The Select and Start News Report: 12.01.08
Posted by Vincent Chiucchi on 12.01.2008
In the latest edition of the Select and Start News, 411’s Vincent Chiucchi discusses Harmonix getting sued over Rock Band Peripherals, the CEO of GameStop opinion on why you shouldn't restrict used game sales, Eidos' PR Firm tries to control game reviews and much more!
For a country in an economic crisis, a lot of people sure as hell went shopping on Black Friday. Me? I spent most of the day doing college assignments. Stupid college.
Big News
"RESTRICTING USED GAMES SALES IS BAD" SAYS CEO OF GAMESTOP [credit: Gamasutra, The Escapist]
The game industry has really taken issue with used games these days, taking actions to prevent used sales from happening. The CEO of GameStop Dan DeMatteo tried defending the use of selling used games by saying that restricting used games is bad for consumers and that new games sell as well:
"Anything that limits the transferability of a game from consumer to a friend of theirs, to selling it on eBay, to exchanging it and trading it with one of their friends, or selling it back to GameStop -- I think is a bone of contention with the consumer...The consumer has been trained that there is a residual value to their video games (about $20 per game)...we will give out approximately $800 million in credits this year -- trade-in credits that will go toward the purchase of new video games. The consumer, oftentimes and especially now, needs that residual value from those games as a trade-in to be able to afford a new video game.
When it comes to this whole used game debate, I don't think the CEO of a company that makes a majority of it's money off used games and sells them at ludicrous prices should be talking. Yes used games helps consumers save money (although it's not a whole lot of money if you're buying them at GameStop), but it also makes companies lose money because GameStop keeps all the money they make on a used sale, and when GameStop sells the used games at only slightly below the new price (usually only $5), that tends to piss off a lot of companies. So either GameStop works out a deal to pay the companies whose used games they're selling, stop selling used games at ridiculous prices, or STFU.
Oh, and I'm willing to bet that the residual value of $20 per game only happens at your stores DeMatteo.
[credit: GameDaily, 1UP, Destructoid]
This week's lawsuit involves Kansas resident Monte Morgan suing Harmonix, MTV, EA and Viacom over the Rock Band drum peripheral, claiming that the companies sold the game with a defective bass pedal and having the warranty end after the release of Rock Band 2 and it's superior bass pedal. Harmonix claims that the drum pedals were designed to work just fine when used properly, and should the pedals be defective, Harmonix offered consumers a chance to replace them for free with no questions asked. Harmonix calls this litigation opportunistic and baseless.
From what I've read many people have had problems with that pedal, but have also claimed that they easily got it replaced by Harmonix for free or just went and bought better pedals. Plus, Harmonix had a warranty for this problem for an ENTIRE YEAR, so at least they tried to solve the problem. Dude, save up some money, buy some new pedals, and get the hell over it.
EIDOS, DOES THE NAME "JEFF GERSTMANN" RING ANY BELLS? [credit: GameDaily, VideoGaming247]
Eidos' British PR firm Barrington Harvey was sending out requests to game reviewers that if they were going to score Tomb Raider: Underworld below an 8 out of 10, that they do not post their reviews until 11/24, six days after the game was released. Why was the PR Firm doing this? Here was their official statement:
Barrington Harvey is not in the position of telling reviewers what they can and cannot say. We love Tomb Raider and believe it merits a score of at least 8/10, but if someone disagrees that's entirely their prerogative. No problem at all. Seriously: no problem. Our original NDA stated that in order to receive an advance copy of the game, reviewers agreed not to post reviews ahead of 5:00pm, Wednesday 19th November 2008. Nothing else. No further obligations whatsoever.
But later on in the statement, this paragraph appears:
Barrington Harvey has been working hard to ensure the launch scores of Tomb Raider Underworld are in line with our internal review predictions over the launch weekend - but to suggest that we can in some way "silence" reviews of the game is slightly overstating our influence.
This statement came after a rep at Barrington Harvey told VG247 that they were trying to manage review scores in order to get the MetaCritic rating to be high.
Eidos, you truly are a stupid company. Did you not the remember the shitstorm that you caused last year that got Jeff Gerstmann fired? Now you have your PR company once again trying to censor reviews just so you're game looks nice on MetaCritic, and this time we know it's the absolute truth because your PR company has just outright admitted that's what they were trying to do.
Tidbit News
-This week's game to be banned in Australia because they still don't have an 18+ rating for video games: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. [credit: Gamasutra]
-A man called Raymond Adams made the news over in the UK by using 10,000 pounds of his own money to pay for weight loss surgery and a breast job for his wife. How did he get the money? Selling pirated games at his store. The West Midlands Police and ELSPA have arrested Raymond Adams and he's going to serve a 3-year sentence, while his wife serves a 12-month sentence. At least he's not fat anymore. [credit: Kotaku, CVG]
-According to a national survey of over 7000 conducted by musical instrument retailer Guitar Center, 67% of people who play Guitar Hero or Rock Band who don't play an instrument are now interested in doing so within two years, 72% who already have an instrument now play it more often, and 81% of those inspired to play an instrument want one as a holiday gift. So will you douchebag musicians now STFU? [credit: GameDaily]
-Out of all the people who might be disappointed with the way Resident Evil 5 turns out, you'd think the man who created the franchise, Shinji Mikami, wouldn't be one of them. But he has said that he will not be playing the game because odds are he's not going to like the game because it wouldn't be the game he'd have liked to make. He also states that if there's anything in RE5 that isn't done well, he'll be angry, though I'm not sure if that was a joke statement or not. [credit: Joystiq, Kotaku, CVG]
-The Wii has now hit the 7 million mark for units sold in Japan. [credit: Gamasutra, GameSpot]
-Age of Conan developer Funcom has laid off employees. Funcom did not specify how many people were liad off, but it is speculated that it was 70% of their US workforce, with the cuts primarily coming from the customer-service and quality-assurance teams. [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra, GameSpot]
-Software piracy for Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld is on the decrease, according to claims made by John Koller, Sony Computer Entertainment America's head of hardware marketing. "It's trending down right now -- we've seen the piracy not be as such prevalent in the last month to two months," said Koller. "But it has been a problem for us." [credit: Gamasutra]
-Remember that Halo spinoff Bungie was making called Halo 3: Recon? From now on, it's called Halo 3: ODST, as in Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, the person you play as in the game. [credit: GameDaily]
-Sony Computer Entertainment America has unveiled a new PlayStation branded credit card, which will allow savings of over $150 on the purchase of a PlayStation 3 console this year. That is, if you can afford one in this economic "crisis" we've got going. [credit: Gamasutra]
-Square Enix has announced the development of three upcoming downloadable "scenario expansions" for their MMORPG Final Fantasy XI. In other news, there's still an MMO people play that isn't WoW?! [credit: Gamasutra]
Gaming Calendar
December 1st - Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon (X360)
December 2nd:
-Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (PS3, PC, X360)
-Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (PS2)
December 9th:
-Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (PS2)
-Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Wii)
-Six Flags Fun Park (Wii)
December 12th - Sonic Unleashed (PS3)
December 16th - Rise of the Argonauts (PC, PS3, X360)
December 22nd - -Rock Band 2 ported to PS2 and Wii
January 6th, 2009 - Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP)
January 13th, 2009 - Lord of the Rings: Conquest (X360, PS3, PC, DS)
January 21st, 2009 - Skate 2 (X360, PS3)
February 17th, 2009:
-Street Fighter IV (X360, PS3)
-Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)
-Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (X360)
February 28th, 2009 - Tabula Rasa to be shut down
March 3rd, 2009 - Star Ocean: The Last Hope (X360)
March 13th, 2009 - Resident Evil 5 (X360)
March 17th, 2009 - Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
Survivor: Gabon Watch
This week was only a clip show, so this week all I'll have to say is that I hope either Ken, Sugar, or Bob wins.
Videos of the Day
I remember a long time ago reporting about a job posting of a fan made Mega Man film. Then there was a short trailer for the movie that looked promising. Now, there's this new trailer which makes me think that film could possibly be the best live-action video game film ever.
It's not just the Kane and Lynch scandal that I associate with Eidos. I also remember how the Official UK & Australian Playstation Magazines used to give the Tomb Raider games a minimum World Exclusive Review score of 10 out of 10, regardless of actual merit (There were a least two Tomb Raider games that attracted 5 to 7 out of ten range scores everywhere else).
I also like to use Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (the game that got Core stripped of the Tomb Raider franchise)as proof that 8 out of ten is the GUARANTEED minimum score for a World Exclusive Review (Angel of Bugginess, as it's known in some circles, got 8 out of ten from the Official UK Playstation 2 Magazine).
Posted By: WadeMcG (Guest) on December 01, 2008 at 01:52 AM
If game developers want games to stay off the used game market they should write games people want to keep. As to deserving a share of the used game profit....
Do car manufacturers deserve a part of the profit from the sales of used cars?
How about the sell of a used TV?
Used books?
Used cd's?
Used Movies?
Used furniture?
anything else that has a used market? If you want a portion of it than buy it back and compete for it. Oh wait so much easier to try and control the way it is handled. They have all but killed PC gaming. You want my money, you need to loosen the strangle hold and quit trying to control everything.
Posted By: Veevslav (Guest) on December 01, 2008 at 03:32 AM
I don't mind gamestop's high prices for used games. I usually put down a $55 "deposit" I call it, until I get I game I want. For example, I put down $55 for Smackdown, didn't like it, brought back to use toward Mortal Kombat, didn't like it, brought it back for Mirror's Edge, didn't like it, and now its time for Price of Persia new. This is usually what I do in the month or so before a big game release... try a bunch of used games to kill time based on one "down payment" and then transfer that credit toward the new one when it comes out. It works great for me.
Posted By: b (Guest) on December 01, 2008 at 07:25 PM
Christ, b...is there a game you DO like?
And I'll send that whiny bitch my kick pedal if he wants it. I don't use my RB drums.
Also, if Gamestop's used prices gets sand in your vagina, remember that NO ONE MAKES YOU BUY THEM. I'll take a new $60 game over a used $55 game that some six year old punted all over his/her bedroom for weeks.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on December 01, 2008 at 11:04 PM
The fallen king is the DS version dude! Which there has been strangely a very small amount of hype/media over :\ I hope thats not a sign its going to suck.
Posted By: Jamie (Guest) on December 02, 2008 at 01:54 PM
Why is it that in the "gaming calender" section Resident Evil 5 is (XBox 360)
Its on the PS3 too, twat.
Posted By: BBM (Guest) on December 03, 2008 at 09:27 AM
