Xbox Hard Core Fan: "To sell, or not to sell?" (1 Viewer)

[Dave Falasco]

Right on all counts, Romier...Jet Set is a breathtaking game, and I didn't give the Dreamcast enough credit. Not to turn this into a Sega thread, but I think people just weren't willing to buy in on another Sega machine after getting battered by (in frightfully quick succession, it seems) the 32X, Sega CD, and the Saturn. I had a CD myself, and was horrified to find it going for about $30, less than a year after my wife bought it for me at full retail. And then to see the same thing happen to the Saturn...by the time they got it right with the Dreamcast, I think people were just not willing to trust that it would be around. I know I wasn't.
And I am not positive on the dates, but I thought the Dreamcast was more of a late competitor with the PSX and N64? By the time the PS2 came out, wasn't the Dreamcast already a distant third? At any rate, though, you are correct in saying that the PS2 did have the Dreamcast, with an excellent library to its name, to compete with. I still feel MS faces a much more formidable obstacle in going up against the mighty PS2 and the promising GCN than Sony faced against the underappreciated DC.
And if there has been better music to a video game than JSRF in the last year, I have not been fortunate enough to play it. In fact I am listening to "Funky Dealer" right now. "Keep your eye on the winner/He's got a hot hand! We've got a shooter and a good one!"

 

[Michael St. Clair]

If at PS2 launch time there had been a display in every store with Dreamcast Crazy Taxi and Soul Calibur in 480p VGA next to interlaced PS2 Ridge Racer and Tekken Tag, a lot of people would have thought a lot harder about whether the PS2 was the powerhouse it was touted to be.
And I like the PS2, a lot. Not flaming.

 

[Romier S]

And I like the PS2, a lot. Not flaming.

BAH! I think we are all agreed that we like the PS2. Hell a majority of people on this board are multiplatform owners and we shouldn't be worried about flaming for stating our honest opinions!

 

[Sean Oneil]

Polyphony Digital said that GT3 uses 30% of the PS2's potential.

I am wondering how in the heck they would know that fact, unless they were capable of using 100% of the systems 'potential'. And if they can, then why are they only giving us 30%?

 

[Derrik Draven]

I am wondering how in the heck they would know that fact, unless they were capable of using 100% of the systems 'potential'. And if they can, then why are they only giving us 30%

Correct-a-mundo!!!!
...watched Pulp Fiction last night; sorry.
Besides, imagine if the PS2 and Xbox launched side by side. Imagine going into the store and seeing Fantavision next to Halo. Smugglers Run next to Gotham? SSX next to Amped? (okay, that's a close one)
Point being, it's pointless to argue that the PS2 has SO many great games compared to the Xbox. Well no friggin shit! It only had a year to pull out in front!??!
Let's pick up this arguement next year, and if the Box still has few games, I'll be the 1st to admit that it was a waste buying it.

 

[BrianB]

When you see performance numbers like that bandied about for the PS2, if it's from a developer, they're probably talking figures from the performance analyser tool. Basically, a measure of how much of the bandwidth/chips you're utilising.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The PS2 is also the notoriously hard to program for console. I expect much better in the future.

I would just like to say that I am no longer considering Sega's loyalty to the X-Box as a selling point. They have been rather disappointing with some of their more recent games (I played some of JSRF and didn't like it, plus its bad sales) and they aren't making that many games that I could care about anyway. Just my personal thoughts.

 

[Romier S]

I would just like to say that I am no longer considering Sega's loyalty to the X-Box as a selling point. They have been rather disappointing with some of their more recent games (I played some of JSRF and didn't like it, plus its bad sales) and they aren't making that many games that I could care about anyway. Just my personal thoughts.

Why does that not shock me in the least....

One thing. Ok, you didnt like JSRF. Great. Now my question to you is...How in the hell do the sales of a game affect whether its a quality title or not? Furthermore why should the sales of JSRF future matter to you anyway? The only people in this world that need to look at those sales numbers and be concerned are Sega and the people at Smilebit. I can understand someone wanting a game they like to do well but your logic astounds me.

As for Sega's recent titles being disapointing..

[Edited out comments, Its not worth arguing over]

 

[Gary King]

Morgan, honestly -- how is JSRF's less-than-platinum status a knock against it? Since when have consumer purchase patterns been a measure for quality at all? JSRF sold better than the original JSR did (from what I remember) and if unit sales were a benchmark for quality, Myst would be considered the best game ever.

If you didn't like JSRF, fine -- it's not a game for everyone.

Sean --

As BrianB mentioned, the 100% figure is a measure of the maximum theoretical throughput of the PS2. Given that 100% utilization of all components all the time is impossible, trying to guess how much more PS2-specific optimization developers have left is rather difficult. Polyphony Digital, despite only getting a 30% on the Performance Analyzer, mentioned in an interview that they don't think they could do too much graphically better than what they did on GT3.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Why does that not shock me in the least....

Because I didn't grow up in the late 80s/early 90s golden age of gaming, I wasn't turned into a Sega fanboy by their amazing Genesis games. I was able to experience their later games and base my opinions on those. I have played their earlier efforts and admit that they were amazingly great, but their current games aren't at the same level of quality. I think that Mario, Zelda (OoT more than MM), Castlevania, and Street Fighter are the only games from the aforementioned era (or before) that are still able to maintain a level of quality near that of the originals (I might have missed some other series', excuse me for that).

I've noticed that the two most fanboyistic people are Sega and Nintendo fanboys. Sega fanboys say that anything Sega does ends up perfect while Nintendo fanboys just buy everything Nintendo. I know everyone thinks I'm a Nintendo fanboy, but I just prefer to get good Mario, Zelda, and Rare games over crappy Sonic games and games that are overall disappointing compared to expectations.

I even know a Sega fanboy who had somehow managed to convince himself that Sonic Adventure 2 was one of the best DC games, which it most certainly was not. He has changed since then, but it took some time and some time with non-Sega games for him to change his mind.

 

[Romier S]

Because I didn't grow up in the late 80s/early 90s golden age of gaming

Well considering that my comment was directed towards your disdain for the X-box and had nothing to do with Sega...again its not suprising ...

 

[BrianB]

Rez and Super Monkey Ball were good.

No, they're not by the standard you just set for JSRF. Rez has sold bugger all, and Monkey Ball has basically been a flop - it's sold steadily, but nowhere near as much as it deserves.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Can anyone provide some solid sales figures on the Sega titles?

VF4 seems to be doing well on PS2. I would be suprised if JSRF has failed to break 50,000

One thing you have to remember is that the installed bases of these consoles(XB and GC) are still small. A game has to have HUGE appeal to sell a million copies in the first year of a console like Soul Calibur

I'm sure Sega'd be happy with 100,000 on Rez, and 250k on JSRF in the US.

The real problem Sega's having is that they're falling back on that failed DC campaign of using CG characters. They need to rehire their Genesis ad agency, those guys knew how to advertise.

I would have hired some bladers to skate around tagging, or at least done some kind of big CG/Anime exposition to market the game, not having Professor K give the yo-yo-sup crap.

 

[BrianB]

Jeff, Sega are lucky if REZ has sold 20,000 on the PS2 in the US. It's sold nothing. It's got a playable demo on the latest OPM mag, I hope that boosts sales.

 

[Scott Van Dyke]

Hey Morgan,

I think you hit a sore spot with Romier.



Attn All: Don't rip on JSRF in the HTF. Some take it to heart.

Not having Professor K give the yo-yo-sup crap

Yeah, drop the freakin' EBONICS and talk like an educated individual.

 

[Brian Girard]

 

[Brian Girard]

Jeff, Sega are lucky if REZ has sold 20,000 on the PS2 in the US. It's sold nothing. It's got a playable demo on the latest OPM mag, I hope that boosts sales.

Agreed. Sad part is that this game is a conversion. The original on the Dreamcast is a much better looking game.

 

[Eric Taylor]

I am a XBox Addict and I say that you should hold onto your Xbox and stick it out for some of the coolest games to come yet. GTA3 is coming to the Xbox..that's a fact. They have already confirmed this, just haven't given it a date yet. As for why there are so many ported games without much improvement is because everyone is clammering that their isn't enough games for the Xbox so instead of giving them time to upgrade the games...they are quickly porting them over to the Xbox to appease us the consumers. I for one would wait for a game if they were going to do some really cool stuff (aka GTA3 for example). I will be sticking with my Xbox for the 5.1 sound, Online gaming (soon), and very good DVD support. Hope this helped you out in deciding.

 

[BrianB]

They have already confirmed this, just haven't given it a date yet.

Show me a confirmation that isn't based on the Feb 2001 press release.

 

[Romier S]

The Sims is a incredible best seller. But you know what the game isn't that great.

Dont say that to my wife! She would strangle you. I have to fight to get on my computer at times.