Kotaku 
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Denver, 10:06 PM
Tue Dec 8
65 posts in the last 24 hours
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05/15/09
1. Everyone else will benefit from this on the fact that any game that's released in the EU will need to exist in a bug-free version that everyone else will be able to buy.
2. The EU has, with one simple law, figured out how to firmly cement themselves back in "third-most important videogame market" status. And they will get even longer delays for how long it takes any US/Japan releases to get sent there, if they don't simply forego any EU releases to start with.
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05/15/09
Put it in a 360 if you want enough heat to actually toast it.
05/15/09
Wow £40 a game for just being licensed it. I kinda understood thats how programs work, but Video Games?
05/15/09
On the more serious side, you're completely right in that the sorts of limitations that apply to the "purchase" of software (whether it's an app, an OS, a game or whatever) would be unbelieveable in any other industry. The equivalent in the automative sector would be buying a car and - simply by turning the key - essentially having automatically signed an agreement that the vehicle would not necessarily work at all, that you would have no legal recourse if the car should kill your entire family, and that the dealer reserved the right to sell you the actual wheels at a later date for whatever price they deemed appropriate!
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05/15/09
"Yes honey, I bought the plug."
"What about the lube?"
"Yes yes...wait, we're supposed to talk in code."
"Oh, shit. That's right. This is going to be released."
"Yeah... Thanks EU."
05/15/09
I guess Nintendo has to stop bundling their systems with their games hmm? And Sony and MS too? Because thats exactly the same thing.
05/15/09
Er, except that they weren't free at all. Netscape, for example.
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05/15/09
having no talent cant be helped.
fixing bugs in videogames and other software is necessary and essential. talent or no.
05/15/09
I love this concept when applied to video games (and other software), but what about other entertainment media?
What about opening up the new Aphex Twix release and finding out it's one great big pisstake? Should we be able to say that he didn't create a finished, good-quality product and take it back to the store?
05/15/09
bugs arent pisstakes, theyre errors that weren't fixed. pisstakes are something completely different. and its down to the individual to decide whether its a pisstake or not.
a bug is a bug regardless of the user and im sure the games developer intend to squash as many of them as they can, im not saying for example, a baloon not bursting to bounce you higher is game-breaking. not all bugs are bad enough to merit a refund, but we're talking about something that directly affects your ability to pass or beat parts of a game. those need to be fixed, its definately essential.
say an album, for example was encoded badly, and the sound quality was poor, almost like a low quality MP3. I'd definately demand a refund.
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launch copies of Metroid Prime in the US had a bug where if you left the room where artifact of the warrior appears for the first time without grabbing it, it would disappear and you'd have to restart the game from the beginning
05/15/09
The Mono audio in GH III for Wii and the unfinishable Tomb Raider come to mind.
Sadly, my beloved Bethesda would take a pretty big shot in the balls for this, too. :(
05/15/09
Gamers need to be made aware of unfinished games (for instance by visiting Kotaku) and boycot them by not buying them. There are enough developers who develop good games without bugs, so don't accept excuses as a gamer and consumer from developers.
05/15/09
Name one video game that was released without bugs or glitches and i'll refrain from calling you a stupid imbecile.
05/15/09
He said unfinished. Not bug-free. And I agree with him if hes referring to stupid unfinishable games, or seriously broken ones.
But its unreasonable to expect the regular public joe to visit sites like Kotaku. So you can hardly say 'All games must be researched online before purchase'. Or put disclaimers on the box.
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05/15/09
I would say Space Invaders but that had a glitch that made the aliens go faster each time you killed one.
05/15/09
As well as changing direction, and dropping a line.
05/15/09
I agree with you, but as it stands the expectations and standards he is proposing are not currently outlined.
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05/15/09
It is also stupid because companies will no longer try new ideas because something may get broken along the way. Instead they will take the less risky path and release rosta updates.
It is stupid because offering a two year warranty on video games that normally have a 12month (at most) lifespan is open to abuse by consumers, given that most people seem to have no problem (morally) stealing software through torrent sites I hardly doubt they'll have a tough time justifying returning a product for a full refund when they are done with it 22months after purchase.
It is stupid because you do not own software, you purchase a license to use the software. You can't return that license any more than I can return the lease on a car that I have used for over a year.
It is stupid because identical software may be broken for one person and not for another because of other hardware/software that the individual is using and it is almost impossible to test all combinations of all hardware and software in existence.
And finally, you say you are a game dev. Name one game that is "near perfect" in terms of lacking bugs/glitches/graph minors/freezes/crashes/hangs/localisation errors etc. If this law came into force games would never get released.
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03/22/09
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03/22/09
(*removes belt*)
YOU MADE ME DO THIS!!!
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03/22/09
"That's one BANGING blender!"
03/22/09