Capcom Bringing The Goods To PAX

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From Capcom Unity  (official blog):

Featuring the lovely ladies of SFIV (Sakura, Viper, Rose, Chun Li, and of course Cammy), the new sticks will make their first on-sale appearance this weekend at our booth at the Penny Arcade Expo.

For anyone that can’t make it to PAX, there will also be a very limited stock available in the Capcom Store and at Mad Catz’ online ‘GameShark’ store, starting on September 4.

Our exclusive Comic-Con edition sticks sold out instantly every day we put them on sale, so if you want to pick up one of these collectibles, do it *quick*.

The upsell is always expected, but fans appreciate the level of care shown in these products, so an exclusive release is a nice bonus to give sell to your most hardcore fans.

Video Of The Day: Uncharted 2 Cinema Mode

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Today’s video of the day comes to use from Naughty Dog, developer of Uncharted 2, and a new mode called Cinema Mode that will allow players to look at their game again, but this time with a directorial’s eye. We can’t wait to see how players use these tools, with the side benefit to Sony of continuing the marketing push for the game well after the game s release in October.

New Slim PS3 Has New Sleek Ad Campaign

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Sony is making the most out of its second chance with consumers by delivering a fully-featured console (shame about that online network) at a new, lower price, and actually telling consumers about it in a clear, cogent and entertaining way.

Their new marketing campaign centers around the multi-titled fictional Kevin Butler, at times Director of Rumor Confirmation, at other times VP of Enough Is Enough.

We feel Sony and Deutsch LA have definitely come through this time, junking some of the very odd videos that launched PS3 in favor of an entertaining message that highlights the PS3 price and features very clearly.  Take a look:

{video marked as “private”}

 

No Xbox HDMI Leads To Microsoft Spin

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Both Sony and Microsoft now have attractive $299 price points for their flagship console packages. Great news for consumers, right? Not so fast. Both companies have decided to include only RGB cables with their packages, instead of cabling capable of HD output such as composite or HDMI.

So what in the hell are Sony and  Microsoft doing packing their $299 models with a set of RGB cables? Those yellow/red/white cables that came with every system since the Super Nintendo aren’t going to show off the HD beauty of some of these next-gen games, and some consumers are either going to be upset they have to buy an HDMI cable or, if they don’t know better, stare at a game picture that is well underwhelming for the money they just spent on the system.

Microsoft VP of Interactive Entertainment Business in Europe gave GamesIndustry.biz his spin:

We wanted to get the Elite pricing to a figure that is acceptable for consumers so they have the option of a premium console gaming experience. Removing the HDMI cable gives the flexibility to consumers who can then decide which type of cable they want for their specific gaming and TV screen set-up.

Masterful attempt at spinning an absolutely blockheaded strategy from both next-gen console manufacturers.

[Full interview at GI.biz]

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the PS3 Slim included HDMI cables out of the box, when it actually includes only RGB cables. The [a]list daily regrets the error.

When A Demo Is More Than A Demo

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SCEA is launching the new PSPgo in the Americas on October 1, and with each $249 system will be a demo of Rock Band Unplugged.

The game, based on the very popular music series, will feature five songs to whet gamers appetites.  What if you want more?   This is where the demo gets really interesting.

Sure, the demo could do its job and get you to purchase the full retail version chockful of songs; that s a demo’s job, right   But this demo will actually play any songs you purchase from the PlayStation Store, without the need of a full retail game.

This is actually very interesting: the thought is give away the base game in hopes of spurring online sales of songs (at about $2 a pop).  This gives consumers a choice of the songs they want to play, and it gives Sony/EA/MTV a chance to keep the $2/song train rolling for potentially hundreds of downloads.

We ll be curious to see if this method of distribution catches on, especially with music game sales down significantly from last year.

Of course, demo or not, it still doesn’t compare to the bundle European consumers are getting with the full version of Gran Turismo.  Clever demo idea, but they get a full, free game!

Bethesda Announces PAX Plans

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Well known developer Bethesda is hitting the PAX show floor next week, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to see what a company like they can bring to the table to a fan-powered convention like PAX.

From Bethblog:

PAX is just over a week away! At this year s show, our lineup will include hourly, live demonstrations of Brink, as well as a chance to go hands-on with our Fall releases WET and Rogue Warrior. Additionally, we ll have playable builds of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles Doom II and Quake Arena Arcade. We ll also have giveaways at the booth, including Brink t-shirts and posters for Rogue Warrior and WET.

They re bringing the ruckus, and we re very pleased to see how PAX has grown in importance and size in the past few years.  Let’s see how other companies show off their wares soon.

Play Magazine Cover Just A Tad Suggestive

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The cover of the newest issue of Play Magazine focuses on Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a game the magazine calls “the latest masterpiece in Japanese 2D gaming.”

Of course, the fact that the main character is half naked, with most of her other half fighting off a monster octopus, has nothing to do with the decision to make the for-now-little-talked-about Muramasa the cover story.

Let’s see how an upcoming Bayonetta cover one-ups this one.

[Play Magazine {link no longer active}

 

Video Of The Day: Serious Sam HD

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Informercials like the ShamWow, Snuggie and SlapChop have made their impact on marketing, whether we like it or not.

Well, Croteam, the folks behind the upcoming Serious Sam HD, like it, and they’ve made the infomercial their key piece of marketing for their remake.  It’s also our video of the day: