E3 2013: Microsoft Xbox Conference: On the Surface, It’s Got Merit…

Posted on June 12, 2013 by geelw

…But things go very far south very quickly if you’re not who they want to be in on their new console. Check out this pre-order info page and if your eyeballs aren’t rolling on the floor trying to find your jaw, you’re the guy or gal they want. Also note that currently, Japan and wow, every other primarily Asian county isn’t even on the list of supported territories, but given the Xbox and Xbox 360 not doing anywhere as well there as they did elsewhere, it’s going to be extremely interesting to see what exactly does happen if and when the Xbox One rolls out in these areas. Thanks to MXE Videos for this clip, as Microsoft has yet to run the full version of this on their own YouTube channel, instead preferring to chop it into smaller segments to show off the games and their respective reveals. I think it works best as a whole meal myself…

E3 2013: PlayStation 4 Reveal: A Rerun Worth Repeating, As It’s A REALLY Good One…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

I’ll most likely run trailers of all the games shown here at some point, but you look more tired than I do, so it’s break time! Grab a sammich and a drink, pull up a seat and catch this rebroadcast of Sony’s E3 press conference where they basically slowly drop kick Microsoft’s otherwise master plans for living room dominance in the hind quarters. Granted, talk is cheap… but compared to Microsoft’s attitude towards consumers over time and particularly during the Xbox One reveals, this one’s worth being a bit smug over if you’re a longtime Sony fan. I like games, PERIOD, so I really have no preference. However, I also like to be able to PLAY my games and not have anyone tell me how, where or when to, so Sony’s at least understood that and a few other important things…

E3 2013: Mad Max Trailer: No Gameplay Makes Me A Road Worrier (For The Moment)…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah… CG trailers are fine and dandy, but I hate them so far into this generation where game engines can do this stuff and look better overall. Oh well – as long as the actual game itself is fun to play and gets the look and feel of the Mad Max movies right (well, I don’t mean that last one so much), it’ll be a hit. If it’s not a hit… well, I still have my copies of Outlander for the Super Nintendo and Genesis here to replay. Then again, this IS being done by Avalanche Studios (Just Cause, Just Cause 2), so it’s bound to be impressive and quite awesome as an open-world experience should they go that route.

E3 2013: On Used Games, Yeah, Sony Twists That Knife In Microsoft’s Gut…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

Well… Sony and their newly revealed PlayStation 4 pretty much made a mockery of Microsoft’s press conference, turning it into the video game equivalent of Game of Thrones’ gory Red Wedding sequence and making the folks in Redmond probably wonder what the hell just happened during that last 20 or so minutes when everything they offered in TWO press conferences was peeled away point by point in favor of core gamers and consumer in general. The video will go down in gaming history as THE moment for many where loyalties changed and the big rectangular egg on the wall over Redmond way collapsed to the pavement. It’s going to be an innnnteresting holiday season, that’s for damn sure…

E3 2013: PlayStation 4: $399, No DRM, Content Galore, PS Plus Required For Online MP…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Well, it’s pretty much a no-brainer for some gamers this holiday season. Or NOW if you hit up Amazon.com and pre-order (which is VERY highly recommended if you want one of these before Xmas).

Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 4 console comes in at a hundred dollars less than the Xbox One, used games CAN be sold, lent and traded as before (and as they’ve been for decades), PSN accounts with content can be transferred over and there are a really nice selection of games and services on the way. That said, the one wrinkle in the new deal is the requirement for users who want to play online to have a PlayStation Plus account…

But VERY misplaced internet rage aside, this isn’t a bad thing at all, as it’s basically the cost of a new game for a whole year ($60) and Sony will not only add free NEW games to those who buy in, PS Plus actually gets costs DOWN on games you buy in the future from PS One Classics to current and future PSN releases. So it’s really a case of do you want that discount or not. The PSN free ride had to end at some point as Sony has most likely been bleeding money keeping it running for so long.

ALSO (and this is the important part)… that Xbox One price doesn’t include the cost of an Xbox Live Gold membership, mandatory for using that console for pretty much anything. Mama said knock you out, Microsoft… Sony listened to mama, it would seem…

E3 2013: Swery 65’s D4: Episodic Detective Xbox One Exclusive? Well, 2 out of 3 Isn’t Bad…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Nope, I’m betting my entire WARP games collection this has no relation to Kenji Eno’s great, languidly paced horror game D or it’s more mature and outrageous follow-up D2, but it’s from one of my favorite game creators, so it’ll get played… provided it eventually comes to a console I can play it on, grrrr. This is the ONE and only thing I despise about this “exclusive” thing, especially in this coming cycle where a lot of games will indeed be VERY “exclusive” as in you can’t play at all unless you meet too many requirements. Bleh. Swery-saaaaaaaaaaaan! PLEASE get this on other systems as soon as possible. ALL your fans deserve to play it – not just a select few!

E3 2013: Ryse: Son of Rome Trailer: Crytek’s Xbox One Action Game Is No Roamin’ Holiday…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

I’m no history buff, but I figured the chiming in would start as soon as the this gameplay trailer was all done. Crytek is making a stellar-looking exclusive here, the nitpickers have been at it about thee shields not being accurate, the English-accented Roman soldiers (what, you want to read subtitles or get stabbed in the head?) the gameplay having too many QTE’s (quick time events, for the uninitiated), and this sequence basically being paced like the Omaha Beach sequence from the old PS2 game Medal of Honor Frontline (ouch!). Oh well – you’ll never please ’em all, I guess. I think it looks mighty awesome, although thanks to the Xbox One’s rather silly and restrictive always connected/online-only focus on making sure everything’s “connected”, I can’t play this at all (and neither can millions of others who may want to drop five hundred clams on that new console). Ah well… the “future” is here, right? RIGHT? Er, SPQR?

E3 2013: Sunset Overdrive – Insomniac Pokes Sony (And Themselves) In The Eye With This Xbox One Exclusive

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Ouch and double ouch. Bringing Ted Price on stage to state their new game could ONLY be done on the Xbox One was pretty a nasty shock to some longtime Sony and Insomniac fans who thought the companies were inseparable. The again, as soon as FUSE was announced initially as Overstrike, I figured that the relationship was over as far as a one-console future for the developer. Well, here you go – it looks like this one will do well based on the response, but some hate the visuals for looking “too Xbox 360” or “too cartoony!”… which is hilarious, as that’s what they wanted with FUSE when it was called Overstrike. Ha and ha ha. Well, it’s still early as far as the dev process goes, so stuff may or may not change as development continues…

E3 2013: Thief Trailer: Garrett’s The ONE Burglar You’ll Want To Visit Your Home…

Posted on June 9, 2013 by geelw

Hey, he’s not real, he just wants your virtual stuff (especially if it’s sort of glowing as if it’s telling him where it’s at) and if you pop up and try and stop him, the worst thing that can happen is you’ll end waking up with a fake knot on your noggin upside down in a broom closet (blame the physics getting a bit wonky when he dropped your unconscious body into that quick storage solution). Ladies, you’ll probably get a fake rose and a fake peck on the cheek for waking up as he’s poking around for that fist-sized emerald you didn’t know you had, so feel free to file a fake discrimination complaint against him with that fake police report. Or something like that…

E3 2013: Murdered: Soul Suspect: Dead Man Walking in This New Game Most Intriguing…

Posted on June 9, 2013 by geelw

Finding a truly original game idea is like looking for ice cream on the sun, but here comes a really nice surprise headed to current and next-gen consoles: Murdered: Soul Suspect from developer Airtight Games (Dark Void, Jet Pack Joyride). In this PC/PS3/Xbox 360/Xbox One game, you play as a murdered detective named Ronan O’Connor who rises from the dead thanks to a mysterious power and seeks out his killer. The game’s Salem, Massachusetts setting makes for an intriguing choice thanks to it’s somewhat compelling real life witch trails, and yes, there’s indeed a mystical element added in here as Ronan’s spirit can possess townspeople in order to solve cryptic puzzles, do a bit of combat with evil spirits and while indoors, pass through solid walls. Yes, to some out there the concept may sound very close to Capcom’s Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for the Nintendo DS and iOS, But among other things, Murdered is without the 2D side-scrolling gameplay and main ghost character’s amnesia affliction found in the portable sleeper hit.

It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out as more information surfaces, but I’m already ticking it off as a must-play title. Of course, not being at E3, I’ll need to hope Square Enix comes flying into NYC like many other publishers do after the big show is over and done. I have the feeling that this is one of those new IP they’ll want to show off to as many editor types as possible just to get the engine firing up on that hype train. If it’s going to be as intriguing as the concept makes it sound, I’ll be there with bells on when they come a-calling. Back with more on this one soon – stay tuned…