Alt-Controls.com Petition to Rockstar & Take-Two: Re GTA IV

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As SAKY has alluded to in his previous two postings, we need to act now.

I have prepared a letter to send to Rockstar and Take-Two games but I need the support of all Alt-Controls.com readers & members that are interested in this game.

Please send a quick message to us here (subject GTA IV) so I can add your signature/email to the petition.

The deadline is this Friday, February 15th as we need to act quickly since the game is so close to its scheduled released. Thank you for your help & support in advance!

GTA4 FPS controls confirmed!!!

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I just read this article over at kotaku.com and it confirms that GTA 4 will (as I suspected) use an FPS style of controls. I strongly urge all of you to take some time from your day to contact Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive regarding the inclusion of Southpaw AND Legacy control schemes, as I said yesterday, this game is going to start printing in 2 months. We have very little time to get heard and everyone needs to do their part.

If you want to play this game you need to make yourself heard now. GO!!!!

Grand Theft Auto IV, Trouble Ahead?!?

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I was watching G4 last night and saw this video of Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb’s impressions of GTA4. If you watch the clip you might get worried like I am now.

Let me tell you why I am concerned, Adam and Morgan mentioned that this game’s combat system is somewhat similar to Gears of War, having a duck and cover system. I started thinking how the 3D iterations in GTA have played before…console versions have had an auto aiming feature for the gun fights on the ground while the PC versions have always been FPS style controls. So I asked myself…what if Rockstar chages the game to an FPS style of control in the console version of GTA IV? I can only imagine that this is going to be bad news for us southpaw and legacy players, legacy players should be especially worried if games like Saint’s Row and Crackdown are any indication of potential control options in the upcoming GTA game.

Now, at the same time I could also see a duck and cover system used in conjunction with an auto lock feature similar to the previous GTA games. However, if you have played a GTA game on a PC then you should know that FPS style controls are way more functional for a GTA game. You don’t have to worry about auto-lock picking out the wrong enemy in a hectic battle and little perks like running backward and shooting can be a big help.

I urge you all to immediatly contact Rockstar and Take Two about this issue. If you want to play the games, you have to do the work to ensure that the game will meet your needs. Together we CAN make a difference!!!

Grand Theft Auto IV is scheduled to release April 29, 2008, we have three months. We need to act now before it is too late. Complaining to the developer after the game is released is an exercise in futility 99.9% of the time. Do not complain after the game is released, you have been warned!

Kif, Legacy Players… We Have a Conundrum

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The Zapper is right on the money. What better way to describe the year that Legacy-style players have had?

All joking aside, this has been a really tough stretch for Legacy players. More and more games are omitting this control style, and one has to wonder if in a few years it will fall off the map completely.

I’ve been playing shooter & FPS games with Legacy controls for nearly 12 years now and I can’t imagine not being able to use it. Very few games are offering Legacy these days. Take a quick peak at our Xbox 360 and PS3 Control Lists and you will see that Legacy players really do not have much to pick from anymore.

And just look at the games we have covered recently that omit Legacy:

• Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (2 Defaults, 2 Southpaw, but no Legacy?)
• Turok
• Soldier of Fortune
• Jericho
• Mass Effect
• Kane & Lynch
• The Orange Box (ouch!)

Those are just games within the past few months, but there have been many more instances since the launch of the 360 & PS3. And it’s odd, considering how many people started with Legacy because of GoldenEye, arguably the first successful console shooter. It really paved the way for the genre and its questionable if FPS games would be as popular on consoles as they are today without this game. And support on third person shooters is practically nonexistent with a few exceptions. Movement in third person shooting games for the Legacy guys is generally ok, but when it comes to aiming, well, that’s a different story. Read the rest…

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty

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Alternate control schemes supported:
-Southpaw

It’s World War II….AGAIN!!! But wait! The Nazi’s have invaded America! ZOMG! Really did we need another WWII based game? No. I don’t care if you parachute into combat, create alternate realities, or whatever. This WWII video game infatuation needs to end. It would seem that consumers must be buying because developers keep churning out games taking place in the era. Really, guys, stop it already. That said… Developers, if you are going to regurgitate shovel ware then how about adding some more control options?!?! This game only supports southpaw and “default” control schemes, each in two flavors.
Read the rest…

Jericho is a No-go for Legacy Players, but Southpaw is Available

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Clive Barker’s Jericho (PS3, Xbox 360) is one of those games that you tend to think will be great when you first hear about it. It seems gritty, dark, and you expect it to be a cool experience. Screenshots of this game look really nice and the storyline seems like it may be interesting. But this game is an example of something that looks great on the surface but when you dive deeper, you’re left with that overwhelming “meh” feeling. Read the rest…

Playing Through the Call of Duty 4 Campaign

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Yes, we’ve covered this game before. Yes, you know it’s an alt-control friendly game. And of course, we’ve all been playing this title for a while now. But much to my surprise, many gamers that I’ve talked to haven’t played through the single-player campaign. I guess everyone has gotten too hooked on playing multiplayer online. And I suppose that I’m an old school gamer, because to me, there’s nothing better than playing through an intense single-player campaign. I know most of you prefer online play, and that’s cool, but you definitely owe it to yourself to check out single-player if you own the game - and I know you do! Read the rest…