520°

Five Ways Microsoft Will Own 2009

Mention Microsoft as a company that is losing steam quickly in the console race, and you'll be immediately hammered by Xbox 360 owners across the globe. And you won't get much agreement from CGReviews, either. Things look grim, but don't be fooled. Microsoft is preparing to unleash some wicked firepower, and may just stop Sony in its tracks.

Sources have shared with Cam five things that will put your 360 on top of the hype train for 2009. Ready? Read on.

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Handsome_Devil5961d ago

I gave this my approve just for the hell of it.

-------------------------

now on topic:

this is not bashing, this is really is my own analysis for the whole article. as I said MY OWN, so please do not think it is bashing :).

1- "Sources revealed" this sources could be anything, it can be speculation and guesses, and it could be a real sources. now when I look at the rest of the sentence ( "as Microsoft has been falling back on the "value of Xbox Live" for too long now." ), make me feel its more of a speculation.

2- "My source" now that bring us back to number 1. add to it "My speculation is that we'll be seeing this before year end." I would like for it be true as its going to make the competition even harder and more interesting, which make us both parties win :D

3- well I only hope for it to have a decent MP, and not broken :). oh yeah I play it in a friend xbox 360 :) so this way I don't miss on anything and he won't miss on any PS3 title ;)

4- "I don't think it's a big deal, but apparently Microsoft is still putting faith in exclusive downloadable content. Word is that they're securing some heavy DLC for Assassin's Creed 2." now why won't they use this money to develop a whole new exclusive game instead of pay more to get more of the game ( which you paid a full price for :S )

5- now number 5 is actually the most exciting part of all of it, I do wanna know what M$ have more to add to xbox live service :D

Chris3995961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

And exclusive JRPGs from Mistwalker. Nothing this gen on any system has really come close to Lost Odyssey, and I bought the system for that title and others that I hoped would follow in the genre.

I don't care about features, bundles, enhancements etc.. I don't use my PS3 for blu-ray either, if that gives you some idea where I'm coming from.

Gaming consoles should be used for... you guessed it... games!!!

Oh, and no more FPS' this year, from MS or Sony. The market is drowning in them.

Handsome_Devil5961d ago

Come to think of it, this gen lack the decent JRPGs in an unbelievable maner, you would think both consoles would have some decent amount of them.

now the xbox 360 have it more the PS3 does, but some of them are not even worth it. as you said nothing really so far came close to Lost Odyssey.

Game13a13y5961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

6) make a system that won't go crapped out on you.

I_am_rushin5961d ago

It's hilarious how Microsoft will "rule" because they haven't announced anything versus Sony who has already announced a boatload of games.

Chris3995961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

Lost Odyssey was an EXCELLENT game. If you're a console loyalist, the only reason why I didn't mention Valkyria Chronicles (my other favorite Japanese game this gen) was because it's a SJRPG, not a JRPG.

Don't take it personally that Lost Odyssey was a great game simply because it wasn't on your system of choice. That doesn't change the fact that it was the closest to an epic JRPG that we have come this gen (by most people's evaluation, myself included).

Anyhow, back to the point of the article, Microsoft needs to announce more exclusives this year to counter Sony's slew of releases. I expect competition to fierce, especially if - when - they (Sony) drop the price of the PS3.

All this corporate banter aside, the only thing that I care about are the games, JRPGs in particular. From MS and Sony, I'm eagerly expecting announcements on this front.

Be a gamer, not a brand loyalist.

MikeMichaels5961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

It's already March (the 3rd month) of this year. That a quarter of 2009 gone already.

E3 is in May, this is when we hear that they're gonna announce stuff. Thats half a year gone.

How can they possibly "own" 09 even at this point? Its obvious they're lying to their user base.

SHOW SOMETHING MS!!!

Anyone wanna wager that they purchace a few multiplat titles in the near future and say....look...see...we told you!!

cayal5961d ago

"Sony who has already announced a boatload of games."

Sony aren't stupid. I have no doubt they haven't shown their hand yet either. There is more to come, I guarantee it.

And I am sorry but Assassins Creed DLC? That's a 'reason' why it will own. Big friggin whoop.
If it was Assassins Creed EXCLUSIVE. It might be a reason.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 5961d ago
dj555555555961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

Wow that was pointless, should have just said "Five Ways Microsoft Will Own 2009... number 1. because my mate said so" 2. because ummm..... stuff will happen. 3. ooh a gears of war game (Surprise!) 4. halo (who would have guessed) 5. because i say so".

evilmonkey5015961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

my thoughts exactly. Until Microsoft announces anything I will speculate that the year is shaping up nicely for SONY. Its all about the games. Microsoft has sold off or disassembled almost all of its first party studios and is relying all on third party support. On the other hand SONY has more than 17 first party studios churning out AAA titles. This year I am especially looking forward to MAG, GOD OF WAR 3, UNCHARTED 2, HEAVY RAIN, INFAMOUS, KILLZONE 2, WARDEVIL, RATCHET AND CLANK 2, WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES, GT5(POSSIBLY) and THE AGENCY.
There are several more slated for release this year and I'm sure there is even more unannounced titles for release this year.I think it is unfortunate that Microsoft has basically decided to nonsupport its own system (funny, because they are a SOFTWARE company) with the exception of yet another HALO franchise spin off. (I'm not including gears because now it is officially third party) Im glad I own both systems though....just in case.

ZEEBO4LIFESTFU5961d ago

gears is third party as far as your concerned.... your rediculous.

evilmonkey5015961d ago

You are correct. I made a mistake. Epic is a SECOND party studio. (not owned by Microsoft)

Hiruma Youchi5961d ago

Aww man Another title thatll make the SDF dudes crazy. Watch the people who support 360 get Disagrees for fun.

get at me

pumpkinpunker5961d ago (Edited 5961d ago )

SDF is going to go nuts this E3. MS is keeping secrets this year even better than last year. Halo 4 is going to drive them bonkers, too. this sh^t is funny to me. Halo 3 came out in September 2007. Halo 4 announcements are long over-due. If Halo 4 was a Sony title they probably would have already shown a CGI trailer of it at E3 2008.

How's the news on super-awesome 5780 players at once MAG? any release window yet? any actual game footage? anything? anyone? ***crickets***

I love how at the beginning of every year the SDF pulls out their long list of games and declares it "year of the PS3" but as the year wears on more and more MS announcements send the SDF into Aspergers syndrome frenzy. Remember that dude who threatened suicide when SE announced FF13 on the 360? Good times, good times.

rawd5961d ago

What happened to the Wii? Does the Wii disappear in 2009

table5961d ago

the wii isnt a games console. its a fashion accessory.

Show all comments (67)
100°

Why Assassin's Creed 2 and 3 Had the Best Writing the Series Has Ever Seen

IGN - Assassin's Creed's focus on character-driven storytelling has been buried by its RPG sandbox features, and the series is weaker for it.

RaidenBlack107d ago

A rare W opinion piece from IGN.
IMO, Ubisoft needs to setup two primary AC dev teams. 1 would focus on and release character-driven OG-style AC games for OG fans and the other would continue the current RPG-ified AC style for current fans.
Release by them Bi-annually and alternatively. There'd less fatigue and a boost to quality.

ZeekQuattro107d ago

I definitely appreciate 3 more after playing it again in recent years along with the Liberation game. Back when 3 was new I was still riding high on AC2 and Brotherhood so when I played 3 I felt a bit let down. Even the ship battles grew on me.

-Foxtrot107d ago

AC2 - Yes

AC3 - Urm...I don't know

I feel they kind of dropped the ball with AC3 and with the way the story went it just didn't make sense to me at all. I felt it would have made more sense lore wise if they had it so the Red Coats were mostly Assassins and the Templars were mostly the Colonists who wanted this "new world" as a fresh start for their operations, to build a country up they'd have full control of from the start so they manufacture the war as something else while really it's just a front for the Templars vs Assassins.

It just meant that since the Red coats lose the war it explains how the Templars have gained full control of future America and how the Assassins have slowly died out by then. This entire event would have been the turning point of how things went to s**t for the Assassins and how there's not many of them left in the present.

Haythem was a lot more interesting than Connor and he should have been the main Assassin of AC3.

lucasnooker106d ago (Edited 106d ago )

I thought AC2 was the greatest of the series and it is but replaying it recently, I stared to see more flaws in the game. Basically every single mission is an assassination besides a few tailing missions lol. Still, the implementation of all the new mechanics were great. The smoke bombs, disarming guards, story, hidden tombs, swimming, flying machine, multiple locations, etc. it definitely felt a bit more special to me at the time of release though

isarai106d ago

Dunno about 3, the 1st act was cool, then i couldn't tell you what happens after that. But 2 was so good! The entire acts 1-3 were al memorable, whereas i really couldn't even tell you what happens in any other AC game

240°

Gears of War 2 Remake was in development “10 years ago” but was scrapped by Xbox

Ayi Sanchez: "Old work. I did this 10 years ago now as part of a material test for a remaster of Gears of War 2 that never happened."

RaidenBlack112d ago

lolz,
hope we're still getting Gears 2 & 3 for PC, as per rumors

Cacabunga111d ago

Xbox always taking the right decisions

XiNatsuDragnel112d ago

Wow... just wow Microsoft sigh at it again 😑

Lightning77112d ago

Weird, in mean they had no studios to make anything really new so there's a part of me thats kinda glad they scrapped it. If they released this back then it would of gotten ridiculed for remakes and remastering stuff. Now they have new and interesting games so the collection is harmless.

CrimsonWing69111d ago

Geez, Xbox, something like that I would’ve bought Day 1. Great business decisions over there.

lucasnooker111d ago

10 years ago it wasn’t such a big deal. The games were only a few years old by that point

CrimsonWing69111d ago

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition came out in 2015 (essentially 10 years ago), having a follow-up to that on the then next-gen console would’ve absolutely been welcomed, in my book.

LoveSpuds111d ago

I can only assume the the Gears of War Remaster flopped so they decided to scrap the other remakes?

Seems short sighted to me as I really enjoyed the 1st remaster. Regardless, I'll snap up some remakes to play on my PS5.

Show all comments (11)
260°

Gears Of War Creator Urges Devs To Make Single-Player Games Amid EA's Live Service Focus

Gears of War's creator has spoken out against the trend of turning established franchises into live services, urging developers to focus on single-player experiences.

Relientk77144d ago

I agree with Cliff for once.

Single player games > GaaS

JEECE144d ago

Too bad he didn't have this opinion when he chased trends with Lawbreakers. Or when he chased trends with Radical Heights.

Popsicle144d ago (Edited 144d ago )

He learned from the mistake or he wouldn’t be advocating for more single player experiences. I find this refreshing in a world where we often see people so stubborn that they tend to double down on a mistake which results in making things even worse. Seriously, good for him!

JEECE144d ago

@Popsicle

Oh for sure, better late than never. And better to somewhat own up to your mistakes, rather than just blaming your release window, or advertising partners, or gamers lol.

anast143d ago

@Popsicle

Of course we will never know his intentions, but it's hard to believe he is just a naive agent that is learning from his mistakes.

-Foxtrot144d ago

He could have done one himself after Gears of War but he did Lawbreakers…look how that turned out.

RaidenBlack144d ago

Not converting Jawbreakers into F2P was the final nail in the CliffyB coffin.

Knushwood Butt144d ago

Jawbreakers would have been a better name! Heck, I might just go and trademark that right now.

BISHOP-BRASIL144d ago

@Knushwood

Aren't those a kind of candy already?

coolbeans144d ago

You're missing the point. His studio's short lifespan is what *inspired* him to make this comment in the first place.

-Foxtrot144d ago

Oh I know the point...I'm just stating the obvious and how stupid he was in the beginning to jump on a trend he had no real experience in. A first person hero shooter with heavy GaaS elements is a lot different than the multiplayer in Gears of War.

He'd have been better creating something like Gears of War again, a great single player story and a good online mode.

coolbeans144d ago

-"A first person hero shooter with heavy GaaS elements is a lot different than the multiplayer in Gears of War."

I mean... you're kinda muddying terms when Gears has always had a strong multiplayer component. Even if I grant you that, Cliffy B started cementing himself at Epic with Unreal Tournament, which was among the earliest shooter series to have "proto-GaaS elements" (downloadable maps, cosmetics, special editions that bundle stuff together). Lawbreakers and Radical Heights (were it finished) weren't major career shifts to him like they would be for, say, Fumito Ueda.

Regardless of that, it's still kinda useless to state the obvious when CliffyB himself made his comments with the benefit of hindsight already.

144d ago
CrimsonWing69144d ago (Edited 144d ago )

Look, these a-hole publishers can do this, in fact I want them to, so they can f*ck around and find out and fail hard scaring away everyone else from doing this live service push.

This industry is run by some of the dumbest corporate pieces of sh*t I’ve ever seen. They spend stupid amount of money with literally nothing that stands out from games from the previous generation (look at Arkham Knight to the $200 mill Suicide Squad comparison vids), you’re overpaying devs, and you focus on games as a service to milk consumers that a lot of them grew up off traditional games. We’re not idiots, we sniff this sh*t out and won’t touch it.

So, what’s your answer to not getting a ROI? Raise game prices and double down on GaaS so you can suck your consumers dry. That model only works for some games and even then how in hell do you expect it to work with multiple games!? They’re ruining the damn hobby with this corporate greed.

Cut back on dev budgets, cut back on how much your staff is getting paid, until sales for games bring in a profit. That’s the answer and make some games that feel like there’s passion behind them, not some cookie cut up game that feels like the entire existence behind it is to offer as little as it can with repetitive bullsh*t and selling off all this content throughout its life. It’s gross.

anast143d ago

I agree with every point here.

Redemption-64143d ago

Games do bring in a profit, it's the greed that is killing the industry. Here is a fact, live service games overall make more, significantly more money than single player games

What you should be asking is executives not wanting continuous growth or firing them. Saying devs should be fired when those who are fitting the bills and setting unrealistic expectations would make things worse. What do y9u think would happen if they released say, 30 single player games and over half of them fail? You are going after the wrong crowd.

DankSinatra144d ago

About time he learned. I guess he finally stopped blaming everyone else and took accountability for his mistakes and realized that people really don't care that much for trends or live service.

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