Sony Owned 2009, Will Own 2010 and 2011: Exclusives Galore (Year End Articles)

Just when you thought the hardware giant from the land of the rising sun shot all their bullets in 2009, they've reloaded and are ready to rumble yet again in 2010. Looking back at the year that was, (2009 is almost out), one would think Sony played all its cards: Redesigned PS3 Slim, new price point, Killzone 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and a PSN overhaul just to name a few. The team at Sony's PlayStation division practically outdid themselves this year. Aaron Greenberg might be talking about 2010 as a better year than 2009 for the Xbox 360 and rightfully so, 360's lineup was weak; Sony owned 2009. But the bigger story is that they're set to do it all over again in 2010. In fact they've got it bagged already, and 2011 looks even more promising. Let's examine the situation.

The Exclusives: 2010

Just so you know, this article is mostly about exclusives because what we've come to realize is that more than anything else, the exclusive lineup of a console is what separates it from the pack. Makes said console worth owning and adds great value to it. And in this department, no other company comes no where close to Sony in 2010:

God of War III - On the market March of next year, this one is not only a must buy for any PS3 owner, it'll single handedly help Sony move hundreds of thousands of PS3s worldwide.

Heavy Rain

Resistance 3

White Knight Chronicles

MAG

Gran Turismo 5 -

There's a lot of Forza talk going around now, and rightly so, the game is indeed great. But when March 2010 comes around, it'll be the veteran's turn to shine. The Franchise has been around since the original Playstation, and went on to sell over 52 million copies and has grossed over 1 billion dollars in sales. Polyphony Digital's boss Yamauchi has gone on record saying GT5 will look better than real life. You read this correctly, better than real life.

Mod Nation Racers

The Last Guardian

EyePet

The Exclusives: 2011

The list above is indicative to what is set to happen on your PS3 in 2010, there's no asking, PS3 will destroy all else with that kind of lineup. But what about 2011? Well, it gets even greater:

Syphon Filter

Final Fantasy Versus XIII -

Many PS3 owners are now calling this game the true next-gen Final Fantasy, arguing that because FFXIII went multiplatform, there's no way Square-Enix would've been able to harness the PS3's full power because they had to keep the Xbox 360 in mind being that, according to them it's much weaker than the PS3. I'm not sure about all of that but there's one thing I know, Versus XIII will be a darn great exclusive.

Killzone 3

Twisted Metal

Uncharted 3

Final Fantasy 14- Online

New SOCOM

inFamous 2

Agent -

It's from Rockstar, the great company behind Grand Theft Auto. The hype train is slowly building because the game is still some time off, but when it comes don't be surprised if Agent totally steals the show and a strong following leading up to its release. Another great exclusive title to look forward to come 2011.

Yakuza 4

Upgrades to look out for:

3D Gaming: 3D Is Making a Huge Comeback and guess who's at the helm of it? None other the Sony with reports circulating that the company is set to ship HDTVs that support 3D gaming next year.

Motion Control:

In a recent interview with 1up, Sony said the motion controller will be implemented in many family friendly titles and even shooters. The company also said that Nintendo and Microsoft should not take lightly what they're planning with their own motion device. Might sound as if the hardware giant is bragging, but we must remember that Sony was the company who first implemented motion technology in the gaming industry with the EyeToy, and so it's not a stretch to think that their technology could indeed be ahead of the rest.

More Features On PSN, Including Cross-Game-Chat: Sony is promising a plethora of upgrades to PSN in the coming year that will add even more value to the great service it already offers. One of the most anticipated and talked about additions however is cross-game-chat. It's no longer a rumor as Sony has said they plan to make it available. A premium service will inevitably come next year but according to Sony, you won't ever have to pay-to-play, the premium service will offer special features, it's like a VIP pass.

Love it or hate it, for the next few years, there are more than enough reasons to justify buying yourself a PS3. It's well worth the price.

12/24/09 Ernice Gilbert

GameStop Director Sells $60.2 million worth of GameStop stock, Watchers Take Notice

Unloading a vast amount of your own company's stock is never a good sign. Even if said company is doing extraordinarily well, people will automatically conclude something's wrong. Maybe the GameStop executive justed needed some cash, or probably his company is facing a serious downturn and being human, he wanted to lose not one dime, we agree.

According to a report from Barron's via Gamasutra, Leonard Riggio sold 2.3 million shares of GameStop for $60.2 million. The report says this could be a sign of impending bad news for the retailer by drawing comparisons to a previous stock unloading by Riggio, just before a big drop in the company's value.

To be fair, Leonard Riggio still owns 9.1 million shares of GamesStop, so as I stated, the man probably just needed some cash. Still, one has to wonder what's really going on behind close doors when the game retailer's board meet to discuss projections, sales, decline, strategies etc. Could it be GameStop's not doing as grand as the masses thought? We'll have to wait and see.

10/14/09 Ernice Gilbert

Greenberg: It was a tough decision to remove the HDMI cable from the 360's box

The gaming community has been relentlessly sharing their thoughts concerning Microsoft's decision to remove the HDMI cable from the 360's box, forcing consumers to buy it separately instead. Gamers were a tad bit confused as to why would the executives endorse such a move that seemed irrelevant. Talking to eurogamer today, Aaron Greenberg had some answers he hoped quelled the public's queries:

"Good question and one I am getting asked a lot these days. I can tell you that decisions like this never come easy and a variety of factors come into play. First, we looked at the research,which shows that the majority of consumers who purchased an Elite console were not even using the HDMI cable. Then we also had to consider that when we first added the Elite console to our offerings, the value of the HDMI cable was quite high. Today, as we know HDMI cables have become pretty common and commoditised in many respects. So at the end of the day we decided that it was best to remove the cost of the cable from the box, but pass on the savings to consumers in form of a price drop."

Good reasoning I'd say, but still, having that HDMI cable removed remains a bummer. Really, could they not just kept the thing in the box? It's not that expensive. Oh well.

09/21/09 Ernice Gilbert

New CryEngine 3 Demo: Light us up!

Crytek, the makers of the best looking shooter to date, "Crysis" is not afraid (and rightfully so) of demonstrating it's awesome new engine at the SIGGRAPH 2009 conference in New Orleans. Though the demo's not flashy with guns and the like, it shows how beautiful lighting can make a game look, and Crytek as always is right on point.

08/12/09 Ernice Gilbert

via kotaku

Game Bloggers, be warned. Advertisers, you too

Have you been making some extra change whilst blogging about your favorite pass time? Beware, because the regulators are looking at your site. Why? Apparently some bloggers have been making bold claims about their favorite products not because it's good, but because they get paid for giving rave reviews. And now two of the national advertising review council investigative units plan to announce Tuesday their first decisions involving blogs. Their recommendations call for clear disclosure when a company is sponsoring a site or paying for product reviews.

The announcement is not shocking at all, but it's one that should act as a wake-up call to bloggers who willfully talk up products even if they know the products are not good. Hitting even closer to home, the FTC used video blogger who receives a free copy of a new video game system from its manufacturer for review as an example:

“The readers of his blog are unlikely to expect that he has received the video game system free of charge in exchange for his review of the product, the commission wrote. As this fact would likely affect how credible consumers find the review, the blogger should disclose that he received the game free."

Gamers are aware that bloggers and gaming websites receive video games systems and software for free on many occasions. So using the gaming community as an example is far fetched to say the least. In fact, there are so many bloggers and websites giving their own opinions, that if a game or gaming console turns out to be crap, there's no running away from it; you will know. Gamers are bold like that. (smiles).

08/12/09 Ernice Gilbert

Editorial: Why we play

Video games have been around for decades upon decades, and with the 21st century in full throttle, the evolution of gaming has propelled with speeds never thought attainable just a few years ago. Do you remember the days when all you had was a GameBoy and all you saw were green graphics? I get a good kick reversing into memory lane, and yet I never thought we would see such strides in my lifetime; oh how knowledge has increased! Who ever thought that we would be swinging at air and seeing the motions reproduced on the Nintendo Wii? Did it ever cross your mind that Microsoft's Prject Natal would essentially eliminate any involvement of the game controller? How about Sony’s “magical wand” (that’s what I call the thing) which I think is just amazing in it’s capability to potentially get gamers more involved both physically and emotionally in gaming. Was there ever a thought that in a few years, instead of just seating down and playing your favorite game on your favorite console you would be losing weight doing so? Maybe some of you have, good forward thinking on your part but we need to remind ourselves, the console makers and the Devs why we play.

This topic is not thoroughly discussed most of the times because it seems as if we the gamers just take what we get. No questions asked. The argument could be made that there’re a lot of options and you choose what content you want. While this may be true, I still do think gamers should guide the industry's direction, not vice versa. We want great games, excellent content, and replay-ability. Not more graphics and no story; sometimes I feel like the console makers just stuff down our throats what ever they want and we in turn just eat or drink without any objections. I mean, do you really want to stand for hours swinging your legs and arms at your TV? Well do you? Innovation is good, I’m not twisting facts here, but seriously, do you want facebook and myspace on your xbox? Sony recently partnered with vidzone to bring content exclusively to the PS3. Music videos on the PS3? I love games, If I wanted to watch music videos there are other mediums available. Netflix is great yes, but do you really want to listen to radio on your Xbox 360? Great games sell consoles, example: Metal Gear Solid - Sons Of Liberty raked up much needed sales for Sony by the hundreds of thousands. Halo, well we all know about Halo, the original xbox would not have made it without Halo. Anytime you hear Wii Sports, you know it equals sales to Nintendo and the list goes on.

Console makers should continue pushing the envelope and try new things in order to bring fourth a better experience for gamers. But it seems as if they’re losing their way as they move forward in the name of Competition and exclusivity. We should take a stand; let our voices be heard. We love games, and that’s it. Games entertain us in ways nothing else can, just mention Final Fantasy XII and everyone in the room becomes nostalgic. It has been the best selling PS1 game on PSN not because the graphics were superior; Final Fantasy XIII was light years ahead in graphics and storyline yet still Final Fantasy XII will go down in the history books as the best ever made. Remember Killer Instinct on the Super Nintendo? Wow, I’m back in the 90s just thinking about those great experiences. We love when games connect with us emotionally, we love when the controls work excellent, we love when the graphics are great, we love when a game is not rushed, we love great voice acting, excellent soundtracks and yes we enjoy having our friends over to join in on the fun.

Really, we don’t care about Natal or Sony’s Magic Wand that much, if they give good experiences then we might approve. We don’t want radio on our systems, no music videos, we really are not asking for all the add-ons. We want great games and that’s it. So the next time you come across a console executive or some Dev who thinks he knows exactly what you want, remind him of the games that started the revolution in the industry, remind him of: Super Mario 3, Rocket Knight Adventures, Metal Gear Solid, Donkey Kong, Contra, CastleVenia, Street fighter, Crash Bandicot, Grand Turismo, Kingdom Hearts, Zelda, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, time and space would fail me if I attempted to list all the greats, I don’t have so much time to spare, I’m already way too busy; but Don’t fail to let him know the reason we play. It’s because we love games.

08/10/09 Ernice Gilbert

Sony says, ‘P.S. Thanks’

And the trademarks keep coming, this time from Sony. SCEA filed a trademark application (#77794416) for a service called “P.S. Thanks.”

The application states that “P.S. Thanks” is meant to be an “incentive rewards program geared toward quantifying, identifying and motivating top consumer base with the goal of promotion and sale of video game hardware and software.

I’m looking forward to more details concerning ’P.S. Thanks’ so we could know what this is about. Of course speculators are coming up with all sorts of theories of what it might be. And recently Sony sent out an email to Journalists which says:

"As you know, we have a long history of creating unique loyalty programs such as PlayStation Underground which started with the original PlayStation and has evolved into the Gamer Advisory Panel (GAP). We continue to look for ways to expand this program and simply are evaluating new naming conventions for this evolution."

We’ll keep you posted…

08/06/09 Ernice Gilbert

Thirsty Conversations

So you’re always being told and never getting a chance to tell, right? Now’s your chance. Gamers all around the world get to partake in GamesThirst.com “Thirsty Conversations.” Talk about what you want…really. We’re thirsty to hear.

Microsoft's London Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

LONDON – 12 November 2009 - Xbox 360 today announced that it had achieved console sales to 10 million consumers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in just four years. Reaching the landmark number has meant that Xbox 360 is the only console to achieve year-on-year growth across the region this year[1]. The launch next week of instant streaming HD movies, Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm on Tuesday 17th November 2009 transforms Xbox LIVE into the largest social network connected to the TV and strengthens Xbox 360’s already impressive line up of interactive entertainment services.

“Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox Live currently is about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival PlayStation Network when it comes to offering service and content beyond traditional games,” said Martin Olausson, Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics. “By introducing innovative new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video, and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize sales in the next few years”.

2009 has been a pivotal year in Xbox’s journey from its gaming origins to now changing the way people consume and share entertainment content, interact with each other online and continue to play great games. It’s a change that people are embracing; there are more than 20 million Xbox LIVE active members worldwide and there have been over 1 billion downloads of gaming and entertainment content, with movie downloads doubling in the last year alone.

“Reinventing entertainment through, play, watch, connect and share. This is the vision that we have for Xbox 360 and today that vision is the reality for 10 million Xbox owners. European consumers are very discerning and demand a connected entertainment experience. That’s why we focused on providing content that is right and relevant for them and entertainment beyond just gaming to movies, music and social networking. We have delivered on this promise and next week will bring real innovation into the living room through instant streaming high definition movies, connecting with friends on Facebook and Twitter and a personalised music channel. Together, this represents a real shift in the way people are entertained every day,” said Chris Lewis, vice president Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Europe.

This reinvention of entertainment has already seen a shift in where the Xbox lives in the home, with the majority (60%) of Xbox consoles now becoming integrated into the family living room. It has also caused a shift in the Xbox customer base as now 35% of Xbox customers are women and 64% are over the age of 25[2]. The arrival of the much anticipated ‘Project Natal’ will create a new category of gaming and entertainment experiences through controller-free gaming that makes Xbox 360 more inclusive and relevant to an even wider audience.