"You can't release something that's not finished" - The Angry Video Game Nerd from episode 118 (11 minute 50 seconds)
The quote above says it all and in my perspective the video games of today are especially guilty. Bugs, glitches, server issues, data corruption, missing features... nearly every game released these days have problems, just look at the inferior Driveclub for PlayStation 4 as a prime example of an incomplete game, by incomplete I mean that the game was released when there were still problems that SHOULD have been ironed out before release.
Before I get hammered with readers who disagree with me calling Driveclub "inferior", I just want to say this: Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Horizon 2, Gran Turismo 6, Race Driver: Grid, Need For Speed Rivals; these are just a handful of racing titles available on past gen and current gen platforms that are on a whole better than Driveclub.
The point is video games of late have been struck with problems besides hacking and piracy; a problem that shouldn't exist anymore and yet rears its ugly head in and ruins the specific video game experience for gamers.
My attention and attitude to glitches, and bugs have been evident and bitter ever since Silent Hill Downpour drowned in the downpour of criticisms, despite it have a promising plot and was atmospherically chilling and secluded like any Silent Hill game should be. Now I like Silent Hill Downpour and can get passed the aspects that ruin the overall gaming experience, though I can't forgive the development of the game because it was clearly a game that deserved more attention and a powerhouse of developers making Downpour the game it should've been, rather than the stammering Government politician that it effectively is because it was underdeveloped by Vatra Games. That said I wasn't surprised by the shoddiness in Silent Hill Downpour when you factor in the only other game Vatra Games developed was a mediocre effort knows as Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot. In essence Vatra games attempted brain surgery after playing one round of Hasbro's Operation game; it wasn't going to go smoothly.
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames is affected similarly, though its a far more baffling case when you take into account how well the original Mercenaries video game (Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction) came about, and especially more so when Pandemic Studios were the developers for both games. While Silent Hill Downpour suffers in several areas, it is playable and enjoyable; Mercenaries 2: World In Flames isn't playable because both the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions crash/freeze at the starting menu because it is trying to connect to the EA servers which no longer exist, thus it stops entirely. One way to get passed this is to sign off and play offline and then once you start the game, you can then sign in and continue playing. Now while there are ways of playing either the Xbox 360 or PS3 editions; the fact that EA does nothing to support their product with servers, and no longer have Pandemic Studios (because the studio closed in 2009) to make patches and correct the problems in the game means the troubles will persist and affect the gaming experience. Even if EA were to lift their head out of the ground and do something, its too late for me because the experience, the cost and frustration has completely ruined the game for me and for others no doubt.
Both examples above are examples of video games that would've been better if the developments weren't rushed in order to sell in retail ASAP. It seems however that the game developers behind the games we play today have never heard of the term 'quality' and 'dedication'. In the month of November (2014) there have been several 'big' video game releases such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Far Cry 4, Assassins Creed Unity, Grand Theft Auto V (for Xbox One and PS4), Halo: Master Chief Collection, WWE 2K15 (for Xbox One and PS4) and so on that have reported issues. While there are patches being developed to 'fix' the gaming experiences for these games, these 'fixes' are after the fact that these games weren't completed and tested thoroughly enough before reaching 'Gold status' and being released to the public. Because of this incomplete development approach developers take, it is us the gamers will discover bugs, glitches and other experience and performance issues which ruin the gaming experience.
This is 2014, not 1996 where Eidetic's (now SCE Bend Studio) idea of a game good enough for public release was Bubsy 3D, or November 1982 where Atari developed the very poorly designed Atari 5200!! We should be at a point where the games we buy and play are as good and 'complete' as technically possible, and yet this clearly isn't the case. The fact that video games are nowadays sold incomplete with content that is held back so it can be sold later on as DLC for a price is a waterfall of bulls*** and radiation! Today in order to get the 'complete' experience of a video game like Call of Duty Advanced Warfare (or any recent game for that matter); you have to pay £40 or so for the initial game, then purchase DLC that can cost up to £30 or more and in the meantime be patient because the developers behind the said game are providing game patches to correct issues or server problems that SHOULD have been made BEFORE the game hit retail stores! There is no logic to this other than the fact that this increases profits. One might argue that DLC is a means of increasing the lifespan of a game but the truth is the initial game would've had the SAME LIFESPAN had the 'missing' content from the 'incomplete' game been available on the initial game from the get-go; the only difference is that the 'complete' experience wouldn't cost any more which would be favourable to the gamers. And please don't come up with the excuse that the size of the 'missing' content would've exceeded the capabilities of the initial video game release because that's also complete bulls***, if video games can be downloaded in their entirety from disk formats or through the internet then it means the hard drives on consoles (minus the Nintendo Wii U) and PCs are more than capable of storing and handling the requirements.
Now compare and contrast any recent video game for the Xbox One for example to that of Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which was released in 1992 in PAL territories. Both the modern Xbox One game and Super Mario World may contain bugs, glitches and so on and sold at a typical retail price of £40. The differences begin with the fact that the modern Xbox One game will be sold 'incomplete' and will require additional cost(s) optionally in order to get the 'complete' gaming experience. Super Mario World on the other hand was the 'complete' gaming experience from the SNES cartridge with no exceptions. Which one therefore is the more COMPLETE video game? (answer: Super Mario World in case you weren't able to decide).
Now for my main gripe and the best example of a video game that defines 'The Incomplete Ages' right now in my opinion: WWE 2K15 for Xbox One/PS4. Now if you have read the post about WWE beforehand then you would know that I am a fan and I am fanatic about storytelling for my created Superstars and Divas in the WWE video games. (Even if you haven't read the previous post) I had tremendous plans for 2K15 despite some concern that it wouldn't be possible to set custom music as entrances like I could in nearly every WWE game for the Xbox 360. Learning that the Xbox One and PS4 versions of WWE 2K15 would be delayed three (3) weeks after the last gen versions annoyed me of course but I'd always have the ideas in my head and backed up onto documents on my laptop anyhow so it wasn't overly damming and it gave me the promising impression that the developers: Visual Concepts and Yuke's were going to use the time to 'fix' any gaming errors before release. Alas whilst waiting it became apparent that there 'limitations' and reductions of content, perhaps the biggest shock was the fact that there would be the capacity for only 25 created characters and none of them could be Divas. From that point on the hopes, desires and expectations I and my younger brother had, had slid downwards like a man thrown down a rocky hill after having his limbs amputated by a malicious butcher. It was the 21/11/2014 when I finally got my hands on the Xbox One version of WWE 2K15 and the 'incompleteness' set ablaze the last remnants of amusement and satisfaction I had original held and replaced those ideas and passion with darkened resentment.
F*** this game!
Though limitations and 'incompleteness' were present in most areas, I and my younger brother set about creating the 25 Superstars that we had painstakingly whittled down from the 100 we have on WWE 2K14 for the Xbox 360. Both of us had spent the equivalent of two (2) days making our created Superstars and trying out the new wrestling mechanics and MyCareer mode, both of which we didn't like and knew we would need practice and getting used to before we started are own season. On the 22/11/2014 I had got to the point that the limitations and 'incompleteness' of WWE 2K15 were hindering some of the desires for our created Superstars such as entrances and moves, so I purchased the season pass which set me back £20 on top of the £45 price tag for the initial game. Even after using the 'Accelerator' to unlock 'everything' there were still problems like the absence of entrance motions for Bray Wyatt, John Cena, and The Undertaker for the created Superstars to use, even though the Entrance motions are available if you choose to edit those actual Superstars' entrances.
F*** this game!!
At around 02:15 on the 23/11/2014 I had finished the creation process of my last created Character, saved it, turned off the Xbox One console with WWE 2K15 returned to its case, and then attempted to get a few hours of sleep. I don't sleep well anyhow so it was asinine to try but whatever. 10:00 in the morning and both my younger brother and I started up WWE 2K15, only to find that everything we did in the two (2) long days prior was completely non-existent! A bug in the game had caused the saved data to erase and leave the both of us fuming like a set of boiling kettles stuffed with dynamite that were going to blow up. Internet forums indicate that this is a major problem felt across not just Xbox One and PS4 owners but also Xbox 360 and PS3 owners, and so far there has been no update, patch or notification from the developers regarding this issue.
F*** this game!!!
As murderously enraged I feel, I'm glad I still have the saved date for WWE 2K14 on the Xbox 360 which is just as well because it could be some time before a 'fix' is made to overcome the issues with WWE 2K15, the DLC packs become available, and rebuild trust. To say that I am disappointed and mega f***ing pissed off with WWE 2K15 though would be a understatement that dwarfs Tomorrow Square (5th tallest building in Shanghai, China). And yet it was my younger brother: Alec who phased our displeasure the best by saying this:
"Congratulations 2K Sports on creating a game on par with the crap the WWE is airing on TV! The tagline is 'FEEL IT' huh? Oh I FEEL IT alright...!"
The biggest problem I have with WWE 2K15 is the extent of how inferior this feels to WWE 2K14 due to the sheer 'incompleteness' that is as profound as having the alarm lock going off at full volume while its strapped to the side of your head. While its acceptable that there would be features removed to an extent to allow for the new graphical enhancements and motions, I wasn't prepared for just how much was removed when you compare 2K15 with 2K14 (while you can have a hundred Created character slots on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of WWE 2K15, it is the same as WWE 2K14 overall except with 2K15 its like coming out a magician's saw in half trick with your torso and everything above actually sawed off from the legs!).
The way I see it is that WWE 2K16 will emulate WWE 2K15 on Xbox One and PS4 and have the features and match types that were missing from 2K15. But the problem I have is that WWE 2K15 could've had the missing features and have been more 'complete' if the development cycle was expanded for longer meaning it may not have been released until Spring 2015, but by doing this WWE 2K15 for Xbox One, PS4 (and PC at a later point) would be twice the game it is now. If the developers and publishers and WWE agreed with this plan in order to give a more definitive 'complete' gaming experience then I would be happy to wait, as no doubt would many who are now disappointed fans.
Alas, this didn't happen and probably won't happen in the future, meaning in order to get the proper new definitive experience and true successor to WWE 2K14; we'll have to wait until November 2015 for WWE 2K16 and hope that 2K16 is the game 2K15 couldn't be. But wait; even if that happens, we'll have to wait for DLC and patches to kick in to fill in the 'incompleteness' of the initial realise of WWE 2K16 because like nearly every video game in this age of 'incompleteness'; gamers will discover problems with the video games we buy and play because the games upon realise will be either incomplete or broken altogether.
Its a sad reality that is not new, and though there is the use of the internet to share experiences with problems, forums and suggestions how to overcome a bug, glitch or problem in general, as well as betas; 'The Incomplete Ages' for video games and consoles doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon.
Well...that's me done for this month. Next time I'll offer my impression of the Xbox One as a whole one (1) year since I purchased it in December of 2013.
Until next time, see ya!
