Usually April is the lull before the game industry's massive, orgasmic release of information at E3, where all sorts of hype flies every which way. Despite the quiet month we had this year, there were still a decent amount of announcements made, some high-profile releases, and even a touch of scandal. Omni and Mr. Nash sit down now, and discuss all of these going-ons at the the coffee table.

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The Coffee Table:

April 2005 Month in Review

Omni says:

I'd like to start by saying this was the best month on record for the Armchair Empire. Close to 900,000 unique visitors came through! That's so close to a million that I can practically taste it! But there was other stuff that happened this month too -- gaming industry stuff. Like Microsoft announcing that they'd be revealing the "Xbox 360" well before E3, with the help of Elijah Wood and MTV.

Mr. Nash says:

Lot's of cockteasing in terms of game industry happenings with E3 around the corner.

It feels weird having the announcement of a new console via mainstream media, as opposed to the usual channels. I think it will become more common, though, like the way there are extended movie trailers on TV sometimes now.

Omni says:

The funny thing about E3 this year is that there is supposed to be huge stuff coming out of the Big 3 -- Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft -- but after looking at the floor plans and booth assignments listed on the official E3 website, it seems like it might actually be a quieter show. I mean, the Canada Pavillion is in the West Hall. Usually it's in Kentia.

Mr. Nash says:

It's a step up from Kentia, though.

Omni says:

Then companies like Eidos and Codemasters, they aren't even going to be on the floor. They have private room by reservation only. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. This time next month we'll be recapping anyway.

Mr. Nash says:

Codemasters isn't coming as far as I know, and I firmly suspect that Eidos will have their games shown on a modified golf kart as they soar through the LA convention Center. As far as overall quietness is concerned, I wonder if companies are starting to realize it's easier to email everyone the assets, demos, and so forth...

Omni says:

I heard Codemasters is going to be there in a low-key way, seeking out developers that might want to do deals.

Mr. Nash says:

That would make sense; they don't have a whole lot on the horizon these days.

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Omni says:

Big releases in April.... only one sticks in my mind, Jade Empire.

Mr. Nash says:

Jade Empire and Psychonauts were the two big releases for sure, not to mention that Guild Wars squeaked in at the end of the month. Now, if only more companies would have some of their big releases nowhere near Q4...

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Omni says:

I only forgot Psychonauts because I'm still waiting for the review copy to arrive!

Mr. Nash says:

Hopefully we'll get that quicker than we did the Tim Schafer interview.

Omni says:

One of the headlines that caught my attention was that the Valve and Vivendi lawsuit was settled.

From Gamasutra: "Though Vivendi Universal Games published developer Valve's Half-Life 2 in late 2004, the two companies have had longstanding lawsuits and countersuits against one another, stemming from disputes with the Sierra division back in 2002. The legal action between the publisher and developer is now over, following a settlement that dismisses all claims. More striking than the settlement itself, however, is one of its terms: Vivendi Universal Games will cease manufacturing and distributing physical retail versions of Valve games, including Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, and Counter-Strike: Source.

This arrangement will be in effect as of August 31, while another condition of the settlement, that Vivendi surrender its existing cyber café licenses, will go into effect immediately. Operators of cyber cafés who host Valve games have already been informed that Valve holds sole rights to grant licenses, and that existing licenses formed with Vivendi are void.

Mr. Nash says:

Yup, and now Valve has complete control over distribution of their games. I hope that other developers can take advantage of this in the future, so that way they can get more money in their pockets.

Omni says:

But with the kind of bad feelings that Steam created.... hopefully Valve works out the kinks because people still complain about it.

Mr. Nash says:

There's no denying the system isn't perfect, but the concept is a step in the right direction.

Omni says:

The other big headline that you brought my attention to was Yamauchi stepping down from the President position at Nintendo.

Mr. Nash says:

Well, he's probably thinking about some fun in the sun now. He's been with the company for over 50 years, so I think he deserves more than a little R&R.

Omni says:

I'd love to pick his brain....

Mr. Nash says:

Hopefully we'll still get a few sound bites now and then from him, because he shoots from the hip better than anyone in the industry.

Omni says:

A game announcement that is sure to have fans applauding is Katamari 2.

Mr. Nash says:

Yup, nothing spells fun like rolling stuff into giant balls. The industry needs more games like that to offset Over Hyped Sequel # 738.6. Namco has been busy in general this month. The other game from Namco that caught my attention was Urban Reign. We need more Streets of Rage-esque games like that.

Omni says:

I miss those kinds of games. Always have a special place in my heart for those kinds of titles, like the arcade Punisher or Bad Dudes.

Mr. Nash says:

Punisher...how many times did we play that at Circuit Circus?!?

Omni says:

Too many. I might have been able to buy a decent car if that game had never been made. Speaking of sequels, EA sewed up an exclusive deal with NCAA. Before too long they'll own every sport.

Mr. Nash says:

Well, they won't have baseball for a while. And with hockey, they'll have to wait till the strike is over, so that sport is safe for a now.

Omni says:

I wouldn't mind if they dusted off the Mutant League franchise for hockey.

Mr. Nash says:

Another interesting story to pop up this month is Sega Headquarters getting raided under potential charges of criminal negligence causing death. (Read the full story here) I just can't wrap my brain around why the employees at Joypolis let someone on a ride when he couldn't use the safety belt on it properly. That's just bad judgment on the park staff's part.

Omni says:

Yeah. But then there's a part of me that wonders if they were thinking, "I wonder if this will work?" Like spinning a bucket full of water around and around....

Mr. Nash says:

Except centripetal force doesn't really play a part in a skydiving simulator...I hope...

Omni says:

Bad example. If a rider was denied access in the States they'd sue for sure. And if they went on the ride and died, the family would sue the park. It's a no-win situation.

Mr. Nash says:

Maybe, but Japan has more anti-idiot laws to protect businesses from questionable lawsuits. Anyway, we'll just have to wait and see what happens with this one.

Mr. Nash says:

Did you see those new screens for Bill Roper's new project, Hellgate London?

Omni says:

Yep. Looking sweet.

Mr. Nash says:

Is it me, or does the art look an awful lot like Doom 3, at least in terms of the monsters?

Omni says:

Yeah, but it also reminded me of McFarlane/Clive Barker's Tortured Souls action figures.

Mr. Nash says:

I remember those...ew. It'll be nice to see the original core of Blizzard back in action for this game.

Omni says:

In the "What?!?" Department, the statement out of Microsoft that "Xbox games should continue to be released until sometime in 2007." It's complete nonsense.

Mr. Nash says:

They just don't want to lose consumer confidence.

Omni says:

If they release their next console in Fall 2005, does anyone honestly believe that anyone will still be making games for the Xbox beyond the first couple of months of 2006?

Mr. Nash says:

Maybe more Xboxes will be released, but I'm highly skeptical that there'll be much in the way of worthwhile software coming for it through the rest of its life.

Omni says:

And there was widespread reports of "shortages" of both the Xbox and PS2 this past Q4. If there are actual shortages it's a purposeful move on the part of Sony and Microsoft.

Mr. Nash says:

An interesting thing to look at in terms of software support is how many publishers will continue to milk the current generation. At the start of this generation, tons of publishers jumped the gun, and got on PS2 and whatnot, leaving the PSX behind, and lost a lot of money. They essentially abandoned a market of 50 million people for a market of 5 million. I'm not sure they'll make that mistake again.

Omni says:

I know it's my pessimistic attitude, but I doubt it.

Mr. Nash says:

Nonetheless, it looks an awful lot like MS wants to deep six the Xbox sooner than later

Omni says:

On that I will agree.

Mr. Nash says:

Another interesting announcement that came was that the creator of Resident Evil is teaming up with the guys who did Viewtiful Joe. Those two series are such polar opposites that I'm really curious what these two groups will come up with together.

Omni says:

It'll be called Resident Joe! A barrista by day, a slow-mo zombie killer by night.

Mr. Nash says:

No way, I want Viewtiful Evil! Although that sounds like the name of a somewhat aloof off Broadway musical.

Omni says:

Maybe they'll show something at E3. I'd like to see Killer 7 though -- that one has always intrigued me.

Mr. Nash says:

It looks too much like XIII for my tastes, and we'll be fighting terrorists once again (how imaginative!). I have a feeling Killer 7 will be all about the gameplay with liberal skipping of the narrative portions.

Omni says:

I feel somehow let down already.

Mr. Nash says:

"Mr. Nash: crushing dreams one person at a time!"

Omni says:

So what else happened? What are we looking forward to?

Mr. Nash says:

Gamestop and EB Games merging was a surprise to me.

Omni says:

That was out of left field.

Mr. Nash says:

I hope that means we'll see better buy back rates at EB. They've sucked for that for the last while.

Omni says:

There were a few worries about store credit. Does that mean they'll be "downsizing" after a bit of "restructuring."

Mr. Nash says:

I can see that happening a lot in the States. Quite a few of the malls there currently have both an EB and a Gamestop in them, which is a bit redundant. We'll certainly see store closures, and possibly have shops moving into larger spaces to accommodate the increased clientele. I asked the manager at the EB I go to if he knew what was going on, and he's in the dark so far. I guess this merger also means even more people will be pestered to subscribe to Game Informer, though, eh?

Omni says:

Honestly, I'd rather be pestered about Game Informer than the ill-fated GMR.

Mr. Nash says:

GMR had some decent interviews sometimes.

Omni says:

I'll give it that, and I kind of liked that input from all the editors of the Ziff Davis mags, but that font was tough on the eyes.

Mr. Nash says:

Then again, the only team at ZD that I like is the folks at Computer Gaming World, especially Jeff Green. That man says more with his eyes than most people can ever say in words. He's sooooo dreamy. <3

Omni says:

..... I don't really know what to say.

Omni says:

THE END!

Mr. Nash says:

(May 1, 2005)


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