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Talk Strategy

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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31 Mar 05

I think once again I'll forgo any April Fools jokes. It's not really fun if you can't see the person's face. I'm not big on lying anyway. I'm also a bit miffed about EGM's "joke." It briefly fooled me, but it really wasn't that outrageous. For those that missed it, they claimed you'd get a "realistic" graphics overhaul for the Wind Waker with your new Legend of Zelda preorder. Nintendo already claimed they were using the same engine and a lot of the new models needed would already be done as they're for stock characters in the series, so it wouldn't be impossible. But no, it was just a lie they made up and reported as news. I can't see getting to respectable journalism status that way. But it's funny. Whatever.

Anyway, take any strange news tomorrow with a grain of salt. Gee, I wonder what the New York Times has planned for their April Fools gag.

Continuing with the Microsoft and Sony strategies, Spong (notorious for rumors) is reporting that the Xbox is being phased out right now. That has some interesting implications. First, there's no pressure on Sony to drop the price on the PStwo until the Xbox 2 launch. Then I imagine that Sony will be able to pick up some cheap PS2 exclusives. After all, Microsoft wants all attention focused on the next generation.

I understand the economics of it all with the high cost per unit of the Xbox, but it's hard to get over the fact that a huge chunk of Sony's Playstation base was built once the console was dirt cheap and there were tons of greatest hits games. It puts added pressure on backwards compatibility. If there's not backwards compatibility, there's less reason to put out a new titles for the Xbox as there won't be new purchasers and the most enthusiastic base has moved on. If there is compatibility, each new game will have to be double checked against the Xbox 2 emulation adding headaches and delays.

I mentioned Iron Phoenix for the Xbox last week. I read a review which was overall positive, but they pointed out that the single player story mode had been removed from the game. Now most people don't expect much from a fighting game's single player campaign, but they do expect it. They offer the same modes as multiplayer with bots, but I'm even more baffled as to why this wasn't a budget release. At least now I have confidence that the price will be dropping soon.

Finally, Xcom fans should check out the News section. Interesting things afoot in unexpected places.

Jason
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30 Mar 05

David had a rough night last night, so I'm a little tired (even more so than usual). So please forgive any confusion on my part.

Bill Harris is having a Dangerous Waters contest. Check it out Here. I tried to get Jaime to send me some copies for a contest, but he chose Bill. I guess those are the perks of being big and famous.

I decided to add a Deals section to the Forum. I put some stuff there that interested me. Feel free to use it to post anything you find. Please don't restrict yourself to only sponsors. Any deal you find Brick and Mortar or online let everyone know. Oh and don't forget GoGamer's 48 Hour Madness. They have the Unreal Tournament Deal back and Silent Hunter III. SHIII does have Starforce, but it doesn't negatively affect everyone.

I mentioned Computer Games Magazine a while back. They just broke a story that Stardock is developing a free Massively Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy game. Check out the story Here.

In an interesting turn, Microsoft failed to bow to pressure to release Xbox 2 information early. Sony has now responded by canceling their planned PS3 announcement ahead of E3. Even though most experts agree that the PS3 will have much more power than the Xbox 2, Sony isn't taking any chances of being upstaged by the Xbox 2 premier. The gamesmanship continues. Unfortunately, in this case, it's the gamers who lose out by having to wait longer for concrete information. The pressure on E3 this year continues to build.

I added some new screenies to the Cossacks II Gallery.

Finally, Vivendi Universal is releasing a new multiplayer (and single player) demo for Empire Earth 2. It's due to be released on the 4th of April (Monday). You should be able to find it at the Usual Suspects. You'll probably also be able to find it and more information on the game at the official site Here.

Jason
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29 Mar 05

Well, after a slow day yesterday, there's certainly more to talk about today. Unfortunately, after a busy day with David, I don't have much energy to go over it. So I'll be brief.

First we have Senator Hillary Clinton staking out the political high ground on video game violence. According to the Sunday Times, the Senator claims that violent video games are a danger to our Moral Health. I would like to be able to forgive past transgressions, but I'm weak. She did stand by the President after he taught the youth of the nation that oral sex isn't sex. Off hand, I'd say that did more to endanger the moral health of the country than Grand Theft Auto. Senator Clinton is calling for more studies of the effects of violent video games on development.

I mentioned yesterday that EB has dropped the price on Kohan II. Today Kohan's creators announced that they have licensed the Unreal Engine 3 for their next project. They said the engine will let them focus on the creative aspects of game creation. Gee, where have I heard that before. Anyway, I'm happy to cheer on my fellow Houstonians.

In similar news, Nintendo's president announced that the Revolution will use the same Application Programming Interfaces as the Gamecube as an aid to help developers. He also talked briefly about making controllers simpler through the user interface. That kind of talk fuels speculation of a DS style touch screen for button layout on the Revolution's controller. They've already announced backwards compatibility with the Gamecube which has many games using all the buttons. You can't easily make the controller simpler and backwards compatible without some sort of modular design, and a touchscreen is an easy way to do that. Interesting.

Also from Gamespot comes word on the state of EA. In particular, there's a threatened lawsuit claiming incompetent or deceptive management on the part of EA that resulted in the loss of stock value. I admit that I dismissed EA's excuses as spin to avoid the lower than expected quality of some of their recent releases. Now those excuses (real or spin) are coming back to bite them basically because the law firm claims that those excuses were known ahead of time should have been calculated in to projections. Very interesting.

Finally, I'd like to post a link that I either haven't given out before or haven't used in a while. It's a neat, artistic collection of time wasters called Orisinal. Cute, fun and sometime magical, enjoy.

Jason
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28 Mar 05

It was kind of surprising how little happened on the game front today. Perhaps I just not being observant enough. The two biggest stories were both from the world of business. Immersion, makers of touchware and other force feedback input software won an injunction against Sony for its system, software and dual shock controller. Microsoft settled a similar claim out of court. Right now Sony has a stay that allows them to keep selling the hardware and software probably until the appeal.

As an aside a similar patent suit is going through the industry. It seems that AVP has a patent for spherical panning. I believe that refers to anytime a program rotates a view around a 3D object. While most people believe that prior use evidence will invalidate the patent, if it is enforceable pretty much every 3D game could be in violation and subject to fines and fees. Needless to say these suits could put a major crimp on the industry in a transitional period.

The other big story is the US Supreme Court will start hearing the case against file sharing services specifically Grokster. The lower courts have ruled against the media industry on this one basically ruling that a program that has a legal purpose and doesn't itself violate any copyright laws, can't have liability for the illegal uses of the program. The possible interesting twist could come if the court decides to make a sweeping declaration of users rights and fair use for the digital age. It will be worth watching.

Oh, I almost forgot. EBGames has Kohan II on sale for only $19.99. Great game, great price.

This week's is coming soon. It's Stronghold 2 (official site) from Firefly Studios. Once again you're building your keep to defend against all enemies while keeping the populace happy or at least firmly under your control. You control everything from business, trade, and arms to festivals, justice and your coat of arms. You can zoom in on any aspect of medieval life. It looks bigger, better and more beautiful than its predecessor. Look for it next month.

Jason
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