09-21-2007, 05:55 AM
I'm all for porting games for different systems as much as possible (barring hardware limitations that is. You simply can't get the same quality of game-play if say From decides to make an Armored Core port for the SNES, though my imagination says that it can be done while still being fun if it was made like Metal Warriors).
The whole idea of a "system exclusive title" really hurts gamers and game developers and only benefits the console makers IMO. Gamers would often purchase consoles based on their game preference or their game franchise of choice (Square-Enix's Final Fantasy series is one such example, where some people buy consoles based on where the series franchise lands), and game developers are limiting their sales to the market share of a particular console which the game is an exclusive title. The problem is the choice of the gamer to buy a particular system limits his ability to choose titles that are on that particular console because of the varying formats used for games, and game developers would not receive the potential market share from other consoles if they decide to release their game on another console system.
IMO the best compromise for console exclusivity between developers and gamers is for generating exclusive content for particular systems. Splinter Cell is a notable example where all versions from different systems have the same story but have different bonus features and content such as a different extra stages for each port. Resident Evil 4 could be another example, that is if the Game Cube version had more extra content and was released at the same time as the PS2 version. GC's RE4 had better graphics, though has limited space based on the format they had (the GC mini-disk), while the PS2 version had a lot of exclusive extra content with the addition of ADA's scenario which intertwines with the main story and expands on the whole RE4 story as a whole.
Now I'm wondering why the gaming industry hasn't evolved to the likes of the movie industry where there is an agreed, standardized format for movie players (albeit the current competition between blu-ray and HD-DVD formats today) such as VHS and DVD. Console makers would just stick to making their consoles much like how Sony produces DVD players based on an international standard and competes with other DVD players in the market, but all stick to the same universal format. Is the current market setup for games conducive to innovation, or is it setup for major console makers to make a profit?
The whole idea of a "system exclusive title" really hurts gamers and game developers and only benefits the console makers IMO. Gamers would often purchase consoles based on their game preference or their game franchise of choice (Square-Enix's Final Fantasy series is one such example, where some people buy consoles based on where the series franchise lands), and game developers are limiting their sales to the market share of a particular console which the game is an exclusive title. The problem is the choice of the gamer to buy a particular system limits his ability to choose titles that are on that particular console because of the varying formats used for games, and game developers would not receive the potential market share from other consoles if they decide to release their game on another console system.
IMO the best compromise for console exclusivity between developers and gamers is for generating exclusive content for particular systems. Splinter Cell is a notable example where all versions from different systems have the same story but have different bonus features and content such as a different extra stages for each port. Resident Evil 4 could be another example, that is if the Game Cube version had more extra content and was released at the same time as the PS2 version. GC's RE4 had better graphics, though has limited space based on the format they had (the GC mini-disk), while the PS2 version had a lot of exclusive extra content with the addition of ADA's scenario which intertwines with the main story and expands on the whole RE4 story as a whole.
Now I'm wondering why the gaming industry hasn't evolved to the likes of the movie industry where there is an agreed, standardized format for movie players (albeit the current competition between blu-ray and HD-DVD formats today) such as VHS and DVD. Console makers would just stick to making their consoles much like how Sony produces DVD players based on an international standard and competes with other DVD players in the market, but all stick to the same universal format. Is the current market setup for games conducive to innovation, or is it setup for major console makers to make a profit?
