EGM REFUSES TO BOW TO PUBLISHER PRESSURE, GAMERS APPLAUD

In the February issue of Electronic Games Monthly (EGM), Editor-in-Chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu announced that EGM had effectively been blacklisted by a few companies for publishing what amount to less than glowing reviews of certain games.

"Except with some game publishers, of course. Less-than-totally-positive previews don't sit well with those who are used to those press-release rehashes. Combine that with our candid reviews, and you can imagine the consequences that we have to face constantly.

For the time being, you'll get little, late, or no coverage of the following products: anything Mortal Kombat (they didn't like our reviews), anything from Sony's sports department (ditto), and now, anything from Ubisoft (it seems our coverage of Assassin's Creed was the last straw). So in case you're wondering why you're seeing so little of these games in our magazines and on our websites, now you know." – Dan Hsu

Now before you think that the above statement is EGM punishing those publishers for their stance, it's not. Hsu does say the the magazine will continue to cover affected titles as much, and as fairly as possible, but that previews and such will be hard to come by while being essentially blacklisted.

Now the whole review thing has certainly been getting out of hand of late, what with the Gerstmann firing over at Gamespot and now this. It's one thing to invite the media in and give them a snow job about your product, show them it's best features only and try to get them excited about it, but when you start attempting to influence the final review by methods of coercion, that's another. 

These publishers need to realize that review sites are in the business of reviewing a product, not working as an extension of a company's marketing department. The bread and butter of any good review site is that people know they can trust the reviewers to tell them what they honestly thought about a title. When a magazine or site compromises on that, they either become a laughing stock or people just stop paying any attention to them – either way, it's not good for business.

In short, I'd like to congratulate Dan and the rest of the EGM team on sticking up for journalistic integrity on this one and not caving in to external pressure. Way to go guys – it makes me proud to be an EGM subscriber. Keep telling it like it is, and I'll keep renewing.

Dan's entire editorial has also been reposted over at 1up.com, so check out the link below for all the details.

• Banned – Dan Hsu editorial reprinted at 1up.com
• EGM – EGM's homepage at 1up.com 

XBOX 360 KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN DEMO NOW AVAILABLE

A demo of Eidos Interactive's Kane & Lynch: Dead Men for the Xbox 360 is now available for download in all regions except Japan via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Download size is approximately 520.04MB.

Please note: As of late November, it appears that Microsoft has re-instituted the one week wait before free content becomes available to Xbox Live Silver members. As such, if you're not an Xbox Live Gold member, this demo most likely won't be available for download until sometime next week.

• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men – Official website

NORTH AMERICAN 60GB PLAYSTATION 3 TO BE DISCONTINUED?

So much for a long term price cut… GamesIndustry.Biz (by way of Kotaku) is reporting that in an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves, Reeves answered the question of why Europe was not seeing a price cut by announcing that once Sony expends all it’s existing stock of the 60GB PlayStation 3 in the United States, the company will only supply 80GB models to the region;

"GamesIndustry.Biz: How concerned are you about possible criticisms that you should have given European consumers what SCEA has given US consumers, i.e. the option to pay a lower price?

David Reeves: Well, they’re not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game. All they’re doing is taking their stock in trade that they’ve got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.

GamesIndustry.Biz: So once the 60GB is gone, that will be the end of the 60GB then?

David Reeves: In America, yes." – GamesIndustry.Biz interview with David Reeves

Now, either Reeves is just trying to cover for the lack of a European price drop or Sony really does plan on shooting itself in the foot yet again. What a public relations nightmare this one is going to be. Leave it to Sony to take the one positive piece of press they’ve gotten recently and totally screw it in a matter of days.

• E3: David Reeves Talks PS3 – GamesIndustry.Biz
• 60GB PS3 Being Taken Out To Pasture – Kotaku

80GB PLAYSTATION 3 WILL NOT INCLUDE PS2 EMOTION ENGINE CHIP

GamesIndustry.Biz is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment America has confirmed that the newly announced 80GB model of the PlayStation 3 will not include the PlayStation 2 Emotion Engine chip, instead depending on software based emulation for backwards compatibility.

“The current 60 GB model utilizes a hardware and solution for backwards compatibility, namely the Emotion Engine chip. The new 80 GB PS3 will use a software solution for backwards compatibility, similar to that currently found in the PAL model.” – Kimberly Otzman, SCEA – as reported by GamesIndustry.Biz

So let me see if I understand this right… Not only is Sony asking gamers to shell out $599.99 for a bundle that doesn’t seem to be worth the sum of it’s parts, but now they’re actual taking away one of the selling points of the console? I don’t know what they’re smoking over at SCEA, but it must be some really freaky stuff.

Because it seems a given that once existing stocks of the PlayStation 3 are sold out, future shipments of the 60GB model will follow suit, those of you planning on buying a PS3 soon may want to accelerate those plans to ensure you get an Emotion Engine equipped model.

• New 80GB PS3 eliminates “emotion engine” chip – GamesIndustry.Biz

SONY THREATENS TO BLACKLIST KOTAKU, BACKS OFF

Before you think I’m having a Sony love-in today, it’s time to prove that Sony can never have a good day without stepping in it at the same time. Here’s the short version of today’s Public Relations nightmare;

It apparently began when Kotaku’s Brian Crecente contacted Sony regarding a story they were looking to break. The story was in reference to a service Sony will apparently be introducing at next week’s Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) which will be a mix of Microsoft’s Achievement point system and Nintendo’s Mii avatars. Rather than just giving the usual "We don’t comment on rumors" line, Dave Karraker, Sony’s senior director of corporate communications, contacted Crecente and basically advised them not to run the story under threat of harming Kotaku’s relationship with Sony.

Thankfully, Crecente decided his loyalty was to his readers and games journalism, not Sony. As such, he politely responded to Sony that they would be running the story anyway… and then it got ugly. Karraker responded to Crecente’s e-mail by advising them that he "can’t defend outlets that can’t work cooperatively with us." and notifying Crecente that effective immediately, Sony would be cutting off Kotaku from any official communications with Sony. They cancelled all interviews scheduled with Kotaku staffers during the GDC and revoked the site’s invitation to their media event next week. Pretty grim, eh?

What Sony didn’t realize at the time, and probably still don’t fully understand, is something that I’ve touched on here a few times before. This isn’t 1995. Simply put, the days when print magazines had to kiss ass because the only place to get news about a console was directly from the manufacturer are long gone. Truth be told, Sony probably needs Kotaku more than Kotaku needs Sony.

Regardless of whether you agree with that last point, what happened next was pretty amazing. The story was picked up by multiple game sites and within a few short hours, the sheer amount of negative press made Sony rethink their position. Karraker contacted Crecente one last time, and both decided that while they would agree to disagree on the issue at hand, it was in the best interests of both Sony and Kotaku to renew their relationship.

First off, let me give a huge salute to Brian Crecente and the folks over at Kotaku who kept their heads during the few hours all hell must have been breaking loose around them. There’s a reason why Kotaku is my number one stop for gaming news, and that’s because since I started reading their site, I’ve grown to trust them to be honest about what they think and feel. As a reader, knowing that someone can’t buy or bully Kotaku into saying something other than what they really believe is a huge selling point.

Secondly, let me say that it really is time someone at Sony wakes the hell up and smells the internet. If you want positive press, earn it – no one worth reading is going to just give it to you just because you say so. No one is going to just accept the company line without questioning the stupid things you may say. Accept it, Deal with it and adapt to the new world. Thank you.

• Rumor: Sony To Unveil PlayStation Home – Kotaku (the story that started it all)
• Sony Blackballs Kotaku – Kotaku
• Sony and Kotaku Make-Up – Kotaku

SONY CEO STRINGER DEFENDS PS3 PRICING

Because it just wouldn’t be a complete week without some executive at Sony attempting to justify the pricing of the Playstation 3, Forbes.com is reporting that Sony CEO Howard Stringer stated that while the higher price point is certainly a risk, but that it’s one he feels will pay off in the long run;

“Obviously, it’s a higher-risk strategy–as all new inventions are–but if the PS3 lives up to its total potential, then I don’t think anyone will be worried about Nintendo or Xbox’s cheaper price.” -Howard Stringer

Unlike his fellow Sony executives, Stringer refrained from redefining what the Playstation 3 is supposed to be and simply focuses on the PS3’s competition;

“Do you go for a cheaper transitional [product], or do you take a chance on future-proof, higher technology which will keep you going for many, many years?” -Howard Stringer

While I certainly wouldn’t call the Playstation 3 future proof, especially not until the HD format wars are over, it is somewhat refreshing to hear a report of someone at Sony not talking like they’ve been hitting the happy juice a little too hard. Maybe they should let Stringer talk to the press exclusively from now on. Check out the Forbes.com article here and feel all business like.

LUCASARTS PREFERS SPEED OVER QUALITY

In an interview with UK site MCV, LucasArts president Jim Ward stated that the current industry practice of taking time to make sure a game is done right rather than just released on time is damaging the industry.

“There’s an attitude in this industry that says in order to make a great game, it takes whatever time it takes and it takes whatever money it takes, and that that’s okay. Well it’s not okay – it’s wrong. It’s not okay in other entertainment businesses. In other businesses it’s big trouble.” -Jim Ward

Yeah, ok… let’s not forget this is the guy who oversees the release of horrid, rushed Star Wars game after Star Wars game because, at least in his case, he has an audience that will buy his product regardless of whether it’s good or not. The rest of the industry doesn’t quite have that luxury.

Ward went on to single out Electronic Arts as a prime perpetrator of these delaying tactics and irresponsible business practices;

“When you have EA failing to bring Superman out with the movie, that’s inexcusable. Moving games like Medal of Honor and Godfather out of the fourth quarter -– that’s the old way of thinking and you can’t do that any more.” -Jim Ward

So what he’s saying here is that he’d rather have a game that sucks, but is on time and under budget than one that gamers love… and then he wonders why LucasArts has lost both the respect and buying dollars of non Star Wars addicted gamers over the years.

Next time you’re in a store and are trying to decide what game to spend your hard earned money on, when you see a LucasArts title, just tell yourself this … “it may suck, but at least it came out on time – and within budget. I’m sure that will give me some measure of satisfaction as it sits on my shelf never being played.” – I’m sure you’ll do the right thing… for the sake of the industry. (What about the children?!)

Seriously, what is with the executives in the gaming industry lately? Do they just not think before opening their mouths anymore? The full text of the interview can be read in the June 15th edition of MCV and you can check out the snippet from the article online here.

SONY DENIES FURTHER PS3 DOWNGRADES

There have been a lot of rumors of late that Sony is going to wind up further downgrading the specs on the Playstation 3 for a variety of reasons ranging from not being able to fit all the components into the form-factor and low yields on the Cell Processor at 3.2ghz to overheating issues. While all of these are certainly believable as they sound like production problems and are certainly within the realm of possibility, Sony spokesman Jonathan Fargher categorically denied the rumors of any PS3 downgrades while speaking with EuroGamer;

“Developers have been working with PS3 dev kits for anywhere between eight and 12 months, and to suggest that we’d now take the decision to downgrade the hardware at such a late stage, is, well, ridiculous. Worse still is the suggestion that we couldn’t fit all the technical components into a plastic box. Granted, whilst all products are not perfect, we do have over 40 years of experience making consumer electronics equipment, and therefore, extensive experience in making things fit – PSone and Slimline PS2 being just two examples of that.” -Jonathan Fargher

While I’ve been quick to dismiss a lot of the Sony rumors in the past because they’ve been so ridiculous, I’m still not quite ready to fully let this one go, and I’ll tell you why. Most of the problems, as I stated earlier, sound like production issues, which would certainly explain the low available launch numbers Sony has claimed for the PS3. They’re also all things that could still be corrected without significant downgrades.

If you look back to the Xbox 360 launch, there were stories of units overheating to such an extent that they would actually melt the form-factor cases they were in while running. While the 360 still runs hot, it certainly doesn’t run that hot anymore. That’s why while I’m willing to believe that Sony has no plans to downgrade the PS3 at the moment, and keep in mind that could change if the problems persist, I don’t believe that development is going as smoothly as they claim, just because history has shown us that it never does.

Check out the Eurogamer article at this link and hope that the Sony public relations team gets a really long vacation once the system launches… or at least that Kutaragi can keep his mouth shut for a week or so.

EARTH TO KUTARAGI: JUST SHUT UP ALREADY

In his latest attempts to remove any shred of sanity the Sony public relations department has left, SCE President Ken Kutaragi took the company line that the Playstation 3 is a computer one step further. GamerNode is reporting that in another interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei BP Kutaragi expanded his thoughts on the subject and raised the spectre of required upgrades;

“As the PlayStation 3 is a computer, we might even offer it on a built-to-order basis, customized to the needs of each and every user,” the hardware components have been designed in a modularized format with this possibility in mind.”– Ken “Nutty as a Snickers Bar” Kutaragi

Now don’t get me wrong, but even after you consider the fact that most people who would be interested in the Playstation 3 have a computer already, there are still other major flaws in this line of thinking. The most glaring one is the fact that most people who play consoles will tell you that the one feature consoles have that PC’s can never beat is that a game console never requires you to upgrade it to play the latest releases. Needless to say, the idea of a fully upgradeable Playstation 3 is going to rankle a few, even if Kutaragi is just talking out of his ass. Hopefully all this talk is just to bolster Sony’s claim that the PS3 is really a computer, thereby allowing them to avoid paying certain entertainment taxes in Europe.

You know, the sad part is that I was originally interested in the Playstation 3. I wasn’t sure if I’d buy one due to the price, but they at least had my attention. Now, every time Kutaragi opens his mouth I find my desire to own a PS3 diminished just a bit more. You can check out the GamerNode article here.

The Sony Playstation 3 – It’s a Blu-Ray player, it’s a personal computer and it’s a home entertainment center. Too bad it isn’t a game console, I really like those.

MOORE TO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY: I’M SORRY!

Still stinging from the can of whoop ass Xbox 360 owners and his own employees opened on him when he declared that no one cared about backwards compatibility on the 360 anymore, Peter Moore made an appearance on Major Nelson’s most recent podcast to clear up… and backtrack on the matter. Moore stated that his comments regarding backwards compatibility were misconstrued and that he assures us that Microsoft does indeed care about playing original Xbox titles on the 360.

“I want to be clear that my comments were not about ‘nobody cares.’ Of course we care, and we’re going to continue to get as close as we can to our stated target of every Xbox game being back compatible to the Xbox 360.” -Peter Moore

The oh-so-contrite Moore also stated that the next long anticipated (and apparently) much desired backwards compatibility update should be hitting Live sometime next week and would add about 20 games to the current list of 360 playable titles. While he didn’t name all the games Microsoft will be adding, he did state that both Doom 3 and Lego Star Wars would be part of that group. I do hope that ESPN NFL2K5 made the list, but since I guess Electronic Arts would probably throw a fit if it did, I don’t think we’ll be seeing that happen anytime soon.

Now lets all remember that Moore has officially stated that they plan on continuing to try and make every Xbox game playable on the 360. Why? This way was can all share a chuckle as we watch and wait months and months for the next update after this one. If we’re lucky, we may even go so far as to get some shits and giggles out of it. Check out the Major’s podcast here.

Now that I think of it, I wonder if this whole thing pissed me off so much because it was an ex-Sega executive who was saying they were going to drop support for something… not that Sega ever did something like that before or anything. You know what I’m saying. 😉

PS3 COULD FAIL OVER BAD PR?

5:00am… Before my blanket leaps up, grabs me and drags me off to my waiting pillow, I want to mention this interesting article over at Curmudgeon Gamer where an excellent point is made about the way gamers get their information now as compared to the last console generation launch cycle and the overall affect it’s having on the industry.

“I think more importantly we have all changed and Sony’s playing catch-up. Six years ago most of us probably got our information and opinion from the big videogame media sites. Magazines were more important for breaking news stories. And as a result, I think people were a little too caught up in the Emotion Engine hype.

Now I almost never see news stories through GameSpot or IGN. Rather, I see them linked to by a blog, and along with that link comes some nugget of commentary. Actually, not just one blog, but dozens of blogs. The result of this filter is that I’m less likely to get the company line first and more likely to hear news with an instant shot of opinion.” -Curmudgeon Gamer

You know, I’ve got to agree with the guy. Back when the 4th generation started, I remember checking sites like IGN, Gamespy and Gamespot religiously, as well as relying on print gaming magazines for all my news. Over time, there’s been that subtle shift to where I find myself reading more and more of the news from the outskirts, where there isn’t as much apparent corporate interference and writers can feel free to give you their own, fully biased opinion just the same as your buddy next to you can. Hell, it’s part of the whole concept behind this site. Either way, the Curmudgeon article is a pretty good read, and if what I said sounds interesting to you, you can check it out here. As for me, I’m going to bed.

GAMERSCORE BLOG TO MOORE: DROP DEAD

Microsoft’s in-house employee blog, Gamerscore Blog has posted an update on the status of the next backwards compatibility update due to the explosion of comments caused by Peter Moore’s recent comments on the importance, or rather lack thereof, of BC on the 360. According to the post, a large backwards compatibility update is currently in testing and should add “a few dozen titles” to the BC list. In what sounds like a direct response to Mr. Moore’s comments, the posting states;

““We know for a fact that there are lots of people who continue to care about backwards compatibility, including the “Emulation Ninjas” who are working full time on the updates. And those of us posting on this blog. And, of course, many of you.” -Gamerscore Blog

Nice to know at least someone at Microsoft isn’t suffering from delusions. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for NFL2K5, Mercenaries & a few other titles.

MOORE TO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY: DROP DEAD

While we’re on the subject of corporate stupidity, Microsoft’s VP of Gaming, Peter Moore, just couldn’t let Sony bask in the warm glow of bad press alone. While giving the usual company lines about the future of the Xbox 360, the secret location of J Allard and the wonders of Live Anywhere in an interview with Kikizo Games, Moore essentially dropped the F-bomb on Xbox 360 backwards compatility.

“Nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility. We under promised and over delivered on that. It’s a very complicated thing… very complex work. I’m just stunned that we have hundreds of games that are backwards compatible.

More are coming, but at some point, you just go, there’s enough, let’s move on, or people aren’t as worried about a game being backwards compatible – and I like to think we’ve upheld our end of the bargain in making at least two or maybe three hundred games backwards compat.” – Peter Moore

Now if three hundred games were actually backwards compatible that wouldn’t be that bad of a statement. But the current backwards compatibility list stands at 203 games, of which many do not work properly. I’d hardly call that over-delivering – especially when Microsoft has previously admitted that many of those titles are listed because they just happened to work with an emulator created for another game.

Tell you what Microsoft, you get Ninja Gaiden Black working, let me save in SSX3, add ESPN NFL2K5, Mercenaries and Soul Calibur II to the BC list and then maybe we can start talking about being done with BC. Click here for the Kikizo Games interview.

SONY: PS3 WILL MAKE THE PC OBSOLETE

Before I could stop laughing at Ken Kutaragi’s comments in the previous article, I came across another great article over at Gamespot regarding an interview that Phil Harrison, Sony’s president of SCE’s Worldwide Studios had with German magazine Der Spiegel. Not to be outdone by Mr. Kutaragi, Harrison went as far as to state that the Playstation 3 will perform so well, it will make the PC, and by extension Microsoft’s operating systems obsolete;

“We believe that the PS3 will be the place where our users play games, watch films, browse the Web, and use other [home] computer functions, The PlayStation 3 is a computer. We do not need the PC.”– Phil Harrison as quoted in the article at Gamespot.

I don’t know folks, is it really right to use a supercomputer for such mundane things as watching films and surfing the ‘net? Shouldn’t it be trying to map the human genome or something? I guess it’s a moral dilemma for each purchaser to face on their own.

All this PS3 information just makes me wonder… will it make me breakfast in the morning too? Head on over to Gamespot here for all the details and to see Harrison essentially say “nuh uh” in reference to implications that Sony simply decided to just copy Nintendo’s motion control idea at the last minute so they’d have something new to show at E3.

YOU WILL WORK MORE HOURS TO AFFORD PLAYSTATION 3

Or at least Ken Kutaragi thinks you will. In a Fortune magazine article up at CNN Money about how Sony may be betting the farm on the Playstation 3‘s success, Kutaragi is quoted as having told a Japanese website the following;

” Conceding that the PS3 is “very expensive,” Ken Kutaragi, head of Sony’s games business, told a Japanese Web site earlier this year that he expects “consumers to think to themselves, ‘I will work more hours to buy one.’ We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else.” -Fortune magazine article

You may be asking yourself why Sony feels people may want it at any cost? That’s because it’s not just a game machine, but a bona fide supercomputer. Just ask Mr. Kutaragi, he’ll tell you the deal…

“He has also said the PS3 is “not a game machine.” Rather, he says, it is a “machine with supercomputer calculation capabilities for home entertainment.” -Fortune magazine article again

Wow, now I feel much better about the Playstation 3 price. Not only am I getting a steal on a Blu-Ray player, but a machine capable of performing supercomputer calculations. Just amazing. You know, if they make the thing able to play games, I could start getting really excited about it.

I wonder, if I combine it with the “so powerful, it could be used as a guidance system for missiles”, Emotion Engine chip in my Playstation 2 if I could build my own robotic AI… or maybe play Metal Gear Solid 4 or something. You may now begin pointing and laughing at Mr Kutaragi. Click here to read it for yourself.