411 Games Fact or Fiction 03.22.11 Japan, NPD, Activision and More
Posted by Adam Larck on 03.22.2011
Will Activision win the lawsuit against EA, West and Zampella? Is the NPD relevant? Have you donated to a Japanese earthquake fund? 411’s Trace Aber and Jimmy Chavez take these questions and more on in this week’s Fact or Fiction.
Welcome back to another week of 411 Games Fact or Fiction. I'm Adam Larck, and I've still been playing Dragon Age 2. However, I have something else I'm finally checking games out on too...an iPhone. Not bad to kill a few minutes here or there.
This week we have Trace Aber going up against Jimmy Chavez. Let's see how these two do. Time for banner!
1.) It's no surprise that developers are delaying and canceling games after the earthquake in Tokyo.
Trace Aber - Fact: It's not a surprise, and it's better to avoid controversy in times where the subject is extremely sensitive. It's a shame for the people working on the game, but I'm sure a lot of the assets created from them will be used in future games, or even re-released under a different name.
Jimmy Chavez - Fact: It isn't a surprise at all. Yes video games provide many people entertainment, but when something tragic happens they are something that can be put aside. There are more important matters than need to be taken care of first. If that means certain things need to be put on hold for a while, then so be it.
Score: 1 for 1 - The earthquake shows that sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the whole picture, not just video games.
2.) You've contributed to one of the various fund-raisers that game companies have set up.
Trace Aber - Fiction: I didn't contribute to one of the game funds, but I did donate some money to the Red Cross. It's great how all of the game companies have come together and thrown in their support though, and it can do nothing but good for the business.
Jimmy Chavez - Fiction: Only because I'm already supporting other fund-raisers already. I only make so much as it is so I can't afford to take on another financial tasking. If I had the money, I'd be throwing it around everywhere to help where I can.
Score: 2 for 2 - I've contributed to the Popcap fund-raiser by buying some new iPhone games. But, it's great to see many companies helping out.
3.) Black Ops won't be on top of the NPD list next month.
Trace Aber - Fiction: While I may not be based this on much, the Call of Duty games always amaze me by how long they can consistently sell well for months on end, regardless of what games comes out.
Jimmy Chavez - Fact: Only for the simple fact that other games that gamers everywhere have been wanting have finally come out. Plus how many times can you buy the same title? Who really needs 2 or 3 copies? I think enough people have it already.
Score: 2 for 3 - I think the way new titles have been making appearances on the list we'll see one overtake the top spot.
Jimmy Chavez - Fiction: Almost but not quite. It can still be useful in some ways. One way it can be used by developers is they are able to see trends in the video game market. What type of game is selling. What is it that gamers want? Once they see the sales begin to drop, they know that gamers are looking for something else. It can still be useful, but not as much as it once was.
Trace Aber - Fact: I used to follow the NPD quite regularly, but over the last few months I've lost interest. It's not that the information isn't useful or anything, but personally it doesn't matter to me how games sell. I'm here to enjoy them, and at times critique them, but whether or not the game sells is not a factor to me. It's more or less trivia now.
Score: 2 for 4 - The NPD really needs to hurry up with getting digital sales on the charts.
5.) Activision is one step closer to winning the lawsuit against West, Zampella and EA after the dismissal failed.
Jimmy Chavez - Fact: It would seem so. I don't know every detail about the situation, but from my point of view it looks good for Activision. We'll see how this all plays out eventually.
Trace Aber - Fact: It'd be hard to answer fiction on this, since regardless of the outcome they're still one step closer. The whole situation is muddled in controversy and the case is certainly going to be one to follow in the upcoming future.
Score: 3 for 5 - I thought Activision was just blowing steam at first. Maybe they really do have something here.
6.) It's disappointing that EA won't be updating NBA Jam.
Jimmy Chavez - Fiction: I wanted to say Fact at first but I went back to the original NBA Jam, and then NBA Maximum Hang Time. Both of those games are severely out of date, but you know what? I still had a blast playing them. Did it matter that the rosters were not up to date? Not at all. I was still able to have a great time playing. Now would it nice if the rosters were updated? Sure, but it's definitely not a necessity.
Trace Aber - Fact: Extremely so. NBA Jam was supposed to be modernized while retaining the classic gameplay, and many people assumed that there would be post-release support, myself included. My friends and I play the game constantly and at least one roster update would have been nice, as the lineups are embarrassingly out of date. It's bad enough EA overcharged people for the game, now they can't even provide a simple roster update or even a new game mode. I'm sure people wouldn't have a problem paying for an extra mode coupled with the roster update either, so it's not a money issue; EA is just being lazy here.
Score: 3 for 6 - Honestly, I think EA just wants to forget about all basketball games from last year and move on.
Bonus Question.) You agree with Cliff Bleszinski that Gears of War 3 hinges on its multiplayer.
Jimmy Chavez - Fact: Absolutely! Gears of War is a series that has decent game play and solid storyline to it. But what most gamers care about is being able to play and have a good time with their friends online. When Gears 2 came out, the online was a mess. A lot of gamers were very annoyed by that. Enough to the point that they found some other game to play instead. I know because I was one of them. If the next Gears game comes out and is a mess like that again, the franchise will definitely suffer for it. Will it die? Probably not, but they will feel the loss of interested gamers for sure.
Trace Aber - Fact: I've never been a fan of the Gears series, but I always hear how great its multiplayer is. Very rarely will I hear something about the campaign, and I think it's a very telling sign. EPIC is smart in focusing on the multiplayer, since it's not only the hot thing right now, but THE reason people buy Gears games.
Adam Larck - Fact: Normally, I'd go with Fiction, because games need to be able to stand on their single-player as well. With how the last Gears multiplayer fared, though, they really need to get this one right to keep the fans playing. The new modes look interesting, but the lag and exploiters may be what dooms this game and series. I guess we'll have to find out in our first look with the beta.
The pair goes 3-for-6 this week. What do you think? Agree or disagree with their answers? Let us know. See you in seven!
