Even the phrase episodic content brings me out in a cold sweat of fear and anger. I haven't seen a single game under the episodic content deliver anything worthwhile.
That said, if you look at Guild Wars, it shows how episodic content should be, despite GW never claiming to be episodic.
If each game can be played standalone, with a proper beginning, middle and end to the story, then that's ok.
If however, it's in the same vein as Sam & Max or HL2 then I'll be dissapointed. I'm not a fan of D2D downloads due to the limited broadband in my area, and I don't like my HDD clogged up with stuff that could be stored on a CD/DVD and purchased from a high street retailer.
I still prefer a full price product with a full story. Leave threads open for a sequel by all means, but ending such as HL2 leave me fuming and feeling ripped off. Particularly when their episodes are 12 months apart and offer very little gameplay.
I still say Guild Wars has it perfected, I've got every 'episode' and they're great. Even Oblivion seems to be heading in the right direction with 'The Fridgid Isle'
With a full priced, full game, you expect 'closure' at the end of the game (unless it's bloddy HL2 etc..).
With episodic gaming, you get none of that reassurance. Episodes can flop or be canned at a moments notice.
Hopefully it's just a fad that will go the same way as VR games. I hate to sound like a reactionary old fart, but the current model of games (lets say one fully developed game every 3 years by each dev team) suits me fine.
Not everyone can afford to download huge gaming files in a few hours, or even have the capability. I understand the savings made by D2D, but it's no excuse for lack of development, and half bottomd 'expansions' or 'episodes'.
Finish the game, and then I'll think about buying it. |
