Aftermath Xbox 360 sunk?

[benlen]

Hello,

While I know there has been no real, official information about a version of Aftermath, or now, Half Life 2: Episode I, on the Xbox 360, I just encountered something that could cause all possibility of it porting to the 360 hopeless.
That is, if Aftermath came to the Xbox 360 and required the original Half Life 2 Xbox disc to play:
http://www.igniq.com/2006/02/half-life-2-still-not-compatible-with.html

My brother just picked up an Xbox 360, and I have now played up until Water Hazard on the 360 where the game continually crashed the system. Before that, white pockmarks earlier were appearing erratically on the TV screen (a similar glitch has been seen in KOTOR2 on the original Xbox) during Route Kanal. Also, the framerate problems appeared a little worse, though I can't say that for certain.
However, the image quality of the Xbox 360 seemed crisper, and the aliasing problems significantly reduced, though, like with the framerate, I'll have to test my old Xbox to see the real (if any) difference between the two.
To add to the glitches, the audio (when playing on the Xbox 360) seems to degrade the G-Man's first speech by adding a weird radio static.Once or twice, it seems that NPCs voices have a weird echo effect.
After the initial loading screen, turning the Xbox 360 off and on, and going through the first loading screen again proves the Xbox loads it faster. As for in game loading screens, those times seem to be exactly alike, and I noticed no significant change.
Microsoft lists HL2 as a backward compatible game. I will have to try Water Hazard a couple more times to see whether the link above is relevant on my machine. If so, it is indeed grave news.
As an Xbox user and Macintosh computer guy, I'm unable to play Half Life 2 on my computer, so naturally, I would love to see more expansions for the system. I've heard rumors that Half Life 2: Episode I would 1) Be sold for 20 dollars and 2) Not require Half Life 2 to run on the PC. Is this true? If so, could this mean, if, and if, Valve decided to port to Xbox 360, would they follow this same path? If so, that would solve the whole problem of the main HL2 campaign, originally made for Xbox, having problems on the 360.
However, if Valve followed the Bungie route, making a disc that requires the main disc (in this case, Halo 2) it could cause problems on the system.
I know this topic seems rather pointless, but, I'm just curious what the general populous of PC users think of the 360s chances of attracting further expansions of Half Life 2? Likely? 50/50, 60/40?

Thanks,

ben

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

No Episode 1 isn't going anywhere but the PC, I HIGHLY doubt you will see another HL game on a console.

 

[Drackard]

Yeah, takes too much well needed time to port it over again.

 

[JellyWorld]

Aftermath Xbox 360 sunk? I never knew the idea was ever floated.


ooooooh a pun.

 

[Drackard]

Thats a good point actually :|

 

[kupocake]

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Half-Life episodes for 360, it just isn't on the cards yet. Maybe several episodes down the line where they can justify charging full retail price for them all. Or perhaps in the near future they'd release a "HL2 Extended" for 360 with Episode 1 tacked on the end (but selectable as playable from the go).

And HL2 X-Box being needed to run Aftermath 360? Nonsense. PC HL2 isn't even required to run PC Aftermath, why would they do something as arbitrarily stupid as needing a game that has to be emulated to play a new game? Why stop new-to-HL players from playing your game in this way, and what do you gain from making a console game require an earlier game to even work?

edit:

However, if Valve followed the Bungie route, making a disc that requires the main disc (in this case, Halo 2) it could cause problems on the system.

The case of Halo 2 is so different that I can't see why you're comparing the two scenarios. Halo 2's extras were a pissy collection of a few multiplayer maps, it would be stupidity to bundle the entire Halo 2 base onto a disc to make it standalone. HL2 Episode 1 may as well be an entire new game by comparrison. Futhermore: Halo 2 + MapPack = Xbox. HL2 + HL2 Aftermath = different platforms. Where is the comparrison at all?
edit2:
Also, if 360 Aftermath never happens, it is a small problem. It'll run on the average PC, so many Xbox fans of HL2 can just play it on the machine it was always intended to be played on.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Half-Life episodes for 360, it just isn't on the cards yet. Maybe several episodes down the line where they can justify charging full retail price for them all.

agreed.
right now there is no info on an X360 version but once Valve releases a few episodes you never know.
and yeah, once a couple of episodes are released, they can justify a full retail price so it definitely makes more sense for a release some time in the future but not right now or soon.

 

[Crumbs]

couldnt valve release a patch for half-life2 to like many other developers did to make xbox games compatible with the 360?

 

[kupocake]

couldnt valve release a patch for half-life2 to like many other developers did to make xbox games compatible with the 360?

Having released it so close to the X360's launch, they certainly should do, especially as the bug is a showstopper.

 

[xzeox]

I really doubt they would put the episodes on A console, It would almost be too much manufactoring, seeing as how they are going to be like.. what? - $10-$20 a pop? Valve was just going to release them through steam anyway, right?

 

[Shadow-warrior]

Screw the Xbox, support the PC industry!

People want Half-Life? let them buy a PC.

 

[kupocake]

Screw the Xbox, support the PC industry!

Funny, because most of the components in an X-Box are made by PC-based companies and it's a microsoft machine. So they're pumping money into companies whos interests partially lay in the PC market anyway

 

[Cole]

Funny, because most of the components in an X-Box are made by PC-based companies and it's a microsoft machine. So they're pumping money into companies whos interests partially lay in the PC market anyway

It's not what is in the Xbox, it's what it is. It's a console, it's only purpose is to play games.
Pc's on the other hand are ment to be multi-purpose tools.

Plus if there were more pc gamers pc prices would drastically fall. You know why you can make console parts so cheap? It's because you know that theres going to be millions of people buying it. It's not hard to manufacture but you have to pay all the employs, the research, the developing, the marketing, the custom support, working with other companies, just everything...
Then they go one step furthor and then loose money on the console and make money off the licensing fee's.
Now with Pc parts their wont be to many people buying a 7800GTX compared to an Xbox 360. So they have to raise the prices to pay for everything.

 

[kupocake]

Minerel... What is your point exactly? I'm talking about how HL2's sales on the X-Box and sales of the X-Box machine itself actually benefit PC users, because of how PC companies have invested their money. The f**k are you talking about? Seems to me very much like you're on your highest "ooh look at me, aren't I smart" random fact horse, but i'm not at all convinced that you're actually aware that what you say has no relevence to the text you have quoted.

Jist of the last three posts.

ZOMG XBox is Ghey! Everyone should have PC!

XBoxes have parts manufactured by PC companies therefore the money they make may benefit PC companies.

OMG! XBOX ISN'T A PC! You know what I heard AN INDUSTRY INSIDER SAY?! Consoles are sold cheap because... wait for it... they recuperate their loses through software sales! Wow! Genius! Who gives a shit if its relevant, at least it's true! So like, If people brought more PCs, you know, ignoring the fact that console and pc markets are vastly different, they'd make more money or something!