The Road to Ruin: How Grand Theft Auto Hit the Skids (Wired Article)
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tehweezner
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good article. GTA IV will be the reset button. people are going to buy PS3 and 360s just for that game
Cao Cao
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Bully's sales fell flat? Hm, that's strange. According to vgcharts, Bully sold a total of almost 500,000 copies as of December 2006. I'd hardly call those sales numbers "flat," unless R* was expecting another GTA-esque runaway success.
But overall, a good article, though I'm not surprised that the bulk of their problems stem from their troubles in the boardroom and with the government.
But overall, a good article, though I'm not surprised that the bulk of their problems stem from their troubles in the boardroom and with the government.
[quote name='Cao Cao']Bully's sales fell flat? Hm, that's strange. According to vgcharts, Bully sold a total of almost 500,000 copies as of December 2006. I'd hardly call those sales numbers "flat," unless R* was expecting another GTA-esque runaway success.
But overall, a good article, though I'm not surprised that the bulk of their problems stem from their troubles in the boardroom and the government.[/QUOTE]
Probably is considered Flat in thier standards. It also depends on how much they spent to develop the game. Either way Rockstar and Take 2 need all the help they can get
The whole hotcoffee incident was redicuously costly to the company because Parents and politicians are a bunch of Artards.
But overall, a good article, though I'm not surprised that the bulk of their problems stem from their troubles in the boardroom and the government.[/QUOTE]
Probably is considered Flat in thier standards. It also depends on how much they spent to develop the game. Either way Rockstar and Take 2 need all the help they can get
The whole hotcoffee incident was redicuously costly to the company because Parents and politicians are a bunch of Artards.
im not surprised the gta stories series of games on the ps2 havent done that well. too many advancements made in the san andreas series were left out not to mention all they did was port each game. had they rebuilt them from the ground up for the ps2 the games would have looked and played better and they could have charged more for them. i still have troubel playing vice city stories for more than a mission or 2 because of how poorly it looks,
Trancendental
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Pretty funny to read this article from Wired 4 years ago:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.07/rockstar_pr.html
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.07/rockstar_pr.html
Yeah - but what about rehashing the first game and slapping the word "stories" to the end of the title - that should work, right?
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What a bad boy. Donovan, you are winner!But perhaps the best test of Rockstar's staying power will be the anticipated fall version of GTA3 for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, the happy home of Mario and Zelda. "Games where you drive around and run over people or whatever are probably not Nintendo's main goal," says Perrin Kaplan, VP of corporate affairs for Nintendo, which just released its first M-rated game. "That said, to have licensee relationships with those kinds of games makes all the market sense in the world."
Donovan would certainly agree. "I think the videogame industry was actually crying out for us," he said. "We don't make games about Puff-the-ing-Magic Dragon."
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Bully didn't sell well because the typical moronic wannabe hoods who make GTA a success don't care about a moral story of the schoolyard.
It couldn't have cost them much to make, using the SA engine and all, and being a PS2 game.
Unsurprising that LCS and VCS flopped, that's really oversaturating the franchise. I do think that GTA4 will be the reboot for them, and will make them a ton of money. Bully/LCS/VCS haven't sold also because everyone is waiting for GTA4, and anything else just can't compare.
Sucks that the company is run so poorly, though. I always had an image of Rockstar as the smarter game developers, completely against the image this article portrays.
It couldn't have cost them much to make, using the SA engine and all, and being a PS2 game.
Unsurprising that LCS and VCS flopped, that's really oversaturating the franchise. I do think that GTA4 will be the reboot for them, and will make them a ton of money. Bully/LCS/VCS haven't sold also because everyone is waiting for GTA4, and anything else just can't compare.
Sucks that the company is run so poorly, though. I always had an image of Rockstar as the smarter game developers, completely against the image this article portrays.
zionoverfire
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Remember how much people hated State of Emergency, but then gobbled up GTA Vice City?
What this articles really demonstrates is that people want GTA for it's graphics and game improvements, not mediocre PSP ports or games like the Bully that while it has it's merits makes you often feel like you're playing GTA Jr.
What this articles really demonstrates is that people want GTA for it's graphics and game improvements, not mediocre PSP ports or games like the Bully that while it has it's merits makes you often feel like you're playing GTA Jr.
I AM WILLIAM H. MACY
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Well of course Vice City Stories was the worst selling, it had poor advertising, no hype, middling reviews, and a release on a dying system. On the other hand, during the GTA3 mania, all the other GTAs were being purchased a lot too, so those, despite being worse, aren't going to be poor sellers.
Hell, I love GTA and I haven't even bought VCS yet because it's just like, who cares? We already played this.
Also, this is sensationalist journalism; it's possible that Rockstar was expecting higher sales for Bully than what they got, but what they got by no means is a financial failure.
Hell, I love GTA and I haven't even bought VCS yet because it's just like, who cares? We already played this.
Also, this is sensationalist journalism; it's possible that Rockstar was expecting higher sales for Bully than what they got, but what they got by no means is a financial failure.
[quote name='Spades22']Cool, hopefully they go belly up cause I hate GTA. I mean it's fun at times...but knowing a bunch of people who all think its cool just cause you can kill and do whatever makes it blech.[/quote]
you have to admit though the amount of freedom and things to do in gta san andreas made it the funnest game in the series. the game took me so long to beat because id go off and do the bike races or swimming races and beat the cock ( the game not well you know) and hell alot of times id just drive around in the game world listening to all the music. that game actually helped me to find a love of country music cause i love that amos mose song. i still think they screwed up taking out being able to rob stores. they did the best they could with the tech and pulled otu a game where you could travel a huge world. the characters didnt look all that great but the game was awesome.
now all id like ot see are more building you can go into , better hand to hand combat , more weapon types and the ability to let computer characters drive while you shoot and coop or online play and there you go. btw does anyone know if they ever got that san andreas multiplayer thing up for the pc?
you have to admit though the amount of freedom and things to do in gta san andreas made it the funnest game in the series. the game took me so long to beat because id go off and do the bike races or swimming races and beat the cock ( the game not well you know) and hell alot of times id just drive around in the game world listening to all the music. that game actually helped me to find a love of country music cause i love that amos mose song. i still think they screwed up taking out being able to rob stores. they did the best they could with the tech and pulled otu a game where you could travel a huge world. the characters didnt look all that great but the game was awesome.
now all id like ot see are more building you can go into , better hand to hand combat , more weapon types and the ability to let computer characters drive while you shoot and coop or online play and there you go. btw does anyone know if they ever got that san andreas multiplayer thing up for the pc?
Cao Cao
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[quote name='Zoglog']Probably is considered Flat in thier standards. It also depends on how much they spent to develop the game. Either way Rockstar and Take 2 need all the help they can get
The whole hotcoffee incident was redicuously costly to the company because Parents and politicians are a bunch of Artards.[/QUOTE]
I believe that Bully was based on the same engine as The Warriors, which was based on Manhunt's engine. I doubt that it cost too much to make, especially for $20 million in all around revenue. In terms of production costs, it's certainly no Shenmue.
But the real question is: Who considered it a flop? R* or the author of the article? The author is very ambiguous about this point.
[quote name='jer7583']Unsurprising that LCS and VCS flopped, that's really oversaturating the franchise. I do think that GTA4 will be the reboot for them, and will make them a ton of money. Bully/LCS/VCS haven't sold also because everyone is waiting for GTA4, and anything else just can't compare.[/QUOTE]
LCS, both on PSP and PS2, was a total success. It is one of, if not the only, PSP games to break the 1 million copies sold barrier.
VCS (On the PSP at least, no PS2 numbers are out yet), on the other hand, was unquestionably a total failure, especially when compared to other GTA games. There are two reasons that I believe are responsible for this:
1. Label: Arrogance or Stupidity - Rockstar released VCS for an MSRP of $50... at a time when the general MSRPs for new PSP games had dropped to $40. Here you had a choice of VCS for $50, or another game that fits your tastes for $10 less than VCS.
2. The PS2 Effect - Even before VCS was released, people figured that a $20 PS2 version would be in the works, set to release a few months after the PSP version's release. These folks had a choice: Pay $50 now for the PSP version, or wait a few months for the inevitable $20 PS2 version.
Of course, the second reason will depend on how many copies the PS2 version sells. I think that Mr. H. Macy is correct to a degree, VCS had very little hype, and the critical reception was poor for a post-III GTA game. Though, I'd hardly consider the PSP to be a "dying system." I also think that you're correct too, jer, as there must be quite a bit of people who want a brand new GTA, instead of another retread of the console games.
The whole hotcoffee incident was redicuously costly to the company because Parents and politicians are a bunch of Artards.[/QUOTE]
I believe that Bully was based on the same engine as The Warriors, which was based on Manhunt's engine. I doubt that it cost too much to make, especially for $20 million in all around revenue. In terms of production costs, it's certainly no Shenmue.
But the real question is: Who considered it a flop? R* or the author of the article? The author is very ambiguous about this point.
[quote name='jer7583']Unsurprising that LCS and VCS flopped, that's really oversaturating the franchise. I do think that GTA4 will be the reboot for them, and will make them a ton of money. Bully/LCS/VCS haven't sold also because everyone is waiting for GTA4, and anything else just can't compare.[/QUOTE]
LCS, both on PSP and PS2, was a total success. It is one of, if not the only, PSP games to break the 1 million copies sold barrier.
VCS (On the PSP at least, no PS2 numbers are out yet), on the other hand, was unquestionably a total failure, especially when compared to other GTA games. There are two reasons that I believe are responsible for this:
1. Label: Arrogance or Stupidity - Rockstar released VCS for an MSRP of $50... at a time when the general MSRPs for new PSP games had dropped to $40. Here you had a choice of VCS for $50, or another game that fits your tastes for $10 less than VCS.
2. The PS2 Effect - Even before VCS was released, people figured that a $20 PS2 version would be in the works, set to release a few months after the PSP version's release. These folks had a choice: Pay $50 now for the PSP version, or wait a few months for the inevitable $20 PS2 version.
Of course, the second reason will depend on how many copies the PS2 version sells. I think that Mr. H. Macy is correct to a degree, VCS had very little hype, and the critical reception was poor for a post-III GTA game. Though, I'd hardly consider the PSP to be a "dying system." I also think that you're correct too, jer, as there must be quite a bit of people who want a brand new GTA, instead of another retread of the console games.
[quote name='Puffa469']GTA IV will be a system selling game for me. I have 6 months to decide which system.[/QUOTE]It's a system seller for me, too. I've already decided that I'll be going with a 360 this generation, but I've dragged my feet on getting one while I plod my way through some of my PS2 backlog waiting for a price drop or killer deal. If I still don't have one by October, GTA IV will force me to break down and pick one up.
I enjoyed Liberty City Stories quite a bit actually. The multiplayer was plenty fun (I only wish it was online as well). I haven't really gotten through Vice City Stories mainly because it added some really lame territory stuff that makes the game somewhat annoying. Also The game came out after Saints Row which really elevated the game genre. Many people bash saints row for being Unoriginal, which is pretty much right. However the gameplay in Saints Row is Spot on and hopefully GTAIV will learn the lession from that aspect.
Currently the entire Take 2 company is undergoing some major changes since the Stockholders ousted all the Execs. Hopefully this will be for the better and we'll see the company get back on track. After all, somone's gotta give EA some competition
Currently the entire Take 2 company is undergoing some major changes since the Stockholders ousted all the Execs. Hopefully this will be for the better and we'll see the company get back on track. After all, somone's gotta give EA some competition
bread's done