Timewaster's Guide Archive
Games => Video Games => Topic started by: Entsuropi on November 08, 2002, 10:14:27 AM
-
so it seems that all of the various console companies recently have tried to do the online thang. i must say, from what i have seen X-box live looks really sweet. and when everyone on the servers is using broadband, it frees up the developers to increase the bandwidge needs. which is nice. not as nice as everyone having voicecom, but still really nice.
but what about the other consoles? are they trying for online still, or did they give it up?
-
I'm pretty sure Sony is still going to go online here in the states. Obviously they have been in Japan for a while, what with FF11 being a MMORPG and all.
Personally, I have my doubts about consoles going online effectively. Consoles phase in and out so fast, I wonder if the server end of the deal will be able to keep up. And what about when online console games get old? The game makers can't keep backwards-compatible servers running all the time. Kind of takes the joy out of playing "an old classic" if it isn't supported online anymore.
-
Nintendo's also trying to go live, though reports are all over the place about the details. Doesn't matter much to me, I'll be too busy playing Timesplitters 2 and Metroid: Prime this month to be envious of other consoles :)
-
My biggest problem for consoles online is the subscription fee. case in point FFXI you have 2 fee's you have to pay to play it. One is Sony's and the other's is square's.
? The game makers can't keep backwards-compatible servers running all the time. Kind of takes the joy out of playing "an old classic" if it isn't supported online anymore.
it's the same for PC online games, more MMORPG's then others but the same. Very few online games are supported a few years after the game comes out. but one problem the Consles have is add ons. and frequent updates. Square's doing an intresing thing for the playstation and that's keeping 90% of the game on their servers. By doing that the occasional updates can be kept in the PS2 internal memory (which isn't much) and saved on a memory card (12 megs) Sony actualy released thier hard drive addon (it slides into the back slot) and that allows you to download the whole game and lowers the load time. But it's like a $100+, no word if it's comming out here.
also if you have broadband you have to buy a network adapter (about $30-$40) this is the same for all 3 systems. So to me it's rather pricey, the cost of playing FFXI a month is about equal to buying a game a month.
-
hum I was wrong on some things. I just found out that SONY isn't charging to play games online VIA their servers. all you have to do is buy a network adapter which comes with a FREE copy of Twisted metal black. The adapter is $40. Now FFXI and Everquest will have a monthly charge but SONY obvsly learned from Sega's mistake. Now that's not a bad deal in my mind. I'll have to check Xbox's online costs. ok XBOX live costs $50 bucks and comes with a 1 year free subscription to their servers. So I still think that Sony's is a better deal.
-
I know most of us have a hard time trying to envision Final Fantasy as a MMORPG, with watered down plots if any due to the new format, but has anyone heard whether it's at least a quality MMORPG? If it's just another DAoC or Everquest rehash I'll be mightily disappointed in Square. They're better than that.
Of course, a person can't play too many MMORPG's anyway, and until I hear of something else that's pretty awesome, World of Warcraft is topping my list on those charts. Whenever it comes out.
-
I haven't seen the PC version yet but I'll say this so far it is the Best looking MMORPG I've everseen. The graphics are realy good. http://www.playonline.com/ff11/about/screen-shots/ the very last one at the bottem of the list is a battle with a shadow dragon and it looks realy cool.
The combat is just like other Final Fantsy's, not sure about quests and other stuff. But it's pure fantasy and no Sci-fi elements.
Dang I should have never priced out SONY's online price. With FFXI probaly only being $10 a month I'll probaly get it. Fell what's the chances of you getting me a press account? ;D