Episode 248: Sequelitis

As the podcast approaches the magic 250th episode, Paul, Jordan and Jonah check out some of the big news that hit this week in the land of videogames, and in the Gaming Flashback, looked back at an all-time worst game, Superman 64.

This week’s news includes:

  • ESA drops SOPA support (via Herr Alien)
  • R18+ bill to be voted on by Australian Parliament on 7th February
  • Vita sales continue to freefall in Japan
  • Guild Wars 2 open beta this Spring, launching in 2012
  • Starbreeze states they don’t look at games from a genre perspective anymore

All this and Reader Feedback, as well as the Question of the Week, “What do you look for in a sequel?”

0 thoughts on “Episode 248: Sequelitis”

  1. … are you guys stalking me?
    I recently started watching ProtonJon’s let’s play of Superman 64. This guy played the game only to point out various bugs.
    Top seller?! It means a lot of people got suckered in πŸ™

    @SOPA:
    Sure it will come back. Immediate power to shut down any website you want? What administration wouldn’t like that?!

    @R18+ bill to be voted on by Australian Parliament on 7th February:
    Fingers crossed for the Australian gamers πŸ™‚
    Just as mentioned before, parenting is the job of parents, not the governments. Governments’ job is … governing :P.

    Jonah, did they screen Final Destination 5 in Australia? πŸ˜‰

    @Vita sales continue to freefall in Japan:
    Really?! What CEO in his right mind forecasts such a drop and takes no measure to prevent it?
    I also call ‘bullshit’.
    Thing is , Sony desperately needs a hit (in the meaning of a successful product) to compensate PS3 and the Vita.

    @Starbreeze states they don’t look at games from a genre perspective anymore
    😐 ok, like Paul said, the speech sound nice. As for how much it is actually worth, well, let’s just let their future work speak for itself.
    “Chronicles of Riddick” was indeed a pretty nice game, in several departments: graphics, story, game mechanics.

    @QOTW:
    The universe needs to be recognizable. So while the stories might tackle different time intervals, the game play should be slightly familiar but with enough innovation. And while using the same universe, do use a different story.
    STALKER – Call of Prypiat is a great example of a good sequel (for Shadow of Chernobyl).

  2. @SOPA

    Yes it will keep on coming in subtle forms until it succeeds, and I have the feeling that the only purpose of this was just to slowly get us ready to an eventual similar law to be approved.

    @Vita sales

    Not that I am an expert on this, but I never believed it would succeed. I don’t think any portable console will have the success of Gameboys, NDS or even the original PSP.

    I know that hardcore gamers still prefer having a portable console than a mobile device to play games, but I don’t think hardcore gamers were ever the main market of these consoles.

    @Guild Wars 2

    I am unsure about this, I absolutely loved the first one, but now I am more used to sandbox open worlds with action game styled combats. I don’t think hitting tab key to auto-target will cut it for me.
    Still, the original Guild Wars was one of the most fun games I played. Not a traditional MMORPG at all. It was all about competition, I love that.

    Guild vs Guild fights in that game, were awesome, highly strategic and very fast paced.

    Hopefully this premise continues in the second game.

    @QOTW

    It is easier to say what I hate in a sequel, which is the game being dumbed significantly. A big example of that was Black and White 2. Mr Mollineux was so out there talking about how much of a different experience Black and White was, and it was indeed. When the second came out it was just another RTS.. I also fear that the Elder’s Scrolls series are taking this path.

    That said, I look for a sequel that fixes the problems of the first game and offer some new experiences. I heard The Witcher 2 was a good sequel? I am yet to try it.

  3. @SOPA
    unfortunatelly, some kind of law like this will pass, if not now, in a near future.

    @r18 Australia
    good for them! video-game industries are not only for kids and should not be treated like so.

    @Vita 18k sold week 4
    foreseen?? BS! BS! otherwise sony needs to fire their (dont know the word in english) foreseer (sorry)

    @QOTW
    i’d agree with paul, is a hard to get combination between nostalgia and innovation wich will lead veterans and newcommers to a sequel
    take battlefield 2 to the 3 for example: they implemented complex open maps for different strategies to veterans like operation firestorm and made very simple and linear maps so the newcommers know where is the enemy and still give a chance to employ a flanking strategy like operation metro and grand bazaar
    upgrading the engine is tough trough sequels but valve nailed the half-life 2 game and made it brilliantly
    btw, agreed with herr alien, STALKER had an awesome sequel – Call of Pripyat and IMO an even better prequel – Clear sky

    @Herr Alien
    could i add you to my steam friends list? πŸ™‚

  4. i’d like to give you guys a suggestion:
    after you finish the flashback on the worst games ever, if you are willing, make a flashback on crash bandicoot trilogy for the playstation original πŸ™‚

    awesome, keep it up guys!

  5. For some reason, my long comment isn’t being posted. I know you have probably already recorded the podcast, but I’m just letting you know I still listened to it.

Leave a Reply

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

Related Post

July NPD Unit Sales: Wii On Top… AgainJuly NPD Unit Sales: Wii On Top… Again

Believe this, Nintendo and their Wii console takes another month as top seller. The only product that moves more hardware than the Wii is the DS. As a gamer, it’s hard to understand how the Wii product continues to sell like this with the least supported game library on the planet.

The DS is completely understandable as it has a huge library of games, is more cost effective, comes in pretty colors and can save you tons of arguments and fighting from your kids on a long trip. In many ways the DS is synonymous with peace and quiet. What does the Wii offer us? Wii Sports and a new control scheme along with a few hit titles from Nintendo but little else for now.

I’ll be the first to admit, I thought this would be Nintendo’s chance to turn it all around and get the third parties involved. They have everything going for them in terms of sales, third party developers should be pushing out games each month considering the craze factor of the hardware. This just isn’t true.

(more…)

PlayStation 3, March 2009 Price Drop RumorPlayStation 3, March 2009 Price Drop Rumor

With so many people wishing Sony would cut the PS3 price to something more reasonable, it’s no big surprise we see constant rumors about potential “price cuts.” This time, a March 2009 rumor “supposedly” came out of the Sony Annual Briefing in London where a butt ton of information was “rumored” to be leaked.

The anonymous source is running around with a bunch of neat rumors, such as a LittleBigPlanet release on the PSP but the one that may hit home most with gamers is price cutting. The PS3 has been around for a few years now and hasn’t budged on the price tag; they’ve had fire sales on obsolete products (smaller disk drives mainly) but no official drops.

Sony won’t comment on speculation, of course, but we’re sure they want to catch Mr. Anonymous from hiding in their meetings and giving away their information… if it is real. D+Pad published the rumor-mongers message saying the “SCEE will be getting more competitive in price from March 2009 onwards.”

Easter would be a fine time for a price cut, if the speculation is real. This upcoming holiday would have made the most sense, to consumers, but Sony apparently has no plans to reduce the price around the time their sales will be increasing anyway. As the PlayStation 3 is doing okay in PAL territories Sony is relying on them, it would seem, to kick up the numbers and show Microsoft they’re not the only second-place game in town.

The Wii continues to dominate and we’re sure a PS3 price drop won’t impact Nintendo’s sales strategy or gamers decisions on one console versus the other as a price drop wouldn’t bring it to a competitive Wii price.

What is your magic number? What price would you buy a PS3 at if you don’t own one already. For us? Drop it a bit and throw in a free LittleBigPlanet.

Microsoft’s High Hopes Holiday LineupMicrosoft’s High Hopes Holiday Lineup

This year Microsoft believes they’ve got a heavy hitter lineup of titles starting around now until the end of the year including: Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2 and Fallout 3. They’re also looking at Lips, their karaoke title with a casual appeal to bring on the sales figures this season.

What about the PlayStation 3? Some of these titles, such as Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 are not exclusives so both consoles have their chance, right? Microsoft’s looking at historical data on trends from Madden 2009 and see the 360 console out-selling the game even though it’s a shared franchise title.

Strong sales on the Xbox 360 suggest we’ll see those same sales this holiday season. Sure, the PlayStation 3 will get some big numbers thrown up but they may not compete on the same level as the Xbox 360.

All-in-all, Microsoft wants to toss up the one-million game units sold for the holidays, not including consoles we believe. That’s a strong holiday sales cycle if they can pull it off.

Even with economic downturns and financial markets doing poorly, entertainment tends to be something people are willing to invest. Will they pull it off? Will PlayStation 3 keep up?