411 Games Fact or Fiction 09.20.11: Deus Ex, Final Fantasy X, Fighting Games and More

Posted by Adam Larck on 09.20.2011

Are we getting Gears of War 3? Will Street Fighter X Tekken change the way fighting games are played? Did Heavy Rain take a huge loss from used game sales? 411's Stewart Lange and Todd Vote debate these topics and more in this week's 411 Fact or Fiction: Games!

Welcome back to 411 Games Fact or Fiction. I'm Adam Larck, and I'm about halfway through Fable III. Trying to beat that and discover everything in Fallout: New Vegas is taking quite a bit of time, though.

This week we have Stewart Lange and Todd Vote going up against each other. Will these two agree on everything, or are there quite a few differences between them? Let's find out. Time for banner!





1.) Deus Ex: Human Revolution would have topped Madden if they had both been released at the same time on the NPD numbers.

Stewart Lange - Fiction: While Deus Ex has done extremely well, I don't think many people out of the more "hardcore" gaming market would have picked it up yet. I mean, I'm waiting for a price drop on it before I pick it up myself. Madden has, like always, done huge numbers and much like FIFA over here in the UK is the sole reason why some people even own a console in the first place. Frankly, I'd be more surprised if anything other than Madden was top of the NPD at this time of year, short of a new COD.

Todd Vote - Fiction: I just don't see that happening in any solar system. If Madden had released the same time as Deus Ex, I think Madden would have sold more, just because Madden will always have its fans. Deus Ex is a niche game no matter how you look at it. People may be tiring of Madden, but it still sells like gangbusters.

Score: 1 for 1 - As much as I would have loved for that to happen, sports gamers love their Madden too much for it not to take the top.



2.) You're surprised Final Fantasy X is getting a remake over other entries in the series.

Stewart Lange - Fiction: Not at all. This doesn't mean I think it is the right choice, but I'm not surprised about it. The reason for this is that I think it would be the easiest to port to the PS3 and at the highest standard. Let's face it, FFX looked awesome and still holds up fairly well, so a quick polish, whack it onto a Blu-Ray disc and you have the easiest buck from the whole back catalog. Plus, they can use sales of that to gauge how well a potential FFVII/VIII remake could go down.

Todd Vote - Fact: Now correct me if I am wrong here RPG fans, but isn't Final Fantasy VII the one that is near and dear to all of your hearts? I would think that one would most definitely be on the remake list over X. In that sense this surprises me a bit. But as far as which one I would like to see remade, hell, I don't care.

Score: 1 for 2 - I really liked FFX, but I still would have liked to have seen VIII or IX remade. But, VII made the most sense.



3.) You think that Heavy Rain really had a $13 million loss due to used game sales.

Stewart Lange - Fiction: If they really had a $13 dollar loss, I highly doubt it would be due to used game sales. I mean, the style of game that it is probably lends itself to a slightly higher trade in percentage than some other titles (I played through it twice and am unlikely to do so again, but I avoid trading in games), but even if it is true, whose fault is it exactly? The gamers? No. If they overspent making an overly ambitious game, that is their fault. If they actually mean $13 million LOST revenue, that makes slightly more sense to me, but if the game itself lost the developers that amount of money, I think the problem is much closer to home.

Todd Vote - Fact: Loss due to game sales yes. But I think what these companies are forgetting is that the used game market is a huge factor in the sales of sequels. Heavy Rain was unproven, and thus buyers were very cautious. With Heavy Rain being as awesome as everyone reports it as being, these people who bought the game used will be more likely to spend the full $60 on future games from your company. I understand the frustration with losing money on used game sales, but you have to look at the bigger picture.

You want an example of this in effect? I bought Saints Row right out of the gate, was less than impressed with it. A friend of mine absolutely hated it. He, for some reason, bought Saints Row 2, and I skipped it. After telling me it is far superior to the first game, I went and purchased a used copy of the game. LOVED IT! Now I plan to buy SR3 brand new in the package. See, a bigger picture.

Score: 1 for 3 - This doesn't surprise me, as big risk titles like this normally won't garner a lot of new sales. People would rather check them out for cheaper.

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4.) The fighting genre will be over-saturated next year.

Todd Vote - Fact: Doesn't that happen every time a few of these games become hits? Clones pop up, as well as the new fighting games that will "change the way you play fighting games". As a fan of the genre, I am okay with all of this, as long as it brings me Killer Instinct 3.

Stewart Lange - Fact: Much like every year. Look, I'm all for a good beat-em-up, but quite frankly I stick to one of choice. I'm probably being really naïve here and opening myself up for some abuse but I don't really "get" the whole buying every fighting game thing. Let's be honest, the lines between the big three (Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat) have become so blurred they are now crossing over, which to me just seems like lazy game making. Can any readers tell me, hand on heart, that they will buy every single new release fighting game out next year? Doubtful. But if you do intend to, let me know as I'm genuinely interested to know what I'm missing.

Score: 2 for 4 - In a genre that usually has only a few releases this year, there's already close to six announced that I can think of off the top of my head.

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Street Fighter X Tekken - TGS 11: Pandora Mechanic Walkthrough, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

5.) Pandora Mode in SF X Tekken will alter how fighting games are normally played.

Todd Vote - Fiction: This is just another mode for people to explore, it will never replace the standard one on one, or two on two matchups. Looking at the video, it seems to be completely pointless unless your opponent has only one character left, with a minimal amount of life. That is the only time I could see this even being beneficial to the player.

Stewart Lange - Fiction: I've had a read up on this new feature, but no, I think it's a "one shot deal"(is that still cool?). The last real innovation in the fighting game genre that I think has really worked and stuck is the "tag" system. Again, I may be way off the mark again as I'm a self-confessed beat-em-up novice, but I doubt purists will jump for this new feature and casual fight fans may find it to be too hard/frustrating to get to grips with. While it may be a fun addition, I don't think it will be anymore than a series gimmick.

Score: 3 for 5 - You may see a few tourney fighters trying this out, but your top tier fighters will do the same with or without it.



6.) You figured EA would make more than $10-15 million off of the Online Pass already.

Todd Vote - Fiction: I really didn't expect it to make this much to be honest with you. But hey it is pretty much free money for them, and they get a piece of the used game market this way, I suppose. Maybe it will be enough to make them happy.

Stewart Lange - Fact: Strangely, the last time I took part in the Games Fact or Fiction, there was a question regarding the EA Pass. In it, I went on to claim that while it would not be a roaring success, EA would see enough of a benefit to do the same thing next year, which without blowing my own trumpet, looks exactly like what has happened here. Did EA aim to make more than $15 million from the Pass? Absolutely, as did I, but at the end of the day, there is no way it would have cost them that much to get the idea into fruition so at the end of the day, they have made themselves some "free" money. Who doesn't like free money? Same again next year, mark my words.

Score: 4 for 6 - I think when people buy EA's games used, they just don't care about getting the extra features that are missing. So, no surprise here.



Bonus Question.) It's Gears of War 3 release week. You'll be picking this up.

Todd Vote - Fiction: Not right away. I really want to finish the trilogy, but what can I say buying myself games is not a top priority right now.

Stewart Lange - Fact: But not yet. While I've enjoyed the Gears of War games, I'm not into them enough to merit a week one purchase when there is so much more coming out in the next couple of months. I'd much rather save my coin for a game with a really meaty single player, such as Arkham City or Skyrim than something I'll only benefit from playing online such as Gears, especially as I've just canceled my Gold membership. While the single player is always enjoyable, in my mind it's not £40 worth, so I can wait until an Xmas price drop for my chainsaw shotgun fun.

Adam Larck - Fiction: Not on launch week. I would love to finally check out the end of the series, but I first need to have money for it. After just moving to a new place, my first priority is to get a wireless adapter for my 360 to get back online. I may rent it at some point, but a purchase is nowhere in sight for me because of Skyrim in November.

The two finish going 4-for-6. What do you think? Agree or disagree with their answers? Let us know. See you in seven!