smbius' Blog - GameSpot

Title	Score
The World Ends With You	9.5
Heavenly Sword	6.5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10	9.5
Grand Slam Tennis	5.0
Baseball Stars	9.5
Street Fighter IV	9.0
Dragon Warrior	7.0
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas	8.0
Rock Band 2	9.0
Superman Returns	1.0

7Dec 09

So I finally started selling a bunch of my games and accessories on Ebay...

Click here to see the auction

Suikoden III 3 (Complete and Mint) PS2
Zelda Collector's Edition (Game, Case, No Booklet) GC

PS2, GameCube, Xbox Video Game Lot (13 Games)

Def Jam Fight for N.Y. (Gamecube) - Condition: : Like New, Barely Played. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Bomberman Generation (Gamecube) - Condition: Mint, NO BOOKLET, disc, inserts, and case.
Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection (PS2) - Condition: Mint, Complete, disc, inserts, and case.
Comes with...
- Metal Gear Solid 1 (Condition: : Like New, Barely Played. Complete, disc, inserts, case in Like New condition)
- Metal Gear Solid 2 (New. Unopened. Complete)
- Metal Gear Solid 3 (Condition: : Like New, Barely Played. Complete, disc, inserts, case in Like New condition
Ninja Gaiden Black (XBox) - Condition: : Like New, Barely Played. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Shenmue II (Xbox)- Condition: Mint, Comes with booklet, insert, case in great condition. NOTE: Does not have Shenmue 1 Movie DVD
Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) - Condition: : Like New, Barely Played. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (PS2) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case. Rated 10 on Gamespot.com!
Sega Sports Tennis (PS2) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (PS2) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
NOTE: This is an IMPORT GAME! You will need a Japanese PS2 to play this game.
Okami (PS2) - Condition: Like New, Barely Played. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection SEALED NEW PS2

PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 Video Game Lot (10 Games)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3) - Condition: : Good Condition. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Virtua Tennis 3 (PS3) - Condition: Mint, Complete, disc, inserts, and case.
Call of Duty 3 (Wii) - Condition: Mint, Complete, disc, inserts, and case.
House of The Dead 2 & 3 Return (Wii) - Condition: : Like New, Barely Played. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Grand Slam Tennis (Wii)- Condition: Mint, Comes Complete with booklet, insert, case in great condition.
Guitar Hero: World Tour (Xbox 360) - Condition: Like New, Barely Played. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
ChromeHounds (Xbox 360) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) - Condition: Mint, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.
Perfect Dark Zero Collector's (Xbox 360) - Condition: Decent, Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case. NOTE: Plastic Cover (which surrounds case is torn)

Dreamcast Video Game Lot (3 Games)

Virtua Tennis - Condition: Mint, Complete, disc, inserts, and case.
Crazy Taxi - Condition: Mint, Complete, disc, inserts, and caase.
Crazy Taxi 2 - Condition: : Good Condition. Complete with all booklets, disc, inserts, and case.

Diablo Action Figures Series One Lot & Diablo II Figure

Eclipse Arcade Stick for Sega Saturn (NEW)

Mad Catz RetroCON SNES-type controller (for PS2)

Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar (for Nintendo Wii)

Alundra 2 (PlayStation, 2000) Brand New Factory Sealed

Falcon 3.0 (PC) - ****c Series CD Version Complete

Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii, 2009) Mint/Complete

Chrono Trigger (SNES) Box and Inserts Only. No Game

2 Sega Saturn Game Cases (NEW)

Sony Satellite Speakers SS-TS300

Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season One

Ice Hockey NES Complete

Street Fighter IV 4 Arcade FightStick MadCatz!!!

360 Mad Catz Rock Band 1 and 2 Mic Microphone!!

Warcraft 3 III Muradin Bronzebeard action figure

Posted Dec 7, 2009 10:54 pm PT
Category: Games
5 Comments

19Nov 09

Games to get on Black Friday

What's better than having a huge collection of games? Having money to buy more! Yes!

This is usually that time of the year where I usually go crazy and buy games I've been holding out on the for the last couple of months.The whole rule is: "If it's not on sale, don't buy it."

That being said. Here is my Black Friday Wish list:

Grimgrimoire (PS2)
The Red Star (PS2)
MGS4: Limited Edition (PS3)
A Boy and his Blob (Wii)
Muramasa (Wii)
New Super Mario Bros. (Wii)
Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles (Wii)
FarCry 2 (PC)
Crysis Maximum Edition (PC)
COD4 (PC) - I'm sure this will be on sale
COD MW2 (PC)
Tales of Vesperia (360)
Forza 3 (360)
Lego Rock Band (360)
Assassin's Creed 2 (360)
Halo 3: ODST (360)
GTA4: Ballad of Gay Tony (360)
Demon Souls (PS3)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (PS3)
Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
Devil Survivor (DS)

Recently, I picked up Uncharted 2 (PS3) and Modern Warfare 2 (360). It's seldom that I buy games on its debut but I couldn't wait for those.

Anyone want to suggest some other ones that are not on this list?

Posted Nov 19, 2009 5:27 pm PT
Category: Games
5 Comments

18Nov 09

After all these years I finally have Radiant Silvergun

...and I got it for a nice price of $30 - complete. Pretty nuts considering how much this thing goes for on eBay. Some dude definitely did not know what he had in the fleamarket.

Posted Nov 18, 2009 12:21 pm PT
Category: Games
4 Comments

7Nov 09

After 25 years of collecting games...

I've finally hit the 400 games mark. Yay me. A game a month. Not too shabby. Plus, I don't litter my collection with garbage. I like the good stuff. There are a few guilty ones in there but it's mostly because I'm obsessed in completing a series of games.

Sadly, I haven't beaten most of them. I keep having this notion that one day I'll just retire and finish them all. It's a bit tough when you have a family and it just looks like I'm playing less and less. However, I love collecting games. I don't know what it is about having a crapload of games on my shelf. There are quite a number of them that are sealed and never opened. One time, I sold one of those games and it hit about $150 bucks. Not bad. It's a huge difference from getting shafted by GameStuck when they pay you less than 1/3 the price for some of the more recent games.

Alot going on.

Posted Nov 7, 2009 1:28 am PT
Category: N/A
6 Comments

17Aug 09

Game Informer came in the mail today- reviews of Beatles and Batman

Beatles gets a 8.75 while Batman got 9.5. Game Informer went as far as saying that Batman "is this year's Bioshock".

After playing a demo of Batman, I was hoping the rest of the game would be as good as the demo. Looks like it is.

I'm curious to see what Gamespot will score it. I'm sure they're in the middle of reviewing these games.

There are a couple of other games that were reviewed (i.e. Madden) but most have that game already.

There were some previews I've never heard of. More on that later.

Posted Aug 17, 2009 9:55 pm PT
Category: Games
6 Comments

19Jun 09

RS: First month of Xbox Live now $1 (PSO vs. Live)

This is in response to the comments made undersaid article:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/26924608/first-month-of-xbox-live-now-1.html

As a owner of both the PS3 and 360 there are some stark differences aside from the cost. While the PSOnline is free it lacks many must-have features that are already on the 360. On Live, you have the ability to chat and multitask, invite friends to a game, custom avatars, etc. The PS3 is very clumsy with its game invitations and if you're in the middle of a chat and want to browse around the playstation store, or simply change some PS3 settings, you can't. You must end the chat first. On the 360, a friend can go into private chat with you during a movie or a game. The PS3 still hasn't done this. The 360 was definitely built with Xbox Live as a big centerpiece while the PS3 was built to promote the bluray format and the great content (games/movies) it provides. However, its obvious that Sony's priority is not its online community and its lackluster online experience seems secondary when comparing online experiences between the two systems. The 360 is lucky to inherit a well established community and an online framework capable of handling loads of traffic and DLC. While PS3's online system continues to stumble with its releases, I'm hopeful that they will catch up but since it's free, Sony is not prone to liabilities and nor do they need to feel obligated to improve their online systems.

On the 360 side, Live frequently updatea content and gaming highlights which effectively nurture Live's community. Live has events where you supposedly play against celebs, developers, or reach an achievement to win some prizes like a car. Xbox Live's community also has the ability to submit player reviews or even file complaints.

I'm not hating at PS3 at all, just its online component. Just take a look at my profile/images. I have almost the same number of games on both the PS3 and 360. But when it comes down to online experience, Xbox Live is currently the online system champion and is worth the cost.

Posted Jun 19, 2009 11:05 pm PT
Category: Games
9 Comments

13Jun 09

Side-by-side comparison Grand Slam Tennis vs. Virtua Tennis 2009

Here is a side-by-side comparison between the two games.

Campaign Mode?
- VT9: Yes - World Tour
- GST: Yes - Grand Slam
Create-A-Player?
- VT9: Yes - Home in World Tour
- GST: Yes - The Locker Room
Online Play and Local Multiplayer?
- VT9: Yes
- GST: Yes
Can Use Nunchuk?
- VT9: Yes
- GST: Yes
Practice Area
- VT9: Yes
- GST: Yes
Tutorial Games

How are the Tennis Motions Handled?

Forehand
- VT9: Wii Motion Plus - EasilyRecognizes Motion
- GST:Wii Motion Plus -SeldomRecognizes Motion
Backhand
- VT9:Wii Motion Plus - Easily Recognizes Motion
- GST:Wii Motion Plus - Seldom Recognizes Motion
Lobs
- VT9:Wii Motion Plus - Easily Recognizes
- GST: Uses "A" button and any swinging direction of WiiMote - Consistent
Drop Shot
- VT9:Wii Motion Plus - Moderately Recognizes Motion
- GST: Uses "B" button and any waggling of WiiMote -Consistent
Slice
- VT9:Wii Motion Plus - Seldom Recognizes Motion
- GST:Wii Motion Plus - Seldom Recognizes Motion
Service
- VT9:Wii Motion Plus - Easily RecognizesMotion
- GST:Wii Motion Plus - Moderately RecognizesMotion
Volley / Smash / Net Play
- VT9: Wii Motion Plus - Easily Recognizes Motion. Raise WiiMote to ready volley
- GST: Uses "Up" button for Net Play

Other Notes:

In GST, it doesn't account for the wind-up of the racquet before hitting the ball. For example, if you are bringing your WiiMote back to anticipate a forehand or backhand, GST will record it as a swing. In VT9, the player's A.I. goes into wind-up animation to anticipate the hit. This avoids mistaking the wind-up from the actual swing. However, if the person holding the WiiMote anticipates it as a backhand and the screen shows a forehand, well then VT9 just made you look silly. In GST, you can get away from just waggling the controller but not VT9. However, VT9 is sometimes too forgiving.

Detailed Ratings (1-horrible / 10-superb):

Menu Presentation
- VT9: 5
- GST: 8
Career Mode
- VT9: 8 (has an edge because of the multi-tennis court games and multiple ways of training)
- GST: 7 (assimilates the abilities of tennis legends)
Consistently Follows Player's Motion
- VT9: 8 (usually follows mostly but is more forgiving)
- GST: 4 (character is mostly hitting ball off feet)
Sounds / Music
- VT9: 7
- GST: 8
Player's A.I. and A.I. Positioning
- VT9: 8 (your character is erratic on an opponent's weak dropshots. Very noticeable when doing VT Coach)
- GST: 1 (this is what makes GST frustrating)
Player control with Nunchuk
- VT9: 8 (works well with Nunchuk)
- GST: 7 (still hits ball at feet whether you perform a backhand/forehand even when positioning character correctly)
Online Play and Setup
- VT9: 8
- GST: 8
Most realistic feel of tennis
- VT9: 7 (very inconsistent recognition on forehand/backhand slicing)
- GST: 3 (uses buttons in combination with swinging. Holding "A" button and swinging downward will still produce a lob)
Overall Experience
- VT9: 7
- GST: 5

It seems like to me that those who favor one game over the other are disappointed by either Wii Motion Control, Player Placement, Online, etc. In terms of the better realistic feel for Tennis, I think Virtua Tennis has the edge mostly because their A.I. is much better, no use of buttons, forced calibration, and the wind-up animations trick the player into thinking it's full 1:1. GST has a much better lineup of players to select from but they are resorting to waggling in combination with buttons for lob and drop shot. Some people like this since they feel they have more control with the way strokes are done on the court but that defeats the purpose of WM+. GST also does not accomodate for wind-up. When you bring your WiiMote back for the swing, the game will take that as a swing. VT9 accomodates the wind-up by putting an animation in between hoping that the player will mimic that swing. As for online, my experience between both games were lagfree most of the time but in GST both you and the opponent will have to use Nunchuk to minimze the horrible A.I. not accomodating for wind-up. Some people are experiencing lag on both games and it would be wrong to judge based on lag since each match can differ depending where your opponent is located. Virtua Tennis 2009 does its best to mimic tennis movements. It does it pretty well but has trouble with slicing. Slicing is completely different from how it's mimicked in real life. VT9 also annoys you by continuously asking you to choose between Standard control and WiiMotionPlus even with WM+ plugged in.

Between both games, VT9 definitely has a deeper learning curve but the VT Coach helps with this (except for slicing - which is horrible). GST is much quicker to pick up since you can waggle the WiiMote but the Nunchuk is must. Also be prepared to play corner-to-corner rallies because that happens often no matter how well you time your swings. Both are still sequels away from creating true 1:1 motion of tennis but VT9 takes the edge mostly because it tries to make use of all the various swings with WiiMotion.

Detailed Review for VT9 to come soon

Posted Jun 13, 2009 2:58 am PT
Category: Games
1 Comment

11Jun 09

Anyone played Grand Slam Tennis for Wii? Ugh...

So, I bought it today and spent so much time playing it and now the frustrations are telling me to sell this game. Definitely not true 1:1 tennis gameplay. I play actual tennis and so my expectations were pretty high for this one since the hype of Wii-Motion Plus. I did get Tiger woods (Wii Motion) and that was cool. I hope Wii's Virtua Tennis is not like this.

Check out my review below for Grand Slam on the Wii

http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/grandslamtennis/player_review.html?id=663815

Posted Jun 11, 2009 3:03 am PT
Category: Games
12 Comments

5Jun 09

E3 Report Card of the Big 3's Press Conferences

MICROSOFT

Grade: B

Highlights: Beatles RockBand, Tony Hawk Ride, Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2, Forza 3, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Project Natal

So Microsoft starts off E3 with guns blazing with a nice stage design and some nifty demos - a few of which are Microsoft-exclusive games. Compared to last year, Microsoft has minimized the stat boasting and instead went straight into the meat of their upcoming products. Out of the obvious highlights listed above, two particular games caught my attention: Forza 3 and Tony Hawk Ride.

Forza 3 demonstrated car rolling as part of the Forza's new damage system - something the gamers have been asking for. High speed crashes can look spectacular now at high speeds instead of a pretty bad dent on your bumper. The developer also pointed out how much they nurture their Forza crazy community. Remember painting your own car in Forza 2? Well, imagine people building a business out of it painting virtual cars for the XBox community. The footage alone of these virtual painters giving their testimony eluded me.

As for Tony Hawk Ride, I was never into skating games but this one took the cake with its unique full-size skateboard controller. It took the Wii Fit concept further. I'm pretty curious as to how it would feel controlling the game with it. The footage they had of people playing the game looked impressive since the board demonstrated a wide range of control.

It's a refreshing take from what they did last year but then again, anything at this point is better than the bar that was lowered from 2008's E3. While these highlights were notable, they don't even come close to Microsoft's trump card.

Project Natal - Microsoft's new motion control toy.

You've heard the rumors of a camera detecting depth and motion and now it's here. Even though they were just concept demos but it was obvious what kinds of possibilities could come from this technology. The demos displayed impressive body tracking by doing a virtual version of body racketball and bucket painting. Then there's the Milo Demo.

Very impressive stuff.

Now that Nintendo has carved a new market with motion control games, Microsoft wants to blow it wide open and take away all the limits from motion control. Despite the revolution it could make, it kind of scares me. If this technology is as accurate as the concepts and demos, people will never go out anymore. They had even had Steven Spielberg jump on the new technology.

Crazy stuff. They're really trying to get the 360 to be the machine that allows people to experience a range of everything when it finally comes to market. The only question now is: How much is all this going to cost? What about the cost of game development? I guess this is all burning questions for 2010's E3.

NINTENDO

Grade: C+

Highlights: New Super Mario Bro for Wii, FF Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Wii Vitality Sensor, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M

Nintendo has always known to keep things simple and it shows on their stage design. It starts off with the usual montage of casual gamer photos and ending with the words "The Game in Everyone". It definitely set the tone for what was to come. Shortly, Nintendo's Sales/Marketing Vice President Cammie Dunaway comes out and starts talking stats, numbers and "Everyone's Game" but shows up with a nice surprise - New Super Mario Bros for Wii.

On the outside, it looks like a 4-player port from one of the DS' best selling titles. While it doesn't hold any candle to any of Microsoft's flashy demos had yesterday, it looked fun. Bill Trinnen from Treehouse then took the stage and began describing some of the games new features as it was being played on the stage. Too bad it was brief.

They started going into the Wii Balance Board and began boasting its sales. Funny thing is, I'm one of those 15 million that bought it and probably most of the 15 million that has also collected dust which I can confirm 10 people including myself. My gamer friends are mostly in I agreement. We'd rather snowboard or workout in real-life. They introduce Wii Fit Plus but it appears to be a small upgrade from its previous game. They also went into Wii Sport Resort which isn't too much a surprise but at least they treated us to some more brief footage of gameplay with the latest being a skydiving demo. As the Mii pulled the chute and landed into the resort island, Trinnen played an archery and 3-point basketball game. Looks very simple and plays as simple as it looks and I can see it selling tons of copies.

Nintendo claims that they have sold more 3rd party games for both their systems than any other system currently on sale. What they didn't tell you is how much of those 3rd party games sucked and how many unknowing casual gamers have bought it. See my previous gamespot post.

Now on to the DS platform. While we've heard about Bowser's Inside Story and Kindom Hearts which I have alot of interest in but Nintendo threw a small curve ball - Golden Sun DS. Cool.

Immediately after that Nintendo went downhill with James Patterson Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion. *Ahem*. A couple of my girlfriends have heard of James Patterson and they also happen to be DS owners. I mentioned this game after hearing about it and even one of them was a reader of his books but isn't interested in getting the game. It gets even worse with ****Savvy - another hideous game all gamers should avoid. It boggles me why Nintendo would choose to announce these games in their conference when they could've just kept it at the floor. Any DS that carries either game deserves to be stepped on.

They then began talking about the Wii Vitality Sensor. Great. Sounds fun but where are the killer apps to demonstrate its potential? I can see some ideas around it but I'm curious over how it can be used but only from a fitness perspective.

Despite that, there was some good news. The announcement of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Based on the footage, the graphics looked great. I'm hoping that they will extend the gameplay on it. They showed a bit of Darkside Chronicles and Dead Space but you really can't see much under a few seconds.

Nintendo then ended it off with Metroid: Other M. The footage displayed the game as a impressive looking 3D side scroller or a game in 3rd person perspective. The nice CGI didn't hurt either. Even more interesting is that they joined up with Team Ninja - the developers behind Ninja Gaiden. The clip definitely showed Samus looking more agile and looks alot more fast-paced compared to its previous games.

Despite the lower grade, I think Nintendo is in good shape.

SONY

Grade: B

Highlights: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Final Fantasy XIV, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PSP

The Sony press conference for E3 2009 is set to prepare gamers for the return of a juggernaut. Sony's had a tough 2008, but things are looking alot better with all of these high-profile impending releases. This is Sony's year to make the most expensive console on the market profitable. With God of War III, Heavy Rain, Batman Arkham Asylum, Modern Warfare 2 and MAG on the horizon, this year's E3 press conference promises to give gamers a reason to pick up a PS3. As usual, Sony wows gamers with their stage designs and CGI. They want their PS3 and PSP (and PSP go) to lead the other big 2.

After watching the Nintendo conference, seeing PS3 graphics seems unfair. The sheer number of games both exclusive and cross platform is mind numbing. Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters, Dragon Age, and Singstar Queen for the PS3 are just a few I'm looking forward to. There are quite a few kid friendly games mingles with God of War, and Modern Warfare. Yet, PSP is getting a makeover for younger audience with a Hannah Montana bundle. Why Sony? Why? I know you guys want to show versatility, but does it have to be on the E3 press conference? Why not a simple mention?

Following Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian is in progress. The main character is a boy with his very own bizarre dragon-like creature with feathers. It looks like a four legged bald eagle with a hyena head. However, a close look tells me that the scene is generated on the fly through PS3 hardware. Very impressive. So far Uncharted 2 and Last Guardian rank in the top 2 in E3 impressions scale.

Sony then demonstrates their new Playstation motion controller. It's a combination of two sticks and a camera. Their live technology demo wasn't too impressive after watching Project Natal. The concept product just seems like a higher fidelity version of the Wii Motion Plus. The motion controls demonstrated the use of flashlights, rackets, swords, and golf clubs. First person mode allowed guns, and whips. You'll be able to draw, write, and spray paint. Nintendo can already do this now.

At the end, Sony concluded press conference with a live demo of God of War 3. While it does not look as visually stunning as Uncharted 2 but that will be overseen by gamers through it's over-the-top violence on a mythically massive scale.

I'm sure most of you guys reading this were hoping that Sony would make a PS3 price break.

CONCLUSION

This year's E3 seemed at first to be a tad short in games that made us go, "Oh WOW". There are quite a number games that were first demoed a year ago at past conferences such as the GDC or TGS. In fact, some games that were announced last year at E3 didn't make an appearance at all this year. Overall, the new titles at first didn't excite me as much but that is to expected from just limited footage of gameplay. However, just from the footage alone, some new titles impressedme at this year's show. Keep in mind that last year's E3 Business Summit made things rough around the edges for these developers but these games were mostly shown under very controlled circumstances with the developer handling the live demo in nearly all cases.

Here are some notables that ended up in my wish list. It is in order of my own personal ranking just based on footage alone:

1. Uncharted 2
2. Mass Effect 2
3. Assassins Creed 2
4. God Of War 3
5. Modern Warfare 2
6.Metroid: Other M
7. Tony Hawk Ride
8.Final Fantasy XIII
9. New Super Mario Bros Wii
10.The Beatles: Rock Band

Posted Jun 5, 2009 4:48 pm PT
Category: Editorial
2 Comments

27May 09

Nintendo's State of the Company - A Wii Owner's perspective

I've been a devout follower of Nintendo's products since the NES but their current library for their leading system is saturated with generic casual games that are appealing to their new base of customers - The casual gamer. They know their current library sucks but they are making tons of money out of it. With the Wii shortage becoming a thing of the past, the Wii continues to sell more units and more games than the 360 and PS3. While this maybe great for Nintendo's bottom line, nobody knows how long this will last. Nintendo understands that consistent buying power comes from the core gamer and getting casual gamers to transition into the core crowd of gaming isn't easy.

THE WII DEMOGRAPHIC (Based on my personal experiences with many Wii owners)

1. Parents who don't want their kids to play games but find the Wii acceptable since it requires movement.
2. People who are not accustomed to gaming or have never played games and want to try something new.
3. The core gamer - owners of Nintendo's older products.

Nintendo knows that a majority of their sofrware is going to become shovelware and casual game studios are milking this current wave of customers at the expense of the Wii's reputation as a real gaming console. Prior to this week's release of Punch Out, the last notable release was MadWorld. Between those releases about 20 casual games debuted. Half of those games used words like "Crayola", "Hannah Montana", and "Diva Girls". Just visit Gamespot's New Releases section and click previous weeks to get a feel.

I believe that veteran game developers have contemplated on taking advantage of Nintendo's newly discovered market but wanted to build relationships with their new gamers and not quick cash-ins. It's strange. In an earlier E3, I remember watching a video of developers become enamored by Nintendo's bold direction with the Wii to go cheaper and creative. Red Steel was one of Wii's first handful of games that debuted and it seemed to have set the tone for other releases. I think developers wanting to create much deeper experiences on the Wii felt limited and not comfortable with Nintendo's newly discovered market of gamers. So developers took a familiar route. Despite Nintendo's case for cost-effective game development, third party publishers and developers are still continuing to have lasting success on the other two consoles...even with games having high-production costs. More or less, you are seeing studios go multi-platform for PS3/360 and find themselves at a fork on the road - Create something entirely different for the Wii...or do nothing and I'm sure this scares Nintendo. As more core gamers continue to collect dust on their Wii's, Nintendo began tapping the game developer community on what the issue was.

YOUR CONTROLS SUCK

As casual game developers continue to swindle the money out of groups #1 and #2 of the Wii demographic list, EA and other reputable studios have complained about the lack of fidelity and inaccuracies of the Wiimote and this does not only come from developers but Wii owners as well.

Well, Nintendo has answered - somewhat.

WII MOTION PLUS - THEIR LAST RESORT?

We all know what the Wii Motion Plus can do. We know about its wonderful new sensors and gyroscopes but what will happen to Nintendo's casual market when it is released?

Will people embrace paying $20 for each Wiimote they own? 4 players = $100!
Will studios develop exclusively for these devices or will they just accomodate them?
What about the Wii Fit Balance board?
Why couldn't they have made the Wiimote more accurate to begin with?

These are burning questions I hope Nintendo has contemplated as they try to figure out what to do with this new market. This will affect Wii owners and the quality of games they can expect to see in the near future.

You may disagree but it's tough being a Wii owner right now. I have walked into many GameStops and in each of these stores I have met families who have built quite a library of shovelware. You can't blame them. Just look at the shelf holding all the Wii games. Count how many of them you'd actually buy. I'm willing to bet you'd still have enough fingers left over after you're done. Many parents who own these consoles play with their kids but find that their gaming experiences are very shallow. I've offered many recommendations to many parents and casual gamers new to gaming. I've armed them with the sites and the magazines to look for. Not only have they became grateful for my advice but they have befriended me as well. Their new experiences with better games has helped improved their knowledge and their choices in games in general.

There is a whole market of gamers outside of those visiting this site and it's huge. But it remains to be seen on how Nintendo will work this new market and keep its core gamers invigorated. I'm hoping that Nintendo will be successful in getting everyone on board Wii MotionPlus. It's tricky since Nintendo is doing the chicken and egg at the same time. Developers want to see how many gamers embrace the new attachment but the gamers will be looking for the games that use it...which there won't be many to begin with. I'm hoping that Red Steel 2 will be the first of many games that begin this trend since it is developed exclusively for WiiMotion.

E3 2009 - NINTENDO'S CHANCE

The longer it takes to get everyone on board the more fragmented their market will become. But if there is one opportunity where Nintendo can restore confidence in Wii owners, it's E3. This would be the best time to announce big projects that will get Wii owners excited and tolerant in buying a peripheral that should've been included since the beginning.

Nintendo can always flex the muscles of its most famous franchises but the real test comes from third party developers such as Capcom, Konami, etc. Hearing them talk about how great it would be to develop for WiiMotion would be nice buta demo of the next groundbreaking game in progress that tells me the commitment is there and you won't see me putting my Wii on Ebay.

In retrospect, Nintendo's gamble for the Wii paid off. They probably could've included 1:1 motion in their Wiimotes but (like all companies) they wanted to minimize as much risk as possible if somehow the Wii just didn't work out. Now that their experiment has proven successful, I'm just hoping that they are not resting on their laurels and riding this wave of record profits. This new market still has room for those other two more companies so Nintendo must stay on their toes.

I really do hope that Nintendo is keen enough not to alienate and test the patience of their core gamers. Appealing to wide audiences is acceptable but I hope they don't get too comfortable being the first to do so. Here's to Nintendo's success.

Posted May 27, 2009 2:47 am PT
Category: Editorial
4 Comments

13Feb 09

Uploaded photos of my latest game collection

Check them out if you're bored.

http://www.gamespot.com/users/smbius/view_album?id=sWIzDB8MLXyPQcJl

Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:25 am PT
Category: Games
8 Comments

13Feb 09

So I get the following message from Gamespot's own JodyR

Subject: "Review emblem update"

Hello prolific writers! I have some interesting news worth sharing. - You are receiving this private message because you still have the user review emblem for the top 100 or 500 reviewers. Thank you for keeping your user reviews in good shape over the past year.

- The purpose of the top 1,000 reviewers emblem was changed to a Grandfathered critic. The scoop can be found in this week's weekly report. To get there, go to the community tab or forums directory and click the spam filter logo. - I contacted the inactive reviewers dating from December 2007 or earlier about their 100 or 500 emblem being removed. These users were given 2 weeks to play a game to write a review about it. If the users were still actively logging into the site they received the grandfathered critic review. - There has been talk about some future updates to the users review at the GS Headquarters. Because it's only under discussion, I'll have to wait for more solid information before I can PM everyone on the emblem review list!

- In case you haven't been noticing the weekly report, I've been pulling users from the best writers on the site; that's you! Don't be surprised if you write a user review and there is a mention about it. Please note that I am more likely going to link to the review if it's about a recent release, older game or if it's a not so popular game. Furthermore, if there are many people reviewing a high profile game, it is more likely that I'll feature an under the radar game in the weekly report.

- Do you have any friends that write awesomtastic user reviews? Stop by the Site Enhancements thread to let us know! http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26677406

Thanks for reading and contributing!

-JodyR

This is sweet! I still remember seeing groups in gamespot doing reviews...I think they're still around. Those guys would write excellent reviews. It's really nice to see gamespot actively comb through accounts. I remember taking way too much pride on the "top 100 reviewers" badge until I started coming across way more users who attained that badge to the point where the value of that badge went down. Either way, I'm glad I get to keep it. But even if I didn't have it, I'd still like to write thorough reviews and hopefully others will find it interesting as well as informative.

I'm going to write a review now. =)

Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:02 am PT
Category: Games
0 Comments

15Jan 09

To you player reviewers out there...

...review the RIGHT game and KNOW YOUR BASIC FACTS!

So basically, I've been browsing around the player reviews of several games and usually I don't mind people leaving garbage comments about my favorite games. Fine. I totally understand that. People are totally entitled to their own opinions....especially when it comes to the internet.

HOWEVER, what I see happening is people writing reviews on the WRONG game (and to a lesser extent) writing untrue statements as fact.

Examples:

Player gets emo after playing Call of Duty: World at War (if he ever did) and some how ends up giving a review for Call of Duty 1 and blaming the wrong developers.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/callofduty/player_review.html?id=584429&tag=readerreviews;continue
Call of Duty 1: "...propably one of the best wii games ever"
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/callofduty/player_review.html?id=569388&tag=readerreviews;continue

Seriously! That's just lazy, stupid or both.

Posted Jan 15, 2009 11:27 am PT
Category: Rant
7 Comments

14Dec 08

I'm auctioning a ton of Games and DVDs on Ebay starting at a DOLLAR!!

Games include:

Nocturne (PS2)
Infinite Undiscovery (360) NEW!!!
MGS: Twin Snakes (GC)
ROCK BAND SPECIAL EDITION (360) All instruments and Ion Drum Kit Pedal and Pad Silencers included!!!
Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition!! STARTING AT A DOLLAR!
Shenmue 2 (XBOX)
Fatal Fury Special (Neo Geo)
Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT (XBOX)
Grandia III (PS2)
Omega Boost (PS1)

VISIT MY EBAY AUCTIONS!

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/radcastro

Posted Dec 14, 2008 4:59 pm PT
Category: Games
1 Comment

8Nov 08

Made a gamestop and got some stuff

Resistance 2 and Skies of Arcadia Legends.

I'm hoping that the After-Thanksgiving shopping day will help me net some new games on sale.

Some of which are:

Fallout 3
Dead Space
Little Big Planet
Far Cry 2
Brothers in Arms Hells Highway
Gears of War 2
and Fable II

Tons of games already. Nuts.

Posted Nov 8, 2008 12:11 am PT
Category: Games
1 Comment

8Nov 08

Picked up a couple of games

Resistance 2 and Skies of Arcadia Legends.

I'm hoping that the After-Thanksgiving shopping day will help me net some new games on sale.

Some of which are:

Fallout 3
Dead Space
Little Big Planet
Far Cry 2
Brothers in Arms Hells Highway
Gears of War 2
and Fable II

Tons of games already. Nuts.

Posted Nov 8, 2008 12:10 am PT
Category: Games
0 Comments

17Sep 08

Yes. I'm back. With a review of Rock Band 2!

Let me know what you guys think.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/puzzle/rockband2/player_review.html?id=607694&tag=readerreviews;continue

I really enjoy this game alot. We all know it's nothing new but my friends and I were having a blast playing it during the baby shower!

Good stuff.

Posted Sep 17, 2008 9:19 am PT
Category: Games
4 Comments

19Jul 08

The Problem With E3's Press Conferences

...is that they designed for the press, stockholders and gamers. We hear "blah blah blah" until trailers or gameplay footage comes up to validate our wish lists. In a press conference, a company decides what information is presented, how it is presented, and who presents it. They decide what message and tone they want to portray and show the direction their company is taking. As with the big 3, their goal is to instill confidence in those who plan to invest in their company through their stock or their products (or both).

I'm a stockholder for all three of these companies. I may not be carrying more than 2% each of these companies shares but it's interesting to see how much clearer each company plans to shape its future.

NINTENDO LIKES SMILES

Nintendo kicks off their press conference by talking about "generating smiles" in the hearts of new gamers. The problem is: New gamers don't watch E3. Nintendo realizes that hardware is no longer a "seasonal nature" - so no more waiting for the Christmas sales spike. Iwata talks about destroying the psychological barrier. He also talks about getting non-gamers engaged and enriched. I find it hard to believe considering Nintendo's current lineup of games and being married to a non-gamer is proof of this. He still needs to figure out how to keep non-gamers attached to Nintendo's products. A bunch of shallow games that make very little use of the Wii's interface is not going to cut it. There are tons of Wii titles out there. Unforunately, those games last no more than a week at best. Just ask some of my co-workers.

Nintendo believes Animal Crossing for the wii is going to be a hit the same way The Sims was for the PC. With the addition of online and a top-mounted mic, it might work.

Reggie Fils-Aimé then talks about hardware sales with its direct competition. Impressive. But then he talks about how Mario and Sonic Olympics and Pokemon are selling tons of units and have helped sell their handhelds and systems. While these games aren't exactly blockbusters, it's clear that the rest of the public is biting. He begins to talk about how celebrity endorsements have helped sales on the DS particularly Nintendogs and Brain Age and with it 19 third party games selling more than 400K units on casual games. I hope that number doesn't include games from the virtual console.

Reggie: "Is this the ideal platform for new franchises? Is this the platform for more unique casual games? Is the Wii Library going to set new experiences for the core gamer?"

He then pulls out Clone Wars, Raving Rabbits TV, and Call of Duty as his examples. Poor examples, even to casual gamers. He goes on to talk about Guitar Hero on Tour selling 300K and all of a sudden his underling, Cammie Dunaway introduces GTA Chinatown. Weird considering that she was more in tune with friendly casual games.

She then abruptly changes gears brings up business and practical use of the DS such as locating airport luggage to viewing box scores in sports.

Wii Sports Resort demonstrates the Wii Motion Plus particularly the sword dueling. It's interesting that Nintendo plans to use Wii Sports Resort to guarantee the sales of their Wii Motion Plus but it looks more or less like Nintendo's way of migrating current Wii owners into a new motion controller which will probably be unveiled next year if not this year.

To end things off, Shigeru Miyamoto shows up with Wii Music but seems aimed toward casual gamers that do not know anything about games or music. It looks very clumsy and not very fun to play. Disappointing. But knowing how new wii owners (who know nothing about gaming) are going to buy it up.

In the end, it felt underwhelming but that was expected. Nintendo has been alot more conservative with its approach to press conferences. They brought up the numbers, talked about a few games and end off with some demos. I guess Nintendo would rather spend more time and money trying to figure out how to sustain this new "paradigm" of getting all types of gamers to continue buying their products.

SONY REMEMBERS

Sony as always puts alot of money into the production of their press conferences. Their presentation seemed more geared towards gamers, more specifically, the hardcore and techies.

Impressive introduction with montage of games including Ghostbusters, MGS, Riddick, Bioshock, Madden, Uncharted, Little big planet.

They say 2008 is the year of the PS3. The PS brand started July 20, 1993 and so they believe that history will repeat itself (despite how much the gaming industry has changed). They talk about the lifecycle of the system and remind the business guys how powerful the system is by talking about how the same chips are being used for supercomputers around the world. Good Job.

Sony Shoots back at Microsoft on reminding the crowd that bluray is here to stay. Good Job.

They didn't waste anytime with intros, slideshows or numbers. They show Resistance 2 which is pretty impressive but I still feel exhausted looking at another FPS game.

They get back into business world again and they use LittleBigPlanet to show numbers. They didn't show any comparison numbers against their own competitors. They pulled numbers from how many units of the PS2 was sold but never talked about the trends of their sales.

Interestingly, they talked about PS2 and how PS2 owners will translate into PS3 owners. 130 titles coming to PS2. This is a suprise. The gameplay footage was very brief. Sony begins to position the PS2 console as a casual gamer's entry level system. Very Strange. PS2 talks about value by packaging Lego Batman with the PS2. This seems counterintuitive to the goals of their PS3.

They talk about how GT5 is going to provide new content such as videos of races, new cars, etc but only through the playstation network.

When they talked about and unveiled Playstation Home, I felt that it is going completely in the wrong direction. It's too much stuff to do. People just want to play good games and that's it. Do people want a Sony version of Second Life? The installed user base of the PS3 is still the smallest of the Big 3. People who enjoy the Playstation Home will most likely be a small percentage.

They talk about tossing in names of studios providing movies in HD/SD in the PS network for purchase or for rent. Yesterday, I went through their skimpy selection of movies. I didn't really care for this since this is a bluray machine. If I want to rent movies, I'll go 360. But if I want to own movies, I'm going to Best Buy (or Ebay) and buy my next movie.

Now they are talking about PSP and how the entertainment packs (GOW /w PSP) help the PSP sell. Cool deal. Then they talk about how the PS3 can upload content directly to YouTube which will probably add more garbage to the net. No offense but the ratio of interesting user videos to garbage is not good.

Sony then gets game designers to vouch for the PS3 platform and that it is now (after 2 years in the programming learning curve) the platform to develop on.

As the presentation nears the end, they announce Zipper Interactive's MAG - a game concept that sounds similar to PC's BattleField 2. 256 simultaneous players sounds nice but getting it lag free is another challenge in itself, just ask the boys at Blizzard.

Overall, Sony's conference came down to a reminder to its loyalists that they will eventually win this generation of consoles but I think the industry has changed so much that this business has extended to more than just games. It's strange but there's definitely room for all of these guys in the Big 3. Nintendo wants to carefully expand the casual market but their trick will be to sustain it the same way they have with the core gamers (without alienating their core gamers). Sony is all about pure content and they believe that they carry the best content and the best system. They just don't have the numbers to show it. Microsoft wants to nurture their online market and extend their box to do more than just games. Microsoft is trying to dabble in everything casual, hardcore, and your typical movie goer.

It's really anybody's game. As an owner of all three consoles and a stockholder for all 3, it's really interesting to see how the game industry has changed drastically. I've been following the gaming industry for so long and have always been interested in the business side of things but I always believed that any company can be successful as long as they have a good balance of satisfying their profit margins and their customers.

Posted Jul 19, 2008 4:31 pm PT
Category: N/A
5 Comments

14Jul 08

E3: Impressions of Microsoft's Conference (a business perspective)

There's quite a bit to see during the conference. From a business perspective it looks like MS has been looking at numbers and coming out with games to address the Singstars, and casual gamers. They also responded to Sony's Home and Nintendo's Miis with the use of cutomizable avators. The nice thing about this is that it still looks accessible and there seems to be nice and easy facelift for the Xbox Live interface. Not bad. As long as it's easy and is compatible with 360 machines who have not had the update, things should be ok.

While we, as gamers, don't see the need to buy games like "Lips" or "Scene it", there's a huge crowd out there that's going to buy into it. Their EyeToy-like games which uses the camera are gimmicky and look difficult for even casual gamers to get into. This will be a huge waste considering that many consumers have seen stuff like this on the PS2.

HD CONTENT

I think Microsoft made a very smart move integrating NetFlix into to their Xbox Live movie downloads. As long as it's in HD, MS can go head-to-head with PS3 and BluRay. God knows how often my family goes out to rent movies. In our area, the selection of Bluray movies are very small. Some movie rental stores don't even have a Bluray section. Currently, the Playstation network sucks at delivering HD content online because there's hardly anything to download. But that's understandable. They're trying to sell BD disks.

I've rented plenty of movies on Live and having Netflix should keep things more current. What's even more smart is Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web. Being able to purchase Marketplace content whenever you want from Xbox.com and downloading automatically to your console. Purchase that new map, television episode, the latest Xbox LIVE Arcade game or set up a movie to watch when you get home from work. Cool stuff. I know I'd do it. Blockbuster and Hollywood Video are pretty much dead. I see a bunch of XBox live downloaders switching to Netflix. Why pay $6 in Xbox Live points to watch an HD movie when you can pay $5 a month from Netflix to download/stream whatever you want as much as you want? Crazy.

INTERACTIVE TV

MS plans to roll out Xbox Live Primetime this Fall, a place where users "can star in their own game shows" particularly 1 vs 100, Deal or No Deal, Big Brother and Fear Factor. I'm not sure if this will interact with the actual shows as they are being aired. If so, this could work. If not, I don't see any consumer attachment to it. There are so many games out there on the web where people are interacting with many players online (i.e. Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, etc.)...all for free. If Microsoft is smart, they would've inked a deal to get NBC to encourage viewers to log on Xbox live to play with their live contestants.

EXCLUSIVE VS. NON-EXCLUSIVE GAMES

Fallout 3. Cool. RE5. Nice. Last Remnant for 360 and PC. Sweet. Rock Band 2 will be automatic for me. Final Fantasy 13 on 360? Pretty nuts I'd say. Does Sony get hurt by this? I don't think so. If Sony hadn't won the HD format wars, then I'd be worried for them.

Here's the thing about FF13 going non-exclusive. It's pretty evident that FF13 is going to an expensive game to produce and the only way to break even quickly on those costs is to make the game accessible to as many gamers as possible. Unless the company who owns the platform (Sony/Microsoft) fronts the money for it to stay exclusive. Forget it. Productions costs are through the roof, especially in an economy that we're in right now. That's the main reason. This is not PS2 vs. Xbox anymore. PS3 and 360 have a sizable chunk of owners and there's no lopsided winner in this console race. Until there is, you can expect more things like this to happen.

Have fun with E3 everyone.

Posted Jul 14, 2008 2:36 pm PT
Category: Games
7 Comments

12Jul 08

Guitar Hero World Tour vs. Rock Band 2

I'm someone that likes to listen to a bit of music but I also like to play it as well (on real instruments). I play on the piano and I have some experience on the guitar. No matter how you spin it, even musicians like to play video games too...even games that TRY to mimic their real counterparts. Just ask some of my friends and myself. That being said, I've been playing rhythm games since Parappa, Drumbeat, Frequency and pretty much everything else. I even remember playing an imported version of GuitarFreaks at the local arcade. It felt sloppy. Yet nothing really caught my eye until Guitar Hero came along. Like GuitarFreaks, it seemed hammy watching others play. When I actually played it myself, I ended up buying it for my PS2. Guitar Hero 2 comes along and I bought that too. It was great since I didn't have to buy new peripherals. Everything seemed fine until Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band came along. As an early adopter of the 360, I had a choice between Guitar Hero III (GH3) and Rock Band (RB). Fortunately, I had friends who owned those games. For a few weeks, my friends and I rocked on GH3 until we played Rock Band. Of course, this is nothing like playing on real drums and real guitars but the experience was undeniably different and much more entertaining. It was a chance for non-musicians and musicians to come together and just have fun pretending to do cover songs. We ended up dropping GH3 and stuck with Rock Band. A few of my friends still play GH3 and some have even downloaded new tracks. The majority of my friends played Rock Band more than GH3. Eventually, everyone dropped GH3 and played only Rock Band exclusively.

Now we have Guitar Hero World Tour (GHWT) and Rock Band 2 (RB2) coming up. I've heard and read about GHWT's music creator but I have also heard that all of the downloaded GH3 tracks will NOT work on GHWT. Neversoft knows it's not technically feasible or resourceful to have the downloadable tracks to include different instruments - not to mention different difficulty levels of each of those instruments.

I myself have downloaded ALL of the latest tracks for RB. Friends bought the peripherals, I buy the tracks. My friends and I knew Harmonix is not stupid enough to release a sequel to kill their own library of downloaded tracks. That wouldn't make sense. Who would download new tracks if Harmonix announced that RB1 tracks will not be compatible with RB2. However, with GHWT, it seems like the franchise has to start all over. My friends and I knew that not everyone has disposable income. A new set of peripherals? More tracks to download? We also know that we don't have time to create music and share it - much less test it and make sure it sounds good. In fact, the music creator doesn't even include a vocal track - a HUGE downside! I'm sure that the music creator will be easy to use to make beats and guitar solos but this misses the whole point of rhythm gaming entirely. While Neversoft is concentrating on making new costumes, boss fights, neat accessories, and music creators, the rest of the casual gaming community may not care. Unless of course, this casual group of people has NEVER played Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Neversoft is banking on leveraging the Guitar Hero brand but I anticipate a huge uphill battle. For people that actually play these kinds of games, are people willing to just drop Rock Band (or GH3), its (downladable content) DLCs and just pony up the funds on World Tour? How much are these peripherals going to be and how much are the DLCs going to cost? And what about those new to rhythm gaming? Isn't it likely that these people will come across friends (with similar gaming interests) who've already played Rock Band?

Seriously, the genre is going to get crowded with a ton of neat features and the like but ultimately, it's going to come down to who has the strongest and largest library of music. There is still a ton of people out there that just don't care for games in general and just want to sing and pretend to play in a band with friends. If you have a limited library of music, that experience dies rather quickly. Harmonix knows this and they're playing it safe - keeping your DLCs intact, improved peripherals that are not required, creating setlists, etc. There are even people out there who are making money doing mods on Rock Band peripherals such as double pedals or realistic drums sets. It sounds crazy but Harmonix knows these people are out there and they are encouraging it by keeping the peripherals interchangeable. As of this writing, RB has 200+ songs and counting. When RB2 debutes, they will have 80+ songs to add to this library. I have yet to see if RB1's on-disc songs will transition over or will just be included in RB2's list.

Now if Guitar Hero World Tour were to have debuted before Rock Band, this would be a totally different story. Just replace the words RB with GHWT on this blog. Harmonix is lucky to have the timing they had with Rock Band. GHWT has a huge uphill battle to face when it finally debuts but RB2 will have a major edge on two things: A strong current library and a huge fanbase. Battle of the Bands is also a great concept which keeps things easy to understand and fun. Create a setlist and let a party of friends battle it out to see which band can get a higher score based on the agreed setlist. Imagine a party scenario where your band needs to break a million points to beat the other team. You're down by a slew of points. It seems doable but the next song is unfamiliar to vocalist. It creates an entertaining situation that entices onlookers to become active participants. It sounds easy, fun and very promising.

To counter RB2's current and future library of songs, Neversoft is hoping that their music creator will even the playing field by sharing created content with other GHWT users. GHWT will have their own iTunes like library by calling it GH-Tunes - an area where people will rate the highest ranking songs. This sounds great on paper but how does this translate to fun in the real world? How will you moderate 100 versions of "Hotel California" and 2 versions of "My Sharona". Neversoft hopes to alleviate this situation through Showcases - a list of the best user works alongside new songs from popular artists. Of course, Neversoft, like everyone else, has different tastes in music.

According to IGN's assessment of the music creator, "If you manage to create a nearly impossible song, you won't have to worry about that limiting your audience. The exact notes you played will be set to the hardest difficulty and the game will auto-generate note patterns for the easier settings so that everyone can enjoy (or hate) your work". If this is true, will the editor allow users to edit the auto-generated notes? If not, this can make the game feel unnatural, especially if some key notes are missing from the chorus of a song. What's it like playing as a band with these user created songs? How does band scoring work if there are no vocals recorded? All these questions and so little answers.

Based on what I've read, there is one huge advantage I see on GHWT, particularly on the Wii.
According to GameDaily: "Wii users will be able to store downloaded songs on either the Wii's internal memory or on an SD Card in a 'Rock Archive', and then will be able to create playlists from this".

Currently, Rock Band does not support DLC on the Wii and to have the ability for someone to bring an SD card around with World Tour DLCs and just start playing is a pretty big advantage over Wii's Rock Band. If RB2 doesn't address this, we can potentially see GHWT do some damage on the Wii charts and RB2 dominating 360 and PS3. At least that's my prediction.

So which sequel do I favor based on the given specs of both these games? I would lean towards Rock Band 2. No disrespect to Guitar Hero and its future sequel. I used to own a few of the GH games myself. Irregardless of game's name, I would be going after the game that has the biggest/strongest library and is accessible to people who normally don't play games. Guitar Hero World Tour looks to be a good game but for a different kind of gamer altogether. It's still unclear to me how the music creator and the DLCs will payoff for people that plan to purchase GHWT. GHWT's 85 songs is not going to cut it if the original Rock Band is churning out DLCs before the sequel. Good user content is based entirely on the users that make them. The fact that these would-be music producers will not be able to get ahold of these tools until the game debuts doesn't help either. Before you know it, we may see three times the number of songs on Rock Band 2 vs. World Tour. I know there are people out there that will own both GHWT and RB2. I know a few of those people personally but even if I had all had disposable income I still want some value and less risk. Current owners of Rock Band will have an easier time with their purchasing decisions, myself included. Thanks for reading.

Posted Jul 12, 2008 7:58 am PT
Category: N/A
1 Comment

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