Topic: Game Journalism

[TJ Spyke]

I only have 2 unplayed games, and both are only because I bought them and when I got home I found that my Xbox 360 wouldn't play any of my games (I think the disc reader is busted).

[Kairon]

I officially have... oh god... 16 games in my backlog.

[NWR_insanolord]

We need to get Lindy in here to make me feel less bad about my backlog that's more than twice as big as anyone so far.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I got some spray paint for the EA section of The Wall of Shame (hint: it involves some profanity)

Dead Space: Extraction coming to PSN/XBLA?

Visceral Games' Dead Space 2 may not be the next game you play in the sci-fi franchise. Recent surveys point to an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network port of Wii misfire Dead Space Extraction and something brand new, Planet Cracker.

One survey's description of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 port of Dead Space Extraction indicates that any planned port of the game would feature the same on-rails "guided first-person experience" gameplay, pitched as an "interactive horror experience" in "full HD." A tentative price of $15 USD was mentioned in the survey forwarded to Kotaku.
[...]
Both Dead Space Extraction HD and Planet Cracker were listed a possible incentives for Dead Space 2 that could be unlocked to those who pre-purchased the game.

So the game they tried to sell to all of us (i did buy it) for $50 and failed is now deemed suitable as a $15 XBLA/PSN download or FREE pre-order incentive for DS2?
I guess the game was worth quite alot to you EA..... Thanx for making me feel confident in my decision to support your product with my hard earned money.

[Kairon]

Me trying to take this in a positive light: Well, at least EA is admitting that the game, as a railshooter, and a fairly non-interactive one at that, simply wouldn't survive this marketplace at the original price they were asking for it, and therefore would be a failure on the HD consoles if given similar treatment.

Me actually taking this news: T_T

[Mop it up]

Well, if the game doesn't sell well there either, then at least that goes to show that its low sales had little to do with being on Wii. Of course, considering the price point is much lower, it may end up selling better than the Wii release.

I'm actually not too surprised to see such an announcement. The game performed below expectations so EA wants to try releasing it on other platforms.

[BlackNMild2k1]

But they should have released it at a $30 price point on Wii and it would have sold alot better than it did(1st month was 9k). We didn't want another rail shooter as a consolation to the real game and certainly not at $50. Once again I did buy it, but it was the free game in a B2G1 Free deal.

[Mop it up]

I wouldn't argue any of that.

Isn't Dead Space Extraction a remake of Dead Space anyway? Why would someone who's played Dead Space want a simplified version of it?

[BlackNMild2k1]

It's a prequel that they classified as a "guided first person shooter".
It takes place during the same story as the movie that was released.

The original was a Third Person Shooter like RE4 and we were all excited when where heard Dead Space was coming to Wii. A sigh of disappointment was heard around the internet when a "GFPS" was revealed.

[Urkel]

Good. Now no one can possibly cite the sales of this game as proof that there's no market for a third person shooter on Wii since even EA acknowledges it's only worth $15. Also, this game isn't a third person shooter, but everybody seems to ignore that point.

[KDR_11k]

Me trying to take this in a positive light: Well, at least EA is admitting that the game, as a railshooter, and a fairly non-interactive one at that, simply wouldn't survive this marketplace at the original price they were asking for it, and therefore would be a failure on the HD consoles if given similar treatment.

Me actually taking this news: T_T

And to be fair the HD consoles got inferior interfaces that will probably have a severe impact on the playability of the game.

[SixthAngel]

And to be fair the HD consoles got inferior interfaces that will probably have a severe impact on the playability of the game.

If they actually buy this game I will consider the HD audience the most gullible and easily dooped around.  They can't even use any sort of gun like or pointing ability to play a point and shoot game.

[Peachylala]

Oh god.
 
I can imagine all the HD fanboys just buying the game to spite the Wii. I feel dirty all over just thinking about that.

[D_Average]

Charging $15 for a game that tanked is perfectly reasonable. It doesn't automatically mean Wii owners who paid $50 were robbed. When games do not sell the price drops. This has been a trend since the mid eighties.

[Peachylala]

I felt robbed.

[BlackNMild2k1]

$50 for SD game @ retail on Wii
vs
$15 for HD version that will likely support Natal/Arc and is offered as a download
or Given away for Free (possibly with glitch fixes) as a pre-order bonus.

That's perfectly reasonable? That's how the game should have been handled (price-wise) when it was released on the Wii. or it should have been bundled with a port of Dead Space.I hope it bombs on HD systems now too.

[NWR_DrewMG]

I'd be interested in hearing how much the game cost to make, and whether the developers think their game is worth $15 or nothing at all.

This thread is entertaining, because it illustrates very well why 3rd parties don't sell on the Wii, and not for the reasons any of you are talking about.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Oh please enlighten us.

[Deguello]

Oh Boy.  Here come the recommendations for self-flagellating and guilt trips for buying full-effort Nintendo games and not half-effort consolation prizes by third parties who don't care.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Put simply, Nintendo fans don't want third party games.

We don't want on-rails games!

We don't want shovelware!

We don't want HD games!

We don't like the color brown!

Any developer that doesn't line up with Nintendo's disruption strategy is seen as the enemy, and you actively root for their failure with threads like this. 

[Deguello]

How is anybody rooting for their failure by simply listing the games they have made for the Wii?

The painting of Nintendo fans as ideologues notwithstanding, who do you think deserves to sell the most games on the Wii?

Is it Nintendo?  Or is it any of the third parties listed here?  I'm interested in your response.

Is it possible the animosity engendered by the third parties is actually their fault?  What steps have they taken to make considerable products on the Wii?  Have any of them arrogantly stated that they "understood" the Wii audience and made something that failed, both critically and commercially?  Could the "sour grapes" attitude copped by these publishers when they fail be another factor?

Is it really the Wii gamer's fault nobody bought the third parties' shovelware?  Is it really their fault that the hare-brained spinoffs didn't sell either?  I'm interested in this response too.

[NWR_Lindy]

@insanolord You know, as much as I declare that I'm not going to expand my backlog, it just keeps growing.  Blaster Master Overdrive, Mass Effect 2, etc. /facepalm

Oh Andy, you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?

[KDR_11k]

To be fair full games as preorder bonuses happen to the best of 'em, if you preorder Metro 2033 (IIRC) on Steam you get Red Faction Guerilla for free, a game that was 70€ less than a year ago.

[NWR_DrewMG]

How is anybody rooting for their failure by simply listing the games they have made for the Wii?

It is not the action, but rather the intent and the tone that indicates cheering for failure.

The painting of Nintendo fans as ideologues notwithstanding, who do you think deserves to sell the most games on the Wii?

Is it Nintendo?  Or is it any of the third parties listed here?  I'm interested in your response.

It is Nintendo, because they have put in the most work. 

Is it possible the animosity engendered by the third parties is actually their fault?  What steps have they taken to make considerable products on the Wii?  Have any of them arrogantly stated that they "understood" the Wii audience and made something that failed, both critically and commercially?  Could the "sour grapes" attitude copped by these publishers when they fail be another factor?

Well, the game I'm personally considering my best of the year is a third party title.  In fact, in my top five Wii games this year, I'd include at least three third party titles.   As far as "understanding" the Wii audience, I'm not even entirely sure NINTENDO understands the Wii audience, considering games like Excitebots have failed at retail just like some of the third party games we're talking about.  Where's the outrage over that?  And rather, it's not that I'm surprised that you're upset that third parties seem to make mistake after mistake, but when this thread reached it's ELEVENTH page in about a week, the tone goes from "sour grapes" to absolutely enraged.   If this community was really thirsting for a AAA 3rd party Wii game, then they'd be too busy playing Silent Hill to get this thread to 11 pages in the course of 10 days.  Once again, I maintain that they don't really want any game that doesn't fit into Nintendo's ideology, which is almost every third party title out there not named EA Sports Active.

Is it really the Wii gamer's fault nobody bought the third parties' shovelware?  Is it really their fault that the hare-brained spinoffs didn't sell either?  I'm interested in this response too.

Who CARES about the shovelware?  EVERY system has shovelware.  It's our job as a website, and your job as a gamer who cares about playing unique original titles, to filter through it and point out what is worth playing. 

[NWR_Lindy]

Nintendo made the Wii for themselves, not third parties.  Nintendo is relatively indifferent to third parties, and in return third parties are relatively indifferent towards Nintendo.

This situation is what Nintendo wants, because it ensures they get the lion's share of all software sales on the console (as well as raking it in on the hardware sales side).  With all the budding business mavens on these boards, why is anybody complaining?  This is simply good business.