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Ben’s Week In Review: April 18

Is anyone else suddenly psyched for 3D Dot Game Heroes ? I have to find a way to get that one reviewed ASAP, just 'cuz…

Maybe Square-Enix is more confused than we think…

Square-Enix has asked those who purchased Final Fantasy XIII whether they bought the PlayStation 3 version or the Xbox 360 version, and why. …what for? Were they surprised at the March NPD numbers ? It almost seems like they are, but is that even possible…? I guess it is; I've heard that Microsoft predicted FFXIII would sell more on the 360 – which is the most absurd prediction I've heard in a long time – so maybe Square-Enix bought into that. Maybe that's why they made the game multiplatform in the first place. But… really ? "Why?" Whaddya mean, why ? Um…because the franchise in question has never once been on a Microsoft console and has spent 13 years winning over PlayStation owners? Because the PS3 version only requires one disc? Because it looks better? Did Square-Enix ever once believe that there were as many 360 owners who intended to buy FFXIII, as there were PS3 owners with the same intention?

They can't be this confused. They just can't. Arnold also reminds me that FFX actually sold more copies on the PS2 alone back at the end of 2001 and 2002, when the PS2 installed user base was a fraction of what the PS3's is now. I think one of our posters – WorldEndsWithMe, was it you? – said he was sick of everyone thinking Microsoft and 360 fankids somehow rule the world and should dictate publisher decisions. Really, I couldn't agree more. That survey is stupid . If you didn't know the answer going into the situation, there's something wrong with you.

Gamers keep rewarding great efforts

I'm just so proud to be part of an industry where the fans continue to reward quality. It's not like the film industry, where the worst junk on the planet hit #1 at the box office, or the publishing world, where only chick lit and the same ten authors tend to dominate every month, or music where…well, where real talent basically died decades ago. In gaming, the best stuff typically continues to sell. Heavy Rain , despite very conservative estimates and the mammoth risk entailed, has sold over a million copies. Demon's Souls was expected to sell only around 75,000, but ended up selling 280,000 in North America . Uncharted 2: Among Thieves should be closing in on 4 million copies sold (Sony announced it was at 3.5 million last month), and the extremely well covered Assassin's Creed II has sold…um…a lot; I think Ubisoft said they shipped 8 million copies as of February, or something. Oh, and God of War III is already over 1 million, as is Battlefield: Bad Company 2 .

Bottom line? The games that win all the awards every year tend to also be among the bestsellers. Gotta love that.

Personal gaming update

As most of you know, I beat Final Fantasy XIII this past week but I'll keep at it until I'm satisfied that I've beat everything. 😉 I did pick up God of War III – finally – and that's obviously next on the list, and oh yes, I'll have Resonance of Fate in front of me this week. When I do the review, it won't go on the main page because it's just so late, but I wanted to make sure the RPG fans know it's coming so they can check it out. I'll mention it again in a Week in Review when it's done. I also really want the freshly released Splinter Cell: Conviction so please don't badmouth that game…I love the series. Then there's a very big May, with Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Red Dead Redemption . I'm so looking forward to the latter…

If I had time, I'd give the expansions to Dragon Age and GTAIV a shot. Beyond that, there isn't much else to talk about. Oh, does anyone have some ice cream? I suddenly have a craving for it and I don't feel like driving down to get some. I prefer Cherry Garcia. Thanks.

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fluffer nutter
fluffer nutter
13 years ago

Cherry Garcia was always my favorite from Ben & Jerry's. You can't go wrong with that.

Marketing is probably the reason why Square Enix put out that survey. Marketing is why the game was so hyped for the Xbox 360. Marketing caused Square Enix to believe, without question, that FFXIII was going to sell more because of the larger install base the Xbox 360 has. They (Square Enix) bought into it and now we see the NPD results to show otherwise. I'm not trying to bad mouth the Xbox 360 crowd so don't go harping on my opinions. If you have that console, as do I, and if it makes you a happy gamer, then good for you.

Game on little ones. Game on.

EDIT: Yes, I'm looking forward to 3D Dot Game Heroes. The music, alone, makes the hair on my arms stand up.


Last edited by fluffer nutter on 4/17/2010 10:10:39 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
13 years ago

Primary Berry Graham, now called Strawberry Cheesecake. I eat it at least once a week.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

Squeeeenix, I suggest they visit psxe if they wanna find out why FF should remain a Playstation exclusive franchise.

I could only truly see FF on Playstation and whatever Nintendo makes. Other than that, it just doesn't fit on anything Microsoft makes

It's all in the fanbase. The Microsoft fanbase is full of FPSs nuts who can't spend more than 20s reading a tutorial or 20 minutes fighting in a challenging Demon's Souls level.

2 weeks 'till Super Street Fighter IV! Can't wait!

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

I'll take that old SFIV copy off your hands free of charge 🙂

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

It's a "special" Collector's Edition 😛

Besides, have to keep it because the game's storyline is completely different from SSFIV and it's great going back to the original once in a while.

fluffer nutter
fluffer nutter
13 years ago

What? SSFIV comes out in May? I thought it comes out on April 27. That's odd.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Oh I didn't know the story was diff, of course I was joking, but I thought it was just that they added characters, moves, and backgrounds and fixed the balance issues.

NeoHumpty
NeoHumpty
13 years ago

@World, I'll trade mine if you got something interesting. I just can't seem to get into it.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

eh, I don't want it that bad, can't bear to part with anything in my collection either 🙂

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
13 years ago

Maybe the reason SE thought might sell more on the 360 is because there's more 360 sold?
Or maybe it's the trend for this gen because very huge multipats has sold more on the 360

Am I the only one on PSXE looking forward to Split/Second?
That game looks like a clone of Burnout but it's the SPLIT screen of SPLIT/Second that attracts me.

Aside from that, another one looking forward to is RDR which I'm very interested in because the gameplay somehow looks similar to UC2 and that's a good thing.


Last edited by Snaaaake on 4/17/2010 10:26:38 PM

PAKINIPS
PAKINIPS
13 years ago

i played splitsecond at gadget show a couple of weeks back.
Its good fun but didnt need much skill and loading times were terrible. Wasnt interested before though but now ill probably pick it up

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
13 years ago

Getting some GTAIV trophies. And then, I'll go trough Demon's Souls for the 2º time

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

*Raises hand* Hah, yes Ben that was me. I felt like our voices weren't being heard at all.

yak4life85
yak4life85
13 years ago

Just wondering, why did I get so many thumbs down to my question for the god of war 3 article?

It was a joke. FYI question was

Do you work out?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

well I didn't thumb you down, but maybe they thought the joke was a little on the nose.

FullmetalX10
FullmetalX10
13 years ago

Maybe you forgot sarcasm tags, they seem to be necessary on the web.
I don't know though.

Banky A
Banky A
13 years ago

Fullmetal – you forgot your sarcasm tag.
Look at your thumbs down (from your boy Banky)!

/sarcasm/

Douchebaguette
Douchebaguette
13 years ago

Banky, if you couldn't tell the blatant sarcasm from his question then by this planet, if I knew you personally I would groinslap you.

Banky A
Banky A
13 years ago

Sarcasm tags seem to be necessary on the internets…

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

First point:
The survey is a joke because they should have known, everybody and their grandmother knew how it would turn out except SE themselves. I suspect it might be there as a cost-benefit analysis to see whether or not it is worth screwing over your fans AND developing for a second platform (degrading the game's quality in the interim) for the few bucks they got out of the 360 version from America.

Second point:
I'm happy to shell out the big bucks for true quality and moral businesses, but if you screw us by cutting content, giving bad ports, or squeezing customers I'm also happy to withhold those dollars. If only the same were true of film and literature for the masses.
*Thinks of Twilight* … *Facepalm*

Prelogue point:
After seeing some gameplay of 3D Dot Game Heroes I got psyched really quick and made that thread in the forums to see if it was just me.

Personal Gaming update:
Plugging away at WKC (the real RPG) and GOWIII. GOWIII is really cool, Kratos needs to take a pill or get a puppy or something though. Even the poontang doesn't calm his wrath.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/17/2010 10:43:06 PM

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
13 years ago

Hey Ben,
Is there any way to see just how many of the 360's sales were just because that 250 Gig FFXIII themed console bundle????
I'll bet a lot of 360 buyers could have been collectors like myself & just bought it for either their collection, or to re-sell it, or they wanted just wanted a 250 Gigger, & that was the only way they could get a 250 at that time.

That's exactly why I bought my COD MW2 themed console bundle,
1. I wanted a 250 gigger.
2. I wanted the MW2 skinned 360 for my collection
3. And a indirect added bonus was that I probably wound up snatching it away from some tween smack-talker.

Anyway Sony really needs to get on the stick & start putting out 250 gig fully-skinned game theme bundles too. And the more the Merrier!!!

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
13 years ago

Possibly. I find it very interesting that even with a FFXIII 360 bundle, the latter version sales still couldn't compare…

laxpro2001
laxpro2001
13 years ago

love reason number 3 😀

ffyfe7
ffyfe7
13 years ago

I recently went to my local video store and they had around 7 copies of FF13 for PS3 and only 1 was out, didn't check 360 side though. I just thought that it was interesting that FF was a major exclusive in many people's eyes and maybe the whole 360 getting it as well has turned people off it. That's just my opinion.

Also in regards to RDR have you tried the facebook app "Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers"? It's really addictive and that means I found a good use for facebook hahaha.

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
13 years ago

it was somewhat of a turn off for me. Mainly because i knew there would be reprecussions to the game as a whole. Which there were.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
13 years ago

WARNING – rant follows.

The survey is simply a big joke to me, as you say, there is no way that SE can be this ill-informed about things. I remember saying that the 360 version would not sell at al;l well, and I remember all the pronouncements by MS that it would eclipse the PS3 version. Then we had the whole advertizing BS in the US where thanks to more slush fund money from Microsoft, FFXIII was advertised as if it was an exclusive, and yet even after that utter BS the game still sells better on the PS3.

So, Square Enix. I have a simple question for you. Surely with all the genius you believe you have you can answer it. Here goes…Was it worth it? I mean, was it? You originally told us that FFXIII was an exclusive game, and then it was announced that actually it wasn't. So, was that big fat bri…er, I mean cross marketing deal…with Microsoft worth it?

You pissed off a huge number of your fans with the whole exclusivity debacle. You apparently altered the game to appeal to a more 360/western centric twitch gamer – thus pissing off even more people. You pissed off 360 owners by producing a vastly inferior (visually) port of the game. You continue to piss off PS3 fans by marketing the game as if it was a 360 exclusive. Is it worth it? Hell, for that matter was it worth it with Star Ocean 4 coming out initially as a 360 exclusive?

I hope that was a huge check that was written out for you because all the red ink from the completely unprofitable 360 versions of these games must look horrible on your balance sheet. Ninja Theory recently said that they couldn't make money from Heavenly Sword despite selling 1.5 million copies. How do you business geniuses justify to your share holders the financial black hole that developing your games for the 360 most certainly is. I mean, have you even sold 1.5 million copies of Star Ocean 4 & FFXIII on the 360?

Pathetic. Seriously, I'm all for businesses growing and making profit, but developing for the 360 hasn't been profitable unless you count the cross marketing dollars from Microsoft. Considering the collateral damage to your most profitable markets (Playstation owners and the Japanese market) that your corporate conduct has created, I have to wonder whether even those cross marketing dollars can make up for the losses?

Wast it worth it? I think not.

Personal gaming update – White Knight Chronicles, messing around in Home and that's about it. White Knight Chronicles is fun, but I'd suggest that Level 5 would be better off basing their trophies exclusively on the off-line gaming. It's basically impossible to get the platinum trophy without going online, which really isn't fair for those playing the game solo – or who don't have hundreds of hours to devote to online guild rank grinding. I find that there is a tricky balance on the Platinum trophies, you don't want them to be too easy, but equally so you don't want them to be impossible to get. I'd love to platinum WKC, but I know it's not going to happen.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Best Rant Ever.

I do the online quests for fun once in awhile but sometimes there aren't any people to do them with so it is too hard, so for the most part I plan to go back and do whats left all by myself when I'm super strong. Yeah you still have to go online but that's okay for me, you shouldn't ever have to go online to get a plat though. I just want to do it because I like the game though, I don't need the trophies. WKC 2 will be a day one for me, I also hope they bring back Rogue Galaxy.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
13 years ago

Cookie. Eat.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
13 years ago

I has cookies?

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
13 years ago

You do now. Awesome rants = +1 cookie.

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

highlander just from wondering but how many games have you been able to platinum so far?

thumbs up on the rant. i agree.

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
13 years ago

Thank you Highlander. You have a way of saying what a lot of us feel. Thank you.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
13 years ago

I have only 3 Platinums. With a lot of games it comes down to not having enough time to 'waste' it on getting a Platinum, either that or it just doesn't feel worth it for most. One that I will get before long is R&C A Crack In time, I'm almost there on that one, so I should be able to get it.

The thing about Platinums is that I agree that they should be out of reach for casual gamers, and really ought to be out of reach for all but the more hardcore gamers who spend 40+ hours with the game. But some of them require hundreds of hours. WKC is a perfect example of that. It simply takes too long. Trophies are to me an incentive to play, but if it takes at least 200 hours of play time to get even close to the platinum, there's no way that more than a fraction of 1% or players will get it.

Platinum should be achievable by the top 1-5% of players of that game with no more than 100 hours of play, golds should be achievable by the top 15%, silver by the top 40% and bronze by the top 75%. Some bronze trophies should be gettable by everyone.
Platinums in most games seem to be slightly more difficult than that to get, and in some games it's downright insane.

So for now, I am content with my 3, and will keep working away until I get others. Just don't expect me to spend months grinding through a game just to platinum it.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

I'm with you Highlander, I have precisely zero. I might go for a few of the funner ones later but I came up in a time when we didn't have trophies and I don't really care bout em. I buy a game, enjoy the game, beat the game, shelf the game, move onto a new game, come back to the game when I want that same fun experience again.

Otherwise it becomes homework, or competitions about who is "hardcore" *eyeroll*


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/18/2010 3:26:23 AM

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

honestly, i only have 1 platinum myself, for burnout paradise. i kind of look at the trophy list as just a check off list for the highlights of the game from the developers.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
13 years ago

@frylock, my first and for a long time my only Platinum was Burnout Paradise as well. LOL! I have both Uncharteds, and that's it.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
13 years ago

I has cookies….I eated them.

I blames LOLCats for my grama and speeling.

Oh nos, my bad.

Banky A
Banky A
13 years ago

Thank you Highlander for making your rant so comprehensible for feeble minds like me.

+1

FullmetalX10
FullmetalX10
13 years ago

Awesome rant Highlander, I agree, they should've never started making all the rpgs for the box.

As for platinums, I think I have like 5.
Uncharted 1 & 2, Infamous, God of War III, Ratchet and Clank: ACIT.
Yep, 5. Infamous definitely took me the longest to get, mostly because of those 20 sumthin tricks and of course the blast shards…

JDC80
JDC80
13 years ago

I never understood this move by S.E. risking low sales on the Xbox and pissing off the group of people that actually buys and enjoy your products. Maybe with the sales numbers FF14 would remain a PS3 exclusive.

Personal gaming note: Beat God of War III last week, playing "Uncharted 2" to get the treasure trophies and hopefully by the end of the week I'm going to restart my Gamefly account just in time for Super Street Fighter IV.

Back to the subject: is it just me but are you also annoyed by the FF13 ads that make it look like it's an 360 exclusive?

johnld
johnld
13 years ago

@highlander
since you're playing with WKC and messing around with ps home, i think you should know that getting platinum in WKC nets you a white knight costume in Home. I was interested in getting it at first but then guild rank grinding was too much of a chore so i gave up. I did get white knight statues for home although i dont remember how i got it. probably from a trophy or just beating the game.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
13 years ago

Hi John,

Yeah, I got the statue, and I would definitely be happy with the costume. But, I won't spend a month or more rank grinding for guild ranks and synthesis items. The requirement is simply ridiculous.

Underdog15
Underdog15
13 years ago

I don't have a platinum either. I'm VERY close to getting platinum in FFXIII. For me, it's a matter of pride with my RL friends. All the people I know personally on my PSN friends list know me as the Final Fantasy guy. (Others of you are on my PSN list, and you're equally as qualified for something like that too, I'm sure!)

Anyways, it just wouldn't be right for one of them to platinum FFXIII before me. It's an issue of pride here, and so far, none of my friends are close. So all is well!

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
13 years ago

I still don't see anything attractive in 3D Dot Game Heroes, hopefully there will be a demo.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

It's all about the fan service to retro games like Zelda and the quirkiness of bringing a 2D game to life with 3D pixels.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/17/2010 11:47:20 PM

Jawknee
Jawknee
13 years ago

Z.E.L.D.A.

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
13 years ago

I guess that's a problem for me because I never played retro game like this, my gaming life started on the Sega Genesis and after that it's the PS world.

laxpro2001
laxpro2001
13 years ago

"Is anyone else suddenly psyched for 3D Dot Game Heroes?"

Lol come on Ben stop with the jokes… But yea seriously I'm so psyched but unfortunately I have to wait until I get home. I am preordering however because it releases 2 days after my little brothers birthday so I'll give it to him as a b-day present which I hope he likes

Alienange
Alienange
13 years ago

Those are some very interesting numbers for FFX on the PS2. Very interesting indeed. Perhaps SE should be running surveys internally instead of with their customers. I think that would show them what really went wrong.

As for all those other great sales numbers, yeah, I tend to believe the best games sell a lot. Makes me glad too because that means we'll get more of them.

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