Oh man, I’m so looking forward to Mass Effect 2. I didn’t even know there was going to be a sequel to Mass Effect, but having read about it recently, I’m very much intrigued, although I hope they spend a bit more time optimizing it for the PC, though Mass Effect was one of the better Xbox to PC ports I’ve seen (certainly better than Halo 2 for Vista…*shudder*).
At any rate, the big news is the one minute teaser trailer. Have a look. (Spoilers abound after the break.)
Let me preface this by stressing that I am not a game developer. But I am a gamer, and I know that there is a right way to make a game and a wrong way to make a game, as I have played many well-designed games and many poorly-designed games.
I recently purchased the game Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. I had purchased the original Company of Heroes quite a while ago, but I had never finished it. So, I decided to re-install the original before dealing with Opposing Fronts. After a rather arduous process of patching, I was ready to play. Upon loading it up, it seemed that the patches had installed data for Opposing Fronts as well as the original, since the menu included the campaigns from the new game. I couldn’t play them without an Opposing Fronts CD key, but I didn’t want to deal with that right then. I played the game (picking up where I had left off) and finished the campaign. Now for Opposing Fronts.
I’m an avid gamer. I don’t own a video game console, but I do have quite the collection of computer games, ranging from Monkey Island to Gears of War. And yet, I am not a mass murderer. I haven’t shot up my school with a 9mm or written violent poetry about killing people. Surprising? Not to most people. But Jack Thompson would have you believe that violent video games are tied directly to real world violence. The thing is, he’s an idiot.
I’m unintentionally continuing on my gaming post trend. I was watching G4 earlier and saw some stuff about a new action/role-playing game called Mass Effect developed by BioWare. It looks pretty interesting, and I’ve played games by BioWare before. They tend to have a big emphasis on story-telling, and I love games with an engaging story.
Unfortunately, the game was released only for the Xbox 360. What’s worse is that BioWare has no plans to develop the game for the PC. Another good game ruined by what I see as a lazy developer. I mean, the PC is still a good gaming platform. Why, then, do so many developers come out with games exclusive to certain consoles? I don’t want to buy a freakin’ Xbox. If that means I’m not going to buy a game like Mass Effect, then that’s the loss of the game developer. Ignoring an entire (and rather large) portion of the video game market is about the best thing you can do to get people to dislike you.
BioWare used to develop games for the PC, too. Even the most recent game they developed before Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was made for both the Xbox and the PC. Before that, they were PC-only, since no one thought an RPG could really work that well on a console.
I really don’t have anything against consoles. They have their uses. I don’t want to be forced to buy one, though. I already own a decent computer. Buying something else that only plays games is a bit…redundant. And to have to pay for multiplayer? Seriously, no thanks. But it seems like PC gamers are being left behind, especially now that gaming consoles can look better than high-end PCs without costing nearly as much. Of course, if you add in the gigantic HD television set needed to fully appreciate the look of console games, the cost can go up quite a bit. Realistically, though, the PC gaming market isn’t dead yet. It’s not even close. But when good games are made for consoles and not for PC, it can be just a little bit irritating.
Dammit, that G4 review is really making me want Mass Effect. It looks like a sweet game. Curse you, BioWare! You might make me buy an Xbox 360, but I won’t like it… I know, I’m weak-willed. Sometimes.
