Dragon Age

[Kelverin]

Sports games have done well in the past on the PC, but they've struggled lately. Front Page Sports Football really did some amazing stuff that wasn't possible on the consoles at the time, and the NHL series pulled off 3d graphics successfully on the PC first.

 

You will continue to see simulators (management games) probably stick to the PC as well.

 

Without the technology edge (or rather a slim edge) the consoles have definitely pulled ahead though.

 

I used to plug two controllers into a PC and play hockey with friends, but the TV is bigger and the consoles tend to come with controllers at the ready.

 

It depends what you are looking for in a game. I like customization, with the PC as long as I am proficient in programing I can do some amazing things with what is given, also the mod scene is alive and well in the Sports gaming community.

 

For example with MVP 2005 (4 year old game) good luck finding it under $80.00

 

I can download mods

Change the ball physics

Edit bases, balls, bats,

New up to date stadiums

Customize schedules

Edit players pictures

Change camera view

Edit music (walk up)

Play the 1994, 1978, 1956, 1964, 1967, 1961, 2006, 2007, 2008(coming soon) seasons with real schedules, music, stadiums,

Nippon Professional Baseball

Caribe Baseball league

World Baseball Classic

 

That's just a small example. Good luck doing any of that on a console.

[Hurlshort]

You can definitely find more complexity in PC titles. The problem is most developers (ok, EA, but they kinda own the kingdom) want to release a new title every year. They probably see it as a better business decision to not make the game have too many layers, because that might cause folks to play it longer than a year and cut into their bottom line.

[Sand]

No, to be the SAME entity, All of Bioware would have to be all of EA. That is what the word "same" means. Bioware (in corporate law terms) is a subsidiary of EA. Though, while we're on this, one with near complete creative autonomy by terms of the deal, and one of their execs sitting as an EA VP. So again, before you resort to condescending language, ensure you are accurate in your terms.

 

And the MEPC port wasn't done by Bioware anyway. That's why the "Demiurge" logo is there.

 

Demiurge did a terrible job of it, but as far as I am concern Bioware has been consumed by EA and are basically the same company now.

[Kelverin]

I think hockey will still be on the PC

You are right, Hockey is going to be available for the PC. Interesting. Why only Hockey? Doesn't make any sense, unless it was already in production before they made the decision to get out of PC sports gaming.

[Deraldin]

I think hockey will still be on the PC

You are right, Hockey is going to be available for the PC. Interesting. Why only Hockey? Doesn't make any sense, unless it was already in production before they made the decision to get out of PC sports gaming.

Or the NHL series sells enough PC copies to justify continuing to create it?

[Hurlshort]

I think hockey will still be on the PC

You are right, Hockey is going to be available for the PC. Interesting. Why only Hockey? Doesn't make any sense, unless it was already in production before they made the decision to get out of PC sports gaming.

Or the NHL series sells enough PC copies to justify continuing to create it?

 

The NHL series is produced by a completely different development studio, so that might have something to do with it also.

[newc0253]

Bioware has been consumed by EA and are basically the same company now.

i haven't seen any evidence of EA pulling the strings, preventing Bio from doing their own thing.

 

(then again, Bio have never been known for being particularly radical or avant garde, so maybe EA has no need to)

 

either way, it seems to me that EA is pretty comfortable letting Bio do what they do best. after all, Bio might not be a golden goose, but it's got a solid track record of producing popular, market-friendly CRPGs.

 

what would be the point of EA frakking with that?

Edited July 7, 2008 by newc0253

[Sand]

I am not saying that EA will cause changes at Bio, but they can if they wanted to because EA is, ultimately, in control.

[Magister Lajciak]

Only one more day to wait to see what will be revealed!

[Kelverin]

Or the NHL series sells enough PC copies to justify continuing to create it?

More than Madden? I don't think so. Less pirated is more like it.

 

Good luck finding sale figures to compare.

Edited July 8, 2008 by Kelverin

[samm]

Or the NHL series sells enough PC copies to justify continuing to create it?

More than Madden? I don't think so. Less pirated is more like it.

The world doesn't consist of the US, not even the game's market, and Hockey is far more popular in the rest of the world than American Football...

 

Edith asks what this has to do with DA and is sorry for continuing the off topic discussion.

Edited July 8, 2008 by samm

[Kelverin]

The world doesn't consist of the US

It doesn't wow thanks for clearing that up.

Care to back up your position with sales #'s, not trying to be an ass but some figures will help this particular discussion.

 

Anyway so I don't get in trouble. Dragon Age seems interesting, if word of mouth is good about the game I might consider getting it since I happen to be a fan of fantasy games.

[RangerSG]

sorry but aren't consoles inherently a better platform for sports games?

 

i think PC gaming is alive and well but there's some types of games which seem to me better suited for consoles and sports is one of them. not because of the code, etc, but simply because they're almost always 2-player games, right?

 

p.s. sorry to take this off-topic but until we have some actual DA info besides tree-frakking-villages, i figure this would be more interesting.

 

 

Depends on the sports sim you're talking about. Football Manager (Worldwide Soccer Manager in the US) and games of that ilk, where you are in charge of personel and/or tactics, do much better on the PC. I couldn't imagine playing FM08 on anything but my PC.

Edited July 8, 2008 by RangerSG

[Bass-GameMaster]

Well tommorow is July 9??

[newc0253]

I am not saying that EA will cause changes at Bio, but they can if they wanted to because EA is, ultimately, in control.

actually i wouldn't be surprised if there was some internal structure that gave Bio a significant degree of autonomy. such things are not unheard of, see e.g. publishing imprints, specialty film divisions.

[Morgoth]

Yeah why would EA want to babysit Bioware? The whole idea of the "City-like states" of development houses, circulating the EA womb like satellites, is what Riccitello strives towards to, after all.

Bio now got more money, a bigger marketing and PR team and so forth. I don't see how that should be bad. But then again, Sand is one grumpy pessimist.

[Sand]

Yeah why would EA want to babysit Bioware? The whole idea of the "City-like states" of development houses, circulating the EA womb like satellites, is what Riccitello strives towards to, after all.

Bio now got more money, a bigger marketing and PR team and so forth. I don't see how that should be bad. But then again, Sand is one grumpy pessimist.

 

Pessism? Maybe, but I remember what EA did to Origin Systems and Westwood. I am leery about the future of any company that bought out by EA.

[RangerSG]

Yeah why would EA want to babysit Bioware? The whole idea of the "City-like states" of development houses, circulating the EA womb like satellites, is what Riccitello strives towards to, after all.

Bio now got more money, a bigger marketing and PR team and so forth. I don't see how that should be bad. But then again, Sand is one grumpy pessimist.

 

Pessism? Maybe, but I remember what EA did to Origin Systems and Westwood. I am leery about the future of any company that bought out by EA.

 

Nothing wrong with being skeptical of EA. But so far they seem to be trying to learn from past mistakes. Time will tell, and no, I don't trust EA.

[Wrath of Dagon]

Bioware became EA long before EA bought them. Riccitiello was at EA before he became Bio CEO, and then went back to be EA CEO. Good intentions don't count for nothing when maximizing profits is your primary goal, and for EA it has to be. I'd be surprised if Bio ever does another DA unless DA is a huge hit somehow.

[newc0253]

Bioware became EA long before EA bought them. Riccitiello was at EA before he became Bio CEO, and then went back to be EA CEO.

when was he Bio's CEO?

[Morgoth]

Bioware became EA long before EA bought them. Riccitiello was at EA before he became Bio CEO, and then went back to be EA CEO.

when was he Bio's CEO?

During the venture capital firm Bioware-Pandemic.

[Sand]

Back when Bioware and Pandemic joined together under Elevation.

[Morgoth]

In other news, Bio's CEO Muzyka talks about piracy: Click

 

"We're doing a lot of post-release downloadable content on all of our PC titles going forward," BioWare co-CEO Ray Muzyka told MTV Multiplayer. "We think it's a good thing to encourage players to make them want to buy a PC title.

 

"That's ultimately the best, most successful path to prevent piracy

[Volourn]

'I'd be surprised if Bio ever does another DA unless DA is a huge hit somehow."

 

Well, depends on what you mean by 'huge' hiut. i figure DA will sell between - 2 mil copies.

[mkreku]

This is what I've always been saying: it's better to motivate with a carrot than a whip. Let's hope this is the beginning of a trend.