Back at the start of April it was revealed that EA Sportswas putting a halt to the release of some titles on the PC. Nearly three months later Peter Moore has confirmed that EA Sports titles will be returning to the PC next year.
So next year we can expect titles such as Madden, NCAA Football and I assume a whole host of others to appear on the PC. With a focus on online connectivity.
I am a big fan of the Football Manager games and it was a pleasure to recently do a little Q&A with two of the biggest figures in the series, Marc Duffy (MD) and Miles Jacobson (MJ). With chatter about topics as varied as Football Manager Live, E3 and piracy this is a must read for anyone interested in the Football Manager series and in the anti-piracy debate. Check it all out after the jump!
So yesterday I had my last exam for my second year of university. Wahooo! I am now free from education until September or October, so plenty of time for blogging :D
I have ordered some new components to sort out my PC, they will be arriving next week. Expect some blogging on that next week!
Now to enjoy the FA Cup.
C’mon City!
Following up from yesterdays news regarding a German retailer listing GTA IV for the PC the game listing on CityDisc has been changed.
The release date is now for 30th October and this has appeared in German for what I assume is the product description.
Das Spiel GTA 4 für PC ist vom Publisher Take 2 noch nicht bestätigt.
Releasedatum noch offen!!
Which translated on Babel Fish comes out with this.
The play GTA 4 for PC is not yet confirmed of the Publisher Take 2. Release date still openly!!
Which when translated again into proper English by yours truly comes out with something like this.
The release date for GTA 4 for PC has not yet been confirmed by the Publisher, Take 2. The release date is not guaranteed and is open to change.
As of writing this I have not had any response from Rockstar or Take 2 regarding this issue.
Is it possible, is it really possible that we may one day see a Gran Turismo game on the PC? According to Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi it may just be! In an interview with German site derStandard Kazunori had this to say:
Frage: Gibt es eine Chance, dass Gran Turismo auf einer anderen Plattform erscheint?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Es ist sehr sehr unwahrscheinlich, dass GT auf einer anderen Konsole herauskommt. Aber vielleicht kommt es auf den PC. Vor allem am chinesischen Markt könnten wir so die Verbreitung fördern.
Which according to Develop Mag means that it is very unlikely to see a Gran Turismo game on any console other than a Sony one, it is possible it may come to the PC. China is touted as a likely target for the game.
Being a lover of the GT games back in the day on my PSX/PS2 this is great news! GT5 looks gorgeous on the PS3 and for it to come to the PC would be utterly fantastic!
The Senior Producer behind Battlefield Heroes the upcoming Play 4 Free game from DICE and EA has weighed in with his thoughts on the recent debate surrounding the PC and the grave. Ben Cousins has some strong feelings on this issue and he is adamant that the PC is not dying, in fact he is of the school of thought that thinks the PC is leading a new major stage of growth for video gaming.
“If you look at the amount of PCs that are out there, we’re talking hundreds and hundreds of millions; if you look at the amount of PS3s and 360s, we’re talking tens of millions, barely. So, absolutely, people think that the PC is dying, but that’s a crazy idea…
it really feels like, to me, that we’re on the cusp of another expansive period of growth, between the DS and the Wii audiences, and there’s also an opportunity on the PC now.
PCs are everywhere — there are hundreds of thousands of internet cafes in India, and this is a poor country that soon will have a completely global, online connected world, for which games will be completely different.”
Read his extremely detailed interview with Gamasutra right here.
A ‘Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack’ has been dated for release on the 360 and the PS3 in April. For those who want this DLC on the consoles they will £6.80. However us PC fans are having to wait a bit for a release date and to find out whether we will be paying for these new maps.
Right now plans for the PC version are unannounced but we are working to bring PC users the same content in the future, however logistics are being worked out on how to make that happen.
That is what Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling has said over on his blog.
What does he mean ‘logistics’ are being worked out? The only way I see it is that Infinity Ward are wondering whether we should be paying for these new maps or not. Of course if we are to get them for free then the 360 and PS3 gamers are going to be wondering why they had to pay for what we get for free. Conversely if we have to pay for these new maps then there is sure to be a backlash against Infinity Ward for charging us for what we normally are able to get for free.
I guess we shall have to wait until we hear more on this issue, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that we too will have to pay for the privilege to play these new maps.
It seems that the company once most closely associated with the PC, id Software, have realized that the console market is where the money is nowadays. Steve Nix of id has revealed that the company can no longer afford to ignore the ever increasing console market for FPS games. However, they are still determined to support the PC.
“So you still have PC players, and some players are just console guys, but have players moved over? Absolutely. We love PC gaming, and we continue to support PC gaming – but you can’t ignore the market realities and the size of the console market these days.”
The PC-Console and the ‘PC is dying’ debate seems to be hotting up by the day now, can we expect to see Gabe and Co. at Valve turn around next and abandon the PC, well no, but the trend is there among many developers.
Great news for everyone waiting for Mass Effect on the PC, it is not a port of the 360 version…it is a conversion! At least that is the word that emerges from a Eurogamer interview.
The first thing to establish about Mass Effect on PC is that it’s not a port. “This is a conversion,” explained BioWare demonstrator Chris Priestly. “BioWare hates ports.”
Which really is great news for all us PC gamers who have yet to play Mass Effect. This conversion is also set to feature a new inventory system along with higher resolution gaming, and maybe some other stuff.
Go read that damn interview!