If you have read any of my previous posts regarding last year's E3, you know that I view this time of year as a gaming Holiday. These are the days that developers and publishers reveal their upcoming AAA titles,. their new hardware, and new IP (hopefully!). This year it's June 11th though June 13th.
Before E3 hits, I thought I'd actually write what I would like to see this year, and my thoughts on what the big three (Sony, MS, and Nintendo) are going to show and announce. I also will list what I hope to see on PC.
I am also going to talk about the new consoles. (This will be a long one....)
Let's start with Microsoft. (Confession: I am an Xbox fan and bought the first two Xbox's at launch.)
MS has had a very difficult time since late last year and then after their Xbox One reveal earlier this month.
Microsoft seems very focused on the media capabilities of the Xbox one, and their reveal was literally summed up in a Youtube video as TV, TV, TV, SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY, DOG, CALL OF DUTY
It's also of course, the new watercooler
Seriously though, I have never seen a console announcement go this badly in my entire life. I have seen funny and underwhelming E3 appearances or product announcements, but never a announcement that had so many people up in arms. Most people were just underwhelmed about the reveal, the rage didn't start till after it was over. MS's Phil (former Sony Vice President) Harrison's interview where he mentioned the console needing to check in every 24 hours online (so if your internet was down a day...no xbox for you) which came after months of speculating and anger about a always online console, the talk of DRM and no used games, or changing the way we currently use used games, the required Kinect which had to be connected for the console to function, and the lack of a cohesive and transparent message from MS regarding the outrage just fueled the fire. Gamers literary went nuts, and there was enough negative press to print and fill a pool with it and drown in. MS even disabled the comments on their own Youtube channel regarding Xbox One videos.
All the above plus no backward compatibility, 33% percent less powerful than the rival PS4, no self publishing for indies, the Xbox One being region locked, some type of visual DRM regarding movies, achievements for watching TV, and it's taken weeks for MS to come out and give us a clear message on what they are going to do and not going to do. According to online reports, the reveal was one of the most watched ever online, and per IGN's poll, also the most disappointing. As of this writing, MS still hasn't really given clear indications of it's plans. Xbox fans are not happy. It doesn't help MS's that their execs are not really making the message clear or in a positive way.
Let's talk about the good now, and forget about the bad for a moment. The Xbox One has a HDMI in that you can connect your TV to and control the TV with the new more powerful Kinect. It's voice activated and you can tell it what channel to watch. (I keep thinking that if I was a kid and had a brother playing a game, I would love walking by his room and yelling "Xbox Lifetime" so it changed from his in progress multiplayer game to a lifetime movie (You know that's going to happen lol) It uses the Smartglass tech even more than before to work with your smartphone and tablet. They are going to have their own TV programming on Xbox live and announced a new Halo live action series. They will have a deal with the NFL and it will be great for fantasy football players. It's not really the reason I want a console, but there are some great features there if thats your thing. I am not into Sports and don't watch TV and movies all that much. The new features that are media based don't really matter to me. (Rather than link everything, You can watch the actual reveal here)
The Console itself is kind of a strange departure from the 360, and more of a throw back to the original Xbox. I loved the original Xbox and even "The Duke" controller, so the size doesn't really bother me all that much. The streamlined and slim Xbox 360 design was a big departure from the original, and MS seems to have gone back to it. I have seen many derogatory comments calling it a VCR but I actually like the black stereo receiver or cablebox like design. The Xbox One has a ton of outputs and inputs on the back, way more than I expected and compared to the 360, that might be confusing for some, but being a Geek, any input is a good input lol. The slot loading drive is a great touch and is Blu-ray this time. While that is great, it seems to mean that like the PS3, you have to install a game to the HD before playing and thats a complete drag. That along with the PC like insides of the unit make it more of a PC than console. I guess the days of placing in a disk and playing it immediately are gone. The unit has a 500GB hard drive that will quickly fill up so the Xbox One has USB 3.0 that will allow for USB 3.0 storage. Thats great but I would have rather had a removable drive like the 360 or PS3. If the Xbox One's Hard drive dies, you cannot repair it yourself which I dislike. Supposedly it's HDMI only, so anyone still using component will be unhappy. I hope that it works with VGA adaptors, I have on old projector that I might want to use it on sometime.
The best thing so far about the Xbox One (I'm going to call it Xbone from now on) is the new controller, it looks awesome. It's a redesigned 360 controller with some very nice new features. The best new feature is the rumble triggers so you can have feedback when using them, that might be alot of fun or a gimmick, i wont know till I actually try it. They got rid of the bulky battery pack and its a smooth back now, it has a micro or Mini USB connector, it uses AA batteries rather than proprietary battery packs. It has a better designed thumb pad, bumper buttons are better designed, and a very clean look overall. It's not backward compatible with the 360, and I have no idea if it will work on PC out of the box. I imagine with the USB cable it should work, but wireless wise I have no idea.
The new Kinect looks HUGE compared to original kinect, and very different looking. It is much more powerful this time, and should actually be useable for games other than casual or dancing games now. They have improved the latency issues, and upped the specs quite a bit. It now has a 1080p camera rather than just VGA, has a closer useable range (which is one reason I never owned the original), can track up to six people rather than two at a time, and does it all faster. I have heard that you will be able to scan yourself into a game and possible create a real avatar based on you. That will be a neat feature if true :) Currently, there are some security issues that many are concerned about.
Overall the jury is out on the Xbone, as until MS tells it like it is, many people will be on the fence. I think they are hoping that once people see the console in action at E3 and all these games they are planning to show, people will just forget about all the negativity. I think people (especially gamers) have long memories so I hope MS actually listens to its fans and customers, and doesn't do a typical MS move "Where we go, the world will follow".
Game wise, the reveal was a major disappointment but they said they are going to focus all that at E3. I am not a huge Call of Duty fan. I loved the original two games of the series, and the first Modern Warfare, but lost interest after that. Call of Duty 2 is still my favorite in the series and I was blown away the first time I saw it on the 360 and PC. So, I wasn't that excited about the Call of Duty:Ghosts reveal but I did think it looked interesting and it was pretty. I love animals and I tend to dislike games that have dogs in it as they always kill the dog or place the dog in a unwinable situation to tug at your heartstrings, and I imagine this might the case with COD:Ghost. They showed a Forza trailer but I am not a huge racing game fan, I love Rallysport games in that genre the most, so I guess im looking forward to a next gen Dirt title.
I'm a big fan of Remedy, so I was excited about a new remedy game but disappointed that it wasn't Alan Wake 2. Sam Lake, Remedy's writer, released a very cool video about why the new game wasn't Alan Wake 2. The video had a nice little ending that was geared to AW fans. I hope that we will get a sequel someday, but I haven't finished American Nightmare so I guess I should do that first. I am really looking forward to Quantum Break. I first Played AW on Xbox 360 but bought the PC version laer on Steam, it's so much better on a great PC :) Quantum is supposed to run alongside a TV style show, so it will be a bit like Defiance I guess.
They hinted at things to come art E3 with 15 exclusives and 8 new franchises, and that they are spending a Billion dollars in development. There was an article saying that MS bought rights to games because they were running behind on exclusives so that may be the case with that billion spent. Rumored exclusive games are the first game from the studio that was formed from COD developers Infinity Ward.
Update: - I should have mentioned some games I am looking forward to seeing from MS. Fable 4 is number one, Halo 2:Anniversary edition kind of remake, more RPG's, more platformers, a new mechassualt, less Kinect type of games.
MS says that they are aware of the anti-DRM movement and and I hope that they listen to their fans and take notice. What they decide to do might affect how well the Xbone does this gen, or consoles in general if the PS4 goes the same way. MS has given much goodwill away to Sony and their PS4, and Sony has been very quiet, letting MS take the heat and not being clear what they are going to do. I suspect the publishers made this a must when discussing support of the new consoles, and Sony is being pressured by them to follow the same route. Gamestop said in an article/statement that 70% of used game trade in's go back into the costs to buy games and gaming hardware. If DRM does get pushed, they better lower the prices like Steam does or I see the PC becoming a force in gaming again. With Steam and a Xbox controller, you literally have a next gen console now, but its' more expensive, confusing to some, and usually bulkier. I love the PC, and I see the new consoles PC like insides being a boon to porting games easily to PC's, so hopefully no more bad ports and even more of those games coming to PC.
MS has alot to prove at E3 this year, I hope they do it right, and tell the gamers out there what they want to hear, and stay true to what gamers want. I guess we shall know in less than a couple of weeks.
Next Part: I'll cover Sony and the PS4.
Showing posts with label microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label microsoft. Show all posts
Monday, June 3, 2013
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
(GAMES) Glorious E3 - One gamer's opinion
I'm one of those hardcore gamers or "core" gamers, so much so that I look forward to E3 like it's a true holiday.
When the month of May comes around and all the pre-E3 speculation starts, I get excited and become a major annoyance to my friends. (Does this sound like you or someone you know?)
As E3 gets closer, I start sending emails and messages about checking this or that out. When E3 week finally happens I have to hold myself in check from spamming my friends with my opinions and updates. I love gaming, and like any "core" gamer, I tend to be very opinionated and passionate about it. It seems I am one among many, as there are forums and message boards filled with love and disgust at what happens at E3 every year. I am usually spouting my opinions right there with everyone else, but now I have my own blog, so I can go into much greater detail and not have to mail bomb my friends.
The conferences - Microsoft
I never know what to expect with Microsoft's E3 conferences.
I want the same thing every year; new surprise AAA titles and online/offline features to build excitement for the Xbox 360 until the next E3. I think that is what most "hardcore" gamers want, nothing too extravagant presentation wise, just awesome games, new hardware, and new features and services.
At E3 2012, MS decided it was a good idea to have Usher perform a track at their conference, WHY?
I remember when the 360 announced in 2005, MS threw a party shown on TV and invited celebs and The Killers to perform. I remember at the time thinking that was ridiculous but it made more sense than taking time away from your gaming announcements.
MS could learn some lessons from Sony's E3 presentation, as Sony mostly kept their presentation about games. MS focused much of their presentation on non-gaming items like the very interesting smartglass, and the kinect's voice recognition for searching movies, TV, and music on XBL. From the comments I have read online, many gamers are disappointed with that focus.
The conference opened up with Halo 4, and it was very impressive. 343 Industries had a big job and a ton of pressure to create a new Halo that was as good or better than what Bungie has done with it's prior trilogy. From the intro and gameplay they showed it seems they have delivered.
I loved the FMV mixed with the CGI that flowed right into game play, the transition was smooth and the graphics were beautiful. Halo 4 looks to improve on Reach graphically and that alone is impressive.
During the conference, MS gave us Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a new Forza, Fable: The Journey, a new Gears of War, COD: Black Ops 2, the new Tomb Raider, and a few others. There was simply nothing new here as all the games listed were expected or yet another sequel. Outside of Halo 4, the best gaming highlight was when Matt Stone and Trey Parker appeared on stage talking about South Park: The Stick Of Truth. As a South Park fan I am hoping this title turns out to be as awesome as it should be, go Obsidian!!
Much of the conference was spent talking about new entertainment apps for XBL, Smartglass, Nike+Kinect, Usher and Dance Central 3, Kinect and voice activation. While the voice activation demo was impressive as well as what Smartglass will be able to do, it took away from the games, and it felt like MS was padding their conference to fill time. This could be exactly the case as the rumormill suggests the next Xbox will arrive next year, and maybe they are saving for the 2013 E3.
Rare didn't make an appearance this year, which indicates they are working on games for the next gen. Crytek's Ryse didn't make an appearance though it was teased last year, so it looks to be canceled or will be a next gen game. Overall I felt the MS conference was disappointing but looking back on 2004's E3 (which was the E3 before the 360 was shown in 2005), I guess it's not any worse.
The Conferences - Sony
Sony's E3 presentation was mostly what the hardcore gamer wanted, except no Kevin Butler. I imagine they will bring Kevin back for Sony's next console, at least I hope so!
Sony started off with a NEW IP (MS take note!) called Beyond: Two Souls, and the game looked amazing. The facial technology is the best I have seen in a console game this generation. It looks like it's going to be a fantastic game. Sony ended with The last of US which looked amazing and had a very intense game play experience. Both games were more exciting to me than anything MS showed outside of Halo 4.
In between we had a chance to see an EPIC Assassins Creed 3 naval warefare battle (Seriously impressive!), God of War: Ascension, Playstation All-Star Battle Royale, Far Cry III Co-op Multiplayer, entertainment apps, and the incredibly boring Wonderbook presentation. What I noticed we didn't see much of was new Vita software, they mentioned a few titles but I thought that they would really push that at E3. The large amount of time they filled with Wonderbook would have been much better filled with new Vita games and information. Overall, I think Sony had the best E3 conference as they had little fluff and eye rolling moments (except for Wonderbook) and kept it about the games. The rumor is that they are also releasing a new console in 2013, but unlike MS, they weren't holding back.
The conferences - Nintendo
I had hoped at the start of the conference that Nintendo would show me, someone who doesn't own a Wii, the reasons why I HAVE to buy a Wii-u. Unfortunately, I never got that excited while watching their presentation.
Nintendo focused much of their presentation about what the console can do and it's controller. The controller itself was re-designed, it looks nice and even comes in a Black model rather than just White The conference started with videos about a new Pikimin, and it looked cute and interesting, but not a killer app. They talked about Nintendo Land which seems to be the Wii-u's family killer app, but it's another collection of mini games, and didn't really do much for me. They talked about Miiverse which is their online dashboard, and it looked interesting, but nothing really wowed me. They showed a New Super Mario game, but I was very disappointed it's not a sequel to Super Mario 64. If they would have showed a graphically gorgeous 3D super Mario game, that would have been an amazing Killer app, instead we get a game that looked more like a Wii game than a Wii-u game.
When the conference started the audience was so excited, and when it was over they seemed very underwhelmed. The normal cheers that you would expect at a new console reveal wasn't there, and I don't think that is a good thing for Nintendo. Now they have to get us excited somehow before launch, and that will be tough. No one I knew that was on the fence about a Wii-u has changed their mind, nothing shown made them want a Wii-u. This was the most anti-climatic new console launch I can remember.
In conclusion
This E3 was not really that exciting overall, no major "megatons" were revealed, and the Wii-u's major reveal was not what most of us had hoped for. The standouts so far are games that show what the next gen will be able to do, or what a high end PC can do now. These games are Ubisoft's Watch Dogs and Lucasarts's Star Wars 1313. These two games show the future of gaming and induced the "OMG" effect I was hoping to have at this E3. I highly recommend checking them out!
Now, how can I get tickets to E3 next year?
When the month of May comes around and all the pre-E3 speculation starts, I get excited and become a major annoyance to my friends. (Does this sound like you or someone you know?)
As E3 gets closer, I start sending emails and messages about checking this or that out. When E3 week finally happens I have to hold myself in check from spamming my friends with my opinions and updates. I love gaming, and like any "core" gamer, I tend to be very opinionated and passionate about it. It seems I am one among many, as there are forums and message boards filled with love and disgust at what happens at E3 every year. I am usually spouting my opinions right there with everyone else, but now I have my own blog, so I can go into much greater detail and not have to mail bomb my friends.
The conferences - Microsoft
I never know what to expect with Microsoft's E3 conferences.
I want the same thing every year; new surprise AAA titles and online/offline features to build excitement for the Xbox 360 until the next E3. I think that is what most "hardcore" gamers want, nothing too extravagant presentation wise, just awesome games, new hardware, and new features and services.
At E3 2012, MS decided it was a good idea to have Usher perform a track at their conference, WHY?
I remember when the 360 announced in 2005, MS threw a party shown on TV and invited celebs and The Killers to perform. I remember at the time thinking that was ridiculous but it made more sense than taking time away from your gaming announcements.
MS could learn some lessons from Sony's E3 presentation, as Sony mostly kept their presentation about games. MS focused much of their presentation on non-gaming items like the very interesting smartglass, and the kinect's voice recognition for searching movies, TV, and music on XBL. From the comments I have read online, many gamers are disappointed with that focus.
The conference opened up with Halo 4, and it was very impressive. 343 Industries had a big job and a ton of pressure to create a new Halo that was as good or better than what Bungie has done with it's prior trilogy. From the intro and gameplay they showed it seems they have delivered.
I loved the FMV mixed with the CGI that flowed right into game play, the transition was smooth and the graphics were beautiful. Halo 4 looks to improve on Reach graphically and that alone is impressive.
During the conference, MS gave us Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a new Forza, Fable: The Journey, a new Gears of War, COD: Black Ops 2, the new Tomb Raider, and a few others. There was simply nothing new here as all the games listed were expected or yet another sequel. Outside of Halo 4, the best gaming highlight was when Matt Stone and Trey Parker appeared on stage talking about South Park: The Stick Of Truth. As a South Park fan I am hoping this title turns out to be as awesome as it should be, go Obsidian!!
Much of the conference was spent talking about new entertainment apps for XBL, Smartglass, Nike+Kinect, Usher and Dance Central 3, Kinect and voice activation. While the voice activation demo was impressive as well as what Smartglass will be able to do, it took away from the games, and it felt like MS was padding their conference to fill time. This could be exactly the case as the rumormill suggests the next Xbox will arrive next year, and maybe they are saving for the 2013 E3.
Rare didn't make an appearance this year, which indicates they are working on games for the next gen. Crytek's Ryse didn't make an appearance though it was teased last year, so it looks to be canceled or will be a next gen game. Overall I felt the MS conference was disappointing but looking back on 2004's E3 (which was the E3 before the 360 was shown in 2005), I guess it's not any worse.
The Conferences - Sony
Sony's E3 presentation was mostly what the hardcore gamer wanted, except no Kevin Butler. I imagine they will bring Kevin back for Sony's next console, at least I hope so!
Sony started off with a NEW IP (MS take note!) called Beyond: Two Souls, and the game looked amazing. The facial technology is the best I have seen in a console game this generation. It looks like it's going to be a fantastic game. Sony ended with The last of US which looked amazing and had a very intense game play experience. Both games were more exciting to me than anything MS showed outside of Halo 4.
In between we had a chance to see an EPIC Assassins Creed 3 naval warefare battle (Seriously impressive!), God of War: Ascension, Playstation All-Star Battle Royale, Far Cry III Co-op Multiplayer, entertainment apps, and the incredibly boring Wonderbook presentation. What I noticed we didn't see much of was new Vita software, they mentioned a few titles but I thought that they would really push that at E3. The large amount of time they filled with Wonderbook would have been much better filled with new Vita games and information. Overall, I think Sony had the best E3 conference as they had little fluff and eye rolling moments (except for Wonderbook) and kept it about the games. The rumor is that they are also releasing a new console in 2013, but unlike MS, they weren't holding back.
The conferences - Nintendo
I had hoped at the start of the conference that Nintendo would show me, someone who doesn't own a Wii, the reasons why I HAVE to buy a Wii-u. Unfortunately, I never got that excited while watching their presentation.
Nintendo focused much of their presentation about what the console can do and it's controller. The controller itself was re-designed, it looks nice and even comes in a Black model rather than just White The conference started with videos about a new Pikimin, and it looked cute and interesting, but not a killer app. They talked about Nintendo Land which seems to be the Wii-u's family killer app, but it's another collection of mini games, and didn't really do much for me. They talked about Miiverse which is their online dashboard, and it looked interesting, but nothing really wowed me. They showed a New Super Mario game, but I was very disappointed it's not a sequel to Super Mario 64. If they would have showed a graphically gorgeous 3D super Mario game, that would have been an amazing Killer app, instead we get a game that looked more like a Wii game than a Wii-u game.
When the conference started the audience was so excited, and when it was over they seemed very underwhelmed. The normal cheers that you would expect at a new console reveal wasn't there, and I don't think that is a good thing for Nintendo. Now they have to get us excited somehow before launch, and that will be tough. No one I knew that was on the fence about a Wii-u has changed their mind, nothing shown made them want a Wii-u. This was the most anti-climatic new console launch I can remember.
In conclusion
This E3 was not really that exciting overall, no major "megatons" were revealed, and the Wii-u's major reveal was not what most of us had hoped for. The standouts so far are games that show what the next gen will be able to do, or what a high end PC can do now. These games are Ubisoft's Watch Dogs and Lucasarts's Star Wars 1313. These two games show the future of gaming and induced the "OMG" effect I was hoping to have at this E3. I highly recommend checking them out!
Now, how can I get tickets to E3 next year?
Friday, May 11, 2012
(GAMING) - Xbox 360 to finally get a internet browser?
This is something that I thought would happen for the next xbox maybe....But not for the 360. This is long overdue, and I would love to see this happen. I wonder if Flash support would be allowed or if it will be HTML5 only like IOS devices. Will MS allow access to any site like Youtube as they have a special app for that? Allowing flash would probably allow to many security risks, but it's something that I would love to see happen. The adding of Kinect support is interesting, but not sure how that will really work.
The Verge - Internet explorer on Xbox 360 with Kinect Support?
The Verge - Internet explorer on Xbox 360 with Kinect Support?
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