The web is alight with Halo 2.5 reviews as the embargo for MS’ premier franchise is lifted.
This is MS’ attempt to prevent being 3rd place yet again in this generation’s console race. Everything hinges on a game which has had a limitless development and marketing budget.
Ars Technica were lucky enough to get a review copy from MS and they gave the game a respectable (albeit inflated score) of 7/10.
A brief summary:
* Small arenas – total lack of scope
* Halo 2 HD graphics
* Short campaign
Better luck next time MS.
Be sure to check back for The SDF’s forthcoming review of Halo 2.5.
It looks as though MS is not only cutting corners on their unreliable hardware but that $75 doesn’t actually stretch far enough to pay for an extra spindle in your 50 cent DVD case as one unlucky buyer found out:
A friend just opened 3 copies of Halo 3 Limited Edition and with all three copies both disc were loose inside of the package and scratched to death.
This Limited Edition has a Piss Poor Plastic Nub and Foam Pad disc holding design that is a major flaw and the disc’s pop off with ease.
Both Disc’s Loose and floating around inside.
Clearly these are tough times at one of the world’s most profitable companies. Hopefully they introduce a $150 Halo 2.5 Uber Edition which may just cover that extra spindle. Here’s hoping.
Sony dominates Japan last week just as they dominated U.S. game sales a month prior. As the above graph shows, the Playstation Family even outsold every Nintendo system combined. It looks like the Nintendo Wii is in freefall over in Japan. Perhaps a Brain Age game or two can help out the sluggish sales? Here is a complete breakdown of how the hardware and top 10 games sold last week in Japan (9/10-9/16).
Hardware Sales:
Playstation Family 121716
DSLite 79974
Wii 26181
Xbox360 1243
GBM 714
GBASP 122
GC 97
DS 15
GBA 0
Top 10 Games of the Week:
01. [PSP] Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – 487,000 / NEW
02. [NDS] Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon: Toki no Tankentai – 300,000 / NEW
03. [NDS] Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon: Yami no Tankentai – 269,000 / NEW 04. [PSP] Fate/Tiger Colosseum – 55,000 / NEW
05. [PS2] Another Century’s Episode 3: The Final – 31,000 / 218,000
06. [NDS] Taiko no Tatsujin DS – 24,000 / 131,000
07. [WII] Mario Party 8 – 24,000 / 756,000
08. [NDS] Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Ring of Fates – 24,000 / 316,000 09. [PS2] Sengoku Musou 2 Mushouden – 14,000 / 274,000
10. [NDS] My Housekeeping Diary – 13,000 / 195,000
While Microsoft is busy chasing the PS2 with generic subpar copycats of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, Sony shows off the first true next-gen Japanese RPG: White Knight Story. No doubt these graphics are only possible due to the inherent link between CELL and RSX and thanks to the use of Blu-ray we don’t have to find a place to store a 10-disc set.
Flash back 10 years ago. Final Fantasy VII was released on the Playstation and spanned 3 discs. The game was great but the multiple discs quickly became annoying. Then 2 years later Final Fantasy VIII weighed in at 4 discs. Thankfully, the Playstation 2′s use of DVD technology did away with having to fumble through multiple discs. Now that Sony has blessed all the Playstation 3s with Blu-ray technology there is no need to worry about multiple disc games and developers now have peace of mind when creating games for the Playstation 3.
Unfortunately for the other camp the picture isn’t quite as rosy.
What happens when you mix 12 year old DVD technology with hardware (360) just over a year old? We’re seeing the results today. Just over a year into the 360′s life and we’re already seeing games span 4 discs (Lost Odyssey) and 3 discs (Blue Dragon/Halo 3). That can be quite the headache for developers and gamers alike. This concerned gamer doesn’t think it’s too far-fetched to believe we might see 360 games appear on multiple DVDs that number into the double digits before its all said and done.
Looks like there’s a shakeup over @ MDF HQ following the disastrous year XBox 360 has had both at home and in Europe and Japan (where let’s face it, it’s non-existant).
We’d like to offer our warmest welcome to their newest leader and look forward to their many future editorials where they extol the ‘subtle beauty’ (read crap graphics) of Halo 3 and how a library of UE3 powered generic shooters offers consumers the best gaming experience bar none.
Hey everyone…here is my editorial from the November issue of EGM, which should start hitting subscribers pretty soon. Just wanted to give everyone an official head’s up here on my blog as well.
Bollocks! John Davison is leaving us, yet we’re still getting Mr. Bean movies? All things British seem to be going wrong for us right now. Mr. Bean is easy enough to ignore. But John Davison? We’re really going to miss our second-favorite British import (sorry, John, the Beatles are still tops)–our former editorial director is leaving the company to form a new, family-focused media group.
So who’s replacing him? A guy who seems to get his kicks from knocking down Mr. Bean shows (even though he’s never seen one): me. I’ve taken over the role of the 1UP Network’s editorial director, which means I’ll be watching over editorial coverage across a whole lot more than just the pages of EGM, from 1UP.com to Games for Windows: The Official Magazine to GameVideos.com to MyCheats.com and more (podcasts, blogs, etc.). That’s a lot to manage!
According to the latest Famitsu numbers, PSP is continuing its rise to the top of the handheld industry.
Japanese gamers, fed up with mind numbing pet simulators, are returning in droves to traditional games and gaming devices. The question now is can anything stop the PSP juggernaut apart from the impending release of the PSP Walkman?
