It's now been a week since the reveal of the Xbox One and even longer since the one of the PS4. Whilst neither has done much to eliminate the rumour mill that continues to circulate around the internet, the one conclusion I have come to is that I won't be purchasing either for a good while. That is unless some huge incentives are revealed as to why I should (extremely low price, absolutely must have exclusives...)
Indeed both are shaping up to be products no one is completely happy with. Whilst Microsoft has revealed far more about its next console, Sony is keeping its remaining cards close to the suggest, though both companies have information they are yet to announce. Thus far, nothing on the Xbox has made me keen to buy it on the first day. I'm more than happy to wait and see what E3 delivers in terms of games and perhaps additions to the lineup of functions the new console will have, however I can't imagine there will be anything that revolutionary that it will warrant immediate purchase. At the end of the day, the games may look better, may have improved gameplay elements and so on, but I can't envisage a drastic re-haul of what we have already.
The Xbox 360 has a huge catalogue of games. This isn't like the end of the original Xbox where it's users were thirsty for the 360 because of the game drought that plagued the latter. The Xbox had a good but relatively small catalogue of games, which most people had played by the time the next gen launched. This time around though, I found there are so many game worlds I'm yet to discover, whose delights could keep me busy well into next year and further. I'm yet to finish Red Dead Redemption,. Rocksmith or Borderlands 2 (the latter I've gotten a little tired of). I've never picked up a Mass Effect Game (criminal I know), nor an Elder Scrolls, nor Fall Out, nor Bioshock, nor Far Cry 3, Battlefield 3 and so on. There is a big list of games I am keen to play at some point, including those mentioned in a previous article and I feel that will keep me glued to my original Xbox for a good while. On a side note, for those who feel I should have played them earlier: I bought the 360 for Halo and online Multiplayer (which wasn't omitted from the original, but I didn't have it) so was keen to play my console for those key features; what can I say I'm a social guy! As a result, I missed out on many of the great single player experiences, which I'm now keen to return to and discover.
Furthermore, many of the big publishers plan on supporting the current consoles for a few more years at least!
Going back to what we do not about the consoles, other than the fact that neither is completely enticing (I am keen to try out the motion controls on both though believe it or not), information that has been revealed has made them less appealing than more. The issue of the DRM on Xbox, and most likely on PS4 as well, whereby a game can only be played on one console (or one profile) and not on multiple ones seems annoying. Microsoft has got a lot of slack for it so far, and though Sony has yet to comment on the matter, I'd be surprised if they don't have a similar system.
Although I've made MY decision, it will be interesting to see what E3 has to offer in terms of new content. Though I won't hold my breath, I'm sure some of it will be enticing nonetheless.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
The XBOX ONE
Last night (morning, afternoon, depending on where you were in the world), the next generation of Microsoft's successful gaming console was unveiled to us for the first time. Interestingly named the Xbox One, not so much because of it being a step backwards, but because of Microsoft's desire for the Xbox to be the 'One' entertainment device users adopt in their living room space for gaming, television, music and even internet browsing. It's not just a console anymore, its an all out entertainment device.
The trend started back when Microsoft launched the 360 nearly a decade ago, with the gradual inclusion of films and tv on demand, subscription based cable/satellite and so on. It seems such an inclusion has been beneficial to the teams at the tech giant, so much so that it has seen fit to launch a device which includes everything straight out of the box, at least so it would seem.
Whilst the event can be deemed a success, it also begs a lot of questions regarding the Xbox One's capabilities. It showed us live tv and the ability to switch seamlessly from it to games, to the music player, to skype and then back again, with little to no delay; all orchestrated using either the new Kinect's voice or motion control. Indeed, along with every Xbox and controller, a Kinect comes as part of the package. However, going back to the entertainment access, it is important to note Microsoft has given little to no clue as to how this will all be available. Supposedly one will have to connect whatever pre-existing top box already exists to the Xbox as well as pay a subscription for that service as well as Xbox's. Not altogether appealing but I'm going to wait before making assumptions. It does though seem like Xbox is tackeling the problem of the lost remote control, which isn't, let's be honest, a major problem.
On the games front, very little was shown, probably in an attempt to keep viewers keen for E3, where Microsoft will undoubtedly reveal more. They said they had a number of exclusive franchises (15), 8 of which were new. Forza 5 which will ship launch day is a continuation of the popular racing sim, which from the brief demo looked astounding and Quantum Break, a new game from Alan Wake and Max Paye devs Remedy. The latter was a video partly filmed in live action and partly game (though I was unsure if it was gameplay). It looked intriguing but so little was shown its hard to get excited. And other than a demo of the new Call Of Duty Ghosts, that was it! Not to skip over the latter, Ghosts didn't seem as revolutionary as Activision were trying to make out. There is supposedly a deeper and more compelling story written by the writer off Traffic (?). The graphics looks... good, but not revolutionary. Interestingly they compared Ghosts to MW3, Infinity Wards last game and whilst there was a major improvement, I'd be keen to see the game up against the likes of Far Cry 3.
To go back to Kinect, whilst some will feel let down that what was an optional peripheral is now compulsory, it does seem to be a vast improvement on the last one. The developers seem to have take the criticism on board and launched at the very least, a decent product. Reports have said the camera picks up movement without delay and the voice recognition technology is so good it recognises voices, even in a noisy environment. Although some may be put off, I don't feel the camera is a reason not to buy the console. It can even be used for the integrated Skype App.
All in all, whilst some gamers may feel differently, the Xbox One appears to be an interesting device which has the potential to wipe its competitors aside, much like the Wii did at launch. It has an appeal that will attract those a little on the fence because of its multiple functions and unsure of whether to buy a dedicated full price console. Either way, its an interesting experiment from Microsoft, and whilst I'm not completely sold on it (as any rational person should be), I'm in no way keen to jump ship to Sony's initially rather bland and average new though dedicated 'gaming' console. At this moment, a little patience is required to discover more about both. I may even end up eating my words about the PS4.
The trend started back when Microsoft launched the 360 nearly a decade ago, with the gradual inclusion of films and tv on demand, subscription based cable/satellite and so on. It seems such an inclusion has been beneficial to the teams at the tech giant, so much so that it has seen fit to launch a device which includes everything straight out of the box, at least so it would seem.
Whilst the event can be deemed a success, it also begs a lot of questions regarding the Xbox One's capabilities. It showed us live tv and the ability to switch seamlessly from it to games, to the music player, to skype and then back again, with little to no delay; all orchestrated using either the new Kinect's voice or motion control. Indeed, along with every Xbox and controller, a Kinect comes as part of the package. However, going back to the entertainment access, it is important to note Microsoft has given little to no clue as to how this will all be available. Supposedly one will have to connect whatever pre-existing top box already exists to the Xbox as well as pay a subscription for that service as well as Xbox's. Not altogether appealing but I'm going to wait before making assumptions. It does though seem like Xbox is tackeling the problem of the lost remote control, which isn't, let's be honest, a major problem.
 |
| Still not completely sold on the look - far from ugly though |
On the games front, very little was shown, probably in an attempt to keep viewers keen for E3, where Microsoft will undoubtedly reveal more. They said they had a number of exclusive franchises (15), 8 of which were new. Forza 5 which will ship launch day is a continuation of the popular racing sim, which from the brief demo looked astounding and Quantum Break, a new game from Alan Wake and Max Paye devs Remedy. The latter was a video partly filmed in live action and partly game (though I was unsure if it was gameplay). It looked intriguing but so little was shown its hard to get excited. And other than a demo of the new Call Of Duty Ghosts, that was it! Not to skip over the latter, Ghosts didn't seem as revolutionary as Activision were trying to make out. There is supposedly a deeper and more compelling story written by the writer off Traffic (?). The graphics looks... good, but not revolutionary. Interestingly they compared Ghosts to MW3, Infinity Wards last game and whilst there was a major improvement, I'd be keen to see the game up against the likes of Far Cry 3.
To go back to Kinect, whilst some will feel let down that what was an optional peripheral is now compulsory, it does seem to be a vast improvement on the last one. The developers seem to have take the criticism on board and launched at the very least, a decent product. Reports have said the camera picks up movement without delay and the voice recognition technology is so good it recognises voices, even in a noisy environment. Although some may be put off, I don't feel the camera is a reason not to buy the console. It can even be used for the integrated Skype App.
All in all, whilst some gamers may feel differently, the Xbox One appears to be an interesting device which has the potential to wipe its competitors aside, much like the Wii did at launch. It has an appeal that will attract those a little on the fence because of its multiple functions and unsure of whether to buy a dedicated full price console. Either way, its an interesting experiment from Microsoft, and whilst I'm not completely sold on it (as any rational person should be), I'm in no way keen to jump ship to Sony's initially rather bland and average new though dedicated 'gaming' console. At this moment, a little patience is required to discover more about both. I may even end up eating my words about the PS4.
Friday, 17 May 2013
Red Dead: Views
In the build up to the much anticipated release of GTA V in September, a month that still seems so far off, I've been exploring the incredible world of Red Dead Redemption. Although it's been out for a good while now, I only purchased it last December (the GOTY edition which is currently only between £15 - £20 at most retailers) and have been in and out of it ever since. Whilst I have in not been drawn into it to the extent that I've been playing it every day, it's a great game to play for stints during the week - similar to GTA IV.
As it is a GOTY edition, it does include the praised Undead Nightmare addition as well as all the other DLC. I can't say I've played through either much, wanting to get more invested in the main campaign first, but the addition of Zombies is not a bad thing to the game, and developers Rockstar have done a great job of adapting it for the lore. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is slightly disappointing due to the scarcity of players, though not unsurprising considering the late stage at which I have taken up the game. I imagine many have gone back to GTA too.
Overall, the game is essentially a reskined GTA with a fresh Western look. Changes have been made along the way in many cases for the better of the game. Combat is similar, the cut scenes are very reminiscent of GTA, as it the story with a serious overarching tale with humorous and imaginative side quests thrown in as well. It all takes place in a giant sand box, populated with outlaws, gunslingers and the various fauna of the American west, much of which is hostile to your presence in this vast land.
The world it seems is in a period of transition. A once wild and uninhabited is slowly becoming populated with Americans from the east. In the search of a new life and prosperity, they have brought with the greed, violence and crime. Other than the few 'civil' strongholds placed throughout the land, the world is ruled by outlaws and bandits where thievery and murder are common place. There is a general feeling that the 'civilized' east has little or no impact in this lawless land. A feeling though that is in the process of changing.
Your character is part of that change, on the hunt for a notorious criminal he was once allied with in order to help his family and redeem his past sins. On the way he meets a wide variety of characters all trying to make some sort of life in the world they have found themselves in. Locations are generally varied, and beautifully rendered, with huge expanses to explore. Particularly appealing to me was the travel past the Mexican border to a world not dissimilar but with its own personality to it - something that comes across in the architecture of the buildings and the people. Whilst the West is still wild, it is prosperous to a degree - the people try and replicate what they know of the East in terms of dress and manner. Mexico is clearly poor, rundown and in a major period of transition.
Historically speaking, how accurate it is is another matter, a period a know little about. It does seem to draw on real events, even if sometimes rather broadly. It makes Red Dead Redemption a very interesting game, as well as being fun. Whilst there are a few issues, none of which I have covered (travel in the vast world can take a long time) it is such a brilliant game to get absorbed in even on brief play throughs that it merits all the praise it receives. In some ways it is more than just a game, but an interesting cultural and social commentary on the world of the Wild West and the attempts to tame it. Though a topic covered in films of the genre, Red Dead succeeds above them in really capturing the feel of the world and immersing you in it. Though I have yet to finish it, this may be the game of this generation, and not just because it is so brilliant at being a great game.
As it is a GOTY edition, it does include the praised Undead Nightmare addition as well as all the other DLC. I can't say I've played through either much, wanting to get more invested in the main campaign first, but the addition of Zombies is not a bad thing to the game, and developers Rockstar have done a great job of adapting it for the lore. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is slightly disappointing due to the scarcity of players, though not unsurprising considering the late stage at which I have taken up the game. I imagine many have gone back to GTA too.
Overall, the game is essentially a reskined GTA with a fresh Western look. Changes have been made along the way in many cases for the better of the game. Combat is similar, the cut scenes are very reminiscent of GTA, as it the story with a serious overarching tale with humorous and imaginative side quests thrown in as well. It all takes place in a giant sand box, populated with outlaws, gunslingers and the various fauna of the American west, much of which is hostile to your presence in this vast land.
The world it seems is in a period of transition. A once wild and uninhabited is slowly becoming populated with Americans from the east. In the search of a new life and prosperity, they have brought with the greed, violence and crime. Other than the few 'civil' strongholds placed throughout the land, the world is ruled by outlaws and bandits where thievery and murder are common place. There is a general feeling that the 'civilized' east has little or no impact in this lawless land. A feeling though that is in the process of changing.
Your character is part of that change, on the hunt for a notorious criminal he was once allied with in order to help his family and redeem his past sins. On the way he meets a wide variety of characters all trying to make some sort of life in the world they have found themselves in. Locations are generally varied, and beautifully rendered, with huge expanses to explore. Particularly appealing to me was the travel past the Mexican border to a world not dissimilar but with its own personality to it - something that comes across in the architecture of the buildings and the people. Whilst the West is still wild, it is prosperous to a degree - the people try and replicate what they know of the East in terms of dress and manner. Mexico is clearly poor, rundown and in a major period of transition.
Historically speaking, how accurate it is is another matter, a period a know little about. It does seem to draw on real events, even if sometimes rather broadly. It makes Red Dead Redemption a very interesting game, as well as being fun. Whilst there are a few issues, none of which I have covered (travel in the vast world can take a long time) it is such a brilliant game to get absorbed in even on brief play throughs that it merits all the praise it receives. In some ways it is more than just a game, but an interesting cultural and social commentary on the world of the Wild West and the attempts to tame it. Though a topic covered in films of the genre, Red Dead succeeds above them in really capturing the feel of the world and immersing you in it. Though I have yet to finish it, this may be the game of this generation, and not just because it is so brilliant at being a great game.
Monday, 13 May 2013
Happy Wars
The latest game I've started playing is not one I can admit to being entirely proud of. Happy Wars is Microsoft's first foray in the ever more popular free-to-play genre. Though gamers are required to have a gold subscription to play, other than that playing it costs nothing and not unlike similar games on mobile platforms or on PC, it is sustained by Micro Transactions. Essentially, the player can buy weapons, armour and vanity items for their assortment of characters.
The main aim of the game is akin to a Battlefield: join a side, pick a class, fight your way across the map capturing points along the way to eventually destroy the enemy's principal spawn tower. The classes categories consist of warriors - your basic infantry, clerics - who have a strong attack but act as support building and healing, and mages - soldiers with longer range who employ magical abilities.
All are varied enough though I feel the game could have benefited from a fourth option. Each class has a select number of abilites, a number which increases as you progress through each level. In order to progress to learn more, you are advised to kill, capture enemy towers, help allies and build defenses. This does encourage a certain degree of team work and some abilities can only be used with the support of allies. Clerics, despite having attack abilities, really are just a means of support and perhaps one of the more underused classes as a result - warriors and mages are far more common. Working as a large team does make the game compelling though and as a result, despite some poor reviews from others and my own reluctance to even give it a go, I have found it compelling - even if the action can be a little repetitive.
In some instances, the screen can get a little over crowded and the player may lose his/her character in the mass on troops on screen. These instances are rare and tend to occur mainly at the start and end of a game, thanks to large map design.
Happy Wars adopts a cartoonish style with unrealistic characters resembling puppets or dolls more than people and the whole thing is coated in a bright pallet of colour to match the 'happy' theme. Whilst some may find it annoying and off-putting, it should not discourage as at the end of the day, the game is still a good 30 mins of fun distraction that you don't have to invest in should you not want to.
Though I am in no way topping leader boards, I haven't felt compelled to purchase anything from the game's store. Items can be required without having to pay, using the in game currency to access random weapons via a spinning wheel. Though it's unlikely you'll find a game-changing item, most are better than the starting weaponry. Items can also be modified and upgraded should you wish to do so.
All in all, for the time I've spent on it, Happy Wars is nothing more than a fun distraction for those looking for some free and fairly solid multiplayer on the Xbox 360.
 |
| A Medieval theme with a variety of locations |
The main aim of the game is akin to a Battlefield: join a side, pick a class, fight your way across the map capturing points along the way to eventually destroy the enemy's principal spawn tower. The classes categories consist of warriors - your basic infantry, clerics - who have a strong attack but act as support building and healing, and mages - soldiers with longer range who employ magical abilities.
All are varied enough though I feel the game could have benefited from a fourth option. Each class has a select number of abilites, a number which increases as you progress through each level. In order to progress to learn more, you are advised to kill, capture enemy towers, help allies and build defenses. This does encourage a certain degree of team work and some abilities can only be used with the support of allies. Clerics, despite having attack abilities, really are just a means of support and perhaps one of the more underused classes as a result - warriors and mages are far more common. Working as a large team does make the game compelling though and as a result, despite some poor reviews from others and my own reluctance to even give it a go, I have found it compelling - even if the action can be a little repetitive.
In some instances, the screen can get a little over crowded and the player may lose his/her character in the mass on troops on screen. These instances are rare and tend to occur mainly at the start and end of a game, thanks to large map design.
Happy Wars adopts a cartoonish style with unrealistic characters resembling puppets or dolls more than people and the whole thing is coated in a bright pallet of colour to match the 'happy' theme. Whilst some may find it annoying and off-putting, it should not discourage as at the end of the day, the game is still a good 30 mins of fun distraction that you don't have to invest in should you not want to.
Though I am in no way topping leader boards, I haven't felt compelled to purchase anything from the game's store. Items can be required without having to pay, using the in game currency to access random weapons via a spinning wheel. Though it's unlikely you'll find a game-changing item, most are better than the starting weaponry. Items can also be modified and upgraded should you wish to do so.
All in all, for the time I've spent on it, Happy Wars is nothing more than a fun distraction for those looking for some free and fairly solid multiplayer on the Xbox 360.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Call of Duty
With several leaks in recent weeks, Activision has seen fit to release information on its best selling franchise, Call of Duty, with a new trailer and the name: Ghosts. Not the MW4 many were expecting/dreading, the new title implies a slight departure from the traditional story, akin to what Black Ops did. With Infinity Ward once again at the helm, it should be an interesting game to follow, with more information arriving on the day of the Xbox press event.
Having said that, it's not a game I'm extremely excited about. Whilst it boasts a new engine along with a new story, I can't envisage a huge overhaul of the overall gameplay, which doesn't necessarily make it bad, just something I'm not particularly interested in.
Recently, I have still been playing a fair amount of Black Ops 2, though have started to become increasingly frustrated with it. Maybe I'm just getting worse, or the online competition better, but the multiplayer does not feel as compelling or solid as the MW series did. It left me even resorting back to MW3 on one occasion.
I've come to the conclusion that whilst Black Ops 2 did boast a number of improvements to the multiplayer, the gameplay itself had a bit of a tumble. The new load out screen for example is a vast improvement compared with MW3, which is cumbersome and slow to navigate. Upgrading a weapon or your perks, whilst not complicated in MW3, is so much simpler in Black Ops 2 and definitely something future iterations should adopt. The perks have also been overhauled to make changes to the player only, not the weapons which are separately modifiable. Finally the scorestreaks do seem to balance the game a bit more. You won't find yourself constantly bombarded with airstrikes and nukes like in MW2 and 3 to some extent.
Having said that, after giving MW3 a go, I felt the gaming experience was much more enticing. The maps were more interesting and varied, Black Ops 2's best was the reused Nuketown. Weapons handled and sounded better. I got more pleasure out of it than Black Ops and wanted to play more. Ultimately, I find neither stand up to MW2 or MW1 which for some reason feel a lot more balanced and more entertaining. MW2 had some really good maps which the more recent releases have failed to recapture, and MW1 I consider the ultimate experience, despite joining the party a few years later.
Whilst COD is still a good way to spend an hour in the evening to destress after a working day, it's repetitiveness is beginning to ware on me. Either that or I just don't find the latest ones as much fun. I might stop Black Ops altogether and go back to the MW series. Having said that I've gotten back into the excellent Red Dead Redemption, in anticipation of the exciting release of GTA V...
Having said that, it's not a game I'm extremely excited about. Whilst it boasts a new engine along with a new story, I can't envisage a huge overhaul of the overall gameplay, which doesn't necessarily make it bad, just something I'm not particularly interested in.
Recently, I have still been playing a fair amount of Black Ops 2, though have started to become increasingly frustrated with it. Maybe I'm just getting worse, or the online competition better, but the multiplayer does not feel as compelling or solid as the MW series did. It left me even resorting back to MW3 on one occasion.
I've come to the conclusion that whilst Black Ops 2 did boast a number of improvements to the multiplayer, the gameplay itself had a bit of a tumble. The new load out screen for example is a vast improvement compared with MW3, which is cumbersome and slow to navigate. Upgrading a weapon or your perks, whilst not complicated in MW3, is so much simpler in Black Ops 2 and definitely something future iterations should adopt. The perks have also been overhauled to make changes to the player only, not the weapons which are separately modifiable. Finally the scorestreaks do seem to balance the game a bit more. You won't find yourself constantly bombarded with airstrikes and nukes like in MW2 and 3 to some extent.
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| I swear this (MW2) just looks better too, especially compared to BO2 |
Whilst COD is still a good way to spend an hour in the evening to destress after a working day, it's repetitiveness is beginning to ware on me. Either that or I just don't find the latest ones as much fun. I might stop Black Ops altogether and go back to the MW series. Having said that I've gotten back into the excellent Red Dead Redemption, in anticipation of the exciting release of GTA V...
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