E3

For those unaware, E3 started on Monday. Possibly the biggest electronics and entertainment show on earth saw some interesting and intriguing information revealed and shared. Crucially, it was the battleground of both Sony and Microsoft in their attempts to win over the consumers at the show. Both held large and elaborate press conferences showcasing their hardware, as well as their latest games, but most importantly, prices and snippets of information were shared - some of which may determine who wins at least the initial round of sales. 

Tactical Formation! 

Microsoft started the day showcasing a large number of the upcoming games arriving on its platform, a large number exclusive. Fans will be happy to see the return of Dead Rising 3, however I was most taken by new IPs Spark, a game that puts you in the shoes of a game maker and allows you to craft your own world using your controller, Kinect or smart glass, and Ryse, a game long rumoured for the 360 which has now been adapted for the One. Ryse puts you in the bootsof a Roman field commander as you lead troops to attack Barbarian fortifications. It looks incredibly pretty and the combat seems compelling. Project Spark on the other hand seems to allow you to create your own world to play in and even share with friends. Not dissimilar to the idea behind Minecraft, it seems you have a vast array of tools at your disposal to customise your world till hearts content. I appreciated the use of existing peripherals as well. Titan Fall was also announced, an exclusive futuristic shooter from ex Infinity Ward developers as well as a few indie titles and of course Halo 5. All in all, Microsoft did a good job on delivering on its promise to only showcase games - all of which seemed superior to what Sony had to offer. However, the thorn in their side, or even the bullet deeply wedged in their foot, are the DRM issues which Microsoft is adamant on keeping, as well as the high price of £429. This will put a lot of gamers off, especially considering many, myself including, don't quite understand the high price considering we never completely get full control over the games we buy. Despite a reasonably strong presentation, Microsoft still have a lot of work to do... 

A job that will be made even harder with Sony announcing not only some good new titles, including Bungie's Destiny, a 'space opera' which seems incredibly vast and compelling in scope. Though not exclusive, it does seem to get preferential treatment from Sony. The real nail in the coffin though was the near £100 cheaper price, but also the fact that Sony haven't inputted a DRM system on their own console... This means people are free to trade, lend and sell their games as the like, unlike the Xbox One where users have to respect ridiculous rules which essentially discourage any sharing. How Sony have dones this, or perhaps why Microsoft decided to input such a decision, is baffling.  The Redmond tech giants may have won over publishers with this absurd policy, but at the expense of their customers. 

The web is rife with people announcing the PS4's victory in the race for first, which may well be the case. We'll have to wait and see in November. But it is clear that despite some great looking games on the Xbox One, many won't get a chance to play them because they justifiably refuse to hand over customer liberties for no apparent reason.  

I for one have decided I'm sticking with the 360 and investing in a rather surprising choice. Whilst the section on their old console was short, Microsoft did showcase a few things for the 360 including World of Tanks, and free games for Gold members. I am considering rejoining just to get access Fable 3 for free, though the second batch are rather less appealing - Halo 3 and AC2, both of which I've had for a while. Futhermore, many of the games of the new generation will also come to the 360, albeit in older looking graphics.

The extra console I may invest in is... the 3DS. Though not a major Nintendo Fan, it appears the new Super Smash Bros is coming to the handheld. Is it worth saying much more? 

Wii Fit Trainer available...