Unfortunately again my life has taken me far away from the world of video games for a long period of time. I apologize for the second massive delay in between posts. Thankfully, now that my summer class is complete and I am in a transition in my life, I will have some time to devote to both this blog and the gaming sphere. A lot has happened since the last time I posted, and I would like to take a moment to give my commentary on key happenings throughout the industry in the last couple months.
1. PS4 Conference (Before E3)
I will not bother to highlight what happened at the conference, as this conference was what seems now like eons ago. However, I will quickly note that I thought Sony did a really good job of focusing on what gamers wanted to hear. I was perplexed as to why they didn't show the actual box, but that was shown a couple months later at E3, which is acceptable.
2. Microsoft Conference (Before E3)
Contrary to the PS4 conference, I did not believe that Microsoft made the right move in the way they unveiled the Xbox One. The overall structure of the press conference was fine, but this particular conference should have been worked in either after the E3 conference, or scaled down and worked into a longer press conference at E3. The information they shared was important, but it's not the way to show a console for the first time. The people watching an XBOX press conference are going to care about the GAMES, not contracts with the NFL and watching The Price is Right. So, it was a decent press conference but at the wrong time.
3. E3
Microsoft: Much better press conference than their reveal event, completely focused on the games. Their lack of ability to answer pertinent questions about the always on DRM and lack of used games buried them. I believe righteously so, the gaming market is not ready for always online. There are better ways to get publishers the money from used game sales, which they do not receive currently. I don't mind online passes if it means I can still have used games and publishers/developers receive some compensation for the product they put on the market.
Sony: Brilliant press conference. Not just for the jabs that they sent Microsoft's way, but for there devotion to the hard core audience that they knew would be watching the show. There were surprises (Kingdom Hearts 3) and beastly tech demos (The Dark Sorcerer), to put together a near perfect conference. If there hadn't been some technical issues (ACIV) than it would have been flawless in my opinion.
Games to Watch: The Witcher 3 (personal favorite), Kingdom Hearts 3, The Order, MGS V, Star Wars Battlefront (YES), The Division, Battlefield 4, Titanfall, and Destiny.
Games That Looked Poopy: Call of Duty: Ghosts- What? What was that crap? Honestly I have never been more underwhelmed by a trailer than the most recent iteration of Call of Duty. Remote control dogs? No thanks. I have been a supporter of the franchise even up through Black Ops II, having only been disappointed with MW3. I'm not a Call of Duty hater, but I'm going to hate on this.
4. Microsoft 180
Microsoft redacting the always online and used game policies was a smart and necessary move. It's hilarious to watch Microsoft have to apologize with their tail between their legs. The gaming industry will benefit from this move, as competition is necessary for the console market to thrive. God knows Nintendo doesn't seem up to providing any for Sony.
E3 was better this year than any I can remember in recent history. I am genuinely excited to see what the next generation has in store. Games like Destiny and The Division show how the improved power of new systems can benefit developers in a way that isn't purely graphical. It's an exciting time for the game industry.
