Any potential for a fourth competitor in the games market?

The last Saturday before Christmas, Hell has frozen over and the crazy shoppers invade the streets of Leeds once again to purchase their presents in a mad rush for a day that is meant to celebrate the birth of the Holy One. Instead we help inject the struggling economy with a nationwide bout of spending for a short time and retail hopes to gain every last penny and pound from it (I'm not being cynical in the slightest, honest).

So a Merry Christmas to all and please, on Christmas Day, just stay home and put your feet up. Leeds can be quiet for one Saturday of the year for a change, can't it? (So much for wishful thinking...)

Moving on, I'm aware this is not the first time the subject has been raised on the matter but I thought I'd write something to try and stimulate some conversation (and possibly debate) about whether a fourth major competitor could, and should, enter the existing highly, highly competitive games market.

OPINION

Roll back the years by twenty or so. Who do you remember being the main competitors in the video games market? No, not every single one. The main two?...

...That's right. Nintendo and SEGA. For years they were the two major Japanese companies that went head-to-head, trying to outdo each other with some form of innovation present in their current console or handheld at the time, playing the one-up game against each other and aggressively so. The NES and Master System, the SNES and Megadrive as well as (although not directly comparable in terms of power) the N64 and Saturn and the Gamecube and Dreamcast. For many years gamers knew nothing  else and that was the way it was until Sony and Microsoft came into the market and since then it has (and will never be) the same again.

Flash forward again to the modern day and what do we have? The market is definitely in an interesting state at the moment to say the least. Nintendo seem to have gone the way of Apple and made its hardware, the Wii and DS (and some of its software) accessible to people from all walks of life; from kids to adults to eighty year-old grans who can kick your arse on Wii Sports.

Sony did lose some ground with the launch and slow uptake of the Playstation 3 upon release but has in recent times experienced steady growth and renewed faith among players in difficult market conditions. The partial surprise (or maybe not so much if you break it down) is Microsoft gaining popularity and many an online gamer with the Xbox 360. Although the machine still experiences difficulty selling in territories such as Japan, one only has to remember the immense size and wealth of the Microsoft company to realise that it very much is a company where its money (and game exclusives) certainly talks.

Let's not delude ourselves here. Each of the existing major competitors in the current games market have fought hard and taken their own approaches to gaining, maintaining and increasing market share in a notoriously competitive and difficult industry. Let's also realise that out of the three main competitors, one is a multinational electronics manufacturer and the other the biggest provider of PC operating systems and software around the world. Where possibly could there be the space for a fourth competitor among the big boys then?

Think of Apple's popularity in recent years. Formerly a provider of Mac computers and laptops (Macbooks) to advocates of their brand over regular PCs, they are renowned for their ease of use, editing, creating, designing and all around reliability. They see the rise in popularity of MP3 players and decide to make the market their own with the iPod. “What's the big deal though? It's just another MP3 player!” I can remember friends of mine saying at the time. And yet now the iPod is as synonymous with the MP3 player as Hoover is with vacuum cleaners.

Since then we've had the iPhone, its variants and most recently the iPad. Although Apple's devices are typically expensive compared with other alternatives on the market, their reliability, usefulness and brand image have assured their increasing popularity and advocation by consumers the world over. Moreover, how many independent developers have released titles for the iPhone/iPad in the hopes of making the next hit title on a meagre budget (such as Canabalt or Angry Birds) for a maximum return in revenue? Furthermore, how many of the general public who own some form of Apple product would prefer to buy a game for 50p-£1 and play for 5-10 minutes a day rather than spend anything up to £40-£50 and dedicate hours to a newly purchased title in order to feel their purchase was worth it? Just go ask the owners of iPhones/iPads and you'll quickly find out. 

It would be foolish to forget another potential contender for fourth place among the industry big hitters. Who would have thought that Google would one day supercede Yahoo as the most popular internet search engine? And yet here we are, commonly using Google for many of our day-to-day internet searching needs (if you want to contest that claim you can Google it, of course). Not only successful with search engines, Google has developed an easy to use and speedy web browser with Google Chrome, allowed online users to edit and share documents via Google Docs and has made its search engine and other software available on numerous mobile phones such as HTC-brand models and the android series of handsets.

Besides the current mood in the games market, the majority of the world enduring an economic recession and the possibility of a double-dip occurring next year (think a repeat of the economy's worst in 2009), are there any other major reasons why one of the most successful companies on the planet that is experiencing continual growth should not get its hands further into the gaming market?

It maybe is not so much a question of can Google do so or not but in what way can they enter the market, and more importantly, how can it sustain its presence once it has claimed its place alongside the existing competition? Anyone in their right mind knows in the current climate that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft do not want either Apple, Google or some unexpected contender to be getting a slice of their games market pie if they can help it, ever.

Do you want there to be a fourth competitor in the games market? And do you think there is even any space for another company to have a reasonable market share alongside the main three of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft? Any thoughts, go ahead and record them in the Comments section below.

VANQUISH REVIEW

The far future. An era which mankind looks towards in equal measures of hope and trepidation. A future that could hold for him the potential to either rise to the stars or fall into the depths of hell. Had anyone thought the future would instead bring grown men in bio-suits attempting to kick seven shades of good stuff out of their enemies, sliding around on rocket-boosting knees and catching a cheeky smoke, well, it's either highly coincidental or they have been spending time with the latest 3rd-person shooter to come from developer Platinum Games, Vanquish.

Managing your games time

OPINION


Play for 30 minutes, play for 30 hours, play for 30 days. The degree of time an individual will spend playing games varies based on their choices, commitments and wants. How does an individual manage their time in the unpredictable, challenging and current humdrum of life, the recession and all of the challenges it brings?


Let's cast a brief overview at the choices. Depending on what you believe, you can choose how to act and react in any given situation. Theoretically therefore you can choose to play a game for a matter of mere minutes before you switch it off, like an iPhone game, and call it a day, right?


And yet, when a game is truly absorbing and captivating it hardly ever seems like that is the case. Whether you consciously or subconsciously carry on playing for prolonged periods in lieu of other responsibilities.


But suggesting only this would seem a little rash and ill-informed. For those choices to have an impact, we have to consider an individual's commitments. Generally speaking, a child's commitment is mostly towards their parents and friends, granting them more free roam for gaming time and indulgence.


Becoming teens, they gain the increased capacity for decision-making and responsibility in their life, splitting their gaming time between life, school, romance and other important obligations. Moving into adulthood, commitment to work, family and friends challenge the length of play time individuals can commit to (sometimes if any at all).


Of course, it comes down as much to our self-control as it does the game's ability to keep the player sucked in for prolonged periods of time. There has to be a point where we can put down the controller and say "I'm done", even if we have to say it out aloud to stop ourselves.


How long do you think is reasonable amount of time to play games for on a weekly, or even monthly basis? Feel free to post any thoughts in the comments section below.

BLAZBLUE: CONTINUUM SHIFT REVIEW

Rebel one, action! Hearing those words, players will know they are in for a clash of weapons and wits as they pick up the controls and join the fray. Its time for another round of fisticuffs with the cast of one of the prettiest looking HD fighters released yet from Japanese developer Arc System Works in recent memory. Only this time around, its married not with the suffix of Calamity Trigger but the smoothly sounding Continuum Shift.

VALKYRIA CHRONICLES 3 DEMO REVIEW

Previously thought to be a one-off treat for Playstation 3 owners that fused the genres of third-person shooting and strategy into a unique blend of a game, Valkyria Chronicles brought to the medium a highly original, valuable and memorable gameplay experience for many. That the series' subsequent outings changed their format from the PS3 to its' portable brother, the PSP, caused many of the title's fans to be disheartened as they saw their beloved franchise become downsized.

Thought you'd like to meet Catherine

Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchise developer Atlus, in their efforts to continue bringing gamers titles with an interesting and alternative slant, are currently developing a title with an unabashed ero feel to the proceedings. One that goes by the very suitable and sublime name of Cateherine.

Why should you be interested in this game? Well, not only is it Atlus' first HD title but it also deals with the concept of the game's main character, Vincent, having nightmares that feel far to real to be merely in his mind. So real, in fact, that those who experience them and die in said nightmares find that this overlaps into real life with several males in their 20s and 30s dying in the real world too.

The game's main protagonist, Vincent

The game sees the player follow Vincent as he meets an attractive young woman with blonde hair in pigtails, a white dress and a very erotically playful nature named Catherine.

The lady on the right (not the dude), is Catherine

Although Vincent is in a relationship with a women carrying a very similar name who works as a mid management level employee in apparel, Katherine, he is lured by Catherine's charms and before he knows it ends waking up in bed with the young temptress after a one night stand.


The game appears to stay true to the tone and mood of previous Atlus titles and hopefully will not disappoint. The game is due for release on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in Japan on February 17th 2010. Will a Western release follow? With the abundance of Atlus fans in the USA and Europe, we can only hope it is a matter of time before Catherine tries to lure us into her aura of attraction.


You can view the trailer of Catherine down below. Make of it what you will.



You can check the official website out for the game HERE.


Thanks, as ever, goes out to Andriasang.


Check back on the blog soon as I intend to do more updates on Catherine leading up to the game's release as it has peaked my interest in the last couple of months.

BUSY TIMES

Forgive me for not updating the blog much recently but I've been attending a few interviews of late, have one in Manchester next week and obviously have to do what preparation I can in order to give my best at the interview.

I'll try and update in the next few days but until Wednesday it's all systems go. Don't let that put you off visiting all the same.

Valkyria Chronicles 3 boxart looks the business

Just a very quick update tonight but a box shot of upcoming title Valkyria Chronicles 3 has popped up and looks very nice indeed. Check it out below and post any thoughts you have in the comments section.

Good night.

New SSFIV costumes video

Hey there folks. I'm aware that I haven't updated the blog for quite a while but I've been A) mega busy and B) away in Basingstoke for this weekend. Still, better to update late than never.

Below you'll find a video for the first pack of costumes that have been made a available for Super Street Fighter IV which include new alternate costumes for Dudley, Makoto, Guy, Deejay and Hakan. Be sure to check them out below and feel free to leave any comments on what you think of them or what future costumes you'd like to see.

Valkyria Chronicles 3 character info. comes-a-fightin'

New information has been revealed in Japanese games magaizine Famitsu recently that detail some of the characters from the game's squads, Nameless and Calamity Raven.

The game takes place in 1935, the same year as the first Valkyria Chronicles in the neutral nation of Galia. Players will command Gallian Army squad 422, referred to as the "Nameless" due to its members being referred to by number only.

The three main characters in the squad are Kurt Irving, an officer who graduated at the top of his class at the Lanseal Royal Military Academy but an unexplained event caused him to be redeployed to the Nameless squad. He endeavours to restore his former honour.

Joining him is Riela Marcellis, a descendant of the Valkyria who can wield the lance and shield those of Valkyria heritage are notorious for. She is referred to as the "god of death" as she was the sole survivor of her former squad due to her Valkyria powers and consequently sent to the Nameless squad.

We are also introduced to Imuka, a Darcsen who's village was wiped out by the Valkyria and is out for revenge. Although she is renowned for her ability in battle she is also known to ignore the orders of her superiors.

 

The squad leader of Nameless, Ramsey Kurou, is also detailed as an army man who feels no loyalty to hisupper ranks, enjoys alcohol and women but still has renowned ability as  battle strategist.

 Three of the commanding officers from the unit Calamity Raven, the Antagonists of the game, were also introduced. These include Dahau, the group's leader who desires to separate from the Darcsen race who were believed to have destroyed much of the game's re-imagining of Europe in the past.

He is joined by Lydia Agute who is an aide to Dahau but shows no loyalty towards her superior. She also appears to be observing Dahau and Calamity Raven, potentially becoming a double-crosser later in the game.

The final member of Calamity Raven to be introduced is Zig, a Darcsen who is an admirer of Dahau who is inexperienced but is valiant and has strong determination.

Valkyria Chronicles 3 is due for release in Japan in January 2011. Expect a Western release not too long after and keep on checking the blog for updates on the game leading up to its Japanes release.

A demo of the game should be available sometime in November and I hope to pick up a copy of the game when it comes out early next year. I'll write up some impressions when I've given it a decent amount of my time.

In the meantime, if you're desperate for a continuous Valkyria Chronicles 3 fix you could do no worse than check out the official Valkyria Chronicles 3 website.

Thanks Andriasang!