30th May 2010 – Greetings gamers, Sarah here bringing you the 38th The Week That Was (sorry for the few missing weeks). This week’s releases brought the Wii No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and Scene It? Twilight (poor Wii), 360 and PS3 shared UFC 2010 Undisputed, Pure Football, Alpha Protocol and Blur.
Xbox 360
It is with little surprise that I report that Red Dead Redemption broke $10 million in its first week. Even with stores all throughout England running out of the game that was not enough to stunt the Cowboy games sales. Rockstar are sure to be pleased. The creators of GTA have got another hit on their hands, and though the Wild West is a long way away from the gritty streets of Liberty City or San Andreas, they are still producing satisfying stories and top-notch game play (apart from a couple of minor reported glitches). If RDR continues to sell so well over the next 6 months, it could prove to be a contender for Game of the Year.
Speculation over the development of Project Natal has been spreading through the internet. Rumours about its prices (ranging from $49 to $199) are floating about and a few sites have claimed that the new controller will be called Wave, though there’s much debate about that name. Nothing is confirmed yet, but it is assumed by some that with Natal’s release, Microsoft will have a good chance of beating Sony and Nintendo in this year’s console sales race. Though given that most people who wanted to play motion sensor games would simply have saved up and bought a Wii, the idea that Xboxers would spend $150 on an add-on that does the same thing is a little hard to believe. Fans have been debating heatedly (and with much name calling) on sites and forums on whether or not it’s just a glorified eye-toy. Only time will tell what Natal’s price will be set at, and if it’s worth it, or just a case of following a trend. To let us know your opinion, jump onto our forum and tell us what you think.
In other big news in Xbox land this week, Microsoft and Bungie have confirmed that the highly anticipated Halo Reach has a release date of September 14, 2010!! After the success of the Beta earlier in the month, September 14 can’t come quick enough for the Halo fans out there.
Also, for all the Fallout fans awaiting Fallout New Vegas with baited breath, I bring good news. There will be an EB Games pre-order (confirmed on EB’s twitter page and available so far in Australia) which gives players a Vault 13 armoured suit, 10mm pistol, Vault 13 canteen and 5 stimpaks. Given that Fallout New Vegas is making the players need to keep their character hydrated to live, the canteen might give us Aussies a better survival chance for now.
Playstation 3
In big news for Sony, it looks like they will soon be overtaking rival Microsoft in platform sales. Due to the recent release of PS3’s low priced slimmer model consoles, sales have been steadily increasing. Analysts at DFC have predicted that in two years PS3 will close the 4.4 million dollar gap in worldwide sales and surpass Xbox 360.
In some big, but not highly surprising news for PS3 shooter fans this week, Sony have confirmed the existence of Killzone 3! Now we all knew it was in development, but it is great to have it official. It is said to be released in 2011 and have 3D built in, which is good and not so good, depending on your point of view on 3D gaming.
For those of you wishing that your favourite PS2 games were as shiny as those on your PS3 and had trophies as well, you might be in luck. Sony is looking for more PS2 games to convert to the higher platform, the way they did with God of War. With the success of the remastered God of War, Sony is looking to capitalise on this formula of bringing you the same games, but better. This should prove to be a good move for Sony, giving them the opportunity to, instead of spending time and money creating new games, simply improving the ones they already have and breathe new life into games that have proven to be successes. It will also give a nice boost to their all over profit too, which will help in the game race. So sit tight and wait, soon you could be seeing more of the classic PS2 titles revamped.
In amongst all their current good luck they’ve been having, Sony is also currently dealing with a bit of trouble. They have been sued by a number of people who purchased PS3s for removing the OS Other feature (meaning Linux was no longer supported) from the PS3, which made it impossible for some users to even access the online Playstation Network. They are undergoing legal proceedings with the growing cases that continue to pile up against them. They are faced with having to pay each complainant a sum equalling the value of a PS3, injunction relief and damages. While this will be no more than petty cash to Sony, it may leave more than a dint in their reputation.
Nintendo Wii
The sequel to No More Heroes launched this week in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. This is said to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing games on the Wii with its unique cell shaded style (and it’s easy to see why). The reviews claim that this surpasses its predecessor and given its double sword fighting technique, takes full advantage of the Wii’s controllers. Wii owners who like excessive blood, sword fighting and honestly massive digital boobies (Lara Croft would feel challenged here) should definitely look into getting this game. It’s sure to be a pleaser.
Also, just announced is the latest whacky gadget for the Wii. The Cyberbike. That’s right; Bigben Interactive brings you a bicycle for the Wii. Now not only can you stretch and balance on stuff to exercise, but now you can ride a bike too. Though so far it seems this add-on for the Wii will be more for playing games where you get to ride around virtual words, the workout is just a pleasant extra. This virtual bike ride game is said to have an environmentally friendly undertone to the storyline, so score one for Wii for getting out their Greeny side. This should prove to be just the thing for those days when you want to go out for a nice bike ride, without actually having to leave your house and be bothered by those pesky cars, dogs and ultraviolet rays. Though a rather odd idea, it might be a profitable endeavour for Nintendo. They’ve taken bets that have paid off before, and they will again. No release date or prices have been specified yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
In less pleasing news, Nintendo have recently been hit with a sudden batch of worker suicides at one of the Foxconn factories that produces Wii consoles. Though it has not been clarified why 15 of Foxconn’s workers there decided to kill themselves, it does call into light what exactly the working conditions are for the people who make our beloved consoles. With Nintendo being at the top of the global console sales, it might be putting excess strain on their employees. Giving companies like Foxconn, who already mass produce electrical goods for other branches may be cheaper, but not necessarily right. And with the new add-ons being developed by Nintendo, the Foxconn factory workers will be getting even more work put on them. With Foxconn’s employees only getting $130 US a month, angry families and shortage of supply may be on the horizon for Nintendo.
And now for the week’s other news in brief:
- Xbox Next Gen Format Problem
- Alpha Protocol developer not proud
- Mount up and jump back into Gears of War 2 with new multiplayer matchmaking features in Title Update 6
- OXM Rumors: 360 Slim fall release, Perfect Dark Zero 2 fall 2011, 360 dashboard redesign for Natal
- Sony’s Killzone 3 looks amazing, but its 3D TV version disappoints
- Sony: Gran Turismo 5 out before LittleBigPlanet 2
- Rumor: Sony to reveal 'PSN+' subscription service at E3 2010
- Father of the Xbox, Head of Gadgets and Fun Leave Microsoft
- Insomniac embraces Xbox 360
- PS3 still not maxed out, says Sony
And that’s it for this instalment of The Week That Was. If you lot think I did a good job, please leave a comment letting us know so Craig has a reason to keep me here and so I get a litle bit more confident.
Article Written By Sarah Jane Neighbour