Xbox lacks Game Developers (1 Viewer)

[Andy Sheets]

As for PC games being better than console games (or what elements are better), I don't think that non-linearity is a good thing. If you make a game, you are supposed to be telling a story.

Interesting point of view. Personally, I've always felt that if you're making a game you should be making a game. "Interactive movies" are nice but I rarely feel compelled to experience them after completion and the storytelling skills of most game developers are very crude (both console and PC). I feel I get more value and stimulation for my money when I can go back to a game constantly and experience something new. Sports games and classic style arcade or puzzle games do this a lot - it's no surprise to me that the only N64 game I still play is WWF No Mercy and the only game my roommate ever plays is Madden. So as far as more general adventure gaming is concerned, creating a world that is immersive and not so nailed down to specific actions at specific times is much more appealing to me. The main reason I'm more interested in the Xbox so far is this Project Ego I keep reading about, which sounds fascinating to me, really on my wavelength as far as creating an RPG (and I've liked Peter Molyneaux's work ever since Populous). That and a few other games make the Xbox look more aesthetically appealing to me, versus the other systems which, while I'm not ruling them out, seem to be oriented toward the Same Old Thing.

 

[Dave F]

If you make a game, you are supposed to be telling a story.

What was the story in Tony Hawk Pro Skater? Or NFL2k1? I guess they must've sucked.

-Dave
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DVD List

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think I put this in one of my responses, but let me say it again:
Non-linearity sometimes is an aspect of some genres (such as sports and puzzle games) but games like RPGs, action games, and adventure games usually has stories. If a game is supposed to have a story, then it should be told in a linear manner. Non-linear games are usually online RPGs or games where you play a little bit, then watch a sequence or read something that continues the story. They focus totally on gameplay and have the story as an extra aspect. Linear games usually intertwine both.
Tony Hawk, Mr. Driller, Tetris, and many other games are non-linear because they don't have stories. Games like Shenmue, Final Fantasy, and Resident Evil have stories, so they are (and should be) linear.

 

[Adam Nixon]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I sincerely hope that Deus Ex 2 and Thief 3 do NOT end up on the X-box. The last thing I want to see is two low-resolution, archaic control schemed, basterdized sequels to two great franchises. An Unreal Warfare engine title that I can't crank the resolution OR have precision aiming with?! Blech!
I've heard rumors that MS is pushing for "exclusive" rights to these titles, but I also have read emphatic denials from Ion Storm Austin to the contrary. Either way, if either of these two titles ends up on the X-box they won't be NEARLY as good as a PC version. There are distinct differences between writing for a PC and a console, contrary to what Microsoft seems to think.
That's the whole catch-22 of the X-box -- they've got a load of excited developers for their 1st-party titles, but most have VERY little experience developing for a console.
[Edited last by Adam Nixon on September 18, 2001 at 01:21 AM]

 

[Dave F]

I can see Deus Ex prospering on a console quite easily. While it is a 1st person shooter, it isn't a "twitch" game, and doesn't require a mouse/keyboard scheme as much as, say, Unreal. Plus, with the in-depth storyline, it'd be kinda nice to kick back in the easy chair while playing. Hopefully the user interface/menus will transfer to a console well. Even though a console version will play in lower resolution, judging by screenshots of other games, I don't think Deus Ex will suffer.
But mostly, for such an excellent game as Deus Ex, it'd be nice to see many more people having the chance to experience it. Warren Spector is now my videogame god. =)
That said, it'll really suck if the rumors prove true and Deus Ex 2 hits the XBOX before the PC.

-Dave
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DVD List

 

[Adam Nixon]

You're right -- Deus Ex isn't as much of a "twitch" game as Unreal Tournament or Quake 3. However, most ports of PC FPS's just bite, and I can't see even Deus Ex 2 being able to shake that stigma.
Unfortunately, I'm not even sure that the traditional console crowd would even have any interest in anything Deus Ex, as the complexity of the first title is bound to scare off most fanboys. I have a feeling it'll wind up on the Box, but as long as it isn't there FIRST, I won't have any complaints.
Regardless, by the time Deus Ex 2 is released, PC hardware will smoke anything the X-box can offer.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Actually, Deus Ex is already being ported to PS2. As are a lot of PC games. If you want to blame anyone, blame MS for buying off a lot of PC developers to fill the gaps left from the console developers who aren't supporting them as much as MS wants.
If a game runs at a slightly lower resolution with a lower frame rate and I have to use a controller instead of a mouse and keyboard, I could care less if the game is good. How many games have you run on PC and then output the image onto a TV and had it still run as smoothly on the TV? Porting to consoles will ruin the games a little bit, but you get the ability to not need a PC to play the games and still have an excellent game to play. I don't see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Gary King]

How many games have you run on PC and then output the image onto a TV and had it still run as smoothly on the TV?

Well... all of them.
Of course, my TV has an SVGA input

 

[Adam Nixon]

Morgan, I think you answered your own question --
"Porting to consoles will ruin the games a little bit"
THAT'S what all of the "fuss" is about. I have this gut-feeling that Nvidia's next-gen card is going to make the Geforce 3 look about as powerful as a PS2 does to a PSOne. On any game, you want to be able to play it in its best environment, whether it be Rogue Leader for the GCN or Age of Empires 2 on the PC. It's pretty obvious that ports are lucrative, but looking at the comparison shots between Deus Ex PC and Deus Ex PS2, the interface is completely dumbed down from the original.
I'll take Nvidia's Next-gen card, a 2 Ghz Palamino Athlon/Itanium, a 19-inch Sony FD trinitron monitor, and my Klipsch Promedia 4.1s over a weak X-box port ANYTIME.
[Edited last by Adam Nixon on September 18, 2001 at 07:48 PM]

 

[Dean Cooper]

quote:
I'll take Nvidia's Next-gen card, a 2 Ghz Palamino Athlon/Itanium, a 19-inch Sony FD trinitron monitor, and my Klipsch Promedia 4.1s over a weak X-box port ANYTIME.
[/quote]
Well I would hope so, one costs $3000 and the other $300
Dean
[Edited last by Dean Cooper on September 18, 2001 at 09:12 PM]

 

[Adam Nixon]

LOL -- I guess you got me there. But I can build that same system MUCH cheaper than that.

However, throw in a killer TV and a decent Dolby/DTS setup to get the most out of the console and the numbers balance out a little better. I'm a bit more enthused about Halo after reading IGN's hands-on, so I can't imagine playing it without a killer HT setup.
I don't know about others here, but my PC's primary purpose isn't to play games -- despite what my Nvidia hardware and Athlon CPU might say.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

If anyone knows what the Scootplex 2000 is, well I live in it (not actually in it, but the same house). If I play a game on X-Box that is port from PC that is as close and you can possibly get to the original, both graphically and gameplay wise, then you would probably take the Scootplex over a PC.
I don't care if a game is slightly dumbed down or has slightly worse graphics on a console, just as long as I can play it in a state that is close to the original. If a game is ported from PC to N64, then I could see getting mad, but otherwise, I don't see a big deal.

 

[Adam Nixon]

Well, that's kind of the point -- some of us just don't want to settle for "almost as good."
People have declared the "death" of PC gaming each time new consoles appear on the market. Within months, PC hardware will eclipse what even the X-box can do, so it's a moot point.
The more important issue, is that both PCs and consoles offer unique gaming experiences which sometimes don't cross platforms very well. I couldn't imagine playing Zelda on the PC, just as I couldn't imagine playing Unreal Tournament (I KNOW it's on PS2 -- NO comparison) on a console.

 

[Dean Cooper]

Hey check this trailer out Adam.
Link Removed
Gameplay looks wicked.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Playing a PC game on a console is kind of like surfing the web or writing an email on a console. Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it should be done.
And yes, it goes the other way around.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think everyone should have a PC and a console so they can get both experiences without settling for ports. If I am able to get a game on PC that is better than a console port, I will. But if I get it for a console, there are things I can do with it that I can't with a PC (like play it in the ScootPlex).