funguy2121 said:
No, the levels are more linear because the developers think the only way to mass market their products is to literally dumb them down for mass consumption. See eponymous Prince of Persia for more on this. The developer bragged that it's "easier to be a bad-ass" in this game in which you literally cannot die. There's too much emphasis on pretty graphics and scripted events. I call it post-Metal Gear Solid syndrome. In many franchises, the games are slowly becoming interactive movies. This has nothing to do with the limitations of consoles, though
You got it right that devolpers, well, not developers, marketing, think the only way to sell the game is to dumb it down. But, there is a reason for this. Yes, any player well experienced in the use of consoles could probably overcome more enemies on screen and them coming from multiple directions (talking more FPSs here) due to the fact that the level is non-linear, even if they would have a far harder time that that of someone on a gaming PC, however, the fair majority of the console players marketing has in mind (sadly the seven year olds, even though the game is rated MA15+, marketing still makes their campaigns to sell to these guys, most of the time [especially EA]) do not have the skills or the experience to be able to handle such situations, and thus would not enjoy the game. They would also have no wish to learn how to handle such situations. If on a PC, they may be able to overcome these challenges due to the more precise and responsive controls (in most game types), however, since they use consoles, they would have a harder time playing and would not enjoy the game, a game that is not enjoyable doesn't sell, a game that doesn't sell isn't worth making, and thus such games are 'streamlined' to fit these console players.
It is dumbing down for consoles, as on a PC there wouldn't be as much trouble with the game being hard due to non linear levels, many enemies at once ect, though it would still be harder than what most younger PC players are used too.
A game that is too hard and thus unenjoyable for the, sadly, intended audience won't sell, and thus isn't made.
Its not entirely the fault of consoles, but it is equally shared by those players and the limitations of a console.
funguy2121 said:
because PC games (aside from Farmville, et al) are usually more "hardcore" in that they don't have a sturdy tutorial system and assume you're already a master of the genre so they don't focus so much on marketing.
An uneducated console player opinion. I really should make a thread on myths of the PC for console players, if it hadn't been made so many times already, but here it goes.
Yes, a number of PC games used to be more hardcore, they are not so much anymore due to the fact that developers want to release the same game on all platforms, and higher hardcore levels would be difficult for console players to handle. There are some games that I will call more hardcore these days though, mostly ones that aren't on consoles though, and even then mostly RTSs.
PC games aren't more hardcore because they don't have a good tutorial system, to the contrary, a number of PC games have great tutorial systems, I find console games have weaker ones when I play them. They are more hardcore as they were designed to be more challenging, to send a lot of enemies at the player from multiple directions at once with weapons that can almost instantly kill you, and the player is meant to be able to survive this (Crysis 1 was a good exampple in some spots. You, at times, had three squads of enemies (around 4-8 members per squad) coming at you from three different directions, and even with maximum armour you could only survive around 7 hits, and these guns shot fast (they were assault rifles after all). I have not played Crysis 2, so I cannot comment, but I consider Crysis 1, so long as you don't just stealth past all the fights, a somewhat hardcore game.
There are also other issues such as certain more in depth features that console players find clunky, but PC players love and that add depth to the game, these are also things that make the games more 'hardcore'. Though all of this is only if it is implemented properly.
PC games don't assume you are a master of the genre and not give you a tutorial, as if they did, no one would have any idea what is going on or how to do anything, and thus would not enjoy the game.
