While typically low-key, gaming news has been all over the radar for the past week. Leading into its launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft decided it wanted to hold a big press conference and exhibit all of the games it planned on releasing — in Amsterdam. Corporate mergers have been happening at an almost alarming rate, with a promotional deal being inked between Microsoft and Adidas. Apparently the company wants to make people see gamers as more active.
With this substantial amount of news and limited space available to talk about it, we've decided to present to you our winners and losers of gaming for this week.
Sundeep:
Winner – Peter Jackson overseeing "Halo" movie
Peter Jackson is overseeing "Halo." Hell yeah! Seriously, if I had to pick one person (other than Darren Aronofsky ["Pi," "Requiem for a Dream"]), it would probably be Jackson. Past experience with Tolkien's epic "Lord of the Rings" as well as his upcoming "King Kong," prove his style will certainly play a role in the final product.
Jackson's "Halo" will be shot entirely in (surprise, surprise) Wellington, New Zealand and is slated for a 2007 release.
Most people are just happy someone's taking the video game genre a little more seriously. It will be interesting to see how Jackson's "Halo" stacks up against Tetsuo Nomura's "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children."
With such films suddenly taking their foothold in the film industry, fans nervously wait to see whether this will be a flop or true representation of Master Chief's epic space-battle. Then again, they are releasing "Doom" on the silver screen … yay? The Rock is playing the lead character … uh oh.
Ryan:
Winner – Merger of EB Games and GameStop
In a world of corporate mergers and multimillion-dollar conglomerations, gaming has remained relatively unchanged. With the exception of the death of Sega (at least as a console developer), the main players in the market have stayed the same. Things are set to change, thanks in part to a merger announced this past Friday between Electronics Boutique and GameStop.
As a firm believer in competition making things better for consumers, I'm finding myself a little worried about how this is all going to affect gamers. Though it will probably be nice to have just one universal video game store, it means that they are free to raise prices for games as they see fit. Add this to the recent speculation that next generation games could start at $59.99 and you have a bad situation for gamers without deep pockets.
With cheaper alternatives like GameFly (games can be purchased after rental for around $38 — brand new), this could surely lead to a drop-off in business for gaming-specific retail stores. Then again, Suncoast's ridiculous prices certainly don't keep people from shopping at the stores.
Sundeep:
Loser — Down, Down for Nintendo's First Half Sales
A 6.9 percent drop in the first half of sales for Nintendo has people suddenly wondering what might happen to the video-game giant. Though they remain on top of the handle-held market, competition from both Sony and Microsoft in the console market may one day root out the once-dominant company.
Still, Nintendo's got a few tricks up its sleeve as well as a long history of producing quality systems and games. In 2006, Nintendo plans on releasing its second Zelda title for the Gamecube, with "The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess." The game will almost certainly help keep Nintendo afloat.
Nintendo's handheld system on the other hand, the DS, is not performing well in comparison to Sony's far superior PSP. In response, Nintendo has released the far cheaper and far tinier Nintendo Micro, aimed at replacing the Advance. In addition, Nintendo has finally unveiled its heralded controller that aims to bring gaming to those not likely to play video games. However, this leaves me with a provocative question: Is Nintendo aiming at untapped markets because Microsoft and Sony are crowding the regular gaming markets? Have they given up?
Ryan:
Loser – J Allard talks about Xbox, Revolution
J Allard, corporate VP and Chief XNA Architect, just can't seem to keep his mouth shut about the Xbox 360. Or Nintendo's Revolution, for that matter.
Allard first hyped the Xbox 360 at last week's X05 conference, mostly trying to defend the company's decision to have two separate versions of the console released at launch. His justification — that consumers demand more options when deciding what cell phone or television to purchase.
In one brief moment of levity amid his various questionable statements, Allard mentioned that the Xbox 360 will be compatible with iPods and a variety of digital cameras (likely through USB-connectivity). He went on to say that Microsoft keeps consumer demands in mind and won't be forcing them to buy "a 360 music player and a 360 digital camera." A video game company not looking to force hordes of peripherals and accessories on consumers? I'll believe it when I see it.
In an interview with Game Informer, Allard commented on Nintendo's touted revolutionary controller. After applauding Nintendo for trying something new and noting that he himself had previously considered using accelerometers (a device that would allow gamers to move in-screen by moving or tilting the controller) in remote controls, Allard did a bit of a turn-face and questioned if it really is a good idea.
"I don't think that's the way you're going to play "FIFA." I don't think it's the way you're going to play "Madden." I don't think it's the way you're going to play racing games," Allard said. "I think the traditional controller for traditional categories is really going to be what drives that."
Ryan ([email protected]) and Sundeep ([email protected]) are hopelessly addicted to all things video game. Sundeep has been playing "Viewtiful Joe 2" — it's viewtiful. Ryan cranked through "Ultimate Spider Man" this weekend and is currently waiting for "The Warriors" to come out.
