411 Games Fact or Fiction 01.31.12: Kane and Lynch, uDraw, I Am Alive, More!

Posted by Stewart Lange on 01.31.2012

Will Alan Wake - American Nightmare outsell I Am Alive? Will the Resistance series be missed? Will Street Fighter X Tekken not giving the 360 any extra characters hurt sales? 411's Tony Acero and Wyatt Beougher debate these topics and more!

Well, I'd like to welcome you all to my final edition of the Games Fact or Fiction! Unfortunately, I've had to step down from doing this column as my real job has to take priority. I'm really grateful to Adam Larck for giving me the opportunity in
the first place. I'll hopefully be back in the games zone in the future, but in the meantime, be sure to check my MMA 5 & 1 every Wednesday right here on 411. Don't worry about not getting or liking MMA- I try my best to leave out as much as possible.

This week, two of my top hombres here, Wyatt Beougher and Anthony Acero go head to head! Let's get down to it!

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1- The Resistance Series will be missed.



Wyatt Beougher: FACT- but no more so than any other FPS game that hasn't had/won't have a sequel. Resistance was Sony's attempt to give PS3 owners their very own Gears of War, and while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Resistance was no GoW, and, as such, it's never been met with the same fervent devotion as the upper-tier shooters (Halo, GoW, and CoD series). In spite of that, the Resistance series has its fans (I personally know a few of them), so for that particular group, this is every bit as devastating.

Anthony Acero: FACT- Resistance is one of those games that became synonomous with PlayStation, specifically with PS3. Typically, a high rated game yet never to the reaches of Call of Duty, Halo or Gears of War. In my sphere of influence, it was that game that everyone had but hardly played. Like I mentioned before, there's a back row or bottom row where these games go, and that's where Resistance typically sat. However, these games hold special places in the hearts of gamers, and I see many people being hurt by it. Personally, I could care less, but I can see how it would be missed.

1 for 1: The people who liked the game will miss it, I personally never gave it a second glance.

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2- Nintendo will recoup some of the fiscal years losses with the Wii:U launch



Wyatt Beougher: FICTION- Nintendo struck gold with the Wii and the DS, but I don't think Stupidly Named Console is going to recapture that particular brand of lightning in a bottle. For one, the casual market already has their Wiis, and if they were that interested in better graphics, they'd buy a 360 or PS3. They generally aren't concerned with newer technology, so I doubt there will be a huge upgrade market from that segment. The second factor is the increasing inroads the Kinect (and, to a lesser extent, the Move) are making into the Wii's user base. With all of the additional options XBox Live and PSN offer (not to mention the WiiU not playing BluRays or even DVDs), and the fact that both MS and Sony are attempting to use motion controls as more than a shovelware-creating gimmick, and I just don't see the appeal of the WiiU. The new controller? It's nothing more than a low-end tablet with limited functionality. Like the 3DS, I see the WiiU selling poorly until it sees a significant price drop, which isn't going to help Nintndo's bottom line.

Tony Acero: FICTION- Nope, not at all. Nintendo came out the gate with some powerful shit, just as Wyatt noted. The Wii and the DS are still being bought (I should know, I purchased the Wii just last month for the little brothers) and they're every bit as fun today as they were when they came out. Simply put, Nintendo has always been more kid friendly, and they are attempting to continue this with the Wii:U launch. The problem is, kids (at least the ones I asked...yeah, I did field research!) are not interested. They see a tab, they think education. Maybe my market was too small of a sample, but each of em thought it was a tablet that was going to "teach" them something, and...newsflash, that's not why kids want games. I don't foresee this being successful.

2 for 2: I think they expect to, but can't see it happening myself.

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3- Alan Wake - American Nightmare will outsell I Am Alive when they launch later in the month



Wyatt Beougher: FACT- But I don't say that with a great deal of confidence, even as an Alan Wake fan. Two games in the same genre, in the same medium (downloadable), with very little to distinguish them from each other? I'm putting my money on the name consumers already know, but, on the other hand, Alan Wake wasn't the Game of the Year best-seller many pegged it as at various points throughout its incredibly long development cycle, so perhaps that'll work against it. I'll likely end up with both games, so who knows? My money's on the established brand, but I'm not betting the house on it either. Can you tell I was just in Vegas for a month?

Tony Acero: FACT- I'll be honest, I've never heard of either game before this particular Fact or Fiction. After reading up on both, I can say without frail that Alan Wake sounds all the more interesting, even if only because of the story. While the gameplay looks iffy, the story looks pretty stellar. I Am Alive, however, looks average, at best. Also, I read it has been in development for more than a few years, which is par for the course in terms of a relatively large scale game, but not so much here. I guess, I'll willingly check each one out, but as it stands, I can see American Nightmare getting the bigger share, here.

3 for 3: I'll pick up I Am Alive for sure, Alan Wake not so much.

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4- Saints Row: The Thirds success does not outweigh the failure of the uDraw for THQ.



Tony Acero: FACT- I think they're two different aspects of a company, and one doesn't really relate to the other. Sure, the uDraw will most likely join a pile of Sega Dreamcasts and Panasonic 3Do, but the effort was there...sort of. Really, THQ will survive this, as it's got much more than these two entities under their belt. Saints Row: The Third is a proven success, and even though I have yet to pick up the game, I can see the appeal. The uDraw is one step away from demise or becoming LeapFrog for adults, either way...it's not cool.

Wyatt Beougher: FICTION- While Tony makes a valid point, I have to disagree here. While he's certainly right that uDraw hasn't caught on with any segment of the gaming population and just isn't a very cool peripheral, either in concept or idea (especially for the Wii - you can already use the Wii remote to do everything uDraw is supposed to add), its failure shouldn't have a majorly negative effect on THQ, largely because I don't think most of the casual gaming population has any idea it's even made by THQ. Also, unlike the Dreamcast or 3Do, uDraw isn't a system on its own, it's a peripheral, and THQ is known for their games, not their peripherals, so the success of Saints Row: The Third should hopefully point them back in that direction and keep them from straying from that path. They've got a very high profile release coming in the next few weeks (UFC Undisputed 3) that should further distance them from the uDraw nonsense (assuming the powers that be are smart enough to realize that that's the course they should be taking), so hopefully they'll learn from their mistakes and move forward, putting games at the forefront.

3 for 4: A PILE OF SEGA DREAMCASTS? I have mind to disqualify you, Acero. Anyway, uDraw sucks.

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5- The world does not need another Kane and Lynch game



Tony Acero: FICTION- The world doesn't need a lot of games that are coming out, and I think Kane and Lynch are a bit more superior than some other names we could think of. I only recall ever tossing the first Kane and Lynch a bone, and giving it my attention for a week or so. That's, unfortunately, about as long as it lasted.  It's one of those throwaway games that you may toss on for a good five minutes before you realize you have another, more fun game to play. Lord knows we all have that back row or bottom shelf, and that is right where this new game will most likely belong.

Wyatt Beougher: FACT- The first Kane & Lynch was a decently fun game, and, like Tony, I gave it about a week's worth of play, which was enough to finish it, and while I enjoyed it, it wasn't enough to merit me picking up the sequel. However, the sequel did sell  over a million copies, which likely explains why they're making a third one. Throw in the fact that there's a movie coming out in 2013 starring Bruce Willis as Kane and Jamie Foxx as Lynch, and you can see another reason as to why there's going to be a third game. It'll be interesting to see if they make Lynch actually look like Foxx and turn it into a garbage movie tie-in, or if they remain true to their roots and make a decently fun cooperative game. Either way, a third Kane & Lynch isn't something the world needs, but it's definitely something the world is going to get.

3 for 5: I don't think a third will sell well, but then, I didn't think the other two had any right to either.

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6- Street Fighter X Tekken not giving the 360 any extra characters will hurt sales



Tony Acero: FICTION-The name, and the crossover will sell itself without fail. There are going to be no lost numbers here because we all know that in a few months after the release, we'll get that DLC that we're clamoring for. In terms of gaming, my love and fandom of Street Fighter stopped right around Street Fighter II and SNES. I'm simply not a button masher. Don't get me wrong, I own the most recent Street Fighter, and love the nostalgia feel, but I suck the big one behind the sticks on this game. I seriously do. Fighting games just aren't my thing, I suppose. Nonetheless, this game will be bought left and right for the sole reason of the names involved. Oh yes, this will be purchased.

Wyatt Beougher: FICTION- Gotta agree with Tony here - XBox fanboys will whine, I'm sure, but they'll still be scooping the game up on day one. And then, three months later, they'll whine even harder (and be joined by the PS3 fanboys), when it's announced that Street Fighter X Tekken Hyper Mega Tag Tournament Edition Turbo is going to be released, and they'll go and buy that also. Also, like Tony, I don't care much for Street Fighter or Tekken, as I prefer the Dead or Alive games (although I'd take Tekken over SF any day of the week), but to suggest that something so small as the exclusion of characters would lead to decreased sales is to ignore the massive appeal of both of these series to fighting gamers. This thing could be a huge turd, with awful graphics and broken gameplay, and it would still sell a ridiculous amount of copies, so to suggest that a game with what appears to be solid graphics and gameplay will be limited in sales because one fanbase didn't get exclusive characters while the other did seems like a rather absurd notion.

4 for 6: I look forward to Street Fighter X Tekken Hyper Mega Tag Tournament Edition Turbo releasing, in about 6 months for £20.

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So, there we have it! My tenure as host of Fact or Fiction comes to a close with Tony and Wyatt going 4 for 6. What do you guys think? Feel free to hit me up on Twitter, or on Xbox Live at outafterdark216 and we can have a game of something sometime. Take it easy!