The Negative Edge News Report 3.14.2007
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 03.15.2007
Today I give you a compelling reason to pick up a PS3 in April.
Welcome to another edition of The Negative Edge. I was stuck with 1k download speeds while putting this column together so most of it is based on what I was able to pull from memory. I only had about 10 minutes (during lunch) to throw in links and pictures so...
Let the fun begin -
The news as I see it
Isn't it sad that GameCube backwards compatibility is the one with the least amount of problems?
It would appear that in the near future all PS3s will handle backwards compatibility through software instead of hardware in order to reduce manufacturing costs. As a result, instead of being able to play most PS1 and PS2 games out of the box, future PS3 owners will be restricted to about 1000 (or did they say a few 1000?). Sony will continually add support for more games the way Microsoft does it with the 360.
Coincidentally (of course), a spokesperson for Microsoft, when asked about the state of Xbox BC on the 360, was recently quoted as saying "at some point we're going to focus less on it. When you get to the end of this year there will be a reduced focus on backwards compatibility. There are so many 360 games out there. I don't know if it's important anymore." (credit: Kotaku)
The only problem I have with Sony is that they promised full backwards compatibility and they aren't delivering. Microsoft also said that they'd be committed to doing the BC thing but look how long it took for them to reduce support after Sony's announcement.
I predict that the switch to software will make the PS3s that are currently collecting dust on store shelves a hot commodity come April (the month when software-emulation enabled PS3s are rumored to roll out). I'm honestly thinking about picking one up before the switch just so that I can play my old games upscaled (the upscaling rumor is too juicy to ignore). Even though I bash Sony all the time, I was planning on getting one eventually. I might as well get one that does everything it's supposed to do. If you were thinking about picking one up, maybe you should think harder. Hardware BC isn't going to be around forever... Also, if you're still sitting on a PS3 that you picked up to be eBayed, here is your chance to make some money off of it. You just have to wait a little bit longer.
On a related note, the only games that I was ever interested in seeing on the Xbox's BC list were Capcom vs. SNK 2 and Street Fighter 3. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no chance that those games will be done as it is easy to milk them on Live Arcade down the line. Damn you Capcom! Quit ripping your fans off! I'm tired of buying multiple copies of the same game.
Final Fantasy XIII will have everyone seeing white
According to The Magic Box, Taku Murata, a programming supervisor at Square Enix, restated that Final Fantasy XIII will not be created using the Unreal Engine as many had hoped. It will instead run on the White Engine as Final Fantasy XII had before it.
This is very disappointing news. The use of the Unreal Engine would have meant an "easy" port to the 360. Even if it was released a few years after coming out on the PS3, I would have been happy to wait. That's not to say that a port to the 360 is now impossible. It's just more unlikely to happen.
But maybe by the end of April this news won't matter...
I'm calling you out!
I don't like Alien Hominid
New section this week. Every now and then I come across a game whose popularity just plain confounds me. I want you to explain to me why some of these monstrosities are so great!
This week's target is Alien Hominid. I grew up playing side-scrollers - the best that the NES, SNES, Genesis, and arcades had to offer. After hearing all the praise Alien Hominid was getting, I was expecting something that would rival its predecessors. As far as graphics go, Alien Hominid is great. Unfortunately, the nice graphics can't hide the fact that it is a sub-par side scroller. The controls are wonky. There is absolutely no finesse when dodging and killing enemies. I end up dying all the time because of the lame responsiveness. It looks like the creators knew how bad it was as they give you a bunch of extra men after every level. What gives? Why does this game get so much praise?
I'm waiting for your response.
This week in releases
Spectrobes (DS)
For some odd reason, I've been looking forward to this game for the past few months. It just looks fun (except for the blowing part). Yeah, I know that the target audience is 8-14 year-olds, but screw that! I want what I want.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (XBLA)
Voice support. Multiplayer over Live. Only 400 points. You can actually scream at people to not take the pizza if they have full life? You can play with 3 other people online? They didn't milk it for all it was worth? WTF? Am I in some weird alternate dimension where people actually get what they want? Next thing I know you'll tell me that Symphony of the Night will be made available for download some time soon.
During one of the panels at GDC some people were given the chance to share their own game ideas and have them evaluated on the spot. Similarly, a little while back PSM allowed readers to submit their game ideas to be published for all the world to see. This picture is based on a submission that involved putting famous female characters into a football game. Sounds interesting...
You should of course recognize the person on the left. For those of you that don't know, the one on the right is Tron Bonne from the Mega Man Legends games and The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. She's one of the only female anti-heroes that I've seen in a video game. Very cool. She's also playable in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - she isn't top-tier but she's pretty fun to use. If she's gonna be in a game like this, she'd better be able to use her mech. Yeah, that'd be nice.
That's it for this week. LP LP Forward LK HP. If I can do that move without telegraphing it (and if I can get my Internet connection to stop sucking), I'll be back next week.
