B3yond the Report 01.06.09

Posted by Derek Robbins on 01.06.2009

This week on B3yond the Report, we learn what Kojima Productions will be up to in 2009, what the next LEGO game might be, and why Valkyria Chronicles is so darn great.

Hello and welcome to B3yond the Report. Let's see if I can dig up any news for this week, I'm sure there'll be something…



B3yond the News of the Week

Kojima Productions plans for 2009

Probably Konami's most important development studio is Kojima Productions. Sure, they don't release a ton of games, but their big hit in 2008, Metal Gear Solid 4, was by far the highest selling thing for the Sony brand. So, it's only natural to wonder about what the studio has planned for 2009, and Famitsu apparently feels the same way as they interviewed the man:


I've thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I've noticed. So 2009 will be a year of change, a year where we start from zero again.

With games, you've got to use cutting-edge techniques, and doing so costs money - so I don't think you can make games that just appeal to the Japanese market. So, 2009 will see us continuing to think how to create a team that can take on the world.


I think this is kind of a peculiar statement given that their latest game released, Metal Gear Solid 4, was successful pretty much everywhere. Not often will a company have a successful year and say: "Ah, you know what? Time for a change." Well hey, it may not make a ton of sense to a lot of people, but you have to respect it.

Notice how I said: "A lot of people". That does not include myself. This move is a long time coming. The Japanese gaming market is pretty putrid at the moment. Big time games just don't sell as well over there as they do out west and often times the only games that even sell at all are titles that have seen a million sequels. One of the finest Playstation 3 games of 2008, Valkyria Chronicles, failed to sell that well even in its home land due to this. Essentially, if a game developer wants to survive in a global gaming landscape, it no longer needs to target Japan. It's kind of sad given that Japan was at one-point gaming's holy land, but that has changed.

From this statement, which a lot of people seem to believe points at Kojima going towards western style development, I think that Kojima essentially wants to innovate more. He doesn't want to release the "same old stuff" or recycle the same things over and over again, he just wants to change things up. Does that mean we'll be seeing something new and different from Kojima in 2009? What does that mean for the rumored ZOE 3? Will we ever see a Snatcher 2? These statements have me pretty doubtful, but I guess if the profit is out there I can't see Kojima just flat out turning it down.

Even though I'm doubtful some titles I like will get sequels, this statement has me hopeful. Often times big developers are content to stay the course, but Kojima Productions wants to start anew and I really like that. Let's see what news they can give us later on, shall we?

- Please be working on this. Please?

X-Box 360 built around PS3 Cell Technology

I didn't really want to talk about this because, well, it's more Sony v. Microsoft junk and we don't really want to hear about that do we? That said, the week is horrendously slow and I don't even have a PSN update to work with. So, well, here we are. A new book entitled "The Race For A New Game Machine" reveals that the X-Box 360's tech was built around the technology of the PS3's cell processor. The book was written by David Shippy and Mickie Phillips, two people behind the design of the Cell.

The book reveals that back in 2001, Sony partnered with Toshiba and IBM to make the Cell chip. During its development, Microsoft approached IBM to have their own chip built around components of the Cell chip. Here is an exert from the Wallstreet Journal:

All three of the original partners had agreed that IBM would eventually sell the Cell to other clients. But it does not seem to have occurred to Sony that IBM would sell key parts of the Cell before it was complete and to Sony's primary videogame-console competitor. The result was that Sony's R&D money was spent creating a component for Microsoft to use against it.

Mr. Shippy and Ms. Phipps detail the resulting absurdity: IBM employees hiding their work from Sony and Toshiba engineers in the cubicles next to them; the Xbox chip being tested a few floors above the Cell design teams.

Mr. Shippy says that he felt "contaminated" as he sat down with the Microsoft engineers, helping them to sketch out their architectural requirements with lessons learned from his earlier work on Playstation.


I mean, look, that's bound to happen in the gaming industry. Hell, it happens in EVERY industry, so it's hard to really get at all angry regarding this bit of information. Would it have been a good idea for IBM to tell Sony? You know, because Sony was helping to come up with the technology in the first place. You better believe it would have been. Sony probably would have paid for some sort of exclusivity right to keep it out of the hands of Microsoft, but…them's the breaks. Sony didn't inquire about it apparently and they ended up helping their enemy make a console. Oh well.

That's pretty bizarre that one of the partners was actively hiding work from Sony and Toshiba during this process. That's gotta be suspicious, doesn't it? "Oh hey, we're working on this new fancy technology for the Playstation 3…can we see your work?" "NO, NO, I MEAN WAIT A SECOND…I WAS PLAYING SOLITAIRE ON THE JOB, SORRY." Whatever though.

Of course, you Microsoft guys may be wondering: "Wait, wait, WE came out for! You're insane! INSANE for posting news like this." Ah hah, well, luckily the Wallstreet Journal also had my back in this regard:


Both designs were delivered on time to IBM's manufacturing division, but there was a problem with the first chip run. Microsoft had had the foresight to order backup manufacturing capacity from a third party. Sony did not and had to wait another six weeks to get their first chips.

So Microsoft actually got the chip that Sony helped design before Sony did. In the end, Microsoft's Xbox 360 hit its target launch in November 2005, becoming its own success. Because of various delays, the Playstation 3 was pushed back a full year.


So wait, a lot of Sony's problems today also happen to stem from back then? You're telling me they didn't order backup parts for something intensive like this? Then again, given that Sony had no idea what Microsoft was doing, I doubt they felt a rush to get the product out there. Especially considering the Playstation 2 was kicking all sorts of ass at the time.

I guess it bothers me that Sony was designing the technology and Microsoft got it on the cheap. Sony paid $400 million for the technology – the development of it and everything – and it is believed that Microsoft kind of swooped in and stole it for considerably less. I mean, yeah, it could have easily been prevented. Sony could have paid some exorbitant fee and forced Microsoft to come up with their own tech (which they would have, I'm sure), but that didn't happen so here we are.

I still think the 360 would have came out first by a good while – six weeks does not a year delay make – but who knows how differently the console war could look now if things went a little differently. Not only that, but the 360 inner-workings are quite a bit different than Sony's. Well, nothing much we can do about this. Time to move on.

I'm not saying these claims are true. I know the two systems are built on different technology. This is what two of the people behind Cell are claiming though, so for now I'll report it as fact. I don't know near enough about the "inner-workings" of the two consoles to say anything more about it though. So. Yeah. Here you go. Make of it what you will. I don't really care. Each console is pretty playable today, so the past is the past.

- Not to be confused with this Cell.

No Harry Potter Lego

Whether I like it or not, and I assure you that I do not, the Lego franchise has been a surprisingly big success in gaming lately. Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, and Lego Batman are among the most popular games on the big three next gen consoles and portable ones as well. When Warner Brothers purchased Traveler's Tales, it was assumed that it was only a matter of time before a Lego Harry Potter would have been released. I am a pretty big Potter guy (yes, yes, I know. I'm too old for that junk), so I would have been right behind this, but apparently according to Eurogamer, that will not be the case. Oh well. UNFORTUNATELY, Loz Doyle, producer at Traveler's Tales, hints at a returning franchise for the next lego game:

You never know. There's always the possibility that we would revisit a franchise. And you never know, it might not be the end of Star Wars, it might not be the end of Indy - we keep our options open.

Well look, I don't know what you could do with Star Wars. You've already released one encompassing Episode 1-III and IV-VI. Will you be making a game based on the expanded universe? Will you do what Rogue Squadron did and release a "new game" with the occasional new feature? I just…I just don't know. I hope Lego Star Wars is dead because it would be a shame to see it back.

I also hope Lego Indy is dead because we REALLY don't need an Indy game detailing the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. I think my fascination with what happens with Indy post 4 died when they hinted Shia LaBeouf would be the new focus of the franchise if it were to continue. I think we should all forget about Indy's latest adventure ASAP. I mean, like, if we don't see it, it can't possibly exist, right? So I'm begging you TT, PLEASE let Indy rest.

Fuck Lego Batman, that was an awful game. Bah, I guess I won't be happy no matter what new game they release based on an old franchise, but uhm…I guess I'd rather have that than the other big rumor: Lego Rockband. Oh God, so let me get this straight: We get the Rockband experience, but with Lego only. We don't get anything different, just a bunch of LEGOs strumming on guitar? Don't tell me you're also going to pack the game's soundtrack with shit like the Jonas Brothers, are you? Ugh. I would much prefer them just releasing a skin of some sort if they really went this route, but if they ACTUALLY release a Lego Rock Band, expect to hear a news report on me jamming a couple of LEGO pieces into my eyes so I no longer have to see a world where LEGO Rock Band is allowed to exist.

So, long story short: There's a LEGO game coming out in 2009. It's going to be either LEGO Rock Band or an old franchise. It will not be Harry Potter. Given that I don't like any of those options, I think I'll just stick to ignoring the LEGO games all throughout this year like I did last year. That'll probably keep me sane at the very least.



YOUR WEEKLY PSN UPDATE

Oh, wait, there was no PSN update this week. Probably due to the double onslaught of Christmas and New Years. Thanks a load, Sony. So instead, let's talk about a couple of games that I want to see released for PSN sometime in the coming year. These are pretty much just ports (with an exception) because I have no idea what exclusive downloadable games will be available for PSN next year, but hey…I'm sure I can think of some worthy old games, right?

Marvel vs .Capcom 2 - Ever since this got rated by the ESRB back in October, it's pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth. Nobody, no game news site, no anything, has mentioned whether this game will be coming out for Sony or Microsoft's downloadable stores. This is so weird because after it was announced, the net was going abuzz with rumors about the game. I had even heard that there would even be online play and new characters for the port – including B3yond the Report favorite Viewtiful Joe – but so far nothing has been revealed. So I want to at least see the game come out because, well, it'd be a good game for everyone to own. Plus it beats the hell out of the 90+ dollar asking price for a game I bought at a BX in Colorado for $39.99. I figure the asking price for the game would be something like $15, but if they throw in an online mode like is rumored, it'll be worth all of that and more.

Valkyrie Profile - This is another game that I think is vastly over-priced on eBay. I mean, yeah, it's a fine title and one of the cooler games to come out on the Playstation, but in no way is it worth upwards of 75 dollars. Honestly, if the game wasn't so damn expensive, perhaps the fans of the game wouldn't treat it as some holy grail of the gaming world. It would be SO awesome for people who want to play the non-port of this game because on PSN this would cost like five dollars. Just like Suikoden! PSN: Bringing you ridiculously expensive games for very little.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Capcom started this retro bender last year and it caught on pretty well. I think other companies will see what went on there and try to capitalize on it. I'm hoping that Sega will be one of those companies and put a team, preferably not Sonic team, out there to start development on Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Obviously this title will be very visually similar to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and play a lot like it, but isn't that a good thing? I would love to play a Sonic game that I can say honest-to-god compares to Sonic 3 and Knuckles. That would make my gaming year! I have no inside sources, no one at Sega who will talk to me – though they should, I sent them a very nice e-mail about Valkyria Chronicles – so this is all based on theory. The pieces are lining up for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and I honestly think it will happen. Just please, please God don't suck. Please.

Dead or Alive 2 - This is absolutely not one of the best fighting franchises out there. It is horribly simple in comparison to games like VF 5, and yet I hold a soft spot for the series in my heart. I want to see DOA 2 (or even 1, hell) on PSN for a very simple reason. Itagakai is gone from Tecmo now, so the series exclusivity on X-Box is most likely dead. Nothing will prevent DOA 5 or whatever from coming out on both the 360 and PS3. After all, wasn't the X-Box the owner of DOA originally only because it was the more powerful system? Well, look, in my opinion the PS3 is the most powerful game of this generation so why not make a come back? Ayane on BLU-ray is a must-own. I would really love to see ports of DOA 4 and Ninja Gaiden 2 at some point, so please make this happen! DOA 2 on PSN would be the trigger. It would show us it's going to happen.

Persona 1 and 2 - For those who have played Persona 4, you know very well that it's one of the best games on the Playstation 2, but there's a problem with that. Playstation 2. Perhaps Atlus doesn't have the means to develop on a next-gen console? Well, there IS a way around that. Why not just port some of your PS1 games to PSN? I'm sure fans of the series who were introduced to P3 first would love a chance to see how the series started. The shift won't be as radical as people who played GTA III and wanted to try out I and II to see what they missed. Until P5 comes out, and who knows when that'll happen, this'll be the only chance we'll have at Persona action on the Playstation 3. Hell, you could bring other Megaten titles here as well. I just think the PSN could use a couple more RPGs, and what better place to start than Persona?

There are a few other games I'd like to see on PSN, such as Ikaruga (why are you on XBLA and not PSN DAMMIT!?)…but I only have so much space I can give up, and I'm afraid that I'm out. So, like, what kind of stuff do you want to see on PSN next year? From my list, it's pretty much just old Playstation games I could just download ISOs for. Bah, oh well, I guess I'm not too hard to please.



B3yond the Tabloids

More proof that Copyright protection is ruining LBP online: Marvel Comics has asked Sony to moderate Sackboy costumes based off of anything that appears in the Marvel Universe. Seriously? Fuck you, Marvel. It's not like they're robbing anything from your pockets. You should be flattered that people want to dress up as your characters, not fighting that right. That also bugs me about the level creation. Who fucking cares if someone makes a Halo level? That just means there is a Sony guy out there who likes Halo, isn't that good thing? Isn't that like advertising your own product on a rival console? I guess I don't understand a lot about the world, but every time I see a company lashing out claiming "COPY RIGHT PROTECTION", I just get pissed off. Fuck you. Let people celebrate the things they enjoy about your franchise and be glad you still HAVE fans.

The Dutch OPM claims to have an exclusive next month that could, well, reveal the next big exclusive for the Playstation 3. They go out to Hollywood California to talk about a game that has yet to be revealed due to press embargos. What could it be now? Given that it's in California it's either Sony Computer Entertainment: Santa Monica or Naughty Dog. Given that Naughty Dog is busy working on Uncharted 2, I think that it's Santa Monica time. I can't really make a prediction on what it will be though. We already know about God of War 3!

As a rule, anime-based games generally suck. Sure, there are exceptions to that rule, but when you look at the big picture...they're not good. Afro Samurai doesn't look particularly good – even graphically, which is hard to do these days – but to compensate for that, reserving the game will get you a little figurine. Presumably of the samurai himself. Look, I'm not going to bash an anime I've seen very little of, but if it's on SPIKE TV, it probably isn't going to be the highest quality one out there.

11-year old Judson King took a trial to court in order to legalize hedgehogs in the city of Lawrence, Kansas. You see, he was such a big Sonic fan that he wanted to own the real thing, so he had to do SOMETHING about it. Instead of sitting back and bitching like I would have done, he actually took this to trial and came out successful. He got his first little hedgehog on Christmas day. Good job, man. Next time ask for an echidna though.

It seems that over-seas Valkyria Chronicles is getting the major push that it DESERVES over here. Sega is re-releasing the game at a lower price with one of the DLC-missions – starring Edy whose major ability in battle is to be scared come pressure time (this pissed me off bad, because I needed her to step up once and she got pulverized) – something they should do over here as well. It's such a unique title…so it's a damn shame more people here don't own it. I think this move was made to compliment the new anime series the game is getting. I hope there will be a subbing group that gets right on that one. We have a billion on shonen anime, so perhaps one of you could jump ship eh?

Japanese gamers recently changed their most wanted game in Famitsu for the first time in a year. It used to be Final Fantasy XIII. Replacing it? Dragonquest IX for the DS. Oh boy.

According to the Nielson rankings, the PS2 is the most used system today by a large margin. The rest lag behind, but the PS3 is apparently behind the original X-Box. Yeah, okay, I know Nielson houses are a limited number but please. Come on. I don't buy that. Were a lot of people playing sports games or something? That's all I used mine for. Well, err, that and Shenmue 2/Panzer Dragoon Orta.



B3yond the Cinema



I'm not the biggest fan of Sadie's Gaming Infection, but…this is a pretty humorous episode featuring a lot of the cast for Metal Gear Solid 4.



I don't know if I've posted a trailer for Valkyria Chronicles yet, so…here's the one that came out when the game did. I think I should start a crazy promotion like IGN did for Zack and Wiki. If you own a PS3, you MUST own this game. Period.



Here's the opening cinematic for White Knight Chronicles. It has sold surprisingly well so far in Japan, so…I guess I hope it does well? Let's just hope that it's worth the minimal hype it is getting.



You damn well know you wanted your weekly SF IV dose to be Cammy versus Fei Long. If you claim otherwise, you're a liar and you know where liars go, don't you? (To the movies!)



Here's some Afro Samurai gameplay. I mean, look, I'm still going to be skeptical on this game…but at least in this trailer it LOOKS fun. You never can tell with these anime titles though, so we'll see.

The One Man Watercooler



YES! First B3yond of the year and my Resolution is holding firm!

Alright, so, if you haven't noticed I have been talking Valkyria Chronicles up a lot lately. From telling everyone who owns a Playstation 3 that they must own this game, to naming it my 6th best game of the year (a number, as it turns out, which may be a little low!). So what exactly makes this game so damn impressive? Haha, well…the first One Man Watercooler of 2009 is dedicated exclusively to that subject. Why you, the valued reader of 411mania.com's gaming section, should drop whatever you are doing right now and buy this game.

I know how much everyone out there loves graphics. If there wasn't a desire to have games look prettier, we would have just stopped console development at the Super Nintendo. That's not to say that looks are not important, sometimes the aesthetics of a game can lead to a more memorable experience, but often times we over-rate them. This is one of those rare exceptions when the look of a game totally compliments the action going on. Valkyria Chronicles is an absolutely beautiful title that could easily be confused with an anime in action. The characters are all lively and unique looking, and the vehicles just leap at you with a certain flair. Technically speaking, it does not feature the best graphics available on the Playstation 3. From an artistic standpoint though, Valkyria Chronicles is an absolutely jaw-dropping title that will have you set-aback at how far graphics have come in gaming.

Obviously though, graphics can only take you so far. A graphically impressive game can turn out to be a pile of shit. Just ask the Lair folks, they'll vouch for that. It's the gameplay that truly counts and this is where Valkyria just flat-out shines. It's a Strategy RPG. Now, when I hear the phrase "strategy RPG", there are two different types of games that I think of. You have the traditional western SRPG such as Starcraft or Command and Conquer. In these games you amass units and attempt to over-throw an army. The Japanese SRPG, often referred to as a "Tactical RPG" (I assume this is due to the popularity of Final Fantasy Tactics, the first super popular Japanese SRPG in America), is usually fought on an isometric field. You move each unit across a battlefield comprised of squares in order to defeat the other army. So when I was reading the description to VC, I assumed I would be playing one of those types of game. Most likely the second description due to the game's anime-esque appearance.

That did not happen though. When I opened up my copy of the game and played it, it was almost like a melding of the two types of gameplay. Like in a "Tactical RPG", you could only move your troops in a limit variety and there were also turns in place, but like in a SRPG, you had backup troops at your disposal and the ability to move your characters freely. Valkyria also breaks off on its own here. You see, instead of taking a top-down view, you see behind each units back as you play them. So when you select a unit to move, you're not dragging them along. You're moving them as if they were their own infividual. In that regard it plays like a third-person shooter as when you fire, you actually have to aim yourself. It's not auto. So really, it's the melding of two different types of the same genre that adds something different as well. It's a unique take, but it's surprisingly easy to get used to.

The different takes on the genre aren't the only things that VC does differently though. Just like a real army, each of your troops have a different personality that you must recognize and account for. If you don't generally know who you are controlling, you may be at a disadvantage. For instance, if you take Vyse into a crowded area full of enemy troops, he will do quite well. On the other hand Edy, who fucking hates fighting I guess, will have a dreadful time with it. You also need to take into account who among your troops like each other in order to field the most cohesive unit possible. This unique spin really adds some personality to the title. It doesn't feel like "just another shooting game", it feels like a game where I really bond with my group of fighters, I like that.

You also need to seriously think about troop placement, perhaps more in this game than any traditional Japanese SRPG. As you move units closer to enemies, they will fire at you, even if it isn't their turn. You need to take into account whether the unit you're using can survive said fire and also whether the risk of being shot to death is worth what you're doing. You also need to remember that your units do the same thing when the enemy is moving. So if you place an alignment of units strategically, it is theoretically possible that non-tank units will not be able to infiltrate your base during their turns without some long-range attacks.

Speaking of units, there are five different types you need to consider in, all with different roles. You have your scouts, which are good for recon. Next are the shocktroopers, your main "man-to-man" combat unit. Lancers are your main anti-tank force. The Engineers are a type that is meant to act as a medic of sorts. It has no real usage in actual combat. Finally, the snipers have the most obvious goal: Sniping. They are your main long-range units. Mastering the usage of these five-units goes a long way. If you're sending a scout into battle, you're just doing it wrong.

I know this sounds rather complicated, but trust me, once you sit down and actually play the game, it should flow right to your fingers. The tutorial is blessedly simple, as are the first few battles. So when you get to the actual fighting, you should be more than capable of holding your own. The game, unless you hopelessly suck at gaming, never gets too terribly difficult. So as long as you know that you should attack each situation differently and at least THINK about what you're doing, you'll be okay.

Combine the amazing gameplay with the story and you really have something special. The game's story plays similarly to World War II, but with a fantasy twist. Some people feel that the twist isn't necessary, but I mean…it helped the experience feel pretty unique. Even with the twists, the main cast of characters are ridiculously likable. You'll want to see how the story ends. The game won't win any award for storytelling, but I can tell you that I was definitely impressed with what I saw. It had me entertained throughout and that is really all you can ask.

Finally, we arrive at the soundtrack. The game has some absolutely awesome tunes and one of my favorite OSTs to be released this year. I would actually say at points, the sound had me so wrapped up in the events of the game, that I actually wasn't physically thinking in the back of my mind "I'm on a couch." The other half of the sound package would be the voice acting, and what a surprise! They executed this pretty effectively as well. My favorite performance would have to be from Alicia. She sounds just as her character should during all times and…gosh, it's just hard not to like her. Good work all around.

The only real problem with the game would be its length. It clocks in at about 20 hours if you do absolutely everything there is to do in it. It has stuff for completionists such as the ability to go back through the quests a second time with your end-game equipment in order to score an A-rank everywhere (the odds of you A-ranking the story missions the first time through are pathetically low. It's not that easy!). You also get a few neat extras and "hard mode" for skirmishes (exhibition) matches. If you're dedicated, this is a 40 hour package. Sadly, a lot of people just don't HAVE that kind of dedication. But look, when a game's biggest flaw is that you wanted about 10 hours more worth of story missions, you've got a damn good package. Considering a lot of games clock in at eight hours…this is fantastic.

I've still got to review this game. I only haven't because I have been kind of busy. Right now, if I had to give it a score, it'd probably be 9.5 or 9.6. It's criminally under-appreciated by PS3 owners and should be given another chance. Even if the anime-style turns you off, the story and action isn't overly eastern. It's something that can appeal to a mass-audience. It'll be a damn shame if this title just gets swept-under the rug. I hope I have done a decent enough job of explaining why you should get it. If not, feel free to ask me more about it in the comments section or e-mail.



B3yond the Mailbag!



Well, last week's column was one of those "we don't have much news, so let's talk about what we can" sort of deals. This one kind of is too. So let's see what you had to say about, err, nothing in particular.

Whatever is…taking me to task, I guess? I don't know. Whatever.


How can you say that 360 didn't have a great year? Huge exclusives. Both in terms of sales and anticipation (look at preorders). Big jump in international and especially Japanese sales. Huge increase in online subscribers at 50.00 a year. Price drop that shows they UNDERSTAND the consumer. And the rollout of NETFLIX on there console.
I would say that blows away Sony's puny exclusive sales numbers...much hype with hardly the follow through...but I just saw Metal Gear Solid 4 used at Gamestop for 29.99 this weekend. The pathetic HOME which was the BE ALL END ALL for PS3 fanboys a year ago. And the pathetic excuse for what they call PSN store.
Sure they finally got Flash upgrade for the browser for all that Anime porn....but they couldn't drop the price 100.00?? What a joke.
Thank goodness for Uncharted....otherwise mine would never play a game.
And for all you Wii touters....Is the Wii even a console anymore? It seems to have crossed over into Karaoke or foosball table area. Cool to have one for parties......and then never use it alone.

I perhaps worded my Microsoft argument a little poorly. I should have said: "While Microsoft's year was pretty good, there was no way it had a better year than Sony as far as quality concerned. It wasn't THAT great."

Yeah, I know, as I have admitted time and time again, the price drop is a big reason Microsoft is winning. I don't hold it against them because it was something they SHOULD do. The reason Sony doesn't drop price is because right now they just can't. They need to get to a better place financially before they can. Would I love to see them drop to $300 (the true price of the 360, not the perceive $200 arcade bundle. You NEED a hard drive) or even $250? You bet. That's not happening any time soon.

Where are you seeing MGS 4 at 29.99? EBgames.com says it's 39.99 used. Did you subtract 10 dollars from the price? Were you having a sale of some sort? Of course a game that came out in June is going to have a price-cut silly! Also, who in the hell honestly thought HOME was going to be anything special? Were you talking to delusional Sony fanboys or something? I've said from day 1 that HOME is shovelware garbage that is more reminiscent of Myspace: the game. I seriously could give a shit about it.

Regarding the browser: I just use my wii to browse. I think the PS3 browser sucks. I got the wii browser when it was free and it works just peachy for me, so I really don't pay attention to the PS3 browser updates. The wii may not be a great system, but if you hack it like everyone else on the planet it's not the shovelware machine it once was.

Also, it's a shame your PS3 never plays any games because I've been playing mine pretty much non-stop since November. I guess different strokes, eh?

Some Guest talks about lowering the price. Again.

Isn't the point of business to sell more than the competition? I haven't seen a rule book that said Microsoft wasn't allowed to lower their price. These fanboys call it a console war, but when things don't go their way they throw in the extras.

I never said Microsoft was in the wrong for lowering the price. I'm not sure where you're coming out of the woodwork saying that. The only thing I have to say is that it's the only reason they did so damn well last year. They did not blow Sony out of the water. I'm not saying Sony destroyed them either, but I think if you look at the exclusives, this year is much closer than perceived, and a lot of that is due to the price cut. Simple as that.

I already replied to Trent's comment in the comments, but I'll post it here and re-post my reply in case he didn't see it:

If you're looking at value the 360 doesn't need to have as many exclusives when its half the price. They churn out their two or three a year and let the rest of the library keep it going.

Did the PS3 have a single game that made the 400 or 500 dollar console a must have? That's the problem. When the 360 is $199 it only takes one or two games *and they don't even have to be exclusives* to make that a good buy. How many does it take sitting on shelves for the PS3 to look like a good value?

Sony needs to drop the price. They needed to drop it for Christmas but didn't. What kind of sales increase do they really expect to get from a drop for Killzone 2? There's no way that will be anywhere near what a christmas drop would have been.

Another week and another "PS3" column that talks more about how you think the 360 sucks instead of how the PS3 is awesome. Come on man just talk about the system you have, not the one you don't.

First, the 360 doesn't suck. The Wii on the other hand...

Second, most of last week's column was indeed on the PS3.

Third, I even said a price reduction would do the trick. The 360 at 200 dollars, as I said, can be perceived as a great deal. The PS3, at 400, isn't. There isn't a huge difference in the consoles as far as quality goes, so OF COURSE people are going to buy the 360. I mentioned how *I* was part of this too. I didn't own a PS3 until August of this year, just before I started writing B3yond the Report. Before 2008, the PS3 was simply put NOT WORTH owning. I think this year, I was able to justify my purchase with some great games.

I will go on record as saying that RIGHT NOW the 360 is a better system to own due to its longer time out and higher quality library (2006 and 7 were both quite kind). I think by the end of 09, if it stays at the 08 pace, the PS3 could pass it.

My only problem with the 360 is the perception it had a better year than the PS3. It DIDN'T. It just had a cheaper one. I stick by my claim that the 360 is the 10th best console of all time and RIGHT NOW the PS3 just isn't there.

Toddo gets the last comment of the week. Aren't you a lucky one?

That Infamous video didn't do much for me. It looks to play very similar control wise to Dark Sector, and that is not really a good thing.

You said: "That company did not, by any means, blow Sony out with software this year. It's all been price."

This may be true on exclusives, both had a few good ones. Which were better is all subjective. But I do find it interesting that you, being the Sony guy, have admitted that the games that come to both systems always tend to be better on the 360. Now having one or two big exclusives each year is a big deal, but when the games that we all have access to, no matter the system, are better in a number of ways on the 360, That has to have some bearing on the dominance of the 360. It can't all be about the price. Microsoft has good to great exclusives, they move more of the 3rd party titles than Sony does, these both have to be considered factors in the 360 being the better seller right now. Kick ass exclusives alone will not do it for Sony. They need to demand that their system gets a version of the games that is every bit as good as the 360 version.

Now I understand what you're saying. It's a fair assumption that because most cross-platform games are better on 360 that the console would be better, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. Most people only own one console. People such as myself, the lucky few, have a choice for what console we can buy our games on. Those people who only own a PS3, they won't be missing out on a ton of shit if they get that version over the 360 version of the game. I mean, most of the time the games only have very minor differences that are only accentuated by websites looking for a scoop. Sure, it's good to have superior ports, but most of the time they aren't superior enough to warrant any merit. It really only effects people who have a choice and…most gamers simply don't.

But yes, I TOTALLY agree. It's about time they demand they get better versions of games. Even if these titles come out later than the 360 counterparts, it is important to Sony fans that they get an equal experience. The experiences aren't THAT much different, but there is indeed a difference and that's a problem.

Yeah, thank you for the feedback everyone. I appreciate it and I feel it helps me get better at what I do. So, feel free to comment down below or send me an e-mail at [e-mail] I appreciate everything you have to say, even if it's bad, so thank you!
The 411mania Empire!



Vincent Chiucchi writes The Select and Start News Report

Joe Roche writes The Full-Circle 360 News Report

Theo Fraser writes The Nintendophiles

Chris Vicari writes The PC-Spotlight

I write the 10th Hour Now in TWO parts

Mark Salmela writes Games Only a Mother Could Love. Featuring Night Trap this week!

No Release List this week.

AJ and Mike Minotti are the men behind the Exploding Barrel Podcast. They reveal their number four GOTYs this week. AJ's choice of Fable 2 kind of confuses me, but I'll take it.

Well, that's it. I'm out.

Man's game, bitch