The music video game genre has been in a profound slump this year, with sales down 46% so far, according to the NPD Group. Part of that is due to the recession, of course, but part of it may be waning consumer interest in Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The games’ publishers, Activision Blizzard and MTV Networks (owned by Viacom) have seen the impact on their bottom lines and are taking big steps to shake up their businesses as a result.
As a story in the Times explains, the biggest change comes in the form of The Beatles: Rock Band, a risky bet worth tens of millions of dollars in royalties alone.
But as MTV launches the game with its distribution partner, it’s also implementing a new strategy: flee the hardware business. Sure, there’s a limited-edition, $250 hardware package, but quantities are limited. And there’s a $160 “value bundle” featuring original Rock Band hardware that MTV is eager to get rid of.
If you’re new to music video games and want controllers for The Beatles: Rock Band, MTV has a preferred solution: buy Guitar Hero.
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The Xbox 360 version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is releasing tomorrow on the Xbox Live Marketplace, but I’m not buying just yet. In fact, I’m waiting two weeks to get the game on my PS3. It’s not that I have anything against either system as a whole, I just prefer the d-pad on the PS3.
Because it all started with the d-pad issues, I’ve always bought fighting games on Sony’s platform. That has since ballooned into owning various controllers and fight sticks, making it the obvious choice for future fighting games for me. It’s a problem, I know. I have more peripherals than I literally have room to store, and it’s only going to get worse.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was one of my favorites back in the day, but I haven’t played it on a very long time (aside from the PSN demo). Will knowing some of my friends are enjoying kicking ass with Wolverine tempt me over the next two weeks? You bet your ass it will. But will knowing I’ll have a better experience on my end with fight controllers and joysticks make it worth the wait? You’re damn right.
Sometimes when things come together, it is a truly beautiful thing.
As some of you know, I am moderately obsessed with Street Fighter IV. Many of you may not know that I have what they call ‘hitchhiker thumbs’. As a result, using a D-pad does not involve the tip of the thumb, rather the inner part of the joint. The problem in this rarefied condition is that while using the D-pad for a fighting game, the width of my thumb constantly hits the PS3 thumb stick – canceling out any previous action from a split second earlier.
This is massively annoying, especially so when I realize that the PS3 D-pad is far superior to the standard Xbox 360 fare. That’s why I got the PS3 version of SFIV in the first place. For god’s sake.
Click the link to continue reading my senseless ramblings.
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One of the main arguments for the Wii is its simplicity. Point at the screen and you’re off to the races. But what happens when even those controls become too much for people? While most can handle one-handed operation, when you throw the Nunchuck in the mix, the confusion level rises.
I recently had a friend visiting my house who hasn’t really played video games since the Atari 2600 (save internet flash games). While he was able to pick up and play titles like Tiger Woods 09 and Wii Sports with no problem, MySims Kingdom and even Super Mario Galaxy posed some issues. He was just as confused, if not moreso, with the dual Wii Remote / Nunchuck combo than using an Xbox 360 or PS3 controller. To make it fair, he also played some LittleBigPlanet on the PS3 and Braid on the Xbox 360, both of which, in his words, seemed “natural” with the controller and their respective schemes.
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Have you been playing Neo Geo games on the Virtual Console and trying not to throw your Wii remote or classic controller? Do you want some old school Neo Geo controls? Look no further, as Play Asia is selling one for $59.90.
Yeah, it’s pretty steep for a controller, but if you’re hardcore into Neo Geo, it’s a drop in the bucket. Personally, I’ll be passing on this one, but I know there’s a few of you out there that are all over this like a fat kid on a cupcake.
[via our good friends at technabob]
Thanks to Fragloser for sending this in!
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