Well, IÂ'm back this week from my cross-continental peregrinations (to answer your question, Pyro, thatÂ's what people with a thesaurus call it).  And, yes I had to actually look up peregrinations before I posted it.  Speaking of Pyro, who took the helm of this feature last week, in the future when doing this you might avoid the cognitive narcissism of referencing your own post.  If you really need to draw attention to how smart you are, be more subtle and employ a loquacious vocabulary to imply intellectual superiority.

You're old and we don't want your money.

Demiurge pointed out that Midway probably thinks that youÂ're old and irrelevant.  Hip-hop owns you, grandpa!  HereÂ's a snippet from an interesting article about the urbanization of games, and what Midway's Steve Alison thinks of non-hip gamers.

The guys bitching about this new trend are inching up on 35 years old, and they grew up on old-school gameplay. They're a very vocal bunch, but they're just not the market anymore. Love it or hate it, the market tells us what it wants, and the guys who make that stuff win. Look, Beyond Good & Evil was a great technical execution that only 60,000 people bought. Why? Because no one was interested in it. It wasn't relevant to anyone. Today, you have to provide what people want, and dragons, elves, and fairies just aren't on the top of their lists right now.

Duckilama hints that reading reviews and determining value means we probably donÂ't buy many Midway games anymore.  I wonder what heÂ's implying?:

With the exception of a few titles or developers, we probably don't rush out to blindly purchase the latest industry output the day it releases, week after week.

We read reviews - plural - of games and make a conscious decision to purchase a game based on value. We tap friends and get suggestions based on other titles we like. We watch the 48hour madness and other sales/bargain bins. Aside from titles like Doom3, and it looks like BF2 might fall in that category too, we're not the market they can forcefeed new tripe every month.

When Gameguru talks Â"… people listen!

This is standard practice in every industry..

Urban styles and fashions eventually become mainstream and influence all aspects of culture..

Mateo suggests MidwayÂ's missing out on more than just a clue:

There are multiple articles (CNN, Wired, etc.) that state that the average gamer is in their mid 20's, early 30s, an adult, has a job, etc.

So how, can any game company that wants to stay in business , ignore that client base?

But, is it right to say that older gamers wonÂ't play hip games in the first place?  LetÂ's talk about the assumption that Beyond Good and EvilÂ's failure is some proof that older gamers donÂ't actually buy games.  FuzzyCuddleWumpus, speak!:

Agreed. I loved Beyond Good and Evil. I'm also enjoying the heck out of NBA Ballers. Despite the cribs, rides and off da hizzles... it is almost identical to NHL Hitz. Fun arcadey gameplay with a bunch of stuff to unlock if you chose to.

I guess the hip-hop flavor helps bring what is essentially a newer version of NBA Jam to the youngins. That said, the whole "bling bling is everything" attitude disturbs me. And unlocking/buying a possee of good looking friends is a little too close to pimps and hos for my comfort.

Maybe thereÂ's no actual urbanization in the mainstream after all.  WinterÂ's got his own angle.

If you look at the top 10 games for any system at any time, you really do not see much of the so-called urbanized games sitting on there. The truly blockbuster games pretty much appeal to everybody. Now GTA had a bit of an urbanized feel to it, but there was something more to that game that made it appeal to everybody. Maybe it was the violence. I think there is money to be made in appealing to a niche market, which is what I think Midway might be doing. Hopefully they don't abandon all other genres and settings for games, as betting the farm on a passing fad is never a good thing.

Buzzvang gets back on the issue of relevance.: 

I think Allison doesn't take this into account in his assessment of BG&E. Considering the amount of promotion "mainstream" games usually undergo, BG&E suffered from a marked lack of it. Which means that I saw nothing of this game during its run.

On the other hand, he has a point that gamers are looking for situations/games that they can relate to in real life. Part of the enjoyment of NCAA 2005 is making my team do things they'd never do in a real game, and then I wind up acting like it really happened, if I don't watch myself. If you consider how sophisticated the technology has become, modeling realism is not as insurmountable as it once was.

Elysium says: Well since I am pushing 35, and have never taken issue with being vocal (though I suspect Mr. Allison isnÂ't exactly sixteen with a tricked out low-riding Tercel himself) I suppose IÂ'm obligated to make some statement.  So, I offer this allegorical scene.  Conjure the image of MidwayÂ's game design studio:

Mr. Pandering – We need a new game.  What youthful stereotypes should we use to create a flaccid framework for hack game design?

Mr. Overgeneralization – Well, if we want to target the youth market, I understand they are into violence, hip-hop music, things that are extreme [makes air-quotes sign with his fingers], and something called Â"˜boobiesÂ'.

Mr. Johnson – I like boobies.

Mr. Moneybags – Quiet Johnson!

Mr. Pandering – Ok, ok.  IÂ've got it.  LetÂ's put extreme sports stars into urban levels to trick out.  The story can be about keeping it real, and getting it on with prostitutes.  The player can use their Â"˜respecÂ' points to buy new wheels, and fly outfits.  Mr. Overgeneralization, find out if the kids still say Â"˜flyÂ'.

Mr. Overgeneralization – Will do.  Hey, we should get Snoop Dogg.

Mr Moneybags laughs – Hahaha.  Snoop Dogg has a contract with us already. 

Mr. Gamer – What if instead we spent the time, money, and effort on designing a solid innovative game that appeals to a wide audience.  The youth market isnÂ't just about the stereotypes we apply to them, and the older audience with disposable income will buy games if they are good. 

Chorus – NO!

Oh, thatÂ's right.  Like GalileoÂ's Narratio Prima which put arguments against the Copernican model of planetary motion into the dogmatic voice of the simpleton, I have reached the zenith of literary wit in my scathing musings.  Damn, IÂ'm acting like Pyro!

[H]ard to Understand

Much was made by Flux of [H]ardOCPÂ's benchmarking info on Doom 3.  Frankly the article made very little practical sense to me, and by the end I would have written the following summary of OCP's findings: GeNvidia 6800XTUltraATI 38.6 AGP FXAA 44 pipeline mhz.  I think I understand why Flux just says Yowza!  It hints at cognitive interpretation without tipping his hand.  Very savvy Flux.

Flux also points out that the reason he is upgrading from some crappy $300 card to a $500 card is because of the massive – I kid you not – 4 extra frames per second!  Unless I get money for each extra frame I think IÂ'd not spend that kind of cash.  Someone obviously doesnÂ't have a wife.

Hubbin knows what IÂ'm talkinÂ' bout!

Well, 26.9 FPS is not too shabby in practice. That is a solid framerate, and who needs 8xAF anyway?

ThatÂ's right, Hubb.  I already have all the Â"˜xÂ's I need, what will eight more do for me, much less some random Â"˜AÂ' and Â"˜FÂ'? 

Spleen is obviously talking in code here, perhaps organizing enemy forces on some distant border:

The 6800 GT review I just read at NV News had to downclock the OC on their GT to make it stable in Far Cry using SM3. No other game had any trouble.

Â"…?

You tell Â"˜em DramaticMarlin:

I have to admit, I laughed with the acronyms in that sentance. I'm a geek and it even sounded, well, uber geeky to me. No wonder my wife sort has a bemused look on her face when I try to talk about anything computer or work related.

Oooh, IÂ'm Certis and I like to gloat:

Looks like I'll be able to play 1280 X 1024 at high quality and if things pan out, 8X AF to boot.

Well whoopity freakinÂ' doo!  You must be the luckiest little princess in school.

Dr. Ghastly and I share a boat.  A tiny leaking boat.  More like a dinghy, actually.:

My little ti4200 just rendered that html page and sh*t it's pants.

My ti4200 got out of the computer and drove off with my car and wallet.

Gameguru gives heart to ATI owners.  Apparently the confluence of seemingly random numbers strewn throughout that 'article' means something to them:

ATI has hired a completely new OGL team from a VERY well know OGL group..

They've essentially started a complete rewrite of OGL code for the R300+ Cards..

The numbers could very well become dramatically better in the coming weeks/months.

Oooh, IÂ'm Tobyus and I like to gloat.  Certis and I play jump-rope at recess (IÂ'm not sure if thatÂ's a euphemism or not):

I'm getting all warm and fuzzy thinking about my new pc with its shiny 6800 GT in it, running Doom3 at 1600x1200 with AA and AF at near 40 fps...mmmmm.

Thanks Dr. Awkward - what the hell is up with the Doctors we have here on site, awkward, ghastly.  They're like evil medically trained fairy-tale dwarves - I thought it was just me:

I'm no expert on benchmarks, but a lot of those numbers don't seem so far apart.

Drunkagain has a freakish definition of old:

I expect to run it comfortably on my old (as in 4 months) 9800 Pro at 1024x768. All the bells and whistles? Hell no! But with a little tweaking I'm expecting to get a comfortable frame rate and maybe adjust the AA & AF for some small benefit.

That'a the plan anyway.

Spleen uses English this time.  I totally understood his post!  It even makes sense to me: 

I just read a thread where a guy ordered a 6800 GT for $750.00 Canadian to play Doom 3. That is insane . How much would the Ultra be, $1000?!?!? I desperately want one of these new cards but the price has got to drop some first.

Oooh, IÂ'm styx120 and I have a console and like to gl Â"… nevermind:

This thread is the reason i donlt PC game as mich as console game.

Long live the consoles. Xbox Doom 3 for me solves the performances issues and adds Co-Op online.

Elysium says: Actually styx, though I hate to admit it, might be one of the few here with some perspective.  Seriously, you guys are freaks.  Freaks!  My rule of thumb is basically that if I spend $200, I better get two or three times the performance I had, not two or three extra frames per second. 

The Sun Setting On the Horizons.

On a final note, Ulairi sent word that Artifact Entertainment is in dire straits.  While I share in extending many sympathies to those whose jobs are in jeopardy, itÂ's worth taking note of what might have gone wrong.

Paladin checked out the free trial and found an empty world.  I suspect he might as well be talking about AsheronÂ's Call 2, Shadowbane, or Neocron.:

I'm not too surprised by this. I went ahead and gave the seven day free trial a go a couple weeks back just to see how the game had changed since beta. I never got past the newbie area, but I never saw another player, ever. None. It was eerie. I realize there may have been plenty of people in the normal areas playing and having a good time, but if you don't have new people coming in the game is going to die.

Garrad asks the burning question.  Well, maybe just smoldering:

Yet another sign of countless companies jumping on the MMORPG wagon, only to learn there is a finite number of people playing those game genres?

Of course the question that begs to be asked. Is there a finite number of MMORPG players? and the industry will ever only be able to support x current MMOGs at a time, or was this a result of a poor game, with poor quality?

Guess whoÂ's there to answer.  If you said Gameguru then you can have a brownie.  YouÂ'll have to make the brownies and everything, but once theyÂ're made you can totally have one:

Thats a very good question.. I suspect its a combination of both. While Horizon's wasnt the greatest MMORPG it certainly wasnt an awful game by any stretch. But I think it simply wasnt good enough to steal away the finite amount of players willing to invest the time/money into games like this.

I guess this is the reason so many MMORPG have gotten canned in the last few months and why I suspect quite a few more will get canned over the next year. Its not like a one and done deal with a regular game. Regular me-too games can exist and make some money in overcrowded genre's simply because there is little investment in terms of time/money over any other title. With subscription games its completely different.

He said lots more smart stuff, but IÂ've got finite space here people!

Grim hints at a bigger issue, and refuses to capitalize the personal pronoun I Â"… aaarggghhhhh!:

Concerning the future of MMO's in general (very good posts here, its my opinion that there IS a possible growing amount of subscribers but all companies simply failed to tap it.
Look at your friends around you... how many of them play games and how many of THEM play MMO's. I know a lot of
ppl playing all kinds of genres, i have at least 12 friends who are regular PC-Gamers, but im the only one interested in MMO's.

Why? When i ask them i get the answer "too much time investment". Its not only the slow advancement, in an MMO you are mostly in a guild, you are expected to do something at some fix times, its also almost mandatory to read the boards of the game and your guild-boards regulary. I know ppl standing up at 3am to do a raid then going to work at 6.
Monthly costs are ususally not an issue for my friends, since we all have jobs....

Elysium says: My heart goes out to the guys whoÂ've put blood, sweat, and time into this game, but I think the suggestion that there are a limited number of titles that can succeed in the genre is spot on.  City of Heroes certainly proved that newcomers can come in with a neat formula and make it in the genre, but every City of Heroes has ten Horizons in its rear-view mirror.  For a while this seemed like the genre where no wrong could be done, but those were the days when only four games were on the market.  It turns out pretty much everyone was right, most players wouldnÂ't subscribe to a game with so many other titles on the market, and even fewer would subscribe to multiple games.  ItÂ's not as big a market as developers had hoped, and the elimination of most of these titles is a necessary market correction.

- Elysium