a single click. All you need is Adobe Reader.
For use with either a modern browser, or an RSS program.
Why ports are good for PC gaming
We look at the controversy of Modern Warfare 2 and put in our two cents. Surely a poor port is better than no game at all?
Written by Andy Griffiths, 23 November 2009
The controversy about Modern Warfare 2 just keeps rolling on and on, despite the game being out for two weeks now. Robert Bowling has confirmed that the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 outsold the original during it's first week, yet according to GamesIndustry.biz the PC version only accounts for 3% of sales.
Now the Infinity Ward haters may claim this as some sort of victory for consumer choice, but in reality it represents a wider problem, the marginalisation of our platform. Here's a quote from Robert Bowling:
"Yes, PC is the smallest percentage in terms of how much sold on each platform but that hardly means anything other than the PC is just the smallest market."
His comments don't mean that the PC market is in trouble, after all Infinity Ward prioritises console development and Mr Bowling even goes on to praise the PC version as a tremendous success in his post on IWForums. This figure doesn't take into account the amount of Steam copies sold, so we'll reserve judgement until then. However what really got to us was the amount of people willing to celebrate Modern Warfare 2's poor performance as some kind of victory for our platform, like Infinity Ward should be punished for bringing their title to us.
PCGZine Issue 36
For our latest Modern Warfare 2 coverage, click here to download PCGZine Issue 36 for free.It's an idea which is extremely absurd and shows that if you aren't developing specifically for our platform, then the vocal minority don't want to know. For an audience which is perceived by many as more mature and thoughtful, this is incredibly sad.
Think of some of the console-centric titles we would have missed out on if the dissenters had their way, for example Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil, Abe's Odyssey, Burnout Paradise, and many more. These aren't titles you would have expected to find on a PC, yet they are by far the best versions to play on any platform.
Publishers realise that the money they spend on PC development is usually much less likely to be recouped, due to piracy, lack of interest and the open condemnation of a poor port. Nothing infuriates us more than we boot up a game and it still shows, "Press Start to Play", but frankly we haven't seen anything as bad as that for a good while.
We should appreciate titles like Bionic Commando, Resident Evil 5 and Star Wars Force Unleashed appearing on our platform, even if they aren't properly optimised or in some cases entertaining, because at least the developers attempted to bring it to our user-base.
Choice is what our medium is all about and for every game that doesn't make the transition, there's the potential to lose another traditionally PC orientated gamer to the consoles and that's what we don't want. So instead of chastising Robert Bowling for lack of dedicated server support, appreciate that Modern Warfare 2 has made the transition to our platform, because for their next game we might not be as fortunate.
Modern Warfare 2 coverage available in PCGZine Issue 36 - click here to download it for free!
»View more Modern Warfare 2 features...
PC gamers don't typically support moves that limit the way they can play a game. Especially from a series that has traditionally been very customizable on the PC end. MW2 is so restrictive on the PC it's surprising that they even released it at all. Yet they did anyway and then had the nerve to claim the things they left out were in PC gamers best interest. For a title that started out on the PC it's clear where IW's priorities now lie. Why should we support them for not listening to what features the community values?
Second, you want to argue that we should be thankful that we get unoptimized ports since we at least we get them. Really? I spend $50 on a game that runs worse than it's console iteration, even though I have vastly superior hardware, and I should be thankful for that? What I should feel is upset that I supported the developer/publisher since they were too lazy to code/test the game properly. If you look around the net you'll see this exact sentiment from most people who go burned buying a poorly coded console port.
Seriously man, go back to your RROD box. It's clear you don't understand the value of good PC games vs the junk publishers are giving us nowadays.
mindcycle
24 November 2009 @ 20:42PM GMT
I agree that ports are a good thing for games that would have never been on the PC (RE5 is a very good example of this). However Call of Duty started off on the PC and not consoles. To say that we should be greatful for a port of a franchise that was built up and got to where it is because of the hard work put into PC versions is moronic.
The equivalent would be if Bungie made a PC orientated Halo game and then asked Xbox360 owners to greatful for a ported version the Xbox wouldn't have otherwise gotten.
PC gamers play on PCs for a reason. They don't want a casual gaming experience, otherwise they would have bought a console. Every PC gamer who is pissed off with Infinity Ward (myself included) sees right through the line that the matchmaking system is 'better', and those who have not boycotted the game can provide the evidence for this. What is insulting about Infinity Wards actions is that they have made very clear they are not on the gamer's side and purely out to make money.
Piracy hasn't been an excuse to not bother at all in the past, however it seems that IW have taken that step and marginalised PC gamers
HyPeR
24 November 2009 @ 1:26AM GMT