My most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond, so far.

 The new generation of consoles are now coming into their own, none of them had bad launch lineups by any means, but now we are getting into the meat and potatoes and PC just keeps on motoring. There also is a new console to look forward to for gaming of course being the Nintendo Switch coming this March, just around the corner really.
 That got me to thinking what games am I really looking forward to having the chance to play in 2017 and beyond, I was actually surprised. When I started to write them out there was a lot more then I actually realised had me really excited, granted some have no confirmed dates yet.

 So here are just a few of the games I am looking forward too in the next 12-30 months or so as always they are in no particular order. I will do my best to list all platforms and dates as of now the games will be releasing on. Do not expect to see any Call of Duty's, Battlefields or shooters really though I am looking forward to one. Outside of one of these games NONE are pre-orders my feelings on pre-orders are well documented, just DON'T do it.

Lets get this started with a game I have already played some of all be it in Japanese and that of course is Persona 5 and this is the exception to the rule  above.
 If there is one thing you should know about me by now is I am a huge RPG fan, RPG/JRPG/ARPG to SRPG's I love RPG's. From Final Fantasy Tactics and The Banner Saga, to Mass Effect and Persona.
 Persona is a series that well to be honest has never let me down I have played all of them, other then they often get delayed, but that has always proven to be a blessing. I can not think of a game series I have played in my 57 yrs on earth that has never let me down  the Persona series is the exception to the rule along with Mass Effect in so many ways. (PS4, PS3 April 4th/2017)

Hellblade what can I say I adore Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword was the first game I bought for my PS3 and is still among my top 10 games. This game however has a serious message as it deals with Mental Illness as viewed through the eyes of a woman suffering from visions of monsters, demons and decent into darkness. You see her Psychotic world through the eyes of  (Senua) and her manifestations of her own reality and mind. I jumped out of my seat when this first appeared at Sony's 2013 E3 press conference for the debut of the PS4, as I thought it was Heavenly Sword 2, I cried. (PS4/PC sometime 2017)

 Next up I will keep it brief,  open world, interesting Female Protagonist, deep crafting system, and, oh yeah and Giant sometimes extremely violent Robot Dinosaurs, do I really need to say more. The minute this appeared on the screen at E3 it was a WTF moment for a lot of people, it was amazing, of course I am talking about Horizon: Zero Dawn oh my god I can not wait for this, the world looks amazing all I can say. (PS4 exclusive, Feb 28th/2017)

Up next a game I know very little about and to be honest have fears it may never be released, given 3 Microsoft Exclusives have been cancelled, despite being featured at E3 prominently. I fear for the game because we have heard literally nothing, and see nothing of the game since that E3 showing in 2014. Of course that is the Microsoft Exclusive Crackdown 3 despite a impressive showing at E3 showing, plus another at Gamescom 2015 we have heard nothing really. Given other games that where also given a lot of stage time like Fable, and Scalebound (both since cancelled) we know nothing (Xbox one/PC sometime 2017????)

Okay I will probably get some heat for this next one as people either love the stuff the studio does or hates it, and that is Quantic Dreams. Few Game Developers have a more polarizing leader then Quantic Dreams, he is the target of both love and Ridicule by many. I actually really like the games the studio makes, unlike many I actually really like Beyond: Two Souls, I almost have the platinum actually I liked it that much. And while it is easy to make fun of David Cages on-stage presence he has a vision and passion to all he does be it you love or hate it. Detroit: Become Human however I have heard nothing but good things and genuine excitement for the game, you can count me among those. (PS4 exclusive, scheduled 2017 sometime) I would not be surprised this one is delayed.

That brings me to the one shooter type game that I am actually genuinely excited and fearful for at the same time that is Ghost Recon:Wildlands I used to be really into shooters, CoD, Battlefield, Gears of war owned them all, so why am I fearful.
 I can sum that fear up in one word and you know what one that is developed/published by (UBISOFT) you had to know that one was coming. Ubisoft has a knack of showing one thing and what you actually get is a Ugly, buggy mess of a game. From Assassins Creed games, to Watch Dogs this company just has a habit of misrepresenting their games unlike anyone else.
 Still this game has my interest, and that is also unusual because it has a lot of MP aspects to it and I don't like gaming online. (Xbox One/PS4/PC March 7th/2017)

 Next is a PC exclusive and is the 2nd instalment in this magical world and I am talking about Divinity: Original Sin II any game that is going to carry on my story in this world I am in. It has no confirmed date that I have seen so far but is scheduled for 2017. Another PC exclusive is A hat in Time what can I say count me in "is a colorful 3D platformer inspired by classic games in the genre, such as Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64" this too has no confirmed release date other then 2017.

This is a change for me as I have not looked forward to anything Nintendo for pretty much a decade however I have to say a couple I really am. The new Shin Megami Tensei game for the switch has my interest but as of yet has not date. That said there will be a new SMT game coming out this year for the 3DS and most will be getting that for sure if a fan of SMT like me.
 Also while it just looks like a re-make of the original with a cpl of tweaks Splatoon 2 looks like a ton of fun and may convince me to buy a Switch, sorry not sold on it as a few of my posts show. If Nintendo can mange to entice smaller Indie developers, that can take advantage of things the Switch offers, then the list grows even more.


Mass Effect Andromeda is not on here on purpose, sorry I am still not sold on it, though I know at some point I will buy it on PC.

That's about it, I need to see more of God Of War, it also is most likely a Holiday 2018 game, The Last of US 2 well that could turn out to be a PS5 game.

So those are just a few of the games I am looking forward to there tons I am overlooking I am sure, how about you, what games can't you just cant wait to play, share them in the comments below.

As always Play nice with each other.

David

How Nintendo can turn public opinion around on The Switch.

Can we all be honest for a minute the Nintendo Switch live event last week was to be kind real awkward and uninspiring to say the least, oh yeah uncomfortable also. I realize they where playing to their Japanese base being based in Japan, but that was down right cringe worthy for anyone outside of Japan. I speak some Japanese and even I was cringing at a lot of points of the presentation, it was Nintendo once again being weird as hell as always. As for the sentiment " Well it was directed at the Japanese press and Nintendo shareholders" yeah that worked realllll well. In a span of 3 hrs during and following the live event Nintendo stock plummeted almost 6%, yeah investors where real impressed with the event.
 I follow stocks a lot matter fact watching Bloomberg Asia as I am typing this, and can not recall last time their stock dropped that fast and much. Was not all bad the console would have limited region locking, granted no device should ever be locked to start with. However that is a step in the right direction, they also announced storage can be expanded using easily bought Sd cards, no weird format memory cards (You listening SONY) again another great choice.

  One Youtube personality I follow regularly is Jim Sterling, watching this event reminded me of a video he made a year ago or so. It was called IIRC " Everything that is wrong with Square Enix " it is not safe for work unless wearing headphones, but it was so true in it's content, same apply's to Nintendo IMHO

  Stop being so bloody weird Nintendo, do something normal for once, just be normal for godsake, weird is not working for you. Other then the Wii every iteration of your consoles have sold less and less, just be F'ing normal for once. What games they showed where fine, just the presenters my lord and that translator was all I could do to stay awake. Okay so enough ranting, sort of I offer up these ways that Nintendo can turn around Public opinion surrounding the Nintendo Switch.

Let's get started shall we!

So Nintendo chose the location and event time based on showing to Japanese Investors, and of course the media, fair enough, but did you consider the time on the East coast of the US. Now I live in the West of Canada so it was early enough for me, but to be honest at 57 I am not your target audience. The younger kids are who will bug their parents for that Mario Game, or Arms, not me not their parents in some cases. You held the event not only at 11pm ET but on a Thursday night to boot, a School night for heaven sake. I have dual time zones on my PC and my watch, one is set to Vancouver the other to Osaka where I visit as often as possible. You could have easily held the event 3 hrs earlier and still had the press and investors ear, it would have been 10am JST 8pm EST.

 Your largest market in combined sales is not Japan so keep that in mind for the future, other things came out the same night and the following days.

1) The Switch will ship with no Netflix support at launch, are you freaking kidding me, even the Vita and 3DS has a Netflix app. Now this could be a temporary thing, but if you google around Netflix has said they have no plans at present to support it
 Come on Nintendo get on it this is 2017, not 1997 get with the times. Regardless what some people de-cry about consoles are for gaming not for media watching, millions do. 85+ million people subscribe to Netflix in more countries then I can remember., your device has no UHD or Blu-Ray drive even and people watch movies, animes and tv on their consoles daily. 
 Now this is not Nintendo's fault for there being no app, apps you use like Hulu, Youtube, Amazon Video etc are created by the respective companies. That said they are not going to invest the time and money to make those apps if they do not think it will be used due to low sales numbers of a device. Nintendo your a Billion Dollar company open the damn wallet a TINY bit and tell Netflix, Hulu the like we want your apps on our device at launch and we will help fund the development.

2) One game a month if you pay for their online service, and not only is it a NES or SNES game but you don't even get to keep it. Once your month is up regardless if you payed for a years subscription the game leaves your library. You can not be serious, even Sony with it's PS+ service which has been criticized for removing your free games if you quit PS+ allows you to keep them so long as you are a member. On Xbox Live which is the same price as your service you get your free games every month it is yours for life, regardless you stay a Gold member or not, get with the times Nintendo.

3) You need to somehow re-work the pricing on your peripherals, $70USD for the pro controller is insane that is close to $90+ CDN, unacceptable. The Joy-Cons are even worse, you promote it as the couch co-op family gaming system but Joy-cons are $80USD, your out of your mind. You could end up spending $300 for 4 controller for the family, and don't give me you can play with them split. So sane person in their right mind are going to play with a single dinky Joy-Con and enjoy it.

4) Just hold normal events without all the goofy weird awkward moments, and don't tell me that is what fans want as thats bullshit. Yes there are some of course who do love it, they are quite vocal but it does not translate into sales. This mantra you like to spout that people buy Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games is utter rubbish. If this was the case then the Wii U would be a runaway success selling 80 million units + as Nintendo games was all it had for the most part.

5) Improve your relationships with those who create media such as Twitch Streamers and YouTube creators, you know the people trying to help you sell your products. Your draconian enforcement of copyright strikes and claiming all revenue from those creators unless they give you 80% of it is beyond redemption.
 Those people have millions of subscribers in a lot of cases like Boogie2988, Angry Joe and others to numerous to mention, YOU NEED TO STOP THIS CRAP. Oh and before anyone says anything, I do not make You Tube videos, nor do I monetize this blog though I have the option, I am grateful  if even one person finds my blog and posts entertaining, enlightening or down right amusing.

With that I will end it those are just 5 ideas I have to help Nintendo turn around a lot of the bad press/comments regarding The Switch.

If hope you enjoyed my take and suggestions, by all means you have Ideas what Nintendo can do to turn it around share them in the comments.
 Till next time as always play nice with each other.

David

Something every gamer has been asked at least once

You know you have been asked this.

I am pretty sure at some point in your life you have been asked the question, if stranded on a Island, what three games would you choose to take with you? As I am almost 57 now I have been asked it more times then I could possibly count over the years, it is something that always will come up at some point.

Now I decided to do this post because of watching a Video on Youtube, by one of my favorite You-tubers Metal Jesus Rocks. You can view his video here Metal Jesus Video so now that I shared the inspiration for the post, guess I should answer the question.

The ground rules before anything

So obviously we are going to take a few liberty's on this, otherwise the question itself is fruitless endeavor so here we go. 

1. We magically get stranded yet have our 3 games and devices needed to play them
2. Just like in MJR's video we magically have electricity to power our devices, however we do not have a modem, so no MMO games. So no Starcraft, no World of Warcraft, or in my case no Final Fantasy XI or XIV :(
3. Unlike his I will not cheat so no compilation disks, or collections allowed the games have to be a single title, so no Metal Gear Solid collection, etc.

So with all that laid out and out of the way I present " My 3 picks for games I would want with me "

1. My first pick is a game I have never beaten it just is so expansive and that choice is " The Witcher 3 " what can I say it is so massive in scope and story. I could have chosen Skyrim however truth be told I don't really like Skyrim all that much, even with mods. I know I am in the minority when it comes to Skyrim I own it on PC but just never clicked with me for whatever reason.
2. Now I am sure a lot of people would like many others have Grand Theft Auto 5 here, and it would be a worthy choice like it was for MJR, however I never got into GTA. Only GTA game I ever played was Tales from Liberty City, and for me it was meh, maybe it is a age thing but it just never resonated with me. Now again like with my feelings on Skyrim I am REALLLLLY in the minority on my feelings when it comes to the GTA series. You can make yourself go cross-eyed if you where to look at the lifetime sales of all the GTA games, both number sold and money for Take-Two, both figures are staggering. Just to give you an idea as of February 2016 GTA 5 alone has sold over 65 million copys, I am not even sure if that includes digital sales. However despite all of that the series never got it's hooks in me, for me my second game is Final Fantasy III on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System ( SNES ) It also released as Final Fantasy VI on the original PlayStation, but it has been released on so many devices. Since at the time I had a SNES I will choose that version over the PlayStation or Gameboy edition. Though truth be told you will not make a bad choice whatever platform you choose to play it on.
3. If you follow me on Twitter, or Google + then my third choice will come as no surprise though it was a tough choice between another game which will be in Honorable Mentions. However my third choice is a game from the PS Vita library and the powerhouse Atlus, and that is Persona 4 Golden. I am sure those who know me saw this one coming, what can I say about this game that has not been said a 1000 times before. It for me is quite simply a Masterpiece of Game Design, World Building and storytelling. The characters back stories are well flushed out,  the summons are amazing to watch,, the game to me is perfection personified, now before anyone says anything. I KNOW Persona 4 Golden is a remake of the original Persona 4 which was on the PlayStation 2, however it is more then that. There a new quests added, new dialog options and story content that is not in the Original it is it's own game IMHO. However if I was to be stuck with the original for PS2 I would be just as happy, like with The Witcher 3 it has so many quests and choices to make you can re-play it for years.

So there you have it my 3 games in no particular order that if I was stranded on a deserted Island, I would want to have with me, there are so many others that I would be almost as satisfied with. So with that let me give some Honorable Mentions.

1. Crisis Core for the PSP for me at least it is the best game to ever grace the console, I am in the minority on that one but this is my list :)
2. Skies of Arcadia on the GameCube I played that game to death when it released, and would be over joyed to go back and do it all over again.
3. Ni No Kuni on the PS3 what can I say a challenging, magical world and characters, plus the artwork is pure Studio Ghibli what is not to love. 

Those are just three that if I had to substitute a game above for I would have no problem doing so, again my three games I would have to have are not a ranking. I just listed them in a random order.

So now that you know my three what would be your three games you would just have to have with you, feel free to comment below your picks.

Until next time as always Play nice with each other.

David

Don't be so dismissive of Cloud coming to Super Smash Brothers

So a lot of people are laughing on Twitter and the like about the ending to the Nintendo Direct today, Cloud in SSB what a joke. Do not be so dismissive of it and here is why, granted call it my conspiracy theory but here goes.

When a Platform owner is making a new console and we all know NX is coming, Nintendo themselves said we will talk about it at E3 2016. I am not going to get into the rumours Nintendo has already started manufacturing them and is just waiting to release it, not going to happen. Events like that have months and months of leadup promotion etc, but here is where my conspiracy comes in.

 Long before they are  showcased and announced they give large Developers and publishers prototype kits of what they are thinking will be the final product. This is to allow devs to get hands on with the new console and see if they can program for it. It may not be set in stone but all the main guts of their new device are in place, and devs are free to create.  Final Fantasy for the longest time since VII has been associated with Playstation, yes there is now PC ports etc, but people assc it with Playstation.

 Now I can not see them abandoning that tradition anytime soon, they have benefited to much from that partnership. How about this though, they do have a NX prototype and said yeah we can work with this. Let's do something with Wii U to get interest back in Final Fantasy on Nintendo and we will make games for your NX. Not exclusive but yeah we will support your new console with games and content, and who knows the odd exclusive game for it.

 I do not think that announcement was just thrown in to fill out the Direct I think there is something brewing in the background none of us has a clue about.

Say I watched the X-files to much or should stop watching A&E but I think there maybe more to this than meets the eye.

I will leave you as always, Play nice with each other

David 

Why I changed my mind when it comes to Emulators !

So let me start off with some text I captured from the Playstation store website 

Valkyria Chronicles™

Sega of America Inc.

Disc Only

 I won't even get into how stupid the listing is, okay maybe a tick " Why list something you can not buy if you wanted to! " It however does not stop there do the same search but for Heavenly Sword, Different developer but will get the same result, DISK ONLY. You can rent the movie, or buy it even off the store, hell you can watch it on Netflix, god help ya actually want the game though. I own the game but it is simply to make a point, Developers and Publishers alike often complain how hard it is to make money nowadays, I say we need to save them from themselves.

 A bit of backstory I feel is in order here, if you will indulge me for a little bit, I promise it has a point to it. I had for the longest time considered using emulators, downloading ROMS/ISO's etc akin to theft or piracy. It just for whatever reason never set well with me, and was never at ease with those who did it.  So what made me change my mind, you maybe surprised it started with a Picture posted in a Final Fantasy community on Google+. I was browsing the posts that happened overnight and there was a picture of one of my favorite characters, over coffee FRAN from FF XII appeared on my screen. I remembered buying Final Fantasy XII back in the day and thinking damn I really should play that game again!

I was fully prepared to do just that till I remembered my PS2 was broken and I had never gotten around to fixing it, also that I had lost/lent or sold the original disk. Needless to say I was ticked off, but thought I will just buy it again from the Playstation store, I have a PS3. That was wishful thinking if you browsed the store it is like the game never existed, Steam maybe has it, good luck. 

 I searched Greenmangaming, GOG, Humble Bundle, even the Square Enix store nope. The game vanished as far as all of them were concerned into the Ether, I could not buy it legally. You can buy damn near every other Final Fantasy game on Steam or Playstation store, etc but not XII

 This brings me to the second reason I changed my mind, I posted how I was pissed I could not buy a copy from anywhere, someone said " Just emulate it, get the iso and emulator and play it on your PC "

 I replied I don't feel like that is right it was akin to theft, they said in what way? well i can buy it from Ebay or craigslist, flea market, etc,  the reply back was and how does that benefit Sony or Square in anyway? The only person making money is the seller, the people who made the game see not a cent

Square or Sony only made money off the initial sale. Needless to say I had no smart response back and in that moment my thoughts on it did a complete 180. 

 Could I go buy a replacement PS2 and a copy of the game, sure I could but not everybody can. Perhaps they do not have the disposable cash, or are like me no room too. Not to mention the cost of some of these original game disks/cartridges and systems.

 I did download a emulator and did go to a site they mentioned and downloaded the ISO, and felt none the worse for it. I had spent hours trying to find a way to buy the game so it benefited those who created/published the game and could not, I was left with no other option.  

 So Developers, Publishers, IP/Platformer owners you have only yourself to blame for my change of heart on the issue, why is FF XII not at least in PS2 classics on the store. I played the game emulated though using a 360 controller was weird, and I was in heaven once again. All the magic returned the first time I laid eyes on that magical world and Fran and I enjoyed it to death. I have since deleted the ISO from my HD but do have it saved in the cloud should I wish to revisit that magical world/story. 

 I have a better idea though make it so I can buy the game legally digitally at the very least, so those who created it benefit, not some kid on ebay. I not only would buy it but would do a live twitch and YouTube stream showing me deleting the ISO from my cloud and the emulator I used. I understand making a physical re-release would be risky as heck, but digital cost you nothing but disk-space and listing fee should you do it. Be it a PC port onto steam or on the Playstation Store as a PS2 classic playable on the PS3 I would perhaps buy both even. The main thing is I WOULD at least buy one of them and in a sense the game again all these years later.

I could easily mention other devs, platforms, etc but you get the point, just look at what Microsoft and rare did with Rare Replay earlier this year. it is one of their best selling games of the year, so much so they had to do second printings. You know why because a lot of people do not own their original xboxes, or where not born when the games game out. Their parents remember though, and have shared their love of games with their children, and now they get to experience that same joy.

Conclusion 

Build it and they will come, they will buy your games legally but you have to make them available first, Nintendo knows this they make a lot of classics available. Not every game but atleast they realise people do want to be able to play older games on their current devices, and the rest of the industry needs to follow what they started.

  In a lot of ways it is not the Consumer/Gamer that is the problem it is the Rights holders themselves that are there own worst enemies. Stop shooting yourself in the foot and complaining we are the problem, let us buy it and we will come. Will some people still pirate games of course they will, piracy has been around for decades, and will never go away. But that does not mean you should not celebrate your old IP's and capitalize on that library. Ohh and a little side note if your sitting on a IP and have no interest in ever revisiting it, then sell the rights to it for heaven's sake. Let someone else who does care do something with it, maybe just ask for a small royalty on the sales, but stop hoarding.

I will leave you as always

Play nice with each other

David

D

My thoughts on Sony's press conference at PGW

I am not going to list every game that Sony showed as that would be a 10 page blog post, and nobody wants that, even me. I had to re-watch the press conference as twitch was acting up for me yesterday, so thought it only fair I re-watch it on  Sony Playstation Youtube page. 

 So where to start there was Soooooooooooo many games, most were exclusive to PS4 or Playstation VR, or at the least console first on PS4. Unless I counted wrong there was like 25 games showcased at the event, an amount to rival their E3 2015 show.

Things I did not like, yes I don't drool everything Playstation:)

I am going to start with something Sony had no control over, and that was the audience, my lord I thought I was at a funeral. I don't know what they put in the water there in France, but it had to be Valium, or Xanax or something. Holy crap they were a quiet bunch, it was like they all wished they were anywhere but at this event, it was damn near depressing.  I can only imagine how most of the presenters felt having to go up on that stage, it could not have been easy.

Now onto things Sony could control, stop showcasing that hideous Black Ops III PS4 console, it is freaking ugly as sin. I would not even have that thing in my house if Yoshida-san himself gave me one for free, I am serious.

I understand Street Fighter V is a console exclusive, I get it but it did not deserve almost 15 minutes of the show. What was with that awkward exchange between Harada-san and the S.F guys it was cringe worthy to watch.  If ya want to have him on stage then bring him out alone to talk Tekken 7, was no need for what transpired. I get the tie in he is a character in Street Fighter 5, but was no real need to have him here.

Now onto things I liked, loved, drooled over.

I am not going to go into great detail on a lot of the games, and there was a lot, you can watch the media briefing for that. They started the show with Black Ops III and Star Wars battlefront, no surprise there, Sony is really tied into those two games. They also are coming out soon so was smart they showcased them right from the get go, that Darth Vader PS4 looks awesome I might add.

 The the whole Street fighter 5/ Tekken debacle as I refer to it as, you can see my feelings above so not going to dwell on it in any detail. Battleborn I am not into MOBA like games so it held no interest me for myself, though can see some really digging it. Vector again a game I could care a less about as I am not Rythm game fan, if I was I would own Persona Dancing all night long before Vector. A lingering theme of the show was most are 2016 games and beyond, that will come as no surprise to anyone.  Sony has been pretty up front that this holiday season is kind sparse other than Third party partnerships.

Then we come to No Man's Sky, and I have a prediction on this one, it was announced it is a June 2016 release. I predict that at E3 2016 it comes out with Playstation VR after the conference. I would not even be surprised if ya could buy Playstation VR get the game for free or at the least exclusive content.

Matterfall House Marque's new ip intrigued me, would be awesome if it had VR support but who knows time will tell. After was the new Ratchet and Clank PS4 exclusive game March 2016, I am a Jak and Daxter fan so was not interested myself. I think I refilled my Sake cup during it to be honest that is how little it interested me.

Horizon; Zero Dawn ohhhhhhhhhhhhh how do I love thee let me count the ways!!! I adore this game from what has been shown so far this year, I can not wait for this and may have to buy a PS4 for it I am that stoked. The more I see the more I am just fascinated by this world Guerrilla games has created, I can see this being Sony's next huge franchise. 

 Let's not forget Uncharted is done as we know it, and this as the next big franchise only makes sense, if this has VR support holy crap, that could be a Console and VR seller right there. The only thing that would be right up there on my hype tree is if Hellblade got announced, with VR support, but I don't expect that till 2017.

Bloodborne DLC add on/expansion that was known for ages, Driveclub adding Bikes that was interesting. The game has such a notorious past due to its massive delay, and launch day issues, but glad it is not abandoned. Sony stuck with it and the studio, the game runs excellent now. The fact they are going to expand on the base of the game is welcome news. Was also nice they mentioned it is standalone or who can buy it as an expansion if you own DriveClub. The cherry on top was that it was available to buy right after the show on the Playstation store, that I did not see coming at all.

 I will skip Gravity Rush 2 because I am still pissed another Vita title has migrated to PS4 thats all I will say.

Uncharted 4 saw the MP and a Beta will be playable starting Dec 4-13 2015, they say March release date I will believe it when I see it.

Dreams I have to be honest looks cool, it is imaginative and Media Molecule has a lot of Imagination, but it is not a game for me.

Then we got into Playstation VR and boy we got quite a lot of info, surprised most was not saved for PSX in December. Rigs I think sony is banking on becoming MLG Esport game time will tell though but I liked what I saw.

Until Dawn Rush of Blood okay this I probably should have put up top under things I hated, this game makes no sense as named. Colin Moriarty from kindafunnygames said exactly what I was thinking when watching this. The game has NOTHING to do with Until Dawn, why tarnish that games reputation with that title. It just makes no logical sense to me whatsoever but you know they will stick with the name, it has cache. 

Crytek showed their new game ( I'll be honest I thought they went under ) and ceased to exist as a studio. It is a VR game so who knows where it goes, VR is still unproven as to being widely adopted my most gamers. I will say this though a demo called " The Walk " looked bloody awesome and showcased the highlights of VR very well.

 I also caught a glimpse in a sizzle reel that Final Fantasy XIV: HeavensWard will be Playstation VR compatible. 

One of the loudest applause was for Polyphony logo as people new we were going to see Gran Turismo.though it is not called 7. Gran Turismo Sport is the new title, and will have a early Beta out in early 2016,. it also no surprise really will have VR support when the full game is out, be you like racing games or not they are huge in Europe.

Now we come to a game that has me really excited, and divides a lot of the Playstation community, more so the Studio. Detroit: Become Human is Quantic Dreams new game and I have to say I had never heard of Kara before. Now hate on David cage all ya like, I like their games, from heavy rain up to Beyond 2 Souls, yes I liked B2S.  They showed actual in engine game capture, so I am assuming the game is pretty far along in development. We did not get a release date I assume Holiday 2016 at the very earliest, but time will tell.

All in all I enjoyed the show and thought Sony showcased one of their strengths, Games, Games and more games. Also they showcased their tight relationship with both their First party studios, Third Party and Indies. All in all even with all the awkward moments of presenters, and the comatose audience I thought the show was well done. Myself I can not wait till PSX in San Francisco come Dec and what will be showcased there.

I will leave you as always Play nice with each other

David

Havok and Microsoft buying them out, my thoughts on the issue

So Microsoft just announced they have bought the rights/company Havok for those who do not know what is Havok I shall tell you. Havok is a tool for 3D physics engines, animations suite, and destructible environments. It has other uses in Modelling and the like but is best known to most of us being used in Video Games. Microsoft also paid a pretty penny for it, $500 or so Million USD's, that's right just over half a billion  $$$$USD they paid. It has a long and proud past. Games even 10+ yrs old have used the HAVOK tool chest to make some of the most beloved games.

 Halo has Havok in it, as have many, many other back to the PS2 era even featured it's logo in the opening credits. Call of Duty, Destiny, Assasins Creed to name a few all use assets from what Intel created and called Havok. Impressive pedigree to say the least, and the list goes on even back to the Gamecube era.
 So why the uproar that Microsoft bought the entity from Intel, I for one can not figure out why other then some people just hate the free market and or Microsoft I get it.. While it seems Microsoft is taking the brunt of this hate because " Now they will hog it, and no games can use it except Xbox games. " That is the most ridiculous shite I have ever read next to Minecraft is dead.

 A little basic logic people if you please, nobody and I mean no matter how rich spends 1/2 a Billion dollars on something just to not make money of it. In the case of Minecraft Microsoft paid a Billion plus to acquire it and the same diatribe went around back then. You don't pay a Billion USD's plus for a property just to not be able to make money off it, it is poor business and if there's one thing Microsoft understands is Business. 
 Consumer privacy and rights that's another topic but they know the market very well thank you. I would go so far as to say giving customers what they ask for is not a strong suit of theirs, unless dragged Kicking and Screaming. When it comes to dollars and making a return on their investment they do that extremely well, exactly as they should they are a business for F's sake.

 Do I see the logic behind the purchase somewhat it is a widely used Physics engine in a ton of popular games. Minecraft I totally understood it is a license to print money, just search facebook or youtube, etc and use the term Minecraft you will be drowned. There is over a 100,000,00 pages, channels etc dedicated to it on Youtube alone some with millions of pageviews, I can see why they bought it I had the dollars I would have too, it is a no lose purchase. 

 Now is Havok the only option to Sony, Nintendo, small Indie developers.... hell no, or whoever is buggered, not it is not there is an alternative in Nvidia's PhysX, I am sure there is others I just know PhysX. So for Microsoft to be buttheads with their ownership of Havok is not in their best interest, it would be shooting themselves in the foot. Much like with their acquisition of Mojang and the Minecraft IP, this purchase also will not dictate Microsoft only devices, they have said as much themselves.

 This is why I think the vitriol on twitter, and reddit etc is just baseless bullcrap, written by people who just hate X whatever X maybe, you can fill in the X for yourselves. You do not spend in the past year ( it ain't over yet ) $1.5+ Billion USD' making acquisitions to lock it off from the rest of the industry, it's just bad management and fiscal planning to do it.

So just stifle your ranting and raving, most of all save the rest of us having to read your vitriol and look at the big picture and think before you type, HAVOK is going nowhere it will be used by all.


As always I will sign-off saying Be nice to each other

David

If you wish to follow me on Twitter the link is at the top of the page as well as Facebook, have a great weekend all

New Hitman delayed till march

Who did not see this one coming, I think it is a wise move regardless the reasons they quoted for its delay. Trying to go up against the November lineup of games is suicide IMHO, Halo 5, Fallout 4 the new CoD even though it is exclusive the new Tomb raider game all will have traction through the holidays. I fully expect to hear of more games being delayed for the very same reasons, it just makes good business sense.

Hitman website

Announcement trailer
Hitman Announcement trailer

I have to admit the game looks damn sweet, and hopefully a good reboot of the series as Square did with Tomb Raider.

As always be nice to each other

David
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My thoughts E3 2015 Pt:2

My thoughts on E3 2015 continued.

So now we will continue with some of the other shows that made up this E3, not all of them because frankly I could not watch everything that took place.

Nintendo

Oh Nintendo what the hell happened to you, I am going to be honest I could not even watch their event after Xenoblade Chronicles, it was just to painful for this guy. As with my previous part 1 impressions I will start with the good, then the bad this will be brief I assure you.

 Super Mario Maker looked bloody awesome, it is not a console seller but it like previous versions looks a ton of fun. The tie in with Skylanders is huge win for them, not my cup of tea or demographic it was aimed at but still a big deal. Starfox of course was a real focus and well let's be honest, people have wanted a new StarFox game for a long time so it is understandable why it was first. That's about it for me I am serious that event was a bloody mess and a bad joke. 

 Now I am far from the only person who could not watch the implosion that was Nintendo's event this year. Hundreds of Youtube Nintendo fans, Twitter and everything else exploded after the event and not in a good way, they were all saying the same thing " WTF was that " 

 For me the thought going through my mind was " This is akin to watching your BF since jr high, slowly drink themselves to death, and there is nothing you can do to stop them " Nintendo the company that once saved Video Gaming is now in a lot of gamers eyes and media and bloody joke.  

 You spent almost 25 mins of a slightly over 1hr event doing Muppet skits, and Starfox, seriously you think thats what people want to see. Nobody cares what the inspiration a particular Temple entrance had in the game, show the bloody game and move on. All other shows showed more games in 25 minutes then you managed in just over a hour, and if you don't think Wii U is dead you should now. 

 The majority of games they showed where for the 3DS, and what games where for the Wii U are not system sellers. A Starfox game that once again they insist on using Gimmick controls with the pad, give people a game with a proper pro controller, not perhaps patched in later. 

Okay you did not want to show or talk about NX I get it, but to not have the New Zelda game atleast show it even if a trailer, seriously? Also what the hell is with Zelda Tri-Force Heroes not having the ability to play as a female, and almost being proud of it. metroid Prime Federation Force and it is a 3DS game, did a single Metroid fan ask for that, what's that you say you hear your echo. Yeah it was the sound made by every Metroid fan that has been asking for ages to make a new proper Metroid game for the Wii U.

  What the hell was with showing a trailer that every word was is Japanese and the text this is E3 not Tokyo game Show. I won't even state how disinterested I am in that game, SMT game usually I am all bloody ears but that I could make no sense of, Vocaloid game, dance simulator, High school XD dating sim WTF?

  You really need to knock it out of the park next year at E3 with NX or get out of the home console business if you insist on Gimmicks and underpowered consoles. 3Ds is gold it really is despite most do not turn the 3D on, and guess what it has no gimmicks to it, just a great handheld system with a solid game library.  Loose the gimmicks and motion crap, tablet stuff, build a solid powerful console that at the very least matches current gen consoles, and a PROPER controller and you will be back in the game.

EA, Ubisoft, Square, etc

 Lets start with EA I am going to cut to the chase real quick and sum it up in one word. " SPORTS " sports and more F'ing sports. a 1hr 15 minute or so conference and over 40+ minutes was nothing but Hoop guy, Pele, and well more Sports. Look I love pele as much as anyone being 55 I remember him playing live here in North america, but really? 20 mins plus. EA spent about 11 mins of their entire show on Star Wars the game 90% of the people where there to see and be wow'd granted it was great to see but far to short. They spent almost as much time talking about a expansion to Old republic game, a game I will admit I did not see coming, but not what most tuned in for.

  Mirror's Edge was the other thing I myself tuned in for and was not dissapointed, Feb 23rd 2016 release date shown, gameplay captured in-engine I was happy. Mass Effect still no opinion on it, till I see proper extended live gameplay i don't care, even being a huge fan of the series we want GAMEPLAY. Oh an by the way EA saying you are introducing 3 new Ip's and they are Plants vs Zombies, another Need for Speed game is not new IP.  Overall I was not impressed this year by EA despite having a cpl of games I was looking forward to, 40+ mins of sports just turned me off completely.

 Now onto Ubisoft who I thought actually had a good show, well paced, I like Alisha be she really a gamer or not as some say, she has a lot of energy and keeps things moving which I like. There was a few things that caught me off guard and that was awesome. Lead off your show with a new South Park game, I did not see that coming and I think few did see it coming. Having Trey and Matt at the show another big + and was a great way to start the show, I also liked they acknowledged somewhat all the screw ups and fans complaints from last year.

 The Division some complained " It looks downgraded like watch Dogs did before it " Ya know what actually I will have something to say in part 3 on that most will not like it however. Trackmania a game a lot of PC gamers have enjoyed will finally make its way to consoles. I did not see that coming either, much like Ghost recon : Wildlands which I have to say intrigues me, not as much as Recore and Horizon: Zero Dawn but still. I won't get into the new AC game other then it has me intrigued  I will in part 3 though what stood out in it, other then that not a lot to mention other than " For Honor " which kind of reminds me of a Chivalry Clone just with better graphics. Expansion packs to  The Crew not surprising, the Trials Fusion one not into it, other than the Trials the game itself which I masochistically adore , so all in all I  thought Ubisoft did well.

 Now for Square Enix Oooooooohh my god where to start and not in a  good way unfortunately, I really have no idea what they were thinking my lord what a mess. I really felt bad for them in some ways because they really looked like a fish out of water, mostly because they are so much so a Japanese centric company, not because of the games they showed. They had decent franchises to show they own Deus Ex, Tomb Raider, Hitman, and Final Fantasy VII remake to name a few all of which they showed. 
 The problem was a lot of the speaking guests could not speak English, and their translator went missing on occasion. Also a lot of the ones they did have looked very uncomfortable, you could tell they were completely out of their element and had been forced to attend. A lot of the games they showed had already been shown the previous day at Sony's, Microsoft's, and Nintendo's" events so what was the purpose. This was really a un-needed presser it really was and made them look in the eyes of some as amateurs , but was not a good impression outside of the game trailers.

 So that is it for part 2 I don't want to make a 200 page post so will end it here for now. To all my American readers I wish a Happy and Safe 4th of July weekend.

As always : Play nice with each other, it's only a game.

David

My thoughts on E3 2015 Part one

My thoughts and remarks on E3 2015

So another E3 has come and gone and we are left with our own thoughts on what we got offered at this years show, and there is a lot to digest. It is for that reason I have not given my thoughts on the conferences, I really needed to go back and rewatch a few of them, some not so much. So who won E3 before I give my take on it some context is needed as to what each brought to the table. I am not going to cover every conference that was showcased, else this be a 200 page post, nor post every game. That need should you desire it can be easily served by just re-watching the conferences online yourself.

Microsoft's presentation.

 I have to say Microsoft did a really good.... lets call it what it was great job this year, I was impressed by it for many reasons. The pacing was fantastic it was game after game after game, it struck me during it can this really be the same company that laid a egg on the exact same stage 2 years earlier? Phil Spencer has really made his mark on the Xbox division, it's primary focus and it is the better for it, like I said hard to believe it's the same company. 

 What surprised me also was that Bonnie Ross opened the show, I know she is head of 343 but seriously, I would have thought they would have buried her in the background at the show. They try that at Gamescom and if she is not almost booed off the stage I will be surprised, E3 is not a show for consumers. Gamescom is more consumer/gamer focused, open to the public far more than E3. How she did not apologize for the massive screw-up that was the Halo MCC is beyond me, ya screw up that bad you need to apologize. 

 Another thing again like previous years what the hell is with the cars dropping from the ceiling, get rid of it pleaseeeeeeee!!!!. It serves no purpose, cost a fortune, a person does not buy a racing game because a car descends from the sky. A racing fan is going to buy forza well because they are a racing fan, a Pinto could drop from the ceiling and they would still buy the game. I will mention only briefly that creepy " World premiere" etc etc Voice over guy that preceded the games showing on screen, lose it. I also disliked the ambiguity that was displayed, is it console exclusive, is it also on PC, or just PC feature or game it was hard to tell. Console debut ( Sony was guilty of the same thing) is it on other consoles, on PC or handheld, I did not like that at all?

 Now for the good things, some downplayed it but I thought it was great, The " Rare collection" 30 classic xbox and xbox 360 games in one collection for $30.00 USD . I realize it is not for everyone but as a gamer in his late 50's it was great to see them bring them to a new generation of players. Tomb Raider looked bloody awesome, hate all ya want that it is first on Xbox but ya have to admit it looked awesome. I will wait like I did for the last Tomb raider game and get it on PC, but it looked great on Xbox One.  I also loved the fact that console gamers would get the chance to experience Fallout 4 with the same mods those on PC can use, yes it will come to PS4 at some point but was announced here.

 Cuphead a brand new console exclusive IP if I recall correctly is out next year, I have no idea what the game is about but damn it looked bloody brilliant. it was also a bit of a theme at their conference this year, a focus on Indie games unlike years past. ReCore was a game that just floored me, not sure I will buy a Xbox One to play it but was great to see it get a showcase being a unproven IP.  You can say they are just taking a page from "Sony's playbook" (one people ridicule them for by the way) and who cares, it is good for everyone, Microsoft sees that Indies are a big thing and was a welcome change in direction. 

 Phil spencer was true to his word that Windows 10 will be a integral part of Microsoft's new focus on gaming and Xbox integration, unlike it's TV, TV, TV., Sports, entertainment TV focus of 2 years ago.

 So thats about it for Microsoft, no way I could cover everything and keep the article reasonable, to summarize they did a great job and left me impressed.

Sony's presentation

 Sony this year was the year of heavy-hitters, and they started right out of the gate with it, I was bloody impressed however like I did with Microsoft I will start with the things I disliked about Sony's conference, fair is fair after all, so lets get this started with a disclaimer. 
 Outside of my PC, Playstation is my prefered gaming platform, I own the other platforms but those two are my prefered go-to platforms. . Much like at Microsoft's conference the ambiguity of the wording at the end of videos or the start. What the hell does Console premier mean???? seriously is it on xbox, is it on Vita, how about PC or 3ds? what the hell is that Console premiere bullshit supposed to mean? Only Nintendo did not use it of the 3 main showcases and that's only because all games on their platform are exclusive really being First party games. I am going to give to a example of what I mean bet ya thought Firewatch was exclusive to Playstation guess what it ain't, hell it even has a Linux version for PC not to mention Mac and Windows, but you would never know it from that trailer.

 That Fiasco that was Shenmue III kickstarter thing what the hell are you thinking it undermines the whole purpose of kickstarter. Yu Suzuki could have easily just sent out a tweet and it would have been covered to death, there was no need for that crap at a press conference,  You showcase what you are doing and have coming not promote something you may invest in. We now know they are invested in it) it is not " Their own thing" as Adam stated, flagrant lie if you ask me. It is a gaming showcase not the home shopping network, the game would be funded if you had never said a single word and you know it. Not to mention the fact the originals were not even playstation games they were on Dreamcast and the second also later on Xbox, sorry that just pissed me off that part of the show.

  TV, TV, TV did you not learn a single thing from Microsoft's implosion that was E3 2013... Nothing? Nobody cares about bloody TV, or any affiliations your building, GAMES, GAMES GAMES GAMES. You piledrived that into people's heads in 2013 and ripped Microsoft a new one, and rightfully so. Yet here we are 2 yrs in and you're doing the exact same bloody thing, STOP IT, same with PS now as it sits is of no interest to most people, I am not going to pay to play the games I already own. 
 The complete and utter lack of respect for the PS Vita floored me, I know it is not selling as expected, but that's their own fault. They marketed it poorly, over hyped it then a just over a yr later trash it saying " No 1st party games anymore." The disrespect that device got was quite frankly shocking, I know there is only so much time, but seriously you could not spare 10 mins for it, and lose the bloody tv talk?

 Now for the good stuff, I am going to start off with the one game that gave me Gamescom 2014 shivers (Hellblade, I love you Ninja Theory) and it is not what you think, it was Horizon; Zero Dawn. A brand new game from the same studio best known for the Killzone series so there's a lot of pedigree there and I was gobsmacked, while watching it unfold. Now for the 2 elephants in the room and you know what they are Final Fantasy VII remake not a remaster, and of course The Last Guardian, I still get goosebumps just typing this thinking of that night.

 Final Fantasy VII Remake a game Square Enix said they would never do, they had some conditions it could come to pass but basically where not even possible. You can not create lighting in the same bottle twice if that was their criteria. My how things have changed for Sony to have them debut this game at their conference over all others is a Massive win, remember Square Enix also hosted their own conference the next day. 
 Some people of course were shocked it was not a Playstation exclusive... really you know how much it would cost for that. I know the PS4 is doing damn well, but even the likes of a Microsoft could not afford to have that game as a console exclusive, it has that type of status.
 Going into that night people knew Square Enix had their own the next day and when that appeared on the screen during Sony's I actually broke out in tears. Not because it is a game I hold in the same reverence as others do, I actually think VIII is a better game and XII I did love Crisis Core though, but I cried tears of joy for all the people I know who have only dreamed of this. We have since learned there will be some liberties taken with the original games framework, but so long as the story is intact or closes issues, bring it on.

 The Last Guardian what can be said that has not been said a million times before, I will say it now I called the game Vaporware until that night, just view my google + comments over the past months.  No gameplay, no mention it is vaporware and be done with it, then that magical night happened I got what I wanted. I had a timeframe, I had in engine capture are real gameplay, not a sizzle reel as it is called in the industry. Sony gets a big thumbs up from me because they did not have to do this, they really didn't most had written this game off 3+ yrs ago not like it needed it to boost sales. Playstation 4 is dominating the market and selling faster then any console in History IIRC, last i looked it has over 70% market share in parts of continental Europe etc. So it is not that they had to make this a reality they are doing fine without it, so to me this was for the gamers. 

 They had showed it ages ago and we never forgot, but it appeared they had, and when they kept seeing us always ask about it they made the decision. We need to make this a reality no matter what it takes we owe it to the fans, and Sony has a STNG moment, "Make it so #1, Engage" and we saw the results. They are to be commended for this because it is not like they had to, they would have got a free pass if they had said look sorry we just can make it how we envisioned, it is cancelled, our eyes where bigger then our abilities.

To wrap up part one I will quick hit a few items, Destiny.... meh Landing COD as the new home is a major coup, I laughed my butt off watching Twitter and Facebook explode in the morning after the Microsoft conference, " WTF where is Call of Duty " so that was a a Kodak moment for Sony being the new home of COD. Dreams looked quirky as Media Molecule games usually are, not my cup of tea but was a new IP from a established studio with a great track record. I also felt so bad for Devolver Digital having to try follow Final Fantasy VII remake, I doubt few even saw that montage.

So thats it for part 1 I will post part two sometime over the weekend or early next week where I will get into Nintendo, and a synopsis of the other main players at the show. till then as I always do..

Be nice to each other, it's only a game 

Why no E3 reaction

I explained why on my Google + page which I post to daily you can read why Here
I will before week's end post my thoughts on who won etc, you maybe surprised, actually I know you will.

WATCH THE SONY PRESSER LIVE FROM E3

Watch it in Theatres in the USA and tickets are free like last year Canada live,

Why timed exclusives are DEAD!!!!!!

So a lot of news of late has surrounded some aspects of games having timed exclusivity, which is a waste of money and time IMHO to any gamer.  A few examples are Destiny a lot of the DLC granted is timed exclusive, as are some guns and maps etc, FOR A YEAR from the games release date. Now does Xbox get a bone thrown here or there yeah they do, but it is not the point. I exclude some games like Bayonetta 2 because without Nintendo that game never gets made. Call Of Duty(COD)  is another example that applies in the following text.

 The Fact as a gamer you pay full price for in the case of Destiny, get a crippled game is unacceptable. Yes I said Crippled, because as a Xbox gamer you are paying the exact same price as the PlayStation gamer but either getting less or having to wait for a year in some cases for the same game. Now most who follow me on Google+ and Twitter know I prefer PlayStation and PC for gaming, PC for Multi-plats and yes I also talk about things other then gaming on Twitter.

 I offer this to the developers and Publishers out there, as a gamer myself your cash grabs are dead. If you think because Microsoft roll up with a truck load of money, and others have to wait we will switch your nuts. Those days if they ever existed are long dead, you really think we will switch consoles or device because you get a toy first on this one. THINK AGAIN, This is not the 80's we as gamers are not stupid, we will wait out your money play and buy the game on our preferred platform.

 So here is some advice Devs. pubs, and console makers. SAVE YOUR $ we are not stupid we will wait you out and your money was spent for NOT. AGAIN Save your money, invest in your internal studios and platforms like PSN and Xbox Live. The days of someone changing their mind because this game is coming out first on X console or platform are over.

  I will leave you with one last point, Do you honestly think a single PC gamer said Screw it, I am getting a Xbox or PlayStation console because GTA V is not out for a year on PC? I need to change platform and buy a Xbox or PlayStation, same goes for Nintendo. NOT going to happen we will wait you out, and believe me I was seriously tempted to buy a Wii U when I saw Bayonetta 2. That is one I just won't get to play in the near future but I can live with that as they did pay to make it.

So in conclusion Pubs/Devs Console makers wake up we are not stupid, we will wait you out as gamers. You need to sell your game more then we need to buy them or your console, We have options out the ying-yang, you have but a single choice to make, make the smart one and don't allow exclusivity in your games.
As a side note do not tell me timed exclusivity sells consoles because that is utter bullshit. First party games sell consoles nothing more, nothing less. You love uncharted your gonna buy a PlayStation device,. You love Halo your going to buy a Xbox, Mario a Nintendo device.

No gamer is switching loyalties because you get a gun for 6 months before me, that crap is dead to most gamers. Adapt Developers/Publisher/Rights owners we have grown up, we are device agnostic and I am 55yrs old, Give us what we want, where we want on the device we want when we want, or we will just wait you out

+Dave Mckee TheCyclingNut
Be nice to each other chow