Questions for 2008

[falcon]

In lieu of the standard predictions (http://www.gamingnexus.com/Default.aspx?Section=Article&I=1710)article GamingNexus has posted a list of 20 questions they hope to have answered by the end of this year.

Can Sony build on their momentum?
Heavenly Sword, Ratchet and Clank, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune were all games for the PS3 and helped Sony end the year on a high note. The real question now is if Sony can build on that in 2008. With Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big People, Haze, and Killzone 2 coming out for the system next year it certainly looks like the PS3 could make up some ground on the Xbox 360 and the Wii. If Final Fantasy XIII hits then all bets are off as that game will sell hardware like nothing else.

Did they miss anything? Any other questions you want answered in 2008?

[Baron Samedi]

21. Will we see XBLA, WiiWare and Home take off?
22. Will Wii be a fad?
23. Will Evil come out of the closet, confess he's gay and turn this site into My Evil Pony?
24. Just how big will Smash Bros be?
25. Will Japan become a portable only country?

[dbh1973]

Yes, No, Ask Again Later, Canada, Already Is

Oh, btw, it's Little Big Planet, not People.

[jpublic]

The moron who wrote this article makes some interesting base assumptions, three of which I'll argue with:

1) Many would argue whether Sony has any momentum at all on the PS3. With the PSP sure, but the PS3 hasn't been setting the world on fire. The better question would be 'Has Sony used up their crazy yet?' or 'What wacky hijincks will Sony pull this year?'

2) Predicting what a console will have even 6 months in the future is a pretty poor idea. We often only hear about games when they're 5-8 months away. Yes. the X360 has less on the release charts this year than previous, but I think you'll see a lot more than that pittance on the shelves.

3) I find it hard to say that no one but Nintendo has made any money on the Wii. Sure, 1st-party titles are hot, but funny that, may it's because they have *quality*. I've seen multiple games that have done respectably on that console. We should be seeing the 3rd-party titles that have been developed with this system in mind start appearing soon.

[Kamalot]

I find it hard to say that no one but Nintendo has made any money on the Wii. Sure, 1st-party titles are hot, but funny that, may it's because they have *quality*. I've seen multiple games that have done respectably on that console. We should be seeing the 3rd-party titles that have been developed with this system in mind start appearing soon.
In fact, Wii games are relatively affordable to create. They don't need to be in the system's top-sellers to turn a profit.

[swiftdraw]

In fact, Wii games are relatively affordable to create. They don't need to be in the system's top-sellers to turn a profit.

Hence all the crap games the Wii has been getting.

[oldjadedgamer]

25. Will Japan become a portable only country?

"Will" it? It already has.

[jpublic]

God damn that's a funny idea in your sig, Kam.

[51|RandoM]

1. Yes, and most likely will be for Sony and Nintendo. Microsoft peaked in 2007. overall sales will still increase but this year will be a lull until the 2s and 3s in the popular series of 2007 show up in 2009.

2. Yes, a significant price-cut on the hardware, continued widespread 3rd party support, continued refinement of Live. 1st party efforts are a bit gloomy but 3rd party will happily step into that gap and reap the rewards. Platinum after platinum after platinum on 360 is pretty hard to argue with.

3. Yes. Software libraries are like that snowball rolling along getting larger as time goes by, gathering momentum. Library is growing, 3rd parties are figuring out how to get the job done on PS3, XMB is getting upgraded periodically with Home somewhere off in the hazy future. It gets real this year.

4. Yes. They already are. Worst case scenario is port ps2 games to wii and rake in the easy money. Nintendo isn't the only one who can make money on Nintendo hardware, they're just the only one who has spent serious money marketing those games in the past couple generations. Massive install base sings a siren song, EA and Ubisoft dance to the tune and start producing and more importantly marketing significant Wii content.
Nintendo announces a refresh sometime this year, projected for this fall.

5. No, at least not gaming reasons. The only way to "fix" Vista is for Microsoft to hire a small army of dedicated driver programmers and start writing solid drivers for every AIB vendor in the industry. Isn't going to happen, is it? Instead Vista will be hamstrung as a gaming platform due to shitty driver support. When was the last time Creative Labs created a driver that wasn't cringe-worthy?

6. No. With bootcamp and the switch to Intel processors there is even less reason to do so than before. Those two developments more than offset Apple's growing marketshare in the laptop space, imho, when it comes to gaming.

7. Yes.

8. The Activision name is garbage at this point. If they stay #1 it will be because of lots of black ink courtesy of Blizzard.

9. No. Making money on one great game while you continue to pour money into crappy ones isn't the answer.

10. Who cares? Until somebody parks him under the envelope of a balloon his hot air is going to be mostly insignificant.

11. No idea, and as a consumer only I don't really care.

12. Best E3 ever for journalists, at least logistically. Great location, no annoying herds of gamers or people catering to them. Then again, it will be mid-console-war, so maybe not that exciting.

13. I doubt there will be an E for All this year.

14. No.

15. Milk Rock Band with DLC and new peripherals for the next 2 years.

16. Same way they already have.

17. No.

18. No. It is one of those ideas that conceptualize great but are very hard to implement in a way that proves enduringly entertaining.

19. They already have, just in stealth mode. ;)

20. For fallout fans it will suck, for most every other gamer it will be great.

[Evil Avatar]

21. Will we see XBLA, WiiWare and Home take off?
22. Will Wii be a fad?
23. Will Evil come out of the closet, confess he's gay and turn this site into My Evil Pony?
24. Just how big will Smash Bros be?
25. Will Japan become a portable only country?

Fixed that for you. :p

[JazGalaxy]

I can't help but wonder if Sony's "momentum" is simply a product of it's fanbase wanting the system to succeed.

I mean, the questions I've had about the unit are these

Is Heavenly Sword REALLY good, or is it only good because it has no competition on the platform?

Is Ratchet and Clank REALLY better than the PS2 Ratchet and Clank games or does it just look better?

2007 was the year Sony showed up. But are we giving out points for just showing up now?

What Sony is losing my business on isn't hteir selection fo games, or even the price, it's hteir philosophy towards the gaming business. THat is to say, they're philosophy that there IS NO gaming business, but rather an interactive entertainment business. As a gamer I want games. Sonywant's to sell me eveyrthing but. That's why I think they're failing right now.

[PrivateJohn]

I thought it would be better to ask : will xb360 be able to maintain their momentum?

[Yeti]

I thought it would be better to ask : will anyone turn up who is hotter than Megan Fox?

[oldjadedgamer]

I thought it would be better to ask : will xb360 be able to maintain their momentum?

I think this is a better question. I would think that it would be can Microsoft keep the momentum and can Sony start the momentum... the PS3 has still to even outsell the PS2 yet in the US. That's the starting point.

I think Sony's looking at possibly the best year for the system in 2008 but if they don't make major advances, it could be the last good year the system has outside of the rare first party title.

I'm hoping the PS3 builds up momentum all year with the new games that don't get delayed, they get a greatest hits selection of current titles, finally fix their store and XMB problems, and get a few price drops in since I plan on picking one up this Christmas.

This would be the perfect storm for me and I'm guessing a lot of other folks.

[Church42]

What Sony is losing my business on isn't hteir selection fo games, or even the price, it's hteir philosophy towards the gaming business. THat is to say, they're philosophy that there IS NO gaming business, but rather an interactive entertainment business. As a gamer I want games. Sonywant's to sell me eveyrthing but. That's why I think they're failing right now.

I completely agree...Sony seems to be focusing too much on the "centralized home media" experience by trying to make the PS3 do everything except being a gaming platform. Cost restrictions damper sales and they seem to forget that people want to buy gaming platforms that have multiple uses...not a media center also featuring gaming abilities. Plus game developers are running into cost restrictions and time restrictions considering the reported difficulty in programming games for the PS3. Lack of quality games also makes me skeptical if Sony can right the ship....they've also done a horrid job of securing developers to make games that are only available on the PS3.

I know this may sound blasphemous to some or many of you out there, but am I the only one that thinks the portable gaming market is a tad overrated? The article and others have stated the Zune is a "prototype" of a future MS handheld....but I don't know about the rest of you, but when I think of portable gaming, I think of people in public places with DSs & PSPs, although none of which I ever see in public (I haven't seen a Zune in public yet either). All I see in public are cell phones w/ MP3 support and iPods. Yeah, I may see the random kid or two with a PSP or DS, but is anyone with me in the notion that these "portable gaming devices" are really just secondary home entertainment devices? I rarely see any of them in public and still buy into the notion that people don't always want/need to be connected or entertained through some electronic medium.

[Church42]

To add to my above post....Sony is also losing me on games...there just aren't any out there that make me want to go out and get a PS3 to play, especially since Sony can't lock up a developer that will force me to go buy a PS3 to play said game.

[JazGalaxy]

I thought it would be better to ask : will xb360 be able to maintain their momentum?

I think they will. Not necessarily because of anything they will do, but just because it's a forgone conclusion at this point.

Companies like Nintendo can create mid system demand with their innovation. Goldeneye (a mutliplayer revolution), Star Fox (intruducing true 3d gameplay for the first time to many gamers), Donkey Kong Country (ray traced sprite graphics that made the system look 32 bit when it was still 16), etc.

Companies like Sony and Microsoft have yet to do anything quite like that. (save the likes of guitar hero and DDR, which are irrelevant in this current race since they are multiplatform)

I think, at this point, MS has simply won the next gen war. I don't forsee developers feeling the need to develop for a smaller console base on a more expensive platform.

[Church42]

I think, at this point, MS has simply won the next gen war. I don't forsee developers feeling the need to develop for a smaller console base on a more expensive platform.

QFT brother.

[oldjadedgamer]

I think, at this point, MS has simply won the next gen war. I don't forsee developers feeling the need to develop for a smaller console base on a more expensive platform.

The PS3 will never lose ports but I don't feel it will ever be the lead console when it comes to multiplatform games. Sure there will be exceptions but I think the PS3's place this gen is what the Xbox's place was last gen.

[DaXIthR]

I think the PS3's place this gen is what the Xbox's place was last gen.

Hmm...I thought the one thing we knew for certain was that this generation won't be anything like the last one. Will the PS3 trail the market leader by 95M to 100M units of hardware? I don't think so.

The PS2 dominated every market. The last generation played out the way it did for that reason. We're not going to see that happen this time around. At least not until the next Xbox is in the news.

Looking at the PS3 as its own system, rather than a follow-up to the PS2, Sony is doing OK. Everything went wrong for them except massive hardware failures, but it has a foothold and MS didn't go for the throat.

[Durka-Dan]

I think this is a better question. I would think that it would be can Microsoft keep the momentum and can Sony start the momentum... the PS3 has still to even outsell the PS2 yet in the US. That's the starting point.

Hrmm. I'm looking at the numbers and I see the PS3 outselling the PS2 for a couple of months this past year. Also seeing the 360 selling less per month than the PS2 up until august of this year. I hope you didn't mean cumulative sales either. PS2's 47 million lead is the highest for any hardware (console or hand held) in America. It's also 1 million less than the first best selling hardware of all time coming in at 117 million and the Game Boy at 118 with the next competitor in line being the GBA with 80 million.

What's that mean? Well let's just say that, even 8 years after the PS2's release, if the PS3 were to achieve the PS2's sales per month, sales would be better on average per month than the 360.

I think obtaining what the PS2 has is going to take nothing short of a miracle for ANY console.

Edit: Oh and HA. The comment about the PS3 being what the xbx was last gen made me lol. *waits for the "I meant 3rd place" comment.

[oldjadedgamer]

Hmm...I thought the one thing we knew for certain was that this generation won't be anything like the last one. Will the PS3 trail the market leader by 95M to 100M units of hardware? I don't think so.

The PS2 dominated every market. The last generation played out the way it did for that reason. We're not going to see that happen this time around. At least not until the next Xbox is in the news.

Looking at the PS3 as its own system, rather than a follow-up to the PS2, Sony is doing OK. Everything went wrong for them except massive hardware failures, but it has a foothold and MS didn't go for the throat.

I was speaking about the US. I get short sighted sometimes since after all, I live in the US and buy mostly western made games and looking at the sales numbers of PS3 titles, it looks like that is what they are buying the most of too. Japan seems to less and less of a factor considering that how heavily they are into portable gaming. Shoot, in half time the DS sold as many units over there as the PS2 did in it's entire life.

Sony will never shake the PS3 being compared to the PS2. As a company, you should be doing better then your last product, not just as good or worse then the competitors you stomped into the ground just a few years earlier.

What I meant by the PS3 being the Xbox of this gen is that it will get a port of pretty much every third party game, a few choice good exclusives, but not be the lead dev platform for the vast majority of games... in the US.


----------

edit, please provide a link to NPD numbers showing that the PS3 has EVER outsold the PS2. In Japan... yes, in America... no.

[JazGalaxy]

Hmm...I thought the one thing we knew for certain was that this generation won't be anything like the last one. Will the PS3 trail the market leader by 95M to 100M units of hardware? I don't think so.

The PS2 dominated every market. The last generation played out the way it did for that reason. We're not going to see that happen this time around. At least not until the next Xbox is in the news.

Looking at the PS3 as its own system, rather than a follow-up to the PS2, Sony is doing OK. Everything went wrong for them except massive hardware failures, but it has a foothold and MS didn't go for the throat.

I think the missing link in the equation is that Nintendo is going to develop it's next console early. I think that is an absolute given. Sony has planned, financially, for the PS3 to be viable for 10 years. I'd say Nintnedo will be showing off it's new console in year 3 1/2 of the Playstation 3s lifespan. 2 1/2 years from now. If not earlier. Once the new nintnedo comes out, which will undoubtably have superior graphics to the PS3, based solely on the fact that it will use then current technology, all of PS3s assets will be rendered obsolete.

Also, if digital distribution trumps Blue Ray and HD DVD as a means of distributing movies and video content, Sony will lose again.

One of the facts that I don't see reported on enough is that nearly every Japanese developer, when interviewed pre-Wii, commented on the fact that the video game audiance in Japan was shrinking. I don't think that the WIi phenomenon in Japan will go ignored because I think it's much more significant there then even it is over here.

Bringing the people back to gaming, as well as creating a NEW gaming audience is too much for developers to pass on. All while potentially keeping development costs low? How can Sony, with their "spend lots of money on even figuring out HOW to make games on our platform and then do it" compete?

I think MS will play the middle just like they did last year. I think they're giving gamers what they want in terms of services, but I don't think they're giving gamers what they want in terms of games.

But, then, I don't think any console, or PC, is giving gamers what they want in terms of games these days.

[Rune_74]

Hrmm. I'm looking at the numbers and I see the PS3 outselling the PS2 for a couple of months this past year. Also seeing the 360 selling less per month than the PS2 up until august of this year. I hope you didn't mean cumulative sales either. PS2's 47 million lead is the highest for any hardware (console or hand held) in America. It's also 1 million less than the first best selling hardware of all time coming in at 117 million and the Game Boy at 118 with the next competitor in line being the GBA with 80 million.

What's that mean? Well let's just say that, even 8 years after the PS2's release, if the PS3 were to achieve the PS2's sales per month, sales would be better on average per month than the 360.

I think obtaining what the PS2 has is going to take nothing short of a miracle for ANY console.

Edit: Oh and HA. The comment about the PS3 being what the xbx was last gen made me lol. *waits for the "I meant 3rd place" comment.


hahah spin much? The 360 sales were mostly twice as much as the ps3 all year....but if you read what you wrote you said the ps3 outsold the ps2 a couple months then said the 360 was always outsold by the ps2...figures don't add up joe.

NPD numbers just for sept and Oct

http://http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/11/npd-october-wii.html

EDIT: Yep beat the ps3 every month sometimes by as much as twice as much, sometimes not that much but every month the ps3 was beat.

[jBusy]

NPD numbers just for sept and Oct


I'm pretty sure those numbers are only for the United States. It doesn't include Japan and Europe where Sony has a much stronger market.

[Durka-Dan]

Shoot, in half time the DS sold as many units over there as the PS2 did in it's entire life.

lolwut? Wow, you went from comparing it to the best selling console of all time to what is on track to being the best selling hand held of all time. Nice transition. I guess what your trying to say is that everybody sucks...?

Sony will never shake the PS3 being compared to the PS2. As a company, you should be doing better then your last product, not just as good or worse then the competitors you stomped into the ground just a few years earlier.

That's one hell of an opinion. I suppose your entitled to it, but just as a side note fyi, a few buddies of mine including my brother are business majors and not one of them has ever heard of or believe this philosophy as any intelligible way of deciding market share or ultimately the success of a product. Now they might not be right, so please, explain that theory of "better than the last or a failure" or is this one of those theories that only work when your right? Or maybe you meant it another way?

edit, please provide a link to NPD numbers showing that the PS3 has EVER outsold the PS2. In Japan... yes, in America... no.

Ohhh.. in America.. Yes, you do seem to be a little "short sighted" when it comes to your numbers. I'm sorry, you were talking about the PS3 as a whole and I guess I thought you might had cited total PS3 sales that you could have used in your still unbalanced comparison of the world's top console of all time versus it's next iteration.

[Durka-Dan]

hahah spin much? The 360 sales were mostly twice as much as the ps3 all year....but if you read what you wrote you said the ps3 outsold the ps2 a couple months then said the 360 was always outsold by the ps2...figures don't add up joe.

NPD numbers just for sept and Oct

http://http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/11/npd-october-wii.html

EDIT: Yep beat the ps3 every month sometimes by as much as twice as much, sometimes not that much but every month the ps3 was beat.

I thought since we were talking about the PS3 collectively we'd quote totals. But hey if you wanna play the region game than go for it.

You knew the NPD was just USA, riiiight? ;) Sure you did.

http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=PS3&reg1=All&cons2=PS2&reg2=All&cons3=X360&reg3=All&start=38746&end=39446

I'm waiting where we now start arguing how reliable of a source VGC is now...

[oldjadedgamer]

Ohhh.. in America.. Yes, you do seem to be a little "short sighted" when it comes to your numbers. I'm sorry, you were talking about the PS3 as a whole and I guess I thought you might had cited total PS3 sales that you could have used in your still unbalanced comparison of the world's top console of all time versus it's next iteration.

Here is my original quote, if you read it correctly you would see that I pointed out US sales:

I think this is a better question. I would think that it would be can Microsoft keep the momentum and can Sony start the momentum... the PS3 has still to even outsell the PS2 yet in the US. That's the starting point.

Still waiting for the NPD link. Sony responds with a press release each and every single month with their numbers in response to the NPD numbers. It should be easy to find a link that shows that the PS3 outsold the PS2 for just one month.

I'm only asking for one month. Please only use NPD sources since they are the same source of sales numbers that Sony themselves use in all their press releases.

[DaXIthR]

I think the missing link in the equation is that Nintendo is going to develop it's next console early. I think that is an absolute given. Sony has planned, financially, for the PS3 to be viable for 10 years. I'd say Nintnedo will be showing off it's new console in year 3 1/2 of the Playstation 3s lifespan. 2 1/2 years from now. If not earlier. Once the new nintnedo comes out, which will undoubtably have superior graphics to the PS3, based solely on the fact that it will use then current technology, all of PS3s assets will be rendered obsolete.

I'll be shocked if this happens, to be honest. I think Nintendo is building the Wii to last like a VCR in most people's homes. They are coming off the most successful first year for any console ever; I don't think they want to kill this golden futhamuckin' goose.

I can't imagine a scenario where Nintendo is likely to reach global critical mass of 40M units within 24 months (while planning Wii launches in India, Korea and China), and then walk away from the platform at 36 or 42 months.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I don't get why people think the next year is going to be so much worse for Microsoft than this one was. At this time last year, I could only tell you one game that was coming out on Microsoft's platform. I see them springing up like magical game roses again this year.

[Aggort]

Sony's still got one problem, and that's the PS3's first year. It's going to haunt them for a while. The biggest mistake? Their philosophy that Hardware > Software

[Rune_74]

I thought since we were talking about the PS3 collectively we'd quote totals. But hey if you wanna play the region game than go for it.

You knew the NPD was just USA, riiiight? ;) Sure you did.

http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=PS3&reg1=All&cons2=PS2&reg2=All&cons3=X360&reg3=All&start=38746&end=39446

I'm waiting where we now start arguing how reliable of a source VGC is now...

VGchartz is crap and youknow it. HOw the hell can you not say its bad, everyone knows it is. NPD is probably one of the only reliable ones...

EDIT: If they were so reliable why do no hardware companies use them? I guess they are great if they support your arguement.

[Zanzibar]

In North America, Sony is getting its ass kicked. Worldwide is another matter entirely.

As of now, I think there are twice as many X360s in the wild as PS3s. And the Wii has outdistanced them both, and continue to sell like hotcakes. Sony has already gone from owning 60% of the market in the last-generation to potentially coming in with less than 30% this gen. It's already a colossal failure if you look at it that way; the only question is whether they can actually beat the X360 to avoid coming in last place.

[Rune_74]

I see the Wii as a seperate system and not one of the main two. The xbox360 and ps3 offer a different gaming experience then the Wii. Not say int the games are not fun on the wii, because they are and I own one...honestly my kids ply on it way more then I do. So far there are not alot of games that appeal to me on it. I do enjoy mario galaxy but I play that more as a diversion then as a serious sit down and enjoy it.

PS3 and Xbox360 ffer basicallly the same package, except one has alot more games. and one does not play blueray. That all being said I enjoy the 360 the best out of the bunch, and the wii is a nice addon to it. I have looked at the ps3, but it has nothing to offer if you have a 360 and a Wii(unless you really want blue ray)...plus I have a computer as well...hehhe a ds for my son...man I have too many game machines as it is.

[Sir Kodiak]

1) Many would argue whether Sony has any momentum at all on the PS3. With the PSP sure, but the PS3 hasn't been setting the world on fire. The better question would be 'Has Sony used up their crazy yet?' or 'What wacky hijincks will Sony pull this year?'

Yeah, the PS3 has some actually good - or in the case of Uncharted, great - exclusive games, but they don't seem to be selling, which means they're not selling PS3s.

I completely agree...Sony seems to be focusing too much on the "centralized home media" experience by trying to make the PS3 do everything except being a gaming platform.

I can see this. The PS3 is a solid gaming platform, not substantially better or worse than the 360, except for the development difficulty problems. However, it's a hell of a home media system. Heck, that's why I bought one. I feel like if it was the de facto dominant system, it would do a lot to show people the value of having that sort of centralized home media system. But, unfortunately, with it having to fight so hard in the gaming space it may not get the opportunity, which is a shame. My hope is that all three systems remain at least competitive this round, so that people have real choices as to what sort of extra functionality they want and are willing to pay for.

[JazGalaxy]

I'll be shocked if this happens, to be honest. I think Nintendo is building the Wii to last like a VCR in most people's homes. They are coming off the most successful first year for any console ever; I don't think they want to kill this golden futhamuckin' goose.

I can't imagine a scenario where Nintendo is likely to reach global critical mass of 40M units within 24 months (while planning Wii launches in India, Korea and China), and then walk away from the platform at 36 or 42 months.

I would argue that Nintnedo has to keep interest in the medium high and one can only accomplish that by promoting the next big thing. The Wii is underpowered. Everyone knows that I don't believe that fact has escaped Nintendo. If you take away graphics from the PS3, the PS3 has nothing, basically to add to gaming. The wii has something to offer. Sony is trying to invent motion controls and whatnot to rival the Wii... is Nintendo really just going to sit there and let that happen. I would think they would be foolish to do so.

Keep in mind, when I say that NIntnedo is going to be showing off the next version of the Wii, that could come in the form of a Bulky Drive or SNES CD or N64 Ram Cart... I really don't know what. But, Nintendo has to be working on that killing blow for Sony or their R and D is just sitting there getting paid for nothing.

[see colon]

3) I find it hard to say that no one but Nintendo has made any money on the Wii. Sure, 1st-party titles are hot, but funny that, may it's because they have *quality*. I've seen multiple games that have done respectably on that console. We should be seeing the 3rd-party titles that have been developed with this system in mind start appearing soon.
To my knowlage, the only system to have a non-first party game be the number 1 game (in terms of total sales) is the PS2 with GTA:SA, and Gran Tourismo 3 was right behind it. In fact, I think the top 5 was the 3 GTAs and the 2 GTs on that system. Anyway, the point i'm trying to make is that first part games always do well on a system, and the top 5 (or even 10) titles on any system tends to be about 50% first party, even in the extreamly 3rd part friendly PS2 platform. And even then, it takes a stand out title (like GTA was last gen) to really do it.

I would argue that Nintnedo has to keep interest in the medium high and one can only accomplish that by promoting the next big thing. The Wii is underpowered. Everyone knows that I don't believe that fact has escaped Nintendo. If you take away graphics from the PS3, the PS3 has nothing, basically to add to gaming. The wii has something to offer. Sony is trying to invent motion controls and whatnot to rival the Wii... is Nintendo really just going to sit there and let that happen. I would think they would be foolish to do so.

Keep in mind, when I say that NIntnedo is going to be showing off the next version of the Wii, that could come in the form of a Bulky Drive or SNES CD or N64 Ram Cart... I really don't know what. But, Nintendo has to be working on that killing blow for Sony or their R and D is just sitting there getting paid for nothing.

Nintendo has kept a steady stream of game enhancing add-ons in the market with it's controller shells and such. Nintendo is coming up with some very inventive ways to take $20 away from people every couple of months, and while I'm sure work on Wii2 has already started, right now their R&D is buisy making shells and classic controllers, and other such devices that satisfy people's urges for something new, even if it's something old (like a lightgun or classic style controller).

[Ink Asylum]

Nintendo has kept a steady stream of game enhancing add-ons in the market with it's controller shells and such. Nintendo is coming up with some very inventive ways to take $20 away from people every couple of months, and while I'm sure work on Wii2 has already started, right now their R&D is buisy making shells and classic controllers, and other such devices that satisfy people's urges for something new, even if it's something old (like a lightgun or classic style controller).

And Wii Fit, which I think will be a big hit in America. Nintendo has realized with the Wii and DS that fun games and new ways to play games sell systems to new gamers better than flashier graphics. They can continue to create all sorts of interesting devices for the Wii until everyone has a reason to own the console, and as the price drops there will be no reason for them not to.

[DaXIthR]

Keep in mind, when I say that NIntnedo is going to be showing off the next version of the Wii, that could come in the form of a Bulky Drive or SNES CD or N64 Ram Cart... I really don't know what. But, Nintendo has to be working on that killing blow for Sony or their R and D is just sitting there getting paid for nothing.

I don't doubt there's a Wii successor being worked on. I'm sure that started over a year ago, but I don't think it's safe to assume that Nintendo feels it has perfected motion controls and now only has to put out a beefy CPU and GPU to solve the mystery for the next 120M units sold console.

While a small team is looking into the Wii 2, I think Nintendo's more concerned with selling the current hardware driving the global installed base from 40M to 75M. As I said in my previous post, the current demand and software lineup in the works is enough to push the Wii to 40M by the end of 2008.

[Ebon Deth]

Ninja Gaiden 2 and Fable 2 are no longer 360 exclusive? News to me...

[Nimos]

Sony needs Ueda's games released as soon as possible... same with Square Enix rpg's. At the moment the xbox360 has more jrpg's than PS3 !!! Final Fantasy 13 like it or not is a system seller, and if it's kept exclusive and released in 2008, together with some other emo jrpg's with lush, beautifull and long cgi video sequences taking advantage of the blueray medium, there is no doubt in my mind that the PS3 will sell like hotcakes.

[Kamalot]

At the moment the xbox360 has more jrpg's than PS3 !!!

You know, I had never even considered this fact before...

[Gorvi]

You know, I had never even considered this fact before...
It's too bad they've all been fairly mediocre thus far. That goes for everything we've seen from the genre that's not on the PS2 for a while now. I can't think of a single JRPG that's set to come out in the near future other than White Knight Chronicle that I have any real hope for.

[Kamalot]

It's too bad they've all been fairly mediocre thus far. That goes for everything we've seen from the genre that's not on the PS2 for a while now. I can't think of a single JRPG that's set to come out in the near future other than White Knight Chronicle that I have any real hope for.

Well, as it is with many things, the more titles that appear, the greater the chance of getting a great one. PS2 was filled with terrible RPGs. From those, some turned out to be decent, some good, and even great ones.

[Gorvi]

Well, as it is with many things, the more titles that appear, the greater the chance of getting a great one. PS2 was filled with terrible RPGs. From those, some turned out to be decent, some good, and even great ones.
Yeah, that's true. It's just disappointing that this gen has been going on for as long as it has without one great RPG showing up. The DS and PSP still seem to be the place for the genre for the forseeable future.

[Rune_74]

It's too bad they've all been fairly mediocre thus far. That goes for everything we've seen from the genre that's not on the PS2 for a while now. I can't think of a single JRPG that's set to come out in the near future other than White Knight Chronicle that I have any real hope for.

Well its too bad you wn't play blue dragon or eternal sonata because they are quite good:) Not great but good.


PS: Also....mass effect was not a great rpg?

[Gorvi]

Well its too bad you wn't play blue dragon or eternal sonata because they are quite good:) Not great but good.


PS: Also....mass effect was not a great rpg?
I was referring to JRPGs, ME really doesn't do it for me, but I'm not a big Bioware fan. I'll still try it at some point, though. BD's demo really didn't impress me, but I plan on at least renting it. As for ES, the battle system is just the kind I hate in RPGs. It reminded me too much of Tri-Ace games like Star Ocean 3 and Radiata Stories, which I just didn't care for.

I've become a picky bastard in my "old age" when it comes to RPGs, of that I'm fully aware.

[Rune_74]

Damn you gorvi I told you to ignore that demo and play the real game...you stubborn old goat:) Seriously though the game is waaaaayy better then the demo...all the demo did was throw you in some battlesd with no story.

[Gorvi]

Damn you gorvi I told you to ignore that demo and play the real game...you stubborn old goat:) Seriously though the game is waaaaayy better then the demo...all the demo did was throw you in some battlesd with no story.
And that's why I'm going to rent it! ;) Really, I get in the mood for an old school RPG every once in a while, and BD looks like it'd fit the bill fine. It'll probably be a few months, but I have a feeling I'll grab it cheap some time.

[Kamalot]

I was referring to JRPGs, ME really doesn't do it for me, but I'm not a big Bioware fan.

I'm not a big Bioware fan either. Loathed KOTOR and never got into Jade Empire. Other than Neverwinter Nights (great for multiplayer with friends running your own campaign) I've never really been hooked on any Bioware title.

Yet I'm on my 2nd playthrough with Mass Effect now. The game is magic.

[Gorvi]

I'm not a big Bioware fan either. Loathed KOTOR and never got into Jade Empire. Other than Neverwinter Nights (great for multiplayer with friends running your own campaign) I've never really been hooked on any Bioware title.

Yet I'm on my 2nd playthrough with Mass Effect now. The game is magic.
And it's hearing stuff like that that gets me wanting to give it a shot. I've just got too much sitting unplayed or just started to get another game at this point (Mario Galaxy, Crackdown, Lost Planet, Bioshock, Front Mission, Final Fantasy Tactics, Crush, and a few others). I'll give it a shot as soon as I have breathing room. :)

[Rune_74]

Hmm you are playing crack down....?? I thought you didn't like that game when it came out...I really did though, neat game.

[Kamalot]

And it's hearing stuff like that that gets me wanting to give it a shot. I've just got too much sitting unplayed or just started to get another game at this point (Mario Galaxy, Crackdown, Lost Planet, Bioshock, Front Mission, Final Fantasy Tactics, Crush, and a few others). I'll give it a shot as soon as I have breathing room. :)

I hear ya. I have Bioshock sitting on my plate right now, but Rock Band and Mass Effect keep calling...

[Gorvi]

Hmm you are playing crack down....?? I thought you didn't like that game when it came out...I really did though, neat game.
I'm not playing it yet, but it'll be either that or Bioshock once I finish Lost Planet. It's one of the games that I wanted a 360 for. :)
I hear ya. I have Bioshock sitting on my plate right now, but Rock Band and Mass Effect keep calling...
I'm just glad I don't like games like Rock Band or GH3. The last thing I need is another timesink like that, what with FFXI leeching off enough of my game time.

[Kamalot]

I'm not playing it yet, but it'll be either that or Bioshock once I finish Lost Planet. It's one of the games that I wanted a 360 for. :)

What do you think of Lost Planet? I enjoyed quite a bit but everywhere I go I see hate for it. I suppose the fact that you are still playing it means you don't loathe it.

[Gorvi]

What do you think of Lost Planet? I enjoyed quite a bit but everywhere I go I see hate for it. I suppose the fact that you are still playing it means you don't loathe it.
I actually didn't like it much at first, which surprised me because it's a game I'd been looking forward to playing. It just felt sluggish. I started it up again on New Year's Day, though, adjusted the aiming speed right off the bat, and problem solved.

I can see the complaint about when you get knocked down, your character is slow to get back up, but that hasn't ruined the experience for me. It's made a few boss fights a pain in the ass, but it's no dealbreaker.

[Kamalot]

I actually didn't like it much at first, which surprised me because it's a game I'd been looking forward to playing. It just felt sluggish. I started it up again on New Year's Day, though, adjusted the aiming speed right off the bat, and problem solved.

I can see the complaint about when you get knocked down, your character is slow to get back up, but that hasn't ruined the experience for me. It's made a few boss fights a pain in the ass, but it's no dealbreaker.

Sounds like we had very much the same experience. The 'nocking down' issue was a gameplay mechanic that I found frustrating, but not broken. Basically, it acts as an incentive to not get knocked on your ass.

[Johan]

I have enjoyed what I have played of Lost Planet. I got stuck early on with the sandworm thing and stopped, however. I need to get back to it. I actually was liking it!!

[Gorvi]

I have enjoyed what I have played of Lost Planet. I got stuck early on with the sandworm thing and stopped, however. I need to get back to it. I actually was liking it!!
You can actually just keep running right past that thing. I ended up killing it, but it was a huge pain in the ass since it just never stood still all that long. The boss fight right after that should piss you off enough to stop playing again for another few months. ;)