The Blog

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Blog - J-Fan Video Games

Gamestop Benevolently Admits All Their Gamecube and GBA Games are Used

Posted by: Sturat
Monday, November 5, 2007 2:22 PM

In late October, Gamestop relabeled all of their new Gamecube games as used, and a few days ago, they did the same thing with their Gameboy Advance games. Rumors say original Xbox games aren't far off. Many gamers are surprised that one of the only remaining retail chains dedicated to video games (and movies) would pull a Sega and discontinue systems that still have games being made for them. Others see it as retailers' continuing war against new products, with their ultimate goal to adopt a business model similar to but much more profitable than Gamefly's, where they buy one copy of each game from the publishers and make all of the customers wait for their turn to play it for $45 and return it for $12 store credit. I do not take such a cynical stance, though. I only wish to show gamers how much work it took Gamestop to convert their inventory from new to used, because after you've read this you'll finally give them the appreciation they deserve.

Step 1: Play all of the games.

This step has actually been going on since Gamestop started carrying Gamecube and Gameboy Advance games. One can only marvel at their foresight! Anticipating this conversion from new to used, Gamestop has required staff to open many of their "new" games. Since some of their games have been opened, Gamestop must accept all returned games as new and unplayed. (Some locations nobly elected to put Scotch tape directly on their boxes to seal them, rather than leaving customers with the burden of worsening the games' condition.) It took a lot of energy to ensure that the majority of Gamestop's "new" games aren't sealed, and have probably been returned a few times and borrowed by staff members. Game Crazy charges customers to try a new game before buying, (and sells the previously played game as new) but Gamestop cares about us all enough to do it for free.

Step 2: Throw away the boxes and manuals.

The boxes at Gamestop look like someone took them to the Coldstone next door and tried to use them as a mix-in. Every week when the sanitation engineer comes to pick up Gamestop's trash, (mostly plastic wrap from all of the new games they had to open) they've needed to scare him away by brandishing worthless sword and baseball bat add-ons for Wii controllers. Last week they finally stopped threatening the guy and let him take all the GBA boxes. The timing worked well because he was becoming less frightened by these add-ons, and who can afford the $24.99 to threaten him with a Wii Zapper? (Yes, some retailers try to undercut Gamestop's prices by charging the MSRP, but Gamestop doesn't sink to that level.) Anyway, a few of the boxes were, miraculously, still in good condition. A plucky Gamestop employee noticed this. He promptly dropped what he was doing (impatiently trying to ignore a customer with a Mexican accent) and burned all of the boxes in a trash can to make sure nobody else was burdened by them.

All of the GBA games were now loose carts, or as they call them on Amazon Marketplace, "like new." While most gamers would consider this to be a satisfactory process for converting new games to used condition, we're only half way through! The next step converts the games to rental-quality condition, or as I like to call it, "Game Crazy New."

Step 3: Add a ton of stickers.

Tired though they were from opening all of the games and destroying their packaging, the Gamestop staff still had the energy to put price tags on all of the loose pre-played games. And they didn't just add one price tag, no, they had the diligence to add two or three price tags, each stating a different amount of your money that may or may not be needed for you to finally try Klonoa Dream Champ Tournament. Because Gamestop is dedicated to customer service, they've ensured that you need to interact with one of their sales reps in order to know what anything costs. How's that for thwarting the Buckle Game?

Step 4: Bury the games where no one will find them.

Once Gamestop has killed a game platform, the software becomes rare, out of print, and collectible. They must be preserved! No, the box, manual, label, and scent of the games are not factors in preservation, (Silly!) but we need to ensure that future generations can buy a copy of Hamtaro with no label for 6.99 the same way that we currently enjoy buying a copy of Bad 'n Rad that has been sitting at Gamestop since someone found it after the snow melted in the spring of 1993. How can they ensure that nobody touches them in the mean time? Sealing used games in a glass case where most of them aren't exposed to light ensures that decades from now, the games are in the exact same shitty condition they were in when some poor sap traded them for $4 store credit shortly after their release. (You should have just returned the pre-played new game, Bobby!)

And that concludes my account of Gamestop's painstaking conversion of new games to used. I hope you found it enlightening. Maybe now you'll understand why Gamestop deserves to increase the price of these freshly un-newed games.

5 visitor comments

Console Bundle Confusion

Posted by: DJ Clae
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 6:26 PM

The amount of different models being sold of the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 is confusing. Today the "XBox 360 Arcade" was released as a replacement for the "Core" system, for $280. This new version comes with a wireless controller, memory card, and the system has an HDMI port, for better televisions. For early adopters who bought the original 360's which had an extra noisy disc drive, consumed as much power as a large HDTV, and were highly likely to die, it's tempting to whine about the superior console that consumers are buying now, at a lower price. The cheap XBox 360 model now has HDMI out, while last I checked the "Premium" bundle model still doesn't have an HDMI port. In addition to the Arcade and the Premium, there still is the "XBox 360 Elite," with its 60 gig hard drive and HDMI port. Not to mention the limited editions, and the remaining core systems out there, which will probably be marked down even lower by the retailers that still have them in stock (and I assume they will remain in stock for quite a while to come). On top of all this, not all of these models are available in all parts of the world, and each region may have its own respective different configurations being sold. Speculation that an XBox 360 model with a built-in HD DVD drive (an overdue option, in my opinion) only adds to the confusion of what to buy, or whether to wait.

This holiday season, the parents of the kids asking for a PlayStation 3 have some extra confusion to deal with, especially considering that the system has only been out for a year so far. The various phased out configurations of PS3's that have been available and discontinued just over the past year is a dizzying array of three flavors of PS2 backward compatibility or lack thereof, wi-fi, USB and memory card ports, and hard drive sizes. On top of all that, there is a new Dual Shock 3 controller that is frustratingly not included with any of the new models that should have been available from day one anyway. The new 40 gig PS3 model may be affordable, but without PS2 backward compatibility, it is like an incomplete PS3, lacking the features originally touted by the Sony execs as recent as just a few months ago.

Remember just last generation, when you just bought a system and you didn't have to worry about which one you had? They were all the same. If you had a PS2, you had a PS2. Same with the Cube and the XBox. For all its faults, at least the Wii is so far only available in one version, despite wild rumors of a completely new Wii system already (which are several years too early). I do not envy the choices of Christmas shoppers looking for consoles this year. If I were shopping for a 360, I'd buy one of the remaining Core systems at a reduced price (one of the newer ones with the smaller power supply and quieter disc drive), and get a hard drive on ebay. For PS3, I'd look for one of those old 20 gig models that was phased out so early in the US market (remember those?) at one of the Gamestops that still has them in stock for a reduced price. Cheaper is better. Wireless connections are less reliable than wired connections, new controllers can be purchased later, and hard drives can always be upgraded. Those who have complained about the PS3's high entry cost are running out of excuses.

3 visitor comments

Sega Rally Revo Demo

Posted by: DJ Clae
Monday, September 17, 2007 11:07 PM

The demo for the new Sega Rally game, Sega Rally Revo, was just released on XBox Live. The two cars and two tracks are a blast! The graphics are looking a lot cleaner than in Sega Rally 2006 on the PS2. In true Sega Rally fashion, the some liberties have been taken with the physics, and the game is still very much arcade style. The demo is also very easy, but it provides a good hour or so of fun to make the download worth your while.

It's interesting that Sega Rally 2006 wasn't released outside of Japan (possibly because it was lost in a sea of other PS2 releases last year), while Sega Rally Revo seems to have been fast-tracked to worldwide release (because when it comes to next-gen, we'll take anything). Also, Sega Rally Revo will probably be a better game than Sega Rally 2006 was.

The game will be released in North America on October 9, and a Japanese release date still hasn't been announced (wow, so many games come out first in American these days). If the game is as short as I'm thinking it might be, it might be more appropriately released as budget software, but at any rate, it should be a decent game. Online mode should especially be interesting.

Add Comment

Final Fantasy XI: Worst Mistake of the 21st Century so far

Posted by: DJ Clae
Sunday, August 5, 2007 6:33 PM

I realize I'm choosing to fight a battle long after the war here, but this is fresh for me, and besides, the blog didn't exist when Final Fantasy XI was first released. "Final Fantasy XI Online" should have been just called "Final Fantasy Online." It must have been called XI (making it part of the main series, rather than a spin-off) in order to attract more attention to Square's big online project, and to get more Japanese players playing online RPG's. Final Fantasy XI is not for casual players, or probably for the core Final Fantasy audience in general either.

I or someone around me has always played all the games in the Final Fantasy series, including the original versions of the ones that weren't released in English (not remakes). As the series has aged, I've been much slower to play the new games, often waiting years to even try the new Final Fantasy installments, and even then, playing through probably only a modest portion of the game. I still have never bought XII, although I know it's an excellent game and I'm sure I'll grab it from the bargain bin eventually. All the same, Final Fantasy is a long-standing tradition in my family, and I feel weird if I don't make an attempt to at least keep up with the franchise. I feel like I need to at least try them all. That's what drove me to finally pick up Final Fantasy XI, knowing full-well that it wouldn't be the genuine Final Fantasy experience, and that it probably would not appeal to me. I guess Square's questionable numbering tactics worked on me too.

My PS2 was the very first model released in Japan, so the only network adapter and hard drive compatible with it was the USB version, a model that was very difficult to come by. The price of that peripheral eventually brought me to the decision not to bother with it. I've never been a PC gamer, so I don't own a decent graphics card for my computer, and have no desire to play a game on my PC, so that version's out. As for the XBox 360 version of Final Fantasy XI, I owned a Core System with no hard drive (the hard drive was worthless on the original XBox, so making the hard drive optional on the XBox 360 I thought was brilliant when the system launched). The XBox 360 version of Final Fantasy XI, like its PS2 counterpart, requires the hard drive, so when I finally recently got an XBox 360 hard drive (after realizing the multitude of downloadable content I was beginning to miss out on) Final Fantasy XI again became an option. With its low $20 price tag, it seemed an easy "might as well" purchase for the console.

I've never been a fan of MMORPG's. I think they're boring and a total waste of time. Final Fantasy XI for XBox 360 was an impulse purchase by a casual player. I intended to basically get my feet wet and try it out, and that's about it. All the same, a part of me remembers when online gaming was new -- the shining beacon that was games like Phantasy Star Online, games that promised to revolutionize the way we played games; bringing us that incredible wow-factor of playing in a vast world with strangers. I should have retained my current jaded skepticism, brought on by years spent in game lobbies waiting to play games that weren't very good anyway, rather than clinging to past ideals. As it turns out, the game is not for the faint of heart. It's for serious players willing to devote a large amount of time only.

My ordeal began when I inserted the disc and turned on the console. The game wanted to install Square-Enix's PlayOnline Viewer, their proprietary full-featured online service. I managed to get that finished. Then, since the game has been out forever, it wanted to install about 500 files of updates, which took about 20 minutes. I was already about at the end of my patience at this point. I was worried about what kind of junk I might be cluttering my pristine system with. Then after using the controller to awkwardly enter my address and registration code that came with the game, it was finally time to install Final Fantasy XI. The game informed me that it would require 6 gigs of space on the hard drive, practically the entire DVD's worth of space. I had recently amassed a large collection of game demo's since my recent purchase of the hard drive, so unfortunately I had to delete a good many of them before I could proceed. It occurred to me to not bother going any further and just keep my data on the hard drive and not even install the game at this point, but it seemed like a waste not to at least try the game, and I could always download the demos again after all. Installing the actual game said it would take an hour, but it actually took longer than that. By this point the situation was already laughable, I was already tired and had no interest in playing the game anymore. In a bit of irony, I played Neo Geo, the most instant-gratification system there is, in another room while the XBox 360 worked away installing the game. Then once it was finished installing the game, I got to finally watch the game intro. You'd think at this point I'd be home free, but you'd be wrong. When I went to start the game, it too wanted to be updated. It began downloading over 5500 more files. It ran out of space a little way in (too bad it didn't inform me there wasn't enough free space before starting) so I had to go out and delete more things, before going back and starting the download all over from the beginning. This took about another 30 minutes to finish. Then once it was finished downloading, the game informed me that it would take 3 1/2 hours to "install" the downloads. This was the final kick in the ass. I gave up and let the game do whatever the hell it wanted. I went and watched a movie and a standup special before it was finished. All the while ticking away my precious XBox 360 time before my console inevitably succumbs to the red ring of death.

Finally after about 7 hours of installing, I was up and playing the game that night. I wasn't expecting much, but this game is boring as hell. You wander around and talk to computer drones while the other players run by, completely ignoring each other. We have no efficient way of communication (even the console version basically requires a keyboard for fast access to the game's more advanced commands). It doesn't really play like Final Fantasy -- veterans of the series won't be familiar with the game methods of progression, item system, or its pacing. You wander around boringly alone on pointless missions to boring locations, leveling up your character in battles that the game basically just plays for you. There are no two ways about it, this game is simply a complete travesty. You'd think as a console RPG it would be more geared toward console players, like Phantasy Star Online, but this is a game that definitely feels more at home on the PC. Your expectations are lower when you turn on a PC, whereas on a console you have a high expectation of entertainment from the moment you hit the power button.

It should be noted that although the game itself only costs $20 US for the XBox 360 version, and comes with all of the expansion packs all in one disc, playing the game is not free. It luckily comes with a one-month free subscription, but you are required to enter a credit card number, as there will be additional subscriber fees for playing the game longer than that. The game also warns players each time they play with a message on screen not to ignore their real lives while playing the game. What a joke.

The game has also made a complete mess of my hard drive. The PlayOnline Viewer, the game itself, my saved game data, and all the updates are nowhere to be found on the XBox 360's regular memory manager. In some kind of ungodly deal between Microsoft and Square-Enix, all these files are hidden in Square-Enix's quagmire of proprietary bullshit, taking up probably damn near 8 gigs of data on my hard drive. If you want to delete it (and believe me, I sure as hell do), the only way is to wipe clean the entire thing. In one fail swoop you can supposedly purge all of Square-Enix's junk from your hard drive, freeing it of all evil, making it as if this curse of a game never wrought its havoc on your system. But there's no option to keep just your game data and uninstall the game. It's all or nothing. (Besides, you won't be playing it again anyway unless you're willing to pay the subscription fee after your trial runs out.) The game wasn't "meant" to be played this way anyway -- you're in a living world where everyone is tied together, or whatever, so the game has no concept of preserving your "progress."

What's that, you're suggesting I sell the game? Forget that idea. The used disc is considered basically worthless if it does not come with a fresh registration code. Therefore, an opened copy that isn't in its original plastic doesn't really have any value. This is one game that once you bought it, you're basically stuck with it. It's also worth keeping in mind that MMORPG's don't have infinite value -- the game servers eventually get closed down, and then you can't play the game at all anymore, effectively making coasters of every disc that's out there. Owning a copy of Final Fantasy XI just isn't the same as my old Final Fantasy II cartridge for Famicom. It's like you have the game, but in the end, you really don't.

As an impulse, I thought I would dip my feet in and see what Final Fantasy XI Online is all about. I thought I would just try it. I thought it was a logical purchase as an XBox 360 owner looking for quality Japanese games on the console. I thought if I didn't like it, there would be no harm. I was wrong on all counts. This game robbed me of my time, money, and sanity. It further confirms my theory that people who play online RPG's are entirely wasting their time. If there's any suspicion left in your mind that you might enjoy this, rid yourself of the thought immediately. Final Fantasy XI should be avoided at all costs.

30 visitor comments

Don't play games from companies that don't exist.

Posted by: DJ Clae
Thursday, August 2, 2007 10:35 PM

When I first heard that Koei was making a futuristic racing game my reaction was, "Interesting... I thought Koei only made war sims," and my interest was piqued. As it turns out, Fatal Inertia is actually by a company called "Koei Canada," and if your reaction to that is, "Who the hell are they?" then you are correct.

The demo of Fatal Inertia just showed up as a download for the XBox 360 on XBox Live this week. Originally the game was scheduled as launch software for the PS3 and only the PS3, but so far the game has been released for neither console. (What took so long?) I had the unfortunate experience of playing the demo, and it is a steaming pile of dog crap. You play as hovering cars that occasionally run into the ground, and you have almost no control over. It is unplayable. The graphics are sparsely polygonal, with crap texture mapping that can't decide what level of detail is appropriate for the camera distance. If you play this game and your reaction is anything other than, "wtf?" then you have no taste. I guess when the development house that makes the game doesn't exist then we shouldn't expect much. Lesson learned.

Add Comment

Takoron Coming Stateside as Octopuzzle

Posted by: Sturat
Sunday, July 29, 2007 11:33 AM

Compile Heart's Wii puzzle game, Sharuui Takoron, will come out in Japan on August 23rd and in the United States on October 30th, courtesy of Conspiracy Entertainment. If you recognize their name, it's probably because they were the American publisher for Bangaioh and the unfortunately titled PSP puzzler Kollon.

Obviously, this is exciting for old Compile fans who are ready to move on from Pochi & Nyaa, but we would've found a way to play this game whether or not it was released outside of Japan. The reason this is important to all Wii players is it's a game that looked like it wouldn't make it out of Japan and it did. With the Wii's surprising success, publishers are scrambling to get games out the door, and the good news is we're going to see more games like Furu Furu Park, Hajime no Ippo Revolution, and Kororinpa on Western shelves. The bad news is we also get Action Girlz Racing.

Add Comment

XBox 360 - Download Japanese Game Demos

Posted by: DJ Clae
Monday, July 23, 2007 10:10 PM

Downloading software from the Japanese version of XBox Live is a lot easier than you might think. All you need to do is register a new Silver account, which is free. It's quick and easy. Simply do the following:

1. Sign out of XBox Live.

2. Go to your console's settings (in the last tab of the XBox 360 Dashboard) and under "Locale" choose Japan.

3. Go back to the main tab of the Dashboard and choose to sign up for a new XBox Live account. Choose a "Silver" membership, so you won't need a credit card.

4. When prompted, enter a Japanese address. Find a valid full Japanese zip code online or otherwise, and the rest of the required address will automatically fill in.

That's basically it. Once you are signed in with your Japanese account you will have access to demos and any other software that is not available on other territories of XBox Live. After that you can freely switch between your regular account and your Japanese account as you see fit. There are rumors that Microsoft has been cracking down and deleting dummy accounts created for this purpose, but even if that is the case, you can easily login, download what you want, and get off.

I normally use an American XBox Live account (because XBox 360 is an American system after all, and the best overall selection for the console is available in the US). By doing the above procedure I was able to download the demos of Trusty Bell (known as Eternal Sonata for the English version), Zegapain XOR, and Vampire Rain (Vampire Rain is available in the US, but the demo is not).

I found out that Vampire Rain sucks, but more importantly I found out that Trusty Bell is definitely an RPG worth buying. With beautiful graphics and sound, along with a fun, mutliplayer-ready battle system, I was almost more impressed than I was with the demo of Blue Dragon. Oddly enough, the demo already plays fully in English. Eternal Sonata will be released in the US September 17, so you can try to predict when the demo will finally show up in the American version of XBox Live.

And to think, if I hadn't bothered to try to login to the Japanese version of XBox Live (like so many people probably aren't) I would still be waiting for it. I recommend that everyone give it a go!

4 visitor comments

WiiFit: Things Come Full Circle for Nintendo

Posted by: DJ Clae
Thursday, July 12, 2007 7:22 AM

Purportedly Nintendo's biggest announcement at yesterday's E3 press conference, WiiFit brings an aerobic workout to the Wii. Unveiled along with the game is a new controller, which is some sort of pressure board that you stand on.

Most of the response that I've seen so far to the announcement has been positive, and so far I'm kind of wondering why. When it comes to video games, it doesn't get anymore boring than an exercise game. And this seems like just another ploy to further capture new demographics, like the middle-aged working mom, who might not otherwise play video games.

I've got to say, "Big deal." Wasn't this same basic conept tried already? Oh, you say this is different this time? Well then...

Actually, I was pretty bored while watching most of Nintendo's conference yesterday. If this is the most excitement they can offer right now, then count me disinterested. To me, the biggest announcement was the new Wii Mario Kart game with online play. Otherwise the most exciting games they have right now are Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It's all about the games, and that's why Sony's conference yesterday was more exciting -- they brought the goods.

3 visitor comments

New Model PSP Revealed

Posted by: DJ Clae
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 1:41 PM

Now that Sony's announced the new version of the PSP for later this year, of course I want to upgrade. The new one lets you connect to the TV, and although I know the whole point of PSP is to be able to play the games anywhere on the small screen instead of on a TV, the idea of having the option to play on a TV with other people watching is very compelling to me. In addition to it being slimmer, 1/3 lighter than the original, and get better battery life, Sony didn't mention in its press conference today that the new model is also rumored to have a better D-pad (I hope that's also true). A new analog stick would also be nice... Bastards, now I have to figure out how I'm going to get rid of my old PSP and buy the new one when it comes out.

1 visitor comment

XBox 360 Has a Lot of Games

Posted by: DJ Clae
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 10:07 PM

Microsoft proved that they have a lot of games coming out for their console at their press conference at E3 tonight, but still surprisingly few titles to get terribly excited about. I didn't see that many games that were must-buys this holiday, and almost nothing I hadn't already heard about. As usual, they bragged about having support from Japanese developers, but this only occupied a minute or two of the show, and when you really look at the amount of games offered, Japanese games on the XBox platforms really hasn't grown significantly. The way they've managed to get Bandai Namco on board is impressive, but otherwise, there isn't that much there. Of course, the console's dismal sales in Japan were glossed over, while bragging about sales in North America and Europe.

They had a lot of games, more than I can imagine Sony showing for the PS3 tomorrow (surprise me), but it was still kind of "blah." Oh yeah, and Sega is making games for Windows Live... wow.

G4TV's live coverage of the press conference is better than it has been in the past, but still left a lot to be desired. They promised it would be commercial-free, and then for some reason ended up interrupting the live coverage with commercials several times throughout the show, sometimes making us miss whole games. They were also plagued by technical difficulties, one of which at the ending actually cut off the long-anticipated Halo 3 1-player campaign footage, arguably the part of the show that the most people were looking forward to. We'll see how things go with the Sony and Nintendo shows tomorrow.

Add Comment