Archive for November, 2006
Rumor: More Wiis and PS3s Hitting Retail Sunday?
We got two separate tips today from our retail chain connection, both with info on forthcoming Wii and PlayStation 3 shipments. First, let’s check in with our Circuit City pals:
I work at Circuit City and we’re supposed to be doing a company wide re-launch of the Wii on Sunday, December 3rd. My store is getting 54 units, which is slightly above the average of 40 or so, and every Circuit is getting between 15 and 132 consoles.
Also, every Circuit will be getting 5-40 PS3’s across this week (before 12/1) and next week (between 12/1 and 12/6). My store is getting 26 across both weeks, which is once again above the average. The PS3’s will be both 20 and 60 GB models. Mostly 60 GB’s at roughly a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. The PS3’s are supposed to be sold upon receipt, so people might want to check their local store’s truck schedule.
Sounds dangerously promising! But what about elsewhere?
Our Target retail spy had this to say:
You guys shouldn’t have a problem getting a Wii on sunday. Target has gotten about 50 each for Sunday. Most stores have sold them early, but if the stores where you guys are haven’t you should be fine.
Since we can’t verify this with 100% accuracy (or the blog standard 89% accuracy), we’ll call this info “rumor” for now.
Now I’m giving you this information out of the kindness of my heart, dear reader. But if I show up at the Sunset Boulevard Circuit City on Sunday and come out sans Wii or PS3, I’m going to tear every one of you a new one. I’m not sure yet what fresh orifice it is I’ll be tearing, but you probably won’t like it.
Download Railroad Tycoon for free
Filed under: PC, Retro, Simulations
2K Games recently posted the original Railroad Tycoon as a free download, as part of a promotion for Sid Meier’s Railroads! We had problems with the original link, so we didn’t mention it right away. 2K has just helped us get the download working, and we’re passing the savings to you.
The game’s Flash site — boo — with auto-loading sound — boo — doesn’t have an easy, direct link to the game; find in the center of the page. Users with puny 1,024×768 displays, like us, will have to scroll down.
This 15MB PC classic includes the manual and documentation in case you get stuck. Play a little bit of gaming history and see how far we’ve progressed — and stayed the same.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Orphaned Prey Finds Home
After their first digital distribution platform Triton went belly up, 3D Realms has found a new home for their sci-fi FPS baby, Prey. I’ll give you three guesses. Yep, Steam. Right outta the gate. Good job.
From the official Steam site:
Prey will be available Thursday, November 30 on Steam for $49.95. Previous purchasers of the retail or downloaded editions of Prey can activate a copy on Steam at no cost by using their existing product key.
In other news, I hear Valve’s Gabe Newell is putting a new addition on his house. Gotta put those piles of cash somewhere.
Steam - Now With Extra Prey!
Your Triton Asplode: Prey Downloaders Screwed [Kotaku]
Grand Theft Auto: Regent Park
This episode of Regent Park TV (via Clickable Culture), self-described as “a show made for youth by youth”, focuses on the kids of Regent Park and their experience with Grand Theft Auto. It’s fascinating and alarming to hear these kids talk about their experiences playing violent video games—especially when most are clearly too young to purchase a game like GTA from a retailer that abides by ESRB ratings.
Nestled between kids relating their stories of picking up prostitutes and the reservations of Fred, “Concerned Adult”, are some unusually amusing recreations of in-game behavior. A strange, short documentary of sorts about which I’m still trying to figure out how I feel.
Wii Mario 64 Requires Classic Controller
Nintendo sent me a Wii Classic Controller along with a bunch of Wii games yesterday afternoon, so I just started messing around with it tonight.
The first thing I did, of course, was purchase Mario 64. As soon as I started the game a message flashed up on the screen: You will need the Classic Controller.
Fortunately, the thing is only $20 and so far seems well worth the price. Check back tomorrow for a more substantial review of the controller and how some of the Virtual Console games behaved on it. Behaved!
EA Giving Away Something FREE On Xbox Live?
What’s this? Have I awakened on the Bizarro World today? EA giving away downloadable content gratis? After low rent moves such as selling in-game tutorials and virtual cash via Xbox Live, it seems that EA is finally giving away something for free. This isn’t just some pissant little theme either.
Starting tomorrow, November 30th, Xbox Live users and owners of Madden NFL 07 and NCAA Football 07 can download (at no cost) new, alternate uniforms for both and “throwback” uniforms for Madden. Did I mention these were free?
Pretty smart, EA. Don’t start pissing off the userbase of your biggest cash cow. We’d appreciate more of this sort of behavior in the future.
NCAA Football Alternate Jersey Details and Madden Alternate Jersey Details [SportsGamer]
The Onion skewers Wii and PS3
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii
The Onion posts a hi-larious infographic comparing the PS3 and Wii in such categories as “ability to tear families apart” and ability to be a “parenting substitute.” (Both consoles score “excellent” in the latter category.)
We would have added “reason you upgraded the TV.” (PS3: Needed the full 1080p experience. Wii: Tried to show off home-run swing to first date and let go of the remote.)
What other headings — and judgments — would you add?
[Via N'Gai Croal's Level Up]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Wii Port Needed: Sega’s Let’s Go Jungle!
When I first laid my eyes on Sega’s Let’s Go Jungle! arcade cabinet I thought “OMG. A Jambo! Safari sequel!!” One of my favorite pick up and play arcade games was finally getting its due.
I was only momentarily bummed to see that this was another Sega Arcade light gun game. What saved me from a night of heavy drinking and depression? Amazing videos of this game in action! The game looks like the best of House of the Dead and Sega’s take on Jurassic Park, with a heavy dose of wildlife massacre and co-op action events.
The Lindbergh based shooter features a homely couple taking a vacation on an uninhabited island, only to realize said island has been overtaken by GIANT BUGS. Your only option? Shoot your way out! Giant mutated pest genocide!
Let’s hope that there is some magical shift in management at Sega and someone with the good sense to put fantastic looking games on the appropriate console pushes this one through. Check out more screens and a preview video (click that frog) at the link below.
Let’s Go Jungle! Lost on the Island of Spice
Call of Duty 3 Wii Impressions
Initially I was a little distracted by the controls for Call of Duty 3 on the Wii, but I’ve really come to enjoy them.
The controls are a little loose for my taste, but I haven’t played around much with the settings, so that’s not really a big deal. I turned on the motion controls for grenade throwing which has made the act of tossing a grenade change from something done automatically to something that actually requires a bit of finesse and can sometimes end with me blowing myself up.
The graphics are, as expected, no where near the quality of the 360 or PS3, but still quite good enough to not be distracting.
The new way of aiming has made the game a bit more difficult to get through than the 360 or PS3 versions, and the driving, well the driving is absolutely abysmal.
Overall, though, I’m quite enjoying the experience.
Viva Piñata Fiesta En LA, Este Sábado
If you’re in the Southern California area (Santa Monica, specifically), you might want to cruise on over to the pier this weekend for some Microsoft and Viva Piñata sponsored fun.
Gamerscore Blog has the details on the fun marketing you and your kids can expect:
- Play Viva Piñata on Xbox 360 gameplay stations
- Come face to hoof with a 35′ tall Horstachio Piñata
- Celebrity guest in attendance to teach children the Viva Piñata dance!
- Viva Piñata animated TV series viewing area
- Kids get a chance to “pull” a piñata and win a variety of prizes including Xbox 360, Viva Piñata videogame for Xbox 360 and Viva Piñata prize packages (some age restrictions apply)
- Have your picture taken with Hudson Horstachio, Paulie Pretztail and Fergy Fudgehog from the animated TV series on FOX TV
- Face painting, fun activities and more!
- Kids even enjoy FREE carousel rides during the event
Then come home and wash off the smell of the Santa Monica Pier! Video games AND bath time fun! It’s sure to be muy loco!
Hey, I just remembered. I’m in the Southern California area. Maybe I’ll go! Nah, hanging out at this event without a child of my own would be super creepy.
World’s Largest Piñata Party, Saturday in LA
Update: Summa’s right! After checking the invite, it appears Mario López (aka A.C. Slater from Saved By The Bell, star dancer-wither) will be the enigmatic “celebrity guest.”
Today’s hottest game video: It burns when I Wii
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Sports, Video
Today’s (close to the) hottest game video is from the three slot, since number one is still Stephen Colbert and the Wii, sitting pretty with 139k views, trumping last night’s video showing the incredible range of the Wii-Mote. So that bring us to number three, It Burns When I Wii.
Yep, you didn’t read that title wrong … It burns when they Wii. Nice! Although burning or not, this video is far too long. Playing Wii on a projector might burn, but come on man, don’t make us go through the entire experience with you. You could have kept this at a respectable minute long, instead we’re clawing for the fast-forward button because this one feels like a Peter Jackson extended edition, except without all the hobbits of giant gorillas.
We’ll give ‘em this, the Wii does look mighty nice on a projector. Burning sensation optional.
Continue reading Today’s hottest game video: It burns when I Wii
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
My Funde Razor Swag Donation
I just finished going through my swag pile to rustle up some goodies to ship to Joel in Brooklyn to give away at the annual Funde Razor. I’m going to be mailing him a bunch of t-shirts, including ones for Elite Beat Agents, Bully, Penny-Arcade and even an I Scored with Samus shirt. I’ll also be sending him some cool swag like a Bully kickball and that sweet white Member’s Only jacket Rockstar sent me for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Today in Joystiq: November 29, 2006
Joystiquery
Japanese Club Nintendo swag — don’t be jealous
Metareview - Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Today’s (next) hottest game video: Wii remote range
Web sites step up to connect Wii owners
News
Disney Toontown out for Macs
PSA: Morgan Minute on advertising
Study: Violent videogames affect kids’ brains
Nintendo wants GoldenEye back
MotorStorm stalled
Ubisoft seeks designer for Red Steel sequel
Mario Galaxy given 9-month release window
Gears of War escapes media watchdog’s blacklist, appears kid-safe
Rare reluctant to pursue Microsoft’s vision
New name, details for Suda51’s Heroes
Comparing the Xbox 360 and PS3 side-by-side
Trek writer encourages more storytelling in games
HDTV buyers want games, movies, not TV shows
Infogrames shows fewer losses
Nintendo prez on Wii news, reviews, and its competition
Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg picks Wii over PS3
Games rank low on worldwide contraband chart
Developer: Studios holding back on PS3 games
SimCity, as it was never meant to be
Elebits looking elementary
Nintendo sees at least one more Game Boy holiday
Prospective QA manager shuns Sony practices, Microsoft too
Watch 3 videos, get DX10 and Vista for free
Rumors & Speculation
Nintendo on track to sell 4M Wiis by year’s end?
Culture
Viva Pinata takes stab at Genji jokes
Xbox 360 isn’t actually broken, just misbehaving
“Wii Have A Problem,” an accident archive
Mario meets Metroid
Gears: The never ending (commercial) story
No next-gen gaming for Kim Jong Il?
One hardcore gamer to rule them all
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Hot Lesbian Kissing (In Games)
I don’t see nothin’ wrong with a little bump and grind. It’s even less wrong when that bumping and grinding is taking place between two lovely ladies. When two lovely ladies aren’t available, two bitmapped or polygonal ladies will have to do.
Digital sapphic-inclined discriminators now have a list of the seven best girl-on-girl makeouts and liplocks, courtesy of GamesRadar, the only outlet willing to tackle the question “Are The Sims girls getting freaknasty hotter than the girls of Mortal Kombat?” The answer, by the way, is “Yes.”
Sure, crudely constructed virtual girls mounting other girls isn’t going to “do the job” for most of us, but in a pinch, it’s all you have. Did I mention there’s video?
The Top 7… Girl-on-girl kisses [GamesRadar]
EA: Sony to Ship 500K to 800K PS3 in 2006
I finally tracked down that rumor, it turns out it came from Electronic Arts own Larry Probst, who told Reuters today that a supply shortage meant that Sony was only able to ship 200,000 Playstation 3 for the launch.
Probst added that he expects Sony to ship just 500,000 to 800,000 PS3s by the end of the year. Which is, of course, significantly less than Sony initially forecasted.
Keep in mind this is Electronic Arts talking about Sony PS3 sales figures, but I suspect Probst has some insight into sales that the typical man on the street doesn’t.
Probst said that EA had set a lower bar for initial shipments, but “where they ended up was a bit of a surprise.”
…
“We think they’ll get into that range,” said Probst, who noted that console sales and corresponding game sales were typically slow to begin with because of supply constraints, and a clear winner will not be known for as long as five years.
Probst was full of other interesting tidbits not relating to his company as well, like the fact, he says, that 20,000 of the 200,000 PS3s were flipped on eBay.
Hit the jump for Reuter reporter’s Lisa Baertlein’s excellent story.
By Lisa Baertlein
NEW YORK, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Electronic Arts Inc.
His comments at the Reuters Media Summit in New York pushed down shares of EA, the world’s biggest video game publisher, by nearly 2 percent.
Probst said demand for Sony’s much-anticipated PlayStation 3 (PS3), which made its U.S. debut on Nov. 17 for the critical holiday season, was strong but a shortage of supply meant that only about 200,000 units of the game console were sold at retail outlets.
Sony had originally aimed to ship 400,000 PS3 units for its U.S. launch, and has not given actual figures.
Probst said that EA had set a lower bar for initial shipments, but “where they ended up was a bit of a surprise.”
By the end of 2006, he expects Sony to ship 500,000 to 800,000 units.
“We think they’ll get into that range,” said Probst, who noted that console sales and corresponding game sales were typically slow to begin with because of supply constraints, and a clear winner will not be known for as long as five years.
This holiday season is crucial for the $30 billion global video game industry. Video game makers reap more than half of their annual sales in the end-year shopping season.
EA, whose games include titles like football game “Madden” and “The Sims,” recently raised its 2006 outlook to call for flat to 5 percent growth in overall U.S. game sales. Previously, it expected overall sales to be flat to down 5 percent in 2006.
“That’s a much more optimistic outlook for the year than people were previously expecting,” Probst said.
“Bottom line, I would say that the first holiday weekend met or slightly exceeded expectations,” he added, citing solid sales of Microsoft’s
SUPERMAN DISAPPOINTS
Separately, EA Chief Financial Officer Warren Jenson said at an investor conference in Arizona that the game “Superman,” an important holiday title that was released later than the film, was a disappointment and that sales would fall short of company targets.
Analysts said Jenson’s comments also weighed on the stock.
Large crowds had camped out for days ahead of the PS3’s U.S. debut. Supplies were scarce, and Probst said some 20,000 owners were able to flip their new machines on Web auction site eBay Inc.
EA’s shares fell 1.8 percent to $56.19 after Probst’s comments, before recuperating some losses to close at $56.77, still down 0.8 percent on the Nasdaq.
Shares in Activision Inc.
EA CEO Says Holiday Sales Met Forecast [Reuters]
Watch 3 videos, get DX10 and Vista for free
Filed under: PC
Forget the PS3 and Xbox 360, the next great thing in gaming graphics is called DirectX 10. The only catch is you’ll need a fairly beefy PC and a copy of Windows Vista. However, the Vista half of the equation could come cheaper than expected.
Microsoft, through a website called Power Together, is offering up a free copy of Vista Business edition just for watching three videos. The videos are geared toward system admins or even internal auditors, but we could all sit through it just to get a $300 operating system for free (legitimately we might add). The only catch is you have to use IE6 or better and install the Live Meeting Replay Wrapper.
The site is currently moving at a snail’s pace right now and the videos themselves are an hour long, so it could take a bit of work to get your free copy of Vista. The downside is Vista Business Edition doesn’t come with the Media Center feature (like any of us care); however, Vista Business will be just fine for any of us who want to enjoy some sweet DirectX 10 gaming.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Metareview - Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Online, RPGs, Metareviews
You have to wonder if Sony Online Entertainment was so co-dependent during the development of the Champions of Norrath games that they had to abandon the successful series when partner Snowblind Studios was bitten by the superhero bug. Instead of leveraging EverQuest’s popularity for the launch of the PlayStation 3, SOE decided to stick with their more generic Untold Legends setting, which debuted on the PSP nearly two years ago. But with its paltry 18-20 hours of gameplay, lack of SIXAXIS support, and all of three pre-customized characters to choose from, Dark Kingdom ends up being little more than a rushed launch title, not the next-gen Norrath many people were hoping for.
- IGN (65/100) wants more PS3 and less PSP: “Apart from the repetitive combat system, there’s a ton of gameplay issues that you’d hope would’ve been fixed with the transition over to the PS3. Load times are surprisingly long when you’re accessing new levels. Rocks and boxes, as well as hills or background objects can cause your character to freeze in mid-jumping animation for at least five or six seconds. You’ll also run into a lot of camera problems during combat, where the camera will unexpectedly zoom in or out during a fight.”
- GameSpot (60/100) thinks Dark Kingdom is ill-suited for looters: “Gear lust is one of the more prominent driving forces in dungeon crawlers, and it’s here that Dark Kingdom comes up short. Pieces of armor with different names and radically different effects look identical on your character, limiting the joy of equipping new gear and seeing how it looks on your increasingly badass adventurer. Your character will use the same basic weapon, as well as most of the same combo attacks, from beginning to end.”
- GameSpy (60/100) hopes Sony is planning to make better use of the PS3’s storage capacity: “What surprises me the most about the whole pre-formed character shtick is how confining it seems for a next-gen console with the power of the PS3. Look at the character customization options in Oblivion and you might understand where I’m coming from with this. All that power and I only have three options to choose from?”
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
One hardcore gamer to rule them all
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most hardcore gamer of them all? This guy with a slight fetish for Nintendo. Just listen to these choice quotes during his wait in line to get a Wii:
- When asked why he hasn’t slept in five days, camper replies: “Sleep is babies, gamers play all night.”
- When asked if he waited in line to buy a PS3: “Heeelllll no!!!!”
- When asked how much Sony would have to drop the PS3 price before he would consider buying one: “At least $400, at least.”
Brash hilarity mixed with a little bit of pity. There’s even a t-shirt design making the rounds in support of his “hardcore-ness.” Make him famous, Internet.
[Thanks, Pedro]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Prospective QA manager shuns Sony practices, Microsoft too
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
Sparked by uproar over a “game-killing” bug in Genji, Ritual Entertainment QA manager Michael Russell recalls a job interview for FPQA Manager, held at Sony’s San Diego offices. There he caught a glimpse of Sony’s QA process, which, according to Russell, “allows creativity to squash quality” — he promptly removed himself from consideration for the job.
Before Ritual, Russell was a lead tester at Microsoft Game Studios. He claims his previous employer is also failing at quality assurance, but from the other end of the spectrum: “At Microsoft, the stringent QA processes often strangle creativity.”
Russell calls for some middle ground to be walked, lest the industry fall into turmoil, but neglects to offer any advice to Sony or Microsoft. Are we to be doomed by bugs and boredom?
[Thanks, SickNic]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Nintendo sees at least one more Game Boy holiday
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Portable, Business
Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime is making the interview rounds this week. Makes sense; launch a new console, then spread the word. So in addition to pimping his expected Wii targets to Reuters, he also told the news service that his company expects the Game Boy Advance will be around for at least one more holiday shopping season.
From the interview: “We think that Game Boy Advance certainly has at least one more holiday season left in it. For us, it continues to be a great stepping stone for five-, six-, seven-year-old consumers to have their first great handheld gaming experience and then transition right into DS. For as great a Black Friday weekend that we had on DS, we had just as good a selling season so far on Game Boy advance.”
So is this year the last holiday season Nintendo will support their dual handheld model, or next to last? We’re so confused… “The beauty of sly PR,” says Reggie grinning while continuing to promote his strong selling but older handheld platform, the GBA, though committing to nothing. Joking aside, the GBA was already on its last legs for us “five, six, and seven year-old consumers” due to waning game support. We’re just waiting to see if a new Game Boy portable still exists in the company’s DS future.
[Thanks, Kevin]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
