So the big hoopla about On-Live launching and taking the world by storm has come and gone. The gaming industry is still pretty much the same now as it was back then. Personally, I can't help but heave a sigh of relief. Still, one is never far off from talk about how cloud gaming will rock the industry as we know it. It can still come true, but personally, I don't want to be around when that happens.
Most gamers by now have lived through the anticipated launch of Diablo 3, but how many had had a good experience on day 1? The day the game went live, I played for about 10 minutes before the server kicked me out for a last minute update... and this is why I'm dreading a future of the cloud. What's that? Diablo 3 isn't a game in the cloud? No, but it's close, since you simply cannot play it when not hooked up to the internet.
Right now, I'm not going to go into how cloud gaming is a bad idea because of the usual stuff like spotty connections, lag, being a hostage to your service provider or the fact that you don't have a physical copy of the game (even though I just did). Rather, I'm arguing on the sake of just being able to play the darn thing. Taking the Diablo 3 analogy a step further, can you imagine loading up a cloud version of Red Dead 2, or Resident Evil 7 on launch day, only to find that you can't play it due to high server volumns? I'm picking on these games, and not games like World of Warcraft or even Modern Warfare because my concern is about single player.
One of the unavoidable ironies of the Diablo 3 launch is that the game can be played alone, single player, but you can't do that if the servers aren't up. And all the while you're thinking to yourself how it just doesn't make any sense! I'm trying to play single player for goodness' sake! It's like at the zoo, where a tiger is on the other side of the glass, and it wants nothing more than to maul me but it can't because I'm not on the same side. Even though the tiger can see me right there, not two feet away, but oh so frustratingly far because of the glass!
When I'm hungry for a great game, cloud gaming is that glass. I am the tiger, and the game is just on the other side, so close but so far away.
Anyway, this posting is more a rant than anything serious, but if given the chance, I'd go for a sunny forecast any day of the week.
I didn't realize that these kinds of games are called cloud gaming. I agree that it doesn't make sense to have a physical copy of the game but not being able to play it offline. Is it done to prevent piracy?
ReplyDeleteOf course, that's when you play other games that can be played offline (i.e. handheld / console / phone games / etc. games) ;)
Hey! Thanks for replying!
ReplyDeleteDiablo isn't a cloud game, really. It's like one, but not one. A true cloud game takes place entirely on a web. You don't need a console or a fast PC, just any PC with an internet connection would do. Basically, a cloud game has all the graphics and processing handled by a server off site, and you, as a user, just stream back the visuals. So Diablo, because it has to run off your PC, isn't a true cloud game. But the fact that you have to be online and signed in to play makes it, in effect, like a game in the cloud.
In Diablo's case, I think piracy is one reason why the this decision is made, but there are others. Having Diablo played off a server connection can also possibly limit cheating/hacks.
Hope that helps. :)