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Valve: Short-term Steam deals don't hurt long-term performance
Speaking to GI.biz, Valve's head of Steam, Jason Holtman, had some interesting things to say about the company's frequent deals and their effect on long-term game sales. According to Holtman, Steam's quick game sales -- offering Team Fortress 2 for $2.49 for only a few hours last month, for example -- don't have a negative impact on a game's long-term performance. Holtman notes that once a brick-and-mortar retailer reduces a game's price, people are reticent to ever pay a higher price again, but downloadable games are different. "You can have sales that are dramatically low and bring the price back up and people don't care," said Holtman, "They don't care at all." Regarding the $2.49 Team Fortress 2 sale last month, Holtman said that sales actually increased the following weekend -- after it went back to full price. He also mentioned Steam's previous half-off sale of Left 4 Dead, noting that it didn't hurt retail sales at all (readers will recall that Valve claimed that it actually boosted retail sales). Holtman stated that it's possible to run several promotions without "sacrificing" either downloadable or retail sales, and added, "You don't have to hurt somebody to win."
NPD planning to track sales of downloadable games
Speaking to MCV, the NPD has announced plans to track sales of downloadable games. The group aims to track sales of console, PC and mobile phone games. According to NPD's director of corporate marketing David Riley, download charts are needed in order to "provide a no-nonsense view of what's happening on the publisher level, keeping away from the spin, and in some cases, misleading information that often appears on the internet." It's certainly a valid goal, but we at the 'Stiq have only one question: How? There are many, many online outlets in the business of selling downloadable titles, ranging from small, independent sites to Steam to the digital arms of giants like GameStop and Amazon. Still, if the NPD can wrangle data from enough distributors, and clearly identify those participating, it could easily prove to be a valuable metric for analysts .. and a terrifying one for brick-and-mortar retailers. [Original image: Arthur Chapman]
Konami announces DSiWare puzzle-platformer 'Reflection'
click for gallery Konami has decided to dip its massive toes into the murky waters of the DSiWare platform with Reflection, a downloadable puzzle-platformer designed to invoke the handheld's dual-screen capabilities. In the game, you play as Kirra, an adventurer on a journey to recover a broken magic mirror. Actually, you play as Kirra's good and evil halves simultaneously on the two screens -- a nasty side-effect of the aforementioned mirror-breaking. Though the game's art (seen in the gallery below) isn't exactly stunning, that concept actually sounds pretty neat. According to the game's press release announcement, it's set to drop this fall, so we should be seeing Reflection in the DSi Shop soon. We also expect to see it in a snow-covered hill, shortly before the landslide brings us down. %Gallery-73148%
Indie dev Icon Games reveals four PSP Minis
An independent developer by the name of Icon Games recently added product information for four of its upcoming PSP titles -- all of which fall under the sub-100MB "PSP Minis" classification. The quartet of titles is mostly composed of digitized parlor games, such as Arcade Air Hockey & Bowling, Arcade Darts and Arcade Pool & Snooker, though the company is also catering to motor vehicle enthusiasts with Stunt Cars.Okay, fine, none of these titles are particularly groundbreaking. Still, we'll be glad to finally have a billiards game on Sony's handheld that doesn't make us want to claw our eyes out.[Via CVG]
Microsoft and Tesco strike up 'virtual DVD' partnership
Starting this autumn -- which is sort of like now -- Tesco stores in the UK will be offering "virtual DVDs" to customers who purchase certain home video titles. Promising no less than a "DVD-equivalent" experience, the new service will be replete with all the menus, copyright warnings and extra bits you'd find on the disc itself, plus additional exclusive content and movie viewing parties with online chat. We're not entirely sure films need all the added interactivity Microsoft has cooked up, but ambitions are to expand the bonus content and to offer the service in other markets "eventually." And hey, seeing as it's based on Silverlight, all that good stuff will be available on Mac too.
PSN's Topatoi now available in Australia, New Zealand
Australian and New Zealand gamers are in for a treat, as the adorable Topatoi is now available for purchase on the PlayStation Store. Pardon, Stateside PlayStation 3 owners? "What's Topatoi?" It's an adventure platformer currently available to European gamers, but not planned for a North America release until later this year.If you hail from the place people think Flight of the Conchords are from, versus where they are actually from, the platformer is available for 15.95AUD or 18.9NZD, respectively. Those looking for more Topatoi action will be happy to hear the game's developer has confirmed that the second chapter in the saga will release later this year, via the PlayStation Europe Blog.%Gallery-66362%
Get in the Game initiative offers grants to PSN devs
If you've got a great concept for a downloadable PlayStation Network title -- one you feel rivals the genius of overweight royalty, tumbling rectangles and pixel-sized pollination -- then your chance to shine is approaching. Sony, in conjunction with Pixel-Lab and Northwest Vision and Media are offering £10,000 grants to companies who have great ideas for PSN games as part of their second annual Get in the Game initiative.You can prepare your brainchild for adjudication during a three-day "pitching and concept development workshop" from October 14 through 16. If you think you've got a shot at the big leagues, you can submit your concept to Get in the Game's producers in November. Five entrants will receive the grant, which they'll use to polish their ideas into something playable before presenting their projects to Sony in March. If they're not terrible, they might get released, and we might end up writing about them, creating some sort of beautiful gaming journalism circle of life.[Via GamesIndustry]
Gitaroo Man Lives, other titles added to Japanese PlayStation Store
The Japanese PlayStation Store recently received a massive booster shot from Sony and a number of third-party developers who've made a few of their PSP titles downloadable. Coded Arms, Dynasty Warriors and Valhalla Knights are among the notable downloadable games -- but the inclusion of Koei's cult classic rhythm title, Gitaroo Man Lives, is what really sets our hearts a-flutter. Available for just ¥1,200 (about $14), we'd be hard pressed to not buy this hard-to-find gem five or six times should it come stateside. Speaking of which, we've contacted Koei to see if they plan on bringing U-1's epic journey to the North American PlayStation Store. We'll let you know whether or not the developer plans on breaking our hearts.
NBA 2K10 Draft Combine coming to PSN and XBLA in September
It seems our tipster was on the level -- 2K Sports is, in fact, releasing an early NBA 2K10 character creation feature and stat-building minigames as an XBLA and PSN download titled NBA 2K10 Draft Combine, due out this September for 400 ($5). Players will be able to customize a basketballer, then run them through a number of drills and scenarios in order to boost their stats, which can then be carried over to the core game when it drops in October.We're curious to know what you guys think of 2K's recently announced side-project -- do you think it's an interesting teaser for the main course? Or a minigame that was removed from 2K10 and shamelessly sold separately? We've embedded an easy-to-understand poll after the break to gauge your reaction.%Gallery-68901%
Shatter soundtrack available for a minimum of $9.99
What's that? You love fist-pumping anthems? Well then, thankfully the Shatter soundtrack is now available for download. The entire 13-track playlist can be downloaded via Band Camp (insert obligatory American Pie joke here) for a minimum of $9.99.We say minimum because Band Camp allows users to pay whatever they want for the content, as long as it's at least $9.99. So, if you want to rock out to Shatter tunes pick it up today. Heck, if you're feeling generous you can even give them $20 for the album! This also applies if you are crazy.
'Splosion Man could detonate on PS3, Wii
Frank Wilson, co-founder and CTO of Twisted Pixel, said his studio's library of recent downloadable titles could potentially see life on other platforms. Just yesterday, Twisted Pixel unleashed the XBLA title 'Splosion Man, blasting the humorous hero and Xbox owners into Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion. In an interview with Endsights, Wilson said the small developer is not tied to any specific platform and the studio would consider a PlayStation Network and WiiWare release of 'Splosion Man and the studio's adorable adventure title, The Maw, if it "found the right arrangement." So, other platforms could be in the cards, but Twisted Pixel is happy with what it's been able to achieve on the Xbox platform, so far. "We're getting pretty skilled with the Xbox 360, so it's definitely easiest for us to stick with it," Wilson said. Wilson's words aren't confirmation that either title will see life on other platforms, but at least we've cleared the air of any existing Microsoft money-hats.
Shatter developer talks up benefits of PhyreEngine
Just because Sony's cross-platform PhyreEngine -- which powered games such as Flower, Critter Crunch and Catan -- is free to use, doesn't mean it's not beefy. At least, that's how GripShift and Shatter developer Sidhe feels -- both of their PSN releases used the engine, and they've got nothing but rave reviews for the technology.Sidhe managing director Mario Wynands called the PhyreEngine a "great solution for download products where budgets are lower and every dollar counts." So, if you're having difficulties getting your next-gen Rock Paper Scissors sim off the ground, Sidhe's just supplied a ringing endorsement for an extremely cost efficient solution.
New details on Zombie Apocalypse, Konami's old-school gore fest
Konami and Nihilistic's upcoming downloadable title, Zombie Apocalypse, has been the subject of a monster-sized update on the PlayStation Blog. Written by Nihilistic designer John Slavin, the update outlines the style, weapons and scoring system in the upcoming PSN and XBLA title. Zombie Apocalypse is a 4-player online co-op enabled twin-stick shooter (in the vein of Smash TV) with so much realistic gore, it has apparently already been denied classification by CERO in Japan. The downloadable title includes seven environments (55 levels in total, which act as days) that are heavily inspired by zombie film masters; Romero, Fulci and Boyle. Each of the game's four playable characters (which seem very inspired by Valve's Left 4 Dead) can wield 10 different weapons -- from chainsaws to flamethrowers -- and use the game's environment to kill for extra points. Slavin promises the better gamers are, the more they will score and the longer they will last. We promise to re-organize our zombie plans for next month, when Apocalypse is scheduled to hit PSN and XBLA. Note: This post originally referred to Zombie Apocalypse as a PSN-exclusive title, which it isn't. It's coming to XBLA as well, a fact that slipped our mind when -- of all things -- a zombie took a bite out of it. Go figure. %Gallery-49992%
Capcom preparing to release between 20 and 40 PS1 and PSP titles via PSN
Capcom is going to make its PlayStation Network presence a lot more robust as it begins releasing ports of PS1 titles and providing downloadable versions of previous PSP titles throughout the year. We spoke with Capcom's Chris Kramer, who let us know that the company would be listening to what the community wants and figuring out internally what titles to release -- but don't expect any of them to involve licensing shenanigans along the lines of Marvel vs. Capcom. "We'll definitely be looking at a lot of titles that have things like Street Fighter and Resident Evil in the title," Kramer said. "We're thinking about putting together a long list of the titles we're looking at, and then releasing it on Capcom Unity and having people vote on them. Ultimately we're looking at bringing between 20 and 40 titles to the PSN over the next several months."
Joystiq hands-on: Trash Panic (aka Gomibako)
We already previewed Gomibako back in October at TGS, so when we were given the chance to take another look -- this time under the North American title Trash Panic -- we nearly passed it up. It's trash after all, right? Well, yes. "Gomibako" literally translates to "trash box," and plenty of attendees at Sony's Gamers' Day event walked right by, assuming, "Oh. Tetris with trash. I get it."It's easy to dismiss Trash Panic as a Tetris knockoff, but this puzzle game has a robust physics engine, whimsical graphics, and Katamari-like inspiration that'll find your trash bin growing with each level -- until it actually sits on top of Earth. As you play, the trash also grows in scale, and you'll graduate from tossing away routine office trash to comets, meteors, space stations, and even aliens.If this sort of gameplay counted as community service, then the world would be a much cleaner place. %Gallery-34460%
Star Trek DAC screens don't reveal any secrets
You sort of knew this was going to be just ships in space blasting away at each other, so these screens aren't that surprising. They also tell us nothing about what DAC stands for. At this point, we're just going to start calling it Star Trek: Dork Assumes Command until we hear different. Pew pew pew!We were promised these screens last week during our meetup with Paramount / Bad Robot / Naked Sky at GDC, and they appeared briefly on the developer's website. But then they got yanked, vanished into the ether, and finally just re-materialized via an email. Are the pictures that exciting? Not really. At least it reminds us of the old Netrek game we used to play in computer programming class. We're going to have to see some videos of this baby in action before we set our phasers to fun.%Gallery-49012%
Navigon keeps PNDs fresh with downloadable data packs
As if a partnership with Rand McNally wasn't enough, Navigon's giving prospective buyers even more reason to hand over a pinch of their savings. Starting this Spring, Navigon GPS owners will be able to download several new content decks for their devices, including Red Light Camera data, a North American expansion pack, a European map, 3D landmarks and extended POIs. All of the new material will be hosted on the company's Fresh platform, and pricing ranges from $19.99 for each Rand McNally guide to $129.99 for European maps on North American PNDs. Hit up the read link for specifics on each.
Phil Harrison sees downloads as the future of gaming
We've no idea what the future holds for Nintendo. Their next console could be HD, might have a better storage solution than 512mbs of memory and possibly will bring peace and love to all mankind. Of course, this is only speculation on our part and now Atari's Phil Harrison is joining in on the action.He sees a future of downloads. One where walking into a store and buying a disc copy of a game is an impossibility. Not due to the fact that discs no longer exist, but because the young ones of today won't want their games in that way. Phil thinks "there's a generation of kids being born today and probably already alive who I'm pretty confident will never buy a physical media product." Phil went on to elaborate that he thinks they'll "never buy a DVD, they will never buy a CD, and they will never buy a game in a box."We're not entirely sure that such a future is so close to becoming a reality, personally. For one, there comes a certain satisfaction from actually holding something in your hands that downloads could never achieve. Second, that would mean the next generation of consoles would be affected by this and we're not willing to drink the Kool-Aid and say that all three major console manufacturers, as well as the plethora of third-parties involved, would be committed to offering all titles as downloads. Third, have you ever smelled the inside of a freshly opened game? It's like new car smell, but way better.
High Voltage announces new WiiWare racer
It would appear that High Voltage made a pretty penny or two from their last WiiWare release, Gyrostarr, as the company has announced they're working on a new game for WiiWare. Titled High Voltage Hot Rod Show, this game will be hitting WiiWare this fall and features a "unique stunt system" that gives players "multiple ways to build boost." The game will utilize the company's Quantum 3 engine technology and has support for up to 4 players via local split-screen, features 5 racers, and has 6 different tracks.After checking out the trailer above, be sure to hit up our gallery below, which has screens from the game, as well as some promo art and wallpapers!%Gallery-34273%
Wii Warm Up: Your WiiWare experience
You've told us about your collections, but what we want to know today is: how do you feel about WiiWare now? Let's set the space issue aside for now, though it's certainly important, and just talk about the service itself. Are you pleased? Disappointed? Is this any different than how you expected to feel about WiiWare?
