411 Games Fact or Fiction 02.02.09: The New Street Fighter Movie, PSP-4000, MotionPlus and More

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 03.02.2009

This week we find out what our participants think of the upcoming MotionPlus peripheral, whether or not the Street Fighter movie will suck, if they're looking forward to the Dead Space prequel for the Wii and much more.



Alright, here we go with another edition of Fact or Fiction: Games. This week, we hear from newcomer Justin Engelmann who's been helping out with our news articles and reviews. You can check out his review of Monster Jam Urban Assault here and NeoPetz here. Joining him on the other side of the fence is Ty Huston who's been away for a little while but is back in full force.

Ok guys, let's get to the questions!


1. The next update to the PSP (PSP-4000) will do very well, sales-wise.


Not the actual PSP-4000

Ty Huston: FACT - I expect it to do alright sales-wise. Facts are that the PSP is not the dominant brand in handheld consoles and the release of a newer version with a few tweaks and new features will take time to actually make money. Brand new products have the historical advantage of pulling great sales. That's not to say, however, that updated versions can't sell well. The DS Lite still does great business and the next version of that will probably do better. The problem that PSP will face is that they simply don't have the top spot on the handheld market. Will it sell well? Probably, but I don't think it is going to break any records or anything. I say "fact" because I imagine it will turn a profit. Do I think it's going to revolutionize the handheld market? No, I don't.

Justin Engelmann: FACT - We needed a redesigned PSP when the PS3 came out. The biggest problem the PSP has had is its lack of dual analog sticks. A lot of game swould be easier to play on the PSP. Plus it would be nice to be able to play our PSP outside near the sun. I think Sony fan boys will be in a rush to buy an updated model as long as its just not a slimmer model of what we have now.

Score: 1 for 1


2. You are looking forward to E3 this year.



Ty Huston: FICTION - They are bringing E3 back to what it used to be - supposedly. I will wait to see what they really do this year and if it ranks up there with years past. Personally, I've never been one of those who gets ridiculously excited over E3 every year. You get some great announcements and with looking at this year's lineup, I'm not personally excited about many titles yet. Hopefully E3 will provide some announcements for some great new games - especially first party and exclusives - that will get everyone excited. If the booth babes, massive lines for demos and general craziness return, then E3 might actually be something worthwhile again.

Justin Engelmann: FACT - With the closing of one of the tech shows and them saying that E3 will go back to where it was, it should be great. Along with the rumors of a new PSP and a PS3 price cut. The other two camps have been very quiet as of late so their press conferences may have a few bombs for us. Overall we may see some more gameplay for some currently talked about games. That is the part of E3 I like the most is not knowing what is going to happen.

Score: 1 for 2


3. You think developers should start releasing bigger games during the summer so our wallets don't die during the holidays.



Ty Huston: FACT - Fact, fact, fact, fact, fact. Not just because it leaves us broke as hell during the holidays, but the majority of the rest of the year is filled with garbage games. Last year there were a handful of good games that came out pre-holiday (such as Fable 2, Fallout 3, GTA 4, etc.) but it is pretty typical for developers to try and bank on having that one game that makes every gamer's Christmas. Seriously. The days of the "toy of the season" is pretty much over. There are so many products that hit during the holidays, banking on your game being the "it" present for the holiday season is stupid. Unless your name is Mario, Zelda, Halo, Metal Gear Solid or Grand Theft Auto; I don't see you being a contender during the Christmas season. That's not to say it is impossible, but throw us a bone during the off-season. Find a month like April that typically doesn't have any big title lined up for release and shoot for it. Create a huge hype and sell that puppy. An awesome game will sell well no matter when it is released. However, releasing a great game during a period when three to seven other amazing games are released is only hurting your own bottom line and putting a financial strain on those consumers who actually do want to buy your product.

Justin Engelmann: FICTION - It would be nice but it comes down to the Christmas season, and they know it's the parents that are out doing the shopping. I think during the summer, most people are doing outdoor activities and kids are working there summer jobs and hanging out with friends. Now when winter arrives, you have parents who are willing to max out credit cards to make kids happy. In my mind I'd rather have a game for the winter cause it's to freaking cold outside to do anything. Plus all 3 companies like to talk about who sold the most systems and games during those 3 months. It has been nice getting a few bigger titles in the early months of the year though. Itsstill more likely to see a release of a big game when you know people will be shopping as opposed to releasing them knowing that people who have money at the time will buy.

Score: 1 for 3

~SWITCH!~

4. The new Wii MotionPlus will be a big deal.



Justin Engelmann: FACT - Let's face it, whatever Nintendo puts out for the Wii these days sells like hot cakes. The Wii Motion Plus will be nice for developers who wanna do sword fighting games or anything like that. In my opinion this technology should have been in it from the start. Now we will have a nice block at the end of our controls until they build that technology into the controller. Wii Resort will be the biggest reason why the MotionPlus will be such a success.

Ty Huston: FACT - Hell yes it is going to be a big deal. While some may argue that this technology should have been available with the Wii to begin with, Nintendo in recent years has had a fairly decent history of wanting to ensure that when it releases technology to its customers that it works properly. Failures in the 80s such as the Power Glove proved to Nintendo that if you're going to try and implement new technology that is has to be quality. That being said, I agree that sword fighting games and the like will benefit from this, however every game you play on the Wii will benefit from it.

Score: 2 for 4


5. You're looking forward to the Dead Space prequel.



Justin Engelmann: FACT - Let me first say that Dead Space was awesome. The best survival horror game I have played since Resident Evil 4. Ok, I do have a problem with prequels in that, if developers wanted to tell this story why didn't you just start from there. Not that this won't stop me from looking forward to the game and getting it. It will be very interesting to see how they approach this with the Wii. Will it utilize Wii Motion Plus or will we just use a classic controller to play it? All I know is that I'm really excited and all I want in the game is a chainsaw type weapon that I can control with my Wiimote.

Ty Huston: FICTION - Dead Space was a great game, no doubt. I simply have an issue with prequels. Sequels do well in whatever medium, be it video games or Hollywood movies, because people always enjoy watching the story continue. Prequels, on the other hand, have always been incredibly poor. The issue you have when creating a prequel is finding out how to relate the original story to the prequel that doesn't make the prequel look stronger or weaker than the original. Take the Star Wars movies for example. The original trilogy had fan boys amazed for over a decade, salivating at anything Star Wars. The prequels came out, and took the most bad ass, evil character of the original trilogy and tried to humanize and humble him in an effort for the audience to "understand" him. It ruined the series and this kind of thing can sour the original Dead Space. I'm not saying they couldn't pull a coup and create an awesome prequel to prove me wrong, I'm just saying that these things have a terrible track record.
　
Score: 2 for 5


6. The new Street Fighter movie will suck.



Justin Engelmann: FACT - I have seen Street Fighter the movie and one of the animated movies and they had one thing in common.......They both sucked. Just because it's a good game and sells very well doesn't mean it will make a good movie. When a game is a success, not only does it have a good story but it has good gameplay and you are the character in the game helping him progress in his story. That is just something that is lost when its made into a movie. I would like to be proven wrong but I don't think it will happen. Oh, and one more thing Hollywood; leave Metal Gear alone!

Ty Huston: FACT - Of course it will. Video game movies all suck, pretty much. Unless you like the clamminess of them, then you'll love this one. Hell, I don't even mind the original Street Fighter movie that much. It definitely has one of the coolest movie lines ever ("For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me... it was Tuesday."). This is one of those times when you know a movie is going to suck, but you're going to go see it at the theater and you'll probably end up buying it on Blu-Ray when it releases to home video. Why? Who knows, but we do it. If The Condemned can turn a profit after tanking at the box office and then being released to video, then anything is possible.

Final Score: 3 for 6

Looks like these two need to sort things out in some fisticuffs...or at least in a game of Street Fighter IV. Anyway, we can't always agree on everything and this week was no different. Now we invite you to tell us what you think of each topic today...Fact or Fiction? Let us know!

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