Why only computer games??

[FMFantasy]

Why is it only computer games have these delays and mystery surrounding release?? You think there is any chance I go into Best buy today and ask for the Special Edition Titanic dvd that they tell me "oh no due to some rain on the east coast it wont be out till Friday" or worse yet the kid working there doesnt even know what Titanic is??

all new cd's xbox games and movies are avail the day they are released except computer games which sometimes go weeks past and always seem to be late or delayed in "shipping"- I honestly cant recall any of the last 10 games I wanted where they were sitting at gamespot 3 days early ready for release like they should be.

 

[Icevulture]

With all those things you've mentioned, they typically have finished creating those items weeks or even longer before the release date, so they have ample time to dupe the discs and get them to stores well before the release date. That's why with music, you can hear a song from a cd that isn't due out for almost a month, because it's done being created so far in advance. I know when I worked at Future Shop/Best Buy that we'd have stuff in inventory a few days before the release date every time, but if we were caught selling them before the release we could get fined big bucks.

Civ 4 wasn't even Gold until what, last week? the 19th wasn't it? Not even a full week. Yea it sucks, but what can ya do. Computer games get the short end of the stick.

 

[TracerBullet]

This has been one of my pet peeves for years. Simple answer: computer game publishers very rarely act like competent professionals, and we put up with it.

 

[FMFantasy]

well if it was done the 19 then come out and say the release date is 10-27 and actually ship them to stores on 10-24 so they are all waiting and ready for everyone to buy. I understand the problem with comp games not being done till late but that doesnt mean they have to make up fake or unrealistic release dates then.

Imagine if the new King Kong flick was set for release friday night and everyone showed up and were told- ooops yeah it will be here tomorrow maybe Monday- try back then!!! there stock price would plummett monday morning that is for sure.

 

[warpstorm]

The simple solution is for us all to wait two more months for all games (and pay about 10% more) so that they could get coordinated.

 

[shikaeshi]

With the exception of MMORPGs and CIV, all my game playing is on consoles. I really hate buying computer games. Too many worries about if "my system can handle it" or "will it be available on time" for me. With console games, you just buy it and play.

 

[Paranoid Eyes]

With the exception of MMORPGs and CIV, all my game playing is on consoles. I really hate buying computer games. Too many worries about if "my system can handle it" or "will it be available on time" for me. With console games, you just buy it and play.

That's a good point, and it's true to some extent but on the other hand, if you buy a console game that's buggy, you're stuck with a lemon whereas computer games can be patched (hopefully this will be changing in the next gen consoles.) I think part of the reason computer publishers will sometimes rush things out in order to meet a target date is they know they can patch it later. Whether this is the proper attitude or not is open to interpretation, I'm certainly more in favor of taking time to put out a complete package, but thinks are how they are.

 

[Eyemaze]

As a former supervisor of DVD design for Panasonic Disc Services I can tell you that with most DVDs were were producing them pretty much at the same times as their theatrical release dates. Replication would take place very shortly afterwards. This is also why we were searched wanded and walked through metal detectors going in and out of the facility, and bags went through xray machines.

DVDs would then sit on the shelf in the replication facility waiting to be released. Add to that the fact that we could replicate over 200,000 discs a day and you see that the computer industry still isn't at that same level of production or have as much lead in time before release. Computer games need a lot more testing than DVDs.

 

[Monoment]

With the exception of MMORPGs and CIV, all my game playing is on consoles. I really hate buying computer games. Too many worries about if "my system can handle it" or "will it be available on time" for me. With console games, you just buy it and play.

Sorry, but console games bore me and I am very, very sad to see computer game disappear from stores like EBGames and Gamestop in favor of dumbed-out console games. I have yet to see an intelligent game for any console that is not based on shoot-em-up or sports.

Strategy games on a console? Unheard of. Fact is that any computer game is far more advanced than any console game. Plus, yes, computer games can be patched, upgraded, enhanced with add-ons, custom made content, etc.

 

[Kardinal]

I play about 10 PC games a year, and I nearly always know what I'm interested in before it is released. Thus I buy them on release day.

This is the first time I've ever had this problem.

 

[Paranoid Eyes]

Sorry, but console games bore me and I am very, very sad to see computer game disappear from stores like EBGames and Gamestop in favor of dumbed-out console games. I have yet to see an intelligent game for any console that is not based on shoot-em-up or sports.

Strategy games on a console? Unheard of. Fact is that any computer game is far more advanced than any console game. Plus, yes, computer games can be patched, upgraded, enhanced with add-ons, custom made content, etc.

Guess you've never heard of an RPG, and there are many compelling strategy games for console. But your basic premise is correct, computer softwares ability to be modded, patched, upgraded, etc will always create the potential for more depth than a console game, but I consider for example any title from the Final Fantasy series to have more depth than, say, Counter-Strike.

As someone who plays both console games and PC, I'm hopeful that with the advent of the nextgen consoles, you will see more things like patching and such, although obviously not to the level you can see on a PC. The trade off is that (usually) console games will come out as more finished products as a result.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Why is it only computer games have these delays and mystery surrounding release?? You think there is any chance I go into Best buy today and ask for the Special Edition Titanic dvd that they tell me "oh no due to some rain on the east coast it wont be out till Friday" or worse yet the kid working there doesnt even know what Titanic is??

all new cd's xbox games and movies are avail the day they are released except computer games which sometimes go weeks past and always seem to be late or delayed in "shipping"- I honestly cant recall any of the last 10 games I wanted where they were sitting at gamespot 3 days early ready for release like they should be.

Never been to a rock concert then!

Eels in Manchester, doors open 7 pm, start time on tickets , 7:30 pm, band hit the stage at 9 pm. Never turn up on time to a rock concert

 

[shikaeshi]

That's a good point, and it's true to some extent but on the other hand, if you buy a console game that's buggy, you're stuck with a lemon whereas computer games can be patched (hopefully this will be changing in the next gen consoles.) I think part of the reason computer publishers will sometimes rush things out in order to meet a target date is they know they can patch it later. Whether this is the proper attitude or not is open to interpretation, I'm certainly more in favor of taking time to put out a complete package, but thinks are how they are.

With the exception of The Matrix, I haven't encountered a buggy console game. The quality control is better for consoles probably because they dont have to account for too many end user variables.

 

[BarrenEarth]

This is now about as bad as Rome Total War:Barbarian Invasion... the release was two days after all the stores said it would be, and the stores thought it would flop and only ordered a couple copies each... finding one was a b!tc#.

I would hate for Civ to be dropped into the poorest of production standards like CA's release of RTW:BI, but it looks about that way.

 

[Monoment]

Guess you've never heard of an RPG, and there are many compelling strategy games for console.

I did try RPGs, but most of them are IMHO just hack-and-slash games with some strategic inventory goodies. I am not into fantasy at all - I have tried to get into it, but I am not. Still, the great strategy games of all times - Civilization, Total War series, Diplomacy, etc are available on computer only and, quite frankly, I would even know how to implement a good strategy game without a mouse and keyboard.

 

[BarrenEarth]

The replay value of computer games is huge, that is why you dont see 20 kids after school gets out exchanging their old computer games for new ones at the local EB, instead they are dumping their Xbox and Ps2 games for 15% of their value... theres just not as much replay without modding capabilities

 

[Tarkhan]

Ahh well, im gonna fire up Rome: TW and sack rome, while waiting for Civ to come out tomorrow. At which point ill take Rome and thrash the barbarians right back.

 

[spymonkey]

Funny, I was thinking the exact opposite. I don't buy many PC games at launch, so maybe I just never noticed this issue. However, console games almost never come out on the day they say they will. It seems like Wednesday is the unofficial day for when you can actually get a game in your hands. They'll always say it launches on a Tuesday, but in my experience, you'll never get the game until Wednesday. It's been this way for console games (in my experience) for about as long as I can remember.

And as far as PC vs. console games go... I ain't touchin' that one with a 10 foot pole.

 

[BarrenEarth]

I think we all can agree that both pc and console have super high niche markets and are both wildly successful. I think I will play my last game of C3C before tomarrow's "expected" release.

 

[lordqarlyn]

Making movie DVD's is a breeze, very little QC is needed. Programming for consoles is also very easy, there is a very narrow range of specs you need, making troubleshooting and debugging a snap, and most of those will not impact how computer code executes.
PC's however come in an enormous variety of configurations, and lot of these variables affect the execution of code. This makes planning the completion date tricky, and debugging can be a nightmare. But, as we all know, it can be done, and there's know excuse for publishers to knowingly release buggy programs.

Don