Possibly three Namco games for 360?

[Loner]

Link.

Welcome to the Xbox family Katamari, Ace Combat and Warhammer?
Posted in Xbox 360, Games, Rumors by Nino de Vries on March 16th, 2007 at 14:54

Apparently three new Xbox 360 titles were just added to BlockBuster’s database and they’re rather interesting ones too. We just got three juicy cellphone pics of what appears to be BlockBuster’s register computer, showing off three titles that were previously exclusive to other platforms. According to BlockBuster’s database we’ll see ‘Beautiful Katamari’, ‘Warhammer: Mark of Chaos’ and ‘Ace Combat 6′ on the Xbox 360 sometime in the future.
Warhammer: Mark of ChaosBeautiful KatamariAce Combat 6

What’s interesting is that all these titles are published by Namco and Namco is supporting Microsoft’s next-gen platform more and more since it’s launch. The amount of Namco games on the original Xbox might have been pathetic, the amount of 360 titles from the Japanese publishing house has already outnumbered the Xbox releases. Namco is fully supporting the Xbox Live Arcade with titles such as Dig Dug, Galaga and Pac Man and even their biggest title Tekken has been rumored to come to the 360. Some shady cellphone pics of BlockBuster’s register are far from a plausible source but the fact that these are all Namco titles makes it all the more believable. Keep a close eye on Xboxic as soon as we hear anything from any of these titles, especially Beautiful Katmari. We love Katamari!

Thanks for taking the pics and submitting them Firebranded!

Pics are in the link.

Ace Combat for the 360 would be win, but epic if the Ace Combat 5 flight sticks are still compatible.

[Xisiqomelir]

I think credit is due to My Bosses at Sony for calling this back in January.

[Shroom Man 777]

Holy shit. Looks like I may be getting a 360 in the not-so-distant future.

[Medic]

Ace Combat 6

FUCK THE PS3! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

[SAMAS]

Holy shit. Looks like I may be getting a 360 in the not-so-distant future.

Waitwaitwait.

Namco owns/merged with/is owned by(I forget which exactly) Bandai.

Bandai owns Banpresto.

Hmm... maybe SRW XO won't be a one-shot thing after all.

[CaptHawkeye]

Ace Combat 6? I will never ask if Sony's situation can get worse than it currently is, ever again. Because it is ALWAYS worse. Seriously, Ken Kutaragi and Phil Harrison simply must be resorting to alcohol and drug abuse at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if the cops picked up Ken on the street, naked and screaming "It's Ridge Racer" while in a cocain induced high.

Didn't Namco also rumor a Xenosaga spinoff sometime ago? I'd be surprised if that wasn't included as well.

[Scottish Ninja]

Ace Combat 6

FUCK THE PS3! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

That was my exact reaction on reading that too. I've commented to my friends a while back that I was thinking about writing a letter to Sony, saying that "if I ever do buy a PS3, it'll be for Namco, not for you."

Now I will have no guilt about totally abandoning the prospect of getting a PS3.

[Praxis]

Katamari is apparently multiplatform...and that includes Wii.

http://orangeloungeradio.com/phpnuke/mo ... le&sid=717

WII KATAMARI.

[LaserRifleofDoom]

Katamari is apparently multiplatform...and that includes Wii.

http://orangeloungeradio.com/phpnuke/mo ... le&sid=717

WII KATAMARI.

Oh. Yeah. Like we didn't see that one coming.

[Sephirius]

Ace Combat 6

FUCK THE PS3! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

GRAAAGH DIE IN A FIRE.

[Medic]

Ace Combat 6

FUCK THE PS3! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

GRAAAGH DIE IN A FIRE.

What can I say? I called it.

With the Wii going an unconventional route and the PS3 looking like a monumental flop early on, I wasn't impressed by any of the systems. Sure the Wii might be good at what it does but what that is not is top-of-the-line graphics. A lot of franchises -- like Ace Combat -- are the type where people expect a better polished incarnation every so many years, graphics are part of the expectation for the product.

So I was thinking, if the Wii won't be able to push the shiniest games and the PS3 looks like the next Saturn, Sony's longtime PS2-era exclusives have to go SOMEWHERE: namely, the X360. And you know what? It looks like they did. edit: I am of course referring to a thread that almost got derailed as a moratorium on some of my rather specific and limited taste in games. The more fundamental point though remains.

But don't worry, I'm sure AC6 will be a 2 platform title, just not the oh-so-heralded exclusive Sony NEEDS to keep the PS3 afloat. I can't say I feel sorry for you or for anyone, Namco is just acting in intelligent self-interest. Surely, you don't hate Namco for doing what they think is best so that they can continue to even MAKE such games like AC6, Katamari and Warhammer?

edit: fixed awkward grammar

[UCBooties]

I find it interesting that the X360 does not need for a title to be exclusive for it to be a win for them. As long as they keep taking exclusives away from Sony they're ahead of the game. That perspective really puts Sony in dire straits.

[Medic]

I find it interesting that the X360 does not need for a title to be exclusive for it to be a win for them. As long as they keep taking exclusives away from Sony they're ahead of the game. That perspective really puts Sony in dire straits.

Well DUH. Bill Gates & Microsoft were laughing all the way to the bank with the original XBox. Was it as good as the PS2? By no means but that wasn't Microsoft's goal with the original machine anyway. (and by good of course I mean sales of the actual system and relative market share, not performance)

Just consider the fact that in the span of a few short years, Microsoft went from an 'unknown unknown' (as Rumsfeld might have put it) to being a legitimate PLAYER in the console market. That's a win in my book. It's sort of like the comparison of strict body counts for measuring victory in a battle versus the strategic goals and outcome. I mean, depending on the definition, America either won or lost Vietnam.

The other significant factors are that both Sony and Microsoft can take the losses to keep fighting the game and every 5 years or so there's another generation of consoles and the slate is nearly wiped clean each time. If you play your cards right -- R&D'ing a good future product, making enough of the things and on a timely basis, 3rd party exclusives and backwards compatability, etc. -- you could win each round but Sony fucked up 5 ways from Friday this time, arrived a year late and now we see that 3rd party publishers are more interested in running with the big dawg than staunch party loyalty.

Sony in this round like Microsoft last, can afford to have a relative failure of a console since they make so much more money elsewhere. These little companies like Namco -- or Sega, their history's a great exampe -- are like little cash crop economies and they simply HAVE to invest in the system that will net a lot of game sales. Sure, there's the idea that if your product is sufficiently good (Final Fantasy, Metal Gear) that it will be cause to buy the system you're developing an exclusive for, but you're still gambling if that system is in fact the current underdog. If Namco's got a hard and fast DEADLINE to release some next-gen products, looking at the relative disparity in installed base and potential profits, I'd invest in Microsoft too. Hell, right now that's a conservative move, not some radical departure of philosophy. Namco's been on Sony's back since the PS1 and PS2 heyday, where the competitors were 2 flat out limp dick Sega systems, 2 technically impressive Nintendo systems that floundered on 3rd party support, and this giant wannabe VCR of an X-Box that didn't threaten Sony's market share at the time.

[Xisiqomelir]

Well DUH. Bill Gates & Microsoft were laughing all the way to the bank with the original XBox.

$4 Billion losses don't usually inspire such rejoicing.

[Medic]

Well DUH. Bill Gates & Microsoft were laughing all the way to the bank with the original XBox.

$4 Billion losses don't usually inspire such rejoicing.

Are you even going to address the fact that both Sony and Microsoft make money OUTSIDE of the console market that allows them to make such sacrifices? Microsoft only had to lay down the groundwork for the NEXT generation of console wars, which they're arguably winning now.

It's not like the 1st X-Box violates some 2nd Law of Thermodynamic economics. Like the sun in evolution, Microsoft sells these things called OPERATING SYSTEMS that can fuel other stuff, like expensive ventures into the video game market.

Hell, everything I said means that there's still room for Sony to make a comeback in the next generation of consoles so why are you even complaining? However far out that is. Though if Sony is serious about the decade-long PS3, I think they're in for a shock.

[Xisiqomelir]

Well DUH. Bill Gates & Microsoft were laughing all the way to the bank with the original XBox.

$4 Billion losses don't usually inspire such rejoicing.

Are you even going to address the fact that both Sony and Microsoft make money OUTSIDE of the console market that allows them to make such sacrifices?

That's not sound corporate financing. By the stand-alone principle, a project is judged only on its own cash flows, not the other operations of a firm.

I suppose you could make the argument that PS3 and XB2 are necessary strategic risks, one for the pushing the BRD format and the other for diversifying operations away from Microsoft's main revenue-generating divisions. If that's your argument, you'll have to wait until the end of the generation to see if those gambles pay off.

[Medic]

$4 Billion losses don't usually inspire such rejoicing.

Are you even going to address the fact that both Sony and Microsoft make money OUTSIDE of the console market that allows them to make such sacrifices?

That's not sound corporate financing. By the stand-alone principle, a project is judged only on its own cash flows, not the other operations of a firm.

I suppose you could make the argument that PS3 and XB2 are necessary strategic risks, one for the pushing the BRD format and the other for diversifying operations away from Microsoft's main revenue-generating divisions. If that's your argument, you'll have to wait until the end of the generation to see if those gambles pay off.

To be fair, I didn't consider Sony's POV of trying to prop up BRD format but it's hardly news that consoles sell at a loss. Yes the original XB might well have been quite bad but did you again gloss over one of my points, that of the cyclic nature of the game market where each new generation is it's own new (somewhat) random event? (obviously not entirely random, it's up to the console maker to make and market their product successfully and get their ducks in line)

Though not news to me I do particularly like this definition of the console market.

The games industry works on the basis of a "razors and razorblades" business model, where companies sell consoles at a loss on the basis that they'll make the cash back from sales of first-party software and licensing fees on third-party software.

The 1st XB didn't have to be the best thing since sliced bread, it only had to be good enough to prop up their 2nd effort. Obviously Microsoft is gambling but not nearly as bad as, say, Vince McMahon with his XFL which if you were to believe it, was tougher than the real thing, the NFL.

Microsoft tried to apply lessons learned from their 1st effort and put that into their second and were aggressive enough to come out of the box early this round. Yes, maybe we'll have to wait for the NEXT generation to claim an ABSOLUTE victor, but since they have the largest installed base as-is, a Halo release around the corner, and now this story pointing out that past 3rd party exclusives for Sony are no longer a given, I'm confident in saying Microsoft's chances are better than Sony's for coming out on top. It's hardly an article of faith at this moment.

[Praxis]

Well DUH. Bill Gates & Microsoft were laughing all the way to the bank with the original XBox.

$4 Billion losses don't usually inspire such rejoicing.

Are you even going to address the fact that both Sony and Microsoft make money OUTSIDE of the console market that allows them to make such sacrifices? Microsoft only had to lay down the groundwork for the NEXT generation of console wars, which they're arguably winning now.

So what? If I smash my car, I make enough money elsewhere to afford to fix it. That doesn't mean I'll be laughing on my way to the bank.

The XBox took a huge loss and did not achieve dominant marketshare (barely beating the GameCube and getting less than 1/4th the marketshare of the PS2, which was profitable).

The XBox 360 is doing well because Nintendo chose not to compete directly and Sony were stupid.

I don't know who the 'winner' between Nintendo and Microsoft are going to be. Nintendo is clearly the most profitable on a per system basis (the systems are profitable, and Nintendo traditionally sells more first party games; Microsoft takes a loss per system and sells more third party games), so if the Wii can catch up to Microsoft's head start in system sales numbers, Nintendo might make the most money by far.

[Medic]

So what? If I smash my car, I make enough money elsewhere to afford to fix it. That doesn't mean I'll be laughing on my way to the bank.

The XBox took a huge loss and did not achieve dominant marketshare (barely beating the GameCube and getting less than 1/4th the marketshare of the PS2, which was profitable).

The XBox 360 is doing well because Nintendo chose not to compete directly and Sony were stupid.

I don't know who the 'winner' between Nintendo and Microsoft are going to be. Nintendo is clearly the most profitable on a per system basis (the systems are profitable, and Nintendo traditionally sells more first party games; Microsoft takes a loss per system and sells more third party games), so if the Wii can catch up to Microsoft's head start in system sales numbers, Nintendo might make the most money by far.

That analogy isn't exactly accurate to the situation, since crashing the car obviously serves NO purpose whatsoever. Putting an XBox with little chance of actually succeeding against it's competition in terms of 3rd party support and a profit on the system wasn't POINTLESS from MS's POV. They established a presence, learned the ropes of the market and came back with a much stronger 2nd effort which if successful, gives them one more source of revenue that at the turn of last century didn't even exist.

Nintendo might in the end have the most profitable system but it's not exactly apples and oranges between either XB2 and PS3 and the Wii. XB2 and PS3 are both in the hi-def market and can physically put out the best looking games. The Wii went another direction entirely and while the gameplay on it may have the most potential, they have limited their audience in some respects. Any 3 console game on the Wii will be the ugly step-sister of it's hi-def counterparts. Microsoft's natural opponent is obviously PS3, they're on different sides of the hi-def market but they're both vying for the same piece of meat in the video game market, namely the cutting-edge graphics crowd. (not that that's ALL there is, but there's an obvious historical trend in that direction, so it's not like it's utterly unimportant either)

So I'm honestly not concerned that much about the Wii WRT this thread or my own investment in an X360. Neither do I have anything against the Wii for that matter.

edit: and just to cover my own ass as is long overdue I have in fact considered with skepticism the actual source of the entire thread. I have not for example seen a press release on Namco's site announcing these titles for X360. I still believe it to be possible though for many of the reasons I've tried to articulate in this thread, namely, a lot of software developers HAVE to be thinking to themselves: "PS3... that's not like the 1st 2, now is it?"

[Resinence]

EDIT
<<Too slow on my post, content same as above. Carry on.>

[Sephirius]

please let God of War 3 and MGS4 stay exclusive.....

[Mobius]

God of War 3 will probably stay exclusice since it's a first party.
But frankly i don't see the problem of a lot PS3 title going multiplatform: we gamers are the winners at the end of the day.

[Seggybop]

please let God of War 3 and MGS4 stay exclusive.....

How is system exclusivity in the interest of anyone except that system's manufacturer? How would this possibly benefit you (or anyone else) as a consumer?

[atg]

How is system exclusivity in the interest of anyone except that system's manufacturer?

Gives obsessive fanboys something to harp on about their chosen system maybe?

[Nephtys]

I'd prefer exclusives for systems that are 'very different'. For example, seeing a game for the 360 and PC means that one of them is going to be a port. And ports are typically not exactly the best, or have artifacts left over from their primary platform...

In the case of the 360 and PS3, honestly.. there's no point in wishing for an exclusive outside of being a partisan fanboy/girl/thing. The systems are similar enough that cross-platform should look and play the same largely.

So yes. I want my game titles of choice to be on the winning platform, instead of having to get two for everything.