I forgot something in my post last night when talking about missteps. I think a major one is that Sony has decided to not put a rumble feature in their controller. They say that the motion wireless controller wouldn't work with a rumble mechanic, but we all know that's hogwash. The truth of the matter is they don't want to pay Immersion Technologies any more money to use their patented rumble technology. Last time I checked the case between them was still in court with Sony attempting again to overturn the lower court(s) decisions toward Immersion.
Bottom line is Sony doesn't want to lose the lawsuit and they don't want to take the way that Microsoft decided upon (which was $26 million and a stake in Immersion). In the end, should Sony lose the lawsuit (which they eventually will probably) they will end up paying a lot more than Microsoft did. In fact, via the last court document Sony would have to pay Immersion over $90 million to settle their lawsuit.
Sony is once again arrogant about the whole thing. I truly believe they think they will win this lawsuit, but chances are they won't. The fact that the PS3 won't use rumble technology should pretty much a be a sign that Sony agrees that the technology is not their own in the first place. Rumble has been a part of console gaming for a while now (probably going close to 10 years) and I would not be surprised if some casual game players get their PS3 and start playing games and wonder where the rumble feature is.
This could come back to bite Sony in the ass, but given time I figure people will get used to the non-rumble feature and everything will be fine. I do think there will be an initial shock of it not being there though. Whether that effects sales or not remains to be seen.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The PS3 Could Still End Up on Top
You've probably read my prior posts where I've ripped the PS3 up and down for the decisions Sony made. I'm still not in full agreement with Sony going toward the Blu-Ray platform so early in the PS3's life. The Playstation had a CD-ROM drive (Compact Discs were introduced in 1982, 7th Guest was one of the first CD-ROM games in 1992) when it came out in 1994 in Japan (1995 in the US). The Playstation 2 had a DVD drive in it (DVD players were first sold in 1997 in the US) and came out in late 2000, over 3 years after the format had begun. In the case of Blu-Ray, the players just recently came out and now they are going to unload a ton of Blu-Ray players in the PS3. It's not a very good idea to unload a new format onto a game system, but Sony will try it anyway.
In the end though I don't think any negative aspect is going to push people away from the Playstation 3. Just tonight I put a post up in Evil Avatar that I would like to duplicate here and talk a bit more about it. Here is my post:
I think the weakest parts of the launch kind of mirror the Xbox 360 launch. There really isn't any game that has been announced that will blow us away. Most of the games are ports and, much like Penny Arcade noted today in their comic, I'm not too excited about Resistance even though Insomniac is making it. Maybe something will pop out, but who knows.
A weak spot where the PS3 does not mirror the Xbox 360 launch is in online play. It's already been noted that Tony Hawk Project 8 won't have an online component like it's 360 cousin. There are rumors of other non-Sony games not having online play either. Sony's own games will though, that being Resistance and Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.
No matter the negatives I think the PS3 is going to sell well and could possibly take over the Xbox 360 in system sales. The price will be a deterrent, but once Sony gets into 2007 and starts bringing out high profile exclusive games, the allure of the PS3 might be too strong for many people. Sony will continue to have the mindset that the Playstation brand name sells until they are proven wrong. The consumers would have to prove them wrong here, but somehow I don't see it happening.
In the end though I don't think any negative aspect is going to push people away from the Playstation 3. Just tonight I put a post up in Evil Avatar that I would like to duplicate here and talk a bit more about it. Here is my post:
In the end I have to believe the PS3 is going to turn out just fine and sell well. I'd love to pick one up, but I'm not sure I'll be going after it first day like I did with the Xbox 360. Chances are good that many people will stand in line to get one and then they'll sell it on eBay for a tidy profit. I think you'll have a far greater chance at getting a Nintendo Wii two days later if you need a new game system.I've always argued that Sony has had a static mindset since they first announced the PS3. They personally believe the PS3 will survive and thrive just on the Playstation name alone. To many people, given the price and what they feel are missteps by Sony, this mindset is seen as arrogant. However, history shows that Sony may just be right and know that no matter the price people will pick the system up just because of the trusted Playstation name.
You may ask me what I mean by historically, well let's use Wikipedia and spell it out purely in system sales.
We'll start with the system many of the late 20s to 30s+ people played with growing up, the Atari 2600. The Atari 2600 sold 25 million systems.
Nintendo owned the land for a long time after Atari and here are their numbers:
NES: 60 million units
GameBoy: 69.52 million units
Super NES: 49 million units
Nintendo 64: 32.93 million units
GameBoy Color: 49.27 million units
GameBoy Advance: 75.81 million units
GameBoy Advance SP: 38.84 million units
DS: over 22 million units
GameBoy Micro: 1.86 million units
DS Lite: 4.15 million units (June 2006)
With Sony, things went like this:
Playstation: 102 million (shipped, which is different than sold)
Playstation 2: 106.23 million (shipped)
PSP: 20.02 million (shipped)
Of the actual consoles Nintendo racked up ~142 million sold. With the handheld GameBoy in various iterations (including DS) they have racked up ~262 million sold. The original GameBoy and its iterations account for ~119 million of that and the Advance iterations account for ~117 million.
Moral of the story here is that Nintendo's main consoles have sold less as they went along. With Sony, the Playstation 2 has overtaken the original in units sold and even the original PS sold 40+ million more than the original NES. Playstation is a brand name that many people are interested in. I'm not sure Xbox 360 or Wii can penetrate the bias people have with the Playstation brand whether the PS3 is more expensive or not. We live in a Playstation world and it is indeed an uphill battle for both Microsoft and Nintendo.
I personally think Sony is crazy with the price and I hope people won't pick up the PS3 in massive quantities. I am also a realist though and know the Playstation brand will probably live and thrive through another generation, especially if they keep some major franchises as exclusive (FF, MGS, etc.).
The loss for Sony this round will probably come from the fact that they won't see a massive buy-in for Blu-Ray movies (much like UMD movies have all but died out) which is an integral part of their decisions with the PS3. I'm not sure the mainstream public is ready to move into the next generation of optical movie media and it may take several years before DVD falls out of favor toward a new format.
I think the weakest parts of the launch kind of mirror the Xbox 360 launch. There really isn't any game that has been announced that will blow us away. Most of the games are ports and, much like Penny Arcade noted today in their comic, I'm not too excited about Resistance even though Insomniac is making it. Maybe something will pop out, but who knows.
A weak spot where the PS3 does not mirror the Xbox 360 launch is in online play. It's already been noted that Tony Hawk Project 8 won't have an online component like it's 360 cousin. There are rumors of other non-Sony games not having online play either. Sony's own games will though, that being Resistance and Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.
No matter the negatives I think the PS3 is going to sell well and could possibly take over the Xbox 360 in system sales. The price will be a deterrent, but once Sony gets into 2007 and starts bringing out high profile exclusive games, the allure of the PS3 might be too strong for many people. Sony will continue to have the mindset that the Playstation brand name sells until they are proven wrong. The consumers would have to prove them wrong here, but somehow I don't see it happening.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Quality "Old School" Adventure Games This Week
Thanks to Evil Avatar and their weekly roundup I found out that some quality adventure games are coming this week. I'd say late last year these were rumored to be coming and now they've snuck up on me. Each one is $19.99 and here they are:
The King's Quest Collection (KQ 1-7, I am guessing Mask of Eternity is the one left out)
The Space Quest Collection (SQ 1-6)
The Leisure Suit Larry Collection (LSL 1-4 + 6...remember there was no 5)
The Police Quest Collection (1-3 and Open Season)
I put them in that order simply because if you had to choose only one or two I'd pick KQ and then SQ. These new collections also run in Windows XP (and I can only guess Vista when it comes out) which was a hit-or-miss trial with the original versions of these games. No clue on whether they have the redone #1s for each game (the VGA versions) or whether the later versions include the original CD-ROM release voiceovers. I hope both are the case.
These games will of course feel ancient today. I think the latest release is Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier, which came out in 1995. It was a sad day when Sierra stopped making adventure games and it was an even sadder day when adventure games pretty much died. I wish LucasArts would bring out collections of their old Adventure games, especially the CD-ROM talkie versions.
Anyway, these are great pickups at $20 a piece and I can't recommend them enough.
The King's Quest Collection (KQ 1-7, I am guessing Mask of Eternity is the one left out)
The Space Quest Collection (SQ 1-6)
The Leisure Suit Larry Collection (LSL 1-4 + 6...remember there was no 5)
The Police Quest Collection (1-3 and Open Season)
I put them in that order simply because if you had to choose only one or two I'd pick KQ and then SQ. These new collections also run in Windows XP (and I can only guess Vista when it comes out) which was a hit-or-miss trial with the original versions of these games. No clue on whether they have the redone #1s for each game (the VGA versions) or whether the later versions include the original CD-ROM release voiceovers. I hope both are the case.
These games will of course feel ancient today. I think the latest release is Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier, which came out in 1995. It was a sad day when Sierra stopped making adventure games and it was an even sadder day when adventure games pretty much died. I wish LucasArts would bring out collections of their old Adventure games, especially the CD-ROM talkie versions.
Anyway, these are great pickups at $20 a piece and I can't recommend them enough.
Game Informer Wii Article
I'm sure many of you have read Billy Berghammer's "Will Wii Be Disappointed Again?" article on Game Informer this weekend. Before I get into it I would like to point out today's post on Penny Arcade. In the last paragraph, Tycho talks about the article and points out something that many people may not know: Billy used to run Planet GameCube.
I've met Billy on a few occasions, but I doubt he remembers me much. I used to know a few people from Game Informer since it is a magazine based here in Minneapolis (I think it is the only major gaming magazine not located on a coast once EGM left Chicago for San Francisco). The last time I remember seeing Billy was at the Cube Party I covered for Console Gold in 2002.
Anyway, I don't want to get too off-track. Much like Tycho I have to believe this was pretty hard for Billy to write. He is one of the biggest pro-Nintendo people I know, but in the end his words do ring true. Nintendo will have only 2 launch titles at release, one of which is a GameCube title that has been re-jiggered on the Wii (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess). There is also no Mario game and I was disappointed to hear there wouldn't be a Metroid game either, no matter how much I hated the scanning needs in the previous 2 games on GameCube.
There is also a good chance that 3rd parties could go the way of the dodo bird a while after launch. Billy also makes a good point that if multi-platform games start to take on the "portability" factor and are not built ground-up on the Wii that the versions of those games will pale in comparison to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. It takes less money to make a port than it takes to build the game separate from the other versions. Will companies take the cheap way out or will they continue with what they're doing here at launch? We'll just have to see.
I've met Billy on a few occasions, but I doubt he remembers me much. I used to know a few people from Game Informer since it is a magazine based here in Minneapolis (I think it is the only major gaming magazine not located on a coast once EGM left Chicago for San Francisco). The last time I remember seeing Billy was at the Cube Party I covered for Console Gold in 2002.
Anyway, I don't want to get too off-track. Much like Tycho I have to believe this was pretty hard for Billy to write. He is one of the biggest pro-Nintendo people I know, but in the end his words do ring true. Nintendo will have only 2 launch titles at release, one of which is a GameCube title that has been re-jiggered on the Wii (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess). There is also no Mario game and I was disappointed to hear there wouldn't be a Metroid game either, no matter how much I hated the scanning needs in the previous 2 games on GameCube.
There is also a good chance that 3rd parties could go the way of the dodo bird a while after launch. Billy also makes a good point that if multi-platform games start to take on the "portability" factor and are not built ground-up on the Wii that the versions of those games will pale in comparison to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. It takes less money to make a port than it takes to build the game separate from the other versions. Will companies take the cheap way out or will they continue with what they're doing here at launch? We'll just have to see.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Wii: 11/19, $250 w/Game...is it Enough?
I'm really sitting on the fence about the Wii news today (and by the way, welcome back; I know I've been gone for a bit). The system comes out on Sunday, November 19th, which is 2 days after the Playstation 3 release (more on this in another post) and it will come packaged with the Wii Sports games that now include Boxing and Bowling along with Tennis, Golf and Baseball. The price will be $250 in North America and roughly $215 in Japan minus the game on December 2nd.
The price and the included items (along with some other key components) are what have me on the fence. The price would be nice if an extra Wiimote (the controller) was in the box. Why would you put Wii Sports as a pack-in and not have a second controller along with the system? Wouldn't you be interested in playing the game with your family? I know I would, so I'd have to spend an extra $40 to get another Wiimote (and add $20 more for the nunchuck's add-on). For those that have larger families (such as children), you may have to spend another $80 on top of that (and another $40 for the nunchucks) to have the full complement of 4 controllers in order to play 2-on-2 tennis for instance. The absence of a second controller is a huge thing in my mind, especially with a pack-in game that screams multiplayer play.
At $250 with a game and one controller it seems a bit bare compared to even the Xbox 360 core system. I don't know how much the SD cards will cost for the Wii, but I do know the 64MB memory card for 360 costs $40, so those are addition costs just to save a game on either system. It does show the Wii as a cheaper value, but we once again fall back on the idea that the Wii is just a glorified GameCube at its core. The hardware power is not up to snuff against either the 360 or PS3, and for many people that will be a big thing to them. This doesn't speak about the games created for the systems, but it is tough to swallow $250 when there is a $300 more powerful system option out there.
Nintendo has made other mistakes with the Wii release as well. The first one is the fact that the Wii will drop 2 days after the PS3. Why not bring it out before even if there are lower numbers of systems available? For those that want all 3 systems and don't want to pre-order the 2 new systems, that means standing in line in the middle of November for 2 days in the same week. For people in the upper Midwest (like myself), things can get quite nippy that time of year. Many will decide between one or the other or they may decide to buy neither.
The second mistake is that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be available on the Wii at launch, but Nintendo has PUSHED BACK the GameCube release of the game to December 12th?!?!?! What in the hell is up with that? I hate when Nintendo backs out of what they said. Reggie said at E3 that both copies would be out at launch, but now the GameCube version comes out weeks down the line? The dirty thing is that this may push some people to pick up the Wii version simply to have the game first, but many of us have been waiting years for the GameCube version (such as myself). I personally am not too excited about the Wii version of Zelda because I think the Wii controller aspects were added way down the line and may not be as fully implemented as they could be. I think there will be a bunch of tired arms out there after playing this new Zelda game that will supposedly be very long. The only thing I was excited about with the Wii version was that it was in widescreen while the GameCube version is not. However you will NOT be able to play the Wii version with the old GameCube controller, so you're stuck with Wii controls for the game, which is a mistake in my opinion.
The third mistake is that they announced Metroid Prime 3: Corruption won't be out until 2007. I'm not necessarily surprised by the announcement, but I think it would have been a strong signal if that game was available at the launch of the Wii. We all knew that Mario Galaxy wasn't going to be out at launch, but Nintendo did leave the door open for Metroid.
The fourth mistake can be interpreted as not being a mistake. Nintendo announced the prices of the NES, SNES and N64 games via the Virtual Console. They will rely on Wii points in at least North America, which means it will be much like the Microsoft Marketplace points. You go the store and pick up 2000 points for $20. Here is the breakdown of prices (they did not announce TG16 prices for games like Bonk's Adventure which comes out at launch):
NES: 500 points (or $5)
SNES: 800 points (or $8)
N64: 1000 points (or $10)
They expect to have 30 games at launch and 10 games every month thereafter. When taking the Xbox Live Arcade titles into account I see no problem with the prices, but this is also a double-edged sword because chances are high there will be far more people interested in the games released for the Wii than the ones on Xbox Live Arcade. Live Arcade has had its share of old titles (Gauntlet, Smash TV, Pac-Man, Frogger), but it has also been home to some great original games like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and Wik. In the case of the old titles, many have been given High-Definition updates and run for about the same price as the NES games above. I think a lot of people are not too giddy about the prices, but I think Nintendo is standing up to Microsoft quite well. Microsoft will be the leader in original Arcade things, but I think the Nintendo library is going to be huge on the Wii; especially for those of us that played those old games.
In the end I doubt I'll be picking up a Wii at launch. The lack of a 2nd controller and the whole Zelda fiasco is enough to put me in that camp. I am interested in seeing an actual live demo of the Wii as well. The system sounds excellent in concept, but actually sitting/standing and moving your hands in order to control the game may not work in practice. There may be a lot of tired arms out there, but the concept is certainly innovative.
The price and the included items (along with some other key components) are what have me on the fence. The price would be nice if an extra Wiimote (the controller) was in the box. Why would you put Wii Sports as a pack-in and not have a second controller along with the system? Wouldn't you be interested in playing the game with your family? I know I would, so I'd have to spend an extra $40 to get another Wiimote (and add $20 more for the nunchuck's add-on). For those that have larger families (such as children), you may have to spend another $80 on top of that (and another $40 for the nunchucks) to have the full complement of 4 controllers in order to play 2-on-2 tennis for instance. The absence of a second controller is a huge thing in my mind, especially with a pack-in game that screams multiplayer play.
At $250 with a game and one controller it seems a bit bare compared to even the Xbox 360 core system. I don't know how much the SD cards will cost for the Wii, but I do know the 64MB memory card for 360 costs $40, so those are addition costs just to save a game on either system. It does show the Wii as a cheaper value, but we once again fall back on the idea that the Wii is just a glorified GameCube at its core. The hardware power is not up to snuff against either the 360 or PS3, and for many people that will be a big thing to them. This doesn't speak about the games created for the systems, but it is tough to swallow $250 when there is a $300 more powerful system option out there.
Nintendo has made other mistakes with the Wii release as well. The first one is the fact that the Wii will drop 2 days after the PS3. Why not bring it out before even if there are lower numbers of systems available? For those that want all 3 systems and don't want to pre-order the 2 new systems, that means standing in line in the middle of November for 2 days in the same week. For people in the upper Midwest (like myself), things can get quite nippy that time of year. Many will decide between one or the other or they may decide to buy neither.
The second mistake is that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be available on the Wii at launch, but Nintendo has PUSHED BACK the GameCube release of the game to December 12th?!?!?! What in the hell is up with that? I hate when Nintendo backs out of what they said. Reggie said at E3 that both copies would be out at launch, but now the GameCube version comes out weeks down the line? The dirty thing is that this may push some people to pick up the Wii version simply to have the game first, but many of us have been waiting years for the GameCube version (such as myself). I personally am not too excited about the Wii version of Zelda because I think the Wii controller aspects were added way down the line and may not be as fully implemented as they could be. I think there will be a bunch of tired arms out there after playing this new Zelda game that will supposedly be very long. The only thing I was excited about with the Wii version was that it was in widescreen while the GameCube version is not. However you will NOT be able to play the Wii version with the old GameCube controller, so you're stuck with Wii controls for the game, which is a mistake in my opinion.
The third mistake is that they announced Metroid Prime 3: Corruption won't be out until 2007. I'm not necessarily surprised by the announcement, but I think it would have been a strong signal if that game was available at the launch of the Wii. We all knew that Mario Galaxy wasn't going to be out at launch, but Nintendo did leave the door open for Metroid.
The fourth mistake can be interpreted as not being a mistake. Nintendo announced the prices of the NES, SNES and N64 games via the Virtual Console. They will rely on Wii points in at least North America, which means it will be much like the Microsoft Marketplace points. You go the store and pick up 2000 points for $20. Here is the breakdown of prices (they did not announce TG16 prices for games like Bonk's Adventure which comes out at launch):
NES: 500 points (or $5)
SNES: 800 points (or $8)
N64: 1000 points (or $10)
They expect to have 30 games at launch and 10 games every month thereafter. When taking the Xbox Live Arcade titles into account I see no problem with the prices, but this is also a double-edged sword because chances are high there will be far more people interested in the games released for the Wii than the ones on Xbox Live Arcade. Live Arcade has had its share of old titles (Gauntlet, Smash TV, Pac-Man, Frogger), but it has also been home to some great original games like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and Wik. In the case of the old titles, many have been given High-Definition updates and run for about the same price as the NES games above. I think a lot of people are not too giddy about the prices, but I think Nintendo is standing up to Microsoft quite well. Microsoft will be the leader in original Arcade things, but I think the Nintendo library is going to be huge on the Wii; especially for those of us that played those old games.
In the end I doubt I'll be picking up a Wii at launch. The lack of a 2nd controller and the whole Zelda fiasco is enough to put me in that camp. I am interested in seeing an actual live demo of the Wii as well. The system sounds excellent in concept, but actually sitting/standing and moving your hands in order to control the game may not work in practice. There may be a lot of tired arms out there, but the concept is certainly innovative.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Assassin's Creed Goes 360...Could Other PS3 Exclusives?
Although UbiSoft is not confirming the worst kept secret in videogaming, Computers and Videogames came out with an Assassin's Creed Preview...for the Xbox 360. They also branded it with the Official Xbox Magazine logo, meaning it will probably be in the next issue of OXM. Of course, Ubi isn't saying whether it is true or not, but honestly this is the worst kept secret in gaming.
"PS3 only" were the words floating around Assassin's Creed at E3 (although no one announced exclusivity to the PS3, it is just that only the PS3 was named for the game). The game was previously shown at X05 (a Microsoft event) as Project Assassin. Several sites, whether true or not, say that the game was shown at E3 on an Xbox 360 with a sheet over it, hiding the fact it was running off of that and not a PS3 prototype. In the end the fact is that Assassin's Creed will most likely come to the 360, whether it be the same day as the PS3 version or after a timed exclusivity agreement. This kind of thing made me think about another game that may teeter on the multiplatform edge considering the amount of bad press Sony is getting and the general unexcited attitude of many developers about the system.
That game is the 3rd party crown jewel for Sony and the PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
You guys are probably thinking I'm crazy, but this could possibly happen. Kojima said MGS4 was PS3 only at the "current time" in June 2005 and that he had no plans to port it. However, his tune may change given how news of the PS3 has hit here in North America and Europe, the two countries where the MGS series sells very well versus the Japanese market. Given the fact that this game probably won't see release until the latter half of 2007, Kojima and Konami could find that the Xbox 360 has a stranglehold on overall system numbers everywhere outside of Japan. They may release it PS3 only in Japan and release it multi-platform here, possibly giving the PS3 version a more special treatment...or they could make a 360 version as the base system from where to make the PS3 version.
I don't know if the 360 will ever put a dent into Japan, but if enough of the Japanese developed 360 only games are of high quality they may start to make headway. I'm not saying MGS4 will be coming out on 360, but who really knows. I think Sony has created its own possible catastrophe everywhere outside of Japan (and possibly in Japan to when put up against the Wii).
"PS3 only" were the words floating around Assassin's Creed at E3 (although no one announced exclusivity to the PS3, it is just that only the PS3 was named for the game). The game was previously shown at X05 (a Microsoft event) as Project Assassin. Several sites, whether true or not, say that the game was shown at E3 on an Xbox 360 with a sheet over it, hiding the fact it was running off of that and not a PS3 prototype. In the end the fact is that Assassin's Creed will most likely come to the 360, whether it be the same day as the PS3 version or after a timed exclusivity agreement. This kind of thing made me think about another game that may teeter on the multiplatform edge considering the amount of bad press Sony is getting and the general unexcited attitude of many developers about the system.
That game is the 3rd party crown jewel for Sony and the PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
You guys are probably thinking I'm crazy, but this could possibly happen. Kojima said MGS4 was PS3 only at the "current time" in June 2005 and that he had no plans to port it. However, his tune may change given how news of the PS3 has hit here in North America and Europe, the two countries where the MGS series sells very well versus the Japanese market. Given the fact that this game probably won't see release until the latter half of 2007, Kojima and Konami could find that the Xbox 360 has a stranglehold on overall system numbers everywhere outside of Japan. They may release it PS3 only in Japan and release it multi-platform here, possibly giving the PS3 version a more special treatment...or they could make a 360 version as the base system from where to make the PS3 version.
I don't know if the 360 will ever put a dent into Japan, but if enough of the Japanese developed 360 only games are of high quality they may start to make headway. I'm not saying MGS4 will be coming out on 360, but who really knows. I think Sony has created its own possible catastrophe everywhere outside of Japan (and possibly in Japan to when put up against the Wii).
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Civil War #3 Discussion (SPOILERS)
So, Civil War #3 came out this past week. If this issue teaches me anything it is probably that Marvel has little to no hope of outdoing the nuclear bomb from the reveal at the end of the second issue unless there is another big event that revolves around Spider-Man (such as Aunt May or Mary Jane meeting their maker). The big thing from this issue is that Thor shows up at the end and is evidently with Iron Man, but who really knows. His SHIELD codename is "Lightning"...lame.
It is also revealed that Daredevil (or Fakedevil as many are calling him) is not Matt Murdock. The person may look like Murdock somewhat, but it is obvious this person can also see. Supposedly Fakedevil's identity will be unmasked this week in Daredevil #87. I find it funny how this identity reveal is left in the main book, but Spider-Man's unmasking happens in Civil War instead of Amazing Spider-Man.
Another thing I have learned is that Civil War has a problem I was afraid of a long time ago (in this post). Unlike the majority of DC's Infinite Crisis, the whole story of Civil War is not self-contained and almost pushes you to pick up the other tie-ins to totally understand what is going on. I figured ASM would be the only tie-in worth it, but I've found almost every Civil War tie-in helps catch you up for when the next chapter of the main book comes out. There is also the Frontlines issues as well to understand things even more. Bottom line is that this series will be far more expensive to comic book readers than IC was.
I have to believe Spider-Man is going to pay for his unmasking. My money is on Aunt May dying simply because IF Marvel kills Mary Jane I'm done with them. Aunt May deserves to die for pushing Peter toward unmasking and I think all the signs point to it. I think Joe Quesada's whole Peter/MJ anti-marriage argument is a red herring for us to think about her being the one eliminated. Then again, maybe Marvel isn't going to eliminate either, but I rather doubt it. Like I said earlier, they have to do something to outdo what happened last issue or they blew their load way too soon in my opinion.
It is also revealed that Daredevil (or Fakedevil as many are calling him) is not Matt Murdock. The person may look like Murdock somewhat, but it is obvious this person can also see. Supposedly Fakedevil's identity will be unmasked this week in Daredevil #87. I find it funny how this identity reveal is left in the main book, but Spider-Man's unmasking happens in Civil War instead of Amazing Spider-Man.
Another thing I have learned is that Civil War has a problem I was afraid of a long time ago (in this post). Unlike the majority of DC's Infinite Crisis, the whole story of Civil War is not self-contained and almost pushes you to pick up the other tie-ins to totally understand what is going on. I figured ASM would be the only tie-in worth it, but I've found almost every Civil War tie-in helps catch you up for when the next chapter of the main book comes out. There is also the Frontlines issues as well to understand things even more. Bottom line is that this series will be far more expensive to comic book readers than IC was.
I have to believe Spider-Man is going to pay for his unmasking. My money is on Aunt May dying simply because IF Marvel kills Mary Jane I'm done with them. Aunt May deserves to die for pushing Peter toward unmasking and I think all the signs point to it. I think Joe Quesada's whole Peter/MJ anti-marriage argument is a red herring for us to think about her being the one eliminated. Then again, maybe Marvel isn't going to eliminate either, but I rather doubt it. Like I said earlier, they have to do something to outdo what happened last issue or they blew their load way too soon in my opinion.
Console Gold/GamingTrend Wikipedia Article
Yeah, it's been a long time since my last blog. I really haven't felt like writing anything or I find myself too busy to find time to sit down and type out my thoughts on things. So, my first post back is going to be about the site I used to work for.
Before I begin, I'm saddened to say that someone picked up the CG domain and turned it into a porn link site. I had been regularily checking to see if the domain was becoming available, but the day it was switched I was out of town. I think it happened on a Saturday because I know I checked the status on Friday. It does kind of piss me off to know the site I helped work a lot on has been changed into this, but I guess that's the way the ball bounces.
I don't think I've made it a secret that I still lurk around the GamingTrend board, but I refuse to contribute in any way to it. I noticed that one of the users set up a Wikipedia article on GamingTrend. This is all fine and dandy, but it seems the article is up for deletion (but may yet survive). My problem with the article is that it is skin and bones. There is a vast history on CG/GT that is not even touched on in the article. The main reason this was probably written is because of Ron's stance on the Starforce copy protection software and that he will take 10 points off of the final rating if a game contains Starforce because one of the games destroyed his computer.
To me I think this whole idea comes by as too little, too late. If GT wanted to strike its own path it would have done this a long time ago when Starforce was at its high point. Nowadays most publishers have eliminated using Starforce (UbiSoft and CDV being the big ones), but this was brought up because of the last game CDV sent out to GT had Starforce in it (along with a game from Midway, who really doesn't release that many PC games). This is akin to jumping onto the Titanic after it started to sink. GT wants to make this big news (Ron posted it in Starforce's board and on Evil Avatars board from what I've seen), but it's just too little, too late in my estimation.
I personally would have put the idea that someone was thinking of putting an article up on the forum and then have everyone contribute to it, including the staff. There isn't a whole lot of staff left that can comment on things before around 2001 outside of Ron, but a more broad history could have been made. I personally would delete the article simply because there isn't a whole lot of information on it. Of course, maybe that is a problem with Wikipedia in itself because many of the articles don't contain enough information. Then again there are many comprehensive gaming related articles as well, such as Penny Arcade or 8-Bit Theater (which, granted, are both webcomics). For a gaming website perspective there is a site younger than CG/GT, Gamers With Jobs, that has a larger article.
Bottom line is I would be more happy if there was more information, but as it is now the article really doesn't add anything to the information superhighway.
Before I begin, I'm saddened to say that someone picked up the CG domain and turned it into a porn link site. I had been regularily checking to see if the domain was becoming available, but the day it was switched I was out of town. I think it happened on a Saturday because I know I checked the status on Friday. It does kind of piss me off to know the site I helped work a lot on has been changed into this, but I guess that's the way the ball bounces.
I don't think I've made it a secret that I still lurk around the GamingTrend board, but I refuse to contribute in any way to it. I noticed that one of the users set up a Wikipedia article on GamingTrend. This is all fine and dandy, but it seems the article is up for deletion (but may yet survive). My problem with the article is that it is skin and bones. There is a vast history on CG/GT that is not even touched on in the article. The main reason this was probably written is because of Ron's stance on the Starforce copy protection software and that he will take 10 points off of the final rating if a game contains Starforce because one of the games destroyed his computer.
To me I think this whole idea comes by as too little, too late. If GT wanted to strike its own path it would have done this a long time ago when Starforce was at its high point. Nowadays most publishers have eliminated using Starforce (UbiSoft and CDV being the big ones), but this was brought up because of the last game CDV sent out to GT had Starforce in it (along with a game from Midway, who really doesn't release that many PC games). This is akin to jumping onto the Titanic after it started to sink. GT wants to make this big news (Ron posted it in Starforce's board and on Evil Avatars board from what I've seen), but it's just too little, too late in my estimation.
I personally would have put the idea that someone was thinking of putting an article up on the forum and then have everyone contribute to it, including the staff. There isn't a whole lot of staff left that can comment on things before around 2001 outside of Ron, but a more broad history could have been made. I personally would delete the article simply because there isn't a whole lot of information on it. Of course, maybe that is a problem with Wikipedia in itself because many of the articles don't contain enough information. Then again there are many comprehensive gaming related articles as well, such as Penny Arcade or 8-Bit Theater (which, granted, are both webcomics). For a gaming website perspective there is a site younger than CG/GT, Gamers With Jobs, that has a larger article.
Bottom line is I would be more happy if there was more information, but as it is now the article really doesn't add anything to the information superhighway.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Civil War #2 Discussion (Major SPOILERS)
Simply put, if you haven't read Civil War #2 or haven't read any of the news on the internet you shouldn't read this post. With that out of the way I'm about to get into it.
I learned that Peter Parker was going to unmask in Civil War #2 about a week ago. It was a rumor at that time and I hoped it was a red herring that Marvel was putting out there, but now I have the book in front of me and Peter does indeed unmask himself in front of the world. The question is: how do I feel about this?
Those that have known me from other websites I frequented, I am a huge Spider-Man fan. He probably goes above Batman as my favorite comic book character. Spider-Man just had that everyman feel to him, like you were along for the ride with his life and that it often ran parallel to your own (through the generations, mind you). I'm not a big fan about this reveal even after I've had time to reflect upon it.
Joe Quesada, Editor in Chief at Marvel, has been dropping on my good list quite frequently since he took over. I'm starting to believe that Quesada runs Marvel as a dictator with final say on things while Dan Didio seems to listen to his writers over at DC. You can look at the main "event" books happening right now and see what is going on. Millar pretty much has control over Ultimates 2, but he seems to be guiding the ship with Civil War, not controlling the overall movements. 52, although a collaborative effort, seems much more writer-centric to me.
Quesada has been talking about the marriage between Peter and MJ for quite a while on the Newsarama piece he does. Maybe that was the red herring to get people talking about Peter before he dropped the bomb on us all; or maybe he's hinting at things to come. I don't know how they are going to reverse the fact everyone now knows he's Spider-Man, but I have to believe that will be the end result or I may be done with Marvel.
I am indeed interested in where they are going to take this through the rest of Civil war and the "War at Home" arc in Amazing Spider-Man. I have a feeling I know what is going to happen. Spider-Man's flip from one side to another with the Registration Act has always been talked about, so at some point he'll join Captain America I'm pretty sure. So, the question will be what the trigger of the change will be. Could he become aware of Tony Stark's pupeteer play on him? Could the death of a hero move him enough to change sides? No one knows, but I have a bad feeling it is going to go down another road: The death of Aunt May, MJ or both.
At this point I'd throw Aunt May into the fire after she pushed her feelings onto Peter in ASM and moved him away from going underground. In general timeframe, May has not known Peter was Spider-Man for very long. MJ's feelings should count more than May's feelings in this case. MJ has lived through the bad times with Peter and had her life in danger plenty of times because of Peter being Spider-Man. If I had to choose one to die it would be May, but she's died before (albeit a clone of her). The more likely choice is that MJ will die and then I'm for sure done with Marvel. I'm pro-Pete/MJ marriage and think many a great story has come out of their marriage versus Pete being single.
The interesting thing about all this is that it kind of ties into House of M and the Spider-Man mini that came out during that time. In the House of M universe everyone knew Peter was Spider-Man and he even owned his own company. He also was the Green Goblin, but that's where this mini gets all crazy. The key part is that Peter lived through the House of M and remembers everything in that universe. He hasn't touched on it much in his main books, but it should have been touched on when he was making the decision. The House of M aftereffects were not very nice to him. I think the last time it came up was in Son of M #1 when he was talking to Pietro.
My hope in the end is that he will pull a Tony Stark from the past. He can say that the plain clothes Spider-Man was just a decoy and that the real Spider-Man is Iron Spidey and you don't know his secret identity. Peter will be asked why he did it and he can say he was just helping Spider-Man out. Either that or Wanda has to come back and re-arrange things again.
I'm still not happy about this, but I will see Civil War through unless they kill MJ. I love the forums at Newsarama and how people are saying May and MJ are safe because they're in Avenger's Tower. Trust me, they aren't safe, especially since the Avengers are soon to be disassembled again and who knows what the new lineup will be and if Spider-Man will even be in it. They could be out on the street with only SHIELD to protect them (and we know how good SHIELD can be).
The rest of Civil War #2 was interesting. I love seeing Captain America doing the underground movement. I think it's brilliant he got the Young Avengers and I notice that Daredevil is with Cap. Chances are excellent that the Daredevil in CW is Clint Barton (Hawkeye) while Murdock is in jail. It could also be Iron Fist or any number of other people. I can't wait for that reveal, but him being on Cap's side is a strong indication it might be Clint. I also found it interesting that Tony was apprehensive about what he was going to do the night before he unmasked himself. Maybe he's starting to doubt himself. Maybe in the end Iron Man will also change sides and it will be them against the hero hunters and SHIELD. We'll see though...
I learned that Peter Parker was going to unmask in Civil War #2 about a week ago. It was a rumor at that time and I hoped it was a red herring that Marvel was putting out there, but now I have the book in front of me and Peter does indeed unmask himself in front of the world. The question is: how do I feel about this?
Those that have known me from other websites I frequented, I am a huge Spider-Man fan. He probably goes above Batman as my favorite comic book character. Spider-Man just had that everyman feel to him, like you were along for the ride with his life and that it often ran parallel to your own (through the generations, mind you). I'm not a big fan about this reveal even after I've had time to reflect upon it.
Joe Quesada, Editor in Chief at Marvel, has been dropping on my good list quite frequently since he took over. I'm starting to believe that Quesada runs Marvel as a dictator with final say on things while Dan Didio seems to listen to his writers over at DC. You can look at the main "event" books happening right now and see what is going on. Millar pretty much has control over Ultimates 2, but he seems to be guiding the ship with Civil War, not controlling the overall movements. 52, although a collaborative effort, seems much more writer-centric to me.
Quesada has been talking about the marriage between Peter and MJ for quite a while on the Newsarama piece he does. Maybe that was the red herring to get people talking about Peter before he dropped the bomb on us all; or maybe he's hinting at things to come. I don't know how they are going to reverse the fact everyone now knows he's Spider-Man, but I have to believe that will be the end result or I may be done with Marvel.
I am indeed interested in where they are going to take this through the rest of Civil war and the "War at Home" arc in Amazing Spider-Man. I have a feeling I know what is going to happen. Spider-Man's flip from one side to another with the Registration Act has always been talked about, so at some point he'll join Captain America I'm pretty sure. So, the question will be what the trigger of the change will be. Could he become aware of Tony Stark's pupeteer play on him? Could the death of a hero move him enough to change sides? No one knows, but I have a bad feeling it is going to go down another road: The death of Aunt May, MJ or both.
At this point I'd throw Aunt May into the fire after she pushed her feelings onto Peter in ASM and moved him away from going underground. In general timeframe, May has not known Peter was Spider-Man for very long. MJ's feelings should count more than May's feelings in this case. MJ has lived through the bad times with Peter and had her life in danger plenty of times because of Peter being Spider-Man. If I had to choose one to die it would be May, but she's died before (albeit a clone of her). The more likely choice is that MJ will die and then I'm for sure done with Marvel. I'm pro-Pete/MJ marriage and think many a great story has come out of their marriage versus Pete being single.
The interesting thing about all this is that it kind of ties into House of M and the Spider-Man mini that came out during that time. In the House of M universe everyone knew Peter was Spider-Man and he even owned his own company. He also was the Green Goblin, but that's where this mini gets all crazy. The key part is that Peter lived through the House of M and remembers everything in that universe. He hasn't touched on it much in his main books, but it should have been touched on when he was making the decision. The House of M aftereffects were not very nice to him. I think the last time it came up was in Son of M #1 when he was talking to Pietro.
My hope in the end is that he will pull a Tony Stark from the past. He can say that the plain clothes Spider-Man was just a decoy and that the real Spider-Man is Iron Spidey and you don't know his secret identity. Peter will be asked why he did it and he can say he was just helping Spider-Man out. Either that or Wanda has to come back and re-arrange things again.
I'm still not happy about this, but I will see Civil War through unless they kill MJ. I love the forums at Newsarama and how people are saying May and MJ are safe because they're in Avenger's Tower. Trust me, they aren't safe, especially since the Avengers are soon to be disassembled again and who knows what the new lineup will be and if Spider-Man will even be in it. They could be out on the street with only SHIELD to protect them (and we know how good SHIELD can be).
The rest of Civil War #2 was interesting. I love seeing Captain America doing the underground movement. I think it's brilliant he got the Young Avengers and I notice that Daredevil is with Cap. Chances are excellent that the Daredevil in CW is Clint Barton (Hawkeye) while Murdock is in jail. It could also be Iron Fist or any number of other people. I can't wait for that reveal, but him being on Cap's side is a strong indication it might be Clint. I also found it interesting that Tony was apprehensive about what he was going to do the night before he unmasked himself. Maybe he's starting to doubt himself. Maybe in the end Iron Man will also change sides and it will be them against the hero hunters and SHIELD. We'll see though...
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Civil War #2 - Pre-Talk
For those interested in my thoughts I will probably read the comic and give some time to digest what I read. I'm not going to spoil the ending even though the New York Post spoiled it this morning evidently. I'm sure almost the whole world has heard what the ending is by now, but I'm not going to talk about it at the moment until some people have been able to read the whole comic and digest it.
As of yet I have not read the comic, but I do know the ending and have been thinking about it since I first found out. I want to read the whole comic before I discuss the end, but the post will be upcoming.
As of yet I have not read the comic, but I do know the ending and have been thinking about it since I first found out. I want to read the whole comic before I discuss the end, but the post will be upcoming.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Comic Catch-Up (June 7)
Sorry for the weeks of no posts. Work hit the busy time and I took some time off to rest and relax after some long hours (and weekend) of work. I'll start my new posts talking about something near and dear to my heart: comics! (BEWARE: there may be spoilers below)
52: We are now entering into Week 5 of 52. So far I've been pretty impressed by the series, although I'm finding it to be a lot like Infinite Crisis in the fact that there is too little space for how much is going on. They attempt to split the comic between the different characters (main ones: Steel, Booster Gold, Montoya, The Question, Black Adam and Ralph Dibny) and the 7 days that represent the week. It's obvious other things are going on every day than what they hone in on, but I think this may be the ultimate undoing of this series: too many characters and not enough time with them. So far the main views have been from Booster and Montoya/The Question. Steel and Ralph have had their time and Black Adam had one big part but has been absent since.
Civil War: Over on the Marvel side there's this mini-series. So far there's been only one entry and I talked about that in a previous post. Spider-Man's entry into the series came out last week with the first of the 7-part "War at Home" storyline in Amazing Spider-Man. I liked the first part, but it also seemed a bit rushed. The end sees Spider-Man supposedly about to reveal his identity to the world, but I bet he won't do so. With all the rumors flying about Quesada and his dislike of Peter's marriage to MJ, I'm willing to bet the "big destruction" coming out for Spider-Man will be the death of MJ. It just came to me yesterday honestly. It's a way for him not to reveal his identity and jump to Captain America's side. It wouldn't make me jump away from reading Spider-Man, but if he revealed his identity I think that could push me toward that.
I'm not sure if Civil War is going to be self-contained or not and it would really be a disservice if it wasn't pretty self-contained. That was a plus with Infinite Crisis for the most part and I hope Marvel keeps with that. I still say the Spider-Man arc is going to be needed, but hopefully Civil War stuff will be kept in CW.
52: We are now entering into Week 5 of 52. So far I've been pretty impressed by the series, although I'm finding it to be a lot like Infinite Crisis in the fact that there is too little space for how much is going on. They attempt to split the comic between the different characters (main ones: Steel, Booster Gold, Montoya, The Question, Black Adam and Ralph Dibny) and the 7 days that represent the week. It's obvious other things are going on every day than what they hone in on, but I think this may be the ultimate undoing of this series: too many characters and not enough time with them. So far the main views have been from Booster and Montoya/The Question. Steel and Ralph have had their time and Black Adam had one big part but has been absent since.
Civil War: Over on the Marvel side there's this mini-series. So far there's been only one entry and I talked about that in a previous post. Spider-Man's entry into the series came out last week with the first of the 7-part "War at Home" storyline in Amazing Spider-Man. I liked the first part, but it also seemed a bit rushed. The end sees Spider-Man supposedly about to reveal his identity to the world, but I bet he won't do so. With all the rumors flying about Quesada and his dislike of Peter's marriage to MJ, I'm willing to bet the "big destruction" coming out for Spider-Man will be the death of MJ. It just came to me yesterday honestly. It's a way for him not to reveal his identity and jump to Captain America's side. It wouldn't make me jump away from reading Spider-Man, but if he revealed his identity I think that could push me toward that.
I'm not sure if Civil War is going to be self-contained or not and it would really be a disservice if it wasn't pretty self-contained. That was a plus with Infinite Crisis for the most part and I hope Marvel keeps with that. I still say the Spider-Man arc is going to be needed, but hopefully Civil War stuff will be kept in CW.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Sin Episodes: Emergence
Just thought I would write a little about this game since it did come out while E3 was going on. I've only played a couple hours of it, but so far I am pretty impressed by the game. I still say the Source engine does a really good job in game experience over a year since the release of Half-Life 2. I hope to have more once I actually beat the game, but so far I am enjoying it and think it's a pretty good pickup for $20 via Steam (or at your local store). I have no idea how long it is, but nothing quite beats seeing the main bad girl in skimpy clothing right at the beginning.
Remember that HL2 Episode I is only a couple weeks away from being released as well. That should be just as exciting and Valve has said it is their best single-player experience yet (which is high praise coming from them).
Remember that HL2 Episode I is only a couple weeks away from being released as well. That should be just as exciting and Valve has said it is their best single-player experience yet (which is high praise coming from them).
Post-E3 Thoughts: Games (Sony)
Sony, Sony, Sony...what are we going to do with you? I've talked ad nauseum about my thoughts of Sony's moves, but now we'll look at the games on their systems. Let's start with current systems and then get to the PS3.
Playstation 2
God of War II (Sony, February 2007): Sony and the Santa Monica studio can spin it however they want, but we should all be very afraid that this game is coming for PS2 3 months after the release of the PS3. There is no reason the GoW engine shouldn't have been moved and updated to the PS3 for this release. This game will be big, but I still question why it is being made on the current generation and not the next generation.
Final Fantasy XII (Square-Enix, October): It's about time this game comes out. The good news is that FF XIII will probably not be as long of a wait as there was between FF X and FF XII (the two single-player games). This game is set in the world of FF Tactics and that by itself will make this game great.
Guitar Hero II (Red Octane/Activision, Q4 2006): Never played the first game, but Bill Harris swears on it. I will probably pick up the game at some point and this is probably going to be a huge release with the whole duet capable thing. Bill and Gloria can do duets!
Yakuza (Sega, September): This game just looks interesting to me. It looks very Shenmue-esque, which is high praise coming from me. The same group isn't making Yakuza, but chances are this could be good. Only problem is it won't sell worth squat.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Midway, October): This is only coming out for the current generation, but it will effectively close this chapter of the MK universe. Every fighter to ever take part in the game will be playable in this game, almost an impossible undertaking from a balancing aspect. I wish them luck and I hope this game is as good as Deception was.
PSP
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Konami, 2006): This game is a sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3 and has the possibility of making the PSP a popular choice again. I don't personally have one, but games like this would make me think twice about it.
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (Sony, 2007): The awesome platformer goes to the small screen come early next year. This will be the first year this series has not had a game during the holiday release. If this is as good as I've heard Daxter is this could be another winner for the PSP.
Killzone: Liberation (Sony, Q4 2006): Set after the events of the first game this game features a top-down perspective versus a first-person perspective.
Coded Arms: Contagion (Konami, 2007): The first game wasn't well received, but if they fix the problems of the first one here they could have a really good game on their hands.
Lumines II (Buena Vista Games, Q4, 2006): The sequel to the popular puzzle game.
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (2007): Even though Gamespot gives a 2006 release, I'm doubting that. This game is set before FF7 and seems to be quite interesting. If there is one thing Sony has over Microsoft it is that they have Square-Enix in their pocket and Microsoft has nothing from them.
Playstation 3
Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac/Sony, Launch): This game will supposedly be a launch game. It happens in a world where World War II never happened and aliens landed on the earth. The game looked cool in videos, but I get a very "been there, done that" kind of feel from this game. It has to show that it is bringing something new to the FPS genre or that it can standout over other WW2-era games, of which there are a plethora.
Warhawk (Insomniac/Sony, Launch): Also supposedly a launch game and will show off the gyroscopic controller. I remember playing the first game and enjoying it, however I don't know if I will enjoy the controls this time around. I think Sony is just creating a way to play the game differently, but that it just won't be the same as having a Wii controller.
Virtua Figher 5 (Sega, 2007?): This is a pretty big deal since it is exclusive to the PS3.
Final Fantasy XIII (Square-Enix, 2007? 2008?): Ditto.
Unreal Tournament 2007 (Epic/Midway, 2006? 2007?): This is an interesting game. Word coming out of E3 this year was that it was no longer exclusive to the PS3 on consoles, but no word yet from Epic or Midway on that.
I'm sure I missed a few here and there, but there really isn't much of anything yet to excite me on the PS3. Granted, the Xbox 360 didn't have the biggest games either. I shall wait until tomorrow to maybe get my PC game thoughts out there sine it is getting late...
Playstation 2
God of War II (Sony, February 2007): Sony and the Santa Monica studio can spin it however they want, but we should all be very afraid that this game is coming for PS2 3 months after the release of the PS3. There is no reason the GoW engine shouldn't have been moved and updated to the PS3 for this release. This game will be big, but I still question why it is being made on the current generation and not the next generation.
Final Fantasy XII (Square-Enix, October): It's about time this game comes out. The good news is that FF XIII will probably not be as long of a wait as there was between FF X and FF XII (the two single-player games). This game is set in the world of FF Tactics and that by itself will make this game great.
Guitar Hero II (Red Octane/Activision, Q4 2006): Never played the first game, but Bill Harris swears on it. I will probably pick up the game at some point and this is probably going to be a huge release with the whole duet capable thing. Bill and Gloria can do duets!
Yakuza (Sega, September): This game just looks interesting to me. It looks very Shenmue-esque, which is high praise coming from me. The same group isn't making Yakuza, but chances are this could be good. Only problem is it won't sell worth squat.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Midway, October): This is only coming out for the current generation, but it will effectively close this chapter of the MK universe. Every fighter to ever take part in the game will be playable in this game, almost an impossible undertaking from a balancing aspect. I wish them luck and I hope this game is as good as Deception was.
PSP
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Konami, 2006): This game is a sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3 and has the possibility of making the PSP a popular choice again. I don't personally have one, but games like this would make me think twice about it.
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (Sony, 2007): The awesome platformer goes to the small screen come early next year. This will be the first year this series has not had a game during the holiday release. If this is as good as I've heard Daxter is this could be another winner for the PSP.
Killzone: Liberation (Sony, Q4 2006): Set after the events of the first game this game features a top-down perspective versus a first-person perspective.
Coded Arms: Contagion (Konami, 2007): The first game wasn't well received, but if they fix the problems of the first one here they could have a really good game on their hands.
Lumines II (Buena Vista Games, Q4, 2006): The sequel to the popular puzzle game.
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (2007): Even though Gamespot gives a 2006 release, I'm doubting that. This game is set before FF7 and seems to be quite interesting. If there is one thing Sony has over Microsoft it is that they have Square-Enix in their pocket and Microsoft has nothing from them.
Playstation 3
Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac/Sony, Launch): This game will supposedly be a launch game. It happens in a world where World War II never happened and aliens landed on the earth. The game looked cool in videos, but I get a very "been there, done that" kind of feel from this game. It has to show that it is bringing something new to the FPS genre or that it can standout over other WW2-era games, of which there are a plethora.
Warhawk (Insomniac/Sony, Launch): Also supposedly a launch game and will show off the gyroscopic controller. I remember playing the first game and enjoying it, however I don't know if I will enjoy the controls this time around. I think Sony is just creating a way to play the game differently, but that it just won't be the same as having a Wii controller.
Virtua Figher 5 (Sega, 2007?): This is a pretty big deal since it is exclusive to the PS3.
Final Fantasy XIII (Square-Enix, 2007? 2008?): Ditto.
Unreal Tournament 2007 (Epic/Midway, 2006? 2007?): This is an interesting game. Word coming out of E3 this year was that it was no longer exclusive to the PS3 on consoles, but no word yet from Epic or Midway on that.
I'm sure I missed a few here and there, but there really isn't much of anything yet to excite me on the PS3. Granted, the Xbox 360 didn't have the biggest games either. I shall wait until tomorrow to maybe get my PC game thoughts out there sine it is getting late...
Monday, May 15, 2006
Post-E3 Thoughts: Games (Microsoft)
I'm leaving Sony for last (except for PC games). This post will talk about Microsoft and 3rd party games coming for the Xbox 360 this year and into next year.
Gears of War (Epic/Microsoft, Q4 2006): This was evidently shown behind closed doors, but it seems some people got to see it. I think Tycho put it best today in his newspost today in that this game was an experience and easily the best game of the show. For Microsoft to open their pre-E3 conference with this game was powerful. With Halo not showing up until next year, this is the game that will power Microsoft this holiday. It looks dark and gritty, but it will probably be one of the first games to show off the Unreal 3 Engine. Keep your eye on this title, it is going to be big.
Viva Pinata (Rare/Microsoft, Q4 2006): Yep, many of you laughed at this game, but laugh at this: Gabe says it has "lots of potential" and Bill Harris thinks much the same way I do (6th paragraph). This game is going to be hot for children...red hot. Like Bill said, "Here's one other thing about Microsoft: if Viva Pinata was a Nintendo game, people would be bursting with proclamations about how it demonstrates the genius of Nintendo. That game is going to be huge, and I'm not sure anyone quite realizes it yet." You will soon realize it!
Too Human (Silicon Knights/Microsoft, Q4 2006): Many people had low expectations for this game as well and I think when they actually played it they thought differently. This will probably not be the blockbuster that Gears of War will be, but it will be right up there.
Forza Motorsport 2 (Microsoft, Q4 2006): Yes, it was only shown via CGI pre-rendered movies, but the first game was red hot and I expect this one to be as well since it will be a second generation release. Peter Moore said it would be out by the end of the year, hopefully that is true. In addition they will release a wireless wheel controller, something never seen from Microsoft in the Xbox life cycle.
Fable 2 (Microsoft, 2007?): I can only guess at the release of this game. It was also shown in pre-rendered CGI. I was not a huge fan of the original, mostly because of the length of the game. On the aspect side of things the original was Aces, it just wasn't long enough. Now that Lionhead is owned by Microsoft I can see this game being quite big.
Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft, Q4 2006): I don't for one second believe BioWare will have this out by the end of the year given their track record. This game, much like Too Human, is set up as a trilogy. That could be a boon or a curse depending on how you look at it. Given how great KOTOR was, chances are BioWare could strike gold again with this one.
Shadowrun (FASA/Microsoft, January, also on PC): For most people this game will be seen as a tragedy, much like the MechAssault games (although those were good in my mind). Throw away all the things you remember about the original RPG IP and FASA is about to re-write the Shadowrun world. This is an FPS which is pissing a lot of people off. However, if it sells anything like the original MechAssault it will be a big release for Microsoft...they'll just piss off fans of the series and the SNES game.
Alan Wake (Remedy/Microsoft, 2007): Remedy may not have showed the gameplay of this game, but the big news is that Microsoft is publishing and it will only be coming to Xbox 360 and PC. Remedy is a relatively big name in the industry thanks to Max Payne and I hope this game turns out to be everything it can be.
Halo 3 (Bungie/Microsoft, 2007): Just that little 2+ minute demo blew me away. It could have been the musical score or the Covenant ships flying all around, but it got me excited. Post-E3 the news was that the demo was done in real-time and not a pre-rendered CGI. That would be pretty cool if true (as well as put a damper on the Metal Gear Solid 4 showing). This game is the knockout blow for Microsoft if they time it right...an early 2007 release could be devastating for Sony.
Sports Games (2K Games, EA, 2006): I'm putting these all in one. Indications are that each series that saw a shoddy port on Xbox 360 last year is going to see a much better game this time around. Arguably the only sports game to stand out was NBA 2k6 last year, but that was really a graphical upgrade more than anything. Now it seems teams are creating two tracks of games...one for next gen and one for current gen. I think Madden 07 and NCAA Football 07 are the most promising, even though they are missing some features from current gen release (although they are also adding other features) I think they could be big. This could be the year EA makes amends for what they did last year...we shall see.
Lost Planet (Capcom, 2007): Yes, I played the demo and was pretty impressed by the game. If it has a good story I think this game could be a nice little exclusive release for the 360.
Table Tennis (Rockstar, May 22nd): I have not played this game yet, so I don't know what to make of it. It seems the kind of game that will lose its luster after a while, but then again it could turn into a great and addicting game. I guess we'll see in a week. At least it is budget priced (for Xbox 360 that is).
Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar, October 16th, 2007): Big news that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will be releasing side-by-side and Sony won't have exclusivity on it. Not a big fan of San Andreas, but I loved the other 2 games since the move to PS2/Xbox. If Rockstar can recapture the magic and don't try to balance on the absurd this could be big for Microsoft if the Xbox 360 is ahead in system sales by the time it releases.
I only touch on mostly first-party titles here and I was a bit surprised that Microsoft didn't announce any secret games at E3. In fact, I'm surprised that no one really announced anything of a surprise like they have in past E3s.
Gears of War (Epic/Microsoft, Q4 2006): This was evidently shown behind closed doors, but it seems some people got to see it. I think Tycho put it best today in his newspost today in that this game was an experience and easily the best game of the show. For Microsoft to open their pre-E3 conference with this game was powerful. With Halo not showing up until next year, this is the game that will power Microsoft this holiday. It looks dark and gritty, but it will probably be one of the first games to show off the Unreal 3 Engine. Keep your eye on this title, it is going to be big.
Viva Pinata (Rare/Microsoft, Q4 2006): Yep, many of you laughed at this game, but laugh at this: Gabe says it has "lots of potential" and Bill Harris thinks much the same way I do (6th paragraph). This game is going to be hot for children...red hot. Like Bill said, "Here's one other thing about Microsoft: if Viva Pinata was a Nintendo game, people would be bursting with proclamations about how it demonstrates the genius of Nintendo. That game is going to be huge, and I'm not sure anyone quite realizes it yet." You will soon realize it!
Too Human (Silicon Knights/Microsoft, Q4 2006): Many people had low expectations for this game as well and I think when they actually played it they thought differently. This will probably not be the blockbuster that Gears of War will be, but it will be right up there.
Forza Motorsport 2 (Microsoft, Q4 2006): Yes, it was only shown via CGI pre-rendered movies, but the first game was red hot and I expect this one to be as well since it will be a second generation release. Peter Moore said it would be out by the end of the year, hopefully that is true. In addition they will release a wireless wheel controller, something never seen from Microsoft in the Xbox life cycle.
Fable 2 (Microsoft, 2007?): I can only guess at the release of this game. It was also shown in pre-rendered CGI. I was not a huge fan of the original, mostly because of the length of the game. On the aspect side of things the original was Aces, it just wasn't long enough. Now that Lionhead is owned by Microsoft I can see this game being quite big.
Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft, Q4 2006): I don't for one second believe BioWare will have this out by the end of the year given their track record. This game, much like Too Human, is set up as a trilogy. That could be a boon or a curse depending on how you look at it. Given how great KOTOR was, chances are BioWare could strike gold again with this one.
Shadowrun (FASA/Microsoft, January, also on PC): For most people this game will be seen as a tragedy, much like the MechAssault games (although those were good in my mind). Throw away all the things you remember about the original RPG IP and FASA is about to re-write the Shadowrun world. This is an FPS which is pissing a lot of people off. However, if it sells anything like the original MechAssault it will be a big release for Microsoft...they'll just piss off fans of the series and the SNES game.
Alan Wake (Remedy/Microsoft, 2007): Remedy may not have showed the gameplay of this game, but the big news is that Microsoft is publishing and it will only be coming to Xbox 360 and PC. Remedy is a relatively big name in the industry thanks to Max Payne and I hope this game turns out to be everything it can be.
Halo 3 (Bungie/Microsoft, 2007): Just that little 2+ minute demo blew me away. It could have been the musical score or the Covenant ships flying all around, but it got me excited. Post-E3 the news was that the demo was done in real-time and not a pre-rendered CGI. That would be pretty cool if true (as well as put a damper on the Metal Gear Solid 4 showing). This game is the knockout blow for Microsoft if they time it right...an early 2007 release could be devastating for Sony.
Sports Games (2K Games, EA, 2006): I'm putting these all in one. Indications are that each series that saw a shoddy port on Xbox 360 last year is going to see a much better game this time around. Arguably the only sports game to stand out was NBA 2k6 last year, but that was really a graphical upgrade more than anything. Now it seems teams are creating two tracks of games...one for next gen and one for current gen. I think Madden 07 and NCAA Football 07 are the most promising, even though they are missing some features from current gen release (although they are also adding other features) I think they could be big. This could be the year EA makes amends for what they did last year...we shall see.
Lost Planet (Capcom, 2007): Yes, I played the demo and was pretty impressed by the game. If it has a good story I think this game could be a nice little exclusive release for the 360.
Table Tennis (Rockstar, May 22nd): I have not played this game yet, so I don't know what to make of it. It seems the kind of game that will lose its luster after a while, but then again it could turn into a great and addicting game. I guess we'll see in a week. At least it is budget priced (for Xbox 360 that is).
Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar, October 16th, 2007): Big news that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will be releasing side-by-side and Sony won't have exclusivity on it. Not a big fan of San Andreas, but I loved the other 2 games since the move to PS2/Xbox. If Rockstar can recapture the magic and don't try to balance on the absurd this could be big for Microsoft if the Xbox 360 is ahead in system sales by the time it releases.
I only touch on mostly first-party titles here and I was a bit surprised that Microsoft didn't announce any secret games at E3. In fact, I'm surprised that no one really announced anything of a surprise like they have in past E3s.
Post-E3 Thoughts: Games (Nintendo)
Let's get down to it, starting with the:
Nintendo Wii
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo/Retro Studios, Launch): it's official, this is a launch title for the Wii and it's looking pretty good. From all indications the controls are pretty nice with the Wii controllers. I was never a big fan of Prime's reliance on scanning, but I am a big Metroid fan at heart and can't see myself not picking this up at launch.
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo, Launch): Big Zelda fan and Nintendo can really do no wrong with this franchise. There will be two versions of this game, one for GameCube (and its controller) and one optimized for the Wii. I don't know if the graphics will be different, but from all indications (and facts put out) the Wii graphics will not be that much greater than the GameCube.
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, Within 6 mo. of launch): This will be the late release out of the big 3, but chances are that Miyamoto will create a great game. It looked pretty cool in video form and since the controls have always been a staple of the series I can only believe the Wii controller will be used correctly.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, 2007): I'm not a big fan of the series and have never understood its appeal to be honest. The addition of Solid Snake is interesting, but I still doubt I'd touch this with a ten foot pole. I know there are a lot of people out there that swear by this series, I'm just not one of them.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Nintendo, Unknown): The twitch game that set the GBA and DS world on storm is back and this time using the Wii controller to do a number of things (lift barbells, slice watermelons, swat flies, etc.). This game will sell like wildfire if it is anything like the others.
Wii Sports (Nintendo, Launch): This will consist of the tennis game shown off at the pre-E3 conference, a golf game and a baseball game all packed into one. Obviously this title is there more for the multiplayer aspect and overall use of the Wii controller than anything else. The graphics aren't spectacular, but I bet the gameplay is on all the games. This is more of a family release and I think it will be very popular when it comes out.
Red Steel (Ubisoft, Launch): I was pretty big on this game before the show given the preview in a recent Game Informer. Many sites are saying the game is not all it is cracked up to be. Now, this would usually be a problem if this game was the top of the heap for launch, but the two games above easily trump this game in importance. This game could be good, but it sounds like it isn't as "free flowing" (from a controller perspective) as it could be. Take a wait and see approach on this one I think.
Madden 07 (EA, Launch): The only reason I put this here is because the whole control element sounds very interesting (and somewhat tiring). If EA Tiburon doesn't do a half-assed job like they did with Madden 06 on the Xbox 360 I think this could be a great pickup for someone that wants to experience football in a way they never have before...except on the field.
Nintendo DS
Many may have laughed at the DS when it was first announced, but it has built up a strong user base of people that want to play something different from the regular path (sound familiar?)
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo, Q4 2006): The first Zelda game for the DS. Chances are this is going to be great. The graphics come right from Wind Waker (which some people did not like the look of, I personally did) and the dual screen use sounds intriguing.
StarFox DS (Nintendo, September 25): StarFox once had its day, but this may not be it. The game doesn't look great from the movies I've seen, but you can't judge a game just by its graphics. I'm sure the gameplay is there and the promise of online play is a big plus. Maybe it can create the magic of the first game again.
Yoshi's Island 2 (Nintendo, Q4 2006): The beloved Super Nintendo game finally gets a sequel. Given how awesome the original game was chances are this will be great as well.
Final Fantasy III (Square-Enix, September): The only FF game to never grace these shores with an English version. Instead Square-Enix is going to give it a 3D facelift and bring it out here. This game was the introduction of the job system that was used again to a larger extent in FF V. This should be a big game for any FF fans out there since many have not played this game at all.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Konami, Q4 2006): Konami has had a great run with portable Castlevania games and I expect this one to continue the trend. No word as of yet how the stylus will be used, but they probably went back to the drawing board after the last DS game.
Next post is Xbox 360 offerings...
Nintendo Wii
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo/Retro Studios, Launch): it's official, this is a launch title for the Wii and it's looking pretty good. From all indications the controls are pretty nice with the Wii controllers. I was never a big fan of Prime's reliance on scanning, but I am a big Metroid fan at heart and can't see myself not picking this up at launch.
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo, Launch): Big Zelda fan and Nintendo can really do no wrong with this franchise. There will be two versions of this game, one for GameCube (and its controller) and one optimized for the Wii. I don't know if the graphics will be different, but from all indications (and facts put out) the Wii graphics will not be that much greater than the GameCube.
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, Within 6 mo. of launch): This will be the late release out of the big 3, but chances are that Miyamoto will create a great game. It looked pretty cool in video form and since the controls have always been a staple of the series I can only believe the Wii controller will be used correctly.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, 2007): I'm not a big fan of the series and have never understood its appeal to be honest. The addition of Solid Snake is interesting, but I still doubt I'd touch this with a ten foot pole. I know there are a lot of people out there that swear by this series, I'm just not one of them.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Nintendo, Unknown): The twitch game that set the GBA and DS world on storm is back and this time using the Wii controller to do a number of things (lift barbells, slice watermelons, swat flies, etc.). This game will sell like wildfire if it is anything like the others.
Wii Sports (Nintendo, Launch): This will consist of the tennis game shown off at the pre-E3 conference, a golf game and a baseball game all packed into one. Obviously this title is there more for the multiplayer aspect and overall use of the Wii controller than anything else. The graphics aren't spectacular, but I bet the gameplay is on all the games. This is more of a family release and I think it will be very popular when it comes out.
Red Steel (Ubisoft, Launch): I was pretty big on this game before the show given the preview in a recent Game Informer. Many sites are saying the game is not all it is cracked up to be. Now, this would usually be a problem if this game was the top of the heap for launch, but the two games above easily trump this game in importance. This game could be good, but it sounds like it isn't as "free flowing" (from a controller perspective) as it could be. Take a wait and see approach on this one I think.
Madden 07 (EA, Launch): The only reason I put this here is because the whole control element sounds very interesting (and somewhat tiring). If EA Tiburon doesn't do a half-assed job like they did with Madden 06 on the Xbox 360 I think this could be a great pickup for someone that wants to experience football in a way they never have before...except on the field.
Nintendo DS
Many may have laughed at the DS when it was first announced, but it has built up a strong user base of people that want to play something different from the regular path (sound familiar?)
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo, Q4 2006): The first Zelda game for the DS. Chances are this is going to be great. The graphics come right from Wind Waker (which some people did not like the look of, I personally did) and the dual screen use sounds intriguing.
StarFox DS (Nintendo, September 25): StarFox once had its day, but this may not be it. The game doesn't look great from the movies I've seen, but you can't judge a game just by its graphics. I'm sure the gameplay is there and the promise of online play is a big plus. Maybe it can create the magic of the first game again.
Yoshi's Island 2 (Nintendo, Q4 2006): The beloved Super Nintendo game finally gets a sequel. Given how awesome the original game was chances are this will be great as well.
Final Fantasy III (Square-Enix, September): The only FF game to never grace these shores with an English version. Instead Square-Enix is going to give it a 3D facelift and bring it out here. This game was the introduction of the job system that was used again to a larger extent in FF V. This should be a big game for any FF fans out there since many have not played this game at all.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Konami, Q4 2006): Konami has had a great run with portable Castlevania games and I expect this one to continue the trend. No word as of yet how the stylus will be used, but they probably went back to the drawing board after the last DS game.
Next post is Xbox 360 offerings...
Post-E3 Thoughts: Systems
I've ripped Sony up and down in previous posts. Maybe many people think I am pro-Microsoft or Nintendo...really, I'm not. I'd say I own more PS2 games than Xbox or GameCube games and I usually believe in Sony. I think they have a fantastic first party game lineup (Ratchet and Clank, Jak, Sly Cooper and God of War among them) and they've done a good job through 2 generations of systems now. With that preface I'll get into my thoughts on the systems coming out of E3.
Playstation 3
Sony has put itself in a precarious position. They've come out with 2 SKUs, much like Microsoft did last year. However, the lower SKU isn't worth its weight at all and the only way you'll get a competent system is with the $600 option. In the end, given that the Nintendo Wii will probably sell at around $250 that means a person could pick up an Xbox 360 Premium ($400) and a Nintendo Wii ($250) and come out with two systems for $50 more than the PS3 and only come out with one.
Sony showed off a few PS3 games, but they neglected to say what would be out at launch at their pre-E3 press conference. If you watched Gamespot over the course of E3 you'll see that Resistance and Warhawk are expected to be out at launch. Those aren't exciting games, but arguably neither was the 360 lineup outside of Project Gotham Racing 3 for me.
I think Sony has painted itself in a corner. Yes, we could all be wrong and the PS3 will sell like gangbusters come this holiday, but I also think Sony is going to play the short supply/great demand card again like they did when the PS2 came out.
Xbox 360
Microsoft stayed the course for the most part. They showed off Live Anywhere and their commitment to the PC gaming platform now that all the gaming divisions have been brought under one umbrella. To me it sounded like PC games will be sharing space with videogames if Microsoft has anything to do about it. I'll talk more about the games in the next post.
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo easily had the most sought after system at the show with upwards of a 4 hour wait to play it. I don't know whether that excitement is going to translate to the general public or not. Nintendo is being innovative again, something that has helped the Nintendo DS be where it is today even though it is far less powerful than the PSP. The only problem with the Wii is whether the third party support is going to be there or not outside of the launch. Nintendo could very well come out at #2 this go around.
Next up are my thoughts on the games...
Playstation 3
Sony has put itself in a precarious position. They've come out with 2 SKUs, much like Microsoft did last year. However, the lower SKU isn't worth its weight at all and the only way you'll get a competent system is with the $600 option. In the end, given that the Nintendo Wii will probably sell at around $250 that means a person could pick up an Xbox 360 Premium ($400) and a Nintendo Wii ($250) and come out with two systems for $50 more than the PS3 and only come out with one.
Sony showed off a few PS3 games, but they neglected to say what would be out at launch at their pre-E3 press conference. If you watched Gamespot over the course of E3 you'll see that Resistance and Warhawk are expected to be out at launch. Those aren't exciting games, but arguably neither was the 360 lineup outside of Project Gotham Racing 3 for me.
I think Sony has painted itself in a corner. Yes, we could all be wrong and the PS3 will sell like gangbusters come this holiday, but I also think Sony is going to play the short supply/great demand card again like they did when the PS2 came out.
Xbox 360
Microsoft stayed the course for the most part. They showed off Live Anywhere and their commitment to the PC gaming platform now that all the gaming divisions have been brought under one umbrella. To me it sounded like PC games will be sharing space with videogames if Microsoft has anything to do about it. I'll talk more about the games in the next post.
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo easily had the most sought after system at the show with upwards of a 4 hour wait to play it. I don't know whether that excitement is going to translate to the general public or not. Nintendo is being innovative again, something that has helped the Nintendo DS be where it is today even though it is far less powerful than the PSP. The only problem with the Wii is whether the third party support is going to be there or not outside of the launch. Nintendo could very well come out at #2 this go around.
Next up are my thoughts on the games...
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Nintendo Wii Update: 2 of the Big 3 at Launch
I talked about the possibility that Nintendo will have it's big 3 (Mario, Zelda, Metroid) out within the first year of the Wii release. Well, Eurogamer has let it be known that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will also be a launch title along with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. So, that's 2 of 3 at launch. No word on if Super Mario Galaxy will be out at launch, but if it is that creates something that has never happened in the history of Nintendo.
DC's 52 #1
Going into another gear for a moment and touching on another topic I talk about a lot...comic books. Today, DC released its ambitious comic that will cover the time between Infinite Crisis and the One Year Later jumps that all the books took.
I was impressed by the book and I think they have an all-star team working on it (Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid and Grant Morrison write...Keith Giffen on art breakdowns, setting up the storyboard for the rest of the art team). I think it is important to read Newsarama's 5.2 link every week (this week's entry) after you read the book because it should explain some things. Now onto the contents of the books...MAJOR SPOILERS if you have not read it yet.
The book will have 6 main characters: Ralph Dibny (yay!), Renee Montoya (from the Gotham police force), Steel, The Question, Booster Gold (yay!) and...Black Adam?! Other people will evidently come in and out throughout the series in order to fill people in up to One Year Later.
The key things to pull from Week 1 is this:
1. Wally West, Linda and the twins are just fine. As Bart says, "they're taking time away". This puts to rest everyone's worries that they were all dead. Bart also says the twins have grown.
2. It's fantastic to see Booster Gold as a central character again. I loved his short-lived series and his time in the Justice League off-shoots. I'll attempt to make an observation of why Skeets' was wrong about Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman showing up. I think it all revolves around Booster changing the Brother Eye future. Remember when he told Batman that he never found Brother Eye in Booster's future...well, they found Brother Eye and took it down, thereby changing whatever future Skeets had in his brain. He's still on the old future and not the new one, plus the fact Skeets may be gone for good (*sob*). This is just a guess on my part though, we shall see.
Those were the two main things. This was obviously a setup issue to show off the main characters. I think they've picked an interesting group of people to build the future of the DC Universe around. Can't wait for next week!
I was impressed by the book and I think they have an all-star team working on it (Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid and Grant Morrison write...Keith Giffen on art breakdowns, setting up the storyboard for the rest of the art team). I think it is important to read Newsarama's 5.2 link every week (this week's entry) after you read the book because it should explain some things. Now onto the contents of the books...MAJOR SPOILERS if you have not read it yet.
The book will have 6 main characters: Ralph Dibny (yay!), Renee Montoya (from the Gotham police force), Steel, The Question, Booster Gold (yay!) and...Black Adam?! Other people will evidently come in and out throughout the series in order to fill people in up to One Year Later.
The key things to pull from Week 1 is this:
1. Wally West, Linda and the twins are just fine. As Bart says, "they're taking time away". This puts to rest everyone's worries that they were all dead. Bart also says the twins have grown.
2. It's fantastic to see Booster Gold as a central character again. I loved his short-lived series and his time in the Justice League off-shoots. I'll attempt to make an observation of why Skeets' was wrong about Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman showing up. I think it all revolves around Booster changing the Brother Eye future. Remember when he told Batman that he never found Brother Eye in Booster's future...well, they found Brother Eye and took it down, thereby changing whatever future Skeets had in his brain. He's still on the old future and not the new one, plus the fact Skeets may be gone for good (*sob*). This is just a guess on my part though, we shall see.
Those were the two main things. This was obviously a setup issue to show off the main characters. I think they've picked an interesting group of people to build the future of the DC Universe around. Can't wait for next week!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
E3 Conferences: So, Who Won?
It's easier to say who lost in this case. Sony easily put itself in the same position Microsoft did last year and had a horrible showing. Where did Sony go wrong? Well, I have a few ideas:
In the end the winners are both Nintendo and Microsoft, but I'm not sure who to say is #1 coming out of the conferences. Sony now finds itself being outdone by both companies. The Wii has a better 3D controller than the gyroscopic PS3 controller. Microsoft is going to broaden Live to allow people to play cross-platform on PC and 360 along with tying it will cell phones as well. The only thing I saw Sony show off about the online system is their new music store that will probably fail when put up against the iTunes juggernaut.
As my friend Bill Harris said, Sony may be in total disarray at this point. From sources it sounds like the gyroscopic controller was a relatively new development and they didn't show it off very well with Warhawk honestly. The best game they showed off was Resistance, but once again...is it a launch title?
In the end I'd give the slight nod to Microsoft simply because their presentation seemed more tight and they had a lot of good looking games to show off. Nintendo showed off the innovation and have an instant system seller in Zelda, but they didn't reveal a price or date as of yet. In the end I think the last image of Halo 3 at the end of Microsoft's presentation was reason enough to believe Microsoft may have taken the place of Sony as the 800-pound gorilla...we shall see...
1. Sony didn't open with a splash of any kindMicrosoft opened showing off Gears of War, their top title for the holiday. Nintendo had Miyamoto come out and show off the controller and people behind him show off Ubisoft's Red Steel...and then they went into a little marketing video showing off people playing games with the controller. Then they showed off Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess about 19 minutes in, their biggest game of the holiday season. It took Sony 25 minutes before they got to any PS3 game, that being Gran Turismo HD, which was just a demo built on assets from Gran Turismo 4. Roughly 50+ minutes in before another PS3 game is shown.
2. Sony chose to push numbers firstNintendo and Microsoft put them in the middle. Why did Sony push the numbers first? Well, it's the only thing they can stand on at this moment. I still believe Sony's thought process is that the Playstation brand is so ingrained into people that they will go out and purchase the PS3.
3. Sony should have released the price laterYeah, this was dumb. Word going into E3 was that Sony was not going to release a price, which would have been the smart thing to do...unless they want people to start saving early.
4. The price is way too highIf people know about the differences, who in their right mind is going to go out and purchase the $500 version instead of the $600 one? Sony is beating its own self with this price. The 360 will probably outsell it here in the US/Europe and the Wii will probably outsell it in Japan at that price. Nevermind that the system is 11 lbs. and about the size of the original Xbox. I seem to remember Japanese people saying they didn't like the big box design of the Xbox...now Sony is bringing out a system that is just as big?
5. What games are coming out at launch?Microsoft faced much the same problem last year, although they did end up bringing out Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo and Project Gotham Racing on launch day. Sony didn't show off anything first-party to me that will be out at launch. They showed off some first-party stuff, but didn't say whether they were launch titles or not. Once again, I go back to my God of War II thought...why is it on PS2 and coming in February with the PS3 so close? Possible answer: Sony is farther behind on PS3 games than they want to be.
In the end the winners are both Nintendo and Microsoft, but I'm not sure who to say is #1 coming out of the conferences. Sony now finds itself being outdone by both companies. The Wii has a better 3D controller than the gyroscopic PS3 controller. Microsoft is going to broaden Live to allow people to play cross-platform on PC and 360 along with tying it will cell phones as well. The only thing I saw Sony show off about the online system is their new music store that will probably fail when put up against the iTunes juggernaut.
As my friend Bill Harris said, Sony may be in total disarray at this point. From sources it sounds like the gyroscopic controller was a relatively new development and they didn't show it off very well with Warhawk honestly. The best game they showed off was Resistance, but once again...is it a launch title?
In the end I'd give the slight nod to Microsoft simply because their presentation seemed more tight and they had a lot of good looking games to show off. Nintendo showed off the innovation and have an instant system seller in Zelda, but they didn't reveal a price or date as of yet. In the end I think the last image of Halo 3 at the end of Microsoft's presentation was reason enough to believe Microsoft may have taken the place of Sony as the 800-pound gorilla...we shall see...
Microsoft: The 800-pound Gorilla
This year was a far better pre-E3 conference than last year for Microsoft. I think they didn't hype things enough last year and spent most of the time talking about the circle and the community of Xbox Live instead of showing off games. This time around it was obvious the games were forefront while Live was given quite a lift as well.
For me I'd say Microsoft showed off the best games. Of course it helps when your system is already out. Gears of War, although it may not appeal to everyone, was quite impressive with the demo that Cliffy B went through. I think he's proud of this game and that's a pretty ringing endorsement even though he working on the game himself.
Then came the sequels. Fable 2 and Forza Motorsport 2 were shown in pre-rendered glory. Forza will be out by the end of the year, but no word on Fable 2. Then they showed off Splinter Cell: Double Agent, which is coming out in September, meaning the 360 will have it before the PS3. All 3 games honestly make me pretty excited. I wasn't overall thrilled with Fable's length, but the game was still very good.
Then they showed off Viva Pinata. I know a lot of people are not interested in this game, but I still say this is Microsoft's major children's release coming up. I don't think we know everything about the game yet, it could be very Animal Crossing-like in the end...who knows.
After this Peter Moore decided to show off his new tattoo (remember back when he had the November 9 + Halo 2 inked into him...it was still there). We all thought it was going to be Halo 3, but it turned out to be that they were announcing that Grand Theft Auto IV will be released on 360 and PS3 simultaneously on October 16th, 2007. This will be the first time the Xbox people haven't had to wait for the new GTA. Moore also announced that Rockstar and Microsoft is in an exclusive agreement to release episodic updates to GTA4, which of course makes it more interesting than the PS3 version probably.
Then they moved into the PC games. They first showed off, via playable demo, Crysis from Crytek/EA on Windows Vista. Later on it was found out that the game will also run in Windows XP, which probably means the game will be out before Vista is released. The game looked excellent, but I expect nothing else from the company that gave us Far Cry. Then they showed off the new Conan and Flight Simulator X.
Then the big rumor that was never kept quiet, Microsoft and FASA are bringing Shadowrun to the 360 and the PC for a day and date release with Vista in January 2007. They then showed off their new acquistion in my aforementioned notably absent Alan Wake, now being published by Microsoft for PC and 360. Then Bill Gates came out...
To unveil Xbox Live Anywhere, a system that will connect the 360, your Vista computer and your mobile phone. They showed this off by one of the workers going to Major Mike on his computer and ask to play a game of Shadowrun. They were then playing Xbox 360 to PC on the game, which is probably showing the XNA architecture at its best. I can only guess there will be more games like this in the future with simultaneous releases now that Microsoft has re-organized all their game divisions into one entity. They also showed off being able to tune a car on a mobile phone, re-paint it on Vista and send that car to the Xbox 360 for use in Forza Motorsport 2. It all sounds very cool, although I wonder if this is going to cost PC users anything or not.
Then we came to the end and Halo 3 was shown. Even though it was totally CGI built I have to say I was more excited about that even after seeing the demo for Metal Gear Solid 4 yesterday. I don't know, Halo just does something for me. Maybe it was hearing the awesome music again or seeing the huge Covenant ship flying by. The movie was awesome even though it showed no gameplay.
In the end I think Microsoft gave a really good presentation. I wish there had been more playable sections of the big games coming, but we do have the new demo for Lost Planet on Marketplace along with lots of videos from E3. I have yet to play the demo, but I have downloaded it...hopefully I will have some impressions up later.
Microsoft showed it may be the new 800-pound gorilla on the scene after this. We'll talk more about that next though...
For me I'd say Microsoft showed off the best games. Of course it helps when your system is already out. Gears of War, although it may not appeal to everyone, was quite impressive with the demo that Cliffy B went through. I think he's proud of this game and that's a pretty ringing endorsement even though he working on the game himself.
Then came the sequels. Fable 2 and Forza Motorsport 2 were shown in pre-rendered glory. Forza will be out by the end of the year, but no word on Fable 2. Then they showed off Splinter Cell: Double Agent, which is coming out in September, meaning the 360 will have it before the PS3. All 3 games honestly make me pretty excited. I wasn't overall thrilled with Fable's length, but the game was still very good.
Then they showed off Viva Pinata. I know a lot of people are not interested in this game, but I still say this is Microsoft's major children's release coming up. I don't think we know everything about the game yet, it could be very Animal Crossing-like in the end...who knows.
After this Peter Moore decided to show off his new tattoo (remember back when he had the November 9 + Halo 2 inked into him...it was still there). We all thought it was going to be Halo 3, but it turned out to be that they were announcing that Grand Theft Auto IV will be released on 360 and PS3 simultaneously on October 16th, 2007. This will be the first time the Xbox people haven't had to wait for the new GTA. Moore also announced that Rockstar and Microsoft is in an exclusive agreement to release episodic updates to GTA4, which of course makes it more interesting than the PS3 version probably.
Then they moved into the PC games. They first showed off, via playable demo, Crysis from Crytek/EA on Windows Vista. Later on it was found out that the game will also run in Windows XP, which probably means the game will be out before Vista is released. The game looked excellent, but I expect nothing else from the company that gave us Far Cry. Then they showed off the new Conan and Flight Simulator X.
Then the big rumor that was never kept quiet, Microsoft and FASA are bringing Shadowrun to the 360 and the PC for a day and date release with Vista in January 2007. They then showed off their new acquistion in my aforementioned notably absent Alan Wake, now being published by Microsoft for PC and 360. Then Bill Gates came out...
To unveil Xbox Live Anywhere, a system that will connect the 360, your Vista computer and your mobile phone. They showed this off by one of the workers going to Major Mike on his computer and ask to play a game of Shadowrun. They were then playing Xbox 360 to PC on the game, which is probably showing the XNA architecture at its best. I can only guess there will be more games like this in the future with simultaneous releases now that Microsoft has re-organized all their game divisions into one entity. They also showed off being able to tune a car on a mobile phone, re-paint it on Vista and send that car to the Xbox 360 for use in Forza Motorsport 2. It all sounds very cool, although I wonder if this is going to cost PC users anything or not.
Then we came to the end and Halo 3 was shown. Even though it was totally CGI built I have to say I was more excited about that even after seeing the demo for Metal Gear Solid 4 yesterday. I don't know, Halo just does something for me. Maybe it was hearing the awesome music again or seeing the huge Covenant ship flying by. The movie was awesome even though it showed no gameplay.
In the end I think Microsoft gave a really good presentation. I wish there had been more playable sections of the big games coming, but we do have the new demo for Lost Planet on Marketplace along with lots of videos from E3. I have yet to play the demo, but I have downloaded it...hopefully I will have some impressions up later.
Microsoft showed it may be the new 800-pound gorilla on the scene after this. We'll talk more about that next though...
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