We all knew that the Xbox360 core system was more of a marketing trick than a real console, allowing Microsoft to advertise the price as ´starting at $299´. Now, games will apparently show with a tag of ´hard disk required´.
Planet Xbox360 reports that Sega´s ´Football Manager 2006´ will require a hard drive.
Microsoft has been unclear on this issue, seemingly maintaining that the hard drive would not be necessary for any games. Execs have never explicitly stated that all games would be playable on the core system, instead trying to reassure gamers that third parties and their own studios would be allowed to make full use of the optional hard drive. And already in August, rumours spread that some games may even require one.
However, the Xbox360 website clearly lists ´Play Xbox 360™ Games´ as a feature for both versions. So there seems to have been a change in policy regarding this issue. And that suggests other games will follow suit. If that is true, this really makes the core system redundant.
As for the installed base, it splits the market into two or, rather, forces core owners to buy a separate hard drive for $99 - having them pay almost $400 for the console after all. Yet they would still be without the Xbox Live headset ($19,99) and have no wireless controller ($49,99), component HD AV cable ($39,99) or ethernet cable that would all have been included in the premium package. This will not do Microsoft any favours.
Source: Planet Xbox360, The Inquirer, The Inquirer, Xbox360 website
Thanks to: SPOnG, Joystiq
123 comments:
I think Microsoft has sealed its fate in this console race. Too many lies/bullshits/mistakes.
Ya it is pretty redundant i dont personally know anyone thats gotten the core system or even contemplated it, when i get mine i plan on getting the premium package, and anonymous i sure wouldnt say they sealed there fate maybe in Japan but i think here in the US it has an excellent shot at competing with PS3 thats for sure, they just messed up by selling it in 2 packages like that which i think only people that bought a core were only those who couldnt get there hands on a premium to begin with
Microsoft for their cockyness started to dig a big hole to burried their competitors, now they are going to jump in it. I really thoght they had a chance but they just love to screw them selves. imo the award for worst launch ever goes to microsoft
sony is definatly more cocky than microsoft, and i tend to believe it really only was about 3% of the systems that had actual problems while the rest were most likely idiots that placed there systems unappropriatly in confined places restricting its ventalation, or moved there systems while turned on with a game inside, also note the games will just improve on the 360 as all launch games only used 0ne of the three cores, and nobody can deny that Oblivion just looks amazing.
Both Microsoft and Sony seem to be disorganized and unprepared for this coming gen. The 360 core system exists primarily as a marketing ploy, never truly meant to be a stand alone system. The PS3's 'media hub' capabilities exist to garner extra sales. Apparently, neither M$ or $ony belive that the gaming experience alone will sell these systems. This shows lack of confidence.
I think its quite clear that Nintendo is the only one with a solid vision and direction. Iwata really has made a new company out of Nintendo.
yes iwata is doing good things, i think the N64 and Gamecube's problems came strictly from Yamouchi or however his name is spelled i think he was getting to old and stubborn.
and yes i know he is behind Nintendo's success in the first place but i think he was aging and losing a bit of what he had that made them so successful before. to an extent yes 910do, but he does not have the same amount of infuence he did before when he was still was president
"However, the Xbox360 website clearly lists ´Play Xbox 360™ Games´ as a feature for both versions."
false advertisement. here comes the class action lawsuit.
This is partly why I lost all interests in the 360.
After saying that the 360 would be backward compatible and then the two SKU/systems at launch. MS still doesn't understand how to bring products to the market.
design wise there was nothing wrong with cube powerfull ease of development great looker great pad competative pricing its the ignorance of the average consumer thats the problem.....360 is one fat joke waiting to explode in bills face core system and full system what a load of crap nothing but a marketing trick to get consumers thinking its competivly priced is it hell and as for build qoulity and inovation lets not go there
@ 910do, not really, Iwata is the President so he has the most say, but approval of shareholders is important of course so its good to keep that in mind. but Yamauchi couldnt demand something like say for example some type of projection and Iwata has to do so with no choice in the matter at all.
I know Microsoft is screwed in the future. I have a Xbox 360 (premumim) and my electrical bills went up by $105. Now if thats only using one core, then three cores are just going to OWN the electrical bill. The PS3 will be even more powerful. So I am coming to belive less and less people will be playing games on their Xbox 360 or Ps3 when they see the Electrical bills. Due to this very reason Sony and Microsoft are going to destroy the industry. Nintendo will try to stop it and save the industry. This will favor Nintendo greatly.
Now about Iwata and Yamuchi. If Yamuchi didnt retire, the Game Cube would have been a success. It was a complet success for the the frist 2 years or 3 then the last 2 it fell flat on its face. Iwata was the one that made it more kiddy was it not? Nintendo was never accussed for being kiddy untill Iwata came into power. Now I could be wrong because I was young when the N64 was out. I am 16 now so that will give you an idea. But when I lived in BC every one had a game cube. It was the Biggest console there I think. Now its dying a painful death. Now I hope Iwata can pull him self together with the Revolution, I have much faith in it and he now has more experince. For now we will wait and find out what the future holds for Nintendo. Hopfully the Revolution will prevail and destroy Sony and Microsoft and then Nintendo takes over their market MWHAHAHHAHA *evil laugh*
actually airaku..the gc was considred kiddy cus of some of the games and the fac the main color was purple. Iwata is a brilliant business man...their stucks went way down when yamauchi left but they are raising quite a bit. it was also considered kiddy cus of the controller. Iwata had nothing to do with that.
people who use $ instead of S in Sony and microsoft names should shoot themselves.
Iwata has made all the difference in the world, instead of a purple lunchbox, not that i didn't like my cube, but it wasn't the sexiest machine in the world, they are making a sexy machine that even sony and microsoft couldn't come up with! it's the best looking machine compared to the george forman grill and that convex xbox thing, and the new ds along with the micro look sweet! this is just another piece of the puzzle nintendo was lacking. they are getting more 3rd party software than the gamecube and n64, they just can't talk about it cause it's cause of non-disclosure agreements, Reggie even said at DICE they have all their playable kiosks ready for E3, they are prepared, they are ready, and the online situation is only going to get better, Iwata, Reggie, and Miyamoto are getting this company out of its slumber, and the future is looking brighter everyday!
@ airaku
Well the kiddy image Nintendo has was WAAAY back in SNES era. Sega was loading action "mature" games and on it's Genesis and they even had a slogan: "Sega does what Nintendon't". N64 also had kiddy image although it had lots of FPSs, and GameCube too. Nintendo tries to loose that image but it is kinda hard because someones will allways think of it as console maker for children. I'm not troubled by that (I have 22 years) because mostly kids are afraid to play Nintendo because they wish to feel more mature and don't realise that it actually makes them more immature.
As for M$ this is very bad move in my opinion. Those who bought core system will be quite disapointed if they can't play newer games unless they spend more money. $ony will be expensive too, and I wouldn't be paying 350 E min (plus the price of HDTV) compared to Revs 250 E max for graphical differance only able to notice on HDTV. $ony & M$ may do good, but these moves are wrong IMO.
"With unrivalled access to the biggest Nintendo-related stories, Official [UK] Nintendo Magazine speaks exclusively with the creators of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, Megaman and Street Fighter, Capcom about their plans for Revolution. The four-page feature reveals what games will be coming to the new system and just how the company hopes to utilise the cutting-edge controlle"
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/press_release.php?aid=14652
And this story has what precisely to do with Nintendo Revolution again?
Like I emailed falafelkid, one of the writers of the new official nintendo magazine (that contains a 14 or-something page preview of the Rev) confirmed that there is another secret about the revolution that has yet to be revealed (And, quite interesting, one for the DS lite that will probably be revealed on the 15th of februari).
and the no-end-soon video looks as fake as can be. If it was indeed a "leaked" build, it wouldn't start with all the startup logo's... I've played some leaked builds of pc games in the past, and they mostly load directly to the main menu screen. No need to watch the same video boot up 2000 times while testing. This is the sort of stuff that de publisher adds when you prepare a demo build or something.
Hi. Not much time, just a quick word about the alleged ´No End Soon´ clip. The clip was proven fake. The image at the very end is taken from a French CG movie. I´ll post the link when I have the time.
Hi everybody:
Just a few updates:
Reggie confirmed, that gamecube controllers are NOT compatible with revolution games, even not with more conventional titles
and nintendo will not show any revolution game footage until E3!
Link for the Reggie comments update?
mr.inc has just put a new post on his blog. A lot of blah, if you know what I mean.
@ Falafelkid
Have you seen this thread in another forum before?
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=82582
I consider the fact quite interesting that Nintendo used to work on some holographic techniques a few years ago. And let's not forget the GBA patent at the beginning of the thread. Really strange...
Daniel
fafel check this out
http://games.kikizo.com/news/200602/065_p1.asp
//Spookie
i mean falafelkid =)
BLITZ games confirmed today, that they are working on an revolution game. Blitz is currently developing "possession" for Xbox360 and PS3. it's not yet known, if its that game or an exclusive.
Click [url=http://www.gamefront.de]HERE[/url]
if you wanna know more!
Hi,
there were a lot of people that made Revolution controler mock-ups, but most of them also said it was just what they thought it would look like.
But now we know how the Revmote looks like, people start making up games for Revolution. But even when someone shows they are fake, they keep saying it's for real. WHY? Why would you spend so much time tricking people? If people believe al your s@#t, they will be dissapointed when it turns out to be fake. Like the Halo-Revolution thing. I loved Halo 1 (2 sucked), so if that would be a revolution game with the revmote that would be hot. But now it turns out it can't be true, Because Bungee is Xbox (360)and PC (micorosft) only (owned by microsoft). that sucks.
P'z
i don't get what's the deal with HALO anyways. In my opinion HALO (1 and 2) sucked so bad!! So extremely boring, awkward enemies (those aliens - i laughed so hard - "NOOOT MEEE, aaaah")
Bungie is so totally overrated, not only Halo sucked, also did ONI, blah!
everyone want to play mario 3, but only differently??? check this article out.
http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/63
^that game would be sweet ass to download for the virtual console.
As I think, you've already heard that Blitzgames is working on a game for the Revolution.
But that's not the point.
On their website (www.blitzgames.com), under the cathegory "Corporate", there are some logos like the ones of the NGC, the Xbox360, the PS2 etc.
But in the middle (not really, but it sounded better ;-)) there is also a logo which is dedicated to the Revolution.
So my thoughts are, how reliable, or especially right, that is... ^^
Coud be possible, imho, but not that probably. Expecially since Blitzgames is not that big. ^^
Greetings, HQK
that revolution-logo on the official BLITZ homepage appeared first in Osoko Tanaka's blog i guess! BUT it looks accurate if you ask me. the "R" looks like the swung Revmote. So yeah, why not!
Wow...thats definitely interesting. A developer proudly displaying an unofficial Revolution logo on their website. Can Blitz even do that without upsetting Nintendo? This is strange stuff indeed.
This is from the latest IGN mailbag:
"As for your second question, I really do think that the virtual console will be supported in a big way by developers and publishers, but I also agree with you that there will be a divide where new retro-style games are concerned. I met with a couple of big-name publishers at DICE who talked about being very, very excited for Revolution's virtual console service. Based on that alone, I expect Nintendo will have no problems getting the classics on its machine. However, I don't believe that too many publishers will invest the time or money to make completely new efforts for the downloadable service. Most will come from the so-called garage developers, or smaller houses.
A couple of interesting side notes. First, Xbox Live Arcade is actually off to a great start. Some of the publishers I chatted with said that their games have been selling quite well on the service. Evidently Geometry Wars has sold more than 60,000 copies, too, according to insiders. Microsoft offers 70 percent of Arcade profits to publishers, keeping 30 percent for itself. I wonder if Nintendo will be so generous? If not, it could run into some support problems.
Here's a scary revelation. A publisher at DICE told me that it met with Nintendo about putting its considerable library of classics on Revolution. According to this company - and bear in mind I cannot verify this as true - when it brought up the idea, a Nintendo representative blankly responded: "Oh, we hadn't thought about offering third party arcade games for the service yet." If this is true, I can only shake my head in disgust and pray that somebody somewhere gets fired."
Also Falafelkid, you might want to take a look at these pix if you haven't seen it. It's nothing new but still interesting to look at.
http://oami.eu.int/bulletin/rcd/2006/2006_012/000431309_0001/images/000431309_0001_4_source.jpg
http://oami.eu.int/bulletin/rcd/2006/2006_012/000431309_0001/images/000431309_0001_2_source.jpg
http://oami.eu.int/bulletin/rcd/2006/2006_012/000431309_0003/images/000431309_0003_2_source.jpg
Originally found here http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=86033
I have to say that after thinking about it thouroughly for a long time I'm at a point,where I am inclined to doubt that a so called 3rd revolutionary aspect or feature for Revolution exists.To make my point clear,let me first tell you that are quite a few reasons why I took this view.
First and foremost,what really comes to mind for instance are all the statements Reggienator Fils-Aime launched out about what makes the Revolution so unique.In every interview he conducted so far he underlined that the controller would make all the difference and nothing else.If there really was something as magnificent as the controller waiting to be revealed, why did't he tease with those sort of cryptic comments we have come to expect and they hyped us with prior to when the controller was shown in the time frame E3 to TGS?That doesn't add up.
I presume what Miyamoto was talking about when he insisted that another secret is left to be disclosed was something that was related to the controller,like built in voice-recognition for example.This makes sense,since its already integrated in the bongos that are neccessary to expirience Donkey Konga or Jungle Beat.It's nothing too big.
Besides, does anybody remember Ign Nintendo Minute Vol.20,where Matt asked George Harrison, senior vice president, marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of America if Nintendo had revealed everything there is to know about Revolution?
Well,here is the awnser:
"No, we have not entirely pulled back the curtain on Revolution just yet. There are lots of exciting details about its capabilities and the unique gameplay you'll experience on it that we're keeping under wraps -- for now. We know you're very anxious to learn the full potential of the system, and soon we'll be able to share more with you!
Keeping some Revolution cards close to our chest is a strategic decision on Nintendo's part. Every Nintendo console launch in the past has been shrouded in some level of secrecy due to Nintendo's desire to innovate and provide new gaming features and technology. With Revolution, this could be the most innovative product Nintendo has ever created in the history of the company. So even though we've already shown you the basics on Revolution, you can be sure that there are still a few more surprises we're holding for a later date.
When? You'll slowly begin to know more as we enter 2006 and as the year unfolds, and especially at E3, you'll be immersed in Revolution news.
We'll be eager to hear what you have to say and think you'll be pleased with what's in store around the corner!"
What I found quite odd or suspect about his awnser was that he didn't seem to have the notion of one big additional secret waiting to be revealed, although thats clearly what Matt was getting at since rumours of this being the case are omnipresent.Instead he refferd to lots of exciting details they are holding underwraps.I have a question for you:If there really was one big secret why didn't he hint at it someway somehow like Nintendo kept on doing with the controller, since it wouldn't hurt and contrariwise built up hype ?Maybe because there really isn't a 3rd revolutionary aspect?In my opinion everything indicates that there's no such thing.
Falafelkid, I'm very curious to know how you would access the situation!?
- The I.A.L.S
(Corrected version)
I have to say, that after thinking about it thoroughly for a long time I'm at a point,where I am inclined to doubt that a so called 3rd revolutionary aspect or feature for Revolution exists.To make my point clear,let me first tell you that there are quite a few reasons why I took this view.
First and foremost,what really comes to mind for instance are all the statements Reggienator Fils-Aime launched out about what makes the Revolution so unique.In every interview he conducted so far,he underlined that the controller would make all the difference and nothing else.If there really was something as magnificent as the controller waiting to be revealed, why didn't he tease with the sort of cryptic comments we have come to expect and they hyped us with prior to when the controller was shown in the time frame E3 to TGS?That doesn't add up.
I presume what Miyamoto was talking about when he insisted that another secret is left to be disclosed,was something that was related to the controller,like built in voice-recognition for example.This makes sense,since its already integrated in the bongos that are neccessary to expirience Donkey Konga or Jungle Beat.It's nothing too big.
Besides, does anybody remember Ign Nintendo Minute Vol.20,where Matt asked George Harrison, senior vice president, marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of America if Nintendo had revealed everything there is to know about Revolution?
Well,here is the awnser:
"No, we have not entirely pulled back the curtain on Revolution just yet. There are lots of exciting details about its capabilities and the unique gameplay you'll experience on it that we're keeping under wraps -- for now. We know you're very anxious to learn the full potential of the system, and soon we'll be able to share more with you!
Keeping some Revolution cards close to our chest is a strategic decision on Nintendo's part. Every Nintendo console launch in the past has been shrouded in some level of secrecy due to Nintendo's desire to innovate and provide new gaming features and technology. With Revolution, this could be the most innovative product Nintendo has ever created in the history of the company. So even though we've already shown you the basics on Revolution, you can be sure that there are still a few more surprises we're holding for a later date.
When? You'll slowly begin to know more as we enter 2006 and as the year unfolds, and especially at E3, you'll be immersed in Revolution news.
We'll be eager to hear what you have to say and think you'll be pleased with what's in store around the corner!"
What I found quite odd or suspect about his awnser was that he didn't seem to have the notion of one big additional secret waiting to be revealed,although thats clearly what Matt was getting at since rumours of this being the case are omnipresent.Instead,he refferd to lots of exciting details they are holding underwraps.I have a question for you:If there really was one big secret why didn't he hint at it someway somehow like Nintendo kept on doing with the controller, since it wouldn't hurt and contrariwise built up hype ?Maybe because there really isn't a 3rd revolutionary aspect?In my opinion everything indicates that there's no such thing.
Falafelkid, I'm very curious to know how you would access the situation!?
- The I.A.L.S
http://oami.eu.int/RCDOnline/RequestManager
Search :owner contains nintendo
Does anyone here remember the patent found a while back before we even knew the code name "Revolution" that contained info of a console that had a TV tuner itself in it with built in "picture in picture" doesnt that go along with a recent statement about not all the technology in the revolution being video game related
You Have To See This
http://www.jeux-france.com/news14516_dessine-moi-une-nintendo-revolution.html
;^)
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6942573.WKU.&OS=PN/6942573&RS=PN/6942573
Nintendo Patent September 13 2005
-The I.A.L.S
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6942573.WKU.&OS=PN/6942573&RS=PN/6942573
thats it
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6942573.WKU.&OS=PN/6942573&RS=PN/6942573
what the fuck ? its not working
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?
Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&
u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=5
0&s1=6942573.WKU.&OS=PN/6942573&RS=
PN/6942573
old....
http://www.jeux-france.com/news14516_dessine-moi-une-nintendo-revolution.html
lol didnt i just mention the picture in picture to lol, funny thing is that was the very first info i had ever heard about the revolution and then it seemed like everyone forgot about it all together
ah i think anonymous posted that patent in responce to my picture in picture comment
nintendofanboy, why do i just get broken images there
ah ha got it, thanks
I was the first one who posted it blizz. I.A.L.S:The InfamousAnonymousLightShedder remember me?
Please keep that in mind when you talk about where and how this patent popped out.
Thanks
And Check out The Sexorcist by Necro..
Have a nice day..
By the way what happened to Falafelman?
I kind of miss his input..
Falafelkid I think ou are on to something maybe a big exclusive?
Would be nice..=)
It would be nice to hear sometrhing from you regarding my post about the 3rd revolutionary aspect..
Yours sincerly,
The I.A.L.S
you may have just posted light shedder but i heard about the picture in picture way before i even knew who flafel was nevermind you, i heard about a patent by nintendo with a TV tuner and picture in picture way back in 2004, as i said it was the first info on nintendo's next gen consolethat i ever read about.
September 13 patent:
Revolution to feature "expansion device including a hard drive,a video section with a TV-tuner and a modem.
Besides Revolution features RD RAM
and a "coprocessor".
E-mail and web surfing included.
Compatible with pheriphals like keyboard etc.
I am still reading..very interesting indeed..
The I.A.L.S
Picture in picture function able to mix television channel with gameplay(strange)
The I.A.L.S
@ nintendofanboy
I am also curious about this "transceiver"....Is it the sensor?
http://oami.eu.int/bulletin/rcd/2006/2006_012/000433073_0001/images/000433073_0001_1_source.jpg
http://oami.eu.int/bulletin/
rcd/2006/2006_012/
000433073_0001/images
/000433073_0001_1_source.jpg
ok it's not about revolution but
here they say that nintendo will
release info about the DS lite.
http://ds-x2.com/index.php?id=4841
They talk about a DS secret feature.
- 02.30 pm Japan 15th Feb
- 06.30 am UK time 15th Feb
- 01.30 am New York 15th Feb
- 10.30 pm Las Vegas 14th Feb
These are 10 games I would like to see on Revolution:
1.Exclusive Earth Worm Jim by Shiny Entertainment
2.Exclusive Street Fighter remake by Capcom
3.Next generation Mario of course
4.Exclusive Monkey Island,Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango
5.Exclusive Duke Nukem Forever by 3D realms (The red colours fit Nintendo very good)
&.Exclusive GrassHopper Suda51 game
7. New and hopefully a little edgy IP from Miyamoto and gang
8.Exclusive Martin Hollis Zoonami
9.Exclusive Kojima Konami
10.Exclusive Shini Mikami Capcom
Blizz,shoxware,910do,etc.
Tell me which 10 games would you like to see on Revolution?
-The I.A.L.S.
There is really nothing I look forward to more than Mario Kart for Revolution.
I am quite sure that it will be possible to throw items by moving your arm in a direction and pressing a button.
And of course its going to be online.Wow,I can't wait.
I hope they will use real Karts like back then this time around.A little style change and more secret characters and levels would be appreciated.
Excitng times..:)
What do you guys look forward to?
@ I.A.L.S. your matches are very good, but i post again! MY TOP 10 REV games...
1) a REAL Final Fantasy title from SquareEnix, directed by Kitase-San
2) Monkey Island - OH YEAH!
3) Resident Evil 5 - I Love the Resi-Series from the beginning on!
4) Shinji Mikami original IP!
5) Hideo Kojima original IP, but something serious like MGS not like Boktai! Maybe Snatcher 2?
6) SHENMUE 3! PLEASE, GOD!!!
7) Yu Suzuki Original IP
8) Raven Blade by Retro Studios!
9) Dino Crisis 4
10) Terranigma 2!!
and as my special pick i'd hang with ETERNAL DARKNESS 2 from Silicon Knights!!!!!!!
By the way... i think Miyamoto's new IP will be something completely based around the DPD (direct pointing device). No analog attatchment or something like that! Well, at least that's my guess! Anyways... i'm looking forward to it!
Hes back and hes bad. He has the new Nintendo RS name for his blog. Lucky bastard.
Seriousgamer is back.
You are a sad sad man, or child.
We knew you were back a while ago too, maybe you were not getting any visitors to your site and thought you had to come here for some attention. No one cares anymore, so you can stop all the nonsense.
A very interesting OT!
In the very cool wi-fi trailer that nintendo make available on their european sites if you look very well you can see some shadowy letters appearing on the background!Some people have seen R-E-V-O....I-O-N, i've seen clearly only the letters ...V-O...I-O-N. However you've to look the trailer at a very slow speed to see it, use the mouse to slow forward.
The link on joystiq's article:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/14
/nintendo-teases-us-with-wi
-fi-trailer/
The link to english trailer:
http://ms.nintendo-europe.com
/wifitrailer/enGB/video_hq.html
It's not immagination some letters appears clearly! Maybe Nintendo has decided to use as final name Revolution?
Luca S. (Italy)
Oh my....DS Opera web browser
I have mix feelings about this. I think its cool but at the same time web browsing would suck on the DS. Web browsing on the PSP aint all that great either so I don't see how its going to be better for the DS.
it would work much better on the DS than the PSP.
Uwe is at it again.
Seriously guys this is my new hero.He made my day complete.
Long live King Boll Top.The genius.
LOOOOOOOOOOl (-:
Enjoy..
UWE BOLL STRIKES BACK
Uwe Boll is fed up. He's fed up with people slating his films on the Internet, mainly. He's also fed up with Hollywood producers who won't take movies based on videogames seriously. And perhaps most worryingly, at least in terms of how the rest of this interview is likely to pan out, he's fed up with the person who's interviewing him.
"The dangerous thing right now is that a lot of people bash me without thinking about the movies. It's fashionable to hit on Uwe Boll, and this is what I don't get. And I don't get why this comes so harshly from the games press," Boll says.
The problem, he explains, is that "Tons of journalists, including you, have nothing else to do than to follow the Internet voices of one or two thousand people. Only half of those people have seen my movies, and only two per cent of those people have seen my movies before House of the Dead."
Boll says the point is that his movies get better as his career progresses - Dungeon Siege is "ten times better" than BloodRayne, which is ten times better than House of the Dead, and so on.
"If people don't see that, then it's not my problem, but I think those are the people who hate me or who want to bash me. Normal people, people who buy movies or watch TV, they see that absolutely."
Advertisement
Whether you agree with Boll's argument or not, you can't deny that he's taken a lot of flack since his first videogame adaptation, House of the Dead, appeared in cinemas back in 2003. The Alone in the Dark movie did nothing to bolster his reputation with the critics, and his latest effort, BloodRayne, was widely slammed - before the film was even released, Boll says.
"People say BloodRayne has a very bad IMDB rating - yes, but how many votes of zero points were made before the movie was out, by people who hate me but haven't even seen the movie?
"I've met tons of people who think BloodRayne is way better than Underworld 2, but they're not going on the Internet and writing that... I'm a little tired of only getting questions from journalists like, 'Your movies were so badly received, blah blah blah.' I know tons of movies that were way worse than Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead."
And besides, says Boll, what exactly is it that we are expecting from him? After all, he is using videogames as his source material, and they're hardly reknowned for their complex characterisations and sophisticated narratives.
"Let's be realistic, what is House of the Dead? House of the Dead is a brainless shooter, where you shoot zombies into pieces. So what are you expecting from the movie, Schindler's List?
"I think I made a perfect House of the Dead movie, because it really shows how the game is. It's a lot of fun, it's over-the-top action - it's not 28 Days Later, because the reality is that House of the Dead is about how it's a lot of fun to shoot zombies... It's cheesy entertainment with a lot of gore and a lot of violence, and it's super-fast."
Hollywood hangups
Christian Slater and Tara Reid talk shop in Alone in the Dark.
Us games journalists, Boll argues, should be pleased that videogame-based movies are getting made at all. "It's tough to convince someone from the studio system to believe in a videogame-based movie. It's way easier to have a great book or to have a comic book [as your source material], because these studio guys, they know Spider-Man, Batman, that kind of stuff."
Boll believes that part of the problem with convincing Hollywood that game movies are a good idea is down to game publishers themselves. He argues that Marvel, for example, are very good at cross-promoting movies based on their properties - whereas videogame companies simply sell off the licence and then forget about it.
According to Boll, he's fallen foul of this on more than one occasion. "Sega did nothing for House of the Dead, and Atari did nothing to support Alone in the Dark. They developed Alone in the Dark part 5, parallel to my movie, and then they closed the LA facility and never finished the game. And I was standing there alone in the rain with my movie...
"The reality is that a lot of the videogame companies are quite sloppy - they are happy to sell the licence, but then they don't give a sh** about it, and this is not the right approach."
So, Boll argues, it's difficult enough to get a videogame movie made in the first place, and it doesn't help when that movie is slated before it's even been released.
"When I try to get videogames turned into movies, and get videogames accepted as [the equivalent of] best-selling books for the younger generation, I get only sh** from the videogames press - what an asshole I am, what a criminal I am for doing these movies, whatever, instead of being happy that there's a movie getting made of a game. This is what's confusing me."
In fact, it's not just confusing Boll - it's putting him off the whole thing all together. "I won't say that I won't acquire another videogame licence in the future. But I'm not so eager to do it any more, to be honest. After Far Cry, maybe I'll go away from videogame-based movies. And everybody can be really happy about it."
Going Postal
It's one thing being vertically challenged, it's another when all your girly mates have bigger guns than you.
But before that, he's still got to make the Postal movie, based on Running With Scissors' controversial PC title. And just to show he's still got a sense of humour, he's going to take the opportunity to have a little fun with his critics.
"I'm in the movie - Uwe Boll will play a minor part. I get killed by my 'Boll haters'," he explains. So will he be getting real, er, Boll haters to play themselves?
"Absolutely! I don't have a problem with that," Boll says. "I think I'd get thousands of extras doing that, coming to the set to track me down and lynch me!"
When asked if he's worried that the Postal movie will attract a flood of negative publicity, just as the games have, Boll replies: "I don't care, to be honest."
"The movie will be so politically incorrect and harsh, it's like a mirror to American society, and I don't think the movie will be well received by everybody. For example, Osama Bin Laden will be one of the lead characters - I think that shows the mood of the movie."
So what will Bin Laden's role be, exactly? Well, Boll explains, the idea is that he's holed up in Tucson, Arizona, running a Taliban camp. "That shows a little bit how politically incorrect Postal will be - it's really an underground, alternative point of view. Let's wait and see; I think we will suprise a lot of people."
Boll confirms that Diff'rent Strokes and Postal star Gary Coleman is already signed up to play himself in the film, but he's yet to find a leading man to take on the role of the Postal Dude. One thing's for sure - he'll be going for a comedic actor, "Like a Matthew Lillard, for example, or Ron Perlman," rather than a serious type.
Taxing questions
Reid asks Boll for some directorial advice. Boll wonders if it's too late to get Shannon Elizabeth in.
Talking about Postal seems to have cheered Boll up a bit, so let's throw in a tricky question while the going's good. Is there any truth in those rumours that Boll has been exploiting a tax loophole in German law to fund his films, and to provide a dodgy tax break for investors?
"There is no loophole," Boll says - at least not any more, it seems. He explains the situation used to be that if you invested, say, $100,000 in a movie, you could reduce the income you pay tax on by $100,000. As a result of this, German investors funded around 30 per cent of Hollywood movies, but all that's changed since the law was amended in December.
Things are still looking good for Boll, however. He says he's got full financing for his next three movies, "And all my movies, no matter what reviewers are saying, are getting sold."
Apparently Boll is "number one in the market" as far as paying investors back goes, and that's "Not because I make the best movies on earth, but I make movies for a minimal amount of budget compared to what major companies are spending, and the movies look good, and they go out theatrically, and they make a lot of money on DVD or Pay TV.
"This is the main point - if the movie is really, really bad, why are a hundred territories buying it?"
Boll says it's tough to get his movies on screens in the UK and France, to give a couple of examples, but they do very well in cinemas in Spain, Italy, Russia, Thailand and the Middle East, generally spending a few weeks in the top ten of the box office charts.
"I can live with that situation. The average Hollywood movie last year had $65 million production costs, and $40 million promotions and advertising costs. My movies have $15 million to $20 million production costs, and $10 million P&A."
Reality bites
A House of the Dead character considers he options. We suspect they're rather limited.
And he's off again. "So if people are writing on the Internet about how my movies were big failures, it's because these people are amateurs and they have no idea of the reality of film-making and film selling.
"I get bashed as the worldwide enemy number one in film-making by people who are working at Starbucks and who also want to make movies. It's ridiculous - it's completely idiotic because they're hitting on a guy who actually made it happen, but I started my career in the same position as anybody else," Boll argues.
This seems to be a particularly sore point. Boll says it was a long, hard slog to get where he is today - his parents couldn't afford to finance his first ventures into film-making, and he didn't have any contacts in the industry. "I started with $50,000 to make my first movie. I travelled with my f***ing print for my first movie to 150 movie theatres in Germany, theatre by theatre, and was sitting there talking with the audience to get my movie played. So I did it the hard way.
"Now people are getting hired as directors at 20 years old, coming from film school and getting 100 million bucks for their first movie. If people think that this is a good situation, that I'm the worst enemy in film-making and a completely talentless idiot, it's their decision."
The figures speak for themselves, Boll says - for example, more than 1.4 million copies of the House of the Dead DVD have been sold in North America. "Maybe this is bad news for the Boll enemies, but while there are a few thousand people trying to crush me on the Internet, there are millions of people who buy the product."
Blood money
The lovely BloodRayne - remember ladies, never attempt to apply lipstick whilst driving.
However, he concedes, as far as BloodRayne goes, which arrived in American cinemas last month, "I cannot say that it was a big success in the movie theatres. I tried it with a new theatrical distribution company, and they were not able to lock in all the theatres - that was the biggest problem we had. We were scheduled to go out on 2000 screens, and then we came out on 930 screens, and only sh**** screens, so it didn't work out.
"Now we are counting on the DVD release - I'm sure that on DVD it will sell very well."
So if, as Boll argues and as the DVD sales figures would suggest, the viewing public are a lot keener on his body of work than you might think after a casual glance at the Internet, just why does he receive such a lot of negative criticism?
Boll believes it's because he's too willing to discuss his movies, and too honest in his responses. "I think I'm very open, and I talk with everybody and give interviews to everybody. Over the last few years I've realised that it's not helping me that I'm open, and ready to discuss and to learn. Saying that I learned from my mistakes is maybe the biggest mistake I made."
BloodRayne is due to arrive in UK cinemas later this year, and after that will come Dungeon Siege - but this time he "won't do any experiments" as far as distribution is concerned.
Boll confirms that it will no longer be split into two films, Kill Bill-style, as previously suggested. "That was the plan, but now it's only one theatrical movie, plus a longer DVD and TV version."
Metal Gear sold?
BloodRayne and chum. Yes, it is her out of Lost.
So what about the rumours that Boll was keen to direct the Metal Gear Solid movie, but that Hideo Kojima turned him down?
"This is a huge miscommunication in the press," Boll says.
"What happened is, two French writers wrote a Metal Gear Solid script, and they approached me because they wanted me to direct and produce the movie."
Boll asked the writers if they had obtained the licence, and they said no, but added that they had good connections with Konami.
"So they contacted Hideo Kojima and I think his response, because of the press, was like, 'I never talked to Uwe Boll, I've no idea what he's talking about.' This is the situation.
"I like Metal Gear Solid, I like that script, but unless the rights situation is cleared, what can I say?"
And besides, Boll continues, the movie won't make any money if the studio throws money at it while the game publisher ignores it completely. He observes that as a videogame, Doom is just as popular as MGS - but the movie "Didn't make half of the f***ing budget back. People didn't give a sh** about Doom and they won't give a sh** about Metal Gear Solid if it doesn't get the kind of promotion it deserves."
Doom and gloom
The stars of Dungeon Siege. Yes, it is her out of Deep Impact, him out of Snatch, him out of Goodfellas and him out of Smokey and the Bandit.
Yes, Boll has seen Doom, and he's rather ambivalent about it - "I liked the movie a little, it wasn't a really bad movie, but it was not really good."
Would he have done it any differently, then? "I don't know if I would definitely make the movie very differently, because I think that Doom remembered me in a lot of the camera angles, what the creatures were doing and so on... I think the guy who made Doom definitely saw Alone in the Dark."
As for Halo, an example of a videogame-based movie which has a hefty budget behind it, Boll isn't too optimistic. "I personally think that with the budget they've planned, Halo will be a failure. I think Halo will not make the money back in the end."
We've reached the end of the interview, so there's just time to ask Boll if he has a final message for those infamous Boll haters.
Course he does. "Before they judge, they should see the film, that's the first thing. Second, they should really try to compare it fairly, and not based on my name.
"If people really think I'm completely talentless, and this is to journalists, they should at least rent one of my earlier movies, like Heart of America, which is a really, really good movie.
"And then they should say, 'Okay, this is the history of this director, we should judge him based on this.' They shouldn't say, 'This guy cannot make movies,' because this is unfair. I think it's very arrogant that a lot of journalists are not even willing see that movie before they judge my directing ability."
Best get off down Blockbusters, then...
-The InfamousAnonymousLightShedder
SeriousGamer007's new blog is way better than this blog. It is better than his old blog even. No Shit check it out. It rocks.
ehh.... ???????
Another OT!
Tecmo has announced that his online golf game Pang Ya will come to revolution.
Link on Joystiq:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/15
/tecmo-announces-revolution-
launch-title/
Luca S. (Italy)
Ey Luca,Blizz
Everything allright?
I wonder what Falafelkid is doing..
Seems like he is busy..
I hope though he is preparing a big exclusive for us.
Tell me guys are you also fed up like me since the road to E3 seems to be a long haul ?
I want to see pictures,videos.
Oh and Luca,
It's gay golf I'm afraid but nevermind..
:)
P.S. What means OT?
hey everyone, remember the futurna?
well, check this out.
http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/laserprojectorscellphones.php
(need i say more? i know the futurna is fake, but this could do it.)
full color available late 2006.
blizz419. we will see that on the revolution.
No Anonymous we will not see that on the Revolution, though it is cool technology
blizz419 i noticed you went to seriousgamers new blog, nintendo-rs.blogspot.com
Stop being a homo and spamming it.
Blizz just got POWNED!!! LMAO!
oh ya i got so owned oooo your so good wow i should be ashamed lol wow your pathetic, big deal i called him a loser, and he is a loser nobody can argue that fact
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Umm how in the hell does anyone know who anyone is? Blizz assumes and that makes him a retard. I doubt that seriousgamer cares about you blizz. He is bigger than you. everyone knows him. I dont see any attack on his blog against you.
SG007 Shut the fuck up or
or catch a bad one.
Cheers.
-The InfamousAnonymousLightShedder
see lol, it it is pretty obvious he is SG007 lol.
also after he commented on noticing my comments og seriousloser007's site i noticed my comments there were deleted so obviously it was him, and i bet it was him that also claimed that we will see that lazer projector ont the revolution as well only a retard like him would make such a statement, i wonder what his excuse will be when the Rev gets released without any kind of projection.
I know it's quite redundant but I have been wondering lately why Nintendo didn't consider making the Revolution slot light red instead of blue..
I don't know,but when I think of Nintendo the red logo and Mario suddenly come to mind..
What do you guys think ?
By the way Blizz,you are right maybe I should start my own blog instead of posting so much..
I could call it The-Infamous-Anonymous-Light-Shedder-blogspot.Sounds nice doesn't it even if it might be too long.Anyway,I think my approach would be a little bit different than Fals.I would talk about anything like music,games and you know topics and views that I'm generally concerned about..
I wouldn't focus too much on news there are enough sources for that.Maybe I'll pull it off sometime but rightnow I'm just too lazy.But when the time comes I'll let you know..:)
ign has a poll up on the left hand side of their page. you better vote rev!!
give it a try light shedder its not difficult at all
Oh, LightShedder, I would NEVER type that much of text for your blog! what about ilas.blogspot.com?? WAAAY easier!
And for SG007... Somehow i feel sorry for this kid... I mean i don't think that he has friends or alikes, only haters (why, oh why??!!) sad kid!
Nintendo rocks and all, but time to see more important things in life then posting false comments about our favourite company!!!
I meant ials.blogspot.com of course not isla!!!
INSTEAD "ILAS"... DAMN!!!!
I agree Blizz is being lame. SeriousGamer is huge. I doubt that he cares about blizz or this blog. Not that this blog is bad cuz I do come here. However I dont Serious does.
By the way his new blog pretty much rocks. A lot of flair. Anyhow I will prolly be called seriousgamer now because I said I like him and his blog.
You guys must not like him cuz his blog was bigger than yours. Everyone knows it and not to many know about this blog.
*sigh* Falafelkid, where the heck are you so we can stop the maddness?
So did anyone ever figure out what that IGN thing was all about? When they had that Megaton thing where it would just send you in circles...
No that was just a bunch of nonsense.
Yet Another O.T.
Revolution Fanboy (from joystiq)had asked N.O.A. on web browsing on Revolution and that was the answer:"Revolution owners will have the option to purchase that functionality." Afeter the on the DS we will see opera on Revo?
The Link:
http://www.revolutionfanboy.com/2006
/02/15/web-browsing-on
-the-revolution/
Luca S. (Italy)
P.S. Wow Falafel Kid is really busy!No news for six days!
Hey Falafelkid,
Alles okay?
I have to admit that while dissension occured between us in the past I realize how used I got to your blog,visiting almost on a regular basis to get my daily slice..
I must even confess to an extent that I consider you a real personality in this games- industry-internet-scene which arised from and is due to your excellent credibility.You are sort of in my videogames-frame of mind and that means something.
I just wanted to let you know that I very much appreciate your approach on this blog and hope that the reasons for your quietness lately are due to research for exclusives..
Seems like you are up to something..about to drop the bomb aren't you.
Anyway,hope to hear from you soon..
-The InfamousAnonymousLightShedder
I bet you Falafelkid's got his hands on a Rev prototype and is too busy having fun with SSB and Mario 128 to update this blog.
LOL! Just kidding. Whatever you're working on Fal, I can't wait.
OMG guys Seriousloser007 dpesnt like me i'm so upset i dont know what to do LMAO
http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2006/02/15/
IMAGES OF OPERA IN NINTENDO DS :)
J_SHERIDAN
Not sure how new this news is but in the latest issue of ONM they said that the grey stand for the rev would also act as a power supply
i doubt that will be the case Anonymous becouse not everyone will even want to use the stand, I my self will want mine laying down horizontally.
A power supply? Meaning that you would be able to play games in the car etc? It's a good idea. The revelution itself is smal, so you could easily bring it with you on vacation etc. But wouldn't that make it more expensive?
Actually, I can see the stand as being an alternate power supply. Of course you'd have the option of not using it, if thats the case.
By the way, isn't there anything new on the net about the Nintendo Official Magazine? Isnt it supposed to be out in Europe by today? If anyone has any links...please share.
Anonymous a power supply is the brick on the power cord of a console or laptop and such, some devices have them built into the system itself like the first xbox.
Hi Blizz. I dont know who SeriousGamer is. Wasnt familiar with him. Apparently I am the only one. I went into Nintendo forums and they talked about him like he was there idol. Anyway I went to his blog Nintendo RS and I didnt see anything wrong with it. I like it.
Just thought you might want to give him a second chance. Whatever he did to you you should always forgive. Anyhow that is just a thought. If not I think you should just let it go.
However it is up to you. Anyhow I love Falafelkids blog however I actually like SeriousGamer007's blog a little bit more. It is just funner.
Please dont hate me. I will still come here. Please dont flame me. I just think his blog is fun. I dont know of his last blog but I really, really like Nintendo RS.
By the way how come can you become a member of blogger?
Nevermind. I figured it out. Dont I feel dumb. I dont want to have to blog thoguh.
dont worry blizz's butt is still sore from sg giving it to him too hard. hes just a little upset.
You mean like that huge thing sticking out of the 360?
---
@nef
http://www.consolewars.de/news/newsdisplay.php?idx=10953
Nothing new at all, (one nice single picture).
runin_blue, i wouldn't joke about something i have no idea about.
falafelkid was in UK for some days. he'll be back soon.
here doubters.
http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/photos/New_ways_to_play_7.jpg
http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/photos/New_ways_to_play_8.jpg
SG007 gave me nothing so how could i be sore lol, SG007 your funny, and to the anonymous if your really not SG007 then do some research on SG007 he is the most known liar on the internet on revolution related topics, and if you go to the Nintendo forums, he is not worshipped lol he is despised.
and for who ever was asking about the new UK Nintendo magazine there are scans at gonintendo.com
@ product_number_18: What do you mean by "i wouldn't joke about something i have no idea about.".
I just made a joke, what the hell are you going on about!?
After reading through the NOM UK scans courtesy of GoNintendo.com,
I have reason to believe that Zelda will be pushed over to Revolution.
Where to begin?
Well,first of all I have to say what really striked me when I saw the Zelda scans,was that they didn't seem to contain any new screenshots.Just old ones which I'm sure all of you guys have witnessed already.
Now I have got a question for you at this point:
Remember how Nintendo used to release new sreenshots almost constantly as the months were passing,leading up to the Wind Waker launch,to keep the hype going?
If I think about it,I can't help but wonder why they don't get their act together and show some new screens to say the least, ensuring that interest and reception in the title are kept alive and also to make the wait bearable,since logicaly thats what they are supposed to do,I mean it's Zelda,it's their biggest franchise and above all,to prevent that people, paticurly casual gamers who own Gamecubes but are not willing to spend their precious time reading through magazines or the likes,act on the assumption that GameCube is dead, cause thats what appears to be the case if one takes a look at the shelves.
So what I'm getting at,is that it my humble opinion it wouldn't be too far fetched to presume,that the reason why Nintendo maintains a low profile on Zelda in regards to new screenshots and material,is simply due to them being busy redoing the whole engine and graphics to ensure the visuals make justice to Revolutions capabilities,and in my book that could very well be the reason why they haven't shown anything since the delay, cause it clearly would have spoiled what is probably going to be the big bomb, they are about to drop,come E3 untimely.Just my 2 cents..
Besides,at the very beginning of the Zelda preview,NOM seems to encourage putting all rumours to rest,so they approach a UK Nintendo rep with the obvious question if Zelda is being ported to Revolution..
Now guess what his response was..
"Nintendo has always promised and maintained that Zelda would be a GameCube title.."
Seriously guys,what have we learned since the embarassing DS Lite debacle starring none other than Nintendo UK boss Yarnton- if I recall his name correctly- in an exclusive interview with Gamesindustry.biz,the day before the new DS was announced ,in which he didn't seem to be aware of anything(anouncement) taking place in the near future ?
Yes,That's right:
Never trust Nintendo UK,otherwise you are inclined to kid yourself I'm afraid,just so we get this out the way- one should take his response with a grain of salt.
Anyway,I assume NCL realizes what a big opportunity this is for them to make the launch line-up more attractive for people interested in Revolution, so I strongly suggest not to do things by halves.
Last but not least,on a related note NGC magazine which first came up with the story apparently got its' info straight from Jim Merick,
who-if the rumours are to trust- was requested to retire because of this incidence..
At the end of the day,It's all too suspicious and if you consider all the points everything starts to add up from my point of view..don't you agree?
Let me know what you guys think!?
-The I.A.L.S
damn light shedder your posts are becoming way to long man, you should start cutting down the length of them
I don't know if anybody has brought this up before but do anybody notice that the Dpad on DS Lite is similar or same as the revolution?
yes, i dont know if was brought up in here or not, but actually the DS lite, Revolution, and GameBoy Micro all have similer D pads
http://gonintendo.com/?p=877
revo news here http://gonintendo.com/?p=877
Hi Light Shedder. I was away for a few days and will be away again for a few more days. Thank you for your interesting contribution. I will reply as soon as I find the time, which unfortunately will have to be next week. Thanks for sharing your good insights, though.
Well, i say if anything, the 360 is to stupid, the ps3 cost tomuch, and the revolution is prefect.
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