How Stupid Does 1up Think We Are?
The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
He who strikes the first blow admits he’s lost the argument.
– Chinese Proverb
The reason I talk to myself is that I’m the only one whose answers I accept.
– George Carlin
It is one thing to try to convince me of something that is tenuous at best. But it is something else entirely to tell me that my own eyes and ears are lying to me.
1up.com has just told me that own senses cannot be trusted because apparently my eyesight and hearing are so poor that I am physically incapable of watching, let alone understanding, footage of two men talking clearly and coherently into microphones while being recorded on video.
Back before New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launched last year, GameTrailers TV hosted an episode in which they featured Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime as a special guest.
During the episode, GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley issued a sales challenge to Reggie, asking the NOA president on the spot if New Super Mario Bros. Wii would outsell Modern Warfare 2. Reggie agreed to the bet stating Mario would outsell Modern Warfare 2 “on one particular platform,” taking into account NPD data through January 2010. I know this because I watched the video. With my own eyes.
The January NPD data just came in yesterday. Here are the results if you tally up the current U.S. sales totals for the two subject titles:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360): 6,156,700
New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4,866,700
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3): 3,249,000
As I can clearly see here (with my own lying eyes), New Super Mario Bros. Wii outsold Modern Warfare 2 on particular platform: The PS3. Reggie won the bet.
However, this cannot be, for facts are a mere inconvenience – obstructions that must be modified and reshaped to suit a particular desire. In this case the desire was to see NOA’s president lose a bet with a game-show host. Why, I do not know.
Don’t get me wrong, I think both games are excellent and extremely well-made. I can enjoy a spec ops mission in Call of Duty just as much as a multiplayer Mario session. But when someone assumes that I lack even a first-grade-level grasp of English conversation, I tend to raise an eyebrow in a state of confusion.
My confusion stems from the fact that 1up is claiming Reggie “said that New Super Mario Bros Wii would outsell the 360 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by the end of holiday season.” I’d sure like to know what video it was that 1up watched to give the website this impression, because it sure wasn’t the same video I watched. The video I watched showed Reggie saying “I do believe so” in response to his own question of “on one particular platform” while Keighley repeatedly tried to interject with “on 360.” The odd thing, however, was that the words “Xbox,” “360″ or even “Microsoft” never left Reggie’s lips, though they did leave Keighley’s lips many times.
But I suppose I am asking too many questions; a bad habit of mine.
Back in December I questioned 1up’s reporting of the bet. I questioned why the website claimed that Reggie “thr[ew] down the gauntlet and issue[d] a sales challenge” when it was Keighley who issued the challenge. I also questioned why the website said Reggie specifically bet that Mario would outsell the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2, and why it backed up this assertion by linking back to one of its own articles paraphrasing the video.
Now I find myself questioning why the website is calling the bet a “prediction” on Reggie’s part when a prediction is usually something that involves just one person, unlike a bet, which involves at least two people. Oh, and I’m also wondering why the website has once again provided no direct link to the video itself, instead falling back yet again on its own paraphrasing.
Too many questions, not enough answers. Maybe it’s better that I just stop now before I give myself a headache.
Actually, I have only one more question.
Why doesn’t 1up expand its business and begin practicing law? After all, it’s usually only a lawyer who can convince you that it’s raining when someone is taking a piss on your head.
NPD: Wii Play is best selling ‘game’ of all time in the US
If there’s a statistic measuring how well a game sold, you’re likely to find Wii Play lingering in it somewhere. It’s not only been the best-selling game of 2009, but also just recently made itself known as the top seller for the last decade. Now, according to NPD data (via GameSpot), the software-hardware hybrid has claimed another throne: top-selling non-PC US game ever.
It’s a pretty prestigious list and while no exact figures are listed (save for the bundle’s October performance, selling a whopping 11.1 million units in that month alone), the other games listed should give you an indication of just how many homes Wii Play has invaded. Taking second place is Guitar Hero III, the first game to earn $1 billion in revenue, followed by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The others in the top ten are generally expected, including Activision’s other $1 billion earner, Modern Warfare 2 (notable because, damn, that was fast!), along with a pair of other Call of Duty games. Head over to GameSpot for the full list.
NPD: Wii Play is best selling ‘game’ of all time in the US originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Bad Company 2 Dedicated Server Fine-Print Reveals Ugly Truth
Back when Modern Warfare 2 was released for the PC, all hell broke loose because Infinity Ward had abandoned a long-standing tradition of dedicated server support for PC-based games. In short, PC games of old allowed anyone to setup and host a multiplayer server, a great convenience that allowed for custom maps and mods.
Infinity Ward suffered a PR nightmare from which they refused to budge. In turn, sales of Modern Warfare 2 were not in line with expectations. Seeing an opening, DICE, developers of Battlefield and the forthcoming Bad Company 2, issued forth press-releases in the hopes of taking advantage of the ill-will.
An example:
A lot of buzz has been floating around the internet lately about dedicated servers and we wanted to make sure our all our players have the best understanding of how Battlefield will be played on the PC. Since Battlefield 1942 DICE has used dedicated servers for all platforms. This formula has worked well, and still works well, for us and for the gaming community. We have stayed true to this practice and will continue this tradition into the upcoming title Battlefield Bad Company 2.
Other games use player-hosted or ‘peer to peer’ solutions, often resulting in a “host with the most” situation; where the player hosting the match has an advantage over other players connected to their game. Everyone else is dependent on the host’s internet connection and if they don’t have a great connection neither will you regardless how great of an internet you have. Also, unless server migration is implemented the game ends when that hosting player quits the game forcing you to find another player-host or start your own. With dedicated servers everyone gets non-stop action with no connection penalties based on some other player and their internet. This makes dedicated servers the best solution for online PC gaming hands down! So rest assured PC players, Battlefield will stay true to its roots offering dedicated servers to all its players and continue the tradition of the ultimate FPS gaming experience!
Now many believed this meant that anyone could host a dedicated server, but the reality isn’t so cut-and-dry. Yes, Bad Comapny 2 will support dedicated servers, but you will pay a small fee to rent this server from DICE-approved partners. Not quite the open-environment I was hoping for.
DICE has told Eurogamer there is “no profit” made from forcing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 players to rent dedicated servers instead of building their own.
Producer Gordon Van Dyke said files the community needs to build dedicated servers are being withheld in order to “protect the game’s integrity on PC”.
“This does not earn DICE a profit,” BFBC2 Van Dyke told us. “But we will see where the game goes and support it post launch.”
Right now the only way to host a private dedicated server is by renting from one of DICE’s authorised hosts. These, Van Dyke added, have already been picked in “all major regions of the world”.
This is a first for the Battlefield series, as Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 both supported community members building and hosting their own dedicated servers.
Modern Warfare 2 leads UK game sales for 8th straight week
Following another week of tepid new releases (er, were there any releases at all?), and despite a 41-percent drop in sales, Modern Warfare 2 remained atop the UK all-formats sales chart for the week ending January 2. This marked the eighth straight week that Modern Warfare 2 led UK game sales, a feat unequaled since the gritty street sequel, Need for Speed: Underground 2, captured the British imagination five years ago. This week, Bayonetta gets her first shot at taking down the reigning champ.
Additionally, Assassin’s Creed II continued its rebound up the week’s towering sales list, perched at the number two position, followed by a trio of casual Wii games. FIFA 10 dropped four spots into sixth place as weekly sales of the soccer sim “footie fax” fell 61 percent. Finally, UbiGaga’s Just Dance made a fevered surge up to seventh on the chart, with New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart and Avatar rounding out the top ten. Can we get a “TAROK MAKTO!”?
Source - Call of Duty Ends the Year on a High [GFK Chart-Track]
Source - Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]
Modern Warfare 2 leads UK game sales for 8th straight week originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Best of the Rest: Ben’s Picks of 2009
Arriving approximately seven months late to the party, I didn’t play RFG until earlier this month when I desperately cobbled together 2009’s game releases for a massive pre-GOTY playstravaganza. That marathon came to a long pause while I smashed through the many structures of Mars with my trusty sledgehammer, constantly hearing “Space A$&%*#&” playing along the way in my mind. Sure, RFG was a bit rough around the edges, but what it lacked in mechanical prowess was more than made up for by the sheer amount of childlike joy I experienced while demolishing everything in my path.
Continue reading Best of the Rest: Ben’s Picks of 2009
Best of the Rest: Ben’s Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Biggest Video Game Disappointment of 2009: Modern Warfare 2
The folks over at InfoAddict have a bit of a reputation for not being shy when it comes to sharing their opinion and they have taken a lot of heat for it in the past. It seems they didn’t learn their lessons though and they have gone after another much-loved property – the recent Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 release, and they definitely aren’t pulling their punches.
Here’s just a snippet…
Here’s the deal: I’d say a good 60-70% of the time I am picked as a host in Modern Warfare 2. I can tell immediately that I am the host as the game behaves slightly different. Sound-effects of an automatic gun become more compressed and, worst of all, it takes nearly twice as many bullets to fell an opponent than when I am NOT hosting. My average score in a typical, non-hosted game is about 20-8. If I am hosting, this reverses to 8-20. Every…time.
This huge discrepancy ruins the game and reveals the overall illusion that stinks up Modern Warfare 2. It tells me that when I think I’m doing well, it’s probably because other players are lagging and when I’m doing bad, it’s not because I suck. In short, multiplayer is fundamentally flawed in Modern Warfare 2. Those of you with crappy connections will probably never be selected as host so you go on your merry way thinking you’re better than you probably are.
You can read the entire article here, or simply go to InfoAddict.com.
Warning: Modern Warfare 2 Spreads Bug Like Virus, Can Lead to Ban
Once again Modern Warfare 2 is making the news and not for a good reason. Unlike last week, which found players exploiting a bug that allowed an individual to explode, this time around we have something more nefarious: a bug that spreads like a virus, infecting all players who come into contact with the carrier.
According to reports, players get “infected” by unwittingly joining a private match hosted by a carrier. They then get hit by the same issue — unlimited ammo and no reloads — and can pass it on if the end up hosting any games themselves. Allegedly, it’s “spreading like an STD.”
This unique issue started out as a mod on the PC version of the game, which we spoke about yesterday. It has been transported to the Xbox 360 and put to more sinister work. Infinity Ward is apparently “working” on the issue, and it appears that Microsoft is wielding its banhammer for anybody caught employing it.
Obviously, Infinity Ward has fucked up once again. Worse, they are threatening bans (once again) for anyone found exploiting their crappy code. How about we ban Infinity Ward for not open beta-testing their product like they did with the original Modern Warfare?
Call of Duty now a $3 billion franchise
Activision announced this morning that, according to data garnered from the NPD, ChartTrack, GfK and internal estimates, the Call of Duty franchise has accumulated $3 billion-with-a-b in sales over its lifetime. As all but the densest among you have likely deduced, CoD was put over the top by the release of Modern Warfare 2, which moved $550 million in its first five days on sale.
For a bit of perspective, $3 billion is pretty darn close to the gross domestic product of the Kingdom of Swaziland, a comparison that’s especially appropriate when you realize that 54 percent of Swazis have a Gamerscore over 20,000. … Oh, wait, this doesn’t say “a Gamerscore over 20,000,” it says “access to clean water.” Sorry, smudge on the page.
Call of Duty now a $3 billion franchise originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PC Players Launch Metacritic Attack on Modern Warfare 2, Bury Rating
Hell hath no fury like PC gamers scorned. In this case, we have Infinity Ward to thank for porting their crappy console multiplayer system to the PC, wherein PC gamers no longer have access to dedicated servers, custom maps and most importantly, nothing resembling a lag-free game. It’s a sign of things to come as the industry continues to explore ways to screw you and charge more for less.
PC players are letting their voices be heard loud and clearly in the User Comments section of the PC review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, where it is currently suffering a 1.2 User Rating.
This review will most likely be a bit long, so please bear with me. First off, I’d like to make a note on the good parts of the game. The Spec Ops mode can be lots of fun if you play with the right guy on the right missions. Some of the missions are extremely cool, but most of them sucks. The Single Player Campaign is very intense, which is a huge plus. But the lack of a good story line kills off the good feel about it, while at the same time the Single Player Campaign is way too short. The multiplayer however, is complete and utter garbage. Which no support for Dedicated Servers what-so-ever, you are doomed to forever play with high pings and unlikable people because you have absolutely no control over who gets to play on the same “server” as you. Furthermore, if the host of the match leaves, the game needs to find a new host, which happens ALL THE TIME. It is frustrating, and makes you want to punch the employees of Infinity Ward in the face. Especially Bowling. The only reason I gave this game a 1 and not a 0 is because a few of the Spec Ops Missions are great fun. Other than that, this game is complete and utter garbage and a waste of money. I suggest to skip this title and wait for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Digital Illusions actually cares about us PC gamers, unlike Infinity Ward and Activision. I would also like to get my hard earned money back.
Head here to read all the complaints.
Metareview: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Reflex
When the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was announced for the Wii, we kinda had to do a double-take on the whole thing. Would one of the current generation’s most popular games be done justice on the Wii? Well, according to what few reviews have made their way online, yes … and no!
- Nintendo Dpad (85/100): “Overall, the game is just what you would expect from an HD game like Call of Duty 4 being ported to Wii. Everything is there, from the great multiplayer and single player modes, to Wii specific controls that really trump those found on other consoles. The only real bad part is that the graphics needed a major step down for the port, and we would have liked WiiSpeak support for those who prefer that, though it is not necessary.”
- ONM UK (80/100): “Given the extra two years Treyarch had to squeeze every last drop of polish from the Wii, this is underwhelming visually. It looks okay for a Wii game - that’s the dreaded caveat - but it’s not even up there with Metroid Prime: Corruption. Having said that, Modern Warfare is still an excellent shooter packed with options and it should be a big player online so we can welcome it to the Wii family.”
- IGN (70/100): “Unfortunately, Reflex Edition on Wii just doesn’t cut it as a Call of Duty branded game or as a top-tier Wii first-person shooter. The framerate is jumpy, the pointer tracking needs some serious polish, and while most of the elements of COD4 are included, none of them are given enough fine-tuning to truly excel.”
Metareview: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Reflex originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Top 10 Best Selling Games
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