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Bring Back Rocket Race!!!
Posted by: Wilis_kid
Cross platform flopped because Microsoft were foolish. Valve got it right with Portal 2 and perhaps could have with CS:GO had they not wished to update the PC platform ahead of the PS3. They intended to let PS3 gamers use a Mouse and Keyboard to compete which Microsoft are too proud to let developers do.
In order for a cross platform shooter to work, consoles must have the option to use a mouse and keyboard (As said Valve recognized this) or limit the ranked gameplay to platform only with unranked servers for cross platform play. That, or co-op FPS could work fine. Finally, Shadowrun just did not seem appealing to me at all in the run up to release so i think it would have to be an established franchise. CS:GO was looking very promising with it's cross platform play with PS3 but now that they axed it (in order to update the PC version quicker), I have to say I'm rather disappointed.
Maybe one day developers will be brave enough to rise to the challenge, or in Valve's case, maybe enable it at a later date. I guess my main argument here is the fact Valve was going to allow PS3 users to use a mouse and keyboard shows it's dominance over controllers.
Cross-platform actually turned out just fine on Games For Windows Live. Some new games still support cross-platform. The most recent Games For Windows Live game to add suppport for cross platform was BlazBlue: CT. I personally haven't played it yet, but it's significant in that it shows cross-platform gaming is not dead yet and developers still show an interest in it.
In fact, Games For Windows Live is currently the best hope for more cross-platform games. Valve has yet to release their first true cross-platform game. Portal 2 was not truely cross-platform.
You don't have to have consistent controls in order for a game to be cross-platform. The whole point of the cross-platform initiative was so Console gamers and PC gamers could finally settle which platform had better controls. In the past, PC gamers claimed their Mouse & Keyboard could dominate console players anytime. However, the results of this cross-platform initiative revealed that there's actually very little difference in skill between the two platforms. Both sides were evenly matched and neither side had any significant advantage.
Now for Universe At War, I'd admit that the mouse and keyboard would have to be better since it is an RTS game. However, I don't have much information about how cross-platform gaming went on Universe at War. It would seem as if not enough people played it to make any judgements. However, as a console gamer, I just don't see how the controller could be better than a keyboard for RTS games.
Anyways, Microsoft is leading the way for Cross-Platform gaming right now. No other company has pulled it off yet with the exception of SquareEnix for one Final Fantasy Game. But since then, only Microsoft has been rolling out cross-platform games. I don't believe Valve has the resources to implement such a cross-platform system. Steam may be more popular than GFWL, however, as a company, Microsoft still has more resources than Valve to do whatever they want.
Posted by: Dr Syx
Microsoft would do that if they didn't already claim to have the "perfect FPS controller". I'm just hoping they bring out a massive redesign that will have the same precision as a mouse. It would be nice to be able to actually enjoy playing the later Halo games on console without having to deal with an inferior tool. :/
I do believe the Xbox 360 controller is the best "FPS controller" so far. Whether it's better than a mouse and keyboard is debatable. Even a lot of PC gamers prefer the Xbox 360 controller as their gamepad of choice when they do choose to use a controller. You don't see many people using a PS3 controller or Wiimote instead. Ergonomics-wise, the Xbox 360 controller is one of the nicest controllers to hold in your hand and I feel its layout is perfect. Accuracy is debatable of course.
[Edited on 04.02.2012 7:00 PM PDT]