Is Gaming as we know it in trouble?

Some of you out there would probably say "Why the hell would you say that! Gaming has never been better right now!". And some of you would have to wonder the same thing I do when that question is asked.

Is gaming as we know it in trouble? Most of us either know about, remember or at least have heard someone mention the death of gaming for short time back when Atari over flooded the market. Then Nintendo swooped in and saved the day via the NES.

While I don't thing gaming will ever truly die...I think it could go into a decline....or a depression of sorts.

What got me thinking about this was the recent announcement for Gears of War coming to the PC. Not just coming to the PC...but coming with exclusive content. At first I was excited because I'm a big Gearhead and love the game. I'll be playing it even when Halo 3 comes out (even though yes I will be playing H3 as well.)

Its not just my personal feelings on that particular instance. But from the opinions of others I've read on the site about this instance and others. When Ubisoft charged everyone for the Red pack for RB6 and the released and charged for the black pack on 360, but gave both away for free on PS3.

Ubisoft claimed it was a mistake. But they were caught with their pants down. And after a public outcry...they are both free now for both consoles.

I really think that even though we do get alot of great games on consoles that never see the light of day on PC....we do get screwed over pretty regularly now. More so in this generation of consoles than last.

Mostly when a game comes to all platforms including PC. Well lets take Epic for example.

Gears of War on 360. Shipped with I believe 10 or 12 maps. Cost $59.99 or $69.99 for the big tin.
$10.00 for 4 new maps
2 maps free
$5.00 or so for the 2 last maps they are gonna release. (they said 6 new maps overall on 360 I believe.)

So thats a total of $75 or $85 depending on what version of Gears you bought.

Ok now its coming out on PC. Its coming out on PC for $49.99. And it will include ALL of the content 360 owners had to purchase, as well
as new exclusive content that they say 360 owners will never see. Or at least won't see this year. All for $49.99. And it will have achievements, and you can use the 360 controller as well. So whats the point of the 360 version really? Other than to sell the Xbox 360 during a Halo-less year.

But instances like this have happened more than once. And yes they've come and gone and gaming is still here. But it leaves a bad taste in our mouths. And it makes it harder to swallow a companies bullshit. Which is a good thing.

It makes gamers alot more picky about which companies games they buy...and where/how there money is spent. This will have good and bad effects on the gaming world. Whether or not it leans more to one side than the other remains to be seen.

There are pros and cons for both PC and console gaming. Although right now I think console gamers get screwed more often.

Console gaming:
• Can be expensive depending on what companies you prefer. (I'm looking at you Sony fans.)
• DLC content that is either over priced or doesn't work properly....or its free on one console but costs on the other.
• Games are $59.99 a pop. Unless you went the nintendo route exclusively.
• Alot more games than you will see on PC.
• Consoles seem now to have a higher and higher failure rate than those of the previous generations and PC.

PC Gaming:
• Expensive to get into if you want the fullest experience graphically.
• Don't get nickel & dimed for downloadable content usually. Only really pay for expansion packs.
• Upgrading every 2 years to stay on the top of your game can be pricey. $500 for a video card is expensive. lol.
• Bugs and hardware compatibility issues.
• PC gets the better end of the deal on multi-platform releases usually. (Gears of War & UT III for example).
• More customizeable - mods mods mods mods mods. WOOOOOOO!
• Games are usually $49.99 or below. And the price drops alot faster than with console games.
• Higher resolutions than consoles can dream of.....higher and more steady frame rates.

This really isn't a PC vs. Console debate though. I do both and enjoy both for their good points. I will say though that I am leaning more towards the PC gaming arena now more ad more. I will never forsake console gaming. But I can be smart with my money and show companies what I think by either not buying or buying their products.

Thats it for now.

Gatsu OUT!