On this week’s episode of EpicBatleCry, the hosts talked quite a bit about game delays. As you know this is a favorite topic of mine and, therefore, you might be expecting me to write about it this week. Well, I will not. Although – I will say that I still...]]>
By Lorin Baumgarten

On this week’s episode of EpicBatleCry, the hosts talked quite a bit about game delays. As you know this is a favorite topic of mine and, therefore, you might be expecting me to write about it this week. Well, I will not. Although – I will say that I still can’t figure out why an industry that makes more money than the music industry and is creeping up on film still cannot seem to manage what the other two forms of entertainment mastered long ago: schedules. I mean, didn’t we all learn about schedules and managing expectations and fulfilling commitments in some intro class in high school? I mean seriously, gaming industry, get your sh*# together when it comes to…wait a minute, wait a minute. I said that I am not going to write about this topic this week, didn’t I?. Sorry. I got a little caught up there. What I dowant to discuss this week is a topic DK brought up on the show in the context of Mass Effect 2, but is an even more interesting question when extrapolated out to the industry in general. That question is: are games being dumbed down and/or diluted in order to appeal to the masses and , if so, are they losing quality and merit because of it?

So when Mr. Daniel Kayser brought this topic up on EBC, he got a bit of flack from a few people. The thoughts I saw expressed, thought they were not the majority, were simply that DK was just upset that Mass Effect 2 was going to appear on the PS3 early next year. Though I do not speak for him, I think that I managed to ascertain from what he said on the show (you know, the part where he said he was glad the game would be released for the PS3?) that he was, in point of fact, glad that the game would be released on the PS3. I think the point he was trying to make by bringing it up was one of whether or not diluting the production team by having them build the game for another platform would hurt the game’s content in the long run, as the same number of people would be forced to do more work. I think that point got a bit twisted up during the course of the conversation with another assertion, brought up by one Brent “ThunderSmash” Adams.

Brent’s suggested that if one was concerned about franchise or property dilution, perhaps one should look to the Dragon Age example. A good point, indeed. BioWare has said, in no uncertain terms, That Dragon Age 2 would play more like Mass Effect 2 and less like a traditional RPG. They have also stated that they are doing this to make the game more accessible to a wider audience. So when you put those two things together, expanding platforms for ME2 and changing the gameplay of Dragon Age 2, it does beg the question as to whether or not BioWare is trying so hard to widen its audience that it is doing so at the expense of game quality. Which in turn leads to the question: is this happening throughout the gaming industry?

Let’s start with BioWare specifically. The answer is no. At least, so far as we know. There is no reason, from what we have seen in BioWare’s past, to think that they will give us anything other than a top-quality product. Until they give a reason to believe otherwise, specifically by putting out a poor quality game, BioWare deserves the benefit of the doubt as much as any game company out there. Personally I thought that their decision to curb the RPG elements of Mass Effect and focus on enhancing the shooting aspects for Mass Effect 2 to be a very solid one. As a matter of fact, I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who thinks the original Mass Effect is a better game than the sequel. Well, aside from Brent. As for Dragon Age? I have enjoyed the six or so hours I have played of it so far. However, I am really looking forward to playing Dragon Age 2 with it’s new feel. Not being one of those people who comes from an old-school RPG background, I am much more excited to play the game in its new format than I would have been to stick with the previous one (I played it on the PC, by the way). Of course, I could be wrong. It could hurt the game. But as I said earlier, until I see that game, I will give BioWare the benefit of the doubt.

Enough about BioWare though. What a bout the gaming industry as a whole? Peter Molyneux has said, on many occasions, that Fable III is being tweaked to become less of an RPG and more of an adventure game in order to make it more accessible to a broader fan base. So, is the industry intentionally diluting game content? Are they making it easier or more low-brow in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience? Before I answer that question, I feel a need to remind you (and myself) of something. Video games are a business. Not only are video games a business, they are BIG BUSINESS! Hundreds of millions of dollars can be made by one game alone and billions of dollars changes hands each year in the gaming industry. And, fundamentally, it is the job of the CEO’s of publishing companies to make more money. And, as you might suspect, one of the primary ways you can make more money, in business, is to get more people to buy your product. That being said, we would all like to think of the developers as people whose job it is to be creative and come up with rich and rewarding games for us to play. That is true – that is one part of their jobs. But it is also part of their job to create games that will sell. Their games must sell. In order to obtain the funding necessary to pay a staff to create a game, frequently to the tune of millions of dollars, companies must sell games. So I want to be clear that it is my opinion that trying to appeal to a larger audience is never something for which a design or publishing company should ever have to apologize. It is the nature of business and, frankly, the more people that play games the better it is for all of us. The more consoles in homes, the more money games make, the more people who associate themselves with games – these things all serve to bring more attention and money into the industry which will, in turn, mean more games.

But the question still remains as to whether or not quality is suffering because of this need to expand the gaming audience. I say no – it is not. How can I say that so quickly? Well, with games like Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, Borderlands, Assassin’s Creed 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and Batman: Arkham Asylum sitting on my shelf (just to name a few), it’s hard to complain that games these days lack quality and depth. Sure, it is possible that some games or franchises are getting watered down, but I would say that those are the exception and not the rule.

Gaming has been growing steadily for years now and looks to continue to do so. Growth is good for gaming. It is good for developers, publishers and gamers alike. Making a game “more accessible” does not inherently mean making it “less”. As a matter of fact, it means making it more. It means that developers are really looking hard at gameplay and streamlining it to the best of their abilities. Mass Effect 2 is a brilliant game and Fable III looks to be fantastic. So let’s not put the cart before the horse and worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. Enjoy the incredible games we have been getting over the last two years and that we will be getting over the next one. And if game companies are putting out games that can bring your non-gamer friends into the fold, then thank them, don’t revile them. Not all games will be perfect. But trying to widen the gaming audience is not a crime. So don’t worry.

Of course, if Dragon Age 2 sucks, we are storming BioWare!

Next week, Nathan Drake opens his chest of goodies again for another round of Uncharted 2 DLC. What kind of DLC you ask? How about 8 new multiplayer skins costing you only $2.99? The pack contains new Chloe, Sully, and Elena skins, as well as an appearance of two enemies from the original...]]>

Next week, Nathan Drake opens his chest of goodies again for another round of Uncharted 2 DLC. What kind of DLC you ask? How about 8 new multiplayer skins costing you only $2.99? The pack contains new Chloe, Sully, and Elena skins, as well as an appearance of two enemies from the original game-Dillon and Mac. Yeah, remember those guys?!

…ahem, just check the full list below:

• Heist Chloe
• Borneo Chloe
• Borneo Sullivan
• UDF Sullivan
• Winter Sullivan
• Wetsuit Elena
• Dillon
• Mac

And that’s not all, there is also a brand new Uncharted 2 Dynamic Theme featuring the amazing ‘Train Wrecked” level. This will also cost you $2.99.

So it seems like a great week to end your summer, no? Let us know below in the ‘Cry Havoc’ section most commonly known as ‘Comments’.

Happy Friday ladies and gentleman o’ the ‘Axe! This week’s Gaming Matters finds us delving into a subject that was somewhat hidden deep within the secret codex of Skirmish 71 of the epic podcast, EpicBattleCry. It is a subject that is quite timely as Splinter Cell: Conviction was released...]]>
By Lorin Baumgarten

Happy Friday ladies and gentleman o’ the ‘Axe! This week’s Gaming Matters finds us delving into a subject that was somewhat hidden deep within the secret codex of Skirmish 71 of the epic podcast, EpicBattleCry. It is a subject that is quite timely as Splinter Cell: Conviction was released this week hot on the heels of God Of War III and Final Fantasy XIII, which released just a few weeks ago and only slightly pre-dating Red Dead Redemption and Alan Wake, which are just a few weeks away (though it feels like an eternity). It is no doubt that 2010 has been, and looks to continue to be, a very strong year in gaming. And 2009 wasn’t so shabby either. So with the amount of very good games seemingly on the rise, my question is – how long are you spending with each game? Are you loving them long time or has your gaming become more of a “wham – bam, thank you ma’am” endeavor? Let’s discuss.

Other than the fact that I have a huge backlog of games I want to play (or finish), the story that really brought the question of a game’s longevity in the hands of its players was the announcement of the April 22nd release of new maps (and more) for the multiplayer portion of one of, if not the, top game of 2009, Uncharted 2. When I first learned of the upcoming DLC for this game I thought to myself “Why on Earth have I not been playing this game?” I absolutely love Uncharted 2, both single player and multiplayer. The multiplayer felt so different to me, mostly because of the world in which it is set along with the Uncharted style of climbing incorporated into the multiplayer. Then I realized, I had been several months since I had picked this game up and I never even downloaded the first DLC pack.

After thinking about Uncharted 2 (which now I really want to go back and play), I was then hit with the idea of the shortened game attention span again with regard to the Modern Warfare 2 DLC of late. I have heard many people say that they are not playing MW2 any more, mostly in the context of how the $15 price tag for the DLC felt too steep for a game they aren’t really playing. Sure, some of this can be attributed directly to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and its incredible multiplayer, but not all of it. Modern Warfare 2 released in November of 2009 and with games like Mass Effect 2, Bayonetta, Darksiders, Bioshock 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Heavy Rain, God Of War III, Final Fantasy XIII, Just Cause 2, and Splinter Cell: Conviction all having come out since then (I know that’s not all of them), who has the time to stay focused?

Then I harkened back to my own collection. Borderlands, perhaps some of the most fun I have had playing a video game in the last few years, sits on my shelf (well actually on top of my audio receiver) not yet completed. Nor have I even downloaded one piece of the DLC associated with it (which I will do at some point, I swear). Assassin’s Creed 2 also sits incomplete on my pile. A beautiful game in whose world I found it easy to get lost in for hours. Neither of those games has been in my console for months. Darksiders I played for about 2 hours and played just slightly more of God Of War III (to make room to check out Splinter Cell). I have never finished the single player of BFBC2 (I just can’t boot up that game and not play multiplayer) and – brace yourself for this one – I still haven’t finished Mass Effect 2!

So why is this happening and what does it mean for gaming? Let’s start with why it is happening. As I have already pointed out, there seem to be many more quality games coming out over the last few years than ever before (do you agree?). The games listed above are just a few of the ones that were released over the last six months vying for your attention. There were several wonderful “smaller” games to add to that list that further deepen the dilemma of what to play. With an already limited amount of time to play games (as I know we all have) the influx of good games makes it hard to stay focused on any one game. But it is not just the amount of great games coming out, but also the rapid-fire schedule in which they are being released. A new game coming out every few weeks barely allows us the time to finish an “old” game (I think we all know how gamers like shiny new objects). Now I keep telling myself that when we get some downtime in the release schedule I will finish the outstanding games that I have started (and loved). But that break doesn’t seem to come. The hits just keep coming.

And what does all this mean? You mean other than my own child-like frustration at not being able to do everything that I want to when I want to? Well it means a couple of things. The first is that it is a great time to be a gamer! I have said it before and I will say it again, the above is easily proof of that! Hardware is no longer the limiting factor in game design and developers are really being given the tools to bring what’s in their minds onto the disc and into the hands of the player. And do this they have. I will never balk at the conundrum that is having too many great games to choose from.

But another, and less celebratory, ramification of the slew of great games that we are getting is potential over-saturation and, ultimately, market fragmentation. Now it is of course my hope that with the growth in the amount of high-quality games, so to will there be a growth in the consumer base to play them. However, if the player base doesn’t grow in tandem with the games themselves, we run the risk of losing some design studios (a phenomenon we are already seeing) and also of losing more creative endeavors for the blockbuster sequel, the industry’s perceived cash-cow. Games are getting more and more expensive, so undertaking game development is not a decision that is made lightly. However, this tightening competition for the gamer dollar also serves to fuel the rise in quality, as each company knows that they really have to work hard to get, and hold, your attention.

So what do you think? Are you having the same troubles as I am? Is it hard for you to stay focused on a game? And, if so, what are you doing about it? Chime in, my fellow ‘Axe-holes (I’m trying something new) and let your voices be heard!

Editor’s Note: Lorin Baumgarten is the founder/owner of Furious Gamer Radio and although he has failed miserably at developing his own personal time machine that will make being a “REAL” gamer possible, he has succeeded in altering time by often wasting other people’s, misusing his own, and developing the whole-hearted belief that our life experiences, like all NHL Playoff games, are better when they go into overtime.