SpookyApparition

Well, from what I've played of the game, I think Edge's review is spot-on. The biggest draw is the combat, which seems easily mastered. It's harder than Fable obviously, but I'm playing on hard and it's not that tough. There's no way the combat alone will keep me interested for even a fraction of the "hundreds of hours" this game claims to be. Voice acting is actually pretty good, but the dialogue parts still seem oddly lifeless, which doesn't allow the story to be the prime motivating factor to play.

And people really need to stop calling this open world. It's no more open-world than Dragon Age: Origins, Fable 3, or any number of non-open-world RPGs.

The cost of the shipping service has nothing to do with this decision, nor is it "failing," causing them to have to raise prices. They ship more DVDs than they did 5 years ago. Why don't people understand this?

The reason for the split is the cost of video licensing is going through the roof combined with tons of people using streaming. In other words, the success AND growing cost of the streaming business is why there are now two companies.

If people are mad now, wait until Netflix is forced to choose paying 10X as much for video licensing fees (and probably raise the price again) or just let that content go and reduce the selection. Or wait until Netflix is forced to pay for the bandwidth that their streaming service takes up.

The amount of people whining about this without understanding it annoys me. When Netflix started streaming, streaming wasn't even really an industry, it was just something some websites did. Now video providers know they can charge much, much more for their content, and that's not going to change.

And before anyone accuses me of being a Netflix fanboy (as though such a thing exists), I'm sick of streaming, whether it's Netflix or Hulu, and getting satellite anyway. At least try to understand this company operating in a relatively brand new sector of the economy is having to modify its business model.

Also, using the figures this guy provided, if 2 million people bought the game at $60, that's $120 million in revenue. If 3 million people bought it at $45, that's $135 million. That's $15 million in extra revenue, not to mention more money in a person's pocket they're likely to spend on quality DLC if it comes out. Of course that's not going to be as much as if 3 million bought the game at $60, but it's pretty clear that's not a realistic possibility.

I liked Heavy Rain a lot, but I'm not guilty at all for buying it used for $40 + shipping a few weeks after it came out. If companies are serious about increasing full-price sales, they need to decrease the original full price... isn't that obvious? Maybe even cut out the middlemen, i.e. stores taking their cut. I'm not against companies going the digital route if the original price of a new game is $45 or so.

@Kgg no, keep saying it until people actually pay attention to it :-) I responded to your post on the previous page and then saw people kept making the same tired points.

@Kgg this is a good point, and it's nice to read the perspective of someone who actually lives in Norway. I'm sure it'll be hastily scrolled past by all of the sensitive gamers who are just as prone to knee-jerk reactions as any pro-censorship people (not saying this is censorship, since it's not).

the last shooting-based multiplayer game i loved was left 4 dead... normally these types of games leave me pretty cold. however, this beta is awesome. i think i'm addicted to it. setting aside the kickbacks, power plays, and the stat/customization stuff, the level design of these maps makes them a riot to play. i'm looking forward to trying out three-team deathmatch, but mostly i just want this game to come out NOW. i wasn't even looking forward to the multiplayer and now i'll probably play it first when the game is released.

@RickGhastly hahaha... still laughing at this :D

@HokieKC "Sounds to me like the greed now is coming from the workers. They weren't complaining when they had a job and working the normal long hours prior to a games' release (not abnormal at all) and didn;t know if the game was going to be a success.

Now that the game is released and a huge hit these employees want more than just their salary. They're claiming 'abuse' and other various crap apparently. "

sorry, but this is just factually inaccurate. read the actual IGN article, which states numerous times that many, MANY workers left during the development of the game because the conditions were terrible, and the ones who stayed weren't paid properly for the hours they worked. additionally, there is no profit-seeking from the team bondi workers; they were contacted and agreed to speak anonymously about the conditions.

difference of opinions about unions is fine, but don't attribute motivations to workers that exist nowhere but in your unfounded assumptions.

@ptcamn try reading the article. many people did leave. that's one of the reasons among many the game took forever to complete. also in the article you didn't read are numerous references to the fact the workers were not given what was contractually obligated to them. and it's not them suddenly coming out, it's them responding anonymously to a interview questions about what it was like to work for team bondi during those years. yeah, nothing lays the groundwork for a lawsuit like answering a few questions anonymously. get a clue, and leave your vapid "common sense" comments on the glenn beck board or something.