More rumors for 09

[Isildur´s Heir]

Mention Microsoft as a company that is losing steam quickly in the console race, and you'll be immediately hammered by Xbox 360 owners across the globe. And you won't get much agreement from me, either. Things look grim, but don't be fooled. Microsoft is preparing to unleash some wicked firepower, and may just stop Sony in its tracks.

Sources have shared with me five things that will put your 360 on top of the hype train for 2009. Ready? Read on.

1) Sources revealed that Microsoft Game Studios is preparing to announce a new IP at an upcoming game show. This comes as great news, as Microsoft has been falling back on the "value of Xbox Live" for too long now.

2) My source also indicates that Microsoft has some new technology to reveal this year. If you're wondering if this will be hardware or software, the answer is "yes". Microsoft wants to show off a new game engine and an accessory for the Xbox. When I asked if the source was referring to a controller enhancement, he refused to elaborate. My speculation is that we'll be seeing this before year end. What is this new hardware? I believe it's a hard drive packaged with a year's subscription to Xbox Live. Watch this blog over the next couple of days for more news on this.

3) Ready for another chapter in the Gears of War universe? You'll get a peek this year. Whether this will be Gears 3 or an offshoot similar to Halo Wars, my source refused to comment. But after the mediocre reception of Gears 2, you can bet that Microsoft will be taking chances with the next chapter, as they have nothing to lose.

4) I don't think it's a big deal, but apparently Microsoft is still putting faith in exclusive downloadable content. Word is that they're securing some heavy DLC for Assassin's Creed 2. But that's just rumor for now. My bet is that it's going toward a current release, such as Mirror's Edge.

5) My source finished up by stating that gamers will have an exciting new update to Xbox Live by Christmas, but he would not elaborate. Could rumors of another big step toward digital distribution be coming true? Could this be tied to a hard drive/Live subscription bundle?

While some of these announcements will become official at E3, others will have to wait a bit longer. Just remember, although I've decided to keep this in the "Rumor" category for now (since the details are mostly speculation), you saw it here first!

http://cgreviews.com/site/blogs/blog1.php/2009/03/05/five-ways-microsoft-can-snuff-out-the-ps

 

[Brainiac 8]

I wouldn't even begin to say that the 360 is losing steem. I mean they have had some solid releases recently such as Star Ocean and The Maw.

Mention Microsoft as a company that is losing steam quickly in the console race, and you'll be immediately hammered by Xbox 360 owners across the globe. And you won't get much agreement from me, either. Things look grim, but don't be fooled. Microsoft is preparing to unleash some wicked firepower, and may just stop Sony in its tracks.

Sources have shared with me five things that will put your 360 on top of the hype train for 2009. Ready? Read on.

1) Sources revealed that Microsoft Game Studios is preparing to announce a new IP at an upcoming game show. This comes as great news, as Microsoft has been falling back on the "value of Xbox Live" for too long now.

This could go either way depending on what the IP is. We'll see, new properties are always something to look forward to.

2) My source also indicates that Microsoft has some new technology to reveal this year. If you're wondering if this will be hardware or software, the answer is "yes". Microsoft wants to show off a new game engine and an accessory for the Xbox. When I asked if the source was referring to a controller enhancement, he refused to elaborate. My speculation is that we'll be seeing this before year end. What is this new hardware? I believe it's a hard drive packaged with a year's subscription to Xbox Live. Watch this blog over the next couple of days for more news on this.

This isn't that exciting. A new harddrive with a Live subscription is neat and all, but nothing to stake the life of a console on. Watch it be that long rumored 360 Wii remote.

3) Ready for another chapter in the Gears of War universe? You'll get a peek this year. Whether this will be Gears 3 or an offshoot similar to Halo Wars, my source refused to comment. But after the mediocre reception of Gears 2, you can bet that Microsoft will be taking chances with the next chapter, as they have nothing to lose.

This will be exciting to some, but in this day and age, another sequel to a mediocre yet pretty sci-fi FPS is nothing that'll save a system. A spin off could be interesting...assuming the Gears universe is interesting...which it isn't.

4) I don't think it's a big deal, but apparently Microsoft is still putting faith in exclusive downloadable content. Word is that they're securing some heavy DLC for Assassin's Creed 2. But that's just rumor for now. My bet is that it's going toward a current release, such as Mirror's Edge.

Honestly, this is a smart move. Exclusive DLC sells software. I mean just look at the numbers that the GTA DLC pulled, it was nothing to sniff at. DLC is one of the major things that will define the future of gaming, so why not get a firm grasp on it now, which MS is...and yes, it'll pay off.

5) My source finished up by stating that gamers will have an exciting new update to Xbox Live by Christmas, but he would not elaborate. Could rumors of another big step toward digital distribution be coming true? Could this be tied to a hard drive/Live subscription bundle?

While some of these announcements will become official at E3, others will have to wait a bit longer. Just remember, although I've decided to keep this in the "Rumor" category for now (since the details are mostly speculation), you saw it here first!

http://cgreviews.com/site/blogs/blog1.php/2009/03/05/five-ways-microsoft-can-snuff-out-the-ps

This is an interesting rumor though. Mystery updates always fascinate me. If it is moving toward the option of purchasing certain games online instead of retail, it might end up being a good thing, since I think eventually it will move in that direction.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Eh, didnt they claim that last yr the 360 would slow and itd be the "Year of the PS3"? It doesnt really matter to me anyway, most of the games i want to play this yr are multiplat, altho besides RE5, Ghostbusters, Riddick and Batman, no game has me more stoked than Uncharted 2, i cant say that MS has any exlcusive that is set to drop in 09 that i must have.

 

[Changeling]

PS3 sucks...

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

I don´t really understand what Microsoft is thinking.
Either they have a really amazing announcements for E3 (and i don´t mean 1 or 2 games, but 4 or 5 new jaw dropping IPs, new 1st parties like Epic or Valve,....) or the 720 (?) will be arriving much sooner than anyone think, and they are totally focus on that.
But it´s not normal to have so little annoucements in 1 year, for all we know, besides DLC and the Halo 3 expansion, there is nothing more for MS.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I don´t really understand what Microsoft is thinking.
Either they have a really amazing announcements for E3 (and i don´t mean 1 or 2 games, but 4 or 5 new jaw dropping IPs, new 1st parties like Epic or Valve,....) or the 720 (?) will be arriving much sooner than anyone think, and they are totally focus on that.
But it´s not normal to have so little annoucements in 1 year, for all we know, besides DLC and the Halo 3 expansion, there is nothing more for MS.

Neither Epic or Valve are 1st party to MS and I really doubt either will be bought by them, especially Valve.

Revealing a new Xbox at this point is not a good idea and if they do, I think it will backfire horridly on them. People may think it's all *****ing on the media's part, but the current economic state (not just in the States, damn near worldwide) is not good. It may not be on the Great Depression level that some people are trying to elevate it to (not yet, anyway), but it's still bad and it's not showing any signs of receding for quite awhile. I said it in a earlier thread, but I've heard some economists predict this could keep going for another 5-10 years. I just don't think people right now will buy into a new generation.

As far as all that other stuff, can't say I'm all that excited or care really. The DLC stuff is good move on their part and a new IP would be fine, but it's nothing to make me jump for joy like it seems to be this guy.

Eh, didnt they claim that last yr the 360 would slow and itd be the "Year of the PS3"? It doesnt really matter to me anyway, most of the games i want to play this yr are multiplat, altho besides RE5, Ghostbusters, Riddick and Batman, no game has me more stoked than Uncharted 2, i cant say that MS has any exlcusive that is set to drop in 09 that i must have.

I don't really remember, I was never too impressed with Sony's '07 line-up so I never thought it would be the year of the PS3, but this year is pretty good for my PS3 I will say. I got SFIV and RE5 on PS3 and 360 respectively this year.

As far as must buys for me this year the list is: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Heavy Rain, Ghostbusters, Ratchet and Clank and Dragon Age Origins. Of those 3 are PS3-exclusives and I will be getting Ghostbusters on PS3 because it's suppose to have a few exclusive extras, but more importantly, online play. I'll probably get Dragon Age on the 360 just for balance sake.

So this list of must buys(already bought) is 5-2 in favor of the PS3.

As far as maybes or games that, unfortunately, I'll have to put on the backburner we're looking at InFamous, Uncharted 2, Bioshock 2 and Arkham Asylum. Two PS3-exclusives and two multiplatform.

So, yeah, I agree with you pretty solidly. I don't see any exclusive from MS that I care all that much about. The only one would be Alan Wake, but considering just how troubled of a production it's had (not to mention that I have serious doubts if it'll ever come out), I won't be surprised if it doesn't make an appearance, yet again, this year. Even if it does it's looking pretty small to the rest of my list

MS may come out with something this E3 to remedy that, but it's going to take something seriously awesome to overshadow the line-up that I'm planning to get

 

[Soapy]

I don´t really understand what Microsoft is thinking.
Either they have a really amazing announcements for E3 (and i don´t mean 1 or 2 games, but 4 or 5 new jaw dropping IPs, new 1st parties like Epic or Valve,....) or the 720 (?) will be arriving much sooner than anyone think, and they are totally focus on that.
But it´s not normal to have so little annoucements in 1 year, for all we know, besides DLC and the Halo 3 expansion, there is nothing more for MS.

Is it common to make announcements at this time of the year? I don't know if you were expecting anything from GDC or not, but bombshell game announcements aren't really what that event is about.

I think this is going to be a strong E3 for everyone. Not just because I want it to be, but because it has to be. I'm positive Microsoft will be showing Alan Wake and Halo Chronicles and according to Microsoft they do indeed have some exciting new IPs that they will be ready to reveal in a few months time.*

And yeah, no Xbox 720 this year. They might make a vague reference or two about some new hardware, but that's all I can realistically imagine. It would be suicide for Microsoft to put out a new console with the current state of the video game industry. Not to mention the worldwide economic apocalypse.

*This is from an article you posted in a different thread,

Microsoft talks Killzone 2:

"We congratulate Sony and Guerilla Games for their effort with Killzone 2, however this is only the beginning of a new wave. The current technology employed for certain unannounced Xbox 360 exclusives far surpasses what gamers have seen in any game so far. Gears of War was the beginning of this technological benchmark when released on the 360. This lineage will be carried forward in the following months with exclusives that shall stand for a new definition of gaming experience and provide stiff competition for the opposition."

So, not to worry. Either Microsoft still has some tricks up their sleeve or they're full of ****. It's probably 50/50.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I don't really remember, I was never too impressed with Sony's '07 line-up so I never thought it would be the year of the PS3, but this year is pretty good for my PS3 I will say. I got SFIV and RE5 on PS3 and 360 respectively this year.

As far as must buys for me this year the list is: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Heavy Rain, Ghostbusters, Ratchet and Clank and Dragon Age Origins. Of those 3 are PS3-exclusives and I will be getting Ghostbusters on PS3 because it's suppose to have a few exclusive extras, but more importantly, online play. I'll probably get Dragon Age on the 360 just for balance sake.

So this list of must buys(already bought) is 5-2 in favor of the PS3.

As far as maybes or games that, unfortunately, I'll have to put on the backburner we're looking at InFamous, Uncharted 2, Bioshock 2 and Arkham Asylum. Two PS3-exclusives and two multiplatform.

So, yeah, I agree with you pretty solidly. I don't see any exclusive from MS that I care all that much about. The only one would be Alan Wake, but considering just how troubled of a production it's had (not to mention that I have serious doubts if it'll ever come out), I won't be surprised if it doesn't make an appearance, yet again, this year. Even if it does it's looking pretty small to the rest of my list

MS may come out with something this E3 to remedy that, but it's going to take something seriously awesome to overshadow the line-up that I'm planning to get

Really, the only exclusive, on either system thats a MUST buy for me is Among Thieves. If Ghostbusters has some really good exclusives for the PS3, ill get it for that, but its gonna have to be some pretty damn good stuff. Like extra MP levels or something cuz i plan to play that game online a good deal and i prefer Live well before PSN.

I'm positive MS has something up their sleeves tho. So I'm eager to hear what they have coming out.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Really, the only exclusive, on either system thats a MUST buy for me is Among Thieves. If Ghostbusters has some really good exclusives for the PS3, ill get it for that, but its gonna have to be some pretty damn good stuff. Like extra MP levels or something cuz i plan to play that game online a good deal and i prefer Live well before PSN.

I'm positive MS has something up their sleeves tho. So I'm eager to hear what they have coming out.

I doubt the PS3 version will have any significant exclusives or anything, but I don't have a Gold version of Live and I've never had any problems with just straight online multiplayer on PSN.

I agree that MS probably has something for this year, but it's going to have to be something major and mindblowing otherwise it'll have to be put on the backburner. Too much great stuff already coming out

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I agree that MS probably has something for this year, but it's going to have to be something major and mindblowing otherwise it'll have to be put on the backburner. Too much great stuff already coming out

Yea im with you. I just dont see any MS exclusive leap frogging Among Thieves for me. I just dont see them announcing anything that im gonna have to own.

 

[Cunning Stunts]

My only gripe is that Gears Of War 2 got great reception, it just got criticism for being more of an expansion pack from certain reviewers. A lot of reviewers said, "once we got into it, we found we were wrong." Exactly how I felt about the game too.

I can't wait for GOW 3 though... An RTS would be freakin' AWESOME!

 

[ProjectPat2280]

My only gripe is that Gears Of War 2 got great reception, it just got criticism for being more of an expansion pack from certain reviewers. A lot of reviewers said, "once we got into it, we found we were wrong." Exactly how I felt about the game too.

I can't wait for GOW 3 though... An RTS would be freakin' AWESOME!

Its a direct sequel tho. The game isn't supposed to be that much different than its predecessor. Gears of War, worked, why change too much for the follow up?

 

[Cunning Stunts]

Its a direct sequel tho. The game isn't supposed to be that much different than its predecessor. Gears of War, worked, why change too much for the follow up?

Well, because if it's the same game, then it's going to get bad reviews because you're not getting anything new... Which is what fans generally want with a new product. Even if it's the same product, we want something new.

Take the Resident Evil RE-makes, for example. Same exact game, yet the game was almost re-vamped entirely. We got the same game we wanted, but better.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

I will never understand what some people were expecting from Gears 2, the game is just amazing.
There are no changes?
You get to ride a Burmak, a Reaver; you fight monsters, from the the one in the lake, the Hydra, the Lambent Burmak.
You have tons of story, and one of the most dramatic moments in video game history.
What could you possibly want more, Gears 2 to have nothing to have with the series?

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Do you know what sarcasm is?

Neither Epic or Valve are 1st party to MS and I really doubt either will be bought by them, especially Valve.

Of course neither Epic nor Valve are MS 1st parties and nothing points that it will happen, and that´s my point exactly.
It would take an announcement of that magnitude to save this year so far, because there aren´t anything coming from MS that anyone is crazy about.

Revealing a new Xbox at this point is not a good idea and if they do, I think it will backfire horridly on them. People may think it's all *****ing on the media's part, but the current economic state (not just in the States, damn near worldwide) is not good. It may not be on the Great Depression level that some people are trying to elevate it to (not yet, anyway), but it's still bad and it's not showing any signs of receding for quite awhile. I said it in a earlier thread, but I've heard some economists predict this could keep going for another 5-10 years. I just don't think people right now will buy into a new generation.

Of course there will no new Xbox coming this year, and once again, that´s my point.
If that would happen, they would have an excuse for the lack of announcements, but because that will not happen....

As far as all that other stuff, can't say I'm all that excited or care really. The DLC stuff is good move on their part and a new IP would be fine, but it's nothing to make me jump for joy like it seems to be this guy.

If the "jump of joy like this guy" is for me, you really need to re-read my post again.
Just like, IMO, last year sucked for the 360 (it was saved by 3 games only, Gears 2, Fable 2 and Left for Dead), this years looks to be even worst, with only GTA episode 2 and ODST coming out (in other words, DLC and an expansion), oh yeah, and Champions Online (which i don´t care, im not into MMOs).
The PS3 has Infamous, Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain, the new Ratchet & Clank, and the announcements of God of War 3 and GT.
IMO, MS is falling way behind in the hype department...
If tomorrow Sony cuts the price on the PS3, i see MS starting to lose big time, and it´s their own fault.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Of course neither Epic nor Valve are MS 1st parties and nothing points that it will happen, and that´s my point exactly.
It would take an announcement of that magnitude to save this year so far, because there aren´t anything coming from MS that anyone is crazy about.

My bad, I misread what you meant. To be fair, you weren't very clear.

Of course there will no new Xbox coming this year, and once again, that´s my point.
If that would happen, they would have an excuse for the lack of announcements, but because that will not happen....

Never, at any point did I say this year, but when you unveil a console usually that means you're planning to release it within the next year or so. Even if they released in '10 or '11 I think it would backfire on them. They, and Nintendo and Sony, need to hold off any new console until things settle down.

If the "jump of joy like this guy" is for me, you really need to re-read my post again.

No, I was talking about the guy in the article you posted. His first sentence makes it seem as if he thinks MS would pull out a unicorn and ride a rainbow of gold with all these things he listed and, honestly, I don't think any of them is a major deal.

If I meant you, I would have called you by name.

 

[Spider-Vader]

PS3 sucks...

Agreed.

I hope Microsoft will have some big announcements this year after last year's lackluster announements.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Wouldn't it be great if they made Xbox Live free?

 

[Tron Bonne]

Wouldn't it be great if they made Xbox Live free?

It would be great, but it'll never happen. There's probably a better chance of me flying to the moon to buy a puppy made of cheese

 

[Havok83]

It would be great, but it'll never happen. There's probably a better chance of me flying to the moon to buy a puppy made of cheese

yeah what incentive would MS have to make it free when millions of users have proven that they are willing to dish out money for it?

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Wouldn't it be great if they made Xbox Live free?

Yea, but then we'd get the PSN. Live is the better service.

Im not saying that'll always be the case, and the day the PSN catches up will be the day MS needs to rethink either what it offers or how much they charge.

 

[Cunning Stunts]

I will never understand what some people were expecting from Gears 2, the game is just amazing.
There are no changes?
You get to ride a Burmak, a Reaver; you fight monsters, from the the one in the lake, the Hydra, the Lambent Burmak.
You have tons of story, and one of the most dramatic moments in video game history.
What could you possibly want more, Gears 2 to have nothing to have with the series?

Just so we're clear, I'm Pro-Gears 2. I think my post may have been a little confusing... I felt at first that it was the same game, but after just a short while in I was blown away twice as much as I was by the first.

I love the game, and can't wait for the next.

 

[Erzengel]

I love the Gears series. However, I felt fighting Raam of Gears 1 let me more satisfied beating him then the end of Gears 2 with the Burmak.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I love the Gears series. However, I felt fighting Raam of Gears 1 let me more satisfied beating him then the end of Gears 2 with the Burmak.

I agree with that. I didnt really care for either fight tho.

 

[Erzengel]

I beat him on Insane by myself which left me more satisfied.