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[Chopin Trusty Balls]

Ubi Soft announced they will release all SC3 versions simulatiously in March 2005.

P.S:Will Halo 2 save the day for Xbox?

 

[SantaC]

Ubi Soft announced they will release all SC3 versions simulatiously in March 2005.

P.S:Will Halo 2 save the day for Xbox?

good, they shouldn't milk them so fast anyway.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

good, they shouldn't milk them so fast anyway.

IAWTP.

Missing Xmas might be a bad move. They're probably evaluation why SCPT sold like crap.
Also.. is the GC getting a version this time?

 

[Ranger X]

There as some companies that start to realise that the holidays are too crowded! Good.

 

[Rodriguez]

ARGH! God damn it.

 

[SKluck]

Hmmm... Kind of glad, I've got way too many games to buy this fall anyway. Though I do worry about the sales. PT didn't do all that amazing.

 

[dark10x]

Yes, that is a good thing. There is no need to rush another game into the series so quickly. I understand that different teams were working on PT and SC3, but the average consumer thinks of Pandora Tomorrow as a direct sequel (which, in all honesty, it really felt like). A late Fall release would simply be too soon for another game in the series...

I simply hope that they change the formula of the single player campaign. It was far too linear and repetitive for my tastes. While the two games were quite different, there was a REASON why people enjoyed playing through single segments of MGS2 over and over again (ie - The Tanker). It was always entertaining and offered a plethora of options to the player that made each return trip worthwhile. Splinter Cell's design failed to offer a similar experience. Every scenario could generally be approached from a few different angles, but in most cases, there was going to be ONE singular path that would lead to victory. The game always felt very scripted to me and the AI was never good enough to provide for an entertaining challenge. You could have a blast just playing around with MGS2's AI, but that was NEVER the case in Splinter Cell...

They need to concentrate either on the larger overall picture, where you might be required to infiltrate a large facility or structure but are allowed a great deal of freedom when approaching the situation (ala Thief II or something), OR work on providing the kind of tightly woven experience that each "area" in MGS2 could (tons of detail and options packed into a small space).

 

[sonycowboy]

Seriously, though.

Minus Halo 2, the second coming, the Xbox lineup from a sales perspective is a little thin. They will be picking up quite a bit of the multiplatform share as we've witnessed the past several months, but from an exclusive standpoint, what's going to bring in the big bucks?

Halo 2
Fable (???)
KOTOR 2 (might be too late to really be huge in 2005)
Forza
Mechassault 2
Unreal Championship 2 (Is this still even slated for 2004??)

I'm probably just forgetting about alot of the other stuff out there.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I guess it evens out a bit though, because it's been far better than PS2 and GC up till the end of the year. Which is sort of shelved around Halo 2.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

Seriously, though.

Minus Halo 2, the second coming, the Xbox lineup from a sales perspective is a little thin. They will be picking up quite a bit of the multiplatform share as we've witnessed the past several months, but from an exclusive standpoint, what's going to bring in the big bucks?

Halo 2
Fable (???)
KOTOR 2 (might be too late to really be huge in 2005)
Forza
Mechassault 2
Unreal Championship 2 (Is this still even slated for 2004??)

I'm probably just forgetting about alot of the other stuff out there.

I still can't get over that 1 week into selling, Fable could be bought for like $36ish. WTF? For a AAA xbox title that is meant to own the market and bring on the OMGWTFBBQ factor. I'm putting my money on Forza and MA2 not selling too.

Is Conker hitting for end of year?

 

[sonycowboy]

I guess it evens out a bit though, because it's been far better than PS2 and GC up till the end of the year. Which is sort of shelved around Halo 2.

Agreed. But, then did Microsoft / Third Parties leave money on the table by coming out earlier this year?

Ninja Gaiden, SC: PT, Riddick, FSW, & Fable would probably have sold 2-3 times better during the holiday that out of that window. It's all good for Xbox owners of course, as they've had a very steady supply of high quality games.

 

[Subitai]

It's all about Blinx2 (11/16)...



MechAssault 2, Forza, Conker, Kameo, and UC2 are next year, but Lucas Arts officially announced that they met a milestone that permitted them to get KotORII out this December (don't know if it will hold, but it's what is being planned on), so with that Halo 2, DOAU, and Fable, I think MS is satisfied for this quarter. Especially considering the way Halo 2 will overshadow everything else and the glut of 3rd party franchises hitting shelves. After last holiday, the way CS, CS, PGR2, Links, and Amped 2 got hammered by 3rd parties, I guess MS wanted to spread their franchises out more. Sony doesn't need to worry about this with it's huge install base.


Fun exclusive releases that are going to get overlooked and sell poorly.

Kingdom Under Fire
Yager ($20)
Dai Senryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics ($20)
Otogi 2
Outrun 2
GunGriffon: Allied Strike

 

[Sinatar]

Thank you Ubisoft!!! My Wallet Rejoices!

 

[Justin]

I still can't get over that 1 week into selling, Fable could be bought for like $36ish.

It only sold in one place (Frys), for four days at that price. Frys always sells need stuff at godo prices. They sold Spiderman 2 the first couple of days for 29.99 and we saw how that ended up selling. I work at a Gamestop and out of the 150 we go in, as of close on Saturday we had less then 30 left. The store across the street from us sold all 130 they got in and as of today are still sold out. I wasnt aware that selling a game the first four days at a reduced = bomb.

 

[jedimike]

Too bad... I was really looking forward to SC3. I think Ubi could have had a huge holiday impact. That being said, they still have Ghost Recon 2 coming out which will sell several hundred thousand. Then they also have Dukes of Hazard which will sell to casuals and then Rocky Legends.


Xbox still has a huge Holiday line-up... just not anything you can pick out as being a million seller, sans Halo 2. Of course, there is usually an unknown title that comes out of nowhere. Splinter Cell, GTA III, etc.

Haven't updated this recently, but it should give a good snapshot of upcoming titles. I bolded what I thought were notable releases...

9/20 - Def Jam Fight For NY
9/20 - NHL 2005 (previously 9/14)
9/20 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
9/20 - MORTIFILIA
9/20 - Star Wars Battlefront
9/21 - Headhunter: Redemption - 40
9/21 - Red Star - 40 (previously 9/6)
9/21 - Second Sight - 40
9/22 - X-Men Legends
9/27 - Shark Tale
9/28 - Dukes of Hazzard - 30
9/28 - TRIGGER MAN - 20 (previously 9/14)
9/28 - COLIN MCRAE RALLY 2005 - 30
9/28 - Rocky Legends - 40
9/28 - SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom
9/28 - Crash: Twinsanity
9/30 - Dead or Alive Ultimate - 55 (previously 10/4)

October
10/3 - Shayde: Monsters vs. Humans
10/4 - Midway Arcade Treasures 2 - 20
10/4 - ULTRA BUST A MOVE X - 20
10/4 - Worms 3D - 30 (previously 8/10)
10/4 - Mortal Kombat: Deception
10/5 - HOT WHEELS STUNT TRACK - 30
10/5 - TOCA RACED DRIVER 2 ULTIM - 30
10/5 - Conflict: Vietnam - 40
10/5 - ROBOTECH INVASION - 40
10/5 - Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
10/5 - NBA Live 2005
10/5 - TRON 2.0: Killer App
10/5 - Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes The Neighborhood
10/5 - Tony Hawk's Underground 2
10/11 - TAK 2 THE STAFF OF DREAMS - 40
10/12 - DEMON WARRIORS - 30 (new listing)
10/12 - OUTRUN 2 - 40
10/12 - BloodRayne 2
10/12 - FIFA Soccer 2005
10/12 - FATAL FRAME 2
10/15 - FunkMaster Flex's Digital Hitz Factory - 20
10/15 - OPERATION FLASHPOINT
10/15 - Crash 'N' Burn
10/19 - ESPN NBA 2005 - 20
10/19 - Otogi 2 - 40
10/19 - Pinball Hall of Fame - 20 (previously 11/2)
10/19 - TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURT 2 - 40
10/19 - Fight Club
10/19 - Red Ninja: End of Honor
10/19 - Bard's Tale
10/19 - World Championship Rugby
10/25 - Incredibles (The) - 40
10/26 - CHESSMASTER - 30 (previously 10/12)
10/26 - Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue - 20
10/26 - SCALER - 20
10/26 - DAI SENRYAKU - 20
10/26 - Bicycle Casino 2005- 30
10/26 - MONSTER GARAGE - 30
10/26 - Close Combat First to Fight - 40
10/26 - Men of Valor
10/27 - SPONGEBOB SQAUREPANTS MOVIE - 40

November
11/1 - Lobo
11/1 - Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events
11/1 - Iron Phoenix
11/2 - SPY VS SPY - 20
11/2 - TOP GEAR RPM TUNING - 20
11/2 - CABELAS BG 2005 - 30
11/2 - CSI - 30
11/2 - Godzilla: Save the Earth - 40 (previously 10/26)
11/2 - Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
11/2 - NCAA March Madness 2005
11/2 - PLAYBOY THE MANSION - if stores carry it
11/9 - Halo 2
11/9 - AMERICAN CHOPPER - 30
11/9 - BLINX 2 - 40
11/9 - Spyro: A Hero's Tail
11/9 - GunGriffon
11/9 - DANCE DANCE REV ULTRAMIX 2
11/15 - King of Fighters 02/03 - 40
11/15 - GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
11/15 - The Urbz: Sims in the City
11/16 - ESPN College Hoops 2005 - 20
11/16 - FORD MUSTANG 40 ANNI EDIT - 20
11/16 - ATARI ANTHOLOGY - 20
11/16 - PRINCE OF PERSIA 2 - 40
11/16 - KING ARTHUR - 40
11/16 - Call of Duty: Finest Hour (previously 11/2)
11/16 - DEMON STONE
11/16 - PREDATOR
11/16 - ATV Outlaw (new listing)
11/17 - Need For Speed Underground 2
11/23 - Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
11/30 - 100 Bullets (previously 10/4)
11/30 - Ghost Recon 2
December
12/6 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
12/7 - Conker (new listing) - don't think it will make it
12/15 - The Fast and the Furious
12/28 - MechAssault 2 (new listing) - don't think it will make it

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Agreed. But, then did Microsoft / Third Parties leave money on the table by coming out earlier this year?

Ninja Gaiden, SC: PT, Riddick, FSW, & Fable would probably have sold 2-3 times better during the holiday that out of that window. It's all good for Xbox owners of course, as they've had a very steady supply of high quality games.

Who knows? Maybe they'll have a slight resurgence in sales with all the new Xboxs being bought. A lot of people are going to buy more of them just for Halo 2. I've read posts about that not being the case on here before but I don't believe they have any connection to the reality of vgaming retail.

I honestly think that the Xbox and the PS2 don't need anything more than Halo 2 or GTA: San Andreas to move more systems in the holidays. Those are arguably the 2 "big events" of software to close out a generation even with a year or more left in the game. After that, it's likely to be issues of hardware, handheld and otherwise (Xenon). I don't think the next Zelda will be a comparable event outside of internet and gaming media, the GC has done too much to alienate itself from the mainstream/adult gaming public.

GTA is going to sell a bazillion units again, guaranteed.

That list makes me cry, if I had just the Xbox I'd have more games than I could possibly play in the future. Ugh.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

good decision by Ubi! But I was really looking forward to it.

 

[sonycowboy]

good decision by Ubi! But I was really looking forward to it.

Well, It will be interesting to see how Ghost Recon 2 sells, given that it,Goldeneye & Halo 2 are it for shooters. Will people seriously ignore everything for Halo? Or will they have time for GH2? I mean remembers, the trio of Unreal Championship, Ghost Recon, & MechAssault? They all sold quite well, with GH being the primary choice. I'm sure Ubi is hoping for even better numbers two years later with Xbox have over 300% more systems out there.

Or were publishers right to not put Area 51, Unreal Championship 2, MechAssault 2, Timesplitters 3, Republic Commando, Doom 3 (I know it's not ready), and Battlefield: Modern Combat out there?

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Fun exclusive releases

Yager ($20)

Yager PC was released last year

 

[Razoric]

This is a good thing. Sweet.

 

[Subitai]

Yager PC was released last year

I'll count PC when NPD does, ok.

 

[thorns]

Yager PC was released last year

I've had the xbox version for ~6 months so.. (europe)

 

[dark10x]

I've had the xbox version for ~6 months so.. (europe)

The XBOX version has been available for a VERY long time in Europe. It was released on XBOX prior to the PC...

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

it's still not exclusive, jackasses. props to me for knowing even part of that story

 

[siamesedreamer]

This is disappointing.

Perhaps they have reconsidered taking out the 2 vs 2 online play that made PT so awesome and have decided to institute it in this game thus necessitating a delay?

That's my hope anyway.

 

[IJoel]

Disappointing!? Thin lineup?

Good God, some of you people are incredibly jaded!

I, for one, am glad there isn't another must-get game to get this year. This month alone is driving me insane: Pikmin 2(yeah, late Aug too...), Burnout 3, DOA: U, SW: Battlefront, Fable, Katamari D, Gungrave, TW2005, Shadow Hearts 2, GG X2 Live, etc.

 

[Subitai]

Well, It will be interesting to see how Ghost Recon 2 sells, given that it,Goldeneye & Halo 2 are it for shooters. Will people seriously ignore everything for Halo? Or will they have time for GH2? I mean remembers, the trio of Unreal Championship, Ghost Recon, & MechAssault? They all sold quite well, with GH being the primary choice. I'm sure Ubi is hoping for even better numbers two years later with Xbox have over 300% more systems out there.

Or were publishers right to not put Area 51, Unreal Championship 2, MechAssault 2, Timesplitters 3, Republic Commando, Doom 3 (I know it's not ready), and Battlefield: Modern Combat out there?

I think all those publishers would rather try and convince players that they've got another great shooter experience and compare themselves to Halo 2 after it has been out for a while and casuals are ready to move on rather than try and sell with/against it this holiday.

 

[Insertia]

i pretty much knew that the 2004 date was a placeholder date. it just doesn't look complete atm, and releasing two spinter cell sequels within 9 months...no.

 

[Mrbob]

P.S:Will Halo 2 save the day for Xbox?

Huh? With a stacked November release SC3 would have sold less than SC: PT. And SCT sold was less than SC. You say it like NA actually give SC3 a second look this Xmas when a new version of Halo will be out.

 

[Kuroyume]

Good for my wallet, but this was my most wanted for the fall...

 

[Buffy4ever]

I think this is a good thing myself. By the way Is Doom 3 now coming in 2004 or 2005 for the X box?

 

[1st Born]

I've had the xbox version for ~6 months so.. (europe)

Is the game any good, say like compared to Crimsion Skies? I mean comparing the single player modes to each other. I glad Yeager is finally seeing the light of day in the US, I have been wanting to play it since back before the XBox was released.

 

[1st Born]

Oh, about Splinter Cell 3 getting delayed. I bet the XBox version will still have a 3 months lead time come March 2005. Ubi-Soft just proburly wants to push Prince of Persia 2 big time since the 1st one didn't sell so well.

 

[thorns]

Is the game any good, say like compared to Crimsion Skies? I mean comparing the single player modes to each other. I glad Yeager is finally seeing the light of day in the US, I have been wanting to play it since back before the XBox was released.

I haven't played crimson skies so can't compare it with that..
I didn't like the game that much myself, but it's still pretty good for it is, just nothing special.. the controls are a bit non-intuitive and I didn't find so much depth in the dogfighting part. But the graphics are really nice and some of the missions are rather huge which was quite nice, the game has quite nice music too.. It was rather depressing to see how much better the game would be if the gameplay was more focused/better designed. Worth a bargain buy I would say.

 

[Baron Aloha]

Also.. is the GC getting a version this time?

Yes. Per the full press-release....

San Francisco, California - September 20, 2004
Ubisoft announces today that it has decided to release all platform versions of the highly anticipated Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory simultaneously in March 2005. This will allow players on Xbox, PlayStation2, GameCube and PC to discover at the same time the latest blockbuster from the Splinter Cell brand, whose quality will be over the top as a result of the additional development time.

I for one am greatful for the delay.

 

[jedimike]

San Francisco, California - September 20, 2004
Ubisoft announces today that it has decided to release all platform versions of the highly anticipated Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory simultaneously in March 2005. This will allow players on Xbox, PlayStation2, GameCube and PC to discover at the same time the latest blockbuster from the Splinter Cell brand, whose quality will be over the top as a result of the additional development time.

Translation: MS wouldn't give us any more moneyhats

 

[CrimsonSkies]

"Minus Halo 2, the second coming, the Xbox lineup from a sales perspective is a little thin. "

You and half this board think the Xbox is Halo and nothing else. So what changes by this? I mean does the bullshit ever stop from you? ahah

 

[jarrod]

No GBA, N-Gage, DS or PSP versions?

 

[sonycowboy]

"Minus Halo 2, the second coming, the Xbox lineup from a sales perspective is a little thin. "

You and half this board think the Xbox is Halo and nothing else. So what changes by this? I mean does the bullshit ever stop from you?

From a sales perspective, bullshit freak.

What other games have a possibility of selling a million?

 

[Ghost]

Fable and Halo 2 make this Xboxs best fall ever, doesnt really matter what else comes out now.

 

[Flatbread]

I still can't get over that 1 week into selling, Fable could be bought for like $36ish. WTF? For a AAA xbox title that is meant to own the market and bring on the OMGWTFBBQ factor. I'm putting my money on Forza and MA2 not selling too.

Is Conker hitting for end of year?

I think your eating your words come npd time in october.


save this post

 

[CrimsonSkies]

"freak"

You called me a freak? Oh lordie.

 

[Subitai]

From a sales perspective, bullshit freak.

What other games have a possibility of selling a million?

Has any Xbox game besides Halo and SC sold a million in 2 months?

 

[JayFro]

I think JediMike called it, Splinter Cell PT didn't sell very well so MS is giving ubi the boot on this one when it comes to moneyhats.

That sucks because I plunked down $50 for my pre-order today when I was at gamestop, but I didn't know it was delayed til March. I just don't see how it wouldn't have sold well along side Halo 2 and Fable. Those would have been the big 3 titles that are exclusive or timed exclusive for the end of 2004. If Ubi thinks it will sell better in the Spring they miht want to think again.

 

[Truelize]

I think this is a good thing myself. By the way Is Doom 3 now coming in 2004 or 2005 for the X box?

My thoughts exactly. I thought Doom3 was scheduled for this year, but it's not on that release list so maybe it got pushed back a bit.

But I really doubt that not having SC3 is really gonna hurt Xbox this Christmas. Halo2 is going to dominate sales like no game has before it. Well I guess there were times when some of the Nintendo games came out, like when Zelda 2 came out and there were freakin riots in stores in the U.S. That was crazy, we shall see what happens on November 9th.

 

[PhatSaqs]

This would make an excellent Xenon launch title....

 

[Doom_Bringer]

This would make an excellent Xenon launch title....

What? Why would it be an excellent Xenon title when Xbox can handle it!?

 

[TekunoRobby]

GOOD!

Someone at Ubi is using logic (plus the fact that the game wasn't going to be ready).

I wasn't so sure I was going to be buying this game due to the crazy holiday season but now I'm positive I'll be picking it up.

Doom 3 got pushed back to 2005, Hollenshed said it himself.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

I think JediMike called it, Splinter Cell PT didn't sell very well so MS is giving ubi the boot on this one when it comes to moneyhats.

That sucks because I plunked down $50 for my pre-order today when I was at gamestop, but I didn't know it was delayed til March. I just don't see how it wouldn't have sold well along side Halo 2 and Fable. Those would have been the big 3 titles that are exclusive or timed exclusive for the end of 2004. If Ubi thinks it will sell better in the Spring they miht want to think again.

them dirty MS bitches. Wait til Ubi abandons them next gen. j/k

no one answer my q: is this coming out for the cube?

 

[PhatSaqs]

What? Why would it be an excellent Xenon title when Xbox can handle it!?

I just think it would give them even more dev time which could reinvigorate both demand and sales for the series being a launch title as opposed to coming out early spring. SCT was a huge let down to me.