EA takes another dive
Monday, February 08, 2010
Electronic Arts is suffering from more weak sales:
NEW YORK (AP) - A disappointing outlook from Electronic Arts Inc. sent shares of the video game publisher sharply lower Monday, a sign that significant cost-cuts and layoffs have not ended the company's slump.I'm sure they'll get over it, but for now, it's not gonna be without difficulty.
The company, whose games include the popular "Madden" series and "Mass Effect 2," said Monday it narrowed its net loss in the last quarter even as game sales declined. It blamed the revenue falloff on having fewer titles than it did in the 2008 holiday period. EA also cited weak sales in Europe, which accounts for about a third of its revenue.
The results for the October-December period were not a surprise, because EA had warned in January it would miss forecasts, leading analysts to lower their estimates.
The company lost $82 million, 20 cents per share. In the same period a year earlier it lost $641 million, $2 per share.
Revenue fell 25 percent to $1.24 billion.
Accounting for deferred revenue in games with online components, EA earned 33 cents per share, down from 56 cents per share a year earlier. Analysts were expecting 31 cents, according to Thomson Reuters.
But the company gave a forecast below Wall Street's expectations for the current quarter, even though it is launching several big-name titles during the period. One is the science-fiction epic "Mass Effect 2." Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown said in an interview the game has sold 2 million copies so far. EA ran its first-ever Super Bowl ad Sunday to promote the upcoming "Dante's Inferno."
For the fiscal fourth quarter ending March 31, EA is forecasting a profit of 2 cents to 6 cents per share on an adjusted basis, on revenue of $800 million to $850 million. This is below average analyst estimates of a profit of 13 cents per share on sales of $851 million.
CEO John Riccitiello said in a conference call with analysts EA decided to be "a little bit more conservative" than others that have given guidance for the year. With a strong lineup of games, he added, "there is reason to be optimistic. We have just chosen not to."
Shares of EA, which is based in Redwood City, Calif., fell $1.48, or 8.5 percent, to $16 in extended trading after the earnings report.
EA said in November it was cutting its work force by 17 percent, or 1,500 people, as it tries to align its business with transformations in the industry. Game development costs are skyrocketing, forcing publishers to sell blockbuster amounts of games to justify the expenses. In turn, EA is creating fewer games - cutting out projects it is less certain can become big hits.
"They are certainly not passing through all of the cost savings," Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said in a telephone interview.
Third-quarter operating costs declined 33 percent to $696 million.
The October-December quarter capped a rough year not just for EA but for the entire video game industry. Once dubbed "recession resistant," the latest sales for video games suggest otherwise. Americans spent $19.7 billion on video game software and systems last year, according to the NPD Group, a 8 percent decline from a record-setting 2008. Shoppers were picky. They came out in droves to buy Activision's latest "Call of Duty" and many of Nintendo's titles. EA, meanwhile had no games among the top 10 best-selling console titles in 2009, according to NPD, though "The Sims 3" was the year's No. 1 PC game.
Besides lackluster sales and a decline in consumer spending, EA is also dealing with the changing ways people consume - and pay for - games.
Instead of spending $60 on a shiny new disc, many people are playing free or cheap games online, on their mobile devices and on Facebook. They are spending a few dollars here and there to buy virtual add-ons for the games, or they are signing up for subscription-based online games.
EA has been aggressive about such new revenue streams, and last year bought Playfish Inc., a maker of online social games, for $275 million. While digital content still is a small part of EA's business, the company's ability to master online gaming could determine the shape the company is in when game discs go the way of CDs. Adjusted digital revenue grew 30 percent during the third quarter, hitting $152 million.
Labels: business, Electronic Arts
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posted by Avi Green @ 8:54 PM,
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Private army battle
Sunday, February 07, 2010
USA Today writes about a new game called MAG - Massive Action Game - where you're a soldier in what's described as a war set in a future era 15 years from now where governments hire private armies to protect their country's interests.
Labels: action, shooting games, Sony
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posted by Avi Green @ 11:43 AM,
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Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, part two
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Okey dokey, here comes the second part of this overlooked first-person production, in another eleven parts, with the second secret level coming penultimately here, since, logically speaking, it does need to be worked through prior to what's really the last level.
I ought to note that it's difficult to tell the difference between the good scientists and the bad ones, unless you tap them for info, wherein which case the bad ones will certainly make themselves known!
It's also more difficult to get hold of some treasure items and weapons here, since they come in crates that need to be opened with weapons like the grenade launcher. Some of the secret storage rooms are also harder to access, and there's even more enemy guards hiding in them too. The clashes with Dr. Goldfire are also more intense. This gets even more crafty as it goes along.
And rest assured, I'll try to add the third episode as soon as I can.
Labels: 3D Realms, action, first person, shooting games
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posted by Avi Green @ 11:27 AM,
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Sonic 4 Episode 1 arriving
Sega announces that a fourth game for Sonic the Hedgehog is on the way. What's interesting is that it's advertised as the first episode in what I assume is going to be a special series connected together.
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posted by Avi Green @ 11:17 AM,
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Thunder Heroes taping
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Actually, it's a Japanese version of Gaia Crusaders, slightly different from the version more commonly seen in the US and Europe, and here's a recording of it in 4 parts:
This has some kind of explosive devices available that I don't think were available in the version for the US/Europe, and other weapons seem to appear with more frequency too. The bosses/stages are also differently arranged, save for the last.
This is pretty good too, and as great for playing as the regular version. And, it makes for another great item that I can post more than one topic about.
Labels: action, side scrollers
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posted by Avi Green @ 8:07 AM,
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Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn: GDI mission, second part
Now, here's the second part of the GDI side of the game. Let's see what we have here.
Getting set up on this stage in Corinth, Greece, is not easy. The object here is to evacuate a spy, and you need to get foot units or vehicles to the foot of the hill by the village where the spy is located; air units won't count.
This is a difficult stage, where the object is to evacuate Dr. Moebius from a base that's under siege. To do this, you need to eliminate all SAM sites. Interestingly enough, I managed to get rid of the SAM sites on the alternate path close to the GDI base without having to get rid of the ones closer to the NOD base itself. Somehow, I did motions that persuaded the copter to hold off a moment before landing, giving me enough time to destroy just enough for the copter to land without being destroyed itself. That said, it was not without great difficulty.
You can complete this stage more quickly and eliminate the bio-lab NOD has on the hilltop by setting up base at the east end by using Orcas and the ion cannon, fired with the advanced communications center.
Eradicate all enemy troops on this stage as you move to close in on NOD's headquarters in Sarajevo.
Finally, we reach the showdown stage with NOD in their Sarajevo headquarters, and the object is to reach the Temple of NOD, which fires nuclear warheads, and destroy it once and for all.
As mentioned before, this is one of the most interesting games in its genre, and makes for a lot of fun to play. In time, I'll try to find recordings of its sequels, and post them here too.
Labels: Electronic Arts, RTS games
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posted by Avi Green @ 6:47 AM,
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Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn: GDI mission, first part
Now, here's the other side of the game, with the GDI missions. Let's begin:
First mission is taking out NOD troops on this shore. The gunboat can help take out the turrets.
You don't get any engineer options with your barracks on this second mission, but if you can capture the enemy base with those you do have, it'll help to take care of the rest.
An important strategy to activating the air-strike option when you're playing with this side is to eliminate all the SAM sites; it does seem that way.
This is a tricky stage, where you need to eliminate all NOD forces who are attacking the locals. There are some good strategies available here that can help to deal with the light tanks.
A GDI base is under siege in this area. They managed to fight off the worst, but lack a construction yard now. Repair the base and then use what's available to defeat the NOD base at the northwest end.
On this stage, use the commando to infiltrate a NOD base. You have 2 possibilities: either you can blow up the airfield, and thus skip what'll be the following mission, or, you can blow up another structure, and thus get to the following mission instead.
Here is what'll be the 7th mission if you take it, to defeat the enemy base at the east end.
Another difficult stage, where you need to defeat the NOD base again without the benefit of a construction yard when you begin. Thus, the challenge can be to capture the enemy's yard instead.
So what's the secret weapon NOD's rumored to be working on? Why, the Obelisk of Light, of course! Destroying the majority of the enemy's power can render it unable to operate properly, though the turrets can still function.
Defeat the NOD base at the south end of this area. Try to block enemies' advance with sandbag walls (there's a chain-link fence as well, I think).
The rest of the parts will come up in another post.
Labels: Electronic Arts, RTS games
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posted by Avi Green @ 6:45 AM,
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Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn: NOD mission, second part
Here are the latter missions in the NOD side of Tiberian Dawn. The following is in 4 videos:
In this level, you first use the commando, who can slay foot units with a single bullet, to reach a special base setting where you need to capture some of the rest, like the refinery, if you're to build the rest of the production equipment successfully. If you can eliminate the enemy power plants, it can weaken the advanced guard towers, but not the standard ones.
Guide the commando and the other units through enemy forces in your mission to assassinate a character called Dr. Chan.
To disable the GDI's airstrike abilities, you can try to eliminate their radar as well as the construction yard in the base at the northeast end.
In this mission, you take out the GDI base at the northeast end. It's advisable to use strategies to get around those two mammoth tanks at the start (they seem more interested in the MCV than they do in the troops accompanying it), and to deploy the vehicle by the tiberium fields to the west. Try the strategies of building sandbag walls to reach the enemy base, block enemy troops (as you'll notice, they do not try to get past what's built), and then build an Obelisk of Light inside the enemy base itself! Note also that the GDI has its Advanced Communications Center here, which is what fires an ion beam, so be prepared for if it happens.
Finally, you go to defeat the last GDI outpost here, and can even use the Temple of NOD to launch their nuclear missile, which does colossal damage.
Note that there are other paths to choose here, and other strategic ways of managing the gameplay here. A very interesting game this was when it first came out 15 years ago, and has since even had sequels made. I'll make sure to get the other side of the game posted soon.
Labels: Electronic Arts, RTS games
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posted by Avi Green @ 6:39 AM,
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Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn: NOD mission, first part
Here is one side of the game that revolutionized the RTS genre. I'm going to present it in two posts so it doesn't get too crowded or complicated to deal with, and with notes in between each video. Here we go:
Your first mission is to assassinate a political leader in Africa whose views do not coincide with those of NOD.
In the second mission, it's fairly simple - destroy a GDI base nearby, and even capture the structures with engineers if possible.
Here, you need to capture a special prison facility. If you know how to move the rocket soldiers within sufficient range of the guard towers, you should be able to handle that part.
The object of this mission is to slay all the villagers in this sector of Chad.
One of the finishing touches for completing this mission is to erect a SAM site.
The object of this mission is to steal a crate, then to reach the flare where a helicopter will arrive and the mission will be completed.
The object here is to defeat the GDI forces to the east end, and then to destroy the village and capture the hospital in the vicinity as well.
To complete this mission, you need to capture the GDI base on the other end of the river and use it to your advantage. Note that the crate captured in the GDI base at the southwest end is VERY important, so make sure to get it if you want to use NOD's nuclear missile in the last mission.
The next missions here will come in a following post.
Labels: Electronic Arts, RTS games
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posted by Avi Green @ 6:22 AM,
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Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, part one
Monday, February 01, 2010
Another first person shooter, in eleven parts:
The star of the show is a British intelligence agent who's sent to infiltrate the headquarters of a Dr. Goldfire, an evil scientist who's manufacturing mutants and other vermin for conquest and destruction. It's a very impressively layered setup, with a lot of hidden rooms and hallways that's garunteed to keep you hugging the walls checking for where the doors are located. There's also 2 secret levels, and the second one I deliberately put before what's really the last one.
This has six episodes to it, making it one of the longest of its sort released under the Apogee/3D Realms label back in the day. I'll try to add those here as well, but I probably shouldn't hurry this time, as it can be complicated.
Labels: 3D Realms, action, first person, shooting games
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posted by Avi Green @ 12:05 PM,
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A video of Catacomb Abyss
The followup to Catacomb 3D:
This came out the year after the first game did, and features more battles against the supernatural forces. It's actually part of what was soon called "The Catacomb Trilogy", since there were 3 games of this that came out during 1992, including Catacomb Apocalypse and Catacomb Armageddon. If I can ever find recordings of those as well, I'll try to add them here.
Labels: action, first person, Id Software, shooting games
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posted by Avi Green @ 12:01 PM,
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Major Stryker multimedia
Saturday, January 30, 2010
It looks like Raiden had a competitor in the shareware market, that being this nifty item. First, here's a video of the beginning with demos:
But for the complete runthrough, you'll need to go to the rest of the videos off site, because yet again, it's a compilation with the embedders turned off. Here we go with the list:
First, Fleet Admiral Yoshira.
Then, Space Station 1, and then, Space Station 2, and Space Station boss.
Water Zone 1, Water Zone 2, and Water Zone boss.
Land Zone 1, Land Zone 2, and Land Zone boss.
Lava Zone 1, Lava Zone 2, and Lava Zone mothership.
Arctic Zone 1, Arctic Zone 2, and Arctic Zone boss.
Land Zone 3, Land Zone 4, and 2nd Land Zone boss.
City Zone 1, City Zone 2, and City Zone boss.
Lava Zone 3, Lava Zone 4, and 2nd Lava Zone mothership.
Space Station 3, Space Station 4, and 2nd Space Station boss.
Desert Zone 1, Desert Zone 2, and Desert Zone boss.
Lava Zone 5, Lava Zone 6, and 3rd Lava Zone boss.
Techno Zone 1, Techno Zone 2, and the final showdown!
A space ace is assigned to battle the enemies running rampant on other planets in the galaxy sector, and information is provided by Admiral Yoshira, who's even got the hots for the expert pilot. Very well done for its kind.
Labels: 3D Realms, action, overhead scrollers, shooting games
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posted by Avi Green @ 11:04 AM,
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Nintendo's head shrugs off new iPad
Friday, January 29, 2010
The head of Nintendo isn't impressed with Apple's new concept:
TOKYO (AP) - Nintendo's president shrugged off the just unveiled iPad tablet computer from Apple as delivering "no surprises," and displayed as little enthusiasm for 3-D technology and high-definition upgrades for games.Aw, c'mon, can't you be more of a sport, pal?
"It was a bigger iPod Touch," Satoru Iwata said of the much anticipated device shown Wednesday by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs.
Iwata denied speculation in Japanese media that what Nintendo Co. has in the works in new gadgets may be a DS equipped with a motion-sensor similar to the wand for Nintendo's hit Wii home console, or a Wii upgraded for high-definition TVs.
"I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines," he said of the DS. Nintendo engineers are developing new machines, he said, without giving details.
Iwata also doesn't expect 3D video-gaming to catch on, although he welcomed 3D movies at theaters like James Cameron's hit "Avatar."
"I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home. How is that going to look to other people?" he said at a Tokyo hotel.
Sony Corp. and other technology companies are making big investments in 3-D TVs, expecting it will boost sales growth in the next few years.
Kyoto-based Nintendo, the maker of Pokemon and Super Mario games, would also have to look into the possible health effects of longtime 3-D game playing, which is likely to last longer than a two-hour film, Iwata said.
Nintendo has scored success by making games easier to play for the elderly, women and newcomers. Iwata reiterated his company will continue on that track as potential for sales growth remains in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.
He made no pretense to hide he was totally unimpressed with the iPad.
"There were no surprises for me," said Iwata.
Apple says the iPad is a new kind of mobile device that is more intimate than a laptop but is packed with more functions than a mobile phone.
On Thursday, Nintendo reported April-December profit fell 9 percent as solid year-end sales failed to make up for the weak results for the earlier part of the fiscal year, a rising yen and a price cut for the Wii.
Labels: consoles, Nintendo, Sony
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posted by Avi Green @ 3:44 AM,
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