I think we should be Exclusive

I recently read a blog post that called for the end of console exclusive games. That would be bad for the industry and so bad for us.

Playstation 4 me

I recently gave in to my inner child and became the owner of the PlayStation 4. I walked into the store, chose two games, that online pass, dipped deep into my pocket paid and left. Set it up to my TV relegating the ps3 to the second port and got under way. Since then it’s been around a month, so I thought I would share my experience, and maybe help you to make a decision on if you should fork out your hard earned pounds.

An accurate representation of how the deal went down

Pretty, pretty

In my opinion there is quite a difference in the graphical quality of the games. I was massively sceptical before I took the plunge as to how much better the graphics could really be and I have to say, based on the early games I’m pretty impressed.

Games so pretty, you no longer need eyes

The screen shot comparisons do not do justice just how pretty things looks, how smooth they play just how good they feel. The jump from 720 – 1080 can be seen and all in all the games I have played look great and I am excited to see what Watch Dogs will look like, But I will be more interested in the re-mastering of the Last of Us a game which went to great lengths to look amazing on the PS3. I do hope there is more to it than the Tomb Raider update of slightly more hairier hair….

Tyrone Biggums gets it

Beauty is only skin Deep.. yeah yeah yeah 

Game play wise, games to certainly seem smoother and faster. I haven’t experienced any lagging, jumping or any other unpleasantness while playing infamous Second son even with powers galore shooting around the screen like sonic on speed.

Games start up quicker than on the PS3 which is nice for a quick game of anything, and would probably be even faster if I used the stand by feature… Which I don’t because… I… I don’t know I just turn things off. In reality though it won’t feel all too different than the PS3. The controller feels odd at first, with its narrower grip and that strange smooth touch pad but you get used to it. You will however hit share when you want select I can Guarantee that.

R.I.P the simple select button

PlayStation Plus..you
If you are or were a PlayStation 3 kinda person you were no doubt quite happy that online for us was born free and were shocked and disappointed with the news that we would have to pay for the online services by way of the PS+ Subscription. I was.

But, I’m slowly coming around to the Idea that it might just have been the icing on the cake. Without the PS4 I wouldn’t have purchase a PS plus subscription I just didn’t see the point but since it was thrust upon me I have had the privilege of free games. And not bad games either, good games, games I was happy to play. Tomb raider, Payday2, Sly Racoon, Uncharted 3 and Bio shock Infinite…all for free as part of the subscription with new games every month.. Much Excite

is nice

Granted with every silver lining is a brown turdy one. These games are on the PS3, so I have been moved away from my PS4 onto my PS3 by the addition of Free-ish content. But it does give hope for what the PS4 may soon bring to the table

Bobby

All in all I am Very happy with my purchase. Yes it was a lot of money and yes there are like 3 games. But it’s an investment in something I hope to have for many years. Hopefully. So if you’re on the fence, un sure what to do I say this. If you have the Money, and spending it won’t hurt you too much then take the plunge, enjoy what’s out there and grow with the console, keep your PS3 ( if you have one ) and Take advantage of the PS+ and all in all just have a good time.

This guy had a good time on his D**k

 

 

The Cloud raining on the console parade

Hey guys and girls. In the last couple of months we have seen the release of the latest Consoles. Both the PS4 and the Xboxone boasts Impressive specs. Graphics of the highest order and processing capability of amazing proportions. But is this the last Console release we will be getting? I think it might just be.

Farewell Consoles…Maybe..who knows look its Link.

I have talked about cloud gaming in another post but it seems to be getting serious again. As the internet improves, our speeds increase our ability to stream gets better and better and more and more people are online. The possibility of Cloud gaming is becoming more and more of a serious reality for all gamers. With the boom of Smart phones, Tablets, and smart TV’s where does a new console does fit in with a cloud hosted system? The level of graphical output or processing power wouldn’t matter as the game is being run by servers elsewhere in the world which could be updated and changed to cope with bigger and better games. allowing all devices to flex there muscles.

GADOOOSH

Imagine being able to play the latest Call of Duty or Mario anywhere (probably on the toilet) , on any device which connects to the internet, with the graphics and at the speed of a home console. Just think… that would be awesome. it may also go some way in blurring the lines between casual gamers and the hardcore. Providing options for both.

Imagine

And this ability is happening now. Back in summer 2012 Sony acquired Gaikai cloud based servers allowing for the streaming of content, and this month Sony announced that it would start its streaming of games on its PlayStation Now with the latest 2014 Sony TV’s fully supporting the service as well as the PS4. This ability to stream gaming also has a great financial benefit. Though the outlay cost Sony around $400 million dollars the returns could be far greater than that on a console, given that they will no longer have to deal with the manufacturing and distribution costs of the console.

An accurate representation of how the deal went down

There would be a chance for developers to create original and exciting new content. Firstly, being hosted digital means that the cost of production is lower, without the need for blu ray disks and Secondly the ability to utilise things such as touch screen technologies with high-end processors and graphics, allowing for a wider demographic to enjoy gaming of a higher quality and hopefully standard, ultimately making the experience for gamers more enjoyable and varied.

YAY So much fun

There of course several problems with this. As it stands Downloading a game is a timely and costly affair with many downloadable games considerable more than there physical counterparts, with far fewer deals taking place.

Has my game downloaded yet?

There is also an issue with the ability to Trade-in physical titles, especially given that some games are short or poorly made. I am sure that the Publishers could create a form of digital games trade-in perhaps where if you trade – in the download you get a percentage of your next download from that publisher. In this way the consumer feels as though they are not being ripped off and the publisher is still making money off of their new titles. And internet speed isn’t currently too great and not everyone is online. Argumentatively you could say that the majority are, but for those who are not, they will be isolated and not able to join in something they may enjoy, after all buying a console is one of cost as are the games, but a streaming services is likely to require a subscription, which on top of a higher enough quality internet bill, may prove too much for some.

Whatever side you are on our industry is going through some exciting changes and I can’t wait to see how the PlayStation TV performs and what the future holds for gamers. If it does take hold, then no matter how powerful the next generation of consoles are it wont matter, because super overlord computers some where else will be playing them on anything, anywhere… sa-weet.

Is Nintendo the New Sega?

We all have warm feelings in our belly’s when we think about Nintendo. Pokemon, Zelda, Mario…. mmm ahhh Nostalgia. We don’t have such warm Feelings for Sega.. not after the Megadrive… Saturn…Dreamcast and then death of hardware. They still make games though some Bad like Sonic some good like The total war series. Sega Failed because it Hardware  A, was terrible ( The Sega Saturn… jesus) but Mainly it was due to poor Third party support and the strength of the competition, who simplified there tools, and didn’t use gimmicks like a second screen in side the control. Using Sega as a base, lets examine Nintendo…

Out Smarted by a phone?

With the growth of the smartphone industry it was inevitable that some companies were going to feel the pinch. Camera companies need cameras that did more than photos, camcorder has  almost died a horrible wriggling death not including the professional market or those people o so retro and, games consoles needed innovation, in both its hardware and in its games.

Hipsters Everywhere

Nintendo had this with the DS. It was touch screen they had some decent exclusive games, OK third party support and was way better than the screened turd Sony would eventually put out.

They made smaller ones then bigger ones and then a 3D one and then a big 3D one and then a 2D one again that looked like a doorstop. It certainly seemed that they had one basket with so many eggs in the Easter bunny would be jealous.

happy happy eggs

The problem, for me at least was that the 3D part was a Gimmick more than a tool which added and enhanced the experience. To date only a few games have really made use of it in a decent way, with a variety of others Just having 3D because the Console can do it. Also, Again when I did play the 3DS which was in my household I would often turn off the 3D part, allowing me to actually see and play the game without having to be bolted in front of my eyes to keep it in the middle.

Now I can see in 3D…. I hate it.. turn it off Kill it with Fire

Extra’s aside I think the 3DS would have performed a lot stronger had the rise of the smartphone not taken place. As I have mentioned in a previous post the Casual gamer, a market which Nintendo Holds with a loving embrace have Migrated to playing games on the thing they already had, with more actual features, with good quality games ( some) for as little as free…. Maybe Nintendo should design a phone combining the touch screen part of the DS with a decent processor and other useful tools. Nintenphone and Nintentab.

Thanks T3 you little so n so’s

Its out of our hands

 Let’s move away from the handheld market now and look at Nintendo’s Home consoles. The Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System were giants of it time. It had lots of good games, loads of support and, even the games which came out on them and their rivals the mighty Sega Master System and Mega Drive were different, unlike today.

 The SNES was popular well into the 32 bit era, with many playing it when Sony’s First baby arrived into shops (Thanks Nintendo for your part in that) Not wanting to be Outdone Nintendo Designed the N64 a console twice as powerful as the PSone but used an outdated cartridge system. This was the first Nintendo Console I owned, and for me, it was the beginning of the end. The PlayStation had so much Third party support it was a like a billionaire in a whore house, it had so many games.. so so many.

The N64 had some games, they….. were…… ok? I want to say they existed, that some’s up for me there impact much better. Aside from the ones that were made by, exclusively for or in conjunction with Nintendo ( Mario 64, The Zelda’s, Metroid and Super smash Bro) with the odd exception. This started a trend which we would continue to see in the coming Consoles from Nintendo, Cube to WII U.

Best Third Party N64 game? Third Partyish?

Also as with its handhelds it seemingly tried to differentiate itself by having quirky gimmicky features rather than gaining support from Developers. The GameCube had some fun games on it, but its big thing was that it used a little disk and look like a lunch box. The ps2 was simply a better version of the old one and whooosssshhhhhh Success. This pattern of Gimmicks over third party has continued, and though the WII’s motion controls were fun, and did well in the casual market, the third party support wasn’t great and the WII U is just silly. a screen in a control… hello Dreamcast u .

End of the line

 So, is there a place for Nintendo? Possibly. But probably as a games developer rather than a console behemoth.Yesterday Nintendo announced that instead of a 55bn Yen profit it now predicts a 25bn Yen Loss….that is quite a big, it hurts me to loose £10.

All of Nintendo

There success in the 80’s and 90’s was great and we got a lot of great games from it, hell in the early Noughties they pulled it off again with the WII and the DS, they just got it wrong with the next move forward, perhaps they could develop something new, but with the Xboxone and the PS4 out now, it would have to be something with amazing, with graphics to rival, maybe a normal control would be nice, but most importantly, Decent Third party Titles. Take the weight off of Mario.

Just look at that terrible Posture

I hope they find something because I love the Zelda Games and Nintendo as a whole really, and I hope they do it fast.

Its time to go back, back to the future… A tribute to Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is one of the best game franchises to ever grace.. well anything. it was really that good. sure it had some flows in the early stages but even still it blossomed into something remarkable and with the advent of number 5 on the horizon I would like to take the opportunity to look at for me the big 3 games of the 7 so far. Grand theft auto 1,3 and the San Andreas. I love these games they way over shadow Saints Row.. even though that too is pretty freakin sweet. So lets go back, to the future.

Great scott look at the time… we’ve been playing for years.

Grand theft auto, number 1, numero uno the one that started it all. The game was something else. Sure having a top down view made driving impossible and there wasn’t any real point to what you were doing but my god has doing nothing ever been so much fun? running around an ( at the time) open world firing what looked like giant balls at people, herding marchers on train tracks and listening to someone called bubba bark orders at you to drive from one part of the city to the other for absolutely no reason other than for point… ah fun.

Alexandra Armstrong knew it.

This game is a land mark because it hadn’t been attempted before, games up until this point had largely been quite scripted, following a set story. Grand theft auto was open and fun starting out life I believe ( but don’t quote me) as a racing game. GTA 2 built on the strengths and added a bit more structure but the biggest change was yet to come. This game then as it does now got a lot of stick for being violent but I’ve tackled that previously and if violence in the game is your bag… read that one after.

Several years on from the first game came GTA 3… that start of the big three ps2 games. This game kept all the open world fun of the first game, the ability to drive speedy cars and play the tough guy but added to big crucial elements. Firstly it came with a story. You needed the story in order to unlock all the parts of the map but ultimaty you could always if you wanted just drive,fly, sail or anything else you want but if you wanted to add a bit of direction you had the option. On a side note for a game where the main character didn’t speak, the story was gripping and interesting.

A man of few words… well no words

The second big thing GTA3 brought to the table was 3D. For the first time driving was possible with smashing into every car in the way, people were more realistic ( realistic blocks with block hands and block face but thats a step up from a ball with sausages sticking out) 3D was a great step forward for the franchise. It allowed for the development of the story, the way it was told and the gameplay and took and already pretty damn good game and made it one of the elite

The only truly pointless element was the money.. money you could barely used, for me it was a small link to the time when you got points but that is a minor minor problem a pimple on the gorgeous face of this game. What was coming ooooohhhhhhh buddy what was coming took all that other stuff and beat it, beat it like it owed it money.

GTA San Andreas is still probably the best GTA game that has ever been made. Its story was enjoyable and flowed and was a joy to play, the world huge and fun to roam around, A massive range of vehicles, side missions, extras and customisations I mean rockstar did an amazing job… Amazing.. there isn’t much to say about San andreas that isn’t amazing. any game where I can steal a jet pack fly it to my air strip and fly my own jet gets a thumbs up from me… great game…. thats all  if you haven’t play it you will not be disappointed if you are you don’t like games.. begone…begone I say .

Carlsberg don’t do games but if they did, it would probably be the best game in the world … and it would be this one

Now we have 5 coming real soon and its shaping up to be one of the best games of this game console generation. After the decent but not amazing GTA 4, GTA 5  looks set to get back to old amazing ways and i hope all the rumours and things i’m hearing about map size, cars, graphics, story and all the little extras that I love gta 4 are true and I for one shall be queueing up for it on day of release. ( If of course my playstation can handle it )

Game Graphics – Hey there good looking

Graphics and how smooth a face can look and how realistic a wall is has been a large selling point for consoles for a good while. Nintendo Boasted about how powerful the N64 was compared with the Playstation, The Xbox did the same over the Playstation 2 ( Wait a minute.. Playstation..) and now Sony believe that the PS4 will have superior graphics to its rival the Xboxone. But are graphics really so important that they should be used as a reason for us to part with our cold hard cash? or are other things more important when it comes to consoles and the games we play on them?

Graphics you so have another £320

My god, Its so real!

Graphics have been getting better for years. The smoothest faces guns, bums boobs and arms the gaming world has ever seen. The realism of the graphics allows the all important immersion of games, a sense of fear in horror games that perhaps couldn’t  be reached with a pixely face.

Graphics making CGI boobs as real as possible

But can somethings be too real? such an emphasis is placed on how things looks that detail on how it plays and the story it tells can sometimes be lost. Sometimes it is pulled off games like L.A Noire were beautiful games and told a brilliant story. Some of the best games that there have ever been came from a time when consoles only had 8 pixels to play with 8! a ridiculously small number of pixles. Ha.

What makes the one on the right ant better? Same game play… Nintendo..

If I’m honest I feel as though graphics have really got as good as they can really be. How smooth can we really make the floor the next uncharted or Halo?. Developers shouldn’t be thinking oo yay now I can finally make that big shiny building I’ve always wanted, they should be thinking wow, I have all this power muhahaa whats the best thing I can do, story I can tell, experience I can give and then, make it look nice.

Next gen…Such Power!!!

Its not the outside but the inside that counts.

An example where extra graphical oomph caused more harm than good was with Silent Hill.Silent Hill remains one of the best games ever created. It had depth of story character development, game play everything it really was a truly great game. One of the things that added to that atmosphere was the haze. The game had creepy glow of white, not allowing the player to see far into the game. This wasn’t done on purpose but because of graphical limitations, it added to the experience.

Fast forward to the Current gen remakes in HD and what we got was a similar experience but implanted in turd. it lost the haze and so some of the feel and wasn’t as good but the story was still great but no matter how hard you polish a turd, its still a turd.

So shiny you could forget it was shit.

Stories are the best part of games in my opinion. A game can make up for poor graphics by having a great story. Games like phoenix wright with low graphics are great because of  the story its immersion, with humor and challenge.

One of my favorite DS games and its a Gameboy colour port…..

If a great story can be coupled with great graphics then fantastic and we get the Skyrims of the world beautiful stories mixed with emotion and depth like a pretty woman who has a personality, rare but when they are found you fall in Love. done wrong and you end up with something pretty but lacking spark .. get both wrong  and well  you have a hideous hideous beast of a thing that nightmares are made of.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Bioshock was slated because it looked dated but it is still one of the best games of 2013 Story was great, it had a great twist the game play was fun and face paced was an excellent piece if you haven’t play it.

Focus on the story but not completely on how good it looks, We are not that shallow. make something that has the narrative of a movie, with great game-play and if possible smooth graphics.Some of the greatest games, have been low res, Hell the Wii sold million and was the weakest graphically of the 3 consoles because it has a specializations that extra something beyond. If Sony,Microsoft and the developers themselves focus on these areas, then we as fans are on to something really special.