@djfrido: Disagree with the idea that an Epic win shows a problem with the law, in fact, quite the opposite. Actually for generations antitrust laws have not been rigorously or thoroughly enforced (due to politics) with respect to their intended function. They were created to promote economic competition and if properly enforced, would have prevented Apple and Google (among many mega-corporations) from being the giants they are now. Antitrust laws do not just regulate monopolies. They are supposed to also prohibit collusive trade practices in any market or industry.
It's not a matter of whether a smaller business was forced to sell their products in a certain marketplace when alternatives are available. Nor is it a matter of whether or not there is a violation of the contractual agreement between google/apple and Epic - since the argument here is that the contractual structure set up for the iOS store and Google Store are both anti-competitive.
Ultimately I think Epic will probably lose this battle, and if so, it's my thinking that this in fact shows the problem with the antitrust laws - that they haven't been updated and enforced in the way they were meant to.
@gamerbum: I don't think there's any justified defense to the visual quality of the game. The textures are very poor, particle effects are poor and lighting is poor. Even the art design is kind of boring. If realism was their aim, then they kind of failed miserably - in all of the aspects I just listed.
I'm gonna explicitly state my biases and say I've never owned an Xbox. That being said, what was presented with the Halo showcase is not an indictment on the Xbox. I'm pretty sure Xbox can produce very good visual games given the projected specs for the machine. BUT...Halo Infinite is not one of them. Unlike others people who have been critical and placing the blame on the fact that X1 could be holding the game back - I simple don't believe that to be true or a fair assessment.
But something is definitely wrong and it's worth calling it out - there is a story behind the development side to this game that produced such a lackluster product. Both Ratchet and Clank and Halo Infinite are in pre-alpha development (which btw, is near a final product and nothing visually is going to improve dramatically), and one simply looks outmatched by the other in the 'visual quality' compartment, with respect to textures, particle effects and lighting - all things that should be noticeable as a next gen quality.
I've never bought an Xbox and probably never will. Nothing against it, it's just that owning a PS console, Nintendo console and PC basically covers all of my gaming needs.
I only care about Xbox events for pricing. If they don't release it, I know Sony won't. But clearly Xbox is more 'ready' to announce their pricing than Sony.
Please end this game of pricing chicken for all of our sakes.
Ubi drops their prices for games 4 months in either way, so it's not too big of a deal.
What I worry is whether Nintendo first party games will match new pricing. As we all know, Nintendo has a policy and discipline to hold their pricing for a very long time.
@bdrtfm: I enjoyed TLOU2 quite a lot but yes I did feel it being some sorts of repetitive, and pacing was slightly off, certainly not as tight as TLOU. Having said that, being primarily a narrative driven game I think it's that kind of thing people can (and should) overlook, as there is always some sort of forward progression with plotting.
@cboye18: The recent controversies are silly - people (ironically, I might add) critical of critics being critical of games.
Despite being a fan of the 'selling points' around this game, for whatever reason I never quite bought in. I'll eventually probably play it, but its definitely not an immediate buy at the moment.
Loved FC 3 and thought FC 4 as decent. Didn't play FC 5. Maybe it's just me, but the gameplay of these kinds of games seems to be getting a bit dated and stale?
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