Goodbye, "Majestic"

fonixmunkee writes: "Ack, looks like EA is stopping the very cool, ground-breaking game 'Majestic.' The article is here. I got hooked on this from the very start, and in turn got a bunch of friends into it. It's cool to be out for a fancy dinner and have the game calling you threatening your life. Oh well, I'm sure a new spinoff will rise up."

Comments

Too bad about capitalism

[petree]

In many ways it's too bad that capitalism forces people to market towards the masses rather than just creating quality products. I understand why this is the way that it has to be, but it just seems to suck that the bulk of the gaming population prefers first person shooters over everything else, so that's where the money goes. I've watched this happen to so many other great games, it's just to bad.

Re:Too bad about capitalism

[Anonymous Coward]

If companies were owned by the state you wouldn't choose to make a bad product and then brainwash people into craving for it.

If companies were owned by the state, they would make whatever products they're told to make, typically products that people are unhappy with. And they wouldn't have to brainwash people into liking it, because if people don't like it, it's tough shit, they have no choice.

Throughout the 20th century, every attempt to create a centrally planned, state owned economy of significant size has resulted in poor efficiency, high pollution, bad working conditions, low standards of living, and a populace that is generally unhappy with the goods and services produced by the economy. A true free market economy beats a state run economy any time. The problem with the current state of western capitalism is that unchecked consolidation has severely reduced competition in a number of industries, so the markets aren't really free anymore.

Anyway, the majority of money in the game industry goes into a handful of game genres because that's what people like playing. Who are you to decide that first person shooters are bad games that shouldn't be made? I could care less whether critics think Majestic is an original game that should have succeeded. I'd rather play RTCW thank you very much.

Re:Too bad about capitalism

[GauteL]

It's not capitalism in itself that is a problem.
I do not know majestic, so I'm going to speak in general terms about all media and cultural activities.

It just shows that culture cannot ever fully be run by for-profit companies. Countries need at least some sort of government backing for cultural activities that isn't profitable, because culture and media isn't necessarily better, just because it is profitable.

An example is BBC, which creates some extraordinary stuff that would never have been created in a for-profit company because the income would not justify the costs.

Re:Too bad about capitalism

[Cheshire Cat]

If companies were owned by the state you wouldn't choose to make a bad product and then brainwash people into craving for it.

Actualyl, if you had companies owned by the state you'd have state capitalism. This is what the Soviet Union was (not communism, as much as it wanted to be.) I'm sure you remember how well that worked for Russia. I'd rather take the lesser evil of American-style capitalism than state capitalism anytime.

i'm not too crushed

[b1nd0x]

The concept of a game that regulates how fast you can play it and then has a pricing system based on time periods rather than episodes struck me as an odd combination to start.

While the beginning plot was done rather well, describing a world where Majestic had started off as a game until things went horribly awry, it tried to do to much. To have a plot centered on a conspiracy is one thing; to include every alleged conspiracy of the twentieth century, from JFK to the Illuminati, from black helicopters to mind control, was a bit much.

By far the biggest problem was the bots. They spent a great deal of time and Real Video (emails web sites etc.) creating believable characters with distinct personalities to whom you could relate. Then you talked to them, and they have the IQ of slime mold. It was a little too free form for its own good.

Receiving Threatening Phone Calls Is Cool?!

[BRock97]

I dunno, sounds pretty uncool to me. The list of reasons is pretty long. First off, going on a first date to dinner and having to tell your girlfriend that you need to take a call from a video game would be pretty dorky. Second, I would have to guess somewhere in the message, it would let you know that it was the game calling, otherwise you might have a serious threat on your life. Case in point: "I am going to kill you, I am going to gut you like a stuck pig. Thanks for playing Majestic." I don't know, the whole idea just sounds really, REALLY cheesy.

Revisionist Press Release

[corby]

I find it very bizarre that the Majestic team attempts to vindicate their efforts by repeatedly referring to their game as "critically acclaimed."

Majestic got a lot of buzz and ink for being a novel concept, but in terms of actual critical reviews it was universally slammed by the gaming press. Since the Majestic team has such a short memory, they can find some reviews here and here.

Like the gaming press, I really wanted to like this game, but I could not be dragged into paying $120 a year for an elaborate "click here to continue the poorly acted movie" setup that lasts a few hours each month.

one of the problems...

[flipper28]

I think one of the problems with majestic was after Sept. 11 people became paranoid - and I quite honestly people don't want to be harassed by phone calls when threats of Anthrax and who knows what is on CNN. The idea was good and creative, the timing was bad.

"Very cool"? "Groundbreaking"? Not EA.

[SilentChris]

I tried the Majestic pilot, then read numerous reviews trashing it and the whole concept. I agree. Majestic is a "game" in the same way Metal Gear Solid 2 is an "interactive movie" -- a misnomer. Much of Majestic involved reading a few web pages, listening to prerecorded messages, and engaging conversations with pathetic chatbots. In the process, I had to install a variety of commercialware (AIM, RealPlayer) and wait days between contacts.

Their right in one respect: the game definitely does "play you", not the other way around. Actually EA is playing you. Charging money and then forcing you to sit through ads on the game's main homepage -- kind of takes the suspense out of things, huh?

Ever since EA started partnerning with companies like AOL their quality has shot to hell. Yes, "let's make a game identical to a previous one, provide even more unrealistic action, beef up the graphics (because that's the only thing we do anyway) and advertise a song by calling it SSX Tricky. People will love it!"

Re:No, it's just a game

[aardvarkjoe]

And I'd say:

"How hedonistic and selfish is it to spend your money and your time entertaining yourself by reading and posting to slashdot instead of using those same resources to do some good in the world?"

Why are there so many people that think it should be illegal to enjoy themselves? They bitch all the time about how the Republicans / the Government / Micro$oft / the RIAA / etc. are attempting to control their lives, and then you claim that everyone should devote all their time and money towards the causes that you deem of most importance.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we should be selfish pigs thinking only of ourselves. But your own quality of life is important as well, and no one ought to begrudge someone the opportunity to enjoy themself.

Re:No, it's just a game

[aardvarkjoe]

Then I ask you again: if using your wealth/time for your benefit is unethical, how do you justify spending any of your time reading slashdot rather than raising money for starving people, or doing something else "productive?" If spending money to recieve a phone call is morally the same as making somebody starve to death, it seems that the time you've wasted writing these notes (or spent doing any other activity -- I do hope that you don't play games / watch TV / go out to dinner / build model rockets / play a musical instrument or do any of those other things which perpetuates the killing of innocent civilians) is just the same.

I know. YHBT. I suppose you don't have to say it.