Chopping a game into pieces (or Tomb Raider Anniversary on Xbox 360)

Via this post at NeoGAF, you can now find Tomb Raider: Anniversary rated for the Xbox 360. Try this link to see for yourself.

What's interesting about this is that the game comes in five separate pieces. It appears that the game has been chopped into episodes and will arrive on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Marketplace.

This will be interesting to watch and raises some interesting questions:

• Will the pieces cost more than the $30 for the physical product on Windows, PlayStation 2, PSP, or Wii? My guess is that they'll cost more for the whole thing, justified by offering improved graphics and online achievements.


• Will there be a disc-based version for Xbox 360? Probably not.


• Why wasn't this done for the Windows version which is available as a download from GameTap and Steam? I really don't understand, given that GameTap is already doing episodic games.


• Does this signal how the the story started in Tomb Raider: Legend will be finished -- through downloadable episodes on the platforms that can handle it? I sure hope not. I enjoyed TR:L and would hate to have a virtual product as the only path to seeing its story finished.


• Will the Wii version be handled in the same way? Probably not. The Wii just isnt' designed to handle a full-size game like that (yet).

This looks like a step toward stringing gamers out by parting out a full game in chunks. I hope not.

Labels: gametap, online distribution, steam, tomb raider, xbox360, xboxlive

--jvm at 15:40

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GameDaily: How Microsoft can win (if by win you mean lose)

I think you can rightly accuse me of being an occasional ivory tower pundit, but even I can see that this tripe from GameDaily is, well, tripe. Apparently Microsoft can take five steps to a definitive lead over Sony and Nintendo, and those steps can be summed up as "Lose money on everything."

The steps are:

1. Slash the price (i.e. lose money)
   
2. Bundle Halo 3 for Holiday '07 (i.e. lose money)
   
3. Make Xbox Live free (i.e. lose money)
   
4. Acquire more studios, pay for exclusives (i.e. gamble)
   
5. Enter the kiddie game market (i.e. go up against Nintendo on its own turf)
   

Seriously? Look, Microsoft haven't been at the top of their game lately, but why in the name of all that's good and wholesome would they give up the very advantages they have over the competition, the advantages which will make them huge vats of money over the next few years? It just boggles the mind.

They are not going to give up on making a profit -- I just don't think the company or shareholders are prepared to see another year or two of massive losses in the Xbox venture. They're not going to discount the one game that every owner -- or prospective owner -- will happily pay $60+ for this holiday season. They're not going to kill the Xbox Live goose which keeps laying those golden eggs. So far Microsoft hasn't shown the best judgment when it comes to buying studios (although Bungie turned out well), and the age of buying exclusive games has passed for now. More likely is that Microsoft should pay for exclusive bonuses for their version of a cross-platform game -- and that should be a lot cheaper than buying the whole game outright.

I understand the usual argument is that Microsoft can afford to lose money hand over fist, but does anyone really think that this reckless strategy is sound? Other than GameDaily, of course.

Labels: business, microsoft, nintendo, sony, xbox360, xboxlive

--jvm at 21:27

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Xbox Live compromised? (and a Sony comment)

Updated below.

The reports of hijacked Xbox Live/Windows Live accounts are somewhat ominous. At this point, they haven't been confirmed by Microsoft, so it might as well be a rumor.

Were there reports of this before the Windows Live beta launch recently? Obviously, it's a bit post hoc ergo propter hoc to say the availability of Windows Live is the source of a possible security breach, but the timing is suggestive. Apparently Microsoft has launched a probe. Hopefully Microsoft will issue a press release on the veracity of the reports.

If there was (or perhaps is) a problem, it hasn't been handled well. I'd rather Microsoft have been more forward if they knew of problems. Even if it was just cover for deficiencies in the Xbox 360's original design, extending the Xbox 360 warranties was a good PR move. In keeping with that, Microsoft perhaps should have stepped up to say there was a problem, that they'd fix it, and that they'd take care of anyone who was bitten by a security breach. If there are no problems, they should be out in front as soon as possible telling everyone as much.

This raises a possible explanation for why Sony is hesitant to give the PSP access to the PlayStation store. The PSP is a compromised platform. People can, and are, writing software for it, and Sony cannot control them. A user can run homebrew code on a lot of PSPs, including a program that will brick the system.

So the combination of hacked firmware and a networked application which handles a user's financial information raises the possibility of malware that phones home with that information.

Update: Kotaku has a response from Microsoft. The official word isn't informative: it just says they take security seriously and they're investigating all reports. A representative apparently conveyed to Crecente that they haven't found any security breaches. Why wasn't that in the official statement?

[Originally I wrote about Windows Live as if it were launched. It isn't, but is in public beta. Obviously, I made a mistake. More info here.]

Labels: psp, sony, xbox360, xboxlive

--jvm at 11:28

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Homer Simpson comments on Bioshock multiplayer

On the Next-Gen.biz podcast this week, Ken Levine of Irrational Games comments on how the multiplayer modes are neglected in most games, not by developers but by players:

[Bioshock] is our first game that hasn't had multipayer. [...] And I don't think anyone has ever spent any real time playing our multiplayer in our games. So System Shock 2, Freedom Force, they've all had multiplayer. And maybe SWAT, some people have spent some time playing SWAT multiplayer. But if you go and you look on Xbox Live, and you go look in GameSpy -- people are still paying SWAT on GameSpy -- it's really kind of interesting that the people who play Halo, who play Counterstrike, there are huge numbers of players playing those games. And then you think about all the work people have spent building multiplayer for these other games and then you go look on who's playing, say, Brothers in Arms, even when it just came out multiplayer, in the world, you're talking about in the world, playing on Xbox Live, I remember we looked right after the game came out, and there were six people playing it. And you think about the effort that went into that, and the effort that didn't go into single-player and you just want to cry like a little girl.

In response, Homer Simpson had this to say:

Kids, you tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.

Of course, it really hasn't ever gotten any better than 2fort5 on QuakeWorld TF, so I don't really know why people keep trying.

Labels: bioshock, nextgen, xbox360, xboxlive

--jvm at 12:32

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Sony stupid about PSP demos (revisited)

I've written before about my frustration with PSP demos, but the appearance this week of yet another Loco Roco demo just brought home how braindead Sony appears to be. As a North American PSP owner, I have access to five demos* directly from Sony** and three of them are variations on Loco Roco. I realize I've got a bias, because I just don't enjoy the little yellow blobs like some people apparently do, but I don't think most PSP owners are wetting themselves with glee over holiday-themed demos.

Let's compare with the other major system that's designed to grab data, like demos and movies, off the internets, the Xbox 360. You know how many games have demos on Xbox Live? FIFTY FIVE. That's right, 50 and then 5 more. There are even multiple demos for some games, for the demo-downloading completist.

I realize Sony's been a little busy screwing up its PlayStation 3 launch, but surely they can put some dedicated people on the PSP side of things and leave them there with resources to help the system live up to its potential. Right?

I will give Sony this, however: the ability to connect to your PlayStation 3 via your PSP from anywhere you have a network connection is pretty awesome. I haven't seen it in practice yet, but the idea is really quite intriguing. It is precisely the kind of feature Sony needs to one-up Xbox Live. Since Sony has the dedicated handheld platform to built upon, it is playing to a strength that Microsoft doesn't have (yet).

* I should note that I think there are five demos. I can't get my PSP online in my current location to double check. Corrections in the comments, por favor.
** Yes, I can download some unofficially and install them. Most are in Japanese.

Labels: microsoft, ps3, psp, sony, xbox360, xboxlive

--jvm at 10:04

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