411 Games Fact or Fiction 04.14.08: The Gears of War Sequel, Car Damage in Gran Turismo, Nintendo's Need for New IP, More!

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 04.14.2008

411's Joe Roche and Ramon Aranda give us their thoughts on the timing of the Gears of War sequel, finally getting car damage in Gran Turismo, Nintendo's lack of new IP, Microsoft's war on arcade ports, Ikaruga's popularity, and whether The Force Unleashed will offer more than just flash in this edition of Fact or Fiction Games.

Welcome to another damage free edition of Fact or Fiction. This week newcomer Joe Roche and veteran Ramon Aranda join forces to tell us what they think about some of the week's most important video game news and issues. Before we get started, let's see what they do at 411mania -

Joe came in just in time to take control of The Full Circle: 360 News Report. You can check it out every Friday from now until infinity. He also does reviews, his latest being one for Switchball (XBLA). When he isn't writing his next column or working hard on a review, Joe prepares for the day when he can overthrow the entire games section and dedicate it to the awesomeness of the Intellivision.

Ramon does double duty as the editor for both the Boxing and Games sections. In addition to keeping Joe from fulfilling his dream of world domination, he keeps both sections afloat by contributing news, writing some columns here and there, and keeping everyone else in line.

Let's go -


1. It is too early for a Gears of War sequel.

Joe Roche: Fiction

Too early? This month the 360 has two releases. After GTA IV, is there another game coming out this year that will have any buzz at all save for maybe Saints Row 2? I can think of the highly anticipated games coming out for the remainder of the year on one hand. With Microsoft already running the risk of losing significant ground to the PS3, they had to do something big this year and GoW2 is that something. There is a chance that they run the risk of releasing a game that looks and plays too similarly to the first Gears, but is that even a bad thing?

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

Right now is perfect time for the sequel. The list of upcoming exclusives on the Xbox 360 is quite low and with the PS3 looking to pump out their own exclusives, the 360 could use another solid hit. Not to mention that you don't want it to be forever before you get a sequel to a hit title. I'm not saying it would be Duke Nukem Forever if they waited another year, but they might as well strike while the iron's hot. You don't see a lot of people playing GoW these days on LIVE anyways.

Score: 1 for 1


2. Having car damage in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is a big deal.

Joe Roche: Fact

Gran Turismo goes to great lengths to be authentic, yet no matter how tight the handling on the cars or beautiful the locations look, it's tough to get over the hurdle that when you slam into the car next to you there will be no door damage. One thing that always hung me up about the GT series was whether it wanted it to be a realistic racing game, or a car advertisement. I just feel that if you're going to create an authentic experience, you've got to have car damage involved.

Ramon Aranda: Fact

It's a big deal because it SHOULD have been there from the get-go. Games like Burnout do a fantastic job of showing off car damage, and if you want some realistic gameplay, you just have to have damage show up on your car when you make like NASCAR and end up along the walls. I agree with Joe that it makes for a more authentic feeling.

Score: 2 for 2


3. It is clear that Nintendo needs some new IP.

Joe Roche: Fact

I'm not even that sure about this one. I mean - is it really clear that Nintendo needs some new IP? I don't think there is a shortage of people looking for the Wii, and it almost doesn't matter at this point what is available for the console. It's almost more important to own a Wii than to play a Wii if that makes sense. That being said, in the long run, the novelty act of the console will wear off and Nintendo will have to bring something else to the table, so in that vein I say that they do need some new IP, although I'm not sure how crucial it is for their short term success.


Ramon Aranda: Fiction

Joe's kinda going in the right direction with his response in that I also feel that with the sales of the Wii and DS running rampant, the need for new IP isn't necessary just yet. What IS necessary is better 3rd party titles, and we're finally starting to see them trickle in. At some point, however, Nintendo will indeed have to create something new if it wants to stay fresh and have another character to add to a future Smash Bros. title. =)

Score: 2 for 3



4. It is good that Microsoft is cutting down on the number of arcade ports on Xbox Live Arcade.

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

Look - the service is called Xbox Live ARCADE for a reason. Gamers want to see arcade ports, specifically of games that never saw the light of day on a console or did so poorly. I understand that they want to eliminate some of the garbage out there, but Arcade ports are what we're here for. If they want to pump out original content, then by all means do it because we'd love to see it. Just don't tell me you're gonna cut down arcade ports.

Joe Roche: Fiction

I have to agree with Ramon. How could this be a good thing? The biggest draw of XBLA is the opportunity to play arcade games that were popular during the era of roller skates, disco, and cocaine. Do you know what is great for original content? The console that I spent half-a-month's rent on, and the last time I checked there was nothing in that department coming out this month until Grand Theft Auto IV. So how about you keep the arcade ports coming to XBLA and start creating some of that original content for the real reason I bought the 360 in the first place?

Score: 3 for 4


5. As excited as many gamers seem to be about the release of Ikaruga, in the end, not too many of them will be playing the game after a month.

Ramon Aranda: Fact

This isn't a knock on Ikaruga, as I'm one of the gamers who's excited about it's release after trying to find the GameCube version (which is expensive on eBay). I'll be getting this one this week but with all the new games coming out, it's tough to stick with an XBLA game for too long. Though it's a pretty hard game, and gamers will want to keep playing to get further along and improve their scores, it probably won't get as much playtime by the end of May.

Joe Roche: Fact

I really wanted to say Fiction on this one, if for no other reason than to disagree with Ramon. However, I have to agree that while the game is difficult, and a lot of people have been waiting for its XBLA release, the fact remains that there isn't a whole lot to do after a month of playing the game. That really isn't a knock on it, but how many XBLA titles have significant shelf lives longer than a month anyways?

Score: 4 for 5


6. The Force Unleashed will be all flash, no substance

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

So not every Star Wars game is as great as it can be, but something about this one just tells me it's going to rock. I'm actually a tad more excited about the Wii version which also includes a two player battle mode. I just hope we get lightsaber sounds coming out of the Wii remote's speaker. Either way, regardless of what system you get it for, I just believe that we'll finally get a new worthy addition to the Star Wars video game franchise.

Joe Roche: Fact

This game seems like they should have called it Cash Grab. The game, the book, the comic book, the action figures, the role playing game, the tooth brush set, the poker chips, the hot dog rolls - please tell me if I left anything out. How many times does Lucas have to release an average at best Star Wars game before people stop getting their hopes up for them? Sorry George, but you're going to have to prove me wrong before I start buying into the hype machine.

Score: 4 for 6



And we end with a score of 4 for 6. Don't forget to join us next time for more Fact or Fiction.

Now, we've been tasked with finding the source of some earthquakes that have been plaguing a nearby town. After some research, we found out that it was a giant catfish that was troubling everyone. If we can stop it without hurting ourselves, we'll be back next week.