The PC Problem? Serious Discussion Inside!

GAME are one of the biggest videogames retailers in the UK and they have recently stopped refunds & exchanges on PC software. Many people complain that a game won' t work on their machine and GAME still won' t give a refund arguing that they explain to all customers that they do not offer refunds on PC software and that they should check the specifications on the back on the box before purchasing.

Game normally resell games returned within their 10day policy, but due to more and more games requiring key-codes are serial keys to play, reselling the games is not an option.

Another reason GAME no longer offer refunds on PC software is to reduce piracy. Customers can no longer buy a game, copy it, and refund it.

If a customer is unfortunate enough to have a faulty disk, GAME will swap the disk for another. The original box/key code will remain the same and will not be replaced with a newer version.

Supermarkets already do not refund any software and it seems many others will follow in the footsteps of GAME.

The problem is when a bug infested game like DEUS EX comes out there are so many bugs that even people with really high spec machines cant play it as they don’t have the EXACT specification the game requests. What do you think developers should do? Should they have a demo of each and every game they release for customers to check that the full version of the game will work on their machine when they purchase it? If there were demo' s available though, and prospective customers found they were unable to play the full version of the game sales would go down?

So what happen? Developers should spend more time fixing bug but I can' t see that happening with consumers at the same time inpatient for a release date. How can we resolve this problem within the games industry?

For now I think I' ll just stick to console versions of games.

Sharan Dev Jain
http://www.theotaku.co.uk

For now I think I' ll just stick to console versions of games.

Same here. I avoid all the installation and all those problems anyway, because with console games, you can just rent them, and play them right away, as long as you know the controls. I think " rent the game if you' re interested, and if you like it and can afford it then buy it" and I hate how some of the most popular PC games recently require a lot of hard drive space, so much it can' t fit on a CD... and I' m not even allowed installing anything that takes up more than 250MB on my hard drive...

Stuff like this makes my eyes glaze over. The amount of time, money, and frustration that goes into PC gaming simply isn' t worth it anymore. Seven years ago, when the difference in overall quality was painfully clear, it was. Now, with little to no difference technically, and far more innovative and creative console titles for consoles (exactly how many times can they make a Baldurs Gate clone on PC?), it' s a no-brainer for me.

You' ve got every genre in video games represented if you have all three consoles (or, if you just own a PS2). The PC has no fighting games, no Japanese RPG' s, no rhythm/dance games, no platformers, and no action games like Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, or the Onimusha series. This means that games like VF 4, MK: DA, FF X, Suikoden III, Amplitude, Rez, Gitaroo-Man, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and many other top " AAA" titles never see the light of day on the PC. Its focus is on FPS and RTS, which it DOES do extremely well (UT, Far Cry, DOOM 3, Half-Life 2, Warcraft, Starcraft, Rise of Nations), but that' s just about it. Oh, and MMORPG' s, if that' s your bag.

You know what requirements I need to look at to play a game like Chronicles of Riddick? I need to make sure it' s for the Xbox. Oh look...yup, it is. Know how many sound card, graphic card, and any other of a million PC settings I need to fiddle with before the game plays at optimal levels? Oh yeah...none. It plays when I press a button. Know how much an Xbox and that one game costs? $200. Which is less than a decent video card. Bugs? Patches? I got three words for ya: kiss my ass.

Kikizo Staff Writer

You know what requirements I need to look at to play a game like Chronicles of Riddick? I need to make sure it' s for the Xbox. Oh look...yup, it is. Know how many sound card, graphic card, and any other of a million PC settings I need to fiddle with before the game plays at optimal levels? Oh yeah...none.

LUCKY YOU! I had to install more RAM in my Xbucket just to watch DVD movies let alone play games ;)

It plays when I press a button.

Mine does so when I break down into tears begging and pleading for it to do so, hehe

Bugs? Patches? I got three words for ya: kiss my ass.

**watches in horror as fathoms bends over in front of his PC, aZZ exposed, and two seconds later I hear a loud kissing sound**

LUCKY YOU! I had to install more RAM in my Xbucket just to watch DVD movies let alone play games ;)

Heh...that' s sarcasm, right?

Kikizo Staff Writer

Heh...that' s sarcasm, right?

lol, ME?? Sarcasm? Ha! I know NOT the meaning of such words!
I " be" a very serious individual all the time!! :D

I don' t see why GAME won' t take games back and give a refund. The reason is, if the game won' t play or even install then CD keys won' t stop someone else using the game...