VentureBeat » Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon

Yep, already a preorder deal on Battlefield 4: premium expansion + $12 off

Dealzon — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:50:38 +0000

This sponsored post is produced by Dealzon.

Hot on the heels of the Battlefield 4 gameplay trailer (and all the glorious screenshots from the Frostbite 3 engine), DICE/EA has announced all preorders of BF4 will receive the Premium Expansion Pack, making it a juicy incentive for fans of the franchise.

To whet your appetite even more, GameFly is offering a 20% off coupon for Battlefield 4, making the game only $48 for PC download. No fuss or mess – just enter the coupon and get $12 off. (Note: You can only use the coupon once per account, so pick your poison wisely).

Android gamers will want to look into this week’s Humble Mobile Bundle, which includes excellent titles such as Plant vs. Zombies and Anomaly Korea. Pay more than the current average of $5.51 and you’ll also get the classic arcade game Metal Slug 3.

Hot deals & recent releases

Q4 2013 release Battlefield 4 (PC Download) — $47.99 at GameFly after coupon. Includes Premium Expansion Pack. U.S. only, sorry everyone else. Console gamers can probably expect a deal from NewEgg in the near future.

Last Sunday’s release: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Nintendo 3DS) — $33.24 plus $0.99 shipping at Kmart. Great sequel to the “classic” GameCube game Luigi’s Mansion. Can you believe that was a decade ago? #oldfart

Last Tuesday’s release: BioShock Infinite (PC Download) — $46.49 at GamesRocket. Straight up discount from this Germany-based retailer. UK/Euro residents should get from GMG which is at £23.99.

April 2: Defiance (PC Download) — $45 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Defiance is promising a “groundbreaking” interactive experience by blending the SyFy show with the shooter MMO. Magic 8 Ball says: Cannot predict now, ask again later.

April 26: Star Trek (PC Download) — $40 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. A Star Trek game based on the movie? Given the paucity of good Star Trek games (Bridge Commander, perhaps?), we’re not holding our breath.

PC download deals

Borderlands 2 (PC Download) — $20.38 at GamersGate. Not the lowest ever for BL2, but it’s close at a few dollars more. Good price for the Steam-activated version.

Saints Row: The Third The Full Package (PC Download) — $13.60 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Sigh. Every time we spot a THQ game, we get a little bit sad inside.

Prototype 2 (PC Download) — $10.49 at GamesRocket. Another decent deal from GamesRocket, making the lowest price we’ve seen so far. The Steam activation code is sent via email.

Darksiders + Red Faction: Armageddon (PC Download) — $1 at HumbleBundle. The dollar’s looking pretty strong when you can buy two games for a buck. This week’s HumbleBundle is an appealing “pay-what-you-want” system with a minimum of $1. If you beat the average price ($6.73 at the time of writing), you’ll also get two other games: Darksiders II and Red Faction: Guerilla. Just buying Darksiders and Red Faction: Armageddon separately at their lowest prices elsewhere would cost $37.

360, PS3, and Wii U deals

Dishonored (Xbox 360, PS3) — $29.99 at Amazon. Not best ever, but a good price for this excellent Steampunk-themed stealth-ish FPS.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Wii U) — $29.99 at NewEgg. The 360 and PS3 versions are also on sale for $19.99 and $24.99, respectively. Metacritic scores of 80%+ for all platforms.

Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Trilogy (PS3) — $22.99 at Groupon. Yes, your eyes have not deceived you – Groupon sells video games in addition to their yet-another-spa-treatment offers. The trilogy includes Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Next best is $40 at Best Buy.

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days (Xbox 360, PS3) — $5.99 at NewEgg. Hard to believe a popular Xbox 360/PS3 title is only six bucks with free shipping. Reviews are mixed, but one of the main complaints about this FPS is the shaky-cam, which can be turned off in the Options menu. Next best price online is $13 at Amazon, but most retailers are $20+.

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Filed under: Games

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GamesBeat weekly roundup: EA CEO out, SimCity could have been offline, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm review

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:04:15 +0000

If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, John Riccitiello steps down as Electronic Art’s CEO, Pixar employees start their own game studio on the side, and Valve opens an early-access game portal on Steam.

You’ll also find reviews for Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and Gears of War: Judgment as well as a preview for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

News:

Mobile News:

Reviews:

Previews:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows fights like Devil May Cry (preview)

Pieces of Flair:

Filed under: Games

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon rebels against portability (review)

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:00:15 +0000

Luigi has the worst luck imaginable. Twelve years after he escaped from a ghost-filled mansion, he finds himself stuck in a fog-covered valley full of haunted houses! To make things worse, all the spirits in the area are way more aggressive than they’ve ever been, and only Luigi can locate the five shattered pieces of the magical Dark Moon that keeps them at bay. Well, the odd Professor E. Gadd insists Luigi is the only one who can help, anyway.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is the first Luigi-centric game since the original came out on the GameCube in 2001. It carries on some of the best aspects of its predecessor while dedicating itself to more puzzle-driven level design and far fewer references to the Super Mario Bros. Mushroom Kingdom. The writing is just as irreverently clever, and the world so much more personalized for Luigi, that Dark Moon feels more like a fresh take on the franchise and not a sequel to the first game.

While Dark Moon definitely succeeds in setting itself apart from the original Luigi’s Mansion, its gameplay cries out for a dual-analog control scheme that it sadly doesn’t get on the 3DS. The result is a sometimes frustrating ghost-hunting experience made more complicated if you try to play with 3D enabled.

What you’ll like

All about Luigi

Even though Dark Moon is the second Luigi’s Mansion, it is the first where the protagonist really feels like he’s standing on his own. This time, Luigi isn’t searching for Mario, he isn’t constantly bombarded with poison mushrooms, and he’s practically kidnapped by E. Gadd to fight ghosts. Terrified and mostly alone, he sets out to pacify a entire valley full of haunted houses.

It’s wonderful seeing Luigi fall so easily into a storyline that doesn’t need Mario or Princess Peach to motivate it. In Dark Moon, Luigi is fighting for himself and has to power through his fear of ghosts to succeed. While trying to save himself, he’s also inadvertently saving the world from aggressive spirits, so he still ends up a hero.

Puzzle-solving

Ghosts sure do like to make things complicated for Luigi as he searches for pieces of the shattered Dark Moon. You’ll have to search every rug, painting, and web-covered ball to make your way through the five spooky locations in the game. You learn puzzle mechanics through simple, straightforward scenarios, but solving later puzzles requires you to remember every sneaky solution you’ve ever discovered in order to progress.

Because of that, Dark Moon is a satisfying brainteaser that pushes you to try crazy combinations in the hope that maybe setting a stretchy piece of spiderweb over to an open flame just might clear the path. The game won’t penalize you for trying, so why not run with it?

Streamlined ghost-busting

The original Luigi’s Mansion had a lot of great ideas, but it suffered from trying to merge too many elements at once. Dark Moon takes the best concepts from the first game (like vacuum-based ghost trapping and oodles of hidden money) and sprinkles in better weapons and tools. Luigi now has the Poltergust 5000 at his disposal, an even stronger capture unit that can find objects ghosts that are trying to hide and delicately pluck cobwebs off suits of armor.

Luigi no longer has to worry about mushrooms slowing him down. Dark Moon puts more emphasis on skillfully dodging ghosts and timing your attacks than limiting Luigi’s power to fight back.

Dark Moon also supports local and online multiplayer. Now you can play through several ghost-busting challenges in the “Scare Scraper” with your friends, like fighting floor after floor of baddies or running around trying to find hidden ghost dogs. Setting up multiplayer matches is relatively easy, but you’ll need to play through part of the first mansion before you can use it.

What you won’t like

Tilt aiming and uncomfortable controls

Nothing pairs better with a touchy 3D screen like tilt controls, am I right? You don’t have to move your 3DS to aim Luigi’s Poltergust 5000, but you’ll definitely want to after trying to trying to look up and down with the X and B buttons while holding down the right bumper to suck in ghosts. Dark Moon is simply begging for Circle Pad Pro support, something Nintendo did not include. It’s not like that would have helped me anyway; I played this game on a 3DS XL.

You cannot turn off the tilt action, nor can you remap the 3DS buttons to make combat less painful.

Claustrophobic combat

Dark Moon means well by putting more emphasis on player skill than restricting Luigi through status-effect items, but levels sometimes feel too cluttered or too precariously constructed for you to avoid ghost attacks efficiently. Since the game rates your level performance based on how much damage you take as you fight, the tricky combat often leaves you very wounded as you fumble with the Poltergust.

While I like that many of the boss fights in Dark Moon require you to think on your feet and solve puzzles while you’re avoiding obstacles, it is incredibly frustrating to find yourself stuck in a corner or pinned by a fallen piece of flooring thanks to the limited screen real estate on the 3DS. Much of the claustrophobic feeling definitely comes from the fact that level designs are much smaller in scope than the original game thanks to hardware limitations.

It’s still very playable, but you are frustratingly aware that you’re playing a handheld sequel to a console game. I think canning the 3DS idea and moving Dark Moon to Wii U would have addressed practically all my complaints.

Conclusion

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is a puzzle-rich wonderland full of irreverent humor and clever level design, but it cannot overcome the 3DS’s limitations. Tilt controls and the lack of a second analog stick really tarnishes an otherwise amazing game. I really, truly wanted to love Dark Moon unconditionally as it freshens up the Luigi’s Mansion concept and depicts its protagonist as truly acting on his own for the first time, but playing it is extremely frustrating at times.

Dark Moon is still incredibly fun, but you have to approach it realizing that the controls aren’t what they should be. I’d almost take aiming the Poltergust with the stylus over the awkward way Nintendo implemented aiming here, but that would make the game just as unwieldy as Kid Icarus: Uprising’s use of the touchscreen for movement. Uprising’s biggest problem, though, was that it did support the extra circle pad but only to change which thumb used the 3DS’ built-in analog nub.

What saves Luigi’s Mansion is that it isn’t Kid Icarus: Uprising, but it’s still a bit disappointing.

Score: 80/100

Luigi’s Mansion is a 3DS exclusive that released on March 24, 2013. Nintendo provided an eShop code for this review.

Filed under: Games

If Luigi had a dating site profile

Mike Minotti — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:30:54 +0000

Welcome to another edition of Extra Hearts, GamesBeat’s dating site made especially for video game characters. We’re celebrating the Year of Luigi by looking at the green-clad plumber’s profile. Will the famous brother find a special someone, or is he doomed to stay second best in all things, including love? Let’s find out.

Likes: My bottom bunk (where I’m repeatedly told is where I belong). Silver medals. Clay Aiken.

Dislikes: Ghosts, darkness, and those third-party controllers I’m always stuck with when playing Mario Party.

Our first date: Whatever you’d like to do. I’d rather not make any decisions.

My best feature: I can jump slightly higher than Mario.

Most interesting thing about me: I went through a bizarre growth spurt in 1986.

You should message me if: You aren’t already in love with my brother.

Comments:

More Profiles:

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat weekly roundup: Luigi turns 30, and Obama says we need more gamers

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:07:41 +0000

If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, World of Warplanes developer Wargaming bought Gas Powered Games, Nintendo announced a bunch of new content focused on Luigi as the company celebrates his 30th birthday, and both House of Representatives Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Barack Obama defended video games.

You’ll also find a review of Aliens: Colonial Marines and previews for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Darkstalkers Resurrection.

News:

Mobile News:

Reviews:

Aliens: Colonial Marines isn’t the Aliens sequel you wanted (review)

Previews:

Interviews:

Pieces of Flair:

Filed under: Games

Celebrate Valentine’s Day the gaming way

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:13:26 +0000

Valentine’s Day is never complete without a wealth of punny sayings. Unsurprisingly, the video game industry provides ample material for an endless fountain of clever and downright groan-worthy Valentine greetings you can share with the gamers in your life.

Here’s a look at cards we’ve received from various companies this year, some of which are a little unsettling. Nothing says love quite like throwing a brick at someone, right?

Sly Cooper’s Carmelita Fox’s Love Connection:

Be sure to check out GamesBeat writer Mike Minotti’s original gaming Valentines while you’re at it.

Filed under: Games

Here is the entire Luigi-loving Nintendo Direct video presentation

Jeffrey Grubb — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:24:13 +0000

Mario is (in the vernacular of The Black Eyed Peas) so two-thousand-and-late. Luigi is the hip character Nintendo needs to revitalize its software lineup … I guess.

The hardware giant held one of its streaming Nintendo Direct shows today. The company often announces new software and additional details about upcoming games in these broadcasts, and today was no different.

We’ve embedded the full presentation below in case you missed it:

Nintendo is trying to come out strong in support of its handheld only a few weeks after it did the same for the Wii U.

Here are all of the announcements broken out of the video:

Filed under: Games

You forgot Luigi’s birthday (again), but this one’s a 30-year milestone

Stephanie Carmichael — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:00:44 +0000

Luigi’s turning 30 this year, which is well past the “oh, look at the cute baby plumber” stage. But Princess Peach forgot to bake him a cake, and you neglected to get him a gift … again.

Shame on you! We remembered his birthday. Well, actually, DePaul University in Chicago told us (but don’t tell Luigi that).

Even after 30 years, says assistant professor of game development and interactive media Jose Zagal, he’s still “player two” — the Robin to Mario’s Batman.

“Though Robin was young and inexperienced, he was portrayed as competent and even somewhat cool,” said Zagal, who works at the university’s College of Computing and Digital Media and authored The Videogame Ethics Reader. “Luigi, however, is often portrayed at best as a clone of Mario and, at worst, the more cowardly brother who still pulls through in the end.”

Luigi made his debut in 1983, two years after Mario appeared as a carpenter in the original Donkey Kong. While Mario has taken on many roles — doctor, teacher, and all-around unlicensed professional (he can’t be that talented) — Luigi’s just … Luigi.

“Due to technical constraints of the era, the color of overalls was the best means to tell the characters apart,” said Zagal. “Luigi started as a simple palette swap of the Mario character and has continued to live in Mario’s shadow.”

Life’s not all bad for the green-clothed Italian. He has starred in two of his own titles: the unpopular educational game Mario Is Missing! (although that’s still kind of about Mario) and Luigi’s Mansion for the Nintendo GameCube, which is getting a sequel this year for the 3DS called Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon.

That’s still crumbs compared to the fame Mario has achieved, which makes Luigi ever the underdog. Perhaps that’s why Zagal thinks we should appreciate him a bit more.

“Luigi’s cowardice makes him more relatable and interesting as a character,” said Zagal. “As a player that makes him a better partner; he’s a reluctant hero, and it’s thanks to the player that he can — temporarily — overcome that. Heroes need to be human, and Luigi has more of that than Mario.”

DePaul University might have marked their calendars early, but we at least tried to show our appreciation for Luigi in some small way. Below is a (non-comprehensive) gallery of his design changes through the years — kind of like a photo book. That’s our present to the poor, unloved brother. Maybe you could at least send him a card?

Filed under: Games

Nintendo introduces online multiplayer to the new Luigi’s Mansion

Jeffrey Grubb — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:23:23 +0000

Bustin’ makes Luigi feel good. At least I hope it does, because he’d gonna do it with up to three other people at the same time in his new game.

Nintendo announced today that Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, the ghost-vacuuming puzzle platformer due out March 24 for the 3DS, features a new multiplayer mode.

Up to four players (all as different colored Luigis) can tackle the “ScareScraper” building in “Hunter Mode.” Naturally, specters and ghouls haunt this tower by the dozens, which means it’s up to gamers to clear each floor. Teamwork is a must if players want to make it to the top – besides, Luigi isn’t really the lone-wolf type. A boss fight awaits the Luigis at the top of the tower.

This sounds a lot like “Baby’s First Horde Mode.”

The multiplayer works both locally and online. The local mode allows for limited “download play” functionality — the 3DS feature that allows multiple 3DSes to play a game off of a single cartridge.

We’ll have more on Luigi’s Mansion as we move closer to its release. This is one of the bigger exclusives for the Nintendo handheld.

Filed under: Games

Nintendo announces 2012 handheld gaming lineup: Professor Layton, Paper Mario, and more

Sam Barsanti — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:35:16 +0000

If you’ve been looking for something to do with your 3DS other than play old Game Boy ports, Nintendo has just revealed a partial list of the year’s upcoming handheld games, and things are looking good for the portable market.

The notable games start coming next week, with New Super Mario Bros. 2 on August 19, but most of the list won’t be available until October. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, which will feature free downloadable puzzles every day for a year, will be in stores on October 28, and Ubisoft’s “much beloved” Imagine Babyz series will come to the 3DS a few days earlier on October 23.

The next month will see a few more big names, with Paper Mario: Sticker Star (and the explicitly two-dimensional Paper Mario’s first appearance on the explicitly three-dimensional handheld) on November 11 and Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (inspired by the Sega Genesis classic Castle of Illusion) coming on November 18.

If slightly more-nebulous release dates are more your speed, Angry Birds Trilogy will be in stores at some point in October, while Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! (based on the hit cartoon) and Lego The Lord of the Rings (based on the hit toys based on the hit movies) are scheduled simply for “Fall.”

Of course, if you have yet to upgrade to the 3DS (or you’re a big fan of backward compatibility), Pokémon Black and White Version 2 will be available on October 7. There will also be plain DS version of Adventure Time and Lego The Lord of the Rings.

Notably absent is Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, the sequel to one of the GameCube’s best games, which has been pushed back to early 2013.

The full (partial) list can be seen below:

Nintendo 3DS

Angry Birds Trilogy October
Bratz: Fashion Boutique October
Lalaloopsy: Carnival of Friends October
Moshi Monsters Moshlings Theme Park October
Skylanders Giants Oct. 21
Transformers Prime Oct. 30
The Trash Pack October
Wipeout 3 October
Wreck It Ralph October
Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward Oct. 23
Code of Princess Oct. 9
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game Nov. 20
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! Fall
Ben 10: Omniverse Fall
Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Nov. 18
Disney·Pixar Finding Nemo September
Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure September
FIFA 13 September
Hotel Transylvania Sept. 18
Hello Kitty Picnic October
50 Classic Games October
American Mensa Academy October
Junior Classic Games October
Jett Tailfin November
Harvest Moon: A New Beginning Q4
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Aug. 19
Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! Oct. 1
Crosswords Plus Oct. 1
Style Savvy: Trendsetters Oct. 22
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Oct. 28
Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! Nov. 5
Paper Mario: Sticker Star Nov. 11
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed Nov. 20
Chevrolet Camaro Wild Ride August
Old Skool Classics September
Word Wizard 3D September
Classic Games Overload: Card and Puzzle Edition November
Rayman Origins Q3
ImagineBabyz Oct. 23
Imagine Fashion Life Oct. 23
Petz Countryside Nov. 6
Rabbids Rumble Holiday
Lego The Lord of the Rings Fall
SpyHunter Fall
Scribblenauts Unlimited Holiday
Unchained Blades Summer

Nintendo eShop

Vector Racing Aug. 23
Fractured Soul Q3
Speed X Q4
Gradius Q4
Mystical Ninja starring Goemon Q3
Cave Story Q3
Nightsky Q4
Pokémon Dream Radar Oct. 7
Sparkle Snapshots 3D Oct. 18
Pokédex 3D Pro Nov. 8
Fluidity: Spin Cycle Q4
Wario Land II Q4
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Q4
Spirit Hunters Inc. Q4
Crazy Chicken: Pirates 3D Aug. 16
Johnny Impossible Q3
Unchained Blades Q3

Nintendo DS

Nickelodeon Bubble Guppies Nov. 1
Nickelodeon Dora & Team Umizoomi: Fantastic Flight Nov. 1
Transformers Prime Oct. 30
Bratz: Fashion Boutique October
Lalaloopsy: Carnival of Friends October
Moshi Monsters Moshlings Theme Park October
The Trash Pack October
Wreck It Ralph October
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game Nov. 20
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! Fall
Ben 10: Omniverse Fall
Victorious: Taking the Lead Fall
Winx Club: Magical Fairy Party Fall
Big Time Rush Nov. 6
Hotel Transylvania Sept. 18
Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze Nov. 13
Thundercats Sept. 25
Pokémon Black Version 2 Oct. 7
Pokémon White Version 2 Oct. 7
I Spy Game Pack September
Smart Games for Kids September
Puzzle Overload October
Lego The Lord of the Rings Fall

Filed under: Games

Nintendo’s E3 2012: Reactions show hardcore gamers lost faith in Wii U (graph)

Andrew Hiscock — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:10:40 +0000

NeoGAF, one of the Internet’s most popular video game message boards, received over 16,000 posts during the three major Electronic Entertainment Expo press conferences. Now that E3 is over, we can take a look back at how these hardcore gamers reacted and draw interesting conclusions on what they thought of the industry’s biggest trade show of the year.

We’ve already seen how NeoGAF reacted to Microsoft and Sony’s press conferences, but what did the gaming community think of Nintendo’s? The below chart scores the members’ reactions, as posted in real-time:

Click for a full-size version. For a more detailed explanation of how we analyzed this data, please see the explanation at the end of this article.

What NeoGAF liked about the Nintendo press conference

Only three games registered as positive. The forum members received Pikmin 3 very warmly, and they gave it the highest reaction score of the press conference, while New Super Mario Bros. U and Scribblenauts Unlimited received largely positive comments for a very brief amount of time.

Otherwise, NeoGAF absolutely loved Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s legendary game designer, and Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO of Nintendo of America.

The only other item that received a positive score was the announcement that the Wii U will support two GamePad tablet controllers at the same time.

What they didn’t like

NeoGAF reacted poorly to just about everything else. Posters lambasted established franchises such as Paper Mario and New Super Mario Bros. They dismissed revitalized and new intellectual properties such as Luigi’s Mansion and ZombiU, respectively. They outright destroyed any talk of motion-controlled games such as Wii Fit Plus and casual titles like Sing and Just Dance 4.

In fact, after Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged the popular meme “my body is ready” in the 34th minute (which everyone thought was good fun), Nintendo did not generate a positive score for the rest of its morning press conference.

The worst individual minute occurred during the trailer for Sing, reaching a score of -117, which is extraordinary. To put this in perspective, I performed this same study in 2009, and the infamous Wii Vitality Sensor introduction scored only a -80. Sing’s lowest point was the worst E3 2012 press conference moment, beating out even Sony’s Wonderbook (though that scored lower overall due to it being a much longer demo).

Perhaps more interestingly, while the scores for the other conferences went up and down and back up throughout, Nintendo started very strong and then steadily went down from there. One could argue that this was just a result of what they showed and when they showed it. The 6,000+ posts of the NeoGAF thread on Nintendo made it clear that, as the press conference progressed, gamers were becoming increasingly disillusioned by the Wii U. By the end, the majority had lost faith.

This may have major ramifications for Nintendo. The Japanese company lost a big opportunity to court hardcore gamers during this press conference with a console many hoped would engage that very audience. With predicted new console launches next year, Microsoft and Sony could learn valuable lessons from Nintendo’s conference if they want to get core gamers excited.

That could be a big “if.” Video game consoles are much more versatile entertainment devices, engaging a much wider audience. Perhaps, as many members of NeoGAF fear, E3 is not for the hardcore gamer anymore.

Next year’s E3 press conferences should prove very interesting. With the possibility of new game systems, will Microsoft and Sony seek to please hardcore gamers? Or will they continue their momentum in search of more casual audiences?

The most valuable lesson they can learn here: Don’t try to appeal to gamers — as Nintendo repeatedly claimed to do throughout its 70 minutes on stage — and not deliver. As we’ve discovered, hardcore gamers are very hard to impress.

For more on how NeoGAF reacted to the E3 press conferences, check out the Microsoft and Sony studies.

How the scoring works

NeoGAF hosts a single message board thread for each press conference, where dozens of members comment throughout each show. I graded each comment as positive or negative, giving them scores of 1 or -1 respectively. Then I totaled the sum of these reactions for each discrete minute and plotted in the above chart. A high score means that the NeoGAF community liked what they saw; a score close to zero represents mixed reactions; and a low score means that they were not enjoying the show at that moment.

Some notes on how I scored each response:

I made no distinction between really positive or somewhat positive comments — likewise for negative comments. Each was given either a score of 1 or -1.
While I made every effort to understand the various memes and inside jokes that make up a large part of the responses, if I could not understand a response, I would not score it.
In the event that a comment employed obvious sarcasm, I scored it to reflect the original intent of the commentator. If the sarcasm was not clear, I relied on the literal meaning of the comment. Fortunately, the very expressive NeoGAF community rarely employed subtle sarcasm.
When comments included positive and negative observations, I accounted for the more immediate reaction to preserve a more real-time response. An example: “I liked the game that was shown at the beginning of the show, but this game now is bad” would have a negative score.
Many comments weren’t scored as they offered no opinion. These included clarifications, questions, discussions between members unrelated to the press conference, and inquiries into whether one game or another would be shown at a later time.

GamesBeat 2012 is VentureBeat’s fourth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. This year we’re calling on speakers from the hottest mobile, social, PC, and console companies to debate new ways to stay on pace with changing consumer tastes and platforms. Join 500+ execs, investors, analysts, entrepreneurs, and press as we explore the gaming industry’s latest trends and newest monetization opportunities. The event takes place July 10-11 in San Francisco, and you can get your early-bird tickets here.

Filed under: Games

The GamesBeat E3 non-award awards: The least prestigious awards in the industry

GamesBeat staff — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:11:25 +0000

The GamesBeat team has returned from the Electronic Entertainment Expo with minimal casualties. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to change our motto from “leave no man behind” to “leave no more than three men behind in West Hollywood at 3 a.m. and don’t ever talk about this.”

We saw some messed up stuff at the Los Angeles trade show, man. We were horrified to find dudes in 20-year-old Sonic t-shirts, a cubic ton of crossbows, and “We Are Young” by that one band playing on repeat in every booth. It was a lot to deal with. Instead of running to safety, like any well-adjusted human would, we handed out awards to celebrate all of the weird.

Enjoy GamesBeat’s E3 2012 non-award awards:

The Most Charming Booth Babe award: “Jane” from Ubisoft

Oh, Jane. You broke my heart. This hard-working lady laughed at my jokes. She ignored my body odor. Her eyes sparkled every morning when I was waiting for her in the ZombiU booth. Although, I’ve been told that I can’t read facial expressions, so that sparkling could have been her silently screaming for help. No way to know for sure.

I wasn’t the only one to fall under her spell. Jane apparently ensnared one fellow so desperately that he took to posting a Craigslist advertisement to find her. I’ll let this love-sick man explain our affections for Jane: “Maybe it’s your dark, flowing hair, your ready smile, your toned, tan little body, your playful laugh, your personable demeanor, or something that simply can’t be quantified…I don’t know!” Me neither, buddy. -Jeff Grubb

The Biggest Group of Sheep award: Everyone who gathered in a giant crowd to watch a Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 trailer

Activision adorned the front of its gigantic booth with a very, very wide screen. In the middle of this display was a counter, and when it reached zero, all traffic in that area of the show floor would stop and almost a hundred people would stand around to watch a trailer for Black Ops 2. A trailer! They’re at E3! They can play unreleased games, but instead they’re going to watch a trailer! Just go on YouTube when you get home or something! -Mike Minotti

Press conference most likely to get you fired: Ubisoft

If you’re not one of the super-special journalists invited to the major E3 press conferences, chances are you’re watching remotely. This year, each company seemed determined to out do one another with adult themes, and Ubisoft definitely wins. When the infamous Far Cry 3 trailer (you know, the one with the shirtless woman) popped up on-screen I was actually at my other job. Yeah, Ubisoft nearly got me fired. – Jasmine Rea

The Most Overused Motivation Award: Revenge

Game creators used the word “revenge” in the taglines and trailers for a lot of titles this year, including Dishonored (“Revenge solves everything”) and the four player co-op mode for Far Cry 3 (featuring four characters who are looking for…yup, revenge). And then we have Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. I’m not sure exactly what “revengeance” is, but I’m assuming it’s a lot like revenge (which is the cheapest and easiest form of character motivation a writer can possible employ). -Mike Minotti

Coolest Not-Cool Line: “My body was ready” by Reggie Fils-Aime (Nintendo briefing)

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime took an opportunity during this year’s press event to take ownership of his meme-spawning line from E3 2007. During the Wii U maker’s press briefing, Fils-Aime reminded us all that he had uttered that sentence, seemingly in an attempt to reconcile himself with the .gif makers who have been laughing at him for five years. It was an endearing moment of self-deprecation…that the subsequent awkward Wii Fit U video immediately ruined. -Evan Killham

The Brown Nose trophy for the Biggest Flatterer: Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion’s Peter Ong

Peter Ong, director of Epic Mickey: Power of Illusions for the 3DS, was quick to praise my amazing platforming skills during my demo of his 2D side-scroller. Now, I am pretty awesome at video games, so I can’t blame him for being stunned at my incredible ability to bounce off of enemy heads. Still, I guess it is possible he was just buttering me up so I would be kind to his game. Naw, I’m probably just that awesome. -Mike Minotti

The Carpet That Most Felt Like It Was Making Love to Our Feet: Gree

Folks, E3 hurts. You spend three days standing when you’re not walking and walking when you’re not running. Mid-way through day two, your feet experience the kind of sensation that makes you consider amputation as a viable option. But when I happened to cross over the Gree booth on the show floor, it felt like walking on clouds made of whipped cream. I’ve walked barefoot on grassy hills that didn’t feel as wonderful as that amazingly plush, cushy, off-white masterpiece. Seriously. I’ve got hardwood floors in my house. I love having hardwood floors in my house. And I still want whoever put down that flooring to come into my home and carpet everything, including the walls and ceilings. -Rus McLaughlin

The Cutest Piece of E3 Swag: The Neverwinter Dragon Hat
T-shirts. Baseball caps. iPhone cases. PR reps love to hand out promotional swag during E3, but Neverwinter publisher Perfect World Entertainment cranked the “d’awwwww” up to 11 this year with its knit, tasseled dragon hat. I’ve received a lot of compliments on it at work, including, “What the hell is that thing on your head?” and “I need to see you in my office.” -Stefanie Fogel

The Greatest Threat to the Uncanny Valley award: Beyond: Two Souls (PS3)

It’s hard to believe, but real-time facial animations are starting to make games like Mass Effect and L.A. Noire look outdated. The creepy uncanny valley is starting to go away, soon to be replaced by another creepy phenomenon: that game characters are starting to look an awful lot like real people. -Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Most (Literally) Show-Stopping Moment: Wonderbook presentation (PlayStation 3)

I’ve heard from people who were there that Wonderbook will provide hours of entertainment and learning for people far younger than I can remember being. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that impression after Sony’s eight-and-a-half-minute-long demonstration of the augmented-reality platform brought the entire show to a screeching halt. Eight and a half minutes is a long time, especially at a trade show at which Microsoft presented a product that makes watching a movie just one thing you’re doing. -Evan Killham

Stealth? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Stealth award: Assassin’s Creed III

In the Assassin’s Creed III trailer, the newest assassin character Connor, is such an acrobatic combat master that he charges a whole British troop formation in pursuit of a target. Connor charges past the line of bayonets and muskets, hurtling past red coats until he finds the leader to dispatch. In a real playable scene, Connor blows up a gunpowder barrel and then takes out a few soldiers in a frontal assault on the way to a fine assassination as he leaps from a fort structure onto the back of his target. Who needs stealth when you can take out a whole army with one assassin? -Dean Takahashi

Best — or Grossest? — Quote: “Girl wood” by Aisha Tyler

During Ubisoft’s press conference, emcee/actress/comedian Aisha Tyler gave us this gem after seeing some exciting demos: “Let’s play a game entitled ‘How many times Aisha gets girl-wood during this presentation.’ We’re up to two.” There’s plenty more where that came from. -Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Year of the Bow Award for the Most Bows: Ubisoft.

In a year where every game seemed to bring a bow/crossbow to the party, Ubi really pulled out all the stops to take this one home. Assassin’s Creed 3. Far Cry 3. Splinter Cell: Blacklist. ZombiU. For all we know, Just Dance 4 has a move called “The Archer.” Well played, Ubisoft. Well played. -Rus McLaughlin

Longest Applause: The debut of Watch Dogs (multiplatform)

In the 16 years I’ve been attending E3, I’ve never seen a new, non-sequel game get this level of reception after it debuted at a press conference. Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs genuinely wowed the audience with its absolutely stunning modern world with a slight cyberpunk flair, brutal and stylish combat, and hack-everything gameplay. I can’t wait to see more. -Dan “Shoe” Hsu

The You Couldn’t Have Made One of These a Kirby Game or Something? award: Nintendo

Between New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Nintendo isn’t suffering from a dearth of Mario-universe titles. Now, we’re all huge Mario fans, but isn’t this a bit of overkill? Maybe the guys back in Kyoto could tap into the vast library of characters and mix it up a bit with Kirby or the Ice Climbers or something. -Jeff Grubb

The New “Space Marine”: Climbing and stringed weapons

In the recent past, a lot of games were hopping on the space-marine, zombies, or first-person-shooter bandwagons. This year, it’s all about new climbing and scaling moves (Splinter Cell: Blacklist, God of War: Ascension) and bows or crossbows (Tomb Raider, Blacklist). And that’s just a tiny sampling! -Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Best Emotional Rollercoaster: Watch Dogs reveal (multiplatform)

I’m beginning to think that the horrifyingly awkward Ubisoft briefing was all an elaborate plan to keep us confused and off-guard to maximize the impact of the Watch Dogs announcement at the end. There we were, all ready to leave (or turn off the livestream) and wash our hands of this whole ordeal, but Ubisoft had one more thing to show. “Fine,” we thought. “Let’s get this over with.”

And that is when Watch Dogs melted our goddamned faces off.

It didn’t happen immediately; that wouldn’t be enough of a mindjack. What we got first was a reaaaaaallly loooooooooong video about digital footprints and other lines that the Wachowski brothers cut out of The Matrix for being too pretentious. That’s when the awesome gameplay footage started, and we were like, “HOLYSHITTHISISAMAZING,” and we stayed that way until the hero drove off, and the camera pulled back to reveal a second character who had what appeared to be an online handle floating over his head. I don’t remember what happened after that because I was trying to figure out how that gameplay we’d just seen would work in online multiplayer, and what that would mean for everything, that I blacked out for about 10 minutes before waking up in a puddle of Mountain Dew. I hope. -Evan Killham

We’ll Just Go Ahead and Assume It’s the Richest Company: Gree

With a massive E3 booth (complete with a bar right in the middle), a ritzy after-show party with popular mash-up artist Girl Talk as the main attraction, and, of course, a huge hiring spree over the past few months in Silicon Valley, mobile publisher Gree seems to have plenty of moolah to toss around. We’re willing to bet that conversations in its check-writing department typically end with, “Go ahead and add a couple of zeros to the end of that figure.” -Dan “Shoe” Hsu

The Mr. Caffeine Memorial Cup for Special Achievements in Terrible Public Speaking: Toby (Ubisoft)

This cup is given in memory of Mr. Caffeine who spoke so ineloquently at the Ubisoft press briefing in 2011.

Ubisoft had a wonderful E3 press briefing this year, but that was in spite of a man named Toby Turner (or Tobuscus on Youtube). Comedian Aisha Tyler handled the hosting duties for the French publisher’s E3 event, while Toby stood backstage with a camera and made bad joke after bad joke. His banter with Tyler, which was apparently supposed to be playful, seemed to genuinely annoy the host. No one has seen Toby since, and witnesses claim Tyler sprinted away covered in blood. Don’t worry, Aisha, we’re on your side in this. -Jeff Grubb

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Filed under: Games

A trio of Mario games strengthen Nintendo’s 3DS lineup

Mike Minotti — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:13:27 +0000

Gaming hardware and software developer Nintendo showcased upcoming releases for the 3Ds, their newest portable system, during a press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on Wednesday. Three titles featuring Nintendo’s megastar mascot, Mario, and his less heroic brother, Luigi, highlighted the show.

Last year, two Mario games (Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land) sold millions of copies and helped increase sales of the 3DS, which was initially having a hard time finding an audience thanks to a high price ($250) and a lack of software. It looks like Nintendo will continue to count on the portly plumbers for the rest of 2012 with these new releases.

The first of these will be New Super Mario Bros. 2, which gamers will be able to purchase through retail or via digital download on August 19th. This is the first 2D Mario game for the 3DS and a sequel to the Nintendo DS hit. Coins, which Mario and Luigi previously collected throughout their adventures for little more reason than to increase their high score, play a much larger role in this platformer. Nintendo wants players to compete against their friends for the best times and most coins collected in a level (this data will be transferred from system to system with the portable’s Street Pass functionality).

To highlight this new emphasis on money-grabbing greed, Nintendo showed of a new power-up ability called the golden flower. This item allows Mario to shoot projectiles that’ll turn almost any object they touch into coins. The sidescroller will also allow two-player co-op across two systems, with the second player taking control of Luigi.

Next will be Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, the sequel to the GameCube launch title that saw Mario’s little brother vacuuming ghosts in a haunted house. The new game for the 3Ds will feature multiple mansions and will equip the green-clad Italian with a strobe light to stun his ghoulish prey.

Despite the spooky setting, Dark Moon still features plenty of humor. You can see for yourself in the elevator sequence at the end of the trailer posted below.

Dark Moon will be available on November 18.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the first portable edition in Nintendo’s turn-based role-playing series, looks to continue the legacy of whimsy and humor the Paper Mario franchise is known for. Interestingly, the game doesn’t reward players with experience points for winning battles. Instead, you can increase your attributes (like health) by completing quests.

Stickers play a central role, as you could probably guess from the title. Almost every action you take in a battle requires one. You can also use the bottom touchscreen to strategical place stickers and solve puzzles. For example, a crying toad upset over the destruction of his garden will give the player a permanent increase to his health if he places a few flower stickers on the ruined plot of land.

Nintendo told the journalists gathered for their press conference that they will release Paper Mario: Sticker Star this fall.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat E3 Roundup Day 2

Evan Killham — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 04:30:24 +0000

We know how you feel. E3 is in full swing, and you can’t hear yourself think over the non-stop din of news breaking. Who’s going to clean up all of that news, anyway? What if someone cuts himself on a news shard and sues? Don’t worry; it’s taken care of. We’re posting all of GamesBeat’s coverage for each day of E3 in convenient (and lengthy) roundups, and you can keep track of them all by searching for “E3 roundup” in that search bar up there.

Today, Nintendo held the last of E3′s five major press conferences. We got a lot more information about the Wii U hardware and its software lineup, and then the GamesBeat crew descended upon the show floor to get some hands-on time with the biggest games of the show. We also threw in some silly memes, just for fun.

6 awkward moments from the E3 press conferences (videos)

Why Nintendo will have a tough time adding a second gamepad tablet controller to the Wii U

E3 2012: The 5 different games you’ll be playing in Dishonored (preview)

The oddest Nintendo E3 gifs and Photoshops from the Internet

E3 2012: Nintendo’s Wii U: Safe on first, weak on third-party

Dark Souls Prepare to Die edition coming to Steam and with additional content

Capcom shows three playable characters for Resident Evil 6 (hands-on preview)

Ni No Kuni gets an official launch date and new enemy reveal

Capcom remakes hack-slash-shoot-grapple formula with upcoming DmC: Devil May Cry (hands-on preview)

Dragon Ball Z Kinect lets you fight like Saiyan in the privacy of your living room

Tekken Tag 2 wants you to be a better fighting game player

The Wii U game from the Bayonetta developer that Nintendo didn’t show during its E3 event

Aisha Tyler: Ubisoft’s meme machine

Nintendo Land brings asymmetrical multiplayer to Wii U

Nintendo details 3DS Mario titles, Luigi’s Mansion, and third-party games

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition utilizes Wii U’s GamePad screen

Nintendo bets big on “asymmetric” tablet-based gameplay — one player against several

Zombify your face with ZombiU for the Wii U

Brag to the Miiverse and take on new modes in New Super Mario Bros. U

Wii Fit U will make you sweatier, livelier, and happier

Nintendo confirms 23 games at E3, video streaming, and more for Wii U

First look at action-strategy game Pikmin 3 (gallery)

Social networking comes to Wii U, Miiverse will interface with PCs and phones

From the creator of Portal, Quantum Conundrum caters to physics-based puzzle gamers (hands-on preview)

Sleeping Dogs turns Hong Kong crime movies into a video game (hands-on preview)

Nyko’s Free Fighter arcade fight stick is southpaw-friendly (gallery)

4 ways developers will use SmartGlass to enhance Xbox 360 experiences

Silly memes inspired by Sony’s E3 press event

Filed under: Games

Nintendo details 3DS Mario titles, Luigi’s Mansion, and third-party games

Jeffrey Grubb — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 17:20:23 +0000

Nintendo took a few minutes during its Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event in Los Angeles, Calif. to talk about 3DS games. The Kyoto-based company showed new gameplay for New Super Mario Bros. 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. Additionally, the company introduced a handful of high-profile, third-party software that will hit the 3DS in the coming months.

Scott Moffitt, a Nintendo executive vice president, didn’t speak at great length about any of the games, but he announced a extended look at all of the software that will broadcast from Nintendo’s E3 website on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PDT.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
August 19

This handheld platformer is wholly separate from the Wii U’s New Super Mario Bros. U that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime showed during the Wii U presentation. This version focuses on collecting gold coins. Throughout the video, Mario and his enemies were turning into gold. Powerups included a golden (surprise) Fire Flower that produces powerful fireballs, a blockhead that spits out coins while Mario wears it, and the return of the Super Mario Bros. 3 raccoon tail.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Holiday 2012

Super Mario’s role-playing game series is returning with a new strategic “sticker” mechanic. Stickers will be placed around the world. Mario can peel them off and collect them to use as battle commands. The decals appear to be limited use and include jump commands, fire power, and the hammer attack from Donkey Kong. Paper Mario will be available at retail and in Nintendo’s 3DS eShop this holiday.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
Holiday 2012

Mario’s often neglected little brother, Luigi, returns to the starring role he first held in Luigi’s Mansion for the GameCube. This adventure title pits Luigi against the things that go bump in the night as he tries to solve puzzles and trap ghouls. Dark Moon will feature multiple mansions for Mario’s frightened sibling to explore and a heavier emphasis on catching ghosts with the vacuum.

Nintendo also showed a quick montage of third-party software that will be further detailed on its webcast tomorrow.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate
Disney’s Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Castlevania is a 3D-looking side-scrolling adventure set in the same world as the recent console games. Epic Mickey is also a side-scroller that channels the feel of the classic Sega Genesis titles. Scribblenauts Unlimited is the sequel to the Nintendo DS titles that allowed users to create almost anything simply by writing the word. Kingdom Hearts 3D is the return of the RPG collaboration between SquareEnix and Disney.

Filed under: Games