Episode 368: Black Friday Approaches

As Black Friday approaches, Jonah and Paul discuss this week’s news after an absence. No Devin this week, as well as no Gaming Flashback or Gaming History. Paul loses it on the last news item, too.

As for the news:

  • Just Cause 3 announced for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2015
  • Nintendo talks third party, holiday strategy
  • Dev: It’s tougher to develop for kids than core gamers
  • Intel resumes advertising with Gamasutra
  • Xbox One sales triple following $349 promotion
  • World of Warcraft hit with DDoS attack as new expansion launches
  • Carbine: Redundancies are “part of game development”

The Question of the Week: “When did you first start buying games digitally?”

0 thoughts on “Episode 368: Black Friday Approaches”

  1. Wow Paul really let loose with that last episode. I agree with him that I’m tired of the whole Gamergate drama.

    I am hesitant to get into the whole SJW issue since it’s a sensitive topic. Suffice to say that they generally are a oversensitive, zealous and fanatical crusaders looking for a fight where there is none or “Making a mountain out of a mole hill”.

    A good example that doesn’t relate to Gamergate is the recent landing of a satellite on a comet by Dr. Matt Taylor. Not only did he mange the amazing task of getting the satellite to hit it’s target but we have amazing scientific data from that satellite. The next best thing to finding actual life forms, we found molecules, building blocks of life. We could be able to soon prove that life exists out in space, but what do we focus on? His fucking shirt. He’s wearing a shirt, with women (not naked) on it, made by his female friend as a birthday present, and he wore it to show his appreciation. Instead he was bullied into thinking that his shirt was a bigger grievous sin then his history making accomplishment.

    So way to go SJW you’ve claimed another victory and shown why Alien life shouldn’t visit our planet.

    @QotW; I’m not sure when the first digital purchase I made was. Probably going to go with the Wii and buying old NES games on it. Then Minecraft, PSn games, Xbox and Steam/GoG on computer. It started as a trickle and turned into a landslide of just getting Digital only. I love not having to worry about physical media getting damaged or lost.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Mega Man 9, WiiWare, Retro Gamers Rejoyce!Mega Man 9, WiiWare, Retro Gamers Rejoyce!

It’s been confirmed, in Nintendo Power at least, that Mega Man 9 is officially going to be something you can download on the Wii console. The game is being developed by Ini Creates, a company of ex-capcom folks who are also responsible for Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX series.

Of course, this is a Capcom published game and is said to also be ‘multi-platform’ with an appearance being made on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

At first, there was a fear the game would go “new school” and take advantage of all the Wii has to offer, but with the Virtual Console and all of its retro appeal they’ve decided to stick with an old school feel to the game. This is by far the best move we’ve heard, as a retro gamer at the target demographic age, I’m thrilled.

Mega Man 9 is going to reflect the older games, without an 8-bit graphical look of course, using the Wii remote sideways (presumably also using the retro classic controller) and is not said to use any of the motion sensing abilities of the Wii.

This will be the first title in the Mega Man series to offer a female robot opponent. Mega Man 9 will provide a new host of baddies, including:

  • Magma Man
  • Galaxy Man
  • Jewel Man
  • Concrete Man
  • Hornet Man
  • Plug Man
  • Tornado Man
  • Splash Woman

The inclusion of a female robot may be playing to the casual game demographic which is popular with the Wii and casual games in general. Or, they’re just looking for variety. End result is still retro awesomeness.

(Thanks, 1up)

GTA China Town – Nintendo DSGTA China Town – Nintendo DS

Imagine that, the kids hand held grows up and is getting a Grand Theft Auto title. The game will, of course, be a sandbox-style title true to the franchise history and will feature new characters and a new game engine.

No real details came out of the announcement, just a little leak to the press so everyone can speculate on what is to come. First thing that will arrive will be nay-sayer parents telling the ESRB the game isn’t rated correctly, defines violence in today’s culture and is bad for the United States and the youth of America.

Just a guess.

The new game engine will probably be designed for compact hand helds and allow for a very touch-sensitive approach to the game. Imagine car jacking an innocent driver with the touch of a finger or beating an old lady with a bat with a swat of the stylus. Sound fun? Sounds disturbing.

The Grand Theft Auto series needs a DS game. Finally a product that shouldn’t require a billion dollar effort to produce and market yet should yield fantastic sales figures based on the DS install base.

Nintendo’s Non-Gamer 50+ CrowdNintendo’s Non-Gamer 50+ Crowd

While Sony and Microsoft one-up each other with fire sales on old hardware and blockbuster titles like Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2, Nintendo goes for something completely different… older people.

You’re only as old as you feel, but it’s hard to discount Nintendo’s attack on a demographic when they visit the American Association of Retired People’s Life@50+ Expo in Washington, D.C. this week. Odd move, indeed… or is it?

Retired people may have a bit more time than a busy adult with two kids and a few jobs to hold down. While young adults may want to game, they may not always have the time in their schedule, especially in the United States where people forget what “vacation” means. Retirement is a time to reflect upon your life, your deeds and enjoy the fruits of your labor with your grandchildren; it’s time to get a Wii.

The Wii is the perfect gift for retired folk who want to entertain themselves with something new and different without having to keep up with game releases. The Wii doesn’t have very many games when compared to the 360 and, although many get low review scores, retired folks aren’t scanning the Internet for weekly game reviews and news. They may not be the most in-touch with the industry but that’s okay, they’re non-gamers.

All that Nintendo has to do is sell the unit to them, it may sit on the shelf for months or only get pulled out when the grandchildren visit, but it’s a low-cost unit with games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit, what more do they need?

(Thanks, Kotaku)