[Stogieman]

12 month live subscription is only $29.99 with free Halo Reach avatar helmet. Check it out in the spotlight section on the dashboard.

[ajprice]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

My understanding is you have to use a transfer kit to move the information.

Yeah, I meant putting the drive into a new Arcade 4GB machine's empty hard drive slot. The matt black looks nicer than the shiny fingerprint magnet.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by ajprice 

Yeah, I meant putting the drive into a new Arcade 4GB machine's empty hard drive slot. The matt black looks nicer than the shiny fingerprint magnet.

I understood what you meant. I guess I didn't word my response in a manner to convey that that's the only thing you can do.

[The Final Dakar]

Halo: Reach co-op requires hard drive, 4GB Xbox 360 Slims have to go solo | Joystiq

While that's unfortunate for all non-hard drive owning Xbox 360 gamers, it's especially worrisome for those of you who recently jumped into a 4GB Xbox 360 S.

It is complete bullshit that this is coming out now.



So, What's The Biggest-Selling Super Mario Bros. Game?

I can't believe how well Super Mario Land did. Did that become an eventual pack-in?

[Jawbone54]

I think the worst surprise is how poorly Mario Galaxy 2 did, considering the Wii's install base and the fact that the game received incredible scores. Meanwhile, New Super Mario Bros. was a re-hash that was nowhere as original (or enjoyable), and it outsold it by a wide margin.

What's wrong with people?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Halo: Reach co-op requires hard drive, 4GB Xbox 360 Slims have to go solo | Joystiq

It is complete bullshit that this is coming out now.

This is why I've trashed the Arcade forever. Something like this was eventually going to happen.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I think the worst surprise is how poorly Mario Galaxy 2 did, considering the Wii's install base and the fact that the game received incredible scores. Meanwhile, New Super Mario Bros. was a re-hash that was nowhere as original (or enjoyable), and it outsold it by a wide margin.

What's wrong with people?

Not the greatest comparison. How many DSes are there? Are hand-held vs. console buying trends the same? SMG2 has been out less than a year, right?

Edit: Oh I see, the Wii version. Who knows.

Edit 2: Multi? Wii is an inherently more social system (locally)

[Jawbone54]

The multiplayer might have a little to do with it, but I'd probably chalk most of it up to nostalgia. If a lot of the people who are buying Wiis are older, then most of them have memories of a side-scrolling Mario. NSMB looked familiar enough, while both Galaxy 1 and 2 look a little dizzying and intimidating in ads.

It's a shame. I never finished NSMB because it just felt like the DS version on a bigger (but nearly same resolution) screen.

Meanwhile, Galaxy 1 and 2 are absolutely incredible games.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

The multiplayer might have a little to do with it, but I'd probably chalk most of it up to nostalgia.

I dunno man, they marketed it hard on the (local) multi. Check out the Wii best-sellers. With the exception of WiiFit and SMG, they all support local multi.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

It's a shame. I never finished NSMB because it just felt like the DS version on a bigger (but nearly same resolution) screen.

Of course, how many Wii owners have DSes?

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Meanwhile, Galaxy 1 and 2 are absolutely incredible games.

Of course SMG2 is a rehash. Not surprised it got less sales (given how close it came out in proximity to the original).


Also, nice to see Super Mario Sunshine sold the worst of all the console Marios.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I dunno man, they marketed it hard on the (local) multi. Check out the Wii best-sellers. With the exception of WiiFit and SMG, they all support local multi.

Yeah, I forgot all the commercials pushed multiplayer hard.

Still, the DS version did pretty well on its own. Then again, it's a DS game, so it was going to sell a ton regardless.

Of course, how many Wii owners have DSes?

Given the sales figures, I figured every human on the planet owned at least two DSes.

Also, nice to see Super Mario Sunshine sold the worst of all the console Marios.

Yeah, tons of people skipped that one. It just never seemed appealing.

[The Final Dakar]

I heard Al Gore bought a lot of copies.

[Brien]

I still think SMG2 is easily the best game on the Wii. It's digital crack.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Brien 

I still think SMG2 is easily the best game on the Wii. It's digital crack.

By a wide margin.

I think a Wii HD would launch nicely with SMG3.

[The Final Dakar]

Forgot to mention, the Tokyo Gameshow is going on this week (apparently). I don't follow these expos, but it seems like three just happened in the past month or so (GamesCom, PAX, and This). Feels like the industry is in a constant state of expo. Not exactly good (these were the people bitching about the cost of E3 a couple years ago).

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

By a wide margin.

I think a Wii HD would launch nicely with SMG3.

HD is a gimmick!

I'm also curious what gimmick Nintendo is going to introduce, since they keep saying they need something special to launch another console. I just don't know what you could creatively introduce (but then again, that's why I'm not Nintendo).

[Jawbone54]

4D!
all caps

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

So, What's The Biggest-Selling Super Mario Bros. Game?

I can't believe how well Super Mario Land did. Did that become an eventual pack-in?

I'm surprised Mario 64 only sold slightly better than SM Bros. 2.

[The Final Dakar]

True, but look at the other numbers... it sold better than the Galaxies, too and we'd describe at least the first as very successful. I think SM64 was sold with the system at first, but that gen they stopped doing that way earlier than most. I seem to recall a Zelda edition N64.

Speaking completely out of my ass, of course.

Edit: That's because 3D is a gimmick!

[sek929]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

True, but look at the other numbers... it sold better than the Galaxies, too and we'd describe at least the first as very successful. I think SM64 was sold with the system at first, but that gen they stopped doing that way earlier than most. I seem to recall a Zelda edition N64!

There was also a Goldeneye Edition N64, which is the one I bought.

[Brien]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

HD is a gimmick!

I'm also curious what gimmick Nintendo is going to introduce, since they keep saying they need something special to launch another console. I just don't know what you could creatively introduce (but then again, that's why I'm not Nintendo).

Brainwave powered gaming?

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I think SM64 was sold with the system at first, but that gen they stopped doing that way earlier than most.

Speaking completely out of my ass, of course.

Nope. The N64 was the first Nintendo console to launch without a game bundled. I remember because there were only 2 games available during the launch. Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64.

edit: Also, where would the sales of Super Mario Allstars go in that chart? I'm guessing Super Mario World.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Brien 

Brainwave powered gaming?

If they ever figure out what to do with that vitality sensor, they'll probably save it for that console.

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

Nope. The N64 was the first Nintendo console to launch without a game bundled.

There's your answer then.

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

edit: Also, where would the sales of Super Mario Allstars go in that chart? I'm guessing Super Mario World.

My guess is excluded overall.

[Jawbone54]

Why they don't re-release Super Mario All-Stars, I have no idea. That was probably my most-played SNES game.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Why they don't re-release Super Mario All-Stars, I have no idea. That was probably my most-played SNES game.

Tell me you're ****ing with me:

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Friday News: Ban Edition

and, oh yeah, another original game coming to the Wii.
Report: Wii Getting Super Mario All-Stars

[Brien]

I certainly hope that 25th anniversary bundle comes to the USA. For $30? Hell yes.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Tell me you're ****ing with me:

I completely missed it. Guess I wasn't paying attention that day.

Wooooooooooo...

[The Final Dakar]

Thursday News

Gran Turismo Anywhere brings the web, more features to GT5 | Joystiq
It's like bungie.net for you car.


PS3 firmware update 3.50 coming September 21, adds 3D Blu-ray support | Joystiq
If you love firmware updates, you'll love this.


Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 'four times bigger than Burnout Paradise' | Joystiq


LGJ: Are game resales at risk? | Joystiq

[Jawbone54]

ICO/SotC blowout on Kotaku today, and as a PS3 homer, I have to post all the Team ICO news...



What ICO/SotC will look like in HD (one video included)

New ending and *gasp* 3D

Last Guardian Trailer (Scheduled for a Holiday 2011 release)

[The Final Dakar]

Is it me or does that looked really washed out?

[Leonard]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

12 month live subscription is only $29.99 with free Halo Reach avatar helmet. Check it out in the spotlight section on the dashboard.

I took them up on this yesterday. But in Canada it seems to be a bit more - $35.99 or something like that. But still worth it.

[The Final Dakar]

It's been a while since Bobby Kotick reminded everyone he has a tail and forked tongue.

Activision Considers Selling Video Game Cutscenes

It's an absolutely crazy idea. Take the cutscenes normally spread out over the course of an entire game like StarCraft II, yank them from the game, and package them as premium movie content for around half the price of the game itself. It one of the silliest ideas I've heard in quite a while, yet Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick delivered it with a straight face yesterday during the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in California.

[The Final Dakar]

Nice article on wired

In Japan, Gamemakers Struggle to Instill Taste for Western Shooters | GameLife | Wired.com

“Japan’s never been very receptive to foreign games,” says Gwyn Campbell, who works for a major game publisher in Tokyo and is the host of a gaming podcast with other expatriates. “The term ‘foreign game’ is traditionally an insult — it means ‘low quality.’”

The anti-Western prejudice is deeply ingrained in the minds of Japanese gamers, who traditionally favor handheld devices like the Nintendo DS over high-powered consoles like the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

Yo-ge, kuso-ge, goes the saying: “Western game, shit game.”

Japanese gamers have very specific tastes, often embracing the polar opposite of what sells in the rest of the world. Open-world games like Fallout and Grand Theft Auto emphasize the player’s freedom to do whatever he wants, which doesn’t fly in Japan.

“They want a guided experience,” says Campbell. “They want their hands held. They want the familiar. They don’t want new. When you go against that, they get angry.”

Part of the problem seems to be a total lack of exposure among Japanese gamers — and, perhaps more importantly, among Japanese game developers — when it comes to high-end videogames like Halo and Grand Theft Auto, with their lush graphics and open worlds.

“I’ve come across Japanese development companies as recently as two years ago where the engineers, the designers of the game, owned a PS2, a PSP, a Wii and a DS,” says Campbell. “I’ve sat people down with a next-gen game, and they thought they were watching a cut scene until I gave them a controller. I was like, ‘No, this is what people in the West play.’”

Sheds of a lot light on Nintendo's strategy and why its been so successful.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Thursday News
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 'four times bigger than Burnout Paradise' | Joystiq

ummm yes please!

[The Final Dakar]

Apparently it's PlayStation Move launch day. That kinda flew under the radar.

[The Final Dakar]

Gamasutra - News - TGS: Microsoft's Tsunoda - Kinect Sales Will 'Blow Away' iPad

Kinect spokesman Kudo Tsunoda tells Gamasutra that the device is on track to sell millions this holiday thanks to its ability to enable deep gameplay and attract a wide audience, in a new interview from the Tokyo Game Show floor.

"The preorders have been really strong. As far as what we're looking at for Holiday, this is going to be stuff that'll blow away any of the sales you've seen with iPad," says Tsunoda, when asked what he though about the device's chances of success.

"The Xbox 360 is already selling better than the Wii and Sony right now. Kinect's really just going to boost that to a whole new level."

Apple's device sold 1 million units in its first 28 days on sale and went on to sell 3 million in three months.

The water in Redmond must be laced with LSD.


Gamasutra - News - Opinion: PlayStation Move - Between A Rock And A Hard Place?

There is, of course, a school of thought that Move isn’t meant for casual audiences – but instead more for the “tween” gamer, someone who’s ready to graduate from the Wii’s antiquated graphics and often simplistic play to a high definition system. Take-Two CEO Ben Feder, in fact, discussed that Tuesday at a Kaufman Bros L.P. Investor Conference.

"What Sony and Microsoft have really done with Kinect and Move -- especially Move, is provide a bridge for guys that are used to playing the Wii system with the wand and bringing them over to a HD system," he said.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that is Sony’s objective. If so, it still hasn’t given those people a particularly big incentive. Move’s pricing is steep – indicating Sony once again seems to be forgetting its missteps from earlier this generation. (PS3 sales only began to ramp up when the system’s price left the stratosphere.)

[The Final Dakar]

Not sure I agree with the reviewer's views, but...
Sony Move Review: Don't Be Wii 2.0

Sony claims that the Move is more accurate than the Wiimote, and doesn't have any of the jittery cursor problems that comes from using Nintendo's IR emitter and sensor-based system. The latter might be true, but in practice, in the games that I tried, it's just about as accurate as the Wii MotionPlus—which is to say, accurate about 75% of the time, and frustratingly loose the other 25% of the time.

The unfortunate strategy Sony has taken, on the first round of launch games, is to basically try and bring Nintendo Wii-like games into the HD realm with PS3-level graphics. It might look nice, but this strategy isn't going to work to define a new platform.

Sony knows how to make hardcore games thrive on their platform. Games like God of War and Metal Gear Solid and Shadow of the Colossus. These are the games that need PlayStation Move support.

Imagine playing the next God of War game as Kratos, not just in spirit, hitting square, square and triangle over and over, but actually physically swinging your arms to make him swing his Blades of Chaos (the chain weawpons) around. Imagine actually slicing soldiers and watermelons as Raiden in the new Metal Gear Solid: Rising, making 1:1 cuts and seeing the character doing the same thing. Imagine stabbing the giants in Shadow of the Colossus and feeling the vibration as they shudder and tumble, their gentle life force escaping their enormous bodies because you're on a quest.

These are the gameplay promises, implied or not, that Nintendo first made with the Wii in 2006, then didn't deliver, and re-promised with the Wii MotionPlus, and failed to deliver again in 2009. The reason wasn't a hardware one. It wasn't because Nintendo couldn't do it. It was because the platform, and the mentality of Nintendo wasn't one to foster these hardcore games. Games that many core gamers grew up with. Nobody buys a Wii these days to play traditional games. They get a PlayStation.

One thing did grab my eye, however. Too bad I'll never spring for it because it requires too much cash....

The original construct of Heavy Rain has you performing actions by pressing buttons or wiggling joysticks. Sometimes these are mundane actions like opening doors, shaving, turning on faucets, and sometimes these are very urgent actions like dodging a punch, kicking a guy, or jumping over a chasm. The concept was pretty great—control a movie, Choose Your Own Adventure Style, while keeping the constructs of a game. Mark even kept bugging me to play it. However, the execution, with Sony's traditional DualShock 3 gamepad, turned me off entirely, about 10 minutes in.

Instead of wiggling a stick to turn the key in an ignition, I actually grasped the Move controller and turned the controller like I would turn a key. Opening a door? Push forward to grab the handle, yank back to open the door. Slide a window open? Grab the controller and slide to the left. Grabbing a guy in the balls? Push forward. Squeeze aforementioned balls hard for information? Press down on the trigger. Twist balls because he still won't talk? Twist the controller. It's that simple.

As wonderful as the experience became, it still suffered from the hardware's limitations. Often I would perform an action correctly—one I had done hundreds of times before, by the end stages of the game—and yet still fail the gesture. There was no way to know why I failed, which is a limitation of the game, but it felt like I should not have failed, based on all the successful executions of the same move I made just minutes before.

[sek929]

God I hope motion controls die a quick death.

[The Final Dakar]

I'm really curious how well they hang on when Nintendo's next console comes out.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

ICO/SotC blowout on Kotaku today, and as a PS3 homer, I have to post all the Team ICO news...



What ICO/SotC will look like in HD (one video included)

New ending and *gasp* 3D

Last Guardian Trailer (Scheduled for a Holiday 2011 release)

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!

[The Final Dakar]

Keiji Inafune remains critical of Japanese games, deems even Capcom 'complacent' | Joystiq

"I look around T.G.S., and everyone's making awful games. Japan is at least five years behind," he said. "It's like we're still making games for the last generation of game consoles." And Inafune's ire isn't just aimed at competitors -- he cited Lost Planet 2 as a clear failure to connect with audiences everywhere. "Lost Planet 1 was designed for the Western market. But the guys who made Lost Planet 2 were misguided. They made it too Japanese. They made it like Monster Hunter."

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Keiji Inafune remains critical of Japanese games, deems even Capcom 'complacent' | Joystiq

All truth.

[The Final Dakar]

Kinect Creator: No One Plays First-Person Shooters On PC Anymore

I want to put this guy on ignore.
Must be some powerful kool-aid in Redmond.

[KCrosbie]

That's some funny shit! I want some of what ever he's having!

[The Final Dakar]

Is Bungie Really "The Last Remaining High Quality Independent Developer"?
It is when you antagonize the developers of your best selling game into leaving.

[Rumor]

Didn't Bungie get bought by MS? If so, how are they considered an indie dev?

[Brien]

MS spun them back off.

[Jawbone54]

...and now they're going multi-platform with their next series.

[The Final Dakar]

LIVE Activity for week of Sept 13 - Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on UU’s)

1 Modern Warfare 2
2 Halo 3
3 Halo: Reach
4 Call of Duty: WaW
5 Call of Duty 4

Oh snap!

[angelmb]

Which software would you use to follow this event… VLC?, MPlayer?, virtualization?. It is some ASF file.

[The Final Dakar]

Absolutely no idea.