Capcom questions N+ dev's logic

via Eurogamer


Command 3 director Adam Boyes thinks N+ developer Metanet was wrong to call the vast majority of games on XBLA rubbish.

Writing on the Capcom US blog, Boyes said the real problem is how the content is presented, not the content itself.

"There is good content up there, but the Yellow Pages system [alphabetised with numerical titles at the top] doesn't lend itself to a proper sorting mechanic that we are used to from Amazon or YouTube," he said.

"Instead of complaining that XBLA has hundreds of games that are 'utter sh**' and advocating a no-limit release of a billion craptastic games, I think we need to work on lobbying a better system for sorting games. After all, Sony already has sorting for 'Most Popular' on PSN..."

Boyes praised the "indefinite shelf space" of the service that makes a game always available, and said he appreciated the demo system that lets you try before you buy.

These demos, if you remember, were one of the problem areas picked out by Metanet, which claimed it "was unbelievably depressing for us to try literally 80 games and enjoy less than 8 of them".

As a result, Metanet relies on word of mouth and reviews, which puts us back in "retail land" and far from the "Mecca for small teams" that it envisioned at the beginning of XBLA.

Meanwhile, Boyes continued to laud the freedom of the service and how there was a game for everyone, including his wife.

But again, this was something Metanet was against. It argued that "casual games outnumber proper videogames", which leads to the "vast majority of titles" being disappointing.

Conflicting interests, then. But who is right and who is wrong?

Pop over to the Capcom US blog and the Metanet website to read more.