Let's face it. We all like getting a pat on the back for a job well done. It is for this reason that Xbox Live achievements have become so popular. I mean, who can resist seeking out all of the orbs in Crackdown or earning the Moth Hunter badge in Lost Planet?

However, not unlike the Olympics, these pure and untarnished achievements are soon to be tainted by the pros...that is, they'll be sold to the highest bidder for sponsorship.

As Joytiq reports, the upcoming EA game, NCAA Footbal '08, contains achievements sponsored by Old Spice and Pontiac.

I don't know whether to cry or to welcome what is certain to become a steady cash flow for developers to offset production costs (hopefully giving us better games). I think I'll cry.

List of achievements for NCAA Footbal '08

Monday - July 2, 2007

The numbers are in for video game sales for the month of May and they are good. Year over year, hardware + software sales climbed 49%, as opposed to a more tepid 20% rise in April.

Here are the highlights:

• Wii sold 338,000 units, the Xbox 360 sold 155,000 units and the PS3 sold 82,000 units.


• The DS sold 422,000 units.


• Nintendo had four of the top five software titles, led by Pokemon Diamond.


• Microsoft got the number 6 software slot with Forza Motorsport.


• Activision had two games on the top 10: Spider-Man 3 and Guitar Hero II.


• The only other independent publisher registering a game on the top 10? EA with Command & Conquer 3.


• Analysts suggest that the PS3 and Xbox 360 sales will pick up once there is a price drop. And, judging from sales, there needs to be a price drop to spur sales.

More numbers after the break

Continue reading "May video game sales -- Nintendo dominates"

Tuesday - July 3, 2007

A new study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine concludes that while gamers tend to spend less time on their homework, they spend the same amount of time socializing as non-gamers.

This flies in the face of the conventional (and misguided) wisdom that assumes gamers to be part of the trench coat mafia, holed up in suburban bedrooms, listening to Marilyn Manson, gothing-out their faces with make-up and piercings, getting ready to commit the next school shooting because nobody likes them and their only friends are pedophiles who chat online (okay, maybe I laid it on a little thick there).

In fact, (and I know this is ground breaking), kids who play video games are, well, kids. And, going further, the report found that only 36% of tweens and teens play video games.

While that may sound odd, that was exactly my experience. Going to high school in the early '90s I was exposed to the SNES, Sega Genesis, and the Playstation. Despite the ubiquity of these devices amongst high schoolers at the time, we were all simply too busy to do anything other than have a quick go at Street Fighter II.

More opining and ranting after the break

Continue reading "New Study: Video Games don't create anti-social kids"

Indigo Prophecy (Farenheit in the UK) is one of my favorite games of the past few years. It was the closest thing yet to a "playable movie" that I've ever experienced and it was quite enthralling.

It is for this reason that I'm excited to see what Indigo Prophecy developer, Quantic Dreams, will come up with for the PS3.

Read and Read

Wednesday - July 4, 2007

Happy Fourth of July! We hope you have a happy and safe holiday!

If you're at a loss for what to do today, may I suggest some Boom Boom Rocket (Xbox Live Arcade...free demo, too) or play some Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Or, just go set off some fireworks...just don't let any land in dry grass.

Thursday - July 5, 2007

While it does make me sad, it does save about 100 hours of my life which I would have spent playing online.

I also respect the fact that the developers wanted to focus on a great single player experience and just didn't have time for multiplayer.

But, hey, with the Wii online, don't count out a downloadable add-on at a later date.

Read

A demo for Blue Dragon, the highly anticipated RPG for the Xbox 360, will be available beginning on July 20th and will end on August 3rd.

The demo reportedly contains over two hours of gameplay and will be a 1.1 GB download, so get your broadband ready.

We'll definitely check it out and will start a walkthrough for it as soon as it enters the Lunabean HQ interweb.

Source

Microsoft today admitted to an "unacceptable number of repairs" (source) for the Xbox 360, announcing it would take a $1 billion charge due to the repairs.

Because of this situation, Microsoft has done the right thing...

The company said it would extend warranty coverage to three years to cover the problem and would reimburse customers who had previously paid for repairs related to the three-flashing-lights error message. It also said it has made improvements to the Xbox 360 console.

Despite the $1 billion charge, and missing shipping expectations (11.6 million vs. 12 million), MS says it still expects to be in the black for fiscal year '08, which I believe, would be the first time the Xbox division is profitable for a full year.

Job well done, MS. Unlike many other technology companies, you've admitted to your mistake, said you'd fix the machines for free and extended the warranty to 3 years, which is one of the longest warranties for any consumer electronics product. This will help to maintain confidence in the product and will help with sales.

If your Xbox 360 has gotten the red ring of death, you can try the towel wrapping method before sending it in.

Reuters article

Although Sony has yet to officially announce the $100 price drop, GamesDaily BIZ claims to have confirmed this delicious rumor.

Expect the official announcement at E3 next week, followed by the new $499 price tag on July 12th.

Details...

Monday - July 9, 2007

First, the good news: Sony today has lowered the price of the PS3 by $100 effective immediately. The new price is $499.

The bad news is they added a second PS3 to the lineup, an 80GB version which comes with Motorsport for the total of $599, the old price.

Now, granted, this isn't necessarily bad news for the gamer, but it is yet another mistake made by Sony when it comes to the PS3. They need to keep it simple. Part of the problem with the original launch was that they also made the 20GB version, leaving the masses in confusion over two SKUs and which one had what.

Now, they've done it again. They need to stick to one darn PS3. For now that should be the 60GB version. Then, in a few months or a year, announce the 80GB version for the same $499.

CNet story

Tuesday - July 10, 2007

Last October EA and Steven Spielberg announced a long-term, three-game partnership.

Today, we have some tantalizing details. First, there is "LMNO," the secret title of an action game for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC (March 2008).

Second, there's "PQRS," a game dreamed up when Spielberg played Miyamoto in Wii Tennis at last year's E3. Apparently, Spielberg was so taken with Wii Tennis that it inspired him to make a game for the Wii.

"Really, what that game is about is re-inventing classic blocks, but reinventing them with the Wii remote," Young said, beginning to describe a physics-based puzzle game of block stacking and block toppling. "Blocks can have physical properties. They can weigh different weights or they might explode and vanish, or if two combine they might have a chemical reaction."

Well, count me in as excited.

read more

Tuesday - July 10, 2007

I've never played Guitar Hero but I love it. I love thinking about how good I'd be at it. I love to imagine screaming at the top of my lungs, "Hello Cleveland!," and then proceeding to rock the stadium like no man before me.

Well, maybe with Guitar Hero 3 (October, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), I'll finally fulfill my dreams. The big draw this time? Slash!

That's right, Slash, the guitar player of my teen years is to be featured in the game. Add to that a killer line-up of songs including Welcome to the Jungle (Guns n Roses), Even Flow (Pearl Jam), and Paint it Black (Rolling Stones), and you pretty much have the soundtrack of my high school years. Oh, and there's finally a wireless guitar.

Do you know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby. Yeahahhahahahahhahhhhhhhh!!!

Wednesday - July 11, 2007

The word coming from Peter Moore at Microsoft's opening keynote at E3 2007 is to expect the highly anticipated Mass Effect to hit Xbox 360s this November.



For those who are not familiar with Mass Effect, it is brought to us by Bioware, the developers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), which happens to be the game that taught me to love RPGs.

Generally, Mass Effect is described as Knights of the Old Republic without the Star Wars. For specifics, check out Bioware's Mass Effect site.

Nintendo just wrapped up their E3 2007 press conference and boy was it exciting! I'll post a video of the entire press conference when I find one. For now, here are the highlights.

• The Wii Zapper, a light gun peripheral, has been unveiled. It will be packaged with certain games and be available on its own for $19.99.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be released on December 3rd.
• Wii Ware is offiicially beginning next year.
• Check Mii Out, a new Wii channel where your Mii gets voted on and you can participate in contests, was announced.
• A Wii Wheel was announced and will be packaged with Mario Kart Wii.
• Super Mario Galaxy is due out on November 12th.
• Wii Fit, an excercise game which comes with its own wireless floormat, called the Wii balance board, was revealed. The balance board can measure your weight and sense where you have your weight on the mat. It can also measure your Body Mass Index (BMI). The game will track your fitness progress.

November 12th, baby!

Apparently sticking us in the middle of a creepy Spanish village that was locked in time (yet had access to chainsaws), wasn't good enough for the newest incarnation of Resident Evil. It looks like RE5 will be taking place in modern day Africa, with modern day African zombies.

December 3rd. Now how about an introduction from Reggie?



For all of you investor types, if you though Nintendo was doing well now, wait until the Holiday 2007 numbers are released.

Holy wow geez. This is what a trailer should be. Metal Gear Solid 4 doesn't look like it'll disappoint.

Well, you may as well throw me into a ball pit full of puppies and kitties. This video game is just so damn cute. I want to squeeze it and play it all day!

Thursday - July 12, 2007

Yesterday, Nintendo announced Wii Fit, a fitness game that comes bundled with the Wii Balance Board, a sort of thin step aerobics board that can measure weight and weight distribution.

And, oh, did you see the yoga at the end of the clip? This is exciting for us because we've just started to dabble in yoga and if Wii Fit has a yoga program, we're so in! Now, downward dog!

Friday - July 13, 2007

Rockstar today announced a brilliant PR initiative which asks us, the unwashed masses, to call into the Liberty City talk station, WKTT ("The only station fighting the War on Terror"), and rant about, "Liberty City, America, Liberals, or your Health."

All you have to do is call 1-212-360-2368. You have to be 18 or older and agree to the terms and conditions. More info can be found at wkttradio.com.

Now all we have to do is figure out a way to work "Lunabean" into a rant.

Sunday - July 15, 2007

Sony's recent announcement of a $100 price cut on the PS3 was met with a sigh of relief across gaming-dom.

Finally, we all thought, Sony has done something right. Granted, a 60GB and an 80GB PS3 was potentially confusing to the average consumer, but hey, you could get a PS3 for $499, so who was going to complain.

Now, Sony has come out and said that they will no longer make the 60GB PS3 and that the $100 off price will only be valid as long as stock remains. At that point, the only PS3 available will be the 80GB for the too-expensive previous price of $599.

This move effectively gives gamers a double middle finger. First, all of those gamers who purchased the 60GB PS3 for $599 now have a lesser model. Ouch. That hurts.

Second, Sony's "price cut" is really nothing of the sort. It is simply a sale to get rid of the stock of the lesser PS3. It's a dirty, disingenuous trick.

Sony continues to rub consumers the wrong way and this latest move is just one more example.

Monday - July 16, 2007

Yesterday, I mentioned how adept Sony has become at flipping the bird to gamers, this time in regard to the "price cut" of the 60GB PS3 and the soon-to-be-released 80GB PS3 at $599.

Today, we get word that Wedbush Morgan Stanley gaming analyst, Michael Pachter, is predicting that when stock of the 60GB PS3 runs out the 80GB PS3 will replace it at the $499 price point.

I have to disagree. We're talking about Sony here; the company that can't make a smart decision when it comes to the PS3. Judging from the past, there is no evidence that Sony will lower the price of the 80GB PS3.

Read more of my thoughts

Continue reading "80GB PS3 for $499?!?"

Tuesday - July 17, 2007

GamesDaily.biz has the dirt on Nintendo's portable gaming future, which will focus on the DS and shy away from the Game Boy.

Nintendo of America's George Harrison, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, went so far as to tell GamesDaily, "It's hard to say in the future if we will ever bring back the Game Boy trademark".



Kind of sad, isn't it? Personally, I don't see the Game Boy being "retired". I think it may go on hiatus for a short time, but will be brought back in a few years with some new and revolutionary feature that will make us want to get one...or three.

Read the article

The New York Times is today reporting that Nintendo has gained crucial allies in the console war: game developers and publishers.

Despite Sony's best effort to convince the public that first year sales of a console don't really matter, it seems developers and publishers want to make and sell games for consoles that have sold well in that first year. What's more, these developers and publishers are preferring the inexpensive nature of making games for the Wii, as opposed to the PS3, which often costs twice as much. (Of course, if the PS3 was flying off the shelves, that wouldn't be a problem).

While none of this comes as a surprise to those who have been closely following the video game industry this year, the fact it is being reported in the mainstream media, provides another nail in the PS3 coffin, and another boost for the Wii.

The masses want to buy the console with the best games. The New York Times is telling people that it's looking like the Wii will have the best games. And, while I still believe Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's comment that the Wii could top the PS2 in number of consoles sold was bold (and even arrogant), articles like this make it more of a possibility.

Read the NYT article

Apparently, when you have two products that essentially print money (Wii and DS), you can go around sponsoring things. Such is the case with the brand new #16 Greg Biffle Wii car.

I wonder if Biffle even needs to drive anymore or if he'll use the new Wii Wheel to go around the track.

Personally, I'd like to see a bunch of Wii Smart Cars flying around the track, but I guess that's the Mario Kart in me.

More info...

Peter Moore, head of Microsoft's Xbox unit, will resign to oversee sports games at Electronic Arts. Taking the place of Moore will be Don Mattrick, a former executive at EA.

WSJ

Thursday - July 19, 2007

David Perry, creator of Earthworm Jim says that the Nintendo Wii will have limited long term appeal because gamers are "attracted to beautiful looking games," thus inferring that the Wii does not have that capability.

Oy. How many times do we need to have the graphics vs. gameplay debate. We all agree that slick graphics are cool. However, we also agree that a great game doesn't necessarily need great graphics.

It's this kind of black vs. white thinking that I'm so sick of. Just shut up and play the games that you want to play.

Source

US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's latest ad, entitled 'Ocean', explains to Americans that he is deeply troubled about the culture surrounding kids today. Because of this, he is going to work hard to make sure porn does not pop up on their computers AND he's going to clean up violence on television, movies and videogames.

Watch the ad:



I know this is just a feel good ad that doesn't mean much (at least not until we get a candidate who is pro-porn pop ups for kids), but it still drives me bonkers. First, regarding the porn aspect, with the exclusion e-mail spam, porn just doesn't pop up on computers. If your computer has never been directed to a pornographic web site, your computer isn't going to serve up porn. So, if parents are worried about this problem, they shouldn't visit pornographic web sites. Problem one, solved.

Regarding violence in TV, movies and videogames, explain to me why violence must be removed from media that I enjoy to protect children. I love kids and I don't want them exposed to violence, but what happened to parents being responsible for the movies, tv and videogames that kids get their hands on?

It seems to me that Romney is taking the position that parents are helpless in this world of technology, and if we don't take action to censor media intended for adults, we're soon going to be surrouded by Columbine killers. Eek.

VGChartz is reporting that the recent price drop of the 60GB PS3 to $499 has driven sales. For the week ending July 14, Sony sold 41,000 PS3s, up from 17,770 the previous week. That's more than a two-fold increase.

Of course, the PS3 was still beat by the DS (97,400), the Wii (76,394), the PSP (50,890), and the PS2 (43,406).

The good news for Sony is, collectively, they held the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots for hardware. The bad news for Sony is that Nintendo held the 1st and 2nd spot and continues to kick Sony's rear. The bad news for Microsoft is that it's getting its rear kicked by everybody.

Alas, this is but one week of numbers, and as holiday '07 approaches, we'll all get a better idea of how the console war is shaking out.

Friday - July 20, 2007

And all you thought we did was play video games. Geez. No respect.

Yes, we've been busy lately redesigning the site to make it easier to use. Some new features that you may enjoy:

• Redesigned drop down menu at the top is simplified and makes it easier to navigate the site.


• Alphabetical links at the top of every page to quickly jump to the walkthrough you're looking for.


• Search feature in the top right corner of every page.


• Left side column has quick icon links to get you where you need to go quickly and farther down, contains more navigation links.


• Center column, which contains the site's content, is easier to read.


• Right column is wider and easier to look at. Includes an easy way to sign up for the LunaPass and our newsletter.

We're continuing to tweak with everything and have a good amount of work left to go, so if you see anything funky, just let us know.

Oh, and we'll be working on the LunaPass and LunabeanGuides.com as well.

Enjoy the new site!

Rockstar Games yesterday announced that Bully, the prep school-based sandbox game, will be coming to the Wii and Xbox 360 this winter.

Bully was definitely one of my favorite games of the past few years, perfectly capturing the prep school atmosphere, from cliques to the seasons. Ahh, autumn at Bullworth Academy.

We wrote a comprehensive Bully Walkthrough last year, and judging from the press release, there won't be a ton of new stuff in the new games.

If you missed this game, I highly recommend it.

Hometown paper, The Oregonian, today has an article titled, A Piece of the Pixels, which explains that Division I college programs earn anywhere from 10% to 25% of their royalty revenue via Electronic Arts' NCAA Football.

In the case of top ranked teams, such as Florida and Ohio State, we're talking about $150,000 pumped into the programs. Local teams Oregon and Oregon State pull in $95,300 and $60,000 respectively.

What's most interesting is not the money, but that the colleges don't have to do anything for it...well, other than continue winning. Still, EA is advertising and branding these colleges not for free, but actually paying them to do so.

Is it a win-win or another case of amateur athletes being exploited?

Read the article

Monday - July 23, 2007

Three more titles have hit the Wii Virtual Console.

• Kirby's Dream Course - Crazy floating golf game with 64 holes. 800 Wii Points.


• Devil's Crush - Awesome pinball game. 600 Wii Points.


• Shining Force - Fantasy adventure game. Good vs. evil. Light vs. dark. Evil lorrd returning after 1,000 years. Yeah, you've been there before. 800 Wii Points.

Read the full press release.

Continue reading "Wii Virtual Console Monday"

Just thought I'd share my excitement for one of the games I'm most looking forward to in the next few months (November, 2007).

See the trailer.

(I embedded the trailer earlier, but it was automatically playing upon loading lunabean, which was rather annoying. So, that's why I just put the link there.)

Although the 20GB PS3 was discontinued by Sony back in April, Gamestop still has a few of them hanging around that they would like to sell. Considering the MSRP on the 20GB console sits where the recently discontinued and newly priced 60GB PS3 resides ($499), Gamestop has been forced to sweeten the deal.



At this moment, you can hop on over to the Gamestop site and purchase a 20GB PS3 for $449.99. Combine that with the offer to receive 5 free Blu-ray DVDs with any PS3 purchase, you have yourself a nice PS3 option. Sure, it has 1/4 the storage of the new 80GB PS3, but, if you're someone who either doesn't care about that OR you are looking for a deal on a Blu-ray player, this is a great option for you.

Someone out there has taken the time to provide all of us with a fantastic side-by-side comparing World of Warcraft character dance patterns to those who inspired them. Brilliant!

Monday - July 30, 2007

We're back from vacation (you can view our Bend, OR pics here). While we were gone, we missed some fun and exciting videogame happenings. Below you will find links to some of last week's gaming highlights:

• Traveller's Tales and LucasArts announce 'LEGO Indian Jones' | Trailer
• Extended 'Resident Evil 5' trailer released
• New 'Mass Effect' trailer released
• Retail ads suggest $50 X360 price cut imminent
• Convicts using N64 Rumble Pack to ink themselves
• Target to sell Blu-ray only
• Ubisoft to develop and publish 'Heroes' game
• Ubisoft currently developing 'Beowolf'
• 'Splinter Cell: Conviction' pushed back to Q1 2008
• PS2 most played console, PS3 least played
• Martha Stewart bakes a Wii cake

In terms of walkthrough publishing, we're awaiting the next round of big games to be released in mid-August (think 'Metroid Prime 3', 'Mass Effect', 'Blue Dragon', and 'Medal of Honor: Airborne'). We'll begin work as soon as we get our hands on the titles...and won't stop until the post holiday rush. No wonder we needed a vacation. Oy!

Tuesday - July 31, 2007

I want to make it, but I'm scared that it will suck life out of me.

From kitty-bot, via joystiq.

Viva Pinata, the Rare developed sim game exclusively for the Xbox 360 is jumping platforms to the Nintendo DS. This should not be a shock to you Lunabean readers seeing as Allison reported on this rumor back in February.

Still, now that it's true, we're excited about it. Many of our readers love Viva Pinata, but we just never got into it. Now that it'll be on the DS, well, that may change.

Read

For those of us with an interest in the business side of video games, this week will be a busy one. As CNN Money reports, game makers are seeing some downward pressure in front of their earnings reports.

Activision, for one, who reports this Thursday, has dropped about 15% over the past three months due, in part, to the announcement of Rock Band, a direct competitor to their best selling Guitar Hero.

EA has also seen some downward movement in its stock as investors realized that they put too much weight behind the PS3 and are now playing catch up with the Wii. EA reports its earnings on Wednesday.

Rounding out the top three independent publishers is THQ who is expected to take a loss of $0.25 per share when they report on Wednesday.

Of course, there is Nintendo and their first party titles, which are selling like cheap hot cakes. The article discusses, however, how despite Nintendo's runaway success of late, their tide is not lifting all boats.

My two cents...

Continue reading "CNN Money: game makers pressured ahead of earnings"