Winners & Losers: Zack is Dumb Edition

So.

If you noticed last week that there wasn’t a Winners & Losers, I appreciate that. I also wish you could forget that, because last week there wasn’t a Winners & Losers.

Uh, so. Hrm. That was an error.

My own failure won’t set me back far enough to keep from judging industry figures, however, so let’s truck on ahead while I attempt to make up for lost time.

PC gamers

This has been a good week for the master race. Dark Souls didn’t have an amazing PC port in the beginning, but in an interview with Edge, the game’s producer spoke about what went wrong (they were rushed by the publisher in the face of high demand) and noted that Dark Souls II is being developed for the PC from the beginning. Quite a step up from a series which has so far been console-only.

On a similar note, the developers of Tom Clancy’s The Divison, one of the most exciting games shown at E3, announced in a community Q&A session that the PC version “won’t be a port, but a full-fledged, optimized version!” Say goodbye to the crappy console ports of old.

Finally, Platinum Games’ creative producer threw his support behind PC gaming, stating that the company has “lots to learn” about the platform, and how he hopes that “I can keep working to show Japanese devs how vibrant PCs can be.” This is far from an announcement of future PC releases (though PC gamers should keep an eye out for the excellent Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) and he did clarify that it is the production company which makes such decisions, but any vote of support- particularly from such a great developer- is a positive one.

Dragon Age fans

Many were dissatisfied with Dragon Age II, but a recent post on the Bioware blog from series executive producer Mark Darrah provides a lot of positive news about where Dragon Age: Inquisition’s development is going. The producer goes into a bit of detail about where they are in development, including news that they are far enough along to complete the entire main story, but they are working hard to get their tech “locked down.” In news which should please those worried after Dragon Age II, he also shows some great in-game environment screenshots and writes that:

“Areas form a huge part of the content in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It is very important to me that the game cover a large variety of locations. Not only does it expand the possibilities of our storytelling, it also gives us an opportunity to show a lot of different things. In a game that places a lot of emphasis on discovery, this is very crucial.”

Far cry from the game which took place almost exclusively inside a single city.

Anyone looking to challenge Youtube

Youtube’s ridiculous new content ID system, which has been wiping out channels’ videos left and right for often ridiculous reasons (composers having their own music taken down because they were apparently committing copyright infringement, for example), has many looking for other video hosting options. Any site looking to take on the beast has a prime opportunity here to get at least some attention, so now is the time for competitors to step up.

Payday 2 fans

I am a fan of Payday 2, due largely to my intense desire to become wealthy at any cost, and the announcement of over a year and a half of new content for the game (kicking off with a free Christmas-themed heist) makes me very, very happy. This is also a big win for the game’s developers, as this big promise of new content comes as a result of them being handed $6 million. Wow.

Nintendo 3DS owners

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright was announced for Western release, and while a North American release date does not yet exist, the European release has been dated as March 28th and the North American one won’t be far behind. This is a win for everyone, everywhere.

Just Cause 2 fans, and basically everyone else who likes things that are awesome

The startlingly ambitious multiplayer mod is officially out of beta and available for downloading on Steam. It is crazy and fun, and I highly recommend it for everyone who likes to have fun in life. Can you say “best community multiplayer night ever”? 

Everyone who thinks Zelda meets Dynasty Warriors is rad

I like Dynasty Warriors and I’m pretty sure I like Zelda. Hyrule Warriors could be awesome.

Everyone who thinks Zelda meets Dynasty Warriors is stupid

Some people like Zelda and do not like Dynasty Warriors. For them, Hyrule Warriors could be dumb and pointless and where is the next Zelda game, already?

Youtube

Failure after failure is the name of the game with the new content ID system. Hundreds of content creators have been dropped from networks which protected them against having their videos pulled, and the madness has only gotten worse as developers are having videos of their own games pulled from their own channels. Youtube sent an email to content creators to “talk” about the chaos, but the email was pointless and inconclusive and might as well have not been sent at all. Real nice.

Twich.tv users

Twitch.tv has implemented a “new video system.” Chris Davis is the one who knows all of the technical stuff about our broadcasts and thinking about the nitty-gritty details makes my head hurt, but I don’t need to be an expert to know that 40 second delays in live broadcasts can seriously throw off interactions with the community during shows. Bear with us as this gets worked out.

Battlefield 4 customers

Underneath a mountain of issues is a truly great shooter, but the mountain just keeps getting steeper. Anyone who purchased the premium PS3 version in order to have access to the China Rising DLC and upgraded to the PS4 version no longer has the benefits of that premium version and must buy the DLC again. To review, that is a $10 upgrade which then requires rebuying $15 content. Real nice.

EA as a whole

Speaking of China Rising, it was the subject of one of EA’s big troubles amidst one of the worst weeks in the company’s history. Multiple class-action lawsuits have been filed against the company (at least three, as of this writing) in the wake of the chaos that has been Battlefield 4’s functionality (or lack thereof), and in a twist no one could have expected, they are now the target of attacks from Chinese journalists. Claiming that the China Rising pack demonizes the image of China “in a new form of cultural aggression,” a writer for the South China Morning Post tore into EA for using “games as a gimmick to attract their attention.”

Hilariously, the writer also took a moment to criticize the plot for making no sense.

This is not their biggest problem, however. The biggest issue would be the news that high-ranking members of the company sold off 164,409 shares, or $4.8 million worth of shares, ahead of Battlefield 4’s release. This, unquestionably in expectation of lower stock prices with knowledge of a coming catastrophe, is what is known as “insider trading,” and is very illegal. This could turn even uglier.