintendo actually use the controls in a way other than just simply waggling the controller when the screen prompts you to, though. Wii motion plus is cool, but Nintendo should be embarrassed it took them this long to get the controls as promised when the system launched.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Calis

This was how I enivisioned the Wii controllers working from the start. I think we are finally there.

Originally Posted by Atocep

Wii motion plus is cool, but Nintendo should be embarrassed it took them this long to get the controls as promised when the system launched.

I found these comments to be interesting. I listen to a few podcasts each week covering the industry and these sentiments popped up on more than one podcast. The CAGcast was specifically one that discussed this issue where they felt like the release of WiiMotion+ hammered home two points......

1. Nintendo was admitting with the release of WM+ that the original design wasn't up to snuff as had been mentioned by many consumers.

2. Nintendo always finds a way to make you feel good about buying more plastic add-ons that really should have never been needed in the first place.

I did hear one other podcast that even brought out the conspiracy card (i.e. Nintendo underdesigned the original controller knowing they could release the WM+ later and get more money). I'm not buying that in any way, but I'm somewhat amazed at how willing some Nintendo users are to purchase more accessories that are little more than charging $20 per controller to 'patch' the existing controller.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

...I'm somewhat amazed at how willing some Nintendo users are to purchase more accessories that are little more than charging $20 per controller to 'patch' the existing controller.

And many of us were amazed at how many Sony users were willing to pay $200 just to get a Blu-Ray player added on to their console

Every manufacturer has their accessories and add-ons they want to sell. Don't make like Nintendo is somehow "special". The initial controller they released worked very well and took the industry by storm; any attempts to turn that into a failure are just flying in the face of the facts.