Today’s evening Inbox comes out in favour of video game price increases, as one reader explains the benefit of next gen servers.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk.
Not just one
So here’s the most depressing games interview I’ve read in a long time. It’s with a Ubisoft marketing guy and it’s mostly about Watch Dogs. It’s pretty short but here’s the kicker, in reply to whether he wants Watch Dogs to be a big franchise:
‘Absolutely. That’s what all our games are about; we won’t even start if we don’t think we can build a franchise out of it. There’s no more fire and forget – it’s too expensive.’
Just horrible. Never mind the arrogance of assuming the game is going to be popular before it’s even out but what happened to artistic integrity or just making a game because you came up with a good idea, not just because the bean counters wanted another one?
It also basically means no small or medium scale games, although I suppose he might not mean downloadable games when he says this. Either way it seems to me the absolute worst way to think of a new game. Is there anyone that doesn’t think the best thing to happen to Assassin’s Creed would be a long rest?
Kang
Fair price
I have to say I agree 100% with what Spartas Edge said in Friday’s Inbox. I was dead against publishers taking a slice of the pre-owned market, as the majority of people who wrote to Inbox on the subject were.
Like Spartsas Edge I remember paying £65 for Shadowrun on the SNES, £60 for the first Rare Donkey Kong Country game and if I remember rightly Virtua Racing on Mega Drive was even more expensive.
I’m more than happy see a price increase for games next gen, and it does seem a little entitled to expect prices to stay as they are now. I haven’t paid more than £40 for a brand new PlayStation 3 game since the console launched back in 2007.
While I won’t be buying any EA games if I can help it, if £54.99 is the price the industry agree on for the next gen games I won’t be *****ing about it to the Inbox because it seems like a fair price to pay for more advanced games like Destiny, and that Ubisoft MMO game revealed at E3. I can’t remember the name of it though. I think some people forget gaming is a luxury not a basic human right.
mitchell
GC: We think you mean Tom Clancy’s The Division. It’s not a traditional massively multiplayer online game but it has elements of one.
Built to last
RE: Spartas Edge, you made some very good points about why the next generation of games justify a price increase and how some SNES and Mega Drive games cost 50-60 quid. The difference is all of my 20-year-old classic SNES games still work perfectly. I’ll bet you a pound to a penny that the next generation of games won’t work in 20 years’ time due to certain online restrictions that are bound to occur.
adams6legend
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Chrono controller
I wonder if anyone can help me with regards to the Wii U version of the Virtual Console? I want to download some games such as Chrono Trigger but I’ve no idea which controller works with what! I’ve heard of so many variations of Classic Controllers et al. but no idea which work for the Wii U Virtual Console. Any help would be appreciated.
Lord Sinn
GC: All first party Wii controllers work on the Wii U. Chrono Trigger isn’t on the Wii U Virtual Console, only the Wii one. But if you load that up you’ll see every game has an icon marked ‘Compatible Controllers’, so just click that. In this case it’s Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro.
Server lessons
In regards to understanding dedicated servers I will first like to explain the server/client relationship. Clients are standard PCs, whereas a server is an extremely power computer that manages access to centralised resources or services on a network. A small network (more than one connected PC) is described as being less than 250 PCs by Microsoft. At your work place these PCs will likely be connected to a single server providing access to resources such as your roaming profile, documents, printers, internal mail, internet access and much more.
Because your profile is roaming it will follow you about on whichever one of those PCs you log on to. Your desktop icons, favourites, documents, mail, and printers you have access to will follow you about (and not reside on a single PC you use) because all those PCs are connected to the server which is holding and providing access to all these resources.
The server/client relation is also referred to as the host/guest relationship. Imagine someone is hosting (one host) a dinner party with 63 guests (64 players in total), the host has to divide its attention between all these guests. The host (a non-dedicated server like a player-host which is an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3 hosting the game locally), clearly lacks the knowledge, capability and expertise to keep everyone happy (be it a party of 16, 32 or 64). You are not getting enough/any attention or satisfactory service, the attractive female is getting more attention or the host is just clearly stretched or out of their depth (game crashes, host switching, lag and freezing).
This is where expensive dedicated servers come in with all that additional horsepower (CPU) and bandwidth (RAM memory). Suddenly it seems that every guest has their own host, your every need is being catered for, you have your very own butler who is telling jokes and twiddling his thumb when you don’t need him.
I hope this has shed further light on the advantages that dedicated servers will bring to the next generation Xbox. A Respawn Entertainment engineer explain it in more depth (link here) yet simplifies it brilliantly, which leave one scratching one’s head as to why Microsoft sent a suit out there that can’t explain tech. He goes on to explain how dedicated servers are to be used in conjunction with the gaming specific cloud system Microsoft is providing to change our gaming experience for years to come.
G1OAT (gamertag/Steam ID)
U tube
Did anyone else see the video of Sony essentially (and I like to think deliberately) pointing out the Wii U’s potential due to how it uses its memory? I know there’s been analysis both ways on the video, but after EA said it was too weak, either way it shows they simply can’t program properly, that or say anything truthful (or both).
Also, the Wii U Premium is currently £199 at Amazon (basic is £149 but really not worth it with the 3GB storage actually usable, and coming with no game). An absolute bargain for what you get (even with the current lack of games).
Chocobogamer
GC: We don’t know what this new trend is for telling us about a video and then not providing a link, but it does rather limit the conversation as we’ve got no idea what you’re referring to.
Back in the fight
After watching a few videos of the insanely talented people competing at EVO 2013, I decided to dig out and play Super Street Fighter IV again. Seems like no one plays online anymore… so two questions: should I invest in an arcade stick (that might not work on Xbox One, assuming I buy one)? Has everyone upgraded to the Arcade Edition, meaning I should get the downloadable content?
Please add me if you’re like me, still looking for some matches.
ttfp saylow (gamertag)
GC: We haven’t played online for ages but we’re sure the community must still be about somewhere. The Arcade Edition is only £10.28 though, if you want to give it a go. Or you could just wait for the new game announced today.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Not-so looney toons
Good to see a mention of Justice League here on GC. In the last week I’ve just finished a full rerun of the entire series, all 91 episodes (including Justice League Unlimited). I first watched it on CNX/Toonami nearly ten years ago, but it’s definitely worth watching again. (Today’s fact: Lex Luthor is voiced by the same guy who voices Eugene Krabbs from SpongeBob SquarePants – Clancy Brown who was in Highlander).
I’ve not played Injustice: Gods Amongst Us, but I do have Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe and if this is by the same developers then it must be pretty good.
On the anime front, next up is Death Note. I’ve watched the first four episodes and it’s shaping up to be something really special. Any other anime recommendations from GCers would be great too. (Before I get everyone telling me to watch Cowboy Bebop I’ve already seen it, and can confirm it’s
probably one of the best Animes out there!)
skipsville 1977 (gamertag)
PS: I’m a couple of hours into Saints Row The Third. I found a used ‘full package’ edition at GAME for £17.99 with a working co-op code too. I think it’s the first time I’ve played a game where I’ve picked a female lead. It seemed pretty weird at first as I was looking at the different make up, clothing and hair combinations, and somehow I’ve ended up with a buxom, blonde Amazonian goddess armed with some pretty offensive comments, lots of guns and not a lot of clothes..!
GC: We’d recommend the DC animated original movies, most of which have been very good. Our favourites include Wonder Woman, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Batman: Year One, and The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 and 2.
Inbox also-rans
I heard Nintendo’s factories are staffed entirely by R.O.B.s can anyone at GC confirm this?
RyokoSparda
GC: No, but their marketing department is.
Who wears short shorts?
TheNudgeMan (PSN ID)
Anyone else spot this?
Rolph
This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Simon, who asks what’s the worst section you’ve ever played in an otherwise great game?
No matter how long or short it is, did the moment actually ruin the game for you or was it just a weird blip in an overall enjoyable experience? What exactly was the problem, and was it related to a particular gameplay element, a specific plot point, or perhaps an unlikeable character?
Was the issue a difficulty spike or something in the game that didn’t work the way it should, like the multiplayer? Or was it perhaps the graphics or some kind of recurring bug? Whatever the problem was how much did it affect your enjoyment and how many such issues are you willing to put up with for a good game?
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
The small print
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