Sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been having problems with my wisdom teeth, and it's had me in no mood to do much of anything. I'll try to do better.
I'd like to talk a bit about Game & Wario. In the past I've written reviews for games, or at least what I called reviews. I'm not going to do that anymore. I've never really liked reviews. Everyone has different tastes. Who am I to say what is good or what is bad? All I can really do is say what I like and what I don't. So I'm going to do that now with this game.
I've seen some reviews from around the web for this, and most of them haven't been spectacular, but I've really been enjoying the game. If you've played any of the numerous WarioWare games you'll know what to expect with this one, but at the same time you won't. It's a bit different. That might be why they didn't actually call this a WarioWare game. Instead of numerous crazy microgames, you're given a series of minigames to play. About a dozen are single player, and a handful more for multiplayer. Each game is much more involved than the microgames we used to see in Wario games, and they feature multiple difficulty levels. Playing through and beating all the games on all the difficulties will take you some time.
Nintendo tried to incorporate the Wii U Gamepad into the games, clearly, with many featuring touch and tilt controls, but there's not much groundbreaking here. The real gem is the minigame called Gamer. This is the one minigame that really shows what dual screen gaming can be. You play as the kid 9-Volt. You're supposed to be in bed, but you're playing a handheld game. On the Gamepad screen is the game. These are the traditional WarioWare-style microgames. They all use just the d-pad and A button. On the TV you see 9-Volt's bedroom. You have to pay attention for clues that your mother is about to come in and check on you. If she catches you up, it's game over. And she can come from all over. At times she even comes out of the TV like the little girl in The Ring! If she comes in, you need to hold ZL and ZR to pretend you're asleep. If you do this too long, though, you'll actually fall asleep and it's game over. The entire time this is going on you need to also concentrate on the microgames on the Gamepad. Fail too many times and it's game over! So you really need to split your attention between the Gamepad and your TV. It's a very cool game that gets really tough, and it shows what kind of stuff the Wii U is capable of brilliantly. It's just a shame this is the only minigame that does. All of the others are fun, but they're not anything we haven't seen before on the DS systems.
When all is said and done, I would recommend the game to those who are a fan of the WarioWare series, or those looking for something fun to waste time with on the Wii U. And you can spend a lot of time on it. There are 240 collectibles to get, each requiring a token to spend in a virtual vending machine. You only get the tokens from playing the minigames, so you'll be playing a lot if you want to unlock everything. Considering how much time you can put into it, I'd say the game is a pretty good value at $40.
Have you played it? Let me know what you think in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading. Tell your friends if you enjoy the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Xbox 180: the fallout
Now that Microsoft has decided to do away with all of the anti-consumer restrictions on the Xbox One you would think everything would be okay. But, no. Apparently there is a group of people out there that really liked the policies. I touched on this in my last post, and about the fact that the family sharing was going away with the restrictions. To the people that think that all-digital and game licenses are the future: Just get a gaming PC. PC gaming has been like that for some time now. Services like Steam have grown quite popular delivering people digital downloads of games. And I totally get why some people are into that. It can be very convenient, I'm sure. But console gaming is a different entity from PC gaming. We console gamers continue to want the right to loan our games around, to buy cheap used games, and to have meaningful libraries of games on our shelves. Not pointless discs that eventually won't do anything anymore because some server shut down. Seriously, this isn't meant as an insult or an attack or anything, check out PC gaming. You'll probably really like it!
As for the family sharing issue, I think Angry Joe said it best (NSFW). The people that raised their voices to get Microsoft to change their policies aren't the ones that took family sharing away. Microsoft chose to do that themselves. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, either. Did they just do it out of spite? They could still implement this feature for digital versions of games if they wanted to, they're just not. So if you want that back, let them know. They're clearly listening. Then again, we never got the full details of the family sharing. There were rumblings about it not letting you share the full game, rather just a demo version, which would be kind of dumb considering most games have demos anyway. Ah, whatever, we'll likely never know for sure.
Lastly there's the conspiracy theory going around. Yes, I'm breaking out the tinfoil! Did Microsoft plan this whole thing? Maybe they announced the restrictions knowing everyone would hate them, hoping that when they reversed their decision everyone would celebrate them for listening to their customer base. It's something that's not completely without precedent. If that was the case here, though, I don't think it worked. In my experience, both online and in my daily life, people are still pretty upset with Microsoft. Going from, "We're gonna screw you good!" to, "Okay, we decided not to screw you," isn't going to make people like you. Oh sure, we're all very happy that the decision was made, and I do plan on getting an Xbox One myself eventually, but it still makes Microsoft look bad. As I said above, console gamers are not PC gamers, and we tend to have long memories. We're not going to just forget that Microsoft tried to impose those restrictions on us. And there's still the fact that Xbox One costs $100 more than PS4, mostly so they can bundle the Kinect in with it, which is something most people don't want in the first place.
I'm not trying to be super negative, here. It was a big deal for Microsoft to change their policies to suit their customers, and, as long as it wasn't a ruse the whole time, they deserve to be applauded for that. I just can't help but think that it's too little, too late. The PS4 is cheaper, has more exclusives, doesn't force a camera on you, and never tried to tell you how you can use your own games. Combine that with all the fantastic looking games coming from Nintendo this year, and Microsoft may have a rocky start with its Xbox One. Only time will tell, though. The PS3 had a rough start, and it eventually wound up passing the Xbox 360 in sales. The 3DS also had a slow start, and it's currently the best selling video game system world wide. We'll just have to wait and see.
As always, thanks so much for reading! Be sure to tell your friends if you like the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
As for the family sharing issue, I think Angry Joe said it best (NSFW). The people that raised their voices to get Microsoft to change their policies aren't the ones that took family sharing away. Microsoft chose to do that themselves. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, either. Did they just do it out of spite? They could still implement this feature for digital versions of games if they wanted to, they're just not. So if you want that back, let them know. They're clearly listening. Then again, we never got the full details of the family sharing. There were rumblings about it not letting you share the full game, rather just a demo version, which would be kind of dumb considering most games have demos anyway. Ah, whatever, we'll likely never know for sure.
Lastly there's the conspiracy theory going around. Yes, I'm breaking out the tinfoil! Did Microsoft plan this whole thing? Maybe they announced the restrictions knowing everyone would hate them, hoping that when they reversed their decision everyone would celebrate them for listening to their customer base. It's something that's not completely without precedent. If that was the case here, though, I don't think it worked. In my experience, both online and in my daily life, people are still pretty upset with Microsoft. Going from, "We're gonna screw you good!" to, "Okay, we decided not to screw you," isn't going to make people like you. Oh sure, we're all very happy that the decision was made, and I do plan on getting an Xbox One myself eventually, but it still makes Microsoft look bad. As I said above, console gamers are not PC gamers, and we tend to have long memories. We're not going to just forget that Microsoft tried to impose those restrictions on us. And there's still the fact that Xbox One costs $100 more than PS4, mostly so they can bundle the Kinect in with it, which is something most people don't want in the first place.
I'm not trying to be super negative, here. It was a big deal for Microsoft to change their policies to suit their customers, and, as long as it wasn't a ruse the whole time, they deserve to be applauded for that. I just can't help but think that it's too little, too late. The PS4 is cheaper, has more exclusives, doesn't force a camera on you, and never tried to tell you how you can use your own games. Combine that with all the fantastic looking games coming from Nintendo this year, and Microsoft may have a rocky start with its Xbox One. Only time will tell, though. The PS3 had a rough start, and it eventually wound up passing the Xbox 360 in sales. The 3DS also had a slow start, and it's currently the best selling video game system world wide. We'll just have to wait and see.
As always, thanks so much for reading! Be sure to tell your friends if you like the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Microsoft pulls an Xbox 180
Boy, I'm glad I posted my feelings about the Xbox One when I did! If you haven't heard already, Microsoft has announced a complete reversal on it's Xbox One policies. You will no longer need to check in to Xbox Live in order to play games, and there will be no restrictions on used games. This is fantastic news, as it addresses two of my major problems with the system.
And, of course, there's still the Kinect. But since Microsoft has said we'll be able to turn it off (but not disconnect it) I could see just doing that and covering it up with something while I play. When I'm not playing the Kinect will be disconnected.
There's one negative to all this, though. Apparently the option of sharing a game with up to ten people on your family list has been taken away. I know a lot of people are grumbling about that, but I'll gladly give that up if it means the bad things go with it.
Video game fandom is full of arguments, has been since gen 2 and probably always will be. I know there are some out there that will maintain that the original Xbox One policies weren't bad, and that by reversing them Microsoft are holding us back. In some ways I can understand that argument, but I can't help but see this as a major victory. Here's where I run the risk of sounding all preachy and hoakey, but it's more than just a victory for gamers. It's a victory for consumers in general. We should have the right to use the products we buy as we see fit. Now obviously Microsoft was completley in their rights to make the Xbox One with restrictions like they were going to, but we as consumers told them in no uncertain terms that we didn't like it and weren't going to buy it, and they listened.
So yes, I will be getting an Xbox One. Eventually. The thing's still $500, after all! It's tough to keep up with three consoles at once. Nintendo will continue to be my priority. I'll have to make a decision between PS4 and Xbox One, and right now I'm still leaning towards PS4, but time will tell.
As always, thanks for reading! If you like my blog, please tell your friends about it, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
- With the online requirement gone, there is no longer any worry about games not working in the future. Twenty years from now if I feel like firing up my copy of Halo 5 I will be able to do so, as it should be!
- With used games working the same way they always have, I can now loan a game to a friend, sell it to an independent retailer (or buy a game from one), list it on Craigslist, or do whatever I want with it.
And, of course, there's still the Kinect. But since Microsoft has said we'll be able to turn it off (but not disconnect it) I could see just doing that and covering it up with something while I play. When I'm not playing the Kinect will be disconnected.
There's one negative to all this, though. Apparently the option of sharing a game with up to ten people on your family list has been taken away. I know a lot of people are grumbling about that, but I'll gladly give that up if it means the bad things go with it.
Video game fandom is full of arguments, has been since gen 2 and probably always will be. I know there are some out there that will maintain that the original Xbox One policies weren't bad, and that by reversing them Microsoft are holding us back. In some ways I can understand that argument, but I can't help but see this as a major victory. Here's where I run the risk of sounding all preachy and hoakey, but it's more than just a victory for gamers. It's a victory for consumers in general. We should have the right to use the products we buy as we see fit. Now obviously Microsoft was completley in their rights to make the Xbox One with restrictions like they were going to, but we as consumers told them in no uncertain terms that we didn't like it and weren't going to buy it, and they listened.
So yes, I will be getting an Xbox One. Eventually. The thing's still $500, after all! It's tough to keep up with three consoles at once. Nintendo will continue to be my priority. I'll have to make a decision between PS4 and Xbox One, and right now I'm still leaning towards PS4, but time will tell.
As always, thanks for reading! If you like my blog, please tell your friends about it, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
My problems with the Xbox One
Okay, by now you've probably read all kinds of things about the Xbox One. I doubt I have anything new to add, so I'm going to keep this relatively short.
I'd love to hear what you think! If you're all for the Xbox One, tell me why. Post in the comments below. Of course, if you agree with me I'd like to hear that too. Tell me what system or systems you plan to get this generation. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks for reading!
- Required internet connection: First and foremost, I'm a game collector. I love to play games, but I also love having shelves full of old games that I can pull out and play at any time. The Xbox One is not designed for people like me. The fact that you have to connect to Xbox Live once a day to authenticate, or else your games won't work, means that at any time Microsoft decides to shut down the Xbox One's servers all the games you spent all that money on, the entire system itself for that matter, all become useless. All that money, gone. Now, I know Major Nelson has said they won't do that, they'll change it at the end of the generation so the games will still be playable. Of course he said that. What else would he say? I'm sorry, but Microsoft has given me no reason to trust that that will be true. From a business standpoint it makes much more sense for them to say, "Nope, can't play those games anymore. You should buy our new system! We'll be offering downloadable versions of all the old games there. You'll just have to pay for them again!" Kind of like what Sony is doing with the PS4. The big difference is that my PSX, PS2, and PS3 will still work.
- Used game blocking: This is not just a video game issue, but an issue for all consumers. If I buy a game and decide some time later that I'm done with it, I should be able to sell that game. Whether it's to a major retailer, an independent retailer, on an internet auction site, or just to a friend, I should be able to do whatever I want with it. Now, I'm a collector, so I don't sell my stuff, ever, so this isn't a big problem to me personally, but it's the principle of the matter. There's also the fact that I buy a lot of my games used, and I like to do it from independent retailers. It's my understanding that I won't be able to do that on Xbox One. Only major retailers that sign up with Microsoft's program will be able to carry used games. Not cool.
- Kinect integration: It's always on, it's always watching, always listening. You can't disconnect it or your system will stop working. Why? Oh, because Microsoft wants to collect large amounts of personal data on you and your family, that's why! The new Kinect can see in the dark, can read the emotions on your face, can even tell how fast your heart is beating! Did that new Call of Duty ad get you excited? Kinect can tell, and it's going to send that data off to Activision. Then there's the whole PRISM scandal. Look, it's not my intention to get all political on this blog. If you want to know more about that you can look it up for yourself. Suffice it to say that any kind of camera that's always on and always connected to the internet I don't want in my house. Yes, I know they said you can turn it off, but it still has to listen for voice commands, and you still can't actually disconnect it from the system. If you could do that I'd probably be okay with it.
I'd love to hear what you think! If you're all for the Xbox One, tell me why. Post in the comments below. Of course, if you agree with me I'd like to hear that too. Tell me what system or systems you plan to get this generation. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
E3 2013 final impressions
Another E3 has come and gone. Now that the smoke has cleared I'm going to give my impressions of each conference and some of the other news released.
Microsoft: B for their actual show. They showed a lot of great looking games. For their E3 as a whole, though, F. The games they showed are meaningless as long as they're on the Xbox One (I promise I'll put up a post detailing my thoughts on that system soon).
EA: C. Sports, sports, sports. I know some people wait eagerly for each new iteration of Madden or FIFA, and that's fine. The new games they showed did look good. I've just never cared for sports games much. The other stuff they showed was nice, though. Battlefield 4 looks great and I can't wait to give it a try.
Ubisoft: B+. Assassin's Creed was one of my favorite new franchises of gen 7, so I'm really looking forward to ACIV. Watch Dogs looks like it could be just as good. And of course I've been waiting for Rayman Legends for a long time now. Still a little upset with Ubisoft for delaying it so long just to accommodate the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, but I have to give Ubisoft props for showing Nintendo so much support. Just make sure that Division game comes to Wii U!
Sony: A. Sure, there was a moment of panic there when they wouldn't stop talking about TV and movie services, but they killed it with their whole used games/always online policy! The PS4 looks like it'll be a powerful system with great tech and a lot of cool games. Combine that with the fact that they won't be trying to screw me with restrictions and a required live camera in my house, and a price $100 less than the Xbox One, and I'm ready to get one as soon as they're available. It'll be the perfect system to supplement my Wii U.
Nintendo: A. My favorite company came through for the most part with a lot of great looking games that I can't wait to play. I just would've liked more wow-factor, more surprises. Here's to hoping the fantastic looking 1st party games will provide the boost to system sales necessary to get more 3rd party support also.
So that's my feelings on E3 this year. Over all a very satisfying show, much better than the last two years have been. What did you think? Leave some comments below and tell me!
If you enjoy reading my blog, please tell your friends about it, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks!
Today's music: Sonic the Hedgehog
Microsoft: B for their actual show. They showed a lot of great looking games. For their E3 as a whole, though, F. The games they showed are meaningless as long as they're on the Xbox One (I promise I'll put up a post detailing my thoughts on that system soon).
EA: C. Sports, sports, sports. I know some people wait eagerly for each new iteration of Madden or FIFA, and that's fine. The new games they showed did look good. I've just never cared for sports games much. The other stuff they showed was nice, though. Battlefield 4 looks great and I can't wait to give it a try.
Ubisoft: B+. Assassin's Creed was one of my favorite new franchises of gen 7, so I'm really looking forward to ACIV. Watch Dogs looks like it could be just as good. And of course I've been waiting for Rayman Legends for a long time now. Still a little upset with Ubisoft for delaying it so long just to accommodate the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, but I have to give Ubisoft props for showing Nintendo so much support. Just make sure that Division game comes to Wii U!
Sony: A. Sure, there was a moment of panic there when they wouldn't stop talking about TV and movie services, but they killed it with their whole used games/always online policy! The PS4 looks like it'll be a powerful system with great tech and a lot of cool games. Combine that with the fact that they won't be trying to screw me with restrictions and a required live camera in my house, and a price $100 less than the Xbox One, and I'm ready to get one as soon as they're available. It'll be the perfect system to supplement my Wii U.
Nintendo: A. My favorite company came through for the most part with a lot of great looking games that I can't wait to play. I just would've liked more wow-factor, more surprises. Here's to hoping the fantastic looking 1st party games will provide the boost to system sales necessary to get more 3rd party support also.
So that's my feelings on E3 this year. Over all a very satisfying show, much better than the last two years have been. What did you think? Leave some comments below and tell me!
If you enjoy reading my blog, please tell your friends about it, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks!
Today's music: Sonic the Hedgehog
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
E3 2013 - day 2
Today was Nintendo's day to shine! It all started off with their big Nintendo Direct this morning, where they talked about a lot of games. Then there were presentations and developer videos throughout the afternoon, and a Pokemon panel in the evening. Well, they definitely shined, but I don't think they shined very brightly. Let me explain.
The Direct was cool. They showed a lot of stuff that we knew they were going to show. The new 3D Mario game, Super Mario 3D World, looks like a ton of fun. It's essentially a sequel to the 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land, and that was great. I was especially happy to see that it's multiplayer, and instead of giving us a second, generic Toad we finally have Peach back as a playable character! Mario Kart 8 looked great as well. I'm pretty sure one of the tracks I saw was set in Lego City. I wonder if Chase McCain will show up in the game? We also got new info on Pokemon X/Y. They even pushed up the release date a couple of weeks. We saw new video for Bayonetta 2, including gameplay, which was nice, and another trailer for Monolithsoft's X, which was little more than a teaser. We found out Retro's mystery project was another Donkey Kong Country. It looks like it'll be an awesome game, but I can't help be just a little let down. I would rather have seen a 2D Metroid, or have Retro work on an entirely different series, but that's okay. I know the DKC game will be good. We saw more footage of The Wonderful 101, and also a sizzle reel featuring 3rd party games with nothing new in it. The high point for me was the footage of the new Super Smash Bros. games, one for Wii U and one for 3DS. We knew they were going to show them, but I didn't realize we were going to see so much. The game doesn't come out until next year, after all. We got to see a handful of the old favorite characters, plus saw the Villager from Animal Crossing get announced. But the big shock was when Mega Man showed up! If you haven't seen the trailer yet, go find it, it's fantastic! Mega Man is going to fit into Smash Bros. real well.
So, as I said, the Direct was cool, and they showed off a lot of neat stuff, but aside from that Mega Man announcement none of it was a surprise. Well, I guess Retro's DKC sequel was, but it seems that left most people a little flat. I really wanted them to drop a bomb on us! Tell us Portal 3 was coming to Wii U next year! Tell us Grand Theft Auto V would launch on Wii U alongside the PS3 and 360 versions! Give us something we don't see coming! Plus, I would have loved to have heard them talk more about 3rd parties. They say Nintendo is sitting on a lot of money. Maybe it's time to spend some to secure some exclusive 3rd party deals. You know, the kind that actually stay exclusive! I'm looking at you, Rayman Legends and Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut. There was also little talk about 3DS games. Since the 3DS is selling so well, you would think they'd want to show some good stuff for it, but even though we know there are a lot of good games coming Nintendo barely mentioned them.
Moving on, the rest of the day brought a small trickle of new info through the E3 showcase and developer videos. We found out the Wii Fit Trainer would be a character in SSB. Interesting choice. We got to see some gameplay with her and she doesn't look bad, honestly. She's no different from Mr. Game-and-Watch or R.O.B. We also got to see more video of the Villager, and he actually look pretty cool. The other cool thing that stood out for me was this Mario Kart TV thing. Apparently Nintendo is setting it up where you can save a highlight reel from your races in Mario Kart 8 and upload them to Miiverse. It sounds like a much simpler version of what Sony and Microsoft are doing with their systems. Sounds good to me, I hope it takes off and Nintendo starts adding this option to all their games.
So that's about it. I was happy with pretty much everything I saw from Nintendo today, but I still know they can do better. Apparently they still have a couple of game reveals tomorrow, and I read online there are two more Directs planned for the weekend. I'm sure I'll post again if anything big comes up. Until next time, enjoy E3!
By the way, if you enjoy reading this, you can follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
The Direct was cool. They showed a lot of stuff that we knew they were going to show. The new 3D Mario game, Super Mario 3D World, looks like a ton of fun. It's essentially a sequel to the 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land, and that was great. I was especially happy to see that it's multiplayer, and instead of giving us a second, generic Toad we finally have Peach back as a playable character! Mario Kart 8 looked great as well. I'm pretty sure one of the tracks I saw was set in Lego City. I wonder if Chase McCain will show up in the game? We also got new info on Pokemon X/Y. They even pushed up the release date a couple of weeks. We saw new video for Bayonetta 2, including gameplay, which was nice, and another trailer for Monolithsoft's X, which was little more than a teaser. We found out Retro's mystery project was another Donkey Kong Country. It looks like it'll be an awesome game, but I can't help be just a little let down. I would rather have seen a 2D Metroid, or have Retro work on an entirely different series, but that's okay. I know the DKC game will be good. We saw more footage of The Wonderful 101, and also a sizzle reel featuring 3rd party games with nothing new in it. The high point for me was the footage of the new Super Smash Bros. games, one for Wii U and one for 3DS. We knew they were going to show them, but I didn't realize we were going to see so much. The game doesn't come out until next year, after all. We got to see a handful of the old favorite characters, plus saw the Villager from Animal Crossing get announced. But the big shock was when Mega Man showed up! If you haven't seen the trailer yet, go find it, it's fantastic! Mega Man is going to fit into Smash Bros. real well.
So, as I said, the Direct was cool, and they showed off a lot of neat stuff, but aside from that Mega Man announcement none of it was a surprise. Well, I guess Retro's DKC sequel was, but it seems that left most people a little flat. I really wanted them to drop a bomb on us! Tell us Portal 3 was coming to Wii U next year! Tell us Grand Theft Auto V would launch on Wii U alongside the PS3 and 360 versions! Give us something we don't see coming! Plus, I would have loved to have heard them talk more about 3rd parties. They say Nintendo is sitting on a lot of money. Maybe it's time to spend some to secure some exclusive 3rd party deals. You know, the kind that actually stay exclusive! I'm looking at you, Rayman Legends and Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut. There was also little talk about 3DS games. Since the 3DS is selling so well, you would think they'd want to show some good stuff for it, but even though we know there are a lot of good games coming Nintendo barely mentioned them.
Moving on, the rest of the day brought a small trickle of new info through the E3 showcase and developer videos. We found out the Wii Fit Trainer would be a character in SSB. Interesting choice. We got to see some gameplay with her and she doesn't look bad, honestly. She's no different from Mr. Game-and-Watch or R.O.B. We also got to see more video of the Villager, and he actually look pretty cool. The other cool thing that stood out for me was this Mario Kart TV thing. Apparently Nintendo is setting it up where you can save a highlight reel from your races in Mario Kart 8 and upload them to Miiverse. It sounds like a much simpler version of what Sony and Microsoft are doing with their systems. Sounds good to me, I hope it takes off and Nintendo starts adding this option to all their games.
So that's about it. I was happy with pretty much everything I saw from Nintendo today, but I still know they can do better. Apparently they still have a couple of game reveals tomorrow, and I read online there are two more Directs planned for the weekend. I'm sure I'll post again if anything big comes up. Until next time, enjoy E3!
By the way, if you enjoy reading this, you can follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
E3 2013 impressions - day 1
This is just going to be a quick post, because it's late and I need to get to bed so I can get up early tomorrow for Nintendo's show.
Microsoft: The games look awesome, I have to say. Too bad they come with all the restrictions.
EA: Same as ever, lots of sports games. Star Wars: Battlefront will be cool, Battlefield 4 looks great!
Ubisoft: Not a lot of surprises from them. ACIV and Watch Dogs look fantastic, that Division game looks really cool as well.
Sony: Shots fired! Shots fired! Yeah, they showed some cool games, and it's great to hear Kingdom Hearts III is finally coming, but the highlight of the event was when Jack Tretton put Microsoft in their place. Looks like I'll definitely be getting a PS4.
I'll do a more detailed post when I get the time. For now I'm just looking forward to what Nintendo has to show us tomorrow!
Microsoft: The games look awesome, I have to say. Too bad they come with all the restrictions.
EA: Same as ever, lots of sports games. Star Wars: Battlefront will be cool, Battlefield 4 looks great!
Ubisoft: Not a lot of surprises from them. ACIV and Watch Dogs look fantastic, that Division game looks really cool as well.
Sony: Shots fired! Shots fired! Yeah, they showed some cool games, and it's great to hear Kingdom Hearts III is finally coming, but the highlight of the event was when Jack Tretton put Microsoft in their place. Looks like I'll definitely be getting a PS4.
I'll do a more detailed post when I get the time. For now I'm just looking forward to what Nintendo has to show us tomorrow!
Monday, June 10, 2013
E3 2013!/Been a while, eh?
So, it's been about three years since I've posted anything here. Maybe it's time I start doing this more often again. So let's get right into it with E3!
E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is a once-a-year event held in Los Angeles, CA. At E3, the industry's biggest game publishers and hardware makers show off their big releases for the year. That description probably makes it sound boring to those not in the know. Think of it as gaming's Superbowl. This one week out of the year all eyes are on the games industry. Even major news outlets like CNN and USA Today cover E3. It's like nothing else. Picture a huge convention center filled with booths featuring all the biggest releases you're dying to play, but probably won't be out yet for another few months to a year. Also, giant banners, displays, statues, spectacle of all kinds to grab your attention. And then there's the booth babes! On top of all that, stage presentations from the biggest names in gaming, showing new releases often for the first time, and dropping those bombshells we never see coming! Remember the Zelda: Twilight Princess reveal back in 2004? Anyway, chances are you already know all about E3 if you're reading this blog, so let's move on.
This year is going to be a big one. With Sony and Microsoft both releasing their gen 8 consoles there's going to be a lot to cover. First and most important is straightening out the details about how exactly these new systems function. We know some things from Microsoft already. The Xbox One will require an internet connection to play games. It can only play offline for 24 hours before it stops playing games. Also, Kinect has to be connected to the system at all times, though they've said you can turn it off. And lastly, publishers will be allowed to decide whether or not they want to allow used games to function. All three of these things are very, very bad, in my opinion, but I'll get into all that in another post. What I hope to learn from E3 is just which publishers will be allowing used games and which won't, and if there'll be some kind of fee involved. Also, will just any store be able to carry used games? There's been talk of only "participating retailers" being able to deal in used Xbox One games. What exactly does that mean? Microsoft has a lot of explaining to do tomorrow morning. The big question is, will they actually answer any of those questions or will they just try and dazzle everyone with shiny new games? I'm guessing the latter, unfortunately. The fact that Microsoft has cancelled it's post-show press event, where it answers questions from the media, is a bad sign.
I also really want to hear what Sony plans to do. They've been pretty tight lipped about the PS4. Sure, they've said some things like, "PS4 will be able to play used games," but technically so can Xbox One. It could all be obfuscation from Sony's PR department, looking to avoid the kind of backlash Microsoft has gotten. I really, really want to hear good things from Sony, because as it stands now I have no intention of getting an Xbox One.
This leaves us with Nintendo. When last I posted here, the Wii was still rolling along. It didn't take me long to get tired of motion controls, so for most of gen 7 I played Xbox 360. Looking back on it now I can better appreciate the Wii. It actually had a really good library if you just took the time to find games with minimal motion controls, or that used the Classic Controller. But this is now, and the Wii U is Nintendo's reigning console. I'll save my thoughts on the Wii U for another post. Let me just say for now that I'm really liking it! If the PS4 has the same kind of restrictions the Xbox One has, I'll be happy sticking with just Nintendo. So you can guess that I'm pretty excited for their event on Tuesday. They're doing things a bit different this year, though. Instead of the normal stage presentation, they're doing a series of Nintendo Direct broadcasts. I suppose I can see why. It would be tough for them to stand up against two new console reveals. I guess from a business standpoint this is the best thing for them to do, but I'm going to miss the atmosphere of Nintendo's live presentation this year. But hey, in the end it's all about the games, right? And they look to be showing off some good ones this year. With no new console information to have to worry about they can focus strictly on software. Can't wait to get some news on the new Super Mario game, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and of course the multiple new Zeldas heading our way!
The hypetrain is a-rolling! Get on board! The week we wait all year for starts tomorrow morning! E3! I'll be making more posts over the course of the week, I'm sure, trying to keep up with all the news. Hope you all get some news you like!
Today's music: Super Mario Sunshine
E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is a once-a-year event held in Los Angeles, CA. At E3, the industry's biggest game publishers and hardware makers show off their big releases for the year. That description probably makes it sound boring to those not in the know. Think of it as gaming's Superbowl. This one week out of the year all eyes are on the games industry. Even major news outlets like CNN and USA Today cover E3. It's like nothing else. Picture a huge convention center filled with booths featuring all the biggest releases you're dying to play, but probably won't be out yet for another few months to a year. Also, giant banners, displays, statues, spectacle of all kinds to grab your attention. And then there's the booth babes! On top of all that, stage presentations from the biggest names in gaming, showing new releases often for the first time, and dropping those bombshells we never see coming! Remember the Zelda: Twilight Princess reveal back in 2004? Anyway, chances are you already know all about E3 if you're reading this blog, so let's move on.
This year is going to be a big one. With Sony and Microsoft both releasing their gen 8 consoles there's going to be a lot to cover. First and most important is straightening out the details about how exactly these new systems function. We know some things from Microsoft already. The Xbox One will require an internet connection to play games. It can only play offline for 24 hours before it stops playing games. Also, Kinect has to be connected to the system at all times, though they've said you can turn it off. And lastly, publishers will be allowed to decide whether or not they want to allow used games to function. All three of these things are very, very bad, in my opinion, but I'll get into all that in another post. What I hope to learn from E3 is just which publishers will be allowing used games and which won't, and if there'll be some kind of fee involved. Also, will just any store be able to carry used games? There's been talk of only "participating retailers" being able to deal in used Xbox One games. What exactly does that mean? Microsoft has a lot of explaining to do tomorrow morning. The big question is, will they actually answer any of those questions or will they just try and dazzle everyone with shiny new games? I'm guessing the latter, unfortunately. The fact that Microsoft has cancelled it's post-show press event, where it answers questions from the media, is a bad sign.
I also really want to hear what Sony plans to do. They've been pretty tight lipped about the PS4. Sure, they've said some things like, "PS4 will be able to play used games," but technically so can Xbox One. It could all be obfuscation from Sony's PR department, looking to avoid the kind of backlash Microsoft has gotten. I really, really want to hear good things from Sony, because as it stands now I have no intention of getting an Xbox One.
This leaves us with Nintendo. When last I posted here, the Wii was still rolling along. It didn't take me long to get tired of motion controls, so for most of gen 7 I played Xbox 360. Looking back on it now I can better appreciate the Wii. It actually had a really good library if you just took the time to find games with minimal motion controls, or that used the Classic Controller. But this is now, and the Wii U is Nintendo's reigning console. I'll save my thoughts on the Wii U for another post. Let me just say for now that I'm really liking it! If the PS4 has the same kind of restrictions the Xbox One has, I'll be happy sticking with just Nintendo. So you can guess that I'm pretty excited for their event on Tuesday. They're doing things a bit different this year, though. Instead of the normal stage presentation, they're doing a series of Nintendo Direct broadcasts. I suppose I can see why. It would be tough for them to stand up against two new console reveals. I guess from a business standpoint this is the best thing for them to do, but I'm going to miss the atmosphere of Nintendo's live presentation this year. But hey, in the end it's all about the games, right? And they look to be showing off some good ones this year. With no new console information to have to worry about they can focus strictly on software. Can't wait to get some news on the new Super Mario game, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and of course the multiple new Zeldas heading our way!
The hypetrain is a-rolling! Get on board! The week we wait all year for starts tomorrow morning! E3! I'll be making more posts over the course of the week, I'm sure, trying to keep up with all the news. Hope you all get some news you like!
Today's music: Super Mario Sunshine
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