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No Man’s Sky came in for a lot of flak last year. The much hyped Playstation 4 space-exploration game was compared by many to an Early Access title, in so much as it felt woefully unfinished. And yet there was another title release last year, one which was actually in Early Access and yet which was sold to the gaming public as a complete release. It’s a game that, to my surprise, escaped significant scrutiny. So sit a while, as I examine the curious case of 7 Days To Die.
As you may ascertain from the title, 7 Days to Die is not a game about raising kittens. It’s a grim and gritty survival horror game, where your primary objective is to survive the ever escalating onslaught of the living dead. It’s essentially Minecraft, with more realistic zombies. The game has been available on Steam, through Early Access, for about three years, with new features and tweaks being added regularly.
So when I saw the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game being advertised on a gaming website, my interest was piqued. Had the game at last left Early Access and received a final release. The answer, as it turns out, is no. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game – available both digitally and on disc – are put out by Telltale Publishing, a branch of Telltale Games.
However, while Telltale Publishing’s initial press release mentions that the PC version is in Early Access, the game’s packaging and digital store listings fail to acknowledge this. That rather gives the impression that the buyer is receiving a complete, finished product. Yet the Steam page for the PC version, which the console version has been developed from, tells a different story. It carries the disclaimer that ‘This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further.’
Not that I expect The Fun Pimps, developers of 7 Days to Die, are going to drop everything and scarper, but anyone purchasing the Steam version is given fair warning. Nor is the game awful. It's not amazing - though it has bugs - but as a diversion, it's entertaining enough, especially if you into Minecraft. The split screen mode is a nice touch, too.
So what is it that rubs me up the wrong way about this? Granted, 7 Days to Die hasn't had anywhere near the amount of hype that No Man's Sky has. But I feel that there's something inherenently dishonest about taking a blatantly unfinished game, and concealing the fact that this is the case. Throw in the fact that patches require certification on consoles and you're left with a game that's in a worse position for updates than the PC version. As Telltale Publishing's first release, this isn't going to win them any brownie points.
As you may ascertain from the title, 7 Days to Die is not a game about raising kittens. It’s a grim and gritty survival horror game, where your primary objective is to survive the ever escalating onslaught of the living dead. It’s essentially Minecraft, with more realistic zombies. The game has been available on Steam, through Early Access, for about three years, with new features and tweaks being added regularly.
So when I saw the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game being advertised on a gaming website, my interest was piqued. Had the game at last left Early Access and received a final release. The answer, as it turns out, is no. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game – available both digitally and on disc – are put out by Telltale Publishing, a branch of Telltale Games.
However, while Telltale Publishing’s initial press release mentions that the PC version is in Early Access, the game’s packaging and digital store listings fail to acknowledge this. That rather gives the impression that the buyer is receiving a complete, finished product. Yet the Steam page for the PC version, which the console version has been developed from, tells a different story. It carries the disclaimer that ‘This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further.’
Not that I expect The Fun Pimps, developers of 7 Days to Die, are going to drop everything and scarper, but anyone purchasing the Steam version is given fair warning. Nor is the game awful. It's not amazing - though it has bugs - but as a diversion, it's entertaining enough, especially if you into Minecraft. The split screen mode is a nice touch, too.
So what is it that rubs me up the wrong way about this? Granted, 7 Days to Die hasn't had anywhere near the amount of hype that No Man's Sky has. But I feel that there's something inherenently dishonest about taking a blatantly unfinished game, and concealing the fact that this is the case. Throw in the fact that patches require certification on consoles and you're left with a game that's in a worse position for updates than the PC version. As Telltale Publishing's first release, this isn't going to win them any brownie points.
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No Man’s Sky came in for a lot of flak last year. The much hyped Playstation 4 space-exploration game was compared by many to an Early Access title, in so much as it felt woefully unfinished. And yet there was another title release last year, one which was actually in Early Access and yet which was sold to the gaming public as a complete release. It’s a game that, to my surprise, escaped significant scrutiny. So sit a while, as I examine the curious case of 7 Days To Die.
As you may ascertain from the title, 7 Days to Die is not a game about raising kittens. It’s a grim and gritty survival horror game, where your primary objective is to survive the ever escalating onslaught of the living dead. It’s essentially Minecraft, with more realistic zombies. The game has been available on Steam, through Early Access, for about three years, with new features and tweaks being added regularly.
So when I saw the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game being advertised on a gaming website, my interest was piqued. Had the game at last left Early Access and received a final release. The answer, as it turns out, is no. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game – available both digitally and on disc – are put out by Telltale Publishing, a branch of Telltale Games.
However, while Telltale Publishing’s initial press release mentions that the PC version is in Early Access, the game’s packaging and digital store listings fail to acknowledge this. That rather gives the impression that the buyer is receiving a complete, finished product. Yet the Steam page for the PC version, which the console version has been developed from, tells a different story. It carries the disclaimer that ‘This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further.’
Not that I expect The Fun Pimps, developers of 7 Days to Die, are going to drop everything and scarper, but anyone purchasing the Steam version is given fair warning. Nor is the game awful. It's not amazing - though it has bugs - but as a diversion, it's entertaining enough, especially if you into Minecraft. The split screen mode is a nice touch, too.
So what is it that rubs me up the wrong way about this? Granted, 7 Days to Die hasn't had anywhere near the amount of hype that No Man's Sky has. But I feel that there's something inherenently dishonest about taking a blatantly unfinished game, and concealing the fact that this is the case. Throw in the fact that patches require certification on consoles and you're left with a game that's in a worse position for updates than the PC version. As Telltale Publishing's first release, this isn't going to win them any brownie points.
As you may ascertain from the title, 7 Days to Die is not a game about raising kittens. It’s a grim and gritty survival horror game, where your primary objective is to survive the ever escalating onslaught of the living dead. It’s essentially Minecraft, with more realistic zombies. The game has been available on Steam, through Early Access, for about three years, with new features and tweaks being added regularly.
So when I saw the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game being advertised on a gaming website, my interest was piqued. Had the game at last left Early Access and received a final release. The answer, as it turns out, is no. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game – available both digitally and on disc – are put out by Telltale Publishing, a branch of Telltale Games.
However, while Telltale Publishing’s initial press release mentions that the PC version is in Early Access, the game’s packaging and digital store listings fail to acknowledge this. That rather gives the impression that the buyer is receiving a complete, finished product. Yet the Steam page for the PC version, which the console version has been developed from, tells a different story. It carries the disclaimer that ‘This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further.’
Not that I expect The Fun Pimps, developers of 7 Days to Die, are going to drop everything and scarper, but anyone purchasing the Steam version is given fair warning. Nor is the game awful. It's not amazing - though it has bugs - but as a diversion, it's entertaining enough, especially if you into Minecraft. The split screen mode is a nice touch, too.
So what is it that rubs me up the wrong way about this? Granted, 7 Days to Die hasn't had anywhere near the amount of hype that No Man's Sky has. But I feel that there's something inherenently dishonest about taking a blatantly unfinished game, and concealing the fact that this is the case. Throw in the fact that patches require certification on consoles and you're left with a game that's in a worse position for updates than the PC version. As Telltale Publishing's first release, this isn't going to win them any brownie points.