Ubisoft's release of From Dust on the PC has been, in every sense of the word, a disaster. Just the fact that the game requires an always-on Internet connection—putting the lie to earlier claims that it wouldn't—is a throat-slash to its credibility. The additional fact it's a glitch-strewn port of a console game is the cherry atop a shit sundae for a raving mad PC gaming community.
A locked 30 fps framerate that frequently skips, jaggy graphics and no way to improve them, bugs and glitches by themselves would be enough to alienate PC gamers who resent getting console leftovers. But the DRM is its own Godzilla-sized PR disaster, especially as Ubisoft originally said that reports of a mandatory always-on connection were erroneous. Yet after From Dust's release, Ubisoft evidently deleted and then restored the post in its official forums making that claim. For the record, Ubisoft now confirms that, yes, you'll need to be connected to the Internet to launch the game, no matter what.
Now Steam is said to be offering refunds to those who purchased From Dust, based on the misrepresentations of its DRM.
In June, after nearly six years on store shelves, Microsoft finally managed to crack the 1.5 million unit milestone for the Xbox 360 in Japan. To put that number into perspective, the 3DS just hit 1.5 million units sold after just six months ... and the 3DS is considered to be selling so poorly that Nintendo's CEO took a 50% pay cut. So it's not surprising to read Edge's report that Japanese retailers are finally giving up on the Xbox.
Edge cites Media Create data which puts Microsoft's year-to-date 360 sales in Japan at 46.7% lower than they were at the same period last year. Adding insult to that sales injury is the fact that the 360's last "high-profile Japanese exclusive" Idolmaster 2 will be ported to the PlayStation 3. Edge reports that "Geo, the nation's largest specialist retailer, is drastically scaling back its Xbox 360 business" while "staff at electronics retailer Yamada Denki in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, confirmed that the company is removing hardware and software from the majority of its stores nationwide."http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/report-japanese-retailers-backing-away-from-xbox-360/
From the March 1988 Newsweek article:
Rawson Stovall, a 16-year-old syndicated columnist on video and computer games, warns against the lure of complexity. Arcane simulations requiring thick instruction manuals "aren't games to me," he says. "A game is something with action and a joystick and firing the button and shooting the aliens." For the born-again video-game industry, the key to sustaining this new boom may be not to forget that the joystick generation will always be its best market.Yes, once upon a time, games more complex than Pong were considered "arcane simulations". I guess Farmville and Kinect are the backlash from this traumatic development.
Microsoft must defend its Xbox Live billing policies in a class action lawsuit filed this week in Indiana. Plaintiff Ryan Graves says he was double-charged for a subscription under "vague and onerous terms of use" for the console service membership.
Graves says that his Xbox Live subscription lapsed when he didn't update his credit card information; when he renewed the account later with a new card, Microsoft billed him for a new sub and the one that had expired, reports Gamasutra.
Graves, in his court complaint, says he was told the billing was "not a mistake," and that he would receive a two-year subscription to Xbox Live. Graves said basically, fuck that, he didn't order any two-year subscription. And so now this is going to court.
No longer on THQ's slate is the MX vs. ATV racing game franchise. The most recent entry, MX vs. ATV Alive, was released earlier this year. Seemingly also gone are properties like de Blob. Australian developer Blue Tongue is now closed as is THQ's Brisbane studio, which was working on a video game based on Marvel's The Avengers. THQ will also eliminate its development studio in Phoenix.
The publisher said last month that its Red Faction property is all-but dead as well, that it "[does] not intend to carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way." In June, it closed Homefront developer Kaos Studios. THQ did not mention one of its other upcoming titles, the Valhalla Games-developed Devil's Third, which recently slipped to 2013.
Max Schaefer, the Runic Games CEO, told Eurogamer that the first Torchlight just barely fit under XBLA's file size limit. While file size is not the issue here, memory is, Torchlight 2 would still need to be "comprehensively redesigned" to get on the Xbox 360's download service.http://kotaku.com/5827880/torchlight-2-is-too-big-for-xbox-lives-memory-limit
"After completing the game players will receive bonus items for Dead Space 2, including a hacker-themed suit with 15% armor and 15 inventory slots, as well as a bonus to the hacking portions of the game Players also receive a hacker-themed Contact Beam weapon, extra power nodes, health packs, ammo, and audio logs. These bonuses are found in "conduit rooms" unlocked with a Dead Space Ignition completed save file."
"A Message from Capcom
Monday, July 18, 2011, 8:02 PM [General]
We'd like to thank you for your ongoing loyal support of Mega Man Legends 3. Today, however, we must regrettably announce the discontinuation of this project.
From the outset the MML3 Project was intended to give gamers across the world insight and input into the development process. Part of this process includes an assessment of whether the title will go into full production, and is based on a number of criteria with input from different sectors of the company.
Unfortunately it was not felt that the Mega Man Legends 3 Project met the required criteria, and it is with regret that we must announce that the Mega Man Legends 3 Project has been cancelled, meaning that Capcom will not be releasing the Prototype or the full game. Additionally, updates of the Mega Man Legends Developer Room will cease as of today, though the North American Developer Room and its forums will remain open indefinitely.
We can only express our deepest apologies to all of you who have lent us your unending support, including participation in the Mega Man Legends 3 Developer Room. On behalf of the entire Legends team, please accept our sincere apology for failing to meet the expectations of the fans.
We thank you all so much for your extended support of this title and this community, and we hope that you will continue to support the Mega Man franchise as well as other Capcom games.
If you have any questions, please see the FAQ below.
Q: Are there plans to restart the Mega Man Legends 3 Project in the future?
A: Currently there are none.
Q: I want to maintain contact with the people I met through the Devroom.
A: The Dev Room will remain open in a limited capacity, so you can PM those people now and in the future.
Q: Is there a chance the ideas recruited in the Devroom will be used in future games?
A: No, I am afraid not.
Q: Will it be okay to upload the ideas we contributed to the Devroom elsewhere?
A: Yes, you may reuse your ideas elsewhere, including those ideas that were selected as winners in Devroom events.
Q: Will the people whose ideas were supposed to go in the game receive something else instead?
A:Yes, those whose ideas were to be implemented in the game will receive a commemorative gift, which will be shipped at a later date.
Q.Can you please give me more information on why the MML3 project was cancelled so close to the launch of the Prototype?
A. The project was cancelled for the reasons outlined in the statement.
Q.Will the Prototype Version still be distributed via the Nintendo eShop?
A.No it will not.
Q.Is the cancellation of MML3 related to the departure of Inafune-san?
A. The cancellation of the MML3 project is in no way related to Inafune-san leaving the company.
Q. This is the second Mega Man game cancelled this year, what does this mean for the future of the Mega Man Franchise?
A. Mega Man is still an important franchise within Capcom’s portfolio and we will continue to pursue opportunities to create new titles in the series.
Q. The Dev Room was a place where fans were supposed to be deeply involved in the creation of this product, why were they not involved in the decision to cancel this product?
A. We thank all those who were involved in the Developer Room, but the decision to continue or cancel the MML3 ultimately had to be made by Capcom.
Q. What will happen to the ideas and input participants have given to the Dev Room?
A. Content will remain viewable on the Devroom, but will not be utilized for any future projects.
Q. Will there be any future projects that involve fan participation in this manner? Or was this a one time experiment?
A. We will certainly continue to welcome suggestions and comments from Capcom’s community on current and future titles although right now there are no projects with plans to replicate the same level of interaction.
