More Cross-Platform Ranting… Shadowrun and more

I want to thank NebsiNsaNe for his mention in this blog post of what may well be the best multiplayer FPS game ever, and it is a Cross-Platform game (in fact, as you mentioned, the FIRST Cross-Platform game), Shadowrun. Sure we as PC players got gimped controls, but it did make it more fair, though the auto-aim on the 360 is ridiculous at times, especially with the Smart-Link enabled… still I’ve seen players from both sides do VERY well at the game, so it must have worked, and it still has a player base from both camps, and they still play because it IS fairly evenly matched.  Cross platform COULD work, because it did work.  Too bad FASA was K.I.A. before DLC came for the game.

I am not saying it would work well for all games, but some it could work, FPS games are a bad example as a whole due to the difference in precision and “sticky-reticles” used on consoles vs PC’s (again Shadowrun is an exception due to the wonderful effort of the now gone FASA, brilliant work on this game), but what about racing sims, or platformers or flight sims or puzzlers, heck even some 3rd person games wouldn’t be too bad (Batman: Arkham Asylum instantly comes to my mind, that game would be a perfect cross-platform candidate), tower games, top-down shooters, arcade style games (okay, so that’s been done hooray for the devs there then).

I’m just saying, it shouldn’t be considered a dead option, it has it’s place, and I personally am, and always shall be a PC gamer, BUT I also enjoy the games I get to play with my 360 brothers…

And for the record if anyone has question as to whether or not Shadowrun itself has a viable community, just check out these links:

Shadowrun on the GfW Forums (my home away from home)

Shadowrun on the Xbox Forums (my second home away from home)

This is Shadowrun

even MLG still has competitions with it via Gamebattles, although it shows up under Xbox, PC players play as well.

I will however mention that many of the Xbox players here scream that the PC users have the advantage, they obviously haven’t played me 😛

So yes, again, it can work, I just hope developers realize this.

I should mention I originally posted a version of this rant on Gizmodo:

Were PC Gamers Too Good For Microsoft’s Cross-Platform Gaming Project?

 

/endrant 😛 – thanks for reading

 

EDIT:

Of course the good “old” forums no longer exist.  I am deeply saddened that no backups were made of all the information in both sets of forums, but what is done is done as they say.

Time to move onto the new home for the forums;

Games for Windows Shadowrun Forums

Xbox LIVE Shadowrun Forums

And a new fan site:  Play Shadowrun