I'm a bit of a Bioware fan too, and yeah - your reasons for disliking all of this are valid. You don't like the $60 price tag, you don't like the 1 month Steam delay (and I HATE it), and you probably don't like their games all that much to make up for putting up with things like the first two.

I'm not sure what the exclusive / PS3 thing is, though. The only 'exclusive' thing that I know of so far for the PS3 is the interactive comic, and it's supposed to replace ME1. Not really something I care about at all.Makari

I am not trying to rag on Bioware fans, if you are a fan of Bioware then naturally you are going to be a lot more accepting of certain practices than I am. I once considered myself a "Mass Effect fan". However all the bull that Bioware has been pulling soon kicked that out of me. I was all set to pre-order ME 3 but right now I do not feel like purchasing ME 3 at all.

As for the exclusive content, there are going to be several PS3 "exclusive" packs the first being the Terminus + Blackstorm gun pack which is not going to be offered to PC/360 users. Now whilst the content does not seem much, to me it is the principle of the thing. I am a Mass Effect 2 customer, I have sunk nearly $200 into the Mass Effect franchise. Now all of a sudden my money is not good enough for them because I am on the PC, that has left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. The message seems pretty damn clear to me that they are no longer interested in my money so that is up to them and I will take my money elsewhere.

I'm not saying it's something they would do willingly for free, to support PC gaming. But REGARDLESS of BioWare's 'evil' intentions, they ARE supporting PC gaming, and no one's really forcing them to. Look at all the developers who get by without porting games to the PC. PC gaming does not need BioWare... and BioWare does not need PC gaming. I don't understand the disagreement we're having.

And BioWare has already earned my being thankful because there's nothing I look forward to more when I think of games except one of BioWare's future titles.

IF however, it wouldn't be profitable... they wouldn't be doing it; that much is obvious. So of course I believe PC gaming is profitable for them.

SkyWard20

I never for a minute said Bioware had "evil" intentions they are NOT supporting PC gaming they are a multiplatform company producing games for all platforms because it makes them money. Indeed no one is forcing them to make PC games, no one is forcing them to make console games either. In fact no one is forcing them to do anything they do it because they want to make money end of story. They are not doing PC games as a "favour" and so we should be "thankful" they are doing it because they can make money out of us, that is not evil that is how it works but why should I be thankful ? I mean do you go around the house every day thinking "oh thank god they decided to make my tv I am so grateful" ?

As for other companies not making PC games so we should be thankful for those companies that do make PC games. Well last time I checked there were a hell of a lot more companies making PC games than companies not making PC games. I still don't see why I should be "thankful" though just because a few developers (and it is a few) make the mistake of thinking they can't make money on the PC does not mean I should be thankful to developers that bring their game to the PC.

We are having this disagreement because you seem to have such little faith in the PC platform that we should be grateful for every little scrap that some developers like Bioware throw us. Bioware are not doing you any favours by making a PC game, they produce a product and you buy it I see no reason why you should be thankful just because they produced something for you to buy. As I said before I am not thankful to the company that built my fridge, TV, toaster or oven and I can tell you now I would miss those things a hell of a lot more than some luxury video game.

Now you are obviously a Bioware fan (nothing wrong with that) but I am not. If a company does not produce a product I want to buy then guess what I won't buy it and pulling dick moves like EA and Bioware are doing make me less inclined to purchase their products. I feel no reason to be "thankful" to them they are not meeting my wants or needs so they don't get my money, it is that simple.

As if an altruistic video gaming company exists. BioWare wants to make a profit just like anyone else, but it IS supporting the PC by releasing exclusive, high-budget titles like The Old Republic, so yes, I do think it's doing the PC a 'favour', since there are plenty of companies that WOULD make a profit with their games on PC but decide NOT to release them; that is why I believe we should be thankful instead of equipping ourselves with a far-out sense of entitlement, because the truth is, gaming can survive just fine WITHOUT the PC. As a PC gamer, you should be thankful, instead of entitled, if not as a customer. They should be thankful that you buy their product too.SkyWard20

Then you are deluded, why do you think Bioware is releasing their games on the PC ? oh yeah it's because they know they can make money. Why do you think Bioware are doing The Old Republic MMO ? oh yeah it's because Blizzard are making $1 billion a year from WOW on the PC. Seriously I mean come on here they are not doing this as a "favour" to the PC they are doing it because they want a slice of that $1 billion Blizzard are getting.

There was nothing about "entitlement" in my post, if Bioware want my money they better damn well earn it rather than relying on me going "oh thank you thank you I am so grateful". Tell me if you want your wages at the end of the week do you have to WORK for your money or is the employer just eternally grateful that you just showed up for work ? You say we shouldn't show entitlement but you seem to be under the impression that it is ok for companies to be entitled to our money no matter what they do as long as they do it on the PC.

As for the games industry surviving without the PC, I am sure it will but I am equally sure the PC would survive without Bioware as well. I am a consumer with a spine if a company like Bioware wants my money then they better work for it and produce a product I want to buy, how I want to buy it and at a price I want to pay. That is how a consumer society works, that is the attitude I take with everything I buy be it food, fridges or luxury items that I do not need such as video games. The games industry would be in a much better shape if gamers stopped just accepting all the bull that publishers shove their way under the guise that they should be "thankful" that the game was made for them.

Like with Fallout New Vegas I was able to buy the collector's edition game from Gamestop then add the key to Steam and download it from them.Toysoldier34

The only games that allow that feature all have what is called "steamworks" built into them. To this day none of EA's titles have ever featured steamworks and I really can't see them doing it for Deadspace 2 either. As for whether Deadspace 2 will appear on Steam that is another interesting question. At the moment EA seems to be very reluctantant to allow their new titles to appear on steam.

I imagine Deadspace 2 will appear on steam at some point but probably not until some time after it has been released on other stores, similar to what they did with the latest Need For Speed game.

We should be thankful we get anything considering the boiling issue of piracy this platform is plagued with. To mirror a certain mod's opinion on here, we are not in an age where the PC is still light-years ahead of every console of its generation. The PC has its advantages, but the differences are lessening with each new generation of consoles.SkyWard20

Urgggh I hate this line of thinking, why on earth should I be "thankful" that a company wants to sell me something ? I am not thankful that Zanussi sold me a fridge, I am not thankful to Toshiba for selling me a TV. They wanted my money and they sold me something to get my money. They should be thankful I decided to spend my money on THEIR products rather than go with at least half a dozen other competitors.

It should be the same way with the software industry, Bioware are making the game on the PC because they KNOW they will make money from it. I mean are you seriously deluded enough to think they are doing it as some sort of "favour" to the PC platform ? If they were not 100% certain that they can make a pretty decent profit on the PC then there would be no Dragons Age 2 or Mass Effect 3. So firstly stop fooling yourself that they are doing you a "favour" by making a product for you to buy.

I have already decided not to buy Dragon Age 2 or Mass Effect 3 for several reasons, the first being the $60 price tag (why should PC gamers pay the same as console gamers when there is no royalty fee on the PC), the unavailability of their products on steam, the nickle and diming of content and the exclusive bull they are now pulling with ME 2 on the PS3. No I don't feel "thankful" that they are supporting the PC, I feel they should up their game and start earning my money if they want me to buy their products.

I don't think there is a word in the English language that adequately explains just how disinterested I am in Kinect on the PC or any sort of motion control on the PC.

Details view for me, having all 113 games installed is easier to select and manage as a list down the left hand side.

I can't understand how a person can complain about the updates.

magnusm1

I can understand people that don't like Team Fortress 2 complaining about the updates. I bought TF 2 in a sale to see what all the fuss was about and didn't really like it.

However there is a solution at hand, if you are sick and tired of Team Fortress 2 continually updating when you start steam then TURN OFF auto updating on Team Fortress 2. Just right click on TF 2 in steam. select properties from the menu. Then click on the updates tab and change it from "auto update" to "do not auto update this game".

By doing that you ensure the game will only update when you start the game.

Why not download a save game ? The default choices in Mass Effect 2 are so crap it isn't even funny. It is like Bioware asked themselves "how can we create the crappiest most uninteresting universe possible". You get a vastly superior playthrough if you tailor the game to your choices. There are two ways you can do this.

Firstly you can get a save game from here :-

http://www.masseffectsaves.com/

You can download a save game with the choices you like and you will still be given an opportunity to change the appearance of your character. Alternatively you could use the save game editor which can be found here :-

http://www.masseffectsaves.com/tools.php

The save game editor is a bit rough and ready though so it might not be ideal.

Finally it is rumoured that the PC/360 will get this "Mass Effect Interactive Comic" that is being made available to PS3 users. The comic is initially exclusive to the PS3 but a lil bit later it will be made available to all platforms.

That isn't the only bad thing they are doing, firstly they are charging console level pricing on PC games (wasn't aware the PC suddenly incurred a $10 royalty fee) and they are refusing to release Dragon Age 2 (and probably Mass Effect 3) on steam at launch. It will probably get released on steam some time after launch in a similar way to that Hot Pursuits game.

It is funny just how many different ways EA/Bioware are screwing with PC gamers, however from what I have seen on this board it won't make a difference most will still fall for it and buy their games.