Tag: Videogames

Coffee Talk #8: Why You Should Support Borderlands

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, A-Rod discovering how to play in the post-season, Apple’s $999 unibody MacBook, or T-Mobile’s mysterious Project Dark, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Borderlands is one of those games that I hope sells likes crazy, but probably won’t. While I won’t go as far as to say the game has been “sent to die”, like Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter did, I acknowledge that it has several things going against it. Even though it’s an action-RPG, a lot of people view it as a shooter based on screenshots and Gearbox Software’s history. This is an extraordinarily crappy time to release a shooter — especially a new franchise. Halo 3: ODST recently came out and Modern Warfare 2 is a few weeks away. While all three games are different enough, there’s definitely a lot of audience overlap and a limited amount of dollars that can be spent. Most people are going to go with the sequels to established franchises instead of the new game with the funky art.

Borderlands

I hope I’m wrong — I really do. Borderlands is the kind of game we should all be supporting. The developer has a strong track record, the reviews have been great, the game is unique, and the art style rocks (well, it rocks me anyway). A lot of people complain that the gaming business is too sequel happy and not enough effort has been made to generate new IPs. Well here’s your chance to stand up for originality and against sequel-itis!

Of course it’s your money and you should do what you want with it. You should buy whatever game you think will entertain you the most. It’s just upsetting that a good, original game from a quality developer is likely to get brushed aside in favor of sequels. Again, I hope I’m wrong and Borderlands sells millions of copies.

With all of that in mind, here are my questions for you this morning. Does supporting originality or developers come into play when you buy games? Or is it all about entertainment for you?

Sony Australia Hurls PS3 Slim into Bravia LCD at 50MPH

What happens when Sony’s irresistible force (PlayStation 3) meets its immovable objects (Bravia LCD television)? Sony Australia has the answer in this stylish commercial. I’m not sure what the point is, but the spot is pretty cool.

And also — Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Japanese Release Date

Square Enix’s highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for Sony PlayStation Portable has been slated for January 9, 2010 according to Andriasang. While a general January time frame was given by the company during Tokyo Game Show 2009, the date is now set in stone by way of keyblade.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Hopefully localization will be quick and North American Kingdom Hearts fans will get Birth by Sleep a few months later. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released on May 2009 in Japan and September 2009 in North America — a four-month gap. However, that’s a Nintendo DS game; Birth by Sleep will require more localization time, especially with the voice acting. I’d love an American version by June, but wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t arrive until August.

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Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Videos

Sony has posted a pair of excellent videos for the (what should be) excellent Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. I know a lot of PS3 gamers are going gaga for Uncharted 2 (and rightfully so), but I’ve always preferred Insomniac’s games and am super looking forward to this one. Anyway, check out the vids and let me know what you think (please)!

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Microsoft Exploring Xbox Live Affinity Program

It looks like Microsoft is going the Club Nintendo route and will be implementing an affinity program in the near future. Such programs can be used effectively to retain customers and build brand loyalty. Kotaku got its hands on one of the invites for the pilot. Here’s an excerpt:

This is an exclusive pilot rewards program. That means that the people who get in get stuff. Cool stuff. You want cool stuff, right? Sure you do, we all want stuff. Especially cool stuff. Well, you’ve only got until October 21, 2009 to let us know you want cool stuff, because after that, the doors close and someone else gets the cool stuff.

Xbox Affinity

I’m an absolute sucker for affinity programs. Whether it’s fast-food joints, grocery stores, airlines, etc., I almost always get a card and almost always spend more than I ought to trying to gain points. There’s a 99-percent chance that Microsoft will sucker me into this one too.

What do you think of programs like this and Club Nintendo? Do they make you more loyal to the company? Do you think Microsoft will loudly introduce some really cool benefits so that it can quietly raise the price of Xbox Live?

Source

Singaporean School Using Wii Sports for Physical Education

Wii Sports

North Vista Primary School in Singapore has introduced a new element to its physical education classes — the Nintendo Wii. Using Wii Sports, the school has students playing games for two weeks of the program. Principal Phua Kia Wang elaborated on the decision to add gaming consoles to gym class:

The usual games concept in PE seemed insufficient, and may not be relevant when the kids go home. For instance, when they go home, does everyone have a basketball court (to play in)? Will they have the people to make up the teams to play with? We don’t want what we teach in school to be so isolated from real life.

Does anyone else find it hilarious that a principal is using the Wii so that kids don’t feel isolated from “real life”? Ha! Wang does have a point though — in cities like Singapore, a lot of kids have easier/more access to a Wii than a basketball court or tennis court. While I loved gym class as a boy, I would have had way more fun in “playing games” class — I’d ace that mofo for sure!

Source via Game Politics

Coffee Talk #7: PS3 vs. Xbox 360 — The Race to #2

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Joe Girardi’s interesting bullpen management, the sexy Motorola Droid for Verizon, or what games you’ll be buying this week, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

By now, most of you will have had time to think about the September 2009 NPD Group console sales figures. Sony did very well for itself, selling loads of systems thanks to the PS3 price cut and the introduction of the PlayStation 3 Slim. While the Nintendo Wii will end up being the sales winner this console generation (barring some catastrophe like Romulans attacking Earth to steal every Wii on the planet), some feel that second place is up for grabs.

PS3 vs Xbox 360

Xbots will argue that the 360 has way too big a lead in North America. The company will continue to sell its exclusives and sell more third-party games thanks to a larger installed base. Improvements to Xbox Live will cement the console’s position of having the best online console-gaming experience.

Members of the Sony Defense Force will point out that this is a marathon, not a sprint. This console generation is far from over and Sony has superior first-party games lined up for 2010. With the console’s price cut, the PS3’s capabilities — Blu-ray playback, built-in Wifi, etc. — clearly make it a better value than the 360. With better games and better hardware that’s now at a competitive price, it’s only a matter of time until the PS3 surpasses the Xbox 360.

Certainly there are still too many variables, too many years, and too many unannounced games that will shape the remaining years of this generation, but it’s still fun to play analyst. So pretend for a few minutes that you’re Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter or EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich. I want to know which console you think will end up grabbing the silver medal this console generation. Do you think it’ll be Microsoft’s Xbox 360 or Sony’s PlayStation 3? Pick a side and state your case (please!).

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Oddworld Inhabitants Invade PlayStation Network

Oddworld Abe

A pair of Oddworld classics for the PlayStation are coming to PSN on 10/22 — Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus!!! I’m a huge fan of these two games and the developer, Oddworld Inhabitants, so I was thrilled to read company co-founder Lorne Lanning on the PlayStation Blog. He wrote:

It was only about six years ago that I told our agent at the time, “Larry, don’t you get it!? Our classic Abe games are history. The systems that played them are gone and they aren’t coming back. Ours is a disposable medium and we don’t have a Turner Classics channel.” He looked at me with this defeated expression and said, “Dude, that’s the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard you say.” He believed me, and I too believed it at the time.

Six years later and I have to admit it’s great being proved wrong.

It’s great to have two of the most imaginative and entertaining PSone games on PSN. Any of you guys and gals going to download them? I highly recommend it.

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NPD Hardware Sales Figures for September 2009

NPD Group has issued its console hardware sales data for September 2009. How big of a difference did Sony’s PlayStation 3 price cut make? Was Microsoft able to do some damage control? Did the Wii — which still continues to dominate the field — continue its slide? Let’s find out!

Console Wars!!!
Console Wars!!!
  • Nintendo DS: 524,200
  • PlayStation 3: 491,800
  • Wii: 462,800
  • Xbox 360: 352,600
  • PSP: 190,400
  • PlayStation 2: 146,000

Ah, there’s nothing like a price cut to make the console wars more interesting, eh? The $100 price reduction and the introduction of the PS3 Slim helped Sony achieve some nice numbers. It will be interesting to see if it can hang onto the momentum for the rest of 2009. Although the Wii’s pace has cooled off, it’s still selling well and adding to a huge installed base. The Nintendo DS? That portable console has yet to encounter any kryptonite.

What do you guys and dolls make of the September numbers?!? Is this the start of Sony’s big comeback? Or it it just a temporary thing, like some Microsoft executives suggest?

Assassin’s Creed Movies Hitting YouTube on 10/27

Assassins Creed 2

VentureBeat has a great feature on Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed short films that are being used to hype Assassin’s Creed 2 and expand the game’s brand. Taking over the front page of YouTube in eight countries on October 27th, the first of three short films is a huge deal. The site reported:

Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, created by acclaimed Hollywood special effects studio Hybride Technologies (which Ubisoft acquired last year) and Ubisoft Montreal’s Ubisoft Digital Arts (UDA), will make its global debut on Oct. 27 on the front page of YouTube in eight countries.

The movies, which total about 38 minutes in length, feature live actors working in front of green screens. The same actors did voice work on Assassin’s Creed II. Their faces were digitzed and used in the game. The films tee up game, which takes place in Florence and Venice during the Italian Renaissance.

While the movies were expensive to make, they can help transform Assassin’s Creed into a mainstream franchise instead of one that’s revered only by gamers. While it remains to be seen if AC will get that kind of crossover appeal, Ubi is doing everything in its power to make it so. With the Prince of Persia movie already in production, it would be remarkable if Ubi could add another mainstream feather to its cap.

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