Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you'd like to share? Send it all to ask [at] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.
Hey guys,
I have a few questions and I'm sure you know the answers.
Will Super Street Fighter 2 HD be an XBLA game or a retail game?
Will co-op in Bionic Commando Rearmed be local or online?
Thanks,
Ben
Gamertag: ObiBen8
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix will be an Xbox Live Arcade game. Street Fighter 4, on the other hand, is a retail title. You can actually score access to the SSFIITHDR online beta if you pick up a copy of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 for XBLA. As for Bionic Commando Rearmed, the co-op is ofline only. Yes, it sucks. According to Capcom's Ben Judd, who we interviewed a while ago, the co-op was added late in the game's development. The dev team at GRIN thought co-op would be fun, and it was, so they added it. Unfortunately, the engine was already complete and adding net code was out of the picture.
On a side note, we were also asked about just when Rearmed will actually release (you may recall it was recently delayed). Alas, our crystal ball is no good at forseeing how long the certification process will be. Certification delays can take weeks or even months (see: Worms). We're hoping it's sooner rather than later.
Hey X3F,
I've been having a lot of trouble finding the Halo 3 McFarlane toys. I saw a ton of them when they launched, and they sold really fast, but no stores in my area got any more shipments. Also, none of the area Walmarts got any to begin with, and they were supposed to have exclusive figures. I live in the Cleveland area btw. Thanks!
Sgt Barone
We actually ran into the same problem. Our guess is that the figures are manufactured in limited quantities. Given that many of the series one figures are going for well above their retail price on Amazon, we'd say it's a pretty good guess. With series 2 coming fast -- July 6 according to Amazon -- we have some advice if you'd like to score your very own. One, if you're looking for one of the store exclusive figures, check the store early and often. You could also ask if / when your store expects them (we're not sure why your Wal-Marts didn't get them at all, though). Two, shop online. You should be able to get all of the figures other than the exclusive ones with no trouble. Hell, you can order them right now.
A) How in the world do I change my "little picture" next to my name and/or my password for/in the comments section?
B) Can i has recon? plz?!
C) If Pie (3.14) is infinite, why can't i eat it?
D) Any word on Spore coming to the land of Xbox 360?
thanks for fillin' me in!
-TyR1N
A) Click the "little picture" next to your name in a comment thread. This will take you to your profile page. From here, login using the password in your comment confirmation emails. Once logged in, you can change your password and upload a new avatar.
B) No. Even if we had the power to give it to you, no.
C) 42
D) There hasn't been talk of a 360 port of Spore for quite some time. We know that way back in 2006 Spore maestro Will Wright said that he saw the game as a franchise and hoped it would arrive "across all platforms" eventually. Wii and DS versions have specifically been more or less confirmed by Wright, though nothing has been said of other potential versions of the game. While there's nothing more official to go on just yet, we'd say there's a high probability that some form of Spore will hit the 360 eventually. Spore is an EA game after all, and if it has the same impact as Wright's last game -- called The Sims, perhaps you've heard of it -- you can bet EA will leverage it on every piece of electronics with buttons and a screen.
Whats Up X3F
Great website always check it after work,
I want to ask you a question that is rumored alot about will Metal Gear Solid 4 ever go on the Xbox 360 i heard a rumor it would after like 12 months but i also heard Konami saying that it was hard to fit in a blue ray disc. Can't They just make it on 2 discs instead of one i hope you answer my question.
James
Gamer Tag: XxOCxSPYDAxX
Punctuation, James, punctuation! Yes, Metal Gear Solid 4 on the 360 is a rumor that just won't quit.
Long answer
There are a few reasons why it won't.
- The game is currently the reason to own a PS3, a fact of which Sony (and Konami) is very aware. Sony won't be too keen on losing its golden child, and we imagine Konami wants to stay in Sony's good graces too.
- The game was designed for the PS3 from the ground up and takes up a ton of space, more than will fit on a standard DVD. Any kind of port would call for some compromises.
- Konami has denied every rumor that the game is headed to 360 and has constantly reaffirmed that the title is PS3 only.
Short answer
Maybe someday. Definitely not soon.
That's it for this week, folks. Keep sending your questions to: ask [at] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
6-24-2008 @ 6:58PM
Shh101890 said...
Yah! I can finally change my password! From x3f instead of joystiq
Reply
6-24-2008 @ 8:03PM
Kyle Subbe said...
good stuff ican change my password!!
Reply
6-24-2008 @ 8:14PM
Highimpact1 said...
Thanks for all the tips! Also do you think you guys are going to be covering the Endwar Beta?
Reply
6-24-2008 @ 8:27PM
Yuccadude said...
Everyone in the Beta has signed a non-disclosure agreement which means anyone caught talking about the game has a good chance of a lawsuit on their hands. X3F already had a beta video up and it was quickly taken down from youtube. So no, I don't think they will be covering the beta.
6-25-2008 @ 12:28AM
Momer said...
Trust me, even if they did, it would not be that interesting. I'm not going to go in to details, but let me just say the game is just not very engaging and everyone I know who is in the beta stopped playing after the first couple of days like me.
9-10-2008 @ 9:02PM
Highimpact1 said...
I know... I'm in the beta but I was wondering if X3F could cover it. Apparently I forgot the nondisclosure agreement though, so we will have to wait for the actual game.
6-24-2008 @ 8:19PM
Danny said...
I hate to disagree, but there has been some evidence in the past that MGS4 is coming to Xbox 360. Basically, representatives of the company, executives, and even a few of the development crew have all said that an Xbox 360 version is coming, although it would be at least a year to 18 months after the PS3 version. You're looking at a game that probably cost $50 million or more to develop, so Konami may have to make the game as profitable as they would like.
For comparison's sake, GTA IV cost about $70 million. Source: http://gamewiki.net/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV
Did you guys forget about this Joystiq article?
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/10/konami-exec-says-metal-gear-solid-may-go-to-other-consoles/
And if the *actual quote* from a Konami executive isn't enough, here's the news that and "unnamed Sony rep" gave out, but that Sony quickly denied.
http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=154608
I don't have time to dig up the link where the developers talk about it, but it's out there.
Of course, Sony's going to claim that the game is PS3 exclusive. They want you to buy a PS3. If an Xbox 360 owner knew the game was coming in a year, they'd just save $240-$340 and wait out the year. Sony doesn't want people thinking that it's coming. They want people thinking "Hey, I need to buy a PS3 to play MGS4."
Either Sony will give Konami a crapload of money to keep it exclusive, or it's coming to Xbox 360 inside of two years. They're obviously going to make a good profit on MGS4 as it is, but going to the 360 opens up another 12 million customers or so. There's no way in hell Sony can counter the potential profit in that market, so you can bet that a 360 version is coming eventually.
Do you guys really believe that Konami is just going to keep it PS3 exclusive because they "like" Sony? They could have another few hundred million dollars in sales by releasing on Xbox 360 in a year or 18 months. Sony has already said that they "don't pay" for exclusives, so again, you can bet it's coming to 360.
So far as the storage space requirements go, just compress the hell out of the movie scenes, and perhaps downrez them to 720p. Then, with three of four discs at most, you've got the game on Xbox 360. Four disc games have already been done on 360, so this shouldn't be a big deal.
Also, you forget that a blu-ray disc has the data on there in many places - redundant data. It has to because the read speed is so slow that it has to have the data in multiple places to cut down on read times. You're going to shave a few megs (or gigs) off the size requirement just by using compression and getting rid of the redundant data used on blu-ray discs.
Reply
6-24-2008 @ 8:43PM
Noshino said...
uff, your reasons are way off....
Anyway, don't have time to argue about this right now, so I ll just answer to one of them
"They're obviously going to make a good profit on MGS4 as it is, but going to the 360 opens up another 12 million customers or so. There's no way in hell Sony can counter the potential profit in that market, so you can bet that a 360 version is coming eventually."
Clearly you haven't played MGS4, there is tons of material that would have to reworked to be able to be released on the 360, not only at the code level, but also conversations.
The cost of porting the game would also be a big one, for a title of that size, I doubt it would be as easy as other games to port, not only that, but compressing the game would affect the game in many ways
In summary, you want to play MGS4? get a PS3
6-24-2008 @ 9:02PM
Drew said...
delusional much?
6-24-2008 @ 9:04PM
Drew said...
@noshino
listen to this man. he speaks the truth. i was going to write a massive reply to danny, but lost my patience.
6-24-2008 @ 10:21PM
Richard Mitchell said...
So, basically you're saying that if MGS4 comes to the 360, it will be more than a year away?
Sounds familiar :)
6-24-2008 @ 10:42PM
Noshino said...
Richard,
You guys are hardheaded huh? Hey Fenix, you keep complaining about PS3fanboy.com and yet you don't mention these guys? cmon!
6-24-2008 @ 11:04PM
Richard Mitchell said...
I was replying to Danny, actually.
My point is that if it ever comes to 360, it's a *long* ways away.
6-24-2008 @ 8:25PM
vahdyx said...
Personally, I don't want MGS4 to come out on PS3, they need at least one game to hold on too. Poor saps, are crying for a good ps3 game.
Anyway good read
Reply
6-24-2008 @ 9:09PM
dancingtosirens said...
Unfortuantly, the "ps3 has no games" was a relevant argument last year.
For the PS3's sake, you cant really use that claim anymore to make fun of the platform. The PS3 has plenty of good games now
6-24-2008 @ 10:38PM
Glitch W said...
why wouldn't you want more people to be able to experience such a brilliant game?
6-24-2008 @ 8:32PM
eugene said...
Even though MGS4 is HUGE, the way it's broken up into distinct segments lends itself very well to a multi-disc port.
Further, even with blu-ray, the game requires multiple 3 min installs, one for every act. Is it more convenient than a disc swap? I guess, it certainly isn't any faster.
So I don't buy any of the "technical" arguments against a 360 port. The only argument that holds any water is that Sony would never allow their golden child to go into foster care.
Reply
6-25-2008 @ 5:11AM
Maverick Saturn said...
Then you try porting it yourself, find out the cost, and find out the time, consideration and pressure.
Then think about how well its already selling on PS3, then think about those who picked up a PS3 because of this game, then think about how well its selling PS3's in Japan, then think about the connection it has to PSP as well as the fact that while its install, its still install from 1 disk, with four disks to install info from that would be ridiculous, let alone the fact 360 can't install games of that size yet.
There is in fact a lot more to take into consideration then you think, all you are is a gamer, so don't disregard the 'technical crap' as you put it, because its the 'technical crap' that makes or breaks a game.
6-25-2008 @ 12:33PM
eugene said...
Maverick Saturn. You idiot, if you have a point to make on what I said, at least quote me properly. I never said 'technical crap', did I?
Then again, if I had such a weak sauce argument like yours, I might be tempted to mis-represent the opposition as well.
Hmm, I guess you must work for the Republican party?
6-25-2008 @ 1:02PM
Ysleiro said...
Maverick,
You claim that porting it is too expensive and that it can't be done or wont' work right.
First of, I'm not here to say that it will come to 360. I'm here to say that if Sony would allow it, the game could be done and the expenses wouldn't be as great as you are insinuating.
Yes the game is on blu-ray and took up MAD space, but because of blu-ray's read speed a lot of data has to be doubled up on every game and not to mention that the game has several installs. The reason I mention those issues is because having multiple discs would probably play similarly since you have to stop and install. (ie.stop and switch disc).
You do realize that developing for 360 is MUCH easier and cheaper right? MS is a software company and as such have developed the best dev tools. I once read on Kotaku.com that Farcry devs had 2 guys working on the 360 port as opposed to 14 on the ps3 port.
So there you have it, yes the game is on blu-ray but DVD-9 implementation is possible and probably can be done on 3 discs. While it would cost Konami to port it, it would not cost them as much as it took to build (porting it would be a fraction of that price) and it would most definitively make 10 times MORE money then it took to build. So tell me what does Konami lose?
Ps: I don't know if you know but FYI, MGS4 uses 7.1 surround sound. It's common knowledge that sound files are the most space consuming files on games. Take 2 channels off and you got 5.1, compress it and you got yourself a MUCH smaller file.
I honestly think that the game could fit on 2 DVD-9 using 5.1 audio and then compressing it instead of using 7.1 Lossless (uncompressed), removing redundant data and compressing any other large files using MS superior compressing software.