….Hmmm.
Well, Microsoft just wrapped up its E3 conference and there are some interesting things i want to discuss. Sit back and enjoy.
XBox360
Before Microsoft got into it’s Xbox One line up it announced a new smaller and quieter Xbox 360 model. The new model has a very similar look to the new Xbox One in terms of the look of the box. Microsoft also announced a couple of titles for the 360 including World of Tanks and Dark Sould II
XBox One GAMES
Microsoft unveiled quite a few games today. Forza 5, Ryse,TitanF and the return of Killer Instinct were all shown off today. Here is the deal. With the exception of the titles i just metioned, Microsoft barely showed off any gameplay for most of the games it showed off today. What was shown did give us a look at what we can expect from the next gen in the years to come.
Forza looked really good. Driving games tend to push the visual boundaries and this game was no different.
Ryse is a title set in an ancient Rome style setting were you take control of a roman warrior who has the ability to control sections of his army. They can form together in a line and raise their shields to block incoming arrows or draw spears and send them flying at enemies in unison. Visualy the game was inpressive, boasting really amazing looking character models and lighting. This game definitely screamed “next gen”
TitanF is the new game by Respawn entertainment who are know for their work on the Modern Warfare games. This game is standard FPS fare except for the giant mechs that drop into the action, letting you jump into the cockpit and command in battle. TitanF didn’t quite have that “next gen” pop that i was looking for but it looked good.
Killer Instinct was the biggest surprise, though. Gameplay was shown featuring Jago vs Saberwolf and it looked pretty good. It actually reminded me a little bit of Street Fighter 4 in terms of its visual design. It didn’t quite blow me away in terms of graphics but gameplay is what counts. The fighting looked fast and fun and it will be interesting to see if Rare can recapture the magic with the Killer Instinct franchise.
The coolest thing was probably the first gameplay reveal of Metal Gear Solid v. It looked amazing. Character models were unbelievable. I can’t wait to see this game in action.
Everything else was pretty much boring. You had Ea show up and demo Shooter number 300 or aka Battlefield 4. It looked good of course, but in terms of gameplay it featured the same old run and gun and explosion filled mayhem that your used to from these types of shooters. Most of everything else was showed off in very brief CGI trailers which made no sense and you even had some kinect and Smart Glass games shown off. It wasn’t a bad showing, just no amazing.
NO QUESTIONS ANSWERED
DRM questions? Microsoft gave no answers. Used game questions? Microsoft gave no answers. Microsoft completely ignored these topics probably because there is no amount of damage control they can do to justify 24hour online check-in’s because don’t forget if your not connected you can’t play your games.
PRICE
$499.00 was the announced price for the XBoxOne. I don’t know about you guys but i feel that might be too expensive. When you consider that nothing that was shown was so revolutionary that you had to have it, a 500 dollar price point might be somewhat of a stretch. A big stretch. We will have to see what Sony does will their price point
RELEASE
Microsoft confirmed that the XBoxOne will release in November.
MY FINAL IMPRESSION
Overall i thought the Microsoft XBox One conference lacked a major component needed to get me on board with the console. DRM. Microsoft didn’t address this issue at all. Why is it so important you ask? It’s important because it is unfair to ask gamer’s to spend $500 dollars on a console that can’t be played offline. Think about the amount of money gamer’s are going to have to pour into the Xbox One. There is the initial $500 dollars to buy the console. You will need to have an internet connection do factor in what ever amount you pay for online in your home. You will also need to continue to pay for XBLA Gold. Look, im not an Xbox or a Microsoft fan by any stretch of the imagination but i was hoping Microsoft could pull of something special for the gamer’s. The Xbox One seems like its a box made for publishers and greedy developers. I’m not spending $500 dollars for any console, period. Videogames are not worth that much. Not today, not ever. You saw what happened to the PS3 when it launched at that ridiculous price. Who has that kind of money. I will be surprised if the XBox One sells well.
I give this Conference a solid C grade
As usual, let me know your thoughts on the subject and i want to know what makes Wii U Mad?
WiiUmad GAMERS 