411 Games Fact or Fiction 04.26.11 Project Cafe, Valve, Madden and More

Posted by Adam Larck on 04.26.2011

Will God of War 4 be out next year? Does the Wii 2 need a touchscreen controller? Is the PSP Go as good as finished in North America? Is PC gaming dying? 411’s Todd Vote and Trace Aber debate these questions and more in this week’s 411 Fact or Fiction: Games!

Welcome back to another week of 411 Games Fact or Fiction. I'm Adam Larck, and I've finally broken down and picked up Mortal Kombat. Besides that, I'm just playing a bit of Din's Curse, a PC indie game.

This week, we have Todd Vote going up against Trace Aber. Let's see how these two do. Time for banner!





1.) The Wii's successor's controller doesn't need a touchscreen.

Todd Vote - Fact: It doesn't need it, but who are we to doubt the almighty 'N'? The part that worries me is all the rumors coming out saying this will be a bit faster than the Xbox 360 and the PS3, yet they are supposedly considering a $300-$400 price point. Anyways, that wasn't what the question was about. I've seen the apparent concept shots of the controller, and it all seems like an interesting premise. While I don't necessarily think it NEEDS it, I'm curious to see what Nintendo has planned for it.

Trace Aber - Fact: How many times have you accidentally dropped a controller or dropped something on a controller? Normally it's not a big deal, but when that controller has a touchscreen suddenly it's a terrifying moment. I'm sure Nintendo will do everything they can to prevent them from breaking easily, but unless they're super cheap to replace I see the potential features not being worth it in the long run. Then again, Nintendo tends to surprise me.

Score: 1 for 1 - I know Nintendo always tries to be innovative, but there comes a point where you should try to perfect what you have (like motion controls), not bring something new in.



2.) Rockstar really is developing for the Wii's successor to make it more of a 'hardcore' console.

Todd Vote - Fact: Factish... I think they are developing for the next console, but is it in an effort to make the system more accessible to the hardcore? Not necessarily. They could be developing a series of party games for the new system, or maybe a follow up to Rockstar Table Tennis. I do think that Rockstar developing for the Stream, or Wii2, or SuperWiiNES, or whatever the hell they are calling it shows that Nintendo might be serious about getting the 3rd party support. That can only be good for them and for Nintendo fans.

Trace Aber - Fact: If the Wii 2's rumored specs are to be believed, I could easily see Rockstar jumping at the chance to develop for the console. It could be huge for the console if they can get the next Grand Theft Auto title and have the most graphically impressive version (seeing as how the PS3 and 360 will still be out) and perhaps even boasting a few exclusive features. It's all speculation, but this is one step in the right direction to winning back the hardcore gamers.

Score: 2 for 2 - Getting Rockstar on board could be a huge step in the right direction to get more of the mainstream gamers back on board.



3.) You agree with Valve that charts showed the PC format was dying.

Todd Vote - Fact: I won't say it is dying. Hell if I remember right, 411's own Jeremy Thomas does most of his gaming on PC. While it may have slowed a bit, that has to be expected considering the economy and what it would cost to get a good gaming PC. PC gaming is probably more likely just waiting for the next big thing. 357 bajillion people still play WoW, how can that mean the format is dying?

Trace Aber - Fact: I never paid a whole lot of attention to the charts, but when I did it was nearly always filled with console games. But like Valve stated, it doesn't matter how other games are doing if you're the publisher - it matters how your games are selling. I thought they were good for a curiosity read, but nothing more. I personally care more about whether or not the game is good, not if people are buying it.

Score: 3 for 3 - I think the reason the charts were often skewed were because many PC games have a longer life-cycle of playtime compared to console gamers, meaning they are bought less and played more.

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4.) God of War 4 will really be out next year.

Trace Aber - Fact: Considering the game will probably run on the same engine and the recent trends suggests that a sequel must come out every year for a game to stay relevant (p.s. it doesn't), I would not be surprised at all to hear an official announcement over the next few months, probably at E3. Though I do have to wonder what they'll do to top GoW3.

Todd Vote - Fiction: I would be shocked if it was. Sony has said that the 3rd game would mark the end of that particular story. I think there might be a new God of War game in development, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it being developed for the PSP2. It won't be a main series game, it will be a prequel of sorts in the vain of Ghost of Sparta or Chains of Olympus. Kratos is to viable of a commodity to sit dormant, but I think it is to early for a new game in the main series.

Score: 3 for 4 - I could see a new entry in the series coming out, but not sure if it would be a prequel or where it would fit in the canon.



5.) You think a hacker group was behind the PlayStation Network going down for a few days.

Trace Aber - Fact: Well, they did announce that they were attacked by an outside source, so I think the real question is whether or not this is the work of 4Chan's Anonymous. Of course, it's hard to tell one way or the other due to the very nature of the group, but I'd have to imagine some sort of splinter group is to blame for the recent attack. Usually, if it's something that is Sony's fault they'll eventually come out as to why the PSN is down (like last year's clock fiasco), and their vague wording and lack of concrete excuse leads me to believe hackers are behind the recent downtime. 

Todd Vote - Fiction: They might have been, but I am not giving the hackers the satisfaction of discussing their stupid shit any further.

Score: 3 for 5 - After this question was sent out Sony announced that it was an outside source, but now I'm curious if it was an independent group of Anonymous or someone else entirely.



6.) Madden will suffer with the creative director leaving the team.

Trace Aber - Fiction: First off, let's get the obvious "what creative director" jokes out there, because there are plenty to be made. If anything, a change in director could lead to actual innovations to the series instead of small tweaks that only appease the hardcore fans who are going to buy it anyways. If they want to draw in new customers (not that they need to) they need to overhaul a lot of things and give people a reason to try the latest game out. But, at the end of the day it'll probably just be business as usual.

Todd Vote - Fiction: Suffer further than the series already has from being the only game in town and having no competition? Nah, I don't think the quality of the games or anything will deplete any further than they already have. I'm not saying Madden is a poor quality title at all, but we all have to admit the series has become a bit stagnant over the past few years.

Score: 4 for 6 - I'm with Trace here. Maybe a change can actually do the series some good instead of the same thing over and over.



Bonus Question.) The PSP Go needs to be discontinued in America as well.

Trace Aber - Fact: I rarely see them even offered in stores here in Ohio, and have yet to see a single person with one. I don't know of the actual sales (again, I ignore the charts for the most part), but I think everybody, including Sony, is ready to admit the PSPGo was a complete and utter failure and continuing to produce new consoles is kind of...sad. Just give it up, Sony.

Todd Vote - Fiction: If it is still gettin them a few bucks here and there, why not keep selling it till the PSP2 is ready to launch?

Adam Larck - Fact: I know Sony said it's still continuing in America, but let's be honest. The system was a flop, and very few bought it because it wasn't perfected or polished in what it should do. Thankfully, the NGP sounds like it will fix many of the problems, but the Go needs to have it's cycle ended.

The pair comes close, but stumbles on the last two, going 4-for-6. What do you think? Agree or disagree with their answers? Let us know. See you in seven!