Video Games...Discuss Them

[number8]

I didn't mean that RFID chips are expensive. I meant that it'd be costly to manufacture special discs that can have them embedded and still be read by an optical disk reader. I don't think the disc can still work if you just have it stuck on (NFC stickers are not flat), and if it's on the box, it'd defeat the whole purpose of why they want it in the first place.

[SirNewt]

I didn't mean that RFID chips are expensive. I meant that it'd be costly to manufacture special discs that can have them embedded and still be read by an optical disk reader. I don't think the disc can still work if you just have it stuck on (NFC stickers are not flat), and if it's on the box, it'd defeat the whole purpose of why they want it in the first place.

I don't mean an NFC sticker is on the disk (this may be possible) but that it comes inside the box with the disk perhaps on a card. The card is usable only once.

[D_Davis]

Any additional cost would be negligible because Sony would bulk order and have produced millions of discs at a time.

I doubt we'll see an increase in game prices next gen. If anything, I bet we see more lower priced games, or at least more tiers in which games are priced. We'll have the big $60 games still, but more stuff coming out at a variety of lower prices, both boxed and download.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Even more of a reason to steer clear. $60 is already pushing it.

Just a comment.

I remember when SNES games retailed for $60.

The fact that game prices have not gone up significantly in the past two decades, despite the advances in tech, the increased cost to produce, the much larger development teams...it's kind of insane that Batman the Animated Series and Arkham City cost the same amount of money.

[EyesWideOpen]

Video games have been cheaper in the last five years then any other time in its history.

[Sycophant]

At least the US doesn't pay Japan or Europe prices for new retail games. A lot of PS3 games release in Japan for about 8400 yen. Persona 4 Golden for PSVita retails for 7329 yen, which is about $84.

[Dukefrukem]

At least the US doesn't pay Japan or Europe prices for new retail games. A lot of PS3 games release in Japan for about 8400 yen. Persona 4 Golden for PSVita retails for 7329 yen, which is about $84.

This is a great point. Games in Aussie are almost double US prices.

Who knows what games are gonna cost in the next gen. All I know is I <3 steam.

[Skitch]

Yeah I remember spending $50+ for Perfect Dark N64. After the Panasonc 3DO took its first price drop (from about $799 to $425) I jumped aboard. It stopped being produced a few months later and became worthless. I'll never get hooked again.

[D_Davis]

Just a comment.

I remember when SNES games retailed for $60.

The fact that game prices have not gone up significantly in the past two decades, despite the advances in tech, the increased cost to produce, the much larger development teams...it's kind of insane that Batman the Animated Series and Arkham City cost the same amount of money.

If anything, games have gone down in price since the advent of retail video games. Atari 2600 games were $35-50, adjusted for inflation that's way more than what we pay now.

And yes, NES and SNES were $50, some more depending on RAM chips.

And with the added cost of production these days, $60 is actually a very, very good deal.

So basically, I'm just agreeing with everything you said because it's a true fact.

[megladon8]

N64 games retailed for $70-$80 back in the day.

I remember paying $74.99 for "Goldeneye 64".

[Morris Schæffer]

I remember when SNES games retailed for $60.

I paid a huge amount of green for Streetfighter 2 back in 1992. Or at least my parents did. I don't think they understood why I needed to have exactly that game.

[EyesWideOpen]

I made it about halfway through my replay of the original Paper Mario and was getting bored so I switched over to playing Kirby's Epic Yarn. Played about an hour and loving it so far. Very adorable.

[megladon8]

I never played the original "Paper Mario" but I loved "The Thousand Year Door".

I thought the GameCube was a great system.

[Skitch]

I just got annoyed with Warrior Within (even though I'm very close to finishing it) and switched to inFamous 2. So far so awesome!

[EyesWideOpen]

I never played the original "Paper Mario" but I loved "The Thousand Year Door".

I thought the GameCube was a great system.

Yeah The Thousand Year Door is a better game. I have Super Paper Mario which I've never played so once I finish with Kirby I'll play that one.

[SirNewt]

I've never made it far in the Paper Mario games. They looked really cool but the gameplay never grabbed me.

I did play through Mario RPG about a dozen times back in the 90s.

Oh, and a played a ways into Super Star Saga which seemed great.

[Dukefrukem]

Second Walking Dead video game commin' at ya

[youtube]zt_DFmwxqJM#![/youtube]

Good news. This was a fake.

[EyesWideOpen]

Good news. This was a fake.

The trailer was fake but the footage is all real footage that they showed on ign and then some fan made it into a trailer.

[megladon8]

"Syndicate" continues to be pretty darn cool.

I gather I am nearing the end of the campaign, and I've really enjoyed the world and the incredible amount of detail. Everything in this world (and in the game itself, as even its menus mimic the game's dystopian future world of commercialism and corporate espionage) is fully realized and made to look and feel like a shiny new technological gadget that takes one more step in bridging the gap between the real and the digital.

At the end of each level you receive scores on kills, headshots, successful "breaches" (hacking someone or something in the game), accuracy, etc. Even these ratings have cheeky names (if you do really well, reach the level of "CEO" or "Executive"), and under the scorecard it says "Are you hitting your targets?"

The voice cast and acting are great, with Rosario Dawson, Michael Wincott and Brian Cox playing the three lead roles.

The story is nonsensical and superfluous - an overly convoluted (yet paper thin) story of rival corporations sending high-tech cyborg agents to steal data from each other in the constant struggle to gain supremacy in the world of high-tech development.

The shooting feels fantastic, and each gun has an alternate fire function that's really well implemented. For example the standard assault rifle comes equipped with two scopes - the standard burst fire uses a red dot sight, and if you switch firing modes you tilt the gun 45 degrees to use the zoomable sniper scope, and it shoots single rounds.

Combining the shooting with the three main breaches leads to some neat tactical gameplay, and you really must be tactical here, because you get your ass handed to you if you just try to run-and-gun.

What really steals the show, though, is the world and its presentation. The sights, the sounds, it's all shiny and full of light bloom and visual distortions making it look hyper real (think a J.J. Abrams movie on steroids, with regards to the lighting).

It's a shame I can't play the co-op because apparently that's where the game really shines, combining a "Left 4 Dead" style of 4-player co-op with the tactical shooting of the gameplay.

Highly recommended to shooter fans!

[Winston*]

Getting a lot of extra enjoyment out of Saints Row 3 since I turned my character into a vampire.

[Acapelli]

Getting a lot of extra enjoyment out of Saints Row 3 since I turned my character into a vampire.

since making my character into jason statham and purchasing the ability to not die from falls, i've been recreating the ending to crank a lot

[Dukefrukem]

since making my character into jason statham and purchasing the ability to not die from falls, i've been recreating the ending to crank a lot

That's awesome.

[Dukefrukem]

oh and this is here.

Xi3, Valve Announce New Steam-Powered PC

The Half Life creators are finally ready to showcase their Steam-powered system, which is less than half the size of traditional gaming PCs.

Today Valve and hardware partner Xi3 announced they will showcase a new "development stage computer system" this week at CES. The press release didn't share the PC specifications, but it will be optimized for Big Picture mode and be housed in one of Xi3's modular systems like the one shown above (most likely with a different array of ports). This chassis is roughly the size of a grapefruit and is built to mount on the back of displays.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for Xi3," said Xi3 CEO Jason A. Sullivan in a press release. "This new development stage product will allow users to take full-advantage of their large high-definition TV displays for an amazing computer game experience. As a result, this new system could provide access to thousands of gaming titles through an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles, but can fit in the palm of your hand."

[Dukefrukem]

Update: Can it actually fit in the palm of your hand? Engadget and everyone else are going hands-on at CES.

[Dukefrukem]

STEAM BOX!