The 3rd Party - UNFINISHED
This post was started many moons ago. Since then I've abandoned trying to complete it. My apologies.
Several things factor into a personal study of third party support for video game consoles. One: the system you own. Two: your game preference. And three: what you expect the next cycle of hardware will bring.
Adressing these issues in order, if you own an Xbox or PS2 you most likely have not found any fault with third party support. Most games that come out on multiple platforms come out on these two more often than any other combination. You'll find most sports games available on all three consoles, but certain titles, like the Winning Eleven series, Sega's sports line-up, and even a select few EA games, never make the jump to Nintendo's GameCube. Sports games seem the be the great unifier, while other genres are more limited in the audience they reach; probably because these games take longer to develop and aren't aided by annual updates.
So if you're a Nintendo owner how do you cope? An informed consumer might shy away from the Cube for this reason, and for those people that own one the options are limited. You can purchase another console, trade in your Cube, or bite the bullet and accept that this hardware cycle was not one of Nintendo's best.
Which brings us to point number two. If you feel that your purchase of a GameCube was the wrong decision then you should ask yourself what matters most to you when playing games. For superior selection you may want to join Sony's camp next time. If you enjoy online gaming perhaps Microsft's way should be your way. But as discussed before, since many third party titles are available for both of these consoles the decision should probably be based on first party, or select third party, software. Nintendo's problem is that they generaly offer the best in-house software and have the weakest third party support. "Youth oriented" or "kiddie" imaging aside, the most fun games to play in almost every genre are developed by Nintendo.* But if you feel the need for the other systems, for whatever reason, then you should do what you believe is right and what will work out best for you.
But chances are you've made your decision for this generation. The thing to consider now is what you will do for the next generation. It still seems to early to say which console will have the best support. This will rely on many factors, but I believe the key one is which system is easiest to develop for. Game making is a business, so if it costs too much or takes too long to develop a game then that system will be at an immediate disadvantage.
For example, the aging PS2 was generally regarded as very difficult to program for. Its leg-up was that it was the only next-gen system for an entire year, so programmers got to play with it longer. Just now, near the end of its life-cycle, are we seeing that it can go toe-to-toe with the Xbox and GameCube, despite having "inferior" hardware. It's all about learning the intricacies of the console and exploiting them. Imagine what Xbox games would look like if they still had top development teams making them for another year.
The point is that
I recently received several messages on AIM addressing my previous post and my pro-Nintendo stance. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in that decision, since all the facts aren't in yet. But I made that statement from a first party software standpoint, and I stand by it. Enjoying the games you have and have available to you is what matters most. Yes, Marshall, Winning Eleven 8 is a stellar game that Cube owners missed. I wonder, however, how many titles that are just as good or better those Cube owners were privied to that PS2 and Xbox owners weren't. Quality or quantity? There will be occasions when first tier games don't reach Nintendo fans, but every Nintendo gem will never reach PS2 or Xbox.
*As an avid fan of games from all walks of console life, owning all three major systems, and playing games for all I can say, unbiasedly, that this statement is true.
Several things factor into a personal study of third party support for video game consoles. One: the system you own. Two: your game preference. And three: what you expect the next cycle of hardware will bring.
Adressing these issues in order, if you own an Xbox or PS2 you most likely have not found any fault with third party support. Most games that come out on multiple platforms come out on these two more often than any other combination. You'll find most sports games available on all three consoles, but certain titles, like the Winning Eleven series, Sega's sports line-up, and even a select few EA games, never make the jump to Nintendo's GameCube. Sports games seem the be the great unifier, while other genres are more limited in the audience they reach; probably because these games take longer to develop and aren't aided by annual updates.
So if you're a Nintendo owner how do you cope? An informed consumer might shy away from the Cube for this reason, and for those people that own one the options are limited. You can purchase another console, trade in your Cube, or bite the bullet and accept that this hardware cycle was not one of Nintendo's best.
Which brings us to point number two. If you feel that your purchase of a GameCube was the wrong decision then you should ask yourself what matters most to you when playing games. For superior selection you may want to join Sony's camp next time. If you enjoy online gaming perhaps Microsft's way should be your way. But as discussed before, since many third party titles are available for both of these consoles the decision should probably be based on first party, or select third party, software. Nintendo's problem is that they generaly offer the best in-house software and have the weakest third party support. "Youth oriented" or "kiddie" imaging aside, the most fun games to play in almost every genre are developed by Nintendo.* But if you feel the need for the other systems, for whatever reason, then you should do what you believe is right and what will work out best for you.
But chances are you've made your decision for this generation. The thing to consider now is what you will do for the next generation. It still seems to early to say which console will have the best support. This will rely on many factors, but I believe the key one is which system is easiest to develop for. Game making is a business, so if it costs too much or takes too long to develop a game then that system will be at an immediate disadvantage.
For example, the aging PS2 was generally regarded as very difficult to program for. Its leg-up was that it was the only next-gen system for an entire year, so programmers got to play with it longer. Just now, near the end of its life-cycle, are we seeing that it can go toe-to-toe with the Xbox and GameCube, despite having "inferior" hardware. It's all about learning the intricacies of the console and exploiting them. Imagine what Xbox games would look like if they still had top development teams making them for another year.
The point is that
I recently received several messages on AIM addressing my previous post and my pro-Nintendo stance. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in that decision, since all the facts aren't in yet. But I made that statement from a first party software standpoint, and I stand by it. Enjoying the games you have and have available to you is what matters most. Yes, Marshall, Winning Eleven 8 is a stellar game that Cube owners missed. I wonder, however, how many titles that are just as good or better those Cube owners were privied to that PS2 and Xbox owners weren't. Quality or quantity? There will be occasions when first tier games don't reach Nintendo fans, but every Nintendo gem will never reach PS2 or Xbox.
*As an avid fan of games from all walks of console life, owning all three major systems, and playing games for all I can say, unbiasedly, that this statement is true.
posted by Jason Ducat at 12:12 AM
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