@Heliophage: Even the CU was still fun. I wish another game would be at least that good. I miss my days mining for hours then spending time in the Mos Eisley Cantina crafting new and interesting items.
I have hope that it will be an enjoyable experience, but I doubt anything will have the freedom of the playerbase to create so much of the entertainment as we did in Star Wars Galaxies. Between the crafting, the player houses and cities, and the unique player events that we started on our own -- some of which would bring in millions of credits from those in attendance -- Star Wars Galaxies was more, in a lot of ways, than any MMO since has been.
The Old Republic will be amazing, I have no doubt, but it will be different almost certainly.
Glad to see another channel succumbing to the lowest common denominator: ignorant unalphabetic high-school drop-out demographic. I bet they're trying to catch up to MTV and G4 for quality programming.
Syfy is plural for 'syphilis' in Polish. Moreover when we say that something is 'syf' in Polish it's usually in the same context that you use 'shit' in English. For example: "This TV channel is total syf."
Might be like that in Russian and other slavic languages.
I miss a lot of the great shows they used to have. If they want to get better ratings maybe they should look at some of the crap they have on. Ghosthunters? Its the same crap every week.
Example: Nothing happening... is that a ghost? Nope just the wind ... nothing happening ... Episode over.
I'd also like to add in they need to add more original programming. Dollhouse should be a Sci Fi Fridays show. Legend of the Seeker should be a Sci Fi show.
Also for old TV shows they should have Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Supernatural, Futurama, ST:Voyager, Heroes and Smallville.
They just need to spend more time on interesting ideas and less on Made for Sci Fi movies. Don't get me wrong I enjoy 1 out of ever 10 of them. Its just the other 9 suuuuuuuuuck.
@SirFenwick: Have you been following this story at all? The name change is because they're completely ditching the actual sci-fi elements that the network was BUILT on.
It'd be like if Kotaku changed it's name to "Ko-Taco". Sure the name change wouldn't be a big deal...but I bet you'd be pretty upset when you found it was because they decided to start covering mexican cuisine instead of games.
SyFy? What kind of retarded name is that? Can you guys please think outside of the freaking BOX? That's what your whole network is supposed to be about.
Initially my thought was PSN Points, but then it occured to me that you could actually just throw out cards that're good towards downloading specific titles and then just sell them as if they were games.
This would work a little better as it would give retailers an incentive to market games as they have been. That said though, putting the games onto flash cards would still work better.
To put it simply, while downloading a couple hundred MB title on a broadband connection isn't a big deal, downloading multi-gig files is, at least to a degree, and if you don't have broadband, or low quality broadband, even downloads a couple hundred MB itself becomes a pretty big deal.
Besides that, there are two other things to consider. The first is the simple fact that SDD's of significant size still cost quite a bit of money right now, and if all games were stored on such a drive a large one would be necessary. The second, and probably most important thing to remember, is retailers don't actually make much money off selling game hardware.
Being in the software business I would not expect the president of Acclaim to know this, but retailers only sell portables and game consoles, so they can turn around and sell videogames with a solid profit margin. Well if all games are distributed digitally, than retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, Gamestop, have little incentive to carry the hardware, let alone push it.
It's the old razer and razorblades business model, and for this model to work, retailers need to be able to keep selling razorblades. So completly digitally distributed gaming simply cannot work in this industry.
That being said, Mr. Perry is probably correct about a PSP2 being in development, and his reasoning as to why Sony needs a new PSP is pretty spot on for the most part.
However I would point out that while the iPhone is a factor in all this, the dominance of the Nintendo DS is the main reason the PSP has struggled and will likely continue to do so. All the iphone does to this equitation, is throw in another competitor to take up some of the oxygen Sony has been struggling to get.
So, yes, expect to see a new PSP. Expect it to be a little more powerful, a little more easy for developers with a PC background to develop for, and for it to have expanded functionality for both gaming and non-gaming tasks.
@WolvenOne:Thing is, Sony's -more- interested in trying to cut off Apple at the knees then Nintendo. Why, I don't really know because it's Nintendo they need to worry about, not Apple and the Iphone.
I understand the PSP's attachment rate is shit and Dark Alexx and crew are likely going to crack the 3000 series any day now, but this would be..very, very, very, very stupid. Launching a new and likely costly portable this year, cutting out GameStop and other retailers by going digital only?
If Sony launches this as Perry says it is, then I will start counting the months till SCEA and SCEJ go under because this is the worst way possible to not only deal with the PSP's shortcomings but show developers and retailers that when the chips are down, it's time to abandon ship. GameStop..and every other retailer will just cram the PSP and the PSP2 into a 2x4 second of the store..if they don't just tell Sony to go screw itself, 'ala Kay-Bee and Sega. Developers will very likely do the same because the device will never gain any real noticeable marketshare and stick with not only the DS and DSi, but be all aboard when Nintendo launches in about two years it's next gen handheld.
06/30/09
CU destroyed my faith in SOE. NGE nearly destroyed my faith in MMOs.
06/30/09
06/30/09
I was still around after CU. I didn't quit until after NGE. Both hit me particularly hard, as an entertainer.
@rogue32:
I have hope that it will be an enjoyable experience, but I doubt anything will have the freedom of the playerbase to create so much of the entertainment as we did in Star Wars Galaxies. Between the crafting, the player houses and cities, and the unique player events that we started on our own -- some of which would bring in millions of credits from those in attendance -- Star Wars Galaxies was more, in a lot of ways, than any MMO since has been.
The Old Republic will be amazing, I have no doubt, but it will be different almost certainly.
05/21/09
05/21/09
03/19/09
03/19/09
03/18/09
So like "Come up with better programming than Ghost Hunters and shitty monster movies"?
*sigh*
Looks like yet another channel is taking the G4/Spike route and ditching their format to become yet another generic network.
03/18/09
Might be like that in Russian and other slavic languages.
I'm not sure this is the best name change idea.
03/18/09
03/18/09
03/18/09
They play Sci-Fi movies, they show Sci-Fi series.
Sci-Fi>SyFy
03/18/09
Woo!
I miss a lot of the great shows they used to have. If they want to get better ratings maybe they should look at some of the crap they have on. Ghosthunters? Its the same crap every week.
Example: Nothing happening... is that a ghost? Nope just the wind ... nothing happening ... Episode over.
03/18/09
I'd also like to add in they need to add more original programming. Dollhouse should be a Sci Fi Fridays show. Legend of the Seeker should be a Sci Fi show.
Also for old TV shows they should have Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Supernatural, Futurama, ST:Voyager, Heroes and Smallville.
They just need to spend more time on interesting ideas and less on Made for Sci Fi movies. Don't get me wrong I enjoy 1 out of ever 10 of them. Its just the other 9 suuuuuuuuuck.
03/18/09
Those movies are so horrible. I mean...really...really...horrible.
I remember when they used to have all kinds of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy movies. Classics. One's I had HEARD OF.
03/18/09
03/18/09
It'd be like if Kotaku changed it's name to "Ko-Taco". Sure the name change wouldn't be a big deal...but I bet you'd be pretty upset when you found it was because they decided to start covering mexican cuisine instead of games.
03/18/09
03/18/09
03/18/09
It honestly cuts my television viewing down about 25%. I'm pre-weeping over this fridays last episode(s).
03/13/09
Well, hopefully.
03/13/09
02/25/09
02/25/09
Now there's a thought.
Initially my thought was PSN Points, but then it occured to me that you could actually just throw out cards that're good towards downloading specific titles and then just sell them as if they were games.
This would work a little better as it would give retailers an incentive to market games as they have been. That said though, putting the games onto flash cards would still work better.
To put it simply, while downloading a couple hundred MB title on a broadband connection isn't a big deal, downloading multi-gig files is, at least to a degree, and if you don't have broadband, or low quality broadband, even downloads a couple hundred MB itself becomes a pretty big deal.
Besides that, there are two other things to consider. The first is the simple fact that SDD's of significant size still cost quite a bit of money right now, and if all games were stored on such a drive a large one would be necessary. The second, and probably most important thing to remember, is retailers don't actually make much money off selling game hardware.
Being in the software business I would not expect the president of Acclaim to know this, but retailers only sell portables and game consoles, so they can turn around and sell videogames with a solid profit margin. Well if all games are distributed digitally, than retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, Gamestop, have little incentive to carry the hardware, let alone push it.
It's the old razer and razorblades business model, and for this model to work, retailers need to be able to keep selling razorblades. So completly digitally distributed gaming simply cannot work in this industry.
That being said, Mr. Perry is probably correct about a PSP2 being in development, and his reasoning as to why Sony needs a new PSP is pretty spot on for the most part.
However I would point out that while the iPhone is a factor in all this, the dominance of the Nintendo DS is the main reason the PSP has struggled and will likely continue to do so. All the iphone does to this equitation, is throw in another competitor to take up some of the oxygen Sony has been struggling to get.
So, yes, expect to see a new PSP. Expect it to be a little more powerful, a little more easy for developers with a PC background to develop for, and for it to have expanded functionality for both gaming and non-gaming tasks.
02/25/09
02/25/09
If Sony launches this as Perry says it is, then I will start counting the months till SCEA and SCEJ go under because this is the worst way possible to not only deal with the PSP's shortcomings but show developers and retailers that when the chips are down, it's time to abandon ship. GameStop..and every other retailer will just cram the PSP and the PSP2 into a 2x4 second of the store..if they don't just tell Sony to go screw itself, 'ala Kay-Bee and Sega. Developers will very likely do the same because the device will never gain any real noticeable marketshare and stick with not only the DS and DSi, but be all aboard when Nintendo launches in about two years it's next gen handheld.