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As a dedicated games player I have been disapointed at a certainissue that has been creeping into the air vents of consoles everywhere.That, my friends, is multi-formatting. "Multi what ing?"
Multi-formtting is developing games for more than one console.
I love PS2 dearly, and should the laws of this land change I would marry it (dont quote me on that). But the reason i like it is that it has things no other console offers. GTA3, Pro Evo, SSX Tricky, Metal Gear 2, FF and Resi. But now only 2 are exclusives. Metal Gear 2 is exclusive, but X-Box is getting metal Gear X. FF is exclusive, an rumours of it moving to Dreamcast are 90% unlikely, but they do see more reasonable when XBox and Gamecube come into the swing of things.
I have done my research, which involved a can of Red bull and 3 magazines, and have some shocking results. 13 games in the last 3 months have been released on several formats, including Harry Potter and Tony Hawk's 3. Games like SSX Tricky will be released on the 'other' next gen consoles when they hit our shores. 15 other games are set to be multi-format when they or the console is released, including Crash, Rayman M and GTA3 after a year's loyalty agreement. A whopping 33 games are being remade for a different console, icluding resident Evil, Sonic and Crazy taxi (GC), Dead Or Alive, Oddworld and Moto GP (XBox) and Headhunter, Virtua Ten nis 2 and Virtua fighter (PS2). Some are being redone on sevral consoles, including Soul Calibur, which was DC but is now being drawn to the bigger lights, GC and PS2.
We could always look on the bright side, if you fall out with a Gamecube owning friend you get the new found joy of sending him an Army Men game for his birthday. And believe me, if any one series is going to appear everywhere, it's those cursed Army Men. But that will backfire soon enough...
At least some games will stay put. Pokemon is nintendo's own child, so no-one ele will be blessed/cursed with them. A few games may stay faithful to just the one console, or maybe the developers will favour a particular console.Companies like Squaresoft and Naughty Dog only tend to work for PS2. Other big companies Namco, Rockstar, Konami and Codemasters have all gone multi, favouring the money rather than the customers self-respect. Any Ninty or XBoxy [?] reading this will eb getting angry that as a PStwooie, i am focused more on PS2. Well, Shigsy fans and Bill gates fans (if they do exist) have a load of exclusives, especially Nintendo, who develop the best only for themselves, and with more companies focusing their sights on GC, there will be alot of happy Nintos. Perfect Dark, mario etc are all brilliant yet exclusive. Bah! I haven't followed XBox closely, which is why this miht sound a little biased, but they have a lot of sequels for old PSone classics, and a few rarer gems like Halo. Although i can see Halo jumping ship at some time in the future.
This issue uncovers another quite starbge fact. If every console has relatively the same games, then what will happen to the good old console wars. Angry Sega fans will get no fun. Most will stick to their roots. N64 peoiple go to Gamecube. PSone to PS2. And most dreamcast fans are getting an XBox, as SEGA don't make consoles and X-Box must appeal to them. Some particular games will help the sales of the console rising, especiall resi on GC, although it may be set for a PS2 release as well.
But does this mean the console war actually finished before it had really begun? When we were all choosing an N64, a PSone or, to a lesser extent, a Dreamcast, we were deciding the result of something that would really crop up 5 years on?
That seems a good line to end on.
I hope this made you think
Asher
Multi-formtting is developing games for more than one console.
I love PS2 dearly, and should the laws of this land change I would marry it (dont quote me on that). But the reason i like it is that it has things no other console offers. GTA3, Pro Evo, SSX Tricky, Metal Gear 2, FF and Resi. But now only 2 are exclusives. Metal Gear 2 is exclusive, but X-Box is getting metal Gear X. FF is exclusive, an rumours of it moving to Dreamcast are 90% unlikely, but they do see more reasonable when XBox and Gamecube come into the swing of things.
I have done my research, which involved a can of Red bull and 3 magazines, and have some shocking results. 13 games in the last 3 months have been released on several formats, including Harry Potter and Tony Hawk's 3. Games like SSX Tricky will be released on the 'other' next gen consoles when they hit our shores. 15 other games are set to be multi-format when they or the console is released, including Crash, Rayman M and GTA3 after a year's loyalty agreement. A whopping 33 games are being remade for a different console, icluding resident Evil, Sonic and Crazy taxi (GC), Dead Or Alive, Oddworld and Moto GP (XBox) and Headhunter, Virtua Ten nis 2 and Virtua fighter (PS2). Some are being redone on sevral consoles, including Soul Calibur, which was DC but is now being drawn to the bigger lights, GC and PS2.
We could always look on the bright side, if you fall out with a Gamecube owning friend you get the new found joy of sending him an Army Men game for his birthday. And believe me, if any one series is going to appear everywhere, it's those cursed Army Men. But that will backfire soon enough...
At least some games will stay put. Pokemon is nintendo's own child, so no-one ele will be blessed/cursed with them. A few games may stay faithful to just the one console, or maybe the developers will favour a particular console.Companies like Squaresoft and Naughty Dog only tend to work for PS2. Other big companies Namco, Rockstar, Konami and Codemasters have all gone multi, favouring the money rather than the customers self-respect. Any Ninty or XBoxy [?] reading this will eb getting angry that as a PStwooie, i am focused more on PS2. Well, Shigsy fans and Bill gates fans (if they do exist) have a load of exclusives, especially Nintendo, who develop the best only for themselves, and with more companies focusing their sights on GC, there will be alot of happy Nintos. Perfect Dark, mario etc are all brilliant yet exclusive. Bah! I haven't followed XBox closely, which is why this miht sound a little biased, but they have a lot of sequels for old PSone classics, and a few rarer gems like Halo. Although i can see Halo jumping ship at some time in the future.
This issue uncovers another quite starbge fact. If every console has relatively the same games, then what will happen to the good old console wars. Angry Sega fans will get no fun. Most will stick to their roots. N64 peoiple go to Gamecube. PSone to PS2. And most dreamcast fans are getting an XBox, as SEGA don't make consoles and X-Box must appeal to them. Some particular games will help the sales of the console rising, especiall resi on GC, although it may be set for a PS2 release as well.
But does this mean the console war actually finished before it had really begun? When we were all choosing an N64, a PSone or, to a lesser extent, a Dreamcast, we were deciding the result of something that would really crop up 5 years on?
That seems a good line to end on.
I hope this made you think
Asher
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Hmmm?? although console games don't work as well on PC
My point of view is that most big games on consoles are either ported to PC at a later date, or can be emulated with relative ease. This is why I haven't bought a console since my old megadrive - my PC serves all my gaming needs.
Yeah, Metal Gear didn't work on GBC.
Well, multiformatting raises some interesting questions...
Often games that are ported are not optimised for the console they're being run on. As a result you often find that games developed specifically for one console push the console's power much more. To take an example, MGS2 was developed on tools that Konami made specifically for the PS2- and it's turned out a gem.
Moving onto the Sega side of things, I am personally dissapointed with their third party games so far. The simple reason being that most of them are just ports- once Sega get into the full stride of things and make some truly original games that are console specific you can expect them to fulfil their goals of being the second biggets publisher in the world.
Sonic
Often games that are ported are not optimised for the console they're being run on. As a result you often find that games developed specifically for one console push the console's power much more. To take an example, MGS2 was developed on tools that Konami made specifically for the PS2- and it's turned out a gem.
Moving onto the Sega side of things, I am personally dissapointed with their third party games so far. The simple reason being that most of them are just ports- once Sega get into the full stride of things and make some truly original games that are console specific you can expect them to fulfil their goals of being the second biggets publisher in the world.
Sonic
Yeah, mario is shigsy's work.
*to Fantasy Meister*
I don't think Mario will end up on other consoles. Sonic only did as Sega burned out in the console race, so desparation was needed. If the GC flopped completely, which it has already proven it won't, and the GBA died too, then maybe. But since the GBA is so strong, Ninty can fall back on it should disaster strike.
I don't think Mario will end up on other consoles. Sonic only did as Sega burned out in the console race, so desparation was needed. If the GC flopped completely, which it has already proven it won't, and the GBA died too, then maybe. But since the GBA is so strong, Ninty can fall back on it should disaster strike.
It's better that more games appear on all consoles, but it's also nice that there are still a few games that are exclusive.
So basically that's me happy because that is what's happening at the moment. I WILL end up getting all the consoles (but I won't be paying full price for an X-Box, just 'because')
Should be fun to have all the great selection of games at the Gamecube's launch. Now just have to find the money to buy them too....d'oh!
So basically that's me happy because that is what's happening at the moment. I WILL end up getting all the consoles (but I won't be paying full price for an X-Box, just 'because')
Should be fun to have all the great selection of games at the Gamecube's launch. Now just have to find the money to buy them too....d'oh!
All the XBox and GC owners are gonna gloat about how their versions of games have got marginally better graphics, or a 60Hz option, which is strange seeing as these were the same people that were slating the PS2 for not being a huge leap forward like teh PSOne one was, and the fact that they hadn't played the games, and just made a biased opinion.
Anyway, at the moment we get the games first, and people that pay £500 for an import XBox or GC are mugs, or at the very least spoilt brat type that can't wait for Christmas or their birthday to come around
Anyway, at the moment we get the games first, and people that pay £500 for an import XBox or GC are mugs, or at the very least spoilt brat type that can't wait for Christmas or their birthday to come around
good points
i think that multi-formatting can only be a good thing. think about it for a moment, all gamers will be able to talk about they're games and owners of different consoles will know all about them because they own them aswell.
Also as we are just stepping into an era of online console gaming, multi-console games will give people the chance to have real console wars...
Also as we are just stepping into an era of online console gaming, multi-console games will give people the chance to have real console wars...
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