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"Another Christmas rush ahead of us?"

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Sun 08/09/02 at 14:55
Regular
Posts: 787
Well, its coming up that time of the year again. Christmas. Although still a fair few months off yet, its around about now that all the bigger games of the year start to come out after the rather bleak summers we seem to have on the gaming front. Almost 2 years on since the release of the PS2 this seems to have become quite a common thing, not sure if this really happens on the other consoles, but with the GC and X-box playing a little bit of a catch up game you would have thought they would have had a steady flow of games coming out all the time. Not totally sure though.

Already have some of the big games started to hit the shelves. The Stuntman came out only this passing Friday, and then next Friday some more big releases such as Conflict Desert Storm is out too. So this looks like the beginning of the Christmas era of gaming for 2002. For months now even the games that aren’t coming out till November time have been showcased in Mags and the likes of the public events such as Playstation Experience. We all know about the likes of GTA: Vice City, Pro Evo 2, Timesplitters 2, Tomb Raider ect are all in development. I cant keep count of the number of titles coming out in the coming months that are expected to be the cream of the crops, and im sure your all the same as me, waiting in anticipation for more than at least 3 of these games, i know there’s at least 5 i want off the top of my head.

But, to me, there seems to be one thing wrong with all this.

Looking back across the year, since last Christmas, i have only bought around 4 new games. Not because i was loosing interest, but because there wasn’t much coming out that i wanted around this time. Im sure im not alone there. So, over 7/8 months i have only bought 4 games, yet over the next 2 months i want 5, and im sure that’s going to rise.

So, does this suggest anything? Is this a mixture of us being spoilt over the next few months with many many great titles on the line for us to get? You certainly can’t deny that there are more then enough top titles to pick from this winter. But, who ever decides to put all these games at the back end of the year all collectively, are they doing the right thing?

Personally, i don’t really think i can afford to go out there and buy 5 or more games over a short space of time. Although i haven’t been buying many games over the year, it doesn’t mean that i have been saving the whole time waiting for the 'gold rush' of games. There are other things one need in life other than games.

Again, im sure im not alone in this. Surely, it would be in Sony's, and the developer’s best interests to sell more copies of all their big games that come out, and the way i see it at the moment, if there are so many games coming out over a short space of time, surely one of these big titles are going to suffer under all the competition, they may not deserve to, but its going to happen. So rather than cram them all into a short space of time, why not spread them out? Developers have more than one game that comes out at Christmas so they could release one at the beginning of the year and their next big title and the end of the year. If enough developers did this, then that would more than likely cure the summer droughts of games that we usually have. Plus, it could even benefit us greatly too. If the developers want there games to sell in the middle of the year then there going to have to work hard to make sure that they are good and so that they will sell. Gamers aren’t as daft as they used to be, with all the information at our hands in these days we can decide and see what’s going to be big and what’s not. So for this to work, if the developers put the work in, then they are going to get the rewards too.

This idea however, is not something that’s going to happen sometime soon I feel. We all know that the Christmas rush is the one time in the year that every different company in the world makes most of there yearly money from. So for a developer to pull there games out of this time of the year would be like suicide in the current climate of the gaming industry, and this is set to continue until one big company would try it. But if all the developers would for a year give this idea a try then i believe that there would be improvements for both us the gamers, and developers. We could buy more games over the year as we would be able to pace ourselves, after all, none of us like the idea of spending £250 in 2 months compared to spending the same amount over 7 months. And then the developers would benefit also, after all, if the games are good enough they are going to sell no matter when they are released during the year.

Maybe its something that Sony, the developers and the rest of the gaming industry on a whole need to look at.
Sun 08/09/02 at 14:55
Regular
"360: swfcman"
Posts: 6,953
Well, its coming up that time of the year again. Christmas. Although still a fair few months off yet, its around about now that all the bigger games of the year start to come out after the rather bleak summers we seem to have on the gaming front. Almost 2 years on since the release of the PS2 this seems to have become quite a common thing, not sure if this really happens on the other consoles, but with the GC and X-box playing a little bit of a catch up game you would have thought they would have had a steady flow of games coming out all the time. Not totally sure though.

Already have some of the big games started to hit the shelves. The Stuntman came out only this passing Friday, and then next Friday some more big releases such as Conflict Desert Storm is out too. So this looks like the beginning of the Christmas era of gaming for 2002. For months now even the games that aren’t coming out till November time have been showcased in Mags and the likes of the public events such as Playstation Experience. We all know about the likes of GTA: Vice City, Pro Evo 2, Timesplitters 2, Tomb Raider ect are all in development. I cant keep count of the number of titles coming out in the coming months that are expected to be the cream of the crops, and im sure your all the same as me, waiting in anticipation for more than at least 3 of these games, i know there’s at least 5 i want off the top of my head.

But, to me, there seems to be one thing wrong with all this.

Looking back across the year, since last Christmas, i have only bought around 4 new games. Not because i was loosing interest, but because there wasn’t much coming out that i wanted around this time. Im sure im not alone there. So, over 7/8 months i have only bought 4 games, yet over the next 2 months i want 5, and im sure that’s going to rise.

So, does this suggest anything? Is this a mixture of us being spoilt over the next few months with many many great titles on the line for us to get? You certainly can’t deny that there are more then enough top titles to pick from this winter. But, who ever decides to put all these games at the back end of the year all collectively, are they doing the right thing?

Personally, i don’t really think i can afford to go out there and buy 5 or more games over a short space of time. Although i haven’t been buying many games over the year, it doesn’t mean that i have been saving the whole time waiting for the 'gold rush' of games. There are other things one need in life other than games.

Again, im sure im not alone in this. Surely, it would be in Sony's, and the developer’s best interests to sell more copies of all their big games that come out, and the way i see it at the moment, if there are so many games coming out over a short space of time, surely one of these big titles are going to suffer under all the competition, they may not deserve to, but its going to happen. So rather than cram them all into a short space of time, why not spread them out? Developers have more than one game that comes out at Christmas so they could release one at the beginning of the year and their next big title and the end of the year. If enough developers did this, then that would more than likely cure the summer droughts of games that we usually have. Plus, it could even benefit us greatly too. If the developers want there games to sell in the middle of the year then there going to have to work hard to make sure that they are good and so that they will sell. Gamers aren’t as daft as they used to be, with all the information at our hands in these days we can decide and see what’s going to be big and what’s not. So for this to work, if the developers put the work in, then they are going to get the rewards too.

This idea however, is not something that’s going to happen sometime soon I feel. We all know that the Christmas rush is the one time in the year that every different company in the world makes most of there yearly money from. So for a developer to pull there games out of this time of the year would be like suicide in the current climate of the gaming industry, and this is set to continue until one big company would try it. But if all the developers would for a year give this idea a try then i believe that there would be improvements for both us the gamers, and developers. We could buy more games over the year as we would be able to pace ourselves, after all, none of us like the idea of spending £250 in 2 months compared to spending the same amount over 7 months. And then the developers would benefit also, after all, if the games are good enough they are going to sell no matter when they are released during the year.

Maybe its something that Sony, the developers and the rest of the gaming industry on a whole need to look at.
Sun 08/09/02 at 14:57
Regular
"previously phuzzy."
Posts: 3,487
Can't say there is many games I wanted this year for my PS2, but the ones I did buy, I thoroughly enjoyed. Rez, FFX, GTConcept, all great.

Can't wait for more decent platinum titles in the run up to Christmas though.

It's gonna be a good few months for gamers, on PS2, Gamecube and Xbox.
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:09
Regular
"WWJD"
Posts: 6,100
I should be getting a total of 3 games this year i think but GTA3 might come into that, the best game ive bought so far has to be FFX one of the bset games there is i will be getting GTA:Vice City which looks to be even better than GTA3 and then i think im gonna be getting Conflict deseart storm purely for the 2 player capabilities i want a good game for me and mate to play at the same time and preffrabley one were we can be working together
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:11
Regular
"WWJD"
Posts: 6,100
So i don't think the christmas rush is going to affect me that much i don't buy that many games anyway maybe when i can get a proper job
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:34
Regular
"  "
Posts: 7,549
I got about 20 games this year, none were dissapointing. You just have to look at the games and see which might interest you even though you aren't looking forward to it. Then you get some good games you might not have had. Um, i'm not making sense am I?
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:35
Regular
"previously phuzzy."
Posts: 3,487
20? Sweet bejesus!!!
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:40
Regular
"  "
Posts: 7,549
Probably more. I have 47 games and I got 6 in the year 2000, then I just split the year 2001 and 2002 equally so it probably works out I got more this year than last. I dunno. I'll count if you like :)
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:44
Regular
"Gamertag Star Fury"
Posts: 2,710
I know what you mean, it's ridiculous that Sony seem to think our income suddenly jumps around Christmas by an extra £200 a month. Apart from Medal Of Honour and a few others it's been a veritable gaming desert on the PS2. It was so bad around May that the decision to buy a Gamecube for alongside my PS2 was easy - it had games, good ones ! Now, this weekend, it ets tricky - Conflict Desert Storm or Resident Evil on GC ? Or, money to Sony or money to Nintendo ? I still like my PS2 but my £36 is going to Nintendo this Friday....

~~Belldandy~~
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:45
Regular
"sdomehtongng"
Posts: 23,695
Good post Pro Evo.

But I'd have to say that I don't want many games that will be released around the Christmas period. All I want now from my PS2 before Christmas is Pro Evo 2 and Smack Down: Shut Your Mouth and then I'll be one happy bunny.

I also want my own Stuntman, and not one that my mate let me borrow while he's away on holiday. It rocks so much and I don't think I'll be able to part with it when he returns from holiday. :-D
Sun 08/09/02 at 15:45
Regular
"previously phuzzy."
Posts: 3,487
Resi Evil is what I'd get. That is, if I had the cash..

*sob*

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