Author Archive | Jared Newman

$10 Facebook Pac-Man With Strings Attached? No Thanks!

Posted by Jared Newman on March 18, 2009 at 10:07 am

Namco is dipping its toes into Facebook gaming with two classic titles, Pac-Man and Dig Dug. Like virtually everyone, I enjoy Pac-Man, so I gave the app a spin.

Sadly, this venture has hardly any redeeming value. After installing the “J2Play” application, which apparently enables Namco’s games and others, you still have to download the game itself. The executable is 13MB and the installed product is 34MB.

To sync the game with your Facebook profile (so everyone can witness your skills), you have to log in every time you start playing, even if you’ve already signed into Facebook in a browser. The Pac-Man game itself does not match the smoothness and graphic feel of the original, and you can only play for 10 minutes before you’re asked to cough up $10.

“Such an epic fail,” one commenter writes on the App’s page. “This is pretty much a textbook example of how not to deploy a game on Facebook,” writes another. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Pac-Man is a quick-fix kind of game. It needs to fire up quickly or the whole purpose is lost. Furthermore, it’s not worth $10.

For good measure, here are some reasonable places to get your Pac-Man fix:

-At any of the various Web sites hosting free flash Pac-Man clones.

-At GameTap, where Internet Explorer 6 and 7 users can play online for free (registration to play through the GameTap client is temporarily closed).

-On Xbox Live Arcade, where $5 gets you the game, community high scores and the comfort of playing from your couch.

-At a real arcade, where you’re likely to get bored before your 40 quarters are gone.

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Calls Increase for PS3 Price Cut

Posted by Jared Newman on March 16, 2009 at 2:26 pm

The story, linked in Harry’s 5Words, is getting old. Sony’s attempts to hush the calls for a Playstation 3 price cut resemble a substitute teacher trying to calm the classroom — a momentary lull that slowly grows into even greater cacophony.

The latest round began earlier this month, when Electronic Arts Redwood Shores manager Glen Schofield said he hoped Sony could figure out how to reconcile the PS3’s high price tag with the current economic climate. Last week, Media Molecule founder Alex Evans — whose company developed LittleBigPlanet — expressed to Gamasutra that the console’s price should go down soon. Analysts have added to the chatter as well, and today, Bloomberg writes that Sony is facing pressure from publishers.

“Sony obviously still has a ways to go with their pricing,” said Peter Moore, the head of EA Sports. Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft Entertainment SA, said game makers stand to gain any time a console slashes its price.

But Sony is in a bind now, because its console is still too expensive to manufacture. In October, market researcher iSuppli cracked open the Playstation 3 and analyzed its innards. The total cost was down 30 percent from the first-generation, to $448.73, but that still means Sony is losing money on every $399 console it sells. A price drop doesn’t seem wise after the company posted its first annual loss in 14 years.

Appropriately, Sony’s senior marketing VP Peter Dille fired back at critics. “Everybody in the development community would love for the PS3 to be free, so they could just sell razor blades,” he said, adding that the company has to worry about profits as well as the console’s install base.

I’ve read elsewhere that if Sony announces a price cut, it’ll happen at the end of March, after the company closes its financial year. My first thought was “bad call,” as most of this season’s major releases — Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 and the PS3-exclusive Killzone 2 — have come and gone. On the other hand, maybe a price cut is the right prescription as the industry braces for a momentary lull. That way, Sony will be good and ready for the summer and holiday season.

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The Wii's Identity Crisis

Posted by Jared Newman on March 13, 2009 at 2:05 pm

madworld For over two years, the Wii was regarded as a family system, and in many ways, it still is, with Wii Sports, Wii Fit and Mario Kart commanding most of the revolutionary console’s popularity. But a sudden turn of events hint of changes on the horizon.

This week’s release of Madworld — a high-profile and thoroughly blood-soaked affair — drew the ire of the National Institute on Media and the Family. The game’s main character uses a chainsaw and a variety of deadly environmental objects to maim his foes, earning more points for more gruesome kills. Here’s a statement from the watchdog group:

“In the past, the Wii has successfully sold itself as being the gaming console for the entire family and a way to bring family-game nights back into people’s living rooms. Unfortunately, Nintendo opened its doors to the violent video game genre. The National Institute on Media and the Family hopes that Nintendo does not lose sight of its initial audience and continues to offer quality, family-friendly games.”

I don’t think Nintendo will abandon the family audience — it’s too big of a market to lose, for one thing — but there are signs that the Wii is moving away from its image as a console strictly for kids, parents and the elderly.

Continue Reading →

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Want to Play Resident Evil 5's Versus Mode? It'll Cost You.

Posted by Jared Newman on March 12, 2009 at 7:39 pm

We’re hours away from the midnight launch of Capcom’s latest blockbuster, Resident Evil 5, and there’s already news about downloadable content coming in a few weeks. And it will cost an extra $5.

This isn’t not your typical bonus level pack, either. The new content is a Versus mode, in which several players compete against each other. Paid downloadables have been around for a while now, but this is the first time I’ve seen a standard gameplay mode excluded from the disc and sold for an additional cost. I fear that other publishers will follow suit, leaving more significant content for separate purchase while keeping the initial game’s price tag intact.

With all kinds of post-release content, there’s always a question of “too soon.” How long after a game’s release is it appropriate to offer new material? The question is even more pertinent in this instance, because it regards a mode of play that’s usually part of the whole package.

Now, it’s possible that Capcom simply didn’t have the Versus mode ready in time and excluded it from the disc to meet scheduled ship dates, but it could have been offered for free if that was the case. Or perhaps there’s a mindset that not all players are interested in Versus mode, so it isn’t worth including as a standard feature. But that would suggest an a la carte approach to gaming, and that’s not happening here. Consumers aren’t saving any money by skipping the extra mode, they’re simply getting a raw deal.

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Note to Self: Don't Pack Tech When Flying

Posted by Jared Newman on March 11, 2009 at 5:20 pm

One of the stories linked in today’s 5Words had me grumbling.

A Yale University student is suing US Airways for losing his Xbox 360, which was packed among his checked bags. But it’s not a simple matter of lost luggage; the kid opened his suitcase after pulling it from baggage claim to find all his belongings inside except the console and accompanying components. He wants $1 million for damages, but that’s not the part that shocked me.

In the story, reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, a US Airways spokeswoman said the airline isn’t responsible because “publicly available baggage policies specifically exclude liability for electronics checked in luggage.”

Is this common knowledge? I know most people understand that fragile items may not survive the rigors of baggage handling — we’ve all seen luggage carelessly tossed about the tarmac — but the idea that airlines take no responsibility whatsoever, even if the item magically disappears from a suitcase, seems pretty wild to me.

I pulled up the baggage liability limitations for all the other major U.S. airlines — American, Continental, Delta and United — and they all say the same thing. To paraphrase: You’re welcome to bring your electronics on board or in checked baggage, but don’t blame us if anything goes wrong. Continental’s policy even excludes liability for CDs, DVDs and cell phones.

The other factor, besides the airlines, is the Transportation Security Administration. Travel writer Christopher Elliott wrote a lengthy article filled with horror stories of TSA agents swiping things (“Taking Something Always,” he calls the administration) and tips on how to hang on to your stuff. Basically, it boils down to one piece of advice: Keep it in your sights, or leave it at home.

Duly noted.

9 comments

Watch Out, Video Games Will Kill You!

Posted by Jared Newman on March 9, 2009 at 3:06 pm

change4life There’s a lot of bile flying around over a British government ad campaign that takes a hearty crack at video games.

“Change4Life,” a joint effort by the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Cancer Research, encourages families to exercise and eat better — noble goals, for sure, except that the adverts behind the initiative use video games as a scapegoat, to the chagrin of the games industry. Most recently, a print ad surfaced with the text “Risk an early death, just do nothing” and an image of a child holding a Playstation controller, looking lethargic. This follows a video from Janaury that shows a clay figure playing a video game, and then zooms in to show fat cells growing inside the body.

So, now there’s an editorial by MCV’s Tim Ingham, taking the British government to task.

“Change4Life’s heart-in-mouth scapegoating of the video games industry is a troubling indictment of a hypocritical Government which flashes us grins when we generate £4 billion a year for its depleted coffers; but which then turns its back and explicitly tells parents that we’re KILLING THEIR CHILDREN,” Ingham writes. He also talks about how the big three console makers “have all moved Heaven and Earth to provide a more socially embedded and (whisper it) healthy interactive experience with this generation of consoles.”

I’m not partial to the “rah-rah, video games are perfect” argument — they are an inherently relaxed pastime, and no amount of controller-waggling can change that — but I wince whenever games are painted as the root of any particular brand of evil.

Still, I’ve got to hand it to the Brits for doing their job. They got eyes on the initiative, which, judging by the Web page, is pretty rational compared to its advertisements. The “60 Active Minutes” section doesn’t specifically attack video games; it only says that “in this modern world [children have] other things to do and plenty of reasons not to go outside and play or run around.”

Sounds about right to me, and it will be a shame if parents don’t get that far, instead taking the ads at face value and fearing video games more than they already do.

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The Curious Case of Xbox Live Pricing

Posted by Jared Newman on March 6, 2009 at 12:33 pm

With video games, I’ve become accustomed to standardized prices. The exception is used games and dated titles, but most things cost the same no matter where you go. That hasn’t been the case lately with Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online gaming service.

Earlier this year, discounts on Xbox Live subscriptions started popping up in stores and online. Toys R Us, Amazon, Best Buy and Buy.com were all peddling a 13-month membership cards for $30. That’s $20 less than what Microsoft charges for a year.

When all this was going down, I sent multiple e-mails to our Microsoft PR contact, asking what’s up. Specifically, I wanted to know whether Microsoft has any pull when it comes to these price drops, and whether we’ll ever see them go away. I never got an answer.

While those dirt-cheap deals have come and gone, Microsoft itself is now getting in on the act, offering $10 discounts to anyone who upgrades from a Silver subscription to Gold (the one that lets you play online). A company rep tells Joystiq that this is a “limited time” offer, but doesn’t specify when it will end.

Meanwhile, Amazon, Newegg.com and Buy.com are still offering discounts of roughly $10. Unlike Microsoft’s offer, existing Gold subscribers can use these cards to renew their memberships.

And so the million dollar question emerges: Does all of this indicate a permanent price drop for Xbox Live? Microsoft says no, but at least $50 isn’t the be-all end-all subscription price — for now, at least. If you’re looking to start or renew your membership, shop around first.

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A Final Bell Tolls for the Original Xbox

Posted by Jared Newman on March 4, 2009 at 11:16 am

Microsoft discontinued out-of-warranty repairs for the original Xbox this week, giving a sense of closure to the company’s first stab at video game consoles. If you don’t have a warranty and need something fixed, you’re on your own; perhaps it’s time to upgrade.

Maybe I’m reading too much into this — after all, Microsoft stopped producing the console three years ago, and software is mostly relegated to bargain bins at Gamestop — but it’s a sad day when a company decides that keeping old hardware up and running is no longer worth the trouble.

Thing is, I never found the Xbox to be a particularly endearing console, especially compared to its competition. The Playstation 2 is still a workhorse, putting out new games and transitioning from hardcore platform to family gaming device. Trading mine away just to get a taste of Halo feels like a soulless maneuver in retrospect, a cold means to an admittedly addictive end. The Gamecube, to me, was the unsung hero, hosting some incredible first-party games — Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, to name a few — but getting a bad rap for being technically weak.

Ultimately, the best original Xbox games became compatible with the Xbox 360, rendering the first console worthless if you owned both. The same could be said about the Gamecube and Wii, but here’s the difference: The Xbox is downright ugly, and a space hog to boot. There was little to lament when I cleared it out of my entertainment center years ago.

And yet, it’s still getting a fair amount of play in the U.S. In 2008, the first-gen Xbox was actually more popular than the Playstation 3 in terms of playing time, though I’m sure this year will be different.

I want to finish this requiem with something profound, but there’s not much else to say. Unlike the many other consoles I’ve owned through the years, the Xbox just isn’t one to get nostalgic over.

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Playstation 3 Movies Surprisingly Successful

Posted by Jared Newman on March 3, 2009 at 6:22 pm

While there’s much fawning over the Xbox 360’s streaming Netflix service, it appears that Sony is doing quite well distributing movies on its own over the Playstation Network.

The story in Variety notes that Sony has made $180 million on “pieces of digital content” — more than 380 million downloads in all — since the company brought TV and movies the Playstation 3’s online service last summer. Praise for both Microsoft and Sony follows, saying that they “may have achieved something of a breakthrough as studios try to figure out the digital age.”

It seems obvious that the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are prime candidates for digital distribution onto televisions. With total worldwide sales easily topping 20 million for both consoles, the install base is already there. Plus, a lot of it is that golden 18-35 demograhic, particularly with the PS3. They’re downloading “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man” and “The Pineapple Express” in mass quantities, Variety says. Of Sony’s digital offerings, the company says 65 percent are purchased, and the rest are rented.

I never expected video on demand to do as well on consoles as this report suggests. My money was always on free streaming video sites like Hulu to swoop in and offer content gratis. With the exception of YouTube, that hasn’t happened, and Hulu is having it’s own distribution issues right now.

Meanwhile, it doesn’t seem like the studios need those other services. If people are willing to pay for on demand video over their consoles, why offer it for free?

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Toys R' Us Toying With Used Game Sales

Posted by Jared Newman on March 2, 2009 at 7:00 pm

geoffreygiraffe When it comes to buying and selling used video games, Gamestop has failed to win me over. The store pays criminally low rates for used games, especially recent releases, and it’s all the more infuriating when you see that same game sold back again for more than double what you’re offered. A couple of weeks ago, the store quoted me roughly $25 to buy back Afro Samurai, which is currently sold used for $55.

Any competition is welcome in my book, so I hope Toys R’ Us’ experiments with buying and selling used games works out. Joystiq confirmed today that the toy giant is trying the idea in “a couple of New York stores,” according to a company rep, not including the Times Square location. Another blogger spotted one of the stores in Nanuet, N.Y.

Details are scarce, because Toys R’ Us doesn’t like talking about its test runs, and at present no one is saying how the rates compare to Gamestop. Still, as Joystiq points out, used game sales account for 42 percent of Gamestop’s profits, and sales are expected to reach $2 billion this year. If another major retailer wants to step in on that turf, so be it. As much as it pains me to buy video games from a toy store (you know, the infantilization thing), I can’t argue with saving a few bucks these days.

For now, I’m selling my games back through Gamefly, the mail-order rental service, which offers solid trade-in rates towards the cost of a subscription. Used game sale prices are also better with the service, to the point that you can buy a game with the money from two used ones and still have some leftover credit. Two used games would rarely, if ever, cover a $55 purchase at Gamestop.

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