by Reuben Waters on Feb 18, 2010
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In an interesting new take on
expansion launches, EverQuest II: Sentinel’s Fate was
released this Tuesday, which is being billed as an early start for
retail customers as those players who purchase a digital copy
won’t be able to dive into the new content until the 23rd.
When combined with the efforts of publishing giant EA to promote new
game sales via a system that includes the one-time registration of a
unique code to unlock bonus content, it seems we’re on the
verge of seeing a potential shift back to a more retail friendly gaming
market. This and links to our newest exclusive content today in
Loading… Retail Strikes Back.
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results:
Biggest
movers in the last seven days:
It
was a dark time for
PC gamers. Although the success of
most new
titles is commonly judged by box
copy sales at launch, the rising tide
of digital
distribution
services such as Steam and Impulse has driven
most retailers
to decrease the amount of shelf space dedicated to new
PC releases.
Evading
the dreaded potential
for physical copies of PC games
to become
a
thing
of the past, a small but growing list of publishers are in the
process of establishing
added value
for those players who opt to give
their optical drives something new to chew on.
The
latest publisher to join in
on EA’s attempt to promote
new boxed copy sales at retail, Sony Online Entertainment dispatched
thousands of physical copies of EverQuest
II:
Sentinel's Fate earlier this
week…
*Camera pans down to the
partially frozen surface of North America*
Much like the Imperial
probe droid that Han and Luke head out to investigate in the opening
scenes of The Empire Strikes
Back, used game sales and
rampant piracy
have forced many brick and mortar retailers into a partial retreat from
the sales of all but the most heavily promoted new releases. This has
forced the vast majority of independent publishers to turn to digital
distribution as their only viable means of getting their games into the
hands of eager fans. And on the console front, even dedicated gaming
retailers like GameStop have taken the sale of used games to such an
extreme that it’s become the driving force behind their
entire operation.
While perhaps not primarily
aimed at reestablishing a more solid presence at
brick and mortar retailers, I did find it interesting that the launch
of Sentinel's Fate
this Tuesday was being
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81049">handled
as an early
start for players who purchased
physical copies of the expansion, with
digital download customers needing to wait until the 23rd before they
could begin exploring the new content.
Don't get me wrong,
I’m all for digital
distribution and even services like Steam, but I do think that adding
this type of extra incentive to purchase box copies of a new release
could be the shot in the arm that retail has been needing for years
now. Mind you I’ve been collecting MMOG boxes for so many
years now it would seem bizarre to me to give up the habit and besides,
without a physical copy what would I have to add to my MMOG graveyard
diorama should the servers shut down on any current games?
In a similar vein, the recently
released
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2389">Mass
Effect 2
is another title
on the slowly growing list that offers extra incentives to players who
purchase new copies of the game. By registering your copy of ME2 with
the Cerberus Network and linking it to your BioWare account, this
allows you to download new content for the game that the owners of used
or pirated copies of the game will miss out on. Sony has also adopted
this concept as a means of fighting rampant piracy on the PSP with at
least one upcoming release by locking multiplayer modes until you prove
ownership of a new copy via online registration.
How far these ideas will be
pushed in the future is hard to say at this
point, but should the concept prove to be successful I won’t
be too terribly surprised to see more MMOGs adopt this staggered
approach to retail vs. digital launch dates. Then again, I
wouldn’t want to be anywhere near a gaming forum to witness
the nerdrage backlash were BioWare
to announce that only owners of a physical copy of
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/swtor">Star
Wars: The Old
Republic
would be able to
receive free content updates post-launch.
Speaking of forums, be sure to
share your
thoughts on this new trend in
game sales right here in the Loading… forums!
6 new Ten Ton Hammer
features today! 83 in February! 198
in 2010!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
2Moons: Hands On Impressions
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81125">http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81125
2Moons
is an action oriented fantasy free-to-play MMOG from Acclaim Games.
Mattlow gives us his hands on impressions and tells us whether the game
is worth playing.
FEATURES & GUIDES
Long-Term Goals In EVE Online
http://tentonhammer.com/node/81142
Every
player in EVE Online has goals. Sometimes those goals revolve around
practical matters, like getting access to the most lucrative missions
or asteroids. Other times, they're just a dream, like flying a
titan-class ship. Space Junkie outlines a number of possible objectives
for miners, mission-runners, and pirates.
EQ2 Scout Combat Art Lists
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/54741">http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/54741
If
you've picked up EQ2's coveted Sentinel's Fate expansion then you may
already be hard at work leveling to the new level cap of 90. Do you
want to know what combat arts you'll be upgrading? Our scout skill
lists have now been updated to include levels 81-90 plus we have
overhauled to make our lists more accurate and easier to read.
Runes of Magic: Player Housing
Overview
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rom/guides/housing">http://www.tentonhammer.com/rom/guides/housing
Housing
is something that is often overlooked in MMOG's as something that only
the role players do. Something that is really not for the masses. Well,
once again Runes of Magic has shown us that if you take a concept and
do it right it can work really really well for everybody. Join ZeroMerc
for his house party!
Star Trek Online: Memory Alpha
Crafting Guide
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/features/crafting_guide">http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/features/crafting_guide
Star
Trek Online has been capturing the attention of space junkies around
the world, but has it enthralled the crafting crowd as well? Join
Dalmarus as he beams down to the surface of Memory Alpha and puts the
crafting system to the test in an attempt to find out.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Portal Launches
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm">http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm
Our
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm portal has now launched giving you one
location for everything we offer about Cataclysm. Deathwing now lurks
in the shadow of Azeroth and the entire game as we know is about to
change. Be prepared, bookmark
our Cataclysm portal and check back often
so you can stay ahead of the game.
Today's
Hottest Articles and Guides
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!
- Reuben "Sardu" Waters
and the
Ten Ton Hammer team