Amplitude Online Flatlined
Feel like throwing Amplitude into your PS2 or PS3 for just one more round of competitive super-fast button-pushing to Blink 182 or Komputer Kontroller online? You’ll need to find a friend to play alongside you because last week Sony took down the online servers for the game for good. I’m sad to see them go, but it’s been quite a while since I fired up the game, and I’m sure the user base has long since moved on to the super-popular Guitar Hero series of games.
Now if the games could be configured to point to alternative servers, and if the publisher released the server code for enthusiasts to run on their own, this would be a non-issue. They could turn off the main servers and let the hobbyists drive sales of the game on their own bandwidth dime. It’s a nice thing to wish for, and something that’s not that uncommon in the PC world, what with standalone servers for all the major shooters at least easily available. One good example of this the PC’s Supreme Commander game. I’ve read that it supports online play through a matchmaking service run by Gas Powered Games as well as direct TCP/IP play. Such things would be quite welcome on the new generation of machines for longevity, but the siren’s song of Xbox Live Arcade’s centralized gameplay and matchmaking could possibly contractually preclude such things.
I’m sure the servers shutting down isn’t just a matter of money, too. Shutting down servers for a 2-year old sports game ensures people don’t keep playing the previous iterations that might be just fine for them, driving sales of the newest and shiniest thing.
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This is one of those ugly downsides. I remember when it happened not-to-long ago for Black & White for the PC. It becomes even worse when you think about the fact that you have to pay a monthly fee (XBL) to play the game online, only to have that feature of the game removed at some time in the future. It really adds to the cost of ownership of the game, and removes from replayability and longevity.
Some games only have a short single-player experience to get you integrated into the game world and prepare you to play online. But when the online support is finally yanked, your left in the cold with nothing.
This trend is starting to show up even more with the newer games being released. Many times there is a clause that states something to the effect that the online play can be stopped at any time and at the sole discretion of the publisher.
Wow. Long time ago since I last played Amplitude online. Last time I checked (which is a really long time ago) nobody was ever playing it online. Or did I miss some secret online meeting? Anyway, I wasn’t really bad at all. Kinda good at some point. But there were guys who were ten times better than me. Amplitude has the honor to be the first and only PS2 game I played online.
Would be cool if Amplitude or Frequency would return as an Xbox Live Arcade (okay.. PS3 Online too) game.