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8 Apr 05
Some of the pre E3 jostling has begun. Microsoft has announced it will unveil the Xbox 2 three days before E3. Sony then announced a major press conference for 3 hours before that. While Sony didn't say that the press conference would be to show the PS3, they left the implication while leaving themselves an out. It does seem to be getting almost comical. I wonder when Nintendo will announce the start of the Revolution.
I've been having some internet connection issues lately. Either my ISP is doing some hardware rerouting/upgrading or a connection between me and them is dying. It's pretty annoying and reminds me how much I have come to depend on what had been a rock solid connection. I'll try to get this posted before it gets too late, but it's been some long nights with David and I might crash before that happens. I'll get it posted in the morning sometime if I must.
There's been some buzz lately about a new survey showing that men's spending goes: DVD's > Games > Music. I suppose that might seem shocking to some people. I'm not sure who those people are. They're probably not gamers. My theory is that those first two would be reversed if the average price of games were more in line with the other two. Yes, I'm one of those crazies who believes that the market would take off even more if most games were "budget" priced. For your average gamer, $15-20 is not beyond an impulse purchase. It's amazing how much those numbers drop off when you climb up to $50. I still admire Sony's move to price most of their first party games at $39.
The talk is always going the other way. Games have sat at the $50 price point too long. Budgets are going up, prices must keep pace. No, sorry, wrong. Prices must stay the same or go lower or you start restricting your audience. What do I know? I just write about this stuff. Have a great weekend.
Jason
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7 Apr 05
I put some screenshots from the recently announced Seven Kingdoms: Conquests in the Image Gallery. Interesting art style there.
Gamasutra has the story that based on projections the European installed base for the PS2 will exceed the US installed base sometime later this year. While there's no word on how much of that is due to the Winning Eleven series, it does raise some interesting questions. Why does Nintendo still treat PAL territories so poorly? Some have argued if Nintendo fought harder for Europe instead of fighting the Xbox on its home turf, they wouldn't be in third place right now. It appears there might be some credibility to that.
Analysts have long blamed weaker European sales on localization problems. Publishers have used the same excuse to ignore large parts of Europe. It seems to me that that story proves there's some big money to be made for someone starting up a contract localization firm. You'd need some talented multilingual voice actors and translators, but on the whole, I'm sure a dedicated firm could do a faster and better job customizing localization for the major markets of Europe. Once they got established, I'm sure American and Japanese branches could be opened and the free flow of games could begin. A guy's got to dream.
Jason
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6 Apr 05
I've been doing some things behind the scenes here. I don't know if it's getting better or not, but I try to keep edging this place closer the original vision I had when I started this place. Overall, I'm pretty pleased. I'd still like to do a graphical overhaul sometime and, of course, I'd like to have more contests.
So what have I been doing? Well, there are some new sponsor links you may have noticed. The idea is that I come across game deals all the time in my search for news. So not only do I want to pass them on to you either here or in the new Deals section of the forum, I'd like for you to be able to easily go through the sponsored links to help support the site while taking advantage of those deals. I'll post other deals as well, but every little bit helps. The last contest is mostly paid off now. Thank you for your support.
In a similar vein, I added Google Adwords to the news section on the basis that more exposure might result in better ads and more clicks. Since Adwords is the only pay per click on the site, I felt it was worth it to try increasing the exposure. If you find it annoying or distracting, let me know. I can always reconsider.
I've been steadily updating the Image Gallery section. I can only put up the screenshots I have access to, but I now have a new screen capture program that should help me get images from demos and new products I get. If you have some requests, I'll see what I can do. Just shoot me an email.
I've also been steadily updating the news section with the latest from publishers PR machines. It may sound pointless to some, but I'm often surprised about an announcement I wasn't expecting or a release I had forgotten about. The other advantage is that thanks to the search feature, this place is becoming a decent repository for strategy and tactical gaming knowledge.
On the story front, I'd love to see more. I've been playing Nexus recently and might put up a story from that soon. There may be some campaign spoilers, but that's a small price to pay. The last contest was a good source, and I'm sure we'll do that again soon. I know some of you are playing games like Silent Hunter 3 and Dangerous Waters. Let's get some stories up.
Is there a point to this? I just want you to know it's worth it to check around the site from time to time. You never know what I've been up to. Information on your next addiction may be only a click or two away.
Jason
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5 Apr 05
There was a lot of talk about the Nintendo DS handheld console when it debuted. Most of it was about the potential for all the exotic features including the two screens, the microphone, wireless play and the touch screen. While there has been some some use made of all these, most are still in the realm of gimmick rather than gameplay innovation. The DS has also been hampered by the perennial Nintendo bugaboo, lack of games.
It was interesting to see the shift once people got a hold of the DS. Sure it played a little differently, but the first thing a lot of users noticed was the stylus on the touchscreen feels a lot like a mouse. Not enough for a twitch game like a First Person Shooter, but great for quickly selecting, highlighting and pushing screen buttons. The next conclusion was pretty obvious. A real time strategy game would work well on this system.
Fortunately, since Nintendo was pushing for different ideas for the DS, they didn't start squashing anything they felt didn't fit the image of the system. First we got reports of an Age of Empires game for the system. As an aside, it's interesting to see Microsoft supporting Nintendo in the handheld wars. Now, as reported in the News section, we have word of an original RTS set in Japan, Shogun Warrior: The Lost Army from Namco.
In addition, Nintendo has some turn based options for strategy fans. They have the strategy RPG, Fire Emblem in their arsenal. They also have the war game, Advance Wars they can bring over from the GBA SP. If they desire, they could add ports for Odama and a Pikmin game. All this could make the DS the best choice for strategy gaming on the go.
Then again, the PSP opened with Metal Gear Acid. The NGage QD has a couple of interesting strategy RPGs/turn based tactical games. Then the Gizmondo is coming soon. It's running a version of Windows CE so Microsoft will be supporting them as well. Just think when I started this site, I was lamenting that there was almost no strategy gaming on the go. The times they are a changing.
Jason
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4 Apr 05
The Pope is dead. As the Catholic Church says, grieve not for the dead, but for us left behind. He is happy with God. We mourn our loss, but are grateful for his life. It was once asked "Where are the Pope's legions?" I'm sure he's reviewing them in glory today.
Happy Birthday Bill. I hope you enjoyed the game.
I'm beginning to think Spong is a collection of the rejected trolls from gaming internet message boards. They got together and formed a union. Maybe we should test them for steroids. Anyway they've got a new story up claiming that the Immersion infringement suit is a Microsoft plot. I agree that Microsoft played shrewdly, but they didn't start this. It does look like the fight is going to get bloody.
I mentioned the New York Times last week contrasting it to the gaming websites. Now the NYT has gone and reported on them. They're pointing out the New Gaming Journalism trend. I've mentioned some of my thoughts on what new gaming journalism should be, specifically about how it should be more about taking advantage of the media available than just writing stories. If writing your game experiences was all that was needed to improve gaming journalism, this place would be the epicenter. I love game stories, but I'd also love to see some new, challenging gaming journalism that goes way beyond that. I have to get my thoughts together on this sometime.
What else. Stronghold 2 has gone gold. The new Empire Earth 2 multiplayer demo is out. SWAT 4 is due out this week. There's an interesting article on Gaming Nexus about the XNA development environment. Check it out Here.
I posted this week's game's announcement on the news section a little while back. I have pretty high hopes for it considering the team behind it. It's Tycoon City: New York (official site) from Deep Red. You may remember Deep Red as coming out of nowhere to deliver a surprisingly good game in what could have been a cheap knock off with Monopoly Tycoon. They followed that up with the fun, budget priced Vegas: Make it Big which let you build your dream casino complex. Now they're moving into Trump territory. They're trying to encompass everything that makes the Big Apple great. From Broadway, to restaurants to fashion row, you can sample it all. You can even add your own skyscrapers to the famous skyline. That is if you can turn your business ventures into success in a notoriously tough city. Look for Tycoon City this holiday season.
Jason
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1 Apr 05
I would comment on the news today, but it seems everyone thinks they're incredibly funny today. Some of it's just annoying. Very few were chuckle worthy. I say personal jokes are the only ones worth doing. You've got to be there to spin them up, watch their face and then laugh at them while you see the wheels turning in their mind as they plot your demise.
Then there's the fact that the Pope is dying. It makes the day seem much more solemn than goofy. I think everyone regardless of religion can offer a prayer of thanks for Pope John Paul II for all the good he did the world. That will be a big mitre to fill.
I wanted to comment on a couple of things quickly. First, it's been interesting watching the reaction to the PSP launch. It didn't sell out everywhere. To me that meant that Sony actually didn't undersupply a launch. To others, some think it means the launch was a flop. There are things I think they could have done better. I would have had a cap on PSP game prices at $39.99. I would have made sure movie prices were at most $20 and most in the $10-15 range. I would have had a much bigger movie library at launch. Those are pretty minor quibbles. I thought it was a great launch especially on the games side of things.
Finally, I wanted to wrap up on Microsoft's recent moves for the Xbox 2 (I know, but until they officially announce it, I'm not calling it the 360). It seems clear that Microsoft wants to rapidly build their base before the launch of the PS3. They're spending big bucks to lock in developers. They seem to be lining up a list of exclusives. They're gearing up for massive hardware production.
I'll speculate a couple of things. First I'm expecting some very aggressive pricing for the main console. Accessories might be more expensive, but I think the bare bones retail version will keep the price down. Second, the advertising blitz for the Xbox 2 will be unprecedented. You will see the image and logo everywhere. You will know all about the high profile launch games. I'm also predicting they'll go with a don't be stuck in the last generation feel with their marketing. I also wouldn't be surprised if they did highly targeted marketing using sports stars, music stars and entertainment celebrities to make the Xbox 2 seem the newest, coolest must have item. I don't know if it will work, but it should be interesting to watch.
You know the great thing about making predictions on April 1st? If I'm all wet, I can just say I was joking.
Jason
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