The console vs pc debate has been going on for years. The way I see it, if you have a PC for other reasons (applications, internet, DVD, etc.) then it's a natural to add game entertainment to the mix. At this point in the evolution, consoles are strickly entertainment although some versatility is slowly being added. The driving point is cost. If parents are not buying expensive PCs for general purpose and use around the home, young game players are then going to buy less expensive dedicated systems they can take to their friend's house.
PCs will continue to be more powerful for a long time to come attracting the game designers who love a challenge.
Perhaps consoles will eventually turn into PCs and PCs will eventually morph into consoles and there will no longer be any distinction to argue about. Every machine will play every game, run Word and surf the Internet. Even washing machines.
On AA:
A lot of judgement is being applied by people who don't own the game. I put down my money before this debate on AA ever had a chance to start, so I guess I will live with my decision. Right now I'm having trouble keeping my heart ticking regular for the next few days. As soon as a release date was announced, I scheduled a vacation and I'm not going to eat or sleep for several days. When I go back to work, I'll have to drop anchor at my desk and pipe the commander ashore to keep from shouting DIVE DIVE all day.
I agree that static screen shots give an idea of features, atmosphere and mood, but not very good on performance and animation. The dev team poured screen movies at us for months. I didn't see any AA shouting during that time. I see at least one satisfied customer so far. Lets see what happens when we get more of the committed playing the game.
Those who have decided they don't like the game because it's in the Pacific, SHIII wasn't developed enough, and there may not be control over AA in the game will be able to take to heart all the miriad other faults the community will find over time and feel satisfied their investment wasn't wasted on this title (no sarcasm intended.) Sharp eyes have already spotted the "m" for meters when the game engine is probably feet by default and I will have to get used to a reversed rudder control after years of clicking on the top-to-bottom control. As a trade-off, I will probably click the correct direction for engine reverse more often now.
With all that said, I've also been on the other end of the issue with a recent new release of a very popular game title. I had posted messages in forums saying why I returned the game after purchasing it and boy did I get the flames. It's as if the purchasers' enthusiasm for buying the game had been ripped from their soul. Life as they knew it was threatened by my dislike for the game. I'm not like that with these posts. It's my hope we can all find the entertainment that best matches our buget and mood. I would also like to see a good production effort supported so that effort may continue. Toward that goal, I've purchased every sub sim that has come out since the mid-80s and most of the titles have had some compromises I've had to live with. Some were nearly unplayable (Gato, Red October.) This might be unique to me, but if the underlying logic and game play is solid and play value is retained for an extended time (thank you dynamic campaign) there are a lot of graphic anomalies I can live with until the next great title comes out.
I'm not going to defend a game I've not even played. For all I know the promotion department at UBI gets an award for a superb snow job. Maybe the game's a real stinker. I'm anxious to discover what lies within by putting my money down on a good bet and peeling back the cover myself. It's likely I've already sold myself and I'll be completely enthralled with an unplayable game.
My money. My risk. If the next sub title from Romania is the Kursk during war games in Northern Russia, then I'll buy that too. Sonalysts could use some competition.
-Pv-
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