370°

Devs hope for more freedom, openness on next-gen consoles

Gamasutra- One advantage that games on PCs, social networks such as Facebook, and even mobile phones have over those on traditional video game consoles is the ability for their creators to change and manipulate their worlds on the fly. Thanks to the relative freedom these platforms provide, games can be constantly updated to improve performance, fix bugs, balance mechanics, and keep players playing longer.

On traditional consoles, not so much. Game developers have been traditionally hampered by the bureaucracy, endless forms, and prohibitive cost that come with updating a console game once it's available to purchase, often at the expense of the game's quality.

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Stinky_Fish4409d ago

how will dev costs lead to more freedom?

solar4408d ago

The video game.industry is the most butt hurt industry out there. What's lost today in mainstream gaming is the artistic side. Its all about money now. With dlc and the lemmings who buy it and.the hype machine.

decrypt4408d ago

Well the reason why there is so much red tape involved in making changes to a games content is because MS and Sony must certify updates before they take place.

Now obviously these sort of procedures cost money. However as long as console gamers are willing to put up with such costs, i think things are fine just the way they are.

snipes1014408d ago

Yea, they want all the freedom and then want to lock down used game sales with DRM and the like. Oh, the irony.

HeartDisease4409d ago (Edited 4409d ago )

devs want more freedom and more open platforms next gen, yet want restrictions in them to fight used games? lawl

Dark_Overlord4409d ago

I believe you'll find its mainly the publishers who want the restrictions on used games, not the devs :)

ziggurcat4408d ago (Edited 4408d ago )

i had a discussion with someone who claimed to be a game developer and he likened trading in your games to illegally distributing copyrighted material - to which i laughed in his face and called him delusional.

so it's not just the publishers.

Dark_Overlord4408d ago

I didn't say it was just the publishers, I said it was 'mainly' them :)

lzim4409d ago

apples and oranges.

Open as in less BS from Microsoft about what they can do with their games, like host online servers, support keyboard and mouse, how much memory they can use on the marketplace etc.

Fighting used games has been on the developer agenda for years because they only make money the first time a game is sold. After that any lending or rentals.. they don't get paid. People don't seem to care that they should be paying for a right to play not just have a disc to pass around as they please.

ilikestuff4409d ago

yea and i just paid for the right to drive my car and not let someone else drive it, or i have the right to live in my house but i can't let anyone live with me and this shirt I'm wearing, i just got the rights to wear it i can't let some skank that i banged wear it the next day

lzim4409d ago (Edited 4409d ago )

unless you insure them.. yeah it is a similar thing.

You're licensed and insured to drive, you can't just lend you car to other people. Furthermore you're responsible for what they do.

For gaming I don't want to even consider each gamer having to pay for insurance but that could happen too (requirements to have a SEN, Origin or Gamertag). I don't think STEAM is going to do that but I hope they don't.

lzim4409d ago

Its nice for them to want things.

But as long as they have enough ram and processing power to make games that are marginally better than they were last generation, they should be fine.

It isn't like the industry will implode just because devs aren't going to get an adequate platform for another 8 years. As if they are planning to support higher framerates, better AI, particle effects better physics, etc. The more features they'd add the buggier and more expensive the games would be to make, test and support with patches after the publishers abort their projects.

Dms20124409d ago

You seem to have figured out what so many have overlooked, increased assets=higher dev costs=$70 games. I believe this is the main cause of having to wait so long for the next generation.

lzim4409d ago

Well.. no MS lost billions. They had to make the most of Xbox 360 before dumping even more money into consoles.

Then they for whatever reason started dumping more billions into Kinect and not into games for Kinect... and Windows.. and Windows phone...

Sony is a similar is only slightly less tragic story.

Notice Nintendo is the only announced new console? They don't have billions to waste but are playing catchup when people start getting bored of 360 and PS3.

StayStatic4409d ago (Edited 4409d ago )

While Sony has made a good attempt to be more developer friendly , it does not compare to PC which will always cause problems for some developers wanting to get out updates promptly.

For example Valve(2012) had to remove cross platform multiplayer with CS:GO:

"Valve has decided to strip the functionality in favor of offering constant updates for players on the PC and Mac."

http://www.joystiq.com/2012...

This can prove problematic in such a case and i'm sure their are other restrictions which need to go or change as well.

_Aarix_4408d ago

Excuse me while I point and laugh at the people who think sony is the only saint in the gaming industry. Lol fanboys.

StoneAgeWarfare4408d ago

you have one bubble I'm the one laughing

fullmetal2974408d ago

Really... then maybe Sony can drop the online passes because it is becoming annoying for gamers.

A LIVING LEGEND4409d ago

creative freedom,time and resources to pursue new ideas.
^ Studio closed.Billions spent opening 10 new studios that will concentrate on perfecting the next big shooters of 2012

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60°

Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX

This could be fun as they make great tables. Go big or go extinct. Prime your senses for a neural handshake and step into the cockpit of a Jaeger. It is on you to cancel the apocalypse when Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX on May 16.

50°

Mugen Souls Retro Review – Sexy Demon Space Adventure

Gary Green said: We have a juxtaposition of 2D and 3D visuals, flashy turn-based combat, quirky anime characters with cheeky dialogue with plenty of partial nudity; Yes, this is a Compile Heart JRPG. Whilst the engine is borrowed from Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, Mugen Souls is more of a Disgaea spin-off. It’s not a strategy RPG as such, it merely sits within Disgaea’s ever-expanding universe (Multiverse? Netherverse? Your guess is as good as mine). You won’t find cameos though, since Mugen Souls is a franchise which aims to stand on its own two feet.

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130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies23h ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken19h ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing691d 11h ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker1d 10h ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing691d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt22h ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken19h ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.