The Uninspired Battle Cries of the Eighth Generation

There was an episode of Big Bang Theory that accidentally predicted the future of gaming. In one of the sequences, we see Sheldon Cooper desperately struggling to decide between the XBox One and the PS4. He mentions how they both have their strengths, and couldn’t quite figure out which one is the better option (Side-Note: He calls one of the female characters “Grandma” when she mentions the Wii—in case you ponder what Nintendo’s reputation is on the show). The one thing he doesn’t even mention is which one has the better games. Although the concept isn’t explored, one can argue it’s because both consoles have the same exact lineup of games—barring minor, minor differences with indie gaming, backwards-compatibility, and a few first-party exclusives. One major conclusion can and will be reached from all this:



The Console War is extremely stagnant, extremely devoid of change, and the leader out the gate (system that looks and feels like the second place console) wound up conquering it altogether.



The Playstation 4 is a nice machine. The XBox One is a nice machine. The PS4 has performed much better because of the forward momentum from PS3’s surprise finish, the Microsoft PR debacle involving DRM gaming, and because Nintendo killed every ounce of momentum it had during the peak Nintendo Wii period. This has been the case since 2013. And absolutely nothing has changed. It might crash the market, or at the very least make these sales wars extremely predictable. The eighth generation has secretly been far more boring than we could have ever predicted.

We will never have the epic battle that occurred between Nintendo and Sega during the early 90s. The two consoles (SNES and Genesis) shared the lead, exchanged the lead, made drastic changes, threw so much shade at each other that it took years to truly discover the winner. 1994 would ultimately be the turning point when Nintendo started separating itself but the damage was so intense it accidently created a new monster: The Sony Playstation. The mudslinging and backstabbing was so bad that Sony got hurt, and ultimately decided to chime in on the video game market—leading to what we see today.

It is practically impossible to imagine the gaming world if Nintendo had not betrayed Sony and if Sega had not gotten arrogant and refused to cooperate with that same company. The past might be the past, but that console war shoved video games into the economic mainstream, and proved the Wall Street world the potential of money involving video games, and the sheer competition that comes with attempting to enter the wars.

Fast-forward to today. We see Microsoft making good money, Sony making good money, and even Nintendo managing to make decent money despite the WiiU being its biggest failure since the Virtual Boy. Sony has done little to bolster its lead simply because it doesn’t have to. Microsoft hasn’t formed crazy partnerships, hasn’t made epic purchases, and hasn’t made much of a move to try to reach into Sony’s lead. There is no price cut, no special deals, no video game that is going to change the culture of gaming. Microsoft seems perfectly content with the second place positioning, even though the spoils of having the lead is all too obvious.

Sony as a company is literally being saved because of the video game division, especially when the film, television, and computer lines are nowhere near what it used to be. And outside of collecting third-party exclusives like Final Fantasy VII and Street Fighter 5, it really hasn’t had to do much to maintain its lead. Increase software output, and then sit there to collect the profits. It is great for business, extremely boring for the rest of us expecting more of a dogfight.

With the competition already well-established and minimal threats of a shift, the decision-making and the landscape will remain flat. The games won’t be as prevalent, the companies won’t be as aggressive, and in the end all we see are two machines extremely similar and unwilling to separate itself from the other, and a third machine that has been quickly abandoned in favor of an upcoming console.




The Eighth Generation blog had predicted a lot of craziness, but instead we have witnessed years of ho-hum decisions, and a lack of true battling. Even the seventh generation had more craziness, and that was with the Nintendo Wii faaaaaaar outpacing everyone else. This blog is on its final moments, as Nintendo is already looking into the ninth generation. If the Nintendo NX becomes a major success, expect the competitors to follow ship and move along to the next step.

Until then, there isn’t much to say here: Sony is #1, Microsoft is (once again) #2, and Nintendo is (once again) refusing to play by the rules by establishing another unique system that will bend the rules on how we play games.







Its boring, and its not good for gaming. Expect a slow 2016, from this blog and from the entire industry itself…barring a major push from anyone.


(Image Credit: Megamodsplanet.com)

Searching for a new Halo

Microsoft needs a new Halo. The old Halo just won’t do it anymore. The highly-anticipated Halo 5 came out----was met with a solid but not truly spectacular 1.4 million, and XBox One was still outsold by the PS4 that week. Then the next week, it got outsold very severely by Call of Duty. And soon enough, Fallout 4 will overtake it in sales as well. To be honest, if Halo 5 sells 5 million, I will be shocked.

Halo used to be king. The franchise has six games that have sold over six million copies. Halo: Combat Evolved became the reason why the XBox survived the first couple years. Halo 2 launched with 2.4 million copies sold within the first 24 hours. Halo 3 sold a phenomenal 13 million copies, becoming the best-selling shooter in the history of gaming. On the XBox 360, the Halo franchise sold an incredible 42+ million---easily being the biggest non-Grand Theft Auto franchise in the seventh generation.

Nowadays however, the power isn’t as mighty. Even though the XBox One has sold a respectable 15 million copies to date, good enough for 28% console market share, the power of Halo has dwindled a bit. There was an awesome Halo pack that included four games with updated content, enhanced graphics, and extra movies between the installments, and this excellent deal sold a feeble 2.6 million. While this sounds like great numbers, it is nowhere near the days of when Halo 2 sold that amount in a week. And that was a decade ago, when the XBox only sold 24 million units overall. Halo has become Super Mario---sells decent, but no longer moves hardware sales like it used to. 

And when I mean another Halo, I don’t mean another shooter franchise, just any type of new IP that can move units. Sony has once again taken over the third-party market by not only having more friends, but also forking over extra money to have exclusive games. The only way the XBox even has a shot at gunning for the ever-elusive crown, it’s time to shift the focus to a new franchise.

For years the competitors searched for a Halo killer. Nowadays we have Call of Duty, Battlefield, Titanfall, and Destiny encroaching on its historical sales run. Even Splatoon has sold a shocking amount of copies and if Nintendo plays its cards right, the NX and the ninth generation will see more from this new and highly successful IP. The competition has improved, so the next Halo may not even have to be a shooter.

The options on the other hand, remain quite deep. Microsoft still has action-packed franchises like Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark, and Blast Corps in its shelf. Titanfall can become bigger. Lost Planet is an unused grouping of games that can be rebooted/revived. Perhaps it’s time to conquer genres that have seen little attention: JRPGs (Could help Microsoft in Japan), adventure/action hybrids (a competition to Uncharted—the Sony darling). Maybe Microsoft can create the next big sandbox game, a Grand Theft Auto killer (I know, good luck).

The point is, unlike Nintendo and their bag of tricks, Microsoft is once again lacking that killer exclusive AAA franchise that can cut into Sony’s lead and even threaten its position on top. It will definitely take a lot more than just one game to defeat the PS4 and the upcoming PS5, but a game can change the entire playing field. Halo did that, as the series would solidify the idea of online gaming and provide the blueprints for doing it correctly. Wii Sports would fling the entire gaming industry into the mainstream—before they moved on to tablet/mobile gaming. In order for the XBox to become the best-seller in the market, they need that huge, huge game that will alter the fanbases. Halo can’t do it anymore, the shooter market got too cluttered. They need something else, soon.

The IP Situation of the Eighth Generation

The Console Wars needs to become the IP Wars if the competitors ever want a chance to even come close to matching Sony.



Sony’s Playstation 4 is surviving because of PS3 momentum, great online service, great pricing, and best of all an aggressive strategy to shelling out more dollars to make certain games exclusive—like Street Fighter 5 (Capcom property) and Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix property). The first-party aspect be damned, it’s the suddenly-emerging third-party tidal shift that is helping Sony remain at the top.

The clunky thing is that neither of the competitors are actually financially bleeding, even if they could be doing much better. Microsoft is Microsoft, and will continue to make fantastic money through other means even when and if the XBox One’s American support starts to dwindle. Nintendo’s very deep bank and overwhelming overhaul from the Wii/DS days (255 million between both systems is bound to create some financial ramifications all these years later) allows for them to also find a way to ante up their lineup to compete against Sony.

The eighth generation is pretty much about over, unless the XBox One pulls off a miraculous turnaround and suddenly has Japan’s attention. Sony is going to win, and will probably win with the PS5 as long as they continue their major support for the console industry and continue shaking the right hands and making the right friends. In order for Microsoft and Nintendo to even have a chance, they need to alter their vision:



It is no longer about how the games are played; it’s really about what games they CAN play.

In the 90s, each system had extremely diverse lineups, forcing you to choose sides. The Genesis and Super Nintendo games were so different, even the games they shared (NBA Jam, Aladdin) were very different because of hardware limitations, and different people working on their version of the game. This is why the battles were so vicious, we had two different types of gamers buying games in the same market. This was why Nintendo owned Japan, Sega had Europe, and it was a total showdown in North America.

Nowadays, the games are remarkably similar in every shape or form except for graphics. Even the greatest game in the past few years, Grand Theft Auto V, can be found in the PS4 as well as the XBox One (and if you are a glutton for punishment, PC). Most of the better games have been arriving from third-party companies, they are no longer just knockaround squadrons throwing random games to make a quick buck. Microsoft and Nintendo needs to realize this and stack up its IP lineup and relentlessly build the better resume.

Microsoft has the most money, so they have the highest expectations to bolster the lineup. Rare Replay was amazing evidence as to some of the IPs that the XBox brand has but has hardly used. Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, Blast Corps, Banjo-Kazooie, and Battletoads are all great franchises that have received minimal attention since Rare became Microsoft property. With Konami, Capcom, and Square Enix (among others) needing extra money, this is Microsoft’s chance to continue adding to its mature lineup: Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid (Will admit, that’s a longshot), Adventure Island, Bomberman, Contra, Bloody Roar, Breath of Fire, among other forgotten gems of the past.

The fact that Street Fighter V is not joining XBox One first has to sting, since it’s the biggest non-Smash Bros. fighting franchise on the planet. Final Fantasy VII being Xbox-exclusive could have finally given them an audience in the Far East Coast. Microsoft has to gain some revenge, with special deals with third-parties that aren’t afraid of joining sides.

Then there's the neglected IPs. The XBox One can go after the defunct Burnout and create the prefect partner to the more-realistic Forza. They can also become a sports mecca (I had mentioned this before) and nab Madden, FIFA, Nascar, among others before Sony owners can gain access to them. Unlike Nintendo, Microsoft wouldn’t have to develop these exclusive/earlier-than-thou games, just merely forking the extra money to get them first can be enough to get gamer’s attention.

Nintendo on the other hand needs to go on a massive, massive buying spree. Nintendo is the king in reviving defunct and forgotten franchises, as they have risen Earthbound, Fire Emblem, Metroid (8 year gap is no joke), Advance Wars, Kid Icarus, and others from the dead and from obscurity. If Nintendo were smart, they would go to all the companies with far less money and license or just 100% nab the rights to ideas that haven’t been explored or utilized. Nintendo has excelled in every major category of gaming (Even horror, remember Eternal Darkness?), which is something the competitors cannot claim.

Franchises like Mega Man, Secret of Mana, Bomberman, Earthworm Jim, Plok, Clayfighter, and dozens of others would benefit from a Nintendo facelift, and could potentially give the Big N some more weapons to employ as it can continue bragging its first-party superiority above the others (And even though this has saved Nintendo time and time again, the gap needs to be far bigger to justify the purchase). The gaming industry can take a page from Hollywood and reach into the past and remake/reboot dormant franchises (although Hollywood has been rightfully accused of remaking tons of material that didn't need the facelift, but that's for another article). In the wild and wacky history of gaming, we have seen tons of great ideas trail behind in need of assistance.

Just look back at the 90s and you'll see lots of underutilized ideas in need of expansion: Illusion of Gaia, Chrono Trigger (seriously, where's that sequel?), Maniac Mansion, Castlevania (A little more of a stretch, but this can use some Intelligent Systems love), Golden Axe, Vectorman, Comix Zone, Shining Force, and of course let's not forget Earthbound...it sometimes seems like Nintendo has...

The gaming industry is no longer interested in different ways to play games, we want to play games, and lots of them. There are great games ranging from $5 to $60, and they are flocking to the company that has the most. Sony right now is the leader, but Sony doesn't have to be. Nintendo and Microsoft have been sitting around watching IPs pass them by or float around without an owner; and unless they plan on making a push this scenario will remain the same leading up to the ninth generation.





The PS4 is in the lead, but its no secret why.

E3 2015's Re-Affirmation of the Console War Standings

3 Things We Learned From E3:

1) Microsoft is not throwing in the towel
2) Sony is on top of its game and will remain on top for a while
3) Nintendo hates its fans.




E3 2015 has pretty much solidified the standings, as Sony remains on top, Microsoft is following nice and close in second, and Nintendo is all but irrelevant at this point---not even sure how the PR can handle the current backlash. Another major change happening in E3 is the importance of the publishers and developers impressing the media and the attendees. So now there’s much more focus on conferences from EA and Bethesda. With the Top 2 displaying similar lineups, the differences become nothing more than surprises, business decisions, pricing, and additional features within the console.

So with that, and the overwhelming amount of companies that fall off the gaming wars, you’ll see larger developers and publishers rev up the marketing during this weekend. Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront pretty much led the way, taking almost all the attention from the decisions of the Playstation 4 and the XBox One. Never been an EA fan, especially after its legal monopoly on football games, but Battlefront looks darn good.

On to the Big 3. Microsoft shocked the world by offering backwards-compatibility, which was something the XBox had been trying so hard to deviate from. Microsoft had spoken out against it for years, which made this all the more surprising. The XBox One has had an interesting history of backing away from some of its original decisions, with the infamous DRM insanity from a couple years ago being the best example. Can’t blame them for throwing the kitchen sink into keeping the lead in the American market and attempt to creep into the European scene. The XBox 360 had a slew of spectacular games that deserved a second shot with the One, especially during the downtimes as we are seeing less and less major titles being produced nowadays.

The gaming industry is doing a strategy that’s similar to Disney’s cinematic technique: less is more. Less games produced, but throw more money and resources within these games. Grand Theft Auto 5 needed 5 years---but after a good marketing campaign and gamer’s support of the don’t-rush-art approach the game sells over 45 million copies amongst four consoles. So with that, you need software to hold the gamers over while they wait the next major title. Let’s be honest, outside Halo 5 is there any major exclusive XBox title that can move hardware sales? Not really. So backwards-compatibility, reaching into the past is definitely the direction to go, especially when Sony remains hesitant to do the same.

But dear God: The Final Fantasy VII remake. After years of begging and pleading for a remake to one of the last excellent JRPGs (honestly, we haven’t seen much JRPG goodness post-90s), we are finally getting it. Let’s forget the fact that Square Enix’s track record hasn’t been good in in a decade, Final Fantasy VII-2 is a reality. Not only did it remove some of the momentum from WiiU’s exciting Xenoblade Chronicles X, but combined with Shenmue 3 Sony is pretty much conquering the Japanese region in terms of consoles (The 3DS is still wickedly popular over there).

Although Sony won’t budge on their backwards-compatibility, its Playstation TV/Now/Live features cover up most of the damage from being the only console of the three lacking support of previous generations. Sony doesn’t have much to offer this year, but with such a successful run so far and outstanding third-party support the Playstation 4 has very little to worry about. The conference of Sony didn’t deliver the most hits, but delivered the most memorable blow.

As for Nintendo. Good ol’ Nintendo. The WiiU support is about dead, there was no mentioning of Zelda (that should stir the pot because if they can’t reveal anything now, I smell a delay to the next generation), the big Retro Studios announcement was a pure dud, Star Fox Zero doesn’t exactly impress (and no online support? Seriously?), and aside from Mario Maker and Xenoblade, do we really have anything to be excited over? No big surprises, no mention of Gamecube in Virtual Console (a pure miss for the past 5 years), no F-Zero, no major Metroid title, and just nothing that could possibly help Nintendo get out of its funk with the gaming crowd.

Nintendo is on some ugly crossroads. You have Nintendo of America constantly trying to clean up the shenanigans coming from the Japanese department, and you have the Japanese division continuing its bitterly stubborn ways and not trying to adapt and shift into the new age of gaming. At this point, Star Fox Zero not having online support is inexcusable. At this point, fumbling the Metroid franchise YET AGAIN after Other M ruffled the wrong feathers is also inexcusable. Lastly, not a single peek of the upcoming Zelda game is disastrous---and inexcusable. Nintendo did not win any fans during this E3, and really couldn’t give much of a convincing argument as to why you should invest in the WiiU. The system is being abandoned quite hastily—despite Super Mario Maker potentially being the most rewarding video game of 2015.

All in all, this E3 did deliver plenty of goods and surprises. The XBox One all but eliminated its ugly reputation that had been developing a few years ago after the influx of PR hiccups. Sony and the PS4 continues its reign at the top as they continue to pour money into remakes and sequels that we desire for the sake of making them exclusive to increase the value of the console. Then there’s Nintendo, making us sigh repeatedly. If you are a gamer however, there’s plenty to be excited about---even if most of the good stuff won’t come for several months.

Microsoft, meet Kojima.

So now Kojima is unemployed.



Folks, I just mentioned that one of the top developers in the entire gaming world is unemployed. His entire company is separated from the clutches of Konami. Do you know what this means?

It’s time to start courting him. Now. Immediately. Nintendo, Sony, Activision, there’s a very valuable and attractive company looking for a new place to stay.



Microsoft, I am mainly looking at you.



Now, it is an established fact that Japan and XBox do not get along, and it has been this way for three gaming generations. The XBox 360 had a dozen JRPG exclusives for the Far East market and not even that helped. Also didn’t help that the XBox lineup dwindled into the usual suspects towards the end---allowing for Sony’s PS3 to claim second place eventually. The Japanese market is still extremely important because they are still heavily invested in the gaming world.

The PSP and PSVita have been relevant mainly because of Japan. 1 out of every 4 PSPs sold were in Japan, and the Vita has sold 3.7 million copies in the same region---while only 7 million more sold in the rest of the world. The PS3 outsold the XBox 360 by 9 million copies in Japan, allowing it to make up for the dismal performance in the United States. Sony and Japan have been great friends and it has led to wonderful economic success. While the company of Sony is floundering altogether, the gaming division has remained strong thanks to the powerful Japanese support.

Enough about Sony though, this article is about Microsoft and how it should throw whatever money it can to create a partnership with Kojima Productions. The staff has an excellent track record, despite it being limited to Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders. XBox 360’s best-selling Japanese game was Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation---which couldn’t even break 250K. Guess which production company has made 8 games that sold more than 250K in Japan….

Fun Fact I am repeating from a previous article I wrote:

"Whichever system sells the most in Japan wins the generation—it has remained true since the NES sold nearly 20 million copies back in the 80s/90s. The SNES, PSX, PS2, and Nintendo Wii each outsold the competitors in the Asia market and ultimately became the big seller. "

Microsoft needs to hold hands with Kojima, and promise him plenty of money and resources and become an exclusive third-party company that will make and distribute Japan-only games. Kojima Productions consists of a very talented staff with plenty of attention to details. Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid IV are amongst the best games ever made, and their handheld iterations prove that they can deliver a lot of great content with more limited hardware. Metal Gear: Ghost Babel was a phenomenal, phenomenal Game Boy Color game that you need to play if you haven't done so already.

I am sure there are dozens of ideas swirling around Kojima’s head and I am sure each of them can deliver. I can see a Disney/Pixar-like relationship with these two—the big brother provides the financial help and marketing, and the younger brother makes the requested art. And even with Metal Gear Solid staying behind and remaining with Konami, Microsoft can help the production studio recover and move on from the ugly breakup.

This is a win-win situation from all parties involved. Microsoft gets a smaller company with a good track record, Kojima gets his freedom that was clearly disappearing during his final days with Konami. Microsoft can recover from the current disastrous performance outside the United States, and Kojima Productions can start a new chapter in its long career in gaming.

Whoever gets Kojima wins. But if there a company that would benefit the most, it would Microsoft for its lifeless-outside-western-hemisphere XBox One.

The Shifting Culture of Third-Party Publishing

Old-school gamers, let it go: the 90s are over.

We will never see what we witnessed in the 90s ever again. The business of gaming has changed far too much. And the latest, greatest example is Sega deciding to ditch console gaming altogether at the same time as Titanfall 2 being announced as multi-platform as opposed to just being an XBox One exclusive like the original.

Those backyard wars days are over. Companies don’t team up anymore, they just join all the parties that want to participate. You now need to fetch extra money to have exclusive material. The XBox and the Playstation has had a similar lineup of games for the past decade. This is why their sales become eerily similar in recent generations and recent times:

PS3: 85 million
XBox 360: 84 million
PS4 (In 2015): 1.5 million
XBox One (In 2015): 650,000


However the close numbers from the 90s was because the entire world was split between choosing the Genesis and the Super Nintendo: two drastically different pieces of hardware with similar power but totally dissimilar lineup of games. You could go with the sports-heavy, more mature, more underground Sega Genesis, or go with the Japanese-friendly, platform-heavy, family-oriented Super Nintendo. Third-party companies were picking sides, trying to figure out the winning team while simultaneously establishing stronger relationships with whomever they picked. Capcom picked Nintendo, EA picked Sega, Square Soft picked Nintendo, and Disney/Virgin Interactive picked Sega.

Nowadays, good luck getting a major third-party publisher choose you and only you. Grand Theft Auto used to belong to just Sony: now the XBox shares the series. Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid are Japanese favorites that found their way to both Playstation and XBox. Nowadays you need a strong first-party lineup and a good slew of indie games to separate from the rest---which fully explains why PS4 is outperforming the XBox One.

Currently the best-selling game in the planet is The Order: 1886, a Sony-published game. The best-selling game of 2015 so far? Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, a Nintendo-published game. Depending on third-party companies to cater only to you is a pipe dream; games have become more expensive to produce and contribute, and why limit yourself to one hardware when you can also make money on the competitive machine?

Titanfall 2 becoming a PS4 game as well as an XBox One game should not have surprised anybody. Although the original did well on the XBox systems with over 4 million sold, wouldn’t it be better to have your game available to 32 million systems as opposed to 12 million? On a business standpoint, it only makes too much sense. Microsoft however needs to see that their first-party offerings must be stronger since their most successful new franchise is now becoming a Sony property.

Those playground arguments nowadays sure are more boring, since the top two systems have nearly the same games to choose from. This is why more focus has been made on graphics and the specs. There is no Mario vs. Sonic—you can actually now find Sonic across all the platforms, console-wise and handheld-wise. There are only a handful of games that each system has exclusive to themselves. Of course there’s Nintendo but it’s consistently remained a third-wheel whether it’s frighteningly ahead of the pack (Nintendo Wii 2007-2009) or far behind (Nintendo Gamecube 2001-2006, Nintendo WiiU 2012-Now).

There is a very thin line between choosing a PS4 over the XBox, and vice versa. This is very contrasting to what was occurring in the 1990s. Even different companies were developing the same game for the system they had chosen; Aladdin was made by Capcom for the SNES and was made by Virgin for the Sega Genesis. Then let’s not forget when pretty much everybody joined the Playstation team, leaving little to nothing for the N64, Gamecube, Dreamcast, and XBox. That third-party lineup of friends for Sony was amazing from 1995-2005. Third-party business now focuses on achieving the most widespread amount of exposure to hit as much money as possible. To accomplish this, you simply can’t pick sides anymore.

Can’t behave like the 90s. Sega is officially gone, Nintendo’s punch is weaker, there is no Midway, there is no Akklaim, there is no Neversoft, and we are close to seeing the end of Capcom if nothing is done to help them. The game has changed. There is much more money involved, from the spending to the earnings. With Sega gone, an entire chapter of gaming history has pretty much reached its final page.





And we never got that sequel to F-Zero GX….

The (Potentially Fun) Capcom IP Bidding Wars

So Sony won the bidding wars to make Street Fighter 5 an exclusive, much to the dismay of XBox One owners. I would also say WiiU owners but a) there aren't that many of them and b) Smash Brothers trumps everything in life. Capcom has become financially strapped yet remains a gold mine of potential with the entourage of franchises within its borders. And with that was a subtle bidding contest which resulted in Microsoft backing out and instead focusing their sights on improving the recently-revived Killer Instinct. Nintendo has pretty much no care in this issue, because Super Smash Brothers is the top-selling fighting game franchise by a country mile. But Capcom now has a curious dilemma: just how much money can they rake out from the competitors?

How much money is Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft willing to pay to get their hands on more exclusives? Do remember what Capcom also has up its broke sleeve:



Devil May Cry
Resident Evil
Viewtiful Joe
Dead Rising
Gargoyle’s Quest
Okami
Monster Hunter
Mega Man
Mega Man X
Ghost n’ Goblins
Bionic Commando
Breath of Fire
Captain Commando
Final Fight
Lost Planet
Phoenix Wright
Power Stone


(This list came from an earlier article about Capcom)


That’s a lot of video games yet to be made, remade, and blessed with sequels and potential spin-offs. And each company can benefit greatly from some of these brands. Sony can try to win back the American market with Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Viewtiful Joe, and Bionic Commando (Clever game mechanics in need of revamping). Microsoft can try to earn some Japanese trust with Lost Planet, Okami, Power Stone, Breath of Fire, and (especially) Monster Hunter. Lastly, Nintendo can continue its stranglehold on the platform market with Mega Man, Mega Man X, Ghosts n’ Goblins, Captain Commando, and Gargoyle’s Quest.

And of course, Marvel vs. Capcom is most likely also available for the taking.

Capcom might have seen better days, but can develop nice relationships with each of the major companies with its extensive library if it can reach into the past and tap into previous gold. The Big Three can each benefit in a variety of ways if they can pony up the money and help Capcom finance some of these games.

Like previously said, Sony needs more Americans to move away from Microsoft. Resident Evil would be an even bigger devastating blow if they can nab the rights. Take over Resident Evil 7 and go back to basics: become much more horror and much less action. Devil May Cry is another franchise that has seen better days but can still attract the North American crowd---and do remember once upon a time Devil May Cry belonged to just Sony.

Microsoft needs this more than the other competitors. Monster Hunter would be definitely the first and main major step, as it draws mammoth numbers on the 3DS (the latest installment nearly sold 2 million copies in Japan on the first day alone. The XBox One hasn’t even hit 50,000 copies). Then there’s the Japanese-friendlier Viewtiful Joe and Breath of Fire games which can trigger some improvement for the third-generation Green Machine. But if there’s one they can’t afford to forever lose (which...technically is whats going on anyway), it would be Monster Hunter.

Of course, Nintendo should just nab all the Mega Man rights and take the franchise to the next level. With Retro Studios, Intelligent Systems, and Nintendo R&D1 major experts on the genre, Mega Man 11 and Mega Man X12 would make absolute sense being Nintendo-exclusive. I can see Mega Man Classic on the 3DS, with the X series on the major console and perhaps even a 3-D upgrade ala Metroid Prime to attract new audiences. Of course, this is something we call agree on: Nintendo needs something soon, and fast for the WiiU. Mega Man can become that revival ticket.

Bottom Line: Capcom remains a gold mine, and it’s time for all the major companies to step up and nab their share of the treasure. Everybody can win at the time, and gamers in general can also win by seeing the cluster of Capcom classics see new life. There’s a lot of great games and great wealth that can be won in the coming years, it just requires some financial sacrifices and a willingness to work with the sinking ship of a company. Step up everybody, with the right exclusive games the tides can be turned in your favor. And Capcom, with the right business moves and smarts concerning the value of your product you can also see a comeback.

Nobody blow it.

Is There Another End to the Platform Era?

Are platformers in trouble?



Again?



Sunset Overdrive for the XBox One had platformer elements and didn’t really do much of anything. 8 weeks in and its being outsold by the dismal Nintendo Land and the can’t-believe-I-am-still-in-the-charts Mario Kart Wii. The Super Mario games on the WiiU despite decent software-to-hardware ratio barely moved WiiU sales---combining the sales of both games and they still trail Super Mario Galaxy by at least 4 million copies, and trail New Super Mario Bros. Wii by over 20 million.

In case nobody noticed, but LittleBigPlanet 3 came out. In case nobody noticed, it did quite poorly. It trails the original by 4 million copies and can’t even outsell the Vita version---which didn’t do much better either. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze also came out in 2014, and disappeared off the face of the map by not even hitting its first million copies. The mediocre and jarring Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country sold better for crying out loud.

Last but not least, we have Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker make less than a whisper on the sales charts, not even crossing 500,000 copies. Not saying that I was right in that it should have been a Wario game (the franchise averages 2 million copies per entry, while missing a sequel for the past 6 years), but it does make you think why not label Wario on a game that has you collect money….

Come to think of it, where was Wario on the coin-crazy New Super Mario Bros. 2---which also is part of the downward trend as it sold less than a third of what the original New SMB sold….

So of course, with the sales of the genre on the downward spiral, the question is why, and the next question is how to end the trend? My main theory is that you can find far, far cheaper simple platform games on tablets, on smartphones, on webpages promoting television shows, and many other sources when compared to other genres like sports games, like shooters, and sandbox gems like Grand Theft Auto. Platform games are simpler to create and entertain so therefore you will find plenty of choices cluttering the market, leading to games like Tropical Freeze slide underneath the radar. There are still lots of seventh generation carryover sales, leading to the new-gen games suffering.

The bigger problem is that the high-budget high-profile platform sequels have lately absolutely failed to display why it’s superior to the previous installment and display why you should fork over the money to buy another game in the series. New Super Mario Bros. U was a launch title, yet still looked and played exactly like the Wii version. No level editor, no new characters, no major gameplay changes, and no additional goodies worthy of checking out. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze looked exactly like the Wii (and 3DS) installments, while failing to bring back the popular Kremlings villains that we had grown to love during the SNES days.

The lack of diversity and creativity is tarnishing the platform genre right now. Treasure Tracker might seem clever, until you realize that it’s just a spin-off from another WiiU game (Super Mario 3D World). Sunset Overdrive is at least a hybrid of Tony Hawk, third-person shooter, and platform---total shame it didn’t create Halo or Destiny sales. However Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Sockman, and Mega Man hasn’t seen dramatic changes or improvements in years, while other platform franchises have been eerily quiet for an even longer period of time (Banjo-Kazzoie, Conker, Earthworm Jim, Wario, Gunstar Heroes, Contra). This isn’t the first time the platform genre had a drought (Sixth Generation anyone?) but was saved in the seventh generation because of the influx of new platform franchises and revivals as well as the rise of indie gaming. But the overkill of games may have led to the fatigue.

To get out of the current funk, we need the platform genre to take the next step forward. Mario should find new and innovative ways to get from the beginning to the end, while simultaneously changing the rules on the 3D platform series. Sonic should refocus on speed and intensity, and should stop imitating the others. Wario, COME BACK ALREADY! Wario Land 2 and 3 are some of the finest platform gaming you’ll ever experience because of its extremely unique level design. Lastly on a personal level, I would love to see Earthworm Jim make a comeback and have an image makeover for the new generation.

Bottom Line: The platform genre has seen better days, as 2014 gave us acclaimed games that were outsold by all the competitors and seventh generation installments. It could be the fatigue, it could be the familiar looks that lost appeal to the gamers, it could be the overwhelming competition from all types of technology, and lastly it could be the slow transitioning to the next creative step. Whatever the reason, the sales are sliding, and it’s affecting even deserving games. The Age of the Platformer is done, and unless the designers can concoct some new recipes, it’s going to be this way for a while….



…especially for Nintendo, which thrives on the genre…..

The Gree--er, Black Friday that Ignited a Sales Race

America’s System is back. Rejoice!





Microsoft’s XBox One, spurned by a great price cut, some awesome third-party games, Nintendo’s foot-shooting strategy with Smash Bros., the awesomely-valued Halo Collection, a wonderful Black Friday performance, and the gaming industry enjoying its everlasting growth, has finally come full circle and eliminated the demons from Summer 2013 shenanigans. It is now the highest-selling system in North America and although its still leagues behind Sony in Europe and will never make an impact in Japan, the fourth quarter of the year has been kind to the Green Machine.

Microsoft has learned to embrace its image of being America’s gaming system as opposed to its weak strategy of marketing itself as an “entertainment machine.” The XBox 360 outperformed the Wii AND the PS3 during the seventh generation, while the original XBox survived solely because of American gamers’ love for the Halo. But the company took a serious hit when it attempted to implement a DRM/strong individualized system that sounded very bad on paper for a community of consumers that is extremely social within its circle. Sony took off running by repeating its PS2 strategy, leaving Microsoft scrambling to develop a new image.

Now with the Tony Hawk-inspired and American-appealing Sunset Overdrive, third-party hits GTA V, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty and Destiny (some of these sell better in the XBox as opposed to the PS4), and the high value Halo Collection, the attractive games are now flowing to the stores and a stronger resume is building for XBox One. Granted the price cut (which did wonders for Black Friday) stays, its officially the best deal in the business as it has stronger online support (despite Sony having the far better reward system), similar game lineup to PS4 (although the first-party aspect needs some overhauling), and it’s just a smidge more expensive than the underpowered WiiU. It developed the right price tag and although it won’t make as much of a dent in Europe, things are looking good in the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

In order for the success to continue, the first and second party department needs to step its game up. Rareware needs to open up its vault and unveil some Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini, LEGIT Banjo-Kazzoie, and lastly some Perfect Dark. Halo cannot be the only rider guiding this ship (Master Chief Collection hasn’t broken 500,000 despite the awesome positive press), we need more shooters and action games to continue the Blockbuster image. And then maintain good relations with third-party developers (Nintendo….take notes) and the indie industry. Hey, Puerto Rico is trying to chime in on the industry by providing tax benefits. Just saying.

To make things short, the XBox One has officially entered the race by conquering Black Friday, gaining some life, and creeping up 10 million in sales thanks to a boost in American support. Sony pretty much owns everything east of the Atlantic Ocean currently but that doesn’t have to be bad news. Microsoft can run after the rising Hispanic community, and even take on South America. Then of course slowly keep pace with Sony in Europe and who knows. Do recall the PS3 was in dead last until the final two years of its run—and wound up just 6% market share underneath the Nintendo Wii (when at one point everyone was trailing by at least 20-25% market share). They are a few good decisions and a few big games from potentially turning the tide in their favor.



The XBox One after a poor start is back. Definitely officially back.

Mario Kart 8: 50cc Gaming in a 150cc Gaming World

I wanted to like Mario Kart 8.

I wanted to love Mario Kart 8.



I wanted to acknowledge the effort they made into smoothing out the mechanics to be fairer, to be faster, more creative, and to still maintain the family-friendly magic that has resonated with the franchise for two decades. I wanted to acknowledge that thanks to DLC there are more tracks, more characters, and more vehicles than ever before. I wanted to acknowledge the nice polish that had been given to the franchise. I wanted to so badly become immersed like I was back when Mario Kart 64 became the pinnacle of multi-player and arcade-like racing (and nobody outside the Burnout franchise had come even close to challenging that until Forza Horizon).

But the truth is, Mario Kart 8 once again is proof that Nintendo scales back on some of its quality punches and saves them for the next installment, as opposed to going 150% all-out to deliver the ultimate Mario Kart experience, and to deliver a sure-fire reason to own a WiiU. Mario Kart 8 is good, it might be great. But it’s still not a console-seller, it’s still not going to turn heads the way past Nintendo games like Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Smash Brothers Melee, and Wii Sports did. And what really harms Mario Kart 8 is that for the same price you see a competing system release an entire anthology of its biggest franchise---4 games, all with a fresh coat of paint, upgraded visuals, and a massive, massive multi-player mode that blends it all together.

Halo: Master Chief Collection is 4 Halo games in one massive package, a package that includes the original and updated looks of the original two Halos, while remastering and tweaking the latter two installments. At just $60, you get hundreds of potential gameplay hours between multi-player, single-player, and online gaming---while getting new cutscenes from each of the games! This is allowing for the XBox One to have a breath of life this upcoming holiday season as they did another necessary price cut and have now been outselling the PS4 in the United States market. With a little more European love they can cut off the lackluster Japan sales and challenge PS4 for the crown in 2015.

Mario Kart 8 on the other hand once again has the same 32-course setup from previous Mario Karts. Once again, they inexplicably downgraded the battle mode, which is absolutely stupid how they can’t figure out a way to simply expand the idea of Mario Kart 64’s battle mode. Seriously, it’s not that hard: add new items, add new courses, and allow customizable rules. It is NOT THAT HARD NINTENDO!!

Mario Kart 8 also managed to even water down some of the classic courses, which makes little sense considering how awesome some of the new levels were. Toad’s Turnpike, Yoshi’s Valley, and N64 Rainbow Road are shorter, easier, less chaotic, and overall very ho-hum. Gone are the classic block bombs for some odd reason. Gone are the lap times and even overall race time from the grand prix. Why?!?!? Wait, why is there no way to see how my stats change depending on vehicle?!?! Wait, I don’t earn anything after earning 3-stars in all the Cups?!!?!??



THE BATTLE MODE NINTENDO, WHYYYYYY!!?!?!?!?!$(*#()*%(*#&)&(*#*)*$)*#)*$**#(*$&()*$)$


Worst of all, is all the history behind Mario Kart, and it doesn’t fully get utilized. Have we been watching all the insane features and throwbacks the Smash Brothers series has delivered? Why can’t we have an SNES Cup, an N64 cup, a Gamecube Cup, a GBA Cup, or a DS Cup? That is 80 potential courses to pick from? What sounds better: Mario Kart 8 with upside-down racing and superior online play? Or Mario Kart 8 with 100 courses, each online-capable? We are too technologically advanced in the gaming world to ever say that it might be hard to pull off; especially after seeing what Forza, Forza Horizon, Gran Turismo 5, and Burnout Paradise was able to deliver in the previous gaming generation. In a gaming world where Halo’s entire catalog runs at $60 and we can get full gaming experiences at prices of $3, $5, $10, we deserve better from Mario Kart.

Let’s have some more fun. Why not throw in some F-Zero tracks since we are already in the futuristic approach to racing? Why not Stunt Race FX? Why not Kirby’s Air Ride? Why not Diddy Kong Racing? Why not Crusin' USA/World/Exotica? Why did we kill the battle mode Nintendo? The Game Boy Advance version of Mario Kart (the underrated Super Circuit) had the entire SNES catalog. This tradition should have continued on Double Dash with the N64 circuit (which to me still has the best mix of courses in the franchises’ history).

I don’t get it, I honestly don’t. I want to enjoy this Mario Kart, but to be still so closely attached to Mario Kart of the 90s and 2000s while scaling back on even more features makes this a very frustrating experience. While seeing all the effort being given to Smash Brothers, one can only wonder what would happen if Nintendo fully dwelled and gave Mario Kart the time and love required to create the perfect installment. Give another gaming company a chance to contribute, give it a few extra years of work (look what GTA V accomplished after extra time to polish) and see what you can deliver. Make me be happy I spent $60 on you.

I want my Mario Kart to have more than just 32 courses pre-Mirror Mode and DLC. I want my Mario Kart to hit Gran Turismo territory with 70+ places to race in. I want my Mario Kart to reward me for being a good racer as opposed to coins and a few gold stars. I want my Mario Kart to have courses that doesn’t just test your skills, but can also test your endurance and patience (N64’s Wario Stadium comes to mind). I want my Mario Kart to allow me to experiment with shortcuts and secrets. And lastly, I want my Mario Kart to keep it simple while expanding the concept as opposed to improving some aspects and disappointing in others.

Will Mario Kart 8 make money and be a Nintendo hit? Of course it will, but unlike what Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 accomplished, don’t expect it to leave a mark in gaming history. Mario Kart Wii was a forgettable mainstream hit, Mario Kart 7 was ho-hum, and this one was wasted potential thrown out to the public to keep extremely frustrated WiiU owners from burning their systems and switching to the other side.

The bar in gaming has been raised. And just like what has happened to Zelda (Still not fully recovered from Majora’s Mask), Mario (Mario Galaxy back in 2007 was its last earth-shattering game), Donkey Kong (Still lacking the personality of the SNES installments), and Pokemon (Not even going to talk about it) in recent years, Mario Kart is struggling to reach this new bar. Time to grow up. Don't just improve some things, improve everything. Step up to the plate boys, give me a full complete game. Otherwise you will see movement in software----but not in the hardware.




What hampers my complaining the most is that the damn game is still fun……..

The Convoluted Bundle Wars

Welcome to the Bundle Wars. The very confusing Bundle Wars.


Check out that bundle........and notice its from the previous generation...............


Currently in the lead is Sony, who seems to be doing everything right. Even though they are becoming the most expensive system out there come November, they have the mighty and powerful Grand Theft Auto 5 supporting them. GTA V will be bundling with new PS4s in the Japanese region, European region, and if we American gamers are lucky, the American region. Sony might just be waiting to see if Microsoft or Nintendo is pulling out any surprises. That being said, it should be a sure-fire deal to make this deal a reality in the North American borders….it would make sense…right?

Microsoft has a Halo Bundle…..for Japan. No announcement for the United States getting the same deal, despite being dead last in the Eighth Generation and trailing Sony by a landslide. And despite the price cut, still no big bundle announcement to become the second major blow to the main competitor Sony. Now at $350 it only trails the might-as-well-be-non-existent-yet-it-still-won’t-die Nintendo WiiU. Microsoft needs to expand its horizons and not look like just a system with shooters. With two good Forza games, a San Andreas upgrade, and Sunset Overdrive Microsoft should really consider expanding its bundle options to deliver the best deal in the market. Until then, it just looks like a less-expensive PS4 with fewer games.

Of course, Nintendo has the biggest hand of them all. Never mind Call of Duty, never mind Grand Theft Auto 5. Nintendo has the awkwardly and rather uninspiring-titled Super Smash Brothers for WiiU coming out in November (Why wasn’t it called Smash Brothers Armageddon or Smash Brothers 4?) yet there is no mention of a bundle. How incredible would it have been if Nintendo announced a Smash Brothers Melee/HyperMelee bundle that would include the game, the Gamecube controller, AND Virtual Console access to Smash Brothers Melee? How much sense would it make for Nintendo to fight Microsoft’s price cut with the announcement of the Virtual Console finally expanding to Gamecube games?

Despite all the success from the three systems, their potential is still exponentially off. Sony needs to create the GTA V Bundle and make it for everybody, don’t be exclusive. And hey, why not also throw in a Last of Us Bundle? You are now the most expensive system in the market, so you need to crank up the value of the system while awaiting the next major game. Although you are winning the indie and third-party market, that can only take you so far until its obvious you need a first-party AAA title pretty soon.

Microsoft. For goodness sakes, Halo is a beast in the United States----where is the bundle announcement?!? You are dead last, with few prospects outside the Halo border for 2015, why aren’t you…never mind, I am done with you.

Nintendo, I am also done with you. Not bundling Smash Brothers, your biggest game in about a decade and extremely crucial to the future of your system, is a silly idea. Still not having Gamecube games in the Virtual Console is also a silly, silly idea. And still charging $5-$10 for NES and SNES games when the XBox 360 got a revamped PS2 game at just south of $4 is undeniably city.

As of now, nobody is winning the Bundle Wars, because nobody has figured out how to correctly market to American gamers that have yet to make their decision. And Black Friday is just four weeks away.





Pick it up people….

The Minecraft Purchase and the Difference Between Riding the Wave and Crashing it

So Minecraft is now owned by Microsoft.




The world hasn’t quite exploded yet.



Mojang was purchased by Microsoft for 2.5 billion several weeks ago making the founders filthy stinkin’ rich but also sending the gaming and online community into a nervous wreck. After all, Microsoft has destroyed companies here and there during its run towards the top of the entertainment industry. In the gaming spectrum, Microsoft still hasn’t been fully forgiven for what they did to the once-gigantic Rareware. So now Microsoft owns the money-making machine known as Minecraft and the question is what it means going forward with the franchise and the company associated with it.

Well Microsoft can take Minecraft in two directions: ride the wave of success and continue collecting the profits that the game continuously delivers; or gamble and make it an Xbox/Windows exclusive and potentially crash the wave.

Microsoft can continue making it available to all platforms, all systems (besides Nintendo of course—even though it would make a great condensed 3DS game), and all computers—and cash in on the billions it has made over the past few years thanks to sales, merchandise, expansions, etc. Or they can decide to make the next variations and versions exclusive to the XBox, the Windows computers, and the Windows phones. Although you would lose some profits since the product isn’t as widespread, it would potentially add lots of value to your own products. Can you imagine the potential of Forza or Halo Minecraft? Can you imagine special patches involving Microsoft exclusive franchises?

Microsoft can also allow for those YouTube channels featuring Minecraft playthroughs and creations to continue to grow and flourish and not attempt to harm them. After all, Minecraft started out with no publisher and managed to grow into a powerhouse because of the Twitter Era. Or Microsoft can scan around and try to stop the videos and creations much in the way Nintendo stupidly attempted to go after the Let’s Play entourage of Nintendo games.

The point is, Microsoft has purchased a company that made gold out of dirt, and now the ball is in their court. The Windows Phone market share in the smartphone industry is a bare 2.5%. The XBox One is dead last, even trailing the critically-panned Nintendo WiiU. Apple continues to dominate the tablet and PC industry. Mojang could be the indie, low-budget solution that Microsoft desperately needs. Nintendo has first-party glory that has remained unmatched for two decades and will keep them afloat for as long as the circle of developers continue to stay in the radius. Sony has a pure stranglehold on the indie gaming spectrum, as it now has the top online service amongst the Big 3.

Outside of a great online program that is slowly losing out to Sony and the few remaining exclusive franchises, what does Microsoft have left? Titanfall, Forza, and Dead Rising have not moved hardware, and then we have Halo peering more and more behind Call of Duty’s shadow---which is also a franchise in the Sony side. Mojang can be that solution. Look at all they pulled off with one simple indie video game. So the question is do they want to use Mojang and Minecraft as one of their playing cards to keep? Or keep Mojang as the same likable indie company much in the way Disney lets Pixar run its own course (supposedly)?

I might be making a big deal out of this, I really might be. But at the same time I was a strong supporter of 90s Rareware and watching its downward spiral in the early 2000s was almost as bad as Sega’s. Microsoft needs to learn from them as opposed to try to take advantage of their new purchase. At the same time however, if Microsoft wants to truly profit they would allow the continuing success of Minecraft and not do a single thing to change it. Expand the company, keep it indie, and allow them to work their magic with a larger budget. Who knows what creations can come from them? And who knows if their upcoming projects can turn the XBox around? Sometimes all it takes is one game to dominate a generation: just ask Wii Sports, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Bros., and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

One thing is certain: Mojang is doing everything right while Microsoft is still trying to get back on its feet in the Console Wars. Learn from them----do not change them. This was a mighty good purchase as long as you don’t attempt to alter their ways.





That 2.5 billion can pay off significantly-----as long as Microsoft allows it to.

The E3 2014 Requirements For All Three Systems

E3 2014 is just around the corner, and with the XBox One matching the PS4 in prices, the summer and remained of this year will become a hotly-contested arms race, as it is no longer the PS4 with the overwhelming best deal. E3 will definitely become the forecast as to how the rest of the year is going to play out. Will the PS4 continue dominating? Will the WiiU finally start its chase for first place? Can the XBox One get out of the cellar? This E3 might be able to provide the hints. Each of the major players has yet to unveil much as to what is coming, but they each do have some requirements.



We shall start with Sony and the PS4/Vita. The Playstation Vita is getting absolutely destroyed (16% market share is a joke) and perhaps the only way to truly save it is become more of a system for the Japanese and Far East gamers. So for the Vita we should be talking more JRPGs, more fighters, more content from the likes of Capcom and Square Enix. The original PSP stayed relevant because of its impact in the Japanese gaming community. 20 million PSPs were sold in Japan, which was more than what they sold in America, and that’s in a country with 200 million less people.

The Vita needs to Final Fantasy it up; seek out old-school RPGs and new-school RPGs to remain relevant in the Asian market. To compete directly against the 3DS is no longer a feasible option, as it will continue to struggle to go up against the androids, Apple products, and smart phones. More games, and more appealing games is the solution. Don’t look like a PS3/PS4-lite, provide your own arsenal of software that is unique from everyone else.

The PS4 is doing fantastic, and that’s without much of a first-party showing (so far). However, this E3 is their chance to really make waves by throwing out some of their flagship franchises like Gran Turismo, Uncharted, Last of Us, God of War, among others. Can we potentially see a Crash Bandicoot reboot? A new Little Big Planet? Perhaps something brand new? Either way, Sony can win simply by maintaining its awesome online software lineup, maintaining its third-party connections, and not flubbing up and ruining a good thing. Gamers are now more than ever willing to fork out the big bucks as long as the games keep coming; and the record-setting sales pace of the PS4 is proving this.



Microsoft crafted a PR nightmare last year with the DRM disaster that was never fully explained, never fully thought-out, and was just met with Twitter/Gamer outrage. So this year, stop the non-gaming nonsense and focus on becoming the ultimate system for online play, for action-packed shooters, and the top billing for blockbuster games. While Sony owns the indie market and currently owns the genres of adventures and RPGs; the big-budget gems belong to Microsoft. Forza, Halo, Gears of War, and Fable are amongst the biggest games out there. We need more of these gorgeous immersive games to be promised to the fans if Microsoft ever plans on escaping the cellar. And unlike Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft has more money to throw, more money to spend, and more resources to make this a reality. Rev up the XBox Live, and pump up the big games. Sometimes all it takes is that one huge game to truly push the sales forward---look at all that Grand Theft Auto 5 last year accomplished.

But seriously though Microsoft, gamers don’t care about the TV shows, about the NFL connection, or any of the multi-media nonsense. Stay away from all of that by any means necessary.




Lastly, we have Nintendo. The WiiU is currently the cheapest system, currently also the system in most need of good news. They need software, and lots of it. And unlike the PS4 and the XBox One, Nintendo has the best opportunity to rev back into the past and deliver more games than anyone else out there. The Virtual Console for the WiiU is missing DS, N64, and Gamecube games---amongst those three systems that’s easily over 200 potential games to re-release for a new audience. HD remakes of past Nintendo classics could also help---like Smash Brothers Melee, Metroid Prime, Majora’s Mask, Super Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness, Mario Party (2, preferably), among many, many, many others.

But don’t just stop there Nintendo, we need more of your heavy-hitters. We need to see a new Metroid, a new Zelda, a new true-blue 3-D Mario adventure, and perhaps even some transitions from handheld to console from the likes of Pokemon (most obvious answer), Golden Sun, Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright, and even Wario Land. We need to see updated and modernized versions of classic franchises like Mario Golf/Tennis, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, and to an extent even Zelda (Which needs to achieve Elder Scrolls-like scope without question). Nintendo’s reputation for excellent game has always trumped its questionable business decisions, and all it takes is a game to the quality of a Super Mario Galaxy to bring the company back on its feet. But software is its biggest issue, and the biggest point that needs to be driven home this E3. And just focus on the WiiU, and save the 3DS news for a later date in a Nintendo Direct of some sort. But the WiiU needs all the love, all the focus, and all the saving.

This E3 should be another fun one, as the companies are now closer than ever in terms of competition and claiming the crown. All it takes is one wildly good bit of news to swing the momentum. Its just a matter of seeing who will deliver the biggest blow.

June: The Month That Might Belong to Microsoft

Summer 2014: The Leveling of the Eighth Generation. The true arms race begins.

Microsoft became the last company to separate itself from the motion-control gaming that had taken the world by storm, but then became an afterthought as soon as the seventh generation ended. Now there are XBox One systems that are about to be sold without the Kinect connection. Now the price of the XBox One will match that of the PS4. This is now a direct competition; this is now an arms race to see who can muscle out more copies when the price is streamlined to the $400 price tag (Which I had predicted from the start would be the perfect price for a next-gen system).

Not only will June be the first month of XBox One’s new sexy price, but we also have E3 literally lingering in the distance. Nintendo dropped the ball and missed out on their entire year of opportunity to separate itself from the pack. Now, Microsoft has a great opportunity to make waves, make some noise. They are now playing Sony’s game, and it is now entirely up to them to improve upon the rules.

The XBox One is in the ultimate desirable price. All connections to the Wii Era are pretty much gone. Halo 5 will happen next year for sure. The Halo Series is also within this distance to give the third Green Machine some value. And lastly, we have E3 to give the XBox a chance to prove as to why it should be the system to purchase over the equally-priced PS4. Microsoft needs to improve its software lineup, and absolutely overhaul its online store system and somehow attempt to even come close to Sony’s amazingly cheap, valuable, and awesome Playstation Store.

Japan should not even be in the equation. Microsoft needs to focus mainly on Europe and maintain its American appeal. Although it is neck to neck against Sony in the States, the XBox is far behind in the European region. Unlike Nintendo, Microsoft now knows who the leader is, and must follow the right path before attempting to dethrone the leader. Improve the game lineup, improve the online section, and stop trying to bill yourself as an “entertainment” system. This no longer works, we want games, and the first of the three major systems to actually unveil a healthy amount of software will win this war.

Let’s be honest, the PS4 is getting by on a weaker software lineup simply because the competition up to this point have made tons of critical mistakes. Not anymore. Although Nintendo’s Mario Kart/Smash Brothers combination may not be enough, XBox One’s price cut and promising E3 just might provide the fuel to start a close race that we’ve currently been lacking.

This summer, the competition might actually begin, because so far it’s been all Sony leading the way with record sales. Gamers are just as hungry as ever for fresh games and fresh ideas, and the quick-selling rates of the PS4, 3DS, and even XBox One are proving this. Microsoft, this is your chance. Summer must be yours to own, or it might be a PS2-like dominance occurring within the coming years.



Microsoft you may not be catching up, but you are at least going down the right road.

XBox One Needs to Embrace the Niche

So the Playstation 4 is off and running and Sony is doing everything absolutely right. Good lineup of games, best deal amongst the three systems, re-releasing a PS3 gem known as The Last of Us for the PS4, still releasing games on the PS3, and a diverse appeal that has allowed for them to control the European and Japanese market. Even though Microsoft still owns America, it’s honestly not that much of a gap. As of March 28th 2014, Sony owns three of the best-selling games in North America.

In the case of Microsoft, it took them a while to finally gain some momentum towards second place with the release of Titanfall, a hybrid shooter that has heavy elements of parkour. It is new, its fresh, and its approaching a million copies sold and being attached to nearly 25% of all the XBox One systems sold. In terms of success it is essentially Halo-lite, the holdover before the next Halo installment. Similar to how Quest 64 kept the N64 at bay until Ocarina of Time, Titanfall is destined to keep the Microsoft fans entertained until the next big shooter.


And this is where Microsoft needs to focus: its niche. The XBox One needs to become an action shooter system.


Taking on the PS4 directly with the same third-party games can clearly no longer work. Grand Theft Auto 5, Metal Gear Solid 5, Dark Souls II, and FIFA sell far better on Sony systems when against Microsoft. As a matter of fact, most of the third-party franchises do better on Playstation systems. Want to know what sells better on Microsoft? Call of Duty, Battlefield, Bioshock, Elder Scrolls and Fallout. There are statistics proving that action games with plenty of gunplay appeals far better to the Microsoft owners, and North American gamers in general.

So in order to even stand a chance to win the eighth generation with no Japanese appeal, the XBox One needs to create an arsenal of exclusive games that appeals to its audience to keep them happy and potentially draw in new fans interested in the niche genre that dominates the XBox brand. Standing toe to toe against PS4 won’t work, you need to separate yourself in a way the Wii separated itself from the PS3/XBox 360 battle.

You need more shooters. Embrace your niche. Its the key to survival.

The niche is what kept the Dreamcast afloat, with its entourage of excellent fighting games and excellent sorts games. The Gamecube kept pace with XBox because its niche of deadly first-party games allowed them to cover all their weaknesses. And the XBox survived mainly because of Halo and all the imitators in the early 2000s.

Microsoft, you have Titanfall now. You still have Halo. You still have the unused Perfect Dark. You have Left 4 Dead. You have Fable (although its going downhill). You still technically own the heavily unused Jet Force Gemini. Time to reload your lineup and start immersing it with more and more shooters.

Microsoft Game Studios may have absolutely no shot at matching the diversity and depth of Sony’s firat-party division (and to be honest, although they are catching up they are still leagues under Nintendo’s first-party arsenal), they can still deliver a fantastic set of games. Halo 5 needs to happen soon, Perfect Dark 3 needs a return, Left 4 Dead 4 should be in progress, Jet Force Gemini 2 might be a decade too late but still needs a revival, and some new IPs wouldn’t hurt either.

Going a little bit to the past can also help. Blast Corps is a Rareware classic that needs a sequel; Doom could also use a new installment, and let’s not forget the IPs of James Bond, Jason Bourne, Black, and Half-Life are still floating around potentially looking for good suitors.

Whatever direction Microsoft takes, it needs to separate itself from the similar lineup as the PS4, and become the more action-packed system between the two. The XBox One needs to conquer America by becoming the Movie Blockbuster Gaming System and delivering plentiful heaps of action games to combat the superior pricing and variety of the PS4. Until then, the best the XBox One can do is second place.

The Botched Release of Killer Instinct

Microsoft, do you ever actually listen?


Do you ever actually pay attention?


You had been warned about your decreasing market share, your decreasing popularity, and the rise of Sony in the Console Wars. You were warned about the lack of IPs, especially the lack of IPs that isn’t a shooter. You were warned about the price tag being a bit high and needing to justify it. Killer Instinct could have been your answer.


And you blew it. Badly.

Killer Instinct is a popular franchise amongst the hardcore fighter crowd that had not seen a sequel since the N64 days. Killer Instinct is among the final old-school fighters from the 90s seeking a chance to re-enter the gaming spotlight. This was one of those rare IPs that actually belongs exclusively to Microsoft and the XBox family. Giving the third installment a nice polish, associate it with a good marketing campaign, and you could see a great launch game---potentially a vital bundle for the XBox One.


Instead, Microsoft decides to make it “free,” include only a couple characters and forcing you to buy the others, and then ultimately contain less content than any fighter out there not named Virtua Fighter. The muddled release of the fame surely confused gamers, frustrated others, and confounded the rest.

Why didn’t they just make it a complete game? I can guarantee you gamers would have invested the $60 towards a full Killer Instinct game. I can guarantee you that an upgraded installment of Killer Instinct would have sold well. The original for the Super Nintendo sold 3 million copies, and that was on a console that wasn’t known for its fighting games. Microsoft isn’t a system full of fighters either, so that could have given KI even more of a chance to succeed. You could have taken it a step even further by bundling it with your system, which is now the most expensive of the big 3 in the eighth generation.

Bundling an anticipated game with a system never fails; just ask the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo Game Boy, and Nintendo Wii. It could have eased the pain of the $500 price tag. But instead you turn Killer Instinct from a AAA potential title into a random free-to-play scam game with fewer characters than the original, less to do than most fighters, and an overall sensation of incompleteness.



Good going guys.Your current last place status is well-earned.

Can a Halo Movie save Microsoft in Japan?

Microsoft’s original XBox was in deep trouble from the start, as the Playstation 2 was clearly, truly, madly, deeply running away with the race. All the third-parties were joining Sony, while Nintendo was countering with its heavy arsenal of first-party and second-party properties. There honestly wasn’t much of a reason of get an XBox.




Until Halo, that is.



Halo saved Microsoft gaming, saved the XBox. The original XBox would sell just south of 25 million copies. Between the two Halo games, they sold a total of a whopping 13 million copies. The ratio between Halo sale and system sale was almost 1:2. The franchise is the flagship of Microsoft gaming and represents it well with acclaimed game after acclaimed game. It has been around for over 10 years, and the franchise hasn’t lost much steam even in the midst of all the imitators.

But in Japan, it still can’t seem to find its audience. Halo 4 sold only 40,000 copies, hardly making a ripple in the industry. Now, we all know that Microsoft and the XBox struggles mightily on Japan, but because of its sheer style and genre, it makes minimal sense as to why it has yet to catch on.

After all, science fiction does extremely well in Japan in all types of fields. In the anime field, you have the likes of Neon Genesis, Cowboy Bebop, Dragonball, Pokemon, Astro Boy, among others sell millions upon millions of copies—and these are all whether science fiction or contain heavy themes of science fiction.

We have Miyazaki and his arsenal of science-fiction/steampunk movies make extremely good money in his native country. Howl’s Moving Castle made 190 million in Japan alone, and let’s not forget the success of earlier Miyazaki sci-fi like Castle in the Sky. Now before you bring up that Halo could not work cinematically in Japan because of its American origin, consider this:

The American Transformers trilogy has grossed over 110 million in the Japanese market. Avatar was Japan’s biggest movie in 2009 with 186 million. The Matrix trilogy in Japan made over 150 million.

Over the decades, there’s always been a warm spot for science fiction in the entertainment world of Japan, so all Microsoft has to do is convince the nation of gamers that Halo can appeal to their senses in the way Avatar, the Transformers, and the Terminator have despite being American products.



So about that Halo movie…? The one that has been discussed for years upon years with dozens of names attached?



The Halo movie could be the way to re-introduce the franchise to Japan. Microsoft can financially back this project while finding a good studio and a good cast to make the type of movie it deserves to be. Halo has all the science-fiction goodness contained in other projects that have indeed made money in the Fast East Coast. It has the mythology, it has the complexity, and it has the energy of your best animes, so why not successfully translate it to film and get the nation excited for the next Halo game?

The entertainment industry is wound tighter than ever, with games becoming movies and movies becoming games far more often than in the past. And now the successes are becoming interchangeable. The Transformers franchise revived its toy industry. The Lego Movie and the Lego video games have breathed brand new life to the Lego brand. Argue all you want about the Prince of Persia movie from Disney, it still made 336 million dollars around the world. And lastly argue all you want about Resident Evil in cinematic form, it’s almost made a BILLION in its history.

Can a Halo movie honestly propel the sales of its upcoming games in Japan? It is indeed a long shot, but it really doesn’t hurt to try, since there isn’t much else Microsoft can do over there. Its XBox One will be creamed by the PS4 over there, its XBox 360 was outsold by the PS3 by 8 million copies and the Wii by 11 million. Don’t even ask how badly the Nintendo DS took down the XBox 360.

In order for Microsoft to succeed in Japan, it needs to attempt to reach them in a different way. 10 years have passed and they have barely caused any sort of noise in the Japanese game industry. Perhaps a cinematic way of reaching them, a cross-breeding exercise in entertainment can get the ball rolling. The XBox needs Halo to succeed, so in order for the One to make money in Japan, it needs Halo front and center being the mascot, being your top reason to purchase the system. Being a very American company, Microsoft doesn’t have the starting appeal that Nintendo and Sony has. It needs that boost, that jump-start.



Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, or the Wachowski Duo helming and crafting a Halo movie that will focus heavily on Japan can be that solution.

And we all know somehow Tom Cruise will be attached to the project......

How a New York Yankee Strategy can make the XBox One a Sports Gaming Powerhouse

The XBox One hasn’t quite received the welcome that Microsoft was anticipating. Even after backtracking on its DRM issue that became a PR disaster of epic proportions the gamers have not quite warmed up to it like they have the PS4. While it is closing in on the WiiU it seems to have lost a lot of ground against Sony, just like what happened to the 360 in the last three years of its lifecycle.


It is trailing the PS4 by around 13% market share, and as soon as both systems release in Japan expect that trailing to increase dramatically. After all, the XBox and XBox 360 together has sold only 2 million, which is less than even 1995’s Sega Saturn. There is no hope in Japan for Microsoft, and its grip on Europe is weakening as Sony is owning the European market since its release.



The desperation has gotten so bad, Microsoft sunk to purchasing PS3s off of gamers towards their XBox Ones. It looks quite bad.

So Microsoft as a big company might have to pull a New York Yankee move and throw money at a solution in order to have any sort of a shot at avoiding being silver or bronze in yet another race. The XBox branch has yet to win any market since 2001, which is something the competitors can claim and acknowledge. It is time for a huge, huge move.

Guess what Gaming World: the licensing behind FIFA and the NFL expires in 2014. The NCAA football license still exists. MLB has an open audition for its license after Take-Two bailed out.



Microsoft, this is definitely, and wholeheartedly your shot at gaining some major traction. The sports market is up in the air and can definitely be conquered.



Look at this potential scenario: with EA causing trillions of problems with the Madden franchise (a well-known fact for years now) the NFL might look at other potential suitors. Enter Microsoft with already its nice friendly deal with the NFL involving special exclusive features within the XBox One. Microsoft throws in a heavy amount that EA can’t match and an amount that the NFL could not possibly say “no” to. Now only the XBox One and future installments can publish NFL video games in a legal monopolizing way.

The NFL is the most successful league in the United States, and is accompanied by the most popular sport in the nation. The NCAA license is also out of EA’s hands since EA didn’t want to deal with the current player-student-athlete controversy that is gaining more hostility in recent years. What is to stop Microsoft from getting the ability to make BCS video games and even potentially linking them with the NFL games? That would be more legal monopolizing that could potentially make good money.

With Microsoft owning these licenses, they can pick and choose which lucky company gets to develop the game and make good money for themselves, while Microsoft racks the rest of the profits through their publishing. Imagine with the XBox Live bringing the world of Fantasy Football to the next level. Imagine being able to link these games with ESPN online and really go more in-depth with the gameplay and the actual NFL season.

10 years ago with football gaming at its peak, between NFL 2K5 and Madden 2005 over 11 million copies were sold. And the NFL is far far bigger now than it was back in the early 2000s. Being the only hardware with the NFL license can guarantee you potentially at least 300 million a year if granted they manage to sell 5 million copies a year and consistently maintain its quality. And I assure you Take-Two Interactive, the folks behind the wildly-successful NBA 2K series, would get a phone call the second Microsoft buys the license.

And I have not even gotten to the FIFA license yet. The FIFA license goes out in 2014, even though there is a tougher chance of snatching that from EA since this franchise is actually very successful. Nonetheless, money talks and if Microsoft really wanted to strangle the European market, they would seek after the most popular sport in the world and make it a Microsoft exclusive. Can you imagine FIFA 15 being an XBox One exclusive? And your only other soccer choice being potentially MLS/Random Non-Popular League Soccer for the PS4 and Mario Strikers 3 for the WiiU? That would definitely draw in some new sales for the third Green Machine.

Lastly, we have the MLB license out in the open and The Show for the Playstation systems being your final major option. Although you can’t strangle the license like you can the NFL and FIFA license, this is still an opportunity to transform the XBox One into the ultimate sports gaming machine.

One of the best-selling franchises in all of gaming is Madden (nearly 100 million). One of the best-selling arcade games in history is NBA Jam. Soccer video games have sold over 180 million copies over the years (Surprisingly, the low-key Pro Evolution Soccer has 80 million copies sold). There is a Japan-only baseball franchise by Konami that by itself has sold 20 million copies. Sports are just as popular, inclusive, and accessible as ever, and the sales can definitely follow that type of success. Look at what sports video games have accomplished over the years. Arguably the Dreamcast remained alive as long as it did because of its stellar, stellar sports titles.

Microsoft is lagging a bit behind Sony but 2014 is the year of opportunity now that the sports-based licenses are dropping like flies. Microsoft has the money and the resources needed to make a major move in the sports gaming market. If they want any chance to compete in the non-USA markets just as heavily as in the United States, they need their soccer (England, Europe), they need their baseball (Japan, United States, Central/South American market), and most importantly they need to wring football away from EA (United States, small group in Europe) to become your only option to play NFL game.

The XBox One needs a good niche to draw in a new crowd that is outside the United States. Shooters and Western RPG/Actioners won’t do the trick alone. Sports games however…we might be on to something………