Daily Filter: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, MLB 12: The Show
Cradle trailer shows off Russian indie adventure game
WoW Monopoly, StarCraft RISK announced at Toy Fair
Jersey Shore's 'The Situation' signs App deal
Blacklight: Retribution open beta begins Feb 27
Super Stardust Delta free with Vita 3G activation
Chronovolt announced for PS Vita
Ms. Splosion Man challenge to give away steaks
The Last of Us avoids regen health
Closure takes $100K Grand Prize at IGC 2012
Late Night Consoling
by Chris Remo, Jan 03, 2006 8:30pm PSTWell, back to the regular daily news. The news...of the future. I'm heading to CES 2006 tomorrow, and hopefully there's some good and/or wacky stuff to cover. I don't know how much LNC is going to be happening for the rest of the week depending on how my schedule turns out. Hopefully I can get something out for you guys. Also, this dude I know and...some dude whom I don't really know, but who is a Shacker, have launched a wacky webcomic that you may find appealling and compelling. It features baroque ornamentation and a gerbil.
- Contrary to prior expectations, it looks like Sony may not in fact be demonstrating its upcoming PlayStation 3 at CES 2006, which begins tomorrow. Sony has yet to display its console in playable form for consumers, which led many to suspect the company would try to steal the show at CES. Sony had previously hinted at a non-E3 event early in 2006 for the full reveal, and if it's not CES then it may end up being a Sony-run affair. With Nintendo bowing out this year and Microsoft's next-gen console already released, there might not be too many awesomely huge gaming announcements at this CES.
PS3 Skips CES
[ps3] - The BBC has a look at the upcoming generation of consoles, getting some quotes from staffers and executives at publishers such as EA and Ubisoft. There's not much new information since the information comes from publishers and not manufacturers, but there are some interesting observations and predictions. Most notably is Ubisoft head Yves Guillemot's speculation on upcoming release dates. He sees Sony launching PS3 in June or July for Japan, followed by September and November for North America and Europe respectively. This gives an overall four to five month launch window for Sony, significantly shorter than its usual timeframe, which tends to be more on the order of nine months or so. Guillemot may be expecting Sony to try and tighten things up after Microsoft's sort-of-worldwide release within a few weeks, as well as Nintendo's goal of delivering Revolution worldwide within a 14 week window. Guillemot expects Nintendo to ship in the same time frame for Japan and North America, but suspects Europe may have to wait until early 2007. This part of his prediction comes as a bit odd, given the aforementioned pledge by Nintendo to get the machine out in a timely fashion worldwide. It also contradicts this postcard sent out to various media outlets by Nintendo Europe which proclaims "En 2006 Nintendo Lance La Revolution; In 2006 Nintendo Launches A Revolution." That would be a pretty low blow if the thing was to hit Europe in 2007.
Publishers on the Next Generation
[ps3] [xbox360] [nintendo] - GamersReports noticed a retail release dates that includes a version of Far Cry Instincts for Xbox 360. GR makes the slightly cynical observation that there is no 360 compatibility for the Xbox version of the game, which might be an intentional "oversight" intended to spur sales of the newer iteration, if it in fact is in the works. Similar claims have been made about certain EA games such as Burnout Revenge, which has a confirmed Xbox 360 version in the works.
Far Cry Instincts on Xbox 360?
[xbox360] - It was recently confirmed that Gouichi Suda, Capcom/Grasshopper's designer of Killer 7 (PS2, GCN), is working on an RPG for DS entitled Contact. It has now been confirmed via the game's official website that it will feature online capabilities via Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service. Previously, it was known that the game would feature some kind of wireless capability, but gamers have had false expectations for some DS games when publishers failed to specify what exactly they meant by "wi-fi." This time around, it looks like the game will go online, but in what capacity remains unknown. Contact will ship in Japan next month; a North American release date has not been given.
Contact on DS to Use NWFC
[ds] - Reuters reports that Nintendo has reached worldwide sales of 10 million for its portable DS system. The article seems to imply that these are sales to consumers rather than to retailers. Half of those sales are in Japan, which apparently makes the machine the fastest selling console ever in that country, beating out systems such as Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2. The US has seen almost 4 million of the total sales. The most recent European numbers put the console at above 1 million sales, but that number has not been updated since last June, which suggests the overall numbers are not quite accurate. GameSpot has some additional stats, noting that the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service has had 550,000 unique users since its debut. This suggests about an 11% overall penetration rate, which is on par with what Microsoft has seen with its Xbox Live service, though it's important to note that Live achieved that percentage even while charging a monthly fee. Sales numbers for PSP are notoriously difficult to track down, with Sony frequently releasing numbers that don't seem to measure up to NPD numbers. Currently, NPD says Sony has sold 2.5 million units in the US, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says it's sold 2.7 million, and Sony says it's sold about 3 million.
Nintendo DS an Easy Sell in Japan
[ds] - Noted Ubisoft designer Michel Ancel spoke with Eurogamer today, primarily about his work on the recently-released King Kong game adaptation. He gives a lot of interesting responses with a lot more substance than I'm used to from game designer interviews these days. On the prospect of a sequel to the excellent Beyond Good & Evil (PS2, Xbox, GCN), he comments, "I'd love to, and it's always in my mind. One day maybe!" and says he wouldn't mind returning to his creation Rayman either. He also has a really good answer to why the game didn't sell particularly well despite positive reviews and excellent reactions from those who actually played it, and it's an answer that can be applied to many unique or offbeat games these days. In regards to the question of whether games can be considered art, prompted by recent comments from film critic Roger Ebert, Ancel submits that they can. He suggests that, like other forms, those who are not familiar with the language of games are not well equipped to determine what a good or a bad game is, and points to the vast range of factors a designer must control in order to relate a certain emotional experience to a player.
Michel Ancel Speaks
[ps2] [xbox360] [xbox] [gamecube] - A writer from 4 color rebellion who lives in Japan weighs in on accusations of racism or xenophobia among Japanese gamers when it comes to the Xbox 360. He points out the very range of American-made producs that are wildly successful in Japan and suggests that the reason the Xbox 360 is selling even slower in Japan than its Xbox predecessor is because there simply aren't games that Japanese gamers want. Let's be honest here, if you've seen the weak six-game lineup the machine launched with in Japan, you shouldn't be surprised that the thing isn't selling very well. Japan is certainly known as a county with a high degree of nationalistic pride, but the article points out that there are countless American firms which have succeeded in Japan by way of changing or refining their products to fit Japanese taste. Microsoft has certainly been attracting plenty of Japanese development content, but the promise of future games isn't enough to sell a console if there aren't plenty of worthwhile games out already. The poor launch is no doubt going to hurt the 360 in Japan, but sales should pick up as the games library broadens. Is your Xbox 360 overheating? HardOCP has the answer with this custom water cooling solution for the console.
Misc. Q&As/Features
Comments
Honey bunny. I hope you have a safe flight tomorrow. I've got a lot to look forward to with you, so don't crash.. if it does.. remember "duck and cover" like I tuaght you in my bathroom. If you dont return, I'll have jake2000 and mr.dognose fill in for both your duties here on the shack, and of course the fun times in my living room while my g/f watches. You have been a true inspiration that constantly stays behind me wherever I go. Everytime I bend over and see my shadow, I tear up, and think of you... I wish you were here right now palying Guitar Hero in my ear, and chanting Mario and Luigi DS slogans in my ear.... God.. if you take my raymo away.. I will turn gay and bone every other game journalist in the hole where the filth comes out of..
Ryan
P.S. When I jumped in the pool drunk.. I pictured you.. yes you raymo.. as the water surrounding me and making my body chill at its every touch.. *sigh*
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"NINTENDO'S HAND-HELD SYSTEMS BUCK THE HOLIDAY TREND
In the U.S. and Japan, Portable Games Post Big Numbers
REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 3, 2006 – Nintendo's 15 years of unsurpassed leadership in portable video gaming continued unabated through the 2005 holiday season. Sales figures show that Nintendo's dual-screened Nintendo DS™, fueled by hit software and new global Wi-Fi capability, has sold approximately 4 million units to date in North America alone. Combined with Game Boy® Advance, the world's most popular portable video game line, Nintendo now enjoys a combined U.S. market share of 78 percent.
Nintendo also reports U.S. sales of Mario Kart® DS, released on Nov. 14 and featuring live, global Wi-Fi competition, has topped the 1 million mark in just seven weeks. And Nintendogs™, made for Nintendo DS, has surpassed sales of 1.5 million units since its U.S. launch in August.
"At a time when some sectors of the video game industry are softening, Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance line remain shining stars because of their fun experiences and innovative game play," notes Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "It's important to note that these strong figures represent Nintendo hand-held units and games that consumers have purchased and are now enjoying at home or wherever they like to play."
The Nintendo DS launch title Super Mario® 64 DS has sold 1.3 million units in the United States alone. Other DS games that are enjoying dramatic success in the United States include WarioWare™: Touched! and Advance Wars®: Dual Strike.
The strong U.S. performance of these titles has been mirrored in Japan, where in just more than one year from its Dec. 2, 2004, launch, Japanese consumers purchased more than 5 million Nintendo DS units. This makes the Nintendo DS the fastest-selling video game machine in the history of the Japanese video game market. In addition, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing®: Wild World and the two games in the brain-training series (Brain Age and Brain Flex) achieved sales of more than 1 million units each. This is another record in Japan, as an unprecedented four titles have surpassed 1 million units sold in just more than one year from the launch of a system. In addition, Mario Kart DS and WarioWare: Touched! also are nearing the 1 million sales mark in Japan.
All around the world, players have been competing on the new Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection wireless gaming service. Within seven weeks of the service launch more than 10 million game connections have been made and more than 550,000 unique visitors have connected globally.
The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling Game Boy® Advance SP, Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 2 billion video games and more than 353 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario™ and Donkey Kong® and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.
For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com."
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Bands can have terrible names and still be great and gain popularity, but games can't do it so easily.
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http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/03/blog-debate-is-apple-making-a-game-console/
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Don't know why they still have a 1 million figure for Europe that hasn't been updated for so long. I'd imagine Nintendo shifted a hell of a lot more DSs since June - maybe another million or even more?
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Looks like circuit city is having their New Years gaming inventory blowout. Lots of titles between $4-$20. This list is from one specific store, so your store may have other games at the clearance prices.
List Below (and also in reply for you HPBs)
http://students.kennesaw.edu/~bah9549/
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this makes me so sad :(
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"GAMES ARE ART!"
What would happen? Nothing - that's because it doesn't matter. It's like arguing if my farts are poetry or not. If I win that argument, it's not going to change a damn thing.
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There's a screenshot here, though it really has to be seen in person:
http://www.bluescrn.net/dsbloom.jpg
The thread about it is here:
http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=7983
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