Continue reading “UK Software Charts – Post-Apocalypse Edition”
Category: Industry Health
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Depressing Realities Surrounding Next-Gen Gaming
Oh hey, guess what folks? The ‘true’ next-generation game systems arrived last month, but unlike most people who are absolutely convinced these are the best systems EVAH, I’m going to put out some more depressing realities that we could face. After all, didn’t you all like my last one?
No? Well shit.
Continue reading “Depressing Realities Surrounding Next-Gen Gaming”
An interview with the creator of Puzzle & Dragons Z
Ahead of its enhanced 3DS launch next week, Japanese site GAME.Watch recently held an interview with Daisuke Yamamoto, producer of the moderately successful mobile title Puzzle & Dragons. Described by leading shampoo scientists as an ineffective cure for dandruff, the free-to-play iOS/Android release has become the highest grossing app of all time, earning roughly 35 cents for developer GungHo Entertainment.
Puzzle & Dragons Z for the 3DS looks to expand upon the game’s addictive hybrid of match-three puzzle/RPG gameplay with a greater focus on its story mode. There’s also some new and exclusive monster designs for Pixiv fanart-fuel. Plus, the fact that it’s now a full price (¥ 4,400) packaged release results in less intrusive in-app purchases. Players can now access the title screen without having to pay off an additional home loan, for example.
Below is a faithful English translation of the interview. Continue reading “An interview with the creator of Puzzle & Dragons Z”
Playstation Plus – Too Much of a Good Thing
I’ve been on the Playstation Plus bandwagon since April this year and it’s been quite a ride. I’ve played at least 20 new games through it, some crap and some great. The whole idea of “playing games you wouldn’t normally play” is conductive to a bit of open-mindedness, but I found the opposite started happening as the months went on. The little bubble of “Playstation Plus” games became the only thing I played on PS3 without me even noticing. My eyes stopped looking at the shelf of games I decided were worth buying, because I always had a backlog of PS+ games to check out that might be good. The service obviously has many upsides but I don’t think it’s sustainable in its current form, and here’s a few reasons why.
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SwapNote Tribute – The World Wasn’t Ready
1 / 11 / Year of Luigi,
The Nintendo Postman delivered his final SwapNote.
It was a Friday, the air was warm and relaxed as the weekend drifted into view. Nobody was ready for shocking news, and nobody wanted any. It was going to be a simple weekend of videogames and funny drawings until a shocking announcement changed everything. Nintendo announced the SpotPass feature of Nintendo Letter Box / SwapNote on 3DS had been discontinued.
Continue reading “SwapNote Tribute – The World Wasn’t Ready”
Tutorials, are you too stupid for them?
I’m 12 hours into Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and the tutorial complaints have been lost in the wind somewhere. A small batcave of manchildren on the internet has been raging about how things are explained too in-depth with endless text, much to the burden of their active lifestyles. Many reviews have also docked the game for this apparent intrusion of text in an RPG. I recently finished Bowser’s Inside Story just before playing this game, and I can say for a fact that Dream Team is flowing much smoother, like a dream is supposed to. The new concepts are easy to grasp, the gameplay is more interactive and it’s a much better designed game all round. The only difference is people complain more in 2013 than 2009.
Depressing Realities Surrounding Developer Closures
Around late 2011, Pietriots member Deguello did a written piece on people wanting Nintendo to go third party and why such a thing would do more harm than good. Even today, it still speaks volumes because lately everyone is pinning Nintendo as doomed because the WiiU isn’t selling X amount of units. The same thing happened with 3DS. While I can easily point out the issue (IE Third Parties making excuses…again, people not being early adopters), developers and their publishers seem to be under this boggling mind-set that Nintendo is not worth it and the Next-Gen systems Xbox One and PS4 will be better suited for them. Continue reading “Depressing Realities Surrounding Developer Closures”
Disproving the “Retail vs Digital” conspiracy theory
Lately we’ve seen some stock issues with key Nintendo games all around the world, including Monster Hunter in Europe, Fire Emblem and Lego City in the USA, and now Luigi’s Mansion is becoming difficult to obtain in the Year of Buying Luigi Games. Rather than being an indication that these games are selling well, it’s led to conspiracy theories that Nintendo’s short shipping games on purpose in some evil scheme to “force” the eShop on us. This seems to happen every time a Nintendo product sells well, going back to the Wii and DS days where Nintendo created “artificial shortages” for the fastest selling systems in history at the time. While I think limiting the sales potential of a product has some great upsides, it’s certainly not part of Nintendo’s plan.
Continue reading “Disproving the “Retail vs Digital” conspiracy theory”
A Message From Nintendo: Gotta Have Game
This scan is from the back of E3 Show Daily: Day 3 from E3 2000. It’s not a product ad,
but a departing statement from Hiroshi Yamauchi just before he retired (maybe). Almost 13 years later (that’s more than TWO Wii generations duct-taped together), does it still apply today?
WiiU is Failing, but it isn’t Nintendo’s fault
Good lord, I’m having déjà vu yet again! Three months into the life of the WiiU, we’re already seeing the cycle repeat itself as it did with the 3DS; sales start to stall, and third parties are no where to be seen. According to the NDP, WiiU versions of games are selling worse then the Vita! (…Vita still counts?) Nintendo didn’t do enough to advertise the WiiU and court third parties! WiiU is now doomed!
…
Nintendo isn’t to blame for this current mess. Continue reading “WiiU is Failing, but it isn’t Nintendo’s fault”
In Today’s News, UbiSoft just screwed over Rayman Legends
In case you haven’t heard the news yet, all that free advertising Nintendo gave to Rayman Legends turned out to be absolutely worthless on Nintendo’s part: Rayman Legends is no longer a WiiU exclusive and it’s being put multiplatform, and as such it making gaming journalists, analysts and haters hard in the pants. The reasons given are batshit stupid but what is even more insane is the fact that the game, which is pretty much finished, has been delayed by six months and is now forced to compete with Grand Theft Auto V. Continue reading “In Today’s News, UbiSoft just screwed over Rayman Legends”
Videogame Warfare – Nobody Wins
Wii U strikes back! Wii U behind the next-gen curve! Sony waiting for Microsoft to make the first move! 3DS dominating Japan! Will the Vita make a comeback?
How does that read to you? To me it sounds like sports commentary. The winner goes to the next round and the loser is knocked out as everyone fights for center stage. Is this how we treat artists? Unless you’re THQ, this isn’t how the gaming industry operates. It isn’t how ANY entertainment industry operates. People make cool things, other people buy and share the cool things and more cool things are made. Movies are shown in different cinemas, musicians play at different venues. Why are we being so passive-aggressive about videogames, have our lives gotten so easy that we need to simulate chaos where it doesn’t belong? Gaming journalists apathy for videogames has gotten to the point where Nintendo has actively moved away from the whole scene with Nintendo Direct becoming the sole outlet for their game announcements.
Pietriots Best Of Nintendo Wii!
Whelp, it’s already here. On November 18th, the Wii U ushered in a new generation of Nintendo hardware, and I’m very excited. Once again, we have a new controller that will deliver different experiences – but as we all know only niche developers and Nintendo will do something about it. Third parties? Haha don’t make me laugh, seriously.
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends – Another Cruel Joke
Slightly Mad Studios should be renamed Completely Batshit Studios, because based on this game they are a bunch of sadistic wankers. After Shift Unleashed I thought they’d be able to make a better game without EA. While the menus are much cleaner, this game’s structure has completely gone down the shitter.
Continue reading “Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends – Another Cruel Joke”
Nintendo is making Madden look bad
Wii U isn’t bombing hard enough for some journalists to feel secure, and another desperate doom article has surfaced. This “sports expert” on Kotaku has decided Wii U’s fate rests on Madden. Only 42 people were playing Madden on Wii U at some random point on Sunday, while Xbox 360 had 194236 billion people online! What do you have to say about THAT, Nintendo?
Pietriots 