Gaming irks

[Guts]

There's good DLC and then there's bad DLC.

There's nothing wrong in offering more optional content for fans of the game, if it's handled well and not as an obvious, greedy money-grab or some kind of pay-to-win scheme for a multiplayer title.

For example, the Episodes in GTA IV were a great way to handle DLC, in fact they were better than the actual main game. It's just a shame that they didn't perform as well as Rockstar wanted which is probably why they won't be doing similar things for GTA V, but rather more content for the multiplayer.

[darkangel]

I think DLC was one of the main reasons why Dead Space 3 crashed and burned so badly as it did. There was no attempt from EA to even hide what there intentions were with that. Which kind of brings me to one of my next major irks, great devs having to close down/be shut down due to lack of performance in retail.

Visceral was a major blow, still don't understand how they messed up with Dead Space 3, as the first two games in the series were so great. Same for Irrational Games, absolutely gutted that they are no more.

[Guts]

That's what happens when you sell your studio to the likes of EA.

[sj33]

[eastyy]

agree there seems when a developer is bought by a publisher thats the end of them as far as i am concerned

The amount of company's that either become a shadow of there former self or closed is just mind boggling

Funny thing is though when double helix finally started to do good games with strider and killer instinct and then bought by amazon i thought thats the end of that then

[Asura]

I don't think Dead Space 3 wasn't killed by DLC; that's blown a bit out of proportion. For example, Mass Effect 3 had a similar reception in terms of DLC and that still sold by the bucketload.

I've not played it, but my perspective (looking in from the outside) was that it failed because it was the second sequel to a niche game, and that it abandoned its tense, sci-fi horror identity for some kind of generic action space opera theme. Then again, as a sequel, they did have to take it somewhere.

This is actually another irk; driving IP and studios into the ground, instead of letting them create new titles and IP. Though that's been a problem since, well, forever.

[eastyy]

This is actually another irk; driving IP and studios into the ground, instead of letting them create new titles and IP. Though that's been a problem since, well, forever.

And actually thats what i thought was happening with double helix with there games like battleship and green lantern but when they got a project they really liked such as killer instinct the quality improved.

I am puzzled by irrational games i have to see when ken announced the downsizing there is something nagging me that there was something happening behind the scenes

[darkangel]

Your right about DLC not being the only reason why Dead Space 3 failed, the other reasons you cited were spot on but to be honest, I would personally be hard put to call The Dead Space series niche.

The first two games did very well for themselves and I believed helped to bring back survival horror back into the main stream, admittedly yes the fact that number 2 started to go astray from its survival horror routes did not do any favours for number 3.

I think people were hoping for a return to form with Dead Space 3 and when it just turned out to be a brainless shooter made for the most common denominator it completely lost any and all good faith the series had manage to build up until that point. The awful DLC was just the final nail in the head IMO.

To be honest it just goes to show that trying to cater for the casual gamer to get the most sales possible can sometimes bring on a very damaging long term backlash. Because ironically in trying to accommodate everyone, you actually manage to exclude a very large user base. I truly believe devs and publishers underestimate the value of the hardcore gamer market.

[EvilBoris]

Because ironically in trying to accommodate everyone, you actually manage to exclude a very large user base. I truly believe devs and publishers underestimate the value of the hardcore gamer market.

It's not a very large user base though, Hardcore gamers themselves make up a tiny % of people that buy games and then if you break that down even further and say that only a % of those so called hardcore gamers may like your gamer and then only a % of those gamers goes ahead and buy it.

The base of "casual" gamers is 100x that of the hardcore, so why whittle it down from a userbase that is significantly reduced.

I can name you numerous games that are exactly what "hardcore" gamers wanted, but those games commercially failed even when they were critically well received.

[CatCopter]

It will be interesting to see what happends with Bungies game Destiny.

[kellog7]

Good DLC: Dark Souls

Bad DLC: Beautiful Katamari (which I am ashamed to have bought)

[dataDave]

Ugh... I'm on the train watching some kid play a motion controlled racing game on his phone at around 7FPS and the graphics look like a PS5 game. Why do devs push all this shiny? Why's he even playing it?

These are the best graphics I've ever seen... Although can we get them running at 60FPS before we start wanking over VR?

It looks like it plays like big sloppy arse. Sloppy because it's had KFC gravy dashed all over it and then partially massaged in. Terrible scene.

[PaTaito]

Coming in fresh to an MMO and witnessing "world speak" language for the first time...

['Press Start']

Coming in fresh to an MMO and witnessing "world speak" language for the first time...

Give us an example, translate the following:-
My health is low and I need to go to the mountain of terrible ill. Can you heal me and perhaps accompany me on this endeavour? I hear nasty things walk the land.

[darkangel]

It's not a very large user base though, Hardcore gamers themselves make up a tiny % of people that buy games and then if you break that down even further and say that only a % of those so called hardcore gamers may like your gamer and then only a % of those gamers goes ahead and buy it.

The base of "casual" gamers is 100x that of the hardcore, so why whittle it down from a userbase that is significantly reduced.

I can name you numerous games that are exactly what "hardcore" gamers wanted, but those games commercially failed even when they were critically well received.

I hear that, I hear that.

RE: Dead Space 3 and the DLC argument. I hear you Asura, but to be honest Mass Effect 3 was a massive different kettle of fish because imo - A) You had EA fully backing it because it the series has been such a huge seller and B) I don't think the DLC situation for that game was honestly as bad as it was with Dead Space 3. Saying that though, it will be interesting to see what EA do with Mass Effect 4. The point I'm trying to make is no bad press surrounding DLC will ever really impact sales of any future Mass Effect game because it is such a AAA seller. Dead Space 3 however simply didn't have enough of a fan base to protect it from the massive DLC backlash it received, that and it was an awful massive let down which again I can't see the same thing for Mass Effect 4 being.

Anyway another gaming irk for me: the travesty that was Silent Hill HD 'collection'. As a massive SH fan I don't think I'll ever get over that slap in the face. ?_?