Full FeedList of top-selling games points at changing trends in game sales
At seeing the list of top-selling games for 2007, the first thing I saw that made me scour the internet for confirmation was that Wii Play took the #2 spot. I know it has been out since February 12, 2007, and had more time to collect sales, but come on. This game got mediocre reviews across the board, and Mario Party 8 didn’t fair a lot better.
Where is Bioshock? Where is Forza 2? Where is The Orange Box? Where are all the games that we hardcore gamers look for? Well son, the times they are a changing. I think the Seth Scheisel, of the NY Times has hit this one on the head: critically praised single-player games that appeal to hardcore gamers are being outsold by multiplayer games that appear to a less hard-core audience (and critics).
Take a look at the list…
Rumor Confirmed: Rock Band coming to Wii in 2008
The guys over at GamePro had a little powwow with Electronic Arts’ CEO John Riccitiello last Thursday (February 1st, 2008) and got the skinny on what was going down with EA’s plans for their instant hit game, Rock Band. It looks like lucky Wii owners can look forward to rocking out sometime in 2008.
Rumors that Rock Band would be coming to the Nintendo Wii have been spreading around like the love for rock ballads spread in the ‘80s. The rumors started when Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos told…
February edition of GamePro to include Gears of War 2, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 updates
Yeah, you know that feeling: You’re cruising through the latest postings on your favorite blogs when suddenly you catch something out of the corner of your eye and you instantly know were you’re going to be for the next thirty minutes.
Well, that was me this morning when I cruised on over to Xbox360Fanboy and noticed the Gears of War 2 symbol in one of their postings. Boy, was I surprised when I read the article and found that the February 2008 issue of GamePro magazine is not only offering a tasty little Gears 2 morsel, it will also devote 10 pages to…
Gamertell Review: Virtual Fighter 5 for Xbox 360
Product: Virtual Fighter 5 Online for Xbox 360
Price: $59.99
Rating: 9.0/10
Pros: Stunning visuals, excellent gameplay, strong single player mode, online play with minimal lag.
Cons: Voice acting needs work, menus are uninspiring and even cumbersome online, fighting rings are lackluster.
Overall: Great, highly addictive fighting game with good online playability and lasting value.
Anyone even remotely interested in fighting games needs to check this game out. I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the genre, but I will have to admit that this game kept me up late into the evening telling myself I’d play just until I ranked up one more time or extended my winning streak just a few more places. This game is very addictive for no small reason due to its excellent gameplay. The Virtual Fighter series is well known for its mechanics and Virtual Fighter 5 serves up another healthy dose of tight and intuitive butt-kicking fun.
The single-player version of the game is very well put together in terms of options, customization and gameplay modes, though the menus and navigation in the game overall are one of the more frustrating aspects of the game. Virtual Fighter 5 gives you several off line options including a standard versus and training modes, an arcade style mode and a quest mode. The arcade mode is done in the typical style where you must battle increasingly difficult enemies, who are seemingly picked at random from the 14 available players. The single-player addiction comes in the form of the Quest Mode. The menus here leave something to desire but you have the option of choosing different locations that are set up as arcades where you can go in and pick a fight with someone else playing on one of the machines.
Each arcade has three machines where you pick a fight and keep playing until you are beaten, just like if you were to play a fighting game in a real-world arcade. As you win battles, your winning streak is recorded and each victory boosts your ranking according to the difficulty of your opponent. In addition, some battles mix things up a bit by staking an item on the fight. If you win the fight you basically unlock items such as different clothing, cash or orbs. This is also where I found myself staying up late at night trying to unlock one more item.
All of your favorite characters are back for another round in this installment of the series. Each of the 17 playable characters has a unique fighting style and possible combos. For example, Jacky Bryant has a list of kick combinations in the mid power range. He is quick and strong with a very straight forward fighting style. Some of the moves up his sleeve include a quick knee kick combo (forward + kick) and series of quick punches followed by a knockdown kick (p,p,forward + p, k). And in contrast to him you have big, powerful characters including Wolf Hawkfield and Jeffry McWild who concentrated on short, bone crunching combos and throws or swift, small characters like Eileen and Vanessa Lewis who can easily string together three or four hit combos on light to mid power. There really is a player with a fighting style for everyone. If you like to plan out your attack and like a few well timed moves to dish out serious damage then you can go with the heavyweights, or if you’re quick fingered and like to pummel your opponent with a barrage of blows that wear them down then go with one of the more agile players.
Another strength of the game is the online feature through Xbox Live. In the past fighting games were plagued by serious lag when played online to the point that they weren’t fun to play. Virtual Fighter 5 Online has improved by leaps and bounds in this area though a lot of it depends on the reliability of your connection, standard cable on DSL access should get you battling online with minimal lag. There is nothing like going head-to-head with a real, live, thinking human who, just like you, has figured out all of the little tricks in the system as eagerly desires to use them against you.
Design – 8.0/10
Overall design is excellent in terms of gameplay and the remarkably responsive and intuitive fighting system. The inclusion of an addictive single-player quest mode and killer online play are really strong attributes of the games design. Only things that could have been better were menu look and navigation, voice overs (some of the poorly done one-liners and mouth animation start to grate on you after a while) and ring interaction. The rings are breakable but don’t seem to be up to the current state of the art. Otherwise, the pros highly outweigh the cons.
Features – 9.0/10
Solid online play is a super inclusion. Also, addictive quest mode and the addition of training and arcade modes round this title out nicely. Ranking system, costume customization and collectibles will keep you playing for hours on end. Online system could be better streamlined. What would be a glorious online experience is somewhat stifled by the poorly designed menu and options system. For example, I find it particularly frustrating when I hook up with a friend, go at it a few rounds and then when it’s done, I get kicked back out to the main search screen. The option to stick together with a friend or two and play a few games in a row without going through the hassle of finding them again just is not there. Fortunately though, time spent actually fighting will quickly make you forget these minor hassles.
Performance – 9.5/10
Online play is smooth as silk and single-player and versus action is seamless. Loading times are minimal but noticeable. The enemy AI is very good and varies accordingly depending on which arcade you choose to play in.
Different arcades are known to attract enemy AI of different skill levels. If you are an amateur to fighting games like me you can still have a good time sticking to the arcades that attract the beginner or intermediate enemies. After fighting for a while you will also be invited to fight in various tournaments which also vary in difficultly, and winning the official ones will unlock achievements.
Overall – 9.0/10
Overall, this game is outstanding. It is a complete work and finely polished. There were no bugs or strange nuances that locked up or slowed my console as in other graphic intense games I played on Xbox 360. If you are even vaguely interested in fighting games this little gem should be in your collection. So go grab a copy and get started practicing those combos. You’ll need them to be second nature when you fight online.
Editors Note: The categories were weighted in the following manner to reflect the importance of some features over others (in our humble opinion). Design 30%, Features 40%, and Performance 30%.
RelatedDisney planning to invest $350 million in videogames within five years
Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Co. has revealed plans for the company to try and grab a bigger piece of the video game pie.
Walt Disney Co. plans to transition its tried and true method for developing its music devision, which is reported to produce $100,000,000 in annual income, to the video game industry. The New York Postreports that, “In games, Disney has visions of even bigger dollars. Disney has been steadily increasing its spending on video game development, rising from around $100 million in 2006 to a projected $175 million in 2008. Within five years Disney reportedly is looking to spend as much as $350 million.”
Iger is reported to have told investors, “We intend to use [a multi-platform approach] to do exactly what we did in the music business to our video games business, but on a much larger scale.” And with the successes of the High School Musical and Hannah Montana soundtracks, this move could shape up to be big.
It is clear that the Disney CEO believes so. In 2007, Disney acquired several game studios and shipped 20 million published and licensed games. In regards to the Disney giant’s ability to enter the video game market Iger commented:
“We are a publishing company on the outside of the video games business. But where they [other companies] may not have a cable channel, or a movie company, or even a record business, or a radio business, or online - we have all of those. We intend to use them fully.”
I’d say they’ll be a major player. I just hope they don’t ship a bunch of low quality games as has been the trend in the past.
Via [New York Post]
RelatedUpdate: Upcoming $1 million Halo 3 competition will not include teams
Okay, all you lone wolves out there, its time for you to howl ‘cause it’s all about you during this years upcoming Million Dollar, Halo 3 Tournament. X Factor announced last week (November 8, 2007) that it will maintain the original tournament format for its $1,000,000 Halo 3 Competition.
Though public outcry was said to be fierce for the tournament to expand to include team based gameplay, X Factor announced that 4 vs 4 competitions will not be included in the tournament scheduled for Tuesday, December 18, to Saturday, December 22, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas, Texas.
At the counsel of its partner, The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), X Factor decided to keep the FFA (Free for All) format of competition for the December 2007 tournament. X Factor VP of Operations commented, “Changing the format of the Halo 3 Competition just six weeks before the event seems counterproductive to us. At minimum it will certainly dilute our focus. We thank the CPL for advising us on these critical matters and we hope the community realizes all they do behind the scenes to support e-sports.”
However, don’t be worried that the public outcry fell on deaf ears. X Factor has already announced that they are planning a second Halo 3 tournament sometime around spring break 2008 that will include both team and FFA competition formats.
So don’t get your panties all in a bunch. You’ll get your 4 vs 4 action soon enough. Otherwise, registration is still open for the $1 million FFA so there’s still time for you to step up to the line.
Via [CPL News] Tournament Site [Extreme Winter Championships]
RelatedParents find constructive way to limit kids’ time playing videogames
A couple in Canada have found an interesting way of controlling their children’s time playing video games. They use a unique system where when the children do things such as read, practice music, or exercise they are rewarded with time to play video games.
Initially Dave and Lina Caputo of Waterloo decided that they would avoid the issues associated with the potentially detrimental effects of playing video games for long periods of time by restricting gameplay all together. They had resolved to disallow a gaming system in their home.
However, an Uncle who wasn’t aware of the parental restriction bought the two boys an Xbox one year as a gift. The Caputos, not wanting to deny the children a gift from their Uncle, decided to keep the gaming system, but devised an interesting set of rules on the use of the device.
They decided that play time of the Xbox would be treated as a reward for spending time in other activities. For example if the boys spent 30 minutes reading or doing chores they could play video games for the 30 minutes. This one to one ratio reward system also applied to other activities such as playing sports and exercising, and the ratio was doubled for other activities like playing guitar. For every minute of practicing music they children could play video games for two minutes.
Wow, is this a good idea or what? Sometimes the most effective things can be so simple! And the parents have found that this technique has made the boys more well rounded individuals. Not only are they experts at Fusion Frenzy and various sport games, but they are avid readers, good chess players, and excellent athlete.
I wonder when the Caputos will be writing their book. I know a number of parents who would be interested in reading it.
Read [The Record]
RelatedMass Effect launch means extra promotion
Ah yes, another countdown to another highly anticipated game. Xbox 360 owners are about to suffer from some serious over exertion of their pleasure centers. In anticipation of another blockbuster title for the Xbox 360, Microsoft, Yahoo! and the SCI FI channel are teaming up to countdown to the November 20, 2007 release of Mass Effect.
In case you’ve been living under a large, heavy boulder for the past few years, Mass Effect is an next gen RPG being developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360. Ever hear of a little company that developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic? Yeah, that’s them. Though it is heavy with RPG-based elements, it also incorporates elements of action shooters. It is touted to be the next blockbuster app for the 360 and, from the looks of things, it is living up to its reputation so far.
If your excitement is mounting, and I know it is, then set your DVR because Microsoft and Yahoo! will debut the television trailer for the upcoming game tonight, Thursday, November 8, 2007. In addition, at 11 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific )on Tuesday, Nov. 20th, 2007, the SCI FI Channel will debut a 30-minute special titled Sci vs. Fi: Mass Effect. The special will feature information about the game, exclusive interviews and behind-the scenes footage.
All show times can be found on the SCI FI Channel website where, starting November 13, 2007 you can also sign up for a Mass Effect collector’s edition giveaway.
Gamesite [Mass Effect] Site [SCI FI] Site [Xbox.com]
RelatedHalo 3 Marathon Man achievement revealed
So, you’ve beaten Halo 3 on Legendary, you’re a headshot honcho, pink mist sprayer, laser master, and your online medal chest looks like that of a war hero and you’ve even found all 13 skulls But you still only have 960 out of 1000 possible achievement points. You just can’t find that last terminal to unlock the coup de grace, the illusive Marathon Man achievement.
The achievement is a thinly veiled way of Bungie giving props to its past. Terminals such as these were used in the FPS, Marathon, developed during the early days of Bungie and were…
New Red vs. Blue episodes at Gamestop.com
Anyone interested in exactly how long it is until Halo 3 is release should just head on over to Gamestop.com and check out its site devoted to Halo. There you will find a countdown timer, links to some pretty cool gear and best of all, new Red vs. Blue episodes.
That’s right, the folks over at Roosterteeth have created five new episodes of Red vs. Blue and Gamestop will be releasing one a week in anticipation of the release on Halo 3 on Sept. 25. 2007.
So, if you are jonesin’ for some serious Halo after the cruel ending of the beta multiplayer a month and a half ago (though it seems like years) then head on over to Gamestop and count down the days in style.
Site [Gamestop] Site [Red vs. Blue]
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Important Importables
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
