Shadowrun cross-play requires Games for Windows Live Gold account
by Ross Miller 
{ Mar 5th 2007 at 10:25AM }
When we spoke with PR Manager Michael Wolf about Games for Windows Live, he was sparse in details regarding a Games for Windows Live Gold account. "All I can say now is that we're working to make a Gold membership worthwhile even if you're only connecting to Live from Windows Vista," he said.
It seems Microsoft has revealed one of those incentives in the form of cross-platform multiplayer. Text shown at the end of the latest Shadowrun trailer notes that "cross platform play requires Xbox LIVE Gold ... or Games for Windows -- LIVE Gold account (on Windows)."
We're betting that PC vs. PC multiplayer will still be free, as it has been historically. However, we're hoping that Microsoft has some more ingenious plans for GFW Live Gold. Paying a monthly premium just to settle the keyboard vs. gamepad debate does not sit well. How about a GDC announcement to soothe our nerves?
Trailer embedded after the break.
Gallery: Shadowrun
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RYAN @ Mar 5th 2007 10:35AM
i can't help but think this game is going to be sacrilige.
logikil @ Mar 5th 2007 10:41AM
I will reserve judgment on the game itself until i have had time to play it (although i would really prefer an RPG in the lineage of the SNES game.) But I do have one concern.....for those of us that pay for Xbox Live Gold, does that give us a free in into Windows Live Gold, or whatever they decide to term it. I mean the infrastructure must be pretty much the same, and paying 50 dollars a year for both services combined seems like a much better deal if you ask me.
sheppy @ Mar 5th 2007 10:56AM
Good deal, if you never heard of Xfire...
FrankTheCrank @ Mar 5th 2007 11:18AM
Can you feel that? Microsoft is just squeezing you for every red cent. This is why I didn't buy 360. I knew they would do this.
Fiery Food Dude @ Mar 5th 2007 11:25AM
So great now we will have to hear even more whining and crying from the pc weiners how consoles gaming is ruining their pc platform. I'm a 360 user so I couldn't care less.
karmaghost @ Mar 5th 2007 11:34AM
"So great now we will have to hear even more whining and crying from the pc weiners how consoles gaming is ruining their pc platform. I'm a 360 user so I couldn't care less."
Console gaming isn't ruining the PC platform, Microsoft is.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 5th 2007 11:35AM
Who would have thought otherwise?
Live is all about the $$$.
MS is just looking to make it cost money to play PC games on the internet, just like they did for consoles. If they could figure out how break other tracker implementations on the PC they'd charge you $50 to play PC vs PC too.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a Live gold member, and I like it. But this is why we need Sony to make a good service for free. Otherwise MS will work harder and harder to find a way to nickle and dime us to death.
Autocrawler @ Mar 5th 2007 11:55AM
"Console gaming isn't ruining the PC platform, Microsoft is."
Quoted for truth.
...There isn't much options in terms of OS for PC gamers other than Windows though.
SeriousKriss @ Mar 5th 2007 12:22PM
Wow... Are they really hoping to sell this game to PC gamers with all these flaws? I'm guessing 90% of Shadowrun players will be X360 gamers.
Fiery Food Dude @ Mar 5th 2007 12:50PM
My statement that the console is ruining the pc is only the echo of what I hear and see everytime this topic comes up. The reasons are probably multi faceted but I just get tired of the pc woes being blamed on the consoles. I'm sure it wouldn't have anything to do with a.)integrated graphics chips, b.)go gold then patch, c.)piracy, d.)gamer rig vs a console pricing.
sheppy @ Mar 5th 2007 12:31PM
"Wow... Are they really hoping to sell this game to PC gamers with all these flaws? I'm guessing 90% of Shadowrun players will be X360 gamers."
Well, they'll try to play. But they'll need patches first.
Todd Rabanus @ Mar 5th 2007 1:07PM
these comments about sony's "free" service are quite unsettling. I like xbox live and think that $50 is well worth the infastructure they provide for developers as opposed to sony's options for the developers to carry their own servers for online gaming. because of this the number of multiplayer games for the ps3 will be alot fewer than xbox 360 because developers can throw in an extra co-op or multiplayer mode for the 360 without worrying about any additional hardware or employees needed to run that hardware because it is all handled by the xbox live. now $50 a year doesn't seem like such a hassle huh?
uh_oh @ Mar 5th 2007 1:19PM
They can't charge for multiplayer. If they do that will end the live on windows.
jojo29 @ Mar 5th 2007 4:51PM
"Console gaming isn't ruining the PC platform, Microsoft is."
Let me rephrase that for you:
"Console gaming isn't ruining the PC/Gaming platform, Microsoft is ruining gaming period"
How?
Well when i had my n64/Dreamcast/PS2, i dont ever having to pay a "subscription" fee to play online, i had my pc for that and my ps2 . I thought that was only for MMORPGs.
Also now that DX10 is "Only for Vista" i will be forced to upgrade to yet another OS from Microsoft, and apparently if i want to play online ( with console gamers) i have to..gasp..PAY MORE MONEY!!!
I wouldnt be surprised if MS started charging for patches..oh wait i just gave them an idea shit!!.
eng050599 @ Mar 5th 2007 10:32PM
Greetings;
The answer is simple, don't buy the game if you disagree with the pricing. The only way in which a consumers voice can be heard is by using their money. If you want cross-platform play and you don't want to pay extra, than don't buy the game until they offer it.
MS is trying to do two things here. 1. They are trying to squeeze the PC gamer out of more money, that's simple. 2. They are trying to justify the cost of XBL gold membership now that both Sony and Nintendo are entering into the online realm. Eventually XBL will be free, that's just the way things are. Until then, we PC gamers are going to be F#@ked.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 5th 2007 1:47PM
Todd:
I think you have nearly all your info wrong.
MS doesn't run dedicated servers for games. They only run dedicated servers for account login, etc. And Sony runs dedicate servers for account login also.
When you make a game on Live, you either need to put servers up or write the games so they don't need dedicated servers (all games so far). You have the same choices on PS network.
The user experience is better on Live, no doubt. But as a publisher (those who typically run the online portions), is it really much different?
Jake @ Mar 5th 2007 1:55PM
Big deal. You have to pay if you want to play your PC version against consoles. No one else provides a system where you can play PC vs. Console. Microsoft is charging you for this pilot run at it.
What is wrong with trying some new things with the PC gaming market. Overall PC gaming revenue is about half what it was in 1998. Microsoft is trying to make it profitable (for them).
If you don't like it, don't buy it. If pwning some console noobs with your PC is worth $4 per month to you, then perhaps this is worth it.
And since console owners are paying for their LIVE service, it is only fair that PC players pay to play against them.
Kizzle @ Mar 5th 2007 4:22PM
"If you don't like it, don't buy it."
Agreed. And that is why this game will bomb. This is shaping up to be the "Brute Force" of the 360 - lots of hype, early and often. Final product is underwhelming, to say the least.
miles foreman @ Mar 5th 2007 2:41PM
Hah! It's like a MMO except Microsoft doesn't have to actually add anything new! Instant win!
I'll stick with my 2142 while you console guys pay to play.
SGT Lindy @ Mar 5th 2007 2:58PM
Ahhh PC gamers and the ever crumbling gaming empire. I wonder how much the PC gaming market will shrink in 2007???
Anyhow of all of these wining PC gamers who plays WOW????
So you have no problem spending $12-$15 a month for one lame @$$ looking game with no built in VIOP…but you have a problem spending way less per year for every game that can use Live?....and it has VIOP and fast reliable connection for demo and patch downloads…and a way to message your offline friends, invite them to games you are playing, see when they login….etc?
I say you don’t buy Live for Windows…and let if fail, I want to see MS focus all of their gaming resources on the Xbox and Live. Save your money and put it towards that $600 DX10 video card that will be good for 10 months……..and leave us poor console gamers alone.
Autocrawler @ Mar 5th 2007 3:20PM
"Live?....and it has VIOP and fast reliable connection for demo and patch downloads…and a way to message your offline friends, invite them to games you are playing, see when they login….etc?"
Hey, ever heard, of, say, STEAM?
It offers the same functionality, but...FOR FREE!
Then there is XFire.
Live is simply lame, and making people pay for it is just a way to increase their income.
"Anyhow of all of these wining PC gamers who plays WOW????"
Because WoW is a MMORPG, you dumbass. Name me a single non-MMORPG PC game with paid multiplayer, please.
"I say you don’t buy Live for Windows…and let if fail, I want to see MS focus all of their gaming resources on the Xbox and Live."
They won't. Because Vista is selling like shit ATM, and it is their main source of income they use to finance various pet projects such as the XBox.
So, actually, they'll be putting a lot of marketing muscle behind PC gaming if the situation with Vista sales doesn't change.
"Save your money and put it towards that $600 DX10 video card that will be good for 10 months……..and leave us poor console gamers alone."
It'll be good for two years at the least. And you don't have to buy the high-end model of it either.
You don't *have* to play every released game with everything set to max you know.
Anyway, I don't know why I actually decided to type out this response to such a stupid post written by a console fanboy.
Fiery Food Dude @ Mar 5th 2007 3:32PM
I used to be both xbox/pc gamer. Since the 360 released I haven't looked to the pc for any gaming. As the XBL service continues to improve and more games are offering coop (inserting Dead Rising Coop rumor here). Seriously XBL is a great place to be, add in games like Mass Effect, Gears of War, Crackdown, halo 3, forza2 to boot. In a way I feel bad for the pc weiners. Getting the crumbs that fall off the gamers table...lol, just kidding.
Autocrawler @ Mar 5th 2007 3:49PM
"In a way I feel bad for the pc weiners. Getting the crumbs that fall off the gamers table...lol, just kidding."
Every time someone mentions "XBox" and "exclusives" in one title, somehow I end up always seeing the same four or five names. That simply amuses me to no end. Especially that most of them-GoW, ME, Halo 3 will eventually turn up on the PC.
And actually, the PC has more exclusive releases this year than either of the consoles.
killjoi @ Mar 5th 2007 4:15PM
Just...no.
SGT Lindy @ Mar 5th 2007 4:15PM
"Hey, ever heard, of, say, STEAM?
It offers the same functionality, but...FOR FREE!"
Can I use STEAM for say BF2/2142 or Supreme Commander....what you no?? I need to use another service...with possibly different gaming names...oh and then Xfire with those? Wow that is easy for Joe PC gamer.
PC gaming wont help Vista at all. Vista will sell just fine. It comes with almost every PC sold by the big PC makers...today. Corporations will be forced to upgrade someday when the stop supporting XP.
You pay for what you get. Live is great offering nothing compares to what you get and for $49 for 13months its well worth it. If you search around you can get it on sale for $39 from the likes of Amazon.
Autocrawler @ Mar 5th 2007 4:37PM
"Corporations will be forced to upgrade someday when the stop supporting XP."
It does not matter. You see, Windows XP sold 60% more copies in the same period after launch.
Corporations will start upgrading in four or five years.
And half the marketing scheme behind Vista seems to be based on the "The OS built ground-up for gamers" slogan.
And, according to what I've heard, the X360 sales haven't turned up profit even at this moment.
"Wow that is easy for Joe PC gamer."
Well, yes, it's pretty hard for retards/14-year-olds to figure out how to download and run an app, I agree. I guess that is why I don't hear constant racial slurs when I play online on my PC.
"oh and then Xfire with those"
XFire supports by nearly all PC games including Supreme Commander and BF2142 you mentioned.
http://www.xfire.com/supported_games/
It was a better example than Steam, my mistake, sorry.
SeriousKriss @ Mar 5th 2007 5:09PM
So let's sum up:
- The game is Vista only
- They gimped the controls for PC players
- You have to pay to play against Xbox players even though there are no dedicated servers
- The game doesn't look very promising and will have to face juggernauts such as Quake Wars and UT3.
Seriously... What's the point? They shouldn't even have bothered to produce a PC version.
Mundox @ Mar 5th 2007 11:15PM
Well if they offer something else beside PCvsConsole gaming I may think of paying for it.
But only for Xplataform gaming? no thanks... PCvsPC is just doing fine for me.
Loque @ Mar 6th 2007 3:17AM
Keep the whiny swearing 11 year olds off of my PC games, thanks.
jameshulsmann @ Mar 6th 2007 7:48AM
"Waaaaaa, MS is ruining gaming"
Really? Explain how please.
Charging for Windows Live Gold "ruins" pc gaming? How?
Charging for XBL Gold "ruins" gaming? How?
I am pretty sure the free market decides if its good enough or not and in either case, nothing is 'ruined.'
You guys love to make the claims but are very short of any logic or backup for your ridiculous claims.
I am pretty sure that over the time a console life cycle occur, we all end up spending about the same amount of money on our gaming habits - we just spend on different things. Although, since console gamers buy more games, perhaps that aspect throws things a bit – in terms of spending money on things other than games themselves, I am sure it’s true. As a PC gamer I spend way more on hardware then I do as a console gamer, but then most of the services I use related to gaming are free. On the other hand, I spend much less on my console hardware, all things included, but I am paying to get all of those services I get as a PC gamer on the console as well.
Anyway:
A) Most pc gamers who play Shadowrun will just play this game against other PC gamers for free (and most 360 gamers will, therefore, end up playing against other 360 gamers) and unless MS does something to make Windows Live Gold something substantial, it will fail and have to go free. It will regardless because...
B) With Sony and Nintendo continuing to offer online services that are improving for free - MS will have no choice but to make all of Xbox live free as well and this whole silver/gold thing will go away.
C) $4.99/Month to get all of the services an online-pc gamer gets, but all provided as a unified service that’s secure and "no hassles" is nowhere near a "rip-off.” In some cases you even get things that you don’t get on the PC landscape.
D) I guess no one is of the mind that the overall “Games for Windows” initiative is going to be of any benefit to the PC gaming industry, regardless of what developers and publishers say
E) No serious gamer uses anything other then Windows to game on.
F) Someone’s stats on Vista sales are ridiculous and way off course. Check your facts, moron!
sheppy @ Mar 6th 2007 9:21AM
Vista has proven itself as a hinderance to gaming. Performance slows down dramatically and even some of it's "Games for Windows" get crippled like how Supreme Commander cannot support SLi in Windows Vista.
Right now, Windows Vista is a fucking joke. It was overhyped, under delivered, and is counter productive in almost every conceivable way. And while we are on this subject, isn't UT3 claiming cross platform? I could have sworn some interview had made a statement like "While PC gamers will have an edge on foot controls, console owners will handle the vehicles better. Which could create some interesting cross platform clan play."