I try to stick to PC where possible. Why?

1) Higher framerates make the game more responsive and tend to age well over time

2) PC games can travel between machines - not so easy to do between console generations without keeping the old hardware (Xbox one backward-compat being a possible exception)

3) Refund policies are generally better (Steam/Origin/GoG)

4) PC games can last years longer due to clever community-mods

Where I wouldn't go PC:

1) The port is bad/buggy or an afterthought

2) If I needed split-screen/local multiplayer (I wish more PC games did this!!)

3) If most of my friends aren't on PC, I'll reluctantly get the console version.

I really enjoy the series guys! Keep up the great work!

@crazkanuk:

Solution to the server shut down: release the server tools for people to self-host (like they did in the past)

Solution to post-release monetisation - go look at Titanfall 2's model:
1) All paid items are cosmetic
2) All items can be purchased directly - no grinding, no shitty lootboxes. Consumer is free to pick and choose what they want to buy.

@7tizz: To be fair the inflation issue doesn't happen in a vaccum - given average wages haven't kept up with inflation, raising the prices would actually mean it costs more in relative terms.

Sounds like they changed it without actually changing it.

What's so hard about going the titanfall 2 model?

1) Cosmetics only

2) No lootdrops - you buy the items you want directly with real money, no grinding, no blind boxes.

@pelvist:

Sounds like you're letting your personal feelings cloud rational judgement.

If a game cannot scale across hardware variants, it's by definition a poorly optimised game. MGS V, for instance, runs very well across different hardware configurations - as does DOOM 2016 in vulkan. GTA 4 didn't consistently run well for anything other than the most overkill of configurations. Even now, in 2017, its a bad port - u need 3rd party patches to make it run on rigs many times more powerful than in 2007.

@pelvist: Nope, even in 2017 with significantly more powerful hardware, GTA 4 does not run well without 3rd party mods. It's easy to see when you compare how well GTA 5 runs in comparison. Having to have overkill hardware to brute force it to running well is a sign of a badly optimised game.

@olddadgamer: When I mean people behind the game, that can be devs or publishers. But they all put their name on it so they should be liable for both the successes and failures of the release when asking for a customer's money.

@pelvist: I could use the same argument about halo 2. Ran fine for me, yet GTA 4 ran like shit (even now without mods). But I'm not gonna dismiss your issues with Halo 2. I think it can be established that both were troublesome ports

A great game that, like NBA 2k18, is wrapped in awful business practices which demonstrates the worst in games right now.

If the people behind the game are proud of their product, then they shouldn't have to resort to blind boxes. That to me is a sign that they'd rather do psychological tricks rather than offer a real product by offering users to get the cars/modes outright like in previous games

Also no Lexus/Toyota cars either :(

I suggest you listen to Jeff Gerstmann's analysis of it on the 501st episode of the Giantbomb Cast

@pspearman: It's like we learned better from our past mistakes