April 10, 2007
Group Blog Team Wrap-Up
Over the course of this blog assignment, we have covered gaming news for all consoles, at many different angles. Blog topics included game reviews, business, events, new releases, and miscellaneous crazy goings-on in the industry.
We utilized news from many sources, including Gamasutra, GameInformer.com, Joystiq, Kotaku, GameIndustry.biz, Digg: Gaming, and Wired: Game|Life. These outlets alerted us of industry news, and we did our best to report it.
In conclusion, we thank you for keeping up with our blog and hope to see you on any future blogging endeavors we take on, gaming industry or not!
Posted by systemf at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
April 08, 2007
In-Game Advertising: Life Support for Developers
With increasing costs in video game development, developers are finding themselves with paper thin profit margins. To combat these increasing costs, developers are turning to in-game advertising. Once non-existent, in-game advertising is to reach 2 billion dollars by 2011, as predicted by the online market research group eMarketer.
Developers are getting more and more creative when integrating advertising into their games. The shifting of the game market to online console games and massively multiplayer online games, which reach gamers worldwide, are also conducive to in-game advertising. Paul Verna, senior analyst with eMarketer, says that game developers and manufacturers are continually experimenting with new approaches that leverage the shifting demographics of the gaming population.
The broader gamer base is appealing to a larger and more diverse group of companies interested in in-game advertising. One United States marketing firm, Advergames, predicts their in-game advertising to hit almost 370 million dollars by 2011, more than double their current amount. If more companies follow Advergames' trend, developers and manufacturers can expect significantly higher profit margins in the near future.
Posted by donnypip at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2007
Guitar Hero: 70 Kick-@$$ Songs!!... Eventually
You've probably played a game where you've seen "143 Awesome Levels" stickered on the game case, pictures of a character posing with an in-game weapon you'd simply love to equip, or a stage that catches your eye... only to load the game to see 12 stages available, no cool weapons, or no awesome-looking level.
It's typical gaming fare. Game developers lure you in with the awesome eye candy expecting you'll work through the drudge to get it. However, an article on Game Stooge brings up a new legal implication of this kind of "shady" advertising: what if it's illegal?
Well, the target du jour is Guitar Hero II, which advertised a whopping 70 songs in its game, only to have 30 available immediately. Much legal conjecture and similes are made by Game Stooge, but the question remains: is it illegal for a game to advertise a feature that requires a high amount of skill/time to unlock?
Well, the answer... isn't so clear. There's no past cases to look to for precedent, but one can assume that since the content is available on the product (even if it's not available from the point you open it), it's not "illegal" to say the content's there.
Here's 2 examples:
- Mario Bros. DS advertises being able to play Mario and Luigi for all its levels. You can only play Mario initially, but after beating the game once through, you can play as Luigi. This is legal.
- Mario Bros. DS advertises being able to play Mario and Luigi for all its levels. There is no possible way to obtain Luigi, since he was not coded into the game in a way you could obtain him. This is illegal.
Of course, reasonableness must be taken into account. Advertising explicitly that Mario and Luigi will be playable from "the time you open the box" means you better be able to play them the second the game begins. More loosely, having to work 100 hours to play Luigi (when it's advertised as a main selling point) might also stretch the boundaries of legality.
The resounding message is that games can only advertise on their boxes what is obtainable in them. It doesn't matter if it's immediate, eventual, or after a horrendously long unlocking session; the fact is, it's there.
The Law of the Game also ventures to explain this topic with more legal terminology and reasoning, citing FTC points and comparing the validity of comparing game advertisements to other forms.
This is an interesting topic that'll soon find its way to a courtroom, I presume. Someone out there is going to want to play a song, only to find out it takes 10 hours to get it. Then we'll have a definitive answer.
Posted by systemf at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)
"Edutainment"
If you ever had to play Mathblaster or other educational games like Encarta, and wondered why you were wasting your time, you might have been on to something.
As an article on Wired (a blog network) reports, the most recent study by the U.S. Department of Education shows that "educational software--whether it's on a PlayStation or a PC--has no significant impact on student performance." This doesn't mean that all hope is lost for the concept.
I still think there is hope for "edutainment." Kids, especially younger kids, don't like to learn in the same mundane ways that have been taught for decades. They want something new and fun; "edutainment" is just that. It can match their technological sophistication (relative to previous generations) and can teach them that learning is fun.
It won't be easy to improve student performance, but there is one thing that could help; making games that are relevant and applicable. So much of the content is just useless trivia, that will never improve performance.
I think gaming as a form of education and entertainment will continue to improve, and that in the future the Department of Education will be reporting that it does help student performance.
Posted by sdall at 03:02 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2007
Cruisin' with the Wii
Wii has made its way to game stores, homes, LAN centers, and gaming events across the country. One thing it hasn't done yet, however, is become an official form of cruise line entertainment.
That is, until now.
Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that their entire fleet will sport a Wii with a set line-up of games: Wii Sports, Wii Play, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, and Excite Truck.
If you have the urge to play between gorging on cruise dinners and shooting clay disks over the ocean, you can do so either on a monstrously large atrium screen, or pick one of the smaller kiosks. Either way, fights are guaranteed to break out once that first kid hogs the controller too long.
So forget scuba trips, hitting on girls, dancing with girls, making lewd gestures at girls, or hooking up with exotic girls... you have some Wii to play on that cruise, man. Get to it.
Continue reading "Cruisin' with the Wii"
Posted by systemf at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2007
Mario & Sonic in One Game?
When thinking of classic video game rivalies, one can not help but think of Nintendo and Sega. Naturally, when thinking Nintendo, one thinks of Mario and when thinking Sega, one thinks of Sonic. The thought of these two characters being associated, let alone costars in a video game was outrageous, UNTIL NOW.
What better way to bring these two timeless characters together than through the classic tradition that is the Olympic Games. Mario and Sonic, along with familiar friends, are going to soon battle it out worldwide on the Nintendo Wii in what developers have dubbed "Beijing 2008: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". The game will take place in recreations of Beijing's actual Olympic facilities. A few events gamers will get to partake in include the 100m dash, swimming, table tennis, and many more that have not yet been released.
Although these two characters have been long time rivals, recent thoughts of them teaming up in a video game have not been so outrageous. Since the failed release of Sega Dreamcast in 1999, Sega is yet to create another system. An acclaimed character such as Sonic can not just disappear, so what was Sega going to do? They continued the legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog through Nintendo consoles such as the Gamecube and Wii. Being business partners for several years with great reputations to uphold, gamers should expect a one of a kind gaming experience.
Posted by donnypip at 09:27 PM | Comments (0)
The Battle Continues
The battle between the two giants, Microsoft and Sony, just got a little more heated with Microsoft's announcement that they will be releasing the Xbox 360 Elite in the U.S. next month.
What makes it so "elite?"
The first is a bigger hard drive. It comes with a 120 GB, which is 6 times the size of the 20 GB drive in the current Xbox 360. It also comes with more high definition capabilities, which can also be used for the television and video download service that Microsoft has. Third, some Xbox Live accessories including a headset and 1 month Gold account. It should be obvious that there will be a plethora of accessories to make the Elite truly Elite: wireless controllers, battery kits, etc.
But will this be enough to trump Sony?
If anything it certainly cements the fact that Sony had the right strategy with regards to high definition. The bigger hard drive and HD capabilities will make the Elite closer in functionality to the PS3. They also illustrate that both companies believe the future will be in dominated with HD content, and that both could serve as a potential platform to give it to the customer.
One analyst, seems to think that the news also foreshadows the victor in the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD format to be Blu-Ray. To read more about his comments on this and the strategy in general click here. If that isn't enough for you, click here to learn more about the details of the Elite, and what some others in the gaming world think it means.
Even though some of the Elite technology will be available to add on to current Xbox 360s, it is too early to tell if they will be able to gain an edge over Sony. It does bring about an interesting question. What will happen with the Wii?
There have been rumors circulating that the Wii will have an HD uprgrade in the future, and that it already has them, but they are hidden. Regardless if these prove to be true, Nintendo should consider adopting a similar strategy if these two titans are becoming closer. Who knows, they might also continue with the unique strategy that has made the Wii the leader in sales last month.
This should make for some great gaming and entertainment in the future.
Continue reading "The Battle Continues"
Posted by sdall at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2007
Countries & Gaming
Two unlikely countries are making news in the gaming industry. The first is the wonderfully socialist country of Venezuela and the second is the highly regulated country of France.
Venezuelan Solidarity, a political party, is attempting to recruit rock-star, and political activist Bono for their fight against Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. The reason for the battle......a United States government conspiracy to overthrow the populist country.
Almost a year ago it was reported by an article on Joystiq, that Venezuelan lawmakers fear the Bush administration had influenced the maker of the game, Pandemic, "to support an agenda that seeks to invade Venezuela and overthrow President Hugo Chavez."
Even though the game is centered around destroying the country of Venezuela, I doubt Bono will get involved. First, there are plenty of other violent and plausible video games that don't spark an urge in Americans to invade and destroy other countries. Second, Bono is involved in more pressing problems that are real, like AIDS and world hunger, and not fantasies of government conspiracy.
France, a country that highly regulates its business and economic environment, recently announced a very surprising capitalist approach for the game industry; a tax break for French game makers.
If you love tax cuts and gaming, don't be too excited yet. It still has to pass the European Union (EU), and even if it does the exemption comes with a catch. The games must be "culturally relevant," says French Culture Ministry Adviser Marc Herubel.
Why can't everyone just be a capitalist?
Posted by sdall at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2007
Review: Tiger Woods 07 for Wii
Wii golf and Super Swing golf, yet entertaining, left many gamers wondering if a golf game on Nintendo Wii could be a blockbuster hit. EA Sports just fell short of that mark with their recent release of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 for the Wii. Although many aspects are similar to past games in the series, the Wii completely revolutionizes the way the game is played. In previous games, swinging involved moving a joystick back and forth, however on the Wii this is replaced with swinging the Wii Remote as if it were a golf club.
Anyone who has played the Tiger Woods series knows that the funnest part of the game is creating your own player and making him the number one golfer in the world. The Wii version of create-a-player mode is like those of previous games but on steroids. You are able to change everything from your characters clothing, to how far apart his eyebrows are. Once completed, you can take your character through twenty different Tiger Challenges. In these callenges you compete against ficticious characters as well as established pros in new, exciting games. Or, you can start a career with you character and play in over five years worth of tournaments.
Despite it's numerous strongpoints, the game does lack in certain aspects. The graphics are sub-par (no pun intended), very similar to those the PS2, which are not all that bad, but not to the full capacity of the Wii (see below). Also, glitches occur every once a while in the form of an unintentional early follow through, incorrect or irrelevant statements by the commentators, and sometimes the ball only travels a fraction of the distance you intended it to.
Despite its setbacks, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is a solid game. The revolutionary gameplay makes it one of the first of it's kind. Along with being one of the first of it's kind, you can't expect it to be perfect. It has a wonderful replay value, due to exciting multiplayer and career modes, so don't worry about getting your moneys worth. If you enjoy golf games or just enjoy the Tiger series, you should definitely give this game a try.
Posted by donnypip at 05:42 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2007
Devil May Cry 4: No Longer Sony-Exclusive!
In a move only industry insiders saw coming, Capcom released yesterday the official announcement that the heretofore Devil May Cry series will be appearing on other non-Sony consoles.
What this means for Sony is, in short, one less exclusive it can flout to attract consumers.
In the world of consoles, at least for the past decade or more, exclusives are what made a console stand out. Now, with the increasing gap of hardware performance and features, exclusives may not be worth the money to hold on to them- but they still afford console manufacturers return business for their big-name titles each console generation.
There's not a person in the world (minus idealists) who could see Halo being on Playstation 3, Final Fantasy XIII on the Wii, or Zelda on the XBOX 360.
Simply stated, if a console doesn't offer something other consoles do (remember, we buy consoles for games, not hardware and online browsers), there's no reason to buy the console. This is the conundrum Sony will soon be facing if it cannot keep tight rein on its current exclusive projects.
Specific details regarding this detachment are still unknown. Capcom released the standard press release: "Capcom is committed to making its titles available to as wide an audience as possible, and has been building its technology base to meet that goal," available on their Japanese website (translated).
To see EGM's interview predicting the "exclusive-shatterin'" on the PS3, check the video after the break.
Continue reading "Devil May Cry 4: No Longer Sony-Exclusive!"
Posted by systemf at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2007
Will Gaming Grow Up With Me?
Gamers have, perhaps passively, been biting their fingernails over the following question: "Will video games and their content scale with my age?"
This is a valid concern for those who have been weaned on games since early childhood. What happens if games shift focus to appealing only to my kids? What kind of games can I expect to play when I outgrow my "BOOM, HEADSHOT!" (NSFW) Halo days?
Game and console developers know their existing markets are getting older, getting married, and becoming parents. These gaming veterans will buy homes, procreate "future customers", and generally stick with the hobby (at varying levels) they've been growing up with since elementary school: gaming.
As Joystiq reassures, "gamers born before the first Bush administration aren't all suffering from Peter Pan syndrome."
Some people generalize trends of game developers and consoles by saying "Kids go for Nintendo; adults go for Sony and Microsoft", but the situation isn't quite so black-and-white. Each year, games are released that reach out to all markets- with an increasing amount of high-budget games for the older demographic.
It's a reality that games appealing to each spectrum will be released, but the game industry has learned, through decades of experience, to keep those with wallets close.
Most of us are going to be "Nintendads" (and even "Nintenmoms") soon enough. If Reuters' trends (below) are anything to go by, expect the gaming industry to be right there in upcoming years, waiting to cater to our needs.
Reuters presents the following trends about aging gamers:
- More than one in three U.S. adults who go online, or 37 percent, own a video game console
- 16 percent own a portable gaming device
- The majority of those console owners, 71 percent, are married
- 66 percent have at least one child in the household
Posted by systemf at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2007
King of Consoles
In the 90's it was Sony and Nintendo battling for the top spot, with Sony emerging the winner. At the beginning of the decade was mainly between the reigning champ Sony and newcomer Microsoft, with Sony again emerging as the king of consoles. It will not be the one-on-one competition in the future. It will be a three-way race between Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and the Wii. But who will be the king? Sony? Microsoft? Nintendo?
Plently of people think they know the answer to this question, but these opinions don't really matter as much when you have the CEO of EA talking about the topic.
His pick... was Sony.
Although he thinks they will remain on top, he thinks their stronghold on the gaming market will decline. The first reason for this is Sony Playstation 3's price. The $600 sticker is higher than the $400 price tag for Microsoft's Xbox 360, and almost 2.5 times higher than Nintendo Wii's $250 price. The second reason is the growing market share the other two have taken early in the race. Microsoft enjoyed a earlier release than the other two, and Nintendo's Wii has been an early surprise.
The data from the beginning of the console's launch until the end of 2006 support this. One gaming forum reports Microsoft's Xbox 360 at 10.4 million sales, Nintendo Wii at 3.19 million, and Playstation 3 at 1.84 million.
Although not commenting on these figures, he does say "No one should count Sony out at this point in the game. This is going to be a long race."
Posted by sdall at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
Wii Sales Continue to Top PS3
Michael Patcher, analyst for the firm Wedbush Morgan, predicts the Wii to continue outselling the PS3 in the month of March. Patcher predicts Wii sales to reach 350,000 units, while PS3 is predicted to sell 200,000. Software sales for the two consoles are to level out this March at 2.4 units per console compared to February's 2.2 units for Wii and 2.7 for PS3.
The gap between Wii sales and PS3 sales however is shrinking by the day. Wii sales have been constant, but several factors are contributing to the increased success of the PS3. As popularity for Blu-Ray technology increases, so does that for the Blu-Ray capable PS3, especially with the near future release of Spiderman 3: The Movie. Also, increased title selection is being realized for the PS3. Titles such as Guitar Hero II, Virtua Fighter 5, and MLB 2K7 have brought increased attention to the once lagging PS3.
Investors in either Sony of Nintendo should be confident in their investment, suggests Patcher. Continued success is in the future for both consoles as new games and feautures are developed weekly.
Posted by donnypip at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)
Mario 64 : "THE BEST GAME EVER MADE"
Super Mario 64 has been dubbed the best game ever made by gamers accross the world, and with good reason. Super Mario 64 revolutionized the 3D role playing game with its unbelievable graphics (at the time) and interactive environments. 2D games with simple missions were replaced when Mario 64 introduced intricate worlds, multiple missions per world, and addicting free play capability.
One gamer who has dedicated hundreds of hours of his life to playing what he calls a "true masterpiece of gaming" is David Ross Shott (pictured below). We at Game Industry Weekly were lucky enough to have an exclusive interview with this nationally renowned gamer about how Super Mario 64 truly is the greatest game ever made, after the break.
Continue reading "Mario 64 : "THE BEST GAME EVER MADE""
Posted by donnypip at 06:40 PM | Comments (0)
Trauma Center: Second Opinion - "A MUST BUY"
What do you get when you combine the smooth graphics and animation of Atlus Inc, the unparalleled game-play of Nintendo Wii, and all the real life drama of an emergency room?!?!
The one and only answer is Trauma Center: Second Opinion. In this game you take the role of Dr. Derek Stiles, an unexperienced surgeon, fresh off his residency. The year is 2018, and if you think we have nasty diseases now, just wait for the future. An outbreak of an unknown disease is taking lives each day, and you find yourself as one of the only surgeons capable of curing it. Along with key mentors, nurses, and friends, you experience a roller coaster of emotions while combating this disease.
Check out the rest of the review after the break.
Continue reading "Trauma Center: Second Opinion - "A MUST BUY""
Posted by donnypip at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
