Internet People Suck

            Yesterday we got some fantastic news that Microsoft is doing away with the policies it had in place for the Xbox One. No longer will we have to connect every twenty-four hours and no longer will used games be restricted. I am extremely excited about this because the used games policy does affect people like me who use services such as Gamefly. On that same note, though, Microsoft changing its policies helped me realize the direction Microsoft was headed.

            At first I thought Microsoft was bullying its consumers into paying more and more money for things that they shouldn’t have to. If I buy a game, it’s mine to do whatever I want with it. Right? What I didn’t realize, until now, was that Microsoft wasn’t necessarily trying to hurt the gamers, but they were trying to help out the developers and publishers who lose millions of dollars to used games. Gamestop and other companies that sell used games are banking the money that the developers should get a piece of. That is why you see policies put into place that force gamers to pay to play online and this and that. Quantic Dreams, the developers for Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain, noted that one million people played their game that they didn’t see money for. Do the math on that. Sixty dollars times one million is sixty million dollars that they didn’t see. We all know that Gamestop sells their used games for ridiculously high prices, so they got to see a large chunk of that sixty million that they get to keep to themselves. I have to ask myself how fair that really is?

            I saw a guy on Youtube bitching about this very subject and he pointed out that Quantic Dreams made one hundred million dollars on their game Heavy Rain. He stated that they had enough and they’re not suffering. I just pointed out that they missed out on another sixty million dollars for that same title. Sure, they made a ton of money on that game, but we aren’t looking into the cost this company goes through to produce quality content. The cost of triple A titles is in the millions. So they spent millions making Heavy Rain. Then they have to spend additional money to help support that game. Then they want to move onto the next game, which will no doubt cost millions. They have to pay for technical support and marketing, equipment and software, and of course their employees. The cost adds up and the way they pay for it is by selling their previous games or additional downloadable content. In my eyes, the more used games being sold means the less money a developer has to make great quality products. Instead we see the same titles released over and over because taking a risk in a million dollar industry can prove to be extremely fatal, RIP 38 Studios. Many studios go out of business because of used games, so don’t be surprised if you start seeing a bunch of Free to Play games that come with micro transactions out the ass.

            So it took Xbox reversing its plans for their next generation for me to kind of open my eyes and realize that. As consumers we are directly involved in this decision and therefore we all threw a hissy fit over it. I don’t think used games would be such an issue if developers had another way to make money off of those games, but they don’t. My concern with Microsoft reversing the plans for Xbox One is that maybe they’re hindering the future they were looking forward to. Gone is the online library you could access at and Xbox console, much like you can with Steam. Gone is the family plan that was going to allow you to share your online library with ten other people. How many platforms, in any industry, allow you to share your digital content? I can’t really think of one, but I’m sure some of you reading may be able to fill me in. Regardless, it’s a win lose situation for consumers. Microsoft is giving us what we want, but at the same time, they’re not leaping into the future anymore, they’re just making a glorified PlayStation 4.

            But maybe it wasn’t time for that yet. Games are becoming more and more digitized and I whole-heartedly believe that in a few years that all games will be download only. It’s going to come to point where you won’t see a hard copy game box ever again. What could this mean for gaming? I believe that games would probably cost less. Steam sells games for sixty dollars, sure, but they also have crazy sales where you can buy games for ridiculously cheap. I think digitizing games will be cheaper for the publishers and in turn, that might make games cheaper as well. We do run the risk of them keeping the same price points though, so here’s to hoping. In all, maybe forcing used games out of the market this soon was Microsoft jumping the gun. Maybe they need to wait and let it happen when it’s time. Sony and Microsoft will offer all their next gen games digitally on the day of release. Once more and more people buy into that option, you’ll begin to see the shift.

            Before I logged off, I wanted to talk about the Internet for a minute. I cannot stand people who sit here and defend a console to the death. Lately I’ve seen the Playstation army out in force and reading what these fanboys have to say is really turning me off of the Playstation. I want a PS4, I do. But my decision and other people’s decisions to buy an Xbox One first seems to piss these guys off and they go on flaming rants about how fucking stupid we are and how we should all just die. Seriously, I’ve read that. It’s such a turn off to see people have a blind loyalty to companies that only care about the money that you’re going to give them. I’ve seen the Xbox fanboys out in force with yesterday’s news, but I just can’t help but wonder why these people are like this. You don’t collect a paycheck from these companies, so why defend them and blindly haze other products because they’re different? At first the Internet seemed to explode because of what Microsoft had planned, but now that they’ve retracted it, the Internet is in a frenzy and pissed off that Microsoft did a 180. Holy crap, you can’t please people, you really can’t.

            I implore you to vote for games! I know everyone isn’t made of money, but if you can, just play the console of choice because you like games. Don’t play a console because you feel that you are a part of their group. You’re not. They’re the company, you’re the consumer, so the only say you get in their product is the money you have and that speaks more than your words ever will. I beg you people to stop fighting over which is better because it doesn’t matter. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, and every person’s opinion is right! You will never be wrong when it comes down to your personal preference. So please, people, game on. It’s going to be an exciting next generation of consoles.

Game On Baby!

E3 has kicked off and what a first day we had. We saw four major conferences from Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, and EA and it literally took me all day to watch them. I’m going to go through and briefly touch up on the news that you probably already know about and from there I will provide my personal opinion. Strap in people and lets begin. It’s a long one.

Microsoft Conference

I was really hoping for some big news here at the Microsoft conference because of how awful their previous one was. Hell, three days before E3 began, Microsoft came out and “cleared” the air on what they’re supposedly doing for the Xbox One. If you don’t know about it already, just head over to any game website and you’ll see an army of pissed off Sony fans trolling the comments reminding everyone about Microsoft’s choices. On to the conference. I was very happy to see that they did not talk about TV, sports, or show off any Kinect 2 games. Instead, they just showed off game after game and left it at that. Here is a list of what they talked about or briefly touched on.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

I can’t say this was a bad way to open their show. An open world Metal Gear experience? Yes please. The graphics looked great and I love the idea of being able to run around as Solid Snake in an open environment. Kudos to them. I’m just hoping the footage we saw was in game. 

Xbox 360

           

Microsoft unveiled a new Xbox 360 console that is smaller, sleeker, and designed to look like the Xbox One. It also hit markets on Monday when they showed it off. I think it’s cool that they did that because at the rate the Xbox One is going, they may wind up selling more 360 consoles anyway. Also, if you have a gold membership for Xbox Live you will receive two free game downloads per month that you can keep. This starts on July first and extends to the release of the Xbox One. The first two games they announced are Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed II. Awesome. Those are two games most people already own or have at least played. Some people are telling me that they’re doing two games per month; my understanding of this was that it was two games period. If there is anyone reading this that would like to clear it up for me, that would be great, thank you.

360 Games On the way

            Microsoft only made mention of a few games coming to the Xbox 360 this year and while they only mentioned the following three, you can be sure that there are plenty more on the way.

            Splinter Cell: Blacklist

            Grand Theft Auto V

            Final Fantasy

            Microsoft also announced three new titles that you will see on the Xbox 360 coming soon.

            World of Tanks: 360 Edition

           

                        This already free to play game on PC will now be free to play on your Xbox. It looks good, but not really my cup of tea.

            Max: The Curse of Brotherhood

                       

                        This arcade looking games looks intriguing, goofy, and fun. I would absolutely love to check it out when it become available.

            Dark Souls II

                       

                        Enough said. Looks stunning too.

Xbox One

            Ryse: Son of Rome (Exclusive MS title)

                       

This game has beautiful graphics and an intriguing style of gameplay. I was actually drawn into the action rather quickly and couldn’t help but get psyched up when the Romans formed a phalanx to defend themselves from on coming arrows. I was quickly turned off by the quick time events, though. It seems that in order to polish off every single enemy, you have to punch in two QTE’s. I feel that is a little lazy and I would suspect the flow of combat to become monotonous and boring relatively quick. Hopefully that isn’t something that will carry over to the final version of the game.

           

            Killer Instinct (Exclusive to MS)

           

I do believe many Rare fans probably crapped their pants for this game. It looks fast and fun. However news coming out after the fact is stating that Rare is not developing the game and that it will be free to play. The only issue with it being free to play is that they’re only giving you one playable character for free, everyone else you have to pay for. LAME! I would rather buy a brand new copy of the game with all playable characters available at no further cost. I’m hoping you can unlock characters as you play rather than having to pay for them, but I suppose that is how a free to play model works. Just give me a full copy and I’ll give you sixty bucks.

            Sunset Overdrive (Exclusive to MS)

           

This game is being developed by Insomniac games and it really looks amazing. The visuals were very pleasing to the eye. Again, this was just a trailer, so I’m hoping the actual game looks the same. I particularly enjoyed the cartoony feel it had. It’s an open world shooter in what the speaker told us was more like a living world where challenges can be created and weapons can be added on the fly. Keep your eyes out for this one.

           

            Forza 5

We already got a glimpse of this three weeks ago at Microsoft’s unveiling conference. I did like the usage of the cloud that would record your driving style (Drivatar) and instead of racing against just the AI; you would be racing against mimicked versions of other people across the world. That’s a pretty neat feature.

            Minecraft: Xbox One Edition

Hmmmkay. All I can say is that I hope I get free credits or something along the lines that land this game on my console for free considering just one year ago I purchased the 360 Edition.

            Quantum Break

I LOVE Remedy games and if their past titles are any proof, this current one shouldn’t disappoint. We know it’s a time control game, but the short video we got wasn’t enough to show me what this it’s really all about. I am however, intrigued and I would love to see more.

            D4

Another game I know very little about. It’s an episodic murder mystery that looks compelling. I would like to learn more about it.

           

 Project Spark (Exclusive to MS)

This game looks very unique and it targets the creative gamers who enjoy building their own worlds. But I’m not sold on using my tablet or phone as a second controller and this game is something I would need to demo in order to formulate an honest opinion. I like the idea of creating a game within a game and this will be an interesting title to watch as it plays out.

            Crimson Dragon (I believe this is Exclusive to MS)

                        Just saw the video demo and I honestly don’t really care.

            Dead Rising 3 (Exclusive to MS)

This game looks so much different than the previous two. It doesn’t have the cartoonish and goofy appeal to it as the other ones. It’s a lot grittier and darker. The graphics are stunning though, simply beautiful. Oh, and using the cloud to help generate thousand of zombies? Yes please. This game looks borderline terrifying, which is something that seems to suck me in when it comes to zombies. The game is pitching no load times and the same density as a real life city. They also have smart glass integration. I like the idea of it and it makes me even happier that it’s optional, but again, I don’t want to play a game with two controllers.

            Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Although I haven’t played the other two yet, this game looks great. It offers a non-linear story in a completely free roam world (which the other two may have had). For some reason, this is also smart glass capable (face palm).

            

 Battlefield 4

                       

This game has made me excited for modern shooters again. The game is simply breathtaking, graphics wise. We didn’t get to see much of it at Microsoft’s conference, but I will have further information when I reach the EA section.

           

 Below

           

                        An arcade game I guess. Looks interesting enough to at least demo.

            Halo (Exclusive to Xbox One)

That freaking trailer was unexpected and awesome. We know nothing about this next game that I am assuming will be Halo 5. It was just nice to see Chief’s face…er…facemask…again.

 

         

Titanfall

This game is the first from Respawn, the dudes that originally created Call of Duty. It’s a multiplayer focused game that involves MECHS!!! The graphics and textures are stunning to look at and this game alone could be the reason I want to purchase an Xbox One.

           

During the conference Microsoft also showed us how Upload Studio will work. Apparently the console acts as a DVR that records your games. You can use Upload Studio to collect your clips and edit them into videos that you can share with your friends. Also, Microsoft announced a partnership with Twitch that will allow Xbox One gamers to live stream their games through the popular service that has an already established hardcore fanbase. This may or may not be a selling point for those who care. I, for one, think it’s awesome.

My impressions of the Microsoft Conference were very positive. I’m very upset at how these corporate dipshits are treating their fanbase, but on the same note, they are offering me exclusive games that I want to play and there is nothing more important to me on a console than games. The 499 price tag for the console did throw me off, especially since Kinect should be an optional purchase, not a required one.

Sony Conference

Sony has been relatively quiet since they first announced their console. No doubt in my mind about that strategy being a good one. They got front row seats to Microsoft’s self destruction this conference was basically their rebuttal to them and a shout out to fans.

Vita Games

            Batman Arkam Origins

            Counter Spy

            Destiny of Spirits

            Doki Doki Universe (not even sure I spelled the name correctly

            Killzone: Mercenary

            Tearaway

            God of War HD 1& 2 (YES!!!!)

            Final Fantasy Remakes

            Dead Nation

            Walking Dead (season one with extra episode and content)

            Youtube and Skype (yippe??)

PlayStation 3

            The Last of Us (Exclusive to Sony)

           

First game I’ve ever been excited for on a PlayStation console. I seriously need to go out and buy a PS3. I played this game at Pax East and it is absolutely phenomenal.

           

            Puppeteer (Exclusive to Sony)

           

                        The video was over so fast that I don’t have an impression for you.

            Rain (Exclusive to Sony)

                       

                        Looks good, need to see more.

            Beyond: Two Souls  (Exclusive to Sony)

           

This game looks very interesting to me. I love Ellen Page and this was a game that I was excited to see at last year’s E3.

            Gran Turismo 6 (Exclusive to Sony)

The game looks like a solid racing title, however I’ve never been into Gran Turismo any more than I have been Forza. It seems like something racing fans may flock to though.

            Batman Arkham Origins

I really need to play the first two, this game looks freaking awesome. This title will be getting exclusive content for people purchasing it on PS3 

            Grand Theft Auto Five

Does come with a PS3

Not much was said about the game, but you can indeed purchase an exclusive PS3 bundle for 299. That’s a little steep for me, unless it includes a PS3 (which is probably what they mean by “bundle”), in which case I may be interested.

PS4

YES! They revealed the console itself, which looks strikingly similar to PS2, or a black eraser. I did like the sleek design and how small it was. It’s not tiny, but it’s smaller than that BBQ grill of a PS3. Sony then got into some entertainment talk. Crackle, apps, Sony Pictures, programming plan (like tv??), music and video unlimited, red box instant (already out on current consoles), and social media. This was as boring as Microsoft’s talk on TV, so let’s get back to what’s really interesting, the games.

            The Order (Exclusive to Sony)

Werewolves in London? Holy crap, this game looks amazing!  I love the Van Helsing feeling I got while I was watching this. This game is visually appealing and I love the steam punk look it has. Show me more because you absolutely have my attention. 

            Killzone: Shadowfall (Exclusive to Sony)

Looks great, already saw it at their previous event.

            DriveClub (Exclusive to Sony)

This game didn’t really appeal to me the first time we saw it at Sony’s last event, but it does look very realistic. It’s still not enough for me to want it.

            Infamous: Second Son (Exclusive to Sony)

Holy facial features. This game looks great. I really want to check it out, but first I must purchase a PS3 and play the first two. Also, this one seems to take place in Seattle, which got me all giddy. I particularly loved the Nirvana song at the end of the trailer.

           Knack (Exclusive to Sony)

Also shown at the previous event. It looks fun, but not necessarily my cup of tea (I already used that figure of speech, huh?)

            The Dark Sorcerer

I’m not too sure what this game is about, but they had a funny little trailer to show off. Also, if those are in game graphics, then daaaaamn! Very realistic. The movement of the lips on the sorcerer’s face was unreal; of course I could have been looking at the real actor, I don’t even know anymore. That’s how realistic this looked.

            

            Transistor

Very cartoony and very arcady. It’s beings developed by the guys that brought us Bastion. I’m interested so sign me up!

            Don’t Starve

I guess this is already a PC game, but I would still like to check it out (on PC of course)

           

            Mercenary Kings

            Octodad: Deadliest catch

            Secret Ponchos

            Outlast

            Galaxy

            Diablo III (Yes, we know)

Apparently PS will be getting exclusive Diablo content, nice pull Sony.

           

            Final Fantasy Verus, or XV or something

                         

Graphics are beautiful. This game looks really fun and engaging. I’m pretty sure FF fans went nuts over this, I have never played a FF game in my life, but this one looked really good.

            Kingdom Hearts III

Again, I’ve never played the title, but I’m seeing that people are very excited for this one. Didn’t really look appealing to me though.

           

            Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Beautiful world, seriously. Loved the game play demo they showed us, until it froze that is. This game looks a lot more promising than the previous one. I just really like the idea of sailing the world as an assassin/pirate who gets to visit beautiful remote locations.

            Watchdogs

Another beautiful Ubisoft game. I love the concept of hacking into pretty much everything within this game. PS owners of this game will get an additional hour of gameplay as well as an additional outfit.

            NBA 2K14

Fucking snooze fest when it comes to sports games. Also, Lebron’s character looked really awkward.

            Elder Scrolls Online

Exclusive early access to the beta for PS4 owners. This game already looks unreal, I’m very happy to see it coming to consoles as well! Playing this game at Pax East got me excited, but seeing it come to consoles just tickles me freaking pink.

            Mad Max

                       

Unique trailer, not sure I’m interest though. SHOW ME MORE!

            Destiny

           

By far the best looking game and the best demo showed off at E3. The game is just breathtaking. It was really awesome to see how other players can join your “pack” and how smooth the gameplay seems. The combat looks smooth and the sounds in the game just really absorbed me, minus Joseph Staten talking over it here and there. Also, did I see him pick up some loot? My loot nerve just twitched a little. The public battle was pretty amazing as well. This game is looking like it’s going to conquer consoles. Seriously, I may never play another game after this one releases. It really looks like Bungie is pulling another great hit out of their vault. I am a little concerned at how fast Bungie jumped into the arms of Sony. Did Microsoft touch you?

After a big long list of game announcements, Sony jumped into some pretty neat information that body slammed the shit out of Microsoft. No used games restrictions on the PS4. RIGHT HOOK! You can trade your games. LEFT HOOK! You don’t need to be connected online to play. UPPERCUT! Boom. Also, your PS memberships will be carried over to PS4 as well as your trophies. Sony also has us expecting over one hundred games to be released within the first year of PS4 being on the market, that’s a helluva promise. Please, quality games guys.

I wasn’t at all impressed with the Sony conference. I mean, they showed off a lot of great games that interested me, but most of those were third party titles. They did, however, win me over when they announced that that were doing everything right that Microsoft was doing wrong. Plus, a 399-price point is a lot more appealing as well. Good for Sony. I do have to say that I feel a little betrayed though. A day after saying that there will be no used game restrictsion, you come out and tell us that third party developers can change that if they choose to. Same with the DRM. From what I read on Microsoft’s page, they’re doing the same thing. You know, that whole thing that has the Internet up in arms against them for? Fortunately for Sony, their fans don’t seem to give a shit; in fact they are defending it. “Hey guys, it’s just like an online pass.” Exactly, which would FORCE people to pay to play used games. You’re right, much better. Just give us your skeletons now Sony. I do plan on getting a PS4, but if you beat around the bush on important matters, I may just get my PS3 first and play all the games I can on that system before buying your new one.

EA Conference

I’m kind of tired of writing at this point, I feel like it’s been going on forever, so I will only be discussing the games I found interesting.

            Need for Speed: Rivals

Looks interesting enough for me. I like Illegal Street racing games that have cops breathing down my neck. I’ll give this title a shot.

            Star Wars Battlefront

Although we didn’t get to see any gameplay, this trailer was enough to get me excited! I’ve wanted a new Battlefront game for YEARS!

            Battlefield 4

We got to see an epic multiplayer match that showed me how beautiful the game looks as well as the cool new interactive maps. Falling skyscrapers? Yes please. I may actually jump into a multiplayer game again. This game is breathtaking so far.

            Mirrors Edge 2

I played the demo of the first one and wasn’t impressed; however the fans of this game are diehards, which is provoking me to give it another shot and perhaps this one as well.

            Plants Vs Zombies

Plants Vs Zombies 2 is coming out soon to iOS platforms and hopefully to consoles shortly after. The big surprise to me was Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare. Seriously? A third person game where we get to control the plants as we lay waste to dead heads? I will be playing this one the day it comes out. This one has been confirmed for consoles I do believe.

Ubisoft Conference

            Splinter Cell: Blacklist

           

Two more months, I cannot wait for Sam’s new adventure. This game looks to be bringing the franchise to a whole new level.

            Rayman Legends

Looks fun. It’s an arcade style game (could be full AAA title for all I know) but it’s something I want to check out.

            The Crew

I do like illegal street racing games, but this one is an open world racer (Test Drive Unlimited) that spans the entire United States. Holy freaking God. Sign me up for that reason alone. It also looks pretty amazing graphically.

            The Division

An online open world RPG. This game is an apocalyptic type game that looks truly fantastic. It’s a Tom Clancy game as well. I’m very interested in this game in exploring this beautiful wasteland.

                       

Overall, I’m impressed with the slate of games that were shown and I do plan on buying both next gen consoles. At this point, though, I will stick with my current gen consoles until I can get caught up on games. So many titles, so little time.