411 Games Fact or Fiction 10.19.09: The Simpsons Arcade, WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2010, DSi Update, More

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 10.19.2009

Would you buy The Simpsons Arcade game if it was re-released? Will the best game of the holiday season be an Xbox 360 exclusive? Are you a fan of iPhone gaming? Find out what Sean Garmer and Todd Vote think in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.



Happy Monday everyone, it's time for another Fact or Fiction breakdown featuring Todd Vote and Sean Garmer. Now let's get to it!

1. WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 will end up being a big improvement over the 2009 edition.

Sean Garmer FACT : This is the first time in year's I can say with confidence that the 2010 version of Smackdown vs. RAW will be better. The Road to Wrestlemania stories appear to be more interesting, the gameplay hud has been overhauled so there isn't all this stuff on the screen, and reversals are finally back to one button. You can now create entrance videos (something I've wanted for a long time) and there is a Divas storyline to boot. Oh yeah, I almost forgot they added the single greatest improvement to the gameplay, the ability to create your own storylines. Now the hardcore and casual WWE fan alike can see what its like to write your own lines, position camera angles, decide who wins matches for 10 years of WWE programming. The fact that they let you post it online and download other people's work makes this something that can go on well past next year's installment. I think we can finally say Smackdown is back to being not just good, but great.

Todd Vote FACT : I read an early review and everything I read has me interested. As someone who skipped buying last years offering, this years title seems to be a fairly big improvement, based solely on the create a story feature. I'm not as excited about it as some others, but there is no denying the potential there. Add the community support, and the improved Road to WrestleMania stories, and this could be the best version on the current generation yet.

Score: 1 for 1 - I'm still waiting for new Legends of WM DLC!


2. If Nintendo does in fact release an update to the DSi next year, it'll be worth it.

Sean Garmer FACT : I'm not buying a DSi because I don't care about the camera and all of that stuff. I have seen the Zune HD and if the Tegra chip will be in the next DS or DSi I would buy it because the games will look even better. Maybe allowing for even better ports of old games and I'd like to see what that means for the touch screen if it has better graphics for the new games. We haven't gotten much info on it, but knowing Nintendo they will give us some reason to go out and buy the new systems in droves.

Todd Vote FICTION : I'm by no means a huge fan of portable gaming. So the prospect of running out and purchasing a new DSi, after I already shelled out the money for one is disheartening. Why would you want to put out a product, get your fanbase to buy it, then release the same product with new features? I've always considered this more as company greed than fan service. Why not just hold off on the DSi until you can include all the things that will make it better?

Score: 1 for 2


3. The best game of the holidays will be an Xbox 360 exclusive

Sean Garmer FICTION : I think the best selling game this holiday will not have HALO or Left 4 Dead in the title. I would say if anything Uncharted 2 has a better chance of selling more than those two for the holidays. As we've seen the days of exclusives is not big anymore and most of the huge games coming out are now multiplatform. In fact the biggest sellers are usually family games or multi-platform shooters. So I would say no, I'd put my money on Modern Warfare 2 since Call of Duty always seems to do well in sales. Beatles Rock Band should still be selling well with album DLC coming out each month, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Guitar Hero 5 or LEGO Rock Band be in that mix either. If there is gonna be a console exclusive that could own the holidays, the cheaper Wii's will probably sell a boat load of these games: New Super Mario Wii, Wii Sports Resort, Wii-Fit Plus. I'd say a XBOX 360 exclusive probably has a longshot at the holiday crown with the way the gaming and economic market are at this point. Especially since people probably won't be buying as many games as in year's past, they'll probably go for things families can play together.

Todd Vote FICTION : I agree with Sean for the most part. There are far too many multi platform titles coming out to expect an exclusive to grab the top spot. I think Uncharted 2 will sell well for the PS3, but I am not sure it will outsell Left 4 Dead 2. Left 4 Dead 2 is full of awesomeness. If I had to bet, I would say the top seller is going to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Score: 2 for 3

And now for the championship rounds!

4. You're not a big fan of gaming on the iPhone.

Todd Vote FICTION : I honestly can't answer one way or the other. I am not a proud iPhone owner. I will say however that the iPhone games are intriguing. There have been a few games to come down the pike that have grabbed my attention, the most recent being Touch KO from Chillingo Games, which looks like a pretty interesting take on boxing games. So I can't say I am a fan due to not owning an iPhone, but there are some interesting titles there, and they should only get better as developers become more familiar with what they can do on the iPhone.

Sean Garmer FICTION : I, like Todd, don't own an I-Phone. I have liked the commercials I've seen of the I-Phone games and if I had one I'd probably check some of them out. I always think its a good idea to have compeition for the established companies to think about. I'm sure as the I-Phone continues to develop and the game makers keep learning about the technology we could see some damn good games come out for it.

Score: 3 for 4


5. A 250GB PS3 is a good idea in your opinion.

Todd Vote FICTION : While it is always a good idea to be able to offer more memory to your prospective gamers, last I knew you had to ability to swap out any size memory you wanted. I'm not sure if this is still the case with the new PS3 Slim, but I can't see people getting to excited about a PS3 that offers more memory. It's a good idea in theory, provided people aren't able to change it out anymore, but why spend more money for pre-installed memory if you can save a few bucks doing it yourself.

Sean Garmer FICTION : I guess if Sony doesn't mind losing money on making units instead of just hard drives, go ahead. As Todd says, it's never a bad idea to offer more memory, but if that means 100 more dollars for the system, I don't know if that is going to sell too well. Now, if Sony reveals that the 250 GB PS3 is going to bring back backwards compatiblity or offer something the other one doesn't, then it seems worth it. I guess this is one of those wait and see things.

Score: 4 for 5


6. Going back to arcade games from last week, you're pretty surprised that The Simpsons arcade game hasn't been re-released on either PSN/XBLA or VC.  You'd buy it.

Todd Vote FACT : I would buy it on day 1. The Simpsons Arcade game still stands to most, myself included as the best effort from the license. I'm actually somewhat baffled by the lack of some of the old arcade favorites not making it to the consoles yet as a whole. Games like Killer Instinct, (you know I had to work it in somehow) San Francisco Rush, and plenty of others could easily enjoy a new following if given the opportunity. I think the developers are missing the boat on some fairly easy money by not bringing some of these classics to the home systems.

Sean Garmer FACT : I too would buy it day 1, as I now have a 120 GB HDD to support it. I'm still waiting for someone to bring out the old X-Men arcade game too. But this is still my favorite Simpsons game and I've played almost all of them. Simpsons Hit & Run was the best one to hit the consoles in my opinion. I always wondered why they have never put this on a console? It still gets played in movie theaters, arcades, and cici's pizzas all over the place. Todd is right, there is still a gold mine of classic games out there that could do wonders for the XBLA, and PSN, If the Turtles can get their old arcade game and SNES title ported or remade. Why not do it with one of the best arcade titles ever, The Simpsons Arcade game.

Final Score: 5 for 6

Now we want to know what you, our vocal readers think? Fact or Fiction? Why or why not? Let us know and we'll see you next week!