@torne "In this particular case with the face recast, no, it probably does not matter much in the grand scheme of things."
As I said in my previous comment, and quoted above, I can agree that the face thing is blown out of proportion. But that is not the main problem I have (though I prefer the old likeness). As far as I am concerned, it is just another example of the hunt for realism hindering games rather than helping, which is a far bigger problem in my eyes (although perhaps a personal problem, but again, if I have a problem, I should say as no one else will). It is amazing the detail that some games can achieve, but it irks me when that comes at the expense of the overall experience, whether that be framerate, or gameplay.
I am also against the remaster since I give Nintendo crap for this regularly (porting/remastering Wii U titles as opposed to new games), so it is only fair I do the same to Sony (Microsoft have probably done this too, biut I don't follow them enough for specific examples).
Just to note though: If there are those who are threatening/being rude to devs as a result of this, they need to rethink what they are doing, and be more polite. They are being as useful as an ice ashtray.
@torne @jmac1686 If people do not voice concerns and disagreements when they have them, the same situation will recur because developers get the idea that people are fine with it. DLC, microtransactions, and exclusive preorder content are all practices which have been normalised over time because not enough people disagree, or at least say as such. Voting with your wallet is not enough, stuff like this needs to be called out so that others can look and judge for themselves.
In this particular case with the face recast, no, it probably does not matter much in the grand scheme of things. Nor does my opinion of the need for a remaster matter by itself (although I would much prefer they made another new game alongside Miles Morales, perhaps another superhero?).I will still say I disagree in the faintest hope that the devs/publishers will be more considerate in the future. If you think that is embarassing and whiny, then that is unfortunate, but no one else is going to say this for me, so I need to say it myself regardless of whether it changes anything. It is not like I am being disrespectful or calling people "whiny bitches", or sending death threats.
@get2sammyb Well, was it needed? Again, a 2 year old game. Are people really that desperate for ray tracing? If you want the remaster, cool. But again, I do not feel this was needed.
Regarding Insomniac now doing too much as opposed to not enough, it still feels like they have not done enough, and this recast does not add enough to justify the remaster. If anything, it takes away.
@God_of_Nowt That is well and good for the original, but what about Miles Morales (if Peter does appear) and the sequel? That guy you liked from the first game, nah, **** that guy, here is this other guy instead.
Might not matter to you, and if so, good for you. But people obviously disagree that this was a good decision.
With the exception of Persona 5 Royal, I don't think I have ever brought a PS4 game at launch price. Heck, there are some Nintendo games I don't buy at launch price although I am most likely to do so with them.
I find it hard to believe that I am the only one who thinks like this. I can't see $70 and equivalent (probably £70 because normally they seemingly just change the symbol) will stay as average price for long.
I would love this to be great, but I would be lying if I said I was expecting greatness. If anything, a meh will probably be a good outcome in regards to my expectations.
Again, I give Nintendo crap for this with the Wii U remasters. If this is true, what the hell Sony?
Is the industry so close to running out of ideas that they are reduced to spit-shining games from the previous generation? Just make new games for crying out loud.
Ahh, it begins. The scourge of modern gaming is already thriving on next-gen, and it hasn't even come out yet. DLC being announced before we even have the game.
@David187 No, the speed isn't my issue, I am aware the SSD is going to be faster (although part of my comment does seem strange with the benefit of hindsight). As I said, I am lazy, I do not particularly want to constantly swap games on the SSD. I can be fairly whimisical about what I want to play, so knowing more button presses will be involved if I want to play a game I haven't played in a while is unappealing. It is more of a personal problem perhaps but... shrug
Maybe I am lazy, but this sounds like PS5 will have a lot of hard drive management, especially if PS5 games need to be on the SSD, which I can't be bothered with. With other consoles, the games were either so small that reinstalling wasn't a problem, the games didn't need to be installed, or I could always get bigger storage. Not sure I like the idea of being stuck to a small storage space.
@Matroska That is true, which does make it slightly better, but it does sound like backwards compatibility won't give you benefits of PS5 horsepower, in which case, I still despise this.
Ahh, wonderful. Sony are doing what Nintendo are doing at present and porting games from immediately the generation before. Well, if I give them crap for doing it, I can give Sony crap for it too.
@Baz12345 Hmmm, but Ratchet and Clank came out on PS4 in April 2016. =P
Seriously though, how is my comment "spreading rumours"? All my comment said was that the next thing Jimmy Jim Jam will tell us is that it is not as impossible on PS4 as they first made it out to be. I never said anything about it being confirmed at this moment, just that given the trend of PS5 games being crossgen, it would not surprise me if they confirm the new Ratchet and Clank for PS4 too.
@Peach64 I don't know, seems awfully last minute for such a drastic change in plan, especially with Covid. No, I think Sony were always planning this, but were too busy hyping up PS5.
Yeah, this has just reinforced my feeling that next gen can wait a year or two. I'll wait for both Series X and PS5 to drop in price considerably, then I'll have another think.
About 3 months before my time, so no. Sister had one but threw it away for some reason.
Now that I think about it, the only console that I brought on launch day was the Switch, the next closest being my 3DS a day after release, and the Wii U about 2-3 weeks after launch. Otherwise, all the consoles I have brought have been someway into their lifecycle.
One thing that kinda makes me sad is that unlike the original Lego Star Wars games, they appear to have dialogue, when the originals did alot of showing rather than telling with the expressions and staying silent.
@kyleforrester87 I do feel like Liam got an awful lot of flak here which is a shame. Articles like this are still good, if for no other reason than the discussions that result. And I did enjoy the article even if I ultimately disagree with the content for the most part.
@SirAngry From my understanding with FIFA, Ultimate Team does not carry over between games, so as a result, people start over from scratch eveytime. So why would EA make a subscription service when not only are people more than willing to pay $60 a year for the game (you could argue this is a subscription fee), but the players start from scratch everytime with their UT experience? With a subscription service, whilst the revenue would be constant, I doubt it would be as much since no need to start UT from scratch.
@kyleforrester87 it’s rarely discussed because it’s blatantly obvious and a none issue for the majority of people. The vocal minority will get their knickers in a twist over “losing ownership” but most people don’t give a crap and would rather sacrifice certain things to gain others. Again, it comes down to a lack of willingness to accept change by the consumer as much as it is publishers and developers taking the piss with extortionate pricing and dodgy tactics. Somewhere in the middle is progress.
I feel like you are correct that people who care about ownership are in the minority, but that begs the question; what do people like me who disagree with the general direction that gaming is going do short of leaving gaming for good? Do we just shut up and accept it? Publishers would be jumping for joy at the logic. Progress is not a bad thing in of itself, but progress for the sake of progress is stupid. It is the same attitude of indifference which has led to practices like DLC and microtransactions and lootboxes becoming common.
As much as I like seeing others enjoy games, and as selfish as it is for me to say it; I feel like gaming becoming mainstream was the worse thing to happen to it. There are too many people who play games now because of how accessible it is, who do not care for the politics of gaming. Why would developers or companies listen to us, when they have a lot more people, who make up a much larger audience, who see gaming experiences as little more than disposable such as going to the cinema?
No thanks. Sony will never get me to subscribe. I am still somewhat hoping the rumour about Microsoft offering free online is true in hopes of a paradigm shift.
@nessisonett I don't think he has been confirmed playable yet, is that correct? If he has, then that is a goof on my behalf as I must of slept. I remember him being in a trailer but not playable yet. It would make sense since he is already there.
@LiamCroft I still feel like your definition of GaaS is too broad. A game having DLC does not inherently make it GaaS. Otherwise, where is Oblivion's latest DLC? It has been a few years after all. I thought that would also fit GaaS by your own definition.
What commonly separates games with DLC from GaaS is the idea of the game constantly evolving to the point where even the base experience is no longer the same. Street Fighter V could be considered GaaS, as that game is constantly evolving; it has weekly challenges which you either play to earn in game currency, or you pay to play with said currency to earn other content such as costumes. Said content is then unavailable beyond that week, possibly forever (unless I am mistaken, I cannot get the "Asura" costume for Kage now as I was not playing the game at a certain time about a year ago). The game also has new mechanics and moves such as a second V Trigger when the game originally featured one for each character. Not to mention balance patches. The game experience is different now from when I first played ages ago with some content even being no longer available; the inherent nature of a service is what it offers over time changes; this is true for games too.
If we look at Witcher 3, the game itself has not changed over time. The mechanics have stayed the same, and the 16 free DLCs you are referring to was done over a very short period after launch. By the definition which you have in quotations from Wikipedia, the game would not qualify as a service since the game does not offer new content frequently over a long period of time. Most importantly, the base game has not been altered, just additional content thrown on type. Even the expansions whilst they may offer something new, do not change anything about the original game.
Witcher 3 is like adding chocolate sauce on ice-cream; you can still see the individual parts and acknowledge and enjoy them for what they are. Meanwhile, GaaS is a smoothie; it may have started as individual fruits, but the form has changed so much that it is impossible to tell what it was before at a glance.
I feel like I am rambling now, so I shall stop there for now.
@SirAngry Ha! I did see in your previous comments that you were working to a deadline. Admittedly when I made my comment, I went to bed shortly after. Hope you have managed to get some sleep now and are not currently running on empty.
@get2sammyb "What if I remembered how much I loved Crazy Taxi and then went to play it and the core experience was there, as I remember it? But now I had a ton new drivers to try out, a bunch of ways to customise my taxis, an additional branch of Crazy Box minigames to complete, and a whole new map to explore?"
That would be nice, but it is a moot point because the content would never be free, either because you are paying for it yourself, or because what people in the industry like to call "whales", spend so much on the industry that they can develop the content and release it as "free" for everyone else.
GaaS CAN theoretically be done in a "pro consumer" fashion (in that sense, I would say Liam has a point), but there is no incentive for a game company to do so. And even when it seems like companies are doing this correctly, you could argue that what actually happened is content has been held back on purpose to give the illusion that you are getting extra content for free. Just because something has the potential for good, does not mean it will be, and the industry has given plenty of examples of how GaaS are anti-consumer.
GaaS being good is pointless to think about when the only logical use for it as a business, is to make more money. I do not think GaaS is misunderstood; I think the general understanding and fear of them is fair, and even if GaaS is misunderstood, it is entirely a problem of the industries own making.
Just realised I never commented on the situation with Crystal Dynamics reportedly offering content for free. They may do in the beginning, but only until the point where the game itself no longer sells for full price. Once we reach that point, I fully expect CD to do what every other GaaS does, and add microtransactions and other shady monetisation practices to make the game worth developing for.
I feel like we are arguing about semantics here. The definition given in the article feels too broad.
Also, in the hypothetical situation that there are no caveats to getting more content such as extra characters and the like, there is also the problem that content may not be as consistent since the team will most likely constantly change throughout development. At least with developing individual titles, there is a shared vision which should lead into a solid game even if the experience is ultimately finite.
I also personally do not like "Games as a Service" as the nature of how "Games as a Service" works, renders physical media in a weaker position, as it will never contain the whole game. Probably won't mean much to the average player nowadays, but I still prefer physical, so games that are constantly changing just irk me.
Price has been a sticking point for me in general, though at this point, I think regardless of price I still won't be buying this at launch. I will wait for the time being until I think it is worth my time, or I somehow magically run out of PS4 games to play (huge backlog, so doubtful).
@NomNom I am aware, but it does have caveats such as ads as you have said, not to mention I believe last time I checked, picture quality was lower? I know I sound picky, but I want it in the best quality possible.
Edit: It is useful for previewing an anime before committing to buying though.
Given that Sony already own Funimation, this makes me uncomfortable. To be fair though, Crunchyroll is not a service I use; I believe I have mentioned this before, but I despise subscription services. What I do is I typically wait for recommendations from a friend who more actively watches anime than me, then I just buy the Blu-ray/DVDs and watch that way.
More expensive? Probably in the long run compared to what you would get otherwise. But I don't actively follow anime enough to justify paying the subscription (and again, I hate, HATE, subscriptions).
@GADG3Tx87 Agreed. Although like many things in the industry, this will soon become normal. Companies have mastered the art of going two steps forward and one step back when called out. Time marches ever forward.
I hope I am wrong of course, but I don't think I will be.
Licensing is a bugger, and a bit miffed about having to buy separately but I can understand. I am just glad the meme lives again. Add Knuckles as Sega owns Atlus, and you have the trifecta.
3/10, all 3 were guesses. To be fair, despite the supposed reputation, I have only ever played Uncharted 1 and TLOU. Don't particularly know them that well as a result.
"Micosoft mde tumb raidr exlusive, so y Sny getin calld out fo it?"
Probably because this practice sucks regardless of who does it?
Exclusive games? Sure, only a good thing as far as I am concerned.
Timed exclusives and ongoing perks for one particular platform? S****y. It accomplishes nothing because all you are doing is either making someone wait for no reason, or you are purposely making all versions bar one inferior. If you are planning on being multiplatform, you should be aiming for parity as much as possible. No one benefits from timed-exclusives or exclusive perks.
Pardon me, I just puked up my intestines and 6 litres of blood.
This honestly gives me no hope for the future of gaming. Even if physical games still exist, there is so much crap polluting it such as microtransactions and subscriptions, and the worse part is that there is no incentive for companies to ever change.
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Re: Spider-Man Creative Director Speaks Out on Peter Parker's New Face Following Backlash
@zupertramp Them damn ice trays. =P
Re: Spider-Man Creative Director Speaks Out on Peter Parker's New Face Following Backlash
@torne "In this particular case with the face recast, no, it probably does not matter much in the grand scheme of things."
As I said in my previous comment, and quoted above, I can agree that the face thing is blown out of proportion. But that is not the main problem I have (though I prefer the old likeness). As far as I am concerned, it is just another example of the hunt for realism hindering games rather than helping, which is a far bigger problem in my eyes (although perhaps a personal problem, but again, if I have a problem, I should say as no one else will). It is amazing the detail that some games can achieve, but it irks me when that comes at the expense of the overall experience, whether that be framerate, or gameplay.
I am also against the remaster since I give Nintendo crap for this regularly (porting/remastering Wii U titles as opposed to new games), so it is only fair I do the same to Sony (Microsoft have probably done this too, biut I don't follow them enough for specific examples).
Just to note though: If there are those who are threatening/being rude to devs as a result of this, they need to rethink what they are doing, and be more polite. They are being as useful as an ice ashtray.
Re: Spider-Man Creative Director Speaks Out on Peter Parker's New Face Following Backlash
@torne @jmac1686 If people do not voice concerns and disagreements when they have them, the same situation will recur because developers get the idea that people are fine with it. DLC, microtransactions, and exclusive preorder content are all practices which have been normalised over time because not enough people disagree, or at least say as such. Voting with your wallet is not enough, stuff like this needs to be called out so that others can look and judge for themselves.
In this particular case with the face recast, no, it probably does not matter much in the grand scheme of things. Nor does my opinion of the need for a remaster matter by itself (although I would much prefer they made another new game alongside Miles Morales, perhaps another superhero?).I will still say I disagree in the faintest hope that the devs/publishers will be more considerate in the future. If you think that is embarassing and whiny, then that is unfortunate, but no one else is going to say this for me, so I need to say it myself regardless of whether it changes anything. It is not like I am being disrespectful or calling people "whiny bitches", or sending death threats.
Re: Spider-Man Creative Director Speaks Out on Peter Parker's New Face Following Backlash
@get2sammyb Well, was it needed? Again, a 2 year old game. Are people really that desperate for ray tracing? If you want the remaster, cool. But again, I do not feel this was needed.
Regarding Insomniac now doing too much as opposed to not enough, it still feels like they have not done enough, and this recast does not add enough to justify the remaster. If anything, it takes away.
Re: Get a Good Look at Spider-Man's New Face in Remastered PS5 Cutscene
@God_of_Nowt That is well and good for the original, but what about Miles Morales (if Peter does appear) and the sequel? That guy you liked from the first game, nah, **** that guy, here is this other guy instead.
Might not matter to you, and if so, good for you. But people obviously disagree that this was a good decision.
Re: Spider-Man Creative Director Speaks Out on Peter Parker's New Face Following Backlash
Hooray for realism, gotta remaster this 2 year old game and replace Peter's likeness because REALISM!
This remaster is not needed.
Re: Gamers Will Happily Pay $70 for PS5 Games, Argues Analyst
With the exception of Persona 5 Royal, I don't think I have ever brought a PS4 game at launch price. Heck, there are some Nintendo games I don't buy at launch price although I am most likely to do so with them.
I find it hard to believe that I am the only one who thinks like this. I can't see $70 and equivalent (probably £70 because normally they seemingly just change the symbol) will stay as average price for long.
Re: SEGA's Making a Live Action Yakuza Movie
I would love this to be great, but I would be lying if I said I was expecting greatness. If anything, a meh will probably be a good outcome in regards to my expectations.
Theoretically it could work but I am doubtful.
Re: That PS5 Placeholder Box Art Turned Out to Be the Real Thing
Yeah, maybe I'll grow to like them eventually, but I currently don't like the new box-art style with the PS5 banner. The PS4 banner just speaks to me.
Re: Rumour: Bloodborne Remaster Is Real, Coming to PS5 and PC
Again, I give Nintendo crap for this with the Wii U remasters. If this is true, what the hell Sony?
Is the industry so close to running out of ideas that they are reduced to spit-shining games from the previous generation? Just make new games for crying out loud.
Re: PlayStation Store Big in Japan Sale Has Some of the Best PS4 Bargains Yet
@Matroska Thanks for the heads up. =) Funnily enough, those two I already own on disc. I just need 3-6 and revelations 1 + 2.
Re: PlayStation Store Big in Japan Sale Has Some of the Best PS4 Bargains Yet
Resident Evil is tempting, but I want to own those physically if possible so will have to think about it. Some good stuff on sale though.
Re: The Internet Thinks Microsoft Will Buy SEGA Next
And buy Atlus in the process? Nooo, thank you!
Re: Godfall Ascended Edition Reveals First PS5 Expansion for 2021
Ahh, it begins. The scourge of modern gaming is already thriving on next-gen, and it hasn't even come out yet. DLC being announced before we even have the game.
Re: PS5 Game Install Sizes Revealed, And They're Enormous
@David187 No, the speed isn't my issue, I am aware the SSD is going to be faster (although part of my comment does seem strange with the benefit of hindsight). As I said, I am lazy, I do not particularly want to constantly swap games on the SSD. I can be fairly whimisical about what I want to play, so knowing more button presses will be involved if I want to play a game I haven't played in a while is unappealing. It is more of a personal problem perhaps but... shrug
Re: PS5 Game Install Sizes Revealed, And They're Enormous
Maybe I am lazy, but this sounds like PS5 will have a lot of hard drive management, especially if PS5 games need to be on the SSD, which I can't be bothered with. With other consoles, the games were either so small that reinstalling wasn't a problem, the games didn't need to be installed, or I could always get bigger storage. Not sure I like the idea of being stuck to a small storage space.
Re: Marvel's Spider-Man Has Been Completely Remastered for PS5
@Matroska That is true, which does make it slightly better, but it does sound like backwards compatibility won't give you benefits of PS5 horsepower, in which case, I still despise this.
Re: Marvel's Spider-Man Has Been Completely Remastered for PS5
Ahh, wonderful. Sony are doing what Nintendo are doing at present and porting games from immediately the generation before. Well, if I give them crap for doing it, I can give Sony crap for it too.
Re: Sony Believes in Generations, But Confirmed a Bunch of PS5 Games for PS4
@Baz12345 Hmmm, but Ratchet and Clank came out on PS4 in April 2016. =P
Seriously though, how is my comment "spreading rumours"? All my comment said was that the next thing Jimmy Jim Jam will tell us is that it is not as impossible on PS4 as they first made it out to be. I never said anything about it being confirmed at this moment, just that given the trend of PS5 games being crossgen, it would not surprise me if they confirm the new Ratchet and Clank for PS4 too.
Re: Sony Believes in Generations, But Confirmed a Bunch of PS5 Games for PS4
@Peach64 I don't know, seems awfully last minute for such a drastic change in plan, especially with Covid. No, I think Sony were always planning this, but were too busy hyping up PS5.
Re: Sony Believes in Generations, But Confirmed a Bunch of PS5 Games for PS4
Next thing you know, Ratchet and Clank doesn't need that SSD for instant loading after all.
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced at the PS5 Showcase Event?
Yeah, this has just reinforced my feeling that next gen can wait a year or two. I'll wait for both Series X and PS5 to drop in price considerably, then I'll have another think.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West Is Coming to Both PS5 and PS4
...
The PS5 is becoming more and more unappealing. Only thing we are missing is a Knack equivalent.
Re: Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Coming to Both PS5 and PS4, Original Game Getting PS5 Remaster
Wait what... oh.
PS4 version for me then please.
Re: PS Plus Collection Announced for PS5 Launch, Subscribers Get Access to Blockbuster PS4 Games
So still no reason for me to subscribe to Plus?
Cool.
Re: PS5 Price, Release Date Confirmed: 12th November in Most Regions, $499 Standard, $399 Digital
£50 cheaper than I thought it was going to be, but eh, still not cheap enough for me at present. Will wait.
Re: Poll: Did You Buy a PlayStation at Launch 25 Years Ago?
About 3 months before my time, so no. Sister had one but threw it away for some reason.
Now that I think about it, the only console that I brought on launch day was the Switch, the next closest being my 3DS a day after release, and the Wii U about 2-3 weeks after launch. Otherwise, all the consoles I have brought have been someway into their lifecycle.
Re: Marvel's Avengers Has a Paid Battle Pass for Every Superhero After Launch
And here is the monetisation. Again, Games as a Service is a plague among gaming.
Re: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Brings the Force to PS5 and PS4 Next Spring
One thing that kinda makes me sad is that unlike the original Lego Star Wars games, they appear to have dialogue, when the originals did alot of showing rather than telling with the expressions and staying silent.
Cautiously optimistic in this...
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
@kyleforrester87 I do feel like Liam got an awful lot of flak here which is a shame. Articles like this are still good, if for no other reason than the discussions that result. And I did enjoy the article even if I ultimately disagree with the content for the most part.
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
@SirAngry From my understanding with FIFA, Ultimate Team does not carry over between games, so as a result, people start over from scratch eveytime. So why would EA make a subscription service when not only are people more than willing to pay $60 a year for the game (you could argue this is a subscription fee), but the players start from scratch everytime with their UT experience? With a subscription service, whilst the revenue would be constant, I doubt it would be as much since no need to start UT from scratch.
@kyleforrester87 it’s rarely discussed because it’s blatantly obvious and a none issue for the majority of people. The vocal minority will get their knickers in a twist over “losing ownership” but most people don’t give a crap and would rather sacrifice certain things to gain others. Again, it comes down to a lack of willingness to accept change by the consumer as much as it is publishers and developers taking the piss with extortionate pricing and dodgy tactics. Somewhere in the middle is progress.
I feel like you are correct that people who care about ownership are in the minority, but that begs the question; what do people like me who disagree with the general direction that gaming is going do short of leaving gaming for good? Do we just shut up and accept it? Publishers would be jumping for joy at the logic. Progress is not a bad thing in of itself, but progress for the sake of progress is stupid. It is the same attitude of indifference which has led to practices like DLC and microtransactions and lootboxes becoming common.
As much as I like seeing others enjoy games, and as selfish as it is for me to say it; I feel like gaming becoming mainstream was the worse thing to happen to it. There are too many people who play games now because of how accessible it is, who do not care for the politics of gaming. Why would developers or companies listen to us, when they have a lot more people, who make up a much larger audience, who see gaming experiences as little more than disposable such as going to the cinema?
Re: PS Plus Temporarily Discounted in Europe
No thanks. Sony will never get me to subscribe. I am still somewhat hoping the rumour about Microsoft offering free online is true in hopes of a paradigm shift.
Re: Marvel's Avengers to Reveal Another Post-Launch Hero at Next War Table Livestream
@nessisonett I don't think he has been confirmed playable yet, is that correct? If he has, then that is a goof on my behalf as I must of slept. I remember him being in a trailer but not playable yet. It would make sense since he is already there.
Re: Marvel's Avengers to Reveal Another Post-Launch Hero at Next War Table Livestream
Deadpool or Ant-Man. One of the two. Watch this space (probably wrong but eh).
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
@LiamCroft I still feel like your definition of GaaS is too broad. A game having DLC does not inherently make it GaaS. Otherwise, where is Oblivion's latest DLC? It has been a few years after all. I thought that would also fit GaaS by your own definition.
What commonly separates games with DLC from GaaS is the idea of the game constantly evolving to the point where even the base experience is no longer the same. Street Fighter V could be considered GaaS, as that game is constantly evolving; it has weekly challenges which you either play to earn in game currency, or you pay to play with said currency to earn other content such as costumes. Said content is then unavailable beyond that week, possibly forever (unless I am mistaken, I cannot get the "Asura" costume for Kage now as I was not playing the game at a certain time about a year ago). The game also has new mechanics and moves such as a second V Trigger when the game originally featured one for each character. Not to mention balance patches. The game experience is different now from when I first played ages ago with some content even being no longer available; the inherent nature of a service is what it offers over time changes; this is true for games too.
If we look at Witcher 3, the game itself has not changed over time. The mechanics have stayed the same, and the 16 free DLCs you are referring to was done over a very short period after launch. By the definition which you have in quotations from Wikipedia, the game would not qualify as a service since the game does not offer new content frequently over a long period of time. Most importantly, the base game has not been altered, just additional content thrown on type. Even the expansions whilst they may offer something new, do not change anything about the original game.
Witcher 3 is like adding chocolate sauce on ice-cream; you can still see the individual parts and acknowledge and enjoy them for what they are. Meanwhile, GaaS is a smoothie; it may have started as individual fruits, but the form has changed so much that it is impossible to tell what it was before at a glance.
I feel like I am rambling now, so I shall stop there for now.
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Free PS5 Upgrade Might Be Locked Behind More Expensive Versions
Ahh, the wonderful future of gaming. Don't you just love it? Get a good whiff, you'll be smelling a lot of this crap in the near future.
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
@SirAngry Ha! I did see in your previous comments that you were working to a deadline. Admittedly when I made my comment, I went to bed shortly after. Hope you have managed to get some sleep now and are not currently running on empty.
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
@get2sammyb "What if I remembered how much I loved Crazy Taxi and then went to play it and the core experience was there, as I remember it? But now I had a ton new drivers to try out, a bunch of ways to customise my taxis, an additional branch of Crazy Box minigames to complete, and a whole new map to explore?"
That would be nice, but it is a moot point because the content would never be free, either because you are paying for it yourself, or because what people in the industry like to call "whales", spend so much on the industry that they can develop the content and release it as "free" for everyone else.
GaaS CAN theoretically be done in a "pro consumer" fashion (in that sense, I would say Liam has a point), but there is no incentive for a game company to do so. And even when it seems like companies are doing this correctly, you could argue that what actually happened is content has been held back on purpose to give the illusion that you are getting extra content for free. Just because something has the potential for good, does not mean it will be, and the industry has given plenty of examples of how GaaS are anti-consumer.
GaaS being good is pointless to think about when the only logical use for it as a business, is to make more money. I do not think GaaS is misunderstood; I think the general understanding and fear of them is fair, and even if GaaS is misunderstood, it is entirely a problem of the industries own making.
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
Just realised I never commented on the situation with Crystal Dynamics reportedly offering content for free. They may do in the beginning, but only until the point where the game itself no longer sells for full price. Once we reach that point, I fully expect CD to do what every other GaaS does, and add microtransactions and other shady monetisation practices to make the game worth developing for.
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
I feel like we are arguing about semantics here. The definition given in the article feels too broad.
Also, in the hypothetical situation that there are no caveats to getting more content such as extra characters and the like, there is also the problem that content may not be as consistent since the team will most likely constantly change throughout development. At least with developing individual titles, there is a shared vision which should lead into a solid game even if the experience is ultimately finite.
I also personally do not like "Games as a Service" as the nature of how "Games as a Service" works, renders physical media in a weaker position, as it will never contain the whole game. Probably won't mean much to the average player nowadays, but I still prefer physical, so games that are constantly changing just irk me.
Re: Name the PS4 Game Using These Screenshots
13/20. Some I played, others were educated guesses and process of elimination.
Re: The Scott Pilgrim Game Could Be Coming Back from the Dead
I hope this is true so I can finally find out what the hype is about.
Re: Everyone's Talking About PS5's Price Again
Price has been a sticking point for me in general, though at this point, I think regardless of price I still won't be buying this at launch. I will wait for the time being until I think it is worth my time, or I somehow magically run out of PS4 games to play (huge backlog, so doubtful).
Re: AT&T Attaches $1 Billion Price Tag to Crunchyroll as Sony Seeks to Complete Anime Empire
@NomNom I am aware, but it does have caveats such as ads as you have said, not to mention I believe last time I checked, picture quality was lower? I know I sound picky, but I want it in the best quality possible.
Edit: It is useful for previewing an anime before committing to buying though.
Re: AT&T Attaches $1 Billion Price Tag to Crunchyroll as Sony Seeks to Complete Anime Empire
Given that Sony already own Funimation, this makes me uncomfortable. To be fair though, Crunchyroll is not a service I use; I believe I have mentioned this before, but I despise subscription services. What I do is I typically wait for recommendations from a friend who more actively watches anime than me, then I just buy the Blu-ray/DVDs and watch that way.
More expensive? Probably in the long run compared to what you would get otherwise. But I don't actively follow anime enough to justify paying the subscription (and again, I hate, HATE, subscriptions).
Re: Control Locks Free PS5 Upgrade Behind Ultimate Edition
@GADG3Tx87 Agreed. Although like many things in the industry, this will soon become normal. Companies have mastered the art of going two steps forward and one step back when called out. Time marches ever forward.
I hope I am wrong of course, but I don't think I will be.
Re: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Will Feature Dante from the Devil May Cry Series
Licensing is a bugger, and a bit miffed about having to buy separately but I can understand. I am just glad the meme lives again. Add Knuckles as Sega owns Atlus, and you have the trifecta.
Re: How Well Do You Know Naughty Dog?
3/10, all 3 were guesses. To be fair, despite the supposed reputation, I have only ever played Uncharted 1 and TLOU. Don't particularly know them that well as a result.
Re: Oh Boy, There'll Be a Backlash to This Marvel's Avengers Trailer
"Micosoft mde tumb raidr exlusive, so y Sny getin calld out fo it?"
Probably because this practice sucks regardless of who does it?
Exclusive games? Sure, only a good thing as far as I am concerned.
Timed exclusives and ongoing perks for one particular platform? S****y. It accomplishes nothing because all you are doing is either making someone wait for no reason, or you are purposely making all versions bar one inferior. If you are planning on being multiplatform, you should be aiming for parity as much as possible. No one benefits from timed-exclusives or exclusive perks.
Re: PlayStation Makes More Money from DLC, Microtransactions Than Anything Else
Pardon me, I just puked up my intestines and 6 litres of blood.
This honestly gives me no hope for the future of gaming. Even if physical games still exist, there is so much crap polluting it such as microtransactions and subscriptions, and the worse part is that there is no incentive for companies to ever change.