Oh what a weekend…

Still bogged down in the midst of exams, but my final one is tomorrow (Computer Security!) and maybe I’ll have a chance to post more in the near future.

In the meantime, why are there so many phenomenal games coming out for Xbox 360, and only a handful for any other system (including PC)?

According to Metacritic (speaking of which, I promise to post the results of my data mining soon) We have on the Wii two games that are rated above 90% (Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4), leaving Super Paper Mario in 3rd place, and after that there isn’t a single game that I have a huge urge to go and play. Now I know that we have Metroid 3 coming out in a few weeks, and Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. Brawl coming out before Christmas, but that only brings the total of must-have games to six for the Wii (IMHO of course). Nintendo needs to step this up.

The Playstation 3 has a SINGLE game rated above 90% on Metacritic: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The next couple down from there are Ninja Gaiden Sigma (which is a remake) and Resistance: Fall of Man (which is awesome). The only title that I would consider to be must have between now and Christmas is Assassin’s Creed, which would bring us up to four, one of which is a remake of an Xbox game.

Come on guys.

Microsoft though, those guys are just feeding me dessert all the way to the bank (Remember, Bias, I work for them).

The 360 has 7 titles rated above 90%, Including Oblivion as on PS3, we have of course Gears of War, and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. A little further down the list we have Burnout Revenge (a dark, dark addiction of mine). I would also suggest that there have been some innovative if not perfectly designed games which are 360 Exclusives including Dead Rising and Overlord.

What to me is absolutely shocking is the volume of titles being released in the near future which I feel I must have:

Fable 2

Release Date: TBA 2008

Platforms: Xbox 360

Website

Now, I know there were issues with the first Fable game, and it certainly didn’t meet all the hype that was generated for it. But that said, I really enjoyed it, I like Molyneux’s preoccupation with allowing you to play different sides of the story, and I think Fable 2 (set in a more Steampunk setting too) will raise the bar a little higher.

Assassin’s Creed

Release Date: November 2007

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Windows

Website

Now this game I’ve been waiting for for a very long time. I understand that it’s being released on PS3 as well, but Hitman meets Prince of Persia is all you have to say to get me to fork over 60 bucks. Beyond that the storyline to this game is being kept under strict secret, and that tells me there’s more to this game than meets the eye.

Mass Effect

Release Date: November 2007

Platforms: Xbox 360

Website

An action RPG Space-Opera from the creators of Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate, etc. Again, that’s all you need to say to me. “The most non-linear game we’ve ever made” helps to. From the glimpses I’ve seen so far, this game looks to deliver in spades everything Advent Rising never was, and a whole lot more.

Too Human (Well, maybe)

Release Date: TBA 2008 (Bets, anyone?)

Platforms: Xbox 360

Website

Any game that attempts to blend Norse Mythology into a sci-fi setting and quotes Nietzsche is okay in my books. I’ve actually had the privilege of watching this game being demoed when Denis Dyack and crew showed up for an information session for recruiting at the University of Waterloo (and unfortunately didn’t give me a call!). The game looks slick. It wasn’t done by a stretch yet when I saw it, and it was clear that they were having some issues, but if this game ever comes out (which gets uglied up when you sue your game engine developer and try to build your own version of Unreal 3 Engine while simultaneously doing game development), I’m sure it’ll be a hit.

Bioshock

Release Date: August 21, 2007

Platforms: Xbox 360, Windows

Website

Bioshock is heralded as the spiritual successor to System Shock 2, a game which you should surf your ass over to eBay and land yourself a copy of if you’ve never had the delight of playing. The game has been designed for Emergent Gameplay, meaning that much of what you’re supposed to be able to do in the game is by emergence of the simple game mechanics which were built in, instead of being guided by the hand of the developer. If it’s anywhere close to on the same level as System Shock, this one should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

GTA IV

Release Date: Feb-Apr 2008

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Website

The latest in the Grand Theft Auto series, and from the trailers, sure to be a cut above anything we’ve seen so far (Multiplayer!). Need I say more?

Burnout: Paradise

Release Date: Q1 2008

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Website

The newest Burnout game is supposed to be a complete reinvention of the series. I’m not sure how I feel about this, as the series is pretty sweet as it is, and I really don’t want Burnout to turn into one of the other many racing games that are around. Nevertheless, I’m sure it will at least be worth a look at this Winter, and if it’s anywhere near as addictive as it’s predecessor, I’ll have scurvy by the time the Spring comes.

Halo 3

Release Date: Sept 25, 2007

Platforms: Xbox 360

Website
In 2001 Halo put the original Xbox on the map, and six years later Halo 3 will close the Saga of Master Chief. Although I’m sure this won’t be the last we see of the Halo games in years to come, it”ll be the end of a story arc that’s been with us for most of the decade, and has been a defining example of the FPS genre. I’m sure Halo 3 will be the best yet in the series, and I’m also fairly sure that It’ll be a few days before I see the sun again after it comes out.

Anyway, We all have that to look forward to in the coming months, and I’m highly pleased. I’ll be getting a Wii in the next few weeks as well, so here’s hoping Nintendo once again pulls a completely new genre out of thin air and creates an entire ecosystem of games that will quake the earth once more.

As for Sony, well, you guys are on your own for now. Maybe when God of War comes to the PS3 I’ll think about coming up with $17,000 or whatever it costs to buy a PS3 when you’re in Canada, but for now, I don’t think the titles are worth the cash.

Then again, when Playstation Home comes out, I might rethink that decision. That guy looks sweet.

On WiiWare

Nintendo on Wednesday announced that they have joined Microsoft in offering a solution for independent developers to create content for their system. Full details have yet to emerge, but it would seem that WiiWare is designed to allow developers to produce games which can then be sold through the WiiShop Channel, Similar to the mechanism Microsoft is using to deploy XNA games through XBLA.

Level Up has an exclusive interview with NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime, where some interesting details were disclosed. Firstly, the pricing for a given game is determined exclusively by Nintendo. I’m not sure how this compares to the Microsoft method, as the entire “Getting my game on XBLA” process is somewhat opaque at this point (and I might add, Microsoft would do well to make it more transparent).

Secondly, WiiWare seems to not encompass libraries or tools that make to development process easier (a la XNA), but rather the simplification of the delivery channel. The argument for this is that development kits for the Wii are extremely inexpensive. While this is a valid point (They cost between $2,500 to $10,000), it’s certainly not on par with the concept behind XNA. Additionally, actually becoming an authorized developer so that you can get your hands on the kits is more complex, and as a result it is unlikely to target the homebrew community emerging around the Xbox 360. That would also not appear to be the intent, rather it would seem Nintendo is trying to simplify the process for small (but professional) development shops.

Thirdly the developer must seek its own ESRB Rating. As I don’t have a development company, I don’t even have access to the information regarding getting a game rated. There seems to be similar restrictions to getting a game rated that exist to get your hands on Wii DevKits. I would not be suprised if there was also a fee associated with getting a rating, but again this seems to tune WiiWare towards small independent developers rather than just anyone.

Reggie also states in the interview that Nintendo will not be overseeing the games, suggesting that any game that gets through this process and passes some basic requirements from Nintendo will be made available for purchase on the WiiChannel. Note that this is strictly different than the attitude Microsoft has developed. XBox Live Arcade is a carefully crafted entity into which new games are eligible only with the good graces of the managers who maintain the portfolio. In other words, XBLA will never be filled with 800 solitaire games, because Microsoft gets the final say on whether they’ll sell your game or not. The fact that Nintendo is not doing this is both good and bad. On one hand, it could conceivably encourage games that might not make it to XBLA, however possibilities exist for the marketing of a lot of crap that nobody is interested in buying.

All in all, I’m excited to see Nintendo is getting in on the independent developer market, and digital delivery, but WiiWare isn’t strictly comparable to XBLA, the two seem to be marketed at different audiences.  While many are quick to herald WiiWare as “Nintendo’s XBLA”, WiiWare does not in any way make it easy for “Anyone to create a Wii Game”.  WiiWare simplifies delivery mechanisms, not development mechanisms, so all those hopeful hobbyists will still have to remain weeping in the corner.

Now we just need to see when Sony is going to get on board.

Wii Shortages

In an interview with Home Media Magazine, Video Game Analyst Billy Pidgeon had some fairly interesting numbers (and, er, theories) to share.  Nintendo moved 259,000 Wiis last month, not a suprising development considering overall hardware sales for the industry have doubled from $659 million to $1.3 billion between Q4 2006 and Q1 2007.  According to Pidgeon, the sales on 360 and PS3 are stagnating, largely due to a lack of system-selling games.  This is due to pick up in Q3 when a number of highly anticipated titles are scheduled for release.  In the meantime during Q2 though, Nintendo has an opportunity to sweep with the Wii, that is, if they could keep them in stock.

And herein we see a problem.  Why are Wiis so hard to come by?  Pidgeon believes supply won’t reach demand until 2009 (Personally, I find this difficult to believe).  So far this year, Nintendo has managed to sell more gaming systems than everyone else combined, along with a heft chunk of peripherals to boot.  Since its release in November 2006, the Wii has sold over 2.1 Million units in the USA alone (Nevermind in Japan, where the Wii has consistently been the top selling next-gen system).  Sony can’t even close to match these numbers, and Microsoft, who’s had the 360 out for a year long than the Wii has only managed to sell 5.3 million units. 

So it’s possible that the appeal of the Wii to an audience outside of mainstream gamers has resulted in an insatiable demand for the system.  Certainly there’s been no mention of supply chain problems such as the ones Sony has suffered with its PS3, in fact, Nintendo reported in October that Wii production had exceeded expectations.  Even so, five months after the release of the system, one study showed that of 100 American game stores visited, only one had a single Wii in stock.  It’s basically impossible to order one from an online retailer, as all the major brands show the Wii being out of stock.

This is not a good scenario for Nintendo.  Despite rumors that Nintendo may be artificially constraining supply to ‘generate demand’, economics don’t tend to actually work like that.  They are in a position to take advantage of a low point in the year as far as game releases go to sell their system, but in order to do so, people need to be able to get their hands on one, and Nintendo will want them to do so before the fall line-up starts pressuring people to move towards PS3 and 360.

Even if Nintendo had not anticipated the rampant demand their system has created, one would think given five months they would be able to scale up production to accomodate it.  I suppose it takes some time for the reality of the situation to make it up to the decision makers.  Nintendo did announce recently it was going to increase production line capabilities, but no specifics were mentioned. 

I just want to play Zelda without having to wait in line all morning.  Please?

A little over the top

Chris Hecker has apologized for calling the Wii a piece of shit! If you missed out, Chris Hecker, one of the developers for Spore, attacked Nintendo during a session at GDC 2007 this week. Calling the Wii “…Two Gamecubes haphazardly stuck together with duct tape”, and saying that “Nintendo for not taking games as a serious art form”.

Chris has done a complete 180 today, apologizing and saying that he “was trying to be thought provoking and entertaining and fun, and a lot of the stuff went too far over the top”.

You think?

Chris won an award at last year’s GDC for his very thought-provoking speech on how we, as a people, are privileged to be living at a time when the medium of video games is emerging, and how we need to be careful how we craft it. He’s not a stupid guy. I really do believe he was speaking out of personal frustration with the processing limitations of the Wii from the perspective of someone who’s trying to implement a very processor heavy game. That said, there’s a time and place to vent those frustrations, and blasting Nintendo up and down during a public talk is not exactly what we would refer to as Politico.

The Wii was never supposed to be a power-house. Nintendo decided to move in a risky and wildly different direction as one would expect they would, because that’s how Nintendo avoids playing in a three way tug of war for quality content. Criticize that if you like for being the wrong move, but don’t just upend them as if they have, in some way, completely taken a face-plant just because the platform isn’t appropriate for YOUR game.

I suspect that a lot of his friends and co-workers ripped him a new one after that talk. Lesson learned I hope. Go back to making Spore as good as it should be and leave Nintendo to do their thing.