Check the source link on the BigDownload post, there is a PDF of the PC Gaming Alliance’s 2008 report. It’s clear that the PC as a gaming platform is expanding (not shifting) to reach new people with the casual games market and MMOs. Knowing that the platform brings in more revenue anually than any other single gaming platform from Sony, Microsoft or even Nintendo ($11 billion world-wide – $6 billion in the USA and Western Europe) is some comforting information.

Though Joystiq neglected to mention it (despite the information being in the press release they link to), Max Payne 3 isn’t being made by Remedy (the developers of the original game and its sequel), but by Rockstar Vancouver instead. Max Payne 3 will be their first new game since shipping Bully for the Playstation 2 in 2006 (they’re credited with Scholarship Edition for 360 & PC, but I think those were outsourced to other Rockstar developers, for the most part).

I think this may be the first gameplay footage we’ve gotten. While most games press seems pretty excited for this game, I’ve remained skeptical. I’ve been burned so many times in the past by Batman games. Although I can’t figure out why there’s so many gargoyles hanging off the walls inside the Asylum, the gameplay does look fun and, dare I say, unique.

Classy.

Enough has gone on since August’s multi-purpose post that I think we can do with another one. I’ll catch you up on what I’ve been playing and reading most recently.

Games

I’ve managed to finish some more games. My Xbox 360 and Playstation 2 have occupied most of my gaming time on the singleplayer front. After finishing Final Fantaxy XII I attempted to do things nice and backwards and move on to Final Fantasy IX. Using an LCD HDTV, however, PSOne games don’t look too hot. FFIX, as well as several other PSOne games I tested, were all plagued by gigantic dots which I think must be blown-up pixels. Pushing that aside until I could acquire an old SDTV, I moved on to Rogue Galaxy for the PS2.
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