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Posted by: thepinetree on 07/31/2007 08:20 AM
Updated by: thepinetree on 08/01/2007 07:18 AM
Expires: 01/01/2012 12:00 AM
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In Media Res...Cross Platform Gaming? ~By Raven and Coyote
There comes a time in every gamer's life when it's time to put up or shut up; are you willing to buy a new gaming system just to play the next title in a favorite series? That's the reality of the world we live in, but it wasn't always that way. Once upon a time most games were eventually released on all the major gaming platforms, and with the coming of next generation gaming consoles, it's becoming that way again. This time around, however, cross-platform games are being met with skepticism, if not outright hostility....
There have always been exceptions to the multi-platform release phenomena; Mario belonged to Nintendo and Sonic stayed with Sega. It was simply the way things were. Everything else was released on any hardware that would support it. Things were simple; you bought the platform with the exclusive you liked, and then bought the cross-platform releases as they came out for that platform. And if you saw a release for a system you didn't yet own, no problem. Time and patiences guaranteed you would see your game of choice released for your system sooner or later. It wasn't until the coming of the original Sony PlayStation that things began to change.
The notable exclusive games up until that point had been developed by the creators of the platforms to which they were exclusive. That changed with the PlayStation. Doubtless there were earlier examples, but the world sat up and took notice when a series with a huge cult following began releasing their games only on Sony hardware. Which series? Final Fantasy, of course. If the Final Fantasy games had started out as a Sony exclusive, it probably wouldn't have ruffled any feathers. However, the series didn't actually go exclusive to Sony until the release of Final Fantasy 7. Granted, there was a PC release of FF7 as well, but for the purposes of this article, we're focusing on gaming platforms, not PC gaming.
But whether it was for the PC or the PS1, die-hard Nintendo fans, who had followed the series from its humble NES roots to its SNES level were absolutely livid when the PlayStation "stole their game." Finding out Sony would be releasing the games exclusively to the PS1, and no other systems, only added fuel to the fire. Eventually the resentment did die away. Final Fantasy 7 turned out to be a strong game with a familiar battle system, and a well-layered, emotional story. But even as rabid Final Fantasy fans were placated by the sight of their beloved franchise keeping the quality high, something had been lost in the scuffle. Most games were released for only one system, or one family of systems and cross-platform releases were mostly restricted to cheesy movie-based games.
This shift also doubled the possessiveness of the fans for their favored games and franchises. Because games were no longer being released across platforms, this fact fell into the realm of the obscure until a falling out between Capcom and the original developer (or developers; Coyote and I are still looking into that) of Resident Evil.
Thus, Resident Evil 4 being ported over to the PS2 (and outfitted with new features, to boot), became the first game in years to leapfrog in the manner of older games like Fatal Fury (which hopped from the Neo-Geo to the Sega Genesis, and even over onto the SNES). Although the transition from GameCube to PS2 allowed for improvements to be made on the game, it still met with some resistance by GameCube players, who didn't want to see their exclusivity slip away. This attitude seems to have mellowed some, however; the recent re-release of Resident Evil 4 on the Wii has met with far less resistance, even a measure of excitement.
Resident Evil 4 was only the first pebble in the cross-platform landslide. In addition to Resident Evil becoming non-exclusive, two more major franchises are following suit; Devil May Cry and the one that started the whole exclusivity mess to begin with, Final Fantasy.
It would seem there's still hope for a gaming world where everyone can play their games of choice, regardless of platform preference. The only hurdle remaining is for games that don't suck to join the cross-platform movement. We'd like to think that the next Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, and Resident Evil releases will take the gaming industry in that direction.
Questions? Comments? Drop us a line at In Media Res.
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