Ensemble Studios to be shut down.

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Ensemble Studios to be shut down.

Post by Magick »

http://news.bigdownload.com/2008/09/10/ ... shut-down/

Meh. Might as well have an unfinished Halo Wars instead of none at all.
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Post by lightstriker »

From what I've read I get the feeling that it's much less of a "closure" and more of a "reorganization" (by which I mean they're going to fire all the "excess staff" and keep the best people) which probably means that Halo Wars is definitely going to be finished, and will probably be supported.
Also, the demo is looking pretty damn good, and it's getting rather favorable reviews, so... yeah ~.~
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Post by Kaelis »

Aww, Halo Wars no longer for PC... and here i hoped they would drop the idiotic "dis game for dump ppl lol" routine.
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Post by Verminator »

Halo Wars is already done. It ships sometime very soon.

Never was for PC (though it'll almost certainly end up like that eventually, methinks). And it is pretty simplistic, but really that doesn't make it bad. It's not a hardcore nuance addict's cup of tea, but it's definitely very functional compared to a lot of other games I know. It gets rid of the baggage of babysitting resourcers and micromanaging base construction so you can set everything up in less than a couple of minutes and concentrate on fighting instead. Oh, and it works like a dream on the 360. It's so easy to control. Plus it actually feels like a proper Halo game with atmosphere and everything instead of some cheap cash in.

Only thing is, there's no Covenant campaign apparently, (I personally can't see how they'd manage to do that properly seeing as as the Covenant you'd technically have the numbers and tech to steamroll your enemy easily) and you can't play as the Flood at all (thought they had some potential there.) That and the campaign's apparently pretty short, although skirmish and online are meant to be pretty solid.
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Post by Normandy »

But... the micromanagement and the setting everything up is the fun part!
Not really being sarcastic there, but eh.

But all in all, looks like a RTT more than an RTS, which does compare on different scales. I am really wishing it had come out for the PC, so I could actually play it and back up my arguments but, alas, I had no such luck. I'm still hoping for a Halo RTS for the PC. You can never have enough RTS games.
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Post by Kaelis »

Verminator wrote:And it is pretty simplistic, but really that doesn't make it bad.
If you're referring to my "game for dumb people" comment, i meant that Xbox 360 = dumb people, according to one of the devs from Ensemble. He basically said (albeit diplomatically) that doing a good, intelligent game is all good and fun, but if you want to earn money, you have to concentrate on marketing for the barely literate masses. Which means dumbing the game down and doing it for consoles (i guess that in their infinite wisdom they concluded that PCs are too hard to use...). I can't find the article though, so youll have to take my word for it.
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Post by Slayer0019 »

Kaelis wrote:
Verminator wrote:And it is pretty simplistic, but really that doesn't make it bad.
If you're referring to my "game for dumb people" comment, i meant that Xbox 360 = dumb people, according to one of the devs from Ensemble. He basically said (albeit diplomatically) that doing a good, intelligent game is all good and fun, but if you want to earn money, you have to concentrate on marketing for the barely literate masses. Which means dumbing the game down and doing it for consoles (i guess that in their infinite wisdom they concluded that PCs are too hard to use...). I can't find the article though, so youll have to take my word for it.
I have to say, reluctant;y, that I agree with this statement that consoles are embarrassingly simplified compared to PCs. I own both a gaming-capable PC and an Xbox 360, and I have to say that PC games tend to be better thought-out, in terms of controls, depth, and most importantly, rewarding creative or strategic thinking. Most console games are designed for the slightly retarded. As fun as Halo is, Unreal Tournament 3 for the PC is better, both in it's having mouse aiming, and in the fact that a bit of tactics and organization will result in the crushing demise of the other team.
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Post by Exethalion »

Slayer0019 wrote:I have to say, reluctant;y, that I agree with this statement that consoles are embarrassingly simplified compared to PCs. I own both a gaming-capable PC and an Xbox 360, and I have to say that PC games tend to be better thought-out, in terms of controls, depth, and most importantly, rewarding creative or strategic thinking. Most console games are designed for the slightly retarded. As fun as Halo is, Unreal Tournament 3 for the PC is better, both in it's having mouse aiming, and in the fact that a bit of tactics and organization will result in the crushing demise of the other team.
This is indeed true. Another case is Deus Ex: Invisible War. The original Deus Ex was fantastic, but since DE:IW was also planned for the Xbox, it was dumbed down considerably in terms of size, complexity and depth, basically to cater for the more simple and clueless console gamer. The result was that the PC gamers were outraged, and Inivisible war was not the game it could of and should have been.

Now RTSs which are solely for consoles would not be able to make the transition to PCs, as in the case of Halo Wars, because of this dumbing down. The same goes the other way, as seen by the PS2 release of AOE2, which was horrific.
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Post by Slayer0019 »

This is indeed true. Another case is Deus Ex: Invisible War. The original Deus Ex was fantastic, but since DE:IW was also planned for the Xbox, it was dumbed down considerably in terms of size, complexity and depth, basically to cater for the more simple and clueless console gamer. The result was that the PC gamers were outraged, and Inivisible war was not the game it could of and should have been.

Now RTSs which are solely for consoles would not be able to make the transition to PCs, as in the case of Halo Wars, because of this dumbing down. The same goes the other way, as seen by the PS2 release of AOE2, which was horrific.[/quote]

I must say, I played the Halo wars demo, and it is actually really good. I credit this to the fact that it was designed for the Xbox 360, rather than a crappy port of a PC game.

However, I had to be rushed to the hospital due to brain hemorrhaging and a severly damaged gag reflex when I heard that Supreme Commander would appear on the 360. A game that complex cannot be pulled off successfully on a console.
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Post by Hypothetical Wisdom »

So, basically, smart computer geeks like us are rewarded for our intelligence and geekiness by getting better games? :lol:

I've never actually had a game consol, just my computer, so I don't really have a reference point, but I agree with you guys that computers are way better for games nowadays. Computers can have just as fast processors as game consols now, and are far more versatile, especially since they're more or less one-size-fits-all (save for the occasional Mac/Linux only game, which is soon hacked or run through an emulator).

Plus, you can do games without CDs, and play against more than four ppl with multiplayer :roll: (I know that the Xbox live can do multiplayer, but still...)
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Post by Anna »

Thread locked, since this is devolving into a stereotypical "wah wah consoles are for retards and PCs RUUUUUUULE" thread, which is completely fucking stupid. Consoles and PCs both have their merits. And yes, many PC games that get ported to consoles or whatever are dumbed down. This has less to do with Consoles being worse and console gamers being retarded, and more to do with the game manufacturers being fucking retarded.

Tell me that console exclusive games like Armored Core for Answer are "stupid and for retards" and I will bitchslap you in the face.

In the future, learn to avoid strawman arguments, you dumbasses.
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