General Gaming News

[Cayal]

Wii doesn't have innovative games. It's re-hash and it releases rubbish almost weekly with a rare good game (and generally it is Mario something).

Wii is cheap and Wii has Mario. It's going to sell. That was the point. The majority of parents didn't buy their kids a Wii because it was innovative. They bought it because it was cheap. Guaranteed.
Like Halo, like Call of Duty, you could release it Halo brand anthrax and it is guaranteed to sell.

But the Wii is nothing more then a Eye-toy with a stick. It took a concept, built on it and didn't go into HD gaming, therefore reducing costs. But it doesn't even do that right.
You have a stick, you *should* have an awesome lightsabre/fighting game but it doesn't. It has Mario, it has Zelda and not much else.

I have a wii, it's fun, but it's a detriment to future gaming.
Just because they make a profit, doesn't mean it did it right. Avatar isn't the best movie ever because it made the most money.

[Shadow Trooper]

Originally Posted by Cayal

You're an (oblivious to technology) parent. Your 10 year old kid wants a console. Wii is $299 PS3 is $499. What are you going to get?

Obesity is the thing the media is throwing down our throat. Wii has Wii Fit. Sold!

It's more smart marketing IMO.

I'm assuming the 'oblivious to technology parent' was a more generalised comment as opposed to directed at me personally().

I presently work in the IT security field and, as stated, through PC gaming am very aware of processors, GPUs, System RAM, blah blah.

I also think you're wrong regarding the price reference. The (my) Wii was bought for the family, why? Because I thought it would be good/fun (no one else in the family had really looked into it) and it has turned out to be.

For the same reason, if I thought the PS3 was a good buy, I'd get it! Now, this could be conveniently hidden in the 'present for my son' story, or I could convince the wife we need it because: 1. It's a blu-ray player and 2. It's also a multi-media centre!
Embarrassingly, what I'm saying is that the real reason we don't have one is because I didn't want it.


I mean, how many dads out there have spent loads of money on Scalextric because their 2 year old son (or daughter ) really wanted it for Christmas

In the end people buy whatever entertainment/gaming system they think will suit them, and if it works then by definition it is an entertainment/gaming system (no matter the price or specification).

[Lenny]

I mean, how many dads out there have spent loads of money on Scalextric because their 2 year old son (or daughter ) really wanted it for Christmas

I hear you on that!

Whilst this is really supposed to be General Gaming News, rather than Views, I want to jump in with my own comments.

Whilst I won't go far as saying "gimmick", I don't think the Wii has much going for it. Yes, it's fun when you have people round, and being Nintendo, it's got a huge back catalogue of Mario and Sonic games - I can't even count the number of times I've been over to friends houses and we've spent time playing multiplayer Mario or Sonic on the Wii. Having said that, it's obvious that the only time the Wii comes out is because there's company - it's not done well for itself as a console that can be played by one person alone.

Natal I see as a glorified EyeToy - Sony were doing amazing things with the EyeToy back in 2003, when it was first demo'ed. It had already been in development for nearly three years by then. With the PSEye, Sony took it even further, and released a very high quality device. I've played many games with an EyeToy (I got it bundled with my PS2), but I see it as a gimmick - sure, it's fun to use your body to play a game, but it gets old fast. I've not bothered with a PSEye.

Natal is a logical step up from the EyeToy - games are controlled by your body, except now it can be a few bodies, and it has face and voice recognition. I've seen the demo videos, and not only is there noticeable lag in games that are almost real-time (driving, FPS), but the controls have all seemed very unintuitive. Things might change when games developed specifically for Natal are released but, like the EyeToy, I can't see it going anywhere. I am, however, keeping an eye out for Milo.

As for Sony's wand (now apparently called "Arc"), well... PS3mote is what springs to mind. It might be interesting, but like Natal, I think it will fail with games that haven't been developed for it. One thing it has got over Natal is its speed - I don't know whether the PSEye plays a big part in this, but I imagine it's the fact that the processing needed for a coloured point in 3D space is minimal compared to that needed for body recognition (what happens when two bodies come together in Natal - one hides behind the other but sticks out their arms, say. Now what will happen when two different coloured balls are next to each other? One will probably end in tears, unless the coding is incredible, and the other is so easy to process - I'm very slowly making my own similar system using my webcam and coloured paper on my fingers, and it's not proving anywhere near as difficult as I imagined it to be).

From a programmers standpoint, I have to admire Natal because of what's involved, but I know that there's a reason why Sony's solution performs better.

In conclusion - the Wii is great for multiplayer, and all this wavey controller voodoo is a gimmick.

---

In the NEWS:

Square details Euro FFXIII Collector's box -- PlayStation Universe

Squenix have finally detailed the FFXIII Collector's edition for Europe, and they've also provided a proce for it - £60. I'm sorely tempted, but can't really tell if it justifies the extra £25 (for I can get the standard edition for £35).

[Cayal]

Originally Posted by Shadow Trooper

I'm assuming the 'oblivious to technology parent' was a more generalised comment as opposed to directed at me personally().

Of course, I see how it could be read the wrong way, I apologise if you were offended.

I also think you're wrong regarding the price reference. The (my) Wii was bought for the family, why? Because I thought it would be good/fun (no one else in the family had really looked into it) and it has turned out to be.

I mean, how many dads out there have spent loads of money on Scalextric because their 2 year old son (or daughter ) really wanted it for Christmas

What is Scalextric?

In the end people buy whatever entertainment/gaming system they think will suit them, and if it works then by definition it is an entertainment/gaming system (no matter the price or specification).

Families on a budget, with a mortgage don't. I would assume being in the job you are in you are quite well off, but joe average doesn't have the luxery.

[Shadow Trooper]

Cayal:As indicated, no offence taken.


Hmmm, quite well off? Not as well off as you with your PS3 obviously.
Although, I do consider myself very lucky as I can contemplate getting luxuries like gaming systems.

Am I well off, no, but to be honest I doubt if someone would even look at getting a gaming system or other luxury if they are struggling to the extent you indicated, not even a Wii. Remember, some people don't even have their own house to have a mortgage, I've been there.


I'm going to assume that the Scalextric question is a humourous one. I would contemplate it being an age/era thing, but I was Santa at my son's school and was quite surprised to find that Scalextric was still a requested present from about 25% of the boys (and 1 girl!). I concede that this may have been down to the fathers of the world and their powers of persuation
If you really don't know then you can always Google it.


I've come to the conclusion that we're not really going to agree on this one ( really???), so respectfully leave you with your valid (BUT TOTALLY WRONG!!!) opinion and walk away with my far superior and ultimately correct opinion!


Pssst, just in case, the last comment was said in jest and have enjoyed the chat/debate.

[CyBeR]

Ok, views aside...let's get some news here:

Source: Gamespot

Grand Theft Auto IV's previously Xbox 360-exclusive expansions to hit PlayStation 3 and PC owners on March 30; two episodes also to be sold separately as DLC.
Welcome to the party, PS3 and PC owners.

Back in 2006, then-Xbox marketing chief Peter Moore surprised the gaming world by brandishing a mock Grand Theft Auto IV tattoo. He also announced that not only would the open-world sequel launch on the Xbox 360 at the same time as the PlayStation 3, but that Xbox owners would be getting exclusive downloadable content. That content ended up being two lengthy episodes that debuted on Xbox Live--Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony--before being later bundled onto one retail disc dubbed Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City.
Now, it seems the $50 million Microsoft paid for these Xbox 360 exclusives was only for a set time, with Sony and Rockstar today confirming both episodes will be heading to the PlayStation and PC this March. The PC version of Lost and Damned was revealed last November in a GFWL achievement leak, and the PS3 versions were rumored as far back as last May.
Just as with the Xbox 360 version, PS3 and PC owners will have the option of buying both episodes on one retail disc or buy them separately through either the PlayStation Network or Games for Windows Live. In a press statement, Rockstar president and cofounder Sam Houser said: "We appreciate the patience of our PlayStation 3 and PC fans worldwide, and we look forward to putting the games in your hands this March."
Both The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned were critically acclaimed when they were released in October and February 2009, respectively. Episodes From Liberty City for the PS3 and the PC will hit North American stores on March 30, 2010, while The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony will be available on the same day on the PSN and Games for Windows Live. PS3 owners will have to shell out $39.99 for the retail disc or $19.99 for each of the episodes online.

Source: Gametrailers

A post on the official US PlayStation blog today highlights the fact that God of War fans can circle March 16, 2010 on their calendar as the day that God of War III will hit store shelves in the US. Additionally, the post delivered the game’s final box art and a box shot of the Ultimate Edition, both of which you can see right here.Lastly, those wanting to see a brand new God of War III trailer can look forward to checking out the February 11th airing of GameTrailers TV on SPIKE (promo!).
So, anyone pumped for this game???

Source: Sankaku

Sega has admitted that its recent patch for the botched PS3 port of Bayonetta was actually made for it by Sony.
The patch itself comes in at 135mb, with its main feature being to allow a 4.5GB install, fixing the “unfixable” load issues; Sega subsequently admitted that neither they nor Platinum Games were responsible – Sony stepped in directly.
The level of exasperation Sony must have felt to take such a measure can only be guessed at.
After carefully poaching Xbox 360 exclusives and insisting PS3 games maintain relatively high standards of quality, Sega’s decision to port a major release without something as simple as HDD installation and with substantially inferior graphics most probably did not please Sony.

[Cayal]

'Insomniac Games comments on Project Natal' - KingPS3.com

Insomniac Games on Natal

When asked whether they thought that the XBox 360's Project Natal could revolutionize gaming, they put it simple and said "nuh-uh," or in other words, no. While this answer might not be so rare with a PlayStation-only developer, it certainly is surprising coming from a pretty big game company.