Square Enix has released official Facebook and Twitter pages for Final Fantasy XIII…because that game needs more hype. *snicker* Seriously though, it’s interesting to see how game publishers are using Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to promote their games. I know some of you hate Twitter, but it can be an incredibly useful marketing tool and a fantastic way for fans to keep tabs on their favorite games/athletes/celbrities.
Will any of you be following the game on Facebook or Twitter?
Microsoft and Sony will be more competitive than ever in 2010 with their Xbox 360 and PlayStation consoles, respectively. With the price gap closed and exclusive games more competitive than ever, next year’s console wars will be terribly interesting to watch. Microsoft director of product management Aaron Greenberg told Gamasutra three reasons he believes his console will do better than Sony’s:
We will do three things well. One, we will continue to offer a better value on hardware pricing. We will continue to remain $100 cheaper than PS3. Two, we will have more games, more blockbuster exclusives, no matter the genre. Three, you add all of the entertainment and social network. That’s our focus, to keep adding more and more value. Consumers vote with their dollars, and so far it’s been paying off, and we feel confident about next year as well.
I agree on his first point; Microsoft will continue to sell Xbox 360 Arcade systems, simply because people are attracted to the price point and don’t realize that you need to buy a bunch of other accessories to make it fully functional. For games, I haven’t seen anything that indicates that the Xbox 360 will have better exclusives. That could change at E3, of course. As for value-added features, I’m sure there are some people that will buy an Xbox 360 over a PlayStation 3 because the former’s social-networking features are marketed better, but is it really a significant number? *shrug*
I’m not going to pretend to be a highly paid analyst from Wedbush Morgan, but I will ask you to channel your inner Michael Pachter. Do you think the race between the PS3 and Xbox 360 will be close? Who will win when the dust settles?!?
Microsoft director of product management Aaron Greenberg is certain that Halo Reach
While I have no doubt that Halo: Reach will be one of the biggest titles of 2010, I’m not sure if it will be the biggest. Globally, I’d guess that Final Fantasy XIII will sell more, especially considering that it will be available for a longer period of time and on multiple platforms. Greenberg completely dismissed Gran Turismo 5 beating out his game, saying, “Is it launching next year? I’ve seen years and years of minigames, but I haven’t seen that the game is done.”
What do you think or Greenberg’s proclamation? Is he on the money? Or do you think another game will beat out Halo:Reach?
Square Enix Japan has updated the official Final Fantasy XIII web site to include samples of the first ten tracks of the FFXIII soundtrack. The soundtrack is on sale in Japan now, with game coming on December 17th. To listen to the music, hit the “track list” tab on the soundtrack page.
Check out the tracks and let me know what you think (please)! I’m loving the music so far!
NPD Group has released its console software sales information for Novemer 2009. Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 put up some ridiculous numbers. While nobody should be surprised that MW2 topped the charts, some analysts were surprised by its complete ownage of November (it’s a financial term). All in all, the big titles did what they were expected to do, but there was one oddity in the top 10. Check it out!
(Xbox 360): 4,200,000
(PS3): 1,870,000
(Wii): 1,390,000
(Xbox 360): 794,700
(Xbox 360): 744,000
(Wii): 720,200
(Wii): 679,000
(PS3): 448,400
(Xbox 360): 362,100
(Wii): 315,000As a BioWare mark, I’m disappointed that Dragon Age didn’t do better. Sure, RPGs aren’t as popular as action titles and it’s a new IP, but I expect people to have better taste. Hmph. Nintendo has to be thrilled with its November. It sold a ton of new and old games. With so many new and excellent games released in November, I was surprised to see something as old as Mario Kart hit the top 10. To steal a line from Keanu Reeves or Joey from Blossom, “Whoa.”
Any thoughts on the November software top 10?
NPD Group has issued its console hardware sales data for November 2009. As you know, November is a huge month for gaming, with several retailers running “Black Friday” specials and lots of people shopping for holiday gifts. Let’s take a look at the numbers.
As expected, Nintendo trounced the competition with its Wii home console and DS handheld system. Nintendo topping the charts is nothing new. What’s more interesting is the battle between Microsoft and Sony. While both companies did well, Sony has to be slightly disappointed that its PS3 lost out to the Xbox 360 after outselling it in September and October. That’s just a short-term concern for Sony; things are still looking up for the PS3, which had its third-best month ever. Overall, hardware sales were down 13.4 percent from November 2008, but keep in mind that all three consoles were more expensive last year.
What do you make of November’s numbers? Anything surprise you? Any predictions for December?
CrunchGear has posted an…interesting conspiracy theory regarding EA Sports: MMA
Maybe it knows that there’s no way in hell EA Sports MMA is going to outsell UFC Undisputed
, and it’s cool with that. Why? THQ’s license agreement with UFC runs out next year (I guess it was for two games). EA, which has a tremendous amount of money at its disposal, could then go to UFC and say, “Look, we’re EA. We’re big time. Undisputed did well, but with our muscle at your disposal, we’ll make a UFC game so incredibly huge that you’d be a fool to stick with THQ. Also, here’s several truckloads of money to help sweeten the deal.”
Although some of the points are valid, the theory is pretty shoddy. Yes, EA Sports MMA will probably not be as popular as UFC Undisputed. Yes, EA would love to have the UFC license. However, that doesn’t mean it wants to game to fail. That would be idiotic. It would be far more productive to make a good game that gets strong reviews and bring that to UFC. EA could say, “Look, we made a great game without you, but together we could eclipse your success with THQ.”
The notion that EA would purposely want a game to fail seems monumentally stupid to me. What do you make of this conspiracy theory?
Microsoft marketing tool Major Nelson revealed the upcoming Xbox Live deals of the week for December. They are:
Week of December 14:
Lips: Coldplay Track Pack for 240 Microsoft Points
December 21 through December 27:
Shadow Complex for 800 points
Week of December 28:
The Maw for 400 Microsoft Points
If you haven’t tried Shadow Complex, it’s worth playing if you like old-school 2D shooters like Contra and Metroid. As a karaoke aficionado, I’m always down for more Lips tracks. I haven’t tried The Maw, but a few of my friends are pretty high on it. Most importantly, saving money is always a good thing, so take advantage of these sales if you have the means.
BioWare has announced the large and star-studded cast for the upcoming Mass Effect 2
BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, today revealed the voice actors performing in Mass Effect 2, the second act of the award-winning science fiction trilogy. The game features Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Martin Sheen (“The West Wing”, “Apocalypse Now”), 2009 Emmy Award-winner Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Saddam”), comedic actor Seth Green (“Austin Powers”), “Chuck” stars Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin, Keith David (“Crash”) and sci-fi favorites Michael Dorn (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”), Michael Hogan (“Battlestar Galactica”) and Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”).
I’m totally geeked out by the cast. The dude from Robot Chicken meets Worf from Star Trek meets Goliath from Gargoyles meets Trinity from The Matrix meets 6 from Battlestar Galactica. Awesome!!!
The Dante’s Inferno
