Blog5 Games

Note: This one’s only filed under “RUMOUR” because of the awful punctuation throughout (on the part of the interviewee). It’s obviously a literal transcription of what he was told, but when I see that many words go by without a full-stop (Americans, that’s a period), I get nervous.

Tim Ashdown, a Game Design student, sat down for what should have been an innocuous chat with Nintendo Canada Marketing Manager Farjad Iravani at a recent Canuck press event.

It was all going swimmingly, until Iravani’s PR-mouth stopped working, and his real, emergency one kicked in.

When asked about the plans for DS-Wii connectivity, he blurted:

They are capable of communicating with each other wirelessly but at this stage there are no plans for such functionality.

No plans? Oh. Well…that’s a shame. In the interests of optimism, though, let’s chalk that one down to a poor choice of words, and move on to his second slip. Ashdown later quizzed him about the plans for Wii-DVD, and Iravani’s primary mouthpiece was still down:

There will be a Wii option released in the 2nd half of 2007 that will be DVD capable it will be a second model in addition to the classic “Canadians” will have a chance at that point to buy the current model or the model that supports DVDs there will be a price difference but it will be available in the 2nd half of 2007.

Nintendo, you’re doing a god-awful job of keeping the western release of this thing a secret. Just come out and announce it, so I can stop starting these posts with “rumour”. The spelling difference is confusing people. Luke Plunkett

FtBU Chats with NoC MM Farjad Iravani [From The Bottom Up]

Filed under: Culture

Most people know the National Institute on Media and the Family’s annual video game report card for its list of ten games for children to avoid during the holidays. But the full report offers some interesting research and opinions on the industry as a whole.

Most of NIMF’s scorn this year is directed at parents, who “do not seem to exercise enough control” over their children’s game-playing habits, according to the report. NIMF’s surveys found a large discrepancy between the gaming limits parents say they enforce and the limits their children report.

For example, 68 percent of parents said their family had rules about when video games can be played, while only 36 percent of children said the same. NIMF suggests that parents are eager to give the more socially acceptable answers in these surveys, a factor that might skew similar statistics by the ESA.

While parents got a rap on the fingers, retailers got generally good marks from NIMF this year. NIMF reported increases in employee training, in-store parent education, and retailer ratings enforcement in the stores they surveyed. The improvement led the group to give an A rating to big box retailers — a bit of a shock since retailers as a whole received a D- in last year’s report card, which described the ratings system as a whole as “beyond repair.” Specialty retailers lagged behind, though, getting an F because “it is still far too easy for kids to purchase inappropriate games at such stores.”

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[Insert snide Xbox 360 remark here] The country’s Computer Entertainment Software Association polled consumer interest in game machines. What did they find? Interest in the Wii shot up from 20.9 percent this time last year to 48.9 percent. The PS3 dropped from 64.4 percent interest down to 57 percent. And the Xbox 360, ahem, interest in it fell from 23 percent last year to 13.6 percent. (Odd considering how Blue Dragon is right around the corner.) What’s more, interest in the DS doubled! Go figure. Brian Ashcraft

What Japanese Gamers Like [QJ.Net]

Filed under: Culture, Features

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

I have made a grave mistake.

Starting up a new game of Twilight Princess last week, I must have suffered a momentary lapse of sanity. I actually thought it would be a good idea — just this once — to change Link’s name to my own. I’m the player, aren’t I? Why shouldn’t dialog text be addressed to me? I deserve some attention, too.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now every time someone speaks to young, heroic Link, they keep calling him “Bonnie.” So far, he hasn’t really seemed to notice, but it sure makes me feel funny. Girls sweetly bat their eyelashes and say my name. Men entrust me with complicated tasks without questioning whether I can complete them. It’s just plain old weird.

Link runs, he jumps, he slashes things: everything he’s always done. Except now he does it with a girl’s name. In thirty seconds of poor judgment, I’ve made Link a name cross-dresser.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Pretty Pretty Princess

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The latest weekly edition of Famitsu hits Japanese shelves tomorrow. Within it’s authoritative pages…a BLUE DRAGON REVIEW!

And they reviewed it lovingly.

It scored a 9, 9, 9 & 10 from the editors, which gives it a mighty 37/40 total score.

Will this help sell 360s in Japan this Christmas? Probably not, it’s a game, not a miracle. But does this mean it’s a game 360-owning JRPG fans should look forward to? Why yes. Yes it does. Luke Plunkett

Famitsu Review Scores [Gamefront]

Filed under: Business

Regardless of what any of us want, the whole idea of making video games is to make money. As it stands, it would seem that Sony isn’t making it easy for anyone. This could be bad news for the PS3’s future.

According to Namco Bandai President Takeo Takasu, due to production costs, each PS3 game will have to sell at least a half-million units to be able to make a profit. For comparison, the Wii costs half as much (which means half the sales for profit). The news is in stark contrast to the PS2, where some games that sell 100,000 titles are able to make money.

The sales levels required just to make money on the PS3 should be troubling for gamers. Sony’s current Greatest Hits requirements are 400,000 copies, so it is very possible that a GH title could have lost the publisher money (and we could start seeing more of them as publishers scramble to break even). Will the high development cost prove to be prohibitive to the developers of niche games that made the PS2 a true global hit?

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The game we are ashamed to actually like, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is getting fire and brimstone from Christian groups who say the title promotes violence and intolerance.

Presbyterian minister and president of Christian Alliance for Progress Rev. Tim Simpson says the PC games promotes “faith killing” and mucks up biblical prophesies. Left Behind Games CEO Troy Lyndon counters with:

The game is designed to be a classic battle between good and evil, but it does not gratuitously depict violence or death.

Chalk up those criticisms to one thing: Street cred. Brian Ashcraft

Christian Group Doesn’t Like Christian Game [Next-Gen]

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Driving, Online

The PS3 is not, it’s fair to say, perfect. Yet it’s not the complete mess that some fanboys would have you believe, either. In truth, it’s just imperfect. Like most consoles (except for the SNES). Anyway, some of those imperfections affect online play with the PS3. And those are the ones that bother us most.

We’ve been playing Ridge Racer 7 online every day for the past three weeks, and largely without complaint. A few recurring problems have, however, started to sap our Ridge Spirit (whatever that is). For one thing, intermittent Bluetooth downtime suffered by the Sixaxis has led us drifting helplessly into track barriers. That’s a hardware fault, but a software anomaly was also experienced at this blogger’s test location of Kyoto, Japan, where yesterday a race was won without any true racing:

Our Meltfire motor lined up in pole position on the starting grid, we took off at a good pace, then checked our rear-view mirror to see the other nine racers involved, lagging about 200 meters behind. A second later, they were gone. All our competitors had disappeared, leaving us to amble around the Aviator Loop circuit and, very smugly, pick up some serious Online Battle Points. That was a one-off (although we secretly hope it happens again).

Unfortunately, the Bluetooth deadzone niggle — caused by automatic Bluetooth re-syncing — continues to niggle. Worse, having to occasionally connect the Sixaxis via USB in order to manually re-sync its Bluetooth connection is something of a downer. And we want uppers. So, Sony, please release all the firmware updates you can. We’ve not written you off yet.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Business

Get used to some new titles for the top people responsible for the PlayStation. Sony announced today that current Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi will become the chairman and group CEO of the division. He will be replaced by Sony Computer Entertainment America chief Kaz Hirai, who will move to Tokyo to lead the worldwide group. SCEA vice president and co-COO Jack Tretton moves up to take Hirai’s former place, becoming the first American to hold the hold the top post at the American computer entertainment division. The changes take effect tomorrow.

What to make of the reshuffling? While the new chairman title is a nominal promotion for Kutaragi, it’s hard to see this as anything but a rebuke for the “father of the PlayStation” after the PS3 launch was beset by delays and missed production targets. Sounds to us like he’s been told to go sit in the corner (office) and think about the “big picture.” Hirai, who has been the more public face of the PlayStation in America, will now have a more active role in overseeing the PlayStation’s worldwide fortunes. Get used to seeing a lot more of Tretton, a Sony veteran who has operated mostly behind-the-scenes until this point.

Read — Bloomberg Story on Reshuffle
Read — SCE Announces New Management Team (press release)
Read — SCEA Elevates Jack Tretton … Kaz Hirai (press release)

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Wanna hear something funny? Duke Nukem Forever. LOL. Everyone’s favorite PC vaporware is in almost a decade in the making and will be out “when it’s done.” Still, we so wanna hear about it so we can snicker. Says 3D Realms honcho Scott Miller:

Microsoft has a pretty tight lid about what they’re putting on the system now. They’re trying to not hit the same genres over and over again, and since Doom just came out on Live, they probably won’t want Duke 3D on Live anytime soon. I’ve had some casual talks about this, but you never know. We’d like to see that happen, it’s just a matter of making it happen.

Forget that OLD stuff, we want DNF! We have unrealistic expectations. Disappoint us. Please!!

The way I see it was when Duke 3D came out it was an unknown brand we only had the two sidescrollers. The fact that it was a great game made it a huge hit. As long as we make a great game, then I feel that Duke Nukem Forever is going to do the same thing.

Did you hear that?! DID YOU?

Duke Nukem Forever, I guess you could consider our biggest problem. It’s hard to argue against that.

Hard indeed, hard indeed. Brian Ashcraft

Duke Nukem Forever BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA [Gamasutra]

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Peripherals

Those of you who’ve managed to get your well-lubricated hands on a Wii, but were stuck without the component cables you needed for maximum clarity, can put down the alligator clips, forget about the third-party solutions, and hop onto Nintendo’s online store to order the previously sold-out official cable for the (just-this-side-of) reasonable asking price of $29.95. The ordering page proudly declares, “As of Wednesday, November 29, 2006, we will be resuming shipments of all back orders for the Wii Component Video Cable.” But don’t go getting greedy! These things don’t grow on trees and, in order to fill back orders and accommodate new orders, Nintendo is demanding that “Wii Component Video Cables orders [be] limited to one per household. Any duplicate orders will be canceled without notification.” Interested parties better hurry up before these sell out! Again.

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Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs, MMO

Can’t we all just get along? At least that’s the attitude of BioWare Austin director Gordon Walton regarding his upcoming MMO and its assumed rivalry with Blizzard’s industry-dominating World of Warcraft. Walton insists that it is not BioWare’s goal to dethrone the champ, but to simply provide a little healthy competition: “Will some people who play WoW play our game? Of course. But we’d be better off if we got new customers, too. It’s not a zero-sum game out there.”

As always, BioWare’s designers will rely on their ability to spin a good yarn, and also try to avoid the FedEx-style quests that have helped define the MMO genre. Creative director James Ohlen explains: “We want to bring a level of storytelling that’s equal to the single-player box games that BioWare has done. I think we can do that. One of the big challenges will be making our storytelling work in an environment that has multiple players.”

The name and estimated release date for BioWare’s MMO are still MIA, so Blizzard and its bloodthirsty orcs can rest easy for now.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Portable, Sony PSP, Microsoft Xbox 360

Compared with most parts of the world, Japan is in the future by a distance of some hours. Compared with European and American game release schedules, Japan’s is sometimes years ahead (this is known as the “Final Fantasy V Phenomenon”). Very occasionally, however, Japan is outdated. Today is one of those days, as Japanese gamers at last get Capcom’s Power Stone Collection for their PSPs — even though Johnny Foreigner has been enjoying it for a whole month already.

Other notable new releases of the day, those worthy of our ¥ennage, are bullet-pointed:

• Tales of Destiny (remake heaven; PS2)
• Final Fantasy VI Advance (remake heaven; GBA)
• Power Stone Collection (remake heaven, once more for emphasis; PSP)
• Super Robot Taisen XO (not a remake, more of a rehash; Xbox 360)

Japanese release day highlights

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A new, relatively small update hit the Wii last night. After the download, the Wii informed me that Parental Controls were now active, but I believe they were active prior to the patch, so I’m not quite sure what the update was for.

Maybe it tweaked parental controls. Nintendo isn’t around at 1 a.m. so I can’t ask them, and their site doesn’t seem to have any mention of updates.

Anyone else have a clue what the patch or update did? Brian Crecente

Add Microsoft owned developer Rare to those who aren’t sure downloadable content is teh future. While some companies exploit the crud outta micro-transactions to profit from half-finished games, Rare is waiting it out. Take the company’s Viva Piñata, which is short on things you can buy online. Says lead designer Gregg Mayles:

We’ve got plenty of ideas for what we can do with downloadable content because Piñata is such a unique game. But the jury is still out… It’s almost pointless doing a huge amount of work at this point because if it’s not going to be successful you may as well put that effort into making a new game… There’s no way we’re going to be in a position where we feel like we’re ripping the consumer off. We’ll have to look at it, and how it pans out with the other games on 360.

Smart, real smart, Rare. Brian Ashcraft

Those Iffy Micro-transactions [Games Industry]

OK, so I am not, despite what some of you might think, a Playstation hater. In fact, I’m, as so many third-party developers like to say, a console agnostic.

I like all of the systems for different reasons. But no matter what your thoughts are about the Playstation 3, you have to acknowledge that the lead up to the launch and launch itself have not come and gone without a hitch.

Kaz Hirai, who I think made a stunning come back at the LA PS3 event, was, in many eyes, the face of the Sony E3 flop. So I think I’m probably not alone in expressing a wee bit of shock about today’s news that Kaz Hirai has just been promoted from president and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America to president and group chief operating officer for SCEA parent company Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. in Tokyo.

Jack Tretton will be stepping up to take over for Hirai, who, by the way, got his promotion because Ken Kutaragi, who was the president and CEO of SCEI has now become chairman and group CEOfor SCEI. There’s actually a whole daisy chain of promotions that occurred around the world and likely masks some diabolical plot, or perhaps a firing, I’m not sure which.

I do love how in one of the two press releases about the tons o promotions and shifts, they say that Kaz “has made outstanding contributions in growing Playstation and Playstation 2 to the number one computer entertainment platforms in North America.” Strangely, there’s no mention of the PS3.

Hit the jump for the two press releases. I’m sooo confused. Brian Crecente

Sony Computer Entertainment America Elevates Jack Tretton to President and
CEO, Kaz Hirai Named President and Group COO of Sony Computer Entertainment,
Inc.

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment
America (SCEA) today announced that Jack Tretton has been named president and
chief executive officer for the company, replacing Kaz Hirai who will be
appointed president and group chief operating officer for SCEA parent company,
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) in Tokyo, effective December 1, 2006.
Tretton was formerly SCEA executive vice president and co-chief operating
officer.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061130/SFTH053
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/SFM066LOGO )
“Jack has been with SCEA since its formation and helped pilot the debuts
of the original PlayStation(R), PlayStation(R)2 (PS2(R)), PSP(R)
(PlayStation(R)Portable) and the successful launch of the recently released
PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system,” said Hirai. “Given
his experience and exceptional reputation in the industry, I can think of no
better person to assume the helm of the PlayStation brand in the US, Canada
and Latin America.”
A member of the original management team chartered with launching
PlayStation in North America in 1995, Tretton brings more than 23 years of
consumer product experience to his new role at SCEA, including 20 years
dedicated to the computer entertainment space. He has managed numerous
departments within SCEA, including sales, business development, merchandising,
marketing and product development. Prior to joining SCEA, Tretton held posts
at software publishers JVC Musical Industries and Activision, as well as
Majers Corporation and Duracell, USA.
“I am determined to build upon the momentum that Kaz and the entire SCEA
staff has developed for the entire PlayStation family of products here in the
US over the years,” said Tretton. “Moving forward, we will remain focused on
the continued market leadership of the PlayStation brand, driving consumer
demand for the new PS3, and existing platforms such as PSP and PS2, which
continue to excel in the marketplace.”
Tretton replaces SCEA veteran Kaz Hirai who will be promoted to president
and group chief operating officer of SCEI. Hirai, who had been with SCEA since
1995, will oversee the global operations of SCEI, filling the role previously
held by Ken Kutaragi, who will be appointed chairman and group CEO for SCEI.
Tretton assumes the post of president and chief executive officer for SCEA
effective December 1, 2006.

SCE Announces New Management Team

Ken Kutaragi, Chairman and Group CEO and Kaz Hirai, President and Group COO

TOKYO, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI)
today announced the appointment of Ken Kutaragi, President and Group CEO, as
Chairman and Group CEO, and Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer
Entertainment America (SCEA), as President and Group COO of SCEI, effective
December 1, 2006. The company also announced the appointment of Akira Sato,
member of the board of directors, as Vice Chairman, and David Reeves,
President and CEO and Co-COO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), as
Deputy President of SCEI in addition to his current responsibility at SCEE,
also effective December 1, 2006. Masaru Kato will remain in his current
position as Deputy President and Group CFO.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/SFM066LOGO )
Ken Kutaragi will continue to oversee the entire SCE Group as chief
executive officer, and will fully exercise his power to reinforce and further
accelerate the development of the PlayStation(R) business.
Kaz Hirai joined SCEA in 1995, and was first appointed Executive Vice
President and COO in 1996, President and COO in 1999 and President and CEO in
2003, and during these years, Hirai has made outstanding contributions in
growing PlayStation and PlayStation(R)2 to the number one computer
entertainment platforms in North America. In his new capacity as President and
Group COO of the entire SCE Group, he will bring his strong leadership skills
and experience to fulfill his responsibilities as head of operations
worldwide.
David Reeves, joining SCEE in 1995, has played a central role in ramping
up the PlayStation business in Europe/PAL territories especially in the field
of sales and marketing. In 2005, he assumed the position of President and CEO
of SCEE, fully proving his abilities to maintain consistent business results
and further expanding the PlayStation markets in Europe/PAL territories
including Russia, Middle-East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In assuming
the position of Deputy President of SCEI, he will effectively leverage his
talents and skills in the management of SCE Group.
Akira Sato joined SCEI in 1993 as one of the founding members. As Deputy
President and COO, he made numerous contributions especially in building a new
business model in the world of computer entertainment as well as in the area
of game software development by discovering new talent and introducing unique
content. In November 2005, he stepped down from operating responsibilities,
and by resuming his executive role as Deputy President, he will look after the
development of new business areas.
Masaru Kato will continue to be deeply involved in group management with
his expertise as chief financial officer.
With the strong leadership of the new management team, SCEI will head
towards a new generation of computer entertainment.

* SCEI Members of the Board of Directors (as of December 1, 2006)

Ken Kutaragi Chairman and Group CEO
Akira Sato Vice Chairman
Kaz Hirai President and Group COO
Masaru Kato Deputy President and Group CFO
David Reeves Deputy President
Howard Stringer
Ryoji Chubachi
Kenshi Manabe
Shigeo Maruyama

Another day, another mainstream press outlet singing the praises of the Wii. This time it’s the Wall Street Journal’s Walter J. Mossberg. Who? Trust me. Dude’s a big deal. Wired once said of him “few reviewers have held so much power to shape an industry’s successes and failures” and that he “makes or breaks products from his pundit perch” so people pay attention when Mossberg talks personal tech.

Mossberg (and his team of testers) don’t say anything new. PS3 is expensive. Wii is cheaper. PS3 looks great. Wii is fun. PS3 is for “hardcore gamers with deep pockets.” Wii is for “casual game players.”

But more damning than his ho-hum reception to games and sour taste from configuring his PS3?

None of us felt that the game graphics, or the Blu-ray movie playback, were superior enough to the Xbox 360’s graphics and DVD playback, to justify the PS3’s heftier price. None of our four volunteer testers said they’d buy the PS3 at $600.

Bummer! Will the “Mossberg Effect” take its toll on Sony? Michael McWhertor

Battle of the Boxes: PlayStation 3 vs. Wii

Louisiana bill HB1381, penned by That Wacky Miami Laywer and Representative Roy Burrell and signed into law following governor Kathleen Blanco’s approval, has been ruled unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge James Brady according to Game Politics.

That law made it illegal to sell, rent or lease a game if it met certain conditions. Those are:

(1) The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the video or computer game, taken as a whole, appeals to the minor’s morbid interest in violence.
(2) The game depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors.
(3) The game, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.

This ruling follows a temporary injuction filed by the judge in August which now sounds permanent. Maybe next time, guys.

Details are still scarce at this point, but we’ll let you know more when we know more. Michael McWhertor

BREAKING: **** ********’s Louisiana Game Law Ruled Unconstitutional by Federal Judge
Louisiana Passes ******** Bill [Kotaku]

Blizzard has opened up the info they gather on player trends in World of Warcraft for your statistics viewing pleasure. They’re currently tracking the following aspects of the game.

• Bestsellers - Most Crafted Items
• Crafer’s Corner - Most Created Items
• Fierce Creatures - Most Dangerous NPCs
• Gold Rush - Most Gathered Items
• Big Booty - Most Looted Items
• Heroes for Hire - Most Completed Quests

Data hounds can also perform quick AJAX-y searches and do side-by-side comparisons for up to seven days worth of data to see what’s hot and what’s not. It’s a handy little tool to see what the world of WoWers are up to these days. Michael McWhertor

World of Warcraft Game Statistics

Those son of a bitch triangles have been terrorizing our great asteroid fields for years. Exact your revenge against those three sided heretics and honor our rocky space wandering brothers! Asteroid’s Revenge!! It’s free, it’s fun, it’s strangely satisfying to smash spaceships. Michael McWhertor

Asteroid’s Revenge [via Waxy]