The SIXAXIS News Report 12.19.06
Posted by Andrew Mellick on 12.19.2006
Another PS3 scam, shaddy cops, more PS3's on the way, and what Sony is doing for YOU. All that plus, new releases, a bargain bin, and more crazy antics by the competition.
The SIXAXIS
You're one stop shop for all things Sony!
Welcome back team. Glad to see you could all make it. As you may have noticed, those other two companies finally have some representation on this site. Mr. Theo Ratliff has been making the best of a bad situation in covering Nintendo, and now we have Mr. Joshua Richey putting on a brave face while trying to right the sinking ship that is Microsoft.
So be sure you take the time to read their columns, seeing as they probably won't have a company to write for in too long. Hey fellas, you are welcome to convert your columns over to the nonstop freight train that is Sony once your gimmicky companies go belly up.
On with the show!
Sony news
I know the PS3 is heavy, but come on!
A 27-year-old San Jose man was victim to what is becoming a quite popular scam.
He was in search of a PS3 and found a seller of one on craigslist. After two days of emails back and forth they agreed to meet at a Mcdonalds parking lot on Saturday.
When the victim arrived he was shown a bag with a box inside it. Being a savvy shopper he asked if he could see it. The seller said "Don't you trust me?" This prompted the victim to trust the confrontational seller and they made the exchange. At what point, the seller hopped in his vehicle and bolted.
The victim was left with a PS3 box that contained floor tiles, apartment rental magazines, and one PS2 controller.
This is pretty dumb. Everyone knows when you hear the phrase "don't you trust me?" that's the time to defiantly not trust that person, whether it is a trusted girlfriend, a trusted confidant, or a trusted shady character selling PS3's out of the back of his car in a Mickey D's parking lot.
What I love about this story though is that the seller included a PS2 controller. Did they think that would fool somebody for a while? "I didn't think the PS3 would be like gray stone tile, but the controller looked so real." That's why you don't try to buy a PS3 online, just wait until it is in stores. I hope between all the murders, robberies and scams people have learned this by now…but I'm betting not.
Charge dismissed in PlayStation shooting
Remember that crazy cop who opened fire on a guy in his own house who was suspected of stealing a PS3, when he answered the door with his PS3 controller in hand? Yeah, turns out he is off the hook.
Here is what the family had to say. "Yesterday, our son's murderer was going to have to answer for what he did," Don and Kathy Strickland said in a statement. "Today, we just don't know what is going on in Wilmington. We are upset, confused and searching for answers."
Ok, this is just BS. I understand that this cop could have felt threatened, or maybe that kid even tried to pull something. But, in any event, there should have been a thorough investigation. I find it hard to believe that this was done in less than twenty four hours. Especially considering the victim's roommate was there and said that he did nothing to provoke the cops.
I had some jokes about this but frankly; I'm just too disgusted by the whole thing. All I can say is I hope that there is some peace brought to this situation, either a viable reason for the actions taken by this officer or for justice to be served. This is just sad.
They're comin'. They're comin'.
Sony President Ryoji Chubachi says they are on target to ship 2 million PS3's by years end. Not only that, but they expect to have shipped a total of 6 million by the end of Sony's fiscal year which is March 2007.
See, all you people who predicted doom and gloom for the PS3, Sony is going to be just fine. Every time a new system launches there are glitches. Sony did the smart thing and only released a few hundred thousand so they could catch all the problems and have perfect PS3's on the shelves in no time. You can thank Mr. Chubachi now.
That hurts
Sony is expected to lose about $3.29 billion on the PS3 over the next two years.
Forrester research wise guy Paul Jackson had this to say "Sony is playing a long-term game for consumers' living rooms and future entertainment beyond gaming."
"Sony is pushing the envelope of innovation here. In terms of production it has made a rod for its own back. The newness of the technology makes the console expensive to assemble and means that components are in short supply."
Some folks have chastised Sony's decision to go with the Blu-Ray technology that is accounting for the high price and low supply. However, Phil Harrison of Worldwide studios at Sony feels it is imperative to the life of the PS3.
"Including Blu-Ray is an indication of our determination to make PS3 future-proof," Says Phil
"We need Blu-Ray for game designers to feed the hunger of PS3's powerful Cell and RSX processors [the graphic chip of the PS3]. Adding support for Blu-Ray movie discs makes it even more attractive to consumers."
You hear that all you naysayers? You don't see the need for the Blu-Ray because you don't see the future! In all seriousness though, the choice to go with the Blu-Ray does show Sony's commitment to making the PS3 a long term system. They may be losing money now, but you'll thank them later.
Good news for Theo!
Sony has released a statement saying that the company is shooting for a March 2007 release for the PS3 in Europe.
This is good news considering that original reports had the PS3 hitting Europe in September of 2007. Good for you England and company, your wait for superior gaming power will soon be over.
What those other guys are doing
This will most likely be a weekly addition to the column. In this section I will touch on what is making headlines for those other companies. Who knows, maybe I'll even applaud them sometime, but not this week and not with these stories.
Memo to Bill Gates: Japan thinks you suck.
It's a well known fact that the house that Gates built has never been looked on too friendly by gamers in Japan. The Xbox, despite major hits like Halo and…well I guess that's it, has never been able to catch on in the land of the rising sun.
Well, it looks like the 360 isn't making much progress either. It's been out over there for almost a year and has only sold about 180,000 units to date. In fact, within a month of its release the PS3 has already outsold it by about 10,000 units.
Microsoft fanboys cough*Joshua Richey*cough are still hanging onto the notion that perhaps this Blue Dragon RPG will breath life into the dying Japanese market. Only time will tell I guess but it doesn't look to hopeful for Mr. Gates and his merry band of developers.
This issue seems like the perfect subject for our survey of the week.
If you chose other, leave me a comment as to why you think Microsoft sucks in Japan.
I hope you're happy Reggie
Well, it appears in the name of the almighty dollar Nintendo's latest death trap, the Wii has claimed yet another victim. We have all heard the horror stories about innocent gamers, just trying to have some fun, being horribly injured by that shoddy Wiimote but this one takes the cake.
Apparently this poor girl was just looking to have a little fun with Wii tennis. She fired up the system, put on her high heels and got to playing. Not knowing she was about to be the next victim of a brutal Wiinjury.
Folks I've done work for the music zone and the video game zone. I've covered lots of stories from the silly to the insane, but nothing could have prepared me for this story. Those of you with weak stomachs may want to scroll down quickly.
Look at it Reggie! Look at what you have done! This poor girl was most likely getting ready for a date or worse yet, prom! Now, her knee is a mangled mess. You tell me Reggie! Tell me how she is supposed to dance the night away on the most magical night of her young life. God, save your soul you heartless son of a bitch!
Release day!
On to more pleasant news; all the releases available for the PS3, PS2, and PSP today!
PS3
Nothing this week, but Sony is just gearing up. Get ready; it's just the calm before the storm.
PS2
Nope nothing here either. A bit of a slow week to start doing this I guess.
PSP
Bubble Bobble Evolution
You are one of two brothers trapped inside the body of a giant, bubble blowing dinosaur. Sounds weird but this game isn't really story driven. No this game is all about the puzzles. You can go head to head or against the computer to defeat all the mind benders that come your way. The puzzles become more and more difficult as you move your way through this dino-maze. Your very survival depends on your lightening quick fingers as well as your wit.
That's what you say
Time for last week's survey results!
What game are you most excited about?
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 31%
None of these - 21%
Assassin's Creed - 19%
Resident Evil 5 - 14%
Final Fantasy XIII - 12%
Devil May Cry 4 - 2%
The big winner is no surprise, the all powerful Metal Gear franchise tops them all. A decent spread of votes though, just goes to show you there is much to be excited about in Sonyland.
Bargain Bin
Are you frantically looking for something for that little brother or sister? Do you want to get something that they will like, something that will keep them quiet? Well look no further than Croc: Legend of the Gobbos!
Croc is a 3rd person platformer title from Argonaut Software.
In it, you are Croc, a crocodile that washed up on the shores of the Gobbo Valley many years ago. The people of Gobbo Valley, the Gobbos, took you in as one of their own and raised you. Despite your much larger size and green scaly skin, the furry little Gobbos loved and accepted you as part of their community.
However, one day the evil Baron Dante took and imprisoned all of the Gobbo Valley inhabitants. It is now your mission to rescue your furry friends and take out the evil Baron Dante.
Sounds cutesy I know but the game is fun. You will explore a vast array of islands located in such locales as dessert and ice land. The game is surprisingly challenging for a child but that's where you come, the big brother or sister, to save the day and bond with your little siblings and isn't that what Christmas is all about?
Coming in at 10 bucks average Ebay price, Croc is a fun family edition to the bargain bin.
Youtube theatre presents
Seeing as this game was the winner in our pole last week I chose to feature MGS4 in the theatre. This particular preview was released after E3 and sheds some light on what characters to expect and what the story may entail.
Quote of the week
Because there is nothing of note to quote this week, I decided to just use part of a bit by Jim Gaffigan. Enjoy!
I'm actually one of six kids, Catholic. You ever notice people from big Catholic families; they always throw in that "Catholic" after the number? "Six kids, Catholic. Six kids, Catholic." Like if you didn't hear the "Catholic" part, you'd think, "six kids? His mother is a whore."
I don't want to cram pimpage
Joshua Richey unveils Microsoft's new dirty little secret Xbox-A-Gogo. He's got all the info on the house of Gates…which is basically just updates on Halo 3. But hey, it's written beautifully.
Once again, Theo Fraser covers all your Nintendo news in Nintendophiles. It really is nice that we have a column dedicated to a company for kids.
Are you kidding? It's Christmas! That means a full on star studded Merry Christmas, ho ho ho edition of The SIXAXIS.
Oh, and since my two competitors have fancy logos for their columns I suppose I should put something together too.
If anyone has any ideas and wants to design one for me, just send your ideas my way. You could have your name in every edition of The SIXAXIS from here to eternity! That's gotta be worth something right?
