Video Game Buttons Blog

May 2, 2007

Electronic Arts’ EA Playground, a sports game compendium with playground style games that’s already being compared to Nintendo pack-in title Wii Sports, will be for Wii and Nintendo DS users only.

 

In an interview with IGN, Electronic Arts revealed the tentatively-titled EA Playground. According to executive producer Dave McCarthy, the game “is all about capturing the sheer fun of being a kid.”  EA Playground will employ only the Wii Remote for gameplay. “On Wii, there’s a mix of games that cover frantic actions mapped to gestures (e.g. throwing and dodging in Dodge Ball) and others that take advantage of navigating the entire world (e.g. RC Car Racing),” McCarthy said. Whether the Wii and DS versions of EA Playground will connect is unknown.

 

EA Playground, which has not yet officially announced by Electronic Arts, is being developed by EA Canada, which handled Madden NFL 2007 on Wii.  Games already pictured for the Wii version include tetherball and racing remote control cars, although the preview also mentions a dodge ball simulation. The Nintendo DS version will include several unique games, such as bug hunt, which uses the touch screen, and spit balls, which uses the microphone.

 

All of the games feature a multiplayer mode, with simple cartoon style graphics somewhat reminiscent of Wii Sports.  It is presumed the game will not use Mii avatars, with the initial screenshots picturing a different stylized look for characters.  In the single-player campaign, players will choose a character and compete to become the best in the schoolyard.  Players will also maintain a sticker book filled by playing various games, completing special dare challenges, and exploring areas of the playground world.

 

EA Playground is the latest in Wii exclusives from EA, joining SSX Blur, MySims and Boogie.  EA’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition also make extensive use of the Wii’s unique interface.
 

May 1, 2007

Will Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite end up simply confusing and alienating gamers looking for a solid game system? Has Microsoft has learned Nintendo’s prior lesson about focusing on the “hard-core” crowd?  The latest report from analyst group DFC Intelligence lays it all out.

 

“The launch of the Xbox 360 Elite means Microsoft is now chasing Sony after the high-end market.  The strategy of both Sony and Microsoft seems very similar to the one Atari and Nintendo unsuccessfully tried,” the repost states, explaining that the Xbox 360 Elite is a $479 system, the goal of which “is to target consumers that want to download and play high-definition video.”

 

However, there should be concern that what the Elite may end up accomplishing is confusing and alienating those consumers just looking for a solid game system.

 

The report notes that one problem with the new Microsoft console it its name: “With the word ‘elite’ Microsoft is implying that their existing users and all potential future Xbox 360 buyers that if they only spend $400 they are not elite.  At the same time Microsoft announced the Elite, Sony was announcing that they were eliminating the low-end $500 PlayStation 3 SKU.  Sony claimed that demand for the $600 PS3 SKU was over 10-to-1 that for the $500 SKU.  This illustrates a basic rule about the video game consumer: when you are talking big bucks consumers do comparison shopping.”

 

“The Xbox 360 Elite seems like Microsoft’s attempt to chase Sony for the high-end video-centric consumer.”  The report goes on to explain thst chasing Sony in that way is an unwinnable mission because the Elite targets a marginal - possibly non-existent - consumer that wants an HD system, but also wants “to cut corners when it comes to video playback by using a comparatively low-tech video game hardware system.”

 

And what about the Elite’s built-in HDTV DVD player or Internet Wi-Fi?  Nope, included.  That said, the PS3 offers more and costs less.

 

“But the issue of what the Elite lacks is not the primary concern. It is fine to try and satisfy the high-end consumer, but if doing so alienates your mass market base it can spell doom. Sony has more flexibility to go with a high-end strategy because they are still satisfying their core PlayStation 2 consumer base. With hot new products like God of War II, Sony Computer Entertainment is showing existing consumers they don’t need to rush to upgrade to the PS3 (or competing system). Compare this with Microsoft that basically slammed the door on the original Xbox and is now basically telling initial Xbox 360 purchasers they need to buy a whole new system if they truly want to do high-definition.”

 

It’s the issue of HDMI output that seems to be the biggest problem for the Elite. Specifically, most consumers don’t even know what an HDMI port is.  Just last year Microsoft maintained that you don’t need HDMI for HD and that regular component cables will in fact work just fine. 
 

A recent look at the Elite by GamePro also prioved less than sterling: Ultimately, the Elite has nothing to do with enhancing the gameplay experience; it’s for multimedia whores. HDMI, a larger hard drive, new movies and TV content? Great. Remind me why the gamer in me cares? How will the Elite improve my games? From a game saving and demo download standpoint, a 20 GB hard drive is more than enough (hint: you were right the first time, Microsoft). After all, despite whom Elite is being pitched to, gamers are the ones really buying the product.”