July console sales numbers, Volume 2........

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

So whaddayaknow, the Wii has 3 90+ AAA+ titles, the PS3 still only has 1...

And several others that should be 90+, in my opinion, but it is a subjective area. Super Paper Mario and Mario Strikers should absolutely by 90+ for me.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

EXACTLY
I don't understand why you think it is flawed unless you are trying to compare it to the actual sport, which it is clearly not trying to represent at all. Your summary is a pretty strong oversimplification. Like saying Smash Bros is just running around beating up on people until they fall off the ledge.

Thats definitely part of it it - adult british people are indoctronated into soccer games well feeling just slightly like a game of soccer ....

Thats why I did try and emphasise it is a 'fun' game and my eldest son loves it, just I can't get into it partially because I prefer Pro Evo and similar games when it comes to soccer because they feel more like the 'real' sport.

(I'm sure some adults would have similar sport "snobbery" if they do/did an American Football Mario game)

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

(I'm sure some adults would have similar sport "snobbery" if they do/did an American Football Mario game)

NFL Blitz?

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

(I'm sure some adults would have similar sport "snobbery" if they do/did an American Football Mario game)

Mario Golf and Tennis are games made in the same light.

The mistake you're making is expecting a real soccer game out of it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I do have to agree with him on Galaxy as game of the year. Bioshock has set a very, very high watermark. I have zero doubt Galaxy will be a spectacular hit. I'll be playing it day one. I do have doubts as to it being as good as Bioshock. That's strictly an opinion and not a slam on Galaxy.

Anyone who says that anything other than Bioshock is GOTY needs to schedule an appointment with EF27 to have their head examined.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

So whaddayaknow, the Wii has 3 90+ AAA+ titles, the PS3 still only has 1...

Nintendo consoles have always had a few great titles in their lineups. Nintendo understand that if you want a great game, it's got to be tested thoroughly and have no major bugs. I'd even argue that most of Nintendo's major license games don't have hardly any minor bugs. They deserve high ratings for the simple fact that they don't cut corners with their major titles and they deserve big kudos for that. It's the rest of the library that has often left a lot to be desired.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Anyone who says that anything other than Bioshock is GOTY needs to schedule an appointment with EF27 to have their head examined.

Anyone can have an opinion that a game is GOTY right now. I predicted Bioshock would be it a couple of months before it was released. Someone could have easily called me an idiot and said that an already released game was GOTY.

Until Galaxy gets released, we don't know, so no examinations are required.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I don't get why people are looking at game scores to completely judge a game? I've always read through reviews to see what exactly a game is all about rather than just look at the score, since everyone has a different opinion of what makes a good game for them. I guess the games that score high 90s are kind of guaranteed to appeal to most people, but other than that... it really is subjective I think, isn't it?

Wish you'd have been here earlier in the thread. . .

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I don't get why people are looking at game scores to completely judge a game? I've always read through reviews to see what exactly a game is all about rather than just look at the score, since everyone has a different opinion of what makes a good game for them. I guess the games that score high 90s are kind of guaranteed to appeal to most people, but other than that... it really is subjective I think, isn't it?

Totally agree and I'm not sure many would disagree with you. As I mentioned way back when I first listed the scores on the various systems, I mentioned that the only reason to use these scores is to get a general feel for a game being good or bad. I used the measure of anything being rated as 70 or higher as being a good game. I went down that low for the exact reason that there is a wide variance in what is a good game. As you said, games rated 90 are the obvious 'must-buys', but games in the 70's and 80's are still good titles and can appeal to various demographics or niches or even be games that should be in the 90's but just happened to stumble into a reviewer that didn't like the game for personal reasons.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Thats definitely part of it it - adult british people are indoctronated into soccer games well feeling just slightly like a game of soccer ....

Thats why I did try and emphasise it is a 'fun' game and my eldest son loves it, just I can't get into it partially because I prefer Pro Evo and similar games when it comes to soccer because they feel more like the 'real' sport.

To change the subject a little, did you get a chance to try UEFA Champions League for Xbox 360? It's the most fun I've had with a console soccer game in a while. I would compare it to the 2K sports american football game which hits my main interest in console sports gaming. I don't want to play a huge career mode on the console (I have a certain soccer game for the PC for that ). Instead, I like the "cards" idea and trying to build a team to play online (or vs AI) with. There's replayability without the need to play numerous seasons. I think UEFA has shot under the radar but it was (is) a ton of fun if you enjoy what it's designed for (no career mode, but trying to create a solid team with cards and tactics you earn in each game).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Some big news out of Sony. Dave Karraker, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, has left SCEA. Given the multiple number of PR snafus that Sony and the PS3 console have had thus far, most people are probably saying, "Why the hell did it take this long?".............

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/817/817936p1.html

Earlier today, news wires were abuzz with the news that Dave Karraker, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, would be leaving the company and the gaming industry. A figurehead for the past year at SCEA, Karraker was one of Sony's key spokesmen, and he oversaw much of the news and releases related to the PlayStation 3 console. Karraker also handled a number of press requests as to the direction of Sony with Home and its PS3 price cuts.

"I have enjoyed immensely my tenure at SCEA and think the company and its brands are very well positioned to have an exceptional holiday and a very bright future. I look forward to continuing to follow this industry as a gamer, rather than a spokesperson," Karraker said in a released statement earlier today. He will leave to take a position as the head of PR and events for Skyy Spirits.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Odd, isn't it? Everyone harps on the "games make the system", yet the Wii is kicking the 360s and the PS3s butt with a dubious library of games.

Either the theory is wrong, or Nintendo, in their brilliance, just changed the paradigm.

Tho this has already been addressed a couple of times, I think this bears repeating. Just because *you* (not necessarily you, but the literary "you") don't think there are good games, doesn't mean there aren't games that other people like. There is a lot of stuff targeted at a lot of different people out there. For instance, I suspect Pokemon will own 2 of the top 5 spots this year for "top selling game" but a lot of people will have just dismissed it in the realm of "oh, that's just a game for kids", never mind that if you get a game that a ton of kids (and some adults) like, you can rack up sales in excess of 3M.

Similarly, I would give most iterations of Madden a 7 or lower for a complete lack of innovation each iteration. That wouldn't keep me from being bludgeoned to death within 30 seconds of proclaiming that at any Wal Mart on the day it came out, for instance. But for NFL fans, it's the gold standard for football games. Pick your targets and hit them well and you can sell a lot of games.

SI

[sterlingice]

(kindof continued from above post)

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I don't get why people are looking at game scores to completely judge a game? I've always read through reviews to see what exactly a game is all about rather than just look at the score, since everyone has a different opinion of what makes a good game for them. I guess the games that score high 90s are kind of guaranteed to appeal to most people, but other than that... it really is subjective I think, isn't it?

Well, here's the thing about grading video games, it's like movie reviews. You're getting ratings from people who play games, practically for a living but at least for a large amount of time so they have, proverbially, seen it all. Everything's filtered through a reviewer's lens.

There are, of course, plusses and minuses to that as we often see. Arthouse movies that have little going for them except for a new conept and decent acting but mediocre in other aspects such as cinematography and plot or pacing will get a better rating than say a flashy action movie or drama or comedy that lacks a revolutionary edge but does most things well. Why? Because there are lots of action movies or dramas or comedies but new things are going to impress someone who gets bored of the "same old thing" even if it's better done.

I think it's a little more "populist" on the gaming review side as it's a fairly new genre and you're not relying on "old media" and their inherent biases. The entry barriers are significantly less as the most trusted places to get gaming reviews are magazines or, even moreso, online as opposed to newspapers and tv.

There is definitely some snobbery in terms of what's good and what's not. If you want to try and weed that out, just cross the best seller and best rated lists and see what overlaps. But you'll also miss out on some fun games that people just completely missed on the shelves (Beyond Good and Evil, anyone?)

So what does it all mean? Play what you think is fun, of course. But don't expect to be taken too seriously if you can't see your own biases. Not only that, but try something new and you might just find that there is something else out there that's fun besides the sports games you only play or the FPSs you only enjoy or the RPGs you limit yourself to.

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Interesting interview with Peter Moore. He admits that EA made some mistakes in regards to the release of their football titles on the PS3 at 30 FPS. He's focusing on this interview on being dismissive of their past mistakes and pointing out the positives of future PS3 titles all being up to snuff. It's a good first step for him, but he's got a lot of EA baggage that he's going to have to shed in the coming months to improve the company's image.

http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=20506

Newly appointed EA Sports chief Peter Moore (former Xbox chief) has commented that beginning with NBA Live 08, all EA sports titles will be capable of running at 60 frames a second on the PS3. He comments that by the holiday, the issue of Madden 08 running at 30fps on the PS3 will be long forgotten and ancient history. Moreover, he states that the reason that the PS3 version suffered from such limitations is simply because the developers had not had enough time to get to grips with the PS3.


GS: Now, you mentioned Madden. There was a bit of controversy recently surrounding how it ran at 60 FPS on the 360 and at 30 fps on the PlayStation 3...

PM: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

GS: The official explanation was that that the EA Sports developers hadn't had enough time with the PS3 dev kit. Do you foresee this problem going away with Madden 09?

PM: Well, I see it going away with NBA Live 08. I think that we had a little bit of a mea culpa, but we're getting up to speed on the platform. But that's in the past. And beginning with NBA, we're going to see PS3 titles from EA Sports running at 60 frames a second. So all of that'll be forgotten by the holiday.

GS: Do you think this is an example of the pitfalls of multiplatform development, how is EA Sports kind of overcoming that?

PM: You'll see it running at 60 frames on PS3. Once the consumer gets that in their hands, the Madden issue will become ancient history. I think you look at any development cycle, and when you've had the hardware as long as the studios have for 360 in relation to what they had for PS3, you've got this normal chronology of getting your hands on the hardware a year later. It's a little bit of a hangover from that. But that's behind us now. By the time we get to November and NBA Live ships--all gone.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

For the 'footie' fans. Pretty good preview summary from an Aussie comparing the preview builds of PES 2008 and FIFA '08. Basic summary is that the gameplay is better on PES, but the prettier graphics are on FIFA.

http://www.gameplayer.com.au/Home/FE...0-c3f0e2bf03ab

Call us lucky or call us *******s, either way we feel like some of the more privileged soccer fans on the planet right now. We have spent the last week flip-flopping between the FIFA 08 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 codes that have come into our office, trying to determine who has made the best buys, devised the winning formation and put the form on the board to take the sport into the next-generation and demand your hard-earned. To try and determine which game you, the humble soccer hooligan, should bet on in this year’s big Christmas final – FIFA vs. PES.

Of course, like any big sporting encounter, there has been months of off-field training and preparation. For FIFA it has all been about big spending. They’ve got the licenses, they’ve got the modes, they’ve got all the fancy skills… but can it all gel together on the field into one cohesive attacking threat? PES on the other have made only minor cosmetic changes to their line-up, instead focusing on strengthening the relationships within the squad to keep the threat moving forward like a well-oiled machine. It’s an intriguing match-up, one of the closest we’ve seen in years, and we’ve gone behind closed doors to see how both camps are pulling up mere weeks away from the big event.

We’ll start with the current champion, PES. Konami know they are onto a good thing, and they’re not about to rock the boat. As we have experienced with the last few instalments, the changes here are minimal: it’s not so much about making a huge evolutionary step and bringing the series to next-gen in style, as it is about making the same game a little prettier and a little smarter. Although the final product is far superior to the – well, let’s just say it – pathetic X360 iteration of last year’s game, we’ll compare the PS2 versions to give you a better idea of how it has changed.

The most notable change is in game pace. We would estimate it plays about 20% faster than last year’s game. That is in the speed in which the ball moves, the players move and the entire game gets around the field. This does require a bit of gamer adaptation before you slip back into the groove, but is ultimately more enjoyable. Perhaps it’s merely a bi-product of Konami working with the improved processing speeds of the next-gen machines? It’s certainly a strange reversal from last year’s game, which was slowed down from the 2006 game.

Shooting has certainly had a good going over and we found ourselves blazing goals which last year would have seemed impossible. At this early stage this scares us a little because PES is famed for its incredible balance and this gives the game an attacking edge. Especially because the A.I in the preview build wasn’t up to scratch on player selection and body-blocking, both of which take away from your ability to defend. We’ll monitor this closely, but given past experience, we don’t expect it to plague the final release.

The overall feel though is of a game that is one step closer to perfectly simulating the real deal than it was last year. The game is amazingly fluid, and the importance of good timing even more acute. You’ll notice now that the ball goes all the way to the character model – none of this goalkeeper stopping a ball that’s a foot from his hand bull**** – and that influences the gameplay accordingly. You have more control of a ball at your feet and, conversely, if you let the thing get a little too far away from you it can be pinched be a defender more easily. This requires much more selective use of the turbo button as ball control becomes looser with speed of motion: another subtle change that just brings the game back to Earth a little bit more. Unfortunately, despite unfulfilled promises, Konami have not forwarded us the X360 code and to be honest we doubt the Japanese developer will have it running as nicely as the PS3 game. Let’s just say it’s ‘the vibe’ we’re getting.

This leaves a gap in the defensive line for FIFA to exploit, given that its X360 iteration is actually shaping-up a little prettier and more fluid than the PS3 version. We tested the code on PS3 and X360 and would certainly nod in the favour of the latter. In addition, FIFA will be available to the all-important Wii market – but exposure has never been EA’s problem. It has been gameplay. FIFA has been chasing PES’s gameplay for years and never quite got there, prompting them to rewrite the code from scratch this time around… finally.

(THE REST IS ONLY ABOUT FIFA, MIND YOU)

Certainly FIFA is making a concerted attempt to take the concept of soccer gaming into the next-generation. A new trick button, combined with the right analogue stick (Fight Night style), gives the attacker all kinds of funky moves that are applicable to specific player’s strengths. You should see Ronaldinho dance! The visuals have really stepped-up, with some fantastic player animations and independent ball physics that give both shooting and general paddock navigation a sense of weight and realism. In addition, the A.I has been remodelled with each character (apparently) making 1,000 decisions a second based on what you are doing with the ball - a huge leap from last year’s game, we’re told.

Perhaps the most significant evolutionary step in FIFA 08 is the new Be-A-Pro mode, which allows you to play as one specific player on the paddock. If you choose to play Gerrard in midfield, for example, you are expected to act in that role and the camera will dynamically pan out depending on the position of the ball. So, if the goalkeeper has it the view is a wide-screen end-to-end shot. The goalie kicks it up to a defender and the camera moves in a bit. You spy a gap, make a run and the defender plays a through-ball into your path. At this point the camera is pretty much in third-person as you have the ball. You can see what the player would see and pull off the new trick moves in a much more immersive fashion than you do on your typical ‘TV’ angle. You’ll even get some camera ‘jogging’ Gears of War-style should you clamp down the run button. And then as you centre the ball the camera spins to follow the lob and pans back out. It’s very, very well done and it’s extremely fun.

There is no doubting FIFA’s effort to take soccer to the next level with this mode. Indeed, the long-term idea is to have 11 on 11 online matches we’re everyone plays their position just like real deal – they told us this mode is expected in FIFA 11. And we’re not even going to begin rattling-off the impressive numbers of licensed heads and jerseys they have throughout the game, although we will point out that the inclusion of the A-League is a huge boon for the series’ Aussie fan-base. But for all that FIFA have done to drive the sport forward in the gaming space with FIFA 08 there is still one prime problem: gameplay.

PES plays better: at least in the preview code. For all its amazing technical advances, FIFA’s engine just can’t keep pace with the human mind, and PES’s can. In FIFA you find yourself constantly willing players to turn a little quicker, pass a little faster, run into those huge gaps. In PES the game is with you, all the way down the flank and into the box.

What this ultimately means is that, bar the few gamers who want to try their luck at the A-League or give the new Be-A-Pro mode a whirl, very few PES gamers will make the leap to FIFA in this iteration. Alternatively, FIFA fans that give PES a solid session may very well ‘transfer’ the other way. But we tend to think that PES’s number is almost up because, despite the gap in gameplay quality, FIFA is closing in and it will only narrow further as EA master their rebuilt engine. Plus, it’s getting hard to deny the new and intriguing features FIFA are offering. Hell, they may possibly do it this year: we’ll give you the final word as soon as review code arrives.

[gstelmack]

Mizzou B-Ball Fan missed an article. Xbox360 sales up 260% in the UK in the week following price cut, and only take a 20% dip from that the following week:

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/07-09-2007-6390.html

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Mizzou B-Ball Fan missed an article. Xbox360 sales up 260% in the UK in the week following price cut, and only take a 20% dip from that the following week:

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/07-09-2007-6390.html

Probably because it's a blocked site here.

Would you mind pasting the info? Thanks.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Somebody needs to tell this idiot to stop doing interviews. Evidently the Lair development process was 'haunted'. Guess it couldn't be that the game just wasn't all that good........

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162563

"I am not a believer in ghosts, but this one was haunted," said Eggebrecht. The setbacks started in May 2005, when the PS3 had its first big unveiling at Sony's E3 press conference. Eggebrecht says the Factor 5 team put together the game's first trailer and delivered it just in time to make it in the show, but the trailer was dark to begin with and the frames had an even darker black-level than Sony expected.

"They showed the material at the last minute to [former Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken] Kutaragi-san, who didn't see a thing and bounced us off the [PS3's demo] reel," he said. "That's why the first tech-trailer was shown at the PlayStation meeting a few months later. That was the start of one catastrophe after the other -- deaths in the family at the worst time [and] sudden surgeries for key members, which bounced the technology off-track. And just in general, every single time there was a crucial delivery, something bizarre went wrong -- all the way to power outages when writing the master disks."

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Probably because it's a blocked site here.

Would you mind pasting the info? Thanks.

Here's the relevant part, although it's only a short blurb and sure to appear elsewhere soon:

Originally Posted by article

MCV reports that Microsoft is celebrating a huge rise in sales of the Xbox 360. Following the price reduction across the entire Xbox 360 family and the launch of the Elite, Chart Track data indicates a massive 260% rise in UK sales.
Sales of the Xbox 360 also managed to remain high the following week, only falling by 20%.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Pachter comments on Karraker leaving Sony; also says 360 will have a good holiday season with Sony having the better spring.........

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=133128

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Here's the relevant part, although it's only a short blurb and sure to appear elsewhere soon:

Thanks.

You've got to love this console war as a consumer. Both sides are throwing blows back and forth in the form of price cuts, bundles, and better versions of the consoles. Top it off with both Sony and MS having the Wii pass them both while they're fighting for the same pie pieces, and you've got an ideal situation for gamers in the form of great values and pricing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Totally agree with Square Enix exec in this case. Give me a commercial with good music and gameplay video over any of this crap marketing that Sony has put out thus far that had little to do with the games.......

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/07/sq...raightened-up/

by Alexander Sliwinski Sep 7th 2007 9:00AM

Square Enix President Yoichi Wada publicly states that Sony needs to find a solid marketing strategy with the PS3 and stick with it. According to Reuters, when Nintendo became one of Japan's top 10 companies in June, they actually bumped Sony off the list. Wata told reporters, "Sony first unveiled the PS3 as a mighty home electronics product. Then, after some badgering from game companies, it shifted the position of the console closer to a game machine ... (the future of the PS3) would be be tough if its marketing strategy is not straightened up."

With the competition in Japan being between the Wii and PS3, Sony's total decimation in the market isn't sitting well with third-party publishers that have major costly titles set up for the PS3 -- like Square Enix and Final Fantasy XIII. Big budget games with low install base consoles is a problem for the bottom line. Konami has said as much with Metal Gear Solid 4. Remember the Xbox 360 is a Japanese afterthought, so it really doesn't play into their equations when talking about their own country. The PS3 may be doing better, but it's still not doing well.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Extensive analysis of the July sales numbers and the upcoming holiday season........

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/level...july-2007.aspx

[Eaglesfan27]

Sony sent out a "Lair Reviewer's Guide" to try to convince reviewers that they just didn't understand the game and that they should redo their scores:

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/07/so...ust-not-laugh/

[SackAttack]

For what it's worth, it's not the first time Sony (or any other company) has done that. I routinely receive "Reviewer's Guides" or "Walkthrough Guides" when I receive review copies.

Hell, Sony sent me a "Reviewer's Guide" with Rogue Galaxy, which basically amounted to a bite-size version of the full strategy guide.

What's odd here (from my perspective) isn't that they sent the guide...it's that they've apparently sent it after the fact to outlets which have already reviewed the game. *That,* I've never seen happen before.

But the existence of such things? Meh. I've never /used/ 'em, but I've been receiving them for years.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

For what it's worth, it's not the first time Sony (or any other company) has done that. I routinely receive "Reviewer's Guides" or "Walkthrough Guides" when I receive review copies.

Hell, Sony sent me a "Reviewer's Guide" with Rogue Galaxy, which basically amounted to a bite-size version of the full strategy guide.

What's odd here (from my perspective) isn't that they sent the guide...it's that they've apparently sent it after the fact to outlets which have already reviewed the game. *That,* I've never seen happen before.

But the existence of such things? Meh. I've never /used/ 'em, but I've been receiving them for years.

A lot of times it comes with the games as you mentioned. The only reason it's getting mentioned this time is because they're doing it after the fact when a game got bad reviews.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

A lot of times it comes with the games as you mentioned. The only reason it's getting mentioned this time is because they're doing it after the fact when a game got bad reviews.

Well, that's kind of the point. I'm sure someone will argue with me on this, but this is how I perceive the events went with Lair:

1) The controls were disasterous and it got delayed a couple of months so they could try and tweak them.

2) They "fixed" the controls to the point the game was slightly playable.

3) They knew they would get shredded but had no idea it would be this bad. My guess is they figured the graphics alone would net it a 7 on most major sites.

4) When one of the games they've been advertising on the back of the box of the system started getting 4.7's and the like, they knew they had to do something and created the guide.

At the end of the day, what they did is release a horrific game that virtually nobody likes. This game is contending for the title of "Most dissapointing hyped game of all time" Look guys, the answer to this is to either:

A) Make an option for an analog control scheme in a patch.
B) Keep your mouths shut and act like this never happened. Start airing commercials for Warhawk and Heavenly Sword (althought Sword is getting mixed reviews early) and walk away.

The answer is NOT to keep getting one of the lowest reviewed games of all time on the front pages. If Sony spent as much time making and releasing good games for the PS3 as they do on damage control, they'd be in great shape.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Could be another big price move on the horizon. This 'insider' over at arstechnica.com has an excellent track record. He's saying that a 40 GB PS3 for $399 will be out before the holidays along with a PS2 price drop to $99. 80 GB PS3 will drop to $499 as previously mentioned. Both systems will likely have Spiderman 3 BR bundled in. Given the recent IPO move by Sony to acquire additional funds, it makes perfect sense that the new model and price drops are coming sooner rather than later.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thum...s-future-plans

$400 40GB PS3 with Spidey 3 Blu-ray pack-in? Our mole tells all
By Ben Kuchera | Published: September 09, 2007 - 10:16PM CT

Our mole has a great track record: both the Xbox 360 HDMI story and the wired Xbox 360 Rock Band controllers have since been confirmed. Whoever our friendly inside source is, he's got some great contacts. Now he's ready to tell us what Sony's console pricing plans may soon look like. Here's how Sony's platform pricing will shape up by the holiday shopping season:

80GB PlayStation 3: $499.99
40GB PlayStation 3: $399.99
Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray movie pack in with one, or both
PlayStation 2: $99.99

The 80GB price drop isn't that shocking, but a new $400 40GB system would be huge news. Would people be willing to part with 40GB to save $100? I think so, and having a $400 PlayStation 3 option would be a great weapon this holiday season. If they get to show off the Blu-ray capabilities of the system with Spider-Man 3 bundled? That's a nice package.

The $99.99 PlayStation 2 would ensure that the venerable system will continue to sell well. This is rumor for now, but when Sony makes some announcements at the Tokyo Game Show, I would not be shocked if these were among them. You heard it here first.

[Kodos]

Is anyone else longing for the days when there was one version of a console and that was it? Sheesh.

[SackAttack]

Part of me wants to agree that the 40 for $400 is a great deal - and I guess, as Obi-Wan said, it is from a certain point of view. The only thing I can really look at here is, okay, the 80 would be dropping to $499 - the price point currently occupied by the 60 GB model.

The 40 would enter the market at $399, which is presumably the price point the 60 would fall to if it weren't being phased out.

So, smaller hard drive and lack of Emotion Engine at what would otherwise be the same price. Hmm. Viewed that way, it's kind of the shaft for anybody who's been actively eyeing one and waiting for the right time to buy.

For the segment of the market whose only knowledge about the platform is "Wasn't that $600 last year," a SKU at $400 is great news.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it will absolutely impact Sony's sales. and the segment that will probably care about the difference between a 40 and a 60 is likely minimal in the first place. Just musing on whether or not those lower-end consumers are getting rooked.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Part of me wants to agree that the 40 for $400 is a great deal - and I guess, as Obi-Wan said, it is from a certain point of view. The only thing I can really look at here is, okay, the 80 would be dropping to $499 - the price point currently occupied by the 60 GB model.

The 40 would enter the market at $399, which is presumably the price point the 60 would fall to if it weren't being phased out.

So, smaller hard drive and lack of Emotion Engine at what would otherwise be the same price. Hmm. Viewed that way, it's kind of the shaft for anybody who's been actively eyeing one and waiting for the right time to buy.

For the segment of the market whose only knowledge about the platform is "Wasn't that $600 last year," a SKU at $400 is great news.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it will absolutely impact Sony's sales. and the segment that will probably care about the difference between a 40 and a 60 is likely minimal in the first place. Just musing on whether or not those lower-end consumers are getting rooked.

I think the difference is minimal at this point. With the 40 GB model, you're losing some of the backwards compatibility and a bit of HDD space. So you have......

60 GB model with Emotion engine = $499
40 GB model ($399) with new PS2 ($99) = $499

It's all the same thing basically between those two options if you truly want to be able to play your PS2 games. On the other side, if you still have your old PS2 or want the cheaper price and aren't interested in backwards compatibility, you can save yourself $100.

As far as people being 'rooked', I think that's going to be the norm for awhile until there's a major backlash by consumers. 360 and PS3 have both already had similar drops or newly added SKU's that have made early adopters feel somewhat duped. You also saw it in regards to the price drop on the iPhone, though Apple saw the uproar and at least gave the early adopters $100 back in credit for their early support. If only Sony or MS would do something that proactive........

[Eaglesfan27]

Office Depot has a deal on Premium 360's for the next week or so. Caveats include that it has to be ordered online and picked up at their store, but the price is down 50 dollars to 299:

http://www.totally360.com/gameinfo.p...id&newsid=1935

[Neuqua]

... hmmm....

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Honestly, this might as well have been an affirmation that a $399 PS3 is in the works.....

http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-66600.aspx

Next-Gen contacted Sony Computer Entertainment America regarding the rumor, and the firm answered with an expected “It's our policy not to comment on rumors or speculation” line.

This isn’t the first time that word of a $400 PS3 has made rounds. In July, Microsoft blogger and Xbox biz strategist Andre “Ozymandias” Vrignaud forecasted a $400 40GB PS3 for the holidays, which will have some of its ancillary features stripped.

If you remember, when the MS strategist suggested a few months back that Sony would have a PS3 for $399 by November, Sony went out of their way to deny it to make sure that people didn't put their purchase decisions on hold. Their 'no comment' in the above article makes me thing that it's a done deal.

[Big Fo]

Nintendo's Wii Zapper To Include Zelda Pack-In Title

Nintendo's Wii Zapper To Include Zelda Pack-In Title Nintendo has announced that the Wii Zapper, its forthcoming gun-styled Wii remote and Nunchuck adapter peripheral first announced at this year's E3, will come packaged with a new Legend of Zelda title, Link's Crossbow Training, when it is released on November 19th.

Nintendo calls Link's Crossbow Training a "perfect demonstration of the way the Wii Zapper could be used in other games," as it uses the hit brand to push uptake of the $19.99 peripheral.

The publisher says players will assume the identity of Link and progress "through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship," starting with stationary bull's-eyes before graduating to moving targets and defense against "all kinds of enemies."

The company also notes a number of third party publishers have adopted the Wii Zapper interface in forthcoming titles including EA's Medal of Honor Heroes, with a Wii exclusive arcade mode, Capcom's Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and Sega's arcade port Ghost Squad.

Said Nintendo senior VP of marketing George Harrison, "The Wii Zapper combines our remarkable controllers into one housing with a classic style reminiscent of arcade-style games. Both veteran and first-time players will find it brings a whole new dimension to games where targeting is key and provides even more exciting game-play experiences."

With virtually everyone hoping for a new Duck Hunt game, Nintendo will bring us this.

edit - source is gamasutra.com

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Honestly, this might as well have been an affirmation that a $399 PS3 is in the works.....

http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-66600.aspx



If you remember, when the MS strategist suggested a few months back that Sony would have a PS3 for $399 by November, Sony went out of their way to deny it to make sure that people didn't put their purchase decisions on hold. Their 'no comment' in the above article makes me thing that it's a done deal.

It's funny, with all this confusion surrounding the different HDMI vs. component/hard drive sizes/EE vs. non-EE, it makes a purchase harder for me to justify at the $399 price point.

They really (and I'm talking about both Sony and MS) need to settle on an HD size once and for all for this platform. I'd hate to think I purchased a product that will be obsoleted by the next must-have game that requires XX GB on the hard drive, something I wouldn't have.

Sony and MS, in their infinite wisdom, are bringing to the console market exactly what's killing the PC game market.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Honestly, this might as well have been an affirmation that a $399 PS3 is in the works.....

http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-66600.aspx



If you remember, when the MS strategist suggested a few months back that Sony would have a PS3 for $399 by November, Sony went out of their way to deny it to make sure that people didn't put their purchase decisions on hold. Their 'no comment' in the above article makes me thing that it's a done deal.

Stuff gets "no commented" all the time.

I mean, it's obvious that they aren't just going to sit at $499 forever, but $399 by the holidays...I've been saying that they needed to get to at least that price point to get taken seriously by consumers, but that's an awful steep drop, awful fast.

How would you like to have been a PS3 purchaser in June, and now hear that by October or November, we could be seeing $399? It's a tight rope to walk.

Not saying it isn't gonna happen, only that "no comment" isn't necessarily the nail that seals it.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

They really (and I'm talking about both Sony and MS) need to settle on an HD size once and for all for this platform. I'd hate to think I purchased a product that will be obsoleted by the next must-have game that requires XX GB on the hard drive, something I wouldn't have.

That's not going to happen, at least any more than your PlayStation 2 purchase would have been obsoleted by a game requiring space when your memory card was full.

None of the 360 games do installation to the hard drive, which means the space requirements are largely for downloads. A couple games, moving forward, may require the HDD, but that's different from filling them up.

I mean, even with the PS3, where stuff gets installed to the hard drive for caching (and Oblivion, I'm looking at you and your 5 gigs), that's still relatively unusual. I'm looking at the two games I have right now, and Resistance requires 120 MB. Out of 60 GB, that's a relative pittance...plus the PS3 will let you swap in a new hard drive if you're a serious enough user to fill up the drive in the first place.

Having 2-3 SKUs each is definitely confusing to the market...but so long as the product includes a hard drive to begin with, I don't see having a variety of sizes as being damaging to the product. Hell, I wish the Core would've had even just an 8 or a 10 gig hard drive, just for development streamlining.

[Eaglesfan27]

Take Two is still losing money but less than last year. Of note, these figures are before Bioshock came out. Also of note, in the article Take Two says that there will be sequels to Bioshock (not a surprise at all with the big sales) and that there will be a sequel to All-Pro Football. That is a bit of surprise as sales have been tepid. They mention that they may release it in a different time window and at a different price point to maximize sales:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6178493...stnews;title;1

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Take Two is still losing money but less than last year. Of note, these figures are before Bioshock came out. Also of note, in the article Take Two says that there will be sequels to Bioshock (not a surprise at all with the big sales) and that there will be a sequel to All-Pro Football. That is a bit of surprise as sales have been tepid. They mention that they may release it in a different time window and at a different price point to maximize sales:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6178493...stnews;title;1

The news about APF really makes me happy!!!!

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

How would you like to have been a PS3 purchaser in June, and now hear that by October or November, we could be seeing $399? It's a tight rope to walk.

Yes, this is half facetious but I think there's a grain of truth to the statement I'm about to make as well: they're not exactly flying off the shelves so it's not like there are a lot of people to offend. Who do you care more about at this point? The couple million who have them now or the tens of millions you're hoping to attract?

It's not like it's a brand new item where it just dropped $200 (paging Mr Jobs). It will have been out a year and then dropped $200. Yes, a little drastic, but at this point Sony's precarious position is more than a little in need of some drastic action.

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

The news about APF really makes me happy!!!!

Me too. If they add any sort of franchise mode or multi-season mode, I'll be picking it up next year. From a quote in one of the articles this year, I think they will add a franchise mode of some variety.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Here are excerpts from the comments they made about Bioshock:

"I'm particularly pleased with the tremendous market response to 2K's BioShock," said Zelnick. "It is reported we are the top-selling title at GameStop, less than a month since launch. We have already shipped more than 1.5 million units. Clearly we have a new hit franchise on our hands. And this one was developed internally and we own the IP. We're proving our ability to diversify Take-Two's product portfolio."


While he did not reveal actual sales numbers for the game, Zelnick also made much of the fact that BioShock has the best aggregate review score on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. He also said the company is considering sequel-izing the action-adventure along the same lines as Grand Theft Auto.


While opining on the GTA development cycle, Zelnick said, "I would say probably roughly an every three year [release] schedule would be optimal. ... I expect we would apply roughly the same strategy to BioShock, because BioShock is shaping up to be a very important franchise. I don't was to say more than that about BioShock because I certainly don't want to jinx it, but I feel awfully good about where that is going."

[sterlingice]

I love how it seems like Nintendo is the only one these days who actually wants to put sold numbers instead of shipped numbers

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

Heavenly Sword got a good review from Gamespot with a 8.0 score. The biggest complaint is that the game will only last 6 hours for a skilled player and 8 hours for most others. It should be interesting to see what bump if any this causes in PS3 sales:

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/h...om_clk=topslot

[stevew]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I love how it seems like Nintendo is the only one these days who actually wants to put sold numbers instead of shipped numbers

SI

In the same right, they are the company that's charging 50 bucks for a 40 dollar controller bundled with a craptacular game and daring to label it as "software."

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Me too. If they add any sort of franchise mode or multi-season mode, I'll be picking it up next year. From a quote in one of the articles this year, I think they will add a franchise mode of some variety.

I certainly hope they do. I rented it twice, it was really fun but I could never see spending 60 bucks on it, with the limited features.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Me too. If they add any sort of franchise mode or multi-season mode, I'll be picking it up next year. From a quote in one of the articles this year, I think they will add a franchise mode of some variety.

I played a rented copy and thought the gameplay was great, but I really need a franchise to justify the purchase. If they have that next year, I'm in.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New game information coming out of Namco-Bandai. Two titles that were previously Xbox 360 exclusives will now also be released on the PS3 as well. Beautiful Katamari and Eternal Sonata are now multiplatform releases.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this in the coming months. The 360 and PS3 have a big problem right now. Neither console is selling well enough to justify exclusives by third-party publishers without some sort of financial boost. The third-party developers cannot make enough money on just one of the consoles. The 360 and PS3 are quickly going to become somewhat of an unholy alliance until one of them decides to make that big step in the form of price cuts or major exclusives to take the lead in their battle. Right now, neither of them are putting up very impressive numbers.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Another news announcement about a game going multiplatform. Ace Combat 6 is no longer a 360 exclusive. It will be released on the PS3 as well.