Jimquisition: Launch Splooge

[Xisin]

It's, uh, good to see that Jim's really celebrating the repeal of DOMA in this video. Especially in some of the....images.

Lmao I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice. I was just waiting for the next time Jim said an equivalent word to release...

I couldn't agree more. I think the consoles should launch with a handful of great titles and have a steady release schedule. It's not like most people can buy the new console and all twenty games.

 

[tardcore]

Well Jim I agree that a company shooting its whole load at launch and then leaving the rest of the year empty is a bad idea. BUT I think the true heart of the issue you speak of what gamers truly want and what the gaming industry really needs is LESS SHIT GAMES. Now I know you addressed this saying that companies trying to launch a console with tons of games available leads to shoddy games, and I do think there is a nugget of truth to that, however I think the real issue of gaming libraries being mostly crap is more down to publisher apathy than publisher ability, or their publishing schedule.

The line from the song Not Now John comes to mind "Who cares what its about as long as the kids go". It seems these days that any publisher be it either PC, Console, Handheld, whatever has a small core of cherished IPs and then a huge stable of filler crap games. Publishers seem to be banking on their main titles to pull the weight of the sales and then let all the little crap titles fill in any missing spots. So I feel that until these companies start paying more attention to quality control and stop green lighting games that they know are pointless mindwank (well and spending the brunt of their budgets on a handful of titles) we the gamers are damned to a library of games that are mostly shit regardless of what release schedule we get.

 

[Catfood220]

And that is why I am not buying a PS4 until at least a year and a half after launch, by that time it should have enough games that I want to play. The only console I've brought at launch was the Gamecube and it was torturous having to wait for games to play on it.

 

[Tono Makt]

So in other words, Jim is advising that instead of a Friday night with a large number of ladies of negotiable affection, we should instead inquire as to whether or not several of those ladies of negotiable affection would be able to provide a more enjoyable (and perhaps even higher quality) service if they were given a day or two of rest? Hmmm...

I suppose if we were to gently nudge the market in that manner, they would perhaps provide their services for slightly longer periods of time and may not have trouble with day one performance nor may not decide to retire early after attempting to perform the deeds sometimes described in a telling of (in)famous "The Aristocrats" joke in order to differentiate herself from the rest of the ladies. (While Ms. Spore's services may not have been the most popular, I do imagine that there are many who are quite miffed that her services are no longer available. Particularly those who continue to pay for her services even though her employer is well aware of her retirement.)

I fear, however, that the lower quarterly returns may cause their employers to forsake such a plan and continue on with business as usual. Alas, long term growth and survival is not often found in their cunning plans.

 

[piclemaniscool]

The problem, which Jim touches upon as well, is that launch games are usually shit. The reason companies now want to shovel out as many launch games as possible is because it will give them a higher chance of hitting a mark above mediocrity. Would you rather have 20 launch titles with 2 good games and then nothing for a couple of months, or no good games for the same span of time? Jim's plan only works if you assume every game is GOOD. I'd say that's even more delusional than the companies' mindsets.

 

[Yuuki]

And yet I can't help but think that shooting backwards compatibility in the foot continues to be a fucking retarded practice that could greatly help alleviate launch issues. Don't like launch games? No problem, just play an older game without having to constantly switch between consoles!

 

[Mr. Q]

Well said, Jim. I'd be more happy if the titles for a new system were spread out to give both the players and the developers more breathing space. It's time for the industry to focus more on quality and less on quantity.

 

[Pink Gregory]

New hairstyle, Jim?

it's pleasingly smoo'.

 

[Jimothy Sterling]

Oh yeah, definitely...
It's a bit silly what they try to do but I can't help but understand their efforts for showing: Hey we have someone for everyone in DAY 1! As to attract as many possible buyers. It is a stupid thing, but I think its hard to deny how many of us crave the new even when it might not be the best.. I lash myself for that.. but it still happens..

Also.. as someone else noted, I noticed a rather odd fixation with David Boreanaz and some ...suspiciously gay porn imagery... hey no problem with that but it caught me a bit off-guard.

Haven't they pushed themselves into this corner though? Sony with the PS3 abandoned backward compatibility (well, not ENTIRELY, but close enough) meaning that with the exception of launch titles, you had no games to play if you went out and purchased the console on launch day....

I don't understand what you mean by that, the first ps3 models had HARDWARE backwards compatibility... It was one of the reasons I bought a 60gb model day one... It still works great up to date.

anyhow!
thank dog for Jim.

 

[Terramax]

Well said Jim. Don't always agree with you dude, but this one was spot on.

I love my Vita, but I'll admit that with 30+ games available to me soon after launch, I felt overwhelmed by the games available, and in the next coming months, besides Gravity Rush, there was nothing being released for the system for about 2-3 months.

Now, the Vita is getting at least one good game released every other week (usually download only, sadly), and that's good enough for me.

Kudos for adding Shinobido 2 footage also, a game which I LOVE on the Vita. However, I worry you've added footage of that game in there as an example of a shoddy title (?)

 

[chiefohara]

This is why id wait 6 months to buy a console, more games and the launch titles are cheaper. You also have the benefit of reviews and public feedback so you can cherry pick your initial library

 

[Mahoshonen]

Another important point, a consistent release schedule allows less-than-sterling games to get exposure. I was an N64 owner, and had a lot of fun with games like Turok and Shadows of the Empire. Had these been launched right along side GoldenEye, I probably would have either ignored them or been resentful for wasting my money on them.

 

[Malisteen]

I'll thank you for killing DOMA Jim, when you fix your blunder with the Voting Rights Act.

 

[deckai]

4:12 Jim look out! there's a Ninja behind you!

Ask not what your Launch Line-up can do for you,
but what can you can do for your console's longterm viability.

Dammit, and here I thought I was the first one to notice "Asian"-Jim... and it's the first comment .....

Back on Topic:

Whenever I heard someone say, there are no games for the console I always thought they meant there are no games "worth playing" for the console.

I always considered the "worth playing" to be implied...

But yeah, for a strong line-up, quality is always more important than quantity.

 

[hermes]

It happens a lot. Games are moved from "launch title" to "launch window" and no one bats an eye. Most of the examples I have are from Nintendo consoles (I don't think they are the only ones, just the ones I can remember).

Besides, Jim, attention span is the name of the game. How are you going to convince a kid in the holidays that they should focus on enjoying the games they have, because its good for the quality, instead on demanding far too many games for the little time they have to play them?

Also, launch time is the best time to accommodate your new games, if you are a publisher with access to it. Look at Lair, Red Steel or Dark Kingdom... none of those game would have sold a fraction of what they did if the market wasn't an uninhabited wasteland.

 

[CyberMachinist]

I'll agree that it does sound like an ideal situation, if the quality games can at least last us most of a month until the next, but it won't work like that in RL, like someone said before me it's companies and shareholders that dictate how this works by their logic, and their logic is numbers justify the means, which is why we're in this situation to begin with.

That and it's pretty hard to make a good game with tech specs that people are still getting used to, maybe they could release them a bit earlier if they can, so Dev's have more time to make a good game(or atleast a decent one) but i don't think that will happen with the way things are going.

At times like this we could use a time machine so they can send us good games from the future.

or maybe they can try making smaller but addicting games so we have something to kill the time until they can get something going by next month, they could use some of last gen tech to help with that.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Launch means nothing. PS2 launch was TERRIBLE. Only SSX and maybe Dynasty Warriors 2, which were half game and half tech demos, saved it. It didn't get its "good" games until a year after launch (GTA3, Metal Gear Solid 2, FFX, ICO, etc).

And historically most of the best games are released at the end of a system cycle, not the beginning.

 

[Hellfireboy]

The thing is that when gamers say, "(system x) has no games," they don't really mean that literally but figuratively. What they really mean is that there are no games worth playing. Unfortunately marketing people aren't the cleverest of folk and take the words at face value bragging about the quantity of games at launch. No gamer just wants something to play when they first grab their new system, they want something that they will enjoy playing. Having twenty games at launch is meaningless if you just put out twenty games that no one wants to play. If that's the case then, "you have no games."

 

[Vicioussama]

You know what fixes this problem? BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY!! True Backwards Compatibility. I can see why Sony might have a problem with backwards compatibility for PS3 games, but why not PS2 and PS1? Those can easily be software emulated (hell, they already have them on PC and PS4 is basically a PC). But that's no excuse for MS which shouldn't have any real hardware problem running 360 or XBox games on the XBone. Backwards Compatibility would have made me buy a Vita asap. Some add on that could be connected to use UMDs? A REAL program to plug in your UMD and get a free digital download (without a stupid fee or having to "just buy it again on PSN" bs like the wanted).

Ya... I'm sorry, but the corporations create this problem without true backwards compatibility AS WELL as not having real good games on release. Sure they might have that one good game on release, but as Jim said, most games are ports or rushed (or both) and that causes a lot of problems. And ya, staggering releases so they are consistent good games coming up (say first week is one good game, second is another, etc). But they'd have to make sure that on release at least ONE good game for each major genre is covered. After all, not everyone likes the same genre of game.

I wonder if any console has opted to hold off releases until the developers of the games say they are done with the games... hmmm

Launch means nothing. PS2 launch was TERRIBLE. Only SSX and maybe Dynasty Warriors 2, which were half game and half tech demos, saved it. It didn't get its "good" games until a year after launch (GTA3, Metal Gear Solid 2, FFX, ICO, etc).

And historically most of the best games are released at the end of a system cycle, not the beginning.

BLASPHEMY!! PS2 launch had:

Armored Core 2 (Agetec, Action)
DOA2: Hardcore (Tecmo, Fighting)
Dynasty Warriors 2 (Koei, Action)
ESPN International Track and Field (Konami, Sports)
ESPN X-Games Snowboarding (Konami, Sports)
Eternal Ring (Agetec, RPG)
Evergrace (Agetec, RPG)
FantaVision (SCEI, Puzzle)
Gun Griffon Blaze (Working Designs, Action)
Kessen (EA, Adventure)
Madden NFL 2001 (EA, Sports)
Midnight Club (Rockstar, Racing)
Moto GP (Namco, Racing)
NHL 2001 (EA, Sports)
Orphen (Activision, RPG)
Q-Ball Billiards Master (Take-Two Interactive, Simulation)
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 (Midway, Sports)
Ridge Racer V (Namco, Racing)
Silent Scope (Konami, Shooter)
Smuggler's Run (Rockstar, Racing-Adventure)
SSX (EA, Sports)
Street Fighter EX3 (Capcom, Fighting)
Summoner (THQ, RPG)
Swing Away (Paradise Golf in Japan) (EA, Sports)
Tekken Tag Tournament (Namco, fighting)
TimeSplitters (Eidos, First-Person Shooter)
Unreal Tournament (Infogrames, First-Person Shooter)
Wild Wild Racing (Interplay, Racing)
X-Squad (EA, Action)

Of those, at least AC2 and Tekken Tag were decent as was Dynasty Warriors 2 (all of these decent for the time mind you). Since you could choose 3 games with your PS3 of the release titles it was a pretty amazing deal. And let's not forget Dark Cloud came out shortly after the release. Dark Cloud was so great

I don't think PS2 had a "horrible launch" lol

 

[Kenjitsuka]

You've always had a good case per Jimquisition, but I guess this week there was no good topic?
It'd be nice to spread it out, but consumers will splurge at the start.
A few months later the average gamer's wallet is STILL reeling from the 600+ dollar hit it took.

Kids get the console at Christmas with 1, max 2 games. They will not buy new ones for a long time, unless it's second hand...

So please, get the best line-up you can on day one, so everyone has choice.
Too bad 90% is shit... and 1-2 months of more dev time will not help, as they where just made to exploit the fact that there is zero reference and no real competition at launchday. These are mom and pop games, that the kid will hate, but the parents don't know that.