411 Games Fact or Fiction 12.14.09: Project Natal, Tony Hawk Ride, Megaman 10, Quantum Theory, More

Posted by Mark Salmela on 12.14.2009

Who had the best year in 2009 -- Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo? Is Tony Hawk Ride a failure? Is Project Natal the biggest announcement of 2009? Do we need another 8-bit Megaman game? 411’s Mark Salmela and Greg Bruno finally settle their differences in a fierce game of Fact or Fiction!



Welcome to another edition of Fact or Fiction. I am your temporary host Mark Salmela, because Ramon is getting his freak on during his honeymoon. Enjoy it while it lasts Ramon.

For those not in the know Greg Bruno and I have long since declared each other rivals. We're both extremely good looking, we're both talented, and quite frankly Greg is the only person with the balls to stand up to me. You want to insult Target Terror? I take that personally. So after weeks of insulting each other back and forth in Fact or Fiction Greg has finally agreed to take me on in Fact or Fiction. I know I said last week I'd be impartial, but that promise went straight out the window the second Greg Bruno said he'd take me on. I'm the host this week, and I'm going to use it to my advantage. So without further adieu, let's get it on!



1.) Project Natal was the biggest announcement relating to video games in 2009.



Mark Salmela - Fact: I was at E3 2009 when Project Natal was announced, and I have to admit I was drinking Microsoft's kool-aid. I hadn't been that excited since prom night with Greg Bruno's sister. In hindsight I now have some reservations about Natal since I already dislike the Wii's motion control, but I still think it was the biggest announcement of 2009. The second biggest announcement was OnLive, and the third was that I broke up with Greg Bruno's Mom. Sorry baby, but this stallion can't be limited to one woman.

Greg Bruno - Fact: While it's not often I agree with Mark on his video games ideas or choices in men, Natal was a really big deal. It's going to change how a lot of games are played and viewed. I'd say its impact is, in all honesty, going to be gigantic in a sort of "When-you-first-heard-about-the-Wii" kind of way. I'm really excited to see how Microsoft markets this. Most importantly, It's going to allow or force us to play Xbox games standing up, similar to how Marks surgery has allowed him to urinate standing up. Glad those scars have healed, buddy.

Score: 1 for 1 - Thanks man, it was a long road to recovery!



2.) Tony Hawk Ride is the biggest bust of 2009.



Mark Salmela - Fact: I haven't seen something fail that miserably since I saw Greg Bruno at a gym. Seriously there were sailors trying to harvest Greg Bruno for whale oil. The sad thing is that I played Tony Hawk Ride at E3 and I liked it. I actually did pretty well too. But that was in a highly controlled environment, and now that I've gotten to play the final version on my own, I can see just how broken it is. You know broken like Greg Bruno's reproductive system. Don't worry people, reproductive has more than three syllables in it, Greg has no idea what it means.

Greg Bruno - Fact: Re....pro...duct....Eh, I give up. Anyway, skating games annoy me. Skating games with peripherals annoy me more. Mark Salmela annoys me most. It's not that it was an awful idea. I just think that it came out too closely to all of the "things you have to use in your living room in front of a TV because you'll never actually be good at it in real life" peripherals and Mark's "learn to be a lover" inflatable doll. He's unlocked zero of those achievements, by the way.

Score: 2 for 2 - Screw achievements, it's all about the high score!



3.) Making another 8-bit style Megaman game is just lazy on Capcom's part



Mark Salmela - Fiction: Megaman 9 was awesome. I loved Megaman before it added in all of the extra maneuvers of the later titles. I loved Megaman 2 and getting more games like Megaman 2 is exactly what I want. Greg should be a big fan of 8-bit Megaman games as well. The last time Greg actually had friends was around the same time as Megaman 2. Now if only we could get Sonic the Hedgehog 4…

Greg Bruno - Fiction: The 8-bit style still has a lot of appeal to a lot of people. I haven't gotten a chance to play Capcom's last installment in the franchise, but would absolutely love to. Megaman 2 is still one of the best games ever made. So, no, Mark. I don't think it's laziness. What is lazy is you trying to ruffie everyone at that party last week. That had no business being in the keg. Dude, like I said when we walked in, there weren't many girls there and the ones that were definitely did not need the ruffies. Now I understand your "It's not for the girls" statement when I asked you what the pills were for. Thank God I brought my own booze.

Score: 3 for 3 - I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling cops… and your dog, too…






4.) Sony had a better year in 2009 compared to Microsoft and Nintendo.



Greg Bruno - Fiction: Mark TOLD me I had to answer this seriously. Apparently he thinks he can limit my freedom of speech. Welp, that's not happening, big guy. Seriously. Anyway, in what way could this be considered "fact"? The biggest thing Sony did this year, in my opinion, is release Drake's Fortune 2. I own a PS3 and can't even remember the last time I turned it on. Oh, wait, yes I can. It was to play the remake of a PS2 game (GOW Collectors Set). I'm well aware that the PS3 Slim certainly helped sales, but in no way do I believe that Sony had a bigger year than Microsoft. Next year, same thing. Halo: Reach, Gears of War 3, and Bioshock 2 (yea, multiplatform, I know. But watch the sales numbers) and Natal are going to send Sony running for more camera and motion controller tricks.

Mark Salmela - Fact: After watching Sony's E3 press conference I have to admit I was pretty down on Sony as a whole. I thought they failed to match Microsoft's intensity and overall line-up. But looking back on it although I still enjoyed Microsoft's press conference more Sony had a great show as well. Sony showed off a lot of great games. God of War 3, MAG, Uncharted 2, Mod Nation Racers, Gran Turismo 5, that's some good stuff.

What really made the year for Sony was the price drop. I don't know if $300 was the magic number or if it was the culmination of a bunch of things but once Sony dropped the price in September things just took off for the PS3. It certainly helps that there were some damn good games this year for PS3. I'd put Killzone 2, Infamous, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Demon's Souls, and Uncharted 2 over both Microsoft's and Nintendo's line-ups. Sony desperately needed 2009 to be their year, and I feel it was.

2010 is looking pretty good for Sony as well. MAG, Heavy Rain, EyePet, White Knight Chronicles, God of War 3, and Gran Turismo 5 all look to be released in the first 4 or 5 months of 2010. I'm looking forward to the new Splintercell and Alan Wake on 360 but once again I'd take Sony's line-up for early 2010 over Microsoft and Nintendo.

Score: 3 for 4



5.) You care less about Quantum Theory now that it's a multiplatform title and not an exclusive.



Greg Bruno - Fiction: I didn't care about it before and that news hasn't changed a thing. Exclusivity has become a thing of the past. It died when Sonic showed up on another system. People need to stop caring about it, because it doesn't mean anything to the game. If it's on multiple platforms, buy it for the one you want to play it on.

Mark Salmela - Fact: What the hell else did this game have going for it? It's a Gears of War rip-off made by the Japanese. That sentence doesn't exactly rock my world. The Xbox 360 already has Gears of War, it doesn't need a rip-off. I'm also of the thought that exclusives tend to turn out better than multiplatform titles. There are plenty of awesome multiplatform titles like Modern Warfare 2 and Batman, but a lot of my favorites are exclusives. Uncharted, Ratchet, Metal Gear, Halo, Rainbow Six Vegas *eventually went multiplatform to PS3*, Little Big Planet, Gears of War, Bioshock *eventually went multiplatform to PS3*, the vast majority of my favorite games this generation have been platform exclusive. Now that Quantum Theory is going to be on both consoles it's just another game that'll probably end up getting lost in the shuffle.

Score: 3 for 5



6.) Pandemic Studios will go out with a whimper, not a bang, with the Saboteur.



Greg Bruno - Fact: Just like Ensemble did with Halo Wars, Pandemic will slip into obscurity. I'm not saying it will be a bad game, but I don't see it being the "lasting legacy of a dead studio". I wish them all the best of luck in future endeavors. Mark, I hope you don't have ANY future endeavors.

Mark Salmela - Fact: What the hell is that supposed to mean? If it wasn't for me and you leeching off my popularity you'd have faded into obscurity months ago. As for Pandemic it's sad that they're going out in such a bad way but they're a victim of the current console generation. Pandemic kicked total ass on the PS2/Xbox generation but this generation they haven't done anything. Mercenaries 2 was in development forever and turned out to be a mediocre game at best. Pandemic's best franchise in my opinion was Star Wars Battlefront and losing that was yet another huge blow to Pandemic. Getting bought out by EA was the worst thing that could have happened to Pandemic. Here's hoping the guys at Pandemic find work soon.

Score: 4 for 6



Bonus Question #1: "What If" was the worst column on 411Mania Games in 2009.



Mark Salmela - Fact: I honestly didn't think it would be possible to write a column worse than Games Only a Mother Could Love. It was poorly written and was basically just me talking about how awesome full motion video games were without any realistic points to back up my claims. Hell, I didn't think it was possible to do worse than one of the 17 different columns written by Drew Robbins. But Greg Bruno has managed to defy the odds and write one of the biggest pieces of garbage I've ever come across on the internet. I've read MySpace blogs more coherent than "What If". Greg Bruno's Mom was so embarrassed at Greg's work that she dropped the name Bruno and retook her maiden name. Then she took my name… Then I changed my name.

Greg Bruno - Fact: He's right. It's rubbish (I typed that with a British accent). Let me tell you the story behind the title and idea of the column. Below you'll see an AIM transcript from a few years back when "What If?" began. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the origin of my column.

Greg (3:22 pm): Hey dude, what's happening?
Mark (3:24 pm): What if I like you more than a friend?
Greg (3:29 pm): What? Dude..again? Then we aren't friends. At all. We talked about this yesterday...wait...I have an idea.
Mark (3:30 pm): Does it involve me sleeping over? I have a lot of things I want to talk to you about. Maybe we can rent "Love Actually" and drink Cocoa while we discuss my feelings and to see where you stand? I'd really like that Greg
Mark (4:17 pm): Ok, I just picked up the movie...should I head over or...?
Greg: is idle (4:17 pm)
Mark (6:45 pm): Hey...yea...so I was totally joking earlier. I mean, that's absurd that I'd have a crush on you. You're way out of my league. So...yea...don't show this to anyone. I'm going to go over to Drew Robbins' place. Seriously though, I love you.
Greg (9:29 pm): My new column is up.

Mark Salmela - Cocaine is a hell of a drug.



Bonus Question #2: Target Terror is currently the dark horse to win 411mania's Game of the Year 2009 award.



Greg Bruno - Fact: But only because you've had weird sex with every part of the game. I'm talking disc, instruction booklet, and game case. I hope this game gets buried next to E.T. in the desert and they find you next to it.

Mark Salmela - Fact: What can I say? I guess I have a lot of pull around here if you know what I mean.



Bonus Question #3: Let's come clean, there was never any girl associated with "Gamer Girlfriend".



Mark Salmela - Fact: Come on Greg, it's time to come clean. Everyone knows you just faked the whole girl part. To me this is the equivalent of dressing up as a girl in public. In fact this is almost worse since some people actually couldn't tell it was you. Todd Vote actually told me he had feelings for your "girlfriend" Greg. You crushed the poor kid's heart.

Greg Bruno - Fact: There didn't need to be when you showed up at my place every week with a new video game in women's clothing and said "Just call me Andi."



With a final score of 4 for 6 it turns out that Greg and I agree more often than I thought we would. Funny, I figured we'd be lucky to get 2 out 6. It appears as if the boss Ramon will be back next week, which is fitting since I'll be surprised if Greg or I have a job after this. At least we got to let it all out. With that said, feel free to leave your thought and opinions below. Goodnight New York!