Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Analysts consider dance genre 'bubble,' Ubisoft says more 'The Experience' games possible]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/25/analysts-consider-dance-genre-bubble-ubisoft-says-more-the-e/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/25/analysts-consider-dance-genre-bubble-ubisoft-says-more-the-e/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/25/analysts-consider-dance-genre-bubble-ubisoft-says-more-the-e/#comments Ubisoft's Just Dance and its successful clones like Michael Jackson: The Experience, along with Harmonix's Dance Central, have established the dance genre as a viable market for milking. Now the industry must play the delicate game of sucking the marrow dry without creating a zombie.

Gamasutra hit up go-to industry analysts Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnich for their takes on the sustainability of the genre. Both analysts essentially characterized dance games as part of a bubble that is largely unaffected by critical reception (UK hit Zumba Fitness has a 43 on Metacritic). "In short, yes, the dance category is a bubble," said Divnich, "much like most things in entertainment."

That doesn't mean that the bubble is about to burst -- or that the bottle of suds is close to empty. At least, Ubisoft is planning to keep on dipping in. The publisher's Tony Key teased that Michael Jackson: The Experience is "just the first 'The Experience' brand." He added that there's no reason why "another artist can't make a great dance game under 'The Experience brand,'" but didn't pitch any bright ideas. The Smurfs, anyone?

JoystiqAnalysts consider dance genre 'bubble,' Ubisoft says more 'The Experience' games possible originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analystsbubbledancedance-centralgamasutrajesse-divnichjust-dancejust-dance-2michael-jackson-the-experiencemichael-pachtermicrosoftnintendowiixboxMon, 25 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Matsuura: third-party troubles limited mostly to non-games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/matsuura-third-party-troubles-limited-mostly-to-non-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/matsuura-third-party-troubles-limited-mostly-to-non-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/matsuura-third-party-troubles-limited-mostly-to-non-games/#commentsFiled under: ,

A couple of weeks ago, Parappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura commented on the "DS software bubble," saying that it was increasingly difficult for third parties to sell games on the DS. He discussed the issue a bit more in a talk with GamesIndustry.biz, clarifying that he doesn't necessarily think it's a system-wide issue. In fact, it's relegated mostly to the genre in which the most saturation has taken place: the non-game. "...maybe at the end of 2006 to 2007 many titles - sequels - lost [money]. Very few titles are getting much better. This means, especially for the Brain Training titles or non-gaming content, it is getting difficult right now."

So those of you who were livid at the Major Minor's Majestic March director for saying something not entirely positive about something Nintendo-related can calm down now. He is saying something that a lot of DS gamers already know: there are too many knockoff training games.

JoystiqMatsuura: third-party troubles limited mostly to non-games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bubblematsuuratrainingThu, 14 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii popularity bubble about to burst?]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/wii-popularity-bubble-about-to-burst/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/wii-popularity-bubble-about-to-burst/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/wii-popularity-bubble-about-to-burst/#commentsFiled under:


Japanese business paper The Nikkei recently published a piece titled Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii, wherein author Tomoyuki Kawai cites that many inside sources are not looking to the Wii with such a favorable eye any longer. The big worry is that all of this success the Wii has had has only benefited Nintendo and them alone, with many third-party developers jumping on board only to be left with titles on their hands that failed to sell. It's these development studios that are supposedly not profiting compared to their previous year earnings, the result being a lack of support for the console and no desire to commit to it in the future.

The piece goes on to say that a lot of the Wiis picked up by consumers have only started to gather dust (it's unconfirmed if this is the same report we've posted about here earlier).

JoystiqWii popularity bubble about to burst? originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bubblejapanpopularitythird-partywiisportsTue, 16 Oct 2007 23:02:00 EST<![CDATA[E307: Furu Furu Park minigame list]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/e307-furu-furu-park-minigame-list/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/e307-furu-furu-park-minigame-list/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/e307-furu-furu-park-minigame-list/#commentsFiled under:


Say what you will about Majesco's Furu Furu Park, but it's got taste. Taito and 505 Games picked some fantastic games to adapt into minigame versions. If everyone made minigames based on stuff like Cameltry, we would never have a problem with minigames.

We thought it would be useful to post the full list of included games, because we hadn't seen it yet. If at least five of these are fun, we'll consider the game a winner. Arkanoid can't possibly be non-fun, so that's one in their favor!

In our bleak world of cancelled Pocky & Rocky sequels, we must take what we can get. And at the moment what we can get is a Pocky & Rocky-themed shooting minigame. We can smile a little, thinking that there's still some Pocky & Rocky in the world.

[Via press release]

Continue reading E307: Furu Furu Park minigame list

JoystiqE307: Furu Furu Park minigame list originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arkanoidbobblebubblebubble bobbleBubbleBobblecameltrye307furufuru furu parkFuruFuruParkkiki kaikaiKikiKaikaiminigameminigamesnintendoparkwiiThu, 12 Jul 2007 14:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Classifying gamers' responses to the hypothetical 'Wii bubble']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/classifying-gamers-responses-to-the-hypothetical-wii-bubble/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/classifying-gamers-responses-to-the-hypothetical-wii-bubble/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/classifying-gamers-responses-to-the-hypothetical-wii-bubble/#commentsFiled under:

In response to remarks from Steven Kent to USA Today predicting an upcoming Wii bubble burst-- an end to its massive popularity, brought on by a high price relative to its power, Game|Life's Chris Kohler wrote a brilliant editorial looking at what he sees as the four different kinds of gamers (in terms of casual-to-hardcore) and how such a bubble burst would affect them.

Most interestingly, Kohler defines the "casual gamer" not as we do now (non-gamers who enjoy some Bejeweled) but as the majority of the gaming public who buys systems following price drops and owns two or three games. The grandmas and such fit into the "expanded audience." The other two categories, "hardcore gamer" and "kid" are much easier to define.

In Kohler's view, the only audience whose interest in the Wii would be affected by a "bubble burst" would be the casual gamers, who may be more willing to respond to an Xbox 360 price drop than an underpowered Wii. Unless, of course, the Wii gets a bunch of mass-market games.

JoystiqClassifying gamers' responses to the hypothetical 'Wii bubble' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bubblebusinesscasualeditorialhardcorenintendonintendo wiiNintendoWiiopinionsaleswiiMon, 11 Jun 2007 14:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Rainbow Islands Revolution for $10]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/rainbow-islands-revolution-for-10/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/rainbow-islands-revolution-for-10/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/rainbow-islands-revolution-for-10/#commentsFiled under:


If you weren't "lucky" enough to have a glitched copy of Bubble Bobble Revolution and the free Rainbow Islands that came with the replacement, you can get Rainbow Islands now for a very reasonable price. Gamestop is offering Codemasters' sequel for $9.99 new, no broken Bobbles included. It's backordered on the website (which has happened since we started writing the story) but it may be available in a local store or following a restock online.

$10 is just about the right price for a game with a Metascore of 54. The original Rainbow Islands is worth like 500 million imaginary Metascore points, and if playing this one even evokes the arcade game a little, it's worth it. Also, $10 is like 1/6 of a copy of Gundam: Crossfire. When you think of it that way, it's quite the bargain!

[Via CAG]

JoystiqRainbow Islands Revolution for $10 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2007 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bobblebubblecodemastersdealdsds liteDsLiteislandslitenintendonintendo dsNintendoDsrainbowrainbow islandsRainbowIslandsrevolutionsaletaitoTue, 15 May 2007 17:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Bust-a-Move Bash looks very nice and clear]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/28/bust-a-move-bash-looks-very-nice-and-clear/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/28/bust-a-move-bash-looks-very-nice-and-clear/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/28/bust-a-move-bash-looks-very-nice-and-clear/#commentsFiled under:


IGN posted some new screens of Bust-A-Move Bash, and we're really pleased with what we see. It's not, however, for any of the reasons you may think.

The character selection looks great, there are some seriously huge levels (see above) and the 8-player mode is a nice inclusion (we assume it uses four Wiimotes and four Gamecube controllers). We look forward to seeing how the Wii controls work, sure. But out of all the features, what we're really excited about are the very clear, very colorful bubbles. We played a lot of Bust-A-Move 4 on the Game Boy Color, you see, and it got kind of hard to tell the difference between, say, purple and grey, or maybe they were supposed to be different shades of purple, or grey? The point is we couldn't figure it out most of the time. Other iterations of Bust-A-Move have been better about that, but none have shown such beautiful clarity in their bubbles. This is very important!

We've posted some images from the screenshot gallery after the post break. Enjoy easily discerning the colors of the bubbles! Hey Taito, how about a Bubble Bobble game while you're at it? Get the license back from Codemasters.

Continue reading Bust-a-Move Bash looks very nice and clear

JoystiqBust-a-Move Bash looks very nice and clear originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bashbobblebubblebustbustamovemovenintendonintendo wiiNintendoWiiwiiWed, 28 Mar 2007 10:45:00 EST<![CDATA[New Bubble Bobble trailer pops]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/13/new-bubble-bobble-trailer-pops/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/13/new-bubble-bobble-trailer-pops/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/13/new-bubble-bobble-trailer-pops/#commentsFiled under:


Many of you out there are looking for a quality Bubble Bobble game on the DS and believe us, you're not alone. We're right there with you, biting our nails in anticipation, hoping that Bubble Bobble Double Shot turns out the way we want it to. The embedded trailer, which is available past the post break, shows some promising gameplay, but we must warn you that the music is really hard to listen to. And the trailer is in German.

[Via NeoGAF]

Continue reading New Bubble Bobble trailer pops

JoystiqNew Bubble Bobble trailer pops originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bobblebubblebubblebobbledoubleshotdsdslitelitenintendonintendodsnintendodsliteTue, 13 Mar 2007 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bubble Bobble getting second chance on DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/27/bubble-bobble-getting-second-chance-on-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/27/bubble-bobble-getting-second-chance-on-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/27/bubble-bobble-getting-second-chance-on-ds/#commentsFiled under:

DS-x2 has received word that Rising Star Games is developing a new Bubble Bobble game for the DS. Publishing duties are being handled by Taito and, given the last disaster that was Bubble Bobble Revolution on the DS, this installment better deliver.

It's no wonder that in this latest game, titled Bubble Bobble Double Shot, the focus is to re-create the appeal of the original titles through enhanced graphics and the same grassroots approach of simple gameplay. One new addition to the gameplay, however, has players needing to switch between characters on the fly as enemies are now color-coded and, as such, only weak to certain characters. As for multiplayer, only local wireless has been reported, so cross your fingers if you want to see some Wi-Fi Connect-enabled gameplay here.

JoystiqBubble Bobble getting second chance on DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bobblebubblebubblebobbledsdslitelitenintendonintendodsnintendodsliteMon, 27 Nov 2006 12:40:00 EST