State of the Industry: Marketing 101

1st quarter financials have been burning up the net and the big three are feeling the squeeze of the economy. This post is less concerned with the financial facts of the first quarter numbers, you can find all those at http://www.kotaku.com/, instead lets look at ways developers & publishers can curb the economic lows and deliver quality content.

The Game/Film Vehicle

Most consumers are interested in getting the most for their money. Whether it’s waiting to purchase a game until it is on sale or trading in your old games to buy that new one. With the recession taking grip across the United States, companies are starting to recognize this and they are reacting by trying to offer more than just a game. One strategy is to take advantage of the potential for more content on the disc besides the game, an added bonus for your purchase. The concept of integrating movies with video games is being driven by Sony Playstation 3 for the most part, due to the increased size on Blu-ray discs. Some examples of this include Midways Hard Boiled or the new Watchmen: The End is Nigh Complete Experience. With as many video games being built around movie licenses and Sony possessing its own film studio, there would seem to be a lot of potential for this to exist in future launch titles.

Fan Service

Why stop at movies though? As sequels continue to come after each successful installment of an IP, some games have crossed multiple generations of consoles. One such example is the God of War franchise. With the 3rd iteration debuting on PS3 in the fourth quarter of 2009, Sony has been conducting surveys to see what type of extra content consumers would want with the special edition of GOW 3 to contain. The most interesting of options was the idea that they could include the two previous installments from the Playstation 2. And lets not forget the recent release of Starbreeze studios Chronicles of Riddick sequel, Assault on Dark Athena, where Starbreeze included a full high definition remake of the original The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

Episodic Content

One way to eliminate risk in a risky IP is to release it in portions, otherwise known as episodic content. It gives the developers flexibility to make the games they want to make and encourage more innovation. Valve software was one of the pioneers in this field with Half Life 2. Instead of making a direct sequel, they chose to release more content as chapters. So, once the original game of Half Life 2 is complete, you could then download episodes 1 & 2 and continue enjoying the same great game with an extended story arc and new game play functions. Episode 3 though has taken quite some time to complete and brings us to a downside of episodic content. Telltale games have really been the leading example when it comes to releasing games episodically and consistently.With such releases as Sam & Max, Strong Bad and many others, expect more great Telltale games in the future.

Additional Downloadable Content

To further explore the concept of downloading games; let’s look at how some developers hope to release new content for already existing titles via downloadable content. By taking existing games and expanding upon the content, we can invest in the success of a brand, without having to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a sequel. Instead, a developer can improve upon a specific aspect, such as the story or multiplayer experience and for a low price to the consumer; they offer the opportunity to continue enjoying the experience. Recently, Rockstar games released an expansion for the immensely popular Grand Theft Auto 4. It seemed almost unnecessary that a game of this scale would require much more, but Rockstar may have recognized this as well, by designing a completely new story arc, with different characters, missions, and in game items, while still retaining the feel. Rockstar is not the only company to find fruition through DLC, as the long time digital distribution advocates at Valve have now upgraded their PC browser Steam, so that developers can add downloadable content to any game on Steam--regardless of where the gamer purchased the game from, as long as they have the game they can download the extra content from Steam and it'll work.

Play it NOW!: Battlefield 1943

There is a new shooter on the block and it aims to break records with over 100 million kills in the first week and counting. That game is Battlefield 1943, and it fulfills DICE's expectations in making Battlefield even more accessible, by bringing the PC original to the consoles, through digital download.

In taking one of the first hardcore FPS Multiplayer games and simplifying the mechanics to play on all the strengths of the original, while maintaining its scope and vision, has lead to an overwhelming success. Day one, EA was actually unprepared for such a positive reception, causing their servers to fail and making the process of getting on-line arguous. But after a few days everything has seemed to even out and I am a happy to have made the investment. Honestly, I believe this looks better than its predecessor, being built on the Bad Company engine, which features destructible enviroments and brighter explosions. Making those pesky sniper towers and bridges the concentration of some of my most destructive urges.

By making it more accessible, the class structure has been reduced to 3 major classes: Rifleman, Infantryman or Sniper and each of these classes has a sub-class like engineer or demolitions. All seem very balanced and it makes the challenging decision of which class to choose that much easier. Also the maps have focused on the Pacific front of WW II with; Wake Island, Guadacanal, and Iwo Jima coming day one. As I mentioned before about breaking records, a 4th map was added to each console respectively, after the users racked up 43 million kills. Xbox360 reaching that in 4 days and PS3 getting there on day 8, bringing the air combat focused map Coral Sea.

This is where all you Aces can earn your wings, letting everyone continue to jump into planes over and over, without having to worry about being left standing on the aircraft carrier. The dog fighting is extremely visceral, where defeating one opponent leads to 3 more nearby. The vehicle mechanics, though taking some getting used to (plane controls felt foreign), do work much better that any mouse and keyboard combo. In fact, Battlefield was one of those games where I used to have a flight stick standing by, because there was no way I could fly a plane with a mouse. Note: there is a tutorial for the air mechanics if you find yourself crashing into things more than you'd like.

By doing all these things; class structure, maps, the new engine, and even keeping the player cap to 12 players on each side, it has made the adaptation to consoles seemless and enjoyable. At a price point of only $15, it is pretty much a no brainer for anyone that plays FPS Multiplayer games.

One thing I should note, this is still Battlefield, maps are large and teammates assholes. So when you are on a aircraft carrier and someone steals your plane or you try to right shotgun in a jeep and are left in the dust, it will make you appreciate playing with friends all the more. It is really the best way to enjoy a game such as this and I think you should play it now.

*all screenshots are a result of Google Image search and http://www.penny-arcade.com/

Retro Gaming Round Up: Final Fantasy VII

Remember in my last post, where I stated that the nostalgia will always be better than the real thing? Well, I am happy to report I have been proven wrong. Final Fantasy VII was recently released after Sony's E3 Press Conference and I was happy to shell out the cost of a movie ticket ($10) to experience 70+ Hours of classic J-RPG action. For me, this was the game that lit the fire. Sure, I had an SNES for my first system and played my share of every console since the inception of the Nintendo, but the Sony Playstation and Final Fantasy 7 are where my addiction began. Although it was my first RPG and I was only 13 at the time, its story stays with me and after over a decade of RPGs since then, I was unsure it would still meet my expectations. I was surprisingly mistaken, it seems my years of experience have only made the game better.



Right now, I am over 25 hours in and have spent a ton of time tearing through the main story. Side Quests will become a little more important in like 10 hours or so. The narrative is one of the most impressive aspects; even with the limited technology, its characters, enviroments and overall ambience is still better than many RPGs being made today (see Infinite Undiscovery or the latest Star Ocean). There is alot of chemistry in the group once everyone joins the party, whether its Yuffie obsessing over materia or Barrett causing a ruckus, these 3D sprites come with alot of personality. Speaking of materia, this is why years of playing RPGs pays off, because now I am paying attention to all the complexities of the battle system. For example how materia affects your stats or how specific weapons will affect the growth of materia, these are things I had not considered when I was a kid. The process of getting through the game seems much easier as well, especially when taking advanatge of the Enemy Skill materia during the lower levels. Even materias like Deathblow and Destruct, which in the past I remembered ignoring, have become a important components in my arsenal.

A few complaints though; the graphic backgrounds can be difficult to interact with because you have to face the object. Just to be knit picky this could easily have been solved by integrating the analog stick in... I'm looking at you SquEnix. Also, the mini-games in specific stages still drive me crazy. Like trying to sneak past the guards in the Shinra building or cracking the safe to get Vincent's key, I tend to wish they weren't there at all. Lots left for me to do and I am probably going to be a completionist about this so it could be 80 more hours before I omnislash Sephiroth's face. Guess I should get back to the game, but in the meantime Cid Highwind recommends you "Shut up! Sit your ass down in that chair and DRINK YOUR GODDAMN TEA!"

The Art of Gaming: Assim Heetun

New post coming in! Which I hope will take advantage of the slideshow viewer at the top of the page, by featuring an artist each month that is inspired by different aspects of gaming culture. Hopefully, bringing together the culture we all know and love with that artists own perspective and style.

This months artist is Assim Heetun, who was also featured on Kotaku recently. As you can see above, his work with zombies and video game characters comes with some interesting results. You can see all his work @ http://www.agentmelon.co.uk/blog/

Screw Attack Wrap Up!

Ahh, that fresh convention odor, there really is nothing like it.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention in Dallas, TX. I had attended conventions like Akon or AllCon in the past, but this was to be a first for me and video game conventions. I was stoked. Getting there was easy, since it was only about 30 minutes from my house and I already knew the hotel since I attended a beer festival there last year. First thing I did once I got there was walk straight into the 7,000 square foot gaming room and played some Capcom Vs. SNK 2. It was perfect.Too bad I couldn't get a pic inside the room, my iPhone does not respond well to the dark. Anyway, scanning the room there were about 40 or so consoles out and most were rocking a cornucopia of fighting games, competitive FPS’, retro games and even some Beatmania (think Japanese DJ game). I was fairly impressed, but in retrospect, I had wished for too much.I was a little disappointed not to see more rare games; maybe a review copy of KOF12 or the FF13 demo. But there is probably a bunch of red tape for something like that. Although… they did have some Blaz Blue, which was nice. Also, spent a fair amount of time in the Gameworks sponsored arcade room. Gameworks has been on my shit list for years, having pulled almost every "classic" (featuring a joystick and buttons) arcade game out, and replacing it with generic racing games and rail shooters. But ScrewAttack did bring some nostalgia to the convention with a Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 cabinet, X-men the arcade game, Killer Instinct and even a Rainbow Edition of Street Fighter 2 just to name a few.




Of course conventions aren't all about playing games; they are a celebration of all things gaming. There were panels and discussions all throughout the weekend and I personally enjoyed the one hosted by Matthew White on “How to Get a job in Gaming, Without Being a Developer”.You should check out previous posts regarding the Jack Thompson Debate as well. Don’t forget a movie room showing all sorts of gaming in films, including some episodes of the old Mario Brothers TV show!! Man I loved that show... Then you had the Dealer’s Room, which was a bit of a disappointment, with only three major dealers, the ECA and some Japanese foodstuffs. I would have liked more venders to have come from the local gaming community, maybe some developers showing off what they are doing, selling some t-shirts, etc. There was a lot of Table Top gaming and many tournaments like the Iron Man of Gaming and numerous speedruns. All of which I am not competent enough in to be competitive. >_< OH! And let’s not forget those crazy cosplay kids, which really bring a lot of personality to conventions such as these. Here are just a few pics of the many cosplayers that attended.
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All in all, weekend well spent! I really want to give huge praise to ScrewAttack and everyone that made this convention a success. Best wishes to all for a repeat next year, and with Austin GDC coming up in September, expect much more in the vein of conventions coming to TwoCanPlay blog

Thanks for reading!

Something I Picked Up the Other Day

Yeah... its real. Now when does Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 come out again? :-D

I am the Internets

Thanks to Gamepolitics.com, my Twitter was referenced for the live blog of the Jack Thompson, Mike Methenitis Debate. Final impressions of SGC are coming soon, with a special unboxing of a little gift I picked up this weekend. Click the link below for the roundup.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/07/06/jack-thompson-puts-best-foot-forward-sgc09-debate

Jack Thompson Debate

Going to be running a live blog of the Jack Thompson debate. I guess I will use Twitter and then post it here after the fact. Get excited!

Update 6:15 PM CT: EPIC FAIL! Should have not thought I could do this with twitter. Cannot get it to import in blogger and the timestamps disappear after the hour (doh!) But for the un edited live blog you can go to http://twitter.com/speedracerUNT. It will probably be up for a little while, because I honestly don't tweet too often.
-- Post From My iPhone

Gaming Outdoors: SGC 2009

Here in Dallas, on this fine holiday weekend, I am at the Westin Hotel, taking in some gaming, as Screw Attack games holds a convention. Sat down at Capcom vs. SNK 2 almost seconds after walking in the door and I feel right at home. It's early in the start of this event, but there is a keynote coming from Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari) @ 5, a panel with the infamous Jack Thompson and much more to come. So stay tuned. Oh yeah, Sonic is here too. Guess those video game royalties are starting to run out...


-- Post From My iPhone