2013 Video Game Thread

[Jake]

Also here's this:

 

http://kotaku.com/rumor-about-xbox-one-fam...s-fla-534484570

 

Family share wasn't just demo access for a short period of time, it truly was family/friend sharing. Which just debunks that idiot's letter about saving developers and getting rid of the used game industry.

 

This would have been a huge bonus, but probably too pro-consumer for anybody to make money

[Jake]

That is a completely legitimate stance and I have no problem with someone saying they prefer Xbox.

 

What I dont understand is why someone who is arguing for Xbox would say that Ps4 is just a "$400 blu ray player" that makes no sense in the context of the argument. Bring me something with substance, say I want an Xbox for X, Y, Z reasons.

 

There is always a chance I am missing something. I have no problem discussing Microsoft, just once again, no one has brought me a good argument why its better to have extremely restrictive DRM, why its better to have to be connected at least 1 time every 24 hours, etc etc.

 

I merely was saying "Those ideas dont seem to make sense" and when I said that I was basically told that "Im not forward thinking and just dont understand"

 

Those are nothing more than ad hominen conclusions. I just am asking for some real discussion about the system, not Xbox fans telling everyone else how they just dont understand. Or posting some sort of quote from a microsoft employee with a "We had so many great ideas that you ruined, but I cant articulate 1 of them."

 

I guess I just dont see that as very productive in determining what system I want to buy. I have presented reasons why I would buy PS4, I am just waiting for someone to present some good reasons why buying Xbox is better than PS4.

 

This. I don't have stock in Sony and I have owned an XB360, I'm just looking for any good reason to switch and have yet to hear one other than "the interface is better" which is the same BS I hear about every OEM's smartphone.

[DrunkBomber]

Well for me personally I am probably gonna get the xbox because thats what my friends are getting and because the NHL community is significantly better on xbox. At some point me or my roommate will get a ps4 so I can play exclusives on either system, which isnt a big deal to me anyway. To me the systems are pretty comparable. I was curious to see what xbox was going to do with with their initial plans but as they even admitted they didnt explain it very well (or at all really) so if they want to change their policies to appease the majority of consumers then Im not overly concerned with it. I never buy used games and will always be able to connect my console to the internet (I have played games online with my 360 tethering from my iphone with no issues when my internet was down).

 

On the other hand I can easily see why some people wouldnt like xbox's initial proposed plans and understand why it would make them not want to go with xbox this time around.

 

Another thing I like, which I honestly have no idea if it would work with ps3 or ps4 as easily as it does with my xbox, is how easy it is to stream videos from my windows 8 laptop to my tv using the xbox. Literally all you have to do is turn on your xbox and then right click on the movie on my cpu and click "send to xbox" and it immediately starts playing. I didnt have to install anything on my computer or xbox, it just works because windows and xbox are both made by microsoft.

[Soxbadger]

Thanks for the response. The online thing and used games is also not something that really impacts me (ive never bought a used game and my entire house is wifi), but I just get concerned about my media being in the hands of someone else.

 

The second paragraph is a cool feature and definitely one that would make me consider buying an Xbox.

[TaylorStSox]

That is a completely legitimate stance and I have no problem with someone saying they prefer Xbox.

 

What I dont understand is why someone who is arguing for Xbox would say that Ps4 is just a "$400 blu ray player" that makes no sense in the context of the argument. Bring me something with substance, say I want an Xbox for X, Y, Z reasons.

 

There is always a chance I am missing something. I have no problem discussing Microsoft, just once again, no one has brought me a good argument why its better to have extremely restrictive DRM, why its better to have to be connected at least 1 time every 24 hours, etc etc.

 

I merely was saying "Those ideas dont seem to make sense" and when I said that I was basically told that "Im not forward thinking and just dont understand"

 

Those are nothing more than ad hominen conclusions. I just am asking for some real discussion about the system, not Xbox fans telling everyone else how they just dont understand. Or posting some sort of quote from a microsoft employee with a "We had so many great ideas that you ruined, but I cant articulate 1 of them."

 

I guess I just dont see that as very productive in determining what system I want to buy. I have presented reasons why I would buy PS4, I am just waiting for someone to present some good reasons why buying Xbox is better than PS4.

Apparently you glossed over everything I said before we started talking about DRM about 10 pages ago. It's nearly impossible to really even compare specifics before launch. Both systems looked very average at E3. I'm interested in the Xbox because of media integration and partially Kinect. I don't even play most of Xbox's exclusives. I think their vision of what a console can be suit me. What I see from Sony is a reboot if their previous system. I don't see any innovation. That bores me. Sony's network and interface were absolutely awful to me. I don't trust them to improve. They don't have the established network of Microsoft. A console in 2013 should be far more than a plastic box that plays video games IMO. That's not for everyone and that's fine.

[TaylorStSox]

Also, I think Microsoft's vision is much more than competing with Sony. They're going to try to get Windows 8 in your home for media integration before Apple can beat them to the punch.

[chw42]

I thought it was interesting insight to what they were thinking. With the PS4, you're basically buying a new console for no good reason. The hardware isn't good enough to make a dramatic difference in gaming experiences.

I'm sure most companies with a 90% market share wouldn't consider themselves to be "fighting for their lives." I'm actually surprised Microsoft shifted because the XBox division has never been all that profitable.

 

You cannot be serious.

 

If you've ever played a Xbox 360 or PS3 game up close and then play the same game on a PC with the latest GPU and CPU technology (which is what the Xbox One and PS4 more or less have) on the highest settings (provided it's not a s***ty port), the difference is huge. Especially in texture detail and anti-aliasing.

 

A lot of you say The Last of Us is a good looking game. To me, it's a good looking game for the PS3. But when I sit close to my monitor to play it, I see all these jaggies and I'm just not impressed. Because my PC and its 2 year old video card give me better visuals.

 

You're talking about a 6 year technological upgrade when you compare the hardware of the PS4 and PS3. That's a huge difference. You may not see the drastic differences in the games yet, but it'll come.

[TaylorStSox]

You cannot be serious.

 

If you've ever played a Xbox 360 or PS3 game up close and then play the same game on a PC with the latest GPU and CPU technology (which is what the Xbox One and PS4 more or less have) on the highest settings (provided it's not a s***ty port), the difference is huge. Especially in texture detail and anti-aliasing.

 

A lot of you say The Last of Us is a good looking game. To me, it's a good looking game for the PS3. But when I sit close to my monitor to play it, I see all these jaggies and I'm just not impressed. Because my PC and its 2 year old video card give me better visuals.

 

You're talking about a 6 year technological upgrade when you compare the hardware of the PS4 and PS3. That's a huge difference. You may not see the drastic differences in the games yet, but it'll come.

Pushing to a TV as opposed to a monitor?

[chw42]

Pushing to a TV as opposed to a monitor?

 

You won't notice the hardware's shortcomings on the PS3 or 360 as much on a TV when you're sitting 6-7 feet away. But that's not my point.

 

At this point in time, if MS and Sony were to stick to their current hardware, game developers couldn't have milked much more out of it. We're talking about a 6 year old video card (the current generation of integrated graphics in Intel processors can probably outperform the GPU of a 360) and CPUs that are more or less unwanted (IBM doesn't really even want to design PowerPC CPUs anymore). Not to mention finding people who could optimize for the PS3's cell processor was a pain in the ass for a lot of developers.

 

So with a very well known architecture (x86) as the backbone of the PS4 and Xbox One (meaning more software engineers who will know what they are doing), you're looking at faster advancement in graphics and optimization. Sure, the games that are launching with the systems won't look THAT different than those you see on PS3 and Xbox 360 when you're sitting 6-7 feet away, but in a year or two, you'll ask yourself how you were able to play those ugly games on the PS3 and 360.

Edited June 22, 2013 by chw42

[Quin]

Journey did take 4 years to make, but I can't see any scenario where it would use a kinect.

[danman31]

The digital games argument will solve itself. Physical discs aren't going anywhere any time soon, but digital will become more and more prevalent. Just about every PS3 game is already on PSN and every game is available digitally for the Vita.

 

The way digital works is that the prices on PSN don't drop often because they don't want to undercut retailers. The funny part about killing the used game market is that it also kills places like Gamestop (f*** em I say). Sony and Microsoft have to decide whether they want to help developers at the cost of retailers that they currently rely on for distribution. It's at least a little tricky.

 

The only problem with digital now is that it takes forever to download games. They seem to have found a way to download while you're playing or download parts first (single player or multiplayer first so you can start playing sooner) on next gen, but as much as I'd love to download all games digitally it takes hours upon hours to download a AAA game and it slows down my internet while I'm doing it so I can't watch youtube or stream something on my laptop while I let the PS3 download a game for a few hours. It sounds like they have worked most of this out, but as the kinks get worked out digital will eventually become more and more popular. There's no question.

[danman31]

I just finished The Last of Us playing as stealthily as possible and searching for collectibles in every nook and cranny and my play through took just under 22 hours. Some of that was slinking around when I didn't know I was in the clear so it shouldn't have taken that long, but damn. I missed 49 collectibles! I don't know of any linear game taking that long to beat. Obviously playing guns blazing and ignoring collectibles you could probably do it in like 12-13, but I'm impressed with the depth and detail of that game.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

One of the guys from Watch Dogs talked to IGN about the multiplayer mode and the Mobile device cross-platform features. Game sounds amazing.

[witesoxfan]

I have started playing Madden '12 online again. It's awesome sauce scoring touchdowns with Aaron Hernandez and yelling "MURDERER"

[Jenksismyhero]

Finished The Last of Us. What a game. I'd give it a 9/10, but I can understand why some people didn't think it was GOAT-worthy.

My complaints: the whole resort town/mad man chapter came out of nowhere and ended too abruptly. It didn't seem like that fit the rest of the story at all. The game was super repetitive (alcohol, tape, scissors, ammo. Next room!). There should have been more than just 3 types of infected. I felt as the game went along the fear of the clickers went away and you ended up being able to blast through a room without much concern. And the ending left me a little unsatisfied. Maybe they're planning on a sequel, and that's fine by me.

 

All minor complaints for an otherwise excellent game. I still think it's a smidge behind Uncharted 2 as the best of the generation for the PS3, but pretty close. Naughty Dog knocked it out of the park again.

[Kyyle23]

Xbox president Don Mattrick is leaving Microsoft for a CEO role with Zynga.

 

"Haha suckers! That PR mess is all yours now!"

[bigruss]

Xbox president Don Mattrick is leaving Microsoft for a CEO role with Zynga.

 

"Haha suckers! That PR mess is all yours now!"

Except he goes to a struggling company that may need to change drastically to stay in business.

[danman31]

Finished The Last of Us. What a game. I'd give it a 9/10, but I can understand why some people didn't think it was GOAT-worthy.

My complaints: the whole resort town/mad man chapter came out of nowhere and ended too abruptly. It didn't seem like that fit the rest of the story at all. The game was super repetitive (alcohol, tape, scissors, ammo. Next room!). There should have been more than just 3 types of infected. I felt as the game went along the fear of the clickers went away and you ended up being able to blast through a room without much concern. And the ending left me a little unsatisfied. Maybe they're planning on a sequel, and that's fine by me.

 

All minor complaints for an otherwise excellent game. I still think it's a smidge behind Uncharted 2 as the best of the generation for the PS3, but pretty close. Naughty Dog knocked it out of the park again.

I didn't care for the ending either, but I kind of respect it for the same reasons I don't like it. They could have easily just went through with her being the sacrifice and the world being on the road to recovery. This ending made me feel a bit dirty, which is how the entire game felt so I felt that was fair.

 

It's not my favorite game ever, but it's the game I'm telling the most people to play. I think everyone can enjoy what's good about this game whereas some games I've loved are too 'gamey' with cliche gameplay elements that don't appeal to everyone. This game has those, but they seem to fit better and, oh yeah, the tension. It's so much more tense than any other game I've ever played.

[Jenksismyhero]

I didn't care for the ending either, but I kind of respect it for the same reasons I don't like it. They could have easily just went through with her being the sacrifice and the world being on the road to recovery. This ending made me feel a bit dirty, which is how the entire game felt so I felt that was fair.

 

It's not my favorite game ever, but it's the game I'm telling the most people to play. I think everyone can enjoy what's good about this game whereas some games I've loved are too 'gamey' with cliche gameplay elements that don't appeal to everyone. This game has those, but they seem to fit better and, oh yeah, the tension. It's so much more tense than any other game I've ever played.

 

Yeah the intensity was great. It took me back to high school when the Resident Evil games were still good.

[kev211]

Just played heavy rain for the first time.

 

Holy s*** I've missed out. I don't know why I never bought this before, need to start replaying and seeing the other endings.

[Quin]

Just played heavy rain for the first time.

 

Holy s*** I've missed out. I don't know why I never bought this before, need to start replaying and seeing the other endings.

 

Heavy Rain may be one of the most underrated games of all time. I still need to buy it, rented it before.

 

Some of the trials Ethan has to do had me seriously mortified like no other game, especially the finger cutting and the glass hallway.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Quinarvy

[SnB]

I just finished Bioshock 1 for the first time (yes - 6 years too late). That was one of the best atmospheres I've ever experienced. The creepy 40's music was just perfect.

[Jenksismyhero]

Played the demo for State of Decay over the weekend. Anyone play that? It's a 360 Arcade game. Basically a poor man's Left 4 Dead but more open world with various safehouses to upgrade. A little rough around the edges, but for $20 bucks I might pick it up.

[DrunkBomber]

Played the demo for State of Decay over the weekend. Anyone play that? It's a 360 Arcade game. Basically a poor man's Left 4 Dead but more open world with various safehouses to upgrade. A little rough around the edges, but for $20 bucks I might pick it up.

I also played the demo after seeing a few of my friends playing it. I heard the full version is pretty glitchy but I know a lot of people enjoyed it. If you havent played Hitman Absolution its on sale now for $10 which is a crazy deal for a game of that caliber.

 

Also, the game defense grid is free for july, which is a decent tower defense game.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Heavy Rain may be one of the most underrated games of all time. I still need to buy it, rented it before.

 

Some of the trials Ethan has to do had me seriously mortified like no other game, especially the finger cutting and the glass hallway.

 

I think Heavy Rain has by far had the best storyline of any game I've ever played. If they ever make a sequel, I am all over it. The only bad part was I was so obsessed with the story that I beat the entire game in 2 days over the summer. Probably about 14-15 hours.