Video game industry thread: Trogdor commands you to use the new thread

Inkyblots

Why buy a book for 50 dollars when amazon sells it for 30? Unless you are impatient. I stopped by a BB today to see if they had anything cool they were selling, I considered buying 5 black cases for a dollar to store some games in, they also had a watchmen comic that was 10 bucks. Unfortunately it was damaged.

cj iwakura

As much as I like my local retailers, realistically speaking, Amazon sells World of Darkness sourcebooks for at least 30-40% cheaper.


And they carry many that stores don't.

Gaslight

Inkyblots wrote: »

Why buy a book for 50 dollars when amazon sells it for 30? Unless you are impatient.

Pretty much. B&N and Borders' prices on DVD's are especially atrocious. I consider actually buying a book or DVD from a physical bookstore a luxury: paying a higher premium in exchange for the enjoyment of going to a bookstore and getting it in my hand right now. It is not something which I can justify indulging in often.

Dr Mario Kart

It has come to my attention that the core PSP unit has been 169.99 since April 2007. This is quite remarkable. I've been wanting to get one but theres no way I'm going to pay more for my 2nd portable than I did my first portable at its launch.

Brainiac 8

When I was younger and living on my own....I used to go after work and just sit in B&N and after buying the newest Pern or Wheel of Time book, just sit in there and read. I miss that actually, I haven't gotten to do anything like that in years.

Unco-ordinated

cj iwakura wrote: »

It's reportedly their second best debut ever, Persona 4 being the first.


Also, Catherine was projected to sell 150k in its span. It almost hit that in one week.

No, it was projected to sell 150k this fiscal year, not in total (though I guess by that point it'll be selling in the hundreds anyway). So they're already 10k over those projections with a month yet to go. Congrats Atlus, now get to work on that localisation (and Persona 5).

It's also nice to see Ninokuni chugging along. Still hope the PS3 one does a bit better than that, I'd like to see more collaberations between Ghibli and Level 5.

Inkyblots

I'm currently debating between a PSP or a DS, on one had, great psone remakes but then there's pokemon...

Fiaryn

Brainiac 8 wrote: »

It's too bad they don't just hold on and just survive with the BB machines....as I use the machine in our local Publix all the time if we are shopping and my wife and I decide we want to watch a movie.

Same here. The BB machine at my Publix sees a ton of business but ya know.

Too little, too late.

GnomeTank

I never understood that guilt trip small shops tried to put on us anyway. Why should I feel the need to buy locally? Just so I can pay more and keep your store open? I understand that a local gaming store, for instance, may offer more than source books and dice, but it's not MY JOB to keep their store open. It's their job to figure out a way to keep it open, and part of that is figuring out a way to price competitively.

If I feel a store adds value beyond my purchase, and the price is within the range of what I could pay online, I'll shop there...but I'm not going to pay 30-40% more just for the "privilege" of keeping a local shop open.

cj iwakura

Inkyblots wrote: »

I'm currently debating between a PSP or a DS, on one had, great psone remakes but then there's pokemon...

PSP has Persona, there you go.

GnomeTank

cj iwakura wrote: »

Inkyblots wrote: »

I'm currently debating between a PSP or a DS, on one had, great psone remakes but then there's pokemon...

PSP has Persona, there you go.

Counter-point, DS has Dragon Quest 9. Also the DS XL is probably the most comfortable hand held platform out right now, in terms of actually holding it for long periods of time (at least if you have not-tiny hands like me).

Automaticzen

cj iwakura wrote: »

Late?

JP sales for the week.

Catherine rules with an iron fist.

* Catherine (Atlus, PS3, 2/17): 141,826
* Marvel vs Capcom 3 (Capcom, PS3, 2/17): 67,187
* Samurai Warriors 3Z (Tecmo Koei, PS3, 2/10): 58,089 (266,637)
* Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (Capcom, PSP, 12/1/2010): 39,727 (4,289,349)
* Tales of the World Radiant Mythology 3 (Namco Bandai, PSP, 2/10): 26,504 (248,572)
* Two Worlds 2 (Ubisoft, PS3, 2/17): 24,324
* Catherine (Atlus, X360, 2/17): 21,936
* Marvel vs Capcom 3 (Capcom, X360, 2/17): 13,779
* Haku Ouki Zuisouroku DS (Idea Factory, DS, 2/17): 13,373
* Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (Capcom, DS, 2/3): 13,186
* Donkey Kong Returns (Nintendo, Wii, 12/9/2010): 10,824 (817,181)
* Samura Warriors 3 Xtreme Warriors (Tecmo Koei, Wii, 12/10): 9,638 (32,236)
* Pokemon Black & White (Pokemon, DS, 9/18/2010): 9,502 (5,081,369)
* DJ Max Portable 3 (CyberFront, PSP, 2/1): 8,990
* Two Worlds 2 (Ubisoft, X360, 2/17): 8,225
* Kenka Bancho 5 (Spike, PSP, 1/27): 8,193 (109,543)
* Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare (Take-2, PS3, 2/10): 7,861 (29,580)
* Wii Party (Nintendo, Wii, 7/8/2010): 7,472 (1,794,813)
* Winning Eleven 2011 (Konami, PSP, 11/18/2010): 6,312 (176,788)
* Ni no Kuni (Level-5, DS, 12/9/2010): 6,174 (481,003)

PS3's was the top selling game period, 360's topped the console.

And Last Story is nowhere to be found. Shame.

Why buy a book for 50 dollars when amazon sells it for 30? Unless you are impatient. I stopped by a BB today to see if they had anything cool they were selling, I considered buying 5 black cases for a dollar to store some games in, they also had a watchmen comic that was 10 bucks. Unfortunately it was damaged.

Amazon also likes to keep it's book prices just under Border's current coupon promotion if it can.

cj iwakura

Well, I have both, so I can't really make much of an argument anyway.

They're both great systems with unique games that the other handheld just can't offer a similar experience of.

Pata

Inkyblots wrote: »

I'm currently debating between a PSP or a DS, on one had, great psone remakes but then there's pokemon...

Wait a month for for 3DS, use backwards compatibility for tons of DS games.

Brainiac 8

I wonder if this has anything to do with the sales of Catherine:



Promise of boobs and crazy sheep men = huge sales, someone call Activision!

GnomeTank

cj iwakura wrote: »

Well, I have both, so I can't really make much of an argument anyway.

They're both great systems with unique games that the other handheld just can't offer a similar experience of.

Yah, I have both too, so I'm not really sure what point I'm trying to argue, hehe.

cloudeagle

Remind me, what's Catherine? I vaguely remember thinking it was cool when I first heard about it, but now I've completely forgotten.

Edit: Saw the image, NEVER MIND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW NOW

Pata

I think it's a sort of Adventure game that takes place in the Persona universe.

cj iwakura

cloudeagle wrote: »

Remind me, what's Catherine? I vaguely remember thinking it was cool when I first heard about it, but now I've completely forgotten.

Edit: Saw the image, NEVER MIND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW NOW

If only there was a thread about it...


It's a puzzle-platformer-graphic adventure-relationship drama.


Yeah.

Cantido

Unfaithful boyfriend has nightmares-come-true. Every night he has to avoid getting dragged off to hell or something.

Undead Scottsman

GnomeTank wrote: »

I never understood that guilt trip small shops tried to put on us anyway. Why should I feel the need to buy locally? Just so I can pay more and keep your store open? I understand that a local gaming store, for instance, may offer more than source books and dice, but it's not MY JOB to keep their store open. It's their job to figure out a way to keep it open, and part of that is figuring out a way to price competitively.

It's just walmart economics. When you buy locally, more of the money stays in your local community and thus more local businesses thrive. When you decide to, say, shop at walmart, even though the prices are cheaper, a lot of that money gets shipped out of town and out of state and and that's money your local enconomy no longer has.

Ultimately it's up to the individual person to decide if this is something bad, or if it's just progress.

FyreWulff

BG&E's boxart:



Obviously re-drawn/re-rendered, but it should be noted that while Jade mostly looks like the in-game model, Pey'j looks like the BG&E2 version of himself.

cloudeagle

The FTC is declaring war on microtransactions!

...if by "war" you mean "investigating" and by "microtransactions" you mean "in-app purchases for games on mobile evices."

The free-to-play, microtransaction-based business model has proliferated across a variety of genres and platforms in recent years, fueled by success stories on Apple's iOS, Facebook, and the traditional massively multiplayer online gaming market. However, that way of doing business has now drawn the scrutinizing eye of the Federal Trade Commission.

The Washington Post reports this week that the FTC will delve into the availability and sale of virtual goods within mobile applications, such as those available in titles for Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. In a letter to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz said that "in-app purchases" could be problematic, as certain consumers may not fully grasp the outcome of those charges.

"We fully share your concern that consumers, particularly children, are unlikely to understand the ramifications of these types of purchases," Leibowitz said in the letter, which was obtained by the Washington Post. "Let me assure you we will look closely at the current industry practice with respect to the marketing and delivery of these types of applications."

Leibowitz's response followed a Washington Post report that targeted the exorbitant price of some objects in certain mobile titles. Specifically, the newspaper's article targeted Capcom's Smurfs Village, which contains the $99 Smurfberries item, and Pocket Gems' Tap Zoo, where gamers can buy in-game animals by purchasing virtual coins with real-world money.

Rep. Markey's letter to the FTC took issue with the positioning of these in-game items to children and the 15-minute unlimited purchasing window after an iTunes password is entered.

"After the Washington Post first broke this story earlier this month, I sent the Federal Trade Commission a letter calling on the agency to investigate the issue of 'in-app' purchases and provide additional information about the promotion and delivery of these applications to consumers, especially with respect to children," Rep. Markey said in a statement. "What may appear in these games to be virtual coins and prizes to children result in very real costs to parents."

Apple had not responded to a request for comment on the FTC's investigation as of press time.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6300392.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop%3Btitle%3B1

Santa Claustrophobia

cloudeagle wrote: »

The FTC is declaring war on microtransactions!

...if by "war" you mean "investigating" and by "microtransactions" you mean "in-app purchases for games on mobile evices."

Better yet:

'FTC asks how they can monetise this shit!'

GnomeTank

Undead Scottsman wrote: »

GnomeTank wrote: »

I never understood that guilt trip small shops tried to put on us anyway. Why should I feel the need to buy locally? Just so I can pay more and keep your store open? I understand that a local gaming store, for instance, may offer more than source books and dice, but it's not MY JOB to keep their store open. It's their job to figure out a way to keep it open, and part of that is figuring out a way to price competitively.

It's just walmart economics. When you buy locally, more of the money stays in your local community and thus more local businesses thrive. When you decide to, say, shop at walmart, even though the prices are cheaper, a lot of that money gets shipped out of town and out of state and and that's money your local enconomy no longer has.

Ultimately it's up to the individual person to decide if this is something bad, or if it's just progress.

Right, I get it, but I am one of those people that says "It's not my job to make the local economy work". If local shops can't compete, that's called progress. It's not my job to go out of my way to pay MORE for something, simply to keep a local business open.

Not to mention the idea of a local economy is dieing anyway. The worlds economies are becoming so intertwined, the idea of "keeping your money local" is a joke anyway. Where do you think those local business get their product? They didn't make it in their garage.

Santa Claustrophobia

Does anybody care about this tangent anymore?

Gaslight

Santa Claustrophobia wrote: »

Does anybody care about this tangent anymore?

Regretting starting it now? :wink:

For the game industry thread it doesn't seem like that big a tangent. It's a tangette. A tanglet.

RainbowDespair

Cthulhu Saves the World sales to date (released on December 30th, 2011)

Sales - 11,231
Trials - 27,228
Conversion Rate - 41.25%

The US accounts for the vast majority of sales at about 76%. The UK is in 2nd place and Canada is in 3rd. Outside of those 3, the rest of the world accounts for about 2% of total sales.

Despite the country's love of Dragon Quest and JRPGs, Japan only accounts for about 0.25% of total sales.

UncleSporky

How does it shape up if you factor in the total number of 360s sold in each region?

i.e., supposing Japan only accounts for 1% of worldwide 360 sales, then that's to be expected and not too shabby after all.

CygnusZ

Inkyblots wrote: »

I'm currently debating between a PSP or a DS, on one had, great psone remakes but then there's pokemon...

Your mileage may vary, but I can output my PSP onto my big TV and have it take up around 80% of the screen. The image is a little blurry, but it's basically like having a PS1.5 with an oversized controller. The overall PSP RPG library is amazing. FFT, Tactics Ogre, Crisis Core, Half Minute Hero, Ys series, Legend of the Heroes etc. If you want to dabble in imports you can find stuff like Princess Crown as well. On top of that you can play anything in the PS1 archives.

If you love Nintendo though, DS is totally the way to go.

Dr Mario Kart

If makes any difference, Target through Amazon is selling PSP 3000 cores for $129.99. Its not gonna be lower than that even after the next official price drop. They'll drop it from $169.99 to $149.99 or $129.99

Cade

Vietnam bans online gaming after 10 PM until 8 AM in the morning.

"Gamers have a well-earned reputation for playing on their consoles well into the early hours.
But that looks set to end in Vietnam after the government today asked Internet service providers to block access to online games from 10pm to 8am every day. The reason for the ban lies in the Vietnamese authorities' wish to clamp down on the 'negative side-effects' playing video games has on the nation's young.

In a country with an estimated 23million regular Internet users - approximately 26 per cent of the population - the ruling will affect a large number of people. Internet service providers have until March 3 to comply with the Ministry Of Information And Communication's order or face being cut off.
The ministry's Deputy Minister Le Nam Thang said: 'Provincial departments of information and communication will inspect on-line games activities nationwide and deal with organisations that violate regulations by cancelling their services.'

The move is the latest attempt by the Vietnamese government to restrict the impact of the Internet on the nation's young. Beginning last September, the ministry reduced Internet access to service providers at night in a bid to combat late night online game playing. Officials also tried numerous other measures to little effect, Mr Thang said. Some online game service providers, including Asiasoft, have protested the order, arguing that their customers have paid a premium for online entertainment and shouldn't be punished by having their access reduced. A Panorama investigation last year revealed that computer games are dangerously addictive and contain powerful psychological devices designed to make some fans play compulsively.

A simple technique based on a 1950s study of rats feeding themselves by pressing a lever, which encourages repeat behaviour by rewarding it at random, has effectively been adapted for use in gaming and is feared to encourage addiction.

The situation is so serious that the industry body United Kingdom Interactive Entertainment is calling for more research on the issue and promising to publish advice for parents helping them to look out for excessive and problem gaming traits in their children."

Chinese gold farmers were said to be overjoyed by this news.

Babies meanwhile are hopeful that this means they won't die of neglect due to online MMO's.

Morninglord

It's true that many games shamelessly try to hook people with basic addictions that have no substance.
It's also true that this is dangerous.
It's also true that it's not just a matter of having "self control" or "parents" and other such independence oriented attitudes like that: people are heavily affected by these things and some are much more susceptible than others. Having a cavalier attitude towards it is the opposite of helpful: it fosters a real problem.

This is the wrong way to fix it though. It's ridiculously draconian.

cj iwakura

Dr Mario Kart wrote: »

It has come to my attention that the core PSP unit has been 169.99 since April 2007. This is quite remarkable. I've been wanting to get one but theres no way I'm going to pay more for my 2nd portable than I did my first portable at its launch.

Funny you should mention.

Starting February 27th, the PSP-3000 will permanently price drop from $169.99 to $129.99 at American retailers.

Dyvion

It's a way to fix it. It's a better idea than I've ever heard before. I haven't actually ever heard any other idea of how to fix this problem. Do you have a better solution than simple self control? Or parents actually being parents? If the government doesn't fix the problem, who will? Not the companies that profit from this habitual behavior.

Games Industry: The new drug dealers!

Spoiler:

I am absolutely playing devil's advocate in this post. I'm hopelessly addicted to the product myself.

e:

cj iwakura wrote: »

Starting February 27th, the PSP-3000 will permanently price drop from $169.99 to $129.99 at American retailers.

:evil: I just bought a new 3000!

Dr Mario Kart

That was some pretty strange ass timing.

Lets go 2/2.

Man, I really want to get a PS3, but I'm waiting for a price drop :rotate:

Nitsua

I was just today thinking that I need to replace my launch day PSP since the drive is going out on it (I have to tilt it in order for games to load) and had looked at different online retailers expecting the price to be lower than it had been for the last few years. Thanks for putting that up there. By the way, is there any data on how well XSEED's Y's games are selling on the PSP? I think they are doing great work bringing those over and feel they should be well compensated for it.

Dyvion

Dr Mario Kart wrote: »

That was some pretty strange ass timing.

Lets go 2/2.

Man, I really want to get a PS3, but I'm waiting for a price drop :rotate:

I'm just about to teeter over the edge to buy a PS3. A price drop would push me over the edge for sure. But if I end up buying one in the next month, and the price drops in April, I'm going to fume.

Brainiac 8

Dr Mario Kart wrote: »

That was some pretty strange ass timing.

Lets go 2/2.

Man, I really want to get a PS3, but I'm waiting for a price drop :rotate:

Ooh, let me try.

I would buy a PS3 but I'm waiting for Sony to release a Ratchet and Clank HD Collection first.

Spoiler:

Do it Sony, and you can have all of my moniez!

CygnusZ

Nitsua wrote: »

I was just today thinking that I need to replace my launch day PSP since the drive is going out on it (I have to tilt it in order for games to load) and had looked at different online retailers expecting the price to be lower than it had been for the last few years. Thanks for putting that up there. By the way, is there any data on how well XSEED's Y's games are selling on the PSP? I think they are doing great work bringing those over and feel they should be well compensated for it.

Not sure about XSeed, but Falcom has found PSP more profitable than PC.