Author Topic: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media' (Read 227311 times)

KDR_11k · « **Reply #875 on:** December 20, 2009, 09:15:16 AM »

Yes but it's not killing the WSJ. You can't make people pay for news or reviews if you can't somehow convince people that your content is significantly better than what any other idiot puts on the web for free. With the gaming journalism industry the freebies often come across as MORE reliable than the big ones. I recall EDGE having a reputation for good reviews some time ago but now they've thrown that away with hit pieces and garbage. I'd take NWR over garbage like Game Informer any day. Haven't seen many complete summaries, only stuff like GoNintendo or Slashdot that post maybe an excerpt but are not a substitute for the full article.

NWR_Lindy · « **Reply #876 on:** December 20, 2009, 10:36:05 AM »

But those sites are a substitute for sites like NWR...they grab our hits, I can tell you that. How many people click through from Metacritic to read the reviews? A very small percentage, I'm sure. At best they'd read the lowest review to see what the dissenting opinion was.

As for the Wall Street Journal, they're a bad example because, well, they're the Wall Street Journal. Like the New York Times, they're a publication that's been around for decades and is known worldwide. They're in the upper echelon of written content, with some of the best writers in the world. I bet their print version is one of the few still breaking even. They're an exception, not a rule.

Peachylala · « **Reply #877 on:** December 20, 2009, 12:21:34 PM »

So from what I gathered from some of these past posts is that for some strange reason the Wii has made them disillusioned and the GCN was better.

...

What the ****. I know there is trolling, but seriously, what the ****. Are we all in some bizarre alternate universe or something? Last I checked, the Wii was home to many of my favorite console games right now, and the only one I play nowadays since handhelds are getting most of my time.

Does the Wii have flaws? Yes, it does. Oh, and say hi to HD gaming for me. Can't have all that brown-shading and DLC go to waste now!

NWR_Lindy · « **Reply #878 on:** December 20, 2009, 01:14:09 PM »

Yep, every game on 360 and PS3 is brown. Just like every game on Wii is cartoony.

broodwars · « **Reply #879 on:** December 20, 2009, 01:29:11 PM »

Quote from: Peachylala on December 20, 2009, 12:21:34 PM

Does the Wii have flaws? Yes, it does. Oh, and say hi to HD gaming for me. Can't have all that brown-shading and DLC go to waste now!

Valkyria Chronicles; Tales of Vesperia; LittleBigPlanet; Uncharted 1 & 2; Batman: Arkham Asylum; all 3 Ratchet & Clank Futures; Eternal Sonata; Heavy Rain; Final Fantasy XIII; Bioshocks 1 & 2; and Dead Space all say "hello." And that's just counting the retail games I can think of off the top of my head.

D_Average · « **Reply #880 on:** December 20, 2009, 07:21:01 PM »

Went to the Sony Style store yesterday. They had Uncharted 2 hooked up to their finest LCD. Didn't notice much brown.

mac<censored> · « **Reply #881 on:** December 20, 2009, 10:20:22 PM »

Actually "brown" is something I always associated with the PS2 -- I never owned one, but it seems like every time I saw an in-store game display (and they had a lot), the games always seemed to have a bland low-contrast muddled look (as well as the PS2's signature ultra-jaggies and low res). I don't know whether it was due to actual technical limitations or simply bad choices on the part of the devs, but it seemed very common.

[That's why I never bought a PS2 -- games were just too damned ugly!]

Peachylala · « **Reply #882 on:** December 21, 2009, 12:06:22 AM »

Quote from: broodwars on December 20, 2009, 01:29:11 PM

Quote from: Peachylala on December 20, 2009, 12:21:34 PM
Does the Wii have flaws? Yes, it does. Oh, and say hi to HD gaming for me. Can't have all that brown-shading and DLC go to waste now!

Valkyria Chronicles; Tales of Vesperia; LittleBigPlanet; Uncharted 1 & 2; Batman: Arkham Asylum; all 3 Ratchet & Clank Futures; Eternal Sonata; Heavy Rain; Final Fantasy XIII; Bioshocks 1 & 2; and Dead Space all say "hello." And that's just counting the retail games I can think of off the top of my head.

Bioshock is the only game I have interest in, the rest not so much.

D_Average · « **Reply #883 on:** December 21, 2009, 12:54:16 AM »

The thing is, there are a lot of "brown" HD games on the twins, but, there is such a large selection, both retail and download, that color whores like me literally have more to choose from then we can afford.

Deguello · « **Reply #884 on:** December 21, 2009, 02:57:51 AM »

Quote

Valkyria Chronicles; Tales of Vesperia; LittleBigPlanet; Uncharted 1 & 2; Batman: Arkham Asylum; all 3 Ratchet & Clank Futures; Eternal Sonata; Heavy Rain; Final Fantasy XIII; Bioshocks 1 & 2; and Dead Space all say "hello." And that's just counting the retail games I can think of off the top of my head.

Well if I were to use a popular troll's schtick, it would be that those games don't sell more than the "brown" games, so it doesn't matter if they exist or not. Or maybe I'd pick the worst selling of the lot and use that as the whole argument (Valkyria Chronicles/) And the 360 and PS3 do have the public perception of brown and excess of bloom lighting, and deserved or not, it is an issue they'll have to deal with if they want to break out of their financial woes. And most of those games, while maybe somewhat successful in units sold, didn't generate a lot of money. In fact, a few of them drove the developers either into the hands of acquisition (Batman) and some were flung off the platform entirely (Valkyria). It's pretty stark, color doesn't sell on the 360 or PS3. At least not as much as brown.

But, on the other hand, apparently it's OK to assume all the Wii games and gamers are "casual," even when those "casual" games sell worse on the Wii than the colorful ones on the 360 and PS3. Go figure.

Peachylala did make a crass generalization, but he is just a forum guy. It's not like he's some sort of professional journalist. Now if a professional journalist out there did make crass generalizations like that, I can't say many people would want to pay for the privilege of hearing about stuff they didn't have to leave their own forums or blogs for.

broodwars · « **Reply #885 on:** December 21, 2009, 07:24:09 AM »

Deguello, just so you know Batman was probably one of the most successful games this year, and in fact we already have a sequel in the works. I wouldn't blame Batman for Eidos (the publisher) bungling all its other properties (Tomb Raider, anyone?) and having to be bought out.

Deguello · « **Reply #886 on:** December 21, 2009, 09:01:06 AM »

I know. I said that. But despite selling well, it didn't save the company.

A similar thing happened to Midway. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sold something like 2.5 million copies, which would have been a great success except then Midway filed for bankruptcy and barely exists as of now.

When companies can have million-selling titles and still die/get absorbed... that's just not healthy.

broodwars · « **Reply #887 on:** December 21, 2009, 09:27:23 AM »

Quote from: Deguello on December 21, 2009, 09:01:06 AM

I know. I said that. But despite selling well, it didn't save the company.

A similar thing happened to Midway. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sold something like 2.5 million copies, which would have been a great success except then Midway filed for bankruptcy and barely exists as of now.

When companies can have million-selling titles and still die/get absorbed... that's just not healthy.

It did, however, save Rocksteady as a development studio, who up till that point hadn't produced anything of note. Eidos was beyond repair by the time Batman came out (if I remember correctly, the Square-Enix acquisition was announced a month or two before the game even released), buried for years under the weight of colossal failure. Maybe if Batman hadn't been delayed a year, it could have made a difference but who knows what condition that game was in a year ago?

Peachylala · « **Reply #888 on:** December 21, 2009, 01:58:46 PM »

Quote

Peachylala did make a crass generalization, but he is just a forum guy. It's not like he's some sort of professional journalist.

I really did make a crass comment, but it's not crass, it's reality.

Alot of those games, besides Bioshock and Batman, were not massive sellers. Hell, the Valkyria sequal is going on the PSP. That's sad, since Valkyria was from the Skies of Arcadia development group.

NWR_Lindy · « **Reply #889 on:** December 22, 2009, 08:46:49 PM »

Can we please not turn this into yet another sales thread? Thanks.

D_Average · « **Reply #890 on:** December 22, 2009, 09:57:53 PM »

No doubt. There's got to be some crappy reviews out there. Its the holiday season after all. A time when free lancers get to shine.

Deguello · « **Reply #891 on:** December 23, 2009, 09:11:55 AM »

Quote

Can we please not turn this into yet another sales thread? Thanks.

It'll keep coming up as long they keep forecasting doom and gloom without regard for the sales.

Luigi Dude · « **Reply #892 on:** January 08, 2010, 07:21:22 PM »

Wow, this is beyond pathetic.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/halo-reach-to-be-biggest-seller-in-2010

Quote

Games expected to be the biggest sellers in 2010
1. Halo: Reach
2. Final Fantasy XIII
3. StarCraft II
4. Call of Duty 7
5. FIFA 11
6. BioShock 2
7. Mass Effect 2
8. God of War III
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
10. Gran Turismo 5

Not a single Nintendo game on there at all. Even though next year you have the Gold/Silver remakes and Mario Galaxy 2. Not to mention they say Modern Warfare 2 which was a 2009 release, will still be one of the best selling games of 2010, and yet they don't even mention New Super Mario Bros Wii. Even thought anyone with half a brain knows NSMBW will have ridicules legs in 2010.

Now here's what makes this list so pathetic, the list was compiled by over 9900 people who are suppose to be parts of different sections of the gaming industry. This list isn't just one person saying their opinion like an IGN or 1Up article, this list is pretty much the videogame industry itself saying what will be the best selling games of 2010, and they don't feel that ONE, not even ONE Nintendo game will be a top seller.

With people this stupid working in the industry, no wonder almost every company that isn't Nintendo is losing money this gen.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #893 on:** January 08, 2010, 07:36:43 PM »

That's 9900 names for Death Watch 2010.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #894 on:** January 08, 2010, 07:55:30 PM »

I'll bet what really happened is that since everyone already expects Nintendo to have another record breaking year, with Pokemon HG/SS, SMG2, NSMBW & Zelda Wii that they assumed the next person would talk about those games and decided to make sure some of their most anticipated got mentioned too. [/3rd excuse making]

mac<censored> · « **Reply #895 on:** January 08, 2010, 10:15:53 PM »

Gamasutra seems pretty cool tho...

Mario, Zelda Knock Final Fantasy From Top Japanese Sales Slot
Wii Takes Japanese Hardware Lead From PS3
Analysis: The Conundrum of Final Fantasy XIII
...

Kairon · « **Reply #896 on:** January 08, 2010, 11:24:23 PM »

Gamasutra has somehow managed to remain pretty impartial, with their focus mostly on news, and with opinion pieces kept mostly to blogs and what you see in interviews.

This is a feat that not even my beloved Next generation magazine could accomplish. As a Nintendo gamer, I could always sense a slight sense of disconnect from that Magazine.... but it was still a great mag, and I was very sad to see it go.

Peachylala · « **Reply #897 on:** January 09, 2010, 01:21:37 AM »

Gamasutra's bloggers in some of the comments make the same comments we do. There is indeed justice in the world.

There Final Fantasy XIII article was interesting, but extremely worrying. The thought of slogging through six hours of stuff I don't want (though I heard it isn't as bad this time...) seems like MGS4's curses are spreading to other genres.

I wish Bill Aurion was still here. I miss his opinions. =(

KDR_11k · « **Reply #898 on:** January 09, 2010, 03:45:15 AM »

Quote from: Peachylala on January 09, 2010, 01:21:37 AM

The thought of slogging through six hours of stuff I don't want (though I heard it isn't as bad this time...) seems like MGS4's curses are spreading to other genres.

Hardly a new concept for jRPGs.

Peachylala · « **Reply #899 on:** January 09, 2010, 08:13:34 PM »

It just seems to have gotten worse.

News:

Author Topic: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media' (Read 227311 times)