Game of Thrones just keeps getting darker and darker. Ricardo and Ethan talk about the penultimate episode in great detail and predict who will live and die from the season finale. It’s our sickest episode yet! (We’re both sick)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:11 — 75.8MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS
Finally, after a short delay The Small Council gets together again for a talk about The Sword in the Darkness. Turns out Asher’s storyline is still limping along, while everyone else’s is firing on all cylinders. The state of the Forrester house is looking even more grim than usual.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:38 — 88.8MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS
Street Fighter V is coming. As a fighting game fan and lifelong fan of the series, my initial reaction was excitement followed by an exclamatory, “It’s too soon!”
Despite Street Fighter IV releasing way back in 2008, it FEELS as if the game was definitively finished this year with the release of Ultra SFIV. Jokes of Capcom releasing the same game on five separate occasions aside (which they have), this isn’t a series or a genre accustomed to swiftly moving on to the next numbered sequel.
On one hand, it’s heartening to know SF’s following is the strongest it’s been since Street Fighter II and the days of Raul Julia’s M. Bison. On another, it seems obvious the series is changing.
The most noteworthy aspect of SFV’s unveiling was NOT its impressive new graphical presentation.
I speak primarily of the announcement that Street Fighter V will be exclusively for Playstation 4 and PC upon its release in 2015 and will feature cross-platform play. To be honest, I’m not shocked by this move. The console gap is closing, and it’s going to come down to exclusives (alongside other tangibles) for Sony and Microsoft to distinguish their machines. With Microsoft already touting its own exclusive fighting franchise with the new Killer Instinct, it only makes sense Sony would attempt to one-up.
Let’s be honest: With all respect to the awesome modern interpretation on Killer Instinct, there’s no question which series will drive more traffic.
But all the same let’s not get crazy. Though Street Fighter is a big “get”, it is not on par with the likes of other major franchises like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed in terms of market share. This is a fighting game, and comes with a certain barrier for entry that game sales have proven many won’t cross. Hence why the cross-platform support will be crucial for SFV’s success.
Long has the issue of audience segmentation plagued fighting games. If net code holds up and this PC/PS4 cross-platform support works, then Sony and Capcom will look like geniuses. They’ll have finally unified two sections of the audience into one, and that might be justification enough to have completely killed off a third section.
That third sector, however, is likely not to go quietly. Xbox LIVE was consistently a better performer for online fighting games during the SFIV era, yet now LIVE players have been left in the lurch. Whether a backlash will be enough to change console availability for the series’ future remains to be seen.
Capcom’s move may bring a fighting game community closer, or irreparably damage it.
Ultimately, Sony’s Playstation Experience keynote shook one growing misconception about console gaming; that exclusives were going away. They’re not, and that’s going to spell big things for PS4.
It’s also going to mean something big for the future of Street Fighter, for better or worse.
I am a newcomer to the Playstation world. Not to mean that I’ve never played a Playstation game, but rather that I’m new to the idea of having a vested interest in the console. Given that I will be a co-owner of a PS4 system with my fiance this Christmas, news and upcoming releases for the console are now more important than ever (and my life no longer revolves solely on Halo games)!
By a stroke of luck (otherwise known as my friend Ricky), I was told about the Playstation Experience Keynote right before it started and thankfully was able to catch the entire opening event.
Having watched the complete keynote in the comfort of my pajamas, let me tell you my thoughts.
Now, when it comes these video game conventions/conferences, most people want to hear what’s new, see some gameplay of upcoming games, and of course get their hands on games that are not yet out. Along those lines, the keynote delivered on all of those aspects.
They told us about games with PS4 console exclusive debuts:
Many PC and older generation Playstation games will be ported to Playstation systems:
We saw gameplay from highly anticipated games:
And in terms of the games available to play (for those in Vegas), there are quite a few of them.
Despite all of the content that Playstation showcased for us, I only took away a couple things:
1. In-Game Engine Graphics Used for Cutscenes
For the big AAA game titles where gameplay was shown (i.e. Uncharted, The Order), the presenters put a lot of the focus on their in-game engines and how with this next-gen technology, everything you see is seamlessly part of the game’s engine. Meaning, there are no pre-rendered cutscenes that look better than the gameplay but rather, your gameplay looks just as good as those beautiful cutscenes. I have to admit, after watching the gameplay for Uncharted 4, I just imagined playing it on a huge TV screen with surround sound. It would be glorious.
Gotta’ love in-game graphics!
As a side note, I found the enemy AI in Uncharted to be seemingly smart, which is a nice change from enemies that will stare at walls (maybe they have cool wallpaper paterns?). Judge it for yourself by jumping to 7:45 in the below video.
2. The Playstation Vita is Alive and Well
When it comes to mobile gaming, I’m definitely in the casual category. Bejeweled, puzzle games, etc. When out and about, I generally stick to games that I can quickly jump in and out of. However, it’s good for the hardcore mobile gamers that Playstation is still putting a lot of emphasis on the Vita. Between ports of fairly recent games (i.e. Shovel Knights) to bringing back older games (i.e. Suikoden), the Vita seems like it is being well looked after by Sony.
3. I’m Not Particularly Excited About Any Games
I’ll be honest that this one stumps me a little because am I looking forward to playing Uncharted 4 (even though I’ve never played any of the earlier renditions)? Yes! Am I looking forward to playing Tear Away so as to fully utilize the PS4 controller? Yes!
Perhaps it’s just me getting older and not getting really excited about things like I used to. For those of you 21 and older, do any of you still have that giddiness Christmas morning? Let me just say that I envy you if you do.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that nothing I saw got me in that “I can’t wait for it” mentality, but maybe it’s just because I don’t get that way anymore. So I may only have myself (or I guess my brain?) to blame for this takeaway.
What were your thoughts of the Playstation Experience Keynote? Did you love it, hate it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
Oh!
And don’t forget to pick up these games for free this weekend if you have access to the Playstation Store. Happy 20th Anniversary Playstation and thanks Electronic Arts!
On PS Store this weekend only, 12pm Sat – 6pm Sunday: Need for Speed (Vita), Mirror's Edge (PS3), PvZ Garden Warfare (PS4) FREE courtesy @EA
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 6, 2014
While PS4 has impressive hardware, strengths will be software and functionality
Even though the public has not seen the shiny new box that will be the Playstation 4, at least gamers have a detailed sketch of its hardware and functionality.
Its been seven years since the release of the Playstation 3. This console generation, while not the longest in gaming history, has been substantial considering the innovations and changes that the industry has experienced. The graphical improvements have been significant and a slew of motion controllers have changed the way that the mainstream demographic thinks of games. Mobile platforms and digital distribution have also changed how consumers access and play games.
Internet communities have been inspired by the work of game developers. In addition to playing games, gamers look for videos of games on YouTube and share their own experiences over streaming platforms and social media.
Innovations such as Xbox Live Party Chat (which is in my opinion one of the greatest accomplishments of the last generation) change the way that players interact with each other over the internet. Online multiplayer services have become their own social spheres, allowing players to keep in touch with their existing friends and meet entirely new ones online.
It seems as though the Playstation 4 has accounted for all of these improvements on paper. And if Sony’s claims are true, there are a lot of things to be excited for when the new system releases:
Dedicated processor for downloading games in the background:
While the Xbox and Playstation both have the ability to do this now, a dedicated CPU for completing this task will make the interface much smoother. If the PS4 can incorporate its own version of party chat with this extra chip while simultaneously playing games, the results will be awesome.
Social media integration and dedicated video compression and uploading:
While there are currently many capture devices available that allow gamers to share and edit gameplay, a system that is integrated into the console operating system would be much more convenient. The ability to hit a button on the controller and capture footage would be much better than setting up a laptop and worrying about logging and capturing footage.
The additional processor that can be seen in any music video production unit also handles video uploads and compression, allowing players to quickly cut a clip, and go on playing the game while the video uploads in the background.
Playstation’s partnership with Ustream does not seems ideal however. An incredibly strong community of YouTubers has been built over the past couple of years and its difficult to foresee audiences making the switch to a new video platform. But of course, it is impossible to predict how internet audiences react come launch day.
Software:
While a launch lineup has not been confirmed by Sony, Watch Dogs, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Drive Club, InFamous: Second Son, Destiny and The Witness all look like excellent contenders. The success of a console launch linked to its launch lineup, and PS4 should have a strong one.
Gaikai, game streaming and backwards compatibility:
While the PS4 will not be backwards compatible, Sony Computer Entertainment has partnered with the game streaming service, Gaikai, to provide gamers with hundreds of titles. Sony’s goal is to make all PSone PS2 and PS3 titles available over this streaming service.
While pricing has not been announced, it will allow players to try games out for free.
For consumers that have a large collection of PS3 games, the lack of backwards compatibility will be very disheartening.
While Sony may be reveling in the exposure, nothing has been heard from the Xbox corner. It will be very interesting to see the two behemoths duke it out come E3 this year.
As a thank you to all the fans who have supported this epic game’s success, Rocksteady has released a FREE downloadable skin for “Batman: Arkham City.” Available from both Xbox Live and Playstation Network, the new skin features Batman’s costume from the DC Comic’s series “Batman Inc.,” in which the Dark knight recruits “Batmen” from all around the globe. Enjoy!
South Hall Entrance to E3
Bright lights. Loud music. Towering posters and flashing screens as far as the eye can see. This is E3. For six hours we walked around the show floor, trying, yet failing, to take in all there was to see. Giant multi-storied booths dominated the center of the of the showroom, while in the corner smaller one-man tables sat. Free merchandise everywhere. Oh man, the all the free stuff. There’s a lot to take in, and there’s a lot to describe, so I’ll do my best.
Our first day on the floor was mainly spent gaining our bearings. It’s the first year at E3 for most of us. We needed to spend our time wisely, and decide exactly what was important to see. Wisdom would dictate that we find out exactly what was important and interesting before jumping right into lines. We wanted to make sure we could at least see everything before diving in to hour long lines to play 15 minutes of a game.
So naturally the at the first glimpse of Batman: Arkham City we immediately jumped into an hour long line for 15 minutes of gameplay. I can tell you we walked away a little dazed from all the awesome, but we’ll have more on our opinions of individual games tomorrow and Thursday.
Batman: Arkham City
After coming to our senses we continued with our original plan. Touring the Warner Bros. Interactive booth we also discovered an underwhelming Green Lantern tie-in (can you say “like God of War but mediocre?”) and a multiplayer demo for Gotham City Impostors. The game looked interesting, but with other stylized, class based, multiplayer, first person shooters out there, it’s probably going to have a hard time making an impact. As long as it doesn’t make the mistake of going on sale for full price then it could be an enjoyable experience.
Some of the more awesome features included a full size Marcus Fenix statue, a two story multi-booth showroom from Sony, and a massive jumbotron dominating the Capcom booth. Nintendo’s section of the showroom was a completely enclosed room filled with glowing lights, screens displaying their 3DS, Wii, and the new Wii U consoles, and a huge representation of Link riding an eagle across the ceiling. The next to each screen was a friendly (usually female) associate, who were always happy to assist and answer any questions. And hand out free stuff. Don’t forget the free stuff. I played around with a few of the DS games, but didn’t get enough time to get a full impression just yet. By this point we were on a mission to see everything.
A packed showroom and a 2 story Playstation Booth
A mission we technically ended up failing. One of the only booths with missed out on was Microsoft’s. It wasn’t a deliberate snub, but none of us really felt like we had missed much at the end of the day. Based on the first day and opening press conferences, I hadn’t formed any negative opinion on Microsoft, but I didn’t see anything to draw me in either. Possibly it has something to do with our subconscious not wanting to dance around in front of a Kinect, which is what Microsoft is pushing heavily this year. Nevertheless, we will visit and gain an opinion on some of the new games, and I’ll make sure those opinions make it to the web for both of our readers. Thanks, Mom.
Tomorrow we’ll be bringing you more stories on individual games, vendors, and booths. Hopefully we’ll be getting up some smaller individual stories throughout the day, but either way you can expect another post like this tomorrow night.