BlackSite online support limited on PS3

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 22nd 2007 at 5:00PM }

BlackSite: Area 51, Midway's upcoming Unreal Engine-powered shooter, is going to have a fairly robust online mode. According to IGN: "With the Xbox 360 version of the game, players will be able to play ranked and unranked matches, and voice support will have constant chatter for teammates while everyone will be able to hear each other if they're close enough, regardless of which team they're on."

Wait, but that's not the case for PS3! Most of these features are being cut for Sony's version. According to a Midway representative: "Basically, the PS3 supports the ability to host, search, and join - that's it. All of the other functionality did not make it to PS3: ranked / leader boards, match making, voice chat, private slots, etc." Essentially, expect a fairly bare-bones online mode for the PS3 version of BlackSite. This seems like a strange omission from Midway, especially considering the robust online features their upcoming Unreal Tournament will have.

[Thanks, Amphlett!]

Tags: blacksite, midway

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Patrick @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:08PM

Well midway, now you dont get my money beacsue you cut corners.Which means beacsue i wont get it, my brother and our 5 close friends who are our clan mates wont get it, so nice job. Way to miss out on $400+ beacsue you wouldnt put voice chat.

Andy @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:21PM

Its not like people actually talk on the PS3. This is really lazy though. The framerate problems are often unavoidable for PS3 ports but this is pure laziness.

To be honest this game wasn't on my radar though. For my yearly mulitplatform shooter I'm going with COD4.

Joey_Numbers @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:24PM

I was on the fence with this game. I guess they just pushed me away.

bearattack79: To me the fact that my PS3 is working rather than flashing red lights makes it the right system. True 1080p ftw

Franchise03 @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:26PM

lol who would buy this game when there's cod 4...lol i didn't even know this game exsisted till now....lol and yes..like framerate i understand...but this is just lazy..pure lazy just like post 3..

sicklesdawg @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:26PM

Whose seriously looking for this game with Haze on the way.

Andy @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:29PM

@ Andrew Yoon

Can we have comment voting like Engadget HD?

LySop @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:33PM

I can't figure this out. Obviously, the dev doesn't want to put the time (read:money) into implementing this functionality because they don't expect to recoop the cost. It has nothing to do with lazy. If there is money in it, they do it. However, PS3 seems to be stuck in this nasty of cycle: Devs won't put out a quality multi plat product because small install base, however, people won't buy PS3 b/c lower quality title.

I have 360, Wii, PS1, PS2, DS, PSP. Obviously, I like to have all the systems, however, I don't have a PS3 because of stuff like this. Somebody has to take a leap of faith: either devs or consumers. Sony seems to think it should be the consumer (Ken K.: "People will get a second job to afford the PS3"). Not this consumer. Every other system had launch line-ups and dev support through the "lean years" until it took off. What is so different about the PS3? Is Sony not putting up the money that others have? Is it THAT hard to develop for? Is Sony failing to put out quality dev kits?

This can't be surprise to Sony. Why didn't Sony write the check? I know that is an over simplification, however, Sony can't let this stuff keep happening (VF5, Madden, 2K football, this, etc.).

I don't hate the PS3. I want to want the PS3. I just wonder when (or if) the PS3 is going to make me want it.

Just my thoughts.

LySop

Solace @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:39PM

wasn't that bothered till i got to the "no voice support".
Resistance - 64 players, voice chat (multiple configs)
Warhawk - 32 players, push-to-talk voice chat
Blacksite - 16 (?) players, no VOIP.
WTF?
oh well - one less game i have to consider spending my $$$ on this holiday season.
*harumph* x(

Andrew Yoon @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:39PM

To Andy:
It's coming in our site redesign. However, I have no ETA on when that site redesign will occur. (I know that the Blogsmith team is working on two other sites at the moment... .... ...)

KillarClown @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:40PM

Hey this just turned into a rental for me! No reason not to give the single player a go.. but no reason to drop 70 bucks and miss out on yelling obsenities while i hump the corpses of the enemies i kill for a single rank point! you know one time i got into the top 500.. somewhere near 497!!!! I PWNED!!!!!!

usagi704 @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:42PM

"This seems like a strange omission from Midway, especially considering the robust online features their upcoming Unreal Tournament will have."

It isn't strange since Blacksite is being developed by Midway, but UT is only being published by Midway, they aren't making UT.

OrganicShadow @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:44PM

Absolutely nothing to do with the capabilities of PS3/PSN/etc. or weather or not users are using voice chat. I don't know where people get the idea that every 360 has a headset synced with it and the PS3 has none, but PS3 has plenty of voice-supported games, accepts nearly any Bluetooth headset, has had many headsets available for quite sometime, and Warhawk fucking COMES with one.

As someone said above it's probably because they don't want to spend the payroll money on the time it takes to put all those online features into the PS3 version because of the PS3's low install base, and their fears of making much of PS3's copies specifically.

It may not be pure laziness, but it IS a sign that Midway thinks they can half-ass something in a game and get away with it just because they only half-assed it on a platform with a low install base. Midway has lost a LOT of respect from me because of this though. Multiplatform is fucking multiplatform. Do the work and make them the same minus any XBL or PSN specific things.

Justin @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:48PM

lol...developers really do hate the PS3...

either that or Microsoft is dealing out some serious blowjobs

x silence x @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:55PM

Maybe if Sony gave headsets away with the PS3 more people would play online. PS3 online is balls compared to the other guy. Call me a Xbot if you want but if you own both systems you'll know this as the truth.

Random1448 @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:57PM

meh it's midway what do you expect, companies like this are only furthering their bad reputations.

oldestr gamer @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:59PM

Total BS Midway. Way to pull an EA for incompetence. Get some decent programmers already. Incognito, Sony, Insomniac all can do it so it can be done. No excuse.

chasegamez @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:01PM

o well not buy this game now

Noshino @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:01PM

x silence x,

get on warhawk, tell me if they like getting online or not......

RPGJock @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:09PM

Yea I agree, with COD4, Haze, UT3, Army of Two and even Kane and Lynch, Blacksite is going to get buried. Silly for them to gimp the PS3 version.

x silence x @ Oct 22nd 2007 8:15PM

@ Noshino

I tried... I ended up bring the game back because the servers were screwed for the first week. You don't remember?

RPGJock @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:12PM

Sorry, scratch Army of Two from the equation

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163863

*sigh*

Codeman420 @ Oct 22nd 2007 9:21PM

"ranked / leader boards, match making, voice chat, private slots, etc."

If those arent i the PS3 then why does warhawk have ranked servers, leader boards, voice chat, and now they are adding private slots. Lair has leader boards. Ninja Gaiden has leader boards. RFOM has ranked, match making(i think)voice chat, private slots. So whats the deal if they can do it why cant you. to me its being lazy and not putting forth the effort to make a great online experience for everyone.

Deviation @ Oct 22nd 2007 6:52PM

I just can't see this game as being anything other than a rental. From playing the teaser demo on the 360 though, I am looking forward to the SP campaign. It'll just have to wait until sometime early next year, when the blitz is over.

Popfrogs @ Oct 22nd 2007 7:11PM

@21: No biggie, this season we'll have our pick of 29 games before the year is out. I think that's plenty of gaming, I won't lose sleep over Army of 2 coming late.

Titty Pink @ Oct 22nd 2007 7:42PM

Hey Silence I was there the first week of Warhawk, no problems. Were you there the first week of Halo 3 when Live crashed? Silence sounds like a good idea about now...

SWANN @ Oct 22nd 2007 8:27PM

I was on the fence about the game, also. After hearing this news, it MAY be a rental, if anything, but I know I won't spend $65.00 for basic multiplayer services, the PS3 is more than capable of handling that job, so there is NO excuse for your laziness, Midway. With COD4, Haze, UT3, who needs this game anyway?

Spoon!! @ Oct 22nd 2007 9:02PM

I finally gave in to Xbox Live to play Halo 3, GRAW2, and Rainbow Six Vegas online (GRAW2 and Vegas purchased before I got the PS3) but the plan was to buy the PS3 version of multi-platform games for free online play in order to not become MS's bitch. This really sucks if future multi-platform games are just crippled on the PS3.

I really hope COD4 and Orange Box for the PS3 has good online gaming support.

"Maybe if Sony gave headsets away with the PS3"
Come on... how many people don't have bluetooth headsets already?

Broken Haiku @ Oct 22nd 2007 8:45PM

Okay, it's off the buy list. I do want to get it but no way I endorse ripping off the PS3 platform becoming a habit.

Shattercross @ Oct 22nd 2007 8:49PM

No one was going to buy this game then, no one's gonna buy it now.

karamo17 @ Oct 22nd 2007 10:20PM

It's like shooting yourself in the foot, or telling gamers not to buy your game. Midway you must be loosing your already retarted mind. With this kind of news you can't complain if the PS3 version does not sell cause you cause it. How stupid can on game deve

animekid3515 @ Oct 22nd 2007 9:49PM

if the single player's good enough, ill give it a shot, but i'm one of the 5 million people still working out a financial plan revolving around the ps3. (in other words, im still putting money away for one)

Cueil @ Oct 23rd 2007 12:06AM

It has nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with Microsoft's support of online. These things they mention are build into the box and are fairly simple to plug into a game. Sony put a half hearted late effort into online and now you see the fruits of their lack of labor.