"Big" Sega Game Update for 2003 (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

Those who are so opposed to multi-platform game development, complaining that it compromises all versions of the game...
Please name a current-generation game that was developed as a platform exclusive (Halo, Metroid, Mario Sunshine, and so on) that would have been compromised on its original platform if it had been developed for multiple platforms. And in what way it would have been compromised.
I don't buy it.
All consoles from the current generation are capable of running all games (as far as the actual gameplay) from all of the other current consoles, in my opinion. Graphics and detail won't all be the same, but it doesn't have to compromise gameplay. Hardware capability is in the ballpark enough that games
The only thing I can think of is SSX Tricky...the gameplay of the trick system for SSX was obviously designed for the four shoulder buttons of the PS2. So the game is compromised on the 'Cube and the XBox...but it is fine on the PS2; they didn't allow the limitations of the other consoles (actually, the controller configuration in this case) to compromise the original game design.
What current first-party or contracted exclusive game would have been compromised (in all versions) if developed for multiple platforms?

 

[JamesH]

What current first-party or contracted exclusive game would have been compromised (in all versions) if developed for multiple platforms?

Who ever said ALL versions would be compromised? The point is that cross platform games are often developed with the lowest common denominator in mind(PS2), and the Xbox and Gamecube versions usually end up basically the same as the PS2 version. If you take a look at the most visually impressive games on each system, you'll see that the vast majority of them were developed from the ground up with only one system in mind. Deathrow, Halo, Splinter Cell, Metroid Prime, Rogue Leader, Ratchet and Clank, etc.

Ports and cross platform games like Hitman 2, MoH: Frontline, 007 AUF, ect. simply can't compete.

 

[paul h]

Like em or not ports are here to stay, if a quality game like JSRF only sells 80,000 on its intended platform ie XBox then i dont blame SEGA for porting it across and trying to recoup some money on it .. and thats what it comes down to $$$.

 

[Dave F]

The point is that cross platform games are often developed with the lowest common denominator in mind

But why are people jumping the gun and assuming that Sega will choose this route? If they do, and the port sucks, Sega will get what they deserve: horrible sales. If they act responsibly and do a good job and make the game the best it can be on each platform, what's the problem?

-Dave

 

[Romier S]

But why are people jumping the gun and assuming that Sega will choose this route? If they do, and the port sucks, Sega will get what they deserve: horrible sales. If they act responsibly and do a good job and make the game the best it can be on each platform, what's the problem?

Well said Dave and its what I tried to bring across in original post. Whether you like it or not this is about $$$. Sega moving thier bigname titles to every platform will be help them in the long run and there is no reason to assume that Sega will not take the time and care to make a great ports. (look at the enhanced jobs they are and have done for ports of thier games like Skies of Acracia and Sonic Adventure 2. To an even lesser extend look at Crazy Taxi 3 which included the two previous cities with new gameplay mechanics.)

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Hey, speaking of which, is the new 'Skies of Arcadia' sort of an extended director's cut?

 

[Jon W H]

But why are people jumping the gun and assuming that Sega will choose this route? If they do, and the port sucks, Sega will get what they deserve: horrible sales. If they act responsibly and do a good job and make the game the best it can be on each platform, what's the problem?

Unfortunately, companies like EA are not the exception. They make a lot of money off their strategy and others look to emulate them. There is a huge amount of instability in the game industry and a lot of companies see the success EA has had and believe that minimal development time + cross-platform = financial success.

This is the big worry I have for Sega. I don't mind if they support all consoles across the board. I just don't want to see each game having pretty much the same feel, regardless of which machine you're running it on. The point of buying only one (or two) console(s) is to have games that take advantage of the specific features that set it aside from the others. Not everyone can afford to buy all three and have sizable libraries for each. Some of us have other financial priorities or responsibilities to take care of.

 

[BrianB]

Hey, speaking of which, is the new 'Skies of Arcadia' sort of an extended director's cut?

They've tweaked it a little - added an extra char or two that you can get for your group etc, but as far as I know, nothing radical.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The best strategy is limited exclusivity. For example, some games are exclusive to the X-Box for 6 months then can be ported to other consoles. This means the X-Box, where a game might have the strongest market, can generate sales and get people talking about it, then 6 months later people who own a PS2 and/or GameCube can get in on the action without buying an X-Box. MS gets the game first, all the consoles get it eventually, and it generates sales. Everybody's happy.

 

[Jon W H]

That, Morgan, I could grow to like very well. Splinter Cell being a fine example of that process.

 

[JamesH]

But why are people jumping the gun and assuming that Sega will choose this route? If they do, and the port sucks, Sega will get what they deserve: horrible sales. If they act responsibly and do a good job and make the game the best it can be on each platform, what's the problem?

Past performance is often a good indicator of future results. Look at Crazy Taxi, Ecco, American Pro Trucker, Ferrari F355, etc. They come nowhere near pushing the limits of the PS2 and in some cases are inferior to the DC versions. SA2B is definately not taking advantage of the GC, I'm sure at least SOME graphical enhancements are possible in a DC to GC jump. Remember when Sega slapped everyone in the face by canceling the US version of Shenmue 2 but softened the blow by saying that the Xbox version would be redesigned from the ground up? The Xbox Shenmue 2 is basically a direct port of the DC version, not even the NPCs teleporting 10 feet in front of you was fixed. Based on their track record, I don't have much faith in Sega taking advantage of hardware when doing ports. They may make token improvements in terms of extras, but I don't see them completely redesigning a game to take full advantage of hardware.

I'll answer your second question with another question. If companies actually got what they DESERVED, would Vice City be the number one selling game right now and would Mortal Kombat be outselling Metroid Prime?

Lastly, in the fantasy world described where Sega actually does act responsibly and take absolute full advantage of each system, there would not be any problems. Do you really believe this will be the case though?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

PS2 games won't automatically look better than Dreamcast games. In some ways, the Dreamcast is more powerful!

The small 4MB of VRAM on the PS2, along with the inability to decompress textures on demand are not trivial limitations!

 

[BrianB]

Quote:

The whole point of a port is to make it cheap. If you're talking about "completely redesigning" games, you're talking about a whole different sku with a whole different budget.

 

[Romier S]

and would Mortal Kombat be outselling Metroid Prime?

You have a new game from a tried and true older popular series like Mortal Kombat being released on 3 platforms. Being lauded as a new redefining entry in the series, not too mention has good mainstream word of mouth right now and you have to ask why it is outselling Metroid Prime? Its sales from what I gathered were from all three platforms, not one. Its seems pretty clear why it is outselling Metroid Prime.

 

[Dave F]

Past performance is often a good indicator of future results. Look at Crazy Taxi, Ecco, American Pro Trucker, Ferrari F355, etc. They come nowhere near pushing the limits of the PS2 and in some cases are inferior to the DC versions.

You are actually making my point for me. Look at the sales of those titles. They suck. Sonic Adventure 2 has sold well, but there is always an aberration. And in market without a Sega console, Nintendo is the perfect place for Sonic.
-Dave

 

[Romier S]

Sonic Adventure 2 has sold well, but there is always an aberration.

Crazy Taxi being another. It sold tons on the PS2. Though as Brian mentioned the porting was not handled by Sega I believe.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Yup, Activision owns the distro rights to the Crazy Taxi games on PS2. Heck, they probably own everything using that engine (Pro Trucker as well)

 

[BrianB]

Yup, Activision owns the distro rights to the Crazy Taxi games on PS2. Heck, they probably own everything using that engine (Pro Trucker as well)

It's Acclaim, actually And it's Acclaim that developed & published the ports of Crazy Taxi & 18 Wheeler, though Sega had say on the quality etc. Crazy Taxi has done especially well for them, even though the PS2 conversion was /very/ lukewarm.
Unsuprisingly enough, Acclaim failed to release the PS2 port of Zombie Revenge they also had rights to do.
Wish I had the numbers at hand, I know CT PS2 has sold way way more copies than anyone could expect - I believe it's close to a million copies for Acclaim.

 

[JamesH]

Quote:

It's easier to do this due to the similarities between the Xbox and PC. Why not wait until the GC and PS2 versions(if they come) of Splinter Cell before deciding how well the scaling back process works?
{QUOTE]It is all about money, port cheaply and effectively and sell copies.[/quote]
I was under the impression that we were all gamers here. Why are you concerned with how many mediocre ports a company can churn out to help its bottom line? If that's really your philosophy, then there isn't really much for me to debate with you. I'm more concerned with maximizing quality while you seem to be more concerned with maximizing profits.
One question though: have you considered that the sea of ports and cookie cutter games now flooding the market are taking away sales from games like JSRF that may be more deserving?

 

[Romier S]

Quote:

Perhaps because a good number of posts in this thread have dealt with the well being of Sega as a company. My hope is to see Sega continue to function as a game developer and to continue creating games that I enjoy. For that they need to make money. I thought that was pretty obvious.
If you think my intention here is to rally Sega to create a slew of mediocre ports than you REALLY need to go back and reread my previous post on the page before this one.(Since you conveniently decided to completely ignore the fact that I said port cheaply and EFFECTIVELY. As well as the fact that the sentence I wrote right after that said: Quality does not need to be compromised to do that).
It concerned what I thought Sega needs to do to succeed in handling its franchises and any ports that they do. All the while striking a balance between quality and profit. I sometimes wonder if I'm writing to wind here...:rolleyes
I'm a voracious gamer that could not doubt fund the entire industry by myself at this point but I cannot close my eyes to the business side of the videogame world. It is just as important to see these companies succeed in a financial capacity as it is for them to succeed in thier game developement. If you can't see that or decide to turn a blind eye to it then we truly have nothing else to discuss.