Konami needs MGS4 to sell one million copies day one

Metal Gear Solid 4 is not only one of the biggest PS3 titles of 2008, it may be the last of a dying breed -- the third party exclusive. In the past, console manufacturers worked hard to secure such titles as a way to drive consumer adoption of their machines. However, with game development costs now ranging from $10-$50 million per title, it has become difficult for game studios to justify producing games for only one console -- in essence placing all their revenue eggs in one console basket.

While some other big name developers have jumped off Sony's exclusivity ship, Konami remains optimistic about their decision to stick it out. In an interview with Reuters, MGS4's assistant producer, Ryan Payton said, "We're telling our fans that if you want to play 'Metal Gear Solid 4', you have to buy a PS3. The PlayStation brand has always been good to us, and we're pretty bullish on the PS3."

But how 'bullish' can they really be? A year after its release, only two PS3 games have sold more than 1 million copies, a benchmark of financial success for a big-budget game. The 7-year-old PlayStation 2 had nearly 100 games sell more than a million copies.

Payton said MGS4 needs to sell over a million copies on the first day it goes on sale due to its costly production, but that may be a tough mark to hit given sluggish PS3 sales. To lend perspective, 50% of PS3 owners in the U.S. would have to buy MGS4 on day one for that to happen.

Sony claims the loss of third party exclusives isn't a big deal. "We understand publishers are needing to recoup their investment," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Sony. "From our perspective, as long as the games aren't going exclusive to other platforms, PS3 gamers are not actually losing anything."

Dille added that Sony is compensating by ramping up its own game production within 15 internal studios working on PlayStation titles, more than Microsoft and Nintendo combined.

Motorstorm getting new vehicles

Senior U.S. producer for MotorStorm, Felice Standifer, announced on the PlayStation Blog that today's PlayStation Store update will include two new MotorStorm vehicles to download and enjoy. For $1.99, you can be the proud owner of a Mohawk Roadhog Bike and a Lunar-Tec Buffalo BigRig. The Lunar-Tec, pictured above, would be particularly intimidating if seen in your rear view mirror. The pack will also feature two new skins to slap on to any of the available vehicle classes: QuickFoot and Crazy Samurai. At $1.99, does anyone else think this smacks of a certain much-derided horse armor pack?

Now, if they would only release more tracks for the game. Oh well, we can dare to dream. We'll have more on the full PlayStation store update later today.

$5 million lawsuit filed against Microsoft over Halo 3, Xbox 360 problems

Halo 3 is designed from the ground up to be compatible with the Xbox 360, right? A federal lawsuit filed last week against Microsoft and the game's developer, Bungie, claims it is not. The suit alleges that Halo 3 "routinely, consistently, and systematically 'froze,' 'crashed,' or 'locked up.'" The suit then claims that these issues "disrupted game play". Yes, freezing, crashing and locking up would disrupt game play. The plaintiff, Randy Nunez, is seeking class-action status along with $5 million in damages plus costs and attorneys' fees. In a country where you can win a huge amount of money for spilling coffee on yourself, I suppose frivolous lawsuits like this are inevitable.

While the famous McDonald's coffee lawsuit is often unjustly cited as an example of what is wrong with our civil justice system, the facts in that case actually warranted the jury's decision. In this lawsuit against Microsoft and Bungie, the plaintiff is claiming that interruption of his game play warrants a $5 million check. Even if you could prove that Microsoft and Bungie intentionally released Halo 3 with knowledge of hardware/software compatibility issues -- which is a tough sell considering Microsoft's widely publicized $1 BILLION investment in correcting the Xbox 360's hardware issues, including extending the console's warranty length to three years -- how can you claim that interrupted gaming is worth $5 million?

I love my games, and yes, it is frustrating when serious performance issues ruin a gaming experience, but no GAMING experience is worthy of $5 million in compensation. Hellooo, McFly!! Perhaps Mr. Nunez should consider using his time to acquire gainful employment rather than wasting our court system's precious time with this bunk.

GTA 4 box art revealed

It may have been delayed until sometime in 2008, but that hasn't quelled excitement for Grand Theft Auto IV. Now we have our first official Box Art for the game. Feast your eyes on the glory of it all...I especially love the girl licking the lollipop in an oh-so-suggestive way. (UPDATE: A new trailer has also been dated - more after the break)

See all things GTA at Rockstar's GTA page.

UPDATE: Rockstar also announced a new trailer titled, "Move up, ladies" which is scheduled to drop Dec. 6th - next Thursday - at 3:00pm EST.

Gripshift racing to XBLA sometime this year

While some recent releases to Xbox Live Arcade have been less than well-received, if I have to choose between PSN, Nintendo's Virtual Console and XBLA, I'll take XBLA every time. Reaffirming my love is the announcement that Gripshift is coming to XBLA "sometime this year" which means sometime in the next four or five weeks.

Now, if they can offer the game for a more reasonable price than the $10 it's priced at on the PlayStation Network, then I'll be getting my racing groove on. Gripshift is a pretty fun title, but let's face it, it is a two year old PSP game. I think 500 Microsoft points would be fair.

Activision CEO wants $199 Xbox 360 & PS3

From the Land of Duh! comes this revelation -- Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick believes the PS3 and Xbox 360 must be priced at $199 within the next two years in order to obtain mass appeal. He told Reuters he believes the Wii has set a "standard of expectation" and that consumers notice price over tech specs. He goes on to say that "all will need to be at that $199 price point" in the next two years and that the Wii will likely drop to $129 within a "few years."

I don't know if he's right about consumers noticing price over specs since over 16 million consumers have chosen the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 over the cheaper and less powerful Wii. That kind of thinking probably holds true for some of the people (non-gamers) Nintendo is trying to attract with the Wii, like the geriatric set and soccer moms who don't know anything about consoles except for price. But his other speculations are about as bold as 'predicting' that the Earth is round. Of course the Wii will drop to (around) $129 within a "few years" - whatever that means. And while it is likely the Xbox 360 Core could hit $199 within the next year, I seriously doubt Sony will be dropping the PS3 to those pricing levels anytime soon.

Mass Effect review - GOTY? Almost.

I've been meditating on my time with Mass Effect which I finished a few days ago, and now I'm ready to share my opinions on this would-be 'Sci-fi Epic' of a video game. Bioware has made some great games in the past including the Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) series, which Mass Effect has been compared to ever since it was announced. Mass Effect was supposed to set a new standard for exploration in gaming and while it does offer a well-written story of grand scope on par with some of the best sci-fi around, I wouldn't exactly call it an open world game. It is more like riding through a beautiful landscape on a luxury train; it's a great ride, but there's more you want to see.

When the game begins, you are presented with the opportunity to create the character you will inhabit during your time playing. The customization options are not limitless, but they are acceptable, including the ability to play as male or female. After a brief preamble you are almost instantly placed in combat on a planet's surface. Right away, the game's biggest problem is thrust in your face -- the graphics are seriously marred by frame rate stutters and extreme bouts of texture pop-in. Granted, the developers obviously tried to squeeze a lot out of the Xbox 360's impressive hardware, but that's no excuse for not better optimizing the game's overall performance. A little more time spent polishing could have benefited the presentation greatly. Still, overall, Mass Effect is a beautiful game.

As far as the open-endedness of the game world, I found the universe of Mass Effect to be quite a bit more confining than I expected. You do get to travel to several planets, land on their surfaces and explore, but how much you can explore is severely limited. Still, you are presented with a nice variety of planet surfaces which lends each a distinctive look and feel. It's just difficult not to be disappointed after hearing the developers describe being able to explore an entire galaxy of planets and then only being presented with one planet per solar system that is actually explorable. All other planets are only able to be scanned for resources. It's a far cry from the planet hopping I was expecting.

Also, unlike another 'open world' game, Oblivion -- which presented you a game world that allowed for completion of side quests before, after or during your time with the main quest -- Mass Effect's side quests must be completed before you reach a certain point in the game's primary plot as a rather important piece of real estate is destroyed at one point, rendering it unvisitable. Players wanting to earn every possible achievement will be sorely disappointed when they discover missions they had planned to complete are no longer available to them.

Like the previously mentioned KOTOR, Mass Effect allows you to customize the weapons and their upgrades for you and the two other members of your squad. I found myself spending a lot of time equipping my team with just the right balance of weapons. The menus for this are all very well laid out and intuitive.

One area in which Mass Effect is a complete triumph is its story. The plot, writing, voice acting and overall story presentation are all top notch. This is some of the best original science fiction to be found anywhere, including movies and books. I don't know that a video game has ever achieved this quality of narrative. The closest would probably be the original Deus Ex which was released back in 2000. When presented with choices that determine the fate of your crew members, you will struggle with your decisions. You will become attached to your allies, and grow to despise your enemies.

The much-lauded dialogue tree lends the game another level of emotional impact. You often wonder if your choice of words will have the affect you intend or if you will inadvertently stick your foot in your proverbial mouth.

The gameplay in Mass Effect as it pertains to combat is O.K., but not spectacular. While the Mass Effect abilities -- similar to force powers in the Star Wars universe -- are fun to use, the weapons combat is rather unsatisfying. Part of the problem is the poor framerate during firefights; it is difficult to aim smoothly at enemies when the screen is jittering and stuttering. At higher difficulties, the inconsistent framerate can be downright crippling, forcing you to either play the game at the casual difficulty level or repeat some battles over and over again. The clunky cover system is the other problem. While it is functional, it never feels as fleshed out as similar systems in Gears of War or Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Your character never seems to get into cover as easily as you would like and once there, he/she tends to come out of cover too easily, exposing them to damage.

Even with these problems, Mass Effect is an immensely enjoyable experience. You will enjoy visiting the different planets available to you, you'll just wish there were more of them. You will be gripped by the story, just make sure to complete as many side quests as possible before you go too far in the plot. I don't think I'd put Mass Effect on my short list of nominees for 2007 Game of the Year, only because this is a very special year in gaming with the likes of Bioshock, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Halo 3 all buffed to a mirror gloss. With a little more spit and polish though, Mass Effect could have taken the top honors.

8.5/10

Deus Ex 3 teaser trailer

Way back in the year 2000, before 911 and wars with no end, Deus Ex was one of the best games ever released for the PC, and later, consoles. While it was confirmed a few days ago that Deus Ex 3 is in the works, no game truly exists in the public consciousness until it is given a teaser trailer. Well, tada!, said teaser has arrived. Watch it after the break.

The new Eidos, Montreal studio is developing Deus Ex 3. As the original Deus Ex was one of the few examples of interactive entertainment reaching the level of high art, I am definitely looking forward to this game...way forward as it likely won't be released until sometime in 2009. Watch the teaser trailer below.

'Krazy' Ken Kutaragi to be honored with AIAS Lifetime Achievment Award

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has chosen 'Krazy' Ken Kutaragi as the recipient of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented at this year's Interactive Achievement Awards on February 7th at the Red Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in conjunction with next year's D.I.C.E. Summit. Regarded as the father of that fad known as the PlayStation, Kutaragi was squeezed out of the Sony hierarchy this past Spring after the PlayStation 3's sluggish start.

Kutaragi's unpleasant departure from Sony in no way diminishes his impact on the business of video games. In fact, it would be difficult to imagine the modern gaming landscape without his very significant contributions. The former Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. President and CEO was instrumental in the creation and launch of the PlayStation brand, and that alone cements his place in the history of the industry. Besides, if nothing else, we are all but guaranteed at least one good quote between now and the award ceremony.

Omega Dawn expansion rising on Warhawk in December

Confirming news broken last month in Game Informer magazine, Sony has announced plans for a downloadable expansion to its multiplayer-only shooter Warhawk. The expansion, titled Omega Dawn, will be available in December, adding five new industrial-themed maps -- all set at night for "added impact and tension" -- which Sony claims also offer the largest combat areas seen in the game to date.

Along with the new maps, the expansion will infuse Warhawk with some new vehicular fun. The KT-424 Combat Dropship will hold seven soldiers, a pilot, and a ground vehicle making it possible to effectively drop an entire squad on your enemy. The dropship features the cool sounding MBEC-3 Heavy Support Cannon. The new vehicle will be usable on all of Warhawk's maps, new or existing. Omega Dawn's exact release date and price have not been revealed yet, but as soon as I know, you'll know.