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4 Nov 05
Nintendo sends word that their feudal Japanese warfare/Pinball RTS, Odama, has been delayed until march. I know all three of you waiting for it are crushed. I guess that leaves Mario Party, Mario Strikers and Kirby to headline the Christmas games for the cube.
Let's go over Christmas lists quickly. The PC has a good looking lineup. It's got The Movies, Civilization 4 (already out), Age of Empires III (out), Earth 2160, Hammer and Sickle, and expansions for Warhammer 40k (out), Zoo Tycoon 2 and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. On the tactical front, we have Star Wars: Battlefront II, an expansion for Battlefield 2, Brothers in Arms 2, Vietcong 2 and Bet on Soldier (ok, I'll add F.E.A.R. because some people like it). I suppose I should point out that our friends at Kerberos have stuck to their Q4 date on Sword of the Stars. Pretty impressive and sure to put a dent into the wallet of people who don't have enough friends to ensure that all they want will be under their tree (apologies to anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas or have friends).
The other consoles look better. The PS2 has just seen the release of Shadow of the Colossus, Ratchet: Deadlocked, Sly Cooper 3, and Soul Calibur 3. They're looking forward to Suikoden Tactics, Dragon Warrior 8 and America's Army. The Xbox has just seen Battlefield 2, Stubbs the Zombie, Call of Cthulhu, and Shattered Union. They're looking forward to Operation Flashpoint Elite, Gun, Half Life 2, True Crime: New York, King Kong, and new Prince of Persia, Castlevania and Gauntlet games. I admit, I threw some of the multiplatform games to the Xbox, but since it usually has the best version, it's pretty safe. Let me know if I missed anything important.
I previously went over some of the big Xbox 360 titles. It is important to remember to take the launch title hype into account. As I recall from previous launches, most titles end up below average with a few bright, shiny gems. Speaking of the 360, it looks like Bill Harris is going to be giving one away. Have a great weekend.
Jason
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3 Nov 05
I should point out again my position on the Xbox 360. I think they have a great product. I want them to succeed. I also think they've screwed up the marketing completely since May. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I like the old method. Slowly increase visibility, release tech demos, hobbyist advertising, mainstream advertising, game demos, and release. At least now Microsoft is getting into the last two.
Normally, consoles build up a hardcore base. Then more game variety attracts more gamers. Then increased exposure increases general acceptance. Then casual gamers arrive. Finally, you get some crossover hits and then non gaming types come in. Microsoft seems to want to create an 'it' item environment where everyone wants one at once. The problem is that you can't force that to happen.
All that said, I did like the shortage rundown at Joystiq. It's a good overview. Of course, it's a dangerous balancing game that Microsoft is playing. If they keep the numbers too low, they'll risk their lead on Sony. If the plan backfires, we know a bad launch can seriously hurt even the best console. If the plan works, they'll maintain high demand until just before Sony launches putting greater pressure on the PS3. I just want healthy competition next generation.
The other big story today is a venture capital company merging Pandemic Studios (SW: Battlefront II, Mercenaries, Full Spectrum Warrior) with Bioware (Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic). This could be revolutionary. Successful developers getting venture capital to fund game development instead of being dependent on publishers. Presumably the company will be able to leverage assets between studios such as testing or art assets with perhaps a little mundane coding in there as well. It's one of those things you just hope works because it could make the industry a better place.
Jason
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2 Nov 05
Interesting times. Slashdot is reporting that Microsoft is demanding that retailers sell out of their stock of 360's if they want to get any at launch, at least in Norway. While pushing attach rate has been standard for console launches, actual contracts to ensure sell outs seems extreme. Of course, even Microsoft can't strong arm huge retailers like Walmart and Best Buy so this can't be a universal policy. It's clear that they don't want people to easily find stacks of 360's when shopping. I guess you can't trust the market to work any more.
Gamespot is reporting that Starcraft: Ghost will no longer ship on the Gamecube. The later explanation given was the lack of online support for the cube. Apparently now the online multiplayer is integral to the game's 'vision.' What that tells me is the reports of the bland single player from E3 were correct and the game's emphasis has shifted to some sort of Battlefield: Starcraft. That could be great if all three races are represented and it's not just the Terran/Terran fights seen at E3. Regardless, the game we're getting seems like it'll be quite different than the one we were originally expecting.
Speaking of Battlefield, this week's game is another contender for the throne. It's Star Wars: Battlefront II (official site) from Pandemic Studios. Battlefield in the Star Wars universe seems like a no brainer. The core of the game is straight forward. You play as a trooper, anti vehicle, sniper, engineer, officer or each side has a special unit (like Wookiees). Then you can jump in vehicles from the battles as well. They've even added a special space battle section where you fly around in star fighters and try to destroy other fighters and take down capital ships. The two modes (ground and space) aren't directly linked, but are related in the campaign. Speaking of the campaign, there's now an actual story mode in addition to a galactic conquest game. The story mode gives more unique objectives while galactic conquest, throws you into a series of more unrelated battles with standard objectives. Pandemic's also added a group of hero characters that can jump onto the battlefield for a limited time. If they do more destruction, they can extend their time. If they take damage, they lose some time. Heroes, like powerful jedi, can alter the course of the battle. Battlefront II is available now.
Jason
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1 Nov 05
I have got to clean up my desk. Everywhere I look, I have half a dozen projects that need to be finished. Since almost all of them were assigned by me to me, I have the luxury of telling my boss where he can go, but he just gets annoying when I do that. I am trying to catch up, but it may be a losing battle. The holiday rush is starting.
I mentioned yesterday that there might not be enough of a reason to buy an Xbox 360 right away. I find it amusing that reports of shortages come out the very next day. No, don't worry, I'm not convinced Microsoft is responding to me. However, I wouldn't be surprised that they might respond to the news of Oblivion being pushed back.
Here's a hypothetical. Imagine a marketing guy realizes that a big reason to buy a 360 just dropped off the map for the holiday season. Now this only really affects the hardcore crowd, but they're the driving force in early adopter purchases. You need to prop up hardcore demand. What are your options?
The best thing to do is to get great reviews out there for the games you will have for launch. Great games attract hardcore gamers like moths to a flame. If they get stellar reviews, interest will pick up. Unfortunately there's no ethical way to guarantee good reviews for the launch titles. In addition there's the whole logistical problem of getting console units and review copies out early enough to be effective. Of course, even that assumes that review code is available now.
So if that's out, what's next? You could cut prices on hardware or software. The problem there is that cuts into your bottom line, smacks of desperation and could backfire if gamers perceive that you don't have confidence in your console. Bad, bad and bad.
There's got to be something. Wait. All the stores want more units than you can get them. What if we knock down some of the first shipment numbers to one or more of the big preorder retailers (especially the stores that cater to the hardcore crowd)? We could easily route those same units to other stores that aren't offering preorders. What would happen? Well, the stores would have to notify their customers that their preorders might not come in with the first shipment, and they can't guarantee that they'll be in before Christmas. That will create a surplus of hardcore gamers who've already demonstrated a commitment to purchasing a Xbox 360. They can then start a shortage buzz encouraging people to camp out or wait in line for a 360. What a simple solution. It's perfect. If the buzz starts to die down, we can just shift a few more shipments around. Since all the numbers are based on our projected demand, it's a perfectly legitimate strategy.
Of course, Microsoft wouldn't really do that. Would they?
Jason
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31 Oct 05
Happy Halloween. In case you're wondering, David was Pooh bear for the holiday. He was very cute. I might put up a picture later.
It looks like Microsoft got tricked today. After swearing it wasn't so, Take Two admitted that The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion will not ship for the holidays. It's been pushed back to their second quarter (February to April). As hard as Microsoft has been pushing Perfect Dark Zero, Oblivion has always looked like the star of launch lineup. Of course, I mean the actual launch lineup not the ever expanding 'window' that Microsoft keeps talking about.
The problem with the expanded 'window' is when does Microsoft expect us to buy a 360? I doubt they want them all to sit on the shelves until fourteen weeks after launch. I'm sure they want people to buy them as fast as they can churn them out. That's all well and good, but is the reason to buy there?
Right now it's unclear. Despite us waddling into the launch month with our stomachs sore from too much candy, we still don't have a firm launch list. Once we do, I'm not sure what the system seller will be. Perfect Dark has yet to look impressive and with its feature set, multiplayer balancing must be a nightmare. Project Gotham Racing 3 looks truly next generation and I think is the best bet for a system seller over the holidays (though capturing the casual racing fan can be tricky).
Kameo, I admit that I don't get it. It could be a great game, but if it's hard to understand why that is, it won't be a system seller. Dead or Alive 4 looks good, but so did 3, and it wasn't remembered as the system seller. The fighting crowd can be just as fickle as the racing gamers. Condemned: Criminal Origins looks more like a sleeper hit than a blockbuster, but they might tap into the the Resident Evil market (though it sounds like a very different game).
There are a lot of sports titles, but most are or will be out on other systems. I've seen some good clips from some, but nothing revolutionary. Need for Speed and Ridge Racer both look good, but also look like they're fighting for second place in the racing market. Amped 3 looks impressive, but have they made the gameplay more fun than the SSX series?
Remember Sony's got the doubt game going. They just have to convince people to hold out to the PS3 and hit their launch window. I don't know that Microsoft has given me a reason to buy right now. If they came down hard and stated that 360 games will not retail for more than $50 (excluding limited and collectors editions), that might do it. I'm an easy sell, but I'm sitting on the fence pondering waiting for the games I'm interested in to come out before I plunk down the cash. Just saying you're the hot item this season, doesn't make it so. We'll see what happens.
Jason
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