"dumbed down for the console gamer"

[bue519]

Its probably because you have ruined every awesome franchise, EX: look at Fallout 2 compared to 3. One was awesome, the other was a dumbed down buggy piece of trash. Just please play Halo Wars, and leave the rest of the RTS's alone.

Logic issue, the devs of fallout 2 didn't make fallout 3. Nice try

So what they do with the franchise doesn't matter? I apologize for not bowing down to Oblivion with guns. Besides do you think the people who made Super Mario Galaxy are same who made the original Super Mario? Well, that doesn't mean that the game has to suck.

 

[bue519]

Its probably because you have ruined every awesome franchise, EX: look at Fallout 2 compared to 3. One was awesome, the other was a dumbed down buggy piece of trash. Just please play Halo Wars, and leave the rest of the RTS's alone.

Maybe you should address that to the developers instead of the gamers.

Also, I have played all the Fallout games and 3 was by far my favorite, same with many members of this community. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's bad.

You say that and yet just because I like Fallout 2 people say its a terrible game. For me Fallout 3 is bad because it was buggy, they dumbed down the orginals survival in the wasteland, and Oblivion was a better version of Fallout 3. That is why I do not enjoy the game, its not because its new or anything the devs just didn't give a crap.

 

[Bruce Edwards]

"Dumbed down for consoles" is a way for PC players to be big elitist dicks. Just remember that a mouse and keyboard do not make someone superior but his attitude can make him a douche.

Well ... yes ... except 'Dumbing down for consoles' does actually happen.

Not for console *players*, so much, as to fit the limitations of a console hardware and control scheme.

See Rainbow Six for the biggest, brightest example I can think of.

 

[oktalist]

so i want to know why this phrase is used, i can accept if it relates to the control scheme or the processing power but its misrepresenting to say that its because we are dumb

It's an unfortunate truth that when all you have to do is plug in a few cables and put a disc in a drive, you will get more idiots playing than if you filter out such people by forcing them to spend hours installing patches and drivers until they get too bored and frustrated to continue.

That's not to say that clever people don't play consoles, but the console-playing demographic does include a higher proportion of idiots than its PC counterpart, I'm sorry to say.

Which means that if you're developing a console game, and you want to be accessible to the widest possible audience, that audience is going to include idiots and you are going to have to design accordingly. If you're only designing for PC, you know that anyone who actually gets to play your game has already proven their ability to sit through hours of tedious button-clicking and window-stacking and probably gets off on it, too.

This from a PC gamer who has seen many of his favourite franchises slaughtered when they went to console.

 

[Thaius]

Well, excuse my similar generalization, but the loudest PC gamers tend to be intense elitists. They think they're better than console gamers because they have their own customizable hardware, a "better" and more customizable control scheme, and... no real reason. Again, it's a generalization, and I'm aware that it's more a loud minority than an actual majority, but it is nevertheless the background of the phrase.

Compare it to PC people hating on Mac users. They claim Mac users are dumber because Macs are easier to use, when in fact, "easier to use" is hardly a negative thing. They just like feeling better.

 

[Twilight_guy]

"Dumbed down for consoles" is a way for PC players to be big elitist dicks. Just remember that a mouse and keyboard do not make someone superior but his attitude can make him a douche.

Well ... yes ... except 'Dumbing down for consoles' does actually happen.

Not for console *players*, so much, as to fit the limitations of a console hardware and control scheme.

See Rainbow Six for the biggest, brightest example I can think of.

But you see when a company alters it's game to work within the parameters of certain hardware limitations we can just as easily say that we "engineered an alternative solution to the hardware problems" as we can say "we dumbed it down to work on consoles." Both say the same thing but one is nebulously positive and the other is decidedly more negative. The choice to always use the word "dumbed down" is a choice to portray consoles in a negative light and thus try to show superior in non-consoles (namely computers). Thus it is an engine of elitism more then an accurate description. The connotation here is squarely for elitism and that is what the phrase represents.

 

[Ranthus]

Mods and customization, okay?
That's my argument.
Not necessarily "Dumbing Down" but it is simpler.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

It's the douchebag Gears of War Halo/COD people and the screaming midgets that give us Consolians a bad name.

Fixed. Seriously those communities are far worse.

"Dumbed Down" is a poor choice of words, though it's hard to even say it's been simplified and not sound like you're calling console gamers drooling idiots.

 

[Echo136]

I had always assumed that saying was used because of the versatility of PC games versus console games such as mods added to the fact that with mouse and keyboard controls you get many more options for buttons and precision with your mouse. Thats pretty much all.

 

[King Toasty]

It's the douchebag Gears of War Halo/COD people and the screaming midgets that give us Consolians a bad name.

Fixed. Seriously those communities are far worse.

I didn't mean the communities, I meant the douche-mohawks Guido types who only play the Big Manly Gritty Giant-Turtleneck type games.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

It's the douchebag Gears of War Halo/COD people and the screaming midgets that give us Consolians a bad name.

Fixed. Seriously those communities are far worse.

I didn't mean the communities, I meant the douche-mohawks Guido types who only play the Big Manly Gritty Giant-Turtleneck type games.

Well yes Gears of War is a big manly mans game. Only for big men. What Yahtzee says is true, given the chance we would all replace our genetalia with miniguns.

 

[Eduku]

"Dumbed Down" is a poor choice of words, though it's hard to even say it's been simplified and not sound like you're calling console gamers drooling idiots.

Agreed. 'Dumbed down', while perhaps being technically correct, has some derogatory connotations. I'd say 'simplified' would be a good way to put it, but then, as you said, console gamers might still be offended by that.

And yes, while there are some vocal PC elitists (some of whom have posted in this thread. See: the person(s) who basically said 'you console gamers ruined my favourite franchise'), there are also those vocal console gamers who are very quick to generalise, without thinking, that all PC gamers are elitists looking to exercise their superiority (who have also posted in this thread. See: the person(s) who saw the phrase 'dumbed down' and immediately gave a knee-jerk reaction of 'it's a way for PC gamers to look down on us'), and those people are no better than the afore-mentioned PC elitists. It goes both ways, people.

 

[Thamous]

I think Mass Effect is a good example of this.

Mass Effect 1: Focus on RPG and number building, had inventory management which was more like what's usual on the PC.

Mass Effect 2: Focus on Third Person Shooter aspects, inventory gone, armour removed, weapons simplified.

Shooters sell better, and most shooters are designed for the consoles. Thus, it makes sense that if you want to appeal to more of your audience, you make your game more of a shooter.
Thus, dumbing down for consoles.

It's not the fault of the players, it's the fault of the market.

Are you talking about the Mass Effect the was developed for the Xbox 360 and then ported to the PC by a different studio 5 months later?

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Its probably because you have ruined every awesome franchise, EX: look at Fallout 2 compared to 3. One was awesome, the other was a dumbed down buggy piece of trash. Just please play Halo Wars, and leave the rest of the RTS's alone.

Damn trolls.

Hmm coming from the dude with a two a word post thats a bit insulting. Atleast I adressed the OP, your trolling other peoples posts. And I'm sorry that I wanted to end this persons post early before they talk about how games today are golden encrusted gods and how the games of yesteryear have bad graphics and confusing mechanics. I hope that when your done with puberty, people will destroy you beloved franchise.
Damn trolls.

Alright buddy. At least I'm not arrogant enough to feel that I have the right to end someone's legitimate thread because I personally don't like the way a couple of franchises have evolved. You don't like the new games? Too bad, don't play them. Your PC elitism is unwanted and unnecessary.

And I have no idea why you would call my age into question. Personal insults only showcase your own juvenile tendencies. I feel sorry for you to be honest. I'm glad that I can play and appreciate both PC and consoles without becoming bitter and angry at the other guys for ruining my "beloved franchises."

 

[Gyrefalcon]

No, it's easier if you have a mouse to choose what to click on and 15 times more keys for other actions, that's something a console game-pad cannot do, so to make it easier for console gamers, interfaces and other stuffs I cannot think of right now are simplified. Its not the console gamer that is stupid but the game-pad is not suited for more complicated things, but it's definitely awesome for some types of games. (eg. easier to play platformers on the console, easier to play RTSs on a PC)

Yes, and some games actually use a lot of keys to control actions. Yet I have yet to see a good explanation of why Heroes of Might and Magic needed to be turned into a fighting game instead of being ported over to the game consoles as the strategy game it is. It does NOT use that many keys, nor are the graphics that difficult, etc. The game manufacturers seem to assume that if you use a console it means you are 8 years old, when in truth, if you have a work computer, the government does not allow "partial gaming use". (Usually. Those in that field might be exempt.)

 

[Stabby Joe]

I want a PC only gamer to play through Demon's Souls or Megaman 9.

I'm mainly a pc gamer and I played through Demon's Souls.... was there a point to that?

Because the notion a game is "dumbed down for the console" suggests that console games are simple minded cakewalks.

I want a PC only gamer to play through Demon's Souls or Megaman 9.

PSN is Travajador. I don't use the PS3 anymore, but if it's online at any time you can look up my trophies from beating Demon's Souls to hell.

Then can I also assume you know what I'm referring to when I point those out?

ummm they are simple I got a 21 ks online in mw at my friends house in the first time I touched the bloody game

I've never played MW... and that's the same game everyone keeps citing. I'm talking about more challenging games on the console.

 

[Staskala]

It surprises me that nobody has mentioned the underlying issue that makes "console dumbing down" a real issue: money, both for games and to make games. Fact is, a casual gamer who wants to break out the controller an hour or two per week doesn't generally want to spend upward of $2,500 on a decent gaming PC

Don't pull this shit again, a decent gaming PC (self-buildt, mid-end, can play anything, lasts at least 3 years, much longer if you can take "dated" graphics (that means when the graphics of today are considered dated)) doesn't even cost 600$ these days. You can also only switch parts instead of buying a whole new PC every 4 years, which lowers costs even further.

Argue about what you want, but don't pull the ever so old "PCs are way too expensive!" argument.
And don't even complain about them being too complicated (to build) while in the same breath stating that there is no truth to the "dumbed down" argument.