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Video game industry thread March: It's over, go to the next one
I agree with what Threepio said about the PSP Go: its a great little piece of hardware that's having a hell of a time with that price tag. So far, I've downloaded a few games for it, and it's great for picking up for a few minutes between classes or during a slow day at work (also thanks to the freeze-state feature you usually see in emulators).
Drop that sucker to $200 and package it with a game other than Rock Band Unplugged Lite (Five songs? Thanks.) and sales will jump a ton.
Is it the opposite of Steam? I don't buy any PC title at launch anymore when I know it'll be at least 50% off in the coming months. Is DD making us resistant to the just-launched upcharge?
I wasn't aware that PSP DD titles went on sale or anything like that.
That's what Xob was getting at, I think.
I'll have to see - PSN titles go on sale once a week, similar to the XBL Deal of the Week. I haven't been paying attention to PSP DD titles. Some of them are already in impulse territory - Patapon 2 is $15 :-S
A few weeks back I picked up "Prince of Persia Revelations", "WTF: Work Time Fun", and "Dead Head Fred" all from the PSN for a grand total of $22.
A few weeks before that I got "Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars", "Sonic Rivals", "Sonic Rivals 2", and "Full Auto 2" for a total of $50.
Good deals all around.
Edit: For the record, I really want a PSP Go. I love the size of the damn thing. The Game Boy Micro has spoiled my expectations for tiny game systems.
cloudeagle: If you thought Tools of Destruction was awesome, you haven't seen anything yet. Crack in Time's a lot better (the hover boots and space exploration are fantastic additions).
Meh
I like the actual shooty Ratchet-centered bits, which means I much prefer Tools of Destruction
Oh, Crack in Time's got a bunch of Clank bits? Much as I like shooting things with hilarious weapons the Clank bits are surprisingly soothing.
And I need to get used to paying more for PS3 games... picked up the first Ratchet, the first Uncharted,k Infamous and MGS4 for $15 a pop. I'm spoiled at the moment.
Wordherder on
Why the crap did I ever make my original name "cloudeagle?"
Is it the opposite of Steam? I don't buy any PC title at launch anymore when I know it'll be at least 50% off in the coming months. Is DD making us resistant to the just-launched upcharge?
I wasn't aware that PSP DD titles went on sale or anything like that.
That's what Xob was getting at, I think.
I'll have to see - PSN titles go on sale once a week, similar to the XBL Deal of the Week. I haven't been paying attention to PSP DD titles. Some of them are already in impulse territory - Patapon 2 is $15 :-S
A few weeks back I picked up "Prince of Persia Revelations", "WTF: Work Time Fun", and "Dead Head Fred" all from the PSN for a grand total of $22.
A few weeks before that I got "Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars", "Sonic Rivals", "Sonic Rivals 2", and "Full Auto 2" for a total of $50.
Good deals all around.
Edit: For the record, I really want a PSP Go. I love the size of the damn thing. The Game Boy Micro has spoiled my expectations for tiny game systems.
That second group of games isn't worth five, let alone fifty.
The thing that makes FFXIII's non-linearity so heinously bad is that it's incredibly obvious that you're just running down corridors for hours upon hours. It reminds me of the epic ladder in MGS3, except it's not a joke, it's their actual game. They don't even seem to try to hide the linearity of it all, it's ridiculous.
If it wasn't for the battle system, I probably would have given up on XIII by now like I did with X. As it stands I love the fights and those are pretty much the only reason I'm still playing it.
Final Fantasy XIII, the latest installment in Square Enix's seminal franchise, has sold over one million units in North America in its first five days -- the company says it's the biggest first-week performance in franchise history.
Final Fantasy XIII, notably released on Xbox 360 in addition to PlayStation 3 in Western markets, launched on March 9. The publisher said it sold-in five million units worldwide for initial shipment -- bringing global shipments of the Final Fantasy series as a whole up to 96 million units. By comparison, Square Enix's major Dragon Quest series has shipped only 53 million units worldwide.
In Japan, where the game is still PS3-exclusive, FFXIII launched December 17 and sold 1.8 million units by the end of 2009 -- 1.5 million of those in its first week alone. Despite releasing at the end of the year, it was the fifth top-selling game of 2009 in the country.
The Final Fantasy series debuted on the NES/Famicom in 1987, and through all its installments and spin-offs it's become one of the most recognizable RPG franchises -- certainly, the most recognizable Japanese RPG franchise -- in the West, enjoying a famously fervent fan base.
This may be why the release has achieved major sales numbers despite a tepid reception from critics, many of whom complained the game is too linear and lamented the lack of traditional series elements such as towns.
The thing that makes FFXIII's non-linearity so heinously bad is that it's incredibly obvious that you're just running down corridors for hours upon hours. It reminds me of the epic ladder in MGS3, except it's not a joke, it's their actual game. They don't even seem to try to hide the linearity of it all, it's ridiculous.
...why is linearity bad?
linearity is only bad when it's obvious. this is particularly true of RPGs where exploration and discovery are common themes.
The best example that comes to mind at the moment is original fable. Everywhere you went, there were these annoying chest high fences that fed you along a set path. Beyond those fences you could see trees and fields and open worlds but you could never ever access them because you weren't ever supposed to. Even if a game is good in all other aspects, the feeling of confinement can detract from a person's experience to varying degrees depending on the person and how blatant it is in the game.
I haven't played FFXIII so I couldn't say how bad the linearity is in that game, but I can totally see how it'd be a low factor.
If it wasn't for the battle system, I probably would have given up on XIII by now like I did with X. As it stands I love the fights and those are pretty much the only reason I'm still playing it.
This is such a bizarre statement
X has an amazing battle system
Five hours into XIII and it's still playing for me
I've practically given up on it, I'm not going to wait more than a couple hours for a game to "get good"
Five hours into XIII and it's still playing for me
I've practically given up on it, I'm not going to wait more than a couple hours for a game to "get good"
This seems like a much more valid complaint than "it's too linear." I don't mind tutorials if I can get to the good stuff within a reasonable amount of time. Apparently Giant Bomb says five hours of boredom before the combat system starts opening up? Pass.
I don't complain about the linearity because I don't mind the linearity at all
FFX was linear but remains my favorite FF. It's because the story was interesting, the world was interesting, most of the characters were interesting and the battle system was pretty engaging.
This game...I like one character so far, the world is dull, the story seems almost non-existent and all those jokes made over the years about just pressing X to get through the battles has become a sick reality.
I loved Heavy Rain to death, which is a game completely driven by QTEs. But even that felt more like a real game over the interactive movie that FFXIII is
Where are you? I know in the UK I haven't even seen any adverts for it, which might go hand in hand with their "We're not releasing 1&2 remastered because it doesn't sell in the EU" thing.
Not sure about other chains, but I'm getting word that God of War III didn't move as many units as we'd hoped. Interesting.
My store has sold all but three of the 28 copies we got in. Granted, not nearly as many as ME2 sold in its first week in my store (49 including CEs), but better than almost every other PS3 title to date (again, at my store).
Not sure about other chains, but I'm getting word that God of War III didn't move as many units as we'd hoped. Interesting.
My store has sold all but three of the 28 copies we got in. Granted, not nearly as many as ME2 sold in its first week in my store (49 including CEs), but better than almost every other PS3 title to date (again, at my store).
I'd be surprised if it bombed, considering how surprisingly well the GOW1&2 collection has been hanging around the top 20
I've practically given up on it, I'm not going to wait more than a couple hours for a game to "get good"
Problem with XIII is the game doesn't 'get good' until almost the end of chap. 9. Out of what, 13 chapters? Oh, and you aren't going to find yourself able to move more than five or six feet off the main path until chap 11, which is just so you can do some monster hunts which I don't care for much.
I mean, I like XIII as a game, but it has zero replayability, and the 'innovations' it has are something I don't ever want to see again, because they seriously detract from the game. It's kind of like that movie you go to and say to yourself 'that was really nice, but I hope that director goes blind and deaf and never makes another movie'. It works. Once.
Not sure about other chains, but I'm getting word that God of War III didn't move as many units as we'd hoped. Interesting.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the doom and gloom stories when they say it sold a mere four million instead of five. FAILURE!
How much do they have to sell in order to break even?
Not sure, but it's a high number. The budget is around $44 million and it's just selling on one system, so there's a chance it could sell quite well and still lose money.
Not a guaranteed chance, though. We still have no idea how well it's doing overall.
Wordherder on
Why the crap did I ever make my original name "cloudeagle?"
The thing that makes FFXIII's non-linearity so heinously bad is that it's incredibly obvious that you're just running down corridors for hours upon hours. It reminds me of the epic ladder in MGS3, except it's not a joke, it's their actual game. They don't even seem to try to hide the linearity of it all, it's ridiculous.
...why is linearity bad?
I didn't say linearity is inherently bad, I said FFXIII's linearity is bad (heinously so). Games like Call of Duty and Half Life 2 handle their linearity incredibly well, by disguising the cracks and pushing you forward constantly. They handle it so well in fact that most (if not all) of the time you never even notice you're walking down a linear path the entire game.
FFXIII doesn't do this. Whilst walking down that path, you'll see something neat and the only thing stopping you from getting there is an invisible wall. And unlike HL2 and CoD, the path isn't made up of enclosed rooms that still give you a little freedom to move around, FFXIII's path is a straight line. Why they decided to include an in-game map, I really don't know.
I'm on chapter 10 of FF13 and I can't think of a single invisible wall. Plenty of visible walls and cliffs & the like, but I can't think of anywhere that I was walking up against invisible barriers.
All the complaints about FF13 miss the point, I think. FF13 is an extremely focused game. It only does a few things, but the things it does, it does extremely well. It's like the anti-sandbox game (which tend to do a ton of things, but are generally not very good at any one element). If you like what FF13 focuses on, you're going to love the game. If you don't, you're not.
FF13 is the very definition of a game where it's actually appropriate to tell the naysayers, "It's not for you." If the thought of a game focused almost entirely on fast paced menu-driven combat with an emphasis on switching between different classes to adapt to ever changing battle conditions fills your heart with joy, FF13 is likely to become one of your favorite games ever. If you're the kind of person who plays RPGs mostly for the story & exploration aspects, stay far, far away.
If anything, FF13 reminds me of a drastically better Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (which was another JRPG-style game focused almost entirely on combat). Since I was one of like 6 people who actually really liked that game, I'm in heaven playing FF13. The game never needed to get good for me. It started good, got great in chapter 3 and got awesome in chapter 7+.
I'm on chapter 10 of FF13 and I can't think of a single invisible wall. Plenty of visible walls and cliffs & the like, but I can't think of anywhere that I was walking up against invisible barriers.
All the complaints about FF13 miss the point, I think. FF13 is an extremely focused game. It only does a few things, but the things it does, it does extremely well. It's like the anti-sandbox game (which tend to do a ton of things, but are generally not very good at any one element). If you like what FF13 focuses on, you're going to love the game. If you don't, you're not.
FF13 is the very definition of a game where it's actually appropriate to tell the naysayers, "It's not for you." If the thought of a game focused almost entirely on fast paced menu-driven combat with an emphasis on switching between different classes to adapt to ever changing battle conditions fills your heart with joy, FF13 is likely to become one of your favorite games ever. If you're the kind of person who plays RPGs mostly for the story & exploration aspects, stay far, far away.
If anything, FF13 reminds me of a drastically better Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (which was another JRPG-style game focused almost entirely on combat). Since I was one of like 6 people who actually really liked that game, I'm in heaven playing FF13. The game never needed to get good for me. It started good, got great in chapter 3 and got awesome in chapter 7+.
Ah, THANK YOU. I kept trying to remember what XIII reminded me of, and it was definetely The Third Age. It's pretty much that with a slightly better story line, better graphics and music, and a slightly better battle system. But really, that game was so bad. So very very bad.
I'm really worried that if they try and do the XIII thing again, they're just going to end up with a bunch of prettier Third Ages. XIII makes it, but just barely, and I could see them slip from 'niche game' into 'unplayably awful' on their next product so easily.
I doubt it will be much the same. Although the director said he wanted to steer the series into an even more story focused direction, look how XIII differs from XII and X and all before it.
FF13 is the very definition of a game where it's actually appropriate to tell the naysayers, "It's not for you." If the thought of a game focused almost entirely on fast paced menu-driven combat with an emphasis on switching between different classes to adapt to ever changing battle conditions fills your heart with joy, FF13 is likely to become one of your favorite games ever. If you're the kind of person who plays RPGs mostly for the story & exploration aspects, stay far, far away.
Final Fantasy X-2 did exactly that, except it wasn't dumbed down and it didn't take 15 hours to actually kick off.
mere_immortal: FFXII was from an entirely different team so of course they differ quite a bit. But FFX and FFXIII? I've noticed quite a few similarities between the two, some of which seem like direct swaps (for example, the blitzball sphere was replaced with the fireworks sphere).
Not sure about other chains, but I'm getting word that God of War III didn't move as many units as we'd hoped. Interesting.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the doom and gloom stories when they say it sold a mere four million instead of five. FAILURE!
How much do they have to sell in order to break even?
Not sure, but it's a high number. The budget is around $44 million and it's just selling on one system, so there's a chance it could sell quite well and still lose money.
Not a guaranteed chance, though. We still have no idea how well it's doing overall.
Perhaps one day there will be a split between a sales failure and a profit failure.
FF13 is the very definition of a game where it's actually appropriate to tell the naysayers, "It's not for you." If the thought of a game focused almost entirely on fast paced menu-driven combat with an emphasis on switching between different classes to adapt to ever changing battle conditions fills your heart with joy, FF13 is likely to become one of your favorite games ever. If you're the kind of person who plays RPGs mostly for the story & exploration aspects, stay far, far away.
Final Fantasy X-2 did exactly that, except it wasn't dumbed down and it didn't take 15 hours to actually kick off.
I'd take the failings of FFXIII over FFX-2's failings any day.
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Drop that sucker to $200 and package it with a game other than Rock Band Unplugged Lite (Five songs? Thanks.) and sales will jump a ton.
Actually, even just bundling it with GoW would have been a great marketing idea, seeing as III just hit the PS3.
Well, there is that LBP\AC deal, but I doubt that most of the 2 people who bought one knew about that. And it was a limited time offer?
They did a God of War bundle for the standard PSP when Chains of Olympus came out, though
A few weeks back I picked up "Prince of Persia Revelations", "WTF: Work Time Fun", and "Dead Head Fred" all from the PSN for a grand total of $22.
A few weeks before that I got "Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars", "Sonic Rivals", "Sonic Rivals 2", and "Full Auto 2" for a total of $50.
Good deals all around.
Edit: For the record, I really want a PSP Go. I love the size of the damn thing. The Game Boy Micro has spoiled my expectations for tiny game systems.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Oh, Crack in Time's got a bunch of Clank bits? Much as I like shooting things with hilarious weapons the Clank bits are surprisingly soothing.
And I need to get used to paying more for PS3 games... picked up the first Ratchet, the first Uncharted,k Infamous and MGS4 for $15 a pop. I'm spoiled at the moment.
That second group of games isn't worth five, let alone fifty.
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
...why is linearity bad?
RPG fans are used to it of course but the lack of variety in game is one of FF XIII's biggest failings.
It didn't keep me from enjoying myself though.
The Pipe Vault|Twitter|Steam|Backloggery|3DS:1332-7703-1083
linearity is only bad when it's obvious. this is particularly true of RPGs where exploration and discovery are common themes.
The best example that comes to mind at the moment is original fable. Everywhere you went, there were these annoying chest high fences that fed you along a set path. Beyond those fences you could see trees and fields and open worlds but you could never ever access them because you weren't ever supposed to. Even if a game is good in all other aspects, the feeling of confinement can detract from a person's experience to varying degrees depending on the person and how blatant it is in the game.
I haven't played FFXIII so I couldn't say how bad the linearity is in that game, but I can totally see how it'd be a low factor.
Liner Games = Forced along one path eg. Halo / Gears ect.
Open Worlds= A sort of mix of sandbox and liner can go anywhere at eg Fable
Sandbox= A big mass of land is laid out in front of you to explore eg Grand Theft Auto
This is such a bizarre statement
X has an amazing battle system
Five hours into XIII and it's still playing for me
I've practically given up on it, I'm not going to wait more than a couple hours for a game to "get good"
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the doom and gloom stories when they say it sold a mere four million instead of five. FAILURE!
Do not engage the Watermelons.
This seems like a much more valid complaint than "it's too linear." I don't mind tutorials if I can get to the good stuff within a reasonable amount of time. Apparently Giant Bomb says five hours of boredom before the combat system starts opening up? Pass.
Hi5! I was reading the "games you'll never finish" thread and was starting to feel all alone...
FFX was linear but remains my favorite FF. It's because the story was interesting, the world was interesting, most of the characters were interesting and the battle system was pretty engaging.
This game...I like one character so far, the world is dull, the story seems almost non-existent and all those jokes made over the years about just pressing X to get through the battles has become a sick reality.
I loved Heavy Rain to death, which is a game completely driven by QTEs. But even that felt more like a real game over the interactive movie that FFXIII is
How much do they have to sell in order to break even?
My store has sold all but three of the 28 copies we got in. Granted, not nearly as many as ME2 sold in its first week in my store (49 including CEs), but better than almost every other PS3 title to date (again, at my store).
XBL : lJesse Custerl | MWO: Jesse Custer | Best vid ever. | 2nd best vid ever.
I'd be surprised if it bombed, considering how surprisingly well the GOW1&2 collection has been hanging around the top 20
XBL : lJesse Custerl | MWO: Jesse Custer | Best vid ever. | 2nd best vid ever.
Isn't that how pretty much every game's sales would break down?
Problem with XIII is the game doesn't 'get good' until almost the end of chap. 9. Out of what, 13 chapters? Oh, and you aren't going to find yourself able to move more than five or six feet off the main path until chap 11, which is just so you can do some monster hunts which I don't care for much.
I mean, I like XIII as a game, but it has zero replayability, and the 'innovations' it has are something I don't ever want to see again, because they seriously detract from the game. It's kind of like that movie you go to and say to yourself 'that was really nice, but I hope that director goes blind and deaf and never makes another movie'. It works. Once.
Not sure, but it's a high number. The budget is around $44 million and it's just selling on one system, so there's a chance it could sell quite well and still lose money.
Not a guaranteed chance, though. We still have no idea how well it's doing overall.
I didn't say linearity is inherently bad, I said FFXIII's linearity is bad (heinously so). Games like Call of Duty and Half Life 2 handle their linearity incredibly well, by disguising the cracks and pushing you forward constantly. They handle it so well in fact that most (if not all) of the time you never even notice you're walking down a linear path the entire game.
FFXIII doesn't do this. Whilst walking down that path, you'll see something neat and the only thing stopping you from getting there is an invisible wall. And unlike HL2 and CoD, the path isn't made up of enclosed rooms that still give you a little freedom to move around, FFXIII's path is a straight line. Why they decided to include an in-game map, I really don't know.
All the complaints about FF13 miss the point, I think. FF13 is an extremely focused game. It only does a few things, but the things it does, it does extremely well. It's like the anti-sandbox game (which tend to do a ton of things, but are generally not very good at any one element). If you like what FF13 focuses on, you're going to love the game. If you don't, you're not.
FF13 is the very definition of a game where it's actually appropriate to tell the naysayers, "It's not for you." If the thought of a game focused almost entirely on fast paced menu-driven combat with an emphasis on switching between different classes to adapt to ever changing battle conditions fills your heart with joy, FF13 is likely to become one of your favorite games ever. If you're the kind of person who plays RPGs mostly for the story & exploration aspects, stay far, far away.
If anything, FF13 reminds me of a drastically better Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (which was another JRPG-style game focused almost entirely on combat). Since I was one of like 6 people who actually really liked that game, I'm in heaven playing FF13. The game never needed to get good for me. It started good, got great in chapter 3 and got awesome in chapter 7+.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Ah, THANK YOU. I kept trying to remember what XIII reminded me of, and it was definetely The Third Age. It's pretty much that with a slightly better story line, better graphics and music, and a slightly better battle system. But really, that game was so bad. So very very bad.
I'm really worried that if they try and do the XIII thing again, they're just going to end up with a bunch of prettier Third Ages. XIII makes it, but just barely, and I could see them slip from 'niche game' into 'unplayably awful' on their next product so easily.
Final Fantasy X-2 did exactly that, except it wasn't dumbed down and it didn't take 15 hours to actually kick off.
mere_immortal: FFXII was from an entirely different team so of course they differ quite a bit. But FFX and FFXIII? I've noticed quite a few similarities between the two, some of which seem like direct swaps (for example, the blitzball sphere was replaced with the fireworks sphere).
Perhaps one day there will be a split between a sales failure and a profit failure.
Do not engage the Watermelons.
If you want this to be the rhythm game thread, I can make up something disparaging to say about Rock Band. Otherwise it could be a long slog,
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
I'd take the failings of FFXIII over FFX-2's failings any day.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,