411 Games Fact or Fiction 06.15.09: Rhythm Games, PSPgo, Balance Boards and More

Posted by Jacob Lopez on 06.15.2009

What's the deal with the Beatles Rock Band game? Are Adam and Dan looking forward to playing it regardless of their taste for their music? Is a Wii-HD necessary? What about the Godfather III? Are they disappointed that EA will not be making a third installment of the game? 411's Dan Hirsch and Adam Larck debate these topics and more!

As you're probably wondering, Ramon had something to do (an E3 column or something to that effect) and he came straight to Jay, begging, me to moderate this week's FoF for him. To give credit where credit is due, these questions are Mr. Aranda's, I am just keeping score and adding the images.

This week, Adam Larck and Dan Hirsch face off against each other discussing Beatles Rock Band, MAG and more.

Adam Larck is a nice guy who likes to jump onto Fact or Fiction anytime he can. Always ready to give a commentary.

I don't know Dan Hirsh all that well, so let me instead give ya a picture of the handsome devil:

We love you Danny boy!

Now. Let's go...




1. Beatles fan or not, you'll be looking forward to playing The Beatles Rock Band.

Adam Larck: Fiction - Not being a Beatles fan aside, I'm starting to get over the music game genre phase. I can't see paying $60 every year for the newest Guitar Hero or Rock Band game. I'm also the same person who can't buy sequels that barely alter anything year after year (looking at you, Madden). I'm still fine with Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: Metallica for now, so I'll be passing on this one.

Dan Hirsch: Fiction - I'm with Adam on this one. I'm pretty much burnt out on the music game genre at this point. When Guitar Hero rocked my world back in high school, it was groundbreaking and a lot of fun. Rock Band also helped push the limits by getting everyone in on the act by adding drums, bass, and vocals to the experience. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are pretty much a party staple and have been for about the last 4 years. Time and over-saturation has gotten it to the point where I just stopped caring about new song packs or band-themed games. I don't think there is anything a developer can do at this point to get me back into the genre except to just lay off it for a while.

Score: 1 for 1



2. Iwata doesn't believe a Wii-HD is necessary anytime soon and you agree.

Adam Larck: Fact - For me, I see HD enabled systems necessary for the core games of the system. Right now, the Wii is pretty much there for casual gamers. After forsaking a lot of their core base at E3 ‘08, there haven't been any games even remotely close to warranting an HD system. Now, once Metroid: Other M and Super Mario Galaxy 2 come out, I may change my mind on this. Currently, though, games that are only made up of gimmicky mini-games do not need HD.

Dan Hirsch: Fact- The Wii's niche is low-cost casual gaming. To make an HD version of the Wii would jack up the price on a system that isn't going to be delivering groundbreaking graphics in the first place. For those who want to push the Wii for better graphics, it can deliver 480p with component cables to give a crisper image. For essentially any game on the system, that's pretty much all you need. However, the Wii should stick with what it's good at and accept that it is going to lose ground in the technical side against the 360 and PS3. Nintendo made a choice to limit the system's capabilities in order to offer it at a lower price point, and despite criticism, it has proven incredibly effective. It was a gamble that hardcore gamers hate and 50 million casual gamers love, so I'm sure Nintendo can sit this console generation out minus an HD capable system.

Score: 2 for 2



3. A $249 price tag for the PSPgo is unacceptable.


Adam Larck: Fact - The PSPgo is just a PSP that's purely digital (distribution), no UMD or anything. So why does it have to be so much more than a PSP is right now? People may have to spend more to convert their UMD games to the Go anyway, so it just doesn't make sense to me. I guess I figured that since they wouldn't need to put the UMD drive on the system, it would be cheaper to produce and sell. Apparently, I was wrong. I'll definitely be holding off on the system until the price drops.

Dan Hirsch: Fact- For $250 someone could own a Wii, and to honest it's more appealing to me as a gamer and consumer to spend that money on a console as opposed to a handheld. After reading the press releases and reports about the PSPgo, I understand what Sony is trying to do here, but I don't see them accomplishing it at the $249 price mark given the quirkiness that their new handheld brings to the table. The PSPgo's main goals appear to be to compete with the iPhone as a multimedia player and gaming platform, combat piracy that the PSP is notorious for, and push the industry towards more widespread digital distribution. Sony is asking a lot from consumers, essentially making them change the way they've bought games by pushing the digital exclusivity of the PSPgo. The PSPgo is looking at a rough start given those facets alone. Slap on that ridiculous price tag and I think PSPgo is going to have plenty of trouble getting out of the gates. Sound familiar? *Cough* PS3 Launch *Cough*.


Sorry, Kaz.

Score: 3 for 3. Dammmmmmet! Stop agreeing on stuff, pansies!

Oh well, switch!





4. MAG will become a hit online shooter.

Dan Hirsch Fiction - It's so hard for me to admit that given I'm really looking forward to this game. MAG looks amazing, Battlefield on steroids plus a case of Redbull. A console-based 256-player online shooter sounds amazing, until I realized that it's a console-based 256-player online shooter. For a game of this scale and magnitude, I don't see how it won't suffer from lag, even with the measures Zipper Interactive is building into it. Plus, the game is going to take a heavy technical hit given its scale and the number of players involved. Those issues might not win gamers over given the love for top-notch graphics and smooth online multiplayer gaming. Then there's the added issue that no one ever seems to have a headset on PSN. I love MAG's concept, but I think it will be the next Call of Duty or Halo.

Adam Larck: Fiction - Unlike Dan, I'm not really interested in this game, moreso the concept. 256 players in one shooter online is a great claim, but I want to see them back it up. I also think it will suffer from a good amount of lag, even with the measures. Also, a lot of the great shooters out now I find so popular because of the small number of people. I love 4 vs. 4 up to 6 vs. 6 just because of the closeness with friends and teammates. It allows for so much more strategy by knowing how each person plays. With a game of that size, it seems that it will resort to small, quick gunfights where the person with an itchier trigger finger will win. I think it will have a hot start like a lot of online FPS games have, but will die out soon after.

Score: 4 for 4. grrr.



5. You're disappointed that EA will not shoot for a Godfather III game.



Dan Hirsch: Fiction- I am a fan of the first 2 movies, just not the last 2 games. I can't say that I was a huge fan of either game, but I am glad to see EA cut their losses. To be fair, the Godfather franchise does present a lot of challenges in terms of game design as well as story. Oh well, there's always Madden.

Adam Larck: Fact - I like the movies, like the books and like the games. I haven't had a chance to try the second one out, but I've heard both good and bad about it. I had a lot of fun with the original Godfather game and it would have been nice to see what formula would have been used in the third game. It may be dead for now, but I'm hoping to see at least one more take on the series.

Score: 4 for 5. Ohh yeah...That's the stuff.



6. The Wii Balance Board has proved to be a bit of a letdown in terms of a game peripheral.

Dan Hirsch: Fact- The Balance Board is a great seller for Nintendo and incredibly popular, but when you examine it as a gaming peripheral, it is a failure. I can't think of a single must-have game requires you to own the Balance Board. Plus, the lack of solid titles featuring Balance Board gameplay is troublesome, to say the least. It doesn't help that Nintendo's big name upcoming titles (Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Metroid: Other M) do not offer Balance Board support.

Adam Larck: Fact - It seems that the questions were a little too agreeable this week. Back to the topic though: Besides Wii Fit and Skate It!, I really haven't seen the Wii Balance Board be used in any games, especially in big name titles. When your own company doesn't even support the accessory, you know you have problems. I know it's selling because of novelty and exercise purposes alone, but as a peripheral for the system in general it has done poorly. If Nintendo starts putting out some bigger titles supporting it, maybe this can change. But I don't see that happening.

Score: 5 for 6. ?...!




Well, it looks like Dan and Adam will remain friends for yet another week. Or at least until we get to feature them again. They agreed on almost everything, except for one point.

Peace out guys. Love!