Console Wars VI

[snoopy369]

Reviewer quality aside (there are SOME good ones out there), I really have a feeling it has a lot more to do with the fact that reviewers, on balance, are reviewing for - if not themselves a member of - the population that prefers challenging games to pure 'immersing' games that eschew challenge for social feel. It's a perfectly reasonable preference - heck, my GF most definitely is in that group; preferring to lose herself in the game and not worry about 'losing' - but it's not one most gamers hold. Most - and particularly the key demographic of 15-29 male - prefer an at least moderately challenging game, that they 'die' in often enough to feel like they are doing something 'hard', but not so often that they get frustrated. It's really more the illusion of difficulty to the fact of it - I certainly don't play Madden on a level where I lose the percentage of games a real NFL team would lose, for example - but the illusion is important. (And why I nearly always get frustrated with sports games - it's hard to find the level where the illusion exists, but the frustration does not. But that's another story.)

[flash9286]

Reviewer quality aside (there are SOME good ones out there), I really have a feeling it has a lot more to do with the fact that reviewers, on balance, are reviewing for - if not themselves a member of - the population that prefers challenging games to pure 'immersing' games that eschew challenge for social feel. It's a perfectly reasonable preference - heck, my GF most definitely is in that group; preferring to lose herself in the game and not worry about 'losing' - but it's not one most gamers hold. Most - and particularly the key demographic of 15-29 male - prefer an at least moderately challenging game, that they 'die' in often enough to feel like they are doing something 'hard', but not so often that they get frustrated. It's really more the illusion of difficulty to the fact of it - I certainly don't play Madden on a level where I lose the percentage of games a real NFL team would lose, for example - but the illusion is important. (And why I nearly always get frustrated with sports games - it's hard to find the level where the illusion exists, but the frustration does not. But that's another story.)

Yes, the reason the Wii is so popular is because Wii games are so dang hard. Gameplay is the key and the right difficulty level is part of good gameplay but only part.

My gripe with the fallout 3 reviews were that they praised the things that should have been criticized.
From IGN

Fallout 3 has an exciting, top-notch main story. It all comes together for a spectacular climax that is just flat out awesome. Rather than spoil the story, I'll simply say that it does not disappoint

Really, did they even finish the game?

Each attack through VATS happens in slow-motion while the camera switches to a more cinematic angle. Occasionally, this camera switch can get confused and wind up hiding the action, but most often it delivers an awesome-looking slow-motion attack. Heads get shot off and explode. Arms and legs can get ripped off with spouts of blood pouring from each limb. I once bounced a feral dog off of the ground with an overhand baseball bat swing. The weapons in Fallout 3 are awesome and when you combine them with VATS you get some fantastic results.

VATS is simply boring after the 10th time you use it. And w/o VATS Fallout 3 is a below average FPS.

[snoopy369]

The Wii is very popular with the non-'core' demographic of gaming. That's precisely my point. (And, note that wii *games* are not generally that popular, excepting a specific few.) Cooking Mama is popular with people who like a certain type of game, but that group of people does not include me.

[flash9286]

There is no hard data to suggest that Wii appeals mostly to the non-traditional demographic of gaming. In fact if you believe Nintendo's numbers most Wii owners are "traditional" in the way you define it.

[El_Cid]

Just stop your bull**** now and save us all from the spam.

Your stupidity is approaching Ben territory here.

Consider:

Noise was one issue(it seems you can get a pretty noisey 360 or a not so noisey one, random pick?). It has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with the games.

Do you see the contradiction here? In consecutive sentences?

..........

Yes that was an unfortunate sentence! ok so it can be about the hardware - noise levels and overheating actualy thinking back to my brother in law's 360 experience(the one who now plays mostly on PC(he's become a WOW addict!!) - is a new PC gamer, i helped him build his rig and suggested a PC after he told me hes was getting bored of his 360 games). I understand the PS3 runs very hot also, although the noise levels is not of the same level as on some 360's(i believe it's a model number thing? old 360's more noise?)

As for the rest of your rant.....well yes i can be stubborn, but this isnt about that kind of thing. Look i've 27 years of gaming, programming(that was a long time ago!), and platform experience, console and computer. I'll take mine experience over your view any day i'm afraid. If i really felt you were just trying to 'educate' me out of some alturistic need then i'd probably be more sympathetic to you mostly childish posts.

So i just have to post again to clarify things for you as your stubborness fails to see that yours isn't the only viewpoint that counts or is even correct(shock!).

You were wrong about the Wii vs the 360 in terms of which would win, you clearly didnt see the merits of the Wii for what it is, which is no surprise considering your very blinkerd viewpoint that seems to s*ck MS c*ck and wants to stomp on anything sony or nintendo - thats the way you come across i'm afraid, and it does nothing to help you appear objective in your rants. I have no interest in those kind of things - i really dont care what platform a game runs on, i have no bias.

But i do know what i like from my games, and sorry but modern console gaming doesn't cut it for me, i've played some(quite a few including hands on in the gaming stores, not the same as sitting down at home but gives a good idea of what the game will be like) and 90% of the time it just enforces my opinion on modern AAA gaming that you find so offensive. tough sh*t - go cry like a baby or whatever! lol your posts would be kind of funny if they didnt make me feel so sad for you! It must be truely painful being you?

Yes my spelling isnt great, so what? It's something i've always had to deal with, and i dont have time to spell check my posts! you understood correctly what i meant(seismic) and thanks for correcting me.

I'll be back to my game of CivIV later tonight - Fall from heaven 2 mod, i know a good game that gives back to the player, you carry on with your shallow distractions

biased dumbass. And thats all i will say directly to you on this, next post will be actualy about consoles in this thread. I dont need to prove anything to you but you far too often just get away with posting some purile insults and probably think you've 'won' - how sad, it's so not about that but you cant possibly grasp that can you? good luck.

[Asher]

What's this Civ 4 game you talk about, clearly I've never played it...

[El_Cid]

lol - a civil response! well done .................do you really want me to tell you about CivIV?

[El_Cid]

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22269

I'm loving the japanese game charts, mostly because it's got to be a bit scary for sony that the PS3 hardly ever gets a mention in the top ten!!!

Anyway it has one this time! In at number 2: Demon's Souls

Thats two places higher than the only featured PS2 title: Soccer Winning 11.

Which must prove that my feeling that the PS2 might be the best gaming console platform ever is totaly wrong....obviously!

[Asher]

Japan is now the 3rd largest single-country market, behind the US and the UK. It is increasingly irrelevant.

[Asher]

January 2009 NPD:

Hardware Sales:
-------------------
Wii - 679,200
DS - 510,800
360 - 309,000
PS3 - 203,200
PSP - 172,300
PS2 - 101,200


Top 10 Game sales:
----------------------
Wii Fit - 777,000 (Wii)
Wii Play w/remote - 415,000 (Wii)
Mario Kart w/wheel - 292,000 (Wii)
Left 4 Dead - 243,000 (360)
Call of Duty: World at War - 235,000 (360)
Skate 2 - 199,000 (360)
Guitar Hero World Tour - 155,000 (Wii)
New Super Mario Bros. - 135,000 (DS)
Mario Kart DS - 132,000 (DS)
Lord of the Rings: Conquest - 113,000 (360)

Other bits, Jan 2009 up over 2008 13% to $1.33 billion from $1.18 billion...

YoY change:

WII --- 147.9%
NDS -- 103.5%
360 --- 34.3%
PS3 --- (24.5%)
PSP --- (25.1%)
PS2 --- (61.7%)

Sony's in big trouble. PS2 included, El_Cid...

[El_Cid]

Indeed, sony is in big trouble. It's a hard fall from way out front to scraping along the bottom!! I have the answer mind you And i've read one or two articles from sony bosses that point in the same general direction. But it's a tough call on their part.

A possible solution:

Typicaly once a new gen machine is out the manufacturer stops/phases out support for the old gen. Xbox as an example of how clinical that needs to be done under normal operating parameters(360 sells well so 'encourage' old xbox gamers to move to the new platform by slowly but completely stopping future dev on the old platform).

I have my doubts that the PS3 can carry things for sony like the 360 is for MS. So time for a brave move. Keep supporting the PS2 - it has still by far the largest living room footprint of all the consoles(Wii included!). And from those sony articles i've read they have been saying that they will indeed keep supporting the PS2, but i dont mean by the occasional release which is what i understand them to mean.
I'm talking full support, heck maybe even look at bringing out a new model, but you need to make sure the games(good ones mind you) are there to support such a move.

Keep on with the PS3, but in tough financial times i just can't see it developing soon into the success they hoped it would be, so keep it going and the games coming for that 'hardcore' segment of the market that want a super powerful console, and maybe prefers sony over MS. You have to keep in the race, even if your going to lose it this time.

But yeah full all bells ringing and dancing support back to the PS2 - the devs know how to make great games on the hardware, so get people back into that machine and the software sales will help fill the gaps.

But that is a huge step to take - it basicaly admits defeat in a corporate console wars kind of way, but you know....so what? better to play to your streangths than your weaknesses, any self respecting samurai who understood bushido and the words of Sun Tzu should see the bigger picture.

But yeah a tough place for sony currently. The Wii's success to pull nintendo from bottom to top shows a bit of lateral thinking can work in todays less hardcore market. Time to gamble for sony?

[Alinestra Covelia]

Onion News has an article about Sony.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of

[Nikolai]

Japan is now the 3rd largest single-country market, behind the US and the UK. It is increasingly irrelevant.

Only you could make being the 3rd largest market in the world a bad thing.

[El_Cid]

at the onion piece - great production values for the news item also....who bankroles that kind of creativity?
But yeah i think you can quite happily change sony into any of a hundred corporate name tags of your choice to get a general overview of where consumer society is currently

it is funny though

@Nikolai,

of course number 3 is fail - thats the american viewpoint right? number 1 it has to be number 1!! ( yes that is a troll - please ignore my troll asher if you can, i'm still in hitting below the belt mode in response to your poor posts).

[Asher]

Only you could make being the 3rd largest market in the world a bad thing.

I'm not sure if you actually follow the industry...not too long ago it was #1. Then #2. Now #3.

It is actually contracting -- and the home console (non-portable) market especially is in rapid decline. On top of that, the US and UK have explosive growth.

What is happening with gaming in Japan IS a bad thing. Japanese developers like Konami are now intentionally Americanizing their games, which restricts choice in the market.