The art, graphics, and sound (VO, sound effects, music, etc) is all stellar. This is to be expected as the considering the pedigree and budget behind the game. The shell of this game is incredibly enticing and production values are top notch.
The
story is unoriginal and has been done to death. How many games are you
considered the one, have a floating spherical robot that does things,
and you're fighting off a massive universal evil by shooting aliens?
The
character progression and systems are mediocre at best with major
talents doing things that "proficiencies" do in other games and because
there are only 3 classes, the limited talent trees don't offer anywhere
near the amount of variety you'd expect from a loot dropping action RPG.
The loot dropping happens too few and far between with bosses
rarely if ever dropping loot and the loot that does drop, like the
talents, rarely does anything to change things as it focus's solely on
the damage or armor and not the actual function of the gun or armor.
This means pretty much all guns and armor in the game function the same
minus small stats that increase reload speed, make grenade cooldowns
shorter, increases melee damage, etc. aka basically stuff that would be
done in proficiencies in other games but not things that make getting
new weapons and armor feel unique and worthwhile.
The gameplay
is painfully basic with not much changing outside of gun types, mostly
due to the wishy washy "power" system lacking depth and the item
randomization being so poor. This means, don't expect anything
groundbreaking because outside of the handful of powers and
doublejump/jetpacks, the gameplay is the norm. If you've played any
fps's you've seen it and done it already.
The lack of any kind of
economy system and trading is confusing. Hey I get you don't want
other players to trade gear, which the gear is nothing of note but
whatever, but even in Monster Hunter if you want to trade you can still
trade other items besides gear. For a game that's being hyped as a MMO,
this seems like a huge over site.
Only allowing three players on
quests is also very weird and incredibly disappointing. Four players
seems standard for a game like this but for whatever reason, they
decided to go with 3, which is incredibly annoying when trying to play
this game with friends. If anything, you'd expect games to INCREASE the
number of teammates not lower it. To take it a step further, the lack of cross platform play for a game that's supposed to be a MMO, even with systems in the same network (360 with XB1 or PS3 with PS4) seems like a pretty big over site.
That said, the game is fun
with a group of friends, like any coop game, and it looks and sounds
nice. However there are shortcomings which boggle the mind, especially
in a game that has a $500 million budget. There are much better loot
based action/rpg's out there, there are much better FPS's out there, and
there are much better MMO's out there. I understand it's a blend of
the 3 but it's not the first to do this nor is it the best. This is a
mediocre game with a lot of polish, the type of game that focus's on
graphics over gameplay and depth.
6/10
Showing posts with label Xbox One. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xbox One. Show all posts
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
My thoughts on the 3 major consoles of generation 8.
I was recently asked by a user on gonintendo my thoughts on the 3 new systems now that they're out. I gave a pretty detailed response that I felt was blog worthy so here it is. I should note, this has definitely been edited as I typed up the original response at some crazy hour of the morning.
Honestly? I feel that this generation of gaming is a bit of a let down compared to the previous generation but especially the home consoles. The graphical jump, while noticeable even on the Wii U (with Wii U games made specifically for the system), is not the graphical leap that we saw from PS2 and Xbox to PS3 and 360 and the Wii U Pad is in no way as revolutionary as the Wii remotes were. Many games that you can buy on PS3 and 360, while they do look better on PS4, XB1, and occasionally Wii U, don't look good enough for somebody to say "I gotta get those new systems or I'll be missing out." If anything, it's making people go in hoards to PC gaming for the vastly superior Steam service, user mods, and the highest end of graphical fidelity.
Also the whole sharing features of the new systems, some of the main features all 3 companies seem to heralding, are pretty limited over all which I'll get into more of when I talk about the individual systems. The lack of proper backwards compatibility is disgusting, the lack of digital media playback is disgusting, the forced online payments is disgusting, the storage situations are disgusting... it really seems like outside of marginally better graphics and slightly better online, the 3 new consoles are pretty much a disappointment. But talking about the 3 systems individually...
Wii U:
I find the library of games, since launch, to be the most diverse but the hardware is definitely not pushing the same horsepower as the other 2 consoles meaning, getting publisher support will be more challenging, especially without major sales numbers and a large install base. I love the fact that they introduced the Miiverse and gave the community a family friendly yet steam like way to communicate, I love the built in browser (it's quite possibly the best browser on a console yet), I love the fact they don't require payments to play online, I like the fact there's actual backwards compatibility, and the eShop is by far the best over all shopping experience of the 3 new home consoles however the lack of a real comprehensive account system, the lack of cross game chat, the lack of on screen notifications, the lack of game invites and game joining, and the lack of gamecube support is all VERY disappointing.
To add to this, the weird emulated Wii that basically puts a system in a system needs to go. Backwards compatibility needs to be like what the 3DS has where you can see all digital games in the eShop, not in a separate digital store from the previous generation and launch all physical games straight from the main OS, not an emulated one. Also, I'd really like to see better use of the Wii U pad in more first and 3rd party games as imo it's actually a pretty cool controller with all the buttons you need how you need them (minus analog triggers) and they need to get the controller part of it working with Wii games, not just the screen on the pad and the sensor bar on it. Also they need to get the integration of streaming content better implemented into Nintendo TVii so you don't need to launch different services based on what service has what show. They also really need to consider putting more storage into their systems, yes I understand it has external drive support and it uses quick and expensive flash memory however 32 gb is very small and almost nothing. They should consider shipping the system with 128 gb and with the bigger more powerful battery for the Wii U pad.
On the note of Miiverse and "sharing" on the Wii U, I find that Wii U unintentionally has the most "open" sharing of the 3 systems. You can upload your Wii U screens wherever you want via the amazing browser and you can access your Miiverse posts pretty much anywhere by linking them. That said, video recording is greatly needed and it is a bit disappointing that there isn't any twitch or ustream streaming features, especially for me as I like to stream games myself for the fun of it.
Lastly, I do wanna go ahead and state that I love the fact that the system has so many different kinds of controllers to choose from. I didn't have to go out and get all new controllers right off the bat because my Wii remotes worked. Also, I highly enjoy the Wii U gamepad (despite its limited battery life) and, despite the triggers being digital and it not offering a headset/headphone jack, the Wii U Pro controller is by far my favorite controller of this generation and quite possibly my favorite of all time (though Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and Gamecube are major contenders for that title for me as well).
Playstation 4:
I actually find the library of games at launch and even announced so far to be the least diverse, which I find very disappointing. It feels Sony has completely gotten rid of what got them to where they are now and are trying to appeal to only an audience that wants mature western themed games. I know KH3 and FFXV are on the way but they're multi platform titles that could end out being on Steam. I'd like to see more of the games that made PS1 and PS2 great, make their glorious return, not more games that look like what most 3rd parties are doing and have been doing for a long time. I'd love a new Jet Moto, or a new Jak and Daxter, or a new Wild Arms, or a new Legend of Dragoon, or a new Dark Cloud, or a new Jumping Flash, or a new Lemmings, a new Parappa the Rappa, etc.
As for the system itself, the hardware is the most powerful on paper but after playing around with the 3 systems, its definitely not the graphical difference the internet makes it out to be and it's definitely not as powerful as my PC (and many other people's for that matter). Don't get me wrong, the games look good, but like the Vita vs 3DS or PS3 vs 360, the graphical difference isn't enough to really sway the smart consumer or the core gamers to the system. I like the controller redesign, the triggers are no longer bent the wrong way, the analogs are stiffer and have more tread, the handles are incredibly comfy, and the dpad has a nice roll to it and is no longer squishy. That said, the triggers feel a bit loose and flimsy, the track pad is awkward and unresponsive, start button went MIA and the share button feels like it could have had its functions mapped to the PS button.
I like the look and speed of the interface. It feels like a very good visual evolution from the XMB and it's definitely the fastest over all however I dislike how it takes your most recent application and moves it to the front though and the front wall looks a bit cluttered though. I hate the fact your forced to pay for PS+ in order to play games online. It's in stake contrast to the whole PS3 is free online and 360 you gotta pay claims that people seem to have forgotten over the past 3 years. Also, when you have a free service like Steam available which is infinitely better then anything any of the 3 console companies are doing and have ever thought of, I personally find it hard to justify paying for a SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE service. Also, I hate the lack of backwards compatibility, especially with digital purchases, which could end up screwing me and other consumers over who bought plenty of digital games on the 7th gen consoles. Sure there is Gaikai aka PS Now but it's a payed service that requires a constant stable connection. Anybody promoting Gaikai as the end all be all answer to BC but was against the XB1 DRM should re-evaluate their thinking process as there standards couldn't be any more double.
I like the fact you can change out the internal storage, which is a huge thumbs up to Sony for that but I dislike the fact that you have to install every game you purchase (which can go up to 50 gb) and have all this recording functionality yet it only comes with 500 gbs. The storage is a complaint I have for all 3 systems though to be completely honest. Also, I'm very disappointed there isn't more media features with digital music and videos, which is something PS3 had plenty of. I will say though, I'm very glad they decided to say no to the DRM crap and forced Microsoft to change their ways or lose all their customers. That said I'm still very skeptical because the question of DRM should have never been an issue in the first place.
Last 2 things, the sharing on the system is one of the most hyped up features of this gen but I feel it's incredibly over rated. The share button could have been mapped to the PS button the way it's mapped to the home button on Wii U and it's mapped to the Xbox button on the XB1 and the sharing is bottled into PSN and facebook... which isn't very many options for sharing at all. It's cool to see the streaming options but nothing about this systems "sharing" makes it this major selling feature. Also the price point, while good, I feel is very skewed when people talk about it. When you buy a PS4, you actually get the least right out of the box. Unless you get a special bundle, it doesn't come with games, it doesn't come with the camera, it doesn't come with with a second screen for off tv play, and it doesn't come with TV functionality. I'm not saying the price is bad, because it isn't, but in general, consoles box price points are not the price you'll be paying for the system, especially in the long run and in the case of the PS4, despite having a pretty good entry price, you'll actually be paying more to take full advantage of the system then you would XB1 and especially Wii U.
Xbox One:
This is by far the most under rated system of this new generation with the most under rated launch line up. Don't get me wrong, there are many more things I dislike about the XB1 then I actually like about it and I actually dislike much more about it then I do both Wii U and even PS4 but it's nowhere near as bad as the rep it's got from it's reveal and forward. First and foremost, I'll say this now, if it wasn't for the payment methods of the games in its launch line up, its launch line up would be my favorite of the 3. It recieved the western focused 3rd party titles also got some other titles worth mentioning such as Killer freaking Instinct. Sure, I know, it's not a real Killer Instinct made by Rareware, but I had a whole lot of fun playing it and in the end, that's what matters. Also, though I wished I was using a Wii Remote or DS/3DS/Wii U touch screen and stylus while playing it, I actually highly enjoyed my time with Crimson Dragon. While it's definitely not a real horror game, Dead Rising was a lot of fun. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is the sequel to one of my favorite games on Wiiware and is awesome. Even many of the announced games on the way look great, such as Project Spark, Sunset Overdrive, Below, D4, Titanfall, etc.
Unfortunately, outside of the games... things get pretty ugh worthy. The controller fixes a lot of problems that the 360 controller had. The D-pad is WAY better and has a nice roll, the the face buttons aren't as hard and blister inducing, the triggers feel great on the fingers and have the rumble in them which really is nice and the design is the same design that made the 360 controller quite nice. That said, though the analogs have a generous amount of tread, the analogs feel loose and don't have enough force feedback (though they're not as bad as the Vita's) and the lack of a battery in the controller is facepalm worthy.
The DVR functionality is interesting but is immediately hurt by the fact that, unlike Nintendo TVii, you need cable in order to use it. Then you also have the added storage problem to go along with it as the system only has 500 gb and, like the PS4, is supposed to be a system with mandatory game installations, have recording and sharing functionality, BUT ALSO is a DVR. Being a DVR alone and only having 500 gb is pushing it but all the other stuff too.... are you kidding me...? Oh and how do you go from a system that had the most awesome detachable and portable storage option to a system that requires you to take apart the entire system and void the warranty just to upgrade the storage?!? REALLY!?!? To add to that, the lack of external storage is insult to injury here.
The interface .... well it's fast.... Outside of that though, it's pretty nasty. I guess I'm biased here because I can't stand Windows 8 but the fact of the matter is, it's Windows 8, not Xbox. It's incredibly convoluted and confusing (I spent a good 10 minutes just to figure out how to suspend and launch software), it screams corporate, it lacks the avatars, and to be honest, it lacks a soul. Sure its fast and you can use Kinect to get around in it, but it's so uninviting and unispired and doesn't feel anything like the Xbox brand.
The lack of backwards compatibility, just like the PS4 is really disgusting but the fact they aren't doing anything to compensate for it shows they really don't care too much about the actual gamer. Then again, what would you expect, it's Microsoft. I just feel that the direction they're taking the Xbox brand will kill it off very quickly. Also, while I understand why the price point is as high as it is, I mean it has the Kinect and the DVR functions built in, the price point would be justified if the DVR functions were more open and the Kinect shown serious promise. Granted the Kinect is great for interacting with your system and moving around the interface quickly but I have yet to see anything that actually uses it to really enhance the gameplay that wasn't just voice commands.
Graphically, the system is much better graphically then the internet makes it out to be. Looking at XB1 and PS4 side by side in action at the store and at friends houses, they're near identical. Granted, there is a difference, but it's not this huge gap the way the net makes it out to be. That said, while things didn't look bad here, like the PS4, I wasn't blown away. What I played was not the bleeding edge of graphics and it felt like what I was playing 2 or 3 years ago on PC. They both look good but they're not this major graphical gap over their predecessors.
Lastly, on the note of sharing, while the XB1 isn't as directly open as the Wii U, it's by far the best sharing experience of the 3 systems or rather, it will be. It has every feature the PS4 has without the overhyped new button and diehard fan hype but it also does much MUCH more. First and foremost, every achievement allows you to record footage letting people see exactly how you got said achievement which imo is GOLD. Another thing is you can highly edit your clips to the point where you won't really need to do things later unless you're trying to go for production like quality. Also, you can upload your clips to your skydrive allowing you to share your stuff basically anywhere you want. The problem here though is not all of the features are implemented yet. Sure they just got streaming but you still can't upload everywhere, which both the Wii U and PS4 had all their sharing features up and running day 1. Hopefully, this will eventually get resolved.
Overall:
Sorry about the ultra pessimistic post but I'm really not digging this generation of consoles. I'm very disappointed about the direction they're going and saddened by the decisions the companies are making and continue to make. Hopefully all three get their crap in gear and turn things around but I just don't see that happening and feel console gaming is increasingly not for me. I currently have no intention of getting a PS4 or XB1 and if Nintendo continues making the decisions that they are, I doubt I'll be getting another Nintendo system again (even handhelds) and go completely PC.
Honestly? I feel that this generation of gaming is a bit of a let down compared to the previous generation but especially the home consoles. The graphical jump, while noticeable even on the Wii U (with Wii U games made specifically for the system), is not the graphical leap that we saw from PS2 and Xbox to PS3 and 360 and the Wii U Pad is in no way as revolutionary as the Wii remotes were. Many games that you can buy on PS3 and 360, while they do look better on PS4, XB1, and occasionally Wii U, don't look good enough for somebody to say "I gotta get those new systems or I'll be missing out." If anything, it's making people go in hoards to PC gaming for the vastly superior Steam service, user mods, and the highest end of graphical fidelity.
Why ReviewtechUSA abandoned consoles.
Also the whole sharing features of the new systems, some of the main features all 3 companies seem to heralding, are pretty limited over all which I'll get into more of when I talk about the individual systems. The lack of proper backwards compatibility is disgusting, the lack of digital media playback is disgusting, the forced online payments is disgusting, the storage situations are disgusting... it really seems like outside of marginally better graphics and slightly better online, the 3 new consoles are pretty much a disappointment. But talking about the 3 systems individually...
Wii U:
I find the library of games, since launch, to be the most diverse but the hardware is definitely not pushing the same horsepower as the other 2 consoles meaning, getting publisher support will be more challenging, especially without major sales numbers and a large install base. I love the fact that they introduced the Miiverse and gave the community a family friendly yet steam like way to communicate, I love the built in browser (it's quite possibly the best browser on a console yet), I love the fact they don't require payments to play online, I like the fact there's actual backwards compatibility, and the eShop is by far the best over all shopping experience of the 3 new home consoles however the lack of a real comprehensive account system, the lack of cross game chat, the lack of on screen notifications, the lack of game invites and game joining, and the lack of gamecube support is all VERY disappointing.
To add to this, the weird emulated Wii that basically puts a system in a system needs to go. Backwards compatibility needs to be like what the 3DS has where you can see all digital games in the eShop, not in a separate digital store from the previous generation and launch all physical games straight from the main OS, not an emulated one. Also, I'd really like to see better use of the Wii U pad in more first and 3rd party games as imo it's actually a pretty cool controller with all the buttons you need how you need them (minus analog triggers) and they need to get the controller part of it working with Wii games, not just the screen on the pad and the sensor bar on it. Also they need to get the integration of streaming content better implemented into Nintendo TVii so you don't need to launch different services based on what service has what show. They also really need to consider putting more storage into their systems, yes I understand it has external drive support and it uses quick and expensive flash memory however 32 gb is very small and almost nothing. They should consider shipping the system with 128 gb and with the bigger more powerful battery for the Wii U pad.
He can be pretty trolly but he's right, Nintendo needs to get with the times.
On the note of Miiverse and "sharing" on the Wii U, I find that Wii U unintentionally has the most "open" sharing of the 3 systems. You can upload your Wii U screens wherever you want via the amazing browser and you can access your Miiverse posts pretty much anywhere by linking them. That said, video recording is greatly needed and it is a bit disappointing that there isn't any twitch or ustream streaming features, especially for me as I like to stream games myself for the fun of it.
Lastly, I do wanna go ahead and state that I love the fact that the system has so many different kinds of controllers to choose from. I didn't have to go out and get all new controllers right off the bat because my Wii remotes worked. Also, I highly enjoy the Wii U gamepad (despite its limited battery life) and, despite the triggers being digital and it not offering a headset/headphone jack, the Wii U Pro controller is by far my favorite controller of this generation and quite possibly my favorite of all time (though Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and Gamecube are major contenders for that title for me as well).
Playstation 4:
I actually find the library of games at launch and even announced so far to be the least diverse, which I find very disappointing. It feels Sony has completely gotten rid of what got them to where they are now and are trying to appeal to only an audience that wants mature western themed games. I know KH3 and FFXV are on the way but they're multi platform titles that could end out being on Steam. I'd like to see more of the games that made PS1 and PS2 great, make their glorious return, not more games that look like what most 3rd parties are doing and have been doing for a long time. I'd love a new Jet Moto, or a new Jak and Daxter, or a new Wild Arms, or a new Legend of Dragoon, or a new Dark Cloud, or a new Jumping Flash, or a new Lemmings, a new Parappa the Rappa, etc.
As for the system itself, the hardware is the most powerful on paper but after playing around with the 3 systems, its definitely not the graphical difference the internet makes it out to be and it's definitely not as powerful as my PC (and many other people's for that matter). Don't get me wrong, the games look good, but like the Vita vs 3DS or PS3 vs 360, the graphical difference isn't enough to really sway the smart consumer or the core gamers to the system. I like the controller redesign, the triggers are no longer bent the wrong way, the analogs are stiffer and have more tread, the handles are incredibly comfy, and the dpad has a nice roll to it and is no longer squishy. That said, the triggers feel a bit loose and flimsy, the track pad is awkward and unresponsive, start button went MIA and the share button feels like it could have had its functions mapped to the PS button.
I like the look and speed of the interface. It feels like a very good visual evolution from the XMB and it's definitely the fastest over all however I dislike how it takes your most recent application and moves it to the front though and the front wall looks a bit cluttered though. I hate the fact your forced to pay for PS+ in order to play games online. It's in stake contrast to the whole PS3 is free online and 360 you gotta pay claims that people seem to have forgotten over the past 3 years. Also, when you have a free service like Steam available which is infinitely better then anything any of the 3 console companies are doing and have ever thought of, I personally find it hard to justify paying for a SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE service. Also, I hate the lack of backwards compatibility, especially with digital purchases, which could end up screwing me and other consumers over who bought plenty of digital games on the 7th gen consoles. Sure there is Gaikai aka PS Now but it's a payed service that requires a constant stable connection. Anybody promoting Gaikai as the end all be all answer to BC but was against the XB1 DRM should re-evaluate their thinking process as there standards couldn't be any more double.
Killzone: Shadow Fall visually looks great but it still doesn't justify buying clunky new systems with no backwards compatibility.
I like the fact you can change out the internal storage, which is a huge thumbs up to Sony for that but I dislike the fact that you have to install every game you purchase (which can go up to 50 gb) and have all this recording functionality yet it only comes with 500 gbs. The storage is a complaint I have for all 3 systems though to be completely honest. Also, I'm very disappointed there isn't more media features with digital music and videos, which is something PS3 had plenty of. I will say though, I'm very glad they decided to say no to the DRM crap and forced Microsoft to change their ways or lose all their customers. That said I'm still very skeptical because the question of DRM should have never been an issue in the first place.
Last 2 things, the sharing on the system is one of the most hyped up features of this gen but I feel it's incredibly over rated. The share button could have been mapped to the PS button the way it's mapped to the home button on Wii U and it's mapped to the Xbox button on the XB1 and the sharing is bottled into PSN and facebook... which isn't very many options for sharing at all. It's cool to see the streaming options but nothing about this systems "sharing" makes it this major selling feature. Also the price point, while good, I feel is very skewed when people talk about it. When you buy a PS4, you actually get the least right out of the box. Unless you get a special bundle, it doesn't come with games, it doesn't come with the camera, it doesn't come with with a second screen for off tv play, and it doesn't come with TV functionality. I'm not saying the price is bad, because it isn't, but in general, consoles box price points are not the price you'll be paying for the system, especially in the long run and in the case of the PS4, despite having a pretty good entry price, you'll actually be paying more to take full advantage of the system then you would XB1 and especially Wii U.
Xbox One:
This is by far the most under rated system of this new generation with the most under rated launch line up. Don't get me wrong, there are many more things I dislike about the XB1 then I actually like about it and I actually dislike much more about it then I do both Wii U and even PS4 but it's nowhere near as bad as the rep it's got from it's reveal and forward. First and foremost, I'll say this now, if it wasn't for the payment methods of the games in its launch line up, its launch line up would be my favorite of the 3. It recieved the western focused 3rd party titles also got some other titles worth mentioning such as Killer freaking Instinct. Sure, I know, it's not a real Killer Instinct made by Rareware, but I had a whole lot of fun playing it and in the end, that's what matters. Also, though I wished I was using a Wii Remote or DS/3DS/Wii U touch screen and stylus while playing it, I actually highly enjoyed my time with Crimson Dragon. While it's definitely not a real horror game, Dead Rising was a lot of fun. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is the sequel to one of my favorite games on Wiiware and is awesome. Even many of the announced games on the way look great, such as Project Spark, Sunset Overdrive, Below, D4, Titanfall, etc.
Unfortunately, outside of the games... things get pretty ugh worthy. The controller fixes a lot of problems that the 360 controller had. The D-pad is WAY better and has a nice roll, the the face buttons aren't as hard and blister inducing, the triggers feel great on the fingers and have the rumble in them which really is nice and the design is the same design that made the 360 controller quite nice. That said, though the analogs have a generous amount of tread, the analogs feel loose and don't have enough force feedback (though they're not as bad as the Vita's) and the lack of a battery in the controller is facepalm worthy.
Pretty much describes what I think of cable companies.
The DVR functionality is interesting but is immediately hurt by the fact that, unlike Nintendo TVii, you need cable in order to use it. Then you also have the added storage problem to go along with it as the system only has 500 gb and, like the PS4, is supposed to be a system with mandatory game installations, have recording and sharing functionality, BUT ALSO is a DVR. Being a DVR alone and only having 500 gb is pushing it but all the other stuff too.... are you kidding me...? Oh and how do you go from a system that had the most awesome detachable and portable storage option to a system that requires you to take apart the entire system and void the warranty just to upgrade the storage?!? REALLY!?!? To add to that, the lack of external storage is insult to injury here.
The interface .... well it's fast.... Outside of that though, it's pretty nasty. I guess I'm biased here because I can't stand Windows 8 but the fact of the matter is, it's Windows 8, not Xbox. It's incredibly convoluted and confusing (I spent a good 10 minutes just to figure out how to suspend and launch software), it screams corporate, it lacks the avatars, and to be honest, it lacks a soul. Sure its fast and you can use Kinect to get around in it, but it's so uninviting and unispired and doesn't feel anything like the Xbox brand.
Yep.
The lack of backwards compatibility, just like the PS4 is really disgusting but the fact they aren't doing anything to compensate for it shows they really don't care too much about the actual gamer. Then again, what would you expect, it's Microsoft. I just feel that the direction they're taking the Xbox brand will kill it off very quickly. Also, while I understand why the price point is as high as it is, I mean it has the Kinect and the DVR functions built in, the price point would be justified if the DVR functions were more open and the Kinect shown serious promise. Granted the Kinect is great for interacting with your system and moving around the interface quickly but I have yet to see anything that actually uses it to really enhance the gameplay that wasn't just voice commands.
Graphically, the system is much better graphically then the internet makes it out to be. Looking at XB1 and PS4 side by side in action at the store and at friends houses, they're near identical. Granted, there is a difference, but it's not this huge gap the way the net makes it out to be. That said, while things didn't look bad here, like the PS4, I wasn't blown away. What I played was not the bleeding edge of graphics and it felt like what I was playing 2 or 3 years ago on PC. They both look good but they're not this major graphical gap over their predecessors.
Lastly, on the note of sharing, while the XB1 isn't as directly open as the Wii U, it's by far the best sharing experience of the 3 systems or rather, it will be. It has every feature the PS4 has without the overhyped new button and diehard fan hype but it also does much MUCH more. First and foremost, every achievement allows you to record footage letting people see exactly how you got said achievement which imo is GOLD. Another thing is you can highly edit your clips to the point where you won't really need to do things later unless you're trying to go for production like quality. Also, you can upload your clips to your skydrive allowing you to share your stuff basically anywhere you want. The problem here though is not all of the features are implemented yet. Sure they just got streaming but you still can't upload everywhere, which both the Wii U and PS4 had all their sharing features up and running day 1. Hopefully, this will eventually get resolved.
Overall:
Sorry about the ultra pessimistic post but I'm really not digging this generation of consoles. I'm very disappointed about the direction they're going and saddened by the decisions the companies are making and continue to make. Hopefully all three get their crap in gear and turn things around but I just don't see that happening and feel console gaming is increasingly not for me. I currently have no intention of getting a PS4 or XB1 and if Nintendo continues making the decisions that they are, I doubt I'll be getting another Nintendo system again (even handhelds) and go completely PC.
Friday, June 28, 2013
The State of Gaming
I guess I should start by saying, I love video games, I've been playing them since I was 3 and I grew up with them as the main staple of my entertainment. I gained my appreciation for music from them, pursued art as a profession because of them, started scripting and learning programing when I was 12 by messing around with them, and ultimately learned to type and structure sentences in a coherent manner because of them. For me, it's more then just a passed time or hobby, it's my inspiration, it's what taught me, and it's part of my culture. It's who I am, kind of like the kids who grew up watching movies in the theaters back in the 30's only to move on to become actors, directors, writers, and producers.
With all of that said, many people have the horrible misconception that follows a dumb stereotype from the 90's that gamers are lazy people who's brains are turning to mush and eyes are frying from playing games. Of course, this is all bollox and couldn't be further from the truth but this blog entry isn't about arguing the merits and legitimacy of such claims, rather I'm going to take such a claim and run with it as I move into the point of this blog.
The thing is, I'm a gamer, I enjoy gaming, but I'm tired... and feel drained. Gaming in general has become increasingly political to the point where as a gamer, I've spent more time in the past few years involving myself in the politics of gaming then I have been actually playing games. I'm not talking about this console company vs this console company type of stuff that we've had since there was more then 1 system on the market (Genesis vs Super Nintendo anybody?), heck I'm not even referring to the constant political groups targeting gaming referring to games as the ultimate evil and the reason the (insert evil thing) exists.... No, I'm talking about the constant struggles we have from the game companies themselves, the constant dumb decisions that are made by the companies that are extremely anti consumer and the campaigns the gamers and fans have to do to not get screwed over.
It seems like every month there's something new. Like the above video is a reminder of, not too long ago we had the whole Operation Rainfall campaign because Nintendo of America refused to localize major Japanese games that Nintendo of Europe already did the translation and legwork for. This of course happened during a huge drought of quality games for Wii and DS, a drought of JRPG's in general on all systems, the 3DS stumbling after launch with not everything ready for launch and much of the quality games a ways off, and Nintendo's business in general reporting their first losses in decades. Of course Nintendo IS NOT the only culprits here and this is only 1 of the major events in recent times. Earlier that year you had the whole Playstation Network Outage mess that was caused by a downwards spiral of drama from hackers upset by Sony taking away features from the PS3. In the process of the outage, a "rumor" with an extreme amount of evidence and truth behind it from many sources came out saying Sony's security wasn't up to snuff and that Sony even knew about it.
Of course both of these scenarios were "amended" by the companies giving away free games and getting their business models back on track but in reality, they shouldn't of happened in the first place and as gamers we shouldn't have to constantly tell the companies to get their acts together. Why is it though, we're still having to face similar problems and stupidity? The whole No DRM Campaign that was being aimed at both Microsoft and Sony after Sony's rumored bought DRM rights and lack of straight forward confirmation about the subject when pressed saying it will be up to publishers and Microsoft's rumored DRM/always online which was later confirmed in the form of requiring once a day connections and DRM that binds physical games to an account basically cutting out used games. In my personal and honest opinion as well as in the opinion of many people in the industry, DRM isn't entirely a bad idea, as companies, such as gamestop, have been leeching off of the success of the industry and exploiting loopholes that were there to give convenience to gamers through their used games strategy. In example, its rare to find used DS games that have cases and booklets even at places other then gamestop because Gamestop gets rid of the cases and booklets for DS games which is evidence to the monopoly they have on used games. With all of that said, the way the Microsoft and Sony went about this though and the apathetic, nonchalant, and sometimes even cocky attitudes they had on this situation and even the lack of backwards compatibility rubbed me and other like minded gamers the wrong way. Messaging couldn't be any worse.... the whole issue shouldn't be happening in the first place and shows just how far greed will take companies, even at the risk of destroying their own image, destroying their industry, and alienating consumers in the process.
Again, these are just a few of the problems and issues. Currently there's a campaign going on by gamers and Nintendo fans to End Region Locking that not only has been taken up on social networking but also on Nintendo's own social network aka Miiverse. For reasons shown above, this is also a huge issue because region locking is effectively segregating gamers who are more then willing to buy games if given the chance. In the case of Operation Rainfall, it made the success of the games it was gunning to get localized go up by knowledge and word of mouth but a huge majority of the people who would of potentially bought the NA versions of the games modded their systems to import the European versions of the games or even worse, were one of the nearly 1 million people to download the game illegally in 2011 alone.
As a gamer all of this frustrates me greatly and at times it feels like only Valve understands how to do proper business with gamers. Of course this isn't true but it does get old always having to deal with all of these problems. The lack of backwards compatibility, the region locking problem, localization issues (Monster Hunter Frontier and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD anybody?), stupid hardware designs (lack of a second slider pad built in on 3DS, proprietary memory memory on Vita, low internal storage on Wii U, 360's crappy d-pad, PS3's wrong turned triggers, Wii plug in attachments on the Wiimotes, crappy battery life on the Wii U pad 3DS AND Vita), faulty hardware problems (PS3 and 360's failure rates were unbelievably high), wondering why publishers won't bring their older games out (lets talk Capcom - Breath of Fire 2 is on the Wii VC and Breath of Fire 4 is on PSN but BoF 1 and BoF 3 are nowhere to be seen, no Rival Schools or RS Project Justice to be seen, still waiting on Powerstone and Onimusha on PSN and XBLA), the segregation of hardware in order to undercut others, lack of care for making new entries in older IP from 3rd party publishers and the spam of dark mature gritty violent games that turn women into objects rather then attempting to create unique experiences at the retail level that stand out as original ideas.
Thing is, I'm getting fed up with all of this and I'm pretty sure other gamers are as well. This could be one of the major reasons why the Ouya kickstarter was so successful as the Ouya is offering methods that are going against what the industry is trying to do. The platform is completely open, it allows anybody to make games on it, because it's games are completely digital it won't have to worry about the used game market, it's open ended nature will kill any region locking through user mods, it will offer the same upgrading and user mod experience that you get out of PC gaming and Valve, and because it allows anybody to make games on it, companies can easily support the system with software if they so choose. While there are some aspects of its open nature I'm not the biggest fan of, such as the emulation, the PC already offers this, anybody who mods a system can already do this, and quite frankly, like Valve said about piracy, the biggest factor and reason for people to get games illegally is because of a lack of availability which again goes back to failures on the 3 major console companies parts. I don't support emulation or piracy, but I'm definitely ready for change at a console level and hope that the success of the Ouya and other like platforms as well as the entry of Google and Steam in the console race could help move a young and somewhat hurting industry forward.
Either way, I'll still be gaming, hopefully I'll be doing more gaming and less campaigning, and I'll continue to support the developers that make the games that I want. In the meantime, my Ouya just came in, time to go unpack it.
With all of that said, many people have the horrible misconception that follows a dumb stereotype from the 90's that gamers are lazy people who's brains are turning to mush and eyes are frying from playing games. Of course, this is all bollox and couldn't be further from the truth but this blog entry isn't about arguing the merits and legitimacy of such claims, rather I'm going to take such a claim and run with it as I move into the point of this blog.
The thing is, I'm a gamer, I enjoy gaming, but I'm tired... and feel drained. Gaming in general has become increasingly political to the point where as a gamer, I've spent more time in the past few years involving myself in the politics of gaming then I have been actually playing games. I'm not talking about this console company vs this console company type of stuff that we've had since there was more then 1 system on the market (Genesis vs Super Nintendo anybody?), heck I'm not even referring to the constant political groups targeting gaming referring to games as the ultimate evil and the reason the (insert evil thing) exists.... No, I'm talking about the constant struggles we have from the game companies themselves, the constant dumb decisions that are made by the companies that are extremely anti consumer and the campaigns the gamers and fans have to do to not get screwed over.
Operation Rainfall anybody?
It seems like every month there's something new. Like the above video is a reminder of, not too long ago we had the whole Operation Rainfall campaign because Nintendo of America refused to localize major Japanese games that Nintendo of Europe already did the translation and legwork for. This of course happened during a huge drought of quality games for Wii and DS, a drought of JRPG's in general on all systems, the 3DS stumbling after launch with not everything ready for launch and much of the quality games a ways off, and Nintendo's business in general reporting their first losses in decades. Of course Nintendo IS NOT the only culprits here and this is only 1 of the major events in recent times. Earlier that year you had the whole Playstation Network Outage mess that was caused by a downwards spiral of drama from hackers upset by Sony taking away features from the PS3. In the process of the outage, a "rumor" with an extreme amount of evidence and truth behind it from many sources came out saying Sony's security wasn't up to snuff and that Sony even knew about it.
Of course both of these scenarios were "amended" by the companies giving away free games and getting their business models back on track but in reality, they shouldn't of happened in the first place and as gamers we shouldn't have to constantly tell the companies to get their acts together. Why is it though, we're still having to face similar problems and stupidity? The whole No DRM Campaign that was being aimed at both Microsoft and Sony after Sony's rumored bought DRM rights and lack of straight forward confirmation about the subject when pressed saying it will be up to publishers and Microsoft's rumored DRM/always online which was later confirmed in the form of requiring once a day connections and DRM that binds physical games to an account basically cutting out used games. In my personal and honest opinion as well as in the opinion of many people in the industry, DRM isn't entirely a bad idea, as companies, such as gamestop, have been leeching off of the success of the industry and exploiting loopholes that were there to give convenience to gamers through their used games strategy. In example, its rare to find used DS games that have cases and booklets even at places other then gamestop because Gamestop gets rid of the cases and booklets for DS games which is evidence to the monopoly they have on used games. With all of that said, the way the Microsoft and Sony went about this though and the apathetic, nonchalant, and sometimes even cocky attitudes they had on this situation and even the lack of backwards compatibility rubbed me and other like minded gamers the wrong way. Messaging couldn't be any worse.... the whole issue shouldn't be happening in the first place and shows just how far greed will take companies, even at the risk of destroying their own image, destroying their industry, and alienating consumers in the process.
The gamer point of view about DRM.
Again, these are just a few of the problems and issues. Currently there's a campaign going on by gamers and Nintendo fans to End Region Locking that not only has been taken up on social networking but also on Nintendo's own social network aka Miiverse. For reasons shown above, this is also a huge issue because region locking is effectively segregating gamers who are more then willing to buy games if given the chance. In the case of Operation Rainfall, it made the success of the games it was gunning to get localized go up by knowledge and word of mouth but a huge majority of the people who would of potentially bought the NA versions of the games modded their systems to import the European versions of the games or even worse, were one of the nearly 1 million people to download the game illegally in 2011 alone.
As a gamer all of this frustrates me greatly and at times it feels like only Valve understands how to do proper business with gamers. Of course this isn't true but it does get old always having to deal with all of these problems. The lack of backwards compatibility, the region locking problem, localization issues (Monster Hunter Frontier and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD anybody?), stupid hardware designs (lack of a second slider pad built in on 3DS, proprietary memory memory on Vita, low internal storage on Wii U, 360's crappy d-pad, PS3's wrong turned triggers, Wii plug in attachments on the Wiimotes, crappy battery life on the Wii U pad 3DS AND Vita), faulty hardware problems (PS3 and 360's failure rates were unbelievably high), wondering why publishers won't bring their older games out (lets talk Capcom - Breath of Fire 2 is on the Wii VC and Breath of Fire 4 is on PSN but BoF 1 and BoF 3 are nowhere to be seen, no Rival Schools or RS Project Justice to be seen, still waiting on Powerstone and Onimusha on PSN and XBLA), the segregation of hardware in order to undercut others, lack of care for making new entries in older IP from 3rd party publishers and the spam of dark mature gritty violent games that turn women into objects rather then attempting to create unique experiences at the retail level that stand out as original ideas.
Thing is, I'm getting fed up with all of this and I'm pretty sure other gamers are as well. This could be one of the major reasons why the Ouya kickstarter was so successful as the Ouya is offering methods that are going against what the industry is trying to do. The platform is completely open, it allows anybody to make games on it, because it's games are completely digital it won't have to worry about the used game market, it's open ended nature will kill any region locking through user mods, it will offer the same upgrading and user mod experience that you get out of PC gaming and Valve, and because it allows anybody to make games on it, companies can easily support the system with software if they so choose. While there are some aspects of its open nature I'm not the biggest fan of, such as the emulation, the PC already offers this, anybody who mods a system can already do this, and quite frankly, like Valve said about piracy, the biggest factor and reason for people to get games illegally is because of a lack of availability which again goes back to failures on the 3 major console companies parts. I don't support emulation or piracy, but I'm definitely ready for change at a console level and hope that the success of the Ouya and other like platforms as well as the entry of Google and Steam in the console race could help move a young and somewhat hurting industry forward.
Either way, I'll still be gaming, hopefully I'll be doing more gaming and less campaigning, and I'll continue to support the developers that make the games that I want. In the meantime, my Ouya just came in, time to go unpack it.
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