This just further reinforces my analysis of how well Borderlands is going to do in sales this holiday season. Although the game this really does a favor for is Alpha Protocol, because now there's no competing spy-type franchise for it to deal with.
Also, despite the disbelief expressed by some, I would not be surprised at all if the real reason for these moves is actually CoD. Given the hype, how well CoD usually sells, and the fervent love for 4 over 5 in almost every sector of the industry (including the mass-market peeps), it's the juggernaut everyone is eager to avoid. With companies reporting massive drops in year-to-year revenues, it's no surprise they're actually doing so.
However, if companies start overloading January/February, it could spell disaster because of all the broke-ass peeps coming off of the holidays...
I'm starting to think that publishers are intentionally pushing to 2010 in hopes that the economy will be better by then, and they can get higher sales numbers. No matter what the stated reasons.
@prototype beta: Goodluck convincing your children that you'll be celebrating Christmas in March this year. The holiday season sees massive sales for a reason, and the economy won't stop that sales rush one bit. It might slow things down, but people will willingly charge gifts on credit same as any year.
This is the first of the delays to actually frustrate me. I've been cautious to get my hopes up on only a select few titles this year, and now a title once *confirmed* for October has slipped not only past November, but also December.
Things used to be so blissful in my childhood when I didn't pay attention to future releases, only checking every now and then for what was out now.
@Heliophage: I'm with you. I've let stuff like Bioshock 2 and Bayonetta sort of move by without getting too upset over them slipping to 2010. But this one...this one pisses me off.
Hopefully they're working out the giant flaw in their storyline where Lambert is supposed to be dead. Yeah, because I know that at the end of Double Agent, I totally saved Lambert's life and got the "Best Ending" achievement. So how can I get the ending that the developers are most satisfied with and have it not carry over to the sequel? Seriously, apart from the amazing Michael Ironside, Lambert was the best part about that game. Keep him in it.
Well scratch that. The amazingly subtle in-game advertising was the best.
*EDIT*
Anyone know how to move the image to the bottom of the post? My HTML skills are insufficient.
@Gyaruson: This isn't a shocking thing. Not every game with multiple endings needs to carry over specific endings. Let alone the ending you personally like. Look at the Silent Hill series. Famous for having 3 or more endings and only one of them being canon.
@Koda89:
Yes. I know a lot of games that get sequels have multiple endings. But when they go against what is called the "Best Ending" in the preceding game, something doesn't seem right.
Look at the third achievement (Hero) and you'll see that saving Lambert is a requirement to get the best ending.
@Gyaruson: Just cause it is called "the best" ending doesn't mean it is the TRUE ending. Basically, in Double Agent, the Best Ending is equal to getting the Good Ending in a Silent Hill game or a Light Side Ending in a Star Wars game. Doesn't mean it was the true ending though. The sad truth is the true ending is the one where you kill Lambert.
@Gyaruson: Oh, trust me, I know your pain. I mean I made a few "bad" choices during the game, so I wasn't getting the Best Ending, but I still killed Jaime, because I hated his ass. And yeah, not dying was amazingly hard. Hell, trying to hide was hard enough.
When is there going to be an article investigating or at least questioning all of these big-name titles slipping to 2010? This is starting to get ridiculous. By the time October rolls around, the holiday season's release slate is going to be Modern Warfare 2 and nothing else... 2010 is going to be crowded.
@Gyaruson: I'm just bitching. There's actually plenty to look forward to, including Uncharted 2 and the new Ratchet & Clank - I was just really looking forward to Conviction... And now I'm bummed.
@AngryEddy:
I hear ya, and totally support your bitching. It's been way too long since my last dose of Fisher.
I'm starting to go through withdrawls. If only they could bottle the awesomeness of Chaos Theory and sell it as a drug. Mmmmm, gettin' high off of stealth.
@AngryEddy: Well October has a ridiculous release schedule. It's somewhat sparse in November-December but then again there's a ratchet and clank game, there's saboteur (which doesn't look too bad), possibly WKC, not really going to say GT5 but who knows same goes for edge of twilight, Assassin's creed if you're into that, Blur, LFD2, roughly for the november-december but there's more than twice that in October to be honest. They decided to put everything into that one month and then let people buy most of them on their way to christmas I guess and then everything else hits January-March.
@phalanges:
Not as excited for that as everyone else seems to be. Never could get into the original. It was too repetitive for me. The sequel looks very cool, and I'll probably buy it, but it's not day one for me.
@WhatTheFrag: my understanding is that wkc was never gonna be this year. I think the kotaku article from earlier pegged it as early next year.
I'm really hoping Crystal Bearers hits before xmas, that and SMBWii are what I'm placing my hopes on right now. If that doesn't come out, I've got nothing to ask for
I am always for more dev time for games... as most game problems stem from (in part) time constraints.... but I am still sad... Splinter Cell was one of my most anticipated games of 2009, especially after seeing the E3 footage.
@jgibson75: I know Conviction has undergone a redesign since it was first announced, but come on - this was the one game I was most excited about this year... And now POOF, gone.
First 2 quarters of 2010 will have more AAA titles than 2008 and 2009 put together. Imo it would be smarter to release your games now with less competition.
Still have: September - Beatles Rock Band
October - Brutal Legend
November - MW2, Assassin's Creed 2, L4D2, and whatever little gem I discover along the way. Plenty of bang during what will be a busy semester in grad school for me as it is.
Seems like 3-4 month delays are practically normal now. All i know is that no game will cut in front of Alan wake. If anyone tries they will be punched in the face.
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Still though, I can't stress how gutted I am that my 360 won't be seeing action this year. Splinter Cell was about it until Crackdown 2.
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Also, despite the disbelief expressed by some, I would not be surprised at all if the real reason for these moves is actually CoD. Given the hype, how well CoD usually sells, and the fervent love for 4 over 5 in almost every sector of the industry (including the mass-market peeps), it's the juggernaut everyone is eager to avoid. With companies reporting massive drops in year-to-year revenues, it's no surprise they're actually doing so.
However, if companies start overloading January/February, it could spell disaster because of all the broke-ass peeps coming off of the holidays...
07/27/09
07/27/09
07/27/09
Things used to be so blissful in my childhood when I didn't pay attention to future releases, only checking every now and then for what was out now.
07/27/09
07/27/09
Hopefully they're working out the giant flaw in their storyline where Lambert is supposed to be dead. Yeah, because I know that at the end of Double Agent, I totally saved Lambert's life and got the "Best Ending" achievement. So how can I get the ending that the developers are most satisfied with and have it not carry over to the sequel? Seriously, apart from the amazing Michael Ironside, Lambert was the best part about that game. Keep him in it.
Well scratch that. The amazingly subtle in-game advertising was the best.
*EDIT*
Anyone know how to move the image to the bottom of the post? My HTML skills are insufficient.
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07/27/09
@AngryEddy:
That has to be the worst one for me.
I call for a separation of video games and state!
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07/27/09
Yes. I know a lot of games that get sequels have multiple endings. But when they go against what is called the "Best Ending" in the preceding game, something doesn't seem right.
Look at the third achievement (Hero) and you'll see that saving Lambert is a requirement to get the best ending.
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/splinter-cell-double-agent/guide/
Honestly, it's not a huge deal, but I worked hard to get that ending, so it feels slightly pointless now that the sequel doesn't follow suit.
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07/27/09
Well, I see what you mean there. It is sad, because I had a freaking tough time not dying once I killed Jaime to save Lambert.
@Matjaž Hegedič:
Ah, I never played that one. When did it release?
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Don't forget about The Beatles Rock Band or Brutal Legend.
Beyond that, though...
07/27/09
Uncharted 2.
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07/27/09
I hear ya, and totally support your bitching. It's been way too long since my last dose of Fisher.
I'm starting to go through withdrawls. If only they could bottle the awesomeness of Chaos Theory and sell it as a drug. Mmmmm, gettin' high off of stealth.
07/27/09
07/27/09
Not as excited for that as everyone else seems to be. Never could get into the original. It was too repetitive for me. The sequel looks very cool, and I'll probably buy it, but it's not day one for me.
07/27/09
I'm really hoping Crystal Bearers hits before xmas, that and SMBWii are what I'm placing my hopes on right now. If that doesn't come out, I've got nothing to ask for
07/27/09
I know stuff keeps falling into the Q1 time frame, I just wish stuff would keep falling into Q2 so that summer wouldn't be so boring, you know?
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Activision: "Due to some development difficulties, Modern Warfare 2 has been delayed to early 2010."
Publishers: "So...uh...Who wants to go back to 2009?"
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October - Brutal Legend
November - MW2, Assassin's Creed 2, L4D2, and whatever little gem I discover along the way. Plenty of bang during what will be a busy semester in grad school for me as it is.
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