Video Game News and Miscellany

Bubble181

Bubble181

Reverent-one said:
You sure about that? Almost double the sales of the orignal DS in it's first year, with also about double the releases and game sales, and you're using it as a example of poor performance? The @$$ that thought it would sell seems to be right.
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Sure - at strongly reduced price, and even so. The DS has sold 150+ million units in 8 years. The 3DS has sold 17 million in a bit over a year. It's a "success" in the sense that the Zune wasn't. It wasn't the success it was supposed to be. There's a lot of difference between "complete failure, crashed and burned", "it did crappy", "it did decently and didn't lose anybody any money", "it was ok but not great" and "it was an incredible smash hit wonder that everyone bought 5 of!".
The 3DS was supposed to be the last, and was more somewhere between the third and fourth - because of the price reduction. It'd probably have been even more firmly in the 3rd and possibly even 2nd of those categories (and mind that I'm aware they're still ridiculously broad) with a higher price point. I just checked the sites for some local supermarkets...The 3DS is for sale at a lower price than the DS sold for - and I'm not even going to start with inflation or whatever.

I'll admit - it wasn't a total failure. The 3DS is still alive and doing ok. It's not last year's big item, though. It's not the iconic item it was supposed to be.
 
Frank

Frank

It was the first time in a very long time (if ever) that Nintendo has taken a loss per unit selling the 3DS at it's reduced price, they've never gone by the razor and blade method before.
 
Reverent-one

Reverent-one

Bubble181 said:
Sure - at strongly reduced price, and even so. The DS has sold 150+ million units in 8 years. The 3DS has sold 17 million in a bit over a year. It's a "success" in the sense that the Zune wasn't. It wasn't the success it was supposed to be. There's a lot of difference between "complete failure, crashed and burned", "it did crappy", "it did decently and didn't lose anybody any money", "it was ok but not great" and "it was an incredible smash hit wonder that everyone bought 5 of!".
The 3DS was supposed to be the last, and was more somewhere between the third and fourth - because of the price reduction. It'd probably have been even more firmly in the 3rd and possibly even 2nd of those categories (and mind that I'm aware they're still ridiculously broad) with a higher price point. I just checked the sites for some local supermarkets...The 3DS is for sale at a lower price than the DS sold for - and I'm not even going to start with inflation or whatever.
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And the original DS sold 14 million in the same time period. The 3DS is on pace to be the fastest selling handheld system of all time and you're saying it's just above doing crappy and it's not what people are looking for? Yes, they're not making the money on the unit sales, but with games similarly selling above DS game sales, I still find your assessment far too pessimistic. While I agree it wasn't the big deal they wanted it to be last year, this year is another matter. And as counter anecdotal evidence, all the of the sites I've checked out still have 3ds's selling above the starting price of the original DS and even further above the price that the DS dropped to within 10 months of it's release.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Just to defend the 3DS a little, have you tried one? I normally hate 3D, but the 3D on this thing is actually pretty goddamn cool.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

I have. With glasses, without glasses (not the 3D kind, I mean regular glasses - I can see OK without them; some 3D works better with, some without). Liked neither way. The 3D sort of works, sure - but I can't see the point on a portable device. I can't move my head an inch or it fails, using it on a train/car/plane seems next to impossible to me. I guess if your sight is more adapted to the 3D or something it'll work better?

I'm not a huge fan of 3D in any setting or for any reason though - nobody's yet been able to show to me why it could be at all useful and be more than a gimmick. Movies or games. No problem with gimmicks, but it's something I feel is being forcefed to customers all over the world, since apparently "even better graphics" isn't a good enoguh reason for people to replace their tvs/consoles/pcs anymore - we're pretty much where people can't tell the difference. 3D is a nice and visible difference.

Want to be there'll be 3D versions of all your favourite Disney Classics coming out in 10 years time? Ad that'll be the *only* version you can find in 12 years? Oh yeah, hurray. Next up: the replacement for Blu-ray. Y'know, 'cause they have to keep selling and making better articles so people want to buy is too hard.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Bubble181 said:
I have. With glasses, without glasses (not the 3D kind, I mean regular glasses - I can see OK without them; some 3D works better with, some without). Liked neither way. The 3D sort of works, sure - but I can't see the point on a portable device. I can't move my head an inch or it fails, using it on a train/car/plane seems next to impossible to me. I guess if your sight is more adapted to the 3D or something it'll work better?

I'm not a huge fan of 3D in any setting or for any reason though - nobody's yet been able to show to me why it could be at all useful and be more than a gimmick. Movies or games. No problem with gimmicks, but it's something I feel is being forcefed to customers all over the world, since apparently "even better graphics" isn't a good enoguh reason for people to replace their tvs/consoles/pcs anymore - we're pretty much where people can't tell the difference. 3D is a nice and visible difference.

Want to be there'll be 3D versions of all your favourite Disney Classics coming out in 10 years time? Ad that'll be the *only* version you can find in 12 years? Oh yeah, hurray. Next up: the replacement for Blu-ray. Y'know, 'cause they have to keep selling and making better articles so people want to buy is too hard.
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Normally I'd agree with all of your points. I don't like 3D gaming on the PC, because it makes the image too dim. I don't like 3D in movies, because except for rare exceptions, I feel it adds nothing. But why would anyone want 3D on a portable device? Why would anyone want better graphics on a portable device? Same reason, it looks better.

And games in 3D on the 3DS do look better (to me) with the 3D turned on. Ocarina of Time is beautiful on it, my only real complaint is that there aren't yet enough games that embrace what the 3DS can do.

And I've used it in a car without any trouble. There's a little leeway in what angle you have to hold it, and correcting that angle while playing isn't difficult at all. There's also an intensity slider, so you can adjust the amount of 3D to be comfortable to you, or if the plane/train/automobile is just too bouncy to be able to hold it still, just switch the 3D off. Problem solved.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Ravenpoe said:
Normally I'd agree with all of your points. I don't like 3D gaming on the PC, because it makes the image too dim. I don't like 3D in movies, because except for rare exceptions, I feel it adds nothing. But why would anyone want 3D on a portable device? Why would anyone want better graphics on a portable device? Same reason, it looks better.

And games in 3D on the 3DS do look better (to me) with the 3D turned on. Ocarina of Time is beautiful on it, my only real complaint is that there aren't yet enough games that embrace what the 3DS can do.

And I've used it in a car without any trouble. There's a little leeway in what angle you have to hold it, and correcting that angle while playing isn't difficult at all. There's also an intensity slider, so you can adjust the amount of 3D to be comfortable to you, or if the plane/train/automobile is just too bouncy to be able to hold it still, just switch the 3D off. Problem solved.
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Fair enough; I've tried just once and found it rather limited, but I'm more than willing to believe it works fine/great/orgasmically good (circle the applicable) for others. Nobody told me about no intensity slider; considering I tried it during a presentation by Nintendo, that's a bit of a fail right there :p
Anyhoo, I've given up on my "regular" DSi XL for the same reason - I can't play it properly on a moving vehicle (brain training gets annoyign when you're missing/losing/... because of movement of the tram - I know full well 2x2 = 5 :cool:), and at a desk/table/whatever I'll just as happily take out my laptop.

Problem (to me) with 3D is that, no matter what technology, it will never work for everyone (before my operation I couldn't see any 3D for the simple reason I had no actual depth perception, for example). Either it'll lock people out of certain games/aspects, or it'll remain purely a graphical improvement, which is sort of a shame. I know the same can be said for, say, colour - the colour blind can't play properly :aaah:! - so this isn't that big a of a complaint...
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Ravenpoe said:
Just to defend the 3DS a little, have you tried one? I normally hate 3D, but the 3D on this thing is actually pretty goddamn cool.
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My pointing out of the article was just that it's stupid for them to be selling this peripheral which is necessary for some games and then to fail to include it on the next version of the system. My chief problems with 3DS are lack of games that I want to play and a battery life as shitty as a Sony handheld. They seem to be solving the latter, but they need more than a 3D version of a game I've played through a dozen times and still have the N64 version which works perfectly to entice me toward the system.

I supposed Devil Survivor Overclocked also interests me, but again, not enough for me to buy one.
 
S

SeraRelm

Concerning that N64 version you have, even without the fantastic 3D capabilities they added for it or the mirror world master quest, the game looks ten times better with the updated textures and higher resolution. As for the peripheral, I didn't know it was needed for any games yet. Which ones are they?

(side note: never had any battery problems.)


(Side side note: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows is coming out for it. End of the year.)
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

SeraRelm said:
Concerning that N64 version you have, even without the fantastic 3D capabilities they added for it or the mirror world master quest, the game looks ten times better with the updated textures and higher resolution. As for the peripheral, I didn't know it was needed for any games yet. Which ones are they?

(side note: never had any battery problems.)


(Side side note: Castlevania: Lords of Shadows is coming out for it. End of the year.)
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I thought Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid 3 needed it. I don't know; don't have a 3Ds, the peripheral, or those games.

Even with the improvements and master quest, buying Ocarina again is not enough to sell me the system. And I know I'll catch shit for this, but Castlevania games don't do it for me. In fact, I think I'm just not into 2D platformers anymore. I haven't been able to really get into Symphony of the Night, much as I want to, and the last I can remember enjoying was Super Metroid. There's nothing wrong with them, and there are a lot of elements to them I really enjoy, particularly the exploration. I just don't feel drawn into them like I once did.

Moving on, we have the possible joystick-wielders that I don't care about... Maybe someone can clue me in, but what exactly am I supposed to be anticipating with the 3DS that's going to make me say, "Hot diggity, I gotta get me one of those!" ? I'm just not seeing it.

Not to say the Vita has a grip on me either; only thing I have interest in for that is Persona 4.

Also notice how most of these are ports from older systems? Much as I love games from the past, it'd be nice if something new would be worthwhile. It sucks that I mainly use my PSP to play PS1 games I'm nostalgic over, games that if they came out today I won't really bother with.
 
S

SeraRelm

Well, 2 things.

1: No, they don't require the peripheral. You -can- use it, but you by all means don't need to, and I play better without it, personally.

2: Lords of Shadows isn't a 2D platformer, it's the 3D environment one with Patrick Stewart doing the narration.
 
Covar

Covar

It all started with a blog post...

Mmm Mmmph!

June 22, 2012 - The Pyro
Mmmmph mmmmph, mmmmm mmmmmp mmmmmph. Mmmmmph mpm! Mmmmmph mph mm! Hm mmmmmph, hmmmmph mm mmmmmph mmmmmph!
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And now Pyromania has begun. 3 days culminating with the Meet the Pyro video.

Pyromania: Day One

June 25, 2012 - TF2 Team
You read that right (presumably): the long-awaited final Meet the Team short, Meet the Pyro, is dropping in less than three days, and we decided to assemble a massive update to celebrate it.



That only left the issue of what to call the update. Luckily, at the very moment we were thinking about it, someone turned on the radio. Guess what song was on? That's right: 'Safety Dance'.

"That's a pretty catchy song," we said. "Who sings that?" Well, we don't want to upset you, so we won't type it here, but suffice it to say the band that wrote 'Safety Dance' has the most unthinkably offensive name we've ever heard.

Then 'Rock of Ages' came on, off Def Leppard's album Pyromania, so we turned off the radio because it wasn't helping. Suddenly, no thanks at all to music, we came up with the name on our own: The Pyromania Update.

Day One of Pyromania reveals Doomsday, a new map with a brand new game mode that lets you relive one of the darkest days in TF history. It's all pretty heartwrenching, until you discover you'll get achievements, which are also detailed in today's update.

Keep your eyes open, folks. We'll be announcing a bunch of new stuff this week, right up until the premiere of Meet the Pyro this Wednesday.
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Frank

Frank

SeraRelm said:
Well, 2 things.

1: No, they don't require the peripheral. You -can- use it, but you by all means don't need to, and I play better without it, personally.

2: Lords of Shadows isn't a 2D platformer, it's the 3D environment one with Patrick Stewart doing the narration.
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So, they're not even making the superb 2D Castlevanias anymore on handhelds.

/no reason to ever own a 3DS.
 
E

Eliwood

Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, and Kid Icarus: Uprising are the only games I can think of that currently use the circle pad pro as an optional control scheme (Monster Hunter 3G uses it, but that's Japan exclusive, for now anyway). RE:R really doesn't need it, unless you've never played a RE game before and can't work the tank controls. MGS absolutely needs it because aiming with the ABXY buttons is ridiculous, and KI:U only uses it for a left-handed control scheme (and you can still play left-handed without it). So while it opens up more control possibilities for developers, it hasn't seen a ton of use so far, or even in future announced games.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is actually a mix of side-scrolling and open 3D gameplay. Some areas are just moving forward and backward while other areas give you the freedom to move around.
 
Covar

Covar

Pyromania Day 2

Pyromania: Day Two

June 26, 2012 - TF2 Team


At the end of the day, the Pyromania update is a celebration—not just of Team Fortress, but more importantly of you, the TF community, and even more importantly than that, of us, the TF blog post writers, and how great yesterday's blog post was. That Men Without Hats material was a career high. In fact, we decided to never touch this blog again in the hope that it might be preserved in a perfect state for future generations.

You’re probably wondering, then, why we’re crapping up the blog with the crummy words you’re reading right now. Well, if you thought writing blog posts barely qualifies as a job, it turns out not writing them is apparently a lot worse. So as an alternative to getting fired, welcome to Pyromania Day Two's blog post, which we've chosen to use as a moment of quiet reflection on the stellar comedic heights we hit yesterday. We've also only got one more day until Pyromania goes live, exploding into a fireball of new item sets, a new game mode, and of course, Meet the Pyro.
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CynicismKills

CynicismKills

bhamv3 said:
One very important question remains unanswered though...
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Did you turn on subtitles? They used every descriptor they could. Heavy calls Pyro an "it" and Scout's subtitles say both "he" and "she" in the same sentence. Also, the song in the crazy-vision is about winning a girl's heart. THE SECRET WILL LIVE ON FOREVER.
 
Silent Bob

Silent Bob

bhamv3 said:
One very important question remains unanswered though...
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Aside from the more obvious question that you're alluding to, I wonder if the Pyro is truly insane or if his/her goggle feed is just reading the wrong information?

My guess is insanity.
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

bhamv3 said:
Psht, TF2 fans will debate over anything.

Machina is overpowered.
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Machina is my favorite weapon. Not to use, but so I can track other snipers. It makes it so easy to kill them. They fire one shot (hit or miss a target) and I've got them.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Every sniper I meet on 2fort hates my engineer's pomson 6000. THAT's a fun way to keep the ramparts clear.
 
bhamv3

bhamv3

Guys, you're not proving my point here. You're supposed to debate stuff. :(

Ahem, let's try again shall we?

Brass Beast needs an upgrade.
 
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