The Negative Edge News Report 09.20.06
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 09.20.2006
EA's new skateboarding game, Nintendo's recent announcements, and more!
Welcome to back to another installment of The Negative Edge. I just spent the whole day yesterday (Tuesday for those of you that are reading this later in the week) creating levels for a Flash based clone of something that I used to play a long time ago. Though my version is a lot easier than the original, it turns out that it is still too hard for some of the people that I showed it to. Now I have to waste some time dumbing it down even more. I can probably go on and on about how most games these days are too easy compared to games from the past but I think that I'll save that for another day. This column is a little late because I burned myself out playing and replaying every level over and over for the past couple of hours. When I finally tore myself away to write this, I was at the point where I couldn't even think of what to put in the captions for the wallpaper section down below. I can't wait until I'm done. Then I can reward myself with a week or two of mindless fun with that import version of PSU that's been sitting on top of my desk for the past week or so. It's a miracle that I haven't broken down and opened it yet.
EA is working on a skateboarding game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This game is probably going to be pushed as the main alternative to Activision's Tony Hawk games. The title has yet to be revealed.
Since EA used to make the Skate-or-Die! games, it seems like the obvious choice would be to resurrect the franchise in order to lure older gamers. I myself would do a double-take if I saw an Xbox 360 Skate or Die! game on the shelves. Plus the name is cool. Sometimes that's all you need...
On a related note, almost every place that mentions this news item talks about how it will be an uphill battle to dethrone the Tony Hawk franchise as the premiere console skateboarding game. I disagree as I feel that Activision has released way too many Tony Hawk games over the past few years. A lot of gamers are indifferent toward newer releases in the series thanks to the frequency of the releases and the lack of notable improvements. I'm willing to bet that skateboarding fans are ready to pounce on anything that brings something new to the table. Hopefully, EA delivers on that front. Yes, their games will probably end up like the Tony Hawk series after a few years - new version every year with only a few changes and a roster update - but there is the possibility that the competition between EA and Activision might force both to continually try to 1up each other which only means good things for gamers.
Wii announcement breakdown
Nintendo finally released most/all of the details that they've been keeping from us. Here is my breakdown:
System price -
$250 for the system, remote, nunchuck, and the Wii Sports pack-in along with the power and A/V cables. This is the only real negative that I see. I was actually hoping for a $200 price tag so the announced price point isn't music to my ears. I'm almost certain that Sony's announcement at E3 was what gave Nintendo the ability to comfortably issue their price point. Yes, the costs of creating consoles might be higher now than in the previous generations, but I'm willing to bet that before Sony dropped the bomb at E3 the execs at Nintendo were still on the fence with regards to this issue. Sony screwed both their own customers and Nintendo's customers at the same time
Controller price -
Well... While adding three other people for remote-only games is slightly cheaper ($40 x 3 = $120) than doing the same thing with the 360 ($45 x 3 = $135), what if the game was a first person shooter or something else that requires a nunchuck? $60 x 3 = $180. No thanks.
Channels -
I'm only interested in the Virtual Console channel. There hasn't been any mention of Super Metroid, Mega Man 2, Blaster Master, or Bionic Commando. I'm glad I still have my original Nintendo systems.
Release date -
The console is going to be released a few days after the PS3 is let loose. I'd say that this is actually a pretty ingenious move on Nintendo's part. If they were to release the console before the PS3, a lot of people might be hesitant to purchase a Wii on the very off chance that they might be able to snag a PS3. By releasing the system a few days later, they can sell the system to those that couldn't get a PS3 and those that would have gotten a Wii regardless. That makes for a much more impressive first day/week of sales.
Don't want to take it up the ass on eBay to get this game? Now you can get it directly from the source! It's still $49.99, but at least you get a free Nocturne soundtrack and you can feel good at night knowing that you didn't get ripped off on eBay.
Credit: ME! I visit the ATLUS site regularly so I saw the announcement on their front page. Yay!
This game comes out in the US in January. Why wait when you can get it next month? Don't worry. Just like the previous game, this one will come with an English option. At $30 + shipping, you'll get the game at least two months earlier and probably a few dollars less than you would if you waited for the American release. The game ships on October 26 but you should order it soon if you want it shipped out as soon as possible.
Things should start picking up next week. I'll be done with my main projects so all I have to do is play the waiting game (the job market seems to be slow in my area these days). That means more free time to throw stuff at my column to see what sticks.
