Nintendo’s Struggle to the Top

nintendo-fallAs if we didn’t all know, Nintendo is currently at the top of the heap in terms of the console wars of this generation. Not only are they kicking ass in terms of that market, they are also dominating worldwide in the handheld market. People are buying their products like hotcakes, and the execs are probably sleeping on their beds made of money and gold bars while they giggle themselves to sleep.

But it wasn’t always like this. While Nintendo is now once again synonymous with gaming, there was a time when the company struggled, hopped on its last leg, and then took a series of chances that have now put it back on top. Edge Online just did the first in a series of articles documenting Nintendo’s fall during the late 90’s, starting with the Nintendo 64 and some of the decisions that went into that.

It’s definitely an interesting read, and they talk specifically about the greatness of design in games like Mario 64. It’s worth pointing out that Nintendo seems to design consoles and products specifically around Miyamoto games (Nintendogs for the DS, Mario 64 for the N64, Wii Sports for the Wii), and it hasn’t always lead them to success.

What do you guys think of the article? How many of you remember Nintendo’s fall?

Source- Edge Online

Today’s WTF: Shadow of the Colossus Movie

sotcNo. Please, no. It appears that a Shadow of the Colossus movie is in the works. While many might find the idea of such a great and epic video game being put into a big screen format enticing, I find it simply repulsive, for a number of reasons.

Beyond the fact that the game is one of the most powerful studies of death I’ve ever seen, the people involved with this project don’t exactly scream cinema quality to me. Ready for this? The producer is also behind such great flicks as The Scorpion King. Heck, they even went top dollar and hired the writer for the new Chun-Li Street Fighter movie.

While part of me is sick to my stomach to even think about a bad film version of this, I can’t help but get angry at the people in the video game industry that keep cheapening their unique intellectual properties for a quick buck. I mean, really? This is the depth you’ll sink to for more money on your brand?

What do you guys think? Is this an epic fail or am I just being dumb? Go.

Source- Kotaku

Star Wars: The Old Republic Timeline Trailer

Wow. Everytime I start to forget about the KOTOR MMO (or as it’s supposed to be known, The Old Republic), Bioware dishes out some kind of tease that keeps me coming back for more. Try as I might to avoid this game, I think it will inevitably grip me with a sarlacc pit fierceness.

The newest trailer features the voice of Lance Henrisken (Bishop from Aliens, duh) as the keeper of the Jedi archives. He narrates The Old Republic timeline that leads up to the MMO, and I have to say that it is both epic and enticing. Man, I can’t wait for this game.

It’s also neat to hear that the game will be taking place after the first two KOTOR games. For some reason, I thought it was a prequel. Silly me. Anywho, just watch it.

The Great Sequel-gasm

ac2If there’s one thing we can always be certain of in the gaming industry, it’s sequels! Sequels until our ears bleed. All you have to do is look at the last couple of years to see that the biggest games are new installments in current franchises.

Well, it seems that the sequel talk is ramping up, as there are a few big games that will be unveiled or teased in the coming weeks. Three pieces of sequel news hit today, and it’s kind of awesome.

  • A brand new Assassin’s Creed 2 teaser hit Ubisoft’s site today, which ends with a date for a big unveiling, scheduled for next Thursday.
  • Fable II is going to be releasing some new DLC, titled See the Future, which features not only new quests, but also a glimpse down the road of time in Albion, and the possibilities that lie in wait for Fable III.

Wow. Lots of good stuff for us to feast on. Which of these three games are you most excited about: Fable III, Assassin’s Creed 2, or Bioshock 2?

Sources- Kotaku, Ubi, Lionhead

GamerSushi Asks: Beyond Good and Evil?

bgeBeyond Good and Evil was secretly one of the best games of last gen. Playing a lot like one of the more recent Zelda entries, it had an engrossing story, great writing and characters that you really cared about. It was easily in my top 5 games that I played on the PS2, which is a pretty solid list, if you ask me.

The creator, Michael Ancel (the dude behind Rayman) just did an interview recently where he talked about some of the issues and inspirations behind the game and its upcoming sequel, which include 9/11 and Miyazaki, the man who created great anime features such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. I think one of the coolest things about Beyond Good and Evil was not only its imaginative world, but also the themes of a planet besieged by a foreign threat and a corrupt government. One comment in particular struck me, as he spoke about games like Zelda being out of touch, because they don’t focus on things that are current or relevant.

It just goes to show that there are some creators out there trying to push the envelope in gaming, and I love them for it. I can’t wait for Beyond Good and Evil 2. So, did you guys ever play the first game? If you haven’t I highly recommend it. It’s fairly cheap on Steam. It really is a remarkable experience.

Source- Eurogamer

Would You Pay For A Console MMO?

wow-360While you can’t fault a company for trying to make money (that is their purpose after all), I’m a tad miffed at hearing of the constant nickel-and-diming that is starting to pop up in the video games industry. I am all about paying for great content that is worth the money, but when I hear about EA having map packs and weapons for sale less than two weeks after Godfather II’s release, I’m annoyed.

The same goes with hearing the latest rumor that Microsoft is working really hard to nail down a pricing structure for an XBox 360 MMO at some point in the future. While this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, it’s just a shame to hear about a service that already charges money for ongoing online costs expecting to get more money for an individual game. While lots of people pay for MMO’s on the PC, this just isn’t something we’ve seen yet on a console.

So what do you guys think? Would you pay money to play an MMO on your console? And for 360 owners, what’s the alternative? Personally, I might not mind an additional tier to the XBox Live subscription that allowed me to play all MMO’s, but the idea of paying two fees at once still bugs me. Thoughts?

Source- Destructoid

The Upward Trend In Video Game Reviews

video-gamesWhen I was younger, reading a video game review in a new magazine or on a Web site was one of the most exciting experiences I could have as a gamer. To finally find out if the game I had been waiting for was worth playing was a moment of fear, excitement and trepidation. However, most of the joy has left this ritual in the last generation. Why is that? Because I already know that the score is going to be about 7.5 or above. It’s set in stone.

You see, these days, our perception on good video game reviews has changed. While the scale is supposed to theoretically range anywhere from 0 to 10, most often, the scale seems to start at about 7.5-8. As a result, what used to be a good score for a video game has changed, and expectations are through the roof for every AAA title. The real question is this: when did an 8.5 become a “meh” score in gamers’ minds?
Continue reading The Upward Trend In Video Game Reviews

Doubting OnLive’s Potential

onlive1Last week, Warner announced the new micro-console, OnLive. As we all know, OnLive gets rid of the need for a console, as all of the hardware is actually taken care of through cloud servers, which play the game and send a video signal back to your TV. Well, opinions have sounded from gamers far and wide, and while many are skeptical, few doubt that this thing could have potential in the long term.

But what do the experts think? There’s an article over at Eurogamer in which some of OnLive’s claims are analyzed, particularly the ability to encode video at a fast rate and then transmit the signal to your TV from the cloud servers. Apparently, in order to achieve this kind of encode, the encoders would have to be working at 1000 fps. Even the current best encoding technology on the market can’t come close to doing what OnLive claims to do.

Hit the jump to see what the author says on the matter.
Continue reading Doubting OnLive’s Potential

Batman Dominates Arkham Asylum

So, I’ve been skeptical but still hopeful about Batman: Arkham Asylum up until now. Well, you can officially put me aboard the crazy train for this game, after this new gameplay video featuring the challenge rooms. These really show off the “invisible predator” game style that the creators are going for, and it’s unbelievably Batman. I worried that this was just going to be a simple beat-em-up, but this video is like Solid Snake with a grappling hook. And it’s awesome.

Source- Kotaku

First Modern Warfare 2 Teaser

Well, the very first preview of Modern Warfare 2 (looks like they may have dropped the Call of Duty moniker, eh?) is now available, with the ever so briefest of teases of the game. And I mean tease in every sense of the word. While the trailer doesn’t really show us much, it does give us a release date of November 10, 2009, which is kind of awesome, to say the least.

Analyst Says This is the Last Console Generation

console-warCould this be the last generation of consoles? Apparently, that’s what analyst Michael Pachter thinks, and it’s his job to come up with this kind of stuff, I guess.

Here’s what Pachter-Man had to say:

I think we’ve seen the last generation of consoles… [Third party publishers] are not going to support a PS4 or Xbox 720. The content is not going to change in any meaningful ways because the publishers can’t afford it.

He also believes that Nintendo might upgrade the Wii at some point, but that both MS and Sony are going to stand pat with what they’ve got. Personally, I think we’ll probably see at least one more round of consoles, but he might not be too far off the mark. What do you guys think? Is this the last console generation?

Source- 1UP

Fez Trailer Shows Dimension-Swapping Fun

So Fez is a crazy 2D/3D platformer that just screams Katamari Damacy and awesome from every pixel. I’ve never seen a trailer for the game until now, and I have to say that it looks unique and crazy cool. The swapping of 2D plains is something that Super Paper Mario tried to do just a couple of years ago, but I have to say that this looks way more engaging. Not much is known about where and when we will see this game, but I’ll definitely keep it on my radar from now on.

Source- TIG

Today’s WTF: Resident Evil 6 Could Take 8 Years

arnoldOk, this is just one massive WTF bomb right here. After taking, I don’t know, about 4-5 years to make Resident Evil 5, Capcom said today that Resident Evil 6 could take up to 8 years of development time, “but hopefully only four”. Wtf? Seriously? I mean, I’m all for taking your time and making a good game, but we could be on the PS5 and XBox 1 Million by then. Arnold will be serving his re-election as President of the United States.

And Japanese developers wonder why they’re having trouble competing with Western developers these days. It’s because the rest of the gaming world is moving on while they’re stuck in molasses, I suppose.

So what do you guys think of the possibility of an 8 year wait for Resident Evil 6? Fair/foul?

Source- D+Pad

Introducing: OnLive, The Future of Gaming?

onliveSo, has the wave of the future arrived? Warner Bros. sure thinks so, as they presented the new micro-console, OnLive, at GDC with a huge freaking publicity splash. What makes OnLive so special? Well, perhaps the fact that it’s not technically a gaming console, but a small attachment for your TV or PC, rendering the “hardware arms race” obsolete.

Think of OnLive as Hulu or Youtube, but for video games. Rather than playing the games on your console or PC at home, games are stored and played via cloud servers, and relayed back to you through a video signal. The servers are responding to what your controller is doing through the OnLive micro-console. So essentially, you’re seeing a video of the game being played, all at 60 fps, and at 720p or standard definition, depending on your Internet connection speed. Meanwhile, the actual game is taking place on the OnLive cloud servers.
Continue reading Introducing: OnLive, The Future of Gaming?

R.U.S.E. Trailer: The Sneaky RTS

Ubisoft debuted a new RTS today called R.U.S.E., coming to the PS3, PC and XBox 360. The idea behind the game is certainly an interesting one. Basically, it’s a typical war-based RTS, but with a twist. At the beginning of each round, each player is dealt a hand of cards, which give special abilities.

These cards do a range of things, such as allowing your units to be invisible until they get behind enemy lines, or revealing what the other player is doing, or disguising your heavy tanks as light infantry. It’s a unique tweak to the genre, and I’m curious to see how it plays out. Here’s the R.U.S.E. trailer– thoughts?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohNzHWL7FI[/youtube]

Source- GameSpot

Whoops, The Pitt is Kind of Borked

pittLots of people are excited about the new Fallout 3 DLC, the Pitt, which released today for the XBox 360 and PC. Or at least they were, until it all turned out to be a big crazy mess.

Apparently, many who have downloaded the new pack on the 360 have experienced everything from freezing machines to graphical glitches galore. It’s so bad that some places in the game even feature floating red exclamation points where missing textures should be. Yikes. Bethesda is now investigating and setting out to fix the problem.

I understand that this kind of stuff is complicated, but how does something go so fundamentally wrong with a release like that? I mean, back to the point I made earlier about micro transactions- if you’re going to charge me money, at least make it somewhat workable. So, was anyone excited about The Pitt DLC? Has anyone had these problems?

Source- Kotaku

Game Industry Pros Want More Micro-Transactions

horse-armorLet me put on my shocked face. The subtitle to this story should be “And Nobody is Surprised”. Or better yet, “And Gamers Cried Out in Agony”. Just in case you were wondering, I mean.

According to a recent survey, when asked about the most impactful areas of the industry, it seems that video game professionals are the most excited about the future of micro transactions, with 66 percent of those questioned choosing that as their first option. So basically, they chose to take more of our money, but just in smaller bite sized chunks? I’m overjoyed.

While I understand that this is where everything’s heading, I just wish that game makers would stop planning and finishing all of their damn DLC before the game’s even out, and just release great games that are worth every single penny. Don’t go nuts over my additional $10 bucks until you’ve earned the first $60, please.

What do you guys think? Are you bothered by the ever-growing trend of micro-transactions, or are you ok with them?

Source- Game Industry Biz

Wii Fit Passes Halo 3 Sales in US

wii-fitYikes. If there’s one game that you just assume that everyone and their mom owns, it’s probably Halo 3. Well, at least that’s what I assume anyway. Not so, though, if the latest sales numbers are to be believed.

After less than a year since its release, Wii Fit has surpassed Halo 3 in sales in the U.S. Last month, the official number for Wii Fit rose above the 6 million mark, while Halo 3 has sold about 5.9 million since its release in September of 2007.

So, is this yet another sign of the apocalypse? Personally, I didn’t realize that they had been able to keep Wii Fit in stock enough in order to sell this many of them.

Source- VG247

Alpha Protocol Trailer

Alpha Protocol is a game from Obsidian that is not scheduled for release soon enough. I say that because the trailer is incredible, and screams Mass Effect meets Splinter Cell. The blend of stealth action, great graphics, and RPG elements seems like definite win to me. Thoughts?

Bioshock 2, Starring the Big Daddy

bioshock2Got my Game Informer in the mail yesterday, which featured not only awesome cover art of the new “Big Sister” from BioShock2, but also a story with some of the first details of the game.

From the article, it seems that this game takes place 10 years after the first game, and the “bad ending” as canon for moving forward. Rapture has fallen into chaos and disarray, and the Little Sisters, now grown up and sporting a mean Adam addiction (including a needle directly into their arms) have returned as Big Sisters, sporting Big Daddy-esque gear.

The big twist, though? You play as a Big Daddy. The first Big Daddy, to be exact- the prototype that is smaller, quicker and able to use plasmids. And while fighting Big Daddies is no longer as challenging as it once was, fighting Big Sisters sounds terrifying. They hunt you, can leap across a room in one bound, and hurl objects at you via telekinesis.

So, what do you guys think? I’m optimistic, but the prospect of playing as a Big Daddy could be hit or miss. Thoughts?