Reality fuelled rant comming up, apologies in advance, reader discretion is advised...
It's no wonder that some companies just don't bother releasing PC versions. Although, I doubt that it's simply a case of porting, there has to be QA - professionals aren't using XNA, where you can compile to 360 and PC with practically the same code, and if a publisher did that, there would be outrage. Anyway, difference in PC sales compared to consoles is astronomical - I've said it here before, but any PC gamer who downloads torrents is basically burying the PC gaming industry, because publishers are LUCKY if the PC version sells 1/10th the copies that the console version does, very lucky indeed.
When Halo did make it onto PC's, did it take the world by storm?, did it redefine PC gaming?, did it re-invent the FPS genre?, was it even all that important at the end of the day?
NO.
The PC version of Halo was less important than games like Farcry, Counterstrike and Half Life. Accept that and move on... Microsoft took Bungies baby and turned it into the most important videogame we've seen in decades, that was not Bungies awesomeness that did that, but rather Microsofts marketting machine and bloody mindedness.
So it's no wonder that it went onto the XBox IMO, where it made such an incredible impact, and did all those things. Halo on XBox = trailblazer, Halo on PC = FPS game. The PC already has important FPS games like Half Life, Rainbow 6, Delta Force, Battlefield - it never needed Halo, the XBox desperately needed Halo, and so did console gamers, so it was huge. There's nothing to be gained in looking back on Halo as if it was raped from the hands of PC gamers, because it would never have been anything but a decent FPS.
Frustrated PC gamers should go and encourage their friends, and themseleves if need be, to actually buy games, when they first come out, from an actual shop. There's no way forward apart from adopting console gamer habits, by habit, I mean pre-ordering important games, supporting publishers who support the PC. What will it take to get the message across? - Bethesda, or Blizzard going console only?, maybe that would be the wake up call the PC gamers need. Seriously, appreciate what you have, make the most of it, because it's not as if the PC gaming industry is gonna get any bigger, no, consoles will eventually take over to the point where PC versions of important games are rare - instead the PC will have indi games and casual games while major titles appear on consoles, where they can be sold for profit and actually feed the development team.
PC gamers want to pay 9.50 for a game that will have umpteen mods and enhancements over the course of several years, for free, somehow their 9.50 must fund all future development, versions, servers, support... Much like some people don't see why TGC have to venture into other markets to stay afloat.
If PC gamers don't show more support, then this decline will sharpen - look at APB. There are only 2 major software houses in Britain nowadays, 20 years ago that would be more like 20. The 2 surviving companies concentrate on console games over PC games, usually there's a delay of at least 6 months before the PC version surfaces. Maybe next time it wont surface, maybe we won't ever see GTA outside of the console market again. PC gaming's future is not at the high end, it's at the low end, our end, indi games, casual games, portable games.
Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
