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Another year and another Grand Theft Auto is announced and once again the Playstation 2 tops the sales charts for consoles and for yet another year the Grand Theft Auto series manages to break sales records. Is it just me or are developers avoiding Crime games? I scan through the release calendar for the GameCube and Xbox and apart from Driver 3 there is nothing to challenge the Grand Theft Auto games. Gamers who previously weren't into consoles went out and picked up copies of Grand Theft Auto 3 along with a Playstation 2 and the gaming world was sent into GTA mania. Sony then decided to sign up Rockstar and the GTA series until 2004 so anyone who doesn't own a PS2 or a very powerful PC won't be able to enjoy the delights of a controversial yet highly enjoyable game.
It makes sense, if I was going to start development on a game I would make sure that it was going to be released on the PS2, after all its bound to sell wouldn't you say? But what happens if the people I market the game for don't own PS2's but they own an Xbox or GameCube? Do I suddenly decided to make the game Multi Format which would hold its own problems or do I keep it on the most popular console and the console which will make me money. Are developers eluding the Xbox and GameCube or are they just seeing the logic behind sales and making money?! Bill Gates has his fingers in every pie in every area yet Microsoft and 3rd party developers which are partners with the giant killers spending time on their own crime game which would pay off in the long run.
Reading an article in the Daily Mirror on Friday was a prime example of how crime pays. "PS2 Conquers Christmas 2002", the headline smacked me in the face like a bat from Tony Soprano and I could see why. They mentioned about GTA Vice City being the number 1 selling game over Christmas and how parents were trying to stop their children from picking up the game, however the GameCube and Xbox were only mentioned as losers in the 3 way battle which had now turned into a one horse race. 'Mafia' the "alternative" to the GTA games is due for release on the Xbox and GameCube towards Easter of this year, but after playing the game on PC I can see that it won't be a console seller and it probably won't sell enormous amounts in the first weekend. I am not complaining about this because it is a step in the right direction and with the Driver series going multi-format gamers who don't own a PS2 or plan to get one can still enjoy what should be a good alternative to the Grand Theft Auto games.
2004 seems like an eternity away and who is to say that Sony won't snap up the GTA licence for another 5 years after that? GameCube and Xbox owners want to taste the sweetness of a worthy crime game yet until the GTA series turns multi-format I can not see this happening. Personally I wouldn't say that Driver 3 is a competitor but rather an alternative to the Grand Theft Auto series, however with nothing on the GameCube and Xbox for the game to alternate with I can't see it being the Killer app which will entice gamers away from the PS2 to purchase either an Xbox or a GameCube. To associate a console with one game is an easy process, the Xbox I would associate with Halo or Splinter Cell, the GameCube I would associate Resident Evil or Mario and the PS2 I would associate Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto Vice City!
Gamers and non gamers alike all recognise the GTA logo or have heard someone talking about it, even my maths teacher on Friday said that she got her son a Grand Theft Auto game for Christmas although she was unsure which one. Since the launch of GTA3 I believe that a new genre has emerged, however when I hear the crime genre mentioned I immediately think of the PS2 and straight away I want a piece of the action. If you have a PC like mine you will understand that GTA3 doesn't run very smoothly and compared to the PS2 version it's full of bugs. Bar a few gamers I believe that Crime games appeal to almost everyone as they seamlessly mix genres and blend them to make a game which will last long and up until the very end you will be entertained.
At the moment I am dubious about how True Crimes will play and although I will rent 'Mafia' I probably won't make it a purchase as I wasn't that impressed with the PC version. Looking at Sony and their respective developers I can see that they have hit onto a winning series which could keep on going forever, in fact I can see GTA games being patched out in 5 years time and still having the same effect as its predecessor. Will GameCube and Xbox owners be part of this illusive effect? Or will we still be waiting for the killer crime app which will not only sell consoles but in Microsoft's case it could make more people recognise that the PS2 isn't the only console on the market!
Sony know it, Rockstar know it and I am sure that those who are reading this will know it, Crime does pay, it pays for the gamers and it pays for the developers, however at the moment it seems that only PS2 owners realise this and unless something is done about it fast I can't see it changing. If only they would listen, all it takes is one game and people's opinions about a genre can change! Will True Crimes do this? Will it be Driver 3? Or is it going to be a long anxious wait until January 2004 when Sony have to renew the GTA3 license to keep it exclusive to Playstation consoles? Your guess is as good as mine but until a solid preview is released of a competitor I will be keeping my cards very close to my chest.
Thanks for Reading
ÂLŠ†ÂÎR
It makes sense, if I was going to start development on a game I would make sure that it was going to be released on the PS2, after all its bound to sell wouldn't you say? But what happens if the people I market the game for don't own PS2's but they own an Xbox or GameCube? Do I suddenly decided to make the game Multi Format which would hold its own problems or do I keep it on the most popular console and the console which will make me money. Are developers eluding the Xbox and GameCube or are they just seeing the logic behind sales and making money?! Bill Gates has his fingers in every pie in every area yet Microsoft and 3rd party developers which are partners with the giant killers spending time on their own crime game which would pay off in the long run.
Reading an article in the Daily Mirror on Friday was a prime example of how crime pays. "PS2 Conquers Christmas 2002", the headline smacked me in the face like a bat from Tony Soprano and I could see why. They mentioned about GTA Vice City being the number 1 selling game over Christmas and how parents were trying to stop their children from picking up the game, however the GameCube and Xbox were only mentioned as losers in the 3 way battle which had now turned into a one horse race. 'Mafia' the "alternative" to the GTA games is due for release on the Xbox and GameCube towards Easter of this year, but after playing the game on PC I can see that it won't be a console seller and it probably won't sell enormous amounts in the first weekend. I am not complaining about this because it is a step in the right direction and with the Driver series going multi-format gamers who don't own a PS2 or plan to get one can still enjoy what should be a good alternative to the Grand Theft Auto games.
2004 seems like an eternity away and who is to say that Sony won't snap up the GTA licence for another 5 years after that? GameCube and Xbox owners want to taste the sweetness of a worthy crime game yet until the GTA series turns multi-format I can not see this happening. Personally I wouldn't say that Driver 3 is a competitor but rather an alternative to the Grand Theft Auto series, however with nothing on the GameCube and Xbox for the game to alternate with I can't see it being the Killer app which will entice gamers away from the PS2 to purchase either an Xbox or a GameCube. To associate a console with one game is an easy process, the Xbox I would associate with Halo or Splinter Cell, the GameCube I would associate Resident Evil or Mario and the PS2 I would associate Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto Vice City!
Gamers and non gamers alike all recognise the GTA logo or have heard someone talking about it, even my maths teacher on Friday said that she got her son a Grand Theft Auto game for Christmas although she was unsure which one. Since the launch of GTA3 I believe that a new genre has emerged, however when I hear the crime genre mentioned I immediately think of the PS2 and straight away I want a piece of the action. If you have a PC like mine you will understand that GTA3 doesn't run very smoothly and compared to the PS2 version it's full of bugs. Bar a few gamers I believe that Crime games appeal to almost everyone as they seamlessly mix genres and blend them to make a game which will last long and up until the very end you will be entertained.
At the moment I am dubious about how True Crimes will play and although I will rent 'Mafia' I probably won't make it a purchase as I wasn't that impressed with the PC version. Looking at Sony and their respective developers I can see that they have hit onto a winning series which could keep on going forever, in fact I can see GTA games being patched out in 5 years time and still having the same effect as its predecessor. Will GameCube and Xbox owners be part of this illusive effect? Or will we still be waiting for the killer crime app which will not only sell consoles but in Microsoft's case it could make more people recognise that the PS2 isn't the only console on the market!
Sony know it, Rockstar know it and I am sure that those who are reading this will know it, Crime does pay, it pays for the gamers and it pays for the developers, however at the moment it seems that only PS2 owners realise this and unless something is done about it fast I can't see it changing. If only they would listen, all it takes is one game and people's opinions about a genre can change! Will True Crimes do this? Will it be Driver 3? Or is it going to be a long anxious wait until January 2004 when Sony have to renew the GTA3 license to keep it exclusive to Playstation consoles? Your guess is as good as mine but until a solid preview is released of a competitor I will be keeping my cards very close to my chest.
Thanks for Reading
ÂLŠ†ÂÎR
It took over 200 hours for me to get bored of GTA3 and that was when I stopped playing it. However new missions and new areas would be enough to make me want to play on, however I feel that the series could be pushed even further with a bit more time and attention to detail. If the game was brought to the Xbox then the Hard Drive could be used to decrease buffering times and reduce a lot of the slow down which appeared in Vice City. The small additions made to Vice City were good but they weren't amazing, entering buildings and bikes should have been in GTA3 anyway so I wouldn't class that as an addition. If the GTA series remains on the PS2 then I will pick up a PS2 again this summer and use it just to purchase exclusives. I am using my GameCube for all its brilliant exclusives and I will do the same with the PS2 and then I buy all very good multi-platform games and Xbox exclusives on the Microsoft console.
What next for GTA? I think it is time that Rockstar started listening to people and their suggestions, that way they really could make it live up to the hype instead of seeing a list of suggestions the day after release about what should be in the next GTA! 2003 should hopefully be remembered for the year that developers started listening to what gamers wanted and for the year when 'Crime em ups' take off on every platform and not just the PS2.
What next for GTA? I think it is time that Rockstar started listening to people and their suggestions, that way they really could make it live up to the hype instead of seeing a list of suggestions the day after release about what should be in the next GTA! 2003 should hopefully be remembered for the year that developers started listening to what gamers wanted and for the year when 'Crime em ups' take off on every platform and not just the PS2.
GtA isn't boring, it's just not advancing as much as it needs to. GTA III, with out a doubt, was a landmark title. Vice City, however, was absolute tosh. It hadn't excelled upon what GTA III had done. Vice City felt the same to play as numero 3, and it looked very similar as well. On the forums, we thought of some really good ideas. Rockstar obviously couldn't look at them, but if they had used a few of our ideas, Vice City could have been a lot better.
GTA is boring, they can keep it.
Mafia, on the other, is brilliant.
Mafia, on the other, is brilliant.
Another year and another Grand Theft Auto is announced and once again the Playstation 2 tops the sales charts for consoles and for yet another year the Grand Theft Auto series manages to break sales records. Is it just me or are developers avoiding Crime games? I scan through the release calendar for the GameCube and Xbox and apart from Driver 3 there is nothing to challenge the Grand Theft Auto games. Gamers who previously weren't into consoles went out and picked up copies of Grand Theft Auto 3 along with a Playstation 2 and the gaming world was sent into GTA mania. Sony then decided to sign up Rockstar and the GTA series until 2004 so anyone who doesn't own a PS2 or a very powerful PC won't be able to enjoy the delights of a controversial yet highly enjoyable game.
It makes sense, if I was going to start development on a game I would make sure that it was going to be released on the PS2, after all its bound to sell wouldn't you say? But what happens if the people I market the game for don't own PS2's but they own an Xbox or GameCube? Do I suddenly decided to make the game Multi Format which would hold its own problems or do I keep it on the most popular console and the console which will make me money. Are developers eluding the Xbox and GameCube or are they just seeing the logic behind sales and making money?! Bill Gates has his fingers in every pie in every area yet Microsoft and 3rd party developers which are partners with the giant killers spending time on their own crime game which would pay off in the long run.
Reading an article in the Daily Mirror on Friday was a prime example of how crime pays. "PS2 Conquers Christmas 2002", the headline smacked me in the face like a bat from Tony Soprano and I could see why. They mentioned about GTA Vice City being the number 1 selling game over Christmas and how parents were trying to stop their children from picking up the game, however the GameCube and Xbox were only mentioned as losers in the 3 way battle which had now turned into a one horse race. 'Mafia' the "alternative" to the GTA games is due for release on the Xbox and GameCube towards Easter of this year, but after playing the game on PC I can see that it won't be a console seller and it probably won't sell enormous amounts in the first weekend. I am not complaining about this because it is a step in the right direction and with the Driver series going multi-format gamers who don't own a PS2 or plan to get one can still enjoy what should be a good alternative to the Grand Theft Auto games.
2004 seems like an eternity away and who is to say that Sony won't snap up the GTA licence for another 5 years after that? GameCube and Xbox owners want to taste the sweetness of a worthy crime game yet until the GTA series turns multi-format I can not see this happening. Personally I wouldn't say that Driver 3 is a competitor but rather an alternative to the Grand Theft Auto series, however with nothing on the GameCube and Xbox for the game to alternate with I can't see it being the Killer app which will entice gamers away from the PS2 to purchase either an Xbox or a GameCube. To associate a console with one game is an easy process, the Xbox I would associate with Halo or Splinter Cell, the GameCube I would associate Resident Evil or Mario and the PS2 I would associate Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto Vice City!
Gamers and non gamers alike all recognise the GTA logo or have heard someone talking about it, even my maths teacher on Friday said that she got her son a Grand Theft Auto game for Christmas although she was unsure which one. Since the launch of GTA3 I believe that a new genre has emerged, however when I hear the crime genre mentioned I immediately think of the PS2 and straight away I want a piece of the action. If you have a PC like mine you will understand that GTA3 doesn't run very smoothly and compared to the PS2 version it's full of bugs. Bar a few gamers I believe that Crime games appeal to almost everyone as they seamlessly mix genres and blend them to make a game which will last long and up until the very end you will be entertained.
At the moment I am dubious about how True Crimes will play and although I will rent 'Mafia' I probably won't make it a purchase as I wasn't that impressed with the PC version. Looking at Sony and their respective developers I can see that they have hit onto a winning series which could keep on going forever, in fact I can see GTA games being patched out in 5 years time and still having the same effect as its predecessor. Will GameCube and Xbox owners be part of this illusive effect? Or will we still be waiting for the killer crime app which will not only sell consoles but in Microsoft's case it could make more people recognise that the PS2 isn't the only console on the market!
Sony know it, Rockstar know it and I am sure that those who are reading this will know it, Crime does pay, it pays for the gamers and it pays for the developers, however at the moment it seems that only PS2 owners realise this and unless something is done about it fast I can't see it changing. If only they would listen, all it takes is one game and people's opinions about a genre can change! Will True Crimes do this? Will it be Driver 3? Or is it going to be a long anxious wait until January 2004 when Sony have to renew the GTA3 license to keep it exclusive to Playstation consoles? Your guess is as good as mine but until a solid preview is released of a competitor I will be keeping my cards very close to my chest.
Thanks for Reading
ÂLŠ†ÂÎR
It makes sense, if I was going to start development on a game I would make sure that it was going to be released on the PS2, after all its bound to sell wouldn't you say? But what happens if the people I market the game for don't own PS2's but they own an Xbox or GameCube? Do I suddenly decided to make the game Multi Format which would hold its own problems or do I keep it on the most popular console and the console which will make me money. Are developers eluding the Xbox and GameCube or are they just seeing the logic behind sales and making money?! Bill Gates has his fingers in every pie in every area yet Microsoft and 3rd party developers which are partners with the giant killers spending time on their own crime game which would pay off in the long run.
Reading an article in the Daily Mirror on Friday was a prime example of how crime pays. "PS2 Conquers Christmas 2002", the headline smacked me in the face like a bat from Tony Soprano and I could see why. They mentioned about GTA Vice City being the number 1 selling game over Christmas and how parents were trying to stop their children from picking up the game, however the GameCube and Xbox were only mentioned as losers in the 3 way battle which had now turned into a one horse race. 'Mafia' the "alternative" to the GTA games is due for release on the Xbox and GameCube towards Easter of this year, but after playing the game on PC I can see that it won't be a console seller and it probably won't sell enormous amounts in the first weekend. I am not complaining about this because it is a step in the right direction and with the Driver series going multi-format gamers who don't own a PS2 or plan to get one can still enjoy what should be a good alternative to the Grand Theft Auto games.
2004 seems like an eternity away and who is to say that Sony won't snap up the GTA licence for another 5 years after that? GameCube and Xbox owners want to taste the sweetness of a worthy crime game yet until the GTA series turns multi-format I can not see this happening. Personally I wouldn't say that Driver 3 is a competitor but rather an alternative to the Grand Theft Auto series, however with nothing on the GameCube and Xbox for the game to alternate with I can't see it being the Killer app which will entice gamers away from the PS2 to purchase either an Xbox or a GameCube. To associate a console with one game is an easy process, the Xbox I would associate with Halo or Splinter Cell, the GameCube I would associate Resident Evil or Mario and the PS2 I would associate Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto Vice City!
Gamers and non gamers alike all recognise the GTA logo or have heard someone talking about it, even my maths teacher on Friday said that she got her son a Grand Theft Auto game for Christmas although she was unsure which one. Since the launch of GTA3 I believe that a new genre has emerged, however when I hear the crime genre mentioned I immediately think of the PS2 and straight away I want a piece of the action. If you have a PC like mine you will understand that GTA3 doesn't run very smoothly and compared to the PS2 version it's full of bugs. Bar a few gamers I believe that Crime games appeal to almost everyone as they seamlessly mix genres and blend them to make a game which will last long and up until the very end you will be entertained.
At the moment I am dubious about how True Crimes will play and although I will rent 'Mafia' I probably won't make it a purchase as I wasn't that impressed with the PC version. Looking at Sony and their respective developers I can see that they have hit onto a winning series which could keep on going forever, in fact I can see GTA games being patched out in 5 years time and still having the same effect as its predecessor. Will GameCube and Xbox owners be part of this illusive effect? Or will we still be waiting for the killer crime app which will not only sell consoles but in Microsoft's case it could make more people recognise that the PS2 isn't the only console on the market!
Sony know it, Rockstar know it and I am sure that those who are reading this will know it, Crime does pay, it pays for the gamers and it pays for the developers, however at the moment it seems that only PS2 owners realise this and unless something is done about it fast I can't see it changing. If only they would listen, all it takes is one game and people's opinions about a genre can change! Will True Crimes do this? Will it be Driver 3? Or is it going to be a long anxious wait until January 2004 when Sony have to renew the GTA3 license to keep it exclusive to Playstation consoles? Your guess is as good as mine but until a solid preview is released of a competitor I will be keeping my cards very close to my chest.
Thanks for Reading
ÂLŠ†ÂÎR