Do you think there should be more crackdowns on 'Unfinished Games?'

[victerion]

Since the release of Lords of the Fallen, AC:Unity, Watchdogs and other, buggy messes, many people have criticized developers for pumping out sequels/games that lack basic bugfixes/features that should've already been included in the original game. Many of these titles have failed to live up the expectations of many eager fans. So what do you guys think? Is it an issue of overhype? Or should we expect more of the game companies?

 

[LitoLawless]

I definitely think more should be expected from video game companies. Sometimes, I like to believe that it's something that is just overlooked, but then it keeps happening again with every sequel ( the AC series is infamous for this kind of thing, as well as the Fallout series). I think for the most part they are on a schedule (most notable are the annual sports games that add very little - if anything- from year to year) and they get the game out the best they can within the time allotted. Maybe, they just think they can fix the bugs as they go along with patches/updates.

 

[Squigly]

I think that we should definitely demand better. Unless it is clearly labelled as a alpha or pre-release/Early Access game, I think that most major bugs should be fixed on day one release. However the huge amounts of day one patches have convinced me not to preorder games, it's probably much better to buy it for half price or cheaper a year or so down the road, when all the bugs and performance issues have been ironed out.

 

[kittyworker]

I must agree with the above, publishers/distributors in particular Steam need to do more. Steam Early Access was a great idea to help indie developers get started, but I think now it has gone a bit over the top. There needs to be better quality control, specific guidelines to what qualifies and perhaps even delays in payment to developers until certain issues are sorted. This may be seen as a hard line but lets think of the thousands of people who have purchased early access games which barely ran let alone be playable.

 

[Mark Mulkeen]

When you buy a game it should be close to the finished project as possible. There's nothing to stop someone creating something that's broken, selling it for cheap and never bothering to fix it. It makes sense for people looking to break into the business, in terms of much needed revenue and word of mouth, but in terms of the bigger picture? It suits people trying to get rich quick, but not the gamer. Games cost too much these days for that kind of attitude and it's not a road we should go down. People need to demand a quality product for the money spent.

 

[cyberpinoy]

Unfinished game shappen all the time. Something else I hate is a game that is in Beta for over 4 years. I think after the first 12 months your "Beta" game is no longer in Beta. The problem with unfisnished games is the fact they released it in Beta version, did just a few little things but never kept up with the actual development of the game and now what we have are handfuls of unfinished games. The entertainment companies try and keep up with the trends, they will spend to much time and money on games they feel are the most popular, and little to no time on games their customers feel are popular. Its a crazy web they weave.

 

[Azrile]

It was inevitable it was going to happen, the same thing with all this craziness of paying to pay ´pre-release´ games. The problem is that the average game doesn´t have patience. Everything MUST be bought on release date. For this reason, the devs know that it doesn´t matter at all how good the game is or if it is finished or not, there is going to be millions of people who buy it at launch. There really has been no significant down-side to this for publishers yet.. I think AC.Unity probably got as close as possible, but even still, you can bet your ass the next AC that gets released will sell millions of launch day... people don´t learn.

I rarely buy new games on launch day, especially single player games.. there is just no reason not to just wait a few months, wait til it is fixed, and sometimes even cheaper. But I am not normal, and because of that Developers will see no reason to release complete games.

 

[Goldie]

Yeah I think consumers should be more vigilant with video game developers. We all vote with our money and people should realize the power that comes with it. Unfortunately the hype just sometimes gets the best of the majority which is natural but I think in the long run it would be better if people were more discerning.

 

[dillinger10]

Yeah I think consumers should be more vigilant with video game developers. We all vote with our money and people should realize the power that comes with it. Unfortunately the hype just sometimes gets the best of the majority which is natural but I think in the long run it would be better if people were more discerning.

Excellently said. I couldn't have said it better myself. We, as consumers, can influence what revelers are releasing, simply by not buying the games. If enough people stop buying half finished or bug games, the developers would have to take action. As is, if we continue to buy these games, they have no motivation to change anything.

 

[globulon]

Yes, for sure! I don't think the public is asking for too much when they demand a completed, finished product. Unfinished games and years-long betas just seem like a quick money-grabbing strategy nowadays.