Every week we do a quick wrap-up of some news items that may have slipped through the cracks. The wrap-ups will be shorter versions of our articles, lumped together to give you an idea of things you may have missed.

Atlus Delays Game With Good News

Almost 100% of the time when a game gets delayed by the publisher it is a big downer for anyone looking forward to the impending release of the product. Atlus, purveyors of all things Japanese, who are bringing the classic JRPG title Legacy of Ys: Books I & II to the DS this year have done just that, but yet have actually lifted the spirits of those waiting for the game, or at least they’ve done it for me. The company announced that the game would not be coming on the previously announced release date, but when it did hit two weeks later the game would come bundled with a physical copy of the game’s full soundtrack.

For those that never got a chance to play the game either during the TurboGrafx era or with its re-release on the Virtual Console for Wii, you can look forward to a very solid RPG outing that still gathers a strong fanbase to this date. It’s a full 3D remake including multiplayer, and when you throw in the soundtrack, which is a beautifully composed orchestral set that was the stand-out element of the game that truly made the whole experience feel epic, then you’ve got a great deal for any RPG fan to pick up. It shows that Atlus still favours the retail releases and supports the fans that want that kind of content, as well. Square-Enix delivered a solid treatment of their Final Fantasy series through the DS-remakes over the last little while, but the way that Atlus has compounded bad news with an inclusion that focuses on one of the strongest points of Ys is a breath of fresh air. Hopefully the sales are there, too, to encourage this to other games with great music fare.

Games Eclipse DVD and Blu-ray in Sales
There’s always a news story in the pipes that will have an expert, analyst or interest group touting the fact that videogames are the new hotness. Amid the studio shutdowns, cuts and layoffs, we still understand that profits are way up and people are continuing to buy and experience games at a record rate. But in case you didn’t already know, games are a really big deal for retailers and accounted for over 50% of all media purchased in stores. In 2007, games stood at 47% of physical media sold when compared to DVD and Blu-ray discs, but due to the explosive growth that the industry continues to enjoy it holds 53% of the sales with 32 billion dollars worth of income. And that’s not the end of it, with an expected 12% growth during the upcoming year (moving to 57% of the total amount of media sales and 36 billion dollars) it doesn’t show signs of letting up, and is pushing the fact that investing in certain publishers may be an increasing good idea during the current downturn.

The numbers released by Media Control GfK International give a good sense of what is to come. DVD sales are down, Blu-ray sales are up but only just, and videogames now seem to be the go-to guy for retailers to grab extra cash. I’ve talked previously about this year’s trend for retailers to use games as a primary lost leader to draw in customers, and the evidence here gives an idea at just how extensive this may become. Of course, games cost a lot more than movies, so they will generate a significant amount of revenue from a single purchase that a DVD will have to make up through more purchases and they also have movie rental and theatre sales to measure, but the amount in billions that continue to be raked in worldwide from games is just more evidence of the movement that games have taken into the living room. Of course, the Gfk cited that the strength of the Wii is what is driving sales to such great heights now, but there is considerable growth with all other systems as evidenced by NPD numbers each month. The train keeps on rolling.

Too Busy To Beat Skate 2, Pay EA To Beat It For You!

In one of the most head turning sets of DLC I’ve seen to drop this year, EA has announced that if you’re finding that earning all the unlockable items in their latest release Skate 2 is taking up far too much of your time, you are welcome to simply buy the whole set for 400 MS points (roughly 5 dollars USD). Called the “Time is Money” pack, it shows off a mentality that EA has taken in the past regarding earning in-game items and even unlocking cheats, and while my first instinct is to see this as a bad precedent, it is simply an optional set of DLC. While many may decry EA’s decision to effectively insert an easy button for those with more money than free time, and perhaps those who pick up the game with the idea of just goofing around with friends instead of spending time going through the focused game that Skate 2 delivers through their mission structure, it’s not like this is something that has to be paid for to be unlocked. It is a time saving mechanism that many within the gaming community would see as an effective wiping of your gaming chops, but for someone who intends to play the game on occasion, with friends, it may be a great option.

It doesn’t set a great precedent for certain aspects of how games are treated, but it’s not stepping into the territories of ruining the experience or even altering the experience for players who have no interest in buying their way out of a few hours of play time. It isn’t treading into the Battlefield area where they had announced that gamers could pay for better weaponry that would adversely effect the experience for those without an interest in the DLC, so I don’t believe that it’s something people should get up in arms about. Considering the success that EA has seen with some of the DLC for their games last year, it’s something that other companies may begin to adopt much to the chagrin of gamers who would rather spill their evenings into unlocking. Don’t expect this to be a trend to paying for achievements or anything that drastic, but keep an eye on where this goes so you might see if the next Call of Duty lets you pay for perks rather than sink all that time into the online features.