Monday 28 September 2009

Feudian Slip

I've mentioned before my plans to stay in China with my girlfriend for a while. I'll be going end of October, but my original plan was end of September - pretty much now. I remember when the date slipped due to various reasons, looking at the gaming release schedule and thinking "at least there's some damn fine consolation prizes".

What a great month. Bioshock 2, Dragon Age Origins, Borderlands, Alpha Protocol, Brutal Legend...

Of course, we know what happened next. Bioshock 2? Next year. Dragon Age Origins? November. Borderlands? Last day of October now, after I'd moved forward my travel plans since nothing was coming out October 30th previously. Alpha Protocol? Next year now very probably (although Sega are still baffingly tight-lipped). Brutal Legend? Despite my fervent predictions/hopes/demands, EA aren't releasing it on PC (yet). As my 360 ain't coming with me, I have to turn down a Tim Schafer game. I feel dirty.

Oh, I'll be playing most of them no doubt (unless they require some hideous online activation that won't work in China...), but this constant slipping does really bug me. Especially when it's unique to the PC.

Borderlands has slipped a week, only on PC. What the fuck guys? Surely you knew about all these technical things? And didn't you make the damn game on a PC? It works fine! And if it doesn't, how does just an extra week help?

Assassin's Creed II was never coming October, but it was coming November - now the PC version isn't. It seems like someone at Ubisoft made a mistake when they said it was coming out on PC at the same time as the console versions and they've only just realised. "Sacre bleu (they're French, remember)! Assassaaan's Creed Deux was announced as coming le same date for PC! PC games do not come out at le same time as le consolé, it just isn't Tour De France!"

This just in: Mass Effect 2 delayed on PC. "We were just kidding," explains Bioware. "We never thought anyone would take that announcement seriously. I mean, whoever heard of a PC game releasing at the same time as the console version?"

- Chris Capel

3 comments:

  1. They're all scared of MW2...
    The tits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some are, but both Borderlands and Dragon Age Origins have actually shifted towards Codmaw2, Assassin's Creed II is still due out on consoles at pretty much the same time (and without any other competition will do really well), and Alpha Protocol has headed towards a much bigger pair of direct competitors - Splinter Cell: Conviction and Mass Effect 2.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You know what else worries me? Were they all in a rush and then realised their games weren't ready? (buggy, broken mechanics, etc.) Or are they, like, ready, but the marketers told them to hold back?

    Anyway, most games these days look like they could well have done with an extra 6 months development time.

    And Uncharted 2 has just proven that with a lot of talent, effort AND plenty of time, you can still make AAA games without being Nintendo or Valve.

    Oh, and this just in: Spyborgs is apparently shit. But then 90% of us could have told them that... oooh... 6 months ago! (that magic number when they should have thought about reworking everything).

    ReplyDelete