Gaming’s Sweet And Sour Of 2006

Well, I hope you enjoyed 2006, because it's done and over with. There’s been some sweet and sour moments in gaming, throughout 2006. From the sold-out yet violent launch of the PS3, to the shutting down of Clover studios, to the successful sales of Nintendo’s new gaming machine. Here at Cinema Blend, we’ll countdown the Top 10 Sweet and Sour moments of 2006, in the world of interactive gaming. Oh yeah...and happy new year.



10. Sour: Capcom Shuts Down Clover Studio.

The studio was founded on July 1, 2004 and proved to be a powerhouse development group, which produced results in the form of Devil May Cry, Resident Evil and mostly recently, Okami for the PS2. And despite its success (and mediocre hits), Capcom decided to shut down the studio on October 12th, 2006, in order to re-focus efforts, resources, and the initial Capcom brand on a more singular, structured foundation. On the plus side, a lot of key members from Clover Studio moved on to join financially affluent development studios.

9. Sweet: Microsoft And Nintendo Make E3 One of the Biggest And Most Impressive In Years.

Nintendo showcased a lot of original and unique functions of the Wii, along with demonstrations of highly anticipated titles. The remarkable gameplay schemes from E3 even carried over to the holiday season, as fan-favorite Wii has gamers currently scrambling to find the console where ever they can. Microsoft did the same with their lineup of first-party games, including Too Human, Crackdown, Gears of War and even Halo 3, which showcased a lot of originality coming for the Xbox 360. Sadly, though, Gears of War was the only eagerly awaited first-party game that wasn’t delayed until 2007. Still, MS and the Big ‘N’ put on a fascinating display of next-generation capabilities at presumably the last publicly entertaining E3, ever.

8. Sour: E3 No Longer Entertaining.

Sony and Electronic Arts pull out. After the abysmal display of lacking software and decrepit demonstrations of the PS3 at E3 2006, Sony decided it was too much being put into the trade-show and not enough coming out of it. The same went for Electronic Arts: Too much money, too much time, and the pay-off, in their eyes, was less than spectacular. Smaller developers were angered at the E3 down-grade, mainly because they’ll be left without publishers taking any interest in their booths...or the babes. Conference room settings and “private” meetings will now be the new focus of E3. What a disaster.

7. Sweet: Gamepro Takes E3 Place.

While the triple E may have been castrated of its entertainment and expo qualities, the IDG (among other expo concepts) is at least picking up the helm to continue the tradition of a yearly electronics expo at the LA Convention Center. With the expo set for an October 20th, 2007 date and blessings from the ESA, the announcement was nothing short of a blessing for gamers...and journalists.

6. Sour: Microsoft Digital Distribution Crashes Xbox Live.

Microsoft had good intentions...right? Probably not. Anyway, digital distribution is the new wave of digital consumption for consumers. Using your Xbox 360 to watch your favorite programs whenever you want is a great way to integrate gaming and television. But when it overloads servers due to large HD files, too many users trying to download them at once, and not enough server support, you can’t help but find yourself in a river of manure without a paddle. That’s exactly what happened to MS and Xbox Live. While trying to compete with Sony and Nintendo’s next-gen launches, Microsoft figured they could launch the digital service around the same time. But bad execution and ill-prepared online support made Xbox Live crash like a drunken Hollywood celebrity.

5. Sweet: Video Game Marketing for 2006.

With abundant past marketing disasters by Sega, or the cheesy campaigns ran by Nintendo in the hey-day of the NES and SNES, one must admit that video game marketing has changed drastically from the yesteryears. From Ubisoft, EA, and most notably Nintendo’s mass casual-market scheme that has yet to fail with any of their recent hardware outings, including the Wii, DS, and Gameboy Advance. Microsoft, while known for being stiff-necks, seem to have really come out of their “shell” when it came time to promote Viva Pinata, Fusions Frenzy 2, and the indominatable Gears of War. Even Sony kicked it up a notch – despite all the negative press surrounding the PS3 – to unleash a flurry of respectable announcements and auxiliary components to help boost the competency of the PS3. Marketing for 2006 was masterful, even though some of the promises were not.

4. Sour: Lik-Sang Gets Sunk By Sony.

A segment from the Lik-Sang website reads, “Hong Kong, October 24th of 2006 - Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.” The popular overseas retailer was closed down because Sony felt the company infringed on rights to sell consoles from Asia to European territories. I guess Sony didn’t care that Lik-Sang provided more than 100 countries with access to their products, or more importantly, that I was planning on ordering the new Joybox from Lik-Sang. Anyway, a lot of gamers were heart-broken when the news spread, making Sony appear on the sour side of this Top Ten list twice, venerably.

3. Sweet: Final Fantasy XII.

As one of the highest rated and positively reviewed games of the year, Square-Enix masterful storytelling and epic visual presentation in FF XII has set it apart as a top software contender, even among the likes of the next-gen consoles. Nearly ubiquitously labeled as the “Final Final Fantasy for the PS2", reviewers and critics have agreed that this is the Final Fantasy that will keep gamers talking for years – presumably even after the PS2 is long gone. And despite the awful FF VII: Dirge of Cerberus nearly ruining the good name of Final Fantasy, FF XII has managed to redeem the Final Fantasy legacy, and rightfully deserves a place as a Sweet piece of gaming for 2006.

2. Sour: Sony’s launch of the PS3.

After all the hype, all the promotional ads, and all the millions and millions of dollars invested in this high-tech bombshell, Sony’s next-gen launch hasn’t done much but create a lot of chaos and lukewarm disappointment. Maybe 2007 will be the year of the PS3, but 2006 certainly wasn’t a good year for Sony and it’s big black box. From the shoddy appearance at E3, to the unveiling of a rumble-less controller, and then the fair but unimpressive software lineup...Sony’s PS3 stumbled through 2006 that lead up to a violent and under-supplied launch. Despite the hype and fancy marketing tactics, it just couldn’t save an underdeveloped launch plan. Thus, making the Playstation 3's launch entirely deserving as the top gaming Disaster of 2006.

1. Sweet: Nintendo’s launch of the Wii.

It was inevitable for this to be the number one Masterpiece of 2006. The original 600,000 units shipped and sold for every second of every day since its launch made for one of the most successful, streamlined console launches since the PSOne. No shootings, no violence, no high-tech thievery or drive-by robberies. Nintendo’s under-promoted but highly anticipated launch of their new console made the Wii an instant worldwide success. Positive first-party reviews and an engaging line-up of games has easily made the Wii the number one Sweetest thing in gaming of 2006.