I want this collectable.

travo said:

I just got the RROD!

 Sometimes it's hard to believe it's only 30% as more than 30% of the people I know have got it at one point or another. Maybe I'm just a bad luck charm.

gamingeek said:

travo said:

gamingeek said:

travo said:

I just got the RROD!

Yay! Check out the RE5 thread, I got the RROD too.

My 360 is somewhere in Germany at the moment.

I just ordered a shipping label and box.  Upon further examination, it's not three red rings, just one.  E74 message.  Fortunately, it says it won't cost me a dime to repair  it.  Better not!

Yeah that is covered by the 3 year deal.

Did some more updates.

This is interesting reading:

SEGA: Conduit Sales Start Strong

Third-party giant SEGA has twice gambled on Wii's adult demographic and twice fallen short of the grand retail payoff. The first bet, House of the Dead: Overkill, was an on-rails shooter in the publisher's acclaimed zombie series. And the second, MadWorld, was a black and white brawler drenched in gore. Despite good reviews for Overkill and rave reviews for MadWorld, neither title performed very well on the sales charts, which inevitably led to wild speculation as to why that was. According to some pundits, the on-rails nature of House of the Dead ultimately did the game in, just as MadWorld's ultra-stylized monochromatic presentation proved too much for general audiences.

But SEGA's vice president of marketing, Sean Ratcliffe, doesn't seem phased by the results so far. "The mature audience on the Wii is a relatively new audience. The system has traditionally targeted families and kids and not the more mature hardcore gamer. We recognize that when you are trying something new, it may take awhile for the consumer to jump on board with it," he tells us.

MadWorld sold 66,000 copies during the first 20-something days it was on the market, according to data released by sales tracker NPD Group -- not bad for, say, the next Cooking Mama, but well short of expectations for a title considered to be one of Wii's best. And certainly nowhere near first-month sales of similarly AAA software on competing systems; titles like Gears of War blast through the 500,000 sales milestone in less than a week.

"MadWorld was something very different," says Ratcliffe. "It was pretty dark in humor and gameplay so there was a lot of people that had to be open to that one. We know the quality was there, we just need to give the consumer a little room to give it a chance." Ratcliffe notes that House of the Dead: Overkill, which sold only 44,000 units during its first 20 days available, also had "a quirky style to it that people needed to get used to."

"So there was a lot for us to overcome -- all of which we prepared for," he adds. "There will always be the early adopters, but the general consumer sometimes will be a little more reserved."

Then, of course, there's The Conduit, an original first-person shooter developed by High Voltage Software that SEGA picked up to publish late last year. The game has long been considered the third pillar in the third-party's arsenal of mature Wii software. The thing is, House of the Dead had a recognizable brand to fall back on and MadWorld had critical acclaim, yet neither reshaped the sales charts. Why should The Conduit be different? Well, for one, it's got a robust multiplayer component.

"Unlike MadWorld and House of the Dead, The Conduit offers multiplayer, which really will be the key to differentiating this game from others out there. The most successful Wii games offer some element of multiplayer  element to them and this game takes that to a whole new level. Offering incredible online gameplay takes this game out of the TV room and makes it a global experience that we think the Wii gamer has been looking for," says Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe also says another major advantage of High Voltage's shooter is that, essentially, it delivers an experience that gamers are familiar with. "Where MadWorld and House of the Dead were innovating and offering something totally new, this offers something familiar to gamers – something they know they have a great time with already. This is just giving more of what they already like which means we have a great jumping off point. Essentially, The Conduit is offering hardcore gamers the type of game they already love to play on other systems."

There is one other very important factor, though -- one that cannot be overlooked or dismissed. And frankly, it may be this very detail that truly aids the first-person shooter where Wii sales are concerned. Ratcliffe points it out: "This game is teen rated versus mature meaning that we aren't only targeting the more mature hardcore gamer. It is a little more accessible to gamers of varying ages." Fact is, very few M-rated Wii games have performed to expectations, as both Overkill and MadWorld prove, so hitting the coveted teen rating may be the best thing that could've happened to High Voltage's title.

SEGA aired commercials for both Overkill and MadWorld, but neither showed the games in their best light because the publisher seemed more concerned with upsetting the ESRB than it did with selling the products. MadWorld's TV spots in particular showed only black and white snippets of action scenes that nearly ignored altogether the buckets of bloody carnage which consume and define the experience. Newcomers who spotted the title in TV commercials first would undoubtedly not even know it was overly violent if not for the mature label stamped on the spots at their conclusions. The Conduit's ads are more targeted, featuring snippets of fast, action-packed gameplay coupled with quotes of praise from various outlets, IGN included. Print, online and TV ads have already been airing and will continue to do so.

"Our goal is to reach out to both the hardcore gamer as well as the consumer who are maybe a little out of touch with the hardcore systems and are looking to play something more hardcore on their Wii at home that they share with their whole family," says Ratcliffe. "Overall, it is mostly a male demographic. At the end of the day, we are totally across the board with this one – from IGN to Marvel comics to Sports networks – we are touching on a little bit of everything." Ratcliffe adds that SEGA has targeted the hardcore by airing ads on G4, as well as in magazines and online sites like IGN, but on the flip side, it is "... targeting the more mainstream consuming and putting advertising up on SciFi, Spike, and ESPN." It has also looked to reach out to teens on Facebook, MTV, Adult Swim, FX and WWE events.

So from a marketing standpoint, there's one question left and it's the most important one, which is, how many units does SEGA need to sell of The Conduit for the game to be considered a success? "The game is already successful with us as the reviews have been pretty impressive. Overall the reviews have been strong, and though there will always be some naysayers we definitely feel we have been able to offer gamers the Wii experience we were looking for," Ratcliffe says, sidestepping the question.

What he will give us is this: "Though it is still early days in the retail life of the game, we are seeing very strong week one sales and being the best shooter on the Wii means that we think we will see this game out there and selling well for a long time." And when we press him for specific sales projections, he declines, saying only that SEGA does not release those numbers.

We can always point to anecdotal evidence which backs up Ratcliffe's claims -- specifically, reports of The Conduit selling out at retailers and lots of talk about the game on message boards and blogs, both of which are good signs. Sales tracking site VGchartz projects that the shooter amassed sales of nearly 100,000 units since it launched, information which cannot be verified until official NPD reports hit in the near future. What can be verified, however, is The Conduit's strong online presence. SEGA has previously said that online activity for the game is very high, which suggests that Wii owners are, in fact, picking the title up and connecting to play against others.

I'm glad Sega is bringing actual games for the Wii. But all the good they do is overshadowed by that darn blue hedgehog!

And I can see why Conduit would sell better than MadWorld or HotD Overkill. But seeing the mixed reviews, I guess Conduit isn't perfect. But since it's selling, it shows that FPSs can be marketable on the Wii.

I hope more devs bring more FPSs to the Wii and fix all the problems Conduit had. It seems to me that Conduit is technically and graphically sound but the design is generic, based on the reviews I read.

phantom_leo said:

Got the perfect pic for the next time Carnage goes on a rampage:

 Gamespot modded me once for posting that hobo pic. 

ASK_Story said:

gamingeek said:

We can always point to anecdotal evidence which backs up Ratcliffe's claims -- specifically, reports of The Conduit selling out at retailers and lots of talk about the game on message boards and blogs, both of which are good signs. Sales tracking site VGchartz projects that the shooter amassed sales of nearly 100,000 units since it launched, information which cannot be verified until official NPD reports hit in the near future. What can be verified, however, is The Conduit's strong online presence. SEGA has previously said that online activity for the game is very high, which suggests that Wii owners are, in fact, picking the title up and connecting to play against others.

I'm glad Sega is bringing actual games for the Wii. But all the good they do is overshadowed by that darn blue hedgehog!

And I can see why Conduit would sell better than MadWorld or HotD Overkill. But seeing the mixed reviews, I guess Conduit isn't perfect. But since it's selling, it shows that FPSs can be marketable on the Wii.

I hope more devs bring more FPSs to the Wii and fix all the problems Conduit had. It seems to me that Conduit is technically and graphically sound but the design is generic, based on the reviews I read.

 Less than perfect by far, but High Voltage went from Dora the Explorer to a proper game. Whether or not the game succeeds commercially is really weird, in that its importance and relevance is perhaps overestimated by analysts and the press. You already have two FPS on the system that have sold over a million as well as hardcore 3rd party games that have sold over that amount too. 

If there is any good to come from the Conduit it would be if a proper FPS developer saw all the press coverage, saw the demand, tried the game and thought to themselves:

"Hey we can do better than that" and then do it. 

The whole sales debate is weird, Medal of Honour Heroes 2 sells poorly and that's because it's WW2, that is the excuse. Then World at War on the same system sells over a million and that is WW2 as well. 

phantom_leo said:

gamingeek said:

travo said:

Foolz said:

travo said:

I just got the RROD!

Sometimes it's hard to believe it's only 30% as more than 30% of the people I know have got it at one point or another. Maybe I'm just a bad luck charm.

If that's true, then it's still ridiculously high.  So nearly one third of the 360 owners?  Plus I talked to some people last night who had to repair their's three or four times.

Where is this 30% figure coming from?

It's 100%

Everyone I know has had this problem, even my own brother who is on his third. I thought he was only on 2.

...and this is why I will never, ever play: Mass Effect, Fable II, Halo 3, Gears of War 1 and 2, Viva Pinata... and countless other games I would like to play.

I could never/can never/will never accept a product like this. You pay THAT much money, knowing it will FAIL you one day.

I have been a gamer all of my life, the irony is though, very few games CAPTURE me these days, when they do, it's a frenzied race to try and finish them before my time or interest runs out.

Like I need my DS to lull me to sleep at night, I need to know my system isn't going to fail me when I want to play a game.

I owned an Xbox, loved Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Gun Valkyrie and Otogi, among others...

...but until I have unmistakable evidence this design flaw is fixed... I WILL NEVER OWN AN XBOX CONSOLE EVER AGAIN!

 My original xbox crapped out on me too. I had 3 of them, but the first one was broken from day 1 so changing it wasn't that much of a problem. 

I think when MS pay for the repairs its okay but once that extended 3 year grace period is over and they start making you pay for repairs for the RROD or E74, or disc scratching BS. Well that's when you're going to get really peed off. 

I just got RE5 when mine crapped out and I have PD0 on order. It's pretty insane though the number of people who have had the problem. 

Hey guys...

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3175140

Tomb Raider Origins: Lara Croft Begins? It looks like that may be the direction the long-running series is headed in, as leaked pictures of what is supposedly new concept art suggest the next Tomb Raider game will give Lara her turn at a full-blown reboot. 

The pics come by way of an insider "mole" who sent them to Four Player Co-Op (via Joystiq), and are attached to a fairly detailed description of what the concept of the new game might be -- and it sounds like Lara is taking a page out of fellow Brit adventurer Bear Grylls' book. It'll reportedly be an open-world game, with a "young and inexperienced" Lara Croft being marooned on a large and mysterious island. Survival will be a major theme of the game, as well as hunting and being hunted by mysterious enemies (no doubt the weird-looking claw people seen in the pictures). There will also be a new combat system that focuses more on "brutal" melee combat, as well as ranged weapons like guns and, for some reason, a bow. 

These pictures also appear to be attached to what may be a survey seeking opinions on the new concept of the game, as one picture has the words "how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?" visible at the bottom. There's also a bullet-point list of new features and ideas included with the images, which have been transcribed bellow: 

Hunt or Be Hunted: Evade, outsmart, trick and kill the mysterious enemies that hunt you as prey. 
Survival Action: Brutally attack and defend yourself as you fight to survive through visceral one-on-one melee combat. 
Strategic Weapons: Gain an advantage in combat by finding an array of different melee and ranged weapons including a variety of guns, and the hunter's ultimate weapon, the bow. 
Creative Survival: React and adapt to the island by using only that which you can salvage from the environment like climbing axes, rope, and machetes that can be used to unlock new traversal and combat gameplay options. 
Free Movement: Scramble up a vertical cliff wall, sprint and leap across a huge chasm, steer mid-air to land a misdirected jump: There is no one right way to traverse, survive, and explore the harsh environment of the island. 
One Cohesive World: The diverse multi-region island is an open playground alive with creatures, weather, and natural events. 
Origin Story: The new Tomb Raider concept reboots the franchise by exploring Lara Croft's transformation into a hardened adventurer as you unravel the story behind the island's mysterious past.

As usual with these types of leaks, keep in mind that not only is this all unconfirmed to be a legitimate possible concept for the new Tomb Raider, but that even if it is, a lot could still change by the time the game is released anyway. 

So, thoughts? Do you like the idea of a meaner, more brutal Lara Croft... who apparently might wield a bow? Think the survival aspects could add an extra level of challenge and complexity to the Tomb Raider series?

gamingeek said:

So, thoughts? Do you like the idea of a meaner, more brutal Lara Croft... who apparently might wield a bow? Think the survival aspects could add an extra level of challenge and complexity to the Tomb Raider series?

A series reboot? I thought Crystal Dynamics already did that with TRL. I am currently playing through underworld, and am too early in it to have a solid opinion. I have encountered some weird geometry glitches, and Lara's face looks hideous, bloated and with lips that look like she overdid the collagen injections. I actually loved Lara's looks on Legend and TR Anniversary.

I like the idea, provided the change in direction doesn't affect the platforming aspects of the game. Making it more combat oriented would definitely improve pacing, but they need to bear in mind that platforming/exploration are the focus of the TR games.

gamingeek said:

Conduit first week sales?

http://the-conduit.webs.com/apps/blog/show/1351392-first-week-of-sales

The first week's figures are in.  I'm not sure what you would consider to be good or bad numbers, but below is a graph that shows some promise.  On the graph are the first week of sales in America for The Conduit, Madworld, and Call of Duty.  The Conduit Is off to a much stronger start then the other two games were,  but it all depends on how long it can keep its momentum going.

I've sort of taken a cue from Peter Moore recently and started monitoring Amazon.com to get an idea of how games are selling.  The Conduit has been in the top 100 video game best sellers (which includes games, consoles, accessories, etc.) and almost all of that time it's been in the top 50.  At the moment it's sitting at number 29 (18th as far as actual games).   So it's holding pretty strong all things considered.  I don't know if it'll break 1 million but there's no reason to think it won't at least do half a million.   Three weeks after launch I've yet to see a used copy at Gamestop so that's always a good sign.

Sega has done a good job of letting people know the game is out there.  The commercial isn't particularly good, but it's running a lot so they're really pushing it and it looks like it's paying off for them.

ASK_Story said:

I'm glad Sega is bringing actual games for the Wii. But all the good they do is overshadowed by that darn blue hedgehog!

Booo. Go back to GS.