Where should I place my anger? (Bethesda/Sony)

[hermes]

Bethesda mostly but Sony should not allow buggy games like this to release on their system.

That...isn't how it works. Game consoles aren't very different from computers--the console is the hardware and OS, and game developers make the software (games). Sony has as much control over what games get made for the PS3 as Microsoft has over programs made for Windows. In other words, basically none.

BS, Sony has an approval process and they do have control over what is RELEASED on the PS3.

Sony's approval is nowhere near deep enough to detect most of those issues. It includes stuff like the game using some code to allow the PS menu, to have trophies, to be patchable, that the installation works properly, that the content is consistent with the ESRB rating, and so on... It is all fairly basic and mostly automated, it uses a checklist that says "does it have the proper number of trophies? does it implement function xx_yy_zz()?". It is not a play test of the game and they are not that kind of testers, they are not going to walk into clipping structures, missing textures or leaking memory, especially in a game as big as Skyrim. That is where Bethesda Q&A comes in...

So, its mostly Bethesda's fault. Their games has always been extremely buggy, across all platforms and they have always considered "post release" as "real testing". Besides, to say "PS3 is too hard to program" sound more like an excuse now when they have almost a decade of experience and studios with a thousandth of their resources are doing just fine.

 

[Laughing Man]

I'm calling this one a draw, just because neither of us has any proof.

Really you guys argued over this for a page and a half and it took me 30 seconds with Google to find that SONY DO HAVE AN APPROVAL PROCESS, these are the first two links that Google brings up

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/capcom-sonys-software-approval-process-takes-two-weeks/
http://www.ehow.com/how_6179711_create-games-sony-playstation-3.html

The only thing worth debating here is what and how good that approval process is.

As the topic at hand it's 100% Bethesda's fault. Blaming the hardware because the software won't run the way it is meant to is an easy cope out because it happily absolves the developer of a multitude of blames

They didn't spend the time or effort to develop the code and test it correctly to ensure it worked
They can release the code and make a quick buck
They can pass on any fixes for the crap code by simply rolling out the excuse that the hardware is the issue and they can't do anything about that.

If the code doesn't work, and can't be made to work it should never have been released and it should never have been put in a situation where people would be paying for it

 

[Tom_green_day]

Bethesda is my favourite game developer. Fallout 3 is my favourite game, and Skyrim second favourite. They are the only games that I would call 10/10 on.
I understand that lots of people found them buggy but I rarely had trouble with either. They worked perfectly and I didn't even get upset when DLC was delayed. I trust Bethesda. I think it's just a thing with luck. Some people may have problems with these games, and they are the vocal majority because people rarely post to say a game is working well. They just play it.

 

[TaboriHK]

New Vegas runs great and looks great on PC. So, maybe pick it up on Steam for a couple bucks?

 

[Loonyyy]

Both:

1) Bethesda clearly has failed in their QA testing. The bugs in Fallout 3 are notorious, only exceeded by the mess that Obsidian made with Bethesda's code in making New Vegas.
2) Sony did accredit the game, so they do deserve some criticism. A relatively minor amount. They can't be expected to run a second QA on every game released on their system.

Shoddy QA testing sucks, and buggy games are incredibly annoying. You really have to research these things, and reviewers are usually less than transparent about game playability. Most review sites will only mention the most egregious of failures (FO: NV, Skyrim on PS3), while other buggy games get relatively little mention because the bugs aren't as severe, but as a consumer, they can still be annoying. You have to look around to find out about the bugs and the like.

But, the problem is probably solvable. Find another save, muck around, you should be able to get it working if you persevere.