[Dakar V]

Just because its a cool 'shop.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Hmm really? Did you get a chance to play Metroid Prime on the GameCube? That game was absolutely fantastic, once I beat it my roommate decided to sell the GC due to lack of use.

No, I'm only a recent console user, sorry. With Metroid on the Wii, as with Red Steel and even Zelda, shooting isn't/wasn't the most intuitive (for me) when you are using what amounts to a TV remote. Opening doors in Metroid Prime by shooting them also started to annoy me. I found that the tracking of the Wii-mote wasn't good enough for shooting games. It was OK for 'simple' stuff that required no accuracy, but shooting people from afar was impossible unless you moved right up to the TV.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Query:

Brutal Legend – Does anyone here give a sh¡t?

In the time I spend on gaming news sites the past few months it seems like its getting a crapton of coverage.
Honestly, I don't even know what its actually about. Something about music and an annoying looking lead.

JESUS CHRIST ITS ALL OVER THE NEWS TODAY**** nocaps

[exca1ibur]

Seriously, why all the hype on this game? They must have one hell of a marketing budget.

I saw the trailer for it when it debuted and thought it looked pretty terrible on all fronts.

[::maroma::]

Brutal who?

[jokell82]

Well now that there's a legal battle we're sure to be hearing a lot more about the game.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Well now that there's a legal battle we're sure to be hearing a lot more about the game.

Sounds Brutal.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Sounds Brutal.

Instant Rimshot

[Dakar V]

A-thank you.

---

Quick Hits

For Fatty
Celebrate Forza 3 by getting a free car in Forza 2

For Butthurt Survivors
Before its time? Valve explains Left 4 Dead sequel to Ars - Ars Technica

For Real?
Kotaku - Smash Bros. Brawl User Online Service Ending - Super Smash Bros. Brawl

[angelmb]

Interview with Nintendo's Satoru Iwata, some great points there:

- How we have moved from best graphics delivered to best motion sensing technology as the seller point.

- How most companies focus on a technology roadmap instead of what can still be done with current hardware.

- How the iPhone is not direct competition for the DSi… and how he is a Mac user.

[Dakar V]

Blue Ocean Strategy sums up what some of us have been screaming about Nintendo's success this generation.

I think we'll see a HD Wii when Japan's sales permanently flatline. As of right now they're introducing a black Wii to compensate.

[Jawbone54]

This E3 seems to be the first in years that actually did nothing to spur on my console-envy problem. I still like the Netflix features and XBLA, but Alan Wake and L4D2 don't do quite as much for me as Uncharted 2 and The Last Guardian. I do prefer Forza to Gran Turismo though.

[Hawkeye_a]

So i just watched the Sony conference.....
-Their copy of the Wiimote..... first on screen simulations..... tennis, baseball, golf, sword. Looks surprisingly familiar to me.

On Natal and Sony Wiimote:
-What isnt surprising though, is the reaction from the fanboys. suddenly all their complaints about the Wii, disappeared... flailing arms. check. not as 'accurate as button presses'. check. needs too much physical space. check. looking 'ridiculous' while using it. check.

So i guess the same interface with similar limitations and issues are acceptable when they have another company's logo on the box. And i'm the fanboy here.... obviously.

Also, it's really disappointing that neither Sony nor Microsoft could bring anything original to the table again, just copies of 3 year old Nintendo innovation. I guess when you have no internal talent and are constantly in the red, it makes it hard to take risks and innovate..... the easier route is obviously to copy.

Cheers

[starman]

I'd like links to where you see these 'fanboys' saying these comments about the Sony/MS remote.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

So i just watched the Sony conference.....
-Their copy of the Wiimote..... first on screen simulations..... tennis, baseball, golf, sword. Looks surprisingly familiar to me.

On Natal and Sony Wiimote:
-What isnt surprising though, is the reaction from the fanboys. suddenly all their complaints about the Wii, disappeared... flailing arms. check. not as 'accurate as button presses'. check. needs too much physical space. check. looking 'ridiculous' while using it. check.

So i guess the same interface with similar limitations and issues are acceptable when they have another company's logo on the box. And i'm the fanboy here.... obviously.

Also, it's really disappointing that neither Sony nor Microsoft could bring anything original to the table again, just copies of 3 year old Nintendo innovation. I guess when you have no internal talent and are constantly in the red, it makes it hard to take risks and innovate..... the easier route is obviously to copy.

Cheers

First, I'm certainly never playing anything like Gears of War 3 on an interface like Project Natal.

Second, if you think that Project Natal is really just a copy of the Wiimote then you truly are blinded by your fanboyitude.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

-What isnt surprising though, is the reaction from the fanboys. suddenly all their complaints about the Wii, disappeared... flailing arms. check. not as 'accurate as button presses'. check. needs too much physical space. check. looking 'ridiculous' while using it. check.

So i guess the same interface with similar limitations and issues are acceptable when they have another company's logo on the box. And i'm the fanboy here.... obviously.

Maybe they were distracted by the graphics that didn't look terrible.

[Dakar V]

Personally, I'm amused that hawkeye values originality so heavily. Apparently there's no room in this world for taking something and doing it better.

[Dakar V]

Monday Morning Round-up

Some Perfect Dark screens; Every original feature included in the game

I could totally beat him up

When was the last time you saw call for a boycott from not moms or churches but the actual fans?

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Monday Morning Round-up

I could totally beat him up

In a couple of years he'll have sex, maybe a joint and then his whole life will change.

I pity him.

[Dakar V]

http://kotaku.com/5280739/so-which-e3-announcements-generated-the-most-buzz-[update]



Some quick analysis:

• Project Natal leads the chart by a wide margin, however the Milo demo that was used at the MS keynote lags far, far behind it
• Pretty much everything that couldn't generate more buzz than Facebook on xbox should feel bad about itself
• For something rather nebulous, the Wii Vitality Sensor scores rather high on the chart
• Both DJ games sit at the bottom of the chart, prompting a "Who was clamoring for a DJ game?" question again. Love that these guys are suing the **** out of each other to see who gets to fail first

[Chuckit]

How sad that a Zelda game nobody from Nintendo talked about got more buzz than Splinter Cell: Conviction.

[Dakar V]

Hey, I just realized Brutal Legend isn't on there!

Must be an oversight.

[Hawkeye_a]

I wonder how the elements in that chart were measured. Did the length of time have any influence ? or was it just how many times the name of the product was heard. Also, i wonder what the sample for the survey/measure was. Was it a representative sample ? or was it confined to a specific niche of the population ?

Hate to get all scientific here ... but yea......

I ended up watching the Microsoft press conference and i must admit that they easily get an A+ for presentation. Ringo, Paul, Yuko, Mrs. Harrison, Tony Hawk and Steven Spielberg. That's the way to get publicity imo. But i stick by my analysis that Natal will probably flop.

Sony on the other hand... appeared pretty humbled. which was refreshingly good. The Kuturagi's and Kaz's comments in the past were too elitist. i couldn't believe their PR team actually put up with those comments like...'get a second job for a PS3', 'the next gen does not begin until we say it does', 'ridge racer, ridge racer, etc...'.....

Nintendo was ..... a little too serious imo. And kinda smug. They really need to start showing off third party AAA content during their keynote. that weird finger-clip thing was a new kind of crazy.

Cheers

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Monday Morning Round-up

Some Perfect Dark screens; Every original feature included in the game

Well, I'm definitely buying this.

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I could totally beat him up

Helping humanity is overrated.

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

When was the last time you saw call for a boycott from not moms or churches but the actual fans?

I actually will join the online boycott, who knows, maybe with enough fuss we'll get a huge DLC pack instead. I was super excited for L4D1 and despite a huge amount of play at first it really hasn't kept my attention long enough to justify yet another 60 dollar game for me to buy, there are to many other full games that deserve my money.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I actually will join the online boycott, who knows, maybe with enough fuss we'll get a huge DLC pack instead. I was super excited for L4D1 and despite a huge amount of play at first it really hasn't kept my attention long enough to justify yet another 60 dollar game for me to buy, there are to many other full games that deserve my money.

I don't think I mentioned on here, but I had large reservations about L4D thanks to its small size (and zombies). I only have it because I received as a gift, but I'm only happy with that knowing they got it at a reduced price on Amazon (when it was going for $40 around Christmas time). I think my purchase of L4D 2 mainly revolves around how much I have to play at the time it comes out and not getting it at full price again (since it's virtually guaranteed all my friends will purchase it).

It's a difficult spot. Valve's support has been half-assed (Perhaps people should have known something was up when the game shipped with only half the VS. maps working...). They claim they can't update the game via DLC, but I feel like an add-on disc couldn't be out of that hard. I think it really is about getting a larger install base. L4D has done well (on the 360), but it didn't explode out of the gate, and they know (or think they know) that 2 will.

[Chuckit]

From the sound of things, Left 4 Dead 2 is a lot more than just a DLC pack. They've reworked the game engine to do totally new things, like procedurally generated levels. In other words, if this were coming out a year or two later, everybody would think it's awesome. Most people just seem to be whining that Valve managed to do it so quickly.

The complaint that Left 4 Dead felt kind of half-finished is a valid one, but that's a knock against the first game, not Left 4 Dead 2. And besides that, I've managed to enjoy it anyway, and they've released quite a bit of DLC already.

As for an add-on disk: Just pretend like Left 4 Dead 2 requires you to buy the first one. Presto!

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

From the sound of things, Left 4 Dead 2 is a lot more than just a DLC pack. They've reworked the game engine to do totally new things, like procedurally generated levels. In other words, if this were coming out a year or two later, everybody would think it's awesome. Most people just seem to be whining that Valve managed to do it so quickly.

Because that seems to imply: A) They rushed 1 out the door (not unfounded) B) They started working on a sequel immediately instead of DLC for 1

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Because that seems to imply: A) They rushed 1 out the door (not unfounded) B) They started working on a sequel immediately instead of DLC for 1

The first I'll agree with (in fact, I'll agree that most games were rushed out the door). But the second is clearly not true considering that they've released several very substantial fixes, the remaining versus maps, and a whole new mode complete with maps of its own.

[Dakar V]

Since you added on to your post...

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

The complaint that Left 4 Dead felt kind of half-finished is a valid one, but that's a knock against the first game, not Left 4 Dead 2. And besides that, I've managed to enjoy it anyway, and they've released quite a bit of DLC already.

Quite a bit of DLC? Would that be making two of the campaigns that should have been unlocked from the beginning available, or Survivor mode, which uses existing maps and crescendo points? The only new physical location they've added is the Lighthouse, which isn't exactly huge.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

As for an add-on disk: Just pretend like Left 4 Dead 2 requires you to buy the first one. Presto!

I think I'll pretend you didn't offer such a lame idea.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

The first I'll agree with (in fact, I'll agree that most games were rushed out the door). But the second is clearly not true considering that they've released several very substantial fixes, the remaining versus maps, and a whole new mode complete with maps of its own.

Sorry, but I'm not patting anyone on the back for fixing glitches. In this generation of console gaming that's expected. By that kind of benchmark we should be slathering EPIC in praise for giving us 4 TUs when the reality is thats how messed up their game was.

[Chuckit]

You consider lack of horde mode to be a glitch? I know it's quickly becoming standard, but I think that's a little unreasonable.

No, actually, I meant gameplay changes when I said "substantial fixes."

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

You consider lack of horde mode to be a glitch? I know it's quickly becoming standard, but I think that's a little unreasonable.

That's their only addition, and I feel confident in saying most users would have preferred a new campaign (even if it was pay) over this add-on.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

No, actually, I meant gameplay changes when I said "substantial fixes."

I can't speak for COD, but Halo and Gears do gameplay changes too. Any good company tweaks their multiplayer. That's how you keep players. It's in their own self-interest.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I think I'll pretend you didn't offer such a lame idea.

Are you also pretending that you didn't know I was being sarcastic? I don't see why forcing people to buy the first game in order to play the new stuff makes the new stuff better. I mean, if we're talking about free vs. paid, I see why you'd prefer just an addon, but if we're talking about the same price point either way, what is wrong with making it standalone?

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I wonder how the elements in that chart were measured. Did the length of time have any influence ? or was it just how many times the name of the product was heard. Also, i wonder what the sample for the survey/measure was. Was it a representative sample ? or was it confined to a specific niche of the population ?

Hate to get all scientific here ... but yea......

Maybe you should try reading the actual link.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Are you also pretending that you didn't know I was being sarcastic?

No, my apologies, that genuinely went over my head.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I don't see why forcing people to buy the first game in order to play the new stuff makes the new stuff better. I mean, if we're talking about free vs. paid, I see why you'd prefer just an addon, but if we're talking about the same price point either way, what is wrong with making it standalone?

The biggest issue is that releasing 2 is a death sentence for the first game. Sure, DLC campaigns would be more played, but no one is going to pop in a different disc just to play old ones.

Now, if you tell me the old campaigns will be included in 2 (and integrated with the new Director, characters, weapons, special infected), my stance will soften quite a bit, though I might gripe about being an unwilling guinea pig.

[Dakar V]

Xbox Live evolves: no more Microsoft points, user ratings - Ars Technica

Good news:

Austin walked us through the process of buying a game through the service. "What you'll see here for the first time on the buy screen is we'll be showing the price in the local currency," he said, and there was something akin to a gasp in the room. "And we're going to allow people to purchase with a credit card." He points out that gamers will still have the choice to pay with Microsoft points, if they want. The ability to see the real price of the game, and then to be able to pay directly with your credit card instead of buying a block of points is a huge step forward.

I think we all knew these pricks would do this eventually (The bolded part)

We were also shown a new marketplace for avatar clothing, so if you'd like to buy a Halo- or Splinter Cell-themed shirt for your avatar, you will be able to do so. If you want to give your avatar an RC mini-Warthog, it will cost you 320 Microsoft points, or $4. Games will also soon have the ability to give you awards, so your avatar can gain items by playing games. That's right: you'll soon have awards to deal with on top of achievements. Microsoft has many ways of making you feel like you're earning things while playing the games.

[Dakar V]

We seem to be caught in a deluge of analysis in the wake of E3.

Hardcore Gamers' Reaction to Nintendo's E3 Conference: An Empirical Study

Analysis of one site's reactions during a conference (In this case NeoGAF and Nintendo, respectively). Apologies for the giant pic.

[Stogieman]

Right on! I always hated converting those stupid MS points into real dollars.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Maybe you should try reading the actual link.

Couldnt be bothered really. hype doesnt interest me nearly enough to click on that link. ... i mean i remember buzz words like 'HD' 'Cell' 'BR', etc.... associated a lot with 'hype'.

With that weird Nintendo clip addon thingy..... i wonder...if it actually sees market success, i wonder if M$ and $ony...like 4 years from now will come out with a technology which achieves the same thing. I guess that's the difference here, i appreciate the risk takers as opposed to the '+1' copycats.

Whether or not that device is a success, i applaud Nintendo for taking the risk of trying something totally new, instead of only doing business the cowardly way of copying and adding 1.

[Chuckit]

I'd rather have a some fun games than a bunch of "risk-taking" hardware that sells for hundreds of times its marginal cost.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Couldnt be bothered really. hype doesnt interest me nearly enough to click on that link.

It's too bad you could be bothered to look like a fool when all the info you're clamoring on about is in the link provided.

By the way, nice completely random smiley.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I guess that's the difference here, i appreciate the risk takers as opposed to the '+1' copycats.

Whether or not that device is a success, i applaud Nintendo for taking the risk of trying something totally new, instead of only doing business the cowardly way of copying and adding 1.

Cowardly, that's a new one.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Whether or not that device is a success, i applaud Nintendo for taking the risk of trying something totally new, instead of only doing business the cowardly way of copying and adding 1.

So, in other words, you don't like the way Apple operates either?

[Dakar V]

Quick HIts

Because it's been a while since Sony said something hilarious

After having been in his new office for only a little over a month, House is already making daring statements, telling Edge-Online that he believes Wii owners will eventually 'upgrade' to PS3. His logic is based off prior figures that pit the lifecycle of PS2 against that of N64 (he probably meant GameCube), citing Nintendo's console as the "entry level gaming device" and that data suggested consumers planned to "upgrade to a more powerful machine [read: PS2] later in the lifecycle when the price point was right for them."

Biosensor not all that new

As game blog Game|Life points out, back in 1998, Nintendo released the "Bio Sensor" along with Tetris 64. The peripheral read the player's pulse by clipping onto their earlobe as opposed to the player's finger. The Japan-only Bio Sensor allowed players to speed up or slow down Tetris 64 based on heart rate speed.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Whether or not that device is a success, i applaud Nintendo for taking the risk of trying something totally new, instead of only doing business the cowardly way of copying and adding 1.

I needed a good laugh, and you never disappoint.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Whether or not that device is a success, i applaud Nintendo for taking the risk of trying something totally new, instead of only doing business the cowardly way of copying and adding 1.

Please tell me you are kidding? That was a good joke and I laughed well. Lets put this into perspective.

Microsoft - Lost money for an entire generation to get to this stage, has a faulty hardware issue, however has created the most successful online gaming community for a console and a great lineup of games to get were they are now. THAT is a risk

Sony - They created a console not many could afford in a crappy economy with unproven technology and had probably the worse start ever for a console maker. Yet have cleaned up their online experience and started to release great games. THAT is a risk

Apple - Released a $600 phone, that was unproven at the time. Look at them now. - THAT is a risk

Nintendo - Released a console made up of 6 year old technology with great motion idea. - THAT is playing is safe.

Of anyone this generation they played it safe. Win or lose they would be profitable because there was never anything to really loose.

[Dakar V]

I'm not sure I'd call putting all your eggs in the motion control basket playing it safe, but your other points stand. Sony pinning all their hopes on Blu-Ray with the downside of an awful price point is a giant gamble. MS deciding to release first and set the bar for other consoles was also a risk.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Microsoft - Lost money for an entire generation to get to this stage, has a faulty hardware issue, however has created the most successful online gaming community for a console and a great lineup of games to get were they are now. THAT is a risk

Actually....thats just predatory business practices. they'd done the same thing in the past with every one of their products (windows, zune, xbox, office, ie, etc), fueled by profits from other markets to try and monopolize and kill competitors in other markets. but yeah..it was a risk for them to make a faster console ('+1') and add an online service which had never been done before on other consoles(PC). risky innovators, that microsoft is.

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Sony - They created a console not many could afford in a crappy economy with unproven technology and had probably the worse start ever for a console maker. Yet have cleaned up their online experience and started to release great games. THAT is a risk

No that's just stupid, which is why most of the top level execs from that company/team have been fired/demoted/resigned over the past 3 years. It's not risky to make a faster console. it is just plain stupid to make one that expensive without anything innovative(except for the Mii2 6-axis) and actually expect it to be successful(dollar wise). any econ101 student can tell you that.

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Apple - Released a $600 phone, that was unproven at the time. Look at them now. - THAT is a risk

The thing that sold the iPhone was the innovative/revolutionary UI, risky cause Apple was new at it and unproven in that market. Lets not forget what Microsoft's CEO and others had to say about it before it launched.

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Nintendo - Released a console made up of 6 year old technology with great motion idea. - THAT is playing is safe.

Of anyone this generation they played it safe. Win or lose they would be profitable because there was never anything to really loose.

yeah cause from what i remember, every analyst and gamer on the planet was expecting the Wii to be the #1 home console in the market today, right ? cause it was so apparent that such a different control scheme that was unproven would catch on the way it did, and leave the competitors(who had won the last generation i might add), in the dust.

higher prices is not equal to risk.

higher prices in a recession with nothing innovative about it is just plain stupid. why would so many spend $500-600 on an iPhone and so few on a PS3 ? innovation.

new drastically different unproven technology(which the others are scrambling to imitate) in the market is a risk..... especially when the industry coins you as the looser of the previous generation.

If price was the problem/risk as you claim, the XB360 would have been outselling the Wii for the past few months, cause it's 20% cheaper. (but it's pushing fewer than half the Wiis on average)

PS>>it's not about the MHZs and GBs and pixels. anyone can make a faster beefier console, that doesn't make a product innovative or mean that it's risky with unproven tech. get out of that raw numbers world and you might realize it.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

It's too bad you could be bothered to look like a fool when all the info you're clamoring on about is in the link provided.

By the way, nice completely random smiley.

Cowardly, that's a new one.

Actually i think it's only fools who are preoccupied with 'hype', and im not one of them. i guess that's all some 'gamers' can hold onto now.

Thanks for the compliment on the smiley.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I'm not sure I'd call putting all your eggs in the motion control basket playing it safe, but your other points stand. Sony pinning all their hopes on Blu-Ray with the downside of an awful price point is a giant gamble. MS deciding to release first and set the bar for other consoles was also a risk.

It's no more a risk than Microsoft and Sony releasing motions control right now. Nintendo had the arcade stick out as well should even the motion control idea tanked. With their brand and games for their market they had not much to loose either way. It's pretty much just a peripheral. The benefit of having it bundle just guaranteed that it would be developed for as a primary than say WiFit, or Guitar Hero which nothing outside of their own software supports it.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I'm not sure I'd call putting all your eggs in the motion control basket playing it safe, but your other points stand.

Nintendo didn't put all its eggs in the motion control basket. Nintendo has more baskets, controller-wise, than any other company out there.