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Windows XP Game Advisor Discussed
Thanks to GameSpy for their 'Biz Buzz' summary discussing the recent launch of Microsoft's web-based Windows XP Game Advisor. The Game Advisor site, "created in conjunction with Futuremark, the makers of the 3DMark 3D game benchmark utility, takes the user's answers to questions regarding age range and preferred game genre, then returns a list of recent games (along with gameplay information) that might interest the user." As for the motivation behind this service, a Microsoft spokesperson "...noted that it's not a profit center for Microsoft - it doesn't charge publishers to list their games in the Advisor database... [and] equates it to the company's DirectX API bundle, which doesn't get revenue from users nor publishers, but if, by regularly improving and enhancing and promoting it, another computer with Windows is sold, Microsoft then earns some revenue, albeit indirectly."
But being on the page, all around the page, even used microsoft's search thingy, and i still couldn't figure out where i can get/use anything more than screenshots of the "Windows XP Game Advisor", where is it?
Can't run it from my Windows 2000 Pro desktop. Also requires IE 5.5 or later.
Based on the site, I'd say it's good for casual (non-technical) gamers and parents looking for compatible games for their kids.
Can't see a serious gamer getting anything of value from it. Better to go to Gamespy or Gamespot.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Surprisingly, the site does not seem to work with Mozilla Firebird. I opened it and the button to start the test does not even appear in Firebird. I know this is a big shock to us all. Microsoft not playing nice with competitors? That's umpossible!
http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
Ugh, meant GameSpy and Gamespot
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
I was quite impressed to learn that my PC has exactly 808% of the power of a 500mhz Athlon, despite the fact that when running a different game it has 5538% of the power of a PII 400 system, (Tron 2 to Warcraft 3)
Windows XP Game Advisor requires the use of the Windows XP operating system and the Internet Explorer (version 5.5 or later) browser.
We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
> Did you know that XP has a hard coded FPS embedded into the OS?
Got a link for that? I'm curious.
if we're going to slam XP, we might as well do it correctly. What I think you are referring to is the refresh rate lock, which effectively limits your FPS to 60, which is a tad bit higher than the 9-15 you mention...
gamers have known about this for quite some time now, and most of us have gotten around it with little effort.
Yes ... this is FlameBait ... so Dolemite ... which OS do you run again?! Linux?! So you can play way more games ... shut the fuck up bitch-boy.
This "Advisor" takes two inputs... target age and type of game, and outputs a number of games in that category.
Categorizations are somewhat willy-nilly. "Kids" is a category, despite it also being the age group. Note, there are no games for any kids over the age of 6, nor are there games in any other categories for kids under 6. If a categorization fails, the advisor will just revert back to "all game types," though it won't tell you it did so. Categories overlap significantly, such as Sim City not being listed under "Simulation," but "Life Simulation." "Action" vs "Action Adventure." Final Fantasy XI is a featured game in Role Playing, but second in Massively Multiplayer Online. No other MMO game makes it to another category.
The recommendations are questionable at best. For example, Law and Order 2 is apparently a hot seller for the 6 year old adventuring crowd. Myst 3 is apparently so intense it makes the 6-12 Action market. FIFA, Madden, Tiger Woods, and nearly all other sports games are inappropriate for anyone over 16. Their featured family entertainment will teach your 6 to 16 year old to drink and gamble like a real vegas loser. Of course, if you are over 17 you are too old to breed, and no games exist for your family. Strategy games like Warlords are inappropriate for anyone under 13, but Combat Flight Simulator, Lock On, and Forgotten Battles are A-OK. Apparently the only strategy game so violent and lacking in morals as to be locked away until your 17th birthday is... UFO aftermath.
If you want more information about a particular game, you have to go to the publisher's website. No objective reviews, no individualized ratings, not even a paragraph describing the game. As far as "information" goes, this site is sadly lacking.
To see if you can play the game (not a high hurdle, as the site apparently only works under XP), the Active X script attempts to download a program from the aforementioned futuremark. If you choose not to install it, the application hangs. It then gives you a somewhat useless graphical representation of how well your system does as a percentage of the minimum, then tells you to check the "other requirements." These mysterious "other requirements" are apparently just the system specs it just checked, repeated, with your system next to it. Didn't we just check this? Of course it also says to check the system specs with the publisher in 3 different places, making this whole exercise somewhat moot.
Somehow I doubt this will satisfy even the casual gamer. Even when grabbed by a catchy title, the person has to turn to goggle to find out any information at all about it. What advantage does this provide above, say, a trip to videogames.com? Age ranking is something that should be painfully obvious after the first screen shot. So what then... Availability? This is buried in the back end of Microsoft.com. Reliability? Recommending Law and Order to 6 year olds?
Unless Microsoft gets serious about the site, it will fall by the wayside. +1 points for trying, but -2 points for treating a Microsoft Gaming initiative like a Microsoft Business initiative.
The ______ Agenda
I thought that was built into one of the Office suite apps...
*downloads*
Thank you for installing XP game advisor. Here is your list of games.
MS Flight Sim
MS Combat Flight Sim
Mechwarrior 4
Crimson Skies
(etc...)
503 Sig Unavailable
The Signature could not be accessed. Please try again later or contact the administrator
..that I can sue them for misrepresentation when the minimum specs on the back of the game's box (and as used in the "benchmark" are not sufficient to run the game?
Because it very rare that a Windows game runs well with the hardware that marketing blurb on the back of the box says it will.
So.. When Doom III or any other OpenGL based game comes out, will it be listed?
I'm half tempted to see what games it might list for me right now, but it doesn't seem to be available with Mozilla Firebird..
End of line..
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/digest3d/0702/ itogi-video-c4-min.html
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http://www.computing.net/hardware/wwwboard/foru
http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/1
Dolemite
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I Run Red Hat, Solaris for X86, and have experience with most every flavor of Unix and Macs.
Don't assume n00b.
Dolemite
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Except for Nvida users.
There has been an effort by users to create tools to get around this. However, NVida kept changing its registry settings around with every release so the users gave up updating their tweak tools.
Gave up until now. Nvida finally pulled their heads out of their proverbial behinds and now have added these tweaks to their driver updates.
Dolemite
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Eh? I haven't been watching games.slashdot.org frequently, but is this rate lock a "feature" built in to the OS, or into ATI (since you say Nvidia is now immune to the problem)?
jason
Ok. Several minutes of internet research and linking later I answered my own question.
Thanks.
jason
Well just choose Disney Princess Royal Horse show and watch your stats soar!!
jason