The Bullshit of DLC
Note: This is an old post that was sitting unpublished in my draft list. It may be outdated in terms of some specific details.
Okay, so I have been bitching about DLC for quite some time, on an intermittent basis. While I have provided some examples in the past of what I believe constituted bullshit, ripoff, exploitative DLC, and what I considered fair DLC worth purchasing, I never provided an open shut case for my stance.
This time, however, I have done some homework, and I think what I have come up with constitutes damn near investigative journalism. Hey, if the 'pro' video game journalists don't have the balls to do it, someone has to step up and do it for them, right? Might as well be me!
Showing posts with label ubisoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ubisoft. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
New Rainbow Six Patriots Details
Good news Rainbow 6 fans, today Ubisoft released new information and assets for the upcoming title Rainbow 6 Patriots:
In the game, Team Rainbow faces a new and very real threat known as the “True Patriots,” a highly-trained, well-organized group of militias. The True Patriots are capitalizing on the growing sense of frustration and anger in a modern day America that they feel is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests. Lead by a calculating figurehead named Tredway, this grassroots, homespun, terrorist organization will stop at nothing to overthrow the government and financial institutions to reclaim their country. Capturing the reality of modern-day terrorism, players will take on the role of a new Team Rainbow member as they face critical scenarios that will require them to make tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal with the support of Ubisoft Toronto and Red Storm, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots not only revolves around a dynamic single-player storyline but also introduce a huge variety of new innovative co-op and multi-player experiences.
New Features Include:
• UNPRECEDENTED NARRATIVE – Patriots’ storyline explores an ultra-realistic what-if scenario inspired by real events and characters. The game will allow players to experience events from multiple perspectives creating an unprecedented level of immersion.
• A NEW THREAT FOR A NEW TEAM – Terrorism has evolved and Team Rainbow must face an organized militia of home-grown insurgents. As the leader of a new squad, players will wrestle with difficult ethical decisions and determine if the doing-whatever-it-takes mentality is needed to stop the enemy.
• ENHANCED SQUAD MANAGEMENT – At the press of a button, the Rainbow squad will perform the most efficient and deadly tactic given the context of the situation. When extreme measures are required, or when players call for it, you can take full control of your squad to plan the perfect assault.
• EVOLVED COMBAT – The game’s combat techniques have been pushed to the next level with cover and weapon systems redesigned to accommodate every combat situation. New Rappel and Breach mechanics are now enriched with multiple new techniques including Wall & Ceiling Breach, Fast Rope Rappel, inverted ‘Aussie Style Rappel’, Infiltrate & Subdue, to name a few.
• INTENSE MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE – Players will be rewarded for working as a team and mastering the game’s new features that enhance communication and tactical execution between teammates. Once such feature found in the pre-game online lobby is the Sandtable, a holographic display that helps acquaint players with the level maps before they jump into the action. This will help players strategically coordinate attacks and add a new dimension to squad tactics.
• SURPRISE AND OVERPOWER ENEMIES – Utilize the game’s new Scan mode to strategically breach and infiltrate areas. This new tool will provide a thermal read on the situation, allowing you to determine the squad’s best course to overwhelm and defeat enemies.
So, after today’s update, which features of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots are YOU looking forward to the most? Breach the comments section and share your thoughts!
• A NEW THREAT FOR A NEW TEAM – Terrorism has evolved and Team Rainbow must face an organized militia of home-grown insurgents. As the leader of a new squad, players will wrestle with difficult ethical decisions and determine if the doing-whatever-it-takes mentality is needed to stop the enemy.
• ENHANCED SQUAD MANAGEMENT – At the press of a button, the Rainbow squad will perform the most efficient and deadly tactic given the context of the situation. When extreme measures are required, or when players call for it, you can take full control of your squad to plan the perfect assault.
• EVOLVED COMBAT – The game’s combat techniques have been pushed to the next level with cover and weapon systems redesigned to accommodate every combat situation. New Rappel and Breach mechanics are now enriched with multiple new techniques including Wall & Ceiling Breach, Fast Rope Rappel, inverted ‘Aussie Style Rappel’, Infiltrate & Subdue, to name a few.
• INTENSE MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE – Players will be rewarded for working as a team and mastering the game’s new features that enhance communication and tactical execution between teammates. Once such feature found in the pre-game online lobby is the Sandtable, a holographic display that helps acquaint players with the level maps before they jump into the action. This will help players strategically coordinate attacks and add a new dimension to squad tactics.
• SURPRISE AND OVERPOWER ENEMIES – Utilize the game’s new Scan mode to strategically breach and infiltrate areas. This new tool will provide a thermal read on the situation, allowing you to determine the squad’s best course to overwhelm and defeat enemies.
So, after today’s update, which features of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots are YOU looking forward to the most? Breach the comments section and share your thoughts!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Gaming Sequels, New Ip's, and Ubisoft.
Sequelitis, New Ip's, and Ubisoft.
Ubisoft backing off new IP's as holiday sales slip
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6249972.html
In recent years, Ubisoft has launched a bevy of new series with varying degrees of success. Since 2006, the publisher has introduced gamers to Assassin's Creed, Shaun White Snowboarding, EndWar, HAWX, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Call of Juarez, and Haze, among others.
Assassin's Creed paid off for Ubisoft, but the publisher's looking to take fewer risks of that sort in the future. The flow of original intellectual properties from Ubisoft will be stemmed in the coming years, as the publisher is shifting its focus away from new franchises. In reporting its final results for the third fiscal quarter (three months ended December 31, 2009), Ubisoft confirmed a reduction in new creations investments.
The scaling back on new franchises is one part of a Ubisoft plan to ultimately have its major franchises seeing more frequent and regular releases.
UGH. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!
When I saw the headline on gamespot, I went into cynic/anger mode. I was ready to rage. What the fuck Ubisoft? Your new IP, Assassin's Creed, has sold in the MILLIONS (AC2 has sold 8 million....well, shipped, but still). All of your big hits were new IP's at one point. We're already suffering from sequelitis in this industry, and now you're going to make it worse?
FUCK YOOOUUUUUUUU!!!!
This feeling was amplified by 100 when I read this:
..reconfirms Oct.-Dec. earnings fell 3 percent to $682 million.
WHAT? You earned 682 MILLION fucking dollars in one quarter, and you're cutting IP's because that represented a 3 fucking percent drop? HOW GREEDY CAN YOU GET?
But then I read on:
For the full year ending March 31, 2010, the company expects to post an operating loss of €50 million ($69 million) off sales of €860 million ($1.19 billion).
...
Oh.
....
...
Oohhh.....
Now I get it. It's hard to believe, but damn, they're losing money.
This perfectly exemplifies the fact that it's possible to be be a huge corporation, raking in billions of dollars in sales, and still be in the red. Many people (myself included) often critisize these companies for what we perceive to be shady (some DLC) or just unfavourable (cutting new IP's in favour of sequelitis) practices. I happen to do this a lot. It's hard to think that these companies can make so much money, yet still post losses at the end of the year.
I guess I'm going to have to be careful from now on, and try not to be so reactionary when I hear news like this (that will be very hard, I'm sure, as it's going to be tough to seperate the legitimate moves from the lazy/greedy ones, unless full financial data is disclosed).
BUT HOLD ON.
It's unfortunate that things are going this way, and my initial reaction was to blame us, the gamers. We're not buying new IP's. It's our fault. And this is partly true. However, as I said earlier, Ubi just released the news that they have shipped 8 million copies of AC2. Now, I don't know how HAWX or Endwar sold. I don't know how the Raving Rabbids spinoffs of Rayman are selling. The thing is, if they aren't, maybe it's their fault.
Maybe they need to make better games.
Companies are so quick to deem something unfeasible or unprofitable once it has been tried unsuccessfully. ''People didn't buy enough copies to warrant a sequel.'' Well, maybe that's because it fucking sucked? Doesn't mean the IP isn't viable. It just needs to be done better.
Sure, some great new IP's go overlooked. Okami and Psychonauts are two commonly touted examples of this. Often though, the new IP is mediocre, and the sales reflect that. Or perhaps, as is likely the case with Okami and Psychonauts, the game just doesn't appeal to a wide range of gamers.
Does this mean we cut out new ideas? Sure, a proven success is a proven success. But that's short term thinking. Don't they realize there won't be any industry left if all we have in ten years is COD, GH, Madden, Halo, and Assassin's Creed (extreme exaggeration, sure, but I think you get my point)?
Then again, every friggin new iteration of these games sells like hotcakes, so I guess gamers are getting what they deserve.
I don't know. I understand the sentiment. If people seem to want sequels, well, let's give it to them. We need to make money, and when we're losing money, we can't afford to take risks. But at the same time, I worry about gaming as a whole, and also, the creative/artistic aspect if it. I'm not some naive idealist, I understand that the companies are in it for the money, but damn, there should be more to it than that. It's better to create and earn then to rehash and really earn, in my opinion.
I'm starting to ramble now. When I started this I had a clear conclusion in mind, but now I don't know what to think.
What do you think?
Ubisoft backing off new IP's as holiday sales slip
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6249972.html
In recent years, Ubisoft has launched a bevy of new series with varying degrees of success. Since 2006, the publisher has introduced gamers to Assassin's Creed, Shaun White Snowboarding, EndWar, HAWX, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Call of Juarez, and Haze, among others.
Assassin's Creed paid off for Ubisoft, but the publisher's looking to take fewer risks of that sort in the future. The flow of original intellectual properties from Ubisoft will be stemmed in the coming years, as the publisher is shifting its focus away from new franchises. In reporting its final results for the third fiscal quarter (three months ended December 31, 2009), Ubisoft confirmed a reduction in new creations investments.
The scaling back on new franchises is one part of a Ubisoft plan to ultimately have its major franchises seeing more frequent and regular releases.
UGH. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!
When I saw the headline on gamespot, I went into cynic/anger mode. I was ready to rage. What the fuck Ubisoft? Your new IP, Assassin's Creed, has sold in the MILLIONS (AC2 has sold 8 million....well, shipped, but still). All of your big hits were new IP's at one point. We're already suffering from sequelitis in this industry, and now you're going to make it worse?
FUCK YOOOUUUUUUUU!!!!
This feeling was amplified by 100 when I read this:
..reconfirms Oct.-Dec. earnings fell 3 percent to $682 million.
WHAT? You earned 682 MILLION fucking dollars in one quarter, and you're cutting IP's because that represented a 3 fucking percent drop? HOW GREEDY CAN YOU GET?
But then I read on:
For the full year ending March 31, 2010, the company expects to post an operating loss of €50 million ($69 million) off sales of €860 million ($1.19 billion).
...
Oh.
....
...
Oohhh.....
Now I get it. It's hard to believe, but damn, they're losing money.
This perfectly exemplifies the fact that it's possible to be be a huge corporation, raking in billions of dollars in sales, and still be in the red. Many people (myself included) often critisize these companies for what we perceive to be shady (some DLC) or just unfavourable (cutting new IP's in favour of sequelitis) practices. I happen to do this a lot. It's hard to think that these companies can make so much money, yet still post losses at the end of the year.
I guess I'm going to have to be careful from now on, and try not to be so reactionary when I hear news like this (that will be very hard, I'm sure, as it's going to be tough to seperate the legitimate moves from the lazy/greedy ones, unless full financial data is disclosed).
BUT HOLD ON.
It's unfortunate that things are going this way, and my initial reaction was to blame us, the gamers. We're not buying new IP's. It's our fault. And this is partly true. However, as I said earlier, Ubi just released the news that they have shipped 8 million copies of AC2. Now, I don't know how HAWX or Endwar sold. I don't know how the Raving Rabbids spinoffs of Rayman are selling. The thing is, if they aren't, maybe it's their fault.
Maybe they need to make better games.
Companies are so quick to deem something unfeasible or unprofitable once it has been tried unsuccessfully. ''People didn't buy enough copies to warrant a sequel.'' Well, maybe that's because it fucking sucked? Doesn't mean the IP isn't viable. It just needs to be done better.
Sure, some great new IP's go overlooked. Okami and Psychonauts are two commonly touted examples of this. Often though, the new IP is mediocre, and the sales reflect that. Or perhaps, as is likely the case with Okami and Psychonauts, the game just doesn't appeal to a wide range of gamers.
Does this mean we cut out new ideas? Sure, a proven success is a proven success. But that's short term thinking. Don't they realize there won't be any industry left if all we have in ten years is COD, GH, Madden, Halo, and Assassin's Creed (extreme exaggeration, sure, but I think you get my point)?
Then again, every friggin new iteration of these games sells like hotcakes, so I guess gamers are getting what they deserve.
I don't know. I understand the sentiment. If people seem to want sequels, well, let's give it to them. We need to make money, and when we're losing money, we can't afford to take risks. But at the same time, I worry about gaming as a whole, and also, the creative/artistic aspect if it. I'm not some naive idealist, I understand that the companies are in it for the money, but damn, there should be more to it than that. It's better to create and earn then to rehash and really earn, in my opinion.
I'm starting to ramble now. When I started this I had a clear conclusion in mind, but now I don't know what to think.
What do you think?
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