GamersVue

Yeah, Yeah, I know E3 was this week, and why arn’t there any posts?  simple reason, 18 billion other sites with the same news.  So I thought I would wait until this weekend to be able to compile all the news from E3 into one simple easy to read post.    Though I can tell you this.. Microsoft had some pretty cool things coming out of the pipe, Sony seemed to be like ‘well we’ve got cool stuff coming soon.. maybe.. don’t forget us, ok?’  and Nintendo’s was like ‘Hey, we’ve got a new mic.. for online.. which we didn’t want to support in the first place.’

So I’ll tally everything up and go from there.. Personally I would suspect all of the mains to dogged this year.

It’s being reported around the ‘Net that the WII is the top selling console now.
anyone that’s been watching the numbers and information floating around would have already known that over ~6 months ago, or pretty much since the WII was released.   Just because the ‘numbers’ prove it now, now it’s news?

Well this is a turn of events.  Even though FlagShip studios has been reported to have closed it’s doors for the past 3-4 days, NOW Bill Roper (CEO to Flagship) has come out saying, We’re not dead yet.. we only needed to layoff most of our workforce.

Though the good news of this story is if you paid for the game; you’re now playing for free, but Flagship is no longer taking new subscribers.

Now what this is telling me is, like I said before, that Flagship bite off more then it could chew.  Promising the world and only delivering about 30% of it.  The game concept was flawed, the execution of the game play was very flawed and the lack of people signing up said that.   Though 1 million subscribers also states that the game was starting to come into its own. 

But the bottom line is all investors know and care about.  they don’t understand how long it can take to make a good game these days because all of us want flashy graphics, real-time Internet support and all these bells and whistles that really don’t mean much of anything but we’ve been programmed to expect it.  Gone are the days where 3 people can make a game to earn enough money to buy a Ferrari.. in a different color.. one for each day of the week.  (yeah Romano.. )

But even with the best game, if you can’t turn around a profit in time in the numbers you’ve promised your investors your game goes down the tube.

So I guess the real question here is what killed Flagship?  Bad Games?  Bad management?  Investors that just didn’t believe in their product anymore?

The full track list for Rock Band 2 was released today at E3.
Over 85 songs, all master tracks.

1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s
Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

[Joystiq.com] has a number of articles dealing with this law suit, and had this to say:

Here at Joystiq, we weren’t too surprised when Konami decided to jump on the legal bandwagon by bringing a lawsuit against the makers of Rock Band for patent infringement. After all, the rhythm game has made roughly a gazillion dollars and has component parts that bear at least a passing resemblance to Konami games like Guitar Freaks and DrumMania (not to mention Karaoke Revolution, which Harmonix helped develop, and the upcoming Rock Revolution). That said, we’re not the ones being sued, so our relative shock at the suit doesn’t really matter. That said …
“Konami’s actions are extremely surprising,” an MTV Games spokesperson told MTV News regarding the suit. “Unfortunately, successful products such as Rock Band can often become targets for baseless litigation. We have substantial defenses to this claim and intend to vigorously defend it.”
The full interview includes more details about the lawsuit and information on the actual patents that Konami claims are being violated. Any budding legal eagles out there want to check them out and give an informed opinion on the merits of the suit?

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Makes me wonder why they are doing this now?  I mean really, the GH series has been round for a while.. why bring this suit now?

the track list has been released for the game shipping on 6/29/08.

Tier 1:
Getting the Band Together (Nipmuc High School)
All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople (cover)
Draw the Line by Aerosmith
Dream Police by Cheap Trick
Make It by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
Uncle Salty by Aerosmith

Tier 2:
First Taste of Success (Max s Kansas City)
All Day and All of the Night by The Kinks (cover)
I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett
Movin Out by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
No Surprize by Aerosmith
Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith

Tier 3:
The Triumphant Return (The Orpheum)
Complete Control by The Clash
Livin on the Edge by Aerosmith
Love in an Elevator by Aerosmith
Personality Crisis by New York Dolls (cover)
Rag Doll by Aerosmith

Tier 4:
International Superstars (Moscow)
Bright Light Fright by Aerosmith
King of Rock by Run-D.M.C.
Nobody s Fault by Aerosmith
She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult
Walk This Way by Run-D.M.C., featuring Aerosmith

Tier 5:
The Great American Band (Half Time Show)
Always on the Run by Lenny Kravitz
Back in the Saddle by Aerosmith
Beyond Beautiful by Aerosmith
Dream On by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
Hard to Handle by The Black Crowes (cover)

Tier 6:
Rock N Roll Legends (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent
Mama Kin by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
Sex Type Thing by Stone Temple Pilots
Toys In The Attic by Aerosmith
Train Kept A Rollin by Aerosmith
Guitar Battle vs Joe Perry by Joe Perry

Bonus Songs (The Vault)
Combination by Aerosmith
Kings and Queens by Aerosmith
Let The Music Do The Talking by Aerosmith
Mercy by Joe Perry
Pandora s Box by Aerosmith
Pink by Aerosmith
Rats In The Cellar by Aerosmith
Shakin My Cage by Joe Perry
Talk Talkin by Joe Perry
Walk This Way by Aerosmith

Metallica, nice band, kinda nitch at the time but had a good strong hard core following.   Then they where like, hmm.. we need some radio play and along comes the black album.   Mostly a sell out for the radio play, and no where near as heavy as the first albums but the music was good and the fans partied.

Then a dark day.. when Metallica thought it a good idea to SUE it’s fans because of file sharing on Napster.  Which lead to a hell of a lot of downloads from Napster, and killing Metallica as a band.  Oh well, as James has been thought to say.. [Napster Bad, Beer Good] (NWS for Language)

Now, Activision is like.. sweet!  another band we can totally take advantage of.  Let’s make:  Guitar Hero: Metallica!

Yes, just like the Aerosmith sellouts Metallica is heading that way also.

though, I would MUCH rather play Metallica then Aerosmith..LOL

The Sci-Fi channel will [build an MMO] for people to play.  The players will then influence the writers for a TV show based on the game to tell the stories behind the game.   They’ve already got 30 million dollars from investors for this little project.

David Howe, president of the Sci-Fi, talks about this new idea:

“A television show that is on once a week isn’t enough. The fans today want the experience to go beyond that,” Howe said. “For example, we can tell them that there will be an alien invasion at a certain place in the game, at a certain time, and to be there with all their friends and be ready. The outcome depends on them. And then that battle will be part of the universe in the show.”

Now the MMORPG ‘Horizons’ (Now called [Istaria]) had a 10 million dollar budget.  30 million now isn’t squat in the MMO field.   We’ve all seen the piss poor Sci-Fi ‘remakes’ of movies and shows with only a few real hits (thank God for Eureka!)
and now they want to make an MMO?  And WTF does “The Fans today want the experience to go beyond that”..  maybe.. only if the product is good!  BattleStar Galactica lends itself well to something like this.. ‘Ghost Hunters’ does not.

It’s a good idea, but with out someone that really knows the field inside and out that now only can provide a GOOD game to players but also get enough feed back from the game to allow the writers to do something with the data.. it’s just going to bomb.  hard core.  and people will be left wondering what the hell happened…  Hmm.. Wonder if Sci-Fi is hiring.

Well according to my blog stats, no one really cares about the all the news and such, so I’m not going to waste my time or yours by posting crap you aren’t gong to read anyway. =)

So, unless anyone really bitches to much, GamersVue will be switching gears and looking for more in-depth reviews and previews,along with detailed game information.  You want to know all the skills in HellGate? You want to know the cheat codes for Guitar Hero 3?  You’ve got it. 

So I won’t be posting daily, but I will continue to post major news information, as things change in the industry.  I’ll still follow it because I like knowing what’s gong on. =)

I’m lazy this morning so no re-write. =)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/qj/qjnet/~3/294820971/120355

Florida lawyer Jack Thompson certainly had it coming: the anti-gaming activist got served, being found guilty of 27 out of 31 charges against him. For those who haven’t been following the anti-gaming circus and the ensuing court proceedings against Thompson’s behavior, the lawyer earned the ire of many colleagues and gamers by pulling outrageous stunts to make his stand against video games known.

The presiding judge, Judge Dava Tunis, ruled Jack Thompson as guilty for several charges, which include:

• Knowingly making a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal
• Knowingly disobeying an obligation under the rules of a tribunal
• Communicating the merits of the case with a judge before whom the proceeding is pending
• Using means that have no purpose other than to embarrass, delay or burden a third person
• Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation
• Engaging in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, including to knowingly or through callous indifference disparage or humiliate litigants or other lawyers
• Making statements that the lawyer knows to be false or with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge

  That’s not the end of Thompson’s woes, however, with a hearing about possible sanctions for Thompson scheduled on June 4, and Judge Tunis’ full report to the Florida Supreme Court due on September 2.