It Sure Was Good While It Lasted (December 4, 2007)

Bandit LOAF · 12-03-2007, 16:00

We've put together a quick tribute to those nine glorious months of Wing Commander on GameTap. It includes screenshots of all the 'bonus material' presented in the client along with copies of the games' manuals, the video trailer for Wing Commander I and other bits of GameTapicana. For those unfamiliar, the service will stop hosting Wing Commander I, II and IV on December 11th. The GameTap archive is available here.

We've also learned that the games are being removed because GameTap opted not to continue paying Electronic Arts' for their use. Their failure to report on the issue or to deal with the aftermath is at least as infuriating as the fact that we've been paying them for a service which doesn't work as promised. We urge anyone affected by this debacle to post to this thread at GameTap's website - let them know what you think!

--
Original update published on December 4, 2007

MannPower · 12-05-2007, 08:20

Things like this always happen to me; here I was the night before last, thinking about signing up for GameTap to get Wing Commander, since my ol' copy of Kiltrathi Saga ran a little goofily on my machine. Looks like that plan's gone down the tubes.

Sounds like GameTap has a big customer relation situation going on over there over this. Serves them right.

Bandit LOAF · 12-05-2007, 08:31

I rarely enjoy (or advocate) tilting at windmills (beyond simply being a Wing Commander fan in 2007)... but I'm having quite a time yelling at the GameTap forums. It won't get us anything, but gosh darnit I'm angry.

Dyret · 12-05-2007, 09:07

Got a link?

Bandit LOAF · 12-05-2007, 09:41

This is the current thread: http://www.gametap.com/forums/thread...art=0&start=15

There was another, but it was closed - presumably because news sites were using it as their link to the story... since GT has done such a no-assed job of explaining the situation themselves.

MannPower · 12-05-2007, 10:07

I noticed that over on their forums. Nobody's stepped up yet, and I've seen a lot of good points made by customers. I wonder if this is some sort of (asinine) legal issue.

Bandit LOAF · 12-05-2007, 10:15

No, no legal issue - GameTap simply decided they didn't want to renew their contracts with EA, Interplay and others.

MannPower · 12-05-2007, 11:02

Talk about impulsiveness. Those publishers/developers pretty much are the only ones making the service worthwhile. Wing Commander is probably the only title that would have gotten them my money.

Short-sighted marketing, and piss-poor customer service.

AD · 12-05-2007, 13:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by MannPower

Talk about impulsiveness. Those publishers/developers pretty much are the only ones making the service worthwhile. Wing Commander is probably the only title that would have gotten them my money.

Short-sighted marketing, and piss-poor customer service.

I think this sucks too

Behind closed doors though it seems like EA and the others, because of their desirability, probably charge more than the other companies to use their titles. Propably some accounting nobody decided that the returns on the EA liscense and others wasn't justifying the cost. THer probably wasn't the huge boost in subscribers since before the EA contracts so they decided to save money. I don't see how they get away with remaining silent on the issue though.

Kevin Caccamo · 12-05-2007, 15:18

It was quite neat that Wing Commander IV made it to Gametap... Considering the amount of disk space required. It had a lot of FMV; and videos usually take up a lot of HD space... I remember a dosbox video I recorded being ~300MB! Videos are very large files, indeed.

Though I never signed up for Gametap... It sure would have been neat to experience these classics in their former glory on your modern PC.

Haesslich · 12-05-2007, 22:23

You know what's REALLY funny? Gametap is now promoting Daikatana as a reason to get the service.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/romero.s-ba...ree-330328.php

To quote the article...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kotaku

GameTap really hates us. Don't believe it? Just look what they've given us for Christmas. From now until December 31st, John Romero's masterpiece Daikatana is free for everyone to play.They've even posted a retrospective covering the game's history for you to giggle at. If you missed out on what some game reviewers at the time called "BWAHAHAHAHAHA", and "Is this a joke?", then now is your chance to experience all the pulse-pounding terror of robot frogs! *insert horrific violin squealing incidental music here*. Seriously though, you can't make fun of it unless you've played it, so there it is. This article is the gaming equivalent of eating something bad and going, "Ew, this is horrible! Taste this!"

Bandit LOAF · 12-06-2007, 02:16

That's not funny, it's entirely calculated - they know "GAMETAP RELEASED DAIKATANA, HAHAHA" will eclipse media interest in "GAMETAP LOSES ALL THEIR GOOD GAMES."

...apparently it's working.

Aginor · 12-06-2007, 02:34

The thought alone makes me sick.....

MannPower · 12-06-2007, 08:35

This one's bleeding profusely! Quickly, get salt on these wounds, stat!

t.c.cgi · 12-06-2007, 08:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

That's not funny, it's entirely calculated - they know "GAMETAP RELEASED DAIKATANA, HAHAHA" will eclipse media interest in "GAMETAP LOSES ALL THEIR GOOD GAMES."

...apparently it's working.

Yes, very smart marketing tactic - replace blockbuster franchises with a single wet fart of a title. I don't know. With this sort of management I don't see GameTap turning into anything but another PopCap outlet or outright closing its doors.

Bandit LOAF · 12-06-2007, 09:14

Hey, hey, hey... Feeding Frenzy is a great game.

Haesslich · 12-06-2007, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

That's not funny, it's entirely calculated - they know "GAMETAP RELEASED DAIKATANA, HAHAHA" will eclipse media interest in "GAMETAP LOSES ALL THEIR GOOD GAMES."

...apparently it's working.

Ah, but that's where word of mouth kicks in. No EA games = no Sim-games (big draw for casual players), no Need for Speed titles, and no Origin titles... which draws us folk.

We'll see how they're doing next year, but I'll bet they'll end up like Ion Storm Dallas. Which, given that they're basically Eidos' bitch, isn't at ALL surprising.

t.c.cgi · 12-06-2007, 13:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

Hey, hey, hey... Feeding Frenzy is a great game.

I mean to imply they'd fade into the obscurity of "just another casual game vendor," not that PopCap games are trash. Hell, I lost a week of my life playing Bejeweled.

MannPower · 12-07-2007, 06:48

EA could redeem themselves for me if they created a modern M.U.L.E.

But there's as much a chance of that as an actual Wing Commander.

Aginor · 12-07-2007, 06:50

It depends on what you call an "actual" Wing Commander. I don't like Arena's style very much, either, but it is as much an "actual Wing Commander" as every other WC game.

Bandit LOAF · 12-07-2007, 06:52

Actually, we're an odd exemption from the usual internet-geek-rage regarding EA -- we *want* them to do the same thing over and over again.

EA is actually very good about experimental stuff, no matter what the slashdot-and-brie crowed insists... just because they capitalize on things like The Sims and Ultima Online doesn't mean that they didn't take a huge risk by developing those new concepts in the first place. Right now they're throwing an awful lot of money into Spore and Army or Two, which are both big untried 'concept' games.

MannPower · 12-07-2007, 07:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aginor

It depends on what you call an "actual" Wing Commander. I don't like Arena's style very much, either, but it is as much an "actual Wing Commander" as every other WC game.

I mean a story-driven sequel, or even a re-invisioning of the first game on modern technology. That is, not a spin-off.

Also, LOAF - I agree. My gripe with EA isn't what games they choose to produce, but the games they don't. My anger at them was spurred by the discontinuation of my favorite game series - Ultima, Wing Commander, Crusader - despite their blatant viability and exemplary financial history. And then, of course, the downsizing and eventual closing of Origin, and the fallout that was hinted years prior.

I don't hate EA. There are games they publish that I play, and enjoy. However, they're more like an old friend that borrowed money a long time ago and never paid me back.

Vinman · 12-07-2007, 09:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by MannPower

I mean a story-driven sequel, or even a re-invisioning of the first game on modern technology. That is, not a spin-off.

Also, LOAF - I agree. My gripe with EA isn't what games they choose to produce, but the games they don't. My anger at them was spurred by the discontinuation of my favorite game series - Ultima, Wing Commander, Crusader - despite their blatant viability and exemplary financial history. And then, of course, the downsizing and eventual closing of Origin, and the fallout that was hinted years prior.

I don't hate EA. There are games they publish that I play, and enjoy. However, they're more like an old friend that borrowed money a long time ago and never paid me back.

Are Ultima, Wing Commander and Crusader really blatantly viable franchises anymore? Ultima lost a huge amount of goodwill with the last few games, the greasy masses probably aren't willing to buy joysticks to play Wing Commander and I don't remember Crusader being a huge hit. I could be wrong about that last one.

I might be out there, but I think the best prospect would be a Strike Commander sequel, something along the lines of Ace Combat.

MannPower · 12-07-2007, 09:32

I was speaking of the time after the final release in any of those franchises. Sequels were in the works, but subsequentially shot down - for whatever respective reasons - by EA.

Crusader was actually a fairly successful franchise at the time, but hit a hiccup during that transitional era between 2D and 3D and seemingly never recovered (ala Fallout 3, prior to being picked up by Bethesda - albeit with horrible financial decisions by Interplay).

At any rate, the IPs themselves were plenty viable for years. I'd say at least WC and Ultima were in good standing 'til the early 2000's. Even Ultima X was shaping up to look good, if 9 hadn't been so hampered by all the crap going on with Origin/EA at that time.

I just happen to think dumping them was a faithless marketing decision.

Bandit LOAF · 12-07-2007, 09:39

I don't know how viable they were - in both cases, EA basically issued an ultimatum... sell a million copies to prove the series still has what it takes. Wing Commander Prophecy came a lot closer than Ultima IX did, as far as I understand, but neither one hit the mark.

Strike Commander is another story - the game *never* caught on and it wasted a boatload of money... to the point that a Strike spinoff that was to act as a quick followup using the same technology, Phoenix Force, died well into development immediately afterwards.

12-03-2007, 16:00	#1
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	It Sure Was Good While It Lasted (December 4, 2007) We've put together a quick tribute to those nine glorious months of Wing Commander on GameTap. It includes screenshots of all the 'bonus material' presented in the client along with copies of the games' manuals, the video trailer for Wing Commander I and other bits of GameTapicana. For those unfamiliar, the service will stop hosting Wing Commander I, II and IV on December 11th. The GameTap archive is available here. We've also learned that the games are being removed because GameTap opted not to continue paying Electronic Arts' for their use. Their failure to report on the issue or to deal with the aftermath is at least as infuriating as the fact that we've been paying them for a service which doesn't work as promised. We urge anyone affected by this debacle to post to this thread at GameTap's website - let them know what you think! -- Original update published on December 4, 2007

12-05-2007, 08:31	#3
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	I rarely enjoy (or advocate) tilting at windmills (beyond simply being a Wing Commander fan in 2007)... but I'm having quite a time yelling at the GameTap forums. It won't get us anything, but gosh darnit I'm angry. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

12-05-2007, 09:07	#4
Dyret Super Carrot! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norway Posts: 2,151	Got a link? __________________ Glory to the many

12-05-2007, 09:41	#5
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	This is the current thread: http://www.gametap.com/forums/thread...art=0&start=15 There was another, but it was closed - presumably because news sites were using it as their link to the story... since GT has done such a no-assed job of explaining the situation themselves. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

12-05-2007, 10:15	#7
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	No, no legal issue - GameTap simply decided they didn't want to renew their contracts with EA, Interplay and others. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

12-05-2007, 08:20	#2
MannPower 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 226	Things like this always happen to me; here I was the night before last, thinking about signing up for GameTap to get Wing Commander, since my ol' copy of Kiltrathi Saga ran a little goofily on my machine. Looks like that plan's gone down the tubes. Sounds like GameTap has a big customer relation situation going on over there over this. Serves them right.

12-05-2007, 10:07	#6
MannPower 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 226	I noticed that over on their forums. Nobody's stepped up yet, and I've seen a lot of good points made by customers. I wonder if this is some sort of (asinine) legal issue.

12-05-2007, 11:02	#8
MannPower 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 226	Talk about impulsiveness. Those publishers/developers pretty much are the only ones making the service worthwhile. Wing Commander is probably the only title that would have gotten them my money. Short-sighted marketing, and piss-poor customer service.

12-05-2007, 15:18	#10
Kevin Caccamo Swabbie Banned Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 476	It was quite neat that Wing Commander IV made it to Gametap... Considering the amount of disk space required. It had a lot of FMV; and videos usually take up a lot of HD space... I remember a dosbox video I recorded being ~300MB! Videos are very large files, indeed. Though I never signed up for Gametap... It sure would have been neat to experience these classics in their former glory on your modern PC.

12-06-2007, 02:16	#12
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	That's not funny, it's entirely calculated - they know "GAMETAP RELEASED DAIKATANA, HAHAHA" will eclipse media interest in "GAMETAP LOSES ALL THEIR GOOD GAMES." ...apparently it's working. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

12-06-2007, 02:34	#13
Aginor 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 127	The thought alone makes me sick.....

12-06-2007, 08:35	#14
MannPower 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 226	This one's bleeding profusely! Quickly, get salt on these wounds, stat!

12-06-2007, 09:14	#16
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	Hey, hey, hey... Feeding Frenzy is a great game. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

12-07-2007, 06:48	#19
MannPower 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 226	EA could redeem themselves for me if they created a modern M.U.L.E. But there's as much a chance of that as an actual Wing Commander.

12-07-2007, 06:50	#20
Aginor 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 127	It depends on what you call an "actual" Wing Commander. I don't like Arena's style very much, either, but it is as much an "actual Wing Commander" as every other WC game.

12-07-2007, 06:52	#21
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	Actually, we're an odd exemption from the usual internet-geek-rage regarding EA -- we want them to do the same thing over and over again. EA is actually very good about experimental stuff, no matter what the slashdot-and-brie crowed insists... just because they capitalize on things like The Sims and Ultima Online doesn't mean that they didn't take a huge risk by developing those new concepts in the first place. Right now they're throwing an awful lot of money into Spore and Army or Two, which are both big untried 'concept' games. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

12-07-2007, 09:32	#24
MannPower 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 226	I was speaking of the time after the final release in any of those franchises. Sequels were in the works, but subsequentially shot down - for whatever respective reasons - by EA. Crusader was actually a fairly successful franchise at the time, but hit a hiccup during that transitional era between 2D and 3D and seemingly never recovered (ala Fallout 3, prior to being picked up by Bethesda - albeit with horrible financial decisions by Interplay). At any rate, the IPs themselves were plenty viable for years. I'd say at least WC and Ultima were in good standing 'til the early 2000's. Even Ultima X was shaping up to look good, if 9 hadn't been so hampered by all the crap going on with Origin/EA at that time. I just happen to think dumping them was a faithless marketing decision. __________________ Go to Hell, Jazz.

12-07-2007, 09:39	#25
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,932	I don't know how viable they were - in both cases, EA basically issued an ultimatum... sell a million copies to prove the series still has what it takes. Wing Commander Prophecy came a lot closer than Ultima IX did, as far as I understand, but neither one hit the mark. Strike Commander is another story - the game never caught on and it wasted a boatload of money... to the point that a Strike spinoff that was to act as a quick followup using the same technology, Phoenix Force, died well into development immediately afterwards. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG