Because I haven't got much to say on each of the following stories:
Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami is working on a shooter. It's called Vanquish, and it can be described in one word: white. Lots and lots of white. Also, robots.
Iwata dissmisses talk of motion sensing DS. Never mind that he's responsible for starting all that talk in the first place, not that Nintendo would admit that or anything. He's probably lying, though. I mean, he has lied about such matters before, after all. So this could be another instance of that.
Nintendo continues to make mounds of money, while Microsoft loses some. That's about all there is to those stories.
Mass Effect 2 ships a massive 2 million units in its first week. Wonder if all those massively positive reviews had an effect on that? My money's on, "yes."
Uncharted 2 get's demo. Well, it's about time! It's only been out for, what, four months now? What took 'em so long?
PlayStation 3 motion controller to launch with 10 games. All of which we know absolutely nothing about. Come on, Sony! Quit leaving us in the dark!
That's all for now. I'll do more sometime in the next few days (assuming there's things worth commenting on).
January 29, 2010
January 27, 2010
Didn't see that coming: Nintendo apparently passed on Natal
The rumor mill's churned out a big one this week: Apparently, Nintendo was shown the Natal tech back in 2007 and was offered to sign on to use it. However, president of Nintendo Satoru Iwata turned it down for being unsure about it a good product for their audience, as well as for worry of latency issues, and high production costs.
The news comes courtesy of an "industry insider" who contacted CVG with the details. According to the tipster, the device was a "camera that detected motion in 3D, and had voice recognition." He then added that it was "definitely Natal" based on the description he got from Iwata himself.
In response, Nintendo gave the ol' "we do not comment on rumors or speculation" comment. Like last time, that could either mean it's true, or that they won't say anything because its not true.
Still, for all we know, this could just be a story. There's no real evidence that supports the tipsters claims, nor is there anything to suggest otherwise. It could go either way, really.
But just imagine... if Nintendo had used it, then maybe there wouldn't be so many useless peripherals on the market! How awesome would that be?
The news comes courtesy of an "industry insider" who contacted CVG with the details. According to the tipster, the device was a "camera that detected motion in 3D, and had voice recognition." He then added that it was "definitely Natal" based on the description he got from Iwata himself.
In response, Nintendo gave the ol' "we do not comment on rumors or speculation" comment. Like last time, that could either mean it's true, or that they won't say anything because its not true.
Just imagine how this would be used if Nintendo was using it... Mario would never be the same...
But, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this is true. Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, said that they opted not to use that technology (which has been around for years) a while back, after all, so it's not surprising that it could have been turned down.
Still, for all we know, this could just be a story. There's no real evidence that supports the tipsters claims, nor is there anything to suggest otherwise. It could go either way, really.
But just imagine... if Nintendo had used it, then maybe there wouldn't be so many useless peripherals on the market! How awesome would that be?
January 26, 2010
PS3 motion controller gets another name: PlayStation Arc
Which has a nice ring to it, unlike PlayStation Gem, or Sphere. Though even those would be better than "Sony Motion Controller" (the name by which everyone -- including Sony, I believe -- has been referring to it as).
The news of this supposed name came from the registration of the domain name "PlayStationarc.com," which, unsurprisingly, lead to speculation that the domain name is also the name of Sony's forthcoming motion controller.
In response, Sony said something along the lines of: "We do not comment on rumors or speculation," which, when translated, could mean, "Yep, it's true. But we won't officially say anything on it until its leaked a few days prior to the official announcement," or, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation."
Either way, nobody knows if this really is the aforesaid controller's name or not.
The device is currently scheduled for a fall 2010 launch, which, coincidentally, is also around the same time Microsoft's Project Natal is set for release. I guess we know when the motion wars will begin, eh? Better start preparing now. If it's anything like the console wars have been, then things are going to get ugly fast.
Source: GameSpot
The news of this supposed name came from the registration of the domain name "PlayStationarc.com," which, unsurprisingly, lead to speculation that the domain name is also the name of Sony's forthcoming motion controller.In response, Sony said something along the lines of: "We do not comment on rumors or speculation," which, when translated, could mean, "Yep, it's true. But we won't officially say anything on it until its leaked a few days prior to the official announcement," or, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation."
Either way, nobody knows if this really is the aforesaid controller's name or not.
The device is currently scheduled for a fall 2010 launch, which, coincidentally, is also around the same time Microsoft's Project Natal is set for release. I guess we know when the motion wars will begin, eh? Better start preparing now. If it's anything like the console wars have been, then things are going to get ugly fast.
Source: GameSpot
January 22, 2010
Tony Hawk claims RIDE follow-up to be 'better' than the first
And I say, "Yeah, right. When pigs fly maybe."
If you know about last years Tony Hawk Ride, then you probably know that it got some bad, bad reviews. Currently sitting at a 47 on Metacritic for the Xbox 360 version (48 on Wii, and 44 on PlayStation 3), with critics claiming that it's "one of the bigger pieces of gaming junk that's come down the line in recent years," an "overpriced fiasco," and downright "rubbish."
And if that wasn't enough, it sold only 114,000 units in the US last year. A failure in just about every way possible, I'd say.
And yet they still want to make another.
The news of another game using the horrid board isn't anything new, as back in November, Hawk said that they were already working on other projects utilizing the aforementioned overpriced peripheral. Some examples included surfing and snowboarding games.
I know Activision's not one to simply give up on something (at least not until they run it into the ground, anyway), but I'm surprised the performance of last years game wasn't enough to make them pull the plug on the whole thing. I know plastic peripherals are all the rage these days, but even they should know that this simply isn't worth pursuing any further
.
Sure they could make a newer, and maybe better board, but, at this point, I doubt anyone's gonna care. We've all been burned enough by the Tony Hawk franchise, and we've had enough. Just bury the series already, Activision! It's obviously not doing anything for you anymore, so why keep it?
If you know about last years Tony Hawk Ride, then you probably know that it got some bad, bad reviews. Currently sitting at a 47 on Metacritic for the Xbox 360 version (48 on Wii, and 44 on PlayStation 3), with critics claiming that it's "one of the bigger pieces of gaming junk that's come down the line in recent years," an "overpriced fiasco," and downright "rubbish."
And if that wasn't enough, it sold only 114,000 units in the US last year. A failure in just about every way possible, I'd say.
And yet they still want to make another.
The news of another game using the horrid board isn't anything new, as back in November, Hawk said that they were already working on other projects utilizing the aforementioned overpriced peripheral. Some examples included surfing and snowboarding games.
I know Activision's not one to simply give up on something (at least not until they run it into the ground, anyway), but I'm surprised the performance of last years game wasn't enough to make them pull the plug on the whole thing. I know plastic peripherals are all the rage these days, but even they should know that this simply isn't worth pursuing any further
.
Sure they could make a newer, and maybe better board, but, at this point, I doubt anyone's gonna care. We've all been burned enough by the Tony Hawk franchise, and we've had enough. Just bury the series already, Activision! It's obviously not doing anything for you anymore, so why keep it?
January 15, 2010
More DS2 news...
Seems like there's always someone claiming something about a new handheld system on the way. The past couple years have seen numerous PSP 2 rumors (all of which were proved false, by the way), as well hardware revisions for both the aforesaid PSP and DS (most of which were true).
Now, since details of the DS' successor leaked out, and were since claimed false, analysts -- more specifically, an analyst -- has now speculated that a "DS2" will be announced this year and subsequently released in 2011.
The (somewhat) crazy prediction comes from EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, who, like every other analyst out there, is known for making predictions that seldom come true. He believes the DS' successor will be coming next year because he believes Nintendo will want to beat any possible competitors to the market, much like they did with the DS.
Normally this is where I would start going on about how he's wrong and why, but it's hard to say for sure if he is or not, as it could go either way.
Sure, the recent NPD numbers for all of 2009 was topped by the DS with over 11,185,400 units sold in the U.S. alone, but they've also revised the system twice with only a year separating the two revisions, both or which, I suspect, were made to keep sales up by making everyone buy yet another revision. And that to me says that they're struggling with sales somewhere. I mean, if they weren't, then why keep releasing new versions of the same system?
Though on the other hand, the DSi LL (or XL as it to be known outside Japan) was released only a couple months ago, with it still on the way to other territories, and it'd be waste to release it only to come out with a new system that would no doubt steal away sales from the new revision.
Besides, after all the money the populace has spent on DS', I doubt most of their target audience would be thriled to find out that a new system is on the market.
What do you all think? Think this guy is right about the DS' successor? Or he is just some crackpot making crazy predictions? Post your thoughts below.
Now, since details of the DS' successor leaked out, and were since claimed false, analysts -- more specifically, an analyst -- has now speculated that a "DS2" will be announced this year and subsequently released in 2011.
The (somewhat) crazy prediction comes from EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, who, like every other analyst out there, is known for making predictions that seldom come true. He believes the DS' successor will be coming next year because he believes Nintendo will want to beat any possible competitors to the market, much like they did with the DS.
Normally this is where I would start going on about how he's wrong and why, but it's hard to say for sure if he is or not, as it could go either way.
Sure, the recent NPD numbers for all of 2009 was topped by the DS with over 11,185,400 units sold in the U.S. alone, but they've also revised the system twice with only a year separating the two revisions, both or which, I suspect, were made to keep sales up by making everyone buy yet another revision. And that to me says that they're struggling with sales somewhere. I mean, if they weren't, then why keep releasing new versions of the same system?
Though on the other hand, the DSi LL (or XL as it to be known outside Japan) was released only a couple months ago, with it still on the way to other territories, and it'd be waste to release it only to come out with a new system that would no doubt steal away sales from the new revision.
Besides, after all the money the populace has spent on DS', I doubt most of their target audience would be thriled to find out that a new system is on the market.
What do you all think? Think this guy is right about the DS' successor? Or he is just some crackpot making crazy predictions? Post your thoughts below.
First-person Tetris: The most twisted Tetris ever made
If my previous posts on this blog haven't already made it clear, then let me iterate it for you: I love puzzle games. Specifically, Tetris. So much so that I've bought on like, what, three or four differernt platforms? There isn't much (if any) differences between them, aside from a different aesthetic, but I keep buying and playing it, anyway.
Then, yesterday, I came across what is, quite possibly, one of the craziest Tetris games ever (right up there with Tetripong): First-Person Tetris.
What it is a free browser based game that takes standard old Tetris and turns it on its head (literally) by having the perspective change each time a block is flipped. Like so:
Cool, right?
But that's not all. There's also a "night mode" that, well... just see for yourself:
Now there's a challenge.
All this is obviously just a gimmick, but a cool one at that. The changing perspective adds a interesting new challenge to an otherwise simple, and easy game, as the perspective changes make it harder to line up the blocks with where you want to place them. It also doesn't help that the Hold option from recent iterations isn't here, so you have to find some way to work each block into the puzzle.
Though that exclusion is fitting given the game's retro look and feel. The game itself looks like the old Game Boy game, but with color, and has a few chiptune tracks to go along with the look nicely. The NES in front of the TV is a nice touch, too.
If any of you ever have a free moment, try it out. It's fun twist on Tetris, albeit one that causes headaches.
Then, yesterday, I came across what is, quite possibly, one of the craziest Tetris games ever (right up there with Tetripong): First-Person Tetris.
What it is a free browser based game that takes standard old Tetris and turns it on its head (literally) by having the perspective change each time a block is flipped. Like so:
Cool, right?
But that's not all. There's also a "night mode" that, well... just see for yourself:
Now there's a challenge.
All this is obviously just a gimmick, but a cool one at that. The changing perspective adds a interesting new challenge to an otherwise simple, and easy game, as the perspective changes make it harder to line up the blocks with where you want to place them. It also doesn't help that the Hold option from recent iterations isn't here, so you have to find some way to work each block into the puzzle.
Though that exclusion is fitting given the game's retro look and feel. The game itself looks like the old Game Boy game, but with color, and has a few chiptune tracks to go along with the look nicely. The NES in front of the TV is a nice touch, too.
If any of you ever have a free moment, try it out. It's fun twist on Tetris, albeit one that causes headaches.
January 13, 2010
It's official: Netflix is coming to the Wii
Not that we didn't already know that.
Still, it's good to see it across all current-gen platforms. Now nobodies left out!
Still, it's good to see it across all current-gen platforms. Now nobodies left out!
January 12, 2010
Heads up: Some Wii games are being discontinued
And those games are:
Though this does make me worry. I mean, what if this is just the start? What if they start discontinuing their other older titles? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather not have to start scouring ebay just because the discontinuation made certain games next to impossible to find. Those games are pricey there!
So anyway, if any of you were ever planing on getting those titles, you may want to hurry. Supplies are (probably) limited, so act now!
[GameSpot forums via GoNintendo]
- Metroid Prime Trilogy (which is kinda old news now, since it was announced earlier)
- Mario Strikers Charged
- Battalion Wars 2, and
- Wario Land Shake It
Though this does make me worry. I mean, what if this is just the start? What if they start discontinuing their other older titles? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather not have to start scouring ebay just because the discontinuation made certain games next to impossible to find. Those games are pricey there!
So anyway, if any of you were ever planing on getting those titles, you may want to hurry. Supplies are (probably) limited, so act now!
[GameSpot forums via GoNintendo]
January 7, 2010
Get this: Nintendo's adding motion control to the DS' successor
Motion control seems to be all the rage these days, what with all the console makers having their own motion devices for their respective systems. Heck, even the PC has some Wii remote-like device for it. It's almost like conventional control methods have gone the way of the dinosaur (which, for the record, they haven't... yet).
But even with the looming dominance of motion control, I never imagined that a handheld system -- like the DS' successor -- would ever implement them.
So yeah. Nintendo revealed a few things about their next handheld system yesterday, among which was the motion inclusion. They didn't specify, but they said something about using sensors to "read players movements," which makes me think it'd be something like Natal or the Eyetoy (remember that old thing?).
Or maybe something like this:
On second thought, maybe not.
But either way, this just seems like a bad, bad idea. I mean, motion control? On a handheld? Really? Come on, Nintendo. Even you must know what's wrong (or what's apparently right) with it. Making people move about whilst holding some small gaming device would probably result in people either dropping, or worse, throwing it into things thus breaking it. Which means we'd basically have another flying Wii remote incident on our hands! And we all know that went...
But then again, this is Nintendo we're talkin' about. They are known for doing crazy things like this and somehow making them work, so maybe the same will happen here. Maybe. Won't know till I see it (which given the ongoing success of the DS, probably won't be for another five or six years at the latest).
They also mentioned a couple other things about it like a "high level of visual quality." First high-definition portable system confirmed?
Oh, and they said that the new Zelda is coming out by the end of the year. Which would be really awesome if it's true. Here's hoping!
But even with the looming dominance of motion control, I never imagined that a handheld system -- like the DS' successor -- would ever implement them.
So yeah. Nintendo revealed a few things about their next handheld system yesterday, among which was the motion inclusion. They didn't specify, but they said something about using sensors to "read players movements," which makes me think it'd be something like Natal or the Eyetoy (remember that old thing?).
Or maybe something like this:
On second thought, maybe not.
But either way, this just seems like a bad, bad idea. I mean, motion control? On a handheld? Really? Come on, Nintendo. Even you must know what's wrong (or what's apparently right) with it. Making people move about whilst holding some small gaming device would probably result in people either dropping, or worse, throwing it into things thus breaking it. Which means we'd basically have another flying Wii remote incident on our hands! And we all know that went...
But then again, this is Nintendo we're talkin' about. They are known for doing crazy things like this and somehow making them work, so maybe the same will happen here. Maybe. Won't know till I see it (which given the ongoing success of the DS, probably won't be for another five or six years at the latest).
They also mentioned a couple other things about it like a "high level of visual quality." First high-definition portable system confirmed?
Oh, and they said that the new Zelda is coming out by the end of the year. Which would be really awesome if it's true. Here's hoping!
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