This week’s Gaming Podcast is bittersweet as this is the last episode Paul S. Nowak will be appearing in for a while as he goes in for serious surgery. In the meantime, the Gaming Flashback is the classic PlayStation 2 game Ico.
This week’s news includes:
- Deep Silver: “Family” trailer didn’t sell Dead Island, co-op did
- DICE: Battlefield 4 isn’t set in the future, talks Bad Company 3
- Wargaming.net CEO claims World of Tanks was dismissed as “cheap Asian stuff”
- Alleged “Microsoft Xbox Durango Development Kit” sold on eBay for $20,100
- NCSoft’s lawsuit against En Masse over Tera assets settled
This week’s Question of the Week, “Do you consider social networking games real MMOs?”
Unlike Japan, Nintendo has not invaded the entire home consumer market here in the United States. This leads them to believe there is room for both the DS and the DSi here in the United States. The DS will no doubt be a cheaper alternative to the DSi and the DSi isn’t going to make its way to the US for some time now (well into 2009 we hear).
Nintendo announced the price of the Wii U in New York City today, and to the surprise of some, the Wii U will come in two price SKUs:
This leaves Sony with some hard decisions. Restructuring can mean drastic changes that effect all their product lines. The PlayStation 3 isn’t currently a shining example of high profit margins. The console needs time to reduce its overall cost, chip sizes and bring profitability. Is it in danger?
hey,
i have not listen to this episode yet but, i would like to thank you jonah for including a battlefield news article included. is much apreciated from a fan of the series like me :3
@“Family” trailer didn’t sell Dead Island, co-op did
Yep, makes sense for a game to sell due to game play features.
@World of Tanks was dismissed as “cheap Asian stuff” – and GDC Europe
I also had no idea about GDC Europe …
World of Tanks seems a nice game, my brother plays it a lot and he likes it. It has a tech tree that does depart from realism a bit, true, but still, a very interesting game.
@Alleged “Microsoft Xbox Durango Development Kit” sold on eBay for $20,100
So it’s a prototype of the console … basically similar hardware to what the console will use … with a (yet dodgy until patched to be usable by the game devs) software dev kit that will also be provided by Microsoft for a very small fee …
Who buys that stuff?!
I mean sure, you have now (2012) a console that won’t be available (along with its games) until one -two years later,woot!! Now, what games are you going to play on it?
@QOTW:
Hmm, tough call. What usually sets apart MMOs is the fact that you have a lot of players sharing the same world and interacting with each other.
In Facebook games you don’t really do that; it more like Massive Multiple Instances of Single Player Online.
We’ll all miss you Paul! Best of luck on your recovery and you’ll be in our thoughts until your return.
Sorry for posting late in the last few weeks, but I’ve been saving podcasts for when I’m not on the computer and I fell a bit behind. To Paul: get well soon and you will definitely be missed in the next few podcasts.
@QOTW: I think that they should fit in some type of new sub-genre, because MMO to me means roaming a world where you see plenty of other people playing and you can interact with them, not just a game with a large number of people online with a few interactions.
hi guys!
dan, last week… you should have ignored jonah and read with tough sarge’s voice… ¬¬ damn you jonah!
@Deep Silver: “Family” trailer didn’t sell Dead Island, co-op did:
of course! if a game is good, it will sell itself, ads are just for that, TO ADVERTISE!
@DICE: Battlefield 4 isn’t set in the future, talks Bad Company 3:
i will not be getting MoH warfighter for the bf4 beta, just like in BF3, i will probably buy the limited edition and get early access anyways. i wish bf4 were the 2143… far future is so coooool!
and the bad company “series” has still a lot of potential! the single player is full of nice comedy and has a (descent) story. looking forward to see haggs sweetwater and sarge again while playing as marlow!
oh! and a coop drop in drop out campaign would fit nicely!
@QOTW:
mmo means massive MP online. it is simple to see if FB games fit that category, but “classic” mmo’s like WoW, DayZ mod (idk if 40~60 players are already considered as “massive”) and LotR might have distorted the MMO word meaning. summerizing, yes, they are, but not as harcore gamers are used to.
If Paul is listening, by now i hope your surgery did well and you are in a collorful paralel world in drugs enjoying yourself :3. save some pills ‘cuz i want to see how are you in the podcast while high 🙂
GET WELL SOON
@Dead Island
As someone who played Dead Island co-op, I can confirm that it sold the game. Besides, you need to be very shallow to buy a game just because of a trailer. Dead Island is what the Xbox needed for the past 6 years of its existence. A game with a world which can be freely explored by a group of people. And it has zombies wearing bikinis (if you like that kind of stuff). The games single player experience does not even remotely compare to that of Skyrim or Fable. It’s the world’s most boring and lonely zombie apocalypse.
@Battlefields
I must admit, I prefer Bad Company 2 to Battlefield 3. I hope they make a third one. Problem with setting a game in the future (i.e. 2142) is that you have to make up bullshit sci-fi weapons, which don’t appeal to everyone. An AK-47 is a trusted weapon which is loved by gamers and terrorists alike. Battlefield 2142 had walkers, emp granades and active camo. Such gameplay elements required a different set of skills which dominate modern day shooters. A COD fan wouldn’t like 2142.
@Facebook games
Facebook is not a gaming platform.
/thread
Can’t add much. The comments before mine explain it well. MMO are supposed to have people around. So that you can interact with others in real time. Or be like me, and play by yourself to feel alone but surrounded by people.