Get your first look at James Cameron’s Avatar Dec. 1

[metalqueen]

Get your first look at Avatar: The Game, Dec. 1
Chris Morris

Ubisoft’s video game adaptation of “James Cameron’s Avatar” has a launch date. The publisher has confirmed that the title will come out on all platforms Dec. 1 – 2.5 weeks before the film.

Read the whole story here: http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scen ... dec-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[drcurtis]

Doess the issue with Variety's statement concern the contention that the game is not likely to crack the top 10? I'm not sure what is so controversial about that, as it is unlikely to do so. I follow the gaming industry very closely, and I can easily name 10 other games that will outsell it, even in the first month it is out: Left 4 Dead 2, Uncharted 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Halo 3 ODST, Forza 3, Madden 10, Wii Sports Resort, Batman: Arkham Asylum, New Super Mario Brothers Wii, Assassin's Creed 2. This is not to mention a half dozen other games that perennialy sell like Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, Wii Play, Pokemon, etc. that are always in the top 10-15. They are correct when they say this game is under the average gamer's radar--I listen to several hours of gaming podcasts each week and Avatar has only been mentioned once, briefly, in the last couple of months. That might be hard to swallow but is likely the truth.

[Neil]

If Variety said "We played the game, and it sucks." - we wouldn't have had a problem with it. That's just a matter of opinion.

If they linked to 50 articles that said that the game sucks, that too would have been acceptable, because at least they would be backing their position up.

Your remarks are credible because you are siting some kind of reference point.

The way the Variety article is written, it suggests that the game's sales are solely dependent on the decision to implement stereoscopic 3D support:

It was Cameron’s lobbying, in fact, that led Ubisoft to make the game available in stereoscopic 3D – a bold move, but ultimately a pretty useless one, since there aren’t a lot of TVs on the market (and even fewer in homes) that will take advantage of the effects.

One day, not too far in the future, S-3D compliance will be a factor in game sales as gamers make preferences of one technology over another. In the meantime, S-3D compatibility is not a barrier to entry for reaching 2D gamer audiences. Variety's conclusion could be correct - nobody knows. Unfortunately, their conclusions are based on the wrong reasons, and this is what I consider damaging.

Stereoscopic 3D should never be framed as a deterrent to game sales. Poor story, workmanship, and limited compatibility are.

Regards,
Neil

[cybereality]

I find no fault in the article. They merely state what is reasonable to assume: the Avater game will not be in the top 10 of 2009. That is not to say it won't be a success, but merely that its likely not to be in the top 10. I'm not sure why that is relevant though. Hundreds of games come out every year and clearly only 10 of them get in the top 10. So that comment could be said for just about any game. It doesn't seem like they are linking this to the fact that the game supports stereo3d.