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Wow. I thought news of the Xbox 360 actually outselling a Japanese console in Japan was crazy enough, but now there’s word from Microsoft Japan (viewable in full after the jump) that the sudden upsurge in sales caused by Tales of Vesperia has actually drained the region of all its dust-covered Xbawkes.
Currently, the Xbox 360 is sold out, and retailers are unable to restock their supply. This is a result of our own sales targets being exceeded by the actual customer sales. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience to our customers, retailers and business partners.
Clearly this sales spike surprised Microsoft Japan just as much as it did everyone else, as they didn’t have any extra consoles ready to send out to retailers besides the small stack in the downstairs janitorial closet. While they’ve promised to crank up production the next shipment of Pro units won’t be ready until September, although small shipments of Elites and Arcade models will be sent out regularly to try and satiate the crowds of Japanese gamers that just have to get their hands on the latest RPG.
Hopefully Microsoft Japan has learned their lesson and will have a few more units ready for when Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, and The Last Remnant release, as I’m sure there will be a similar situation.
We preview the first 15 minutes of Castle Crashers, the Godfather sequel has made Rev sad, Dyson reviewed Bionic Commando: Rearmed,BioShock is coming this October for the PS3, Dead Rising for the Wii looks like crap, and plenty more happened on Tuesday.
Last week's PS2 platformer debate brought out various different opinions from readers, with a healthy amount of fan support from all sides. While there was one clear winner, there was a vicious fight for second place, with a single deciding vote preventing it from finishing as a tie. Here are the close results:
1st:Ratchet & Clank series (42 votes) -- Winner!
2nd:Sly Cooper series (22 votes)
3rd:Jak & Daxter series (21 votes)
This week, not only do I feel like starting some retro debates, but I'd also like to rekindle an element of these debates we haven't visited in a while. I used to enjoy debates between two games that aren't very similar. Discussions that force you to think outside the box, consider all the pros and cons of each game, and compare and contrast them in a way that really makes you think about why you did or didn't enjoy a certain game.
With debates like these, it's not good enough to just vote with your gut -- it forces you to be more analytical and think like a game designer. It's my opinion that you should be able to compare any two games to each other no matter how drastically different they are in their nature.
For tonight we'll start off simple though, with Excitebike and Punch-Out!! -- two sports games with completely different gameplay styles. Which game do you think is better, and why? Give it some serious thought, get some NES friends to share their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner and an even odder Retro debate matchup.
Bonus Question: What other NES retro games would you like to see fight to the death in a debate?
Latest comment by Falciase |view all 50 comments I like them both, but Punch Out is more fun to me. Excite Bike gets old after a couple of minutes... however, the track editor is pretty flipping sweet.
@ Fronz:
Excite Bike has no two player si......
A week of Dead Space continues! Yesterday, you got a chance to see the first four issues of the six part comic book series that shows some key events prior to the game's start.
Today, it's time to see some of the warning signs and advertisements you'll come across as you're killing hordes of alien forces. Hey, the game is scary as f*ck so having some pleasant distractions here and there doesn't hurt.
The first part of the gallery below has some of the warning signs you’ll see while exploring the Ishimura. It’s a big ship with lots of dangers around ever corner and of course there will be safety signs all over the place. I really like the warning sign with the cut off fingers. Really drives home the point, I’d say.
The second part of the gallery contains some of the advertisements you’ll come across promoting some products and teamwork. These people are millions of miles away from their homes as they’re exploring the universe trying to expand human civilization. People can forget what they’re doing when they’re so far away from home and seeing ads promoting teamwork can remind people why they're there in the first place.
My only question now is what the hell is Peng and why do I want it so bad?
Well, the many of RE5'smysteries are finally peeling away. This new trailer reveals more new info on the game's multiple characters and settings than we've seen in a while, and from the looks of it, absolutely anything goes.
Dirt bikes? Giant electric leech monsters? Hot chicks in evening gowns toting syringes? More than anything else, this trailer shows that RE5 will take "wacky survival horror" content to new levels, topping even Code Vernonica's cross dressing aristocrat and RE4's wisecracking midget.
Latest comment by EternalDeathSlayer |view all 19 comments @ Zeke: Nobody knows for sure, but the most common and sensible guess would be Sherry Birkin, from RE2. Then again, like Jonathan said, it seems like anything goes, so it could be someone new.
A......
We here at Destructoid are well aware that many of you have been following EA’s FaceBreaker, a game that looks like a fighting game under the guise of the sport of boxing. Some may have found the demo a bit underwhelming, and a few people have criticized the arguably questionable celebrityadditions to the game, which, at the very least, caused me to scratch my head, bemused. Regardless, I’m sure that a good amount of people still are interested in how the finished product turns out.
That’s why we’re proud to present a developer Q&A with the Lead Designer of FaceBreaker, Todd Batty. He’s here to help you understand the process of developing the game, and specifically, he’ll be answering your questions in the Destructoid forums (yes, we have forums!) on anything related to the development of FaceBreaker. He’s also created a community blog here to defend his creation and introduce himself, so please give him a warm welcome to the Destructoid community.
I’ve seen Todd do similar Q&A sessions around the Web, and I can assure you that he’s going to be as candid as he can be in responding to your queries. So don’t hold back -- let him know what you think of the game so far! If you haven’t yet played FaceBreaker, check out the demo, which is available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. FaceBreaker will be out on September 5th for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.
Latest comment by Sharpless |view all 7 comments I didn't think the game was too bad. Not a of life in it, but it was decent. As long as he stays away from Luc Bernard territory, I think this'll be cool....
Shacknews recently talked to Mythic Vice President Mark Jacobs and confirmed that the studio will not be honoring the work of its former employees on Warhammer Online. Not crediting one for his or her work is apparently standard practice. Jacobs' response to the inquiry seems casual when he mentions the 'hundreds' of people that worked on the title that won't be earning a spot on the credits.
Over the years, we've had hundreds of people work on the game, and we thank everyone who helped us bring our Warhammer passion to life, but only current employees that have continued until the end will be credited in the final game. Accreditation in Warhammer Online recognizes the incredible team that has poured their heart and soul into making WAR an amazing MMORPG experience.
Shacknews also talked to an ex-employee of Mythic who said that the lack of recognition is a “problem in the industry.” The anonymous ex-employee elaborated by stating that his three-year service to the game is equivalent to some of the people who are currently finishing the project and being credited with the progress. Understandably, the man is angry and is encouraging a possible lawsuit. “…I wish to get all former employees of EA Mythic/Mythic Entertainment together to discuss this and possibly take legal action against EA.”
As an author, this gets me a bit revved up. You always want to be credited with your work, even if you’re a secondary source. It’s a shame that Mythic isn’t taking the time to rifle through their filing cabinets to implement names in a field of scrolling text. What do you guys think? Is this an issue, or do you think if you leave a company your name should stay out?
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