Adventure Forums

Adventure Forums (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/)
-   General (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/general/)
-   -   Mass Effect (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/general/10980-mass-effect.html)

Zack 10-08-2005 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLacey
This lack of PC games annoys me no end. After all, the guys made their money from Baldur's Gate :crazy:...

That's true, RLacey, but Knights of the Old Republic was the first game I ever played from them. I didn't even pay any attention to their games before this one.

SoccerDude28 10-10-2005 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLacey
This lack of PC games annoys me no end. After all, the guys made their money from Baldur's Gate :crazy:...

I really don't think they have a say in it. If it was up to them, they would definitely make it for the PC as well, but since Micro$oft is the one paying their bills for the game, they have to do whatever Microsoft asks them to do. It's pretty lame how Microsoft is forcing PC gamers to buy a 360 by making all these exclusive games from the most beloved PC developers. Why am I forced now to buy a console when 5 years back, I was just happy playing on my PC.

RLacey 10-10-2005 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoccerDude28
I really don't think they have a say in it. If it was up to them, they would definitely make it for the PC as well, but since Micro$oft is the one paying their bills for the game, they have to do whatever Microsoft asks them to do. It's pretty lame how Microsoft is forcing PC gamers to buy a 360 by making all these exclusive games from the most beloved PC developers. Why am I forced now to buy a console when 5 years back, I was just happy playing on my PC.

I'm wondering what Microsoft offered them. After all, Bioware has hardly been an unsuccessful comapny, so they should have a reasonable amount of cash at their disposal...

pleto4_ryan 10-10-2005 01:57 PM

A very interesting title that i will surely check.

Quote:

It's pretty lame how Microsoft is forcing PC gamers to buy a 360 by making all these exclusive games from the most beloved PC developers.
Well...that's their job; to irritate. :devil:

Crunchy in milk 10-10-2005 04:23 PM

I love console exclusives. A stable platform to release to makes for more stable games. No patching, better Q/A, no tweaking, no ****ing about with video settings for that happy mix of visuals versus frames for every single bloody game. No reverting or updating drivers for my particular hardware to enable a particular feature or disable a particular incompatibility error. That rules.

Then theres the DVD (or even higher) standards... I get awesome sound, stunning quality videos rather than shitty compressed ones, I put the disc in and play, I don't sit in front of a status bar for 15 minutes to start with and I don't have to change discs mid game.

Multiplayer = even playing field. I don't have to have a bleeding edge system to be on the same handicap as every PC nut out there on the virtual battlefield. That's the sweetest plum. The consoles are a lot harder to cheat on (its never impossible). If someone wants to cheat on them they have to be very dedicated to it, not just some whiny shithead who downloaded the latest wall hack. Blessed be.

The more former PC developers brining me great games on a console the better. In the long run I save money on PC hardware and get all the above benefits. I don't buy into that 'dumbed down for console market' shit one iota. That's just PC fanboi angst.

Intrepid Homoludens 10-10-2005 05:01 PM

o/\o

Tell it like it is, Crunchy.

SoccerDude28 10-10-2005 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
I love console exclusives. A stable platform to release to makes for more stable games. No patching, better Q/A, no tweaking, no ****ing about with video settings for that happy mix of visuals versus frames for every single bloody game. No reverting or updating drivers for my particular hardware to enable a particular feature or disable a particular incompatibility error. That rules.

Then theres the DVD (or even higher) standards... I get awesome sound, stunning quality videos rather than shitty compressed ones, I put the disc in and play, I don't sit in front of a status bar for 15 minutes to start with and I don't have to change discs mid game.

Multiplayer = even playing field. I don't have to have a bleeding edge system to be on the same handicap as every PC nut out there on the virtual battlefield. That's the sweetest plum. The consoles are a lot harder to cheat on (its never impossible). If someone wants to cheat on them they have to be very dedicated to it, not just some whiny shithead who downloaded the latest wall hack. Blessed be.

The more former PC developers brining me great games on a console the better. In the long run I save money on PC hardware and get all the above benefits. I don't buy into that 'dumbed down for console market' shit one iota. That's just PC fanboi angst.

Just like you love playing on the console I love playing on my PC. I don't know what's your background in gaming (if you are a console or PC gamer), but I grew up playing PC games, and my fondest memories are playing PC games.

I love having a machine that is backward compatible up to 20 years back, and not with only the best selling franchises. I love having an all purpose machine that serves to write word documents, emails, my job and gaming all in one, instead of cluttering my apartment with multiple consoles that can play a selective amount of games each. I love the option of installing mods for free, and not having to pay for them, so that a money hungry corporation can increase its monopoly and profits. I love playing online and not having to pay a monthly fee for it. I enjoy paying 29.99 for a game whereas console owners pay 49.99 for an inferior version of it. I love being able to download demos and not having to buy a 6 dollar magazine to try them. And cheating? You gotta be kidding me. One word for you Halo 2.

I really don't care if a game is available for all consoles or not, as long as it is also available for the PC. I like the option of deciding whether I want to buy a console or not, and not force it down my throat because all my favorite developers are making games for consoles. It's like telling a Nintendo fan that Mario is coming out for the XBOX exclusively. How would that make them feel?

Crunchy in milk 10-10-2005 08:43 PM

I started gaming on an Apple IIE, then a IIC (text adventures), then later an Apple IIGS, playing the original Sierra classics when they where first released. Later I had a pentium 75, playing Doom and the original Quake on a 9600 baud modem.

I upgraded to a Pentium 200mmx and after that an overclocked Celeron 330a. I went through the first years of 3D accelerators (remember pass through cables?) buying new video cards regularly, hooking voodoo 2 cards together, switching to the new kid on the block Nvidia (TNT, TNT 2). I got out of PC gaming in frustration with a 1.4gig intel and a geforce 2 gpu (which died recently and I replaced it with a cheapo 5600).

I went back to Apple, practically giving up gaming (apart from some Quake 3 now and then till 2am :D). A couple of years hiatus from gaming culture, I bought an Xbox. I didn't hope and pray people would support my platform choice. Be it for games, general use software or work.

I enjoy separating my home/work from my entertainment. I don't find sitting in an office chair in front of a computer monitor all day and then going home to sit in an office chair in front of a computer monitor all evening that sensible. Couch, beer, big ****ing television, communal gaming in your living room. Fair comparison? I think not.

Getting old games to run on current pc hardware and software is difficult for the average punter. Most only work thanks to emulation or interpreters. Add to this, going back is rarely as good as the first experience and often soils a memory. I loved Full Throttle back when I first bought and played it on release. Going back I hated it. While I routinely get the urge to replay old games, I often find I never actually finish them again.

I'm quite happy to pay for expansions, I've tried many user made mods for games. Some have great graphics, some have an interesting story, some use interesting code. Rarely do they have the whole package which you generally get from a professionally designed expansion. I'd rather support the developer who MADE THE ORIGINAL GAME. Player made mods can be great fun, but they don't generate any funds from existing product owners, at best they might entice a few new customers, and only if the mod is extremely popular.

Player mods are generally beta releases their entire life, as if managing video drivers wasn't bad enough, you've gotta keep up with routinely updated mods. I gotta tell you running the Quake and Quake 2 servers back in the days of Dial Up internet with Alphalink was a ****ing bitch.

I'll just assume your 'inferior version' comment is related to the digital divide. Clearly this gap is closing between PC's and Consoles. Its time PC users started recognising themselves as just another player in the platform war and recognising the handicaps of their platform as well as the benefits (to some users happy on the expensive bleeding edge at least). Prices will go up for PC games with the next gen too, that divide will close also.

Cheating on xbox live exists, sure, but its a drop in the ocean in comparison to PC multiplayer titles. Counter Strike? Yeah you know it. Wasn't punkbuster a bitch to get working right when it was first released (wait, it still can be shitty!). How many online pc games use it or similar cheat snoopers? So what are we looking at now: Regular new video drivers, new mod versions, new punkbuster...sheer joy.

Boycott whoever you like on the grounds of platform loyalty, its your choice. Personally I'm happy sleeping around and take good loving from all comers, and consoles are virus free.

RLacey 10-11-2005 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
I started gaming on an Apple IIE, then a IIC (text adventures), then later an Apple IIGS, playing the original Sierra classics when they where first released. Later I had a pentium 75, playing Doom and the original Quake on a 9600 baud modem.

I upgraded to a Pentium 200mmx and after that an overclocked Celeron 330a. I went through the first years of 3D accelerators (remember pass through cables?) buying new video cards regularly, hooking voodoo 2 cards together, switching to the new kid on the block Nvidia (TNT, TNT 2). I got out of PC gaming in frustration with a 1.4gig intel and a geforce 2 gpu (which died recently and I replaced it with a cheapo 5600).

I went back to Apple, practically giving up gaming (apart from some Quake 3 now and then till 2am :D). A couple of years hiatus from gaming culture, I bought an Xbox. I didn't hope and pray people would support my platform choice. Be it for games, general use software or work.

Aside from the computer I bought just as 3D cards were coming in, I've never bought a PC that hasn't lasted me a good couple of years minimum. And I don't spend huge amounts of money on my computers - selective buying in sales and in clearance stores allows me to get my hands on tech which is always better than the console games. Your point is a good one, though.

Quote:

I enjoy separating my home/work from my entertainment. I don't find sitting in an office chair in front of a computer monitor all day and then going home to sit in an office chair in front of a computer monitor all evening that sensible. Couch, beer, big ****ing television, communal gaming in your living room. Fair comparison? I think not.
This may be alright for someone who has their own, large television. When I'm not at university (and I can't have a TV there for cost reasons discussed in another thread) I live with my parents, and they don't let me play games on the widescreen television. I'm therefore stuck with a small television or my larger computer monitor (which allows me to run games at a higher resolution into the bargain).

Quote:

Getting old games to run on current pc hardware and software is difficult for the average punter. Most only work thanks to emulation or interpreters. Add to this, going back is rarely as good as the first experience and often soils a memory. I loved Full Throttle back when I first bought and played it on release. Going back I hated it. While I routinely get the urge to replay old games, I often find I never actually finish them again.
I'm not quite sure how this affects platform decisions, but never mind. I can think of, off-hand, the grand total of two games that I can't play on my latest system, and I have some really, really old stuff.

Quote:

I'm quite happy to pay for expansions, I've tried many user made mods for games. Some have great graphics, some have an interesting story, some use interesting code. Rarely do they have the whole package which you generally get from a professionally designed expansion. I'd rather support the developer who MADE THE ORIGINAL GAME. Player made mods can be great fun, but they don't generate any funds from existing product owners, at best they might entice a few new customers, and only if the mod is extremely popular.

Player mods are generally beta releases their entire life, as if managing video drivers wasn't bad enough, you've gotta keep up with routinely updated mods. I gotta tell you running the Quake and Quake 2 servers back in the days of Dial Up internet with Alphalink was a ****ing bitch.
With the exception of Valve and Steam, I'm having trouble thinking of any popular MODs that have to be bought. Yes, they stay in beta, but that doesn't make them unstable by default. And you don't have to play them on a PC, but you can't play them on a console.

Equally, I'm not sure how talking about outdated internet connections should affect platform choice. I have a 28.8k modem in the loft at home, but I wouldn't use it.

Quote:

I'll just assume your 'inferior version' comment is related to the digital divide. Clearly this gap is closing between PC's and Consoles. Its time PC users started recognising themselves as just another player in the platform war and recognising the handicaps of their platform as well as the benefits (to some users happy on the expensive bleeding edge at least). Prices will go up for PC games with the next gen too, that divide will close also.
Sadly, prices may well go up. On the other hand, though, the fact that royalties don't have to be paid to the hardware manufacturer means that the PC games are always going to be cheaper. I can fairly consistently get PC games for a good £10 less than their console counterparts (the saving of which, given the volume of my games purchasing, makes staying up to date with PC hardware not that difficult), and I can then have greater control over the customisation of said game into the bargain.

Quote:

Cheating on xbox live exists, sure, but its a drop in the ocean in comparison to PC multiplayer titles. Counter Strike? Yeah you know it. Wasn't punkbuster a bitch to get working right when it was first released (wait, it still can be shitty!). How many online pc games use it or similar cheat snoopers? So what are we looking at now: Regular new video drivers, new mod versions, new punkbuster...sheer joy.
I'm going to ignore the new MOD versions, given the points I made above. You don't actually have to update your video drivers, you know. But, hey, some of us like the new features and speed increases :). As for punkbuster, I don't like the software anyway, and there are systems that work far better. Maybe I just play on nice servers, but I very rarely encounter cheaters. And yes, I play Counter-Strike.

Quote:

Boycott whoever you like on the grounds of platform loyalty, its your choice. Personally I'm happy sleeping around and take good loving from all comers, and consoles are virus free.
I'm not sure which person you're saying is doing this. I don't boycott platforms on the grounds of loyalty. The reason I don't buy lots of consoles (aside from the cost of buying three or four competing sets of hardware which takes the cost dangerously close to the cost of buying the PC you're complaining about) is that the crossover is slight. If I bought an XBox, it would be for about five games. And that's certainly not worth it.

Consoles are virus free. Well, I can't check my email, talk on MSN, read these forums and play games at the same time on my console, can I ;).

Seriously, though, I have nothing against consoles. I own quite a few of them. But my heart will always lie with PC gaming, and it annoys me when developers won't even eventually port the games that are console exclusive...

CrimsonBlue 10-11-2005 10:47 PM

TBH, the only reason KOTOR was so great was because it had a Star Wars setting. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre. The games wouldn't have survived without the SW setting. But then again, I think Jade Empire was extremely overrated.

I loved Neverwinter Nights and Planescape: Torment. I've yet to properly play Baldur's Gate 2 (PC). But I liked the console hack'n'slash edition of Baldur's Gate. Very different from the originals though. Looking forward to Neverwinter Nights 2, seeing as it's Obsidian creating it (Planescape: Torment). I'll keep an eye on everything Bioware churns out too, but I'm more sceptic towards the console titles.

Intrepid Homoludens 10-11-2005 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrimsonBlue
TBH, the only reason KOTOR was so great was because it had a Star Wars setting. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre. The games wouldn't have survived without the SW setting. But then again, I think Jade Empire was extremely overrated.

I disagree. KOTOR and Jade Empire are two of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had. The again, what turned me on about them isn't necessarily what turns you on. I got KOTOR for cheap but I would have paid top price for it. And I am NOT a Star Wars slut, either (I never got into SW ever). JE I pre-ordered, and I got exactly my money's worth.

Crunchy in milk 10-12-2005 12:04 AM

I'm happier with TV output, even analogue if forced to it. I'm not sitting so close to a little monitor and squinting so I guess I don't need as high resolution. The chatting and the relaxed atmosphere in the living room probably helps a little too. If you're truly fixated with computer monitors, the 360 and PS3 plug straight into them also.

Being able to play old games is a pithy reason to assume the PC is a superior platform. Of the hundreds of games in my cupboards from a wasted youth the number of titles I revisit is very small. The number of revisited titles I actually finish a second time, and enjoy as much as the first time is smaller still. Being able to play years old titles means little to me (and to those willing to look past sentimentality - note to self take own advice and give away old games).

User made mods for games are great, but along with no price tag comes hassles. For users and developers. That said, have you seen Far Cry Instincts for Xbox? It comes with a map editor... another divide closing?

I never meant to bring up connection speed as an argument in a discussion about gaming platforms, I'm sorry if you mistook it for one, it was just a comment in passing about the period I got involved in running quake/2 and many fan mod gaming servers for my isp of the time.

Prices for PC games may well remain a few bob cheaper than console titles at first release, but they hardly compare to console titles in retention of value on the second hand market. Putting the money saved on new release PC titles towards new hardware just to keep up with the Joneses hardly seems like an argument in favour of the PC as a platform.

I have already stated my dislike for managing video settings on a game by game basis, updating drivers etc, despite my competency to do so. Greater customisation of these things doesn't strike me as points in favour of the PC as a platform. Suggesting that updating drivers is optional is utter nonsense. Tell me with a straight face you could have avoided doing it over a 3 year period and still play every game released to the PC over that time.

My comments on boycotting where in response to people complaining about developers making titles exclusive to consoles (spurning the PC as a platform) so any discussion about crossover is moot.

Allow me to address your 'all in one' (my computer does it all) points with the following sarcasm:

I love playing a game only to be interrupted by an instant message, especially when it forces its way to the front stalling my game or worse crashing it. Not to mention breaking the mood. I woudn't dream of disabling the messenger while playing my game because I'm all about 'all in one'. Similarly I love hitting the windows key. Having access to my office applications at the touch of a button, even in the middle of a game is important to me.

Nothing makes me happier than when my PC hard crashes due to a system hog of a computer game (and aren't they all these days). Putting my applications, data and my livelyhood at risk... "All in one!"

PC's make great Personal Computers. As a gaming/entertainment platform, they're not all that great. The notion that developers should support the PC by default independantly of whatever console they develop for is rediculous.

CrimsonBlue 10-12-2005 12:05 AM

Response to trepsie: True, what I want in rpgs is emotionally involving storylines, excellent atmosphere and a great soundtrack. I guess that's why I usually enjoy games like Final Fantasy more than games like KOTOR - I just find most western rpgs more cold and stale compared to japanese/eastern rpgs.

I loved Planescape: Torment, because it reminded me more of an adventure game than an rpg, and Neverwinter Nights just sucked me in with it's fantastic atmosphere. It also had enough freedom to make things interesting. I completed both KOTOR games, but generally I loved them for the setting, not for the gameplay - which wasn't as polished as it should. I guess it's the exploration aspect that kept me from losing interest. Maybe some parts of the story, the curiousity in me is strong.

I'm not a Star Wars nut either, I like the films but that's about it. I'm not sure if the game had interested me if it hadn't been a Star Wars game though, even if I never buy other SW games. The fact that it was one of the few good SW games and probably the first SW RPG made me interested. And I will most definately buy KOTOR 3 if it happens to come out someday.

samIamsad 10-12-2005 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrimsonBlue
I loved Planescape: Torment, because it reminded me more of an adventure game than an rpg, and Neverwinter Nights just sucked me in with it's fantastic atmosphere.

The single player module included in the original NWN sucked balls, though. Then again, that's not what this game is about anyway. There are some excellent modules to be found on the net. :) And I had great fun playing some modules with some "real" (albeit light and goofy) role playing involved over LAN.

SoccerDude28 10-12-2005 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens
I disagree. KOTOR and Jade Empire are two of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had. The again, what turned me on about them isn't necessarily what turns you on. I got KOTOR for cheap but I would have paid top price for it. And I am NOT a Star Wars slut, either (I never got into SW ever). JE I pre-ordered, and I got exactly my money's worth.

Say it like it is trep. KOTOR and JE were some of the most memorable experiences I had last gen, KOTOR on the PC, JE on the XBOX.
If I didn't like them that much, I would really not care if MS ports them or not, but it's just frustrating to see those Bioware gems go exclusive on one platform. Share the love I say.

Kolorabi 10-12-2005 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
Prices for PC games may well remain a few bob cheaper than console titles at first release, but they hardly compare to console titles in retention of value on the second hand market.

Though I agree with rLacey that price is an advantage that the PC has over consoles, it's really the reason PC games is cheaper that is the PC's main advantage as a gaming platform.

The PC is an open platform. That means that anyone can develop games for it and try to have them published - either through traditional means or online. They don't have to buy expensive licenses or developer packs, and they don't have to worry whether the platform holder will accept their game. This again results in a huge variety of games available for the PC that the typical shelves in a games store show only a fraction of. You've got everything from obscure japanese schmups to serious flight sims and wargames. Emulators is also a nice thing (MAME, for instance)...

And even if a game is only available in some parts of the world, you can still import and play it without having to modify your system. I've bought games from Korea (a Metal Slug-compilation), and played them without any problems. I sometimes buy games from the US too.

Controls are also an area where the PC has a major advantage. On the PC, analogue controllers are relatively common (either dedicated USB controllers or PS2 or Xbox-controllers connected to the USB port via a cheap specialized interface). On the other hand, the mouse and keyboard combo is extremely uncommon on consoles. Steering wheels seem more common on the PC as well, though there's a few good ones available for the PS2 (Xbox-wheels suffer because of hardware limitations).

SoccerDude28 10-12-2005 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
I'm happier with TV output, even analogue if forced to it. I'm not sitting so close to a little monitor and squinting so I guess I don't need as high resolution. The chatting and the relaxed atmosphere in the living room probably helps a little too. If you're truly fixated with computer monitors, the 360 and PS3 plug straight into them also.

That's a personal preference you have. But if you are really fixated into TV output, your graphics card can plug into one too. It is a 2 way street you know. Get a wireless keyboard and mouse and you are set.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
Being able to play old games is a pithy reason to assume the PC is a superior platform. Of the hundreds of games in my cupboards from a wasted youth the number of titles I revisit is very small. The number of revisited titles I actually finish a second time, and enjoy as much as the first time is smaller still. Being able to play years old titles means little to me (and to those willing to look past sentimentality - note to self take own advice and give away old games).

I don't play old games for sentimental value. I play them because some of them are very good and I have missed playing them back when they were released. Like I am playing now Gabriel Knight 2, a true classic. I don't need to go back and buy an old console to do that. I just plug it in, a small patch and I'm ready to go. Try playing a Sega game this way. Oh wait, you can on a PC. :D And with services like Turner's, it's even legal now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
User made mods for games are great, but along with no price tag comes hassles. For users and developers. That said, have you seen Far Cry Instincts for Xbox? It comes with a map editor... another divide closing?

What hassles for developers? Actually developers love people making mods, and they endorse it completely. For one it gives the game a longer shelf life. The best example I can come up with is Counter Strike. The mod itself might have contributed better sales to the original game, and it was so good that Valve bought the rights for it. They are even selling it now. How awesome is that? People to this day are still playing Total Annihilation because of the different mods you could get for that game. Take Sims 2 for example. My girlfriend plays it, and she loves downloading all these extra objects from EA's website. With the 360, you PAY for them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
Prices for PC games may well remain a few bob cheaper than console titles at first release, but they hardly compare to console titles in retention of value on the second hand market. Putting the money saved on new release PC titles towards new hardware just to keep up with the Joneses hardly seems like an argument in favour of the PC as a platform.

Hmmm let's see, I bought GTA:SA for the PS2 back in 2004 for 49.99, 6 months later, I sold it on EBAY for 17 bucks. Great retention value huh?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
I have already stated my dislike for managing video settings on a game by game basis, updating drivers etc, despite my competency to do so. Greater customisation of these things doesn't strike me as points in favour of the PC as a platform. Suggesting that updating drivers is optional is utter nonsense. Tell me with a straight face you could have avoided doing it over a 3 year period and still play every game released to the PC over that time.

Customisation isn't that bad unless you have a really old graphics card. Most games already detect the optimal setting for you, so you can play it straight out of the box if you want. But I personally customize to get an even nicer picture, no jaggies. Don't customize and you'll still get XBOX-like graphics quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
My comments on boycotting where in response to people complaining about developers making titles exclusive to consoles (spurning the PC as a platform) so any discussion about crossover is moot.

Allow me to address your 'all in one' (my computer does it all) points with the following sarcasm:

I love playing a game only to be interrupted by an instant message, especially when it forces its way to the front stalling my game or worse crashing it. Not to mention breaking the mood. I woudn't dream of disabling the messenger while playing my game because I'm all about 'all in one'. Similarly I love hitting the windows key. Having access to my office applications at the touch of a button, even in the middle of a game is important to me.

Nothing makes me happier than when my PC hard crashes due to a system hog of a computer game (and aren't they all these days). Putting my applications, data and my livelyhood at risk... "All in one!"

I don't understand why you open instant messanger when you are playing games. That is just asking for trouble on your part. I was mentioning that computers are good at playing games, and office applications, BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME. Plus the talk about PC hard crashes due to a system hog is just unfair. Have a good enough system, and this won't happen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
PC's make great Personal Computers. As a gaming/entertainment platform, they're not all that great. The notion that developers should support the PC by default independantly of whatever console they develop for is rediculous.

No in my opinion they make the best gaming/entertainment systems. They are versetile, network ready, open to everyone and not monopolized by a corporation. You only need one of them to play games not 3. Just go ask a developer how easy it is to get approval to make a game for a console, and how happy they are that the console company gets part of the profit on the games sold.
I am not saying that all developers should support PC's. For example, I'm totally fine with not having the latest Soul Calibaur on the PC. I am saying that if a developer like Bioware made its fame on the PC, and if a game plays well on a PC (like western RPG's usually do), and if there is an audience for the games (Bioware has a rabid PC fanbase), than it is just fair to make the game available for your fans. Just go to their forums and see how many posts asked for JE to be ported to the PC. So basically, I am saying that developers should support the PC by default independantly of whatever console they develop for if they are a PC developer to begin with and have a PC fanbase.

One last thing, if consoles are to be universal entities of gaming, than why do you have 3 of them? I don't have to buy 3 different DVD players to play 3 different DVD's. Especially when the overlap is 90% and the only difference is 10 %. That is absurd. And if they are to be universal entities, they should control well with all types of games. Like a First person shooter for example. Once we have that universal entity that controls well for all game types, that can be manufactured by different companies, and you choose which one you want to buy from, and that can play ALL games, than I will be all for consoles.

Crunchy in milk 10-12-2005 09:58 PM

I realise that console have their faults too, I hate region locking more than most, living in a PAL territory at the bottom of the globe. Generally we get releases last out of everyone, with some NTSC titles from America/Canada even going through EU translation before a PAL release.

I also realise they risk becoming devices that only play big corp games. I love that indie games are getting a new lease on life on the PC thanks to broadband take up across the globe, facilitating digital delivery. I don't believe the PC can maintain its stance as a gaming platform based on higher res graphics forever. It no longer monopolises online gaming, and I don't believe playing old games is a huge draw for the majority of people.

Wishing for PC releases of all of Bioware's titles just because they made PC games to start with has nothing to do with cheaper price tag on the shelves, higher resolution graphics or avoiding updating drivers, and I regret steering the conversation in that direction. At the end of the day, Mass Effect is bought and paid for by Microsoft. Up front. The developer is being paid while making the game. Microsoft takes the risk if it bombs in sales. Given Microsoft's track record of #$%ing with games they've paid for and not letting them mature to the developer's satisfaction its a mixed blessing for the consumer (see Halo 2 and most likely Halo 3).

Bioware have no obligation to you to provide you with all their games, they're a business. Equally you don't have to play all their games. I think its great that companies like Bioware are making titles to suit different platforms and making enough money to keep on developing.

As a side note to Soccerdude, I'm sorry you only managed to get almost half your money back on that copy of GTA on the PS2. Piracy on the PS2 is a different affair to piracy on the Xbox and Gamecube. You still made more from its resale than you would from selling a similar PC game second hand.

SoccerDude28 10-13-2005 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk
Wishing for PC releases of all of Bioware's titles just because they made PC games to start with has nothing to do with cheaper price tag on the shelves, higher resolution graphics or avoiding updating drivers, and I regret steering the conversation in that direction. At the end of the day, Mass Effect is bought and paid for by Microsoft. Up front. The developer is being paid while making the game. Microsoft takes the risk if it bombs in sales. Given Microsoft's track record of #$%ing with games they've paid for and not letting them mature to the developer's satisfaction its a mixed blessing for the consumer (see Halo 2 and most likely Halo 3).

Bioware have no obligation to you to provide you with all their games, they're a business. Equally you don't have to play all their games. I think its great that companies like Bioware are making titles to suit different platforms and making enough money to keep on developing.

As a side note to Soccerdude, I'm sorry you only managed to get almost half your money back on that copy of GTA on the PS2. Piracy on the PS2 is a different affair to piracy on the Xbox and Gamecube. You still made more from its resale than you would from selling a similar PC game second hand.

Yeah I know, I'm sorry if I accused Bioware. It's mainly Microsoft's option of not releasing the game for the PC, to reap the most profits. If it was up to Bioware, I'm sure they would make a PC version. They mentioned the possibility of making a JE for the PC if Microsoft gave them the green light.

Spiwak 03-29-2006 12:49 PM

Sorry to resurrect this thread but:

God I hate Microsoft. It seems like it could actually be to their benefit to release it on the PC, but make it Windows-only (or Windows Vista-only since they're apparently doing that now). I hate being forced to buy their damned 360 machine, but I think I might have to...which I guess was the point. Anyways this game looks effing sweet just from the little trailer that's out. Looks more like an action game....excep it'll be RPG....blows my mind.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 03:24 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Design & Logo Copyright ©1998 - 2017, Adventure Gamers®.
All posts by users and Adventure Gamers staff members are property of their original author and don't necessarily represent the opinion or editorial stance of Adventure Gamers.