I was in Target the other day and noticed they had one Wii Zapper still sitting around. Since no one could find me one for Christmas, I decided I’d drop the $25 myself and see what the hype is all about.
The Wii Zapper has a very solid construction and was fairly easy to setup. There’s a nice cable management system on the bottom section of the Zapper so you don’t have to look at the excess cord coming off the Nunchuck. There are two configurations for the Zapper as mentioned in the manual. The first is what you might imagine, with the Wiimote and Nunchuk inside the Zapper. The second involves removing the Nunchuck and using your left hand to manipulate that attachment on its own. Personally, I’m all for having everything in one package.
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Activision, RedOctane, and Target have formed their own band. Target will be selling a super special bundle of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the PS2.
Aspiring shredders can head on into Target stores for an exclusive bundle that includes the game, two specially designed guitar controllers and a customization kit full of guitar straps and stickers. The bundle will retail for $109.99.
Not a bad deal, really. So if you’re a PS2 gamer looking to get into some Guitar Hero action and need new guitars, this one is for you. Everyone in the next-gen, it’s regular packaging for you.
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Every time we say his name, he just gets more power. This is officially the last time you’ll see me say Jack Thompson. From now on, the law buff will be known as Chuckles, because every time he does something, the entire gaming world gets a laugh.
So Chuckles decided to rock out another “sting” operation. He previous sent his son in to a Best Buy to pick up a copy of BioShock. His son isn’t yet 18, which is what he’s trying prove. However, he’s going after 2K Games for the problem instead of Best Buy. 2K Games doesn’t control a retailer’s action. They brand the game as mature and it’s up to the retailers to enforce the sales. The new “sting” operation involves Halo 3.
Chuckles sent his son into a South Florida Target store to buy a copy of Halo 3, which he was able to do on the first try without an ID. Granted, this shouldn’t happen. But again, Chuckles isn’t going after Target, he’s going after Microsoft. Because somehow the gaming industry is responsible for this happening at retailers. Are they also responsible for R-rated movies and CD’s with Parental Advisory stickers being sold to minors as well?
This editor can only hope Chuckles stops his antics and gets put in his place pretty soon.
What does Halo have to do with Nascar? Nothing, until today. At this weekend’s upcoming race in Dover, DE, the number 40 car will sport a Halo 3 themed paint job.
Target, Microsoft and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today that the No. 40 car will feature an exclusive “Halo 3″-themed paint scheme during the Dover 400 Nextel Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 23. As fans throughout the world line up for the blockbuster Xbox 360 title, CGRFS driver David Stremme will showcase a distinctly designed paint scheme in advance of the game’s much anticipated release on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
I understand marketing the game to all audiences, but painting a car for a Nascar race? Whenever works I guess.
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Double Fusion, who is basically the Michael Jordan of video gaming research has just conducted a breakthrough research project that will forever change how marketing is done for future games. Why is this important? Chances are if you are reading this, you are the ones being targeted for their findings. Here are some of the major highlights in the study:
- 75% of gamers engage with at least one ad per minute across most, but not all, game types; 81% of gamers engage at least every other minute
- Less-cluttered ads are three times as effective at garnering gamer notice than ads that are either cluttered or within cluttered environments
- While both contribute positively to ad engagement, placement of the ad in the primary camera plane (eye-level) is more important than large size ads
- Not all ads are created equal – dynamic billboards, around-game interstitials, sponsorships, and interactive product placements all offer different levels of user engagement and pervasiveness in the game
- The data obtained from the study forms the basis for a new view on gaming measurement, which will allow gaming media plans to be constructed in a way that is both comparable and additive to other media plans
It seems that the focus will be for in-game advertising or product placement. Some examples are the Axe ads or GM cars in Rainbow Six Vegas.
“The program we conducted for Double Fusion measures actual viewing and gives precise information on how to plan for ad units, how to design ads, and what to expect in terms of gamer engagement,” commented Michael Dowling, CEO, Interpret. “
Furthermore, it was also reported that Eidos has hired Double Fusion to help with ad placement in no less than 10 of their upcoming titles.
I suppose the moral of the story is that you will see A LOT more ads in games, so don’t feel like your developers are selling out, they are just trying to meet sales quotas. On the other hand, if I see a Home Depot sticker on a Warthog, I am going to be thoroughly disappointed.
I just took a trip around to all my local stores that sell video games. After a trip at 1:30pm to Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Gamestop, EB Games, and Circuit City, I found that they ALL still have Elite systems in stock.
I know some of these stores got as little as 4 units, and they all have systems in stock. Is the demand not there? I would have expected the stores with the smaller quantities to at least sell out, but it doesn’t look that way.
A quick trip to Ebay shows systems selling for a premium over the retail value. Could my market just be an anomaly?
Let us know in the comments if you find Elite’s on the shelves.
In case you’ve been living in a bubble the past month or so, the Xbox 360 Elite is coming in a mere couple of hours. Word is most Best Buy stores will have around 20 units each, and the same with Target. Gamestop will have much lower allocations.
So, are you upgrading to the new system? Maybe just getting a 120GB hard drive? Let us know what you’re going to do with your 360.
I’ll be out at Best Buy tomorrow morning checking things out.
Joystiq is reporting on next week’s circulars that list Wii for sale at some stores. They have scans of the ads as well. Circuit City will have “limited quantities”, Best Buy will have a minimum 20 per store, and Target is advertising Wii-motes and Nunchucks, but not Wii’s. No idea if they’re have any systems.
So if you still haven’t found a Wii and are dying for one, go camp out at your local Best Buy or Circuit City in the freezing cold for your chance at the uber fun console.
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