My attempts to produce a review for Section 8: Prejudice have been cut short, and I’m frustrated enough to run an article on the issue. The reason for the cancelation is Microsoft’s Games for Windows initiative.
Previously I’ve had not trouble with Games for Windows and Microsoft’s GFW Live software. However, recently I’ve been having issues with games supported by it left and right. Bulletstorm simply refused to boot and now Section 8: Prejudice won’t launch, either. I cannot run the new Games for Windows Marketplace, either. This is a rather recent development because I was able to run Section 8 and the marketplace within the last month.
If this was the only time something like this happened I would chalk it up as an impassible hitch in the review and just skip it. However I’ve had trouble with Games for Windows in the past. Fallout 3 for example was a beast to get up and running due to the finicky GFW Live software. It wanted updated, it wanted to restart, it wanted me to confirm my login repeatedly, and it would crash – allot. It eventually smoothed out and I could play but it was almost more trouble then I could stand.
I’ve attempted to download things from the Games for Windows program and been completely unable to do so. Crashes, finished downloads that wouldn’t open and downloads that just wouldn’t download completely soured me on it.
Let me make this clear: Section 8: Prejudice is not the issue. It’s simply the latest victim of Games for Windows for me. The game, which I will still provide a Final Opinion for, played fine, when I could play it. The issue I have is with Microsoft. If games branded with the Games for Windows logo don’t improve in ease of setup and overall stability, I will stopped buying them and I will definitely stop reviewing them. There’s no reason for me to subject myself to Microsoft’s ongoing public beta.
Alphasim out.
