Plot: In nine out of ten games, I really don’t care about the plot. However, I feel as though RPG’s should maintain a certain standard of story telling that will keep the minds of its players remotely engaged. Unfortunately, FF XIII does no such thing. Everyone is off doing their own thing and rarely moving together in a group. It’s somewhat like an episode of Lost when they go off into each characters story. From what I’ve played thus far, the characters move in teams of two, the one kid’s mother dies, another character’s girlfriend gets turned into a crystal and the heroine seems to be mad at world. Very intriguing stuff indeed. Well, maybe the fighting system is good right?

Fighting: Negatory. It’s not quite turn based, and it’s not quite an open system either (a la Tales Series). You basically punch in commands and wait for a fight meter to fill up before you can attack a selected enemy. Simply put, this is irritating. If you keep pressing “A,” you’ll more than likely win the battle without even looking at your screen. Although this quite handy when reaching for a beer, it does not provide solid gameplay.

The fighting system does however incorporate a “paradigm” system that allows you to change your characters’ fighting styles mid-battle. This can be used to harness different powers (healing, offensive or defensive) depending on the battle’s current situation. If only one of your characters is getting pummeled, you can switch someone’s role to “medic” which will keep the victim afloat for the duration of the battle while others attack. In addition, you can also have all of your characters attacking all-out to overwhelm enemies quickly. The paradigm system is definitely a small beam of light in an otherwise redundant fighting system.

Characters: Token black guy? check. “Damn, that is whack!” Rebellious anti-hero chick? Check. Little punk kid that complains about everything? Check. That annoying girl with the high-pitched voice that heals everyone? Check. Blond haired guy that’s too cool for school? CHECK! How about we try some innovative new characters for the next title in the series? Maybe I wouldn’t be complaining so much if the battle sequence had been a tad better. Case in point: Tales of Vesperia. Tales executed the same tried lineup of characters and yet I played the hell out of that game until the very end glued to the very edge of my seat.

Linearity: Probably the most irritating thing about this game is that there is no open world feel to it at all. If there are any side missions, I sure as hell haven’t found them yet. The backgrounds are reminiscent of the original Halo and are also just as repetitive. Players will find themselves walking back and forth along the same paths multiple times. Good shit.

I understand that I did not organize my thoughts at all for this rant, but it does seem to reflect the subject matter quite well wouldn’t you say? I’m about halfway through disc two and ready to throw in the towel on this one. If you haven’t tried FFXIII yet, you are not missing out on much. Don’t let the major critics fool you; this game is in no way, shape or form anything above a 7. This rating system, which is supposedly unbiased, should not take into account the previous success of a given title. Would you give Apple an 8.5/10 for their iPad? Hell no. Their track record, popularity and previous successes should not hinder a critic’s rating scale in the slightest bit. The iPad is a sack of shit and so is this game.

6.8/10

Yes, Konami fumbled the Beta launch (it was supposed to have started already)… but I can’t argue with free.

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The verdict: Star Wars just makes everything that much sweeter. I’m in quite a dilemma having both 360 and the PS3. The problem starts when I’m forced to decide between the notorious gamerscore perk versus an enticing tandem of playing as Darth Vader, all the while being able to control my character with a fully responsive D-Pad. Decisions, decisions…

“We are excited to work with Sony Computer Entertainment to bring DivX to PS3,” said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. “Our technology will expand the multimedia functionality of PS3 by enabling users to enjoy access to the broad library of content in the DivX digital media format.”

Check out the full press release here.

It looks like they’ve added some very influential guitarists to the GHIII lineup (mainly Slash from Guns N’ Roses and now Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) RIP.

The Rage song on the game………….BULLS ON PARADE!!! Activision has stated that players will need to “emulate some of Morello’s extremely innovative guitar-playing antics.” How he makes those freakishly amazing sounds with his geetar you axe?

I’ve met Tom once; he’s an ass. Nevertheless, this is innovation at its finest.

Who knows J-Town, maybe a Bright Eyes song for GHIV? BOOMERANG BURN!

Today, we sat in on a presentation hosted by Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi as he demonstrated some of the new features that will be present in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The game is due for release on the PlayStation Network as a free download later this year.

Something lost in translation? Not as full of a game as we’ve been lead to believe? Or a free gift from Sony? For now, your guess is as good as mine. There is always the chance the game will be ad supported. Sony was just blabbing about how ads and nickel and diming microtransactions are the future (hello Home). Time will tell.

I don’t know what else to say, just play the demo yourself and get hooked. After that moment of glee, the sorrow will kick in when you realize that’s another $60 hole in your pocket this holiday season.

Take-Two is reducing its fiscal 2007 guidance primarily to reflect the movement of the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360â„¢ video game and entertainment system from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008, due to additional development time required to complete the title. The title is now planned for release in the Company’s second quarter of fiscal 2008.

The bad news is you wont be killing any hookers until Q2 2008. The good news is you will be $60 less in debt this holiday season. With so many AAA titles coming out between now and the end of the year, I don’t think GTA would have been overshadowed, but hopefully this will give some other games an opportunity to perform well.

Full press release after the jump.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Provides Financial Update
Launch of Grand Theft Auto IV Now Planned for Fiscal 2008

Conference Call Set for 5:30 pm ET Today

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today announced revised revenue and earnings guidance for fiscal 2007.

Take-Two is reducing its fiscal 2007 guidance primarily to reflect the movement of the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360â„¢ video game and entertainment system from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008, due to additional development time required to complete the title. The title is now planned for release in the Company’s second quarter of fiscal 2008. Additionally, Take-Two is updating third quarter and fiscal year 2007 guidance to reflect the movement of Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and the Wiiâ„¢ out of the third quarter and the fiscal year.

Take-Two’s revised guidance is as follows:

* For the fiscal year ending October 31, 2007, revenue in the range of $950 million to $1.0 billion with a net loss per share in the range of $1.25 to $1.35, excluding stock-based compensation expense of $0.25 per share; and excluding approximately $0.61 per share of charges related to the Company’s reorganization expenses (reorganization expenses include $0.03 per share of stock-based compensation expense that is included in the $0.25 per share stock-based compensation expense number above), restructuring initiatives, legal expenses and other professional fees associated with the investigation of stock option grants and responses to the New York County District Attorney’s subpoenas, and expenses related to other unusual legal matters. GAAP net loss per share for fiscal 2007 including all charges noted above is expected to be in the range of $2.10 to $2.20. Fiscal 2007 estimates reflect no tax benefit.
* For the third quarter ended July 31, 2007, revenue in the range of $195 million to $205 million, with a net loss per share in the range of $0.65 to $0.70, excluding stock-based compensation expense of $0.05 per share; and excluding approximately $0.15 per share of charges related to the Company’s reorganization expenses, restructuring initiatives, professional fees associated with responses to the New York County District Attorney’s subpoenas, and expenses related to other unusual legal matters. GAAP net loss per share for the third quarter including all charges noted above is expected to be in the range of $0.85 to $0.90.
* For the fourth quarter ending October 31, 2007, net revenue in the range of $275 million to $300 million, with a net loss per share in the range of $0.05 to $0.10, excluding stock-based compensation expense of $0.08 per share; and excluding approximately $0.08 per share of charges related to the Company’s reorganization expenses, restructuring initiatives, professional fees associated with responses to the New York County District Attorney’s subpoenas, and expenses related to other unusual legal matters. GAAP net loss per share for the fourth quarter including all charges noted above is expected to be in the range of $0.20 to $0.25.

Ben Feder, Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two, commented, “Obviously, we are very disappointed to reduce guidance after having previously reaffirmed it. Other than a matter of timing, the movement of Grand Theft Auto IV does not compromise Take-Two in any way. We are in sound financial condition and have a great product line up. Grand Theft Auto IV is going to be the defining next generation video game action adventure.”

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, “With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games. Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait. We owe it to the game’s millions of fans, to our dedicated development team, and to our shareholders to make sure that Grand Theft Auto IV is a groundbreaking gaming experience that takes maximum advantage of next generation technology.”

Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, added, “The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with the team in Edinburgh right now, helping us to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game’s fans, and to create the ultimate high definition video game experience.”

Conference Call

Take-Two will host a 20-minute conference call today at 5:30 pm Eastern Time to discuss this news. The call can be accessed by dialing (877) 407-0984 or (201) 689-8577. A live listen-only webcast of the call will be available by visiting http://ir.take2games.com and a replay will be available following the call at the same location.

Product Pipeline

Following is Take-Two’s updated release schedule for the remainder of fiscal 2007:

Title Platform Expected Release (Fiscal Period)
—————— —————— ——————————–

BioShock Xbox 360, PC Fourth quarter 2007
Carnival Games Wii Fourth quarter 2007
Table Tennis Wii Fourth quarter 2007
Elder Scrolls IV:
Oblivion (GOTY Xbox 360, PC Fourth quarter 2007
edition)
NBA 2K8 Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 Fourth quarter 2007
NHL 2K8 Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 Fourth quarter 2007

Take-Two’s product line up announced to date for fiscal 2008 includes the following titles:

Title Platform
———————————————– ———————-

Beaterator PSP
Bully: Scholarship Edition Xbox 360, Wii
College Hoops 2K8 Xbox 360, PS3, PS2
Grand Theft Auto IV Xbox 360, PS3
Grand Theft Auto IV – Episodic Content Xbox 360
L.A. Noire PS3
Midnight Club: Los Angeles Xbox 360, PS3
Major League Baseball 2K8 Multiple Platforms
NBA 2K9 Multiple Platforms
NHL 2K9 Multiple Platforms
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution Xbox 360, PS2, DS, Wii
Top Spin 3 Xbox 360, PS3

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PlayStation® game console, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox® and Xbox 360â„¢ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, Wiiâ„¢, Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢, Nintendo DSâ„¢ and Game Boy® Advance. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K and 2K Sports, and Global Star Software; and distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, the Xbox logos and the Xbox Live logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duoâ„¢ may be required (sold separately).

™, ®, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward-looking statements made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them. The Company has no obligation to update such forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary significantly from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of factors. These risks and uncertainties include the matters set forth in this press release, including statements as to the Company’s expectations regarding its planned restructuring, including the amount and timing of restructuring and impairment charges, expected expense reductions and future cost savings, as well as statements regarding the magnitude of the Company’s workforce reduction. Additional risks and uncertainties relate to the Special Committee’s investigation of the Company’s stock option grants and the restatement of our consolidated financial statements. The investigation and conclusions of the Special Committee may result in claims and proceedings relating to such matters, including previously disclosed stockholder and derivative litigation and actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or other governmental agencies and negative tax or other implications for the Company resulting from any accounting adjustments or other factors. Other important factors are described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006 and in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the second quarter ended April 30, 2007 in the section entitled “Risk Factors”.

Source: Take-Two

I’ll be frank and honest… I’ve never played a Metal Gear game, and I’ve never wanted to. I tried one out about 7 years ago at my cousins house. He was all into the game, and I just didn’t get it. MGS4 is now coming, and people are hailing it as the second coming. I still don’t get it.

Graphics: The graphics are great, but nothing we haven’t seen before. Don’t get me wrong, the graphics are good, but they don’t make the game stick out (and yes, I watched the HD 720p video).

Gameplay: Again, I don’t see anything to write home about. Not only is the stealth ridiculous and unrealistic (pretend to be a statue? turn argyle and dry hump the floor… and you are completely invisible to the enemy? squeeze a guys balls to knock him out? turn into a barrel and roll around?), but it looked pretty boring to me.

Homoerotics: Probably my biggest qualm is just how gay the game looks… literally. Am I the only one that DOESN’T want to look at Snake’s ass in those tights for a prolonged period of time? Not only is the statue camouflage gimmicky, does he need to grab the statues package? Does he need to look like he is humping the floor when he crawls? Is the “judo” hump kill necessary? Again with the packages… can you stay away from the enemies balls?

And no, reading porn mags in-game doesn’t hide your homosexual tendencies. Again, another WTF moment.

I get it’s suppose to be humorous. The impression that I’m left with is that this game is a joke.

Oh yes… MGS4 is going to be online! Oh… no it’s not. Metal Gear Online will be online. Why not split the multiplayer mode from a game and sell it as it’s own game. We can milk those Metal Gear fans dry!

Please let me know what I’m missing.

And before you start flaming, I do have a PS3. I’m dying for some good games (LBP couldn’t get here sooner).