Remember the days when you were actually surprised by the popularity of a game the you previously had no knowledge of. What happened to those days? It seems that nowadays, gamers know so much about games before they even release that there are hardly any surprises. Whether its the fact that any game that shows a spec of potential that it gets hyped to astronomical proportions, or maybe gamers are so involved in the industry that they’ve sucked all the fun out of playing the games themselves. Whatever the case may be, this is an issue and it should be addressed.

Its funny, the only real sleeper hit that I can really think of this generation is Bioshock. I mean this game released with practically no hype at all. It actually released in the same window as Lair and Heavenly Sword. Both of which were hyped to be the equivalent to the second coming of the gaming world. Bioshock released to not much fan fare, and went on to take the industry by storm. Gamers and media outlets alike praised it for its ambitous storytelling and engaging atmosphere. Did it have the best story ever? No. Did it have the most engaging atmosphere ever? Well the jury may be still out on this one, but the fact of the matter is the fact that this game was able to succeed in the eyes of many people due to the fact that not everyone expected the game to walk on water before it even released. On second thought, one other sleeper hit that comes to mind is Left 4 Dead. It also wasn’t hyped to be the best thing since sliced bread; the game simply delivered.

All in all, it seems that gamers are too into the inner workings of Sony and Microsoft to just enjoy the games. Every Sony exclusive is hyped to the point that no game can ever live up to. They either have to “save the system” or “be the end of the 360″. Maybe if people stopped hyping the games so much then maybe every Sony exclusive wouldn’t be considered underwhelming.

Written By: bakerboy

Xbox 360 continues not to disappoint their fans

After seeing the latest numbers from the NPD, it’s safe to say the Xbox 360 is a beast! As for the Xbox Live, just when people thought Microsoft couldn’t do anymore with this incredible feature, they’re about to show and prove once again, when they introduce “V.I.P. Membership”.

But Xbox Live is already spectacular, what else can they do?

According too a customers survey done in France, Microsoft is considering a new level of Xbox Live called the VIP service. Now with this upgraded version, users will be able to get online storage for their content, a brand new matchmaking option, a option that allows the user too send free invitations to silver members, and better connectivity. It’s no denying that Xbox Live’s gold members are reaping the awards that Microsoft has provided them and with this optional addition it can’t do anything but expand on this already great feature.

Is this new feature worth it?

Xbox Live members should give the “V.I.P. Membership” a warm welcome, the upgrade will allow for better connectivity for online gaming, online storage, etc. Only time will tell if users will adapt to this upcoming addition, hopefully we hear some more news about V.I.P. at E3.

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In the three years since it first launched, the Nintendo Wii has sailed past competing systems from Sony and Microsoft to consistently claim the top spot in the console war.

But if a recent rash of troubling stories about the Wii is a vision of things to come, the tide might be turning for the seemingly unbeatable machine.

Wii On Top For Now, But For How Long?

Kinks in the system’s shiny white armor starting showing last month. Despite steady success in Japan, the Wii fell into second place in March as the underdog Playstation 3 clambered atop the region’s sales charts for the first time in 16 months. That was enough to garner some uncharacteristically somber comments from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who deemed the climate in Japan “unhealthy” for the Wii.

But to Cowan & Company analyst Doug Creutz, the U.S. market isn’t necessarily any healthier, at least if you’re thinking of investing in a console game. In an interview with Gamasutra, Creutz called the Wii “fool’s gold” for third-party game developers.

“The choice here is really between investing for the Xbox 360 and PS3 — since their capabilities are fairly similar — or the Wii,” he said. “I would caution investors and developers that the larger installed base of the Wii is really a bit of a red herring.”

Crueutz goes on to point out that while the 19 million Wiis in North America trounce competing consoles individually, combined sales of the 360 and PS3 actually top 22 million. That represents a larger chunk of the pie for game developers who can more easily port games back and forth from the two systems. Additionally, Creutz notes that Nintendo’s first-party games and the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises account for nearly one-half of all Wii software sales, a far larger percentage than what’s found on the other consoles. Comparatively, the Wii is simply a tougher nut to crack for third-party developers.

Peter Moore, president of enormous third-party game maker EA Sports, echoed Creutz’s concerns while speaking at a recent conference.

“You simply can’t take what you’re doing on the PS3 and Xbox and port – that’s a dirty word – down to the Wii,” he said, insisting that instead you have to build Wii games “from the ground up.”

He’s not the only one at EA with issues. Earlier in the month, an EA producer confessed to having trouble incorporating Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus control attachment into its Grand Slam Tennis game, raising questions about when the tech would be ready for consumers. Nintendo answered that by officially announcing a release date only to curiously push back the release of the game they’ve repeatedly used to show off the new technology, surefire smash sequel Wii Sports: Resort.

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. NPD Group reports that the Wii again led the way in March 2009, outselling both the 360 and PS3 by a wide margin. Nintendo is also enjoying strong numbers for its newly released DSi handheld, with the company reporting first-week sales of over 600,000 units in the U.S. and Europe. Mario’s checking account won’t run out of funds any time soon.

The question is, will gamers run out of interest? The last two major first-party Wii games, Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk, failed to generate the kind of excitement (and, in turn, sales) that Nintendo is accustomed to, a fact that analyst Ed Barton of Screen Digest believes is a big reason why the Wii is struggling. While older blockbusters like Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii are still selling well, Barton points out that the company needs new experiences to drive new sales.

Nintendo hopes to deliver exactly that with upcoming high-profile games like the aforementioned Wii Sports sequel and a remake of classic boxing game Punch Out!, but that still leaves plenty of wiggle room for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 to continue closing the gap. And if Japan is any indication (and it usually is), that gap can disappear in a heartbeat.

So what do you think? Is the Wii destined for a downfall, or is this just a mid-life crisis?

After completing Resident Evil 5 on both 360 and PS3, I realised that there were some features and scenes removed from the game. Below I have posted a video of Resident Evil 5 Trailer. I’m going to be circling the areas from the video to show you what the missing features are.

Could this be of sheva’s add on for the co-op play?

Since the release of Gears of War 2 last fall many people have been wondering how much power or juice is left in Microsoft’s system. They were curious as to whether developers could pull much more graphically out of the hardware. With the PS3 producing games like Killzone 2, Uncharted, and more it seemed the PS3 was blowing by the 360 graphically. Then the new Final Fantasy XIII demo came out, and changed all preconceived notions of the potential on the 360.

Now the 360 may need a lot of discs to pull off the magnitude of the game, but power wise the 360 version of the game should look very similar to the demo gamers have been amazed by the past couple of days. The reason for this logic is simple: nowadays ports do not look nearly as bad as they once have. Game companies have worked to make ports look near equal on both consoles. This generation it has also been obvious to all gamers that the 360 version of multi-plat games have either looked equal on both consoles or better on the 360. This happens because of the easy to use hardware on the 360. Porting games to the 360 is much easier than the other way around.

Also as many PS3 owners know, Square Enix has been very friendly this generation to the 360. It’s not known why Square Enix has been shady to their Playstation fan base, but one thing is obvious they have a strong relationship with Microsoft. With this type of relationship, do not expect Square Enix to release a shoddy port of the game . If anything, their history with Microsoft will make it easier for a high quality 360 version. Their programmers should now know the 360 hardware very well and with the games engine, Crystal Tools, being built on a PC then a smooth transition should be able to occur to the 360’s PC-like hardware.

What is amazing about the possibilities of this is that it shows gamers that the 360 power was far from tapped in games like Gears of War 2 or Resident Evil 5. Besides the lack of a large memory disc, like Blu-Ray, the game should basically be the same expierence for both consoles.

The game looks great with some amazing cut scenes and painting-like gameplay.  This will hopefully show gamers around the world just how powerful the 360 is. To be able to pull off a work of art like this takes a lot of power, and Square Enix will prove with Final Fantasy XIII that it is possible. The game looks like it will be the benchmark of graphics when it is released, and the great thing about this is that it will not only be enjoyed by PS3 fans, but 360 fans as well.

Written By MattG