Having been let down by splash damage’s previous title, Quake Wars, whether they were contracted to make it by ID or they thought “OH HAI GUIS LETS MAKE A BATTLEFIELD BUT QUAKE GAME! DERP!”… I was out of pocket and not looking to trust this British based game company.
But then i saw the videos of their staff and key members talking about the game with passion and enthusiasm, it had me ready to believe that this was going to be a game that oozed quality, polish, content and fun.
But now i understand why the folks at splash damage maintained a media black out till release, controlling what aspects of the game they showed, more importantly what they didn’t show.
8 maps. Shared for single player, co-op & multiplayer. Are you joking? Was this a test to see how little you could get away with on a release game charging near premium retail price?
Yes the core gameplay elements are there, yes the sound, feel & handling of the weapons are spot on… But after 6 hours i cant help but feel the suits at splash damage have held back release content to sell on later as DLC, copying the sony DCUO ploy where they removed 1/3 of the content on release to sell back to their unwitting consumer base.
I can look past the graphical issues i am having due to what i presume is my ATI card with squares all over my screen, the flimsy bot AI, occasional crashes, and plethora of missing features for the PC client. But this is not the quality of game i expect to see where the game is lacking in content on release, but already has the DLC feature conveniently sitting on the menu bar for future steam purchases.
So before this post is possibly submerged by a wave of mindless fanboys, zombie consumers, or weekend warriors looking to validate their purchase. I’d like you at splash damage to understand that i, and many other gamers who havn’t got their heads stuck up their arses, who do appreciate what you have done here in terms of merging some gameplay archetypes and art styles. But as far as future consumers of anything that comes from your studio, we’ll be holding your future “free” content updates in the ballance whilst you finish off making the game that was released 3 days ago.
So if you do intend to finish the game you started, and bring it up to the standard we all hope it will be, my love to all of you at splash damage and thankyou for not short changing me on my purchase!
But if you don’t, and generally leave it “as is” with only a few minor bug fixes, and then sell the other maps/gameplay modes that should have shipped on release at a later date for more cash, you’ll find more of your releases on pirate bay than ever, as more gamers spend their cash on big releases rather than from minor studios who cut corners.
Peace, love and eternal unity to all at splash damage.