So E3 just pretty much happened and the overall reception from this year was that Sony kicked ass and stole the show. Yes much to everyone's speculation Sony came out on top by telling gamers what they wanted to hear. Sure there was a slight blip on the PS4 radar with PS+ online, but it's a small blip in an otherwise growing trend where online is just better structurally than it was years ago and that it just makes business sense.
With Nintendo's E3 Press Conference/Nintendo Direct just hours away, I thought I might type this last blog on Smash Bros. Since we know that is a game they'll be showing off. It's always a huge event when Smash Bros is announced, but even bigger when they show footage of it, and no doubt it will be huge. I'm really excited to see what they have to show on it, it is my most favorite fighting game ever. The only thing is that we probably wont see it this year at retail and I'm okay with that. However there are some things I want the series to change.
All my remaining DS and PSP games are up and half of my original Xbox collection.
In many ways the Wii U represents the culmination of Nintendo’s work across the past few generations of handheld and home consoles. The concept of asymmetric gameplay was born on the GameCube with its Gameboy Advance connectivity; a multitude of control options, including motion controls and pointing was birthed with the Wii; touch-enabled, dual screen gameplay hit critical mass with the introduction of the DS; and even the system’s menu draws influence from the recently released 3DS. What’s most impressive about the Wii U is the manner in which it manages to blend all of these concepts into a functional and cohesive experience that gives players an unbelievable degree of control within their gaming environment.
Marty Stratton from id, Chet Faliszek of Valve, and Max Hoberman of Certain Affinity sat down for an intimate conversation in front of a hundred person audience for a panel all about multiplayer games at QuakeCon. The panel started by discussing why they find multiplayer gaming to be so engaging, and all agreed that it was the openness of it, and that their experiences in multiplayer were much more memorable than any single player experiences they had had.
The age old question of what makes a loot phat has yet to be answered. There is no magic formula for the presentation of said loots, nor is there an equation for the perfect mixture of merely acceptable loots and those that are in fact phat. Once researchers have uncovered the perfect recipe, applying this know-how to Heroes of Ruin might make it something fantastic instead of what it is now: completely and thoroughly decent.
With the ongoing battle between publishers and retailers over used games—not to mention the fight against piracy—it stands to reason that a move away from physical media is the future for the video game industry. It’s a transition already fully underway in the film industry, with digital movie rentals, sales, and streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime rapidly becoming the preferred method of watching movies at home. Some companies have tried to bring streaming to the gaming market, with OnLive being the most notable, but the big console manufacturers have been mum on the subject. That is, until now. It was announced today that Sony is purchasing Gaikai, another popular cloud-based video game streaming service.
EA came out swinging at their press conference on Monday, and though the company showed a slew of upcoming games, it was clear that they were on message with the overarching theme of this year’s E3: we need to be connected at all times.
During Microsoft’s media briefing this morning, they unveiled plans for a new service that will integrate tablet and phone connectivity with your Xbox 360. Xbox Smart Glass allows you to interact with your Xbox 360 via these devices and opens up a new array of media functions for your phone as well.
Nintendo announced via a press release this morning that the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL will be dropped in price. Effective May 20, 2012, the Nintendo DSi will retail for $99.99 and the Nintendo DSi XL for $129.99.
Some strong PlayStation 4 rumors have surfaced yesterday and have been swirling around the internet. A "trusted source" is claiming that the next console from Sony will be entitled "Orbis" and will be released next winter. It is not made clear if this is the American, European, or Japanese street date.
G4 is reporting that Sony has sold 1.2 million units worldwide since its first launch in Japan two months ago and its recent launch in North America last week. Given the system's struggle in Japan, this comes as good news for Sony.
Electronic Arts has gained the support of more game publishers for their PC platform, Origin. 11 more to be exact. Trion Worlds, CD Projekt Red, Freebird Games, Robot Entertainment, Recoil Games, 1C Company, Core Learning Ltd, Autumn Games, inXile Entertainment, N3V Games, and Paradox Interactive have all agreed to release select titles from their catalog in the coming months.
The 3DS update is now available to all 3DS owners. This is the update promised by Nintendo to be released in November, so it may be late, but now your 3DS can do so much more.
Whether due to hardware limitations or a reputation for simpler fare, the Wii hasn't seen much of the sandbox/open world genre. Considering the drop in horsepower and the inability to implement the “switch to any car, any time” gameplay, I'm surprised Ubisoft bothered making this Wii version at all. Still, effort was clearly spent in building this version from the ground up -- it uses the pointer controls for shooting (which is very handy), and it's got DS connectivity (remember this feature, Nintendo?). It does a decent job creating a large San Francisco-looking city to drive around in, free of load times. However, too many bad ideas and cut corners make it all seem pretty average.
Reggie Fils-Aime has come a long way from his E3 2004 debut where he was all about “kickin’ ass and takin’ names”. The former VP of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo of America is now the President of Nintendo of America, and he has a lot to say about where the Big N is going, not only in terms of hardware and software, but on the digital front as well. In a recent interview, Reggie talked about the future of the 3DS, the upcoming release of the Wii U, and even took some time to discuss what he’s been playing.
EA has announced today that its digital distribution platform, Origin, will be adding a boatload of new, popular titles from publishers Warner Bros. Interactive, THQ and Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Beginning next month, Origin will play host to hotly anticipated PC version of Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third and more.
Now that we know when the Vita is hitting the states it’s time to start figuring out what’s going to be available at launch. Leading the way is Namco Bandai who announced today that three of their main franchises will be available day one.
Starfire Studios is the latest game studio spawned from ex-Rare employees. A group of four, each with over ten years experience at Rare, have formed the new studio to create a unique XBLA title that fuses a twin-stick shooter to a variety of MMORPG concepts. Despite the split from Rare, a second party of Microsoft, Microsoft Studios is slated to publish the brand new title, Fusion: Genesis later this year.