System 3 is determined to dispel this notion. Starting in September, almost all of the publisher’s titles will be released on both digital and physical formats in the same week.

It’s an approach that has rarely been taken before, except for a handful of one-off Sony titles such as Warhawk and GT5 Prologue.

Other games – such as Burnout Paradise and anything on Microsoft’s growing Games On Demand service – have only been released digitally after spending a considerable time at retail.

The first System 3 IP to use this strategy is Ferrari: The Race Experience. The game is due on PSN on September 15th – two days before the Wii edition hits shelves. It’s a risk, but the publisher is confident that only Ferrari can lead its latest initiative.

“We needed to try our new digital solution with a big title to see if it would work or not, so why not Ferrari?” asks System 3 CEO Mark Cale.

“Downloads are not going to sell as many units as a retail copy at present, but I think that’s changing and we need to lead the way. We need to start the revolution because we’ve been foreseeing this shift for the last eighteen months – we’ve been planning this for that long.

“We have titles ready for September and October to release as digital products across varying levels of gameplay style. Starting with Ferrari is a really good way of trying to launch this philosophy.

“If this strategy doesn’t work with a title like Ferrari, at least we’ll have given it a go. But I think the world will be surprised as to how promising this opportunity really is.”

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A news analysis piece looking at how Microsoft is aiming to reach new audiences with Kinect, despite the controversial price tag. This piece is a follow-up on a full-page front cover story I wrote about the retail reaction to Microsoft’s Kinect pricing. The feature was published in MCV and subsequently published on MCVuk.com.

The price of Kinect has always been a crucial issue.

When the device was first unveiled last year, everyone from retailers and publishers to the all-important consumers began to wonder how much this ambitious technology would cost – especially as Microsoft began positioning it as akin to a new console launch.

The platform holder finally announced the price two weeks ago: £129.99 for the camera itself and Kinect Adventures.

It is considerably more than the sub-£100 price point the High Street demanded in the wake of E3. And yet retailers surprised the industry by revealing the number of deposits received for Kinect so far has been higher than expected.

There have, of course, been some complaints – particularly from consumers online – but Grainger Games even claims the device could be the company’s biggest pre-order to date.

Microsoft are understandably pleased with the response.
Through the initially high price points of Xbox 360 and even it’s Xbox Live service, the platform holder has gained a deep understanding of its audience’s financial tendencies – and the first wave of pre-orders for Kinect show that this has not waned in any way.

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Jon Rooke: Tons. We had Red Faction: Guerrilla last year. That’s an original IP that THQ had owned for a number of years, and despite a seven-year gap between Red Faction II and Guerilla, we brought that IP back to market and still managed to ship 1.3m units. And it was around the same time as UFC 2009, so we were almost competing with ourselves and still delivered great volume. So that was a great success.

We had Darksiders at the start of this year – again, 1.3m units shipped and it took No.1 positions in a lot of markets. To have a first-time developer achieve this in January just proves that we can engage consumers with new IP. Similarly, we saw great success with Metro 2033.

Looking forward, we have a great pipeline of new IPs. It’s a lot more balanced than it used to be. In previous years, we might have been a little over-reliant on licensed products but we certainly have great IP. There’ll be another Darksiders, another Saints Row, Homefront, we’ve got another Red Faction, not to mention de Blob. We’re building brands and franchises at THQ. Previously, we’d build one game and if it worked we’d build another, but now we have a more franchise-orientated plan.

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A feature looking at the budget software market, originally published in MCV, and subsequently published on MCVuk.com.

Once upon a time there was a very clear line between full price and budget releases – basically, anything under £20 was a budget title, and generally these were republished outings.1

But today more and more companies are blurring the line between full price and budget.

In the last year, we’ve seen the likes of Ubisoft’s Just Dance and Pure Football plus Namco Bandai’s Clash of the Titans hit shelves with a lower price point on day one. Is this a sign that the definition of a full price release is changing?

“I think it is a sign of a maturing market and simple market forces,” says Mastertronic MD Andy Payne. “I think game makers are pricing their products according to what they think they are worth and what a particular market demographic will be happy to pay.

“There should not be a standard SRP across the board. Some products are worth considerably more than others – you don’t expect a standard price for a gig ticket or a book, so why should you for a game?”

Avanquest’s European games director Simon Reynolds adds: “It is great to see so many good titles coming out at more affordable prices. Our games offering has always been based around value for money and we welcome other quality titles being released at these price points.

“Consumers can’t always afford £35 to £40 for a new release, so to have a bigger selection of quality titles at lower prices can only help grow the market and encourage consumers to keep coming back for more.”

Focus Multimedia’s PR & marketing manager Alan Wild counters this, warning that “the flipside is we’re effectively educating consumers into expecting a lower-priced commodity”.

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Late to the Party is a regular column in which I play a retro title for the first time to see how well it compares with the games of today. With the tragic demise of B4HD, the feature has moved has moved to Resolution Magazine.

Another E3 has come and gone, and there is still no sign of Beyond Good and Evil 2. Given the hullabaloo the all-too-vague teaser trailer caused in 2008, it’s difficult not to hear the collective gnashing of teeth from fans of the original game.

Obviously, I knew the 2003 original was well-received, but it was one of the many Gamecube games that passed me by. As the momentum behind a possible sequel grew, I borrowed a friend’s copy and saw for myself what the fuss is about.

Clearly, it’s all about quality. For several console generations, it has been apparent that the vast majority of third-party games don’t match up to the sheer quality of first-party titles. Beyond Good & Evil was – and still is – one of the exceptions to this rule.

Touted by some at the time as Ubisoft’s Zelda, I learned that it is more: it’s also Ubi’s Metal Gear Solid, Pokemon Snap and (by the end) Starfox as well. To cram elements of these highly-cherished and varied titles and to do so seamlessly is a feat that few developers have managed.

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Late To The Party is a regular column in which I play a retro title for the first time to see how well it compares with the games of today. This edition was published at B4HD.

Obviously, I’m not such a caveman that I’ve never played the original Sonic the Hedgehog. When I was first discovering what these strange distractions called ‘video games’, I used to play a level or two while at a friend’s house, but being only four or five years old meant we were unable to get past Marble Arch, Zone 1.

Being the Nintendo fanboy that I was, I didn’t really play any of the sequels either. I never had a Dreamcast so the much-lauded Sonic Adventure games were never accessible to me. In fact, until recently, my most comprehensive experience of a Sonic game was 2008’s Sonic Unleashed. I know. I can hear you eyes rolling from here.

With the Virtual Console on the Wii, I no longer had any excuses for my ignorance. I downloaded the original Sonic the Hedgehog and tried to make my way all the way through it.

And I say try because it’s still a remarkably challenging game. As with all retro platformers, the lack of health packs or regenerative health means you can’t take as many risks as you can in games today, and while anyone who has played the earlier Mario titles knows and expects this, the world of Sonic seems to be considerably more dangerous.

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My second Late To The Party feature, in which I play an old game for the first time to see how well it stands up to today’s standards. As seen on B4HD.

I’ve pretty much raised myself on Western RPGs. In an age where there are so many games coming out and so little time to actually play them, this vein of role-playing game has always seemed so much more accessible and immediate than its lengthy Japanese counterpart.

Oh sure, I’ve dabbled in the XP-centric delights of the East. Pokémon remains a fond favourite of mine and I truly enjoyed Tales of Symphonia, but every time I’ve tried to immerse myself in a Final Fantasy or something similar, I’ve found myself put off by one thing or another.

Chrono Trigger is to be congratulated then for holding my attention longer than any other JPRG that didn’t star Pikachu. While I’ve walked away from other such games without remorse, for some reason I feel compelled to finish Chrono Trigger.

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An interview feature originally published in MCV, Issue 591 - Friday, June 11th 2010, and subsequently published on MCVUK.com.

The industry that enters this year’s E3 is venturing into new territory – gone is the traditional five-year console cycle and in its place approach ambitious new technologies, principally Natal, Move, iPad and 3DS. As the trade prepares for one of the most crucial events in its history, James Batchelor takes a look at where the games industry stands today…

E3 always unites the industry. All eyes are on Los Angeles, for the biggest event in the gaming calendar to see signs of hope and a glimpse at where we are heading.

The 2009 show carried the burden of returning this spectacular showcase to its former glories after a few quieter years. With the glamour now recaptured, the 2010 expo is under even more pressure: it has to show where gaming can go with tighter budgets and a lack of new consoles – something we would traditionally be expecting by now.

“Last year’s E3 was a return to the excitement and energy that defines our industry,” says Take-Two’s CEO Ben Feder. “This year, we’re expecting even more and hope that the show will help to re-energise the industry.”

Ubisoft’s UK marketing director Murray Pannell agrees: “The show itself seemed to get back to its best last year, and I’d hope that it continues. The industry needs to show new, exciting and innovative products – stuff that really captures the imagination and gets consumers clamouring for more.”

It doesn’t help that the games industry has endured a tough twelve months. The market value has dropped, sales are fluctuating and even a blockbuster Q1 didn’t quite deliver.

With the after-effects of the recession still being felt by the consumer, the burden is on publishers and platform holders to show the public that there is still plenty worth investing in.

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Following the phenomenal success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is no easy task.
The game smashed sales records and outperformed other major entertainment brands, such as Avatar and Harry Potter. Six months after MW2 hit shelves, the FPS still has yet to fall out of the All Formats Top 10 – despite the wealth of blockbusters that has been released since.

But then again, following the original Modern Warfare was just as challenging, and Treyarch more than held their own. The studio’s 2008 hit Call of Duty: World At War more than doubled the week one sales of its predecessor and has gone on to sell over 11 million units worldwide.

With such a triumph under its belt, the pressure is on for Treyarch to shine again with this year’s Call of Duty outing, Black Ops.

Most of the pressure on the developer comes from within. The team has been pushing itself to deliver a title worthy of the Call of Duty brand that also redefines what consumers can expect from the multi-million selling series.

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The column is entitled Late To The Party, and will be my take on retro games as a modern day gamer that has never played them before. Plenty of veteran fans can revisit titles and see how well they stand up to fond memories, but how well do they stand up for someone who has grown accustomed to today’s game mechanics?

The first entry (which can be found here at B4HD) has allowed me to rid myself of one of my greatest gaming shames: the fact that I had never played Super Mario World. I hope you enjoy my take on this hallowed classic, and be sure to check out future Late To The Parties every fortnight (I hope)…

Until about a month ago, I had never played Super Mario World. It’s one of my biggest gaming shames – right up there with never completing a Half-Life game without God Mode turned on and failing to understand the appeal of the Resident Evil series.

I don’t know why it took me so long. Never owning a SNES is a reasonably valid excuse, but I could (and perhaps should) have picked it up on the Game Boy Advance. Worse still, it has been sitting on my Wii menu since it was first released on Virtual Console – I downloaded it straight away but never brought myself to boot it up.

It wasn’t that I completely dismissed Super Mario World as a worthwhile use of my gaming time, but there was something inside me, some pessimistic voice that questioned if it really was that special. After all, having played many of the Mario titles that had come before and since World, was I really missing much? Surely to an avid fan of the more modern New Super Mario Bros and its Wii sequel, Super Mario World is just like any other Mario game, right?

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