The Full Circle: 360 News Report 08.07.09
Posted by Joe Roche on 08.07.2009
Once again it's time for your weekly dose of the news you need to know coming out of the Microsoft camp. This week we've got some good news about Double Fine, some bad news about Atomic Games, and some exclusively exclusive news about Modern Warfare 2. It's all inside your favorite Friday past time as we go around The Full Circle.
Another week has come and gone and once again you've decided to join me to wrap things up. Before we get into the news you need to round out the work week let me cover a quick week in gaming.
- Got "Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood" to review this week, and after spending a minimal amount of time with the game I have to admit that I'm digging it. The aiming mechanism isn't great, but there is something about the Old West that I completely love. I'm also not far enough in to say this for certain but it's also fun to play as a bit as a somewhat unredeemable character.
- In a somewhat related note I played more of "Prototype" this week and man is Alex Mercer just a horrible person. I've completely given up on the story after about three hours and now just have fun doing the side missions and consuming people. I equate it to Grand Theft Auto when you stop caring about the game itself and start just fucking around trying to get the cops on your tail. I'm not saying this is a bad thing either I'm having a great time although it doesn't make the game highly rewarding since I honestly don't care about the story enough to progress it unless I'm forced.
Final note before getting into things I spent the last two weeks watching every episode of "Mad Men" and goddamn I wish someone had turned me onto this show earlier. "Mad Men" combines all of my favorite things mainly smoking, drinking and treating women poorly, just a great show all around. Really makes me wish it was the 1960's although if that were the case I'd have a scotch right now and you'd have nothing to read so enough reminiscing lets go around The Full Circle.
Games on Demand Lineup Those lucky enough to experience the Xbox Live Update preview there was a peak at the upcoming Games on Demand program. The lineup of games featured Bioshock listed at $29.99.
So does this announcement make "Games on Demand" the world's stupidest Xbox Live update? I mean correct me if I'm wrong but you can buy the retail version of Bioshock PLUS Oblivion for $39.99 right now brand new right? You can also find Bioshock for $20 or less on most used game sites/stores and I am almost positive that you can find it for a bargain bin price at many places. Essentially the marketing idea behind this Games on Demand service seems to be to charge people more for the convenience of not having to walk out of doors. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you're spending $30 on Bioshock on Demand, you're a rube and you deserve to be ripped off. I am hoping that the On Demand service brings some better value to the table then this because I'd hate to have to pay $30 for Assassin's Creed when I could buy it used for $17.99 oh wait, you mean Assassin's Creed is listed On Demand above it's current price at any video game store in the world? Well color me unimpressed Microsoft.
Brutal Legend Cleared This past week it was announced that Activision and Double Fine settled their lawsuit over the game "Brutal Legend."
This is good news although no unexpected. For those who have been following the saga of "Brutal Legend" you know that a Judge previously stated that he was inclined to allow Double Fine to release Brutal Legend on time while litigation was pending because he did not feel as if Activision had a "high likelihood of success." Take it from a member of the Bar, when a Judge makes a ruling like that you can see the writing on the wall. To Activision's credit they decided not to tie Double Fine up in court for the foreseeable future, and now all of you metal heads who are dying to get your hands on Brutal Legend will be able to do it without worrying about further delays.
Van Halen Fans JUMP! This past week the official track listing for Guitar Hero: Van Halen was released. It was also revealed that the game would drop on December 22nd making it a sure fire holiday gift from that uncle who always waits until the last minute.
Guitar Hero: Van Halen I wish I could make a sarcastic remark about this one but it's like the Guitar Hero guys aren't even trying anymore. I mean Rock Band fires with the Beatles, and Guitar Hero responds with Van Halen? No wonder the color based rhythm game genre is dying a slow and painful death. For those wondering the official track listing for this game is exactly what you'd expect with old standards "Jump," "Hot for Teacher" "Running with the Devil," "You Really Got Me" and "Dance the Night Away" combined with other Van Halen inspired artists like Alter Bridge, Fountains of Wayne, Judas Priest and Weezer. Wait Judas Priest was inspired by Van Halen? Something about that doesn't make any sense. The real question will there be any way to unlock a playable Michael Anthony?
Actually Limited Edition Infinity Ward has announced that each copy of the planned "Prestige Edition" of Modern Warfare 2 will come individually numbered. The special edition, which will come with a pair of night vision goggles will only have one run so if you don't pick one up at launch you will not get a second chance.
Robert Bowling has said that Infinity Ward was asked to produce more copies of the Prestige Edition to meet demand but they turned down retailers. I like this idea because it actually gives someone, somewhere, some incentive to purchase this outlandish package. At least now collectors can tell themselves, their wives, their soon to be ex-wives, this mothers that they purchased something that can not be found anywhere else. At least this way when your divorce lawyer makes you sell it on eBay there might be some value.
Bad Idea Jeans Revisited It was announced this week that Atomic Games, the developer behind the controversial "Six Days in Fallujah" has had to make cuts to their staff due to lack of funding for the project.
The details of these staff cuts are essentially this Atomic Games was developing a title back in May with Konami inked as the distributor. When people caught wind of what the game was going to be essentially a game based on the real life "Battle of Fallujah" they freaked out, Konami dropped the project, and now without Konami bucks backing the project Atomic Games has had to cut their staff. Before this all played out Konami employed 75 people, and while the press release does not reveal how many people were let go but everyone involved seems to be hinting that it was a substantial number of people. I have a huge problem with this story because when the initial wave of controversy surrounding this game started to strike I was against it. I am of the camp that believes if you're going to tout "it's only a game" for some things then you need to support that stance even when it's not popular. Frankly there are people selling boatloads of rape games in Japan so I find it hard to find fault with this particular title from Atomic Games. Is it in bad taste? I guess, but you can be the judge of that with your pocket book. Whenever people start complaining in public and get a title pulled, or a publisher to drop a project and people start losing their jobs, that's when I have to sit back and shake my head. I hope those affected by this at Atomic Games land on their feet because they didn't deserve the treatment they got as a result of this artistic expression and yes I support that even when it's not popular.
The Viewing Room
It's the third Call of Duty: World at War map pack and here I am without having even broken in the second map pack.
This "Army of Two: 40th Day" trailer is the front runner for trailer that made me laugh, and want to play a game without actually doing anything to make me want to play a game. That will all make sense after you watch this.
These classic "G.I. Joe" PSA's are easily the best part of the upcoming G.I. Joe movie/game. I'm glad to have these back in my life now if only the game could possibly live up to my nostalgia (which I am already aware it can not).
Sorry guys your thoughts have to wait until next week due to time constraints.
The Hot Button
Today's Topic: Limited Editions
As I reported earlier in this column Infinity Ward will only be producing a select few copies of their "Prestige Edition" of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The night vision goggle package will have one run of production and regardless of demand the individually numbered packages will not be mass produced.
My question is this are there people in TFC Nation buying these limited edition bundles?
I know that Halo 3 did a similar promotion with Master Chief Helmets, and I know that some of you have said previously that you own one of those helmets. But is this a prevalent thing? I mean my economics background makes me feel as if it must be or else companies would not be producing these things, but at the same time my charging roughly $170 bucks for the "Prestige Edition" or the "Super Secret Double Probation" Edition of a game I don't think you have to sell many of them to make a profit. So are there people buying these things?
More important then if you're buying them though is WHY you're buying them? Did anyone here buy that Gears of War 2 tin with the lancer? What other special editions are out there that people are picking up? I'm thinking that those of you with mini lancer key chains have probably also purchased packs of Molson Canadian Lager for the free t-shirt am I right? Is that the same group of people?
So the question for discussion this week is two fold 1) do you buy these limited edition packages? and 2) if yes, which ones do you seek out?
1) I've done that in the past, but I've changed my mind on buying them.
2) The only one I really bought was Assassin's Creed (360) Limited Edition, BlazBlue Limited Edition, and Halo 3+Master Chief Edition (whatever it is called).
Why?
1) I bought Assassin's Creed's tin that came with the Penny Arcade comic and the Altair figure. I didn't really have buyer's remorse from that one.
2) BlazBlue's Limited Edition the only version that ASW produced. It was worth the same price as the regular edition.
3) I bought the Halo 3 Legendary Edition because of the Master Chief add on. My girlfriend really likes Master Chief; so, I decided to encourage a nerdgasm.
Posted By: David (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 06:12 AM
I honestly would buy the prestige edition but after all the other special editions I get that just lay around I don't think it's worth it! I mean $150 doesn't sound so bad but you'll just be wearing those NVG for a little while and get bored of it!
The last special edition bundle I got was Resident Evil 5 that came with: a satchel, keychain, figurine, picture, n patch for $89.99! Bundles like these with multiple items are a must for hardcore gamers such as myself.
Posted By: Hdj360 (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 07:28 AM
I bought the collector's edition of the original Gears of War, but with the caveat that I got it on eBay like three weeks after it came out for $40 instead of the $70 they wanted in stores. Other than that, I can't remember buying a special edition (or even wanting one for that matter) for any other game. About as far as I'm willing to go is pre-ordering a game to get extra stuff, and I've done that for exactly three games now, all at GameStop - UFC 2009 Undisputed (Ryan Bader/Efrain Escudero unlocked), Prototype (they tried to give me an Alex Mercer figurine, but I opted for just some maps), and Madden 10 (because an actual demo, combined with beating the Steelers, makes me happy). I should also note that I travel a lot, without a real set schedule, so pre-ordering games is usually more of a hassle than anything, because there's always the lingering doubt in the back of my mind that I could get pulled to go to another project and be out the $60 I just spent to pre-order the game (yeah, I know you only need to throw $5 or $10 down, but I like to go ahead and get it over with).
As for Prototype, don't give up on it, Joe. I've beaten it twice now (once on normal difficulty, once on hard), and while the storyline isn't award-winning by any stretch of the imagination, there's enough there to keep it interesting, especially if you seek out all the Web of Intrigue targets. I'm currently working on getting platinum medals for all the events, as well as finding the last dozen or so locations and six or seven hints I haven't been able to locate.
Posted By: Wyatt Beougher (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 08:58 AM
The last "special edition" version of a game I bought was I think Mortal Kombat Deception. and that was only because it came with an arcade perfect version of Mortal Kombat 1.
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on August 07, 2009 at 10:22 AM
I'm generally opposed to stuff like this. In my opinion it is mosly hype and encourages people to try and squeeze as much out of a title as possible *cough* Activison *cough*. I've only bought 2 limited/collectors editions of games. The first was the collectors edition of Final Fantasy XII, which was low key and only came with a dvd with game art and a history of the franchise, and that is because I consider myself a colector. I LOVE Final Fantasy, and the fact that I own every main series game (some in multiple formats) and several spin offs like Tactics and Crisis Core, so yes I would say I'm a collector. So if XIII comes out with a limited edition, I will be getting that, most likely at the expense of an arm.
The other, and the reason I'm fairly certain the devil owns my soul, is a limited editon of Metal Gear Solid 4 that came with a PS3. Yes the game is so epic it came with its own system just so that you could play it, and no it is not the other way around. I don't care what it costed, the devil can keep my soul, I'm happy.
Posted By: Ben Jamin' (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 11:03 AM
I don't get these special editions because I would rather have more money to spend on games then spend my hard earned money on some cracker jack box junk.
Posted By: DP (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Bioshock, $19.99 brand spanking new with free shipping and no tax on Newegg.com This is not an ad, but rather a point that Microsoft needs to acknowledge, called competitive pricing.
There is a search box in their own browser than can link directly to Google shopping. It took me one click to find a better price than the On Demand service.
More than likely the developer of Bioshock is turning pure profit on each copy sold. They paid for development and marketing, now it's the gravy train. If they allow stores like Newegg to sell a copy at $19.99, so shouldn't Microsoft?
This has epic fail written all over it.
Posted By: Wii60 (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 03:33 PM
I've never bought a special edition game before (mostly because the 'rewards' for the games I like don't have anything that interest me to buy them).
Having said that, my good friend bought the special ediction Oblivion for 360 when it came out. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but this is from memory - it came with a book detailing the back story and some history, a world map and a small metal coin. The majority of that stuff seemed kinda usless and, with the exception of the coin, could be found on the internet.
Some people have the money to throw away on extra stuff and the little trinkets. Perhaps its the 'collector' in them that thinks it'll be worth something someday in the future. I don't know.
What I do know is that people love to get "stuff," especially if it's free. I myself am not immune to this. For example I am not brand-loyal to any beer, so when I go to the store and I see I can get a free frisbee or beer stien with the purchase of a particular 24 - hell yes I am getting that beer!
Back to the subject, if there is something in a special or platinum edition that you MUST own, hardcore player or not, then I don't see any problem with people buying it. It's their money. If they start marketing and releasing a game ONLY in special edition format where you're forced to pay extra for the trinkets, then you'd have a legit problem.
Posted By: Mac (Guest) on August 07, 2009 at 04:30 PM
I've bought exactly three collector editions of games, Final Fantasy 12, Madden '09, and Fallout 3. With FF12 and Fallout 3, it was mostly because I could. I had the money, so why not? The DVD with FF12 had some interesting stuff and the bobblehead from Fallout 3 sits next to my monitor along with other pre-order figurines and whatnot.
Now Madden '09 I sought out the collector's edition mostly because it came with Head Coach '09 bundled with it and the 20 or so dollars extra for Madden, Head Coach, and the other stuff seemed like a good deal to me. Besides, I had the cash, so why not?
Now, that Modern Warfare 2 package I wouldn't buy, mostly because it's far more than I could justify spending for a game. I mean, with the ones I mentioned, we're looking at maybe 10 or 20 dollars over it's original cost. The Modern Warfare 2 (and Halo 3 bundle before it) are near (if not more than) double it's price. That's just way too much, in my opinion.
And yes, Prototype's story is quite.... suspect, but you should stick with it. I've only gone through it once and have no plans to play through it again, but I'm glad I did at least the one playthrough. Also, yes, Alex Mercer is a horrible person that you pretty much stop liking altogether by the middle of the game, but that may be the point.
Posted By: AlaskanHero (Guest) on August 08, 2009 at 02:17 AM
Ive never been one for collectors editions that much, here in Australia you dont seem to get much more than an "exclusive" action figure and some back story mini novel. I still see dozens of Halo 3 collectors editions with the helmet scattered around EB's in Sydney as well as many other so-called "Limited Editions"
Are there any collectors editions that have actually gone up in value over the years? not counting vintage stuff but modern era ie last 10 years. Anything at all that proved to be a worthwhile investment?
Posted By: Simon (Guest) on August 09, 2009 at 01:27 AM
Simon, I doubt it. It's all so mass-produced that I'm not sure any of it will hold value. I guess the numbered-editions might, but there won't be a sense of scarcity like there was for some of the vintage games.
I might be wrong, but it doesn't seem likely unless there are some truly scarce collectibles being put out.
Posted By: Satan (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 10:33 AM
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