@HalcyonX12:
It's not like it is any better with consoles. In fact Id' say it's worse.
It's not like it is any better with consoles. In fact Id' say it's worse.
Backwards compatibility is just something that most companies don't have a vested interest in. First there wasn't a market for it so there was no need.. now there is a market for it.. so the games are repackaged and resold.
Perhaps the article should be entitled "Don't Blame the Developers, Blame the Analysts". All the key info shows that games are doing well and will continue to do so, but the biggest Publishers on the stock-market are laying off staff and restructuring ahead of the next financial quarter. Why is this? Simple, the market is scared and any big business needs to look like it's doing something to the shareholders.
There are some excesses within the industry, within most industries, that need to be curbed and now is a good time to do so. But cutting the dev teams is not the answer. For a start lay offs and studio closures cost money. Then, when you need products most, you don't have them as you've laid off the guys who make the content. All that will ultimately happen come the other side of this downturn is people will need to be re-hired and a lot of money spent building up studios and IP again. Meanwhile your competitors who have held onto talent have games on the shelves.
Not sure where the comment about the Lost and the Damned came from. It's not so much an experiment in selling extra content without the expense of developing an entirely new game in response to economic conditions.It's about a savvy company exploiting their IP some time ago and Microsoft paying quite a lot to develop exclusive content to bolster their platform (and bottom line).
While I can understand wanting to save moeny, I think gamers should also consider the impact their purchasing decisions have on the industry. Borrow/Rent/Trade-in/etc. games and you're not ensuing money goes directly to the developers, therefore less revenue, therefore games stop being made. I know it's a point that's been made before, but just as the current economic conditions are hitting consumers, they're also hitting developers.
So how about this tip.. Look out for alternative ways of paying directly for games. Smaller cheaper purchases from Xbox LIVE Arcade, WiiWare or Indie games direct from the developer for example.
@Xaif:
Nintendo Europe@Xaif:
It's not going to be available in Europe for around 6 months and when it does hit, it's going to cost nearly 5 times what it does in the US.
It seems a deal has been made with a German publisher to make it a disc based offering for €40. We get an extra episode though.. but I don't think it's worth an extra $40 and neither will most consumers.
It's a real shame that 2dboy have taken such a cavalier attitude to their dealings outside of the US. They've got a great game and then gone and shot themselves in the foot with taking a very very hands off approach and passing it all over to RTL. Maybe they had difficulty getting a Publisher on board do go WiiWare and couldn't work the Localisation and NoE submission themselves. But if they think World of Goo is going to be a success at full price on the shelves alongside big name games they're wrong. And the massive difference in cost and release date is going to do nothing but harm the community that's helped get them the popularity they deserve.
I'm happy I've bought the Mac/Linux/PC version and supported these guys. But I really hope they learn from this massive mistake.
@subnet6:
Moving between consoles, yes, that is I guess a feature, although it also a flaw in the original design, especially when compared to the competition. You could even say that playing off of SD cards or external storage is a feature, but it's a feature that overcomes a problem with the current design.
Charging people in some regions more for an inferior version of a product is more of a con that a bug. If that inferior version will also not play through certain outputs, it's a bug.
So I agree, some of the things I mentioned are improved features but most are changes to overcome flaws in the design or actual problems people are having using the product. What problem for the end user does gifting of games overcome?
If I'd said 'add themes to the frontend' then yes I'd be asking for one improved feature in lieu of another. What I'm looking for is for Nintendo to address common criticisms of the platform before adding fluff. Do you see the difference?
Moving between consoles, yes, that is I guess a feature, although it also a flaw in the original design, especially when compared to the competition. You could even say that playing off of SD cards or external storage is a feature, but it's a feature that overcomes a problem with the current design.
Charging people in some regions more for an inferior version of a product is more of a con that a bug. If that inferior version will also not play through certain outputs, it's a bug.
So I agree, some of the things I mentioned are improved features but most are changes to overcome flaws in the design or actual problems people are having using the product. What problem for the end user does gifting of games overcome?
If I'd said 'add themes to the frontend' then yes I'd be asking for one improved feature in lieu of another. What I'm looking for is for Nintendo to address common criticisms of the platform before adding fluff. Do you see the difference?
Not cutting the price on the Wii itself is understandable. Adding the gift feature for the Shop Channel, while cool, is frankly a joke when there are still outstanding problems with the VC:
- Sort out the various PAL release issues
- Lower the cost of Wii Points outside of the US and Japan
- Allow the exact amount of points needed for a purchase to be paid for
- Add a solution for playing downloaded content from SD cards or another storage medium
- Introduce the long awaited Star Points/Wii Points conversion
- Add a mechanism for moving games between consoles
First rule of software development, fix outstanding issues before trying to add features.
- Sort out the various PAL release issues
- Lower the cost of Wii Points outside of the US and Japan
- Allow the exact amount of points needed for a purchase to be paid for
- Add a solution for playing downloaded content from SD cards or another storage medium
- Introduce the long awaited Star Points/Wii Points conversion
- Add a mechanism for moving games between consoles
First rule of software development, fix outstanding issues before trying to add features.
I've got no problem with calling out bad ports, but I'm somewhat confused about the reasoning used...
Mark brings up the point that the PS3 is difficult to program for then jumps to 10 year old development models that no longer apply.
Now, while I'm not arguing with either statement individually, I don't get how they tie together in the discussion of bad PS3 ports. How would a different development model stop the PS3 being difficult to program for? Or stop the desire to port to another platform? Which development model does 'apply'?
I'm intruiged...
@platinum:
.. the manual on the other hand, is typical Nintendo awesomeness. I wonder if there will be some additions to the Wii Safety: The Missing Pages flicker photoset!
[www.flickr.com]
There's got to be scope for something based upon the pictures of someone shaking a Wiimote and then encasing it in a rubber sheath..
.. the manual on the other hand, is typical Nintendo awesomeness. I wonder if there will be some additions to the Wii Safety: The Missing Pages flicker photoset!
[www.flickr.com]
There's got to be scope for something based upon the pictures of someone shaking a Wiimote and then encasing it in a rubber sheath..
@Kuraudo:
Exactly! Comments like this just prove Rockstar/Take Two are milking the publicity machine again:
"The BBFC allows adults the freedom to decide for themselves when it comes to horror in movies and we think adults should be similarly allowed to decide for themselves when it comes to horror in video games, such as Manhunt 2."
As this is simply false. There are far more films each year that the BBFC doesn't give ratings to than games. the BBFC do not simply let all films through and then play unfairly with games, quite the opposite, they treat both with the same basic set of rules. Take Two are acting extremely childishly and are the ones bringing the gaming industry problems here, not the BBFC. It's impossible to have a rational discussion about games as art or censorship when there is a company using the arguments as a cynical marketing tool.
Exactly! Comments like this just prove Rockstar/Take Two are milking the publicity machine again:
"The BBFC allows adults the freedom to decide for themselves when it comes to horror in movies and we think adults should be similarly allowed to decide for themselves when it comes to horror in video games, such as Manhunt 2."
As this is simply false. There are far more films each year that the BBFC doesn't give ratings to than games. the BBFC do not simply let all films through and then play unfairly with games, quite the opposite, they treat both with the same basic set of rules. Take Two are acting extremely childishly and are the ones bringing the gaming industry problems here, not the BBFC. It's impossible to have a rational discussion about games as art or censorship when there is a company using the arguments as a cynical marketing tool.
@romBox:
Valve weren't asking for US$1 Million to provide the game for the Mac, they were asking for this cash as an up front down payment for the licensing for the Mac version. This means whomever paid up would still have to do al the work of porting the game themselves (and marketing, publishing etc). This is purely a licensing deal, Valve would just hand over the source code.
Valve weren't asking for US$1 Million to provide the game for the Mac, they were asking for this cash as an up front down payment for the licensing for the Mac version. This means whomever paid up would still have to do al the work of porting the game themselves (and marketing, publishing etc). This is purely a licensing deal, Valve would just hand over the source code.
I can understand Valve wanting to make as much money as possible out of their IP, but if you ask too much up front you lose out as your product never ships on that platform. If they'd have gone for a more reasonable figure maybe there would have been a Mac version and Valve would have made some cash, instead everyone loses out. Like when the mostly complete Mac port of Half Life 1 was canned.
Pete Cohen has a few things to say on the subject too.
[www.macworld.com]
