Video Game Chatter

[Deuce]

Dreamcast was a great system despite not being around very long....but even then, if you imported games or knew where to download them (that system was insanely easy to pirate for), you could really build quite the collection and that's exactly what I did.

I'd say I had roughly 10 games made here in America, but probably 25 more that were from Japan.

And yes, Virtua Tennis was the shit.

I had no idea about priracy back then...hell, I think my dad may still have that thing stashed somewhere. I'll have to check.

 

[Texas Ace]

I had no idea about priracy back then...hell, I think my dad may still have that thing stashed somewhere. I'll have to check.

Yea, you could download a "boot disc" and load it into the Dreamcast. It would read it, then ask you to insert any disc you wanted and it worked like a charm.

Whether it was an imported or copied game, it would play them all the same.

I'm sure there's an iso for it online still.

 

[Newt]

Yea, you could download a "boot disc" and load it into the Dreamcast. It would read it, then ask you to insert any disc you wanted and it worked like a charm.

Whether it was an imported or copied game, it would play them all the same.

I'm sure there's an iso for it online still.

I guy I work with still has and plays the dreamcast, some fishing game he always talks about. He's one of those guys that will never buy a console, he just takes what someone else will give him. Its still funny to hear him talk about it though.

 

[Smitty]

I started playing Bioshock Infinite last night. Very enjoyable for a FPS. I like games where your choices alter the story down the road.

I didn't love that game. It wasn't bad, but everyone thought it was game of the year and I just didn't.

I also don't remember what choices altered the story. Which were they?

 

[Deuce]

I guy I work with still has and plays the dreamcast, some fishing game he always talks about. He's one of those guys that will never buy a console, he just takes what someone else will give him. Its still funny to hear him talk about it though.

Yes, I had that bass fishing game as well. It came with a controller that was like a pole. It was awesome. Now I need to dig this thing out.

 

[Smitty]

I'm in the group of people who think its time for Nintendo to hang it up console wise and focus on the few games that people still enjoy. I would be all for playing new and retro nintendo games on a PS4 or XB1. I miss Mario Kart but not enough to go buy a nintendo 64, if it was downloadable on PSN or XBLive I would probably buy it. The Wii and WiiU just don't hold up in this market and I don't think they ever will. PS and XB have taken over the gaming community and show no signs of letting it go anytime soon.

I read an article the other day on like WSJ or something saying that some investors want Microsoft to give up their console (the Xbox line) because it doesn't actually make them money, and that they should focus on other core industries (like software -- Windows). They said they should sell it to Nintendo.

 

[Deuce]

I didn't love that game. It wasn't bad, but everyone thought it was game of the year and I just didn't.

I also don't remember what choices altered the story. Which were they?

So far I've only had one, but while exploring the city and making my way towards the monument to rescue the girl I went through a fair. I won a raffle and had the opportunity to throw a baseball at a mixed race couple that was married or at the show runner. Me being the stand up guy I am, I threw it at the guy. It led to a huge gun fight and I thought I may have made a bad choice, but later on when I had the girl and we were trying to escape, that same couple pulled us over and showed us a secret passage for colored people and let us through. I heard the game is set up that way and I assume if I were to have hit them earlier I would have had to keep going the long way fighting through later on.

 

[Texas Ace]

I guy I work with still has and plays the dreamcast, some fishing game he always talks about. He's one of those guys that will never buy a console, he just takes what someone else will give him. Its still funny to hear him talk about it though.

Bass fishing! That game was the shit....it came with the reel controller too.

Good times.

 

[dallen]

I think Sony will end up buying them and we will end up with that joint console 30 years late. Sony has a great console and very few 1st party games, whereas Nintendo has had poor consoles but has a great lineup of 1st party games. Meanwhile Microsoft is eating market share from both of them

 

[Texas Ace]

I read an article the other day on like WSJ or something saying that some investors want Microsoft to give up their console (the Xbox line) because it doesn't actually make them money, and that they should focus on other core industries (like software -- Windows). They said they should sell it to Nintendo.

I couldn't remember if it was investors or internal people at MS, or maybe even both? But I do recall reading something along those same lines that there are people who want them to give up on the gaming division for the exact reasons you mentioned.

 

[Texas Ace]

I think Sony will end up buying them and we will end up with that joint console 30 years late. Sony has a great console and very few 1st party games, whereas Nintendo has had poor consoles but has a great lineup of 1st party games. Meanwhile Microsoft is eating market share from both of them

I think Sony has great 1st party games and almost all of their 1st party games have been very successful:

Jak and Daxter

Crash Bandicoot

Gran Turismo

Wipeout

Sly Cooper

Ratchet and Clank

Twisted Metal

Uncharted

God of War

Resistance

Last of Us

Socom

Ico/Shadow of the Colossus

Infamous

Killzone

Heavy Rain

Little Big Planet

The Show


All of these have been fan favorites and big money makers for Sony at one point or another. Now, imagine them hooking up with Nintendo? They'd have so many exclusives that no other console would be able to compete, IMO.

 

[Smitty]

So far I've only had one, but while exploring the city and making my way towards the monument to rescue the girl I went through a fair. I won a raffle and had the opportunity to throw a baseball at a mixed race couple that was married or at the show runner. Me being the stand up guy I am, I threw it at the guy. It led to a huge gun fight and I thought I may have made a bad choice, but later on when I had the girl and we were trying to escape, that same couple pulled us over and showed us a secret passage for colored people and let us through. I heard the game is set up that way and I assume if I were to have hit them earlier I would have had to keep going the long way fighting through later on.

Oh right. But that's pretty minor, really.

 

[dallen]

I think Sony has great 1st party games and almost all of their 1st party games have been very successful:

Jak and Daxter

Crash Bandicoot

Gran Turismo

Wipeout

Sly Cooper

Ratchet and Clank

Twisted Metal

Uncharted

God of War

Resistance

Last of Us

Socom

Ico/Shadow of the Colossus

Infamous

Killzone

Heavy Rain

Little Big Planet

The Show


All of these have been fan favorites and big money makers for Sony at one point or another. Now, imagine them hooking up with Nintendo? They'd have so many exclusives that no other console would be able to compete, IMO.

Most of those are Playstation exclusives, not 1st party titles. The only ones I am sure are first party are Gran Tourismo and The Show

 

[Texas Ace]

Most of those are Playstation exclusives, not 1st party titles. The only ones I am sure are first party are Gran Tourismo and The Show

Luckily for you, I'm a gaming nerd who knows these things.

They all fall into the one of the following categories: First party/Sony owned/Develop games only for Playstation - and are widely considered Sony games, even if they aren't literally first party. The only studio to have branched off to my knowledge is Insomniac games, makers of the Infamous and Ratchet and Clank series', but Sony owns both of those properties so the games themselves will always remain Sony exclusives.


But just to clarify, the ones are that truly first party from that list are:

(All of these are SCE WW -Sony Computer Entertainment Studios World Wide)

SCE Japan Studio:

Ico/Shadow of the Colossus - Team Ico

Gran Turismo - Polyphony Digital


SCE Santa Monica:

God of War franchise/Twisted Metal


SCE San Diego:

The Show

SCE Naughty Dog:

Uncharted Franchise/Last of Us/Crash Bandicoot/Jak and Daxter



Sucker Punch Productions:

Infamous franchise/Sly Cooper franchise


Guerilla Games:

Killzone franchise



SCE Europe:

Little Big Planet - Media Molecule


Wipeout was a game that fell under SCE Europe and was the creation of Studio Liverpool, but that has since been shut down by Sony and they never did say who exactly would handle Wipeout games going forward, only that they had no intention of discontinuing the Wipeout franchise.



As you can see, the vast majority on that list are in fact 1st party, with the rest (sans Insomniac games) being 2nd party.

 

[Bob Roberts]

I tell you, I'm so glad they came out with these new systems so games could look slightly better

 

[Smitty]

Microsoft's Xbox One Is Selling So Poorly Retailers Are Getting Desperate

GameStop and other retailers are getting aggressive in selling Microsoft's latest console. Sony's PlayStation 4, meanwhile, can't stay in stock.



Things aren't looking good for Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One. After what was admittedly a very strong debut, sales of the console have slowed to a crawl. Last month, according to research firm NPD, rival Sony's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 4 outsold Microsoft's console in the U.S. by a ratio of 2 to 1.

Is the runaway success of the PlayStation 4 simply overshadowing Microsoft's latest console, or is the Xbox One not doing as well as Redmond expected? The latter is looking increasingly likely, as retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, and GameStop (NYSE: GME) have begun to offer heavy incentives on the Microsoft console.

Pushing the Xbox One

If you're in the market for the Xbox One, I'd suggest purchasing it from Wal-Mart or Target. If you buy Microsoft's machine from Wal-Mart, the big-box retailer will throw in a free game worth $50. If you'd prefer to spend the money on something else, Target will give you a gift card for the same amount.

In addition to offering $10 off the purchase of a second wireless controller, GameStop is letting cash-strapped customers reserve the console on layaway.

Good luck finding a PlayStation 4

In stark contrast, Sony's rival PlayStation 4 is virtually impossible to find. Of the six GameStops I called in my area, not a single one had the machine in stock, and none of GameStop's employees could tell me when their next shipment would arrive.

They did, however, offer to ship a PlayStation 4 directly to my house when it turned up -- assuming that I was willing to purchase a nearly $700 bundle that comes with games and an extra controller.

Too expensive and too weak

I had no interest in purchasing that bundle, and I doubt many gamers would. Indeed, the PlayStation 4's greatest selling point remains its price advantage: At just $400, it's a full $100 cheaper than Microsoft's Xbox One.

The PlayStation 4 is also slightly more powerful. Metal Gear Solid V, a game coming to both Sony's and Microsoft's next-generation consoles, will look better when played on Sony's machine.

To many gamers, a minor difference in graphics quality might not matter much -- but combined with the $100 price difference, it may be too much for Microsoft's console to overcome.

Price cut coming?

The Target and Wal-Mart initiatives basically amount to an unofficial $50 price cut, suggesting that Microsoft may need to reduce the Xbox One's MSRP. There are rumors that Microsoft is working on a cheaper version of the console; if recent sales trends are any indication, that cheaper Xbox One can't come fast enough.

On equal footing, Microsoft's console might hold its own against Sony's system, but at what expense? Microsoft could sacrifice its controversial Kinect add-on, or, as has been rumored, roll out a version of the console that does not include a disc drive.

Although cutting out the disc drive would not, by itself, reduce the manufacturing cost by $100, Microsoft would ultimately see more revenue in the long run. Gamers who purchased a digitally dependent Xbox One would have no choice but to buy their games directly from Microsoft's online store, cutting GameStop and other retailers out of the equation.

But Microsoft had better do something. With excess Xbox One inventory driving retailers to drastic action, the company is far behind Sony in the current console war.

The war for your living room begins now

You know cable's going away. But do you know how to profit? There's $2.2 trillion out there to be had. Currently, cable grabs a big piece of it. That won't last. And when cable falters, three companies are poised to benefit. Click here for their names. Hint: They're not Netflix, Google, and Apple.

Sam Mattera is short shares of GameStop. The Motley Fool owns shares of GameStop and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

 

[Smitty]

Maybe this will teach those assholes not to ignore what the consumer says they want.

Bring back the first sale doctrine! Allow used games and backwards compatibility!

 

[dallen]

I guess I didn't realize Sony owned Naughty Dog. That's a lot more top level 1st party titles

 

[Texas Ace]

I guess I didn't realize Sony owned Naughty Dog. That's a lot more top level 1st party titles

Yes, indeed.

If you're talking about historical 1st party games, then Nintendo takes the cake....but if we talk about recent 1st party games and which appeal to older gamers nowadays? Then Sony is on top.

Put those two together, though, and I don't think MS or anyone else would stand a chance.

 

[Texas Ace]

Maybe this will teach those assholes not to ignore what the consumer says they want.

Bring back the first sale doctrine! Allow used games and backwards compatibility!

Consumers hate when companies tell them what they think is best for you.

MS did that by telling everyone that the used games and always online thing was necessary even after they received backlash for it. It wasn't until a few weeks after E3 that they made the changes.

The same thing happened with Sony when they removed the rumble feature from the PS3 controller and told everyone they didn't need it because it was a "last-gen" feature. Not long after the PS3 launched, Sony announced they'd be giving the fans what they want.

These are the mistakes that are made one companies get arrogant and think they can do what they want and people will still keep buying.