Finally, Major League Gaming (MLG) goes next gen. MLG has added Rainbow Six Vegas as an official game on their circuit. Scores of teams will have the chance to turn "pro" by playing R6V. This also means that MLG is finally incorporating the XBOX 360 platform in their events.
It's about time. HALO 2 was released in 2004. The XBOX which is the most dominate platform at MLG was released in 2001. You can bet that this tournament is a "feeler" for the upcoming release of HALO 3, likely to be released in November of 2007. Although HALO 2 is backwards compatible with the XBOX 360, MLG has not made the move to the XBOX 360 platform. HALO 3 will be exclusive to the XBOX 360 platform.
Rainbow Six Vegas will give MLG a chance to get used to the XBOX 360 platform this season before they adopt HALO 3. R6V supports high definition graphics. MLG is dominated by HALO 2. Moreover, MLG is dominated by players that don't use the XBOX 360 controller. What will happen to the HALO 2 players once MLG drops that game from HALO 3 on the XBOX 360? Anyone that's made the jump from the original XBOX to the XBOX 360 recognizes that there controller is very different. More buttons. A different keypad layout. Looser joysticks.
Will we see HALO 2 pros not be able to adapt to the new controller? Will we see wired controller make a comeback on the XBOX 360? Will we see tampering with the XBOX 360 wireless on/off signals? Will MLG support HD monitors? Will their HALO 3 tournament be playing in HD?
And what about Gears of War? We don't know yet, but things aren't looking good. MLG just can't go hosting tournaments for any game they want. They have to sign a licensing agreement with Epic before that will happen. Epic may or may not want their game played at MLG for strategic reasons.
GoW is much more popular than R6V. One would think that it would have a better draw than R6V. However, Gears of War is played at Gamebattles.net, which is owned by MLG. So, for now MLG has some stake in online tournaments for GoW. Does MLG have room for three major XBOX and XBOX 360 games at their tournaments? Still, one must assume negations are going on with Epic at the moment to get that game in before the MLG pro circuit starts in March.
GoW? In MLG?
Gears of War doesn't deserve to be a title for Major League Gaming, I think. I realize the game has only been around for about four months, but the gap between the noobs and the pros is just too small. There are a number of balance issues and bugs that make for some craptastic inconsistent gameplay. It's not good for skill-based gaming.
Epic Studios created Unreal Tournament for competitive-based gaming. Hell, it's called Tournament for a reason. Counter-Strike, Quake, Battlefield 2--those games have communities where the gap between players of skill is much higher. Whereas in Gears of War, I can own a bunch of noobs with my shotgun, but then they can down me with the sniper rifle and I'm done for.
Don't forget the chainsaws. As much as I love them, they're just too inconsistent. Set two players running at each other with the chainsaw and the game basically uses a coin-toss to decide who is the victor. That's not something pros want to hear. Hence, in tough clan matches, nobody ever uses them. Don't forget, chainsawing locks you into an animation which can't be interrupted, leaving you completely vulnerable to any nearby enemies and their pet wretch, just like the curb stomp.
It's meant for fun, and jumping in with your friends and having a good time. Not for winning six figures a year.
Good points, Master Kim
Great point right there. It's one thing to be consistently inconsistent. It's another to be inexplicably inconsistent. The game plays smooth most of the time. However, there are times when the glitches happen that can't be prevented or even explained.
GoW may have elements of stealth and may require teamwork, but with it being ridden with glitches makes tournaments with high stakes risky.
Falling under maps. Exploding bodies. Network issues. Chainsaw jumping. Double climbs. Host advantages.
It would suck to be in the GoW finals at MLG and fall through a map or get hung up on geometry during a double climb.
Some glitches in the game can be prevented. Some can't. HALO was always stable. GoW isn't.
Perhaps MLG is the one that doesn't want GoW (just yet).
I agree GoW wouldn't make a
I agree GoW wouldn't make a suitable highly-competitive game. However, I suppose if you played enough rounds the inconsistencies would be diminished in proportion to skill-based play.
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