I don't play MMORPGS. Not because they don't look like fun, but because I don't have the time to commit. However, watching the genre is always interesting.
To me, it seems like COH has been much quieter about its game than EQ2, WoW or SWG. While not drawing much attention to itself, it has done a good job of giving most of the people who play it what they are looking for. EQ2 has the criticism that it is still just a huge grindfest. If it wasn't for WoWs stability issues, it would have probably built up enough steam to send EverQuest2 into the night. As far as SWG goes, just do a search on here for articles. It seems like LucasArts and SOE can't go a month without finding a way to piss off a userbase that will do anything to play StarWars.
COH sounds like they are just trying to make the game fun without being overly complex. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is to City of Villains is when it comes out. It would create a totally different model where actual characters create work for the Heroes.
Regardless of whether or not I ever play it, they are still fun to follow.
I'm going to start off by saying that I am an xbox fan. While I have both a PS2 and an xbox, the low load times and controller on the xbox make it my favorite of the two.
That being said, I agree with the next gen not really beginning until the PS3 is released. Right now, Sony has the title of king of the consoles and, until they throw their hat into the ring, no one can really say the competition has begun.
I can think of one really good reason why a major VISUAL change will not be what the "Revolution" is all about.
How do you port titles from the xbox2 and ps3, which regarless of what MS and Sony say are fundamentally similar, to a system that will require a totally different setup. This especially is true for a console that has recently been trying to mend fences with developers. Nintendo would need Sony-like power over its developers to even think about trying something this drastic.
On the other hand, 1st party titles would be impressive.
With respect to the "Gateway" part of the post, it would be interesting to know if this is the game that got her started on gaming, or if another game was the gateway that led her to this one.
The reason I ask is that SH3 is an unusual game for someone to cut their teeth on when they have very little computer knowledge.
It was curious that there were no COOPERATIVE games on there. My wife really enjoys playing the cooperative action/RPG games with me. Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance and the like have eaten MANY hours of our time.
While that genre of games is pretty saturated, it provides a good scenario where I can help her learn the game and pick up the slack with killing the enemies until she gets the hang of it.
Rather than just giving her the controller, try plugging in controller 2.
RIP Nintendo. I really wish I understood what they have been trying to do for the last 8 or so years. Ever since they decided reneg on their agreement with Sony to make the Nintendo64 CD thing (or whatever it was supposed to be called) they have been trying to catch up. I really can't imagine a console gaming world without Nintendo, but 10 years out we might be remembering back to the times when we had Nintendo's like we do now with Atari games.
As for Sony and Microsoft, I am going to enjoy this battle and am, in a lot of ways, rooting for Microsoft to do well. Where Sony has followed their traditional arrogance (lack of support, proprietary hardware, proprietary accessories) with most of their consumer electronics (cameras, CLIE, etc.) Microsoft has really done a good job distancing the xbox from the mothership that we all complain about.
Who would have thought that it would be Microsoft trying to force game companies to support older titles (EA's sports titles to be exact) for longer than the game publisher had intended.
Honestly, I think that the reason that the next iteration of Microsoft's console will include the name xbox in the title is to continue the separation between xbox and the Microsoft name. Sony uses Sony in all of the titles as does Nintendo, where MS is only listed in small print.
Regardless of how things turn out, it will be fun to watch
Everyone seems be coming out with a fact/fiction article these days on the newest consoles. Check out this article [http://www.jivemagazine.com/column.php?pid=3235] for a little more humorous view of some of the same ideas at Jive Magazine.
Now, how do we get this judge to preside over the ongoing debate of fair use in the digital world? Judge Klausner seems to actually "get it" that just because a product exists, it isn't going to immediately be used to steal or infringe upon copyrights.
I have a feeling that the judgement in this case is actually bigger than we realize right now.
I don't play MMORPGs, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt as I am only seeing this from an IT background.
I think that the "threats" that Blizzard was giving were MORE than fair. Yes, people are paying for a service that they might be banned from, but does the fact that you pay for access to a web site allow you to launch a DDoS attack on it? If I worked at Blizzard, I would view it as a malicious attack on our ability to provide a service that would impact the rest of our paying customers.
Honestly, wouldn't it just be easier to drop the service and try one of the other 15 MMORPGS that are out there right now? That is really the only way a company will truly be influenced.
Or, because this is only a US court, Sony might decide to remove the forced-feedback component from the controllers sold in the USA while still selling them in Japan. They have split markets in the past with the Playstation and other electronics, I don't know why they wouldn't consider it in this situation.
If this happens, the market for imported PS3 controllers will be a big one.
Up until this point, only the PSP has been questioned with respect to how well it will fare with a 12 year old tossing it around. People have said that the screen might not be able to last.
It might not be the first time that it has been mentioned, but it is the first time that I thought about problems with the DS holding up. Giving a 5th grader a pointy stick (stylus) and telling him to "gently touch" the screen is probably that will result in a lot of DSs with holes in the bottom screen. It probably won't happen, but Nintendo could create a solid secondary market of selling replacement LCD screens.
Even though I am not into the whole MMORPG game thing, I like the idea of creating one based upon the Fallout Universe. However, now is not the right time.. Who in their right mind is going to spend the initial $50 or so on buying the game and then put up $10-$15 a month to play a game that, after they have made their built up their character, the game shuts down because the servers were repossessed? Hell, they couldn't even afford to keep the Interplay FORUMS online. They had to shut those down a few months ago. Hell, even the Interplay website doesn't always respond (hows that for a benchmark on system uptime?) For this reason they are not going to get enough subs to get anywhere near an ROI.
While I know that there have already been a few "Herve is an idiot" type posts, it seems like he really does believe that this company is going to make some kind of mythical comeback (he personally recently bought a whole load of shares in IPLY at penny stock prices). Does he know of something or is he just as stupid as we think he is.
To all of the people complaining the "Interplay should just bring out Fallout3 (VanBuren)" Give it up. You will NOT see this title come out any time soon. It will probably show up in a few years after the Interplay IP is sold off to another company (Obsidean? Troika?) Here's to hoping it is a quick death.
Honestly, the only MAC game that comes to mind was Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego that I played in grade school. That is sad. Somewhere things went terribly wrong for Jobs and company.
Well, I signed up for the digital versions of a couple of magazines because of many of the reasons listed above. However, I was turned off because Zinio doesn't offer a client for ANY handheld (PPC or Palm). I have a Sony NX70 and would love to be able to read the magazine on that beautiful display. PDFs and Docs work, so why not this type. While I think it is an idea whose time has come, I still think that it needs to come a little further.
Honestly, this was the "rabid fans" the original Coward referred to. Trust me, in reading the Interplay forums AND nma-fallout.com, the original fans ARE nuts. But, then again, it is a rare game that can make so many people this crazy about ANY game. That 630,000 copies sold is mainly a total from the following:
1. The original Fallout shelf game
2. The Fallout2 shelf game
3. The Fallout/Fallout2 discount combo pack
In the grand scheme of things, Fallout Tactics sold very few games and FOBOS sold just as few (but not the minisucle amount that many of the Fallout fans claimed, it was picked up by many of the rental places where PC games cannot be)
Back on the 630,000 copies sold number.... For a console game, that is only decent, but for PC games, that is considered a great seller. Many PC games do not even break the 50k copies mark. That is the difference that Interplay was banking on and reflects back on my original point.
Yes it was a shame that the franchise possibly died with Herve's knife in the development teams' back, but it is certainly not worth starting a/. flame war over. BlackIsle will not be publishing the game, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it published under the Obsidean sticker. For as crazy, bitter and obsessive the fans of the original game are, the developers are even more nuts over their beloved franchise.
Here's to hoping that their craze gets this game published.
I followed along with the whole Fallout3 thing and here is how things seemed to happen.
1. Fallout3 is a PC game and PC Games do not currently sell as well as most of the new console games do.
2. BlackIsle is having serious financial problems. Due to the in-depth nature of an epic game like a Fallout3 and the development costs associated with it, staff gets cut and Interplay CEO and SuperGenius Herve Caen believes that the ActionRPG genre (Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, etc.) can earn his company (and his stock options) a quick buck.
3. Lower development costs, support costs and distribution costs spawn the blasphemous Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (FOBOS) game for the xbox and PS2. All remaining staff are given the option to work on FOBOS or pound the concrete.
4. FOBOS is rushed out the door and does VERY poorly due to generic gameplay and bad controls.
Basically, Interplay made some bad decisions based upon flawed logic to try and stay in business. The only logical conclusion they came to throughout the whole thing is regarding the console vs. PC profit structure.
a. PC games cost more to develop and support because of the meriad of hardware configurations that need to be considered.
b. A full Fallout3 game takes MUCH more time to write from a story side as well.
c. Console games are much more difficult to pirate.
d. This might surprise some people, but console games SELL much better. The original Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance (although Snowblind wrote it, it is another Interplay title) sold more than Fallout and Fallout2 combined.
Do any of these reasons make ActionRPGs better than a Fallout3? In my opinion, Hell NO! I played Dark Alliance through once and sold it back to GameStop. After all of these years I still pick my Fallout2 off my shelf and play. Great game.
This rambles on a lot, but after sitting around in the BlackIsle forums (Before they closed them) for about a year and talking to the developers, this is the impression that they were given by management.
It sounds like they at Obsidean are trying to do a little name dropping. If they can somehow connect KOTOR2 to Fallout they will not only get everyone who enjoyed the original KOTOR to buy the game, but every obsessed Fallout nut to buy they game. I fall into both groups, however this might be a way to just draw some attention to Obsidean's past for those that do not already know that they are Black Isle's soul.
I am not denouncing their promotional methods, but rather praising it. In today's gaming world, developers seem to go bankrupt more often than they succeed (an when they succeed most of the time a bigger company buys them anyway). If Fallout name dropping helps them to sell enough to stay solvent and keep those great minds developing games, all the more power to them. I wish you the same luck that I am wishing Bryan Fargo's in-Xile Entertainment.
I have never played an MMORPG, but here is an outsider's view of what seems to be happening. When Everquest came out, it was really the only DOMINANT MMORPG. Yes there were a few others, but Everquest was really the only one that people played. There was a long time that things remained status quo with only one real option if you wanted this type of gaming experience, even if there were certain parts of the game that you really didn't like. It was almost a monopoly on the MMORPG scene.
Now, the market seems to be flooded with high profile MMORPGS like Matrix Online, World of Warcraft and Star Wars:Galaxies (yes, I know I probably missed a few, but you get the point). Of course the number of Everquest subscribers is going to drop; people now how a legitimate choice. Will it die? I don't think so. There are far too many people who have made it their lives. It's user base will probably migrate to Everquest2 and it will most likely maintain a strong userbase among the other options.
Well, now we are probably going to be down another game developer. They really are dropping like flies today between acquisitions and bankruptcy. In their attempt to purchase Sega a year ago, didn't Sammy express an interest in getting Sega out of the gaming business and focusing more on their Pachinko gaming machines? The nostalgia behind Sega kind of makes this hurt.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't play MMORPGS. Not because they don't look like fun, but because I don't have the time to commit. However, watching the genre is always interesting.
To me, it seems like COH has been much quieter about its game than EQ2, WoW or SWG. While not drawing much attention to itself, it has done a good job of giving most of the people who play it what they are looking for. EQ2 has the criticism that it is still just a huge grindfest. If it wasn't for WoWs stability issues, it would have probably built up enough steam to send EverQuest2 into the night. As far as SWG goes, just do a search on here for articles. It seems like LucasArts and SOE can't go a month without finding a way to piss off a userbase that will do anything to play StarWars.
COH sounds like they are just trying to make the game fun without being overly complex. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is to City of Villains is when it comes out. It would create a totally different model where actual characters create work for the Heroes.
Regardless of whether or not I ever play it, they are still fun to follow.
I'm going to start off by saying that I am an xbox fan. While I have both a PS2 and an xbox, the low load times and controller on the xbox make it my favorite of the two.
That being said, I agree with the next gen not really beginning until the PS3 is released. Right now, Sony has the title of king of the consoles and, until they throw their hat into the ring, no one can really say the competition has begun.
I can think of one really good reason why a major VISUAL change will not be what the "Revolution" is all about.
How do you port titles from the xbox2 and ps3, which regarless of what MS and Sony say are fundamentally similar, to a system that will require a totally different setup. This especially is true for a console that has recently been trying to mend fences with developers. Nintendo would need Sony-like power over its developers to even think about trying something this drastic.
On the other hand, 1st party titles would be impressive.
With respect to the "Gateway" part of the post, it would be interesting to know if this is the game that got her started on gaming, or if another game was the gateway that led her to this one.
The reason I ask is that SH3 is an unusual game for someone to cut their teeth on when they have very little computer knowledge.
It was curious that there were no COOPERATIVE games on there. My wife really enjoys playing the cooperative action/RPG games with me. Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance and the like have eaten MANY hours of our time.
While that genre of games is pretty saturated, it provides a good scenario where I can help her learn the game and pick up the slack with killing the enemies until she gets the hang of it.
Rather than just giving her the controller, try plugging in controller 2.
I find it kind of funny that we are referring to the memory stick as the fallback for content instead of using the UMD.
Good thing that the memory stick is a standardized method of storage...er.
RIP Nintendo. I really wish I understood what they have been trying to do for the last 8 or so years. Ever since they decided reneg on their agreement with Sony to make the Nintendo64 CD thing (or whatever it was supposed to be called) they have been trying to catch up. I really can't imagine a console gaming world without Nintendo, but 10 years out we might be remembering back to the times when we had Nintendo's like we do now with Atari games.
As for Sony and Microsoft, I am going to enjoy this battle and am, in a lot of ways, rooting for Microsoft to do well. Where Sony has followed their traditional arrogance (lack of support, proprietary hardware, proprietary accessories) with most of their consumer electronics (cameras, CLIE, etc.) Microsoft has really done a good job distancing the xbox from the mothership that we all complain about.
Who would have thought that it would be Microsoft trying to force game companies to support older titles (EA's sports titles to be exact) for longer than the game publisher had intended.
Honestly, I think that the reason that the next iteration of Microsoft's console will include the name xbox in the title is to continue the separation between xbox and the Microsoft name. Sony uses Sony in all of the titles as does Nintendo, where MS is only listed in small print.
Regardless of how things turn out, it will be fun to watch
Everyone seems be coming out with a fact/fiction article these days on the newest consoles. Check out this article [http://www.jivemagazine.com/column.php?pid=3235] for a little more humorous view of some of the same ideas at Jive Magazine.
Geez, do you think that someone is making an obvious attempt to get on the '08 presidential ticket?
Now, how do we get this judge to preside over the ongoing debate of fair use in the digital world? Judge Klausner seems to actually "get it" that just because a product exists, it isn't going to immediately be used to steal or infringe upon copyrights.
I have a feeling that the judgement in this case is actually bigger than we realize right now.
I don't play MMORPGs, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt as I am only seeing this from an IT background.
I think that the "threats" that Blizzard was giving were MORE than fair. Yes, people are paying for a service that they might be banned from, but does the fact that you pay for access to a web site allow you to launch a DDoS attack on it? If I worked at Blizzard, I would view it as a malicious attack on our ability to provide a service that would impact the rest of our paying customers.
Honestly, wouldn't it just be easier to drop the service and try one of the other 15 MMORPGS that are out there right now? That is really the only way a company will truly be influenced.
Go ahead, flame away.
Or, because this is only a US court, Sony might decide to remove the forced-feedback component from the controllers sold in the USA while still selling them in Japan. They have split markets in the past with the Playstation and other electronics, I don't know why they wouldn't consider it in this situation.
If this happens, the market for imported PS3 controllers will be a big one.
xBox already settled with Immersion to the tune of $26 million
m mersion/2100-1041_3-5056455.html
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+settles+suit+with+I
Up until this point, only the PSP has been questioned with respect to how well it will fare with a 12 year old tossing it around. People have said that the screen might not be able to last.
It might not be the first time that it has been mentioned, but it is the first time that I thought about problems with the DS holding up. Giving a 5th grader a pointy stick (stylus) and telling him to "gently touch" the screen is probably that will result in a lot of DSs with holes in the bottom screen. It probably won't happen, but Nintendo could create a solid secondary market of selling replacement LCD screens.
Even though I am not into the whole MMORPG game thing, I like the idea of creating one based upon the Fallout Universe. However, now is not the right time.. Who in their right mind is going to spend the initial $50 or so on buying the game and then put up $10-$15 a month to play a game that, after they have made their built up their character, the game shuts down because the servers were repossessed? Hell, they couldn't even afford to keep the Interplay FORUMS online. They had to shut those down a few months ago. Hell, even the Interplay website doesn't always respond (hows that for a benchmark on system uptime?) For this reason they are not going to get enough subs to get anywhere near an ROI.
While I know that there have already been a few "Herve is an idiot" type posts, it seems like he really does believe that this company is going to make some kind of mythical comeback (he personally recently bought a whole load of shares in IPLY at penny stock prices). Does he know of something or is he just as stupid as we think he is.
To all of the people complaining the "Interplay should just bring out Fallout3 (VanBuren)" Give it up. You will NOT see this title come out any time soon. It will probably show up in a few years after the Interplay IP is sold off to another company (Obsidean? Troika?) Here's to hoping it is a quick death.
Honestly, the only MAC game that comes to mind was Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego that I played in grade school. That is sad. Somewhere things went terribly wrong for Jobs and company.
Well, I signed up for the digital versions of a couple of magazines because of many of the reasons listed above. However, I was turned off because Zinio doesn't offer a client for ANY handheld (PPC or Palm). I have a Sony NX70 and would love to be able to read the magazine on that beautiful display. PDFs and Docs work, so why not this type. While I think it is an idea whose time has come, I still think that it needs to come a little further.
Honestly, this was the "rabid fans" the original Coward referred to. Trust me, in reading the Interplay forums AND nma-fallout.com, the original fans ARE nuts. But, then again, it is a rare game that can make so many people this crazy about ANY game. That 630,000 copies sold is mainly a total from the following:
/. flame war over. BlackIsle will not be publishing the game, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it published under the Obsidean sticker. For as crazy, bitter and obsessive the fans of the original game are, the developers are even more nuts over their beloved franchise.
1. The original Fallout shelf game
2. The Fallout2 shelf game
3. The Fallout/Fallout2 discount combo pack
In the grand scheme of things, Fallout Tactics sold very few games and FOBOS sold just as few (but not the minisucle amount that many of the Fallout fans claimed, it was picked up by many of the rental places where PC games cannot be)
Back on the 630,000 copies sold number.... For a console game, that is only decent, but for PC games, that is considered a great seller. Many PC games do not even break the 50k copies mark. That is the difference that Interplay was banking on and reflects back on my original point.
Yes it was a shame that the franchise possibly died with Herve's knife in the development teams' back, but it is certainly not worth starting a
Here's to hoping that their craze gets this game published.
I followed along with the whole Fallout3 thing and here is how things seemed to happen.
1. Fallout3 is a PC game and PC Games do not currently sell as well as most of the new console games do.
2. BlackIsle is having serious financial problems. Due to the in-depth nature of an epic game like a Fallout3 and the development costs associated with it, staff gets cut and Interplay CEO and SuperGenius Herve Caen believes that the ActionRPG genre (Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, etc.) can earn his company (and his stock options) a quick buck.
3. Lower development costs, support costs and distribution costs spawn the blasphemous Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (FOBOS) game for the xbox and PS2. All remaining staff are given the option to work on FOBOS or pound the concrete.
4. FOBOS is rushed out the door and does VERY poorly due to generic gameplay and bad controls.
Basically, Interplay made some bad decisions based upon flawed logic to try and stay in business. The only logical conclusion they came to throughout the whole thing is regarding the console vs. PC profit structure.
a. PC games cost more to develop and support because of the meriad of hardware configurations that need to be considered.
b. A full Fallout3 game takes MUCH more time to write from a story side as well.
c. Console games are much more difficult to pirate.
d. This might surprise some people, but console games SELL much better. The original Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance (although Snowblind wrote it, it is another Interplay title) sold more than Fallout and Fallout2 combined.
Do any of these reasons make ActionRPGs better than a Fallout3? In my opinion, Hell NO! I played Dark Alliance through once and sold it back to GameStop. After all of these years I still pick my Fallout2 off my shelf and play. Great game.
This rambles on a lot, but after sitting around in the BlackIsle forums (Before they closed them) for about a year and talking to the developers, this is the impression that they were given by management.
It sounds like they at Obsidean are trying to do a little name dropping. If they can somehow connect KOTOR2 to Fallout they will not only get everyone who enjoyed the original KOTOR to buy the game, but every obsessed Fallout nut to buy they game. I fall into both groups, however this might be a way to just draw some attention to Obsidean's past for those that do not already know that they are Black Isle's soul.
I am not denouncing their promotional methods, but rather praising it. In today's gaming world, developers seem to go bankrupt more often than they succeed (an when they succeed most of the time a bigger company buys them anyway). If Fallout name dropping helps them to sell enough to stay solvent and keep those great minds developing games, all the more power to them. I wish you the same luck that I am wishing Bryan Fargo's in-Xile Entertainment.
I have never played an MMORPG, but here is an outsider's view of what seems to be happening. When Everquest came out, it was really the only DOMINANT MMORPG. Yes there were a few others, but Everquest was really the only one that people played. There was a long time that things remained status quo with only one real option if you wanted this type of gaming experience, even if there were certain parts of the game that you really didn't like. It was almost a monopoly on the MMORPG scene.
Now, the market seems to be flooded with high profile MMORPGS like Matrix Online, World of Warcraft and Star Wars:Galaxies (yes, I know I probably missed a few, but you get the point). Of course the number of Everquest subscribers is going to drop; people now how a legitimate choice. Will it die? I don't think so. There are far too many people who have made it their lives. It's user base will probably migrate to Everquest2 and it will most likely maintain a strong userbase among the other options.
Don't we get at least 2 of this type of article on this site per week? It seems like I am always reading the:
"It is the parents' job to teach their kids wrong and right, not the video games."
All these articles are good for is getting gamers upset. Call it Flamebait or a Troll or whatever, but these articles are getting Redundant.
Yes it is deja vu. I posted the same thing on there.
Well, now we are probably going to be down another game developer. They really are dropping like flies today between acquisitions and bankruptcy. In their attempt to purchase Sega a year ago, didn't Sammy express an interest in getting Sega out of the gaming business and focusing more on their Pachinko gaming machines? The nostalgia behind Sega kind of makes this hurt.
I meant to say THREAT, not thread. I simply just lack the ability to read my own typing.