E3 2013

[Amit]

Microsoft's Press Conference just ended. It was about 1.5 hours. The most consistent stream I found was gamespot, as usual.

Microsoft Press Conference: Watch it here.
(http://www.gamespot.com/e3/microsoft-press-conference/)EA Press Conference: Watch it here at 4PM EST.
(http://www.gamespot.com/e3/ea-press-conference/)Ubisoft Press Conference: 6PM EST
(http://www.gamespot.com/e3/ubisoft-press-conference/)Sony Press Conference: 9PM EST (http://www.gamespot.com/e3/sony-press-conference/)

[thehoodedsmack]

Wow, Halo 5 had a dumb trailer.

[Donut]

Apparently the guy demoing one of the microsoft games just graduated from the game design program im in. I'm not sure if that gives me hope or makes me want to switch to software engineering...

[Amit]

Halo trailer almost looked like something from Destiny. And then I laughed. They are really killing MC's image with these "out to avenge Cortana" shits.

Halo for Xbone is going to be gay. Oh yeah, it's Halo for Xbone, not Halo 5, so...

What did you guys think of Ryse and TitanFall? TitanFall created by Respawn (infinity ward founders and creators of our most loved franchise, CoD).

[ejburke]

I knew that was fucking Master Chief 10 seconds in.

[Amit]

I knew that was fucking Master Chief 10 seconds in.

Based on what?

[Kornman00]

Their fucking MS page keeps loading the current fucking feed for me

[ejburke]

Based on what?Call it a woman's intuition.

Speaking of, anybody else cringe when that guy said, "Just let it happen; it'll be over soon." to the girl in that bit of scripted trash talk? I believe the air being sucked out of the room by a collective gasp was audible.

[Amit]

Their fucking MS page keeps loading the current fucking feed for me

Go back in the timeline and click on the microsoft conference.

[Kornman00]

I was doing that but it just loads the MS page. Which as I said...

[TVTyrant]

It's fucking pathetic that G4 doesn't have coverage.

[Amit]

G4 got decimated last year if you didn't know.

[Amit]

Star Wars Battlefront ANNOUNCED! FUCK YES.

[Tnnaas]

/r/gaming exploded at that announcement. :lmao:

No, honestly if the gameplay trailer looks good I'll definitely be looking forward to it. It's good to see it's happening though.

[cheezdue]

No kidding, this is the first time I ever get excited about a new game at E3.

[Patrickssj6]

No kidding, this is the first time I ever get excited about a new game at E3.

What? I remember this as if this was yesterday
FmmrT5-WolI

[CabooseJr]

Mirrors Edge 2 Woop woop!

[Btcc22]

Call it a woman's intuition.

Speaking of, anybody else cringe when that guy said, "Just let it happen; it'll be over soon." to the girl in that bit of scripted trash talk? I believe the air being sucked out of the room by a collective gasp was audible.

50-sz1a_UBg

By collective gasp, you mean laughing?

[Higuy]

Mirrors Edge 2 and a new cool looking game called Titanfall? What more could a guy ask for?!

Halo 5 looks bad.

[TeeKup]

Wtf is that in the H5 trailer? Why is it Forerunner. I thought the Didact was fucking dead.

[ThePlague]

Where is the trailer? I missed it. Internet is down and have to use fucking phone internet :|

[thehoodedsmack]

Halo 6 ends like Tron Legacy and then we all kill ourselves.

[=sw=warlord]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc4MzqBFxZE
This must have been what pulled the audio plug for the Battlefield showing.

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

I'm only excited for a few games.
And M$ wont be involved.
Fuck the xbone.

Buying ps4, getting watch dogs & the division.

[Tnnaas]

Here's your Halo 5(?) Trailer.


http://youtu.be/blW40AVWXrE

Cool, whatevs, now where's ODST 2 and Halo Wars 2?

[Zeph]

The microsoft conference was hilariously bad. It turned out true that they were bribing publishers to claim xbone exclusivity. Their own stream wouldn't load for a huge number of people and bugged out more often than nor for those who managed to get it to load, even through third parties. Halo 5 continues to prove that Frankie's fanfictional understanding of that universe is driving that studio. Mirror's Edge 2 doesn't seem that great to me. It looks amazing, but it doesn't look like a Mirror's Edge game. It's like it lost everything that stylized the visuals on the first one. Yeah, it's probably just the technical differences in the engine, but that really synergized with the plot and underlying themes from the first one super well.

Titanfall is about the only good thing to come out of that conference and I'm really doubting its exclusivity.

[Warsaw]

On the other hand, Ubisoft and EA have made strong showings. Tom Clancy's Division looks to be amazing, and then there's the Star Wars stuff and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

[Amit]

I fail to see a 5 in the trailer.

[Zeph]

Lol Mirror's Edge 2 going to be on PC, xbone, AND PS4.

[PopeAK49]

Way to fuck over one of my most memorable games M$...Killer Instinct.

I mean what is up with the character designs??? That pretty much ruined it for me.

[Higuy]

Mirror's Edge 2 doesn't seem that great to me. It looks amazing, but it doesn't look like a Mirror's Edge game. It's like it lost everything that stylized the visuals on the first one. Yeah, it's probably just the technical differences in the engine, but that really synergized with the plot and underlying themes from the first one super well.

I thought it and looked and felt very mirrors edge like. Except the tattoo sequence, but still. Everything else about it captured what I felt after playing Mirrors Edge a billion times.

[DarkHalo003]

I think that Halo game looks intriguing. I'm excited for the singleplayer and curious to know where the game is going. MC looks like he's taken a beating at some point.

That said, I'm not sure if their thematic ideas for the Forerunner relics are the best they could be. The Forerunners never tailored their structural designs after animals or other organisms.

[Bobblehob]

Anyone just see what I saw at the playstation reveal!? The Order... my god...

[DarkHalo003]

Anyone just see what I saw at the playstation reveal!? The Order... my god...
Yeah I thought the trailer looked pretty awesome. I'd need to see the gameplay first of course. inFamous SecondSon looks cool too, but easily the same case.

[Bobblehob]

Steampunk England, weapons, Bioshock Infinite style airships, mixes of modern and victorian designs... Just amazing :D

[Btcc22]

Sony absolutely nailed it.

kWSIFh8ICaA
2Ht-0Hne4EU
g4zJe_QU6cI

[Warsaw]

Steampunk England, weapons, Bioshock Infinite style airships, mixes of modern and victorian designs... Just amazing :D

Clockpunk or magicpunk, more like. I didn't see any steam engines.

[Btcc22]

Clockpunk or magicpunk, more like. I didn't see any steam engines.

TFCuE5rHbPA

Steam engines not required.

[Amit]

Microsoft is done for with the PS4's Price Point.

[Btcc22]

Microsoft is done for with the PS4's Price Point.

Yup. In the UK, the Xbox One is $670 (converted, obviously). It's even worse elsewhere outside of the U.S. :ugh:

The conversion with Sony still isn't great but at least the base price is lower.

[Warsaw]

TFCuE5rHbPA

Steam engines not required.

Whatever that is, it's not working. Steam is, in fact, required for steam-punk. I watched the trailer for The Order; I am excited for it, I love the style...mostly...but it wasn't steam-punk. Just like Dishonored wasn't steam-punk.

[Bobblehob]

Clockpunk or magicpunk, more like. I didn't see any steam engines.

Correction, Gearpunk, I apologize to the steampunk gods -__-

[Warsaw]

If it's all about cogs and spring-loaded thingies, it's clock-punk. I mean, you can combine different -punks, but one is usually more dominant. Most of the time, clock-punk is combined with magi-punk, i.e. Fable II. Personally, I hate the style that features greeble and gears and brass in abundance. I prefer a more pragmatic, industrial style. More along the lines of what is typically considered diesel-punk...with a steam twist as opposed to combustion engines.

[ejburke]

Microsoft is done for with the PS4's Price Point.It would seem that way, but MS still has that $299 "subsidized" SKU to announce. Though for some reason, that sort of payment model isn't done in Europe. "You'tr paying more money in the long run!" Duh, that's how credit works.

This whole situation is going to be fascinating to watch unfold. Does MS cave or stand their ground? Do third party publishers apply pressure on Sony? Is the Kinect adding $100 to the cost of the Bone going to sink it or help differentiate it?

I'm glad there's nothing coming out this year that would prompt me to buy either at launch. Quantum Break and Halo 5 ensure that I'll own an Xbox eventually.

[Dozo]

O_j9uKBmUEk
The division looks fucking stellar and coupled with used games I'm considering getting the PS4 now.

[Warsaw]

You know what The Division made me think of? Half-Life 2. For some reason, while watching it I started thinking about how awesome this game would be if it was set immediately after the Seven Hour War and you and your friends are just scavenging for survival in the ruins of society, sneaking past Combine checkpoints and evading gunship sweeps. You and your friends are also competing against other survivors, before you all come together to form the resistance. Goddamn, that would be cool.

[Tnnaas]

Microsoft is done for with the PS4's Price Point.
Xbox One is down! Someone call an ambulance!

*Wii U Wii U Wii U Wii U*

[ejburke]

The division looks fucking stellar and coupled with used games I'm considering getting the PS4 now.If you deal in used games from a store, then Xbox One and PS4 should be an identical experience for the customer. If you buy/sell your used games from individuals, then yes, the PS4 has the advantage there. Unless something changes.

Personally, I'm planning on buying all-digital next gen. All this hoopla does not concern me, except in the academic sense.

[Warsaw]

Xbox One is down! Someone call an ambulance!

*Wii U Wii U Wii U Wii U*

Somebody reads Kotaku comments...

[JackalStomper]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/d0c31ccc8607be736decb8e9cac5e261/tumblr_mo7kt2L5W81ra7isuo1_500.gif
http://24.media.tumblr.com/5c29f71d492574d37127b44797d52188/tumblr_mo7kt2L5W81ra7isuo2_500.gif
http://25.media.tumblr.com/41475da8ef2b8d8975557164b27e063d/tumblr_mo7kt2L5W81ra7isuo3_500.gif
http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/549/148/f29.gif

[Tnnaas]

Somebody reads Kotaku comments...
Good guess, but no. That comment has been flying around before it arrived to Kotaku. I picked it up on Reddit, but I assume it came from an IRC or something.

[Kornman00]

You know what The Division made me think of? Half-Life 2. For some reason, while watching it I started thinking about how awesome this game would be if it was set immediately after the Seven Hour War and you and your friends are just scavenging for survival in the ruins of society, sneaking past Combine checkpoints and evading gunship sweeps. You and your friends are also competing against other survivors, before you all come together to form the resistance. Goddamn, that would be cool.
Made me think of a non-scifi-Destiny.

[Btcc22]

I'm glad there's nothing coming out this year that would prompt me to buy either at launch. Quantum Break and Halo 5 ensure that I'll own an Xbox eventually.

Yeah, that's what Microsoft is banking on. No matter how much they try to do the consumer over, people will still buy it to get their fix of random franchise.


If you deal in used games from a store, then Xbox One and PS4 should be an identical experience for the customer.

Although there's the bit where it's up to the publisher to decide on the resale rules. Fees? Outright no reselling? That's all possible under Microsoft's system and when publishers have that kind of power, they're free to crank the prices of new games up. The Playstation 4's stance is going to make it less likely to happen though.

[ejburke]

Yeah, that's what Microsoft is banking on. No matter how much they try to do the consumer over, people will still buy it to get their fix of random franchise.No, they're counting on people being used to digital ecosystems and realizing that, hey, this is just another one of those. Unfortunately for Microsoft, most people won't look at it that way. Personally, I don't give a shit about physical discs. I like the idea of not needing them and I think I would get a lot more use out of their digital sharing plan than I've gotten out of physical sharing in the past 10 years, since I don't see or live near most of my family.


Although there's the bit where it's up to the publisher to decide on the resale rules. Fees? Outright no reselling? That's all possible under Microsoft's system and when publishers have that kind of power, they're free to crank the prices of new games up. The Playstation 4's stance is going to make it less likely to happen though.Son'y's stance makes it pointless for publishers to demand a resale fee on Xbox One games. Consumers can just do an end-around and always buy the PS4 version and resell that.

The story isn't finished on this. This situation is going to create some akward tension between platform holders and publishers for sure. I don't believe that MS or Sony are in this business just to make another conventional console, because that business is not sustainable. There's a lot of pressure in both companies to get rid of those divisions entirely. The real prize they're fighting over is becoming that central living room device, but that's not what gamers want to hear. They want to keep the status quo, while taking for granted that everything can just keep trucking along as it always has.

So, I understand what Microsoft is doing and they probably wouldn't be making a console at all if it meant "listening to what we want." Sony was VERY VERY VERY close to doing the exact same thing, but for a couple of people in the company that saw the XBone outrage and lobbied to go in this direction. It sure made the announcement that PS+ was now required to play online easier to swallow. Best-case scenario for Sony is that they blow MS out of the industry this generation so that they're free and clear to do what they originally wanted to do this generation.

Somebody is going to "do the consumer over", whether it's MS this gen or Sony next. The difference is that Sony will probably be doing it with no real competition.

[Btcc22]

Son'y's stance makes it pointless for publishers to demand a resale fee on Xbox One games. Consumers can just do an end-around and always buy the PS4 version and resell that.

That's what I just said, although you can hardly use that to justify Microsoft's policies. If you're not, nevermind.


No, they're counting on people being used to digital ecosystems and realizing that, hey, this is just another one of those.

Perhaps people do realise it and they just don't like it. You could liken the DRM on the Xbox One to the more draconian methods employed by the likes of Simcity 4, SC2 and D3 and we all saw the violent backlash to those. Sadly though, as I mentioned earlier, people will put up with anything to be able to get a fix of their favourite franchise.

Assuming you're talking about services like Steam and Origin, I have a strong dislike of the way they do things and so I'd rather not see the same thing being pushed on consoles, even if it does seem inevitable. The only time I'll buy games on Steam is when it's not possible to get them from elsewhere without the DRM or they're significantly cheaper than getting a physical copy, which would be almost never.

At least when it comes to DRM on PC games, it tends to be easy enough to bypass it but when it comes to the closed hardware of consoles, well, good luck. When the publisher says your time with the game is up, there's not much you'll be able to do about it. It makes it a much harder pill to swallow for some.



The real prize they're fighting over is becoming that central living room device, but that's not what gamers want to hear. They want to keep the status quo, while taking for granted that everything can just keep trucking along as it always has.

It's interesting how many people seem convinced that the games industry is in such a weak position that it can't possibly be true that there's enough demand for a specialised gaming device to justify making a business out of it. If you've got the hardware then sure, they may as well put some software on it that can allow it to serve as a media hub of sorts but let's not kid ourselves, they're gaming devices first and foremost and it's gamers that are going to buy them - likely regardless of whether it's going to allow them to watch T.V. (which neither of them do). Those that aren't interested in games are already better served by other devices and gamers want a platform built for gaming, as you've already said in other words.

You can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm assuming you believe things can't keep going as they are because of questions surrounding profits on the console hardware. Let's not forget though, the hardware is only part of the story. What about the revenue from services like XBL and PS+, revenue from publishing fees and revenue from first party franchises?


Sony was VERY VERY VERY close to doing the exact same thing, but for a couple of people in the company that saw the XBone outrage and lobbied to go in this direction.


There's a lot of pressure in both companies to get rid of those divisions entirely

Do you have sources for those claims?

[DarkHalo003]

Apparently Kingdom Hearts III and FFXV are going to both consoles as well as Destiny going to both too. In other words, I'm not certain which console to get. Yesterday I was thinking PS4 because I thought that KHIII and FFXV were exclusive. Dammit Microsoft and your business connections....

[ICEE]

Why would masterchief wear a cloak over his space suit? what is even a fathomable point to that.

[PlasbianX]

Apparently Kingdom Hearts III and FFXV are going to both consoles as well as Destiny going to both too. In other words, I'm not certain which console to get. Yesterday I was thinking PS4 because I thought that KHIII and FFXV were exclusive. Dammit Microsoft and your business connections....

KH3 was confirmed for xbox, no idea about FFXV yet

[teh lag]

Why would masterchief wear a cloak over his space suit? what is even a fathomable point to that.

hes out for revenge. hes been betrayed by the people he trusted the most.

[DarkHalo003]

KH3 was confirmed for xbox, no idea about FFXV yet
Gamespot confirmed it:
http://www.gamespot.com/e3/final-fantasy-xv-and-kingdom-hearts-iii-coming-to-xbox-one-6409794/

Someone suggested the Cloak for the MC was there to keep the sand out of his rugged armor. I do think it's corny as shit though.

[Tnnaas]

Someone suggested the Cloak for the MC was there to keep the sand out of his rugged armor. I do think it's corny as shit though.
One would think, canonically, that the shielding provided prevents things like that from happening. Apparently everyone forgot about Fall if Reach because the effects of the personal shielding unit explained that it emits a 1cm (adjustable) invisible cloak around the armor, preventing contact from anything. The shield also reduced friction the further away it was projected. Initial settings had caused the Chief to slide around on the floor like he was an ice skater on a frozen lake. He had to adjust it down to 1mm to improve friction and allow him to walk. So, in regards to all that, I'm not buying the excuse that it won't protect him from sand.

So, 343i, please stop. Learn your universe, fix your shit.

[Warsaw]

KH3 was confirmed for xbox, no idea about FFXV yet

FF XV is also confirmed (http://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-xv-is-not-a-ps4-exclusive-512611858) to be multi-platform.

[PlasbianX]

Oh hey, Sony is JUST LIKE MICROSOFT.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/11/4419476/playstation-4-third-party-publishers-can-dictate-their-own-drm-terms

[TVTyrant]

Oh hey, Sony is JUST LIKE MICROSOFT.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/11/4419476/playstation-4-third-party-publishers-can-dictate-their-own-drm-terms
Eh, that's just following the current trends in games. Not as horrifically evil as what Micro$ is doing right now.

[Amit]

Oh hey, Sony is JUST LIKE MICROSOFT.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/11/4419476/playstation-4-third-party-publishers-can-dictate-their-own-drm-terms

I don't see how. What they are doing is no different than what the policies have been for the current generation and even the previous generation of consoles. Publishers have traditionally been the ones to enforce DRM.

[TVTyrant]

I don't see how. What they are doing is no different than what the policies have been for the current generation and even the previous generation of consoles. Publishers have traditionally been the ones to enforce DRM.
Exactly. You can't share PC games either. It's not that big of a deal to me, so long as we don't have insane M$ type enforements that require them watching us pee.

[=sw=warlord]

Exactly. You can't share PC games either. It's not that big of a deal to me, so long as we don't have insane M$ type enforements that require them watching us pee.
Would you be fine with the same restrictions for things like DVDs and bluray movies?

[ThePlague]

Exactly. You can't share PC games either. It's not that big of a deal to me, so long as we don't have insane M$ type enforements that require them watching us pee.Fuck man if they wanted to watch me pee i'd bring my xbox into the bathroom and give them a birds eye view of my asshole while i'm taking a shit on their sensor.

[TVTyrant]

Would you be fine with the same restrictions for things like DVDs and bluray movies?
I'm not "okay" with any of it. I'm just stating that they're not pure evil like Micro$

[teh lag]

some months after the events of halo 4: spartan ops: season 1...

the unsc infinity has returned to search for even more forerunner artifacts. the forerunner world "elysium" has attracted the attention of the storm covenant featuring hd remastered brutes, and the infinity is sent to investigate, with a reluctant and still brooding master chief tagging along in hopes of finding a sign of his beloved companion cortana. also oni is experimenting on him because the librarian made him a forerunner mutant similar to an x-men (which has allowed him to start dual weilding again)...

but the cheif is plagued with topical/relevant to contemporary real world issues ptsd flashbacks, and even his best friend lasky is unable to help him cope. after a mission goes awry because the cheif is convinced cortana is on the planet and trying to communicate with him (via his forerunner mutant powers), chief goes awol in a fit of rage and sets out to find her himself, and/or the infinity's crew casts him away as a freak. he wanders the desert alone, wearing a cloke to symbolize how he is hiding from the need to move on from his loss. (i343i weekly updates will constantly celebrate halo one's revolutionary real time cloth simulation technology; it will be an integral selling-point of the game).

but the didact, who is still alive, has other plans, and he comes back to life and deploys the promethean knights. dr. halsey who is now part of the storm covenant finds master cheif who is defeated. she says can help john find cortana and she makes the covenant not be friends with the promethean knights anymore. for the first time in a halo mission u fight against humans along side the covenant, so u can find cortana. (halo nation wiki calls this mission "controversial"). dr halsey maybe dies but after this the arbiter comes back and makes the sides unite against the prometheans. it turns out didact is looking for a forerunner artifact called "the symposium". he gets it and elysium blows up and they go to the ark or another halo or something to chase the didact.

cheif saw cortana again in the symposium so he keeps trying to find her. at the end of the game she is alive, he gets her back from the didact. but the didact is like "now u have pissed me off, i will destroy the earth" and the game ends.

[Mr Buckshot]

Exactly. You can't share PC games either. It's not that big of a deal to me, so long as we don't have insane M$ type enforements that require them watching us pee.

PC games are usually $10 cheaper to begin with and buying digitally often means no sales tax, plus there are all the massive sales every few months, which is why the inability to trade/lend/sell PC games is tolerated for the most part.

If I'm going to pay $60 + tax for a physical game my expectations are going to be a little different from paying $20 for a digital download.

On the "bright" side, this could put an end to the practice in some countries of buying modded consoles and burned discs (people there generally don't have fast internet and don't care about playing online). The closed-box nature is going to make it tough to crack the DRM this time.

[Btcc22]

The closed-box nature is going to make it tough to crack the DRM this time.

It's no more of a closed system from a technical point of view than it has been in the past two generations, it just has more restrictions that are most likely enforced by the firmware/OS. The plus side for those looking to break the DRM scheme is that the increased complexity of the software running on it could end up making it easier to gain the required level of access needed to start playing with it.

[Warsaw]

some months after the events of halo 4: spartan ops: season 1...

the unsc infinity has returned to search for even more forerunner artifacts. the forerunner world "elysium" has attracted the attention of the storm covenant featuring hd remastered brutes, and the infinity is sent to investigate, with a reluctant and still brooding master chief tagging along in hopes of finding a sign of his beloved companion cortana. also oni is experimenting on him because the librarian made him a forerunner mutant similar to an x-men (which has allowed him to start dual weilding again)...

but the cheif is plagued with topical/relevant to contemporary real world issues ptsd flashbacks, and even his best friend lasky is unable to help him cope. after a mission goes awry because the cheif is convinced cortana is on the planet and trying to communicate with him (via his forerunner mutant powers), chief goes awol in a fit of rage and sets out to find her himself, and/or the infinity's crew casts him away as a freak. he wanders the desert alone, wearing a cloke to symbolize how he is hiding from the need to move on from his loss. (i343i weekly updates will constantly celebrate halo one's revolutionary real time cloth simulation technology; it will be an integral selling-point of the game).

but the didact, who is still alive, has other plans, and he comes back to life and deploys the promethean knights. dr. halsey who is now part of the storm covenant finds master cheif who is defeated. she says can help john find cortana and she makes the covenant not be friends with the promethean knights anymore. for the first time in a halo mission u fight against humans along side the covenant, so u can find cortana. (halo nation wiki calls this mission "controversial"). dr halsey maybe dies but after this the arbiter comes back and makes the sides unite against the prometheans. it turns out didact is looking for a forerunner artifact called "the symposium". he gets it and elysium blows up and they go to the ark or another halo or something to chase the didact.

cheif saw cortana again in the symposium so he keeps trying to find her. at the end of the game she is alive, he gets her back from the didact. but the didact is like "now u have pissed me off, i will destroy the earth" and the game ends.

Pardon my French, but where the hell did that come from?

[Zeph]

Pardon my French, but where the hell did that come from?
wait, you mean that's not a direct frankie quote?

[Cagerrin]

some months after the events of halo 4: spartan ops: season 1...

the unsc infinity has returned to search for even more forerunner artifacts. the forerunner world "elysium" has attracted the attention of the storm covenant featuring hd remastered brutes, and the infinity is sent to investigate, with a reluctant and still brooding master chief tagging along in hopes of finding a sign of his beloved companion cortana. also oni is experimenting on him because the librarian made him a forerunner mutant similar to an x-men (which has allowed him to start dual weilding again)...

but the cheif is plagued with topical/relevant to contemporary real world issues ptsd flashbacks, and even his best friend lasky is unable to help him cope. after a mission goes awry because the cheif is convinced cortana is on the planet and trying to communicate with him (via his forerunner mutant powers), chief goes awol in a fit of rage and sets out to find her himself, and/or the infinity's crew casts him away as a freak. he wanders the desert alone, wearing a cloke to symbolize how he is hiding from the need to move on from his loss. (i343i weekly updates will constantly celebrate halo one's revolutionary real time cloth simulation technology; it will be an integral selling-point of the game).

but the didact, who is still alive, has other plans, and he comes back to life and deploys the promethean knights. dr. halsey who is now part of the storm covenant finds master cheif who is defeated. she says can help john find cortana and she makes the covenant not be friends with the promethean knights anymore. for the first time in a halo mission u fight against humans along side the covenant, so u can find cortana. (halo nation wiki calls this mission "controversial"). dr halsey maybe dies but after this the arbiter comes back and makes the sides unite against the prometheans. it turns out didact is looking for a forerunner artifact called "the symposium". he gets it and elysium blows up and they go to the ark or another halo or something to chase the didact.

cheif saw cortana again in the symposium so he keeps trying to find her. at the end of the game she is alive, he gets her back from the didact. but the didact is like "now u have pissed me off, i will destroy the earth" and the game ends.
stop leaking IRIS plot, thanks

!

[nuttyyayap]

You know, it wouldn't suprise me if that is the whole plot for Halo 5.

[Tnnaas]

I got it. Chief went to get the space pope's robes back from the dry cleaners. That's when he wandered into a desert.

It's Forerunner tech, the space pope with find the Chief eventually if he sticks around the metal alien bird.

[teh lag]

stop leaking IRIS plot, thanks

!

ahhm, shit, sorry.

I'll be honest I actually wouldn't mind seeing a Halo that, with solid execution, delivered an experience as wildly dissonant with the game's history as that trailer. (No guns to be seen? A low-key, 100x smaller-scale version of the H3 announce trailer? Embracing the self-parody aesthetic? Chief just wandering around aimlessly in some sort of nihilistic suicidal mission that wouldn't possibly end happily in a universe written by people with the will to make meaningful & interesting changes to the franchise?)

Or it could be that the expansion of the universe has been & will continue to be handled by clowns with writing and ideas that regularly cross into the realm of surreal and unintentional self-parody and the world will continue to be shit.

[PlasbianX]

jzmVcasl3ZU

[=sw=warlord]

Anyone seen this? (http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/06/12/e3-2013-cops-called-to-shut-down-ouya)

[Zeph]

I'm surprised ESA just flat out doesn't say they're doing it for quality reasons and not because ouya is trying to circumvent the conference.
I've yet to see a review for that thing that hasn't been negative.

[ejburke]

Oh, cool. The Division is being developed by Massive Entertainment. I was a big fan of World in Conflict and was wondering what they were up to.

And Mirror's Edge 2 is open world? I didn't like the first game and I have little fondness for open world games, but that sounds exactly like what it needed. Having an open world allows you to get to know the environment that you're expected to navigate fluidly through. Mirror's Edge 1 expected you to pick up things on the fly and it just didn't work for me. And the world felt really lifeless and depopulated. Hopefully the open world solves those issues.

Edge thinks the PS4 is going the way of XBone, regardless.

(http://www.edge-online.com/news/e3-2013-drm-free-ps4-is-a-pr-play-expect-similar-policies-across-both-consoles-say-sources/)Is there a way for a publisher to do its own DRM on PS4 outside of a serial key? At least with the Bone, you won't have to punch anything in.

[ICEE]

hes out for revenge. hes been betrayed by the people he trusted the most.

So therefore it's time to don the assassins creed cosplay

[Btcc22]

Edge thinks the PS4 is going the way of XBone, regardless. (http://www.edge-online.com/news/e3-2013-drm-free-ps4-is-a-pr-play-expect-similar-policies-across-both-consoles-say-sources/)

That article is pure F.U.D.

Xbone? 24 hour phone home checks, third parties dictate resale terms (fees, banning it), Microsoft dictates who exactly is allowed to resell, heavy loaning restrictions on even single player games.

PS4? Exactly the same as we've seen with this current generation. Unless something changes or we've been lied to, publishers won't even be able to make the implement the same level of restrictions as they will be able to on the Xbone. Nothing precludes them adding multiplayer passes or some other nonsense but at least single player should still be sacred.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2pt45tt.jpg



Is there a way for a publisher to do its own DRM on PS4 outside of a serial key? At least with the Bone, you won't have to punch anything in.

The PS4 doesn't require Internet access so there's zero point in having serial keys for single player games but multiplayer games would require a key I suppose, if they wanted DRM on them. I suppose a publisher could prevent a game from playing at all if it didn't have Internet access but there's nothing to stop them from doing that already.

Doing a quick search indicates that Xbone games will require a code be entered. Perhaps they could use the Kinect for scanning. :allears:

[ejburke]

Sony just announced that PS4 doesn't allow online passes from third parties, so... I have no idea what they mean by leaving DRM up to the publisher. No online passes, but full-on serial keys?

Even though the PS4 doesn't require an internet connection, I assume that individual games could require it -- even single player ones. Whether it's a one-time online activation or a check-in cycle. Publishers don't want that responsibility, though. They're sick of being the "Bad guys", so they could favor Microsoft's platform because it let's them better control their revenue stream without looking like "the devil." In turn, they may resent Sony for putting them in the awkward position of being held accountable for DRM.

I was under the impression from some podcasts I listen to that the XBone discs would have a unique key burned onto them. I guess that was wrong. I am so over punching in codes for shit. Then again, I'm over buying physical discs. The Xbone treats physical media as a vestigial appendage and I'm fine with that.

I'm not a MS apologist; I'm an internet contrarian. That's because the internet brings out the most myopic, hastily-formed, polar, and full of emotional bias reactions that the human thought process is capable of spewing forth. I try to see the bigger picture that the internet as a whole is incapable of grasping. And that bigger picture is this: if a company believes that making games for our entertainment is a good business to be in, then they should be given every benefit of the doubt. If Microsoft exited the console business, that would be bad for everyone, even people who would never own a MS console. EA's image is in the toilet thanks to online passes, Sim City, and Origin, but we need big publishers for the health of the industry. THQ's demise may not be fully appreciated for years to come -- and we'll never know the games we missed out on because they aren't around anymore.

So, these "evil" companies are just trying to survive and keep the industry healthy. Things are getting difficult for them. The math isn't working out as well as it used to. The future of the console market is more uncertain than it is certain. If Microsoft was hypothetically forced to abandon all of their unpopular plans, I would wager that they don't make a next generation game console at all.

If these issues are really things that you feel are worth burning the entire industry to the ground over, then that's fair enough. To me, they aren't.

[ejburke]

So, here's what the launch line-ups are looking like.

XBone

- Assassin's Creed 4
- Battlefield 4
- Call of Duty Ghosts
- D4 *
- Dead Rising 3 *
- Forza Motorsport 5 *
- Killer Instinct *
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
- Lococycle *
- Madden NFL 25
- Minecraft Xbox One Edition *
- Need for Speed: Rivals
- Project Spark *
- Ryse: Sons of Rome *
- Watch Dogs

PS4

- Assassin's Creed 4
- Battlefield 4
- Call of Duty Ghosts
- DriveClub *
- Killzone: Shadow Fall *
- Knack *
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
- Madden NFL 25
- Need for Speed: Rivals
- Watch Dogs

I kinda don't believe all those XBone exclusives are launch titles. Either way, if you want one of the consoles or both, you'd better pre-order. It's looking like the Xbox is going to be extremely supply-constrained due to the low yields. I'm waiting until next year.

[ODX]

I'm not getting an XOne until later next year when stuff like Halo and Witcher 3 are released probably, so I've got a lot of time to think as well.

[Skyline]

Publishers don't want that responsibility, though. They're sick of being the "Bad guys", so they could favor Microsoft's platform because it let's them better control their revenue stream without looking like "the devil."
So they basically learned from their PC ports that their own DRM doesn't work and require some third party DRM that does work. Though Microsoft's DRM is terrible in comparison to something like steam, which seems most publishers at least use. Except EA obviously, but their origin is almost a clone of steam.
I doubt they would abandon the PS4, same with the Xbone even if the PS4 outsells it 4:1. That's a huge market they are missing out on if they simply choose one or the other and not both.


The future of the console market is more uncertain than it is certain.
So far with what we have seen with DRM on consoles, I don't really see any advantages to a console over a PC anymore. Sure Microsoft advocates internet is the future and almost all their consumers use it, sure the internet is great and I use it almost all the time every day. Still it shouldn't be a limiting factor for something like a console that doesn't need it and adds no real benefit to a customer. If my internet goes down for a week or whatever, I am no longer allowed to enjoy next generation entertainment according to Microsoft, as they have a product for that and it's called xbox 360 (http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-can-t-get-online-buy-an-xbox-360--256130.phtml).


THQ's demise may not be fully appreciated for years to come -- and we'll never know the games we missed out on because they aren't around anymore.
Just because THQ is gone doesn't mean the people that comprised it simply vanish. Who's to say we won't get more creative and intuitive games from someone who was forced to leave but if he would otherwise have stayed those game wouldn't exist. Foresight works both ways really.


I would wager that they (Microsoft) don't make a next generation game console at all
At least for some countries this is already true.


If these issues are really things that you feel are worth burning the entire industry to the ground over, then that's fair enough. To me, they aren't.
Not really the entire industry, just Microsoft really. As they try to strong arm into everything, as we've seen Microsoft trying to use Windows as a way to get into the mobile market. Only difference here is Microsoft doesn't really dominate the consoles. If this does eventually lead to the extinction of the Xbox and Sony does get the monopoly and chooses to abuse it, then hopefully someone else will step up as the underdog. Again still just a bunch of guessing.

[ejburke]

The true talent at THQ is mostly still around or will return, but that funding of projects went away. There are fewer games in development and fewer people employed because they are gone. We're down to Activision, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, and maybe you can count Zenimax as major publishers. An uncomfortable few.

As for MS's policies not benefiting consumers, I don't think we can really say that right now. Some features such as no-disc-required and sharing games across the internet may sound like, "so what?" right now, but once people grow accustomed to certain features and have been using them for a couple of years, they may see them as invaluable. 10 years ago, if you had told me that a digital copy and a physical copy of a game would be the same price and I'd be choosing the digital version, I'd have said you were crazy and given you a long list of reasons why that would be a ridiculous choice. Experiences change people and people haven't experienced what the Xbone really is. Things look a certain way right now, but that view may not hold up to the test of time.

And like with THQ, if MS goes away, all that money goes with them. The industry shrinks. The more dollars that are being pumped into game development, the better it is for all of us.

[Btcc22]

We're down to Activision, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, and maybe you can count Zenimax as major publishers.

...and Sega, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Square Enix, Atari, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver (Koch Media), Disney, Atlus, Konami and countless others we haven't heard of.


sharing games across the internet may sound like, "so what?"

Where did that come from? The Xbone doesn't allow for that.

Ultimately, the state of publishers' finances don't matter and I don't think they're a valid excuse for such behaviour. If there's money left on the table, they'll try to grab it, regardless of the state of their finances. If the industry is in such a poor financial state as you claim, then fine, let those publishers fail because assuming budgets keep increasing and growth in sales can't keep up, even these measures are going to be nothing but a stopgap to eventual ruin.

Something has to give eventually and all this is doing is delaying the inevitable.

[Warsaw]

The true talent at THQ is mostly still around or will return, but that funding of projects went away. There are fewer games in development and fewer people employed because they are gone. We're down to Activision, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, and maybe you can count Zenimax as major publishers. An uncomfortable few.

As for MS's policies not benefiting consumers, I don't think we can really say that right now. Some features such as no-disc-required and sharing games across the internet may sound like, "so what?" right now, but once people grow accustomed to certain features and have been using them for a couple of years, they may see them as invaluable. 10 years ago, if you had told me that a digital copy and a physical copy of a game would be the same price and I'd be choosing the digital version, I'd have said you were crazy and given you a long list of reasons why that would be a ridiculous choice. Experiences change people and people haven't experienced what the Xbone really is. Things look a certain way right now, but that view may not hold up to the test of time.

And like with THQ, if MS goes away, all that money goes with them. The industry shrinks. The more dollars that are being pumped into game development, the better it is for all of us.

Not that I agree or disagree with you, but it's kind of hilarious watching you defend Microsoft's console while still referring to it as "the Xbone."

[=sw=warlord]

Anyone ever heard of the crash of 1983? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983)

There were several reasons for the crash, but the main cause was supersaturation of the market with hundreds of mostly low-quality games which resulted in the loss of consumer confidence. The full effects of the industry crash would not be felt until 1985.

[Tnnaas]

Post made me want to brush up on some game history. Thanks warlord! :-3

[Btcc22]

Anyone ever heard of the crash of 1983? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983)

North American crash but yes, this has sprung to mind before.

[PenGuin1362]

Not that I agree or disagree with you, but it's kind of hilarious watching you defend Microsoft's console while still referring to it as "the Xbone."

We still just call it the durango at work. Plus Durango is still a better name than xbox one

[TVTyrant]

Anyone ever heard of the crash of 1983? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983)
This is actually pretty applicable. I haven't bought a new game since... 2011? Just saying that the market is flooded with games that I don't think reach a big part of the audience, and that's causing a lot of apathy amongst the fan bases.

[TeeKup]

Isn't Atari themselves up for auction soon too?

[Warsaw]

I've been saying the conditions are becoming ripe for a repeat of 1983 for a year or so now. I find myself not generally giving a fuck about games these days and only buying the ones my friends want me to play with them. There just isn't much out there for me.

[Zeph]

I'm not getting an XOne until later next year when stuff like Halo and Witcher 3 are released probably, so I've got a lot of time to think as well.
Fun fact, Witcher 3 is being developed in Poland. Microsoft surprised the Witcher 3 devs with their list of countries supported by Microsoft for use of the xbone. Poland is not on the list. Xbox support suggested it would be a bad idea for a person (who turned out to be a Witcher 3 dev) to import an xbone into Poland and try to use it.

[neuro]

we're all 'lol xbone' here as well, after working on Ryse for 2 years, and it being an xbone exclusive title, and the general reception of it being 'QUIICKKTTIIMMMEEE EVENENTTSSSS'

at least this dumb project will be over soon.

also:

these 2 images:
http://images.gamersyde.com/image_ryse_sons_of_rome-22276-2061_0002.jpg
http://images.gamersyde.com/image_ryse_sons_of_rome-22276-2061_0003.jpg
these 2 screens are basically all my work, except for the large statues.
also made the Triremes you see in the opening of the trailer.

was kinda taken by surprise that crytek decided to show their stuff made up out of mostly the stuff we made here.

also while watching the e3 reveal of it on the projector here in the office, i couldnt help but laugh out loud at this:
http://images.gamersyde.com/image_ryse_sons_of_rome-22278-2061_0005.jpg

FIFTY PERCENT KILLS!
that's more than 45 percent?

what the fuck does 50% kills mean.
gg using mock-up-slides.

[ejburke]

...and Sega, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Square Enix, Atari, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver (Koch Media), Disney, Atlus, Konami and countless others we haven't heard of.I said "major" publishers. But I was really thinking major, third party, western publishers. It might be ethnocentric of me, but they are the foundation of the game industry that I personally want to see endure.

I'm not predicting a crash. But there's a real possibility that the game industry 10 years from now becomes something much smaller and something that no longer interests me. Think, "What if Ouya was the only game console?"

I think a lot of people are assuming that Sony's strategy will ensure their survival. That is a foolish assumption. They are in a desperate position and are searching for answers. This new strategy was a very last-minute decision for them and if they were to be honest, they would admit that it is a huge gamble (not that MS's strategy isn't a gamble of its own). Let's not forget that PSN had free online multiplayer last generation and 360's was behind a pay wall. Microsoft's policy annoyed many, including me, but it was something they had to do. Profits from XBox Live Gold were crucial to their bottom line. Sony took the more consumer-friendly approach, lost a ton of money, and now they realize that they made a mistake. I'm not saying they're making another mistake, but I am saying that it's way too early to tell. Being righteous does not make them right.


Where did that come from? The Xbone doesn't allow for that.

It's their family share plan. You can share some of your game library with any 10 people from any Xbone. Obviously, there will be limitations. Hopefully not on which games you can share, but on how many you can share at once and whether "family members" can play from your shared library simultaneously. Or maybe they can't play the same game simultaneously. This is a great, innovative feature that has been buried under the wave of vitriol. There have already been GAF massage board posts titled, "Come join my family."

This is their bit of compromise for restricting physical lending. Earlier in the year, the Xbone policies were much less "nice" than they eventually became. They might get even nicer (though not to the point of complete reversal of policy). This is why I am preaching patience. I'm probably pissing into the wind here. No matter what I do, The Xbone is probably going to get review-bombed and be the victim of every form of cyber-reprisal that the vindictive internet can come up with. People can't just vote with their dollar. They have to actively stamp out the things they don't like.

Internet "justice" makes me sick. It's usually far more ugly and sinister than the thing that brought it about. If everyone that has a problem with this stuff would just buy a PS4 and shut up, I have no doubt the Xbone would find the audience it's targeting and be a success, leading to a healthy industry for all. My worry is that it won't get that fair shot to succeed or fail. The internet will find a way to fulfill its own prophesy with vindictive sabotage and then it turns out that Sony's strategy doesn't work and they get done in by natural market forces.

Then we're left with, ugh, I don't want to think about it anymore.

It's just video games. Play the ones you want, when you can, how ever you can. Outside of that, there is no rational justification for launching a crusade, only misplaced emotional ones.

Xbone. (that's for you, Warsaw)

[Btcc22]

Still need to see a source for your claim that it was a last minute decision from Sony. They've gone on record as saying that it's always been their intention and largely people are buying it under the assumption that it's not something you could just spring on the publishers at the last minute. Whether or not it's to be believed, I don't know but I would like to see credible sources that claim otherwise.

[Zeph]

Still need to see a source for your claim that it was a last minute decision from Sony. They've gone on record as saying that it's always been their intention and largely people are buying it under the assumption that it's not something you could just spring on the publishers at the last minute. Whether or not it's to be believed, I don't know but I would like to see credible sources that claim otherwise.
Their attitude about it may have been last minute considering the outrage towards microsoft by the fans, but Sony has pretty much been straightforward in saying that they're most interested in pushing forward an environment for console gamers and the continuously changing development environment (minecraft's profit really caught their eye and they'd love a percent of that revenue).

[Btcc22]

Their attitude about it may have been last minute considering the outrage towards microsoft by the fans

I don't doubt that for a second.

[PlasbianX]

I'm curious to see how the family shared features work. Like on my xbox live account, its a family account setup with the 3 guys I lived with in college. Now that we've all graduated with some of us being split between working for Amazon and living in Seattle and the other half working in Ohio, we still keep our family plan going and just give the fee to one set as the parent when we see him. If that allows us to share games, that would be awesome. Although, I assume that only works on one console and not many. But even in my own house hold, my dad has a separate console. So IDK.

[ejburke]

Still need to see a source for your claim that it was a last minute decision from Sony. They've gone on record as saying that it's always been their intention and largely people are buying it under the assumption that it's not something you could just spring on the publishers at the last minute. Whether or not it's to be believed, I don't know but I would like to see credible sources that claim otherwise.There have been a lot of corroborating quotes/tweets that I've run across over the course of E3 that seem to corroborate this scenario. It's not really worth it for me to fish them out and google is being unhelpful, but don't worry, I'm sure there will be many articles and even books written about this situation once the dust has settled. In the meantime, you can believe what you want.


I'm curious to see how the family shared features work. Like on my xbox live account, its a family account setup with the 3 guys I lived with in college. Now that we've all graduated with some of us being split between working for Amazon and living in Seattle and the other half working in Ohio, we still keep our family plan going and just give the fee to one set as the parent when we see him. If that allows us to share games, that would be awesome. Although, I assume that only works on one console and not many. But even in my own house hold, my dad has a separate console. So IDK.MS discontinued the family plan in the spring, so I don't think you'[ll be able to renew it once your current sub expires.

The way it's going to work on Xbone is that only one account on a system needs to have Gold. Other accounts on that system can share in most of the features (not sure what's excluded, but I believe it covers multiplayer and access to stuff like Netflix). They'll also be able to play any game owned by anyone on that system.

As for the family share plan, it's supposed to let you name any 10 "family members" (they're not going to check birth cirtificates) that can access your shared library. But they CAN access them from any location. To me, that's worth the 24 hour check-in cycle. Because it takes most people at least 2 days to beat a game, we couldn't really have this system of lending unless the service can stay up to date on where a game license currently resides. Well, we would love a system that we could free-lend and also take offline for 30 days at a time, but they would never provide one for us, because it too easily circumvents purchases.

That's really what MS needs to focus on. They need to come up with more stuff that justifies the "limitations". Stuff that can't be done on "consumer-friendly" platforms. The family share plan is a good start, but they need more. I think we'll get more -- both before and after launch.

[Donut]

It's just video games. Play the ones you want, when you can, how ever you can. Outside of that, there is no rational justification for launching a crusade, only misplaced emotional ones.
So what happens when these policies and console wars affect the games we love to play? Case in point, Microsoft's aquisition of Rare and the resulting Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts when people were expecting Banjo Threeie. Xbox 360 exclusive that ended up not so great. What happens if rare actually puts out Banjo Threeie as an Xbone exclusive? Is my frustration with the shit I need to agree to to play that game (i.e. purchasing an Xbone and agreeing to its terms of use) simply a misplaced emotional justification?
Basically what I'm saying is you can take this passive attitude toward gaming, but a lot of this stuff will still affect the titles you can or cannot play.

I'm still waiting to see you in Banjo Threeie, Grunty :smith:

[ejburke]

I don't look at video games like I look at my next heroin fix (HEY MAN, YOU HOLDING!?).

Everyone has a right to feel how they feel and right to voice their opinion. What I'm cautioning against is getting swept up in a hive mind fervor. Maybe you wouldn't be this pissed if you hadn't been exposed to a particular blog post that painted the situation in a particular light or read one thread where just the right people were saying just the right things to whip everyone up into a frenzy. In the next week, I'm sure every eloquent and compelling way to paint Microsoft as the most consumer-hating, arrogant, greedy, fascist, corporate pigs on the planet will surface somewhere on the internet. And it will feed into itself and spiral out of control. In a matter of weeks, people will no longer be entrenched in the original issue; they will instead be entrenched in Microsoft being the devil.

Just keep an open mind and an even keel. That's good life advice. If you're pissed, make sure you're pissed via your own independent thought processes and not due to exposure to someone else's rhetoric.

[=sw=warlord]

It's just video games. Play the ones you want, when you can, how ever you can. Outside of that, there is no rational justification for launching a crusade, only misplaced emotional ones.


Except Microsoft was one of the first volunteers for PRISM and the idea of a game console which had a camera and microphone which was always connected, always watching and always listening horrifies me enough to not even want to go near the console.

The two biggest killers for me when it comes to choice is A: always on kinect, mandatory kinect and B: Used games or lack thereof.
The price isn't so much an issue as I would do what I did with the 360 and wait for the price to hit the floor before adopting but those two above really kills any and all interest I have in the Xbox one.

[Warsaw]

Well, there is some justification for launching crusades. Businesses tend to replicate successful practises. Unfortunately, a successful practise is not always a good one for us, the consumers. Case in point: Adobe's move to put CS into a cloud suite instead of a box. If we rail against Microsoft polices and help make it unsuccessful, it will not be replicated. Victory.

That said, you should all also rail against the PS4 for this "PS+ required for online play" crock of shit.

[ejburke]

The Kinect just has to be connected for the system to POST. It will only "listen" if you allow it to listen. You can disable it completely in the settings. Then you can put your underwear on it or encase it in concrete... just as long as it's connected.

And I'm sure if disabling it doesn't actually prevent MS from spying on you, people who sniff packets will be able to tell. And then MS will be sued out of existence.

Warsaw, the problem is that you can't know that the outcome will be what you intended. You might be telling MS, "That is unacceptable. Change your policy.", but Microsoft might take that message and conclude, "Well, it looks like they're not going to let us do the thing that we're in the console business to do. I guess we're done here." It's true that companies capitulate more often than not, but that trend is going to come to a head eventually.

I just really wouldn't trust the wisdom guiding a typical internet pitchfork and torch job. It's probably shortsighted and narrow-minded in some way. Bound to do more long-term damage than short-term good.

Anyway, I keep coming to this thread to talk about E3 and I keep getting sidetracked. And now I'm hungry.

[Warsaw]

No you can't, but you have to fight things one step at a time. Just like Microsoft couldn't know what the reception to their console and its policies would be, they have to attack the market one step at a time.

Me, I'm voting with my wallet. I've drawn my own conclusions based on what each company has told us and other trends in the IT industry, and I have concluded that I will not be buying either (you also made a very good point about Sony doing next gen what MS is doing now, only worse, should MS fail entirely). They don't offer enough items that interest me that I feel compelled to pay their nigh-mandatory subscription fees and suffer their cloud-based solutions, and that's my choice. I will probably still campaign on-line to tear both sides down when the opportunities arise because I don't like the idea of being charged a fee to do what I can do on my PC for free or to use a product that I used to be able to have unlimited access to as long as I had it installed on my computer. If that campaigning gets a mob of pitchfork-wielding internet goons to agree with me and make a big fuss, I'll take it because bad PR for these policies is good for my cause.

Ultimately, though, it still comes down to voting with money. People can cry all they want but unless they, ahem, shut the fuck up and don't pay just to get that carrot being dangled in front of their faces, they are just being self-entitled morons.

[t3h m00kz]

Apparently there's a petition for The Division PC

http://media.t3.com/img/resized/to/xl_Tom_Clancy_The_division-1.jpg

http://www.dsogaming.com/news/ubisoft-asks-pc-gamers-to-show-interest-about-the-division-petition-almost-hits-its-initial-goal/

[RedBaron]

I still don't know what the hell Tom Clancy has to do with The Division. Sure he contributed to the very first Rainbow Six's and Ghost Recon's and just vaguely consulted on the first Splinter Cell, but Ubisoft seems to think that slapping his name on their game titles is a good marketing strategy. I bet most up and coming kiddy gamers these days don't even know who Tom Clancy is, let alone the fact that he had taken a 7 year hiatus from writing fiction up until 2010, and his novels since then have absolutely nothing to do with the Ubisoft franchises.

[ejburke]

Best E3 in 10 years? I think so. Putting aside the Xbone (not a pejorative) controversy, there's a ton of stuff to be excited about. Even stuff that doesn't personally interest me, I can recognize the quality. This is the best time in history to be a gamer. I only hope it's not the flash of light signaling a super nova.

Games on my radar:

Assassin's Creed 4
Batman: Arkham Origins
Battlefield 4
Bayonetta 2
Below
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Company of Heroes 2
Destiny
The Division
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Halo 5
Infamous: Second Son
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Mirror's Edge 2
Project Spark
Quantum Break
Saint's Row 4
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Titanfall
Transistor
Watch Dogs
The Witcher 3
The Witness

God damn. I said GOD DAMN!

[ejburke]

I still don't know what the hell Tom Clancy has to do with The Division. Sure he contributed to the very first Rainbow Six's and Ghost Recon's and just vaguely consulted on the first Splinter Cell, but Ubisoft seems to think that slapping his name on their game titles is a good marketing strategy. I bet most up and coming kiddy gamers these days don't even know who Tom Clancy is, let alone the fact that he had taken a 7 year hiatus from writing fiction up until 2010, and his novels since then have absolutely nothing to do with the Ubisoft franchises.It wouldn't annoy me so much if Steam would do the sensible thing and omit it from the title of the games in your library. It's fucking obnoxious.

[Kornman00]

I bet Tom Clancy isn't annoyed. What with it being his name, he has to be getting some kind of royalties from it :p

[Pooky]

This is the best time in history to be a gamer.

So the other day I was at a friend's house when I heard his 8 year old son say to his friend “do you want to play Battlefield, Medal of Honor or Call of Duty?"

Fuck that.

[Donut]

Was not aware of Batman: Arkham Origins. I have the first two on steam. Haven't played them yet, but I'm very curious given the shining rating they both recieved

[Kornman00]

The Arkham series thus far as been great. I'd recommend playing them if you already haven't. AO isn't being done by the same developers IIRC.

[TVTyrant]

The Arkham series thus far as been great. I'd recommend playing them if you already haven't. AO isn't being done by the same developers IIRC.
It's being done in Montreal by whatever company or another, because Rocksteady is busy working on the sequel to Arkham City.

Quite honestly, Arkham City was one of the best platform adventure/RPGs I have ever played. I'd put it on the level of Ocarina of Time as far as straight up enjoyability. Maybe that's because I really love Batman, but it's also because the game is really fucking good.

[kid908]

It's being done in Montreal by whatever company or another, because Rocksteady is busy working on the sequel to Arkham City.

Quite honestly, Arkham City was one of the best platform adventure/RPGs I have ever played. I'd put it on the level of Ocarina of Time as far as straight up enjoyability. Maybe that's because I really love Batman, but it's also because the game is really fucking good.

I wouldn't consider Arkham City a platformer. It is more like an open world rpg game.
I played both Arkham games on the 360 and it was really good. I'd recommend it as well.

[Kornman00]

All this talk is rising my nestalgia for AC. I got it for the PC (beat it first on the 360, before I traded it in for money towards Steam Wallet) during the Steam winter sales but haven't played it yet. I think I know what I'll be doing this summer while I'm waiting for GTA 5...

[Amit]

I think I know what I'll be doing this summer while I'm waiting for GTA 5...Just Cause 2 MP Faction Wars

Fixed.

[TVTyrant]

I wouldn't consider Arkham City a platformer. It is more like an open world rpg game.
I played both Arkham games on the 360 and it was really good. I'd recommend it as well.
Yeah, it's an ambiguous action game. Much like many third person action adventure games nowadays.

[ODX]

Oh hey, it's a Reclaimer Saga now.
(http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/21/halo-reclaimer-trilogy-expanded-to-saga)
We didn't necessarily see a reveal for Halo 5 then.

[Limited]

Ugh I really need to set some time to actually go through all this years E3. Anyone got any links that covers it all nicely?

[Kornman00]

MS Internal: "Cap'n, she can't take much more!"
Xbone PR Team: "Engage unfuck-DRM maneuver, mark!"
MS Internal: "No effect sir, we're still fucking ourselves!"
Xbone PR Team: "Transfer all power to the Halo shields!"

343i: "Reclaimer is now a Saga"

[Higuy]

yeah because making 3 more games definitely was not enough!!11

[ThePlague]

What does Saga mean when it comes to games?

[Zeph]

What does Saga mean when it comes to games?

It means they've completely given up all cares for making gameplay good and are completely focused on telling a shitty story instead.
When you hear 'saga' and 'game', you should be thinking rpg and not fps.

[ODX]

Keep in mind it isn't quite certain that it means we'll have Halo 7+, it might just mean we'll get some side games like ODST was or maybe they'll make more mobile games as they did with Spartan Assault. I'm keeping open minded.

[Donut]

I thought ODST was pretty cool. Between the music, the night time environments, the open world aspect, and the new characters, I'd be all for another ODST-like game. It would be kind of neat to see the open world aspect focused on more I think. Almost like a pikmin style time constraint. "Do A, B, and C at points X, Y, and Z before 6am". You could have a couple levels like that, as to not mess up the traditional Halo level structure.

It would probably play a lot like what Halo 2 was SUPPOSED to be, i.e. E3 Halo 2, where you can take multiple different routes through a big city instead of being constrained to one linear path like most of actual Halo 2.
Because seriously, I have never been more afraid of jackal snipers than when walking into one of those ODST city courtyards at night. That got me just about as fired up as the first time I saw the flood in Halo 1.

[Zeph]

ODST is a perfect example of what you won't find with future 343i games now they're going about it like this. ODST's development was fueled by Bungie needing to make something in a short amount of time, but not knowing what they'd wind up with at the end. They had to look at what was available to them, what was most enjoyable out of it, then work a story out of it. 343i is now going to have a story they have to tell, work out art to tell it, then hope it winds up enjoyable.

[Tnnaas]

Zeph describes it perfectly. Bungie knows what they can do with what they have. 343i knows what they want to do, but aren't effective at the execution.

[Warsaw]

I would agree with you if the actual game part of Halo 4 wasn't way better than what we got in Halos 2, 3, and Reach. Recent multi-player patch notwithstanding, Halo 4 plays much more like Halo 1 than any entry outside of ODST both during the campaign and for multi-player. This is a good thing. The story in Halo 4 is garbage and looks to only get worse moving forward, but the play has integrity.

Bungie had backed themselves into a corner with Halo 2 and they never could get themselves out of it. From Halo 2, we got saddled with over-engineered mechanics and bullshit accessibility features. Unfortunately, most of Halo's current fan-base has its roots in Halo 2, so Bungie had to keep pleasing them with newer entries, preventing them from returning the game to Halo 1 standards...something they were obviously trying to do starting with Halo 3.

Still, I fear Frankie and co. will drive Halo to its grave. He is such an ass...

[Higuy]

I love Halo 1 and its gameplay, and yes, Halo 4 did play a bit similarly to Halo 1, but the level design and other gameplay elements made it out to be terrible in that department (at least in my eyes) too. The story was terrible, the visuals were alright but at times didn't feel Halo. It's pretty ridiculous that Halo 4 was even made in the first place, at that point everyone knows it's just being milked. It's not because 343i wants to tell a story, its because they (MS) want money and insurance that people will keep buying their console becuase of a big name like Halo.

[Warsaw]

The visuals were rough and had more of a Tron/CoD/Mass Effect mash-up vibe than Halo (Iswear the creepy audio track from the ME2 Collector Ship is in Requiem right before your first engagement with Crawlers).There are more weapons than is useful to the player, with no less than five of them being essential re-skins of each other. There are a lot of things I really dislike about Halo 4, including its existence, but it still handles itself far better than previous entries. The combat is fun, allows you to do things how you want with whatever weapons you want, and doesn't generally cheat you out of a win like Halo 3 and Reach did. The teleporting Knights are really the only douche-bag move in the game.

[Pooky]

Halo 4 did play a bit similarly to Halo 1, but the level design and other gameplay elements made it out to be terrible in that department (at least in my eyes) too.

Really? While I wasn't fond of a lot of the sandbox changes made in Halo 4, I thought the level design was a big step in the right direction. It was really refreshing to see large open areas with lots of vehicles, and engagements with more than two sides involved. Those non-linear multi-sided battles were one of the coolest things about Halo 1 but they almost completely disappeared in all the games thereafter.

[ODX]

Two Betrayals shall and forever be, the greatest Halo level ever and nothing as of yet has surpassed it. Halo 4's level design was alright, but fights between the Covenant and Forerunners (which fucking disappeared quickly) weren't as neat as I would've hoped. Stupid Didact taking control of them, bastard.

[Kornman00]

Maybe H5 will be about the MC finding his own Forerunner army for which to fight the UNSC brass/covies with. Bam, back to having three ways again :mech2:

Maybe his new abilities from the Librarian will have the magical side effect of allowing him to control the Flood without being infected himself, there by bringing back assets which were already designed and made (sans cod pieces of course). Bam, back to having a threesome :mech2:

Maybe both A and B will be unioned into the gameplay and story and we'll actually have four parties for an mind fucking foursome. All because Xbone. :mech2:

Hopefully we'll be able to give commands to our AI counterparts with the Kinect. And by 'we' I mean Xbone owners. Which doesn't currently include me.

[Tnnaas]

Halo 5: Buck fights Chief :-3

[=sw=warlord]

Halo 5: Dare meets Palmer.
And finds Dares Vagina was the origins of the Flood.

[Kornman00]

Halo 5: Dare meets Palmer.
Can't have women in video games anything without a kat cat fight

[PlasbianX]

Halo 5: The FPS RPG where you can invest points into your new forerunner skills.

[Warsaw]

Mass Effect?

[Pooky]

Halo 5: The FPS RPG where you can buy your new Forerunner skills as DLC

Ftfy

[Warsaw]

So, S (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/DRM-Xbox-One-PlayStation-4-Shuhei-Yoshida-Hiroshi-Kawano,23292.html)ony was definitely watching the press for the Xbone... (http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/26/4465674/sce-japan-heads-discuss-the-ps4-e3-and-the-near-future)

[ThePlague]

Well no shit.

[Warsaw]

I know. But now there's confirmation of the obvious.

[DarkHalo003]

Halo 6: Nathan Fillion Saves the Franchise

[Amit]

CoD: Ghosts' minimum requirements, lel:


OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHZ / AMD Phenom X3 8750 2.4 GHZ or better
RAM: 6 GB RAM
HDD: 50 GB HD space
Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti / ATI Radeon HD 5870 or better
Sound: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
DirectX: 11
Internet: Broadband connection and service required for Multiplayer Connectivity. Internet connection required for activation.
Does that seem a little off to anyone else? lol. Also, they recommend a GTX 780 :lmao: I guess the fish and dogs need more optimization.

[Warsaw]

I bet a GeForce 7800 GT could run it...

[Dwood]

heh. I used to run a 7900 gt until the ram died... :( I could have tried lol.

[Warsaw]

I still have a 7800 GT that works exactly as well as it did when I bought it. But since I have absolutely zero (0) intentions of buying a Call of Duty game at any point in my foreseeable future, it won't ever get put to test.

I know it can run Bad Company 2 okay, and Ghosts looks about as visually impressive as that game, so there's my basis.

[Donut]

CoD: Ghosts' minimum requirements, lel:


HDD: 50 GB HD space


WAT

[Amit]

Last CoD game I played was MW3 and I have zero intention of playing any CoD again until they take it back to what it used to be in CoD4 in terms of features.

[Pooky]

Last CoD game I played was MW3 and I have zero intention of playing any CoD again until they take it back to what it used to be in CoD4 in terms of features.

Surprised you made it that far. I gave up on the series after Black Ops failed to fix any of the problems of MW2 and introduced new ones.

[Zeph]

WAT
One of the GPU companies (I'm pretty sure it's nVidia, but I don't reacall for sure right off hand) have put money into the game for it to be on the 4k platform. It'll have a lot of 4k x 4k textures (these in .dds form generally eat 16MB each versus the 465k-1.4MB textures you'll find in other games).

The real mystery is why they're keeping that in the base package and not having a free ultra-res kit as DLC .

[Dwood]

Surprised you made it that far. I gave up on the series after Black Ops failed to fix any of the problems of MW2 and introduced new ones.

Zombies is the only redeeming ray of light for call of duty.

[Amit]

Surprised you made it that far. I gave up on the series after Black Ops failed to fix any of the problems of MW2 and introduced new ones.

I didn't. The last CoD game I bought was CoD4 in 2008. I shamefully pirate the campaign every year and play it. I tried with BO2, but it finally got to the point after the 2nd mission where I didn't want to play anymore. The conclusion of MW3's "so what?" ending and BO2's meh premise just made me not care anymore. I think I'll go reinstall CoD 4 just to play its campaign (and maybe a bit of that delicious, non-retarded MP).

[Higuy]

The last COD game I actually enjoyed was MW2. Black Op's was pretty terrible, inlcuding its campaign, and I didnt even bother trying to beat MW3 as it was so boring and simply another rehash of the rest.

[PenGuin1362]

CoD: Ghosts' minimum requirements, lel:

OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHZ / AMD Phenom X3 8750 2.4 GHZ or better
RAM: 6 GB RAM
HDD: 50 GB HD space
Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti / ATI Radeon HD 5870 or better
Sound: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
DirectX: 11
Internet: Broadband connection and service required for Multiplayer Connectivity. Internet connection required for activation.
Does that seem a little off to anyone else? lol. Also, they recommend a GTX 780 :lmao: I guess the fish and dogs need more optimization.

Displacement is a MASSIVE performance hog (like huge. I know, I've worked with it). The game will definitely run on almost anything but if you want to run it on max settings, you'll definitely need the recommended settings. Although a 780 seems a bit extreme.

[ODX]

Can't forget those dual-render scopes as well, if I'm correct those can be performance hogs as well.

[Amit]

No words :lmao:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5E82ZkHTiVU

http://i.imgur.com/6mq2HhW.png

:lol:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-A0VEG5KOo

[Patrickssj6]

What an ubber l33t hacker, should read more about how Virtual Memory on Windows works.

[Kornman00]

Nice to see NextGenHacker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmv8quf_xM)finally grew up and started talking about other stuff like games and memory

[Btcc22]

What an ubber l33t hacker, should read more about how Virtual Memory on Windows works.

Are you suggesting that they didn't program in 2.5GB of question marks? :-3

[Kornman00]

1) COD.exe
2) ?????????????????????????????????....
2) profit.dll

[Ki11a_FTW]

Anyone else actually bother to buy the game? I bought it on PC because i had to drive my GF's brother to the store so he could get it on PS3.

I figured well, new story, new start, why not. I knew I wasn't going to buy MW4 and I never bothered on BO2.

The campaign is great IMO, beautiful and well thought out.

However MP is just frustrating as fuck. The game is jumpy, laggy, and everything else you can think of. It would be entertaining if it was a little more solid, even the UI lags. You can't blame my PC because single player works fine.

[Btcc22]

I bought it on PC because i had to drive my GF's brother to the store so he could get it on PS3.

The most illogical excuse for buying a CoD game award goes to... :v:

[PenGuin1362]

Try turning off "Terrain Detail" (aka displacement) if you haven't already. I haven't had too many issues on pc on mp. I did have to turn texture res down a bit cause my card is getting kind of old.

[Ki11a_FTW]

The most illogical excuse for buying a CoD game award goes to... :v:

You forgot the part under that, mister. :realsmug:

[Amit]

Anyone else actually bother to buy the game? I bought it on PC because i had to drive my GF's brother to the store so he could get it on PS3.

I figured well, new story, new start, why not. I knew I wasn't going to buy MW4 and I never bothered on BO2.


Yup, totally new game lol:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5E82ZkHTiVU