That’s Right: Two Final Fantasies in 2010

It’s old news by now (it's even our new header), but I had to comment on it. Last week I caught about fifteen minutes of Sony’s press conference before a rainstorm knocked my satellite’s signal out of commission. Lucky for me, I tuned in just in time to see them show a preview of Final Fantasy XIII, and then follow that up by saying “but Square Enix isn’t done yet, they’ve got another thing to follow it up,” and proceeded to show a trailer for Final Fantasy XIV, which was followed up with the statement “that one didn’t leak out, huh?” and a promise that it would be out by 2010, exclusively for PS3. Pretty shocking, considering that FF games are usually spread out with huge gaps because of massive development time.

But doing some digging, it starts to make sense. FFXIV will be a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), setting it apart from FFXIII’s story based play. Square already has ventured into MMORPG territory with Final Fantasy XI, and probably want to get a new online game out to compete with WoW. It’s great news for console gamers, and especially PS3 owners. And maybe with all the other Final Fantasy stuff coming out now and in the near future (FF games on Wii’s Virtual Console including the recent release of FFIV The After Years, FFXIII, FFXIII Versus and the FF Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers) two FF games for one console in a year isn’t that surprising. But is Square Enix giving the fans what they want or flogging a dead horse?

Max

Max Gives Brief E3 Thoughs, Excuses Why He's Not Posting...

E3 nearly passed me by. Almost. I only found out it was E3 last week when I saw a news story about Nintendo’s press conference on Newsarama (which goes to show how I’m way more into comics than games these days). Since then, I’ve been playing catch up. I caught a little bit of Sony’s press conference, and thanks to the Nintendo Channel, have been able to get a dose of Nintendo’s videos. This week, they’ve even put the press conference up this week, so I’ll be digging into that soon. And I gotta say, I was pretty (pleasantly) surprised that Nintendo is actually utilizing the Nintendo Channel for this stuff. I'm just used to them not doing anything like this, while Sony & Microsoft have done it for awhile!

Unfortunately, this is final’s week at my University, and I have a ton of stuff to do to wrap up the quarter this week. No tests, but lots of papers to write and short stories to revise. Therefore, I can’t delve into blogging just yet. After Thursday though, expect a ton of reactions from me, which will (of course) be a Nintendo-centric response. I will say now (without trying to be a fanboy) that it seems pretty funny both Sony & Microsoft are trying to cash in on the motion control introduced by Wii. Granted, each do it their own way, but too bad Microsoft’s super-de-duper motion/voice controlled “controller” NATAL costs about $200. I don’t see legions of non-gamers signing on for that.

I’ll post a couple quick things though before delving study time!

Max

PS2 drops to $99; Backward Compatibility at it's cheapest

Sony dropped the news that the PS2 would be selling at $99 tomorrow. April 1st. hmmm.....In any event, if you always wanted a PS2 and didn't get on the trolley the first 9 years or if you don't have a launch PS3, (like me) you too can have a PS2. I'm thinking about getting another now for the kid's bedroom so I can have mine back and watch King of the Hill in my bedroom when I'm trying to go to sleep.

Not the price drop people were hoping for, but it should make Sony some money in the meantime. Now, go buy Shadow of the Colossus.

J.

Nintendo fan's Resonse to Why the PS3 is Dead (from a Sony fan)

Holy crap. It's crazy to read J assessing the situation like he is because he is the biggest PS3 cheerleader I have ever met, and has always had a fist full of reasons why the PS3 isn't as bad as everyone is saying. I'll admit that I got caught up in a lot of the anti-PS3 crap that swelled after the E3 ’06 showcase and the "599 dollars"/"hit the weak point for Massive Damage" debacle. But I reserved judgment on the system until J showed it to me, and what I saw, I liked. It’s possible though, as J suggests, that this stigma that has surrounded the PS3 from the beginning may have a lot to do with why it’s not selling so well now.

What's crazy to me is (not counting the Wii's runaway success story) how well the 360 is doing. Yeah, there's great graphics and excellent games; hell, even the online experience is worth paying for, but there are a lot of problems, many of which I’ve posted about (and some I've had to restrain myself from posting about). For example, back in October, after Microsoft tried to automatically bill me for an Xbox Live Account renewal ($49.99) and I didn’t have the funds, they sent me an email telling me they couldn’t seal the deal, the account would be canceled and I should renew it manually when I had the funds. Then, last week, right as my paycheck hits, BOOM! They hit me with a $49.99 charge without any warning nor any notification about my account status. That really helps my holiday shopping, thanks Microsoft! Anyway, the point is Nintendo would never charge my credit card without notice; meanwhile Sony’s online gaming is free. Additionally, Microsoft’s consoles break down all the time, but the only way they’ll fix ‘em for free is if you have the “Red Rings of Death,” otherwise, it costs you another $100. This sort of bad customer service and unreliable product should be the trademarks of the console in last place in the console wars this gen, not the one who continues to do well and gets exclusive blockbusters such as Left 4 Dead. Or gets to steal exclusives from the other camp, such as Final Fantasy XIII for that matter…

I haven’t kept up with the NPD, though I know Nintendo is doing well from random reports stating how pleased they are with sales. So I had no idea PS3 sales were down. However, with the economy and everyone cutting down on holiday shopping, video games aren’t guaranteed to sell as well as they have past during past holiday seasons and the situation will probably get worse with the economy for year round sales. Dustin just bought a PS3 and given a price drop, along with some games coming down the pipe (like DC Universe Online, God of War III and the next Team Ico project for example), I’m still interested in picking one up. Maybe Home isn’t all that (it always seemed a bit too ambitious) but there’s not much to love about the New Xbox Experience either (in fact Dustin, Rose and I are talking about collaborating on an article about all the things we hate about it!); Nintendo doesn’t even have an online community (yet anyway)!

Yeah, I’m a Nintendo fanboy; that’s who I am. But the Wii isn’t really a console suited to go toe to toe with the 360 and PS3. It can’t, and I can’t get my heart’s content of hardcore top-tier (in terms of graphics and online) gaming action with just the Wii. I got a 360 because it won me over with its slick graphics, great online and console features but the experience has been horribly tainted by all the disasters I’ve had to deal with owning a system—more than any other console I’ve ever had. Perhaps if I, and others like me, had tuned into the PS3 a bit sooner (and again, may likely later) there would be less frustration for the PS3—at least in terms of seeing poor sales of great games and developers uninterested in doing ports.

I’m not counting the PS3 out yet either, but reading both sales of systems and the clearly revolutionary Little Big Planet are less than expected makes me agree with J that there’s an image problem with PS3—and it’s not just a sign of tough economic times. While it’s great to know J will be joining the 360 community soon, it’s also a little worrisome, knowing the troubles I and others have faced with the system and lackluster service. But I gotta say I love J’s comparing the PS3 to past console underdogs; I was big fans of both the GameCube and the Dreamcast, and those consoles being way behind financially certainly doesn’t mean you’re last in the hearts of the fans.

Max

Why the PS3 is dead (from a sony fan)

i've been watching the console wars like everyone else. i usually try to stay away from the hype and hoopla the fanboys throw around. but after checking the NPD numbers this month and reading most of the responses to them, it pretty clear even to me.


the PS3 is over in the US.

now, hear me out. like most people do when subjects like this pop up, i'll qualify my statement by saying that yes, i do have a PS3 and no, i don't have a 360. my kid has a Wii that i don't play.

the problem isn't with the system itself. the PS3 is a solid system. dare i say the most solid of the three out now. wi-fi built in the system is something that shouldn't be taken for granted when the other major system wireless adapter is $100 still after three going on four years out. blu-ray, for all the belly aching about how much it is or isn't failing, it helps pack more features into the blu-ray movies and gets the best picture you can get for you're HDTV that you WILL have to have at some point around February. the downloadable games are very interesting and different then your generic shooter/arcade/student made games on the other system. online is free. the disc games are very good. what else could sony do?

everything about the PS3 is generally positive. so why is the PS3 selling less then last year? (depending on what sites you read and/or believe) the reason that the PS3 is failing to destroy the competition this time around doesn't have anything to do with weak games or exclusive games and DLC going to the 360 or PSN not being on par with XBL or home or any of that. why is the PS3 failing........


because the perception of the general public is that the PS3 has already failed.


think about it. with all the positive things about that PS3, (and unless you are a hopeless 360 fanboy, you have to admit that there are at the very LEAST some cool content on the big black box) the general consensus is that you are wasting you're money if you get a PS3. from all the internet memes about the PS3 sucking ass or not having any games or 4D graphics or the whole Lair fiasco....and Haze......and the orange box......and SOCOM......and (sigh) Home. see what i'm saying? just listing SOME of the missteps of the PS3 doesn't make people want to jump on board.

people have that that "biggest and best" mentality. we want the best of everything if we can possibly get it. and that goes for our video gaming system as well. you want the biggest and the best. the most badass, graphic blowing your mind, your friends are pissed that you have one and they don't killing machine in your living room. and that's the 360.

and it seeps in to every aspect of the PS3. console sales are down despite the great games that came out this holiday season. littlebigplanet not selling as well as it should despite the critical acclaim it got eclipsing other games. including gears of war 2, which most reviews basically saying "the story sucks, but shooting shit in horde is SO fun." the fact that no games on PS3 are selling a million in a week isn't that there aren't games that don't warrant that kind of buying craziness. LBP is a fun-loving, creative game that could have changed things for sony. MSG4 should have set the world on fire, but most people just said "it'll come to the 360 if it so great" sure, the price doesn't help when the other gaming consoles are hundreds of dollars less, but again, if there was the fervor over the PS3 was like the PS2, price wouldn't be a factor. people would be "working longer hours" to get one.

so there it is. PS3 is over this generation. that doesn't mean that the PS3 will dry up and blow away. gamecube lasted a LONG time and had some great games. the Dreamcast comparison is out there and people still love it to this day. it's not like the PS3 can't still produce awesome games. Killzone 2, Heavy Rain and the next Uncharted are proof of that. it's just as far as a "win" in console sales.....it's over. the best thing that sony can hope for is to make some money on the their current-gen entry and pump out more AAA games and support the PSN with interesting games that don't look like any games on XBLA.

that said, i'm likely getting a 360 soon.


J.

Sony drops news: games, games, games

Sony has stepped their game up in 2008. 2007 was a tough year, but 2008 is coming along nicely. but, there has been alot of game news in the last few days. here is some of the more interesting game news (to me anyway.)

SONY ENDS PLAYSTATION UNDERGROUND, REPLACES WITH PLAYSTATION NETWORK ONLINE

(source - kotaku.com)

wow. underground is over next week. shame. but, as long as the website moves closer to a bungie/xbox360-like interface where you can check your friends' list and trophies online, i'm cool with it. the website updates 'early' next week.

ALL PS3 GAME MUST HAVE TROPHIES STARTING NEXT YEAR,

(source - PSXextreme.com)

sweet deal. i'm not really a trophy whore. granted, some have had me scratching my head, trying to figure out how the hell do i get 100,000,000 points in Pain to get the Affliction Addiction trophy. but overall, i dig having them around. and with sony possibly starting a reward system around your trophy score, (i'm not sure what it's really called) it's making me more likely to try to get more trophies in pixel junk eden. now, if they would hurry up with the fallout 3 trophies........

MORE PS1 GAMES COMING "SOON" LET'S HOPE

(source - mtv's multiplayer blog)

well, this would be a welcome change. sure, the PS store is rolling along and i'd like to think that sony is leading in the downloadable content department. but, not having more PS1 games online is a crime. drop street fighter EX next week with Street Fighter 2 hyper mega global super remix 2. MGS2 and MGS3? dark cloud? rez? the list could go on forever. let's hope this is going to jump off sooner then later.


sony is trying to keep up with the times. i dig it. back to playing fallout 3.


J.