gamesource

A RE-REBUTTAL TO "NINTENDO DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE..."4-24-2013

 

When I first heard that Jeremiah had taken issue with some of the things mentioned in my previous post on Nintendo (which you can read below) I will admit I wasn't surprised. Jeremiah, as he stated in his response (which you can read below as well) often does gets mistaken for being a Nintendo fan boy. What they don't realize is that he, along with Joel, in my opinion provides a more diverse knowledge base for video games than anyone else on the staff. Whether it be a question on a JRPG or thoughts on whether or not a certain MMO should have gone Free-to-Play, I know Jeremiah is someone who I can also go to for an informed opinion. Now that being the case I can truly say without a doubt he represents what Nintendo often targets: a hardcore video game fan base. As for myself, I believe when I speak, write or review video games, I always try to view from the point of view of how the average (or casual) consumer might interpret it. Now, mind you I'm not a paid analyst, but I believe my extensive years in video game and retail management have given me a keen eye on what the casual fan may (or may not) be looking for (If you need proof listen HERE to GS Podcast #45 where I nail the launch date and price and NO it wasn't by accident...).

 

That being said, I want to address the items in his blog that I take difference to. First, I have not at any time "Flip-Flopped" on my thoughts on Nintendo. I did state an initial hope for the WiiU console coming from their first big Nintendo Direct after what can only be described as an abysmal E3 2012 press conference (trust me I was there falling asleep with everyone else) and initial Holiday 2102 sales performance. I did say these Nintendo Directs have been great for the Nintendo faithful but not for the consumer at large. Now as for the "they'll have nothing at E3" comment, while I'm sure they will still roll out MORE of the same remakes and sequels to their proven commodities, any new IP's will get drowned out in a sea of major announcements from Sony and Microsoft, the main problem with traditionally going third on the E3 conference trail. I did state that blending in New IP's and familiar additions to the WiiU/3DS lineup to the Nintendo Directs along which a much higher priority on promotion of said Directs would give Nintendo a much better appearance to the casual fan. I will respectfully leave the "flip-flopping" to one Angry Nick, who gives kudos to Microsoft one minute, Sony the next.

 

Commenting further on the other misconception in my article, I didn't say that the WiiU does not play Wii games. I said that "due to the superior online experiences and easier (and cheaper) access to a wider availability of games" the Xbox360 and PS3 would be a better alternative for the consumer now, and even when Sony and Microsoft introduce the PS4 and the next Xbox to the marketplace and both of their previous consoles get a substantial reduction in price. Remember, you can play all Wii games that use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on the Wii U. You can't keep your saves in both places though (you can use the system transfer to move them from the Wii to the Wii U, but they can't be moved back) so you're kind of stuck between the proverbial a rock and a hard place there. If your game requires WiiConnect24, well "it'sa no-no" as Mario would say. Oh, and did I forget if you're moving your saves over to WiiU, or downloading additional WiiU items or updates you have to purchase an additional hard drive space just like the XBOX 360 4GB, except depending on the size it may cost you an additional $50-$200 because an 8 or a 32GB drive isn't going to cut it. This is where the average consumer needs to be notified that at least they have options with Sony and Microsoft where they can purchase a system with 250 to 500GB right out of the box. I know Jeremiah's going to say that 250GB or even 500GB to a gamer fills up fast, which is true. But to the average consumer who gets it as a gift, buys it for Netflix, or just occasionally plays Call of Duty their value from having a larger hard drive initially is substantially increased because they will not fill up the memory quite as fast, if at all perhaps.

 

One thing is for certain, Jeremiah and I quickly came to an agreement on one concern. With 3rd parties jumping off the WiiU like rats from a sinking ship, if Nintendo doesn't start producing original, innovative and widely attractive IP's, Nintendo's entry for its "next-gen" system will have a shorter life span than the Game Cube. Nintendo needs to change its way of thinking on many fronts very quickly because even with the moderate success of the 3DS, cell phone and tablet gaming will keep taking bigger and bigger chunks of the mobile gaming pie. For a company that just lost a huge amount of money AGAIN this year that's not a good sign. Even after all is said and done Jeremiah, I've yet to pour dirt on the grave of Nintendo, at least for now. I still have hope for Nintendo that they'll turn things around and head in the right "Direct"ion.

 

Feel diiferently on Nintendo's prospects? Share your thoughts with us at yourgamesource@yahoo.com or our Forum at http://www.yourgamesource.com/forum.html

 

A Rebuttal to "Nintendo Doesn't Have a Clue" (4/23/2013)

 

I'll first say that for whatever reason people seem to label me as a Nintendo fan boy, which is confusing to me because I own all the systems (handheld included) and play them all equally. The only reason I think people may get this idea is because I find myself defending Nintendo quite often, but really the only reason for that is they get picked on way more than the other two and often for stupid reasons. For example, if you didn't at least try out anything on a Wii because you thought it was just a "waggle machine", that's a stupid reason, and caused you to miss out on quite a lot of good games. In the case of Gerald's article though, there are plenty of good points.

 

As is obvious by looking at the article I wrote about the Wii U I got it day one. There were enough games coming out and announced that interested me, and I'm confident more will be on the way. He also mentions the Vita as a dead on arrival system, and I have the same feelings there. I picked one up because there were enough games to justify it for me, and I knew more were coming. I understand most gamers are not like this though and will only buy when there are enough games to keep them busy instantly. I will say that it probably would've helped the Wii U more if they had waited a bit to release the system and had secured more games and third parties, even though it released with more games than the 360, PS3, or Wii did.

 

New IPs are a pretty big hot button, and I'll first say that I do think it's past due for Nintendo to get out some new ones. The newest one that I can think of is HarmoKnight for the 3DS, which is a handheld game and download only. Fun little game, but unless they plan on expanding on that, that's what it'll stay as, a downloadable handheld game. Nintendo has more than enough money to take some risks on new IPs NOW while they need to, and also help secure the third party support. While I'm certainly not complaining, I think they're focusing too much on the 3DS, which doesn't really need any help at this point. With so many games to play on my 3DS I barely have enough time to play any console games, and that's certainly a weird problem to have.

Nintendo Direct...now, I know I said this to Gerald but I'll say it again, his stance has totally flip-flopped on this one. Originally he thought it was a bad idea that they showed off so much stuff at the last big Nintendo Direct that featured Wind Waker HD and the new Xenoblade, saying that "They won't have anything left for E3!” Now of course another big Nintendo Direct later and he wants more and for them to publicize it. I get what he's saying though, and when Wii Fit came out, that WAS all over the morning TV shows and the internet. Since they've done it before, I'm sure they would again if they had something similar to showcase. Of course that brings us back to the issue of needing a new IP that'll pander to that crowd.

 

With the new systems coming, the early adopters will be the hardcore and fans of those companies, but unless they have enough worthwhile games at launch they'll have similar problems. I also don't really think them dropping the price of the 360 and PS3 is as relevant as Michael Pachter and Gerald make it out to be. To start, I believe the price drop will be before the new systems come out, not right when they come out, otherwise they are strangling their own launches. At the same time, the Wii U DOES play Wii games also, which somehow gets forgotten quite often. If recent rumors are true, the new X-Box will be backwards compatible and thus a price drop on the 360 would lessen that effort and selling point. The PS4 is also supposed to have the streaming PS3 games which, while not quite the same, is similar enough.

 

Nintendo always seems to be the target of these "doom and gloom" articles. I will point out that the 360 launched with a terrible line up (not to mention numerous hardware failures), and the PS3 was far too expensive. Game systems seem to always have pretty bad launches in general it seems. Even Nintendo's own 3DS had a weak start and instantly the internet was ablaze with doom and gloom for Nintendo. Obviously those wild assumptions ended up being just that, wild assumptions. Granted, it doesn't take a game analyst to see the Wii U is doing awful, I'm not saying it isn’t. I just think it's a little early to say they failed and to jump ship. Speaking of, I've always found it hilarious that many fans of just Microsoft or just Sony want Nintendo to fail so they'll instead only make games...for their system, since they refuse to buy Nintendo's. In any case, Nintendo, as the oldest game company still making games, always has a lot to prove to the gaming masses.

 

Nintendo Just Doesn't have a Clue...

4-22-2013

 

We were given another Nintendo Direct last week, and let me first take the opportunity to say if you're a hardcore Nintendo fan boy (or girl) there was much to like.  From the new Zelda sequel to the Donkey Kong Country Returns remake to the new versions of Mario Golf and Animal Crossing, Nintendo made sure to go out of its way to bring good news to their faithful and devoted.  But to me it seems that Nintendo just isn't getting it when it comes to promoting its own products.  While the 3DS is still selling admirably, even in the face of a huge mountain known as the mobile gaming market (i.e. cell phone and tablet gaming), the WiiU is suffering miserably so early in its life cycle, often times being outsold by seven and eight year old gaming systems by a 3, 4 or 5x margin every month. 

 

I had this discussion recently with Jeremiah, who after viewing the Nintendo Direct shared his favorable impressions HERE.  He was trying to convince me that there is hope for the system reiterating what Nintendo reps like to tell you:  They feel that packaging new ideas with existing franchises is the way to go.  Now while I do enjoy the premise, on occasion, of playing one of my old favorites in a new light, one has to look at what made the Wii such a marketed success.  The inclusion of new IP's Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit (and yes they do qualify as new IP's even though they really didn't offer anything new to the hardcore fan base) were the primary reasons why the Wii became, for a three-year period, the hottest thing the video game industry had ever seen.  While the Mario Karts, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Brothers of the world were big hits, those games were, in my opinion, only beneficiaries of the great success of the Wii games and by themselves would not have pushed the Wii to the levels it ultimately did achieve. 

 

When I spoke to Jeremiah, he believed as I do that these Nintendo Directs are meant only for the hardcore and to wait for E3 for bigger announcements.  Where I differ is that you CAN use these Nintendo Directs more effectively.  Instead of just solely going after a smaller and already incredibly loyal following they should set their sights higher and try to take the opportunity with these Nintendo Directs by trying to go after a much broader base of consumers.  You can't tell me they don't have the money to make it featured on YouTube or network/cable television and introduce new IP's or a new pricing structure that will spark life into what is already being called by many(along with the Playstation Vita) a system that's dead on arrival. 

 

Michael Pachter, analyst from Wedbush Securities and very often one of the leading voices in video games, remarked recently on Gametrailers (which you can find HERE) that when the PS4 and the next Xbox come out the WiiU will become less relevant in the eyes of the consumers, and even a price cut may not help.  When those new systems debut the PS3 and X360 will both most assuredly be brought down in price permanently ($99-$149 maybe?) and would give consumers still a better alternative than the WiiU, especially due to the superior online experiences and easier (and cheaper) access to a wider availability of games.  Now is the time for Nintendo to act strong while there's somewhat of a lull in the gaming market, but instead their focus seems to be a little misguided. 

 

I can only hope that Nintendo will give me, as a consumer, a true reason to buy a WiiU and think of it as an awesomely unique experience.  Right now updated HD remakes and new iterations of the same tired, depleted franchises are just not going to cut it Nintendo.  Not to me unfortunately, and certainly not to most of the general video game consumers at large.  Such a shame, sometimes it doesn't pay to be the first on the block to build a new toy, because that allows others to make their toys much bigger and much better. Wait until Angry Nick gets wind of this article...

 

 

Feel diiferently on Nintendo's prospects? Share your thoughts with us at yourgamesource@yahoo.com or our Forum at http://www.yourgamesource.com/forum.html

on the left...Stephtfoo (3/26/13)

 

ON SONY"S DECISION TO NERF THE TRIAL OF ARCHIMEDES IN GOD OF WAR ASCENSION:

 

It is a universal fact that the Trial of Archimedes is the toughest segment in God of War: Ascension. In my review of the game I detailed exactly why this segment is so challenging. Challenge is great for a game. If it we didn’t face any challenges, what would be the point of the game? But there is a line between challenging and punishing, and I feel that this segment has crossed that line. I’ve come across far too many horror stories about hours upon hours spent just trying to make it past the Trial.

 

A nerf for the Trial is in the works, though as of writing this I haven’t been able to find exactly what Sony Santa Monica plans to change. I think that this is more than called for in this situation. While it was incredibly gratifying to finally make it past the Trial, it was utterly miserable every second before finally seeing that beautiful checkpoint save pop up. More than a few time I felt the urge to hurl my beloved red Dualshock 3 right through the TV. So many deaths felt cheap and unavoidable.

 

Now don’t get me wrong. I understand the backlash against this nerf. Fans want a challenge, and this is undoubtedly that. At the same time I don’t think it’s fair, or good business for that matter, to make a large chunk of your player base to struggle over and over to be able to continue. And for those that want the relentless challenge I say two things. First, beat the game and play it on Titan. I played on normal and was ready to scream after half an hour at the Trial, I can’t even imagine playing on Titan. Second I hope that players will be provided with the option of playing the nerfed or un-nerfed version of the Trial. Playing though the single player campaign is for enjoyment, not competition, and if you want this challenge you should have access to it. I just don’t want to be forced to struggle through it.

on the right...Degenerate08 (3/26/13)

 

ON SONY"S DECISION TO NERF THE TRIAL OF ARCHIMEDES IN GOD OF WAR ASCENSION:

 

I'll agree it's hard. But I don't agree with this move. It can be beaten as it sits now. I can't believe the are going to Nerf the trial in God of War. Steph is an outstanding reviewer but this time she is way off. Yes, it's one of the hardest parts of the game but take the first God of War for example, where there was part where Kratos was mired in Hades and the challenges there were extremely difficult. If you determine the right combination of weapons and magic you can complete the Trial. Have your clone magic maxed out and it's over before it even starts. Sony should allow the player to have the choice whether or not to Nerf the Trial.

 

If you agree or disagree with either of us, e-mail us yourgamesource@yahoo.com or comment on our Game Source @Facebook

on the left...ANGRY NICK (3/7/13)

 

To say the least, I’ve never been a particular fan of the Tomb Raider series; the earlier PSX iterations of this game were not impressive to say the least. Components such as the dialogue, choppy storyline, rigid mechanical issue, glitches, and amongst others things were very wrong with the game and clearly spelled “bad game.” However, moving down the line to the latest and greatest in the series is Tomb Raider by Squarenix; let me some up this game in one word, incredible.

Tomb Raider in is very likely one of the best titles I’ve had the opportunity of playing through.

 

Key Points:

10.0 - Gameplay: With similar gameplay mechanics to Uncharted, Tomb Raider receives a standing ovation for its gameplay. With some of the most fluid, free flowing controls over character movement, environmental interaction and enemy engagement, these aspects alone keep you captivated and motivated to continue to play this game. Overall, this game very impressively allows the player control over Lara’s survival; the unique system introduced to hunt for food, scale surfaces, weapon customization, interactive cut scenes and hands on strategic “duck and cover” enemy firefights are award winning. Engaging the enemy is realistic in completely different capacity, having to decide what situations warrant stealth, enemy distractions and all-out war leave the player with many different options for tackling a situation.

 

10.0 – Storyline: Tomb Raider has a captivating storyline you follow as you encounter new situations and are challenged with new foes. Even at a quarter of the way through the game your still fighting to understand the fully capacity of what is going on, but are driven to complete more of the game to have those questions answered. With very interactive and realistic dialogue, between ally and enemy alike, the player feels as though you are interacting with a movie. Cut scenes actually involve the player, placing them in positions to properly time button sequences, or, bye bye Lara. There are some points throughout the game where you find yourself watching video recordings that don’t make much sense, and reading journal entries that are cryptic, however, as you progress, these components make more sense later on.

 

10.0 – Content: Unlike its predecessors, this game is very dark, at times, very grotesque and very graphically strong on gore and violence. This title is deserving of an M-Rating for very good reason; overall, the mood and ambiance presented is a major factor contributes to this title’s overall score. Your often times in a position of desperation and hopelessness and must rely on your survival instincts to survive. There are a number of side-quests, weapon modifications, exploration opportunities, survivor skills to upgrade, weapon selections and multiplayer content that will keep you busy for a while. There is not any one area that you explore that is the same, which makes exploring genuinely entertaining and motivates the player to unlock more content.

 

Overall, Tomb Raider receives a n ANGRY NICK 10.0. With some of the most intuitive, free flowing gaming mechanics, absolutely amazing graphics, and incredibly interesting storyline, you will certainly not be disappointed if you purchase this game.

 

This game receives the S0SRAGE Seal of Approval.

on the right...YESELVISLIVES (3/7/13)

 

Nick, I'll start by saying that Tomb Raider is a great game and everyone should go out of their way to play the game as long as they are age-qualified for this M rated title. That being said WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING DUDE! The game itself despite the overall greatness is not a "10" game and the official Game Source review explains why. With the multitude of small flaws that could've been prevented with more time and polish and either a better attention to or a TOTAL EXCLUSION of the multiplayer was definitely necessary before you can even FATHOM looking at this game being a "9 or 9.5" much less being a "10". I realize young Lara Croft gets you all hot and bothered but don't let your love (aka lust) for her get in the way of making an objective view of the game. I'm glad you're enjoying the game with all the varied things you want/need to do in order to progress in Tomb Raider. Have fun on the island my friend but stop smelling the enchanted flowers, they're clouding your judgement just a tad.

 

If you agree or disagree with either of us, e-mail us yourgamesource@yahoo.com or comment on our Game Source @Facebook

on the left...YESELVISLIVES (12/16/12)

 

I want to bring up this topic because one of our crew members wanted to write a detailed history on the Final Fantasy series. I thought that would be an awesome idea to go back and come up with the reasons explaining not only the success the series once had, but also why the games have been, up to a certain point, "can't miss” games. Then he mentioned something that, to me, was a little disturbing; his desire to ONLY write about the Final Fantasy series I-XII. Uh, wait a second here, that's great and all, but one needs to look at things from a whole perspective when writing about the Final Fantasy series. However, we as gamers wish to gush over how fantastic FF VII (and it was) and how awesome X was, you also have to explain what has gone wrong with the series in recent times. The rampant mediocrity runs throughout XIII and XIII-2 needs to be explained, and at the same time why couldn't you have just titled them XIII and XIV. Oh that's right, there is a Final Fantasy XIV and it's an online MMORPG to boot. But FF XIV has been such a debacle from day one for Square Enix that it is widely considered a veritable joke among the industry. So much damage has been done to the series by these last three entries that it is my belief that Square Enix does not have enough magic to turn this franchise around, such as they have for Deus Ex, Hitman and Tomb Raider. Now I'm not forgetting the beautiful tech demo of the proposed new Final Fantasy engine that's currently in development. My advice is this: Take that engine and attach to a new IP, re-release the FF games to iOS and/or make HD versions for consoles and PC, and most importantly stop wasting your time dreaming of re-invigorating the series and tarnishing the Final Fantasy name even further.

on the right...s0sRage (12/16/12)

 

Suggesting that the Final Fantasy series has reached the end of its life and should be discontinued is speaking without knowledge of its history. The fact that this game has several iterations has no bearing on where its future lies; you could apply the same logic to the Madden and NFL series. It’s the same meaningless garbage re-released every year with one “new” team added or some “profound” redesign of its game play.

Final Fantasy is a legacy, not just a series of games. Although in recent releases of the series, the quality of game play, replay value, and story line has in fact diminished. There isn’t any denying that, but if SquareEnix would listen to the objections of the general public and create a title worth playing again, they would be more successful for future releases.

The Final Fantasy series in its entirety doesn’t need to stop being produced; it’s the way that the game is now being developed that needs to stop. Listen to the masses and create an award winning title such as Final Fantasy VII, and you’ll be more successful than you can imagine.

on the left...YESELVISLIVES (11/20/12)

 

Look Nick, if you'll just take of the spirit hat for one second you will realize the following when it comes to Resident Evil 6: A) It's production values are top notch and if played through the story gets tied in nicely for Resident Evil fans (which I thought you were one of) B) The Mercenaries mode is one of the best Gears of War Horde-knockoffs in recent memory and creates added fun to an already lengthy game. C) Despite it's sub-standard game mechanics, it still is a halfway decent game I just think as someone who's been drinking the Resident Evil Kool-Aid for far too long you need to grasp a real perspective on the franchise and stop putting it, like so many other fans, on so high of a pedestal. In other words, get a life Nick, get a life...

on the right...s0sRage (11/20/12)

 

Counter Point #1 – Production Values
Alright old man river; regarding your comment on its production values, top notch is a bit of a stretch, although I have not completed the game, the in game cut scenes take up a considerable part of the game in its entirety. Regardless how seamlessly it blends CG with in game action, it still loses points for, well, lack of actual game time. As for being a fan of this franchise, I could honor that statement before Resident Evil 6; truth be told, I was genuinely excited about its release, until I actually played it. There is still some compelling factor to finish this title, however, trust me; it’s not on my high priority list.

Counter Point #2 – Mercenaries Mode
Provided that the gaming community has evolved so much over the years, online game play historically has been on an incline. Many games have tried to capture the qualities it takes to make a good online multiplayer, something compelling and consisting of enough drive to genuinely engage players in a new experience every time they power on. Resident Evil however didn’t capture those qualities in its Mercenaries Mode that really provided any need to go beyond the campaign. Outside of completing the storyline, what reason was there to even spend another hour of your time killing the undead with your friends and family? Didn’t you already accomplish that through 50% of the game? Mind you, referring to counterpoint #1, you were sitting watching cut scenes for the other 50% of the game, so you didn’t actually kill zombies all that much. This game suffers overall, this area is no exception; you sir, are wrong.

Counter Point #3 – Game Mechanics
Sub-standard? Gerald, I believe that is putting it too kindly; to even say the game mechanics were moderately “ok” is providing too much credit. One of the most influential factors that shred any hope of even marginally making it a 5/10 is just that, its terrible mechanics. During our Live Demo, we had consistent issues making contact with enemies while engaging in hand to hand combat; not only that, your depletion of ammo is ridiculous, not but 20 minutes into the game and your attempting to poke enemies with the end of your knife. It’s fantastic that Leon is sound enough in his masculinity to perform acrobatic feats in mid flight, elegantly pile driving into walls, tables, and the floor, and oh wait, I’m sorry, the occasional enemy as well. Unfortunately, fan of the franchise or not, this games suffers greatly.

Overall, you’re going to need to come at me with stronger material than this; it was a commendable effort, but, failed.