Before I start on this, let me preface this with not liking sports or racing games. That said, I understand why they highlighted those and I consider them for their gaming value rather than my personal tastes.
The big reveal was a little disappointing.
I love what they're doing with the XBox One. Bringing together media, entertainment, usability, ease of use and so on. The power should usher in a whole new age of games. But that's what was really lacking in the reveal: no game play. The demo of CoD: Ghosts at the end was more trailer than actually showing someone playing the game.
So let's look at what we do know: Impressive system specs, expanded XBox Live support, exclusivity deals, blended (not just combined) entertainment options. It's all nice. I really like the idea of not having to find the remote to switch between TV, XBox, and what not. Hmm, can I have XBox One switch to my PS3 for me? That'd be funny.
I have to admit, making the Kinect more built-in is quite the gambit. I know the Kinect wasn't originally as successful as Microsoft was hoping, but they put time and effort in to it and evolved its integration. The ability to include voice commands in games in a less clunky way would also be divine. Playing CoD: Ghosts and telling everyone to take cover rather than pull up some menu would make for a much more unique experience.
The work that EA (yes, I don't like them much, but I still have to analyze what they're doing) is putting in to their sports games is refinement. Let's face it, you play a football or soccer game, there are rules that just won't change. The only difference in competing game franchises is how well the game runs. Everything else is more or less gimmicks. EA is telling everyone they can improve how well their games will run. Better calculations, improved AI, greater graphical detail, all of it a step up. This translates well to other games yet to come.
One of the things that caught my ear was "persistent worlds". I hear that and I envision MMOs. Whether it's RPGs or otherwise, this could have a big impact. The style of free play or subscriptions is getting old, especially with so many companies getting it wrong. This could introduce new gaming models that will bring more satisfaction to players.
Let's looking at "Trending" next. Cool story, bro. I'll be blunt, there's nothing to convince me that anything trending isn't sponsored or that I'll care about it. I'd be more interested in watching The Price Is Right than The Today Show. However, given that I myself generally don't watch "trending" stuff, it could introduce me to some new content. Personally, I'll be more interested in Netflix support. But like everything else, there's potential. Possibilities. Promise.
Yeah, that's all it is right now. Promise. I'll be watching E3 for both Sony's and Microsoft's game play demos. Given its early stage of development, I really shouldn't have expected a whole lot, but when you're selling a game system, and it is a game system with a built-in media center, you need to sell games. Telling us there's a new CoD arc on the way is cool and all, but don't show brief demo clips and call it game play footage. Something more substantial would be needed. Even 15 to 20 seconds of continuous, actual game playing would be better.
For now, we have specs to help us determine base possibilities. I look forward to seeing what can actually be produced. Give us an appetizer at E3, not smells from the kitchen that you gave us at the Reveal. Looking forward to it and have fun!
PS: Did you see that plug for Halo: the TV series? Who would have thought they'd have a commercial in such a big presentation?
Showing posts with label games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label games. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Pandora: The Land of Oppurtunity
It's coming. The return to Pandora to shoot, grab loot, and occasionally blow things up. Borderlands 2 is on it's way.
Now, I'm not one of those who HAS to have a sequel simply because it's a sequel. I've seen that before. If the original is fun, then I should be able to have the faith that the sequel will be better. I have been burned, so I'm not without experience.
My favorite examples of good sequels are the U.S. versions of Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, and Super Mario World. Each improved over the last. Granted, these are simple examples, but I have seen these used as examples of what sequels should be. While the graphics improved, these alone don't count as improvements. Each sequel improved the game play over the previous.
Sadly, we also see examples of sequels being worse than their predecessors. It's these examples that have led to the term Sequel Syndrome. One example of how the sequel can be worse is Fable 2 and Fable 3. (Before you pull out the crucifix and nails, this is my opinion, but you'll understand my point in a moment.) Fable 2 was a richer environment and story. Fable 3 felt so much more linear, especially the end. Truth be told, the ending felt very anticlimactic.
The reason I look forward to Borderlands 2 is I loved the basic game play style. Shoot, get loot, shoot some more. Add in each character's abilities and you had variety of play styles and strategies. Borderlands 2 promises to expand on that and add more story to it, something I felt was rather lacking in the first game. They're bringing back old characters and introducing new ones. "GET YOU ONE!"
The premise I hear for the story is rather confusing though. At first, I thought the characters were simply seeking revenge against Handsome Jack, then it turns out there's a SECOND vault, the contents of which should include a new big bad that Jack can possibly control. And along the way, get loot, more loot, and more loot!
Hopefully, they'll keep the multiplayer intact. In the first Borderlands, class mods and certain abilities would help the entire party. I preferred playing as a Soldier using his healing abilities and ammo regen to really aid my team mates. My bother loved playing as a hunter and getting his hands on an Orion and using that as a sniper rifle and a close quarters weapon. He would burn through ammo like it was going out of style. My girlfriend preferred a more balanced load out, but we burned that ammo like crazy. "Oh look, an enemy!" 500 rounds later, "I think it's dead." Couple hundred more, "Yeah, it's dead." A few more rounds, "What? Double tap."
That's not to say I didn't like the single player. In solo campaigns, I'd play as the Siren. I liked having control of the situation, even if it meant choosing when to fight. One Phasewalk when I wanted and I could pick and choose my fights. In 2, I'm looking forward to playing as Maya. All the non-Siren characters seem to have their abilities geared towards dealing MOAR DAMAGE!!1! while Sirens take control. Perhaps Borderlands 2 will balance out those roles a bit more.
Myself, I'm getting the XBox 360 version. It's not going to have the cool special effects you can get with a gaming PC, but I'll be able to play with my girlfriend and brother who don't have any kind of PC setup capable of playing it. It will be a race to 100% Achievements. When it comes out September 18, try looking me up on XBox LIVE for a match. My gamertag is Fluxxdog Zero. Have fun!
Now, I'm not one of those who HAS to have a sequel simply because it's a sequel. I've seen that before. If the original is fun, then I should be able to have the faith that the sequel will be better. I have been burned, so I'm not without experience.
My favorite examples of good sequels are the U.S. versions of Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, and Super Mario World. Each improved over the last. Granted, these are simple examples, but I have seen these used as examples of what sequels should be. While the graphics improved, these alone don't count as improvements. Each sequel improved the game play over the previous.
Sadly, we also see examples of sequels being worse than their predecessors. It's these examples that have led to the term Sequel Syndrome. One example of how the sequel can be worse is Fable 2 and Fable 3. (Before you pull out the crucifix and nails, this is my opinion, but you'll understand my point in a moment.) Fable 2 was a richer environment and story. Fable 3 felt so much more linear, especially the end. Truth be told, the ending felt very anticlimactic.
The reason I look forward to Borderlands 2 is I loved the basic game play style. Shoot, get loot, shoot some more. Add in each character's abilities and you had variety of play styles and strategies. Borderlands 2 promises to expand on that and add more story to it, something I felt was rather lacking in the first game. They're bringing back old characters and introducing new ones. "GET YOU ONE!"
The premise I hear for the story is rather confusing though. At first, I thought the characters were simply seeking revenge against Handsome Jack, then it turns out there's a SECOND vault, the contents of which should include a new big bad that Jack can possibly control. And along the way, get loot, more loot, and more loot!
Hopefully, they'll keep the multiplayer intact. In the first Borderlands, class mods and certain abilities would help the entire party. I preferred playing as a Soldier using his healing abilities and ammo regen to really aid my team mates. My bother loved playing as a hunter and getting his hands on an Orion and using that as a sniper rifle and a close quarters weapon. He would burn through ammo like it was going out of style. My girlfriend preferred a more balanced load out, but we burned that ammo like crazy. "Oh look, an enemy!" 500 rounds later, "I think it's dead." Couple hundred more, "Yeah, it's dead." A few more rounds, "What? Double tap."
That's not to say I didn't like the single player. In solo campaigns, I'd play as the Siren. I liked having control of the situation, even if it meant choosing when to fight. One Phasewalk when I wanted and I could pick and choose my fights. In 2, I'm looking forward to playing as Maya. All the non-Siren characters seem to have their abilities geared towards dealing MOAR DAMAGE!!1! while Sirens take control. Perhaps Borderlands 2 will balance out those roles a bit more.
Myself, I'm getting the XBox 360 version. It's not going to have the cool special effects you can get with a gaming PC, but I'll be able to play with my girlfriend and brother who don't have any kind of PC setup capable of playing it. It will be a race to 100% Achievements. When it comes out September 18, try looking me up on XBox LIVE for a match. My gamertag is Fluxxdog Zero. Have fun!
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