Video Games: The Next Next Next Generation

By MetalGearDan

 

Now i know what you are thinking, yet another opinion on video games and the flaws and pluses. Nope, I have no intention to preach to you or anything of the sort. This is just a casual gamer view on the next gen consoles.

 

Having watched the recent launch for the new Playstation, I choose to give the live stream for the new Xbox a miss. So as of this writing i don’t know if the new Xbox is awesome or not. All i have to go off are rumors that Microsoft intend to make sure you can’t play any game offline.  Which if true would be the most idiotic decision in all of video game history. Now I know that there are a lot of online gamers. It should be up to whomever buys the console whether they want to be online or not, forcing this upon the general gaming populous is not a wise decision. To be blunt, the internet costs money and for the most time it costs a lot. So to be expected to leave your 720 console on all the time isn’t really a viable option for some. This (if true) will cost Microsoft a fair few buys, we are talking thousands not like 5 – 10 people not buying it. 

 

Last time out it was Sony who fell behind Microsoft, it looks like the roles could yet again reverse putting Sony ahead if these rumors have some basis in reality. I should also state price will also dictate who will sell the most, of course each have their own hardcore set of fans. Although in recent times a fair few Xbox fans have suggested should this ‘rumor’ be true, they would consider buying a PS4. Let’s move away from Microsoft and have a look at Sony’s latest masterpiece. 

 

The Playstation 4, the latest face of the Playstation console series. I had a problem with Sony previously as there was suspicions that aspects of the PS3 (as with the PS4) were copied from the Wii. The main function that comes under suspicion is the Playstation Move, in which you play games similar to the type of games you would find on the Wii. Of course this is all just speculation, not saying that Sony sent a spy into Nintendo HQ to steal the controller and sensor plans from the Wii. That would just be silly, you should also note that the PS Vita can also be used in the same way that the Wii touchpad is used. If you don’t know what i mean, i will explain. The Wii touchpad is kind of like a mini touchscreen controller that can be used in conjunction with the Wii U or as a stand alone handheld (So long as the Wii U is nearby). The PS Vita is a Handheld console that has touchpads on the back of it (Take from this what you will). I am not saying that it’s a obvious fact that they are copying Nintendo, they just happen to have similar aspects.

 

The big difference between Sony and Nintendo is graphics, also a fair few good games that attract gamers. Now i’m going to explain why i did not like the Sony livestream in bullet points(because everyone loves those);

• The new Infamous looks a lot like Prototype
• The line up to showcase the potential of the PS4 was sub par
•  The guy talking waffled on about stuff no one cared about
• Destiny looked good (well done Bungie)
• The PS Vita idea seemed pointless (Unless you can afford to buy a Vita and the PS4)
• They seemed to put more emphasis on the PSN with indie games (and EA’s favorite DLC.)

It didn’t turn out too bad but come on, you would expect a far better line up from Sony then what was shown. Maybe i am being too harsh, this is the alternative to the Xbox or you could always turn to PC gaming.

 

I will now close this travesty of contradictions that is my inane babbling, To sum up Xbox for the online gamers who want to sit around and play either Fifa or CoD online all the time. PS4 for those who want control over whether or not they go online and can also use a handheld console as a controller (if you have the money). For everything else there is either the Wii U or PC but that’s a story for another time. 

 

All opinions expresses are my opinions and are not necessarily fact. 

 

Alan Elk-Hunter The Blog

Hello there and welcome to Elk Hunter The blog, every thing i have said on previous podcast but in text format (also without the music)

Assassins Creed 3 Lawsuit Details

If you don’t know the name John Beiswenger, you might want to remember it now.

Beiswenger has filed suit against Ubisoft over the Assassin’s Creed franchise, claiming it stole ideas and themes from a book of his called Link, which was published some five years before the release of the first Assassin’s Creed title. More specifically, Beiswenger says that Assassin’s Creed stole the following themes and ideas from his book: “Assassinations,” “spiritual and biblical tones” and the battle between good and evil. The damages that he is seeking total $5.25 million dollars. Now naturally, whenever one of our beloved video game makers are threatened by anyone else, we the gamers tend to start foaming at the mouth and typing furiously into comment boxes the internet-over in an effort to let everyone know just how angsty we are about this. Given that this lawsuit is potentially going to delay the release of Assassin’s Creed III, people have taken to “bombing” Beiswenger’s product pages in Amazon with negative reviews of his works. Kelley Keller, lawyer representing Beiswenger, issued the following statement:

“We understand that many gamers are upset about the litigation and potential for delay in the release of the next Assassin’s Creed video game, and as a result of that anger have been posting negative comments on Amazon – and other forums – about our client and his novel Link. However, copyright laws exist to protect authors and creators from others who copy or create works that are, under the law, substantially similar; failure to enforce copyright laws renders them meaningless.

“The Amazon ‘bombing,’ storm of negative comments and threats to our client have no bearing on the appropriateness, merits or outcome of this suit. They have no material effect on the legal claims.”

So let’s think about this for a minute. I believe that there is no real merit to the case myself, but that does not in my opinion justify the Amazon-bombing. My hope is that no TXBer took part in this. We’re better than this, guys and gals. The legal system will prove that Beiswenger’s suit is flawed and we will get Assassin’s Creed III right on-schedule. There’s no need for us to revert to childish tendencies as a result. Do you agree, or do you think I’m way off-base here?   Source: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/25748/Novelist-Suing-Ubisoft-Over-Assassins-Creed-Responds-via-Lawyer-to-Outcry/

Pro’s & Con’s of TES:Online (notes only)

Pro’s

1. It’s a good money maker.

2. A lot of people will buy it (on the basis of it being a elder scrolls game).

3. Covers new countries as well as previous ones.

4. Possible good looking graphics.

5. More open ended quests.

Con’s

1. Could alienate current fanbase.

2. With the current mmo market leading game being ‘WOW’ might not get many subscribers, compared to ‘WOW’ or ‘SW:TOR’.

3.Graphics could look really average and resemble the graphics of TES:Morrowind.

4. Might be better off staying as a single player game.

5. With the current state of the ecomony world and domestic, There could be a loss of sales.

note: HMV are expanding their game section in stores country-wide (insert cheap-shot here)

Elder Scrolls Online Flip or Flop?

This a post to prepare the common idiot to the flaw that is ESO (Elder Scrolls Online)

Getting down to the knitty gritty, it sounds like someone at Bethseda has decided to openly piss on the solid fan base that has been built over the years. They have a very vague story line about the dragon fires getting turned back on, when they stated in oblivion that only an heir from the septim bloodline can relight them. I don’t know how you would go about trying to do that, I mean after all the septims are dead. I hear from IGN that this is a Zenimax online studios thing headed up by some douche who did another online game which i have never heard of! I don’t want to come across as anti ESO but let’s face reality, they set a high standard with their single player games. So how do they intend to incorporate all the other countries into one single game and make the graphics look as good as Skyrim? Answer look at world of warcraft that’s probably how it will look like, or maybe Runescape. it doesn’t matter really, a friend of mine said ‘how about doing what Mass Effect 3 did with the online multiplayer seperate from the single player mode’ why not it could work but then again i don’t think it would. It would be like Bioware coming out and saying “Dragon Age 3 will be released as a mmo” there is a good chance they would have done it had they not done the same with Star Wars Old Republic, God knows that they screwed up on ME3′s ending.

 

I don’t think many gamers will buy it when you already have people paing for SW:TOR and WOW. So i really don’t think it will draw the numbers that either games have, i know some people will buy it because it’s TES, it’s a proven worldwide hit as a single player so why not as a multiplayer? good question all i can do is vent my opinon i can’t give you a definite no or a yes. We will have to wait and see, Hopefully i am proven wrong but i highly doubt it.

 This was a blog built by the people for the people.

Console Wars

Which console is the best in europe?

http://www.vgchartz.com/ Check out that website for a full details of all the consoles sold in different countries and worldwide totals. 

Microsoft’s Xbox 360

I have enjoyed playing this console but like so many things it has it’s downside, the main problem i’ve had is the life of the console isn’t brilliant. The dreaded three red rings of death is the main problem for the arcade, premium’s and core packs, not so much the elite or the latest slim 360 console. It was never a ‘good idea’ to put the graphics card on the back end of the motherboard so it did not cool down, the crappy rubber pads didn’t do anything for them and probably did more damage then good. The games selection on the other hand has been nothing short of amazing with such titles as Alan Wake, Fable and Gears of War series doing really well and future games coming out such as Mass Effect 3 meaning the 360 is still capable of being top dog. Also with the release of the Kinnect an innovation in motion sensor game play not needing any controller. 

My final note on the 360, It has all the potential to be the best console but hardware problems are holding them back and not appealing to the japaneese market will affect them in the long run

Sony’s Playstation 3

I have had a brief encouter with this black beast and i got to say i was impressed, Sony have made ‘the’ console of this decade (it pain’s me to say that) The PSN makes downloading ps3/psp games easier and a link up with steam piles up to a nice package. I don’t know of any major problems with the ps3 apart from over heating, They improved the console with the slim verison. They also created the playstation move which if i’m honest isn’t the greatest piece of hardware, If you want to hold a wireless motion sensored controller your better off with the wii. As for games they have very successful games like Ratchet and Clank, Heavy Rain and MAG, With various other new games in the works the future looks bright for this japaneese giant. 

My final note on the PS3, The Hacking scandal has dealt alot of damage to Sony but i see this as learning curve for this giant and it will come back bigger badder and blacker then ever before

Nintendo’s Wii

I like this little console it’s motion sensor ability was considered a ‘breakthrough’ in gaming, Nintendo have the one thing the other two lack and that is experience. They have being doing this since the 70′s so have a vast knowledge of console building, With zero problems that i’ve heard of apart from human stupidity the life on the Wii is a long one. With improvements done on the Wii+ to increase the sensitvity which improves the overall gameplay. Moving on to games the main problem i can see with this is games having the same content e.g having several games that are all tennis based, other then that most of the games are enjoyable to play. The main games on this console are Super Mario, Legend of Zelda and Super Smash Bros with other games coming soon like 3 new role playing game coming soon it is an exciting future for Wii players.

My final note on the Wii, It has sold more console’s then the other two worldwide but it lacks the graphics power of the other two. I hate to say it but this console is family based and doesn’t really appeal to hardcore gamers so from that view point they are bottom of this group.

A inverted look at dragon age origin’s

Once upon a time in a place called ferelden, they lived a (delete if applicable elve/dwarf/magi/human) Who gets recruited to the hobo warriors known as the Grey Warden’s by the supreme commanding hobo Duncan. He forces your character into fighting the darkspawn at Ostegar in which to keep this really brief everyone dies except you and that other bi curious character Allistair. You and Allistair get rescued by a part time hooker named morrigan and the head of her brothel flemeth (pretending to be witches) Flemeth tells the two remaining Grey Warden’s that they have to ‘save the world’ and goes on about some treaty’s that could be used to gather support for her…no their cause. After abducting Morrigan they head for the farmhold of  Lothering.

When they get there the main character runs about doing stupid side quests for morons who then attack them with sub-stranded dildo swords. Once you’ve done everything that needs to be done in that vile-small-minded village you’ll come across two dwarfs selling over priced crap to darkspawn, who attack them for no reason what so ever. Before all this Allistair will be all like ‘Let’s go to Redcliffe and see the Arl!!!’ no one else is allowed an opinion on that matter, so they all go and travel to Redcliffe but decide to make a camp where Allistair talks absolute bollocks about some old dragon. Also Morrigan makes soup cause she’s a woman and women are usaully stereotyped on this game.

When they get to Redcliffe they find a load of dirty villagers blabbering about some undead things attacking at night. The grey warden runs about doing stupid side quests again to strengthen the defences of the village for the attack later that night. So when the highly flammable zombies come and start stuttering about like a half dead Ric Flair without the whole wooooo!! thing. Once that’s done the Grey Wardens and Morrigan head to the castle where some serious crazy shit’s going down which involves a Blood mage guy and a demon controlled kid who the warden kills without mercy then laughs at everyone standing about in main hall/throne room. Or if you chose to go all the way over to save the mages at the Magi Tower and then bring mages back with you to redcliffe (which takes literally hours).

Now the grey wardens head to Denerim, To sort out all the problems in this city which is like a never ending side quest. once your done you over throw the most deluded fruit cake Loghain, Then you place an even fruiter nutcase up there in Allistair who doesn’t want it but takes it anyway. At some point between all of this they is a big battle in Denerim and the Grey Warden does various quets in other places for dwarfs and elves. They all lived happy ever after except that prick who was in Dragon Age 2 he died in a ball of flames because he sucked sooo much balls.

 

This penis was brought to you by the dick corporation located in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

This blog was dedicted to Skyrim may forever take an arrow to the knee!

Which Console Is Better?

I hear alot of people ask me, Dan which console is best?  I usually go with the Xbox 360 but i’m gonna do a pros/cons list for the big 3.

Microsoft Xbox 360

This console is for the gamer who prefers to play against alot of americans online whilst playing COD (call of duty) and abusing there stupidity (works both ways)  There is wide choice of sub-standard games, such as Tin Tin, Skylander and Cyrsis 2. It also has a pretty average gaming life lasting on average 1 year, It has a better paint job hen the others and has a pretty cool logo. It was made by a PC heavy firm who know what they are doing (the majority of the time) It is ideal if you have a fierce hatred of playstations.  I’d give it a respectable 6.5/10

 

Sony Playstation 3

This console is for the gamers who like to spend ridiculous amounts of money on consoles to play MAG and then insult people who don’t understand english. They also have a smaller collection of sub standard games to choose from timeless classics such as Puss In Boots, Singstar and Champion Jockey. It has a lifespan of 1.5 years which is good(ish) This is ideal if you have the budget of a small country. I give it a 5.5/10

Nintendo Wii

The console is for that gamer who tends to stand up and wave sticks in front of the tv. It has a very small amount of fitness-based games such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Super Mario Bros and Trivia Pursuit. This one has a long time span because no one uses it, Buy this if you want to lose weight then decide not too. I give this shoebox holder a 4.5/10

 

This blog was written by a PC Gamer because we rule! and have better graphics then anyone and better games and better everything and we win at everything forever coz we’re the best!

 

This blog was brought to you via a keyboard attached to a pc.

Brief Anime Reviews

I spent most of last night watching a few anime’s. Eureka Seven (The Movie) and NOIEN (tv series) Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles

Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers (15 rated, Sci-Fi/Fantasy) 

This feature-length variation on the popular “Eureka Seven” anime series tells the tale of Renton, a young rebel fighter clad in bio-armor who’s obsessed with saving his best friend, Eureka, who was mysteriously kidnapped eight years before.

This movie was very emotional from start to finish. I highly recommend for anyone who likes this sort of anime, i give this movie a powerful 4.5/5

 

NOIEN – to your other self (pg12, Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

Twelve-year-old Haruka and her friend Yuu are planning to run away from home — but then they meet Karasu, a space visitor from 15 years in the future. Suddenly, Haruka finds herself in the middle of a frenzied battle to save the world.

I have only watched the 1st episode. I’m hoping it can improve, otherwise it will be a big waste of my time and of yours. Going off the only episode i have seen i give it 2.5/5. It has potential to do a lot better.

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (PG, Sci-Fi)

Released as an animated sequel to the short-lived “Robotech” TV series, this futuristic drama picks up where the program left off, following members of the Robotech Expeditionary Force on their search for Adm. Hunter and the missing SDF-3 starship.

Simply brilliant, a well thought out storyline. A nice mix of CGI and 2D animation adds to it definitely worth a watch 5/5