Gamer Blorge review of the year – Part 3: July to September
2008 has been a big year for gaming and consequently a big year here on Gamer Blorge. As we approach the end of this year and the start of 2009, let’s take a look back at the stories, opinions, and debates that dominated 2008.
Here is Part Three of the Gamer Blorge review, covering July to September 2008. The rest of the year will follow in further articles before the New Year.
July
The month began with rumors of Wii Remote-style controllers coming to both the PS3 and Xbox 360 – neither of which have turned up as of yet. Gamer.Blorge has a few fanboy commenters, which made the fact that the word made it into the dictionary an interesting turn of events.
July also saw E3 come around again, an event we covered in some detail. Microsoft unveiled Avatars and the new 3D interface, as well as Lips and an Eyetoy clone. The biggest news for the Xbox 360 was the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII coming to the console. Nintendo announced the new MotionPlus, Animal Crossing, and the trio of Wii Resort, Wii Music, and Wii Speak. Sony had to make do with MAG and God Of War 3.
At the end of the month, Sony confirmed the PS3 was here for the longterm, with a 10-year lifespan planned. I also asked whether it was time to do away with three consoles and all play together on one universal machine. Nintendo announced profits of $1 billion in three months, while rumors spread about the development of Wii 2.
August
The month began with Microsoft confirming the Xbox 360 is here to stay, echoing what Sony said the month before. I also inquired as to whether LittleBigPlanet could be the killer app the Playstation 3 has been waiting for. Has it turned out that way?
Chris Deering predicted the state of the console market in 2011, suggesting the Xbox 360 would come last while the PS3 and Wii would be tied for first. Hmm, Chris, you may want to revise that. Proving the point, the Xbox 360 actually sold out in Japan for the first time ever, giving Microsoft an orgasm.
EA argued that second-hand sales of games were the devil’s work. While I explored which of the next-gen consoles was likely to launch first, and when. My conclusion? The Xbox 720 in 2011… mark my words!
September
The month began with me asking whether the Xbox 360 price cuts would make any difference to sales. I would suggest, at this point, that they did the trick. A British newspaper voted Wii Sports as the best game ever, beating Halo, Metal Gear, and the rest. What the hell?
Mike explored Xbox 360’s nickel and dime business model and how it compared to Sony’s. Home finally looked to be on the way but the question on everyone’s lips was whether anyone actually cared anymore.
We explored the full and frank interview Peter Moore, head of EA Sports and formerly head of Xbox and head of Sega of America, gave to The Guardian newspaper. The latest poll results were in and they showed that the PS3 was the best console ever, beating the Xbox 360, the Wii, and Your Mum.
Look out for the last part of the 2008 review tomorrow. And as always, feel free to comment with your favorite moments on Gamer Blorge over the past 12 months.
Read Part One here.
Read Part Two here.
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8 Responses to “Gamer Blorge review of the year – Part 3: July to September”
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December 31st, 2008
I missed the fanboy article, so when I clicked and read it, by the end I was responding to it like it was today’s.
In case you do not want to go that far, I’ll put it here because I am not very familiar with the other’s gaming backgrounds here:
I am going to partially agree with kev here in saying that the site seemed to be leaning heavily towards the PS3 in the majority of it’s articles (let alone included pictures) earlier in the year, but the tide is turning and you can see much more objectivity in the articles and comments now.
Though there is still some signs (”PS3 sells more RPG’s than 360″ is the latest example, and even this was toned down, while other articles say it with pictures- I think some of those were removed) of the PS3 favored slant, overall I would have to say that the site’s authors and commenters have improved in gaining objectivity, though neither will ever be perfect or please everybody.
I think a new head count would do some good for a background perspective… which current gen console do you own and what game(s) are you playing now? How long have you been gaming and what consoles have you owned? (site authors welcome, please!) I’ll start it off:
I have been a gamer since the Magnavox Odyssey2 in 1978 enjoying “UFO!” as a 5 year old. Since then I have owned and enjoyed the Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, NES, Super Nintendo, Atari 7800, Sega 32x, Atari Jaguar, PS1, Sega Saturn, PS2, Sega Dreamcast, GameBoy Color, GBA, Sega GameGear, NeoGeo Pocket, DS, and PSP.
I have owned a very expensive Alienware in the past and my current rig out here is a Dell XPS 1330.
DS Lite, PSP3000, XBox 360 and PC are my current gaming platforms.
Because of rough shipping and power problems being renowned for both the PS3 and 360 (it is not very “clean” power here in Iraq), I decided not to have my 360 shipped out here to Iraq, and opted instead to utilize the DS Lite and PSP3000. I wore these out for the first few months, but I actually put down Final Fantasy Tactics and I am currently playing Shining in the Darkness on PC emulation (DGen). Fallout 3 is the first game I plan on playing on the 360 when I get back to the states next year.
December 31st, 2008
Hey Carl, How is Final Fantasy Tactics. I’ve never played any of the FF tactics before. I’m planning on finally picking this up soon. I take it from your bio that you are in the service? When are you scheduled to come back?
I’ve been gamming since probably around … 1989 or so? My very first console was the NES. I’ve since owned a Game Gear (Sega handheld), Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, PS1, PS2, Game Cube, PSP, and the almighty PS3.
I should also note that I logged a considerable amount of hours on the 360 and Wii at friends houses.
I have played literally a few of PC games also. I played Doom/2, and Final Fantasy XI. Playing on the PC isn’t bad, but I really prefer a consoles controls and functionality. Also the selection of console only games tends to be better in my humble opinion.
December 31st, 2008
Oh and I decided to get a DS soon. Unfortunately Square Enix has convinced me that I need one (FFIII, FF IV, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, etc)
December 31st, 2008
Fanboys? Where…?
I don’t think I’ll ever play on a console more than I played, and continue to play, on the PS2. Many days of my life have been wasted playing on that machine.
Nowadays, me and my PS3 are currently waiting for next years games to be released…
Although come tomorrow and I’ll be able to say that the games are coming *this year*…in the style of Homer Simpson…”Woo Hoo!”
December 31st, 2008
I got the new Prince of Persia for Christmas. It’s actually really good.
As far as January I’m leaning towards picking up Afro Samurai over SF IV.
December 31st, 2008
Haven’t had the chance to get to into Prince of Persia yet as I’m still playing Resistance2
December 31st, 2008
I like the new Prince of Persia a lot. I especially like that the price is Nate Drake. Not only is it the same voice actor, but it’s actually the same character. There personalities are exactly the same.
December 31st, 2008
Barnabe Jones,
Final Fantasy Tactics is very fun so far, but I played Jeanne D’ Arc just before it, which is also an outstanding game and I have only gotten through 6 missions on FFTWoL, so I’ll reserve judgment. I think part of the reason I put it down was because I was grid turn based strategied out, so to speak… at least for the time being. That and the fact that I found Shining in the Darkness. At this point though, I would definitely recommend picking up Jeanne D’ Arc or Final Fantasy Tactics for you, but JDA seems a bit more engaging and lively.
I am in the Marine Corps and should be back sometime early next year.
Nice history on your gaming background by the way, especially the Sega part
PC gaming… I remember Total Annihilation, Baldur’s Gate, Diablo… aah, the fun… but at some point I got fed up with the constant upgrading and patching and… no, that wasn’t it… it was just after I finished Elder Scrolls Morrowind on the Alienware that I picked up the 360, and immediately got into the achievement system. I haven’t looked back since.