Tag Archives: Xbox Live

First Fallout: New Vegas DLC revealed

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Bethesda has announced the first DLC pack for Fallout: New Vegas, and bad news PlayStation 3 and PC gamers, its Xbox 360 exclusive as the company announced previously.

The new content, titled Dead Money, has the following back-story:

“As the victim of a raw deal you must work alongside three other captured wastelanders to recover the legendary treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino. In Dead Money, your life hangs in the balance as you face new terrain, foes, and choices. It is up to you how you play your cards in the quest to survive.”

Given the open nature of Fallout: New Vegas ‘how you play your cards right’ could even mean ‘shoot those other wastelanders in the face.’

Of course, VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda Softworks Peter Hines has spoken positively of the upcoming DLC for Fallout: New Vegas.

“We’re pleased to give fans a chance to expand their experience in Fallout: New Vegas this December with Dead Money.”

“The release of Dead Money illustrates our commitment to creating entertaining add-on content for players to enjoy in already massive games like Fallout: New Vegas.”

The Dead Money DLC will be available on Xbox Live from December 21st for 800 Microsoft points. It’s not yet know whether this Fallout: New Vegas DLC is purely exclusive to the Xbox 360, or will become available to other systems at a later date.

Fallout: New Vegas was released in October, received generally positive reviews and topped the UK games chart.  It’s still selling strongly, and remains inside the top ten this week. Fallout: New Vegas has also seen a large number of bugs and has been patched since release.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Dead Money DLC? If you played Fallout: New Vegas on an Xbox 360, will you buy it? Or are you content to explore the Mojave wastes without paying extra money? Maybe you’re already done with New Vegas? And  PlayStation 3 and PC owners, how do you feel about Bethesda’s decision to make Fallout: New Vegas DLC Xbox 360 exclusive?

You can leave your thoughts about the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Microsoft announce Xbox Live price increase

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Microsoft has confirmed that subscription prices for Xbox Live will be going up from November 1st.  The price increase for Xbox Live was confirmed by Major Nelson in a blog titled Price change for Xbox LIVE Gold subscription

The good news (sort of) for UK Xbox Live subscribers is that the price will only be increasing if you pay for your Xbox Live membership on a monthly basis. Does anyone actually pay for Xbox Live every month?

From November 1st, Xbox Live members who buy pay buy their Xbox Live Gold subscriptions monthly will see the price increase from £4.99 a month to £5.99 a month. That’s a whole £1 people. Does anyone actually pay for their Xbox Live membership on a monthly basis?

The good news for every other Xbox Live subscriber in the UK is that Xbox Live membership costs for 3 month Live subscriptions and yearly subscriptions won’t be changing and remain unchanged.

If you’re an Xbox Live subscriber in the United States, you’ll see the biggest price rises with monthly Xbox Live subscription costs rising from $7.99 to $9.99, Three month Xbox Live Gold membership fees rising from $19.99 to $24.99, while the yearly cost for Xbox Live Gold membership goes up from $49.99 to $59.99.

The increase in Xbox Live  Gold membership fees is the first price increase since Xbox Live was introduced onto the original Xbox all the way back in 2002.

So Train2Game students, how do you feel about the increase in price of a subscription to Xbox Live? If you’re paying a monthly fee, will this encourage you to pay for a yearly membership? Or do you think this is a money making ploy by Microsoft?

Could it push you towards the free PlayStation Network?

Leave your thoughts about the increase in Xbox Live subscription costs here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Xbox Live & PSN the ‘perfect platform’ for risky games

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The PlayStation Network and Xbox Live are the ideal platforms for publishing creative or risky games, according to Another World creator Eric Chahi.  Speaking  to GamesIndustry.biz about the decision to release upcoming game Project Dust by digital means only, he said:

“There’s no distribution or retail to worry about – no manufacture or production costs, so it’s less risky for a publisher to sign an original game. I think it’s the perfect platform for this kind of game that’s not really mainstream.”

Chaci also added that the lower price of digitally distributed games is also an advantage “At retail games are more expensive, whereas on XBLA and PSN they’re cheaper, so you can reach more people.”

Recent Indie hits such as Joe Danger and Limbo seem to support the theory that the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live are great platforms for smaller developers – like Train2Game students – to publish games. This is even if a recent report suggests that most games are bought on discs.

So Train2Game, do you think it releasing a game on the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live is the way forward? Or are you looking at other ways to publish games? Also, what do you think of Project Dust? The trailer is below.

As usual, leave your thoughts here or on the Train2Game forums.

Jackson estate forces changes to ‘Dancing Zombie’

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RIP Dancing Zombie...again.

The Michael Jackson inspired Dancing Zombie is to be pulled from the delightful Plants vs. Zombies.

Popcap told MTV that the move comes after a request made by lawyers representing the late King of Pop.

“The Estate of Michael Jackson objected to our use of the ‘dancing zombie’ in Plants vs. Zombies based on its view that the zombie too closely resembled Michael Jackson.

After receiving this objection, PopCap made a business decision to retire the original ‘dancing zombie’ and replace it with a different ‘dancing zombie’ character for future builds of Plants vs. Zombies on all platforms. The phase-out and replacement process is underway.”

Interestingly, Dancing Zombie’s character description says “Any resemblance between Dancing Zombie and persons living or dead is purely coincidental”

Plants vs. Zombies was released on the PC in May 2009 – two months before Michael Jackson’s death – and reached the iPhone earlier this year. The tower defence game will hit Xbox Live in September.

Dancing Zombie will be ditching the ‘Thriller’ look in favour of a disco inspired outfit. What are the odds on influence from Disco Stu?

So, Train2Game universe, what do you think of the move? Do you think the Jackson estate was justified to call for Dancing Zombie to be changed? Or is it a mountain out of a molehill? And here’s an interesting one, what would you do if your independent title was threatened with legal action for one reason or another? Is it something you’ve even considered?

As usual, leave your comments here or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game’s 2nd Webinar Part Five

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In Part 5 of the 2nd Train2Game Webinar, the panel continue to discuss about the merits of tarting off on your own… The panel also address how you can get your name out in the industry, why paid internship is the best way to get experience and how transferable the skills Train2Game teaches you are in other industries?

Key quotes include

Pete Hickman on the advantages independent developers have – “It’s all being driven by a strong e-distribution business. We’ve got Xbox Live, PSN, we’ve got the Nintendo equivalent, we’ve also got Steam on PC and Macintosh, which provides a great platform for people to distribute their independent games and hopefully that continues.”

Tony Bickley on preparing for the UK video games job market – “Be the best you can, stick out beyond the crowd, don’t be despondent…Think “the better I am, the higher my skill sets are, I’m going to be in the best place to get the job”

Digital distribution – The Train2Game students best friend?

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Digital and pre-owned games constituted one third of the United States market last year, with US consumers spending over $4.5 billion dollars on them according to research by the NPD Group.

It wasn’t so long ago that discs, or cartridges, were the only way for the consumer to purchase a video game. But thanks to the wonders of the internet, it’s now so easy to buy games without even leaving the house.

Of course, there’s the standard online shopping which allows consumers to buy the latest Call of Duty or FIFA through just a few clicks, but even then they’ll have to wait a few days for the postman to deliver what they want. So the gamer might be happy about not having to leave the house – because let’s face it, if we can avoid moving we will – but less pleased about not instantly receiving the game.

Digital downloads almost entirely bypass this issue. When purchasing a game, then downloading it, the consumer doesn’t have to wait long at all before they can play it. Of course, Train2Game has previously examined the discs vs. digital debate, but over the weekend I saw for myself just how easy it is for us download games – games that we may have had no intention of actually buying in the first place!

I like to relax – if relaxing can be defined as bellowing instructions to teammates down a microphone – by playing Team Fortress 2. Now, in order to play Team Fortress 2 I need to log into Steam, Valve’s content delivery system. When I logged in, a special offer popped up saying the Mass Effect games were on offer over the weekend only, with a whopping 75% off the RRP. Having never played a Mass Effect game, and having heard how great they are, I decided to buy the first Mass Effect title for the grand total of £3.24. If I could have afforded to, I would have bought Mass Effect 2 for £12.99 too.

So, having signed into Steam to play Team Fortress 2, I find that I’ve parted with my hard earned cash and soon have a shiny digital copy of Mass Effect installed on my hard drive.

This is why digital downloads are ever-increasing their share of the consumer games market – it’s just so easy to download a game! The thought of buying Mass Effect hadn’t even crossed my mind before I logged into Steam on Sunday afternoon, but a few hours later the game had been added to my collection.

Of course, the knock down price played a massive part in my decision to make the purchase – which is probably why pre-owned games are doing so well too – but the fact is I parted with my cash and bought a game that is two years old through digital distribution.

Train2Game students should take heed of how powerful the digital market has become in recent years, and strive to take advantage of it. A Games Developer, Games Designer and Games Artist & Animator can get together and make a game yes, but ultimately in order to become successful in the industry their creations will have to sell. For Train2Game graduates just starting out in the industry, digital distribution would be by far the easiest way to do this, be it through a standard PC download, Steam, the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live.

There’s a consumer market out there, who with the right incentives will buy new games at the drop of a hat. What will you do to market yours? As usual, freel free to leave your comments here or on the Train2Game forum.

Discs vs Digital

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Digital distribution of games might be becoming more popular, especially on PC, but according to Sony, “Disc based content is still very much what the consumer is used to and wants”

Speaking to the PlayStation blog about content delivery, SCEE President Andrew House acknowledged that while discs are still popular, improved technology is making digital downloads an increasingly attractive option.

“There has been a change in attitude and technology that is making digital delivery far more feasible and far more attractive. It is our job to ensure that consumers have the choice between the two where possible.

How this area will evolve, I can’t really say at this time, as we are relying on many things outside of our control, such as broadband speeds. Things are changing quickly and we have to make sure we are ready for those changes.”

So while discs remain the dominant force on consoles for now, it appears Sony will be keeping a close eye on how the ability to distribute digital content delivers in future. Indeed, only this week it was revealed that the PSP2 could be a download content only device.

However, at this moment in time it seems farfetched that a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 could become completely download only. Industry analyst Michael Pachter even goes so far to say that there’s “No chance in hell” of this happening, and explained:

“PCs are probably about 95% connected to the internet but my guess is with the Xbox 360, it’s maybe two-thirds, with the PS3 it might be as high as 85%. And with the Wii my guess is it’s below 50% but probably closer to 35%, so it’s all the guys that are NOT connected that are going to keep games from ever being mandate downloadable.”

He raises a good point. Perhaps the PC market could become a fully digital industry at some point in future just due to the very nature of how a computer works. A brand new PC has a massive hard drive and this can easily be upgraded as time goes on in order to store more content. Consoles on the other hand have limited space. What would happen to a game that needed to be uninstalled to make room for a new one?

It’s this question that’s one of the main reasons that I personally prefer to buy my games on discs. I can access them any time I want just by picking them up off the shelf. It’d be an incredible hassle to constantly have to re-install older games I may want to go back to.

Of course, both the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live allow you to download smaller independent games – one a Train2Game student could develop – but even this can take a long time. It could therefore take most of a day to download and install, say a digital version of Red Dead Redemption onto a console.

Yes, I occasionally use digital distribution through Steam to download PC games, but at the end of the day, I still prefer to have physical copies available on my shelf not only for me to pick up and play whenever I want to, but also just to sit there and look nice in exactly the same way books or DVD’s would.

Digital distribution does have advantages, a cheaper price for the consumer and an easier way for an aspiring Games Developer, Games Designer or Games Artist to get their work out to the market. But personally, I believe that discs will be around for a long time yet.

How about you? Do you prefer to buy games as a physical disc in your hand? Or as a digital download? How do you think this will develop in future?