To start, I'll nail the hot issue at hand.
Question: When is a PC Game a straight Console port?
Answer: When basic PC Gaming conventions are omitted because console systems either don't require them or the fact that PC console hardware is limited.
There is growing rift between PC game players and Console players and it's not between the players. It's between the PC game players and game developers.
Star Wars:Battlefront is a prime example of a title that was fused together as a console title then repackaged as a PC title. There is no denying the initial rush the title wore upon launching into the first mission. Unfortunately it only took a few hours to realize that the gameplay and game world felt small. The full scope of the matter became clear when trying to play multiplayer. For one there was only Conquest as an option for multiplayer. There was also a complete unfinished or badly implemented multiplayer component that offered a spartan game browser at best.
In all the game felt rushed and unfinished to meet the release of the latest Star Wars DVD compilation.
Psychofred Lets the Public Have It
Ok, let the drama begin.
Now comes the announcement of Star Wars: Battlefront 2. This is not a new engine nor are there major innovations over SW:BF1. This is what the PC community would call an expansion pack. For console gamers, it's a whole new game.
Recently on Gametoast.com, one of the games developers from Pandemic put his foot down on what he considered an issue out of the developers hands. His long worded position would not have been so bad had it not sounded so condescending. Reading the rant it is more or less a ramble of excuses with digs aimed at the PC gaming public.
You can read his post here. Psychofred responds
Like it or not the Console port to PC business is only gaining strength. More and more game developers are seeing the benefits of dedicated hardware. Unfortunately accepting that means knowing that the PC version will be hobbled by console hardware constraints.
We have entered a new age in Shovelware.
I'll cover more on this subject in the days ahead.
Rich Cabrera
Thursday, March 31, 2005
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