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

cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
edited March 2011 in Games and Technology
Hi! Welcome to the sales thread. Here we talk about how games have sold, marketing, PR comments, the nuts and bolts of game making, analysis of analysts and all kinds of other business-related stuff. Occasionally we make poop jokes. Or dick jokes. Or meta-dick jokes. Don't ask.

Here's a summary of what you missed since last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMSHvgaUWc8

And now, February's info. Yes, game sales are combined across systems now. Yes, we aren't getting concrete console sales now. Yes, it sucks.

Software:

1.) Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard: 360, PS3, WII, NDS, PC) [Now the best selling game in the U.S. ever]
2.) Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (Capcom: 360, PS3) - 790.2K
3.) Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft: Wii) - 554K
4.) NBA 2K11 (Take-Two: 360, PS3, PSP, WII, PS2, PC)
5.) Dead Space 2 (EA: 360, PS3, PC)
6.) Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Majesco: WII, 360, PS3)
7.) Bulletstorm (EA: 360, PS3, PC) - 285.6K
8.) Killzone 3 (Sony: PS3) - 279.9K
9.) Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft: WII, DS, PSP)
10.) Mario Sports Mix (Nintendo: WII)

Hardware:

Xbox 360: 535,000 (+27%) [Top Console, 360's Best Non-Holiday Month Ever]
Wii: 454,000 (+14%)
PS3: 403,000 (+12%)

Switch: 3947-4890-9293
cloudeagle on
«13456763

Posts

  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Just so we don't get mired down in dick deconstruction, Gamasutra's saying Blockbuster is boned. Well, MORE boned.
    Video and game rental company Blockbuster is selling off its assets. Technically, it's being bought by a limited liability company comprised of funds managed by its investors. The new firm, Cobalt Video Holdco, consists of LPs and LLCs that are noteholders of the company, and they will assume responsibility for selling off all of Blockbuster's assets.

    As part of the process, Blockbuster will also ask the bankruptcy courts to conduct an auction in order to ensure the best offer for its assets under Court supervision. The agreement with Cobalt effectively "sets the floor or minimum acceptable bid", in the company's words, for possible offers, at $290 million, or the amount Cobalt paid.

    Blockbuster's failure to keep pace with the evolving business models in the video and game rental businesses created massive debt and an eventual bankruptcy filing for the company in September 2010. When it was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in July, it faced about $1 billion in debt.

    Troubles opened up for the company, which operated once-omnipresent big-box video rental store locations, when the shift to digital media rapidly transformed the way consumers purchased and borrowed video and game entertainment.

    With its by-mail and eventual multiplatform streaming services, Netflix became an immediate threat to the company's marketshare, and numerous other outlets -- like other web video hubs or rental kiosks inside malls and grocery stores -- gobbled up more of Blockbuster's consumer base.

    Game consoles have played no small role in the growth of the digital movie audience. In addition to native video markets on consoles, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii each added support for Netflix, and growth of that service on game consoles has outpaced analyst expectations; Wedbush's Michael Pachter projected that game consoles added 3 million new subscribers for Netflix in 2010 alone.

    Blockbuster was late to address the gaming space, too, adding a rent-by-mail service for video games just the month before its bankruptcy -- eight years after GameFly had begun offering the same service.

    "By initiating a sale process at this time, we intend to accelerate our Chapter 11 proceedings and move the Company forward," says Blockbuster chairman and CEO Jim Keyes. "An auction will allow the Company to invite competing bids from both strategic and financial investors. This will also allow for the consolidation of ownership of the Company to those with a clear and focused vision for Blockbuster’s future."

    According to Keyes, Blockbuster maintains a 125,000-title library, the distribution platform efforts it founded and still has equity in the brand loyalty of its customers. "Because of its ability to deliver physical content (through DVDs) and digital content (through streaming), Blockbuster can offer customers the unique ability to access any movie, any time," says Keyes.

    http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/33146/Blockbuster_To_Sell_Off_Assets_Valued_At_290_Million.php

    Looks like the days when you could go to the store and physically rent a game are really coming to an end.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Is the blockbuster in america the same as the blockbuster in australia? I guess I'll find out if something happens to the one down the street.

    (I'm sorry for ruining the last one with my terribad inability to make a joke without infinite unnecessary words. *hangs head*)

    Morninglord on
    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Is the blockbuster in america the same as the blockbuster in australia? I guess I'll find out if something happens to the one down the street.

    (I'm sorry for ruining the last one with my terribad inability to make a joke without infinite unnecessary words. *hangs head*)

    Eh, it was time to make a new one anyway, and thought that would be a funny way to end it. :P

    According to wiki, Blockbuster's Aussie, Canadian, UK and Chilean operations are separate and not affected by the bankruptcy. Man, it'll be odd if the company lives on in those countries but croaks entirely in the U.S., home to Hollywood and other movies that have too many explosions.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • CadeCade Eppur si muove.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Yes they really really are serious about this whole naming thing:
    Bethesda wants your baby to be named Dovahkiin if it's born on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's launch date of November 11, 2011. The company is offering up an unspecified prize pack for those who take up the challenge. We frankly thought it was a joke until an update today to the company blog specified one of the prizes up for grabs: A Steam key granting free access to "every ZeniMax/Bethesda game - past, present and future - for life."

    Note to the sort of parents who would name their kid Dovahkiin for free Bethesda games: If we were making a list of the times when it would be the least prudent for you to have a baby, the day the new Elder Scrolls game comes out would be like, right near the top. Just right up there.

    "My parents were great," said 10-year-old Dovahkiin in 2021. "I didn't meet them in person for the first few months, but after that, they were swell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three appointments to be savagely beaten during recess today, because my name is Dovahkiin."

    Cade on
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Yeah okay there's a marketing person in bethesda who needs to be physically slapped for being insensitive enough to suggest a scheme that is going to fuck up a human beings integration into normal society.
    seriously do not name your child weird things. Jesus I had a completely normal name myself and I had to deal with it happening to rhyme with something easy to sing.

    Morninglord on
    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    So, what will be the biggest sellers for February?

    I saw a dude with a MvC3 T-shirt today, I need to get that game...

    fragglefart on
    fragglefart.jpg
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/23/nomura_on_dissidida_future/
    On a completely separate note from Dissidia, but somewhat related to NGP, Dengeki asked about the possibility for a download release for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Replied Nomura, "I'd like to do something about this, but it's difficult for a reason that I can't say. However, I want to make sure there's no misunderstanding -- it's not a problem with Square Enix, Disney or Utada (Utada Hikaru, performer of the game's theme song). It's a completely different issue. I'll continue thinking about a way to make it possible, but it still requires time."

    Couscous on
  • DarianDarian Yellow Wizard The PitRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Dovahkiin would be a fine last name. Just pretend your family immigrated from Eastern Europe and you're all set; the whole family can change names together.

    Darian on
  • Warlock82Warlock82 Never pet a burning dog Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Blockbusters is still alive? Didn't they file for bankruptcy like a year ago?

    Edit: Ok, half a year ago I guess?

    Edit 2:
    Cade wrote: »
    Yes they really really are serious about this whole naming thing:
    Bethesda wants your baby to be named Dovahkiin if it's born on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's launch date of November 11, 2011. The company is offering up an unspecified prize pack for those who take up the challenge. We frankly thought it was a joke until an update today to the company blog specified one of the prizes up for grabs: A Steam key granting free access to "every ZeniMax/Bethesda game - past, present and future - for life."

    Note to the sort of parents who would name their kid Dovahkiin for free Bethesda games: If we were making a list of the times when it would be the least prudent for you to have a baby, the day the new Elder Scrolls game comes out would be like, right near the top. Just right up there.

    "My parents were great," said 10-year-old Dovahkiin in 2021. "I didn't meet them in person for the first few months, but after that, they were swell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three appointments to be savagely beaten during recess today, because my name is Dovahkiin."


    Oh god, is this where the Acclaim marketing department ended up?

    Warlock82 on
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  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Cade wrote: »
    Yes they really really are serious about this whole naming thing:
    Bethesda wants your baby to be named Dovahkiin if it's born on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's launch date of November 11, 2011. The company is offering up an unspecified prize pack for those who take up the challenge. We frankly thought it was a joke until an update today to the company blog specified one of the prizes up for grabs: A Steam key granting free access to "every ZeniMax/Bethesda game - past, present and future - for life."

    Note to the sort of parents who would name their kid Dovahkiin for free Bethesda games: If we were making a list of the times when it would be the least prudent for you to have a baby, the day the new Elder Scrolls game comes out would be like, right near the top. Just right up there.

    "My parents were great," said 10-year-old Dovahkiin in 2021. "I didn't meet them in person for the first few months, but after that, they were swell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three appointments to be savagely beaten during recess today, because my name is Dovahkiin."
    Bethesda's marketing is now almost as bad as Acclaim's marketing. They just need a few more absolutely retarded stunts. They already have the renaming your child thing like Acclaim did.

    Couscous on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Warlock82 wrote: »
    Blockbusters is still alive? Didn't they file for bankruptcy like a year ago?

    Edit: Ok, half a year ago I guess?

    Yes, but chapter 11 bankruptcy allows them to continue to operate as they reorganize and, hopefully, emerge a stronger company.

    Then again, in my metro area it seems like a new Blockbuster store or two unexpectedly shuts down every month. So between that and putting itself up for sale, I'm guessing that's not going well.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • finnithfinnith ... TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    Is the blockbuster in america the same as the blockbuster in australia? I guess I'll find out if something happens to the one down the street.

    (I'm sorry for ruining the last one with my terribad inability to make a joke without infinite unnecessary words. *hangs head*)

    Eh, it was time to make a new one anyway, and thought that would be a funny way to end it. :P

    According to wiki, Blockbuster's Aussie, Canadian, UK and Chilean operations are separate and not affected by the bankruptcy. Man, it'll be odd if the company lives on in those countries but croaks entirely in the U.S., home to Hollywood and other movies that have too many explosions.

    They're not affected because market conditions are different. More specifically, it's because in places like Canada (which is where I live) services like Netflix and Hulu are either non-existent or unpopular due to high internet costs. I would think that Blockbuster Canada's days are numbered though as a lot of people seem to be talking about Netflix (anecdotal I know, but it did get a lot of press coverage).

    You know I always found it weird how many Gamestops there were when I went to the US. I remember passing by the Freehold Mall (it was somewhere near there) and seeing a Gamestop in one part of the mall then crossing the road and immediately seeing another Gamestop. Is this oversaturation common?

    finnith on
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  • V FactionV Faction Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Cade wrote: »
    Yes they really really are serious about this whole naming thing:
    Bethesda wants your baby to be named Dovahkiin if it's born on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's launch date of November 11, 2011. The company is offering up an unspecified prize pack for those who take up the challenge. We frankly thought it was a joke until an update today to the company blog specified one of the prizes up for grabs: A Steam key granting free access to "every ZeniMax/Bethesda game - past, present and future - for life."

    Note to the sort of parents who would name their kid Dovahkiin for free Bethesda games: If we were making a list of the times when it would be the least prudent for you to have a baby, the day the new Elder Scrolls game comes out would be like, right near the top. Just right up there.

    "My parents were great," said 10-year-old Dovahkiin in 2021. "I didn't meet them in person for the first few months, but after that, they were swell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three appointments to be savagely beaten during recess today, because my name is Dovahkiin."

    See, they're marketing this aggressively because it's the last month for all willing couples to inact the go-ahead of the product (also known as makin' da babies). 9 months later it'll tie in perfectly with the release of ES:V.

    And Dovahkiin would generate all kinds of nicknames. 'Dovie", "Commander Kiin", "Dovvie K." Or the kid could have a regular middle name and just go by that, too.

    V Faction on
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  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Stop justifying shitty marketing!

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • NocrenNocren Lt Futz, Back in Action North CarolinaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    finnith wrote: »
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    Is the blockbuster in america the same as the blockbuster in australia? I guess I'll find out if something happens to the one down the street.

    (I'm sorry for ruining the last one with my terribad inability to make a joke without infinite unnecessary words. *hangs head*)

    Eh, it was time to make a new one anyway, and thought that would be a funny way to end it. :P

    According to wiki, Blockbuster's Aussie, Canadian, UK and Chilean operations are separate and not affected by the bankruptcy. Man, it'll be odd if the company lives on in those countries but croaks entirely in the U.S., home to Hollywood and other movies that have too many explosions.

    They're not affected because market conditions are different. More specifically, it's because in places like Canada (which is where I live) services like Netflix and Hulu are either non-existent or unpopular due to high internet costs. I would think that Blockbuster Canada's days are numbered though as a lot of people seem to be talking about Netflix (anecdotal I know, but it did get a lot of press coverage).

    You know I always found it weird how many Gamestops there were when I went to the US. I remember passing by the Freehold Mall (it was somewhere near there) and seeing a Gamestop in one part of the mall then crossing the road and immediately seeing another Gamestop. Is this oversaturation common?



    I'm sitting at a Starbucks that is literally across the street from another and down the block from a third.



    So, no.

    Nocren on
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  • an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Couscous wrote: »
    Bethesda's marketing is now almost as bad as Acclaim's marketing. They just need a few more absolutely retarded stunts. They already have the renaming your child thing like Acclaim did.

    Considering the prize is free games, I have some trouble taking this very seriously. I don't imagine they really expect to pay out.

    an_alt on
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  • DartboyDartboy Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I want to see a kid named Turok Dovahkiin Shepard. He'd be the baddest motherfucker on the planet.

    Dartboy on
  • Chris FOMChris FOM Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Dammit, I'm not going to spend over an hour on a post only to have it disappear into a closed thread. So quoting myself for ego reasons:


    So to expand on my [now-ancient] post some, I wanted to explain some of the more subtle but still important parts of what I was trying to say.

    First, to get this out of the way, I was in no way trying to restart the old "3d parties should have bet on Wii" discussion. While I do think the current market would be very different had the Wii gotten a few more Epic Mickeys and a few less rail shooters early on, that ship sailed years ago. There's probably still some salvage work that can be done, but looking forward most outside of a few areas 3rd parties will not likely find broad success on the Wii. In fact, even if they had bet harder on the Wii, some games still are just a better fit for the HD systems. Big budget, multiplayer heavy, eye candy feasts like Call of Duty play into all of the Wii's weak spots and against virtually all its strengths, even if there was nothing that was theoretically not doable (as seen by the ports of Modern Warfare and BlOps). Assassin's Creed probably wouldn't have been possible at all. Nobody would argue that those franchises have struggled despite either being comparatively much smaller on the Wii (CoD) or nonexistent (AC). And that's just two examples, there are plenty more, but I think the point has been made.

    So where was I going with using the DS and then the Wii as warning signs? My point wasn't that everything would be peachy if they'd just properly supported the Wii, but rather that the rise of the DS and the Wii showed that there was a seismic shift in the industry that got completely overlooked. Going back to the NES/SNES days, although numbers are hard to come by it does appear that Nintendo titles were the biggest games on the system by a fair margin. 1st party titles like Donkey Kong Country are widely credited as striking the decisive blow that pushed the SNES above the Genesis in the US (and therefore worldwide, as the Genesis was never particularly popular in Japan and the SNES was basically a nonstarter in Europe, so the US was the deciding territory). 3rd party titles were certainly important, but Nintendo ruled the roost with an iron fist.

    The PS1 changed that because it was not only a shift in the dominant platform but also the dominant software. The rise of the PlayStation basically rode on the rise of the 3rd party. While the N64 had a number of decisions that made the hardware wonderful for Nintendo games, it considerably cramped 3rd parties, and led to such famous defections as Square with Final Fantasy VII. Those were what made the PS1. Yes Sony had huge success with games like Gran Turismo, but overall the biggest titles were all from 3rd parties. Sony has never had the kind of 1st party output that NIntendo has; able to at least partially sustain a console based solely on their internal output. Even then, however, the dominant publishers of the PS1 era were mostly Japanese. The PS2 again rode a wave of exclusive 3rd party titles to utter market dominance, but Western developers became considerably more important. The biggest franchise of the PS2 era was Grand Theft Auto, and others such as Madden consistently became among the year's best-selling titles, even worldwide. Lost story short, into this generation conventional wisdom was whoever won the 3rd party battle would win the generation, which was a position totally justified by the current market realities. Sony had won two successive generations in increasingly decisive fashion based on 3rd patty games, while NIntendo had ridden Mario and Link into ever-diminishing hardware sales.

    So where's the problem? Again, the DS is the first sign of a shift in focus. The PSP launched with tremendous 3rd party support from Western and Eastern develops (yes it dropped off later, but we're talking early on). The DS launched with virtually none of any significance. Yet despite that, the DS crushed the PSP, initially solely on the strength of Nintendo's own software. Japanese developers caught on relatively quickly and have had outstanding support for the system, but it remains largely ignored in the West outside the same cast-offs and side projects that they gave the GBA. That the DS could be the greatest success the industry had yet seen despite a near total lack of Western 3rd party support should have been a warning that their importance was not what they thought, but it was ignored because handhelds are different.

    But if the DS was a subtle hint, the Wii should have been a huge alarm. But while the DS at least had strong Japanese support, the Wii has had incredibly limited mainstream, traditional support from Western AND Japanese 3rd parties. If Nintendo was the cornerstone for the DS, it was the entire foundation for the Wii, and yet the Wii has been shattering every Western sales record in the books (success in Japan has been present, but not on anything approaching the level in the West). Even while demand has been slackening in the US it remains the dominant market force (the January NPD numbers that were just released showed that total Wii software outsold total 360 software in revenue, despite Wii software retailing for $10 less per game on average. After two successive generations where 3rd parties dictated the direction the market took, Nintendo blew everybody away without a fraction of the support the PS1 or PS2 enjoyed.

    But again, instead of realizing that first the DS and then the Wii demonstrated that the importance of 3rd parties was diminishing, they doubled down on the HD consoles. Rather than adapt to the fact that the Wii represented a new market force, they battled each other on the HD systems while taking the boom-bust cycle to ever more ridiculous heights. It used to be that selling a million copies was a huge hit; now plenty of games don't so much as break even at that point. The financial reports from the publishers and the continued studio closures have been an absolute bloodbath. But again 3rd parties aren't asking what they're doing wrong. They keep calling for double or nothing, and in the current environment "nothing" can all-too-often bankrupt the studio.

    Meanwhile, from the other end, the iPhone is providing for cheap, disposable games. There's not a ton of revenue in any one game (even Angry Birds has "only" made a few million dollars, which would practically be a rounding error for most big-budget hits, but combined it does add up. In addition, the one commodity that is completely equal across all economic boundaries is time: everyone has only 24 hours in a day, and every hour spent on the latest iPhone game is time NOT spent playing other titles. And if you're not playing console games as much, you probably won't buy as many either, which further reduces publisher revenue and leads to greater losses. But in a world of $0.99 games, how can a traditional gaming company make money? It's impossible; the platform simply doesn't generate the kind of revenue necessary to support that kind of budget, so the games shrink accordingly. EA is taking the biggest stab at it, but their games are still at the expensive end of the spectrum and seem primary intended to draw attention to the "real" games in the franchises they represent.

    Finally, you have the Facebook games. Most of them make even the simplest iPhone titles look like high art by comparison. Quite a few aren't even "games" in the sense that you learn mechanics and overcome increasingly difficult challenges. They're pure time wasters: click and move on. Cow Clicker, like all good satire, contains enough truth in it to resonate. But they're getting more sophisticated, and most importantly they're making shit-loads of money.

    The people that control the money control the industry, and right now that money is increasingly shifting out of the hands of traditional 3rd parties. It's not that they didn't adapt when they should have so much as I'm not convinced they CAN adapt. Their business model is dependent on one boom canceling out several busts, but in this generation the balance is far closer, and sometimes one bust wipes out several booms. Their model is fundamentally broken, and none of them have shown an ability to shift to something more sustainable. If you DON'T think this will have a huge impact on the industry you're delusional. The money doesn't lie, and lately it's been abandoning the traditional 3rd parties at an astonishing rate.

    Chris FOM on
  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    TL;DR?

    fragglefart on
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  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    TL;DR?
    Chris FOM wrote: »
    The people that control the money control the industry

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Even though it's really only a side point to your post, I am kind of wondering what portable systems you'd say had good non-japanese developer support? Because other than the fractured market leading to the "cutting edge" games going to the PSP, the DS doesn't really seem all that different from the GBA.

    Spoit on
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  • V FactionV Faction Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Stop justifying shitty marketing!
    If it's twins you get a free Dovahkiin 'Dragonborn' 6" figurine statue and a small size T-Shirt that says "My other kid's a Septim".

    V Faction on
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  • finnithfinnith ... TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    At least it's funny for the rest of us right?

    And didn't someone actually name their kid Turok last time? Maybe another one will actually do it.

    finnith on
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  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I work at a Blockbuster. I guess I gotta get out of here. It sucks. I'm an effing military student. Me not having a job simply means my income will be fixed for my final year of school. I would love to work in engineering internships, but I don't have the grades. Military + Engineering = < 3.0 GPA. Perhaps I can have help from the cadre.

    Also, when an AFROTC student graduates and becomes an officer, there could be a maximum of six months before you actually start working before they are required to start paying you. My friends say it's not impossible for me to find work and that the campus will help me.

    Cantido on
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  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Something tells me they really want bulletstorm to sell, and are apparently afraid there aren't enough 13 year olds to make it a success.

    http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/buy-bulletstorm-get-gears-of-war-triple-pack-for-5-at-best-buy/

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  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    If people have learned anything from the GH: DavidLeeRothOnly failure it's to include a better game for the offer.

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    You know what would be great.

    People not equating sense of humor to intelligence and maturity.

    Especially considering that the greater a persons intelligence, the more likely they are to have a wider sense of humor.

    That would be great. I'd really like it if people did that.

    Morninglord on
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  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Brainiac 8 wrote: »
    Something tells me they really want bulletstorm to sell, and are apparently afraid there aren't enough 13 year olds to make it a success.

    http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/buy-bulletstorm-get-gears-of-war-triple-pack-for-5-at-best-buy/

    Perhaps they're trying to counteract the it's a FPS with no versus herp-derpery.

    You don't know the average 13 year old. They will not play a game with color in it.

    Cantido on
    3DS Friendcode 5413-1311-3767
  • AstaleAstale Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Nocren wrote: »
    finnith wrote: »
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    Is the blockbuster in america the same as the blockbuster in australia? I guess I'll find out if something happens to the one down the street.

    (I'm sorry for ruining the last one with my terribad inability to make a joke without infinite unnecessary words. *hangs head*)

    Eh, it was time to make a new one anyway, and thought that would be a funny way to end it. :P

    According to wiki, Blockbuster's Aussie, Canadian, UK and Chilean operations are separate and not affected by the bankruptcy. Man, it'll be odd if the company lives on in those countries but croaks entirely in the U.S., home to Hollywood and other movies that have too many explosions.

    They're not affected because market conditions are different. More specifically, it's because in places like Canada (which is where I live) services like Netflix and Hulu are either non-existent or unpopular due to high internet costs. I would think that Blockbuster Canada's days are numbered though as a lot of people seem to be talking about Netflix (anecdotal I know, but it did get a lot of press coverage).

    You know I always found it weird how many Gamestops there were when I went to the US. I remember passing by the Freehold Mall (it was somewhere near there) and seeing a Gamestop in one part of the mall then crossing the road and immediately seeing another Gamestop. Is this oversaturation common?



    I'm sitting at a Starbucks that is literally across the street from another and down the block from a third.



    So, no.

    There's a Lewis Black joke in here somewhere I think.

    Astale on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    You know what would be great.

    People not equating sense of humor to intelligence and maturity.

    Especially considering that the greater a persons intelligence, the more likely they are to have a wider sense of humor.

    That would be great. I'd really like it if people did that.

    Boobies.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • AstaleAstale Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Cantido wrote: »
    Brainiac 8 wrote: »
    Something tells me they really want bulletstorm to sell, and are apparently afraid there aren't enough 13 year olds to make it a success.

    http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/buy-bulletstorm-get-gears-of-war-triple-pack-for-5-at-best-buy/

    Perhaps they're trying to counteract the it's a FPS with no versus herp-derpery.

    You don't know the average 13 year old. They will not play a game with color in it.

    As I mentioned in the Bulletstorm thread, the entire way they've presented the game actively repels me. And I suspect if I got past that I might actually like it. But I can't. Their presentation and advertising are just awful to me. It really does seem like they want the 13 year old crowd, and I'm getting OLD.

    Not for me I guess.

    Astale on
  • BluefistBluefist Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    finnith wrote: »
    You know I always found it weird how many Gamestops there were when I went to the US. I remember passing by the Freehold Mall (it was somewhere near there) and seeing a Gamestop in one part of the mall then crossing the road and immediately seeing another Gamestop. Is this oversaturation common?

    Yeah, at least pre-gfc the requirements to get funding and site development approval set up a retail development in America did not require the same level of proof that there are actually customers who will go to said mall in comparison to the retail developements in other countries.

    This results in the interesting situation of retail developements in the middle of nowhere and the overstauration of chain stores in various area's. There is more to it but I can't be assed going on ag
    Cantido wrote: »
    I work at a Blockbuster. I guess I gotta get out of here. It sucks. I'm an effing military student. Me not having a job simply means my income will be fixed for my final year of school. I would love to work in engineering internships, but I don't have the grades. Military + Engineering = < 3.0 GPA. Perhaps I can have help from the cadre.

    Also, when an AFROTC student graduates and becomes an officer, there could be a maximum of six months before you actually start working before they are required to start paying you. My friends say it's not impossible for me to find work and that the campus will help me.

    You'll be fine, as long as you can show that you are prepared to work it can be surprising the the world will work in such a way that you won't starve.

    Bluefist on
    STEAM & PSN: Bluefist56
    steam_sig.png
  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    For some reason I think bulletstorms ads will get them more people to play it than less. And their R.Lee Ermy weapon ads are fantastic.

    Preacher on
    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • BluefistBluefist Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Astale wrote: »
    Cantido wrote: »
    Brainiac 8 wrote: »
    Something tells me they really want bulletstorm to sell, and are apparently afraid there aren't enough 13 year olds to make it a success.

    http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/21/buy-bulletstorm-get-gears-of-war-triple-pack-for-5-at-best-buy/

    Perhaps they're trying to counteract the it's a FPS with no versus herp-derpery.

    You don't know the average 13 year old. They will not play a game with color in it.

    As I mentioned in the Bulletstorm thread, the entire way they've presented the game actively repels me. And I suspect if I got past that I might actually like it. But I can't. Their presentation and advertising are just awful to me. It really does seem like they want the 13 year old crowd, and I'm getting OLD.

    Not for me I guess.

    I plan on getting in touch with my inner 13 year old when playin it. Same with Duke. Explosion's and studpid one-liners are what expect and want.

    Bluefist on
    STEAM & PSN: Bluefist56
    steam_sig.png
  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Bluefist wrote: »
    I plan on getting in touch with my inner 13 year old when playin it. Same with Duke. Explosion's and studpid one-liners are what expect and want.

    This is known as a "Brodown" in the human behavioral science community.

    Preacher on
    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    You know what would be great.

    People not equating sense of humor to intelligence and maturity.

    Especially considering that the greater a persons intelligence, the more likely they are to have a wider sense of humor.

    That would be great. I'd really like it if people did that.

    Boobies.

    This does not refute his point.
    fart

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • Edith UpwardsEdith Upwards Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Couscous wrote: »
    http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/23/nomura_on_dissidida_future/
    On a completely separate note from Dissidia, but somewhat related to NGP, Dengeki asked about the possibility for a download release for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Replied Nomura, "I'd like to do something about this, but it's difficult for a reason that I can't say. However, I want to make sure there's no misunderstanding -- it's not a problem with Square Enix, Disney or Utada (Utada Hikaru, performer of the game's theme song). It's a completely different issue. I'll continue thinking about a way to make it possible, but it still requires time."

    Is anyone else reminded of when G&T approached EBGames about Precipice?

    They demanded 90% of the proceeds.

    From all sales.

    Edith Upwards on
  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    You know what would be great.

    People not equating sense of humor to intelligence and maturity.

    Especially considering that the greater a persons intelligence, the more likely they are to have a wider sense of humor.

    That would be great. I'd really like it if people did that.


    I bet you like the movies written by Friedberg and Seltzer don't you? :?

    Brainiac 8 on
    3DS Friend Code - 1032-1293-2997
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    PSN - Brainiac_8
    Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
    Add me!
  • Toxic ToysToxic Toys Are you really taking my advice? Really?Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Erich Zahn wrote: »
    Couscous wrote: »
    http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/23/nomura_on_dissidida_future/
    On a completely separate note from Dissidia, but somewhat related to NGP, Dengeki asked about the possibility for a download release for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Replied Nomura, "I'd like to do something about this, but it's difficult for a reason that I can't say. However, I want to make sure there's no misunderstanding -- it's not a problem with Square Enix, Disney or Utada (Utada Hikaru, performer of the game's theme song). It's a completely different issue. I'll continue thinking about a way to make it possible, but it still requires time."

    Is anyone else reminded of when G&T approached EBGames about Precipice?

    They demanded 90% of the proceeds.

    From all sales.

    Say what? They really tried to pull something like that?

    Toxic Toys on
    3DS code: 2938-6074-2306, Nintendo Network ID: ToxicToys, PSN: zutto
  • ParagonParagon Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Cade wrote: »
    Yes they really really are serious about this whole naming thing:
    Bethesda wants your baby to be named Dovahkiin if it's born on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's launch date of November 11, 2011. The company is offering up an unspecified prize pack for those who take up the challenge. We frankly thought it was a joke until an update today to the company blog specified one of the prizes up for grabs: A Steam key granting free access to "every ZeniMax/Bethesda game - past, present and future - for life."

    Note to the sort of parents who would name their kid Dovahkiin for free Bethesda games: If we were making a list of the times when it would be the least prudent for you to have a baby, the day the new Elder Scrolls game comes out would be like, right near the top. Just right up there.

    "My parents were great," said 10-year-old Dovahkiin in 2021. "I didn't meet them in person for the first few months, but after that, they were swell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three appointments to be savagely beaten during recess today, because my name is Dovahkiin."

    My conversation with my girlfriend upon seeing this and showing it to her:

    Girlfriend: Radical. Obviously this means we should start trying, right now.
    Me: *looks at date* Well, um...
    Girlfriend: Oh. Well, we could have it prematurely!
    Me: Ah, yes. "No, damnit doctor, we need it delivered today or we won't get free games!"
    Girlfriend: Exactly. Now get in bed, stud.

    Okay so maybe that very last line didn't happen.

    Paragon on
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