Todd Vote has joined the game.
Lee Price has joined the game.
Rod Oracheski has joined the game.
Player Four is not appearing in this column!
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Question One: Let's do the "big surprise" first - there's a DJ Hero sequel coming. Were you surprised at all by the news and are you looking forward to the game?
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 | | Todd Vote |
Not surprised, nor excited by the news. What would have been a surprise would be for Activision to not announce a sequel. Seriously, are they not learning anything from the over exposure of the Guitar Hero franchise? I know as long as a franchise makes money, we can expect sequels to continue to be released, but if we have learned anything from Guitar Hero and Rock Band it's that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
I am not really excited by the news, because I am honestly not a fan of the whole DJ scratching thing. To each their own, and if that is what you like then this is good news for you, but I just don't see myself sitting down with DJ Hero anytime soon.
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 | | Lee Price |
Not in the slightest. After all this is Activision we are talking about. They are looking to be the EA of the next few generations. Plus the game had a bit of success, even if it wasn't on the scale of Guitar Hero. As for whether I'm interested, well ironically the GH series burnt my desire to spend shitloads on peripherals out so I haven't gotten round to buying the first yet, so I'm indifferent to it right now.
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 | | Rod Oracheski |
This is the least surprising news of the year, though we're only four days into it so that's not really a huge accomplishment. Activision has showed an almost reckless disregard for shoveling out sequels to the 'Hero' brand games, with what...about a dozen released this generation of consoles? DJ Hero was at least a little bit of a departure for the series, but was too expensive - if not overpriced - to really have a chance to catch on. I had no interest in playing it, and have no interest in playing the sequel - or the inevitable sequel the year after that, for that matter.
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Question Two: 3D gaming is still in its infancy and there's already a 3D Gaming summit announced. Are they jumping the gun or is this a smart idea?
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| | Todd Vote |
If I would have answered this question before the weekend, I would have said they are definitely jumping the gun. However after viewing Avatar in Real D 3D, I have to say this is a smart idea. If the 3D effects of Avatar, regardless of the quality of the movie itself, any indication, I can actually see myself getting behind this 3D gaming craze. This is not your parents 3D technology, and it is good to have this summit to show the developers and gamers alike what can be done with 3D technology. The one thing my friends and I couldn't stop talking about after viewing the film is that we cannot wait for the technology to be used on a more action packed film, and in games.
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| | Lee Price |
I can't say its a bad idea, after all like the the question states the technology is in its infancy so it is probably a good idea that interested parties are going to get together to exchange ideas and the like. Whether 3D gaming catches or becomes a gimmick is another question altogether, but there's no harm in holding a summit exploring possibilities.
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| | Rod Oracheski |
I think it's a good idea to be ready for the eventuality that 3D gaming seems to be, but this is jumping the gun by a few years. Marketplace penetration of HDTV still isn't what it should be, so we're not looking at household 3D gaming for quite a while yet - even if current consoles can theoretically output the signal needed. This is a good idea, but a year or two early on the gaming front.
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Question Three: Blizzard has said they're "definitely" going to do a console game at some point. What's your guess - existing franchise or new IP, and when's it going to materialize?
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| | Todd Vote |
Hard to say. Blizzard could very easily just make a version of WoW for the consoles and call it a day, and who could fault them for wanting to get even more people into that universe? That being said, I think an original IP would be a better starting point. If Blizzard has never done a console game before, I don't think they would want the first effort to be an existing property. You would want to start with something new so you can experience the whole process and get a feel for designing for consoles, and perhaps not tarnish one of your known franchises with what could be a learning tool for the developers, if that makes sense. As to a when it's going to happen, your guess is as good as mine at this point.
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| | Lee Price |
Hmm this is a tough one. I would go with an existing franchise to try and pull over as many PC gamers as possible, as well as stoke the interest of console gamers who have heard of games like Starcraft and Warcraft but haven't played them on PC. As for when, I'd say not until next year or the Christmas period of this year at best.
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| | Rod Oracheski |
I'll cheat and say it'll be a new IP set inside an existing franchise - much like the cancelled StarCraft: Ghost was to be. That could have easily become a franchise of its own, had it made it through to release.
What I'd like to see is Blizzard try something a little different - maybe a single-player RPG set in the World of Warcraft lore? If nothing else, the cutscenes would be amazing. If Blizzard's making it, we should expect to see it at some point in 2015. Maybe.
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Question Four: EA Canada senior producer Jason DeLong believes games are going to be getting cheaper, but notes that publishers will be trying to wring more money out of DLC. Do you think it's in the cards, and if so - is it going to be a positive?
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| | Todd Vote |
I think it is in the cards to wring as much money out of DLC as you possibly can, that's just smart business. But I don't agree with the assessment that the disc game cost is going to go down. If they figure out a model where they can make bank on DLC, then it is feasible to say that future console games will not exceed the $60 price range. But I don't think we will see price drop on current generation games.
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| | Lee Price |
Are we seeing through a window into EA's future policy here? I reckon that eventually we will end up with a very DLC oriented format, especially for the bigger titles around. Hell the PSP Go and Steam show that full games are in line for becoming fully downloadable rather than based in physical copy. Back to the question at hand, I figure companies are welcome to make as much DLC as they want provided it doesn't come at a sacrifice to the quality of the main product, such as shortening length to get people to buy expansion packs.
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| | Rod Oracheski |
Traditionally we see the average game price decline after the fourth year of a generation, but DeLong is predicting something different. Normally that decline comes from an increase of 'low end' software releases, but he's predicting the high end games will decline in price - something I can't remember happening in the past.
Personally, I'd love to see it happen. I'm all for lower prices on games, and if they can make that up on their end by supporting it after release, so much the better for gamers. That said, I'm for it under the assumption that content won't simply be cut from the game to be released later. I'd support a game where they planned out DLC, even if it was planned out ahead of time, but not one where they got it finished and then decided what to cut for the 'DLC' release.
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Question Five: Six months to E3 - name one major E3 surprise announcement that Microsoft/Nintendo/Sony could make to really get tongues wagging.
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| | Todd Vote |
If Microsoft was to finally announce Killer Instinct 3, instead of constantly teasing the damn thing, that wouldn't be enough. I'm leery about rumors that KI3 could be a Natal supported game, so I want an announcement of KI3, using the standard controller. I don't want to have to act out a 456 hit combo to have it happen on my screen.
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| | Lee Price |
Damn if only you had said SEGA then I could have said the announcement of Shenmue 3. A guy can dream can't he? I would say Nintendo or Sony announcing development of a future competitor to Natal would set tongues wagging. Similarly if a major franchise like Metroid jumps on the 3D gaming wagon mentioned above. That would be interesting.
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| | Rod Oracheski |
The easiest 'big' announcement would be a new console, but only Nintendo or Microsoft could really get away with that. Nintendo announcing a new HD version of the Wii would really set the Internet ablaze, and Microsoft is at the point where they can tease their next system. It's too early for Sony to try that, so they'd have to make a major software announcement - a Warhawk sequel maybe?
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Bonus Question: Of the titles we know are coming out in 2010, what do you think the year's biggest surprise will be?
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| | Todd Vote |
That is a real tough question. I'll go back to Natal. Even though I don't want KI3 to be a Natal driven game, I am still anticipating Natal itself. I think this thing has the potential to blow us all away with how good it can be. I am trying desperately to keep my expectations low, but with each new announcement, my excitement for Natal grows. I'm hoping this will be the surprise with how awesome it is, and not how bad it is.
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| | Lee Price |
I get the ominous feeling that Bioshock 2 is going to disappoint. I just don't see how the narrative can be pulled off any better than in the original game, but I hope I'm proven very wrong. Bioshock is pretty much my favorite game of this generation, I just have this nagging feeling the sequel won't live up to it.
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| | Rod Oracheski |
I think it's going to be Split/Second that turns heads when it hits shelves. The racing genre isn't as big as it used to be, but I think there's still a real attraction to the crazier side of racing and that's something Split/Second delivers with big-time speed and even bigger explosions. Black Rock Studio, who previously did Pure, surprised us once already - can they do it again?
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That's it for another week of Four Three Player Co-Op. Tune in next week to see what horrible things will happen to the fourth player! |
