E3 Special: PS4 and Xbox One Media Briefing Faceoff

The console giants were at it again yesterday, trying to win the hearts and minds of indecisive gamers, reassure early adopters of their purchases, and the envy of the warring fraction. E3 is upon us and we’re here to evaluate Sony and Microsoft’s performance on day one. Who punched harder in their press conference? Well let’s find out.

 

Microsoft Xbox One

Xbox went first, eager to ride the positive momentum of late, Microsoft went through with the promise of talking about nothing but games. On stage the Xbox team strung an impressive lineup of third-party tie ups for first plays and exclusive content for arguably the trendiest games this gen; The Witcher 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Tomb Raider 2, The Division, and Call of Duty: Advance Warfare, just to name a few. However, despite the backing of these massive titles, none really did show anything outstanding or exceptional. Most of the cameo presentations were tame; perhaps owing to the fact that these developers were saving their killer apps for their respective stage/show floor presentations.

Needless to say, who and what did impress were the usual suspects. Exclusives such as Sunset Overdrive, Halo, and Forza Horizon pushed out passionate presentations that exuded verve and excitement. Sunset Overdrive in particular looked a breath of fresh air while the badly kept secret, that was the Master Chief Collection, got the confirmation it needed to make it official. Indies got more love from Xbox this time round and that paid dividends. Easily two of the most atmospheric and visually arresting indie titles of E3 this year made the stage on Xbox One’s watch; Ori and the Blind Forest (from Moon), and Inside, from Playdead, the developers of Limbo.

Capping off the conference was another badly kept secret, Crackdown 3, which went off with a fizzle rather than a bang. Crackdown 2 was more miss than hit and as enticing as the trailer for the third installment was; it lacked the oomph that was needed to leave spectators walking away from the conference on a high. In comparison last year Microsoft ended the show with Titanfall, and we can all remember the hype surrounding that one.

 

The Microsoft press conference, while all about games, suffered pacing issues. There seems to be a lack of urgency this time out and this wasn’t helped by the candid developer interview outtakes interspersed between games. The leprous farce that was DRM aside, Microsoft’s E3 presentation last year had good pace and had good games. This year, despite the focus off the unfancied Kinect, the push for more games was sadly a little underwhelming. With few surprises, zero jaw dropping moments, team Xbox managed a very safe show that was enjoyable but does little to improve their current position.

 

VG300 Score: 3/5

+ Good number of AAA tie-ins

+ Halo, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon were very impressive 

– Show lacked urgency

– Presentations lacked punch

 

Sony Playstation 4

Sony went into this press conference knowing very well what they needed to do and that was not muck it up. It was the same story as it was last year with them but this time, having established such a colossal lead over the Xbox One, they’d be forgiven even if they took liberties and went on rambling about TV and all the other nonessential gaming items this time round—which they did. Yet despite the devotion to advertising some non-gaming ideas and concepts, Sony’s press briefing didn’t feel like a sellout. PS4 might not be packing the same number of AAA endorsements as the Xbox One but they managed more cheer than jazz in their quality presentations.

 

Expectations were high for a good show and Destiny couldn’t have been a better opening act. Followed soon after, to the surprise of many, was the unveiling of Little Big Planet 3, and their demonstration of the game on stage was charming and endearingly honest. Ubisoft lent Sony Far Cry 4’s chops and their presentation was far superior to the rather unexciting Unity co-op demonstration at Xbox which showed four players in the same game but little synergy in plays. Mortal Combat X made their debut, as with Dead Island 2, and there was even some love for Diablo 3 with a Last of Us crossover. Towards the end of the show spectators were treated to some tantalizing gameplay footage of the Arkham Knight in the Batmobile.

 

Quite aware that some of the PS4’s haters brand the console PS3.5 for its lack of innovation, Sony took the opportunity to briefly mention the PS4 camera and the application potential with their VR headset, Project Morpheus. But what really won the show for me was Sony’s control and composure in their presentation. More so than last year, the tone was relaxed, and the executives that took to the stage looked comfortable. Taking a couple of notable digs at the Xbox, Sony peppered their presentation with humor and banter, the result of which left me warm and agreeable to what they had to say despite the frustrating lack of any new exclusives (and anything on the Last Guardian).

 

Playstation has the knack of putting our gorgeous games and they’ve most undoubtedly won the beauty pageant once again with the Uncharted teaser. Despite showing nothing more than Nathan Drake waking from his beachside slumber the fact that they explicitly said this was all captured from a PS4 was enough to have the PS faithful wet their pants.

 

VG300 Score: 4/5

+ Almost every game had an impressive showing

+ Press conference had a good feel and tone

– Too much nonessential gaming talk in the middle

 

Conclusion

Xbox played a hand that everyone expected them to play but they didn’t throw any big punches. Sony on the other hand played leader and rode on their excellent PR to a resoundingly solid E3 presentation despite taking some unnecessary liberties with TV talk. Microsoft failed to capitalize on any of the forward momentum they had in the weeks building up to E3, leaving us with what was a decent to good E3 show albeit a somewhat forgettable one.

566: Xbox One Less Kinect is Less Xbox

 

Microsoft has done it again. The fans rejoice, haters too (because the proud, mighty giant, has once again bitten into the humble pie), and I am guttered. Microsoft’s announcement of the unbundling of Kinect with the Xbox one bundle has massive implications—positive for the most part if you’re Microsoft, but rather mix ones for video gaming and the industry. The Xbox One has lost one of its defining features and that’s never good. I fear the Xbox One has fallen too far from its grand, original concept and it is at risk of devolving into a bland old generic gaming machine. Motion control has lost a champion and as a result, this generation of gamers will no longer be able to see the full potential of motion-facial-voice recognition capture realized.

 

The Kinect isn’t a bad device, not by a long shot. It has had its shortcomings but Kinect 2.0 was supposed to be the device its predecessor wasn’t. The promise of increased support and utilization by developers is at high risk of ringing hollow. With the unbundling Microsoft has gone down a slippery slope with the Kinect and early adopters will be aggrieved by this. As it is, the software for Kinect is weak; a sorry stable of games, and reported 50-75% accuracy on gestures and commands. What Kinect requires now is support because that’s the only way it’s going to improve. As it stands, there are already users using the Xbox One without the Kinect, who’s to stop the white elephant from sliding further into obscurity?

 

 

What is the Xbox’s defining feature now that it has ditched the Kinect? Integrated TV experience? Phil Spencer wants to rebrand the Xbox One as a hardcore gaming console but the PS4 has already built quite a fortress there. At least at US$499 with the Kinect, Microsoft could market the console as a premium device, one that’s boxed with a state-of-the art motion sensing/capturing camera. At US$399 it’s swimming with the PS4, and we all know the PS4 is a bigger fish in terms of hardware.

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Consumers want the freedom to choose, but not as much as attractive pricing. 

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As a South East Asian gamer without a ‘next gen’ console to call his own yet, I was excited at what the Xbox one had to offer. I was genuinely interested in a Kinect that had serious applications apart from being the nifty party trick. Alas, perhaps it was naive of me to think that the same Kinect functions offered to Americans and Europeans will be afforded here. If there was little chance of that happening it sure as hell won’t happen now. Even if Microsoft does come true with TV integration in this region it seems the media remote (at US$26.50 on Amazon) will suffice.

 

At the end of the day, a price drop was what Microsoft needed to boost prospective sales. Losing the Kinect however was a decision borne out of panic. Consumers want the freedom to choose, but not as much as attractive pricing. In my opinion, keeping the Kinect and dropping the price by $50 would have been more attractive. Price parity will ensure greater competitiveness in the long run, but at what cost to the Xbox vision? There were some very exciting, innovative plans outlined for this machine, and I’m afraid that all this backpedalling is going to make it count for nought.

 

The Kinectless Xbox One is slated to hit store shelves this June the 9th.

679: Titanfall Hopes and Expectations

Prepare for Titanfall.

So here we are, a day before the big launch. Assemble your squadron and ready your snacks and soda—if anything you’re going to be occupied for a while. Whether you’ll be playing or just snooping around forums and trolling on reviews, one thing’s for certain, tomorrow being Titanfall day, everything to almost anything will be reading Titanfall on their foreheads. So before the day comes to be, here are some of my hopes and expectations for the massively anticipated game and its launch.

I’ve played the closed (subsequently opened) beta and the gameplay was surprisingly impressive. It’s fast, its fluid, and the pilot-to-Titan transition felt very organic. The ability to double-jump and parkour lends an added dimension of verticality to the game and it was most welcomed. A run-and-gun that plays out nothing like your common shooter—I suspect this will be a recurring idea in days to come when the game is put through lets-plays and reviews.

You might dismiss me for expecting too much but I’m hoping for a solid, if not revolutionary campaign experience. Doing away with the single-player element of the game was a contentious creative decision that left many traditionalists fuming. However having campaign and multiplayer intertwined has its benefits. With gamers on both sides, the IMC and Militia, playing for victory, we might have on the cards a reactive storyline that is both branching and dynamic. Hogwash? Well Respawn’s Community Manager, Abbie Heppe, did say “you’re going to have your own story” in an exchange on Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb’s website.

Okay maybe you need to twist the context a little on that last quote but that shouldn’t at all dampen the expectation of a good campaign. Early Call of Duty games came packaged with strong campaign narratives and it’s quite likely that as the developers of the CoD franchise will be able to build on what they have done in their salad days. Even if it’s not going to revolutionise the landscape of FPS storytelling, it should nevertheless score well in this department. My prediction for the story arch? At its worst—surprisingly compelling and coherent, nothing less.

If there’s one thing that will be enjoyed by the millions over the course of the next few months (at least), it will be the multiplayer segment. With an easy pick-up rate and a forgivable learning curve, multiplayer will appeal to many, noobs and pros alike. However, in being so casual friendly, the game relies heavily on its AI component, and I fear it will be hard to make balanced competitive plays from that. Unless Respawn has in place serious competitive maps and modes, the game might struggle for numbers in as little as two months. I’m staying grounded on this one though I am hopeful Respawn will do good here too.

Titanfall, if you’re not aware, launches the same day as another big hitter—Dark Souls II. Both in my opinion will sell well. Dark Souls II has the added momentum of being a sequel to a cult classic. But whatever juice the Dark Souls hype train is riding on, Titanfall is rocking something three times more potent. This wouldn’t come as much of a surprise but Titanfall will sell millions and even the astute analysts at Forbes seem to think so too.

I get my copy of Titanfall in a matter of hours now. If time permits I’ll put in a review myself. Seeing how well received the beta was with gamers and critics alike, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game earned generally positive reviews (something I’d define as an 8.5 and above). However, given the press infatuation with the game, brace yourself for possible flurry of inflated reviews (discounting the odd hipsters who think it cool to score a good game badly). Expect (some) game critics revisit scores and make retrospective revisions. I’d be very surprised if this game won flawless scores, but because I’ll be buying the game too, I hope I’m wrong.

Well then, the clock ticks and your Titan will be ready soon. Prepare for Titanfall.

366: Four for Titanfall

It’s on the way—stand by for Titanfall

Spawn of Respawn Entertainment, the successful bunch responsible for the Call of Duty franchise, Titanfall, has been winning popularity contests far and wide since its E3 debut last year. Yet, despite its rhapsodically outstanding reception, the game has of late come under fire for a couple of absent features. If you were in the dark this last month, here’s a list of four things you might have missed.

Multiplayer is capped at 6v6. This announcement caused somewhat of a furore last month though the violent upheaval has since calmed. Personally this was marginally disappointing as I was hoping for at least 16 on 16 but I trust Respawn enough to believe them when they say 6v6 works best “from a (creative and) game design” perspective.

There are at least three different Titans the gamer can call upon. Unveiled some weeks apart, Respawn published introductory videos of the three playable Titans; the Atlas, the balanced variant, the Stryder, the mobility variant, and the Orge, the tank variant.

Titanfall will not feature split-screen multiplayer. Interestingly I felt that this was more of a bummer than the 12-player limit on multiplayer. Titanfall with your friends over is more fun if two can play at the same time since lugging another XB1 to a friend’s place seems impractical. In addition, some of my best gaming experiences on console happened over split-screen, thus it’s a bit of a let-down that this will not be for Titanfall.

If you’re torn as to which platform should you Titanfall on do know that the Xbox One version will be the best (followed closely by PC), with the 360’s version being a port that will be handled by a firm independent of Respawn, Bluepoint Games. If you, like me, are without the Xbox One I’d strongly recommend the PC version. Even if you are one of those vehement console-controller proponents, take heart because Titanfall on PC will support the 360 controller.

If you’re not sure if your PC can run Titanfall get it checked out here.

All things considered, Titanfall is shaping up to be one mean shooter. We’ll work to have you our own little VG300 review when the game hits shelves next month.

300: Halo at the Movies

So it was recently revealed that Halo will not be taking to the silver screens after all. Long considered a shoo-in for the Hollywood treatment, the highly acclaimed FPS teetered incredibly closed on several occasions—the closest was the 2006 attempt which was later stripped down and remade into District 9. Is it really that shocking that Microsoft’s shelved yet another Halo attempt at the movies?

Yes; if you were following the rumour mill of late. Following a week stuffed with convincingly legitimate Halo movie soundbites—Ridley Scott’s and Paul Scheuring’s involvement etc., expectations for a full out confirmation were high. The January 14^th backtrack was, in retrospect, a massive excitement killer.

However, long answer short—not really. For a firm fervidly pushing living room content, funding a movie (for now at least) would fall somewhat outside that field of interest. Sure, a firm the size of Microsoft can definitely pursue more than two massive projects at once but with the company still working hard to consolidate its TV side of things; it might be prudent to perhaps take one thing at a time. In addition, with a TV series/collaborative effort with Steven Spielberg on Halo already in the works, the Halo movie might have been strike off the to-do list to avert a potential conflict of interest.

Does this mean we won’t see a Halo film in the foreseeable future? Unlikely. A Halo movie has always been on the cards, and the TV series with subsequent video game iterations might just build to that. A Halo movie at some point in time would probably do the franchise a lot of good but with everything going on right now—chasing the TV dream and a new Halo game this year, indefinite postponement seems to be the best course of action.