Review: Burnout Revenge - Xbox 360
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March 2006 Archives
Revolution Rename?
There are rumors around the Interweb blogosphere today about Nintendo possibly announcing the "real" name for the Revolution this Thursday during Satoru Iwata's GDC speech. It was long said that Revolution was not going to be the final name for Nintendo's next-generation offering, even though it is the name that we have come to commonly refer to it by. Nintendo has a history (like, you know, most companies) of code naming a product and then releasing it under a shinier moniker, the N64 was originally the "Ultra 64", Gamecube was "Dolphin" and Nintendo DS was "Nitro".
Some analysts are predicting that Nintendo may stick with "Revolution", but I have my own prediction. I think that Nintendo is going to call it nothing. I think they are going to just call it "Nintendo". A recent publicity photo of the Revolution unit shows a Nintendo racetrack logo at the base instead of the Rev logo we saw at E3, for one thing, but from the way the big N is marketing it, it seems to me they are using this as the core, be all, end all system.
Remember back in the day, when you would ask for a "Nintendo" for Christmas? Or you would go over to a friend's house after school to play "Nintendo"? Did you ever ask specifically for an "NES", or go and play a "Nintendo Entertainment System"? No, you just called it Nintendo. It was branding, and it stuck for a very long time (at least until PlayStation came along and video games went mainstream). Video games were commonly just referred to as Nintendo, and I believe that using this branding idea would greatly benefit the Revolution.
The Revolution acts as a virtual console, allowing you to download and play a vast library of Nintendo's games, past and most likely future. It is compatable with the Gamecube and focuses entirely on gameplay over graphics. It is not looking to be the audio/visual hub in your living room, it is just looking to attract casual and hardcore gamers alike with Nintendo's vast game offerings. It is the core unit, it represents Nintendo as a company. Calling it something like "Revolution" or "Nintendo 128" or some other crazy name similar to Xbox 360 and PS3 denotes a sequence, it says "this is our next generation console, meant to compete with the others" which it is obviously not. There is no HD support, it will be vastly cheaper than Microsoft or Sony's systems, and Nintendo has directly stated that they just aren't interested in competing. They want to be an also-ran. They want people to pick up the "Revolution" in addition to other systems, they want to attract the casual gamer.
I believe that they can do this by using the system to spearhead a whole new company branding campaign. We will see tomorrow if I am right! I CAN'T WAIT.
What do you think the Revolution will be called? Email me or post your opinion in the comments!
--Frodo (frodo@weeklygeekshow.com)
Podcast for Monday, March 20th 2006
We're back from break and geekier than ever! This week, Frodo, The Geek, White Mage and Nevery discuss new movies good and bad (and intentionally bad), new Microsoft hardware blunders, Sony being idiots again, Rare marketing to children who like bright colors, Super Princess Peach and this week's new game releases. CHECK IT THE HECK OUT.
- PS3 Hard Drive Official
- Viva Whuh
- Outdated tech in Japan outlawed!
- Star Trek 2.0
- Google Mars!
- Snakes on a Plane goes for an R rating
--Frodo (frodo@weeklygeekshow.com)
Podcast for Monday, March 13th 2006
Classic Weekly Geek this week, with our interview with Wil Wheaton! We will be back with a brand new show next Monday. Remember, we have t-shirts! BUY THEM.
--Frodo
Podcast for Monday, March 6th 2006
On this week's show, Frodo is sleepy, Nevery is drunk and The Geek is, well, The Geek. They discuss the Spore video meme, Legos, and nowhere is there a Brokeback Mountain reference. Thank [insert deity here]. Show notes forthcoming.
- Will Wright's Spore Gameplay Video
- The Ultimate Video Game: Desert Bus.
- Lego Shaped Eggos!
- Andre 3000 to Get Own Cartoon.
- Lego USB Drive.
- The DS Lite sells like DS Lite-Shaped Hotcakes in Japan.
- Snoop Dogg Starts Gaming League.
- What is X-Quest?
---Frodo (frodo@weeklygeekshow.com)
Better T-shirts okay.
Okay so I know the last t-shirts I put up for preorder weren't cool. They were just a logo and no one wants to be our billboard. SO! I made a shirt that I would actually want to wear. Do you want one? There is this awesome design on the front and the shirts will be a dark navy because I know you feel the need to show how sad you are by wearing dark colors. Now taking preorders. Shipping is going to be $3.00, standard and the shirts themselves will be $12. They will be high quality shirts from Brunetto, who I have gone through before and are awesome. Help support the show by buying a t-shirt!
--Frodo (frodo@weeklygeekshow.com)
fresh podcasts
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- Revolution Rename? (6)
- Podcast for Monday, March 20th 2006 (1)
- Podcast for Monday, March 13th 2006 (1)
- Podcast for Monday, March 6th 2006 (1)
- Better T-shirts okay. (2)
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