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We all love the festive season, well most of us do. As a Christian I celebrate at this time of year in memory of the birth of Christ, it is the time of year that families come together and for most is a happy time of year. It is also the time of year that old St Nick (Santa Claus) rides around the sky on his reindeer drawn sleigh and climbs down your chimney to leave presents for the children who have been good all year. He hasn't missed me once. : )
Christmas is about giving and receiving, that's the main message but remember it is better to give than to receive. Happy times for all as we spend it with our family and friends. But for games developers Christmas can mean a whole lot more.
Christmas time is an important time of year, we usually see a lot of great games get released in the run up to Christmas to see who can become the Christmas number one. But is the Christmas number one that important? In the music industry the Christmas number one used to be a festive kind of tune that got you in the spirit of things. But as we all know from last year when we had the battle between Eminem's Stan and Bob the builder, things aren't what they used to be and most of the time these days the song is usually not that good at all.
For games it is different though, most people buy the good games that are actually worth being number one. The likes of metal gear solid in the past which deserved it and was hugely popular (still is).
The game that gets the number one spot usually attracts a lot of attention and can boost its sales after Christmas as well, so getting the number one spot can be very beneficial to the developers as it attracts more customers to buy it.
For gamers this can also mean something. We usually get an idea of what games are worth buying and also get our hands on the latest releases that we have been waiting ages on. It is not all good though, some developers choose to delay there game until after Christmas, not because it isn't ready but because they wouldn't want to face really good competition that they feel they couldn't beat. So they wait until into the new year and hopefully for them their game gets the credit they feel they deserve. Which means we have to wait that little bit longer to get our hands on a game which some of us have been waiting a lot of the previous year for. Is it fair for them to do this?
So what makes Christmas different than any other time of year? Well it's a bit obvious to most, the money. People will be buying presents for others and kids who like games will want new ones. So a lot of games will be bought in a short space of time leading up to Christmas.
So what do the developers have to do to get it right and make sure their game is in with a chance?
Well they have to promote it, i.e. make sure people know about it in the months before Christmas. Marketing is important with selling any product but just before Christmas is probably more important as you want to be sure people will notice it.
Some games will sell themselves, names like Metal Gear Solid 2 won't need much advertising as from what people got in the previous version and from snip its they have seen or played they know this is going to be good. Also games like David Beckham's football game for the PS2 should sell just because there is a famous name in the title.
So what do developers do to make sure there game is promoted well enough?
Magazine reviews, they are important as a lot of people read them and it allows them to see exactly what the game is like and if it is worth buying. There is some speculation on "bung" taking as some magazines seem to promote some rubbish games as being rather good so just watch and don't believe everything you read.
Advertising in general anywhere which the appropriate audience will read it is also good, newspapers and on the web are useful as a lot of people will see them and probably try and get more information on the game and then maybe purchase it.
Hype, it also can help sell games, (I could write a whole topic on hype but it has already been done many many times). Games like MGS2, Smackdown JBI and GTA3 all get hyped up and probably deserve it, this promotes the game even more and lets people who know very little or nothing about it that something good is coming their way soon.
But most important of all you need a game that deserves all the attention, all the hype and promotion, one that attracts all the people because it is fun to play, will entertain them and is worth the cost. Whether this is a totally new and original idea for a game like "The getaway" or a sequel that really has improved on the previous version like "GTA 3" or "Smackdown JBI".
This year there won't be much of a console battle but next Christmas could be a good time just to see which of them is doing the best and at that time of year which is selling the most units. (now this isn't a console wars topic so go somewhere else to do that) People buy the console they want and the one which they think is best for THEM. It was at Christmas time that I got my PSX all those years ago and there is no better feeling than setting it up on Christmas morning and playing it and then challenging all the family to play later in the day. I know a lot of families who play games at Christmas (usually board games) but maybe in the future these will be replaced with console games like WWTBAM or the weakest link, imagine everyone in the family being a character in the weakest link game, it could lead to hours of fun and chants off "You are the weakest link, Goodbye".
There can be a downside though, there are a lot of rubbish games that also get released and many grannies or aunties may buy rotten games for you as they know very little about good and bad games. So my piece of advice is make sure your parents know exactly what games it is you are after and that way you will save yourself the embarrassment and heartache when you open it to reveal a game like Army men.
Also one important piece of advice, a console or game is for life not just for Christmas. : )
So what you looking forward too this Christmas? What game do you want? Which game do you think will be number one?
And a slight aside, Which is your favourite reindeer? And what is the best present you ever got at Christmas?
Christmas is about giving and receiving, that's the main message but remember it is better to give than to receive. Happy times for all as we spend it with our family and friends. But for games developers Christmas can mean a whole lot more.
Christmas time is an important time of year, we usually see a lot of great games get released in the run up to Christmas to see who can become the Christmas number one. But is the Christmas number one that important? In the music industry the Christmas number one used to be a festive kind of tune that got you in the spirit of things. But as we all know from last year when we had the battle between Eminem's Stan and Bob the builder, things aren't what they used to be and most of the time these days the song is usually not that good at all.
For games it is different though, most people buy the good games that are actually worth being number one. The likes of metal gear solid in the past which deserved it and was hugely popular (still is).
The game that gets the number one spot usually attracts a lot of attention and can boost its sales after Christmas as well, so getting the number one spot can be very beneficial to the developers as it attracts more customers to buy it.
For gamers this can also mean something. We usually get an idea of what games are worth buying and also get our hands on the latest releases that we have been waiting ages on. It is not all good though, some developers choose to delay there game until after Christmas, not because it isn't ready but because they wouldn't want to face really good competition that they feel they couldn't beat. So they wait until into the new year and hopefully for them their game gets the credit they feel they deserve. Which means we have to wait that little bit longer to get our hands on a game which some of us have been waiting a lot of the previous year for. Is it fair for them to do this?
So what makes Christmas different than any other time of year? Well it's a bit obvious to most, the money. People will be buying presents for others and kids who like games will want new ones. So a lot of games will be bought in a short space of time leading up to Christmas.
So what do the developers have to do to get it right and make sure their game is in with a chance?
Well they have to promote it, i.e. make sure people know about it in the months before Christmas. Marketing is important with selling any product but just before Christmas is probably more important as you want to be sure people will notice it.
Some games will sell themselves, names like Metal Gear Solid 2 won't need much advertising as from what people got in the previous version and from snip its they have seen or played they know this is going to be good. Also games like David Beckham's football game for the PS2 should sell just because there is a famous name in the title.
So what do developers do to make sure there game is promoted well enough?
Magazine reviews, they are important as a lot of people read them and it allows them to see exactly what the game is like and if it is worth buying. There is some speculation on "bung" taking as some magazines seem to promote some rubbish games as being rather good so just watch and don't believe everything you read.
Advertising in general anywhere which the appropriate audience will read it is also good, newspapers and on the web are useful as a lot of people will see them and probably try and get more information on the game and then maybe purchase it.
Hype, it also can help sell games, (I could write a whole topic on hype but it has already been done many many times). Games like MGS2, Smackdown JBI and GTA3 all get hyped up and probably deserve it, this promotes the game even more and lets people who know very little or nothing about it that something good is coming their way soon.
But most important of all you need a game that deserves all the attention, all the hype and promotion, one that attracts all the people because it is fun to play, will entertain them and is worth the cost. Whether this is a totally new and original idea for a game like "The getaway" or a sequel that really has improved on the previous version like "GTA 3" or "Smackdown JBI".
This year there won't be much of a console battle but next Christmas could be a good time just to see which of them is doing the best and at that time of year which is selling the most units. (now this isn't a console wars topic so go somewhere else to do that) People buy the console they want and the one which they think is best for THEM. It was at Christmas time that I got my PSX all those years ago and there is no better feeling than setting it up on Christmas morning and playing it and then challenging all the family to play later in the day. I know a lot of families who play games at Christmas (usually board games) but maybe in the future these will be replaced with console games like WWTBAM or the weakest link, imagine everyone in the family being a character in the weakest link game, it could lead to hours of fun and chants off "You are the weakest link, Goodbye".
There can be a downside though, there are a lot of rubbish games that also get released and many grannies or aunties may buy rotten games for you as they know very little about good and bad games. So my piece of advice is make sure your parents know exactly what games it is you are after and that way you will save yourself the embarrassment and heartache when you open it to reveal a game like Army men.
Also one important piece of advice, a console or game is for life not just for Christmas. : )
So what you looking forward too this Christmas? What game do you want? Which game do you think will be number one?
And a slight aside, Which is your favourite reindeer? And what is the best present you ever got at Christmas?
I knew that Advance Wars has been delayed because of the envents it the world at the moment but surely it'll be out before Christmas (I hope so anyway!).
Advance wars aint coming out, its been delayed cuz of the september 11th thing.
They say it has things to do with terrorists and stuff or somink.
So you have an n64? For my gad I chose Zelda2. Mario Tennis is good.
They say it has things to do with terrorists and stuff or somink.
So you have an n64? For my gad I chose Zelda2. Mario Tennis is good.
You just gave me a thought
WHAT GAME DO I ASK FOR, FOR CHRISTMAS!?
The N64 is dead, but I could still get Paper Mario or an old game.
My GBA, yep I'll get a GBA game, but what?
Advance Wars?
F-Zero?
Does anyone know any other good games that are out or coming out for the GBA?
WHAT GAME DO I ASK FOR, FOR CHRISTMAS!?
The N64 is dead, but I could still get Paper Mario or an old game.
My GBA, yep I'll get a GBA game, but what?
Advance Wars?
F-Zero?
Does anyone know any other good games that are out or coming out for the GBA?
Army men :D
:D
Best thing, just ask for money. Imagine opening a game hoping its MGS2 and its an n64 game :D
And you don't even have an n64 :D
:D
:D
Best thing, just ask for money. Imagine opening a game hoping its MGS2 and its an n64 game :D
And you don't even have an n64 :D
:D
I'm going to have a pretty boring Christmas in terms of games. My DC is almost dead and few games are worth getting for it now. I'll probably ask for money which will go towards my Xbox savings.
Ugh, March 14th seams so far away...
Oh, favourite raindeer? - I dunno.
Best Xmas present?- Socks! :)
Ugh, March 14th seams so far away...
Oh, favourite raindeer? - I dunno.
Best Xmas present?- Socks! :)
We all love the festive season, well most of us do. As a Christian I celebrate at this time of year in memory of the birth of Christ, it is the time of year that families come together and for most is a happy time of year. It is also the time of year that old St Nick (Santa Claus) rides around the sky on his reindeer drawn sleigh and climbs down your chimney to leave presents for the children who have been good all year. He hasn't missed me once. : )
Christmas is about giving and receiving, that's the main message but remember it is better to give than to receive. Happy times for all as we spend it with our family and friends. But for games developers Christmas can mean a whole lot more.
Christmas time is an important time of year, we usually see a lot of great games get released in the run up to Christmas to see who can become the Christmas number one. But is the Christmas number one that important? In the music industry the Christmas number one used to be a festive kind of tune that got you in the spirit of things. But as we all know from last year when we had the battle between Eminem's Stan and Bob the builder, things aren't what they used to be and most of the time these days the song is usually not that good at all.
For games it is different though, most people buy the good games that are actually worth being number one. The likes of metal gear solid in the past which deserved it and was hugely popular (still is).
The game that gets the number one spot usually attracts a lot of attention and can boost its sales after Christmas as well, so getting the number one spot can be very beneficial to the developers as it attracts more customers to buy it.
For gamers this can also mean something. We usually get an idea of what games are worth buying and also get our hands on the latest releases that we have been waiting ages on. It is not all good though, some developers choose to delay there game until after Christmas, not because it isn't ready but because they wouldn't want to face really good competition that they feel they couldn't beat. So they wait until into the new year and hopefully for them their game gets the credit they feel they deserve. Which means we have to wait that little bit longer to get our hands on a game which some of us have been waiting a lot of the previous year for. Is it fair for them to do this?
So what makes Christmas different than any other time of year? Well it's a bit obvious to most, the money. People will be buying presents for others and kids who like games will want new ones. So a lot of games will be bought in a short space of time leading up to Christmas.
So what do the developers have to do to get it right and make sure their game is in with a chance?
Well they have to promote it, i.e. make sure people know about it in the months before Christmas. Marketing is important with selling any product but just before Christmas is probably more important as you want to be sure people will notice it.
Some games will sell themselves, names like Metal Gear Solid 2 won't need much advertising as from what people got in the previous version and from snip its they have seen or played they know this is going to be good. Also games like David Beckham's football game for the PS2 should sell just because there is a famous name in the title.
So what do developers do to make sure there game is promoted well enough?
Magazine reviews, they are important as a lot of people read them and it allows them to see exactly what the game is like and if it is worth buying. There is some speculation on "bung" taking as some magazines seem to promote some rubbish games as being rather good so just watch and don't believe everything you read.
Advertising in general anywhere which the appropriate audience will read it is also good, newspapers and on the web are useful as a lot of people will see them and probably try and get more information on the game and then maybe purchase it.
Hype, it also can help sell games, (I could write a whole topic on hype but it has already been done many many times). Games like MGS2, Smackdown JBI and GTA3 all get hyped up and probably deserve it, this promotes the game even more and lets people who know very little or nothing about it that something good is coming their way soon.
But most important of all you need a game that deserves all the attention, all the hype and promotion, one that attracts all the people because it is fun to play, will entertain them and is worth the cost. Whether this is a totally new and original idea for a game like "The getaway" or a sequel that really has improved on the previous version like "GTA 3" or "Smackdown JBI".
This year there won't be much of a console battle but next Christmas could be a good time just to see which of them is doing the best and at that time of year which is selling the most units. (now this isn't a console wars topic so go somewhere else to do that) People buy the console they want and the one which they think is best for THEM. It was at Christmas time that I got my PSX all those years ago and there is no better feeling than setting it up on Christmas morning and playing it and then challenging all the family to play later in the day. I know a lot of families who play games at Christmas (usually board games) but maybe in the future these will be replaced with console games like WWTBAM or the weakest link, imagine everyone in the family being a character in the weakest link game, it could lead to hours of fun and chants off "You are the weakest link, Goodbye".
There can be a downside though, there are a lot of rubbish games that also get released and many grannies or aunties may buy rotten games for you as they know very little about good and bad games. So my piece of advice is make sure your parents know exactly what games it is you are after and that way you will save yourself the embarrassment and heartache when you open it to reveal a game like Army men.
Also one important piece of advice, a console or game is for life not just for Christmas. : )
So what you looking forward too this Christmas? What game do you want? Which game do you think will be number one?
And a slight aside, Which is your favourite reindeer? And what is the best present you ever got at Christmas?
Christmas is about giving and receiving, that's the main message but remember it is better to give than to receive. Happy times for all as we spend it with our family and friends. But for games developers Christmas can mean a whole lot more.
Christmas time is an important time of year, we usually see a lot of great games get released in the run up to Christmas to see who can become the Christmas number one. But is the Christmas number one that important? In the music industry the Christmas number one used to be a festive kind of tune that got you in the spirit of things. But as we all know from last year when we had the battle between Eminem's Stan and Bob the builder, things aren't what they used to be and most of the time these days the song is usually not that good at all.
For games it is different though, most people buy the good games that are actually worth being number one. The likes of metal gear solid in the past which deserved it and was hugely popular (still is).
The game that gets the number one spot usually attracts a lot of attention and can boost its sales after Christmas as well, so getting the number one spot can be very beneficial to the developers as it attracts more customers to buy it.
For gamers this can also mean something. We usually get an idea of what games are worth buying and also get our hands on the latest releases that we have been waiting ages on. It is not all good though, some developers choose to delay there game until after Christmas, not because it isn't ready but because they wouldn't want to face really good competition that they feel they couldn't beat. So they wait until into the new year and hopefully for them their game gets the credit they feel they deserve. Which means we have to wait that little bit longer to get our hands on a game which some of us have been waiting a lot of the previous year for. Is it fair for them to do this?
So what makes Christmas different than any other time of year? Well it's a bit obvious to most, the money. People will be buying presents for others and kids who like games will want new ones. So a lot of games will be bought in a short space of time leading up to Christmas.
So what do the developers have to do to get it right and make sure their game is in with a chance?
Well they have to promote it, i.e. make sure people know about it in the months before Christmas. Marketing is important with selling any product but just before Christmas is probably more important as you want to be sure people will notice it.
Some games will sell themselves, names like Metal Gear Solid 2 won't need much advertising as from what people got in the previous version and from snip its they have seen or played they know this is going to be good. Also games like David Beckham's football game for the PS2 should sell just because there is a famous name in the title.
So what do developers do to make sure there game is promoted well enough?
Magazine reviews, they are important as a lot of people read them and it allows them to see exactly what the game is like and if it is worth buying. There is some speculation on "bung" taking as some magazines seem to promote some rubbish games as being rather good so just watch and don't believe everything you read.
Advertising in general anywhere which the appropriate audience will read it is also good, newspapers and on the web are useful as a lot of people will see them and probably try and get more information on the game and then maybe purchase it.
Hype, it also can help sell games, (I could write a whole topic on hype but it has already been done many many times). Games like MGS2, Smackdown JBI and GTA3 all get hyped up and probably deserve it, this promotes the game even more and lets people who know very little or nothing about it that something good is coming their way soon.
But most important of all you need a game that deserves all the attention, all the hype and promotion, one that attracts all the people because it is fun to play, will entertain them and is worth the cost. Whether this is a totally new and original idea for a game like "The getaway" or a sequel that really has improved on the previous version like "GTA 3" or "Smackdown JBI".
This year there won't be much of a console battle but next Christmas could be a good time just to see which of them is doing the best and at that time of year which is selling the most units. (now this isn't a console wars topic so go somewhere else to do that) People buy the console they want and the one which they think is best for THEM. It was at Christmas time that I got my PSX all those years ago and there is no better feeling than setting it up on Christmas morning and playing it and then challenging all the family to play later in the day. I know a lot of families who play games at Christmas (usually board games) but maybe in the future these will be replaced with console games like WWTBAM or the weakest link, imagine everyone in the family being a character in the weakest link game, it could lead to hours of fun and chants off "You are the weakest link, Goodbye".
There can be a downside though, there are a lot of rubbish games that also get released and many grannies or aunties may buy rotten games for you as they know very little about good and bad games. So my piece of advice is make sure your parents know exactly what games it is you are after and that way you will save yourself the embarrassment and heartache when you open it to reveal a game like Army men.
Also one important piece of advice, a console or game is for life not just for Christmas. : )
So what you looking forward too this Christmas? What game do you want? Which game do you think will be number one?
And a slight aside, Which is your favourite reindeer? And what is the best present you ever got at Christmas?