One of the most fun things to do before E3 is argue with your friends about what you think is going to happen, who you think is going to walk away the conference winner, and what the game of the show will be. We’ve all been having that conversation here, so it time to see if you guys agree or disagree with us.

SHAWN

Things I Expect: While I was putting together the list of games I think Microsoft will show, I realized one thing – that even with the huge names, I think they are going to have the weakest showing. This is mostly because I can’t really think of any super new IP or exclusive they can pick up, so let’s run down the list and see what I think they’ll come out with.

Obviously, Halo Reach is going to have a dominating performance at the show, regardless of if it goes first or last. I expect a huge amount of information on the single player to be announced/shown, as well as the numerous tweaks they’ll be making to the multiplayer from beta feedback. To compliment Halo, I think Gears of War 3 will get almost as much camera time. I’m really hoping that they put a huge focus on the multiplayer aspect to show that they’ve got it right this time. We can only hope, of course. For their third blockbuster, Fable III will look killer. Hopefully some of Peter Molyneux’s ambitious ideas will finally come to life here. Fable III will be used to hype Natal, probably with varied reactions from the community.

One of the bigger unexpected things we could see is a teaser trailer for Mass Effect 3. This has grown to be one of the most popular franchises out there right now, so it would make a lot of sense for them to push for some kind of an announcement on it… just don’t expect much. Microsoft will spend some time running down the summer release schedule, mentioning and showing Crackdown 2 and Dead Rising 2. It’ll be their last attempt at pushing Crackdown 2 before release, so hopefully they’ll have a great presentation lined up to push it along the right path.

So what else could we see? Potentially Forza 4… aside from that I’m not sure what else they could have up their sleeve. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that we’ll see Shadow Complex 2, and that the Rare game being teased may just be that Killer Instinct sequel everyone has been begging for. The rest of the conference will more than likely be filled with multiplatform titles, which we will be doing a seperate article on completely.

As for the separate Natal conference, I expect a lot of happy-go-lucky PR speak with some cool looking games, but lack of creative focus or execution. I could be extremely off base here, considering how incredible it sounded when first announced, but unless we get a game where the point is to see the bottom of my avatar’s shoe, it may be too late for this motion stuff. Then again, if stuff like the Milo demo turns out possible? Then it may be the single greatest showing of all time. I’m just not quite convinced yet.

Things I Want: Being an avid Gears of War fan, I could say that tons of info on Gears of War 3 will be enough to make the fanboy inside of me spring to life. However, this is already going to happen, and I need to put my non-biased sunglasses on, so what else do I want to see?

First, I want this top-secret Rare game to be a new entry in the Conker’s Bad Fur Day series. Not only is the game absolutely fantastic, but the online Live and Reloaded had an immense amount of potential to be huge. It’s been long enough were any Pop-culture references would make sense, and it’s time we get a game that puts Rare back on the map.

So what else? Actually, this is going to be my ultimate wish for this E3, even though I know it’s far-fatched. I want a Lost Odyssey 2. It doesn’t need to be a direct sequel, but the storyline that they set up gives them 1000 years to work with. Maybe let us play the beginning of these times, so we see where it all originated from. I honestly don’t even care, I think Lost Odyssey is the best RPG this generation, and anything to along with it will make me cry tears of joy. I’m not lying.

Where Do I Think Microsoft Will Place in the Conference Rankings? 3rd

CHARIS

Things I Expect: Since Shawn already hit all of the highlights, I’m just going to say I agree with a lot of it. I expect a lot of time will be spent on montages. Gears of War 3, Fable III, and Halo: Reach will most likely get the most air time. There will be a small mention of Dead Rising 2 and Crackdown 2, but nothing too spectacular on either, and probably a lot on multiplatform games since Natal will have its own conference. The Natal showing will be interesting, considering the time and date it was given, and I picture it being a huge spectacle. What they showed last year made me stop in my tracks, especially with the Milo stuff, so hopefully it will be more of that. I expect to be disappointed (with Natal), though. Finally I see more of the internet/TV/music integration happening. Hulu will get some attention. There might be a few new additions to the dashboard announced in anticipation for Natal as well… but that’s all you’re going to get from the Microsoft conference.

Things I Want: Gears of War 3 will be enough for me. If the entire presentation was on Gears and Cliffy B., I’d be happy as ever. Other than that? Maybe something like one of the innovative creation games that the PS3 has. A LittleBigPlanet-like game would probably be great for the 360. Either way, while it might not be the most exciting conference ever, it will have a solid offering with something for everyone.

Where Do I Think Microsoft Will Place in the Conference Rankings? 2nd

Alright guys, so this is what we’re expecting from Microsoft. Do you think we’ll be seeing some huge unannounced game? Do you think we’re wrong or right? Let’s discuss in the comments!

One of the most fun things to do before E3 is argue with your friends about what you think is going to happen, who you think is going to walk away the conference winner, and what the game of the show will be. We’ve all been having that conversation here, so it time to see if you guys agree with us.

SHAWN

Things I Expect: First and foremost, I expect most of Sony’s conference to focus on Move. They’ll probably have some of the bigger franchises using it, my guess would be a new Ratchet and Clank. I DO expect an announcement of the PSP2, only because the catch-up margin behind the 3DS would be too significant if they don’t have something to go against Nintendo with. The best part about this? I think Sony will announce that it’s 3D. I hope this doesn’t happen, because the amount of bashing that will ensue from my thoughts and mouth won’t be healthy for anybody. If Sony was smart, they’d come up with their own idea this time so that other people were playing catch-up instead of them.

Little Big Planet 2 is going to be a large part of their showing, and I think Uncharted 3 has a huge possibility of being announced, mostly because it may be Sony’s only way to win over the hardcore crowd. We don’t need to see more Gran Turismo 5, but we will, which will be more boring than ever considering the game should have been done a long time ago. Killzone 3 is going to look spectacular, and hopefully this remake of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus proves to be true. Sony needs to try and use The Last Guardian to steal the show away from other blockbusters. I also believe we’ll be either seeing a lot of Final Fantasy Versus XIII… or the official announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3. Square Enix will NOT show both games.

I’m not sure whether or not I should expect any more large announcements. Sure, We’ll see Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and the new God of War for PSP, but does Sony have anything to surprise us? I’m going to say they don’t. I really think their conference is going to almost mimic Nintendo’s early Wii showings, but hopefully I’m wrong. Just don’t be surprised if you see a lot of mini-game titles being shown on stage. Can’t wait for their sports segment with motion controls! (/sarcasm)

If Sony does a good balance between Move and core games, they have an excellent chance at catching the most buzz from E3 2010. Imagine if all the games above are brought up: Ico/Shadow of the Colossus HD, The Last Guardian, Uncharted 3, Little Big Planet 2, Final Fantasy Versus XIII or Kingdom Hearts 3, Killzone 3, maybe even the announce of the PSP2? They would be in excellent position. However, even with all of this, I don’t think they will walk away the winners, but they do have a chance.

Things I Want: This section needs to be a bit out-there or unexpected, so while I want Kingdom Hearts 3, Ico/Shadow HD remakes, and Versus XIII, it’s feasible that they will happen. So what would be a shock?

First and foremost, I want a Wild ARMs 6, and I want it continue to progress the series. The last couple of games have been a bit on the easy side, and I’d like to see some innovations as well as a return to some of the more conventional means. Why not a Valkyrie Profile 3? I personally know people who would kill for this, so hopefully it happens. While Valkyrie Profile 2 was good, the battle system could have been a bit more refined.

The biggest thing I’d like to see that has almost no chance is the next game by Quantic Dream. Regardless of there is a Heavy Rain 2, or this project called Horizon, I want to see it and I want it to be as ridiculous in concept as Heavy Rain was. I’m in the “I love Heavy Rain” camp, because I personally believe that a game that strives for innovation and has a few flaws is better than a “perfect” game that is too scared to try something new. I would go crazy if this game is shown.

OH! Dark Cloud 3. That is all.

Where Do I Think Sony Will Place in the Conference Rankings? 2nd

CHARIS

Things I Expect: Like everyone else, I see Move being the highlight of the show. Whether it is showing it off with old franchises renewed with motion capability or “innovative” Wii-like mini games, this will take up most of the presentation. Just keep some lollipops on hand for when you see the colorful Move controllers hit the stage. Motion demos will take up time like James Cameron did last year, only to leave space for a few announcements and a lot of figures. One of those announcements will be on the anticipated Uncharted 3, but I suspect it to be a short teaser trailer and not much else. Killzone will “kill” some time, and I hope to see more on the beautiful Last Guardian that stunned me last summer. As for PSP, I’m sure that God of War and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep will also make an appearance.

Aside from that, I don’t see Sony winning many people over this year.

Things I Want: I personally haven’t owned a Sony system since the PS2, but of course there are a few things that I would love to see. Kingdom Hearts 3 would probably make my day, but as Shawn said, Square Enix probably won’t show both, and FF Versus XIII has a better chance. If that’s the case, FF will win out (unfortunately for me). I also agree with a second Heavy Rain, maybe not a continuation, but definitely something along those lines. Any innovation that isn’t motion controlled, such as Heavy Rain’s “interactive drama”, will definitely win me over. However, knowing Sony, I have a feeling it will be another year before I invest in one of their products.

Where Do I Think Sony Will Place in the Conference Rankings? 3rd

Alright guys, so this is what we’re expecting from Sony. Do you think we’ll be seeing some huge unannounced game? Do you think we’re wrong or right? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Bungie, the studio behind the hugely successful Halo franchise, announced that it will be partnering with the company Activision from here on out. While Bungie will remain an independent studio, Activision will retain the publishing rights to their games and will be bringing them to multiple consoles. With the outrageous situation involving Infinity Ward still existing, it’s surprising that Bungie would take this route. Activision is considered to be one of the biggest problems within the gaming industry, from PR to business strategy… but I think this whole Bungie thing can be summarized in as little as one sentence.

It’s not like Bungie is going to go and create rehashes of the same game every year… OH WAIT.

.

BUBBLE SHIELDING FROM YOUR HATE

(Note: The thoughts reflected in Alex’s editorials are those of the writer and aren’t reflective of Powrdup.com as a whole. Keep that in mind.)

One may think it can be difficult to think of things to write about for my now usual feature – and it is – but for all the time I spend procrastinating or playing around with other ideas, something always tends to find its way into my lap. My first article was on Bad Company 2, then Nintendo got gimmicky (again), followed by Shawn admitting to liking Diddy Kong Racing more than Mario Kart 64 (and I think we’ve gone through enough on that) and this week’s article is no different. This time it would be Apple, by care of Shawn, to drop a topic into my hands.

This may strike a moment of confusion. “This is a gaming blog,” you say, “What does Apple have anything to do with gaming?” then you laugh and make some jokes about “Mac Gamers”, which stopped being funny around 2001. It would seem that Apple has decided to try and make their company connected with the game industry by claiming the iPod, iPhone and the iPad are a gaming platform. You read that right, a gaming platform. This is how I reacted to this information from Shawn:

Shawn: I’d like to see you do a write up on the ipad/itouch/iphone and how they shouldn’t be considered gaming platforms just yet.
Me: People consider them gaming platforms?
Me: whaaaa?

Keep Reading

This is the third and final part of my recap series that takes a look at the first three months of this year to see if it’s starting out heavy hitting, or slow. Quick answer: It’s slow.

So, with the slow start to the year in both January and February, did March get any better? For the most part it did, but PAX East got in the way quite a bit!

March

March definitely picked up the pace. We had Mega Man 10, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Sonic Classic Collection, MLB ‘10/2k10, Resident Evil Gold Edition, Final Fantasy XIII, Yakuza 3, Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Resonance of Fate, Fragile Dreams, Dragon Age Origins: Awakening, Metro 2033, Infinite Space, God of War 3, Cave Story, Just Cause 2, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, Red Steel 2, WarioWare: D.I.Y., Sakura Wars, Perfect Dark Arcade, Toy Soliders, Scrap Metal, and Game Room

As you can see, March was packed! First, let’s look at what I didn’t play and why.

Sonic Classic Collection – The GBA port of Sonic 1 was awful, so I avoided this at all costs. From what I read, however, the ports are done well. Might pick it up down the road, who knows. I don’t even really have the portable Mario’s, so I suppose I don’t need Sonic portable either.

MLB 10: The Show/MLB 2K10 – Not really into baseball, sorry! NHL all the way, for me.

Yakuza 3 – This is one of those scenarios where too much came out at once. I haven’t played a game in the Yakuza series, so naturally, this was an easy pass.

Dragon Age Origins: Awakening – One of my more anticipated games of the month is another that I had to skip over. With the release of Final Fantasy XIII, I was putting all of my time aside for that. However, with PAX East, Resonance of Fate, and trying to complete Pokemon HG/SS… this was just impossible. I’ll be going back for it, though, as I really liked Dragon Age Origins.

Metro 2033 – This was never on my radar, but I’m a huge fan of atmospheric games, so I’ll be giving it a try as soon as possible. I can forgive faulty game mechanics if the world is interesting and it excels in other areas to make up for it. This brings me to…

Fragile Dreams – This Wii game is actually the next game I’ll be playing for review, regardless of if there has been a considerable amount of time since the release. With our hectic end of the month schedule I really had to ignore a ton of games, but this one keeps calling out to me. Expect a review right before Splinter Cell: Conviction hits, if possible.

Infinite Space – I am only one man. One man cannot play all these RPG’s in one month, unless they have absolutely nothing to do. I hate that the spring gets hammered with RPG releases, it makes them all impossible to play.

God of War III – Probably the one I’m most ashamed to admit, as I am a huge God of War fan (only thought 2 was “okay”) and I’d like to give this a spin. I hear it’s more of the same, which would probably force me to rip it a new one, but I still plan on playing this down the road.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, Red Steel 2, WarioWare: D.I.Y., Sakura Wars, Perfect Dark Arcade, Toy Soliders, Scrap Metal – Instead of individually calling of these out, let me just say that I wish time didn’t fly by so quickly. I’m sure at least three or four of these are great… I just can’t play everything .

So, did I actually play anything? I did! I swear!

Mega Man 10 – It probably isn’t one of the best games this year, but it’s a personal best for me. Mega Man is one of my favorite NES series, and Mega Man 9 happens to be one of my favorite games of all time. This game isn’t quite as good as 9 is, but it’s still an excellent release in the series, and an absolute steal at $10.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Bad Company 2 has taken many of my multiplayer hours away from other games, but I’m okay with that. It definitely needs more maps already, as I’m quite sick of the small amount you start with. It’s caused me to put the game aside for now, but It’s an excellent game, and one of the more balanced shooters on Xbox Live. The singleplayer is actually playable this time, too.

Final Fantasy XIII - Errrr, yeah I bought it. I also played it for upwards of five hours after I got it home the night it came out. I then never touched it again . I really wanted to review it, however, I have a large issue when it comes to RPG’s. If they don’t draw me in by the five hour mark, I don’t feel the need to invest another 30+ hours into it. This also brings me to…

Resonance of Fate – Now, this isn’t quite the same story. I’ve also been playing Resonance of Fate, but the week release after FFXIII, with Pokemon HG/SS right before it, and Cave Story all thrown into the mix… plus PAX… well, you can probably understand why I haven’t finished it. I still completely recommend it, though.

Cave Story – Cave Story is one of the few games I’ve come closer to completing in March, and you’ll actually be seeing a review for it this week. I would have loved to finish it sooner, but we’ve been trying to get a ton of things settled here, all while bringing PAX impressions and write-ups, plus putting other editorials forward. However, I’m right at the end, so expect a review this week!

Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition – Our review of this did go up in March, and I can tell you straight up that the new content is worth it. It’s worth playing through more than once, but make sure to just buy it off the Live Marketplace. It’s much cheaper than grabbing it in disc form.

Game Room – My in depth “review” of the service went up just over a week ago. It’s worth checking out if you grew up with some of the games included, but some of the games haven’t held up over time in any way. Since downloading the service is free, you should just give it a try. Gamerscore completionists beware! You will unlock achievements upon entering and messing around with stuff, so don’t DL it if you care about your gamerscore percents.

and last. but not least…

Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver – Along with Cave Story, you’ll be seeing the review for this on either Wednesday or Thursday. This just got caught up with everything else. It’s actually kind of funny, because our content and original articles have been on the rise, but the reviews have been a bit slow. Hopefully all the new impressions kept your attention long enough to wait for these reviews!

March was absolutely packed, but luckily April is super slow and is giving us a chance to catch up on a few key titles. Expect our Cave Story and Pokemon reviews this week, with Fragile Dreams and hopefully Resonance of Fate soon after!

If you didn’t read yesterday, I’ve been recapping the game releases for the first three months of the year, and I haven’t been very impressed to say the least.

In this article, I’ll be looking at what came out in February, and what I played/didn’t play.

February

Quite a few games came out in February. We had White Knight Chronicles, Lunar Silver Star Harmony, Chime, Bioshock 2, Dante’s Inferno, Shiren the Wanderer, Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll, Star Ocean: Last Hope International, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth DS, Aliens Vs. Predator, Endless Ocean 2, Heavy Rain, Last Rebellion, and Sonic & Sega All-stars Racing.

February was much better and actually holds my favorite game of the year so far. First, let’s look at what I didn’t play and why.

White Knight Chronicles – Everything I’ve seen on the game screams “mediocre” and no one has said anything to convince me otherwise. I had better games to spend my time on.

Lunar Silver Star Harmony – This is a game I would have purchased if I still owned a PSP. I think the PSP is a system with a lot of unused potential, and I found no reason to keep it. I absolutely love the screen, but it doesn’t have enough support. Anyways, I never had a chance to play the original release of Lunar, and I’d love to pick this up at some point.

Dante’s Inferno – The tag line “Go To Hell” is exactly what the developers of Dante’s Inferno can do. Nothing more than a rip-off, the game tries too hard to excel, but manages to just be another decent me-too type of game. The demo was horrendously bad, and what I played besides that was also bad. I’d put this under “played”, but I didn’t play enough to make a final judgment call. Not that I need to.

Shiren the Wanderer – The dungeon style games just aren’t my thing. I have nothing against the game at all.

Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll – Another game I want to play, but just haven’t had the time. I’m fairly certain I’ll dislike it, as I haven’t enjoyed Monkey Ball since the original game, but I was interested in using the balance board with it. Hopefully I get to try it soon.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth – Another one of the examples where I haven’t played the previous games except the original Phoenix Wright. I hear the gameplay style was changed a bit, so maybe I’ll pick it up down the line after I give the other Phoenix Wright’s a shot.

Alien Vs. Predator – A big MEH.

Endless Ocean 2 – I want it SO bad, but I really want to find someone else with it so we can play online. I absolutely love the ocean, sharks, and really anything to do with ocean life. I will buy this eventually.

Now, onto the games I did play.

Chime – Chime is a steal at $5. It’s not going to win any game of the year awards, nor is it going to topple other puzzle games from their pedestals. However, it’s worth a purchase, and once you get into it and learn it, it becomes a ton of fun. Some of the proceeds even go to charity. Double win.

Bioshock 2 – I’m actually going to write a separate article about how much this game fails, but I’ll sum it up here. It didn’t need to be made, first of all. The atmosphere is gone, it’s no longer a joy to explore, the story is laughable, the progression feels exactly the same… really, the problem is that it IS Bioshock 1. There were no chances taken and the changes were a waste of time. Let’s not even talk about the multiplayer.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing - Charis played this a ton, and I played a little bit of it. It’s actually a really good game… especially for SEGA fans. The level design is good, the mission mode is awesome, and the unlockables are exciting. The game doesn’t do anything to put it ahead of anything else, but it’s worth at least looking at if you get the chance.

Heavy Rain – Ah, one of the few gems of this year so far. I respect Heavy Rain, because it doesn’t really call itself a video game. It’s referred to as “Interactive Drama” and I support it completely. There are some questionable scenes that kind of mess up the game making sense, but it drew me in anyways. I couldn’t put my controller down, quick time event focus or not. It’s one of the few games that feels like it actually has a meaning and purpose, and I can’t deny it. The motion controls do a good job at trying to make it suck, but in the end, the problem is minuscule in the scope of the game. A must buy, for any PS3 owner.

February was really only one game completely worth it for me, and a bunch I’d like to try but had to skip over. March picked up the pace even more, but I’ve still yet to feel the NEED to play anything. I’m just hoping my gamer spark comes back soon. More tomorrow

Does anyone else ever have those days/weeks/months where you just can’t seem to get into any video games? Maybe it’s the turning of the weather here in New England, but I just can’t seem to have fun playing anything. Well, that’s not completely true. I’ve really been enjoying Mega Man 10 and NHL 10, but THAT’S IT. I couldn’t really get into Final Fantasy XIII, gave up on Resonance of Fate for not holding my attention, and have pretty much tossed Bad Company 2 into a pile of games to never be played again.

I don’t really think it’s me, though… well, not 100% anyways. All of the new games I’ve been playing just feel really uninspired. They have no heart, no soul, and absolutely no charm. I don’t think I’ve fully enjoyed any titles to come out this year like I normally do, so much so that I’ve debated just building my retro collection instead of actively buying anything that’s coming out. Actually, out of pure curiosity, I’m going to recap the first quarter of this year and see how it’s stacked up so far
.

January

Quite a few games came out in January. We had Darksiders, Bayonetta, Army of Two: The 40th Day, Glory of Heracles, Sands of Destruction, Dark Void, Fast Food Panic, Mass Effect 2, No More Heroes 2, MAG, and Tatsunoku Vs. Capcom.

I played quite a few of these and wasn’t too impressed with any of them. To start off, let’s list what I just didn’t play and why.

Bayonetta – I don’t like Devil May Cry much, but I did kind of like the demo for Bayonetta. This is one of those “pick up at a later date” type of titles, but the demo wasn’t enough to make me run to the store for it.

Dark Void – Again, another game I played the demo for and liked, but not enough to run out and buy it. Most professional and user reviews all agree that it’s good, just not good enough. I can wait, then.

Mass Effect 2 – Before the pitchforks are pulled on me, hear me out. I absolutely despise Mass Effect 1. However, I really liked Dragon Age: Origins, so I can’t put a finger on why. I went out and bought Mass Effect 2, because I heard nothing but amazing things about it… then realized I never go by reviews and hype, so I returned it. This is another game I’ll probably try eventually.

MAG – This game screams boring. I’ve seen it in action in front of me and I have no interest of ever playing it.

No More Heroes 2 – I didn’t play the first one, so until then, this will be overlooked.

Now, onto the games I did play.

Darksiders – I like Darksiders, but I don’t love it. This is one of those games that falls into a tricky category, because it does have a charm to it. However, it’s a stolen charm from a very popular series that I’m not going to name here (hint below). I feel that the game does, in fact, lack soul. You can tell the developers believed in what they were making, though, so I did enjoy what I played of it. It just ended up being one of those games that didn’t call to me, so it eventually found it’s way onto the shelf to collect dust until I have nothing else to play.

Army of Two: The 40th Day – One of my favorite games this year so far. It has so many technical issues that make it not recommendable, but it throws logic straight out the window to be “fun”. I think it’s a bold step that the development team took and I appreciate it completely. They focused on making the game enjoyable, and proved that more games in this industry need to stop taking themselves so seriously.

Fast Food Panic - This game was actually more fun than most retail releases… and it’s considered shovelware. Go figure. It has an addicting nature to it, along with great difficulty progression. I think it was more fun than it should have been, because Charis and I played it together… but either way, I enjoyed it

Sands of Destruction/Glory of Heracles – ZZZZzzzzzz. They both managed to put me to sleep, which is a great accomplishment because I actually suffer from sleeping problems.

Tatsunoku Vs. Capcom – Never been a huge fan of the ridiculous combos in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, so this wasn’t on my radar. I didn’t play much of it, but what I did play felt very similar and not like something I’d enjoy. The only saving grace was that I could play as Mega Man.

So as you can see, I wasn’t too impressed with the start of the year. Did February and March fare any better? Find out over the next two days!

(Note: The thoughts reflected in our editorials are those of the writer and aren’t reflective of Powrdup.com as a whole. Keep that in mind.)

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time Nintendo releases something we, the gaming community, find ourselves constantly linking the word “Nintendo” with the word “gimmick”? I can tell you for certain it is not just me. Take a look at the coverage the 3DS is getting, for example. The word “gimmick” is making a pretty fair showing all over the place (Just look at Charis’ and Shawn’s articles). “Why is Nintendo resorting to having to use gimmicks to sell products to people? What happened to just making games?” you might ask. Well, the answer is simple:

Nintendo has always been a company built on gimmicks.

Keep Reading

This Nintendo 3DS thing has really taken the internet gaming world by storm. Every site seems to be throwing out some crazy rumors they are hearing about what’s in it… but beyond that, everybody seems confused as to why Nintendo would let this slip right before the launch of the DSi XL in North America. Well, I don’t think they are worried about it, and here’s why.

The markets that Nintendo goes after aren’t your typical “hardcore gamer”. Yes, they make games for us on occasion, but we are no longer their primary target sales wise. Even though the DSi XL is launching next week, the 3DS seems like it is going to be released THIS fiscal year (before April 2011). This only gives us a year wait at most, so why in the world would you go and buy a DSi XL? Well, for some people, there is plenty of reason.

First and foremost, a lot of people have not upgraded from a DS Lite, because they aren’t sure when the appropriate time to do so is. As Nintendo pumps out more and more revisions, it’s hard for the general market to understand the best time. Well, with the announcement of the 3DS, we can assume that the XL will be the last revision of the original DS. This could be enticing to some people to finally pick it up. It will pretty much prove that they don’t have to worry about a new version coming out again, and will be able to enjoy all of their DS games, as well as finally jump into the world of DSiWare.

A year is also longer than some people make it out to be. Holding off an entire year on purchasing a system would be a brutal wait. If the big screens seem appealing to you, that isn’t magically going to change because of a new system announcement. With the rumor that the 3DS will be backwards compatible, it also proves that regular DS games won’t stop being made anytime soon, and the average consumer won’t be left out in the dark.

I think the biggest misconception with all of this revolves around the idea of early adopters. The percentage of people that rush out to buy a system on launch day is much lower than everyone is making it out to be. Nintendo handheld products have always had a ridiculously long shelf-life, with steady sales from day one until they are no longer sold. The DS still consistently puts out insane numbers, and there is no reason to think that the life of the 3DS will be any different. While many parents and hardcore gamers will be waiting in line for hours, the majority of people are okay with waiting a little bit to buy a new system. There are the skeptics who will want to play it before buying, and there are the people who wait for hardware failure rates to come through first. There are also those who know that Nintendo will eventually revise it and would rather wait for the superior version of the product.

What this is all means is that there are plenty of people out there still willing to buy a DSi XL, and I personally believe that the effect this will have on sales is minimal. Considering the market the DSi XL is targeted at, I’m actually curious how many of those people will even know about the 3DS until a proper announcement is made here in the US. I doubt that number is very high, and even if it was, I feel like there are plenty of reasons (like those listed above) that many will still make the purchase… even if they feel a little hesitation at first.

We at POWRDUP would like to welcome Alex to the site as a new writer. He’ll be doing editorials every other week, so keep an eye out!

(Note: The thoughts reflected in our editorials are those of the writer and aren’t reflective of Powrdup.com as a whole. Keep that in mind.)

So, I have been asked for my first offering to the general public to take a look at and discuss two games I have spent a considerable time playing. These two games are not just any two games mind you; they are two games that everybody talks about as being major rivals – Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Keep Reading