General gaming

General gaming

Rumored Discount on Vita's Digital Games Needs to be More Substantial

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 05:34 PM PST

Vita

One of the benefits of digital games from the publisher's side, at least in theory, is flexibility with pricing. With the cost of manufacturing and shipping physical games out of the way, it's also a cheaper method of distribution. Considering consumers aren't getting as much for their money -- no box, no manual, no ability to sell or let someone borrow a game -- it makes sense that digital games would be cheaper than their physical counterparts. That will be the case when shopping for Vita games in North America, though it would appear the discount we'll be enjoying is not nearly as much as it should be.

Reports of Best Buy stores getting Vita demo units in have surfaced in recent days. One NeoGAF member got to spend some hands-on time with the system ahead of its launch on February 22 and photographed a screen showing pre-orders for the digital versions of certain Vita games. Presumably these digital games Best Buy is offering would come in a form similar to Patapon 2's retail version where you're given a code to download the game from the PlayStation Store.

Review: Soulcalibur V Redefines Namco's Flagship Weapon-Based Fighter

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 05:06 PM PST

Like many, Soul Calibur grabbed my attention from the minute I bought a Sega Dreamcast. The flexible fighting system, the impressive 8-Way Run, and the accessibility of Namco's weapon-based fighter made it my game of choice for months after release. The hefty amount of single player content kept me busy for hours, and inviting friends over for versus play led to plenty of memorable victories and crushing defeats.

Since then the series has continued to enjoy a reputation as one of the most accessible fighting games ever created -- and Soulcalibur V continues to thrive on that same idea. But perhaps the series' most important contribution to the world of kickpunch games is the hefty amounts of depth layered within each installment. Sure, a button-mashing novice could... well... mash away at the controller and discover useful moves to win, but a hardcore player could take that knowledge one step further and perform a dizzying series of juggling combos that could crush the soul of any irreverent newbie.

Review: NeverDead Exemplifies Failure with Remarkable Success

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 04:45 PM PST

NeverDead is a game, and it can be completed. In my opinion, those are the two truths that cushion the space between a D- and an F. Remove those two facts, and you're left with an amateur effort that redefines the boundary between bad game and flat-out punishment.

For those of you fortunate enough to not know, NeverDead is an action game built around the titular conceit that your character is immortal. As you hack and slash your way through hordes of undead creatures, you'll inevitably lose an arm, leg, or even your head. At this point, you're then tasked with roaming the chaotic battlefield in search for the missing appendages. Maintaining your limbs is a Sisyphean task, as even the slightest bit of damage ends up removing a handful of bodyparts. NeverDead isn't the first game to employ an immortality mechanic -- the Wario Land series has been handling this concept with creative grace for the past 20 years, and Planescape: Torment set the standard for "immortal protagonist" back in 1999. But for every way that Nintendo succeeds, NeverDead seems to fail.

Free-to-Play Everquest Highlights the Slow Death of Subscription MMOs

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 04:30 PM PST

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that the original Everquest would make the transition to a free-to-play system in March. Released in 1999, EQ was far from the first MMO, but the industry followed its model. It's hard to imagine World of Warcraft finding success without SOE's game preceding it. The game's transition marks the end of an era -- it's the death knell for MMOs as we've known them.

Everquest

Everquest's relatively small player base means the shift to free-to-play is more a sign of the times than an agent change in and of itself. Several high profile MMOs --including Everquest 2 -- have gone free-to-play past several months, but the original EQ isn't just another entry into the genre. It proved to the world that MMOs could become wildly profitable, and set off a game development gold rush that gave us everything from WoW to Star Wars: Galaxies. I don't mean to say that we'll never see a new MMO, but the free-to-play business model's ascension is complete. Don't expect to see another Star Wars: The Old Republic-sized launch anytime in the next five years.

OP-ED: Online Passes Aren't the Unfair Evil They're Made Out to Be

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 02:40 PM PST

EA Online Pass

In the past few days, two more games joined the long list of those using some sort of online pass. Since Electronic Arts introduced the concept in 2010 with Project $10, more and more publishers have adopted the practice of locking out certain features for those who purchase used games. Many feel it's unfair, but I'm not so sure that's really the case.

Many gamers consider online passes yet another way they're being shafted this generation. Like downloadable content, it's another scheme cooked up to maximize the amount of money squeezed out of each gamer, they would say, and in the case of DLC that has been true at times. I'm hardly in favor of publishers releasing incomplete games and expecting people to then pay for the rest of it later, and I was as annoyed as anyone when cheat codes started showing up on the Xbox Live Marketplace for a fee. But there is a difference between hoping to make some money off of the game you created and withholding a part of the game simply so it can be sold to players at an additional cost now that it's technically feasible to do so.

Resident Evil 6 Demo Shows Capcom Needs Dragon's Dogma to Succeed

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 12:25 PM PST

Capcom announced today that it plans to release Dragon's Dogma on May 22, and the package will include a download code for a Resident Evil 6 demo. Fans will be able to download the demo from Xbox Live on July 3, while PS3 owners will have to wait until September 4.

Other publishers have found that tying an anticipated demo or beta to an unanticipated game boosts sales of both. The original Zone of the Enders did quite well thanks to the on-disc inclusion of the Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty demo. Access to Halo 3's beta came along with new copies of Crackdown -- helping it become a cult hit. Without early access, fans and critics alike would have overlooked both titles. There's little doubt that Capcom is hoping the same strategy will work with Dragon's Dogma. What's not obvious is how much Capcom needs this gambit to succeed.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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