April 2010

METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER Scored Full Marks in Famitsu. Should We Believe That?

METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER Scored Full Marks in Famitsu. Should We Believe That?
We've got a submission, here it is.

"METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER, launching on April 29, scored full marks 40 in Famitsu's Cross Review. That's the first PSP game scored 40. MGS4 on PS3 also scored 40 last time. Any relation?" (submission)
"Weekly Famitsu" is the best seller of Japan's game magazine. History is long, started in 1986. The "Cross Review" corner is rated by 4 reviewers, each can give a maximum 10 marks to a game.
Yep, you know what.
I don't know...
I think the submitter is asking if there is any money used to affecting the review, and is it fair.
Especially this time, the boss of Enterbrain, the publisher of "Weekly Famitsu", is involved in MGS PW's promotion. So many people think there are some dark affair.
I don't think so.
I don't believe you...
Even if we ignore those affair, this game is possible to be rated 40.
The quality is so high huh.
No, ignore the quality too.
What the!?
Gaming Industry is in downturn now, they need to use any method to sell games. That's not only the problem of game maker, but game magazine is facing the same difficulty. That's why whenever a game possible to be a KEYPOINT appears, magazine would deliberately overemphasize the game to promote it.
In this case, "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" and "METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER"?
And "BEYONETTA", "428" too. Enterbrain's boss appear in "428", so they must promote it.
What do you mean by KEYPOINT?
For example, MGS4 was the most important game that PS3 needed to survive, that's why they scored it 40. "428" could save the declining Sound Novel series, as well as it was a Wii game, they must promote it. "BEYONETTA" is a new game of a new brand, it must get a good result to continue the brand, so Famitsu helped to show the message that "Game Industry is not only sequel, new brand is good too". These games' quality is good too, all those reasons led to 40 marks. "Monster Hunter 3 (tri)" and "Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies" are the same.
You remind me that in the past few years we had more 40 marks full scored games. Here is the list.

1998: 1 Game - "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"
1999: 1 Game - "Soulcalibur"
2000: 1 Game - "Vagrant Story"
2001: 0
2002: 1 Game - "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker"
2003: 0
2004: 0
2005: 1 Game - "nintendogs"
2006: 1 Game - "FINAL FANTASY XII"
2007: 0
2008: 3 Games - "Super Smash Bros. Brawl", "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS", "428: Fusa Sareta Shibuya de"
2009年：4 Games - "Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies", "Monster Hunter 3 (tri)", "BEYONETTA", "New SUPER MARIO BROS. Wii」
Increase rapidly from 2008 huh.
These games are good but may not worth full marks. But full marks is just a promotion strategy by game magazine.
So we can't trust that?
After all, trusting the review in commercial game magazine, which receives commercial fee and material from game maker, is stupid.
Oh...
So we should trust the review by users on Internet?
No, not really. They just talk what they want to talk, not worthy to listen. Even if there are some good review, it is difficult to pick them out from those are bad. If you have not play the game, you can't make a judge.
What should we trust then?
Trust yourselves!
Trust!?
Ourselves!?
Don't care what others said, just play what you feel good. Nowadays you can watch trailer at official site, and there is game demo too. Try it out and judge by yourselves. Others review is others, not yours, as you live differently. So just trust yourselves and buy the games. Even though others recommend you, if you don't like it just don't buy it. That's all.
But that's only possible for core gamer. Light users don't have time to check game demo or PV. What should they do?
If that's the case, find someone on the Net that you can trust or share similar views with you, and keep listen to their opinion.
For example?
Me.
......
......

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Sony Computer Entertainment Move Office to Sony City. Affecting PS3?

Sony Computer Entertainment Move Office to Sony City. Affecting PS3?
We've got a submission, here it is.

"Hi. How do you think about the news of Sony Computer Entertainment move its office to Sony City? Nothing change? Or is it reducing or expanding its business? I've heard about this from different sources and I'm worry about it." (Submitted by Shichiyauta)
That's a news from Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Japan Economic Times). It is as follow:

"Sony is going to connect Gaming, PC and Walkman etc. through network, in order to strengthen the cooperation within the group.

SCE will move its office into Sony Corporation Headquarters "Sony City". Within the 1,400 employee in Japan, 1,000 will move to Sony City this Autumn, remaining staff will move into buildings around Sony City." (From Nihon Keizai Shimbun)
How should we think about it?
Just think as written is OK isn't it?
But the submitter is worrying if PS3 is reducing its business.
Firstly, Sony has already absorbed a part of SCE. This moving office stuff is just how an absorbed company would be.
The reconstitution had been held on April 1.
And the remaining part not absorbed will move into buildings around Sony City.
What's the merit of that?
As for the absorbed part, it can strengthen the cooperation with Sony's other departments. And that needs to move into the Corporation Headquarters. As for the remaining part, if it stay in Aoyama, that would be a waste in tenant, very inefficienct. Also it needs to cooperate with those department being cut off, that's why it cancel the renting contract now and move to Shinagawa.
1,000 staff move to Sony City, remaining 400 move to surrounding huh. Up to March 31, there are 1,400 employee, and they will all move to Shinagawa.
It would waste time and money if they are far apart. Though they can contact online, meeting face to face is also important.
No effect on the PS3 and gaming department then?
That's another story.
Another story?
After the reconstitution, the business led by SCE before would now be led by Sony. Sony want to enhance its online business, that's why they do the reconstitution, this mean Gaming business may no longer be the center. We need to see on which direction would Sony use PS3 and PSP.
Which direction would it be?
Likely to be neither killing them, nor keeping them alive...
......
No big change actually, just cannot do as freely as the past. That's minus to the gaming business, but that's the result of the long deficit.
SCE had once saved Sony's life, that's a sad ending.
That's nothing to do with the DEATH of PS3 and the reconstitution/moving office stuff. The submitter may have seen such cases though. But as the organization has changed, no matter PS3 would die or not, we should see some change in the near future.

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