Putting Major Plot Points Outside of the Game
(Major Offender – Square Enix with Final Fantasy XV)
Final Fantasy XV was a solid game (you can check out our review here) but that doesn’t mean that it was without issues. The main problem revolved around the game’s narrative. Fans of Final Fantasy that watched Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV or the Brotherhood anime knew the ins and outs of the political plot as well as the bond between Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto. Unfortunately, those players who were just anticipating the game and put all of their attention solely into what’s on the disc were left in the dark. Many of the major events took place off screen, leaving the core of the story a bit hollow unless players were willing to buy a movie or seek out information online.
While it’s cool to have content that expands on the video game universe, it’s important that what’s in the game clearly depicts the core of the narrative. People buy video games for the full experience, and it’s a huge mistake to remove any key portion of that experience. Hopefully, this is one of those flubs that doesn’t make its way into 2017. There are a lot of upcoming RPGs, and we’d hate to be left lost in any of their large, open-world plots.
Season Passes not Including All DLC
(Major Offender – Ubisoft Montreal with Watch Dogs 2)
Watch Dogs 2 (check out our review here) had a lot riding against it, but it managed to overcome the shadow cast by its predecessor. The world was brighter and full of life, the protagonist was relatable, and hacking was implemented in much more of the world, making the gameplay truly shine. Then there was multiplayer that was actually truly enjoyable. You can go on missions with your friend, take on other players, or just fool around in the open world.
The only real sour spot on the entire experience was the DLC. There’s quite a bit of it, but thankfully Ubisoft provided a Season Pass offering all of the DLC at a bit of a discount — at least, players assumed that it was all of the DLC. It turns out that the “season pass” only covers a select number of DLCs, with over $30 worth left out of the purchase.
This wouldn’t have been such an issue if the company went for a more accurate bundle name. Bungie deemed their pass for Destiny an “expansion pass” that covered two specific pieces of content and let you know exactly how much you were saving. Other games do costume passes, or weapon passes. Having something called a season pass and purposely leaving out content just didn’t work out. Let’s hope this is one of those mistakes that doesn’t tarnish the bright looking 2017.
Stop Selling the Best Weapons in the Game
(Major Offender – EA DICE with Battlefield 1)
Microtransactions and other forms of paid content are never going to go away, we know that. However, most can live with their existence as long as they are kept under control. We get that not everyone has time to get those cool hats or that one shader, and paying for these additions can be alright. But, if we’re all paying the same entry fee for a game (which is usually $60), then additional funds shouldn’t give anyone a notable competitive advantages. Unfortunately, we do see these sorts of microtransactions happen, and it causes a sore divide between the haves and have nots.
Battlefield 1, for example, allows players to purchase upgrade kits for their classes with real world money. This means you can take something like your Scout or your Medic and max out their level. Seems innocent enough, until you realize that the best weapons in the game are locked behind these levels. Sure, you need Warbonds to actually unlock the weapons once you reach max level, but they are not difficult to come by. With some cash and a little bit of time, a player can easily become a dominant force on a battlefield. Skill still plays a major part, but for a game with a short single player campaign, a multiplayer advantage so easily bought can be a huge detriment.
Games are a business, but part of that business is making sure that consumers feel welcome to play. Being able to purchase a skip in gathering all the coveted ranks and gear is something we hope is left aside going into 2017.
Don’t Feel Pressure to Give Release Dates for Games That Aren’t Ready
(Major Offenders – Pretty much anything delayed like Persona 5, Crackdown 3, etc.)
Nobody would envy the amount of pressure laid on development teams. Not only are they working day and night to create something they hope people love, but everyone wants the games as soon as possible. This often leads developers to give dates that they hope they can reach, but are often overreaching. You can’t account for unforeseen circumstances such as changes in budget, pressure from publishers, changes in direction, or bugs that arise. What ultimately happens is dates need to be shifted, usually further into the future.
Now the mistake here isn’t setting a date. It’s cool that they felt confident enough at that time to make a decision. The mistake is letting outside forces coerce some arbitrary date that’s unrealistic or, at least, far too optimistic. While its understandable for outside forces to start to apply a little bit of pressure after maybe a decade of unclear development, if it’s only been a couple of years in the making, just let us know it will be ready when ready.
There are a lot of great games due out in 2017, many of which are set at TBA, and that’s fine. Take whatever time you need to make a great game, don’t rush and give empty promises.
Don’t Rush PC Ports
(Major Offenders – Deus Ex, No Man’s Sky, Dishonored 2, etc.)
It’s tough developing video games, especially when you have to make a game work on multiple different platforms. That means adjusting for different technologies, peripherals, graphical capabilities, and a slew of other factors. Things get even more hectic when you throw PCs into the mix. There’s a lot to account for when developing a game for PC, especially when porting a console game over. There are a ton of different possible setups, with each component interacting with a game’s code in different ways. This often leads to issues that leave PC users having decidedly different experiences from their console counterparts, and not in a good way.
While it can sometimes be attributed to the complications of PCs, sometimes it’s just a matter of rushing a product. Whether it’s to get it out at the same time as the console release, or because the developer feels the need to hit some other specified date, PC gamers usually suffer quite a bit on release. While it sucks to receive a game later than everyone else, it’s best not rush a game’s later QA stages, even if that means holding back one specific platform. It’s better to get a good game late then to have a horrible launch.
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