Video games...what ya playing? And what are you looking forward to? (2 Viewers)

[SlaX]

. . . and that's why I was going to be really pissed if the new consoles required always-on internet. Any system that stops people from playing a single-player game because a server somewhere has the hiccups is just an open invitation for piracy. BoltBacker is exactly right about how nobody learned anything from the RIAA.

The recent attempts at DRM have done nothing to prevent piracy. All they have done is spit in the face of consumers who continue to buy games legitimately. It's not a good thing when it's harder to play a game you've legally purchased than it is to play it pirated. All that does is push people towards piracy.

 

[Insein]

It really is sad because EA was one of the truly great game companies in the 90s and early 2000's. The leadership they have now is really screwing them. They're making billions in the short term but they're going to have no fan base in 5 years or so when all the little 12 year olds grow up and realize that they've been playing the same Call of Duty game for almost a decade.

I understand the point you're trying to make, but Call of Duty is Activision.

Yea I know. Just EA is responsible for the machine. Churn out a new title every year to maximize profit. Started with the sports franchises (specifically when they bought the NFL exclusive rights) and then they pushed it off on everything else they do. Now pushing for this always online model is just aggravating.

 

[shadyridr]

Dead space 3 is pretty boring

 

[TLEF316]

I've only technically pirated one game in my entire life (downloaded a no-CD crack for age of empires 2 like 10 years ago so my brothers and I could play against each-other with 1 copy) but I'm starting to see why somebody would. The DRM is just getting more and more invasive and ridiculous.

There's just gotta be a better way.

 

[madshot31]

Dead space 3 is pretty boring

Well it's not a horror game anymore, it's action. So depending on your expectations it can be kind of terrible compared to the second and especially the first. More main stream, yes. Better game, hell no.

 

[madshot31]

I've only technically pirated one game in my entire life (downloaded a no-CD crack for age of empires 2 like 10 years ago so my brothers and I could play against each-other with 1 copy) but I'm starting to see why somebody would. The DRM is just getting more and more invasive and ridiculous. There's just gotta be a better way.

I was driven away from PC gaming because of trouble they would put me through to play the game I bought. I'm not alone, most of my non tech savy friends and myself just would rather have a plug and play console even if we enjoy the modding and overall much better communities they offer.

 

[SlaX]

I've only technically pirated one game in my entire life (downloaded a no-CD crack for age of empires 2 like 10 years ago so my brothers and I could play against each-other with 1 copy) but I'm starting to see why somebody would. The DRM is just getting more and more invasive and ridiculous. There's just gotta be a better way.

The last game I pirated, I believe, was Black & White. My first copy of Half-Life was a pirated version (copied from a friend), but I loved it so much that I bought a legit copy for myself.

 

[TLEF316]

 

[NewlyRetired]

Pretty strong article from IGN warning that the gains made via DRM can not offset the downsides.

SimCity Burning: A Warning to Microsoft, Sony, and All Publishers on The Dangers of Always-Online DRM

Why it's just not worth it.

March 7, 2013

by Dan Stapleton

It has been out for three days, and SimCity is broken. Seriously, unplayably broken. As a long-time fan who's been looking forward to this week for many years, this is a huge, frustrating disappointment. The worst part? The main issue isn't with the game itself, but an entirely unnecessary and completely avoidable always-online DRM system that's keeping millions of fans from playing the game they paid for, when they were told they'd be able to play it. If there is one good thing that comes of this disaster, let it be yet another lesson to publishers like EA and Activision/Blizzard, and platform owners Microsoft and Sony, who may be considering always-on DRM in next-gen consoles or PC games: don't even think about it. It's a pipe dream, and to attempt it is to invite an enthusiasm-draining catastrophe with every single game launch.

Here's what the past 10 years of online DRM has taught anybody who's paid the slightest bit of attention: it never works right, at least at first. And while it might be largely successful in stopping piracy (as Diablo III effectively has), it exacts a terrible price: the trust and enthusiasm of the most loyal and enthusiastic gamers. These are the people who are dying to get their hands on new games, the ones who eagerly spend on pricey collectors' editions and DLC – all of it sight-unseen. If treated well, their word of mouth buzz can generate more game sales than a site like IGN ever could. They are also the ones who will always be affected most by the inevitable screwups that always-online DRM will bring.

I'm no network engineer, but it's obvious even to me that the infrastructure required to allow millions of gamers to play at once without issue is extremely complex. That means there are simply too many points along the line where it can break down, and it only takes one to make a game that's dependent on servers completely unplayable. It's also a system that invites technical disaster and locks out gamers who travel frequently or serve in the military. Failure is virtually assured.

You, the publishers, might think that it'll be different when you try it – that you'll get it right where others failed, and the fancy new proprietary always-online DRM technology you've invested in is foolproof. Here's the reality, reinforced by this week's events: you will almost certainly fail, and the payoff of zero piracy isn't worth the cost. In PC gaming, publishing giants Ubisoft, Blizzard (and by extension Activision), and now EA have all attempted it, and all have completely botched the launches of some of their most highly anticipated games. While you might eventually stabilize your servers after the initial spike in demand and get things humming along, constant login queues and downtime have turned many of your greatest allies into your worst enemies. You'll have hamstrung your own momentum.

Yes, MMORPGs and most free-to-play games will always have this problem, because being online is an integral part of their design. It's what the O in MMO stands for, in fact. But games like Diablo III and SimCity are not MMOs. They don't need to be connected to be enjoyed – I know, as I've played both primarily in single-player thus far. In SimCity's case it's especially ridiculous, as you're not even playing with others in real-time. Despite Maxis' insistence that it was built from the ground up to be a multiplayer game, its designers' best efforts couldn't shoehorn essential multiplayer into a game that is inherently single-player. Certainly nothing that's worth not being able to play at all because a server's down. Not to us.

We don't need to add the unfortunate downsides of MMORPGs to games that don't have or need the upsides which come with that necessary evil. Piracy is awful, and most gamers can only imagine how it feels to have to watch as your expensively produced product is stolen with impunity. But this is an overreaction that runs a very serious risk of doing far more harm than good.

But forget about money for a moment. There's also the question of preserving gaming history. As we saw with THQ last month, publishers aren't immortal. They can die, and had THQ implemented always-online DRM in Darksiders II, all copies of that game might've died with it when the rights to the series weren't bought up by another publisher. As bad as it must feel when thousands – or even millions – of people are playing your game without paying for it, surely the idea of everyone who did pay for it losing access to a piece of your work that they love is even more appalling.

I feel terrible for Maxis, who I'm almost certain didn't come up with the idea to make SimCity require an online connection. That development team put in years of their lives on a game that, when it works, is astonishing in a lot of really interesting ways, and watching it sabotaged by DRM has to be absolutely crushing for them. And I feel awful for gamers out there who waited 10 years for a modern successor to a classic PC game, only to find a frustrating technical mess.

Just remember this, publishers and developers: if you choose to go down this road, and there comes a time when you're frantically scrambling to fix your overloaded and failing servers, with hordes of angry customers howling for refunds and swearing off all your future games forever (as Maxis is this very moment, and Blizzard was last year)... it didn't have to be like this.

 

[Run It Up]

And EA and Activision recoil everytime they realize that literally everyone has the utmost contempt for them and their ####ty business practices - and then they respond in kind by lowering the bar even more.

Patiently counting the days till Blizzard breaks out from under Activision and Valve kills EA.

Sony and Microsoft are not far behind, just pathetic business practice and people should really put their foot down.

 

[TxBuckeye]

I have no-CD hacks for virtually every game I own. And by own, I mean bought. The first thing I do when buying a game that requires a CD is look for the no-CD hack. So oddly enough, these practices drive even honest consumers to support the efforts of hackers.

 

[TLEF316]

They'll argue that you don't own the game. You only own a license to play the game. That license dictates that you play the game their way.

I download every PC game I buy now. I haven't bought a physical copy in several years. Its just so much more convenient. There have been a couple of rocky launches (Battlefield Bad Company 2 had week 1 server issues) but nothing to the extent of this simcity disaster.

 

[shadyridr]

Dead space 3 is pretty boring

Well it's not a horror game anymore, it's action. So depending on your expectations it can be kind of terrible compared to the second and especially the first. More main stream, yes. Better game, hell no.

I still dont get the weapon crafting system. I can barely craft anything. Luckily I got this cool shotgun since I played Dead Space 2. Yeah, thats right, a standard shotgun.

 

[Run It Up]

Dead space 3 is pretty boring

Well it's not a horror game anymore, it's action. So depending on your expectations it can be kind of terrible compared to the second and especially the first. More main stream, yes. Better game, hell no.

I still dont get the weapon crafting system. I can barely craft anything. Luckily I got this cool shotgun since I played Dead Space 2. Yeah, thats right, a standard shotgun.

But you can buy more guns with real money!

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I always download before buying. Too much crap out there to spend $60 and hope it is good (see: City, Sim).

 

[Run It Up]

I always download before buying. Too much crap out there to spend $60 and hope it is good (see: City, Sim).

Words to live by.

 

[GTBilly]

You need to be 30 percent through Dead Space 3 before it gets interesting.

 

[Drifter]

You need to be 30 percent through Dead Space 3 before it gets interesting.

That's what she said?

 

[BoltBacker]

I always download before buying. Too much crap out there to spend $60 and hope it is good (see: City, Sim).

I think EA may have killed an entire segment of golden goose customers(those willing to pay full price on release). These reviews are simply incredible....http://www.amazon.com/SimCity-Limited-Edition-Pc/dp/B007FTE2VW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

5 star:

(62)

4 star:

(33)

3 star:

(40)

2 star:

(92)

1 star:

(2,710)

I wonder if SimCity is the single title that saves us all from "streaming" games for the next ps3/xbox. It's bad enough for a single title to be an utter failure but can a once-a-decade console launch risk publicity this bad?

 

[GoFishTN]

I always download before buying. Too much crap out there to spend $60 and hope it is good (see: City, Sim).

I think EA may have killed an entire segment of golden goose customers(those willing to pay full price on release). These reviews are simply incredible....http://www.amazon.com/SimCity-Limited-Edition-Pc/dp/B007FTE2VW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

5 star:

(62)

4 star:

(33)

3 star:

(40)

2 star:

(92)

1 star:

(2,710)

I wonder if SimCity is the single title that saves us all from "streaming" games for the next ps3/xbox. It's bad enough for a single title to be an utter failure but can a once-a-decade console launch risk publicity this bad?

I didn't realize it was this bad:

9) You try to play and there is no space available- they put you IN LINE to wait to play. They tell you the game will start in "30 minutes." REALLY? I have to wait 30 minutes to play the game I just paid $60 for? I might not want to play in 30 minutes- I want to play the game when I turn it on, that is the point of buying a game!

 

[NewlyRetired]

I wonder if SimCity is the single title that saves us all from "streaming" games for the next ps3/xbox.

I hate to wish ill will on any games that people want to play but if this continues to go down in flames, it will certainly at least give a moments pause. Read the article i posted earlier from IGN. They talked a lot about this.

 

[TLEF316]

Yeah, its unbelievably bad, especially for a game franchise that has been single player only for like 2 decades.

I get that "social interaction" is the big thing now, but some games are meant to be played solo. Simcity is one of them. If you want to waste away hours tweaking your city in your own little world, you should be able to plunk down $60 and do that.

 

[jwb]

I wonder if SimCity is the single title that saves us all from "streaming" games for the next ps3/xbox.

I hate to wish ill will on any games that people want to play but if this continues to go down in flames, it will certainly at least give a moments pause. Read the article i posted earlier from IGN. They talked a lot about this.

Yea, this is really bad.I don't mind some of the anti-pirate / anti-used stuff they've tried (mainly a one-time online code sold w/ the game - I think that's fair), but this goes way too far.

Plus, they are shooting themselves in the foot because they now commit themselves to these servers for a long, long time. Good.

I really, really hope this game is a complete disaster for them. We gamers let the game industry get away with a lot, and still buy their products. But this kind of treatment we can't accept.

 

[belljr]

Caved and picked up the show

 

[shadyridr]

Caved and picked up the show

Every year i say im not gonna do it cuz i just dont have time to play the way i want to. Every year i cave and then stop playing it by may cuz i dont have time. Im still debating

 

[5Rings]

Amazon has a $10 gift card and some free DLC for pre-buying GoW Ascension.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I wonder if SimCity is the single title that saves us all from "streaming" games for the next ps3/xbox.

I hate to wish ill will on any games that people want to play but if this continues to go down in flames, it will certainly at least give a moments pause. Read the article i posted earlier from IGN. They talked a lot about this.

Yea, this is really bad.I don't mind some of the anti-pirate / anti-used stuff they've tried (mainly a one-time online code sold w/ the game - I think that's fair), but this goes way too far.

Plus, they are shooting themselves in the foot because they now commit themselves to these servers for a long, long time. Good.

I really, really hope this game is a complete disaster for them. We gamers let the game industry get away with a lot, and still buy their products. But this kind of treatment we can't accept.

Same here. I do feel bad for anybody who purchased Sim City, but looking at the big picture, it's good for something like this to suffer an epic meltdown.

 

[belljr]

Caved and picked up the show

Every year i say im not gonna do it cuz i just dont have time to play the way i want to. Every year i cave and then stop playing it by may cuz i dont have time. Im still debating

Lol that is exactly me

 

[OC Zed]

Caved and picked up the show

How is it?

 

[belljr]

Caved and picked up the show

How is it?

Looks great on my table , just got it today havent played it yet

 

[Usual21]

Tomb Raider is phenomenal. Right up there with Uncharted, and in some cases, better. It feels like the best of the Uncharted series with added skills. The bow and different arrows you can use are killer. I can't recommend this game enough.

 

[AYBABTUS]

Tomb Raider is phenomenal. Right up there with Uncharted, and in some cases, better. It feels like the best of the Uncharted series with added skills. The bow and different arrows you can use are killer. I can't recommend this game enough.

DL this on steam and played the first couple hours. Looks great. Building a new PC though and waiting for some parts so holding off on continuing until my new PC is built.

 

[thecatch]

Anyone picking up the new Starcraft this week?

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

 

[Usual21]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

 

[shadyridr]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner. Is tomb raider pc only?

Each game takes at least an hour and there are 162 games in a season. Also, I tend to watch real baseball during the summer so I barely have time to play.

 

[SlaX]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Picked it up yesterday. What I've played so far has been nothing short of spectacular. This is how to do a reboot.

 

[Pick]

Anyone picking up the new Starcraft this week?

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner. Is tomb raider pc only?

Each game takes at least an hour and there are 162 games in a season. Also, I tend to watch real baseball during the summer so I barely have time to play.

You can't play a shorter schedule? Can you sim multiple games at a time?

 

[shadyridr]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner. Is tomb raider pc only?

Each game takes at least an hour and there are 162 games in a season. Also, I tend to watch real baseball during the summer so I barely have time to play.

You can't play a shorter schedule? Can you sim multiple games at a time?

yes you can. That's why I said in my post, I can't decicate the time to the game to play it the way I like to play it. I hate simming games and id hate even more playing a shortened season

 

[jwb]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Picked it up yesterday. What I've played so far has been nothing short of spectacular. This is how to do a reboot.

I never got into tomb raider years back, so I somewhat ignored this. The buzz made me go look at reviews - it looks really good. Will be getting this later today.

 

[Usual21]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Picked it up yesterday. What I've played so far has been nothing short of spectacular. This is how to do a reboot.

Take the best parts of Encharted series, and add some new gameplay elements, superior aim for shooting parts of the game, creative ways of using lighting to enhance the atmosphere, and do this all on a extremely beautiful island with an intriguing story. This isn't just a homerun. This is Kirk Gibson rounding the bases at Chavez Ravine in '88.

 

[shadyridr]

So Dead Space 3 gets a bit better but its still kind of blah. I have determined why it is blah for the following reasons:

1. The weapons suck. You only get two and they each have two functions but theyre boring.

2. You get TONS of ammo & medicine. I never run out.

3. Every room is the same. A ton of enemies rush at you. You go nuts killing them all. Then go scoop up all the ammo, medicine, $$ etc

4. The story is dreadful and there is a lot of backtracking.

5. The suits are dumb

Its not a horrible game. Its pretty long so far. Im only 50% thru and Im at about 7 hours. I cant wait to get through it so I can start playing Tomb Raider & GOW:A

 

[Insein]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Picked it up yesterday. What I've played so far has been nothing short of spectacular. This is how to do a reboot.

Take the best parts of Encharted series, and add some new gameplay elements, superior aim for shooting parts of the game, creative ways of using lighting to enhance the atmosphere, and do this all on a extremely beautiful island with an intriguing story. This isn't just a homerun. This is Kirk Gibson rounding the bases at Chavez Ravine in '88.

So it seems the only question left then is PS3 or Xbox?

 

[belljr]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Once my remodel is done, this.may be my.treat

 

[SlaX]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Picked it up yesterday. What I've played so far has been nothing short of spectacular. This is how to do a reboot.

Take the best parts of Encharted series, and add some new gameplay elements, superior aim for shooting parts of the game, creative ways of using lighting to enhance the atmosphere, and do this all on a extremely beautiful island with an intriguing story. This isn't just a homerun. This is Kirk Gibson rounding the bases at Chavez Ravine in '88.

So it seems the only question left then is PS3 or Xbox?

Picked up XBox version. I've been really sick today, so I haven't made any further progress.

 

[OC Zed]

1up.com is being shut down.

The writing has been on the wall for years, but before the recession started to shrink budgets across the gaming media industry 1up was one of the few reliable and critically honest sites out there. I don't put a lot of stock into Gamespot's or IGN's reviews, so I guess we're back to square one.

 

[NewlyRetired]

1up.com is being shut down.

The writing has been on the wall for years, but before the recession started to shrink budgets across the gaming media industry 1up was one of the few reliable and critically honest sites out there. I don't put a lot of stock into Gamespot's or IGN's reviews, so I guess we're back to square one.

Yeah, very sad. We talked about this back in February when they said good bye.http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=496856&st=7895

 

[Run It Up]

The only good source for reviews now is from your peers or youtube. Have to sift through the crap and learn where to look.

 

[Frank Drebin]

What makes The Show so time consuming? I've never played any of them but would love to play some baseball and make my pirates a winner.

Is tomb raider pc only?

No. Xbox360 and PS3 as well. I'm playing on XBox. I Lara

Picked it up yesterday. What I've played so far has been nothing short of spectacular. This is how to do a reboot.

Take the best parts of Encharted series, and add some new gameplay elements, superior aim for shooting parts of the game, creative ways of using lighting to enhance the atmosphere, and do this all on a extremely beautiful island with an intriguing story. This isn't just a homerun. This is Kirk Gibson rounding the bases at Chavez Ravine in '88.

This. The gunplay in Tomb Raider is so superior to Uncharted it's almost unfair to compare them.