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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

PC Gaming Really Is Dying

I used to fight this idea that the consoles are killing PC gaming, but after the wash of feeble releases this holiday gaming season, I think it's finally coming true.

Look at the titles released this fall of any worth:

Age of Empires 3: Absolutely zero innovation. City home-base concept was cosmetic, hype about graphics weren't warranted. Essentially a decent, but thoroughly unimaginative and mediocre title.

Quake 4: More FPS, mindless button hunting, rat-in-a-maze gameplay. Absolutely no innovation whatsoever on any level.

Civ 4: The best reviewed of the fall launches is essentially a rehash of the past civilization titles. Buggy release, no innovation.

Fear: Probably the best fall title released, but again, once you got past the fun office-firefights, you get bored. Same "look, there's some ductwork to crawl through" gameplay.

Call of Duty 2: Call of Duty 1 1/2. Again, no innovation.

Now look at the EBGames releases from now until next summer:

»www.ebgames.com/ebx/cate ··· PC+Games

Not only are there no smart, deep, original PC games coming out, there's now starting to be fewer even mediocre titles.

About the only "must have" title for real PC gamers this fall is Oblivion. While I'm excited, I can't shake the feeling it's going to suffer from some "consolitis". Consolitis being what Deus Ex 2 suffered from, namely a dumbing down of gameplay, and more "my first font" Fisher Price GUI implementation.

Maybe "The Movies"?

Note that after Christmas, nothing of any real interest gets released until February (Hellgate: London).

Not only are my favorite type of PC games no longer being made (RPG), nobody is willing to add any depth to the FPS genre the way Deus Ex and System Shock did, for fear of alienating dumb game buyers.

Damn you, dumb game buyers!

justin
..needs sleep
Mod
join:1999-05-28
2031

1 recommendation

justin

Mod

maybe everyone is playing world of warcraft?

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

The only really stellar title to come along in the past two years....

Easy to port to PS3 or Xbox 360 subscription services next generation, and they'd make more money.

BBR_InsUW
WT or CoH thats my Game

join:2000-04-22
La Mesa, CA

BBR_InsUW to justin

to justin
said by justin:

maybe everyone is playing world of warcraft?
Nope not everyone, but I refuse to pay for a game and have to Pay to play it?

SKYHN
Lu.. Lu.. Lulululu
Premium Member
join:2001-09-16
99999

SKYHN

Premium Member

said by BBR_InsUW:
said by justin:

maybe everyone is playing world of warcraft?
Nope not everyone, but I refuse to pay for a game and have to Pay to play it?
4.5 million people are. Thats a pretty big chunk of everyone.

crazediamond
Maybe you shouldn't be so proud?
Premium Member
join:2002-01-19
Brooklyn, NY

crazediamond to Karl Bode

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to Karl Bode
civ has significant gameplay changes from civ3, and aside from some "big picture" concepts, quite different than civ 1 and 2 (not as different when compared to 3 tho).
jps_valdosta
join:2004-05-10
Valdosta, GA

jps_valdosta to Karl Bode

Member

to Karl Bode
I have been gaming since the 8 bit days and I have played a lot of great games over the years. Sadly this year is probably one of the worst years as far as quality games are concerned. I have enjoyed several games this year, but it seems the good ones are few and far between now. I wonder where the innovation is today? Even Black and White 2 was mediocre at best and that game was made by one of the masters of game development. I think that companies like EA are mostly to blame with their deadlines and profit margins. Maybe everyone is just out of good game ideas?
dogma1029
join:2005-09-15
Torrington, CT

dogma1029 to Karl Bode

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to Karl Bode
Although some good points have been made I refuse to believe that computer games are dying. I have been gaming all my life, I remember when space invaders came out at the arcades. Yes, that old!!
I've seen good times and bad times as far as quality gaming is concerned and my biggest worry is that the small developers that are willing to take a chance on a new idea are being "elbowed" out by the big boys.
It's the smaller developers that are more willing to push the envelope and the bigger studios(because of deadlines and publisher pressure) that give us cookie cutter games.
Mustang52
Premium Member
join:2005-06-27
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Mustang52 to jps_valdosta

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Maybe we're spoiled by the raised bar. Don't forget that this was the year we saw Half life 2, BF 2, Chronicles of Riddick, Doom 2 (graphically innovative) released as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Admittedly the pickings are slim for XMas, but maybe they're purposefully waiting for the hype of the consoles to get out of the way?

The creators of Ghost Recon working on a PC release has to show some good signs to PC Gaming industry.

We have come to the point though where all the smaller coompanies being bought by the big corporations seems to have reduced the enthusiasm and innovation that seemed to gush onto our screens to a small and teasing trickle....

LBadvance
join:2002-04-27

LBadvance

Member

said by Mustang52:

Doom 2 (graphically innovative) released as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Doom 2!!!!!!

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

1 recommendation

Karl Bode to Mustang52

News Guy

to Mustang52
quote:
Maybe we're spoiled by the raised bar. Don't forget that this was the year we saw Half life 2, BF 2, Chronicles of Riddick, Doom 2 (graphically innovative) released as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Half-Life 2 was well made, but I wasn't as thrilled by it as everyone else. I'm pretty bored with straight first person shooters. I feel like a lab rat when I play them these days. It's like I actually have to turn my mind completely off.

Doom 3 was an utter rehash, and I'm not sure moody lighting is an innovation. Chronicles of Riddick I'll give you, that was well made.

It seems like with broadband being so pervasive, we should really be seeing more titles that fully take advantage of it. In game video-chat that shows up in the first person view of your attack jet's console.....VoIP in every title....more persistent world global war type games....

Or maybe I'm just irritated by the death of good PC RPG's like Fallout, Ultima, etc.

Clipper
join:2002-05-23
Stoney Creek, ON

Clipper

Member

Did you ever play Ultima IX: Ascension, Karl? It was an AWESOME game that had alot of potential, especially for lovers of the Ultima series (Quest of the Avatar for the NES was one of the best games ever made). U9 was linear RPG, first person perspective of the ultima world. It's too bad the unpatched version had so many bugs, some that even prevented you from finishing the game. The graphics for the era were cutting edge and created an awesome epic world to explore.

If you liked the ultima games and morrowwind, you would love U9. I don't know if you can even find it in stores nowadays tho.
dogma1029
join:2005-09-15
Torrington, CT

dogma1029 to LBadvance

Member

to LBadvance
said by LBadvance:

said by Mustang52:

Doom 2 (graphically innovative) released as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Doom 2!!!!!!
It was only a test and you caught it!!
ken225
join:2003-11-22
Brunswick, OH

ken225 to Karl Bode

Member

to Karl Bode
The problem is that, as games become more expensive and publishers consolidate by buying each other, people get less enthusiastic about titles that are interesting but might fail. However, this isn't exclusive to PC games. Take Hollywood, for example. This summer saw mostly sequels, remakes and rehashes of 70's TV shows. It was also one of the Hollywood's worst summers in terms of making money. Is anyone surprised? Television is the same. How many truly innovative shows are there? Once one style of show does well (reality TV for example) they rush to copy themselves.

However, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. A recent PC Gamer podcast talked about homebrew games that can avoid the massive costs by licensing game engines instead of developing them, and distributing the games directly to the customer over the Internet. Perhaps this will breathe new life into PC Gaming. Remember, most of the classic games we all loved were created by only a few guys with a passion, not a warehouse of overworked coders.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

quote:
A recent PC Gamer podcast talked about homebrew games that can avoid the massive costs by licensing game engines instead of developing them, and distributing the games directly to the customer over the Internet. Perhaps this will breathe new life into PC Gaming.
Good point and I hope you're right!

LaZ3R
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

1 recommendation

LaZ3R

Premium Member

I actually think the reason many PC gamers are fading away is because not everyone is rich and can afford these super expensive parts which are needed to play a game at nice quality.

Consoles offer the same stuff almost but at $500 (or less) and still offer just as good or even better graphics.

Money is the biggest concern in my opinion for the majority of us

justin
..needs sleep
Mod
join:1999-05-28
2031
Billion BiPAC 7800N
Apple AirPort Extreme (2011)

justin

Mod

it isn't that the consoles offer just as good or better graphics as much as they offer a game that is identical to the one the reviewers played. When you add the possibility of hardware or OS incompatibilities in with the possibility of the graphical and sonic experience not being the same as the person who rated the game a solid "8 out of 10", only the diehards and technically savvy are still confident enough to buy.

LaZ3R
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

LaZ3R

Premium Member

Well that's quite understandable, I just believe that consoles make the experience feel a lot better and you feel a lot better knowing that when you play online with someone else, that they don't have any type of advantage while playing against you meaning that you have the ability to play a fair game where both users get the exact same frame rate (Or fairly close).

Computers and Consoles both have their own ups and downs and I'm not really sure which one is possibly any better because the pricing of it all has a huge impact these days.

Maranello
MVM
join:2000-12-08
Butler, PA

Maranello to Karl Bode

MVM

to Karl Bode
Riddick was the one I never saw coming... I mean it was a silent release. I only came across it while looking up a review for another game then went to Wal-Mart and shelled out a very wallet pleasing $17 for it and fell in love.

What Im waiting for is at least one real driving game for PC.... the GT4 for the PC world. I know a non fast and the furious style game like GT4 would sell... so where is it?

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode to LaZ3R

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to LaZ3R
I also think piracy is probably eroding PC gaming faster than it's hitting consoles, because of the need for a mod-chip, which at least in the Xbox's case, can keep you from playing on-line if present.

I'll feel a lot better about it all when I can plug a wireless keyboard and USB mouse into my PS3 and/or Xbox and use them for gaming.

(And when I can someday afford a 50" plasma )

capdjq
Be Kind, Be Calm & Be Safe
Premium Member
join:2000-11-01
Vancouver

capdjq to Maranello

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Taken from the Chicago Tribune. You have to register to read it:

PC gaming industry strives for comeback

Consoles have been on top for years, but fans of computer games may have something to cheer about again thanks to the efforts of big players like Microsoft, GameStop and Dell

By Victor Godinez
Dallas Morning News
Published October 29, 2005

DALLAS -- The last few years have not been all fun and games for computer game fans, but that might be changing.

As attention has shifted to sophisticated video-game consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation 2, PC gamers have watched their preferred platform wither.

Retailers have been squeezing shelf space for PC games to accommodate more console and hand-held titles, and many PC game creators have migrated to the console market.

PC game sales in the United States peaked at $2 billion in 1999 and then fell every year after that, landing at $1.1 billion last year.

Console game sales, on the other hand, were already twice the size of PC game sales in 1999 and have increased every year since, reaching $6.2 billion in 2004.

But several major companies--including Microsoft Corp. and heavyweights such as GameStop Corp. and Dell Inc.--are trying to revitalize PC gaming.

"The shelf space has been shrinking," said Chris Donahue, director for the Windows gaming and graphics team at Microsoft. "We underinvested in making sure that hasn't happened, and that's one of the things we're going to fix."

The big boys are getting help from scores of smaller game developers and sellers who want to bypass retail shelves altogether and turn online game sales and downloads into a thriving industry.

Microsoft--which makes the Xbox game console and its coming successor, the Xbox 360--is one of the companies responsible for the ascendancy of console gaming.

In 2001, the Xbox console was launched with a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz.

Last year, Microsoft pushed video-game hype into a new realm with the release of its Xbox game "Halo 2." Sales of "Halo 2" hit $125 million on the first day of availability, the largest first-day gross of any entertainment product in history, to that point.

Now, the Xbox 360 is set to hit Nov. 22, and Microsoft has proclaimed its goal to attract 1 billion gamers.

Whether or not that lofty pinnacle is reached, it's clear that Microsoft, as well as competitors Sony and Nintendo, have turned console gaming into a mainstream entertainment medium on par with movies and music.

Lost in the shuffle has been the PC, the original king of interactive entertainment.

Dan DeMatteo, chief operating officer and vice chairman at GameStop, a Grapevine, Texas-based video-game retailer, recalls two decades ago when consoles were mere upstarts.

"I remember when, back when I was at Software Etc., the day came when console games became 25 percent of my business, and I said, `Oh, my goodness, this is terrible,'" he said.

Now, GameStop--which recently spent $1.4 billion to acquire its biggest competitor, Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp.--reserves about 85 percent of its store shelves for console games, DeMatteo said.

"I would hate to see it go away," he said of the PC games segment. "I wouldn't be the one to cause it to go away. If the consumer is there and publishers are making good games for the PC, I will be there."

The Dallas area is home to some of the hottest PC gamemakers in the world.

Ensemble Studios, a Microsoft-owned studio based in Dallas, is finishing up "Age of Empires III," an eagerly awaited update to its empire simulation series.

Even bigger is Id Software, in the suburb of Mesquite, creator of the "Doom" and "Quake" franchises.

At a game expo in August, Id Chief Executive Todd Hollenshead said the slide in PC game sales is pushing developers to consoles such as the Xbox 360 and Sony's coming PlayStation 3.

"`Doom 3' did very well on the PC platform, but those macro trends at some point come to bear and start having issues for the market overall," he said.

Another challenge for the PC games industry is that many gamers never see titles that lack the name recognition of "Doom." GameStop is looking to change that.

GameStop has more than 4,000 retail locations--mostly in the U.S., with a growing presence in Europe--making it by far the largest games-only retailer in the country.

Many of its stores have demo kiosks for consoles such as the PlayStation 2 or Nintendo DS so gamers can try before they buy.

Testing a PC game has been impossible. Not anymore. In a trial collaboration announced a few weeks ago, GameStop and Round Rock, Texas-based Dell have rolled out computer game kiosks in 25 GameStop stores.

Customers can test a handful of the best PC games the same way they test-drive the latest PS2 release.

The kiosks will be powered by Dell's revamped and supercharged XPS computers, coupled with 42-inch Dell high-definition plasma monitors.

Todd Bartee, director of sales for Dell's consumer team, said that while it's too early to quantify the results of the GameStop collaboration, anecdotal observation of a GameStop store in Austin, Texas, has him excited.

"It's the hit of the store," he said. "It's in the premier location, and all the kids are lined up playing on it."

While Dell and GameStop focus on the hardware, Microsoft is campaigning to bring enthusiasm back to Windows as a gaming platform, culminating in the release sometime next year of Windows Vista.

When that operating system launches, Microsoft will treat it as if it were launching a new video game console, Donahue said.

Vista is being designed as the most game-friendly Windows operating system ever, and it will include prominent game folders on the main Start menu so users don't have to hunt through a list of all their applications to find their installed games.

In addition, Microsoft is campaigning for game developers to start releasing their games on DVDs instead of just CDs, to eliminate the bulky multiple-CD sleeves needed for the most sophisticated titles.

Donahue said Microsoft is also encouraging companies to enable their games to start playing as soon as they're inserted into the computer, rather than forcing users to install the game on the PC's hard drive.

That would allow PC games to match some of the plug-and-play capabilities that have made consoles so popular.

"If you think about a 5-year-old that wants to play `Reader Rabbit' and they have to sit though an install process, it shouldn't be like that," Donahue said.

While billion-dollar firms such as GameStop, Microsoft and Dell may be leading the charge for PC games, there are other soldiers on the battlefield.

On Oct. 17, for example, Turner Broadcasting launched GameTap, a service that lets PC users download and play a variety of mostly older titles for a monthly subscription fee.

And small independent PC game developers that would never get their products on store shelves may soon find a home at Manifesto Games. The site will start selling downloadable PC games next year.

Perhaps the biggest proponent of downloadable PC games is Valve Corp., which sold its blockbuster "Half-Life 2" both in stores and through its Steam download service.

With the new focus on PC games in retail stores and the ability to buy and download games online, industry professionals insist there is a future for the PC games industry that doesn't include a eulogy.

"With the new consoles coming out--and I said this five years ago when the PS2 and Xbox came out--people all rush to ring the bell for the death knell of PC gaming, and it never seems to happen, and I don't think we're looking at that now, either," Hollenshead said.

justin
..needs sleep
Mod
join:1999-05-28
2031
Billion BiPAC 7800N
Apple AirPort Extreme (2011)

justin to Karl Bode

Mod

to Karl Bode
dell just reported an unexpected lower profit due to slower sales so maybe it isn't pc gaming that is in decline, maybe it is pcs. Or maybe pc gaming was driving pc sales and now people are happier with a laptop, a handheld, a console and a smart phone.

Maverick128
@swbell.net

Maverick128 to Karl Bode

Anon

to Karl Bode
Well, I don't know about a wireless keyboard but logitech does make a USB keyboard and mouse for PS2 so I don't see why they wouldn't for the PS3. It's also possible that Sony themselves will put one out for the PS3 seeing as it is Bluetooth compatible for up to 7 devices.

Here's the PS2 accessories:
»www.logitech.com/promoti ··· calmouse

Jehu
Premium Member
join:2002-09-13
MA

Jehu

Premium Member

Yes, the mouse/keyboard accessories are there, but there have been no console games where the developers incorporated support for them.

NewJersey13
Jersey
Premium Member
join:2003-10-20
Clayton, NJ

NewJersey13 to Karl Bode

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to Karl Bode
I dont see your arguement

Age of Empires 3
Call of Duty 2
Civ 4
Fear
Quake 4

all where released for Xbox and PS2 correct? so what is pc dieing out for? Just because you dont like the games doesnt mean others dont as well. I agree I hate all the title you brought up but on the otherhand I play EA SPORTS games to DEATH.. Every year they get more and more life like NHL NBA NFL Nascar all GREAT games and look great on XBOX and PC (no PS2's in my household)..

Maybe your playing the wrong games lol
WiZZLa
Insert Meaningless Text Here -Run 4a Mod
join:2003-11-09
Canada

WiZZLa to Karl Bode

Member

to Karl Bode
said by SKYHN:

4.5 million people are. Thats a pretty big chunk of everyone.
It's actually a small chunk as the world's population is 6.4 billion...
said by Jehu:

Yes, the mouse/keyboard accessories are there, but there have been no console games where the developers incorporated support for them.
Not true. Dreamcast games come to mind, as they supported keyboards for games requiring typing and games where keyboard/mouse offer a better feel or better gameplay.
For example: FPS games like Quake 3, typing games like Typing of the Dead, and other games like PSO.

BK
join:2001-09-10
Chicago, IL

BK to Karl Bode

Member

to Karl Bode
do these sales numbers factor in the monthly fees these mmorpgs are getting?

its possible that all these mmorpgs are simply taking up so much time of gamers that they dont have to buy any new games. remember when all these games would be on tons of floppies or a cd? those games we're definetly shorter. shorter games means more games if you are a gamer.. and more money for the companies.

i have no idea if that is remotely true just a theory

justin
..needs sleep
Mod
join:1999-05-28
2031

justin

Mod

they don't just take up time you would spend with other titles, they also take up time you would spend paying bills, watching TV, socialising in the real world ...

wings10
I Am Legend
Premium Member
join:2004-06-09
South Elgin, IL

wings10

Premium Member

PC gaming will always be around. There are several consoles out there. But a PC has better games. You can also do more with a PC. I remember the last time everyone got in the game console business. It was 1984 and Atari, Intelevision, Colecovision all went bus. It will happen again. To much product out there and few dollars to spend.

YBoris
join:2001-06-01
Old Bridge, NJ

YBoris to Karl Bode

Member

to Karl Bode

you're just growing up!

seriously - I'm about 20 now ... and in the past 3 years I have played only Counter-Strike, at most once a week (if not a month) for at most 2 hours. I love the game - it's amazing with my friend over MSN, talking, etc. But aside that, and the fun time I had with HL2, there is nothing that satisfies me (granted I didn't play FEAR yet). But it is as if there is nothing. And it's not just me, the few of the friends I have that are gamer - all feel the same way. We are just getting older. We are getting jaded. Oh well, time to move on?