Is PC gaming doomed? Apolyton 2008 edition

[DrSpike]

Banjo- Kazooie, Saints Row 2 and Far Cry 2 as well.

Just goes to show how blinkered the people that say it's all FPS games on the 360. From those games we have RPGs (both action oriented and more standard), FPS games, a platformer, a fighter, a GTA clone (but a good one) and two rhythm games. There are sports titles coming out as well but I don't really follow them.

A nice mix I'd say.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
DrSpike... what's actually coming? I recall doing some research in May on what was coming out... and I didn't see any franchises until Nov/Dec? They seemed to have used up all their talent in 4Q 2007. (when just about every good game in the world was released for consoles )

http://xbox360.ign.com/index/release.html

http://wii.ign.com/index/release.html

http://ps3.ign.com/index/release.html

So...

Q3:
-----
Soul Calibur IV (Xbox 360/PS3)
Madden 09 (All)
Too Human (Xbox 360)
Tales of Vesparia (Xbox 360)
Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360)
NHL 09/2K9 (Xbox 360/PS3)

Q4:
-----
Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)
Star Wars: Force Unleashed (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii)
LEGO Batman (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii)
Fallout 3 (Xbox360/PS3)
Saint's Row 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)
Tom Clancy's Endwar (Xbox 360/ PS3)
Fable 2 (Xbox 360)
Guitar Hero World Tour (Xbox 360 / PS3)
Quantum of Solace (Xbox 360 / PS3)
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)
Resistance 2 (PS3)
Call of Duty: World at War (Xbox 360 / PS3)
Need for Speed Undercover (Xbox 360 / PS3)
Prince of Persia (Xbox 360 / PS3)
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Xbox 360)

That's excluding the Wii exclusive games. I don't want to pretend to know which pieces of **** there will sell (Iron Chef America 'game', Wii Music, etc), so someone else can do that.

[DarkCloud]

Thanks for the heads up.

I have to say I'm looking forward to Rock Band, Fallout, Fable, and Gears of War II. Call of Duty should be interesting too. I guess there are some solid releases planned. It doesn't seem to be as solid as in 4Q 2007 though, but at least there are some bright spots to look out for... I guess this means that 4Q 2009 will the the era of mega releases for long-running series... and perhaps the next Assassin's Creed. and Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2 !

What's up with the dearth of games for the Wii? It's a good system but doesn't seem to have much coming out for it. Super Smash Bros. was its last 'big' real game ???

Here's one of the wii games:
"October 28, 2008 Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball "
hmm...

thanks again.

[DarkCloud]

There is at least one good PC game coming out other than spore:

http://pc.ign.com/objects/958/958390.html

Empire: Total War !

[Asher]

What's up with the dearth of games for the Wii? It's a good system but doesn't seem to have much coming out for it. Super Smash Bros. was its last 'big' real game ???

People do not buy games on the Wii, they buy toys.

Here's one of the wii games:
"October 28, 2008 Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball "
hmm...

thanks again.

That's coming out for Xbox Live Acrade also.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Thanks for the heads up.

I have to say I'm looking forward to Rock Band, Fallout, Fable, and Gears of War II. Call of Duty should be interesting too. I guess there are some solid releases planned. It doesn't seem to be as solid as in 4Q 2007 though, but at least there are some bright spots to look out for... I guess this means that 4Q 2009 will the the era of mega releases for long-running series... and perhaps the next Assassin's Creed. and Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2 !

What's up with the dearth of games for the Wii? It's a good system but doesn't seem to have much coming out for it. Super Smash Bros. was its last 'big' real game ???

Here's one of the wii games:
"October 28, 2008 Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball "
hmm...

thanks again.

We'd better take this to the console wars thread.

[Vanguard]

I liked KOTOR. Mass Effect's story is actually a pretty close to KOTOR for as long as it lasts. Unfortunately that is only about 1/5 as long as KOTOR.

And while KOTOR could get away with cheesy level design because it had light sabers, Mass Effect's combat is nothing but a really lame shooter. The AI is awful, the level design is..... non-existant, the scripted encounters rudimentary. And there isn't even very much of it.

I also like MMOs. And that is probably the root of my dissatisfaction with console games. After playing a good free-roaming MMO it is hard to go back to "run down a really long corridor, shooting stuff, until you come to the final boss."

I have Guitar Hero for the Wii and it is fun enough as a party game. But it is hardly deep. Rock Band is probably just MOTS.

Mass Effect is tenth on the list of all time high scores at Metacritic. Given the way that Metacritic averages scores (by assigning numerical grades based on their own review of the reviews), and with several low scores given to Mass Effect for the high amount of pop-in on the console (not an issue on my PC) I think it is fair to say that it is "about the best reviewed game on the 360". At least for someone looking at them from a PC standpoint.

[Traianvs]

Why are we discussing lame consoles on a civilization site FFS

Civilization Revolution for one epitomizes all the dreadful characteristics of console gameplay.
We shouldn't have any of it here : puritansmiley : !

[El_Cid]

Maybe we should ban Asher from these threads?

[Asher]

I didn't start the thread. Are you always this stupid or do you just grace me with your stupidity?

[DrSpike]

Not a compelling argument, since you did start the thread we should be discussing this in.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Not a compelling argument, since you did start the thread we should be discussing this in.

We should be discussing this in the "Is PC gaming doomed?" thread, which is about how console gaming is or is not killing PC gaming...a thread which I did not start.

[Felch]

Originally posted by Vanguard
I also like MMOs. And that is probably the root of my dissatisfaction with console games. After playing a good free-roaming MMO it is hard to go back to "run down a really long corridor, shooting stuff, until you come to the final boss."

Well, I personally hate the grind fest that MMOs are. I dabbled in WoW for a week or two, and City of Heroes/Villains as well. I just couldn't stand the slow progress, and I didn't have many friends online to play with. That's a matter of taste right there.

I'm with you on Mass Effect. I really enjoyed it for a few hours, but then once I realized that every planet I explored was just a smidge different from the last one, I lent it to a friend. Stories don't matter to me that much - I'd rather read a book, or watch a good TV series/movie. However, playing a game where you actually have some sense of controlling the character, instead of just pressing through menus like Final Fantasy, is a step in the right direction. I salute Mass Effect for that much.

You might enjoy Fallout 3. I say might because who knows if it'll suck. It's got a good rep for free form games, Bethesda did all the Elder Scrolls games and those are about as free roaming as you can get.

Fable is kind of on loose rails like KOTOR, but I enjoyed it. There's the whole good/evil thing which has become standard, and the combat was pretty good in the first one, as far as RPGs go. Fable 2 looks amazing, but again, who knows?

Right now, I'm still loving Call of Duty 4. The campaign is decent enough, but the multiplayer is amazing. If you can live with console shooters, give it a shot.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Asher


We should be discussing this in the "Is PC gaming doomed?" thread, which is about how console gaming is or is not killing PC gaming...a thread which I did not start.

Your response was I presume to El Cid, who was responding to Traianvs, who it appears was making a point about discussing consoles on a Civ site, not whether console gaming is or is not killing PCs.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Not a compelling argument, since you did start the thread we should be discussing this in.

i started this thread, and it was started to discuss news items from 2008 relating the PC and the general question of whether PC gaming continues to be viable.

As it seemed that whenever I posted something, certain people were deeply insulted and unhappy, and no one else was posting on topic, I left this thread to sink.

Unfortunately Vanguard, in reviving it, did NOT discuss items relating to the PC, but launched an attack on consoles. Creating the perfect strawman for a discussion, that, as you say, belongs elsewhere.

It is clear that there are many genres that thrive on consoles. And you are correct that 360, despite the MANY shooters in its line up, has a substantial line up of other games - RPGs, platformers, sports games, and music/rhythm games. Thats undeniable.

However as the PC was not a very significant player as far platformers, sports games, or rhythm games as of 2007, or even earlier, it seems clear to me thats not particularly on topic to the thread - its making a case for the 360 vs THE OTHER CONSOLES. Which belongs on console wars. The steady shift of FPS and RPGs to the consoles, esp the 360, from the PC is an issue thats more relevant - but again, some of the titles you list were released and acheived most of their sales on the 360 before 2008. From the PC 2008, many of the multiplatform titles you list are generating some excitement on the PC side, like Far Cry, or were released for PC with additional content in 2008 (Mass Effect I believe)

However I dont want to belabor this, as it still seems to me can't have a good, calm discussion of this topic here.