Heavenly Sword Chap.3-The End(Final)

Allright, I know that if you have been following so far that I've gone chapter by chapter. Well, that was all right back at the beginning where there was more to discuss but as the game goes on you are just doing the same things you were in the beginning.
There are some really good scenes in the game with lots of drama and depth but most of this takes place in finely rendered cutscenes. I love the style and beauty of the game but the repetitive gameplay is terrible. I never want to fire another ball at a catapult again. This game has a lot of potential stirring in it. I would say that Heavenly Sword 2 will probably be one of the best action games out there. But they have to drop the aftertouch. They have to drop the stupid context sensitive cutscenes.
The final battle is probably the most annoying and it should have been the most fun. Why didn't they give the Heavenly Sword special powers or a special set of combos right at the end? Why wasn't the whole last battle context sensitive cutscenes, which could have really been cool. I know I just said I hated them, but considering they are too present in the rest of the game; in order to make the final battle more epic it would have been cool if they had done that. There were so many options they could have taken advantage of, that they didn't. I really love the idea and most of the execution of Heavenly Sword but there were just so many things that could have been fixed. For these reasons and many others that I have all ready discussed I give the very short, very pretty, Heavenly Sword a 7.5/10. Rent the game and see if you like it before you buy it, because you will probably end up beating within just a few days from when you bought it.

UGO Tries to find some Halo Killers, probably not guys!

The offerings from UGO.com are right here.
I can/t say that this was a surprising article given the furor over Halo 3's recent good reviews and sales. However, to be a "Halo Killer." The game is going to need to have the kind of impact that Halo 3 does. Which is virtually impossible to do. Any games that come out from now on, won't be able to do better than Halo. Why? Because beating Halo is like beating Madden. The competition might be critically better, but you aren't going to find the kind of sales that Halo pulled.
Two games on the list certainly have the best chance of being "Halo Killers." These would be Unreal Tournament 3 which doesn't come out until next year except on PC. The other game is the Orange Box. Unreal Tournament 3 has some of the best graphics on any system since Gears of War and the addition of a map editor that allows the players to make maps and upload them to either the PC to play them or to your PS3. This is revolutionary and exciting. Problem is, that in order make the maps you have to buy a copy of the PC version of the game. To play them on your PS3 you need to have a PS3 version. Theoretically, this could give the game double normal sales. But I think only around 10% of the population of Unreal community will do this. Too bad, built in double sales could definitely kill Halo 3. The Orange Box, probably the best deal in all of gaming will include: Half Life 2, Half Life episode 1&2. Portal, and Team Fortress 2. It also comes out next week. It will be available on three platforms XBOX 360, PS3, and PC. All of which will probably help it's sales immensely. Even with all this packed on to one disc, I think that this critical darling will probably suffer from lagging sales. The commercials this last week were good but Microsoft has been touting Halo 3 for the past 2 years and Valve won't be able to compete with that. Personally, I'm more excited about both games than I was for Halo 3.
Their sales won't reflect this and considering how many 9s and 10s Halo 3 received where can these games go critically to beat Halo 3? This is why when people start saying that it is too early in the year to say that Halo 3 or Bioshock will be Game of the Year; I wonder then, why they gave the Halo 3 and Bioshock 9.5s or 10s. These are normally not scores people throw around. I have never given a game a 10/10. Mostly because there is no room for improvement there and every game has room for improvement.
The other games on the list have too low of a budget and are a little too pat to be able to compete with the most popular FPS in history next to Counter Strike.
The games that aren't on the list that might topple Halo 3; that aren't FPSs. For instance: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3, Mass Effect, or even Super Smash Bros on the Wii. These games have broader appeal and even with small marketing budgets with the holiday season it is possible they could compete with Halo 3. It's going to be really hard to beat Halo 3 and even critically speaking it will be a real battle royale this holiday season.
But I get the feeling that in the end when all the scores are tallied and sales figured, Halo 3 will be the winner.

Heavenly Sword Chapter 3 Part 3!

All right this is concerning the third chapter where you finally get to finish off some of the boss characters from earlier in the game. The best part of the this chapter are the areas where you get to control Nuriko, rather than those where you must use Kia. I truly do like Kia's character but the problem with her is that what you must do with her is too much trial and error. No one is going to be able to play through her missions just one time without restarting at, at least one checkpoint.. The other problem that develops a little more in this chapter as well are the horrible finishing off the boss or trying to get through a section using only context sensitive actions.
This is just a bad way to make a game. In these cases and in all most every case of context sensitive cutscenes, I would much rather just watch the cutscene than have to do something during it. I understand that developers can't seem to come to grips with the fact that games succeed in spite of their context sensitive cutscenes not because of them.
I still really love the game, but as things get more crazy both in battle and playing Kia; I beginning to wonder if they couldn't have mixed up some the action with new enemy types or maybe some kind of monsters that could show the real power of the Heavenly Sword. I just keep wanting an opportunity to use the sword to the fullest. No cannons, no crossbows, no catapults, just the Heavenly Sword. You know, the name of the game!

Sony's 40GB Hardware SKU, a different take!

Sony has confirmed their 40GB harddrive model for only 399 Euros. Read all about it here.
All of this stuff has made a lot of waves in the news lately and it seems like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are still trying to perpetuate their launch year excitement by continuously announcing new SKUs and special editions of old SKUs with minor tweaks. The real problem with Sony especially doing this; is that it seems as though they STILL haven't figured out why their console isn't selling. The fact that the PSP was selling at $249 and it had practically nothing good running on it was testament to the fact that as long as a system has a descent number of games; people will buy it.
Oh yeah, I said it, "A DESCENT NUMBER OF GAMES!" I didn't say good games did I? No, I didn't. Sony needs to stop worrying about hardware on the retail side and send all their hardware monkeys out to developers to ensure that their third and first party developers make their release dates and use the full power of the system.
If that isn't enough to keep them busy, perhaps pushing HOME through it's paces and getting all the promised content from two years ago going on the service. Better still perhaps making the Playstation Network Store a descent place, rather than something that looks like it was designed and put up on the same day.
Doing all these expensive refits for new SKUs only confuses potential consumers and generally makes people who were early adopters angry. I know there are only about 1,000(joking) of them so maybe Sony doesn't care too much but...
With all the Halo news and hype lately; Sony would do well to get going on it's own marketing campaign for whatever it thinks will be out this holiday season. Since so many big titles are getting pushed back; they should probably start hyping Folklore and Ratchet and Clank: Future Tools of Destruction. Not on late night cable, but on primetime. Like during Chuck, Heroes, or CSI?
Sony doesn't need new hardware, what they need is some new software!

Hellgate London Interview with Gamesradar!

This is probably going to be the first salvo in a bombardment of interviews, previews, and reviews that will be heralding the coming release of Hellgate London for the PC. Here is the article....

The Rumors were TRUE Bungie Offficially Leaves Microsoft!

"Bungie Officially Leaves Microsoft

It's actually 100% true. Bungie Studios is now independent again, but the developer has also formed a long-term partnership with Microsoft, and Bungie said it plans to extend that to include new IP beyond Halo. More within...

Sometimes really big rumors actually prove true. Today Microsoft and Bungie Studios confirmed that the Halo developer has once again become a privately held independent company. Microsoft will hold a minority equity interest, however, and the two parties "have forged a deep and long-term development and publishing relationship focused on the continued success of the Halo franchise."

In addition, Microsoft and Bungie said that they intend to "expand their partnership to include new IP created and owned by Bungie."

"This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games," said Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie. "We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft's platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios, and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through Halo and beyond."

"Working with Microsoft was great for us, it allowed us to grow as a team and make the ambitious, blockbuster games we all wanted to work on. And they will continue to be a great partner. But Bungie is like a shark. We have to keep moving to survive. We have to continually test ourselves, or we might as well be dolphins. Or manatees," said Jason Jones, Bungie founder and partner.

More information on Bungie's official website reveals that the deal became effective on October 1.

Bungie added, "...rather than stifle our imagination, [Microsoft] decided it was in both our best interests to unleash it. We'll continue to make Xbox 360 games, and we'll continue to make amazing games for MGS. In that regard, nothing has changed. All that has changed is that now Bungie Studios is once again, the property of the folks of Bungie Studios. Microsoft is and will continue to be, a brilliant, inventive and creatively collaborative publishing partner. Practically speaking, nothing has changed and you guys won't see much, if any difference, for a while..."

Microsoft acquired Bungie back in 2000, and since that time the studio has played an enormous role in driving the Xbox business thanks to its Halo franchise. Most recently, Halo 3 totaled over $300 million in worldwide sales during its first week."

This seems strange considering that small independent studies have been doing pretty badly in the last couple of years. Hopefully this isn't the Halo curse, first the movie and now the studio that makes it. It seems this franchise is just rife with turmoil.

Heavenly Sword Chapter 2.5 Part 2!

Seems that Chapter 2 is a heck of a lot bigger than Chapter 1. So I'm round half way through maybe a little more. The game has a couple of really big problems as I can see it.
First, don't make a game where progress is Dependant on contextual action cutscenes. It seriously screws up not only the progress, but also makes the player pretty frustrated.
Second, don't use the same contextual action cutscenes to finish off boss fights. Therefore, when you have a bossfight that last forever and when you cannot even kill the boss in the end; it gets kind of crazy.
Finally and most importantly, don't use aftertouch for 40% of the game. There is just too much of it; in this short game.
I absolutely love Heavenly Sword. The fighting the cool combos, there just isn't anything cooler. I also love the art style. The voice acting and the amazing facial features on the characters. The drama this game conveys is so incredible, it is as good as any movie. I just wish the game was longer and without the aftertouch.

Exclusives dead? I don't think so!

Is the exclusive video game franchise dead? According to the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly it is. In the article by N. Evan Van Zelfden he says that the longer, more expensive nature of video games have made it necessary for developers to give up their exclusive minded endeavors and subscribe to the philosophy of having a game come out on all the consoles or many consoles.

The proof of the article seems apparent to anyone who looks at the larger state of the video game industry these days. But there are certainly minor problems with this. For instance, the majority of the BIG games for all the current consoles are not ports but original IPS that are exclusives to a single console or have been ported from the PC to a single console. Examples of this most prominently would be Resistance: Fall of Man(the best selling PS3 game for a good portion of it's short life span), Bioshock(XBOX 360 and PC versions make this game one of the best selling games on XBOX 360 so far), HALO 3(another exclusive game to the XBOX 360 that has thus far made more money than some blockbuster films), and finally the whole GOD of War franchise which originated and has stayed on the PS2. There is a PSP version coming out this fall, but this game will be exclusive to the PSP and not ported to other devices. All of the above are examples of single console titles that have done EXTREMELY well on a single platform.

Certainly the inverse of these examples are games like: Spider-Man 3(ported to every platform except PC), Rock Band(on all consoles, and Guitar Hero 3(on all consoles). Two of these are not out yet, but are recording extremely high pre-order sales putting them above some games currently available.

What is the real story here? Alas, it is a sad one. The story revolves around the fact that video games are very expensive to make and franchises are really dangerous things to start. If the franchise is successful then the developer and publisher are heralded as masters of technology and marketing. If the games fail, it is yet another example of the risky nature of the video game industry.

In the end, the developers in Zelfden's article have made deals with the perspective companies that insure that their games make money regardless of sales. But games like Legend of Zelda, Halo, and Resistance are going to be the top sellers at retail. Unless you count the Hannah Montanas and Nancy Drews of the world. Because then everyone should be making Nintendo DS and PC games; ignoring consoles completely. Discounting these, making a game for multiple consoles doesn't automatically guarantee the developer an excellent title. Just as the Midway about how their porting of Stranglehold went. This moves us into another topic: Does porting your game to multiple platforms, hurt the game more than help it. But that is a topic for another post. Personally, I think there is plenty of evidence that, not only is the exclusive not dead; it is necessary for the health and well being of a console.

Halo 3 Makes $400 Million it's First Week!

"Halo 3 scores $300 million in first-week sales

Bungie's latest not doing too badly at the end of Halo 3's first week on sale.

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK

Posted Oct 4, 2007 7:07 am PT

Xbox 360-exclusive Halo 3 made $170 million on its first day on sale in the US alone, and also broke Australian sales records according to figures released down under. Now Bungie has one more reason to celebrate--week one sales have clocked in at a rather reasonable $300 million worldwide.

Halo 3, which is the fastest-selling game ever, is being billed by Microsoft as "one of the most successful entertainment properties in history." The company released a statement saying that initial figures from retailers are also showing the Halo effect having an influence on console purchasing--Xbox 360 sales have more than doubled since the game's release.

Unsurprisingly, the game is also faring well on Xbox Live, with more than 2.7 million gamers having had a go online--over a third of the seven million total registered Live users. Forty-million hours of online games, which adds up to 4,500 years, have been played in the first week across the globe, and almost 30 million achievements unlocked."Gamespot...

This compares to the total amount of the box office for the Sixth Sense. That, hopefully puts this amount in perspective. Considering this is just first week sales, it will be interesting to see how much this games turns out earning by Christmas.

Folklore a 9.0? I can't wait to play this one!

Seems Unreal Engine doesn't like PS3 too much!

PS3fanboy reports," Underneath the depths of a crater-sized hole left from their earlier Unreal Tournament 3 PS3 delay, Midway CEO David Zucker also made a rather bold statement about Midway's future Unreal Engine-based PS3 releases. Citing "technical issues of the Unreal Engine 3.0" as the main culprit for the PS3 delays of Stranglehold, Area 51: Blacksite and of course, Unreal Tournament 3, the conference call also included the assurances these technical issues have since been worked out, barring PS3 delays for future multiplatform releases in 2008 and beyond.

Hmmm ... color PS3 fans bemused and slightly suspicious. After all, we're still left with a lingering sting from the triple whammy PS3 backhand they've dished out. If anything is certain, it's that death, taxes and occasional game delays are all but inevitable but we just hope Midway can stick to their guns to make one of those things, a thing of the past. Imagine ... no taxes! [Insert lolz here.]"

All so interesting, seems that the wonderful Cell processor seems more trouble than it's worth. I wonder if this means that Unreal Tourney 3 will only be marginally earlier on the PS3 than on the XBOX 360. I'm picking up the PC version and the PS3 version. I love making maps and playing on them. Unreal Tournament 2 was my favorite game back in the day. Can't wait.... Anyway, this shows that the PS3 still has some way to go before they are going to be able to compete on an even playing field with the XBOX 360.

The Sarcastic Gamer on Wii Shortages!

"Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime (pronounced 'full of crap') told us all recently that Nintendo would not be able to meet the demand for Wii consoles in North America for the holiday season this year.

Exsqueeze me? Baking Powder? Did you just tell us that you still haven't figured out how to tune your production process to meet demand after more than a year? Good one Reg! Wow, you had me for a second. So what you're really saying, is that with no really compelling reason to buy your little solar-powered calculator, you guys came up with this "artificial panic" idea.

What happened? Spend too much time trying to crack down on employee-bloggers, and forgot to turn on the factory? Is there a shortage of weak graphics cards? Was there a worldwide run on sucky processors?

At first dismissive of this as a terrible marketing ploy, I thought it through, despite the obvious waste of my precious (and few) brain synapses.

I decided, as most of you have already done, that Nintendo are trying to sustain the "Wii fad" by making it some sort of shopping trophy. As we all know, the idea is not without merit. But Reggie's approach is, how shall we say, just a TAD too obvious. Chances are, the folks who started THESE fads, were just a little more subtle in the "setup" phase. Remember these fads?

• Cabbage Patch Dolls - Christmas 1982 - Only slightly less technologically advanced than a Wii, the Cabbage Patch Dolls had soccer moms duking it out like Thursday Night RAW had come to Kmart.
  


• Tickle Me Elmo - Christmas 1996 - Same replay value as most Wii titles, but a whole lot cuter, Elmo's annoying little laugh is quite comparable to the tiny little dudes in the the Wii commercials.
  


• Pet Rock - Christmas 1975 - Only slightly less complicated to assemble than a Wii, the Pet Rock drew long lines of enthusiasts, who couldn't wait to teach their new pets how to "stay" and "sit".


• Macarena - I'll take half credit for this one since it isn't an actual product, but it does involve a fair amount of ridiculous gyration of one's body, not unlike the silly stuff you have to do to play Red Steel on the Wii.

So maybe this "shortage" of Nintendo Wii's this holiday season isn't without merit. Look on the bright side, at least if there are fewer people buying Wii's, maybe a few more people will pick up real gaming consoles like 360's or... even PS3's (I hear they have PLENTY of those in stock)."SarcasticGamer...

I have to agree with this. I'm kind of tired of Nintendo trumpeting how wonderful they are and they can't even produce enough of their wonderful systems to fill demand. Perhaps, folks will get tired of their crap and buy an XBOX 360.

Halo 3 Reviewed!

Hey everyone, I just finished my Halo 3 review. It's not a 10 or a 9 so you might want to check it out.

US Bestsellers! All Platforms...

1. Halo 3 (regular edition)(XBOX360)
2. Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass(DS)
3. Halo 3 (limited edition)(XBOX360)
4. Carnival Games (Wii)
5. Guitar Hero 3 Bundle (Wii)
6. Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party Bundle (Wii)
7. Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull (PC)
8. Brain Age 2 (DS)
9. Rock Band Special Edition Bundle (XBOX 360)
10. Halo 3 (Legendary edition) (XBOX 360)

These are some crazy stats. Nancy Drew for the PC?
*Amazon.com stats updated hourly

Playstation the Official Magazine to Begin publication in November

It's hard to believe that Official Playstation Magazine has been dead and gone from us a whole year. It used to be published by Ziff Davis and they axed the magazine due to the lagging sales. Now Future and Sony are getting together to relaunch Playstation: the Official Magazine. This magazine will strangely enough be launching in November. How ironic... Anyway, the worst part of this is that the current PSM publication can barely fill a magazine with the lack games that Sony has been not coming out with. I'm not sure why this warrants yet another magazine.
This is especially strange because in Europe, where the PS3 is more popular; just a few months ago it was reported that these Sony only publications are bleeding money, Therefore it is truly a strange thing to see Sony partnering with Future(the guys bleeding money in Europe), to come out with an American magazine.
Good luck, hopefully the writing will be better than that found in the Official XBOX Magazine. Where is the Official Nintendo magazine? They could really use one.