Blacksite gets delayed into November
by Dustin Burg 
{ Aug 3rd 2007 at 11:15AM }
And allow us to express our opinion on this whole "delayed game" thing that has been going on lately. Simply put, we're thinking all this delayed video game madness is the cause of a rare virus. Seriously, here us out. This uber rare virus lives in the dirty kitchens of major game studios, feeds off cheesy puff crumbs and ends up messing with developers' minds, causing them to experience violent mood swings and act out in fits of rage. This ultimately delays their game as the virus makes everyone "moody". How else can we explain both GTA IV and Blacksite delays? And no, we don't believe the whole "we simply need more time" marketing mumbo jumbo either. All we're saying is that Microsoft better wrap Bungie HQ in aluminum foil and spread anti-bacterial soap all over it, because we refuse to get our Halo 3 any later than September 25th (26th for our European friends). Delayed game virus be damned!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
poprocker @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:34AM
This seems to be the summer of delays. i swear....everything is getting delayed!
SoxFan13 @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:36AM
That virus is called Halo 3. It makes game companies wise up and release their games somewhere outside of Seotember 25th.
Toph @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:49AM
Someone at Nintendo is infecting these game developers. Has anyone seen Perrin Kaplan recently?
Perhaps Nintendo is putting the 'organized' kibosh on these developers.
Mario IS Italian, after all.
Toph @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:01PM
To be serious for a moment, Dustin..I think I know what really is causing these 'delays', at least in part: E3. Here's my reasons why I'm a think this.
This is the first year E3 was held so late into the year compared to prior shows, and the schedules of publishers have gone perquacky. They assumed that, with more time to work on the retail build of games and less emphasis put on big demos to create for E3, of course the workload would run smoother and the final games would hit shelves sooner. Apparently that's not exactly what's happened, and at least two publishers now have proven that.
OF COURSE...maybe internal news to publishers has been released of just exactly how many Halo 3 reserves have been taken by retailers, and schedules have been shrinking back in time like a frightened turtle, or George Costanza in a cold swimming pool.
Halo 3 is a monster, whether the game itself turns out to be better than Halo 2 or not. Games cost insane bank anymore to produce, and distancing themselves for 4-8 weeks from another big IP might ultimately make that company more revenue in the long run. It could also be a great thing for gamers; let's say Halo 3 does, for whatever reason, suck eggs. Well, we can take time to bicker and moan about it as we wait in social circles for other titles, and the next big thing. Anymore, fame in general really IS a 'flash in the pan', and NO GAME is immune to that.
But it could also be that Perrin Kaplan really IS sabotaging competitor game publishers with her feminine wiles, but we may never know..
thisguyrighthere @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:02PM
I'm tired of it. Let's not announce a release date until a product is actually ready for release. Or how about making statements like "planned release sometime Fall '07" rather than announcing (in the case of Two Worlds) July 21, no wait July 31, uh-oh there's a problem how's Aug. 14? Oh wait, damn, does Aug. 21 work for you? Lets just call it the end of August and see how that goes.
It's ridiculous. The damn things are out when theyre out so stop setting phantom dates. I'm sure it's just to build hype, a sense of urgency and create more pre-orders. Well, that might work for a while but sooner or later the industry is going to piss off the customers enough so that maybe we'll come waltzing into GameStop a week or two after release to see if somethings in.
Dont even get me started on release date/street date crap. WTF.
Toph @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:07PM
@ 5.
No game has ever, ever really stuck hard and fast to a supposed release date that was announced months prior. Hell, sometimes games get pushed back DAYS BEFORE release! It's a pessimistic world to live in as a gamer..
I always expect the worst, and hope for the best in terms of release dates. GTA IV reminded me I should keep thinking that. I mean, go back and check out the legacy of anything to do with Sony's Gran Turismo..now THERE'S a publisher that should keep their mouths SHUT! They announce release dates that turn out to be YEARS different. Ask any hardcore fan of the PSP and they'll just cry...
With that said, Blacksite: Area 51 will come out any time between September 2007 and September 2010. hahaha! (Oh, my ribs.)
mattclarkie @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:17PM
Did I read that right, October is before November, and October is the Europe launch. There must be a disease of some form.
And it is clearly the Halo, or rather the Flood, that is causing the delays.
Toph @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:28PM
Cortana is corrupting the gamecode. End of line.
ccc @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:29PM
Well well looks like another game pushed back. They better fix the choppyness I saw in the demo of this game. Poor framerate indeed midway. As far as delaying it for Halo 3's sake, I highly doubt that Midway would feel this game has any better chance selling the month of November with Mass Effect swimming in the waters.
Clinton @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:10PM
Bummer, I was looking forward to this game in a month's time. Hope I'll still be kanoodlin' with Stranglehold and Bioshock into Sept.
agdTinMan @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:52PM
"That virus is called Halo 3. It makes game companies wise up and release their games somewhere outside of Seotember 25th."
Beat me to it. :) That's all it is, srsly.
Justin U @ Aug 4th 2007 12:30AM
Ditto, Tinman
HyperBear @ Aug 4th 2007 10:23PM
Well, on the subject of Halo and release dates. It seems that Bungie have always been correct on all their release dates. If, for those who purchased the collectors edition of halo 2 and watched the "Behind the Scenes" footage, you would know that almost 2-3months before shipping the game, Bungie was all pissed, and tired, and working as hard as they could, cause they had to hurry up and finish the game to stop all the crying halo fanatics who wanted to play that game ASAP!!!!
What ended up happening, was that because they waited to the last minute (or last month), to finish up the cinematics and story campaign for the game, that they quickly cut about 15-20% of what they had hoped to tell in Halo 2 for the campaign, and because the Multiplayer was 100% completed, and running well, and being tested constantly by huge groups to point out the bugs, the Multiplayer for Halo 2 was awesome, and the campaign, kinda... sorta... sucked.
I dunno about the rest of you, cause I am a Halo fanatic, but I just dont want to see a game like Halo 3 (or in these delayed cases GTA IV, Area 51, etc.) be rushed too quickly and have 50% awesome, and the other half not so great.
Id rather have Bungie learn from their mistakes from Halo 2, primarily on the Campaign, Multiplayer is a given, it will rock on Halo 3, but seeing as how this is where we all "Finish the Fight", and its the last game for the triogy, and because Master Chief dies(LOL!!!!, Gotcha.), I have high hopes for the Campaign of this game, and hope all the cinematics and gameplay will come together to create one, huge ending.