Jimquisition: Launch Splooge

[GamemasterAnthony]

Huh...I never thought about that, but you're right, Jim. It would make a lot more sense if games were released over time after making sure they weren't absolute crap. I've actually seen a few NON-launch titles that were rushed out of the gate and suffered because of it.

 

[Lightknight]

Hmm, this is basically telling people to be more educated consumers who resist time tested/proven marketing strategies. While that's absolutely correct, a world with people in it who are capable of doing so would be the best kind of world.

However, consoles live and die by how many consumers buy their consoles at the start. I don't know if they are capable to resist dropping everything they can in one giant pile of what they consider goodness.

I'll also add that the WiiU suffers for entirely different reasons, not the least of which is that people still think the WiiU is just a peripheral tablet and not Wii2 and that their "large game library" consisted mostly of newer games that had already been out for months and not new titles and especially not new IPs.

As for the psVita, they did put out a legitimate game library with new titles and several innovative features. Why they're doing poorly may not be too far removed from the tablet market vs. the kid friendly handhold market that Nintendo owns outright. Perhaps the Dreamcast would be a more time honored reference?

Speaking of references, Song of Ice and Fire, nice.

 

[Grach]

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.

Yeah... Last week's rhymedown also had a David Boreanaz thumbnail. I was going to ask why, because I find it hard to concentrate on the video with such a sexy man on display.

 

[mjc0961]

"Let Jimquisition bring light into your life, explaining how the demand for a strong launch lineup is misplaced, and how consoles may screw themselves by spurting out a big wad at once."

It's called the Wii U and it sucks having a ton of games at launch and then not having anything but LEGO City and Monster Hunter if you like that kind of game for half a year. Please don't do that, Sony.

(I don't give a fuck what MS does to be honest because I'm not getting an Xbone at launch and won't get one until a price drop and some games arrive. Right now they have Dead Rising of Duty and nothing else of interest. For $500, no thanks)

Oh, and thank you for getting rid of the defense of marriage act, Jim!

Rabbids Land is the game about Willem Dafeo, right?

 

[loa]

Backwards compatibility creates a strong launch lineup but I guess that's just really backwards nowadays.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

I'm surprised. For the first Jimquisition I can personally think of there wasn't anything controversial discussed (unless you count the gay jokes). This was a straight up solid point that hasn't ever really been worded well before.

 

[Mr_Terrific]

Mummer's Farce? Has Jim been reading Song of Ice and Fire?

All the damn time!

Would you mind explaining what is up with you and David Boreanaz? And has he responded to you yet? I'm a bit lost but have to admit, I find this whole Angel kick you're on to be amusing...

 

[CoronaryThrombosis]

Nintendo especially had no reason for promising a huge launch lineup, because they have the only system with backward compatibility. Microsoft and Sony have to come out of the gates with something huge or it becomes extremely hard for the masses to justify purchasing a new game machine.

And Jim, if you get credit for defeating DOMA, you also get the blame for Russia's criminalization of gay propaganda. It's unfair, but thems are the breaks, Jim.

Also, Patriot Act -- get to work.

 

[Catrixa]

I feel like launch titles (of questionable quality) are kind of the compromise for a new console. The situation (I feel) goes:
1. There are no games whatsoever. Console comes out, nothing to play with it. No one buys it, it's declared a failure, investors walk off, publishers declare with won't make games for it, company loses money and cred. No one wins.
2. There are 1 or 2 good games. Console comes out, only wealthy consumers are willing to buy a $300+ device for 1-2 games. Console is declared failure, investors walk off, publishers declare with won't make games for it, company loses money and cred. Wealthier consumers win if the games were really good (and the device offers other neat features), console maker loses.
3. There are 1 or 2 good games and a bucket (8-9) crap games and/or ancient ports. Console comes out, wealthy consumers get console for 1-2 good games, ignorant consumers get console for all games. Console is declared failure, but makes (some) money off new games. Investors wary, publishers wary, but if they see something good in the market for the system: publishers promise new games, these are advertised, console maker gets cred, investors are happy, games come out for system, everyone wins.

I feel like the shovelware is designed to keep the system chugging through the "Will games come out for this thing?!" phase. They aren't really designed for hardcore gamers, they're designed for early adopters who want to do something (anything!) with their new system. I don't think there are many ways around this (not unless you've got a bunch of studios who can design two separate games for your old system and your new system--you don't want to lose face not making games for your old system because you're making games for the new system), unless you have enough cred that you can ride on the promise of games when the system comes out, without any actual games. I can think of no console maker with that kind of cred.

Unrelated note: If not being an NFL fan makes me a robot, Captcha, then beep-fucking-boop.

 

[Lightknight]

I'm surprised. For the first Jimquisition I can personally think of there wasn't anything controversial discussed (unless you count the gay jokes). This was a straight up solid point that hasn't ever really been worded well before.

I hardly call any man being attracted to Angel a gay joke. That's only natural...

 

[ars731]

Jim Sterling for president in 2016

 

[Xan Krieger]

I think the reason nobody thanks Jim for the repeal of DOMA is because not everyone supported DOMA being repealed. Some of us are probably even hoping the law comes back in a few years after another court case.

 

[Stalydan]

I have to agree, and that's why I'm (kind of) pleased by Sony and Microsoft's statements in the picture below

It's not necessarily saying "OH LOOK AT WHAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO BUY STRAIGHT AWAY!!" but more, "Yes, there are a few games worth checking out on launch day, and there'll be more throughout the year"

Now, of course, the quality of some of these titles may end up not living up to expectations, but at least they aren't all splooged out in one quick overload.

Of course what that list leaves out is the multiplatform games coming out during the launch period like Watch Dogs and CoD: Ghosts.

I think a good launch line up should be around 7 to 10 games. Not limiting the choice of content people can get (Not everybody is going to want Knack or DriveClub) but still holding back on enough games that a strong library can be built in the months after release.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

What gets me is why they can't just learn from what made previous consoles successful. Like why did the PS2 sell so well? Maybe we should find out and do more of that?
Anyway, I'd much rather have a lineup of good games spread out along a consoles run rather than a whole bunch of shit games spooged out all at once.

 

[sixthcircle]

wow - i read a good way down in the comments and there wasn't a single church basement dwelling hate-monger to be found. this IS the internet right? i'm in the right place aren't i? anyway i suppose that speaks volumes to the caliber of fan you have garnered my good man.

 

[Deacon Cole]

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. MS did a little better with the Xbox 360, but still only had backward compatibility for the more popular titles (and even then with problems from what I understand).

But with both the Sony and MS refusing to allow you to keep your existing library (assuming that you trade-in your current system in favor of the newest one, which considering the economy will likely be at least, what, 50% of all launch time purchases?), there would be a twisted logic in thinking that the only way to do that would be to give you a huge launch day library to ease the pain for you - as opposed to making you remember that you traded in the 20-30 titles you had for your old system for your new console and one or two games.

Of course they could have done the better idea and included backward compatibility...but then users might have not splurged on a ton of titles in the first year of having their new shiny console, and where's the profit in that?

Bitter? You bet I am.

Pretty much this. It's not like these new consoles are from companies new to making consoles or that video games are a brand new thing in the first place. They spent the last five years or so building a fan base while that base built a library. Abandoning backwards compatibility no only means alienation previous customers but reducing the value to existing customers. At this point, only the most strapped for cash will consider the new, discounted PS3 or 360 when there's a new console generation upon us. Those who don't already have a game from the previous generation will look to see what games they'd missed. This has been what nintendo has don with their handhelds since the original Gameboy. make it backwards compatible with the previous generation and that will beef up your launch line-up until the third party support shows up.

 

[masticina]

Oh you mean spreading out the games. Well yes that would be lovely. Lets be fair so many games want to be around precise the same time of year. That is without console launches. If a console launches oh my.. then such is even worse!

And no I don't have money to buy every darn game in november.

Hey we can wait right?

 

[Adon Cabre]

[HEADING=1]Stragegos[/HEADING]

According to Jim,
I shouldn't even know about this game, since it ain't happenin' for a while.
A game that certainly hyped me up for SONY future. Nonsensical.

[HEADING=3]List of 2013 Launch Titles?[/HEADING]
There are like 3 launch exclusives set for SONY, and about the same for Microsoft, which Jim knows, so this argument doesn't even make sense! Three (SONY Exclusives) + four (3rd Party Titles) for Nov - Dec? Sounds perfectly reasonable.

And Wii U had the opposite problem, so what is Jim blabbering about?

[HEADING=3]E3[/HEADING]

E3 is the largest event in the industry for press, online-viewership, etc... It would be incredibly foolish for any console, publisher or developer to withhold content about a game in development. They need the public's support: some viewers will subscribe to developer twitter feeds for games that they liked, others will bookmark title-sites -- this Industry needs a consistent following of fans, who will maintain interest over the next year.

[HEADING=3]Jim is spouting off on a crisis that doesn't even exist.[/HEADING]

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

Thank you for repealing DOMA, Jim

 

[mike1921]

[HEADING=1]Stragegos[/HEADING]

According to Jim,
I shouldn't even know about this game, since it ain't happenin' for a while.
A game that certainly hyped me up for SONY future. Nonsensical.

[HEADING=3]List of 2013 Launch Titles?[/HEADING]
There are like 3 launch exclusives set for SONY, and about the same for Microsoft, which Jim knows, so this argument doesn't even make sense! Three (SONY Exclusives) + four (3rd Party Titles) for Nov - Dec? Sounds perfectly reasonable.

And Wii U had the opposite problem, so what is Jim blabbering about?

[HEADING=3]E3[/HEADING]

E3 is the largest event in the industry for press, online-viewership, etc... It would be incredibly foolish for any console, publisher or developer to withhold content about a game in development. They need the public's support: some viewers will subscribe to developer twitter feeds for games that they liked, others will bookmark title-sites -- this Industry needs a consistent following of fans, who will maintain interest over the next year.

[HEADING=3]Jim is spouting off on a crisis that doesn't even exist.[/HEADING]

Wow, two strawmen at once, impressive. About E3 first because that was the dumber of the strawmen: Jim never fucking said anything about you knowing information. Everything he said was about RELEASE SCHEDULE, not E3 disclosure. What you said isn't even fucking relevant to what he said.

As for the first strawman :Where did he say that there was a large launch lineup for PS4 and XBone? He said it was a problem for the vita and the wiiU and that it is not good that we demand it.