10 reasons 2009 was bad for PC gamers
For years predictions of the death of PC gaming have made headlines. This is largely due to piracy, as well as the rise in popularity of console gaming. Despite this, recent years have not been all bad for PC gamers, largely thanks to a number of very important PC exclusive games, such as Crysis, World of Warcraft and The Sims.
Having said that, this year seems to have been particularly bad for PC gamers for a number of reasons.
Top ten low points of PC gaming in 2009
1. StarCraft 2 delay
StarCraft 2 was the most anticipated PC exclusive game scheduled for release this year. Unfortunately, Activision Blizzard announced in August that the game will now only be released next year.
2. No dedicated servers for Modern Warfare 2 PC
Recent news has emerged that the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 will not feature dedicated online servers, as did its predecessor. This has led to a public outcry around the world, and it affects South Africa particularly badly as the IW.net server, which will now host the online multiplayer component of the game, is located overseas.
3. No LAN for StarCraft 2
Activision Blizzard again upset PC gamers back in August when it announced that StarCraft 2 would not feature LAN support.
4. Alan Wake PC cancelled
PC gamers around the world lamented at the announcement that this hugely anticipated game from Microsoft was canceled for PC.
5. Empire: Total War
While at its heart, Empire: Total War was a great game, it represented everything that is wrong with PC gaming. A badly optimized engine and a number of game-wrecking bugs made what was one of the year’s most anticipated PC exclusives an utter disappointment to many.
6. Battlefield 1943 delayed
While the console versions of this game were released back in July, the PC version was pushed back until 2010.
7. Modern Warfare 2 price hike
Activision Blizzard announced earlier this month that the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 will cost R499, instead of R399 as previously announced.
8. Operation Flashpoint 2 lacking dedicated servers
This highly anticipated military sim shipped without supporting dedicated server hosting, despite featuring print on the box which reads "Dedicated host server recommended". This means that the game does not support online multiplayer.
9. No Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition
PC gamers will not receive the Prestige Edition of Modern Warfare 2, although this matters less now that the price has increased and dedicated server support was removed.
10. No competition in the graphics card market
While AMD released the first DX 11, 40nm graphics card, it would have been nice if Nvidia had also come to the party. Unfortunately, with word that Nvidia’s new GPU –Fermi – will not even target gaming, it remains to be seen when another offering in this market from the once dominant company.
Furthermore, Nvidia has officially stopped selling its GTX 200 series, which makes AMD the only real option for graphics card buyers going into the Christmas season. This is bad news even for AMD fans, as competition in any industry is needed to keep prices in check.
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Comments (14 posted): Comments (14 posted):
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2,7,9
is the same game?
There are lot of other games to play..
also i went and bought a xbox to get my fix of other games in as well, hehe
Sure those points refer to the same 2 games, but nevertheless they are separate issues, and therefore, they are seperate reasons...
I am an avid PC gamer, and there is no agenda here. But the facts are there, just pointing them out.
I understand your reasoning, but I would have just listed SC2 issues as 1 . And MW2 as 1 issue. Each game has it's issues ...
But seriously, there is many games outthere like Batman AA that overshadows
these problems :D
I didnt really care about the lack of SC II LAN functionality, but the delay was quiet a blow.
IF I had done it your way, it would have gone something like this.
1. Starcraft 2 - No Lan
- Delay
2. Modern Warfare 2 - Price hike
- No multiplayer
- No night vision goggles
I would effectively be listing 5 separate reasons within two points.
This would not make sense, seeing as the points are unrelated, apart from applying to the same games.
It also, technically speaking, would have put the SCII LAN problem above the MW2 multiplayer problem, which I think would have been inaccurate.
So, there are my reasons for cataloging it this way.
At the end of the day, you can interpenetrate the info as you like. I just felt this was the best way of presenting it.
Does it really make a difference? It is the same information after all...
Your heading makes it sound "WOW 10 bad stuff" .. meantime is 2 games that went screwy :D
But cool any how. Keep up the good work!
We know that Starcraft 2 is on its way.
Who knows what else might be lurking beyond New Year, ready to pounce on our
Bank Balances?
You should expect at least one more delay, even two. Expect it in 2011 and hope to be surprised.
Blizzard have an unlimited budget and no deadline, so they can afford to delay indefinitely while they polish the game to perfection.