Free-To-Play Detroying Games And It's Your Fault

 

 As you can plainly see by reading some of this blog...... I really hate free-to-play games. Why? The answer comes in many forms and the first one is an age old saying of wisdom which hold true today.... Nothing in life is free. Big corporations love the free-to-play model of video games because it makes tons of money.  For a solid example : Candy Crush (FTP) has made more money than all of Nintendo games ever made combined. So, why does free-to-play games net so much money? Simple, they play off of peoples (mostly young) delusions that just maybe they can win without paying. There are some games that offer some free-to-play elements not needed to win, however, this is also harmful as it conditions the public mind for the real trap that is all but consuming good old fashioned video games. You know, the ones you buy to own then play it all you want.
  The free-to-play video game model has been devastating for the everyday gamer who loves ...well, to play video games. We can point the finger all we want at the developers who make these FTP video games, however, its actually the consumers fault for dumping their money into these shams. Its the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who fell into the "free" trap only to spend 6 times as much on a single game as a regular $60 price tag. These FTP games are made to be addictive and hoards of people lined up to purchase this new video game crack. The sounds of gems clanking together with swirling colors had got the best of these people and at the ultimate price of the future of video games.
 The profit margins for successful free-to-play games are so huge that more and more developers are making more of them and dumping more research and development on making these games even more addictive and malicious. Even old fashioned regular games like Call Of Duty are starting to slowly implement free-to-play aspects to their games only to later unleash the FTP flood in which the only way you can win a match is if you invest $250 in the game. Soon, all games will be free-to-play or have some form of free-to-play elements in there, thus; ruining the video game business as we used to know it for the next generation of crazy eyed smart phone wielding zombies holding scratch off cards. All of this because YOU thought that you were clever enough to play a free-to-play game and win without paying. How did that work out for you?

The Slow Death Of Triple A Video Games

 If you think that the endless flow of indie game titles keep coming at us randomly then you need to be better informed on the present gaming model. The real reason why gamers are getting hit by endless streams of indie games is because triple A video games are now fast becoming obsolete. Don't get me wrong, I love indie games and think they are great, however, there true intention is to replace expensive triple A games for much cheaper alternatives. Making a triple A title is almost like building a warship or going to outers pace, no seriously, that's how much money and man power goes into these projects.
 To put this thing in perspective .... in order for a triple A video game to make money it has to sell millions of copies and even then the profits can be small in comparison to the work and time invested in such a project. For instance, lets say for sake of argument that a triple A video game cost 30 million dollars to produce. Without going into the complicated math (this can be verified on other sites) even if the 30 million dollar game sells 3 million copies , after costs , that game has probably made 40 million dollars. Yes, that right, a game that costs 30 million to make, if it sells well ( 3M ) will only make 10 million dollars more than what it cost in the first place.
 More and more we are hearing complaints from big developers who produce triple A titles that its almost impossible to make money. Short of getting lucky and hitting the jackpot with consumers buying up the game and becoming a hit with very good reviews its a complete waist of money. These are the reasons that we will see a huge decline in triple A titles and more mid level games and indie's. Developers are now begging to realize that by simply creating great content sells and it does not have to cost 30 million dollars to do so.
 This can all be a great thing for the future of gaming in my own personal opinion considering that most triple A games are more focused on size and graphics than actual fun and innovative game-play in which consumers want. Gamers are sick of paying $60 for triple A games that can be beat in 8 to 15 hours ( with few exceptions ) and mostly consist of the same old shoot 'em up content. Recently, we have been seeing very successful games by small developers who can make huge profits as the cost of development is down while the quality of the game itself is high. The moral of the story is that
triple A titles will still be made by those who like to gamble, however, they will be few and far between.

Playstation Vita : The Good And The Bad

 The Good :

1. The Vita is one of the most powerful gaming handhelds ever created and launched to rave reviews. IGN scored the system 8.5/10, Cnet.com gave the system a 4/5, The Gadget Show gave it a 4/5 and in 2012, the PS Vita won T3's "Gaming Gadget Of The Year" award beating Nintendo 3DS and more. There is no doubt that the Vita system is a worthy handheld gaming device.

2. A beautiful 5-inch(16.9) OLED multi touch capacitive touchscreen that can produce 17 million colors. The OLED screen is one of the very best features of the system and is simply breathtaking to look at while playing a quality game or just watching youtube video's.

3. Even though AAA titles are few there are troves of quality indie games that alone make the Vita worthwhile as a handheld gaming device.

2. Most of the best PSP (Playstation Portable) games from Sony's last generation handheld can be downloaded to the Vita making it even more versatile.

3. Solid design which gives the Vita owner confidence that their hardware is sturdy and safe from being easily broken. There have been very few reports of hardware problems with the Vita which require a replacement unit.

4. Playstation 1 support (PS1 Classics) which put some of the best historical games ever made right in the palm of your hand and on the go. Nothing is better at killing time than playing FF7 while waiting in a doctors office. These older games look amazing on the OLED screen and can be adjusted any way you see fit like utilizing dual analog sticks if you so wish.

THE BAD :

1. The Playstation Vita is very costly and comes with many hidden additional costs. At launch I paid $250.00 for the Vita alone(WiFi) not counting the $40 and sometimes even $50( yes, Black Ops I'm looking at you) games and a quality case($30) you will surly need for your shiny new piece of hardware.

2. Lack of third party games (non Indie) and failure to bring some of the best native Japanese Vita games to the West.

4. High cost of the best PS1 games and verily the PSP games.

5. Most of the features of the Vita like rear touch pad and tilt control are hardly ever put to use in the games for the Vita which makes the price seem even more unnecessary considering these things are why it is so expensive to begin with.

6. Finally and worst of them all are the "proprietary" memory cards which are ridiculously expensive and the 64GB card almost impossible to find and if you do will set you back $100.