And the Winner is...

So as anyone who doesn't live under a rock knows last week was E3.  And this years E3 was big, really big.      This is due, in no small part, to both Sony and Microsoft announcing their new consoles earlier this year.  While Microsoft laid their cards for the Xbox One on the table right out of the gate, Sony opted to wait until E3 to spill the beans on the PS4.  And what a reveal the PS4 had.  Announcing no restrictions on used games, no disputes over ownership, and no requirements that game developers have to have a publisher to put a game on their console.  Needless to say a lot of this was targeted at Microsoft's announcement on their Xbox One which allows a publisher to permit or deny used sales, is not very clear on who owns the game post sale, and requires that developers have a publisher to put a game on their console, including the team at Oddworld Inhabitants, one of the companies that help put the Xbox on the map.  Though through all of this people are still looking for the "Winner of E3", like it's some sort of game or something.  And though I may not agree with the practice (as I have discussed before) as each console has it's own merits.  But the tradition remains, and I feel that it needs to be honored.  So here we are, time to analyze each consoles E3 showing, including PC, and determine a winner, because the public demands it.

Before we begin I would like to clarify a couple of things on the rules for this little showdown.  We are going to primarily focus on the games that were displayed here, and less on the technology and business practices of some of the companies that make them.  But don't be offended if I tend to leave out a lot of sports games, and I sure you all know how I feel about those.

So lets get this chicken fight started then.  In no particular order lets start off with the Xbox One.  A couple of exclusives look pretty decent for this console, primarily Sunset Overdrive and Killer Instinct, and the fact that both FFXV and KH3 are going to appear on the Xbox One really help it add guns to it's fight.  Now a big game that had a lot of people talking was Ryse: Son of Rome.  Personally I don't see Ryse as turning into a big title, it feels like it will go the way of Kameo with moderate gameplay and an easily forgettable experience.  Forza 5 on the other hand, while it looks good, is becoming something of an all too familiar experience.  It seems as if we get one every two to three years and the series never really progresses as nicely as we would like besides better graphics and a couple of new features, like the Drivatar, though that is a really good idea.  Finally we also saw an exclusive sneak peak at Halo 5, and with that Bonnie Ross proudly proclaiming 60 frames per second as if she was going to win a Nobel Prize.

OMG 60 FRAMES PER SECOND GAIZ!!

Next up, the WiiU.  Now Nintendo tends to be on the back burner at every years E3 with not really too much to talk about besides a few cool 3rd party exclusives (Bayonetta 2 this year), and the inevitable Mario or Zelda title.  Now while Bayonetta 2 looks like a great game, and probably will be a great game, it was most definitely not Nintendo's biggest announcement this year.  That came in the form of Super Smash Bros., the fourth installment in Nintendo's award winning battle royal battle game, and one of my personal favorites that Nintendo owns.  Other big things that we're announced was Pikmin 3, which looks interesting, especially since we haven't seen a Pikmin game since the Game Cube.  Also a Wind Waker remake, which is making me want a WiiU, a new Mario Kart, New Super Luigi U (at least he's getting another game for himself), a new game focusing on Wario, and finally a new Donkey Kong country.  Not a bad lineup.

On to the PS4.  SO one fo the biggest titles that ultimately caught my attention was Killzone: Shadow Fall.  I personally do not own a PS3, so I missed out on Killzone 2 and 3, but I absolutely loved the first entry in the series.  Games like The Order: 1886 and Driveclub will also be extremely heavy hitters in this next generation, especially with the later of the two being free to PS+ members on launch, plus the whole steampunk feel of The Order really makes me interested.  Knack looks like a really cool idea, but reminds me again that it could very easily go the way of Kameo very quickly.  Though only time will tell if that is the case or not.  Finally we come to Infamous: Second Son.  Now while this game looks good, I've never been really big on the Infamous series so I can't say that I'm super excited for it.

Seriously, this game will be amazing.  And it's made by SCE Santa Monica.

PC boasts a small number of games, but we see two large releases: Total War: Rome II and Company of Heroes 2.  Both games predecessors have seen incredible success, and I'm going to say now that they will see much more.  PC also has the advantage of Titanfall, which is also on both 360 and Xbox One, but I have a feeling that PC will trump both consoles the same way that Skyrim did last November.  Though PC never really has a huge showing at E3 becasue a lot of its major games come from Indie developers, MOBAs, and MMOs.

Though it's a potentially unpopular vote, I'm going to have to give this year to the WiiU.  We're getting a truckload of first party games, and Nintendo always has great first party games, a remake of Wind Waker, possibly one of the most fun Zelda games ever made, and a new Pikmin.  I mean this really was an easy call. Plus they didn't get involved in the war that Microsoft and Sony did over their next gen console.  It was business as usual for Nintendo, and I applaud them.  But only time will tell if I'm right.  See ya next time.

Bask in the glory of your champion.

Another Generation of Garbage

Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard all about Microsoft's new next gen console, the Xbox One.  All personal opinions aside, the Xbox One looks to be a very powerful console that hopes to compete with PC's, Blu-Ray players, web boxes, and your TV in the next generation.  But is all of that really necessary?  And after what Microsoft gave us two weeks ago in their excuse for a console press conference what can we really expect from their next gen console?  Luckily I'm here to help crack this issue wide open and give you some strong predictions for what will happen both at E3 this week and before we see the Xbox One (Night Stand) before it hits shelves in November.

So, for those of you who joined in on the live feed for Microsoft's press conference you may have noticed a sever lack of one thing that every video game console needs, video games.  I mean the only thing we really saw was a nice 5 minute long commercial for the new Call of Duty: Ghosts.  That's it.  Nothing more.  And don't even try to bring up the EA Sports thing as an argument for us seeing a video game, because by now we've all filed them under the "not games, just pocket pickers" category.  And I know that games are announced, and already have trailers, but we saw nothing in the lines of gameplay.  And that is the key to selling a next generation console.

However a distinct lack of games are not my only vocal concerns about what is in store for us.  My biggest concerns is an isolation of games altogether in the next generation.  Clearly neither the PS4 or Xbox One are being targeted at games specifically, which is a funny thing for a VIDEO GAME CONSOLE.  I want to say that one more time.  The PS4 and Xbox One are VIDEO GAME CONSOLES.  Not home entertainment systems, not a big brother machine, not ET that can't go a day without talking to its mommy, and definitely not a cable box.  They're VIDEO GAME CONSOLES.  So why the hell are Microsoft and Sony trying to pass them off as more than that?  That is a serious mistake.  They need to refocus, understand who exactly will be the most likely to buy their console, and focus their marketing toward them.  Nintendo did that with the WiiU, and because of that, the WiiU was a huge success.

Microsoft and Sony however are not focusing on the games, even though Sony has claimed that "the PS3 is for video games".  This is the same garbage we heard when they announced the current generation, and its the same garbage their giving us now.  The only real change that will ever happen is when we, as consumers, those who hold the almighty dollar and decide the fate of the console, decide not to buy into their bullshit and  start buying only the console that offers us a video game experience that we want, not the TV experience we don't.  That is the only way that we come out ahead.

I will say, the one thing that I do like about the new generation is the ability to take direct screen shots and videos and add them to social media.  It allows people with little to no experience in doing this an option for sharing their gameplay experiences with the rest of the world without the use of expensive equipment.

But this week, I'm hopeful, even though it may be foolish.  I'm hopeful that Microsoft will get their heads out of their asses and actually give us what we want.  Hopeful that Sony has a piece of hardware to give us, and a game to play on it.  Hopeful that David Cage finally gets the quality of graphics that he dreams of so that we can put this whole emotion in games bullshit aside.  And finally, I'm hopeful that Square Enix won't announce four new games that we'll never see.

Hope this week turns some of this around, but don't hold your breathe.  See ya next time!