In the news.

I thought about doing something different today for my blog. As you may or may not know, I follow gaming news. A lot. Everyday I check at least 4 different websites to hear what happened in the gaming world that day. It's a big way that I get the amount of information I can get to write my posts, and a big reason I have so much knowledge of the current gaming world. So I thought I'd share my daily ritual with you. I've picked 5 news topics from the gaming world today which I will share and give my two cents on. Hopefully this will be a pleasant change from my usual journalistic approach to posts, although that's what I like, and what I'll continue to do for the rest of this blog's life (which is hopefully long!). Anyway, let's get to it.

January 12, 2010 - Speaking on the Nintendo Weekly show, President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime stated the company will be taking its time with the upcoming Zelda title for Wii, and that it won't see a release until its perfect. "Right now, it's still in development. But the key message that Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma is telling us is that it really has to be perfect when it launches," he said. "That really is what the Zelda fan is expecting." "So for all of those Zelda fans out there right now, I would say enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and know that the Zelda title for Wii is going to come out when it's perfect," he said. Fils-Aime's comment doesn't exactly mesh with an earlier report saying the new title would ship in 2010. Last week, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was quoted by Asahi Shimbun Daily in Japan as saying the next Zelda for Wii will ship before the end of this year. Nintendo Japan has yet to officially make an announcement on its release date, however. -courtesy IGN.com

I like it. I am always a supporter of taking your time in making a game. There is definitely a direct correlation with the amount of time taken on a game and the quality of a game. A great example of this is Blizzard. They take a while to make their video games, and by a while I mean upwards to 5 years, which is long for any game. They have always stood by their creed of releasing a game "when it's finished". Nintendo taking their time on the next Zelda tells me that they want to make it the highest quality possible, and not just pop out a game to appease people. This also shows me that the new Zelda should be something different and unique, as they are taking more time on new ideas and new gameplay features, which is exciting. Three cheers for Miyamoto and the boys at Nintendo.

One of the biggest points of contention with Xbox Live's Games on Demand has always been the arguably steep price of many of the titles on the service. The digital releases of older games have often caught flack for price tags that, in some instances, nearly doubled those of their retail counterparts. he complaints have apparently not gone unheard; Xbox Live's Larry Hryb announced on his Major Nelson blog that a number of Games on Demand titles are getting price reductions today. Included among them: Bioshock, Saints Row, Prey, MX vs. ATV Untamed, and Civilization Revolution -- all of which are dropping from $29.99 to just $19.99. -courtesy 1up.com

This type of news shows the great potential in digital distribution. A great game like BioShock is available for just 20 bucks digitally. And although I still love buying my games on disc, this shows that the digital market is a great place for old games. I know myself that if I missed a game somewhere along the way or I just didn't play it, it'll be hard to find that old game in any type of store. Although you can try at GameStop, some people don't like used games and/or the way GameStop works anyway. They shouldn't get jipped just because they want to play and old game they might have missed. Games on Demand gives the ability for people who didn't play a great game like BioShock to play it for only 20 bucks, which is awesome. Now, here's the bad news: digital distribution has such a long way to go because of storage. These games are 3-4 GB games to download, and that takes up a lot of a hard-drive. Until we start getting higher storage drives, maybe in the terabyte range, we won't be seeing any real success in selling new games on the digital distribution market.

Random House and Electronic Arts are hoping to cash in on the new Dante's Inferno franchise with a book tie-in that was announced today. It will offer a chance for gamers to be exposed to the classic poem upon which the game is based, and include plenty of extras for the fans.
The new version of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of the Inferno will be released bearing the cover from the game. It will contain an introduction by Dante's Inferno executive producer Jonathan Knight, a "16-page, full-color art insert" and the original poem.
The original poem features Dante and his descent through the circles of hell. For various reasons, it's a bit heavier on philosophy than demonic slaughter, but it may appeal to those who were intrigued by the basic premise of the game and want to learn more. -courtesy 1up.com

Rebranding a legendary poem like the first part of the Divine Comedy with a video game cover is stupid. The video game "Dante's Inferno" came way after the actual legendary poem Inferno by Dante Aligheiri. I for one think it's an insult to cover something that high in literary merit with a video came cover. It just degrades the actual text. And however much you might want to say "don't judge a book by it's cover", people do it anyway. Putting the game cover on the book is going to cause people to misinterpret it. People will most likely think it's some type of novelization, while in actuality, it's a very old and symbolic epic poem. Reading Inferno is way different than playing the game, I promise. While the game does take several measure to accurately recreate the description of Hell in the book, it isn't the book. Reading the poem will be a completely different experience that the game. And I am pretty sure those who are attracted to the game may not like the poem so much. Although the devs took a lot from the poem, the poem isn't about a crusader warrior retaking his love from Satan by fighting through Hell. It's still a great poem, just not that. Stupid decision. Then again, it's EA. Just one step down from Activision.

If you were hoping to get your hands on Star Wars: The Old Republic this year, this won't come as welcome news. A forum thread on the Old Republic forums from BioWare employee Sean Dahlberg confirms the game is set for 2011. "While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic," he wrote. That sound you're hearing is millions of fans' voices crying out in terror, and being suddenly silenced. On the other hand, you may get to at least try the game this year. Dahlberg goes on to note that sign-ups to be a tester are still open, and the company is planning of plenty of new reveals as we slowly approach the game's release. -courtesy 1up.com

I'm sad. I really wanted this game this year. It sounds like a really amazing and innovative MMO, and I'm a sucker for BioWare games. 2011 when you think about it is rational though. It's been in the works since around the beginning of 2008, so that gives it about 3 years of real work, which sound about right. BioWare always makes good games, so the time they are taking should be considered nothing less than necessary to make a good game. What's really interesting is when you consider there is a whole year left before they even think about releasing the game. This means they could have whole new areas, gameplay elements, story elements, and other things they haven't even shown yet. Now that's exciting. I see a new MMO on the horizon my friends. Not one that wants to compete with WoW, but work with it as another great game in a very small market. And believe me, there is room for another MMO. If anyone can do it, it's BioWare. And I'm gonna sign up to be a beta tester in the next couple weeks, I'm sure.

Are you a Wii bowler? You think you're good at it? If so, 86-year-old Jack Davis of Vandalia, Ohio, would like to speak to your ass. Because he's going to kick it. Davis claims some 40 perfect 300 scores in Wii Bowling, which he's played more than 4,300 times since he moved into the assisted-living home where he plays in August 2007. "What I like about it (Wii bowling) is, if you find a spot you can stay on all the time, you can get a pretty good score," Davis said. "And, you get 300 once in a while." Now, 40 perfect games is not out of the realm of possibility for anyone, once you find that groove. Maybe the biggest challenge is staying committed enough to the game to log that total. Playing 4,300 games of anything is hardcore by any definition, however, much less an 86-year-old guy. -courtesy Kotaku.com

Holy. Balls. A senior citizen could school everyone I know in Wii Bowling. That is crazy. Wii Bowling is really reaching out to the elderly. I don't think anyone could have anticipated that the Wii at its release was going to be this popular with the elderly. But they are flocking to the Wii like a moth to a flame. This is really a great thing, as it gives many that can't go bowling or play tennis for real due to their physical restraints the ability to have fun. It's a great side-effect of the Wii's fun factor, and I am glad that Wii Bowling has really become fun for everyone, not just the young crowd. But holy shit, this guy is good. 40 perfect scores. That's fricking amazing. I think I scored close to a perfect once. ONCE. I never had a streak of perfect games. And I certainly never clocked that many hours into any video game, much less Wii Bowling. I'm glad Davis found something cool. And I don't think I wanna play this guy. Not that he isn't a great guy. I just think that he would pwn me to the point of wanting to hide in a box for the rest of my life.

That's your five for the day. Let me know what you thought of this blog, that is, if you liked it or not, what you thought could be better, etc.. And of course, I love your comments, so leave them in hordes. Thank you very much, and have a lovely afternoon. Or night. Whenever you read this.