Business, Game Design, Gamer Culture, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Exclusives! What are they Good For? Absolutely Nothin’
Games aren’t cheap to make nowadays. Ask anyone on the street and they’ll tell you that these fancy graphics don’t pay for themselves. They take boatloads of money. Companies need a whole harbor of cash to make a decent game. So what if it flops? All that money vanishes and the company hides in the shadows as the CEO threatens to can every last person on staff, LucasArts style. We’ve already seen Capcom take steps to ensure their own security, by announcing that they are no longer making console-exclusive games. Are we headed toward an industry without console exclusives?
Japan has been known as a leader in several areas of technology, especially in the video game industry. But Western game developers are showing an increased level of success, enough to make Yoichi Wada, head of Square Enix, worry about the future of the Japanese video game industry. Calling for an alliance between Japanese game companies at the Tokyo Game Show, could Wada be looking to protect his country and its industry, or is it just plain greed?
Game series survive based off one continuous, common theme. I mean, “survive” in that they don’t always succeed in evolving the series. The current trend is pulling games from their original genres into new ones. For all we decry about the lack of original ideas, genre-jumpers are not original. In some ways, it may be the developer ran out of ideas. Genre-jumping games are diversions to extend the life of series that might be better off not reproducing.
Who would have thought that video games about Legos would be so successful? Well, it doesn’t hurt that they rode the coattails of popular franchises. Lately, it seems that any franchise to become Lego-ized is made into a game. Could LEGO even look to video games themselves as a source for LEGO video games? I certainly hope not, but if they did…
We all love our DS, but what about the next handheld console from Nintendo? Will it have slight differences from the DS, or could it be something entirely different? Could Nintendo even go from two screens back to one? After the premiere of the unimpressive DSi, I’ve got a REAL wish-list for Nintendo. The 
Okay EA, we gamers have been criticizing you for years about re-packaging games year after year and charging full price for what, inevitably, ends up being little more than an upgrade to a game we already own. So you finally addressed that issue and lined up some really sweet, original games for this holiday season like Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, and Left 4 Dead. So it’s funny that a lot of hardcore gamers won’t be experiencing these gems thanks to your self-imposed PR nightmare: SecuROM.
If you have so much as walked past a television that had the news running in the past month, I’m sure you’re aware that our economy is in shambles. The best way to gauge America’s economic strength is by looking at our stock market, since it essentially showcases the value of American business. Well, the auto industry is down, the housing market is down and oil companies are down. Hell, even gold is down. But many analysts believed that the video game industry wouldn’t take a particularly large hit in a recession, to the point of being “recession proof.” It turns out that game stocks are only recession-resistant.
Australia, I used to think you were cool. Kangaroos, Aborigines, didgeridoos, Mad Max…I used to dream of visiting you, and us being so happy together. That was before I learned about your most recent abhorrence. It took a lot out of me to forgive you for Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, so when you banned Silent Hill: Homecoming, there was nothing left for me to give. I’m sorry, Australia, but it’s over.