E3 2013! This year's E3 showed lots of new game content plus the long awaited showing of the rest of the next gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony.
I think i'll start this off with some new console info, followed by the games, and then a summary of some sort.
First of all Nintendo already released their WiiU last year and also didn't bother with a traditional press conference so I will come back to them later.
Microsoft came out with something no one expected, and it has left a lot of Xbox fans with tears and a bad case of anger management. The Xbox ONE is the name for the boring black box of a console that will allow players to pretty much use their Xbox as a single entertainment unit. The biggest thing with Microsoft is their target audience has changed. No longer is Xbox about gamers, but the company is further integrating new tech into the television room, meaning they are pretty much designing a platform for Americans that always have a decent internet connection 24/7 and want to use their voices as a remote control.
Here are some of the BIG issues concerning the Xbox fans.
- No internet? Then no gaming.
You pretty much need decent 24/7 internet in order to play games.
- Borrow your friends game? Only if you pass a test.
You can only borrow a friends game if you have been on their friends list for over 30 days + other limitations.
- Confusion everywhere.
There is so much confusion as to how exactly everything is going to work, and expect a lot of effort on your part to figure out the settings for operating mandatory Kinect, sharing games, organizing your friends and circles, and having your Xbox be used as a TV.
Moving on to the PS4, I'm really not seeing anything all too groundbreaking or shocking. One thing with PS4 is how it will also be similar to Xbox with the entertainment value of movies and other non-gaming content tailored to be personalized to your preferences. The big thing I see with PS4 is it's controller. The new controller offers a touch pad as well as a light that could be used to show player health bar or whatever developers decide to use it for. It's also interesting to note the controller has a an instant stream button that will stream your content straight to Ustream or as videos to facebook. Additionally Sony has announced that the PS Vita will pretty much be required for cross play, meaning you can use the Vita to play off screen. PS4 came out heavy with their game titles over how the console operates. Also the console is similar to the Xbox except it is slanted.
Oh and by the way both consoles will not support backwards compatibility, Nintendo does so there ya go. Another big hitter is that PS4 will implement the use of its PSN+ accounts (monthly prescription) of $50/year if u wanna play online, however you will get all the bonuses of the PSN+ accounts, which makes it better than XBox's $60/year and no current benefits, and then there's Nintendo with free internet as always.
Lets talk about the games shall we?
First of all, there are a LOT of awesome games heading our way, and for that I am very pleased with this years E3. There are far to many games to go over but here is a list of everything.
http://ca.ign.com/wikis/e3/Big_Games_at_E3_2013
In terms of first party games, I think Nintendo edges out Sony for the best selections, however Nintendo is not getting a lot of games that are on both the Xbox and PS4, so overall the PS4 looks stronger with WiiU right behind it.
Here are the noteworthy exclusives for the consoles.
Xbox
- Ryse
A third person immersive quick time events heavy game.
The game honestly looks boring, nearly everything about the game is done in quick time events, which are horrible methods used to slap on mechanics to scripted and limited game play.
- Dead Rising 3 (X1)
Actually looks good.
I have never played a dead rising game but this one looks very open and allows for your own choice to where you go and how you go about interacting with the zombies.
- Crimson Dragon
Seriously?
You are a dragon and you shoot stuff on rails.
- D4
Interesting?
You use Kinect to play an episodic murder mystery. I do not like Kinect.
- Halo 5
You are getting old.
Master chief in a cape, something big appears, and that's the end of the trailer.
- Killer Instinct
Fight!
I didn't play the original but apparently a lot of people seem to care about this game.
Also there is Sunset Overdrive and Below but I have nothing to say about them.
On to the Sony exclusives.
- Beyond two Souls
Heavy Rain!!
Shown last year but more footage shows how this game spans 15 years of the characters life, filled with remarkable events that is sure to use a unique set of controls once again.
- Infamous Second Son
FLAAAAAME!.
I didn't play the previous games but I do like the main character and the game is promising.
- Killzone Shadowfall
Not sure.
I haven't played the Killzone series and it never did get the glory it tried to attain, hopefully this new installment will pick itself up.
- Knack
Unique Visuals.
I'm not all to sold on this game but it does look different and fun.
- Tales of Xillia
Wooooooot.
Looks great and I know a lot of people are going to want this, myself included.
- The Order 1886
Dem Guns!
This game looks quite interesting although I don't know if it is a zombie shooter or some kind of 3rd person mystery action. The cut-scenes were nice but showed very little.
- The Witness
Looks fun.
This game was teased last year but now it looks like quite the short puzzle adventure.
additionally there are a lot of smaller games that I didn't bother to show
And finally Nintendo. One thing about the Nintendo line-up is how long it takes for the games to come out (Next Year Spring), however it does mean that Nintendo is putting more effort to make these games even better and that they do not rush a game. I believe games SHOULD take longer to develop in order to make them better, just look at the COD series and how each game is the same every fricken year, although this year they will have dogs and hi-res arm hair so that make make it good I guess.
- Bayonetta 2I want it now.
We heard about this last year but we got to see some gameplay as well as the new haircut for Bayonetta. The game looks awesome and is said to run smoothly at 60fps with high detail.
- X
Want more!
More in-game footage showing how awesome this spiritual successor to Xenoblade Chronicles which is one of the best RPG's in a longtime.
- Wonderful 101
Still waiting to hear.
Once again this was shown last year but it remains to look like a great game. The touch controls to make weapons in battles looks like a lot of fun.
MONKEY KONG!
The last game was wonderfully crafted and this is sure to be a great purchase.
-Pokemon X YIts 3D!
The new Pokemon looks to be completely re-defined through the 3DS with new gameplay features. You can play and interact with your Pokemon like Ninten-dogs. The game looks to have both new and classic Pokemon.
- Super Smash Bros
YES!!!
This is quite possibly one of the BIGGEST and most anticipated games right now. This has a huge development team from various fighting games and will have a lot of content and top notch game play.
- Zelda Link Between worlds
omgomgomg
This is apparently a sequel to "A Link to the Past" which is debated as the best Zelda game ever.
Also Sonic Lost World, Mario Kart8, and Super Mario 3D.
Lots of amazing games in store for us.
Overall Microsoft is trying to be the number one entertainment unit for Americans while trying to introduce big changes to the industry, whereas Sony is doing everything to show that they are not Microsoft by sticking to the basics, and then there's Nintendo who always just do their own thing.
I found an interesting chart comparing the 3 consoles and their specs, usability and price.
http://www.emirates247.com/business/technology/microsoft-xbox-one-vs-sony-ps4-vs-nintendo-wii-u-head-to-head-on-specs-prices-availability-2013-06-11-1.509965
To summarize, PS4 and X1 have identical specs with PS4 being slightly better with how it is overclocked and its use of RAM.
WiiU: Best use of controller innovation and use since you can use the pro controller, Wii controller, and that awesome tablet. Only console to support backwards compatibility. Cheapest price. Free online connectivity. Supports MANY third party games like Watch Dogs. Better first party games.
PS4: Better exclusives than Xbox and still has access to the top multi-platform games. One button streaming/uploading to internet from controller. Cheap affordable price alongside the WiiU and shows it is a prime console for the hardcore gamers.
X1: Complete overhaul of the entertainment device. Voice controls to seamlessly swap between gaming and television with powerful tech to power this. Kinect fully integrated with use of X1 with improvements across the board. Lots of American television and other programs to be exclusively integrated to create a new entertainment device.
To top everything off here is a list of multi-platform games that will most likely be the deciding factor on what console you might buy. Personally I will be getting the PS4 for its exclusive games plus the multi-platform games that are not on the WiiU (which I already have), additionally I have a good PC for the games on PC and X1 only. There is really no reason for me to get the X1, sorry master chief, it's not you, its your parents.
This isn't everything, but it is what I am looking forward to.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag. (all consoles)
Batman Arkham Origins. (all consoles)
Battlefield 4. (PC, X1, PS4)
Call of Duty Ghosts. (PC, X1, PS4)
Dark Souls 2. (360, PS3, PC)
Destiny. (PS4, X1)
Dragon Age 3. (PS3, 360, PC)
Dying Light. (PS4, X1)
Elder Scrolls Online. (PC, PS4, X1)
Final Fantasy XV. (PS4, X1)
Killer is Dead. (PS3, 360)
Kingdom Hearts 3. (PS4, X1)
Lightning Returns: FF13-3. (PS3, 360)
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain. (PS4, X1)
Mirror's Edge 2. (PS4, X1, PC)
Star Wars: Battlefront. (?)
The Evil Within. (PS3, 360, PC)
Witcher 3. (PS4, PC)
Thief. (PS4, X1, PC)
Titanfall. (PC, X1)
So what games are YOU looking forward to? What new console(s) will you be getting?
My list includes, Titanfall, FF13-3, FFXV, MGS, Killer is Dead, Dragon Age3, Destiny, BF4, Dark Souls, and all of Nintendo exclusives and majority of PS4 Exclusives.
~Djr7
