CNN declares PS3 "A Sinking Ship"

[c0rnedfr0g]

as for the ffXIII franchise, Squenix is loosing me, honestly, it's breaking from it's traditions which made the FF franchise unique

I'm with you, except my interest in Final Fantasy largely expired after the 32-bit era. I find it insufferably dense, and becoming more bloated and saccharine by the numeral. I mean, FF12 essentially played itself, so I can't wait to see what Squenix are planning for FF13. Actually, I can.

I'll take the Tales of... or Shin Megami Tensei franchises over this dreck any day of the week - to say nothing of Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean, or even Atelier Iris for cryin' out loud

Haha I can agree on this one. I've only owned FF games below the #5. The 2D era was the best. While it was excruciatingly boring to level up and sit through the looooooong battles with FF1 on NES (esp spells cast against multiple enemies), I think FF2 (actually 4) on SNES was the pinnacle. Especially with all the bad translations... beautiful. A happy medium between the NES limitations and all the puff and convolutions of the PS era.

The only game after FF5 I've played is FF12 (big jump, I know). It was my friend's copy (he was a connoisseur of the 3d era, so we were on opp sides of the FF spectrum), so I didn't get into it that much, but it was fun. Different, though. I can testify to it playing itself, though, because he was able to set up the attack/heal combos against a boss with infinitely spawning minions so that he essentially just left his PS2 running for a few days until his characters were entirely leveled up

FF4 had a great story, but 0 party options. FF3 had awesome party options (the DS makeover is terrific). FF2 was a disaster. FF12... by the end, every character had every ability so what's the point in developing them differently?

Sorry I never played FF7 (*ducks tomatoes*). I am one of the few who played FF Mystic Quest (snes), but I was like 6 at the time so it was perfect as well (now, not so much)

 

[unimatrix7]

I was a bit young for RPGs during the NES era, and I had a Master System anyway. In the 16-bit era I had a Mega Drive/Genesis (does my avatar give it away? ) so I was more Phantasy Star than Final Fantasy. FF7 was actually my first Final Fantasy game, and the only one that I really like. I still haven't played a lot of the earlier FF games for any length of time, and I know that with the PSP and DS remakes I really have no excuse anymore...though like you say, I've heard horrible things about FF2, so maybe I'll give that one a miss

I'd like to also give a shout out to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King on Wii, which was a fantastic game and desperately in need of a sequel.

 

[Sephiroth]

FF7 is alot better than ff6, yes, the 2d era is where RPG's do thier best, but FF7 and Super Mario RPG are exceptions, and blue dragon has been proven that it can be done right, 7 had a gripping plot, memorable charaters, and a fun magic and level system to play with,i like the fact that the 7-verse is getting alot of expansion, because it deserves it, I can't really say that about the other final fantasy games.

Sony, as a company, is a mess, they openly insult thier gamer base

(and i'm glad that i am not the only one who remembers mystic quest)

 

[Gatekeeper]

Analyst: Slow HDTV Sales Hurting PS3 Sales

Kris Pigna - PC Magazine
Tue Dec 16, 12:05 pm ET

A November report from the NPD Group shows a large disparity between sales of the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. One obvious reason is the difference in price, but Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggests that the differenc is also due to the sagging sales of HDTVs.

"We believe that PS3 sales are being impacted by lower demand for HD televisions as a result of the recession," Pachter said via GamesIndustry.biz.
This, along with the price disparity — the cheapest 360 model, at $199, is half the cost of a $399 PS3 — are combining to stymie PS3 sales this holiday season, he said.

"There was likely some substitution of Xbox 360 for PS3 purchases, due to recent price reductions for the Xbox 360 and the bundling of the console with two free games," according to Pachter.

Brighter future foreseen

However, it's not all bad news for Sony. Pachter also said he expects sales to pick up throughout the first half of 2009, due to increased interest in PS3 exclusives and the system's Blu-ray player.

"We believe that several PS3 exclusives, notably LittleBigPlanet, along with focus on the Blu-ray will drive hardware sales over the next six months," he said.

Pachter also predicted strong hardware sales across the board for December, saying the recession won't have a significant effect this month. "Rather, we think that as Nintendo increases Wii supply further, Sony markets Blu-ray, and Microsoft rolls out its New Xbox Experience, hardware sales will show year-over-year increases in December."

This post originally appeared on 1Up.com.

**shrug** Well, what do you folks think? I'm a PS3 owner and haven't had any issues with it. Then again, I typically don't froth at the mouth over gaming/entertainment systems.

Gatekeeper

 

[Aragorn]

I think the Xbox gushers who are singing the praises of the Xbox Arcade here (who were probably bashing the Xbox Core when it came out) would use a cheaper hard drive-less PS3 as a reason against buying PS3s.

And I say this as someone who plays my 360 more than my PS3 and Wii combined.

 

[unimatrix7]

I think the Xbox gushers who are singing the praises of the Xbox Arcade here (who were probably bashing the Xbox Core when it came out) would use a cheaper hard drive-less PS3 as a reason against buying PS3s.

Huh? I just skimmed through the thread again and I can't seem to find anyone even mention the Xbox 360 Arcade model, and certainly nobody 'singing its praises.'

Also, a cheaper, HDD-less PS3 would be a reason against buying a PS3 since a lot of PS3 games nowadays require a mandatory install

 

[Aragorn]

Well it was a response to Gatekeeper's article he posted (which mentions the Arcade by price), but maybe I'm mixing posts in this thread and the PS3/360 thread.

 

[crouteru]

Heh, these console war threads are always a good read. I've always been a Nintendo fan and on that basis I can say that I've been very pleased with the Wii so far, both in terms of hardware and software. I've played and enjoyed all of their top franchise games (Mario, Zelda, etc.) and had the chance to replay old gems via the Virtual Console. Added to that is the interest from non-gamers to play multiplayer games with me, something that was always difficult in the past.

I got a PS3 not long after launch, which I kinda regretted since there wasn't much worth playing at the time. The hardware though is superb. Slick design, quiet when on and wireless out of the box. The user interface is also very nice. There are a few highly anticipated games on the horizon, though their exclusivity is uncertain. I know FFXIII is on the 360, and maybe Tekken 6 now too...?

This is probably going to annoy some people, but the 360 has been the weakest for me so far. The majority of it's top titles have all been first or third person shooters, I genre that I'm not all that interested in. It also has horrible hardware design. It sounds like a jet engine when running a disc, it has a disc tray that is so basic it could break easily (I would've thought games companies might have learned from the original PS2 model that disc trays are unreliable), I have to pay an additional £50 for a wireless adaptor and perhaps worst of all is the overheating. The controller is also too fat and clunky.

 

[trekkerguy]

Of course you love the article. You're the very person I referred in the other active video game thread.

Which other video game thread?

Once people decide to ignore logic I try to forget threads, especialy when it comes to the gaming field.

 

[The Doctor]

The Wii is a hoot. That's why it sells. That's why it continues to sell.

Hell, I don't know when I had as much fun with a game as I've been having with Mario Galaxy and deBlob.

 

[dragunzng]

It's a shame then that games like Galaxy and De Blob are the exception rather than the rule on the Wii.

 

[trekkerguy]

It's a shame then that games like Galaxy and De Blob are the exception rather than the rule on the Wii.

I hear this all the time but find no fact in it.

Just think of the Wii as a platform for Nintendo games only and you're set.

Pretty much all of those are frikkin awesome and there's plenty.

 

[dragunzng]

Just think of the Wii as a platform for Nintendo games only and you're set.

It's a shame then that so many of the games Nintendo is making these days are lame iterations of their classics and psuedo-games like Wii-Fit and Wii Music.

 

[Aragorn]

I'm still holding out hope for Grand Theft Mario.

 

[CorporalClegg]

FF7 is alot better than ff6, yes, the 2d era is where RPG's do thier best, but FF7 and Super Mario RPG are exceptions, and blue dragon has been proven that it can be done right, 7 had a gripping plot, memorable charaters, and a fun magic and level system to play with,i like the fact that the 7-verse is getting alot of expansion, because it deserves it, I can't really say that about the other final fantasy games.

Well, I disagree 100%, but I have no desire to open that annual bag of worms at this time. So, I'll leave it at that.

 

[Arrqh]

Just think of the Wii as a platform for Nintendo games only and you're set.

It's a shame then that so many of the games Nintendo is making these days are lame iterations of their classics and psuedo-games like Wii-Fit and Wii Music.

As a business strategy, it's hard to fault them though. There's a large market for this stuff and they're eating it up.

 

[unimatrix7]

Just think of the Wii as a platform for Nintendo games only and you're set.

It's a shame then that so many of the games Nintendo is making these days are lame iterations of their classics and psuedo-games like Wii-Fit and Wii Music.

As a business strategy, it's hard to fault them though. There's a large market for this stuff and they're eating it up.

Whenever somebody finds fault with the appeal and/or quality of Nintendo's output these last few years, the defense is always 'but they're making soooo much money!' Sorry, but that's a matter of complete indifference to me, as it should be to anyone who doesn't own Nintendo shares.

 

[Arrqh]

Whenever somebody finds fault with the appeal and/or quality of Nintendo's output these last few years, the defense is always 'but they're making soooo much money!' Sorry, but that's a matter of complete indifference to me, as it should be to anyone who doesn't own Nintendo shares.

That's fine. If you think that my point is that the products are good because they are making money, then you have misinterpreted me. I'm not here to defend Nintendo's products... I'm simply talking about the actual sales figures. The point is that this sort of thing is not targeted at the traditional gaming market. It's a totally different market and from a business perspective, it was obviously a good decision on their part. What's particularly interesting about Wii Fit is that the sales now are higher then they were at launch... something that is very very rare when it comes to console titles which tend to be very frontloaded. It's just one more demonstration of how most of what Nintendo is doing is in an entirely different market from MS and Sony.

Money and sales of course don't equal quality and I never said that they did. Which is also why this graph is so depressing.

 

[dragunzng]

As a business strategy, it's hard to fault them though. There's a large market for this stuff and they're eating it up.

I don't have a problem with it as a strategy, I just have a problem with the games.

 

[unimatrix7]

That's fine. If you think that my point is that the products are good because they are making money, then you have misinterpreted me. I'm not here to defend Nintendo's products... I'm simply talking about the actual sales figures. The point is that this sort of thing is not targeted at the traditional gaming market. It's a totally different market and from a business perspective, it was obviously a good decision on their part. What's particularly interesting about Wii Fit is that the sales now are higher then they were at launch... something that is very very rare when it comes to console titles which tend to be very frontloaded. It's just one more demonstration of how most of what Nintendo is doing is in an entirely different market from MS and Sony.

You were talking about Nintendo's fiscal triumphs in response to a post that was clearly about the quality of Nintendo's games off late. The two issues aren't mutually exclusive, of course, but it bothers me that Nintendo is so unassailable these days. Just speaking generally, nobody can talk about the issues that matter to gamers - as opposed to accountants - anymore without a Nintendo fanboy crawling out of the woodwork and accosting us with an annual report. And that gets on my goat.