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Are Developers Rushing Many Of This Generation’s Games?

Ben-Dutka 10 Comments

Let's examine the facts.

Firstly, it seems clear to everyone that we've seen an inordinate number of unstable, glitchy, buggy, and ultimately unreliable new games on store shelves this generation so far.

Secondly, the number of announced delays has been downright comical. I don't think I went a week without announcing another delay between January and March.

Thirdly, publishers continue to say that it becomes harder and harder to turn profits on big-budget AAA titles, and the longer a game is in development (and not on store shelves), the more losses it incurs.

When you combine all these factors, it seems plain to me that developers and publishers are absolutely rushing games to market. In order to keep interest high for the new generation, a number of high-profile games – perhaps even the majority of them – were shown off well before they should've been. Watch Dogs and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are only two extra prominent examples; there are many others.

Games have been riddled with issues and these issues really run the gamut. Driveclub had major server problems, for instance, while Assassin's Creed Unity had several significant glitches when it first launched. I will say I've never played any AC that was anywhere near as bad off as The Witcher 3 in terms of glaring and comical screw-ups (leave it to PC devs untrained in console development), but I also can't remember playing a game this generation where I marveled at its consistency and stability.

In fact, I find I only do that with exclusive software. So, maybe it's the multiplatform development that's really throwing a wrench into the works. But at the same time, I'm almost certain that the drive to get these products on store shelves ASAP is having a profoundly negative impact. This is precisely why I wasn't upset about Uncharted 4: A Thief's End being delayed. Because if that releases with a bunch of bugs – an exclusive IP that has always been almost technically perfect – then we're in big trouble.

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Here’s How You Solve The Problem Of All These Delays

Ben-Dutka 36 Comments

Okay, so the list of delays has gotten pretty ridiculous this generation.

Not only have many high-profile games been delayed but very often, each title has been pushed back multiple times.

In truth, despite the fact that the previous era of gaming dragged on far too long, it seems clear to me that developers weren't quite ready for the new generation. They're hardly taking to these new systems like fish to water, so-to-speak, but you know, I'm okay with that. We'll get the games eventually and everyone I know has a massive backlog, anyway. Anyone with lives outside their houses has at least some games they haven't yet played. That's not the issue.

The issue is this new release date craze. Well, it's not "new," per se; we always wanted to know when the next big game was coming out. But in the Internet age, knowing exactly when something is happening way before it's set to happen is an accepted commonality. We're seeing release dates for games earlier and earlier, and I think publishers and developers are feeling that pressure. If they can't give us an exact date, they feel pressured into giving us a release window. And really, we don't need it .

Any particular reason we can't simply learn about a new game coming out in a few months' time? Why do we need to know a freakin' year in advance? As far as I'm concerned, CD Projekt Red never needed to give us a date; they could've waited until now and then given us that May date for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . Yeah, it's okay, I've got plenty of time to prepare. I know release windows sorta tell gamers, "yes, it's coming soon" but when it's obviously a stretch, and the game ends up getting pushed, there's a lot of unnecessary bad press out there.

Just wait, guys. We'll live, I promise. Like this year's Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty ? Tell us when you know they're coming, to the absolute best of your current knowledge. Tell us in August if they really are showing up in October and November; there's no reason at all that we need to know now . Everyone just needs to calm down. It's not like these games will never show up, and it's not like they're showing up tomorrow. Just ease off on the rabid frenzy surrounding launch dates, seriously.

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The Big 2014 Delay That Bugs You Most

Ben-Dutka 25 Comments

2014 may be remembered as the Year of the Delay.

For the most part, I don't complain. There are always plenty of great games to play and unless you've got an absurd amount of time on your hands, you can't hope to keep up.

Everyone's backlog is pretty hefty right about now, so even big delays don't bug me. The games will show up eventually and besides, we want the developers to get it right . That being said, some die-hard gamers can react really badly to delays, especially when it's for a game they desperately want. If there was one delay in 2014 that annoyed you above all others, which was it?

Even though it wasn't exactly official, we all thought The Order: 1886 would launch at the end of the year, but that didn't happen. And because it's obviously a ways off, even now, that may not go over well with anticipatory gamers. Then there's the loss of Turtle Rock Studios' promising shooter, Evolve , and another hot shooter, Battlefield: Hardline . Perhaps the biggest losses for 2014 were The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (just recently delayed again until May) and Batman: Arkham Knight (June). One of those might've ticked you off…

Speak up! Rant and rave, it's okay.

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Okay, All These Delays Finally Qualify As “Utterly Ridiculous”

Ben-Dutka 28 Comments

Okay, what hasn't been delayed until 2015? Maybe we should start there.

Sure, games like Destiny , Assassin's Creed: Unity , Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare , Dragon Age: Inquisition , Far Cry 4 , Driveclub , and The Evil Within will make for a solid holiday season.

However, with such high-profile delays, it's hard not to imagine what could've been. Batman: Arkham Knight , The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , and now Battlefield: Hardline has been added to the list. There are others, too. This is one of those years where you start to seriously wonder if way too many games were shown off way too early. Watch Dogs is yet another good example and in fact, the examples are many.

I'm not one of those people who bothers with delays. I'm really not. I have so little time these days that I actually welcome most delays. Great, gives me more time to work through my backlog, you know? And while I'm positive I'll still have plenty to play during the latter half of 2014, all these delays are a tad unsettling. It almost feels as if the majority of projects we get all excited about require more time in development, which also makes me wonder if teams have had enough time to familiarize themselves with the new hardware.

I don't really know what's going on, but I do know that I can't recall such a crazy rash of delays in such a short span of time. Can you?

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Assassin’s Creed: Unity The Front-Runner For GotY 2014?

Ben-Dutka 19 Comments

Yes, I'm aware that we know very little about this year's Assassin's Creed: Unity .

I know we haven't seen any gameplay and I know that besides the baseline story and setting details, we really don't have much info at all.

…I also know it's coming out in 2014.

Thing is, with all these major game delays, it's starting to feel like Unity could end up being Game of the Year almost by default . I mean, thus far, the only qualifier is really Titanfall , but that didn't exactly score off the charts. It scored well but GotY winners usually at least have Metascores over 90, you know? And now, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , The Order: 1886 and Batman: Arkham Knight set for 2015, what legit GotY contenders do we have?

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield: Hardline ? Doubtful. It has been a while since a shooter claimed GotY honors from the bigger sources. The new Uncharted supposedly won't get here until next summer, Halo 5 won't be ready until the end of next year, and Driveclub …? Nah. The two biggest competitors to Unity right now are Dragon Age: Inquisition and Far Cry 4 , both of which have a chance at taking home top honors this year.

However, I think the new Dragon Age has a lot to prove and while Far Cry is great, it's going to have to be pretty darn special to get a ton of critical acclaim. If the developers do their jobs and make the new AC adventure brilliant and memorable (and they've done it before), I say Unity is the front-runner right now.

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