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When we reviewed Gears of War 2 back in November, I quite confidently gave it a 9.0. I did this because I loved the game and couldn’t get enough of it. Fast forward a month later, and I cannot bring myself to pick the game up. Thanks to a matchmaking system that was ruined after the supposed “fix” launched and a bevy of exploits, Gears 2 has become unplayable for me.
At the time, I had no clue it would be so bad. How can you? Most of these real game breaking exploits only surface after weeks of bug hunting (on the part of players it seems, not on the part of Epic’s so-called testers). Had I experienced then what I experience now when I try and play Gears 2, a 9.0 would not have been the score.
The above video is savage in its attack on Epic, listing some of the most prevalent glitches to be found in Gears 2. While I wouldn’t go as far as to label Rod Fergusson a “ginger liar,” I will say that this has become a disappointing norm for what people still insist on calling the “next generation.” While technology progresses, game development seems to decline, as corners become cut with ever-lengthening scissors and projects get rushed out of the door with barely any testing. Gaming is evolving beyond the means and budget of developers, and that’s not a good place.
Is this what the game industry is trying to tell people that Hi-Def gaming is all about? Patches and rush jobs? I dread to think what the new generation of hardware will bring. If studios can’t cope with the pressure and scale of today’s HD console demands, the future looks rather bleak.
