GameCentral readers admit to whether they have any loyalty to a particular company, console, or video game franchise.
The subject for this weeks Hot Topic was suggested by reader Alberto, who asked whether you consider yourself loyal to anything in gaming? Do you defend whatever it is online and how do you feel your loyalty is rewarded by the companies in question?
The surprising thing about this Hot Topic was that the smallest percentage of answers was people admitting they had a loyalty to a particular console. Instead it was trusted developers that proved the most popular, although few considered their loyalty to be without question.
Day one fan
Unpopular opinion but Ill always remain loyal to Microsoft and buying the Xbox console. Yes, I know its the less powerful, less pretty, and less popular console but their exclusives and the Xbox controller keep me firmly in Microsofts fan base.
Ive been an Xbox Live member since day one when I got the original Xbox and a copy of Midtown Madness 3, the launch title. I had so much fun online on that game that there was no looking back. On the Xbox 360 I have fond memories of Marble Blast Ultra and Halo 3.
I hate the term fanboy but I guess I cant deny thats what I am…
Ive played PlayStation and they undoubtedly have great games but not great enough to justify the switch over.
The only game I might ever be tempted by is if The Getaway got another sequel and was PlayStation exclusive, but Id still keep my Xbox regardless!
Danny
Fan for life
Im usually not one to write in about this stuff, as Ive seen devs and franchises come and go since I started gaming in 81, shortly after I moved to Australia.
But I do have to say that Im a blind sucker for the Gran Turismo franchise and anything Polyphony Digital produce in general. Theyre not a prolific team, but I cant help but feel that they put heart and soul into what they do and it seems to shine with every iteration of Gran Turismo that Ive bought.
Yes, I blew $300 on Gran Turismo 5 for the Signature Edition, which remains my most expensive single purchase on any game. Crikey, it took me three years before I ever dared put any mileage on those Signature Edition cars! But Gran Turismo 5 was an impressive game on a console with a 256MB GPU. Id dare anyone to show me a more ambitious game using such limited resources.
Polyphony Digital are far from perfect, but the joy theyve given me over 20 years of racing means Im a fan for life, and thats a badge Ill wear with a self-deprecating grin.
AERO_HDT (PSN ID)
Its nothing personal
Im not loyal to any aspect of the gaming industry, if a new game or console isnt good I probably wont buy it.
I have a longstanding interest in several franchises, notably Hitman and Grand Theft Auto. However, if the developers of those games made a catastrophic error (for example, if they dumbed down Hitman and turned it into a generic shooter) I wouldnt feel obligated to buy the game anyway because my money and time are finite.
I like the Xbox brand, but not for any sensible reason, I just think that owning an Xbox sounds cooler than owning a PlayStation.
Anyone whos spent time working for a sizable company surely realises that the aforementioned company doesnt really care or think about their customers on an individual basis.
This fact is not something to get hurt or angry about, its just logic. To survive a company must engage with its clients en masse and base its decisions purely on profitability.
msv858 (Twitter)
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Loyalty through the ages
There are a few franchises and companies Ive followed, the Forza Motorsport and Horizon games being ones that I have got all the games for.
I started with the original Forza Motorsport on the Xbox, purchased a Ferrari 360 Modena steering wheel and pedals… by Thrustmaster I think. I spent ages customising a car with my mate, upgrading it, sitting back and zooming around Maple Valley (my favourite track), Road America, Silverstone, and many others.
Getting the other Forzas was a no-brainer and then Horizon mixed it up with slightly more arcadey handling (but not too much) and open world environments, with Horizon 3 and 4 being the pinnacle of the series.
I have also followed Bungie since Halo: Combat Evolved (I enjoyed Halo 4, especially Spartan Ops, but 343 messed it up with Halo 5), with Destiny and Destiny 2 being my most played games of this generation.
Back in the day it was Activision on the Atari 2600 and Durell and Ultimate on the Spectrum.
bilup (gamertag)
Benefit of hindsight
I would not consider myself to be a loyal consumer. I have favourite developers but I would not blindly buy everything they made. I am certainly more likely to buy a game by Nintendo, Naughty Dog, Rockstar, or Bungie but it is by no means a certainty.
An outsider would probably argue that I am loyal to Nintendo as I am one of the few people that actually bought a Wii U but that was mainly due to a really good deal on Amazon. In hindsight skipping that console would have been the sensible approach as everything remotely decent has been ported to the Switch.
PazJohnMitch
I choose you
I try not to be loyal too much in gaming, because as is evidenced every year by just about every gaming company, they care little for gamers but there are two things above all else I am loyal to.
The first is the Pokémon franchise. In the years since Red/Blue/Green I have yet to play a Pokémon game I didnt enjoy, from mainline games (even the slight misstep Lets Go) to the spin-offs such as Dash, Trozei, Rumble, Mystery Dungeon, etc. I have enjoyed countless hours digging into them. The world is so vast, the spin-off sub genres so unique and quirky and the Pokémon themselves all have a charm to them (even Vanilluxe). Thats not to mention the anime, collectible card game, plushies, etc.
The second is a sub-genre of game: sexy games like Dead Or Alive Xtreme, Senran Kagura, Valkyrie Drive, etc. They have always been under attack from Western gaming outlets, and now even Sony due to their usual double standards on content, but I adore them. We dont get many if you really look at it so I always try to support them however they turn out (often not the best admittedly). I will always defend these as they cause no harm and they have every right to cater to a niche audience.
CerezoMask
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No strings attached
Im not sure that loyalty should have a place in gaming, as its the driver for some of gamings less pleasant sides. The PC master race, console fanboys, gamers feeling that developers owe them something for their past purchases. Loyalty is often blind, and consoles and franchises can shift in quality too sharply to warrant that loyalty most of the time.
From a console perspective Ive changed depending on our groups best take on which console would suit us best, shifting from PS1, N64, and PlayStation 2 to Xbox, Xbox 360, and then back to PlayStation 4. We even went to the Eurogamer Expo before this gen to get a better view of which console to buy.
That said, its not unreasonable to look at a developers recent track record to take that into account when buying games. I do this with a number of developers, like Double Fine and Obsidian, where their track record merits initial interest, but I would rarely buy a game completely ignoring what others (including reviewers whose opinions I value, like GC or RPS) have said about it. Some people like to make up their own mind, but you can only do that after making the purchase and by then youve already bought it, which slightly defeats the purpose.
Companies have no obligation to reward loyalty, in the same way that we have no obligation to be loyal to companies. Its a one-time transaction. We pay the money, and they provide the game. We have no obligation to buy future games and DLC, and they have no obligation to provide them unless it was part of the original purchase.
This sounds a bit cold, I guess, but Im all for standing up and supporting your favourite games – just as long as youve played them first.
Matt Woolley (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)
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