Curious about fanboy behavior...

[Jari]

I'd like to hear your opinions considering a particular aspect of fanboy behavior: the "I hope that title x won't be released on platform y"-syndrome (title x of course being something that is or has been considered exclusive to their own platform).

I've heard it said about Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and almost certainly about Halo too (even though I don't remember the last one for sure).

Now, if the game were to go exclusive on the other platform, then I'd understand their whining. But this is not about that, this is about an exclusive title going multiplatform.

Can anyone think of a reason why exactly this should bother the fanboys? It's not like they would lose anything...

Is it merely that they want the fanboys of the opposing camp to be jealous of something they don't have? Or at least want to imagine that they are jealous, since I kinda suspect that exclusive games are not such a big deal to the majority of the population than some fanboys like to think.

[James Pond]

Its the mentality that "their console" would lose their "ownage" game which makes their console better.

Whereas, with people who arn't fanboys, its seen as a  good business move by the creator, which in the case of say, MGS, Will make a lot of other people happy.


On a related note, EGM Monthly have it on "good authority" that MGS4 will no longer be PS3 exclusive, but will be made for the 360 instead, and then ported to the PS3 at a later date.

Now, I own a 360, and I think its great news after the videos I saw at TGS of MGS4 in action.

The PS3 fanboys however are drowning in their tears because the "Microshite Xblock Three-shitty" will now have a game they thought they had exclusivity to... Then again, the same happened with MGS2 + 3.

2 is now on PC and Xbox, and 3 I believe is also on the Xbox.

Likewise, PS2 fanboys are crying that Redoctane are making a version of Guitar Hero 2 for the 360, but improved over the version that will be released here in the UK in 2 weeks.

Question is, Why are they crying?   Its one of the best games (imo) of this, and very much last year.  Shouldn't they be happy that another console is getting it?

After all, The same happened with Nintendo and Resident evil 4.  Gamecube owners got "screwed" out of extra features.

But then again, based on last years console sales, 57% of all console owners will own more than one console, and 70% of all those people will have either a PS2 or an Xbox, and a Gamecube.  Why? Because Nintendo were smart and made a decent priced console.

but again people will whine if their precious console will lose their "killer app" or whatever the hell its called these days.  Fanboys defend their console to the death :/

As for why someone becomes a fanboy in the first place?

Ill put it down to the age of the people, >14.

[Synergy Blades]

Not entirely sure why it would be an XBox 360 first, PS3 later, when the demos at the various shows have all done so on a PS3 devkit and touted the Cell as an advantage (even mentioned in one of the videos), or even why Kojima would give interviews (or even outright state it wasn't for the 'box) talking about the PS3 if it wasn't the primary platform. Call me skeptical but I'll chalk it up to bullsh*t game journalism, of which there is a fair amount, until Konami says otherwise.

As for fanboyism, I think it's more about fanboys on both sides. The fanboys on the one side are annoyed that the fanboys on the other side are going to get their kicks by taunting them about the fact that their beloved exclusive is no longer just that and how that makes their console "better" because they've got one more weapon in their arsenal to say that their console is now "better".

[Alhexx]

Well, I just remember the Resident Evil 4 situation in Germany.

First, when the game came out exclusively for the Gamecube, the german version was cut (it did not contain those nasty mini-games).
That's why my friend bought a british copy from eBay

But then, when the PS2 version of the game came out, it was uncut...
This is not directly a cross-platform issue, but the problem, that made many gamers in Germany unhappy, was the difference between the PS2 and the GC version.

 - Alhexx

 - Edit -
I haven't read James Pond's post completely, so I missed that this issue was already mentioned...

[RW_66]

System "exclusivity" is the last resort for fanboys/8 yo.'s to stick their tongues out at other system owners and say "nyah,nyah, boo, boo.. you can't play my 733+ game!". It's ignorant, offensive, childish.. which perfectly describes about 70% of the 'net users.

It started with the old SNES(Nintendo) vs. Genesis(Sega), but really heated up with the introduction of the PlayStation. Many former SNES exclusive companies, including SNK (with Kojima),Squaresoft, and others, moved to the more advanced system (and better licensing deals) offered by Sony. With the death of Sega following the release of the Dreamcast system, and the  decline of Nintendo with both the N64 and the GameCube, it looked to be a sure bet that Sony with the PS2 would dominate the industy. However, the boy's and girls from Redmond,WA. decided to throw their hat into the ring with the XBox.

So, while Sony has still sold over 100 million units of the PS2, XBox sold 10 million, but the GameCube has only sold 4.5 million (most industry experts agree that 8-10 million units is needed to be competitive in todays 'market'). The XBox 360 is the first of the 'next-gen' platforms to arrive, and has enjoyed some minor success, with sales approaching 1.5 million units. However, both Sony and Nintendo are posed to launch this month in the Jananese/North-American markets.

Sony is set to offer the more 'powerful' platform, but they have raised the bar higher with an asking price of $599 for the top-teir system. Nintendo is aiming for the casual-gamer market, with a more modestly priced (and modestly powered) system, that they claim will be aimed towards more family-oriented 'fun' games. Sony still has the advantage of more software titles and an older teen/adult user-base, but Nintendo has the lure of it's 'Wii-mote' motion sensing controllers, along with long established franchises like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda.

It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

[Jari]

On a related note, EGM Monthly have it on "good authority" that MGS4 will no longer be PS3 exclusive, but will be made for the 360 instead, and then ported to the PS3 at a later date.

One of the reasons that spurred me into posting this. BTW, is there a confirmation somewhere in the Internets that that is what they say? Because most blogs have been just reporting the headline on the cover, and it goes something like "MGS4 on Xbox 360?" - which could basically mean anything from a pure speculation to a fact. The question mark tacked after it would suggest something less than a fact, though.

2 is now on PC and Xbox, and 3 I believe is also on the Xbox.

I think that 3 is still a PS2 exclusive, and I suppose it might remain so with that generation of consoles being phased out. Then again, game being technically bit on the modest side (compared to the platform's abilities) hasn't stopped Konami before; think MGS for PC.

Not entirely sure why it would be an XBox 360 first, PS3 later...

Pretty much agreed on this. Unless the development of the PS3 version was far, far behind schedule or someone (say, MS) offered Konami lots of cash, it seems unlikely. Although I would be almost willing to bet a small amount of money on that MGS4 will be on 360 sooner or later, just like MGS2 was on Xbox, since it obviously means more money for Konami. Sony of course could offer money as well.

So, while Sony has still sold over 100 million units of the PS2, XBox sold 10 million, but the GameCube has only sold 4.5 million (most industry experts agree that 8-10 million units is needed to be competitive in todays 'market'). The XBox 360 is the first of the 'next-gen' platforms to arrive, and has enjoyed some minor success, with sales approaching 1.5 million units. However, both Sony and Nintendo are posed to launch this month in the Jananese/North-American markets.

Are you sure that you didn't lose some 45 million consoles somewhere?

Wikipedia claims the 6th gen figures like this:

Sega Dreamcast: 10.6 Million sold as of December 2004 (Japan: 2.30, Other: 8.30)
PlayStation 2: 111.25 Million shipped as of September 30, 2006 (Japan: 23.99, USA: 44.86, Europe: 42.40)
Nintendo GameCube: 21.20 Million sold as of September 30, 2006 (Japan: 4.02, The Americas: 12.44, Other: 4.75)
Xbox: more than 24 Million sold as of May 10, 2006

It was recently revealed that 360 had shipped 6 million by the end of the September. MS might still be within reach of their schedule of 10 million sold by the end of the year, depending on few things. Like how well GoW will sell, and how many PS3s Sony can push to markets after the initial batch (which was supposedly again cut down, due to manufacturing problems). And how the European sales go, since Sony won't be competing there for this Christmas. Not only that, but Sony's foot-in-mouth (read: PR) department is apparently actively trying to convince the European consumer to buy a console other than PS3.

[Covarr]

The reasons that people might want a certain game to go to a certain system can differ. For some, it's because of the taunting factor. Another reason is that the version for the second system may be prettier, depending on which system is more powerful. Of course, there's also the factor of a game being ill-suited for a particular system.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a good example, for me. I personally would rather see it go to the Wii or PS3 than to the 360, because the 360 doesn't have any connectivity features. A Wii or PS3 version, on the other hand, could link up to the DS or PSP, respectively, resulting in one of the factors that made the original as fun as it was. Since MS doesn't have a proper handheld system, I can specifially want for the game not to go to the 360 without being a fanboy.

On the other hand, fanboys may not want a particular game to go to their own console, for fear of it lowering the average quality of that console's games. For example, I don't want any more cheap movie cash-ins to go to the DS or GBA, because they give PSP fanboys an easy bashing target.

Of course, there are likely plenty of potential reasons that I am forgetting, but oh well.

[Jari]

Another reason is that the version for the second system may be prettier, depending on which system is more powerful. Of course, there's also the factor of a game being ill-suited for a particular system.

I'm going to assume that you talk about game going exclusively to some system?

Because if one of multiplatform releases happens to suck ass, what does it matter? It shouldn't matter to gamers that have a platform which release didn't suck ass - except maybe for the purposes of Internet Flameness: "Your version of [insert title here] is so much worse than ours", and it shouldn't matter that much to the owners of platform that got the sucky release, either. Nobody is forcing them to buy it, so how did the situation change from not having the release for your platform to begin with? Obviously they'd prefer a release that didn't suck, but compared to having no release at all?

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a good example, for me. I personally would rather see it go to the Wii or PS3 than to the 360, because the 360 doesn't have any connectivity features. A Wii or PS3 version, on the other hand, could link up to the DS or PSP, respectively, resulting in one of the factors that made the original as fun as it was. Since MS doesn't have a proper handheld system, I can specifially want for the game not to go to the 360 without being a fanboy.

But why does it matter to you if 360 owners get a sucky release? They can just leave it in the stores if it really sucks, and maybe they'd like to play it, even with some degree of suckiness - as opposed to not playing it at all?

[James]

I'm all for multi-platform releases except when the release title is announced as "X Console Only" on release day, then months later jumps ship to the PS2 or whatever.

When I picked up GH2 on the 7th of November, I knew that it would be later released on the 360 and would be better, so I wasn't too choked.

When I picked up RE4 on the GCN, then later played the improved PS2 version, well.


That aside, multi-platform releases are excellent. They open the playing field better and make it easier to judge which console is the best (if you think about it). If Game X is released on consoles A, B, and C, well, it's fair to say that, given enough samples of various games, one could determine the best platform for which kind of game. Perhaps A plays FPS the best, while console C's main strength is RPG, and B is the best for Action-Adventure / Puzzle type games.

It gives the player choice, and usually means more money for the software company, this way, an inferior console can't have one flagship game that carries them above a better console that perhaps doesn't have that game. I'm of course referring to Halo 2 as an example (though I'm a proud X-Box owner), but it can easily be argued that quite a few people ended up getting a X-Box just because of Halo 2.

God knows I'm picking up a PS3 for MGS4 (unless it's released on the X-Box 360, first, which I doubt), and a 360 for Guitar Hero 2.

[James Pond]

I aqquired GH2 the a fortnight ago, because its not out here till the 24th >_>


Its so dissapointing. Really had high hopes for it.

Started on medium as normal, played 4 songs and had to move onto hard.  completed hard in 1 sitting with no failed songs.

next day, got rather drunk, and still managed to complete the first 23 songs on expert with now fails.

I just dont understand where all the difficulty has gone.

Not to mention a load of songs i've never heard of.


And dont even get me started on that wank cover of Killing in the Name of....


/cry

[Jari]

It gives the player choice, and usually means more money for the software company, this way, an inferior console can't have one flagship game that carries them above a better console that perhaps doesn't have that game. I'm of course referring to Halo 2 as an example (though I'm a proud X-Box owner), but it can easily be argued that quite a few people ended up getting a X-Box just because of Halo 2.

Are you implying that Xbox is inferior to some other console of the same generation? If so, why is it inferior?

[James]

I'm not implying the X-Box is inferior, I was just using it as a case example. If Inferior Console R were to release their epic flagship game of the century, while Superior Console T did not have an epic flagship video game, it stands to reason that Console R would still be able to compete just because of the title. I was using Halo 2 as an example because, if I remember correctly, the first (maybe the only?) month that more X-Boxes were sold than PS2's happened to be about two years ago - 11/9/2004. X-Box sales soared through the roof due to Halo 2.

I'm a proud every-console-owner (even though recently the PS2's been seeing a bit more gametime), so...




I've noticed the same thing with GH2, JP (which interestingly enough are my initials...), and I just blame GH 1 for making us all so legendary at the game in the first place. Practice mode helps, too.

I started on Hard, did not fail once, and cleared Freebird with 5 stars on my first try.

That said, multiplayer is quite a bit more fun, and the game itself has been improved a bit. A good play, nonetheless.

[jeomancer20]

I play PC games but I'm not actually a official fanboy because pc games is not only my hobby. I am also not jealous of what I don't have but contented of what I have.












_____________________________
Shoe Paradise

[Kudistos Megistos]

You ought to change the "jeo" in your name to "necro":

Don't resurrect old topics. When people stop posting in a topic, it's usually a sign that everything of value has been said. Thus, if nobody's posted in a topic for more than a week or two, consider it dead and don't post in it (unless you have an important follow-up or question exactly on-topic, and the topic is still recent). If you post just a comment on something somebody said ... chances are no-one will care because it's been a while since everything was posted.

[Jonnylossus]

@Leighos Kudistos Megistos

He seems to be a spammer.. And he advertises the webpage in his signature..

[Kudistos Megistos]

I'm curious as to how he could make that his signature; after all, there's a one character limit...

[Jonnylossus]

I'm curious as to how he could make that his signature; after all, there's a one character limit...

It is not his signature. He just created that link to advertise.. I was right.

I play PC games but I'm not actually a official fanboy because pc games is not only my hobby. I am also not jealous of what I don't have but contented of what I have.












_____________________________
Shoe Paradise

[dziugo]

I'm curious as to how he could make that his signature; after all, there's a one character limit...

It is not his signature. He just created that link to advertise.. I was right.

And now you've quoted him and his link

[Jonnylossus]

I'm curious as to how he could make that his signature; after all, there's a one character limit...

It is not his signature. He just created that link to advertise.. I was right.

And now you've quoted him and his link

Edited my post. Now the url is only an asterisk.