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On the 16th January 2001, news was heard that shocked the PlayStation 2 world: Gran Turismo 3, previously slated for launch day and then February, was to be delayed until early June. At best.
Unfortunately, this is becoming an all to common sight on the PS2. Although we haven’t seen a delay of Zelda 64 proportions (10 delays and a staggering 3 years), there’s still an interesting pattern emerging. Almost all of 2001’s big titles (WipE’out” Fusion, Dark cloud, Metal Gear Solid 2) have all been pencilled in for “quarters” (the 4 yearly segments) rather than specific days.
The truth is, quarters have been around for a while, but even the 3-month breathing room doesn’t prevent titles from slipping to the next quarter. The worst offenders of this are the hyped, “big” titles. The reason for this is right from the beginning, developers are keen to push the game so they release mocked up shots to whet the appetite of potential buyers, and also making the game look more finished than it really is. A side effect of this is the media fervour whipped up forces the publishers (NOT the developers) to give a release date. The problem with this is the dates are usually fantasy. The developers need to get a publishing deal, so they say “Oh, we think we can get it done for…” but in reality they know there’s no way they’ll do it. Then, the developer changes it’s mind in order to prevent losing the deal. However, even picture-perfect planning can turn into delays, especially if the team are working with new technology, or they are young and inexperienced. Even seasoned developers can run into problems though, if tools and libraries haven’t been debugged properly.
There are three main reasons why a game can be delayed:
1. The development team are working with new technology. This is probably the PS2’s main problem, as the hardware is very difficult to work with. I remember reading a story where a developer spent 3 months working with a dev kit before they could get a picture on the screen. Another thing is if new technology hasn’t been released yet or the specs haven’t been finalised. E.g. How the PS2 HDD will work.
2. Part or all of the development team haven’t worked on a game before. This may seem like a suicidal idea but I bet it happens quite often. Developers are constantly looking for new talent, and the best way to teach them the ropes is to throw them in at the deep end. Of course this probably wouldn’t happen on a AAA title such as MGS2, but it can happen.
3. The team are being too ambitious. This last reason is especially apparent in the big names such as MGS2 and GT3. These are very ambitious titles because they are doing things never done before and are taking the technology to new levels. They are pioneers in gaming, and pioneering takes times, usually longer than expected.
In my opinion delays are acceptable as long as they make the game better. This isn’t always the case though. Look at Hearts of Darkness. Infogrames started this as a 2D platformer that promised revolutionary visuals and incredible animation when it was first announced in 1995. 4 years, several re-workings, a staggering £4million and a new platform later, it received awful reviews and was a total flop. It just came too late.
So what’s the answer? How do you stop these huge delays and massive disappointments? Simple: Don’t announce a release date. This may seem stupid but it’s true. Better yet, don’t announce the game. This happened with Quake 3 Revolution. It went straight to shelves a few months ago. There weren’t any previews, special shots or exclusive interviews, just a game and a quiet notice to the magazines telling them they’d released the game. The magazines were confounded. Usually, straight to review = pile of pants, but Quake 3 was an amazing game, possibly even better than the mighty TimeSplitters. It received great reviews and sold well, nearly making it to the top of the chart. It didn’t sell quite as well as it might of, but it still raked it in and the developers were looking very pleased. So, are quiet releases the answer? Well, I think not but maybe a compromise. I think developers should quietly make the game, and then announce it, say, 2 months before its released. This gives the developers time to finish the game and stir up some enthusiasm for the game. Also, at this point a game can only be delayed by about a month, but if a complete re-working is required, they should just completely cool off on the game and not release any more information for another few months. This way, you get just the right amount of hype but you also have a back-up plan.
So, what do you all think? Hype and disappointment, or surprise and satisfaction? Discuss:
Unfortunately, this is becoming an all to common sight on the PS2. Although we haven’t seen a delay of Zelda 64 proportions (10 delays and a staggering 3 years), there’s still an interesting pattern emerging. Almost all of 2001’s big titles (WipE’out” Fusion, Dark cloud, Metal Gear Solid 2) have all been pencilled in for “quarters” (the 4 yearly segments) rather than specific days.
The truth is, quarters have been around for a while, but even the 3-month breathing room doesn’t prevent titles from slipping to the next quarter. The worst offenders of this are the hyped, “big” titles. The reason for this is right from the beginning, developers are keen to push the game so they release mocked up shots to whet the appetite of potential buyers, and also making the game look more finished than it really is. A side effect of this is the media fervour whipped up forces the publishers (NOT the developers) to give a release date. The problem with this is the dates are usually fantasy. The developers need to get a publishing deal, so they say “Oh, we think we can get it done for…” but in reality they know there’s no way they’ll do it. Then, the developer changes it’s mind in order to prevent losing the deal. However, even picture-perfect planning can turn into delays, especially if the team are working with new technology, or they are young and inexperienced. Even seasoned developers can run into problems though, if tools and libraries haven’t been debugged properly.
There are three main reasons why a game can be delayed:
1. The development team are working with new technology. This is probably the PS2’s main problem, as the hardware is very difficult to work with. I remember reading a story where a developer spent 3 months working with a dev kit before they could get a picture on the screen. Another thing is if new technology hasn’t been released yet or the specs haven’t been finalised. E.g. How the PS2 HDD will work.
2. Part or all of the development team haven’t worked on a game before. This may seem like a suicidal idea but I bet it happens quite often. Developers are constantly looking for new talent, and the best way to teach them the ropes is to throw them in at the deep end. Of course this probably wouldn’t happen on a AAA title such as MGS2, but it can happen.
3. The team are being too ambitious. This last reason is especially apparent in the big names such as MGS2 and GT3. These are very ambitious titles because they are doing things never done before and are taking the technology to new levels. They are pioneers in gaming, and pioneering takes times, usually longer than expected.
In my opinion delays are acceptable as long as they make the game better. This isn’t always the case though. Look at Hearts of Darkness. Infogrames started this as a 2D platformer that promised revolutionary visuals and incredible animation when it was first announced in 1995. 4 years, several re-workings, a staggering £4million and a new platform later, it received awful reviews and was a total flop. It just came too late.
So what’s the answer? How do you stop these huge delays and massive disappointments? Simple: Don’t announce a release date. This may seem stupid but it’s true. Better yet, don’t announce the game. This happened with Quake 3 Revolution. It went straight to shelves a few months ago. There weren’t any previews, special shots or exclusive interviews, just a game and a quiet notice to the magazines telling them they’d released the game. The magazines were confounded. Usually, straight to review = pile of pants, but Quake 3 was an amazing game, possibly even better than the mighty TimeSplitters. It received great reviews and sold well, nearly making it to the top of the chart. It didn’t sell quite as well as it might of, but it still raked it in and the developers were looking very pleased. So, are quiet releases the answer? Well, I think not but maybe a compromise. I think developers should quietly make the game, and then announce it, say, 2 months before its released. This gives the developers time to finish the game and stir up some enthusiasm for the game. Also, at this point a game can only be delayed by about a month, but if a complete re-working is required, they should just completely cool off on the game and not release any more information for another few months. This way, you get just the right amount of hype but you also have a back-up plan.
So, what do you all think? Hype and disappointment, or surprise and satisfaction? Discuss:
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This is the only thing you can be sure of. Games will always be put back from their original release date.
Excitebike 64 was delayed by a full year!
Firstly, Zelda 64 was delayed... but not by 3 years! By a few months.
Anyway, what many people do not realise is that developers often KNOW that games are going to be delayed! However, to save the hype they announce this last minute... even then saying "it'll be 2 months" when they need 6! And then 2 months later "we have some really great new ideas... 2 more months!"
I can't remember the game (was it Daikatana or some other PC games)... but this exact thing happened... and the game was rubbish. (Ok, so it probably was Daikatana!)
Sonic
Anyway, what many people do not realise is that developers often KNOW that games are going to be delayed! However, to save the hype they announce this last minute... even then saying "it'll be 2 months" when they need 6! And then 2 months later "we have some really great new ideas... 2 more months!"
I can't remember the game (was it Daikatana or some other PC games)... but this exact thing happened... and the game was rubbish. (Ok, so it probably was Daikatana!)
Sonic
Zelda was not delayed 3 years it took 3 years to make!
I think that is a good point Robin. We shouldn't have to be putting up with these delays. They are unfair on the gamers. It seems to be the big anticpated games that are delayed. I suppose the big companies want the game perfect before it hits the shlves to stop dissapointment!
I always read reviews to find out what a game's like, but for example with GT3, I didn't go into the review that deeply as I know it's going to be fantastic anyway. I want to be surprised on July 20th.
By the way, releasing GT3 on the first day of the holidays is PURE GENIUS!
By the way, releasing GT3 on the first day of the holidays is PURE GENIUS!
I think the developers of MGS2 have made a good decision with not releasing any more info about the game until it comes out. All the mags and web sites seem to tell you everything about the game by reviewing import copies, this just spoils the game when you buy it. Dosn't give you the chance to find the secrets out for yourself. Maybe more developers should do this, only give a little of what to expect away and leave the rest until the game is released.
When I bought my PSX I had it chipped, i then bought a US version of resident evil. I had never heard of this game before but from what the guy who I bought it off it sounded pretty good. After playing it for a while I became slightly addicted to playing it. I probably enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed it if I had seen reveiws,info about it all over the place.
When I bought my PSX I had it chipped, i then bought a US version of resident evil. I had never heard of this game before but from what the guy who I bought it off it sounded pretty good. After playing it for a while I became slightly addicted to playing it. I probably enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed it if I had seen reveiws,info about it all over the place.
That is a good point. I suppose companies have to announce big titles in order to get people to buy the new system. Surely MGS2 and GT3 are the biggest selling points of the PS2 and the hype is inevitable.
I don't think they should mention the release date of games but when a console is just starting to take off it need big named games like GT3 and MGS2 to help it sell. It can be annoying having to wait but I would rather wait to get a version of the game which the developers are happy with and not a poorly made game.
Very good. The customer shouldn't have to pre-order a game and find out that its been delayed for months! This kinda of point is what makes prime great!
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