Xbox 360 to usher in episodic gaming?

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 25th 2005 at 4:15PM }

Xbox 360 chief architect Peter Moore has already stated that there are no plans to stream full-length 360 titles via Live. However, there is great potential to introduce episodic gaming. Services like Xbox Live Arcade are definitely going to take a chunk out of retailers' profits, but episodic gaming could completely change how we buy and play games.

By staggering the release of a game's content into weekly intervals, publishers can create the same kind of frenzy and anticipation that avid television watchers experience. But is the Xbox 360 HDD prepared to handle this transition? Would new episodes replace old ones? How would this affect replay value? Once you own an episode, can you download it again? Questions, questions, questions…

[Thanks, Davis]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Fuzz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Can't help but think this is just another pisspoor excuse to release half-baked games, and throw "new features" at somthing that should have been finished the first time.

John @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

The complicity of Xbox Live on 360 is starting to Irritate me.

Luckily, the rev will have a simpler approach to online gaming, or so Ive heard.

cletus @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I personally don't think I would look into this too much. When I have a game that I want to play, I want to play as for as long as I feel like going--not forced to stop at a certain point and be like: "well you're gonna hafta wait to go any further." I thought the wait for any plain old game is torture enough.

Spaz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Yeah and pretty soon we won't actually own games/music/movies, we'll just be leasing temporary viewership rights from the content owners :
This is stupid.

beez @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

What happened to the episodic RPG that Capcom were touting a few years back? Ws it a Breath Of Fire thing? I can't remember but I remember them talking about it.

Babu @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Well, there could be mmorpg style games where new landmarks are added weekly and what not, a nice hack n slash or something wouldnt be too bad in that format. play in the full world, next week we add this dungeon to the world, next week this town is destroyed, next week we add new skill. blah blah blah. Not that I'd want to play a game like this, just throwing in ideas.

Bozer @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Episodic content for Joust! Yay =(

Chiablo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Ahh... I love it how Valve does it first, and others take the idea and say they came up with it.

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3143194

OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

You can always count on the joystiq posters to fill the air with negetive crap.

Good job!

soco @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

i would love this if anyone ever actually did it in this way. we've been waiting since Krazy Ken promised it for the PS2 in 2000 or so.

it seems annoying at first glance, but it'd be like tivoing your favorite tv show. i wouldn't mind that it was rather limited at first, so long as they did a fair amount of releases.

i can just imagine the gaming conversations if this ever occured. "Did you play this week's ghostbuster's quest? that was really fucking cool the way ..."

i could see a star trek kind of game doing this really well.

Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

This is a fucking stupid idea and one more reason to NOT get a 360!

Just another way for Microsoft to bleed gamers dry. To hell with them!

I will be more than happy to wait and see how the PS3 and Revolution turn out.

Currently enjoying The Warriors, Blitz:The League and God Of War on my PS2. :-)

Vincent @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I don't doubt that some games will be released in this fashion; however, people make quite enough money simply releasing games as a whole; the rabid anticipation point mentioned in the article is null, simply because people await for games they're excited about with rabid anticipation anyway.

There'll undoubtedly be games released in such a way, but I'm not sure how mainstream it'll be with the next gen. Perhaps in the next-next gen. But too much change isn't necessarily a good thing, and people love their box art and the rights to physical media.

dru @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Don't forget Nintendo did it first.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellaview

Inferius @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I think you guys are reading too much into this. Think of it like weekly updates to a MMORPG (which never happens weekly, usually every 2-3 months). Maybe they extend a game by adding new dungeons, new race tracks or new guys to fight in your DOA game or something. I dont think they are talking about you playing the game then have to stop to wait on the new content.

Lesbian Ham @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I'd certainly look into this if the price of the game took a cut (no more need to pay the publishers / retailers). And if there was a fool-proof way of downloading the titles, like if I was able to pause a download and start it again the next day, or if my connection line failed suddenly for some reason, it'd pause itself, and I'd be able to resume the connection another time.

And just other stuff like that... :-)

OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Of course Nintendo came up with it first dru,Nintendo invented life itself,everybody knows that.

Ever see that episode of South Park where everything that happens they go "Simpson's did it!"? Now just imagine yourself doing the same thing but being more annoying and replacing Simpson's with Nintendo.

Why doesnt anyone give Microsoft props for being the first to use a harddrive to saving and music? What about making an online service that's actually usable like Live? MICROSOFT DID IT!

Sony was backwards compatible and the first one with a DVD drive. SONY DID IT!!

DER DER DER!
/Carlos Mencia

Give it a rest,please.

Alex K. @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Dear Nintendo,
Thank you for allowing us to just put a disc into a small black box and use a wireless controller that comes standard to play games online for free without any complicated, expensive crap such as the Xbox Marketplace, or the Xbox Arcade, and instead allowing us to download useful products such as your entire back catalog of the best game library in the world.

Henning Hoffmann @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

If I get a full game up front with add-on packs later, that's not so bad. But starting with a small game and getting additional chunks? It's bad enough having to unlock tracks etc, now I have to wait before I can do it? Don't think so.

Henning Hoffmann @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Richard Mitchell @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Everyone is blasting this like it's a recorded fact. I don't see mention of Peter Moore actually saying this would happen. Everyone is getting pissed because someone extrapolated a possibility from someone's comments.

Personally I can't wait for the new Live Arcade. Being able to get new and (possibly) innovative games withouth shelling out a huge amount of money and driving to the mall sounds great to me.

Downloading actual AAA titles worries me though. All the downloadable maps in Halo 2 were plagued by HaXxorS because they were directly on the hard drive. Can you imagine what they'd do if they had a whole game on there?

Richard Mitchell @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

One more thing. I know everybody is excited about the Nintendo backlog being available but consider this: Microsoft has a considerable stable of companies making games for Arcade: Namco, SEGA, Konami, etc. Who's to say we won't be seeing the entire SEGA Genesis backlog? Remember, Nintendo only owns it's own games. So you won't be playing NES Castlvania on Revolution unless Konami says so. Same goes with MegaMan and other classic titles that many people consider to be "Nintendo" games. Long story short, just because it was on a Nintendo system doesn't mean you'll be able to play it on Revolution. Many classic 8-bit and 16-bit games could just as easily be on Live Arcade.

T. Conaway @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Fanboys need to stop using news releases to play "bash-the-other-system". Besides if you don't like a system don't read the new snipits about it. ---ok now--- I personaly don't like the idea I don't have access to high speed internet where I live, so the idea kinda sucks to me unless they release the info at game kiosks.

T. Conaway @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Castlvaina is coming to Xbox I played a demo on my OXM demo disk.

XBOX-CRUSH-ps3 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

the 360 will still crush the ps3. all i know is that every smart person who gets laid everynight will be getting one at launch while the sony fanboys will be outside our windows watching us play the 360 while gettin some.

enjoy looking at pre-rendered screenshots off of ign suckers while we enjoy the TRUE next gen console.

btw i'm also going to get a ps3 because i have a JOB and i make tons of money.

delerious @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

What next PodCasts? I wouldn't mind PodCasts at all.

Babu @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

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"btw i'm also going to get a ps3 because i have a JOB and i make tons of money."

"all i know is that every smart person who gets laid everynight will be getting one at launch while the sony fanboys will be outside our windows watching us play the 360 while gettin some."
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I'm proud of you for having tons of money man. And where does getting laid tie into this?
You make tons of money and get laid every night, and play video games while getting laid... ?
The sex must not be good if you're playing xbox 360 while getting laid, either that or you're having sex to compensate for the crappyness of the xbox 360 launch titles.

Bloo (formerly Glenn) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

7800 was backwards compatible with the 2600.

ATARI DID IT!

Sceptre @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"all i know is that every smart person who gets laid everynight will be getting one at launch while the sony fanboys will be outside our windows watching us play the 360 while gettin some."
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lol, that would explain why everytime I log onto Live all I hear is teenager's screaming. It's because they're having sex while playing... it all makes sense now...

hibiscusroto @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Let me ask you a question : Who in their right mind wants episodic gaming staring Usher.

zander106 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Unbelievable how quickly these comments went off-topic. I am emailing the Joystiq guys now to suggest improvements for the comment system.

Anyway, as far as episodic gaming goes, I remember having high hopes for this with Shenmue. IIRC it was supposed to consist of new games in the series every year or so until the main character found his mentor's murderer (or whatever the story was). Obviously the Dreamcast didn't do well enough for this to happen.

However we now live in a world with the capability of high-speed distribution via network. I think the idea could be promising, especially if applied to the old adventure game genre (remember those?). As long as the total cost for all "episodes" ends up the same as regular off-the-shelf games, I think it could be a cool idea. Thumbs up.

Jay @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

didn't Nintendo do this with Legend of Zelda BS? the download system on the SNES?

again, M$ showing signs of pure originality :D

babu @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Indeed nintendo BS-X, satellaview I think it was named. Zelda BS was the first i know of to do this.

Slashbunny @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

This is being done on the Steam platform with the new Sin game. They are going to charge $20 for each "episode" over the course of many months (maybe years?). They can release the game faster and milk us for more and more money. Yay.

your enemies friends @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"Unbelievable how quickly these comments went off-topic. I am emailing the Joystiq guys now to suggest improvements for the comment system"

zander106, dont be a douchebag. we can talk about whatever the heck we want to talk about. who cares if someone post's something off-topic. they're taking the time out of their day to say something and the last thing we need is someone who doesnt personally know anyone in this forum to regulate on what they have to say.

your enemies friends @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

btw, i like videogames.

Jeb @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I'd go for this - sounds like a good way to get more enjoyment out of a game.

As far as originality goes - who cares where an idea came from as long as you get to benefit from it? Do you complain about Honda b/c Ford made cars first? Stupid.

Vincent @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Jesus, guys, does it really matter who did it first? There's no doubt that the idea of episodic gaming is anything but new. OTAM, get off the Nintendo people's asses; you only sound like a fanboy yourself when you bash people like that.

It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft is the first to mainstream this type of distribution, though--particularly with first party games. They're in the hole quite a bit with the Xbox and videogame hardware in general (not to mention the enormous marketing costs that must've gone into the 360!), so they have to rely on software to cover their deficit. They're not in the business to lose money, and if they introduce this business model to the public and market it right--and actually make the service WORTHWHILE--then they may stand to make a profit.

zander106 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

your enemies friends: Thought your response required an answer. I wrote in my suggestion to the powers that be at Joystiq. My idea for an improvement is for a self-moderating Slashdot/Kuro5hin-style form of commenting. This way the Joystiq community "regulates" itself.

If the community consensus is that a comment is irrelevant, pointless or just dumb, the comment wouldn't be "censored" -- it would just be devalued. By default people would have the option of either seeing all comments all the time. But others could filter out things that fall below a certain value.

Anyway, I highly doubt this would be implemented here. And hey, I'm for freedom of speech and all. My proposal is based on more free expression, not less. I just think people need to lighten up on all the hating. I hate Microsoft, but I still think this topic (episodic gaming) is actually an intriguing idea.

vrf @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I agree with the value-based rankings of comments. It's ridiculous the crap that gets posted around here.

Of course, there is some entertainment value in comments like "Every smart person that gets laid every night..." It's like the sheer loserness of a statement like that paints a picture in my mind. And that picture is:

http://www.jagajazzist.com/v2/sql/newsimages/studio-mac-nerd.jpg

Your average ladies' man does not brag about his conquests in the comments section of a video game blog, if you know what I mean.

LeeBoy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I dont give a frogs fat ass about some marginally better system when my God of War is simply stunning like steve austin

$ony Hata 4 lief! @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

i BRAG about ANYTHING i liek!

Teh sexbox 360 is GONNA ROCK PPLS! THE PS# IS THE SUCK!

further the episodic content is entriguin and im sure microrox is gonna put it in just to make LIVE so much better.

MICROROX are so innovative an im sure the PS3 will rip this idea off too, LIKE THEY DID WITH THE INTERNETT, and the pos fanbois will be all we have it too.

PS: DONT BYE A PSP!

disclamer:
Im RICH so im gonna buy a POS ps3 too and a NIN REVO, I HAVE OWNED ALL CONSOELS SINCE PSOEN!1