[Peter]

gonna be tough for it to be on level with the xbox arcade racers.

[Jawbone54]

By the way, plenty of you received XBL friend requests from me today. I'll be hitting up MW2 and Forza 3 for a while. I've got some catching up to do.

[The Final Dakar]

Who the hell is Jawbone54 and why does he want to be friends with me?

Also: Called it.

[Jawbone54]

Some guy that plays Forza 3 until 3:30 AM, as far as I can tell. The idiot already paid Microsoft Points for an LSU avatar shirt (sucker).

[Brien]

Hey, I bought Mickey Ears.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Brien 

Hey, I bought Mickey Ears.

Well, at least it's not USC accessories.

[KCrosbie]

So I actually played my Nintendo Wii yesterday since like April. Wifey got me Super Mario Bros Wii. It's a pretty darn good game so far.

Some after X-Mas sales you may be interested in...
If you have a PS3 and don't have MW2 yet, you can get it this week at Best Buy for $39.95.

Also, you can get an X-Box Live 12 month subscription for $39.95 at Amazon.

[Eug]

So does anyone have a link to the latest demographics stats?

I was Boxing Week shopping and was struck by the number of women (30-50) out there buying stuff like Wii Fit Plus, etc.

[The Final Dakar]

Not the latest and greatest, but I think the Wii was something like 70% female. IIRC.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

The idiot already paid Microsoft Points for an LSU avatar shirt (sucker).

On two days and already giving xbox owners a bad name.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by KCrosbie 

Some after X-Mas sales you may be interested in...
If you have a PS3 and don't have MW2 yet, you can get it this week at Best Buy for $39.95.

Just grabbed it for the same price on Amazon.

[jokell82]

It's been over a month since I even turned on my 360. My PS3 has taken over as my console of choice. Beat Batman about a week ago and my girlfriend got me Assassin's Creed 2 for Christmas, so it looks like I won't be turning on the 360 again until Bioshock 2 comes out.

Kinda strange, since my PS3 was collecting dust for the longest time...

[The Final Dakar]

Well, unless there's something specific I'm missing, I don't see how single-player multiplatform titles really relate to a neglected console. Now if you were playing Uncharted 2...

[SpaceMonkey]

Oh, I missed the Jawbone thing. Obligatory

[Peter]

Uncharted 2 is awesome. Really impressed with it. My most favourite bit is the chit chat between the characters, good story too.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

On two days and already giving xbox owners a bad name.

Consider me part of the machine. And yes...that is a camera you see in my avatar's hand.

Originally Posted by jokell82 

It's been over a month since I even turned on my 360. My PS3 has taken over as my console of choice. Beat Batman about a week ago and my girlfriend got me Assassin's Creed 2 for Christmas, so it looks like I won't be turning on the 360 again until Bioshock 2 comes out.

Kinda strange, since my PS3 was collecting dust for the longest time...

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Well, unless there's something specific I'm missing, I don't see how single-player multiplatform titles really relate to a neglected console. Now if you were playing Uncharted 2...

This is the first time that I've owned a 360 since the upgraded Blade interface, and I have to say I'm not a fan at all. XBL is hands-down the better online platform. The friends list, messaging system, and every other aspect of gamer interaction isn't comparable.

BUT...there's something much cleaner about the XMB on the PS3. It's not perfect (the way music/picture lists are handled drives me crazy), but I think I still prefer the interface by a considerable margin (so far). The fact that I was able to swap in a 500 GB hard drive for $80 and store dozens of movies and TV shows without a second thought is nice too.

Also, the trophy system makes a little more sense than achievements, but I'm sure that's just a personal preference. Since there's really nothing else that would sway a single-player multi-platform console selection, I'm going with trophies.

I also have to mentioned how shocked I am that Arkham Asylum is such an incredible game. I probably won't finish it for another week or so, but I can't get over how good it is. It's a Batman fan's dream title.

Jokell, have you picked up Uncharted 2?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Oh, I missed the Jawbone thing. Obligatory

I deserve every bit of ridicule I get on the issue. I know it. My wife knows it. You guys know it.

Even my students know it. They were ragging on me in between kills while playing MW2 yesterday afternoon.

[The Final Dakar]

I hated the NEXE, but its grown on me.

That said, the amount of different categories they clutter the ****ing dashboard with is absurd.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Well, unless there's something specific I'm missing, I don't see how single-player multiplatform titles really relate to a neglected console. Now if you were playing Uncharted 2...

The games themselves weren't specifically keeping me from my 360 (although the bonus Joker levels made me buy Batman for the PS3). I've just been enjoying the experience way more than the 360 lately, and I plan on buying more multi-platform titles for the PS3.

And I do have Uncharted 2, I just haven't started it yet.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

The games themselves weren't specifically keeping me from my 360 (although the bonus Joker levels made me buy Batman for the PS3). I've just been enjoying the experience way more than the 360 lately, and I plan on buying more multi-platform titles for the PS3.

Bonus Joker levels, there's something I didn't think of.

This question sounds familiar... but the experience? (I swear this may have been discussed before)

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Bonus Joker levels, there's something I didn't think of.

This question sounds familiar... but the experience? (I swear this may have been discussed before)

Basically the system UI, and how easy it is to use for what I want it to do. It has almost completely replaced my AppleTV for my video streaming. The 360 could do the same thing but I hated the interface for it.

Plus I've been buying more Blu-rays lately, so it's been getting even more use because of that.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

The games themselves weren't specifically keeping me from my 360 (although the bonus Joker levels made me buy Batman for the PS3). I've just been enjoying the experience way more than the 360 lately, and I plan on buying more multi-platform titles for the PS3.

And I do have Uncharted 2, I just haven't started it yet.

If you're the multiplayer type, give it a shot, especially Plunder and the Co-op. Co-op Survival mode is something I missed out on for the first two weeks.

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

This question sounds familiar... but the experience? (I swear this may have been discussed before)

In-game experience is not really different. Trophies pop up just like achievements, except in the top/right of the screen. The graphics are always comparable, but sometimes the colors/contrast are slightly different (comparison of MW2). MW2 looks slightly more washed out on PS3, and Batman:AA seems to be a bit darker.

Only on a few titles does the performance suffer. We all know about the Orange Box problems on PS2, but the framerate is actually better on NBA2K10.

I guess the biggest difference is the controller, and that's obviously just personal preference.

[EDIT] As for the UI, that's already been addressed. It's much cleaner, but missing perks like Netflix sans-disc, XBLA's arguably better selection, having more options in friend interaction (Parties, for one), and Facebook/Twitter (meh).

[The Final Dakar]

I figured the answer would be UI. If you're using the UI a lot that makes sense.

[Chuckit]

The PS3's general menu UI is so much better, but the Xbox wins in the details of what's actually there in most cases IMO. For example, in the Playstation Store, it offers four different options for viewing the list of games. Of these options, three don't show the title of the game, just an icon, which might be recognizable if you're lucky.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Not the latest and greatest, but I think the Wii was something like 70% female. IIRC.

What about the Xbox 360 and PS3? I might have guessed 25% female.

[The Final Dakar]

Probably even lower.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I figured the answer would be UI. If you're using the UI a lot that makes sense.

Which will really only be the case if you're using it either for streaming/watching movies or music like Jokell, or spend plenty of time buying stuff from the PSN store.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

The PS3's general menu UI is so much better, but the Xbox wins in the details of what's actually there in most cases IMO. For example, in the Playstation Store, it offers four different options for viewing the list of games. Of these options, three don't show the title of the game, just an icon, which might be recognizable if you're lucky.

I would tend to agree with this. The PSN store has plenty of issues, but I've found I'm still able to find what I'm looking for more easily than the 360. The 360's problem seems to be clutter. I think Dakar mentioned this earlier today. Videos, adverts, and copious amounts of pure crap take up over half the real estate. I wish there was a way to customize it all.

I've said this already, but PSN's main issues for me are the friend interactions. I can't even find a way to record a voice message and send it to a friend. If it's there, it's buried somewhere I can't find. You can start a voice chat, but they have to be online at the time, and it seems to take extra steps to do anything involving your friends.

[The Final Dakar]

What Were Amazon's Video Game Bestsellers Of 2009? - Amazon - Kotaku

01. Wii
02. Wii Remote controller
03. Wii MotionPlus
04. Wii Nunchuk controller
05. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
06. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
07. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
08. Wii Fit (Wii)
09. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

11. PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 controller
12. Wii Play (Wii)
13. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
14. Wii Wheel
15. Assassin's Creed II (Xbox 360)
16. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
17. PlayStation 3 120 GB
18. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
19. EA Sports Active (Wii)
20. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)



The Wii®: Buying an actual game is our consumers 5th choice.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Only on a few titles does the performance suffer. We all know about the Orange Box problems

Another game that's laughably worse on the PS3 is Fallout 3.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Another game that's laughably worse on the PS3 is Fallout 3.

Due to the delay in releasing DLC? Because they're caught up now. Or are there other glitches?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

The Wii®: Buying an actual game is our consumers 5th choice.

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Due to the delay in releasing DLC? Because they're caught up now. Or are there other glitches?

I'm pretty sure there are other glitches. Apparently bugs galore.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

What Were Amazon's Video Game Bestsellers Of 2009? - Amazon - Kotaku

01. Wii
02. Wii Remote controller
03. Wii MotionPlus
04. Wii Nunchuk controller
05. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
06. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
07. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
08. Wii Fit (Wii)
09. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

11. PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 controller
12. Wii Play (Wii)
13. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
14. Wii Wheel
15. Assassin's Creed II (Xbox 360)
16. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
17. PlayStation 3 120 GB
18. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
19. EA Sports Active (Wii)
20. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)



The Wii®: Buying an actual game is our consumers 5th choice.

Just realized - there are only three *real* games in the top 10 (and one collection of mini-games). How sad. And only 5 more in the 11-20 range. Very sad.

[The Final Dakar]

I'll be more interested when NPD releases a list of actual games, rather than hardware and software.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Due to the delay in releasing DLC? Because they're caught up now. Or are there other glitches?

Both games are really buggy, but the PS3 version has far inferior graphics compared to 360. Draw distances, lighting, textures, etc are all worse on the PS3.

[The Final Dakar]

Let the New Year begin with the dick measuring.

The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report - grey market - Kotaku





Is This The Xbox 360's Retail Retreat In Japan? - Japan - Kotaku

One retail shop put stickers with cute Christmas trees that read "Great for a Christmas Gift" on the PS3 and the Wii, but not the Xbox 360.

[jokell82]

Sega Shying Away From Mature Wii Titles - Sega - Kotaku

And that pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin for mature Wii games. With Dead Space Extraction selling only 9000 copies in the first month of release, it seems the message is clear - the market just isn't there.

As if there was any doubt.

[The Final Dakar]

No, that 70% women demo totally want mature games. They just haven't been high enough quality yet.

[sek929]

Channeling your inner Hawkeye?

[The Final Dakar]

"This isn't a war, it's a murder."

[exca1ibur]

Dead Space: Extraction sold only 9000 copies the first month? Ouch! EA should have just released it on the PSP like it was initially developed for.

[downinflames68]

As for the pine trees on the Wii and PS3, they're both japanese. Xbox is American. I'm sure the store owner is just trying to push japanese products instead of American ones.

[The Final Dakar]

Yeah, we know that.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Sega Shying Away From Mature Wii Titles - Sega - Kotaku



As if there was any doubt.

No MadWorld 2

Ah well. Not surprising. Just hurry up, Wii 2, or WiiHD, or Zii, whatever you are, and be good.

Oh yeah, I picked up a 52" LCD TV for Christmas, finally putting away my 36" toob chunker, and now no HD for the Wii is really hurting. Icky. And with the games that don't support 16:9, it looks even worse. Hooked the computer up though, and ooohhhhh pretty!

[The Final Dakar]

Wednesday News

Nielsen survey says most PSP users are female, Xbox 360 most played

According to its survey statistics, Sony's PSP market in the United States contains a slight majority of female gamers -- 52% of the platform's owners in the region, while 49% of Nintendo Wii owners are female. Nielsen's survey statistics show that, as of 2009, 45% of all active gamers are women.

Related to each console's individual usage -- besides what the good looking gamers enjoy -- Nielsen's survey claims the Xbox 360 is the most played console (ranked by share of total usage minutes), taking 23.1% of the measured playtime. Sony's PlayStation 2 netted second with 20.4% and the Nintendo Wii closed up the top three with 19% of the vote.

These Were Some Of 2009's Most Popular Rental Titles - Rentals - Kotaku

And, as you're about to see, the lists are a little surprising, in that they differ wildly from what you'd see on sales charts. Take the DS, for example, with Chinatown Wars coming in ahead of New Super Mario Bros., even though the latter has outsold it around a billion to one.

Or the Wii, where Madworld, which sold around three copies in North America all year, came in on top. Just goes to show, while some games are must buys, others are simply must rents.

Overall:
1. Left 4 Dead
2. Fallout 3
3. Killzone 2
4. Infamous
5. Resident Evil 5
6. Fable II
7. Call of Duty: World at War
8. Gears of War 2
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
10. Batman: Arkham Asylum

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Channeling your inner Hawkeye?

Not to rain on your parade..... ......

Quite frankly those "hardcore" Wii games were poor in quality.... why ? none of you hardcore gamers saw fit to buy em, right ? even i as a cas-core gamer didn t want em. And given by the sales figures, the hardcore market by large didnt see fit to buy those games. That isnt the Wii's fault and it doesnt mean that core gamers dont own Wii. It just means that those games did not sell.

Dead Space Extraction ?.....how many of YOU hardcore gamers bought it ? i didnt want an onails shooter, no matter what the production values. If they had released the identical game with third-person controls, i would have definitely picked it up.

So you guys can quit picking on the Wii, when the problem is not the audience, and it's not the console, it's the games the publishers make, which are either not suited for the intended audience or of insufficient quality.

Conduit: severely limited enemy types, short single player campaign, broken online.
Madworld(i own it): the art style is unique but takes some getting used to, and definitely would not appeal to everyone.
House of the Dead: On rails shooter
Dead Space: On rails shooter

Remedy ? Publisher should put their A teams on projects and invest enough into into development and marketing.

A core gamer, wouldn't care which console the game is on, as long as it's good. And seeing as how you geeks didnt want em, i think it's safe to assume that those games in general..... sucked.

That being said, as a consumer, im tired of waiting for third party publishers to put quality core content on the Wii. And Nintendo, at least for the past 2 years, seems content in courting the casual gamer.

[sek929]

Example why the Wii is actually the problem.

Call of Duty: World at War Wii edition.

No co-op, no Nazi Zombies. Why did they leave out an awesome mini-game where you fight against hordes of Zombies? I'll tell you why, because the Wii would never be able to handle rendering 40+ zombies with their individual behaviors. Why no co-op? Because the Wii can not handle a modern game in split-screen.

My Wii owning buddy loves Conduit online, yes it crashes his system constantly but the gameplay is fast-paced and he seems to love it, he was a huge Halo 2 fan back in the Xbox days.

As for the two On-Rails shooters, despite being 'gory' I would hardly call them hardcore titles. In fact, an On-Rails shooter seems like the perfect fit for the Wii.

All in all the demographic for these types of games simply isn't there. People who want traditional hardcore type titles have a PS3 or 360 for that purpose. 90% of hardcore gamers who own the Wii did it to appease the girlfriend. Those who bought it for themselves gravitate towards games like Zelda, Metroid, and Mario. All great games, especially Metroid (which is kinda a hardcore shooter) but they are all Nintendo titles, the majority of Wii owners do not give a single sh!t about 3rd party games, and it shows.

[The Final Dakar]

Somehow, I doubt it's hardcore gamers that are buying those scads of WiiFit.

[exca1ibur]

It has everything to do with the Wii. The hardware isn't capable of doing anything hardcore compared to the XBox 360 or the Playstation 3. Not even close. No matter what the developer does, a port from either one of those systems is going to be a bastard child.

This was the same thing that killed interest on the Mac with gaming developers in the past. The hardware wasn't up to par, so they skipped it. Since the Wii has all this market share, they put the effort into it doing what they could, but the hardware isn't up to par for these types of games and it shows, big time when compared side by side with the other versions. Just look at what they had to do to Madden. The whole art direction had to be changed from realistic to cartoons, some of that had to do with appeal to their market but I bet technical issue were a big part of that as well.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Somehow, I doubt it's hardcore gamers that are buying those scads of WiiFit.

Though Lord knows they're probably the ones who need it most.

[The Final Dakar]

I was thinking that. With a name like FattyMcBlobicus, he could probably stand to lose a ton or two.