- Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise

Viva Piñata: Trouble in ParadiseViva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise

July 3, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 4:30 pm

Once upon a time Rare though they had a winner; a game which would end all the confusion between a hardcore console and a kiddie console. Viva Piñata was supposed to change the way we think about Xbox 360 gaming by showing off a title that would make children feel more inclined to game on a “big boys console.”

Unfortunately, execution of Rare’s new franchise title came with a few rough patches, namely Gears of War. Earlier on they had press releases and conferences about how this game was going to interact with users, inspire them to watch Viva Piñata the cartoon to get new recipes for the game which would allow you to create new breeds of Piñata. There were a few flaws in the plan. They didn’t hype the game enough prior to the release and then they decided to launch the game during the over-hyped Gears of War title.

Oddly enough my children (two and four years of age) would rather watch Sponge Bob and Dora reruns than a single episode of Viva Piñata. I thought the show was cute and the bright colors and crazy creatures would draw children like moths to a flame, but they just didn’t care.

My children were too young to play the first Viva Piñata and it didn’t provide enough interest for them to watch me play it and invest the hours. I found the game to be creative and fun… for awhile. Once my happy little Piñatas started eating each other and fighting constantly I realized the joy was gone. If I want to listen to screaming and fighting I’ve got my own children, babysitting Piñatas in a fake garden just wasn’t doing it for me.

Now, Viva Piñata: Trouble in paradise has been given a date of September by Eurogamer. Rare is stating we’ll have 30 new Piñata’s to play with along with new environments, co-op play and other cute options. Admittingly, Drop-in/Drop-out co-op play does sound kind of neat but my emotional scares from the first title have not healed yet.

I was told there would be a great deal of downloadable content (DLC) for Viva Piñata. but found nothing available after I purchased the game and, if content exists now, I’ve long since lost interest in the game. The idea was solid, the demographic was available but the execution went flat. You cannot expect older gamers with children to believe Microsoft or Rare are planning to give us real kids games when you release a single title and show us no other kids games for two years.

At this point, if you’re looking for a console with more kid-friendly gaming you’re going to buy a Wii every single time. Titles on the Wii work for both young adults, teenagers, kids and older grandparents while the 360 goes strong with the 18-34 year-old male demographic.

If you want to be serious about bringing kids on board, Viva Piñata is going to need some friends not just a single sequel. Otherwise, you’re going to find out quick that the 18-34 demographic will simply nod politely and move on to their next great fix… Gears of War 2 perhaps (November, 2008).

If the upcoming Viva Piñata franchise executes like its prior title there will definitely be some trouble in paradise.

Guitar Hero: On Tour – 300K Units SoldGuitar Hero: On Tour – 300K Units Sold

July 3, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 3:30 pm

The little DS title Guitar Hero: On Tour arrived with a hand-held attachment for playing guitar on the go. Some reviewers found it cramped, annoying and too damn small to really feel any comfort. Other reviews found it exciting, fresh and a break from standard DS games.

Reviews aside, 300,000 people are willing to bet money that the DS title was going to rock the house. The concept hit the mark for the DS because the game system is for on the go “touch and feel” style games; Guitar Hero: On Tour is definitely a touch and feel game.

Although we’ve not played it, we’re not too surprised that 300k people purchased the title, considering the install base for the Nintendo DS device itself. With such a large install base, even if only 25% of the target audience buys into the product they’ll be rolling in the dough.

Will this inspire a Rock Band style ‘drum game’ for the future from the Activision competitors or was this nothing but a fluke?

(Thanks, GameSpot)

Firmware 2.40, Epic Failure?Firmware 2.40, Epic Failure?

July 3, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 1:14 pm

After finally catching a break and making some strides in the sales of PlayStation 3 consoles, Sony stumbles over a major firmware update, v2.40, causing customers minor to extreme pain across the board. Some PlayStation 3 consoles are having small issues while others are simply locking up.

In the end, Sony has decided to pull the update from their site “temporarily” while they fix the glitches:

“UPDATE: 7/2/2008, the PlayStation 3 system software version 2.40 has been temporarily taken offline and will not be available for download as our engineers examine any possible issues with this update. The Knowledge Center will be updated with information as it becomes available; please check back here for further details.”

Sony’s only response is “we’re looking into it” while the only way a consumer of a fried box is to get back online is to format and start over (saving their content to some other media device first of course). Or, they can ship it back for a minor charge of $150.00. Or, they can do as others have been, light up the sony forums.

(Thanks, 1up)

Gaming FlashBack: Baldur’s GateGaming FlashBack: Baldur’s Gate

July 2, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 3:23 pm

Baldur’s Gate isn’t too old, it was released in November of 1998, but that’s still a bit dated now. The gaming industry isn’t friendly to the years, often working in what seems to be accelerated “dog years” in terms of technological advancements. It figured this was worth covering because it’s one of the best selling and considered a top tier single-player RPG by most accounts.

It was also developed by BioWare, who, at the time, only had one other game under their belt from two years before called Shattered Steel.

The story begins just after a devastating event in the Forgotten Realms D&D campaign called the “Time of Troubles.” This was a great twist in the standard D&D campaign, it caused all curative magic (clerics) to lose their ability to heal unless near their deity, magic didn’t function correctly (I believe this is where the Wild Mage came from) and was unpredictable and gods walked the earth as mortals which caused magic to, in effect, die while the gods were away. Since the storyline starts slightly after this event, the game contains healing and magic but the storyline is impacted by prior events of course, people have trust issues.

The game was made great because it held “mostly true” to the 2nd Edition D&D roots so the learning curve for D&D player’s wasn’t so rough; some things were adjusted to handle the real-time effect of a video game RPG. You could party with up to six Non-Player-Characters (NPC’s) whom would swap in and out of your active party over time as part of the storyline (something also implemented by the US release of Final Fantasy 2).

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Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Hit’s the ShelvesGuitar Hero: Aerosmith Hit’s the Shelves

July 2, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 12:44 pm

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is out, gamers rejoyce. Reviews show the game being “so so” in terms of value and total experiences. GameSpot gave it a 7.0 out of 10 saying it’s a bit short, 41 songs instead of the typical 70+ from other Guitar Hero games… but you’re still paying full price.

They’re also saying Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is easier, which is great for the non-hardcore players. For those uberskills shown off in so many youtube video’s, you’ll probably wanna stick to Guitar Hero III. IGN ranked it a 7.6 out of 10, with much of the same issues as other review sites have found: lots of “the same” in this title only with Aerosmith songs instead of a variety, a bit easy and only attractive to those that like Aerosmith.

If you’re a huge Aerosmith fan, this game goes without saying. If you’re looking for additional guitar tracks to rock out on, again, not a bad selection. If you’re looking for the next great rock and role gaming experience, this isn’t worth the cash it seems.

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TD Gaming Podcast 77: Skeleton CrewTD Gaming Podcast 77: Skeleton Crew

July 1, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 10:11 pm

This week on the TD Gaming Podcast we explore four exciting news stories:

Diablo 3 Announced, Blizzard brings us their next hit franchise to the light…or dark?
Xbox 360 Price Drop Rumors: $299 in the future?
Blizzard adds a one-time password to World of Warcraft
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Get’s Fan Pack DLC

This week in gaming history we’ll look back at LJN, a listener’s idea and gaming flashback on the hit title Myst. This week we discuss the concept of using the Nintendo DS as a learning device, as they’re doing in Japan.

Rumor: Xbox 360’s New 60GB ModelRumor: Xbox 360’s New 60GB Model

July 1, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 7:33 pm

The latest and greatest rumor on the Net brings back old rumors and spreads them with new rumors. The Xbox 360 will be getting a price drop on their 20GB model because they’re going to release a new 60GB model to replace it.

So, in essence, the price drop is just to move consoles off the shelves to make room for one of greater disk capacity. With all these Rock Band style games arriving, each with full song downloadable content (DLC), we’re going to need bigger disks! However, we don’t all want to invest in the 120GB Xbox 360.

Ars Technica says this information comes from a reliable source. Reliable source or common sense? The idea of dropping the Xbox 360 Pro down to a price that’s only USD $20.00 away from their lower model seems a bit rediculous if the original rumor is considered true. DLC is growing, disk capacity is becoming a bigger issue and finding manufacturers to build older 20GB disks is going to get tougher as months tick by.

Whining Diablo 3 Fans Want Artistic Direction ChangeWhining Diablo 3 Fans Want Artistic Direction Change

July 1, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 5:43 pm

We’ve waited years for a Diablo 3 announcement. Within days the Internet is afire with Diablo 3 news, theories, previews, screenshots and dialog about the next Blizzard Game. However, there are hardcore gamers that only see the Diablo cup as half full while the rest of us are simply excited to see gameplay footage.

What’s wrong with the upcoming franchise blockbuster? Apparently the art direction is making a few people upset because it’s too much like World of Warcraft. Holy crap, isn’t that a multi-million dollar hit MMORPG developed and maintained by none other than Blizzard?

“The main objective of this petition is to show Blizzard that there’s a significant number of players that dont agree with the current art style of the game, with this petition we hope to make Blizzard ear our voices, our opinions and our suggestions and we seriously want some changes in the artistic direction of the game so it could be more coherent and familiar with the Diablo universe.” (diablo 3 petition)

Imagine the developers and artist whom have worked, in secret, for years to bring gamers the next game in a series they’ve longed for? Not “thank you for making our dreams come true,” but “oh, c’mon, you can’t make the game I want?”

You must first understand the demographic of video game fans, especially those hardcore fans who will invest their (moms) time and money into the Diablo franchise. To many gamers the world actually revolves around them and all games should cater to their needs and desires.

The gameplay footage didn’t have enough “realistic world with realistic, dirty and muddy textures” and the game has too much “over-sized and exaggerated proportions like big shoulder guards.” The gameplay footage that we’ve seen is too clean, to “cartoony” and looks hand drawn rather than dark and eerie like the other Diablo games.

What? Is this a joke?

No, the internet gives voices to many folks, some folks whom we wish would stay silent. Instead, they start an online petition which will lead to no change, but alas, we can let them pretend.

Diablo 3 looks great, has a very nice direction and I trust that Blizzard will make it work. Blizzard has three key franchises and they work hard to perfect each one with the majority of gamers being satisfied customers.

(Thanks, actiontrip)

3 Reasons Publishers Desire Us to Keep Old Games3 Reasons Publishers Desire Us to Keep Old Games

July 1, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 9:37 am

When we invest in a new video game we want to feel satisfied by the content supplied in the game, we want to know we’re getting our moneys worth in the investment. Publishers, on the other hand, want us to keep our old games so they stay out of the used market. A publisher does not make a dime on used game sales. Their primary weapon to stop game sales? Downloadable Content (DLC).

1. Publishers Spend Lots on Marketing

A great example being GTA IV, hardcore gamers have a short attention span and live on hype more than physical games. Today, games live in press releases, demos, cinematic and live gameplay footage at conferences and on the web. Then, a game hits the shelves and sells millions of copies for a week or two before it’s forgotten. Publishers have marketed their game well, spent thousands on conference booths, streaming video bandwidth and rushing game demos through development and testing cycles early to get eyes on their titles.

Let’s face it, gamers that scrambled to buy Grant Theft Auto IV have moved onto the next big title or have decided to go outside for some fresh air (probably the former). Hardcore gamers consumes games like candy, sells them off for store credit and works towards their next purchase.

2. Publishers Want Loyalty

DLC breaths new life into old games, making them remain valuable for months after the hype and excitement has died. We’re now spending USD $60.00 for some of these new “current generation” game titles for a few days or weeks of excitement. Free downloadable content brings new reasons to play our “old stale” games and allows us to feel comfortable about our 60 bucks spent on a title.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is receiving a new “Fan Pack” for gamers to re-energize themselves about the “old” sequel to Rainbox Six Vegas. A game released in March is considered old by gamers, probably rarely played on Xbox Live anymore and needs something to keep the fans interested. This helps build loyalty to your product so the next franchise title which is released has a better chance of being purchased by your fan base because they can look forward to additional free content in the future.

3. Publishers Hate Used Games

Publishers are helping stick those games in the hands of the gamers for a longer period of time by supplying free add-on packs. Why would you re-sell your precious title back to the store when you could hold it and wait for potential DLC?

Publishers receive no revenue from the resale of a video game so it’s in their best interest to keep it out of the used markets. If there is a chance your beloved game will receive new features, at no cost to you, wouldn’t you hold off from selling it to see what’s coming?

Once a gamer has sold their title to a retail chain for pennies they’re unlikely to re-buy the title with the typical 80% markup when DLC arrives. They may opt to borrow a friends copy or rent the title rather than re-purchase it; neither fair well for the publisher in terms of revenue.

Games are expensive. Consumers must be wise to the best value in their video game titles and publishers want you to choose them for your gaming entertainment. Competition is high, profit margins are low and the market is all about sales volume. Publishers want repeat customers, people who feel their games are valuable before and after the purchase and are willing to share their loyalties with others.

Do you collect old console games, or do you sell them off to game stores and/or eBay? Would you consider holding off a sale if there was a great chance of new downloadable content?

Rock Band 2: Backwards Compatible DLC TooRock Band 2: Backwards Compatible DLC Too

June 30, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 8:09 pm

Harmonix, MTV Games and Electronic Arts has announced their next block buster killer app: Rock Band 2. First, the most important feature is backwards compatible downloadable content. They’ve surpassed 15-million paid downloads, we want our content and we want to keep all the awesome songs for future games, else we might as well stop purchasing now, right?

The question remains, will we want to upgrade our instruments? They’re saying we’ll have “more variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs – all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.” Will the enhanced instruments really want to make us go out and buy them?

If these new instruments are highly desirable or add any new features to the game (or make newer features ‘easier’) then we may be persuaded to look into new hardware…yet with Guitar Hero World Tour we’re already pressured into considering another drum unit.

So confusing, but yet so much desired. I guess that’s the love hate relationship of a gamer with a passion and a, slight, addiction!

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