RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS!

[LadyCrimson]

Previous thread

 

Last couple posts from that thread:

In actual videa game news...

 

Kojima would be willing to make more Metal Gear spin-offs

http://www.aliennoire.com/

 

Now with Prey 2 logo.

[rjshae]

As of last July, sales of PC games were up by 230% while sales of console games were down by 28%. It's mostly due to the pending release of the next gen consoles, of course.

 

I'll be curious to see what type of market impact the Steam Box has in 2013.

[Zoraptor]

Greylord is correct, of course, steam killed PC gaming because steam is not PC gaming, it's a software console running via console not PC rules. Hardware is irrelevant, you could turn the hardware components of a PS360, cell phone, and certainly the next gen consoles into a PC if you wanted to, it's the applied software that makes it into a console. Steam has done nothing but metastasise and cannabalise PC sales into their walled garden, sales of actual PC games- no walled garden central authority follow our rules we'll take our cut for the privilege, the stuff PC gamers supposedly want- have declined massively, it's just pseudo PC gamers who won't face the reality of the situation because "Oh noes I'm not an unwashed console mass, I'm leet, I use steam, therefore steam cannot be a console QED FACT!"

That's generally why I limit myself to saying anything anti steam to once every two months, arguing the toss is like trying to convince someone from the People's Temple that Jim Jones ain't the messiah, he's a very naughty man. Frankly, if it were something like milkshakes ("hooray, only chocolate milkshakes are being made now I like chocolate milkshakes good work MilkN! you strawberry milkshake fans need to get with the times! nobody really dislikes chocolate milkshakes they're just being internet hipsters! Only chocolate milkshakes aren't a monopoly, you can still buy them at a supermarket or dairy! I'd prefer multiple flavours but I'll suck it up I guess!) you'd never get the level of slavish devotion etc etc etc. If that malignant tumour at the heart of PC Gaming Steamworks didn't exist I wouldn't give two (er five) asterisks about steam and whether people used it same as I don't care if people use Impulse or any other client system, as it stands their quest to subsume everything beneath their banner is something I dislike intensely.

TLDR Wake up sheeples!!!1!!! etc etc

Edited February 22, 2013 by Zoraptor

[alanschu]

Eh, it's fine to not care for steam, but "PC gaming" from the stand point of "I am playing games on my personal computer with my mouse and keyboard" is what most people mean.

 

I prefer PC gaming because I prefer that environment, the control schemes, and so forth.  I also have no beef with people that identify themselves as being "console gamers."

 

I actually like Steam, but I agree that Valve has legions of fanboys that probably don't fully realize much of what they are saying.  If you want to boil it down, all video games have been played on computers.  Just different types.  They all have inputs that are read into a central processing unit, that do calculations and output information in a way that is meaningful to the game in question.

 

The thing I like most about Steam is simply the push it has given towards digital distribution in general.  They weren't the first, but they have helped reduce barriers to entry for people to produce and distribute games.

 

 

I do agree that PC elitism is stupid (it's just a different team in the platform wars) and doesn't add much to the discussion, however.

[AwesomeOcelot]

As of last July, sales of PC games were up by 230% while sales of console games were down by 28%. It's mostly due to the pending release of the next gen consoles, of course.

 

I'll be curious to see what type of market impact the Steam Box has in 2013.

That's so ridiculous, they don't know PC games sales, the reason why Diablo 3 was the only PC game that topped the sales chart is because it was one of the few with sales recorded. Retail stores makes up something like 10% of PC games sales. Steam and Origin don't seem to want to post their sales figures, and they make up at least half of PC game sales. In the end, F2P games like Tribes:Ascend, Team Fortress 2, and League of Legend cost many people more than a full price retail game, but they're not counted as "sales" at all.

 

I think the Steambox will live or die on the price. With the consoles using quite generic PC hardware, it will be a bit of a let down if this thing costs way more. It will be interesting to see whether they've innovated with a new gamepad.

[Fighter]

Greylord is correct, of course, steam killed PC gaming because steam is not PC gaming, it's a software console running via console not PC rules. Hardware is irrelevant, you could turn the hardware components of a PS360, cell phone, and certainly the next gen consoles into a PC if you wanted to, it's the applied software that makes it into a console. Steam has done nothing but metastasise and cannabalise PC sales into their walled garden, sales of actual PC games- no walled garden central authority follow our rules we'll take our cut for the privilege, the stuff PC gamers supposedly want- have declined massively, it's just pseudo PC gamers who won't face the reality of the situation because "Oh noes I'm not an unwashed console mass, I'm leet, I use steam, therefore steam cannot be a console QED FACT!"

 

As long as I can shoot with my mouse and on my PC I'll consider myself a PC gamer.

[Zoraptor]

I actually like Steam..

Which is cool, I really don't have a problem with people liking steam, my problem is pretty much entirely with steamworks as I have a problem with the unlevel playing field, shift towards lock in and closing of an open platform, all of which are ultimately very large problems.

 

The rest is just frustration at, well, steamtards. The sort of people who celebrate lack of choice because the only choice is one that they like. If I were appointed God For A Day I'd never in a million years do the reverse and wave my hand to make steam disappear yet many steam fans would clearly be happy to force everyone to use steam just because they like it and anyone with other preferences can go asterisk themselves, an attitude that for anything other than steam would be widely deplored. It's unimaginable that you'd get hordes of people advocating only one flavour of ice cream or milkshakes or one make of car or one television provider, yet only one flavour of PC game supplier? OH GOD ITS HEVAN, to quote the great philosopher ~aphatmc.

 

Anyway, bored now, next steam rant in 60 days.

[TSBasilisk]

Oh for the love of... *grabs a shovel and start burying the dead horse, which got so bloated it filled up the last thread*

 

So, in NEWS:

 

Legend of Grimrock sequel in the works

 

The developers were planning to make some DLC for the first game, but came to the conclusion that it was both too limiting and too strange to just tag it onto a completed game. So all the resources developed for the the DLC have now been claimed for the sequel.

[Dream]

 

I actually like Steam..

Which is cool, I really don't have a problem with people liking steam, my problem is pretty much entirely with steamworks as I have a problem with the unlevel playing field, shift towards lock in and closing of an open platform, all of which are ultimately very large problems.

 

The rest is just frustration at, well, steamtards. The sort of people who celebrate lack of choice because the only choice is one that they like. If I were appointed God For A Day I'd never in a million years do the reverse and wave my hand to make steam disappear yet many steam fans would clearly be happy to force everyone to use steam just because they like it and anyone with other preferences can go asterisk themselves, an attitude that for anything other than steam would be widely deplored. It's unimaginable that you'd get hordes of people advocating only one flavour of ice cream or milkshakes or one make of car or one television provider, yet only one flavour of PC game supplier? OH GOD ITS HEVAN, to quote the great philosopher ~aphatmc.

 

Anyway, bored now, next steam rant in 60 days.

What exactly is so bad about Steam though? You can still mod games, still play offline, hell it doesn't even limit people playing the same game on the same account at the same time (as long as one is playing offline).

[LadyCrimson]

... but "PC gaming" from the stand point of "I am playing games on my personal computer with my mouse and keyboard" is what most people mean.

As long as I can shoot with my mouse and on my PC I'll consider myself a PC gamer.

Yup.

 

For me, there's also this: As long as I can continue to use/manage/upgrade just one thingie (the "PC"+software for it) to do everything I want to do (general computing/research, work, internet/social, music, video, plus gaming) vs. having to keep track of/purchase multiple physical home devices+services to do all those things, I'll be a "PC gamer."

 

....but I am with Zoraptor in disliking the dominance of Steam (and for me, digital distribution in general) vs. having multiple options/distribution methods. It's a nice option, for those that want such an option, but when it becomes close to the only option, it's no longer so nice.

[Hurlshort]

Oh for the love of... *grabs a shovel and start burying the dead horse, which got so bloated it filled up the last thread*

 

So, in NEWS:

 

Legend of Grimrock sequel in the works

 

The developers were planning to make some DLC for the first game, but came to the conclusion that it was both too limiting and too strange to just tag it onto a completed game. So all the resources developed for the the DLC have now been claimed for the sequel.

 

Can we go outside now?  That's really all I want out of that game, a frickin' sky.

[Zoraptor]

What exactly is so bad about Steam though? You can still mod games, still play offline, hell it doesn't even limit people playing the same game on the same account at the same time (as long as one is playing offline).

If you really want a reply create a new thread- as doing it in here every time must be boring for others- but if you ain't got my beef with steam from what I've said in the last couple of posts it's unlikely you'll ever get it since I can't really be much clearer.

[Dream]

 

 

What exactly is so bad about Steam though? You can still mod games, still play offline, hell it doesn't even limit people playing the same game on the same account at the same time (as long as one is playing offline).

If you really want a reply create a new thread- as doing it in here every time must be boring for others- but if you ain't got my beef with steam from what I've said in the last couple of posts it's unlikely you'll ever get it since I can't really be much clearer.

You haven't been clear outside of "it's got no competition," but the whole point of Steam is to allow you to have everything under one canopy because it's far easier than remembering a hundred different passwords for a hundred different digital distributors.

 

Also

 an attitude that for anything other than steam would be widely deplored.

is bull****. Plenty of things have very little competition because having more than one would just make life a pain for the consumer.

[BruceVC]

 

 

I actually like Steam..

Which is cool, I really don't have a problem with people liking steam, my problem is pretty much entirely with steamworks as I have a problem with the unlevel playing field, shift towards lock in and closing of an open platform, all of which are ultimately very large problems.

 

The rest is just frustration at, well, steamtards. The sort of people who celebrate lack of choice because the only choice is one that they like. If I were appointed God For A Day I'd never in a million years do the reverse and wave my hand to make steam disappear yet many steam fans would clearly be happy to force everyone to use steam just because they like it and anyone with other preferences can go asterisk themselves, an attitude that for anything other than steam would be widely deplored. It's unimaginable that you'd get hordes of people advocating only one flavour of ice cream or milkshakes or one make of car or one television provider, yet only one flavour of PC game supplier? OH GOD ITS HEVAN, to quote the great philosopher ~aphatmc.

 

Anyway, bored now, next steam rant in 60 days.

What exactly is so bad about Steam though? You can still mod games, still play offline, hell it doesn't even limit people playing the same game on the same account at the same time (as long as one is playing offline).

 

I also don't have an issue with Steam? I think its provides an excellent way to distribute games.  I also want to say that its one of the first  international gaming companies,  I know of, that has implemented download servers in South Africa so we get excellent speeds. Yip Steam is my friend

[Labadal]

Some guy that has the worst username ever posted these news on gamebanshee. I think they cover rpgs.

 

Wasteland 2 Update:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2/posts/412225

 

Shadowrun Returns Update:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1613260297/shadowrun-returns/posts/411147

Edited February 23, 2013 by Labadal

[sorophx]

in reply to this post

I downloaded the demo and found myself feeling underwhelmed.

 

one of the Arma 2 forums' regulars said something once that reflects the state of the game perfectly, it goes something like this: Arma is like Lego [...] you don't buy a box of Lego bricks and expect it to contain the car that's on the cover.

 

for better or for worse, I wouldn't know. but it's very true. Bohemia would have loved Arma 2 to be as popular as Battlefield 2 or any other contemporary modern warfare themed FPS, but it was impossible with how their game was presented.

 

what stops people from giving Arma 2 a chance is its UI, controls that are somewhat complicated if you try and play it in single player mode, and its awful single player campaign.

 

some people come in expecting Operation Flashpoint, getting nothing like it. others come in expecting something along the lines of Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon - these are simply uniformed.

 

in the end they all end up being disappointed by what the game has to offer. because Arma never had anything to offer to them in the first place. it's a strictly multiplayer game, where most of its content is generated by its gaming community and not by the devs. Bohemia spends its time releasing add-ons to keep the game fresh and patches to try and get rid of bugs which are unavoidable in a game of such complexity.

 

you mention the demo, which I never played, I got into Arma 2 by trying the free version, which lacks single player content. Arma 2 could use a better designed SP campaign, that's for sure. with a tutorial integrated into the first missions. hopefully Arma 3 will have all that. but if you had downloaded that demo in hopes of getting a taste of the SP component it's no wonder you didn't like it.

 

Arma 2 is the best modern warfare FPS hands down. if you want a good multiplayer wargame, look no further. of course, laying in an ambush for 30 minutes, or moving in a convoy from point A to point B for miles and miles without much happening, or getting shot right at the start in a no-respawn mission - could be not your cup of tea. not to mention that in order to get everything out of Arma 2 you'll have to jump through a lot of hoops, hence the Lego comparison.

 

anyway, that's why I said Steam reeks of disaster. I like my Arma the way it is now, and by striking a deal with Valve, I'm afraid, Bohemia has hinted at drastic changes to the series, which I will not approve of, most probably. they will never get close to CoD in terms of mass appeal, they will never get that Operation Flashpoint feeling again. they already have a recipe that works: Arma 2. all they had to do was polish it up a bit more, redo the things that scare off new players (looking for multiplayer games can be a bitch, their server browser could use a face lift; the UI is monstrous, a lot of people drop Arma 2 because of it; the single player part of the game is awful: mission design, controlling your AI teammates, lack of good tutorial). instead it looks like they're more concerned with their initial sales.

 

a lot of things Arma 2 does now will work differently or not work at all under Steam (certain popular mods; dedicated severs ran by players, that have their own set of problems, so adding Steam functionality on top of that could potentially make things worse). of course it remains to be seen if Bohemia can actually take Steam and make good use of its features. I'm skeptical though.

 

I don't get why they would rush Arma 3 out the door. it has had a troubled dev cycle, but partnering up with Valve and releasing it on Steam exclusively will hardly help it.

[Humanoid]

For the longest time, I thought that Arma was shorthand for that America's Army game.

[alanschu]

 

a lot of things Arma 2 does now will work differently or not work at all under Steam (certain popular mods; dedicated severs ran by players, that have their own set of problems, so adding Steam functionality on top of that could potentially make things worse). of course it remains to be seen if Bohemia can actually take Steam and make good use of its features. I'm skeptical though.

 

Note that games like Counterstrike are Steam only, and have dedicated servers ran by players, and by the sounds of it Steam gets more and more mod friendly all the time.

 

In any case, I'm very curious how successful ArmA 2 was prior to DayZ.  You're right that I was expecting more Operation Flashpoint (which is ironic, as I stopped playing that game once it required me to learn it's clunky helicopter flying controls).  It seemed very niche, and while I know production costs are much lower in Eastern Europe, it's still going to scale up with the level of fidelity they wish to add.

[AwesomeOcelot]

 

 

a lot of things Arma 2 does now will work differently or not work at all under Steam (certain popular mods; dedicated severs ran by players, that have their own set of problems, so adding Steam functionality on top of that could potentially make things worse). of course it remains to be seen if Bohemia can actually take Steam and make good use of its features. I'm skeptical though.

 

Note that games like Counterstrike are Steam only, and have dedicated servers ran by players, and by the sounds of it Steam gets more and more mod friendly all the time.

 

In any case, I'm very curious how successful ArmA 2 was prior to DayZ.  You're right that I was expecting more Operation Flashpoint (which is ironic, as I stopped playing that game once it required me to learn it's clunky helicopter flying controls).  It seemed very niche, and while I know production costs are much lower in Eastern Europe, it's still going to scale up with the level of fidelity they wish to add.

 

 

ArmA is not a modern military shooter like Call of Duty or Battlefield 2. It is a mil sim like Operation Flashpoint but more so, it is niche, these games are extremely fun if you're into things military, the same way people like Football Manager or Train Simulator. These people care about the details being right, the experience of warfare as it's fought. ArmA is to CoD as IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 is to Dogfight 1942.

[alanschu]

I'm well aware of the experience that ArmA intends to provide, thanks.  As noted, I actually played Operation Flashpoint.

 

It is niche, but it's a game that got a ton of visibility because of a zombie survival horror mod.  I'm curious how that affected things, if at all.

[Mamoulian War]

 

 

I actually like Steam..

Which is cool, I really don't have a problem with people liking steam, my problem is pretty much entirely with steamworks as I have a problem with the unlevel playing field, shift towards lock in and closing of an open platform, all of which are ultimately very large problems.

 

The rest is just frustration at, well, steamtards. The sort of people who celebrate lack of choice because the only choice is one that they like. If I were appointed God For A Day I'd never in a million years do the reverse and wave my hand to make steam disappear yet many steam fans would clearly be happy to force everyone to use steam just because they like it and anyone with other preferences can go asterisk themselves, an attitude that for anything other than steam would be widely deplored. It's unimaginable that you'd get hordes of people advocating only one flavour of ice cream or milkshakes or one make of car or one television provider, yet only one flavour of PC game supplier? OH GOD ITS HEVAN, to quote the great philosopher ~aphatmc.

 

Anyway, bored now, next steam rant in 60 days.

What exactly is so bad about Steam though? You can still mod games, still play offline, hell it doesn't even limit people playing the same game on the same account at the same time (as long as one is playing offline).

About Steam as a distribution model is nothing wrong, the problem is Steam as DRM, because people who do not like some "features" of Steamworks do not have possibility to play Fallout: New Vegas on PC for example...

Edited February 23, 2013 by Mamoulian War

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Steam = a subscription system with built-in DRM. True, there are some perks but, overall, I'd prefer to buy DRM-free discs or DRM-free digital releases (GoG is wonderful). 

[TSBasilisk]

They made an entirely separate thread for the Steam discussion, IN THIS SUB-FORUM. Go THERE if you want to talk about Steam!

 

Deadalic Entertainment reveals new game: The Night of the Rabbit

[greylord]

They made an entirely separate thread for the Steam discussion, IN THIS SUB-FORUM. Go THERE if you want to talk about Steam!

 

Deadalic Entertainment reveals new game: The Night of the Rabbit

 

that really doesn't look like my type of game from what they show on the site.

[Morgoth]

Michel Ancel going to leave Ubisoft?

 

No BG&2 then.