2013 Video Games Thread

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

So we've got one box that is a TV with a few games and we've got another box which is a gaming system that we haven't actually seen physically. Sounds good.

[cartman]

For having a bunch of exclusives planned they really seemed like they didn't want to talk about them.

Like I mentioned earlier, I think they said they were saving the big game stuff for E3 at the beginning of June.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

For having a bunch of exclusives planned they really seemed like they didn't want to talk about them.

I got the feeling they were holding back info for E3. If so, why not wait a month on all of it and make the huge splash next month?

[mckerney]

Dodger summed up the end pretty well.

Dodger ‏@dexbonus 5m
das not side by side, xbawks. stahp. #xboxreveal

Dodger ‏@dexbonus 1m
cutscenes are not gameplay. CUTSCENES ARE NOT GAMEPLAY. #xboxreveal

Dodger ‏@dexbonus 1m
I need a stiff drink. #xboxreveal

Dodger ‏@dexbonus 39s
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAFJSDKHFJKSAHFJKAFLKA

Dodger ‏@dexbonus 29s
omg that was the end you guys. omg


Dodger ‏@dexbonus 6s
I CAN'T DO THIS I'M LAUGHCRYING

[mckerney]

I certainly understand their strategy. If parents who aren't gamers are looking to buy their kids a new console this Christmas and also want something they can use in the living room XBox One is probably the better choice for them. The TV stuff they showed looks like it will be pretty cool. And from the EA stuff, more Halo and time exclusives on CoD DLC they're looking to keep pushing the Dude Bro market.

That said, unless they're going to show some games at E3 that are absolutely mindblowing I don't have a whole lot of interest in it. It wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being the winner of this console generation, but I don't think I'm really in the market they're pushing for.

[mckerney]

Jesse Cox ‏@JesseCox
Ps4 conference: Wacky Japanese guys, crazy shoes, game play and mechanics. Xbox conference: "It's a cable box with sports games".

[mckerney]

Would definitely pick up the XBox One pad for PC though, that looked nice.

[mckerney]

How Xbox One Plans to Fight Sony, Steam, and Everything Else | Game|Life | Wired.com (http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/xbox-one-analysis/)

[Shkspr]

Is it a bad sign when you reveal your next gen console and your rival's stock jumps nearly 10% in the 90 minutes afterwards?

[SirFozzie]

My review on 8bitmind:

Mixed, trending towards negative. Sad to see the lockout on used/rental games is confirmed and no Backwards Compatibility.

Plus, too much "other stuff", not enough games.

8 bit mind in a 64 Bit World: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.. (Xbox One Revealed) (http://8bitmindin64bitworld.blogspot.com/2013/05/you-never-get-second-chance-to-make.html)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

How Xbox One Plans to Fight Sony, Steam, and Everything Else | Game|Life | Wired.com (http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/xbox-one-analysis/)

I think the difference between the consoles is generally good for consumers. You're a gamer who wants the option to watch movies, Netflix, Hulu, etc.? PS4 is probably for you. You're looking for an entertainment box which offers mostly high profile games with a few other things mixed in? X1 is probably for you.

In the end, I see both of them doing well with WiiU being dead in the water given what these two consoles will cover in regards to market share.

[Ryan S]

It wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being the winner of this console generation, but I don't think I'm really in the market they're pushing for.

If they focus more on the "all in one living room device" aspect and less on gaming, I don't think it will do as well as the 360 outside the US. So many of the TV and streaming options which work as selling points in the US will probably be crippled or non existent in Europe.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If they focus more on the "all in one living room device" aspect and less on gaming, I don't think it will do as well as the 360 outside the US. So many of the TV and streaming options which work as selling points in the US will probably be crippled or non existent in Europe.

And maybe they're OK with that. Sony has always done better elsewhere. Maybe they're OK with giving Sony that portion of the market and pushing hard here at home.

[mckerney]

My review on 8bitmind:

Mixed, trending towards negative. Sad to see the lockout on used/rental games is confirmed and no Backwards Compatibility.

Plus, too much "other stuff", not enough games.

8 bit mind in a 64 Bit World: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.. (Xbox One Revealed) (http://8bitmindin64bitworld.blogspot.com/2013/05/you-never-get-second-chance-to-make.html)

The backwards compatibility is understandable. It's something that's not all that easy to do, especially when you have a completely different system architecture. Software emulation of the 360 is incredibly difficult and probably wouldn't work all that well and if they did it with hardware the added cost would be worth the added feature of being backwards compatible financially.

[mckerney]

If they focus more on the "all in one living room device" aspect and less on gaming, I don't think it will do as well as the 360 outside the US. So many of the TV and streaming options which work as selling points in the US will probably be crippled or non existent in Europe.

Agreed, they'll need to make deals for the rights to do similar things elsewhere. Most the non US comments I saw on it were, "There's a bunch of stuff that won't be available in my region."

[mckerney]

I think the difference between the consoles is generally good for consumers. You're a gamer who wants the option to watch movies, Netflix, Hulu, etc.? PS4 is probably for you. You're looking for an entertainment box which offers mostly high profile games with a few other things mixed in? X1 is probably for you.

In the end, I see both of them doing well with WiiU being dead in the water given what these two consoles will cover in regards to market share.

I don't think the Wii U is a bad system, but Nintendo did an incredibly poor job with it. Between no worthwhile games at launch (and still very little out now) to the fact that it seems a decent number of people think the Wii U is a new controller or accessory for the Wii rather than a new system.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

The backwards compatibility is understandable. It's something that's not all that easy to do, especially when you have a completely different system architecture. Software emulation of the 360 is incredibly difficult and probably wouldn't work all that well and if they did it with hardware the added cost would be worth the added feature of being backwards compatible financially.

I agree that the backwards compatibility isn't that big of an issue. I think the decision to not carry forward store purchases of store games (things like Pac-Man or other games that were online only purchases) is horrible. I don't care as much on my account just because all my games were free with PS Plus and I assume they'll eventually be offered free again on a similar service on the next system, but if you've bought a lot of those games at a retail price, it sucks.

[mckerney]

I agree that the backwards compatibility isn't that big of an issue. I think the decision to not carry forward store purchases of store games (things like Pac-Man or other games that were online only purchases) is horrible. I don't care as much on my account just because all my games were free with PS Plus and I assume they'll eventually be offered free again on a similar service on the next system, but if you've bought a lot of those games at a retail price, it sucks.

Downloaded games are no different from games on a disc in terms of compatibility, they'd need to be ported over to be able to run on the PS4. The best case scenario on the PS4 would be for Sony to allow access to PS3 purchases through their streaming service.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Downloaded games are no different from games on a disc in terms of compatibility, they'd need to be ported over to be able to run on the PS4. The best case scenario on the PS4 would be for Sony to allow access to PS3 purchases through their streaming service.

Yes, but there's a big difference between porting a Call of Duty game vs. Trine. The second is much more easily achieved. I'll just cross my fingers I suppose.

[wade moore]

Fwiw - I'm buying what they are selling. I'm at the point where a good entertainment device is as important to me as a good gaming device. I use my 360 for entertainment more than games now.

[cartman]

Yes, but there's a big difference between porting a Call of Duty game vs. Trine. The second is much more easily achieved. I'll just cross my fingers I suppose.

It is not a trivial task to port software between different OSes and hardware platforms. You are saying you want the developers of the indie games to do this free of charge?

[mckerney]

Yes, but there's a big difference between porting a Call of Duty game vs. Trine. The second is much more easily achieved. I'll just cross my fingers I suppose.

Though with Trine you're talking about a small company with 20 people spread over different projects. Porting Trine could come at a significant cost to them that they can't afford if there isn't a decent revenue attached to it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Though with Trine you're talking about a small company with 20 people spread over different projects. Porting Trine could come at a significant cost to them that they can't afford if there isn't a decent revenue attached to it.

Fair point. Like I said, I didn't buy any of my online games. I could see Sony just using their PS+ revenue (or whatever the new option is called) to help mitigate costs for those developers so they have those options available. I believe they did something similar on the PS3 for those developers and it was very popular as a result.

[Arles]

I think the difference between the consoles is generally good for consumers. You're a gamer who wants the option to watch movies, Netflix, Hulu, etc.? PS4 is probably for you. You're looking for an entertainment box which offers mostly high profile games with a few other things mixed in? X1 is probably for you.

In the end, I see both of them doing well with WiiU being dead in the water given what these two consoles will cover in regards to market share.
With all the "smart" TVs and DVDs out there (and their lower price point), I'm not sure that XBOX/PS needs to worry a ton about Netflix/Hulu. Any new LED/Plasma someone buys from now on for their main room should have smart ability. Plus, I just saw a "smart" blu ray DVD player at best buy for $50 that had the ability to play Netflix/Hulu.

By the time these things come out, between ruku/apple TV/smart TV/DVD - these features will probably be redundant on the area where the console is installed. Heck, even DirecTV HD DVRs are now "smart" devices.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Dubious Quality: Xbox One (http://www.dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2013/05/xbox-one.html)

[mckerney]

From the Wired article above.

What follows naturally from this is that each disc would have to be tied to a unique Xbox Live account, else you could take a single disc and pass it between everyone you know and copy the game over and over. Since this is clearly not going to happen, each disc must then only install for a single owner.

Microsoft did say that if a disc was used with a second account, that owner would be given the option to pay a fee and install the game from the disc, which would then mean that the new account would also own the game and could play it without the disc.

I'm curious about the details on this, and I'd think one of two things are going to happen. First is that the activation cost will be the same as the full game. If this isn't the case then friends will buy one copy and then have everyone else activate the game on their account for a discount. This would kill used game sales since it would make the used copy from Game Stop more expensive. The second possibility is that it won't cost as much as the full game but it will deactivate the game on other accounts that used the same disc. Won't completely kill used game sales, but it will really being down the trade in price and resale price of the game. It will also result in people getting upset after lending their game to a friend and finding they can't play the game anymore.

[cartman]

Is it a bad sign when you reveal your next gen console and your rival's stock jumps nearly 10% in the 90 minutes afterwards?

Sounds like the stock jump was due to a report from Japan that Sony is looking to spin off the movie and music side of things from the electronics side.

Sony Jumps on Report Company Weighs Entertainment Spinoff - Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-21/sony-jumps-on-report-company-weighs-entertainment-spinoff.html)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

From the Wired article above.

I'm curious about the details on this, and I'd think one of two things are going to happen. First is that the activation cost will be the same as the full game. If this isn't the case then friends will buy one copy and then have everyone else activate the game on their account for a discount. This would kill used game sales since it would make the used copy from Game Stop more expensive. The second possibility is that it won't cost as much as the full game but it will deactivate the game on other accounts that used the same disc. Won't completely kill used game sales, but it will really being down the trade in price and resale price of the game. It will also result in people getting upset after lending their game to a friend and finding they can't play the game anymore.

I just assumed that the fee would be full price. Anything outside of that just doesn't seem like a possibility.

[mckerney]

From an editor at XBox Official Magazine

Jon Hicks ‏@MrJonty
On second hand games: you buy disc, it installs, you play from HD. Sell disc, it installs to new console and deactivates your install.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

From an editor at XBox Official Magazine

Jon Hicks ‏@MrJonty
On second hand games: you buy disc, it installs, you play from HD. Sell disc, it installs to new console and deactivates your install.

Ouch. That's not going to end well for them. Several million units of X1 console sales just went out the window assuming full price on reinstall.

[mckerney]

Ouch. That's not going to end well for them. Several million units of X1 console sales just went out the window assuming full price on reinstall.

It looks like there's no cost associated with doing this, though if you use a disc that someone else has registered it will also give you the option to just buy the downloadable version of the game.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

It looks like there's no cost associated with doing this, though if you use a disc that someone else has registered it will also give you the option to just buy the downloadable version of the game.

So what's the purpose then? Just making sure the previous owner can't play it anymore? Seems like a lot of work for achieving just that one change.

[cartman]

I love MBBF's fearless predictions

[mckerney]

So what's the purpose then? Just making sure the previous owner can't play it anymore? Seems like a lot of work for achieving just that one change.

Probably there to allow installing games and playing them without the disc in the drive.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Probably there to allow installing games and playing them without the disc in the drive.

But that won't be an option in the scenario you described. Player A sells game to store. Player B buys disc from store and installs it. Player A sees game disappear from hard drive. So Player A doesn't have the option to play that game anymore, no?

Still haven't seen any firm PS4 plans in regards to this either. Will be interesting to see what they end up doing, though no comment thus far isn't a good sign IMO.

[cartman]

I really don't think MS is trying to reinvent the wheel here. Steam has this down pat, and likely that is the model they are going to follow.

[chinaski]

But that won't be an option in the scenario you described. Player A sells game to store. Player B buys disc from store and installs it. Player A sees game disappear from hard drive. So Player A doesn't have the option to play that game anymore, no?

Still haven't seen any firm PS4 plans in regards to this either. Will be interesting to see what they end up doing, though no comment thus far isn't a good sign IMO.

Not quite sure how this is a bad thing? It no different than the way things work now.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Not quite sure how this is a bad thing? It no different than the way things work now.

It does not uninstall from first console on current generation.

Assuming no charge from anyone, it's relatively little change. However, that guarantee of no charge is only guaranteed on the console end. There's no guarantee that the developers won't charge significant amounts similar to the online pass method currently used by EA on the current gen. In fact, I'd expect EA to see this as a significant revenue option given their previous stances in articles.

[mckerney]

It does not uninstall from first console on current generation.

And how many disc based games let you install and then play them without the disc with the current console genration?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

And how many disc based games let you install and then play them without the disc with the current console genration?

I guess I'm confusing the two scenarios a bit. The catch isn't that you lose the install if you sell it, its that you can't take it over and play it on a friend's console without uninstalling from your own since an install is required. That correct?

[mckerney]

I guess I'm confusing the two scenarios a bit. The catch isn't that you lose the install if you sell it, its that you can't take it over and play it on a friend's console without uninstalling from your own since an install is required. That correct?

Deactivate install ≠ uninstall.

[cartman]

I guess I'm confusing the two scenarios a bit. The catch isn't that you lose the install if you sell it, its that you can't take it over and play it on a friend's console without uninstalling from your own since an install is required. That correct?

No. The install is tied to your XBox live account, so you login with your account on your friend's Xbox. The same way it works today with the EA Online Pass.

[SirFozzie]

I guess I'm confusing the two scenarios a bit. The catch isn't that you lose the install if you sell it, its that you can't take it over and play it on a friend's console without uninstalling from your own since an install is required. That correct?

No. Once you install it, it's linked to your Xbox Live account, permanently. for your friend to install it, he needs to pay full retail price.

"The bits that are on that disc, you can give it to your friend and they can install it on an Xbox One," he said. "They would then have to purchase the right to play that game through Xbox Live."

"They would be paying the same price we paid, or less?" we asked.

"Let’s assume it’s a new game, so the answer is yes, it will be the same price," Harrison said.

Between the no Backwards Compatibility, once-per-day internet authentication required, always on Kinect required, etcetera etcetera, I'm done with 'em. Microsoft can go look for the place they lost their fucking minds, as far as I'm concerned.

[mckerney]

No. Once you install it, it's linked to your Xbox Live account, permanently. for your friend to install it, he needs to pay full retail price.

"The bits that are on that disc, you can give it to your friend and they can install it on an Xbox One," he said. "They would then have to purchase the right to play that game through Xbox Live."

"They would be paying the same price we paid, or less?" we asked.

"Let’s assume it’s a new game, so the answer is yes, it will be the same price," Harrison said.

Between the no Backwards Compatibility, once-per-day internet authentication required, always on Kinect required, etcetera etcetera, I'm done with 'em. Microsoft can go look for the place they lost their fucking minds, as far as I'm concerned.

Unfortunately there's conflicting info on this with all of it coming from what should be official Microsoft channels, so it's tough to tell right now.

Microsoft (Sorta) Addresses Big Xbox One Questions [UPDATED] - Giant Bomb (http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/microsoft-sorta-addresses-big-xbox-one-questions-u/1100-4646/)

UPDATE: The used games stuff only gets weirder and weirder. Xbox exec Phil Harrison told Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-21-xbox-one-second-hand-games-will-charge-a-fee-to-play) there's a fee associated with used games, while Xbox Support is saying the exact opposite on Twitter (https://twitter.com/XboxSupport/status/336936354913071104). On the other hand, Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/you-will-be-able-to-trade-xbox-one-games-online-micros-509140825) also talked to Harrison, who said Microsoft is working out an online trade system that's yet to be announced, and games will be playable on all user accounts on an individual system. According to Harrison, you will have to pay a fee if you borrow a game disc from a friend, a fee that, at least for new games, will be the same cost your friend probably paid.

[SirFozzie]

That's exactly where I got the Harrison comment from (on Kotaku). You borrow a disc from a friend, you will not be able to play the game unless you pay a SECOND full price.

[SirFozzie]

Here's Major Nelson:

Xbox Live's Major Nelson » Xbox One and Used Games : (http://majornelson.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-and-used-games/)

In short, let's say I (SirFozzie) buy a game and install it. It would then be linked to my account. Let's say SackAttack wants to borrow a game from me.. I let him borrow my disc. He'd have to pay full price. If I go over to his apartment, and log into his console with my account info, then there would be no price.

There will be sell/trade options apparently, but that's nebulous and probably incurs a fee.

[mckerney]

Kotaku has Harrison saying to be able to play games the XBox One will need to connect to the internet once every 24 hours while a Major Nelson post says if you want to play a game of yours at a friends you will need to be signed in to your account.

[mckerney]

A couple tech notes, the hard drive in the XBox One cannot be replaced, storage upgrades are external only. As far as memory it has 8 GB DDR3 RAM with 5 GB for the system and 3 GB for video (compared to shared 8GB GDDR5 for the PS4).

[JonInMiddleGA]

The more I read the less interesting this becomes.

If there wasn't a teen boy in my house the odds of even considering this would be zero. And even he is talking PS at this point (and has been for several months anyway).

[Mota]

My Steam account is backward compatible. For me the battle between 360 and PS3 ended over a year ago, if it is available on PC I've been buying my games there. I know that in one year, anything I buy on console will be worthless and won't work with the new consoles. My backlog is probably in triple digits, so it feels good to know that when I finally get there, I'll still be able to play the games.

[INDalltheway]

I think there are a couple Sony PR employees ITT.

[SirFozzie]

There are people with pro-Sony viewpoints, sure.

Up till today, I definitely wasn't one of them. Neither were most of the others disgusted by Microsoft's decisions

[JonInMiddleGA]

FTR, I've never owned a Sony console, and don't have any interest in one for my personal use today either. The most likely outcome I see is the end to my second era of console gaming (and likely most gaming in general, I have very little interest in going back to the p.c. route, as I've noted previously).

[cartman]

There are people with pro-Sony viewpoints, sure.

Up till today, I definitely wasn't one of them. Neither were most of the others disgusted by Microsoft's decisions

Disgusted? Really?

[SirFozzie]

Disgusted? Really?

Yup.

Spits in the face of gamers, and locks down the system under pressure from publishers.

[cartman]

How is this that much worse than Steam? From everything I've seen, it looks to work the same way.

[SirFozzie]

Because steam is about nothing BUT the software (games/programs), and holds sales to ridiculous amounts. Xbox One is about everything but the software and doesn't know a sale if it bit them on their ass.

[cartman]

Because steam is about nothing BUT the software (games/programs), and holds sales to ridiculous amounts. Xbox One is about everything but the software and doesn't know a sale if it bit them on their ass.

Jumping the gun a bit? Under Xbox Live on the 360 they have done sales on downloadable games, that were cheaper than the disc versions.

[SirFozzie]

Steam's also a hell of a lot lighter in DRM than what came before it.. unlike Microsoft which is going 210 MPH in the other direction.

[mckerney]

For me the used game thing really doesn't bother me. How one console handles used games versus the other really won't have any impact on what I buy for the next generation.

I've owned both Sony and Microsoft consoles in the past, but being I play primarily on PC and it's incredibly unlikely I'll play something on console if it's available on PC. I also don't watch much live TV and what I do watch I do on my computer also (my PS3 is hooked up to my computer monitor anyway).

So pretty much the only deciding factor is games for me, specifically the system exclusives. So while I can easily see the TV stuff leading to the XBox One being the top selling system this generation, when almost all the game stuff is EA Sports and Call of Duty and the PS4 reveal was nearly all about games then yeah, I'm more excited about the prospect of getting a PS4 at this point.

[cartman]

Steam's also a hell of a lot lighter in DRM than what came before it.. unlike Microsoft which is going 210 MPH in the other direction.

How so? We really haven't seen any details yet. I don't hear about people complaining about not being able to resale games they've bought on Steam, or not being able to lend one of the games to a friend.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

What a mess. When Microsoft can't even give you a straight answer, you know there's some things they're trying not to tell you. Totally baffling.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I don't hear about people complaining about not being able to resale games they've bought on Steam, or not being able to lend one of the games to a friend.

That's not really a part of the p.c. gaming culture historically though, is it?

[bhlloy]

Right. Comparing PC gaming and Steam where maybe the top 5% of games are 60 bucks when they come out to a system where 95% of the games come out at 60 bucks and stay that way for at least a couple years new is stupid.

I probably average one full price console game a year. But Gamefly + used makes it worth me owning the console anyway, with this new business model I just won't bother.

Speaking of Gamefly, their business model is completely shot. Might as well prepare to start closing the doors now.

[mckerney]

This is incredibly disappointing news if true.

Xbox One won't allow indies to self-publish g - Video Game News, Videos and File Downloads for PC and Console Games at Shacknews.com (http://www.shacknews.com/article/79309/xbox-one-wont-allow-indies-to-self-publish-games)

[Matthean]

Just means more business for the one console that was Kickstarted.

[Abe Sargent]

I wont buy this XBox for a variety of reasons. One, I tend to buy a different console each generation, and then pick up games from the previous generation wanted but could;t play. So I picked up fun PS games on m PStwo, fun XBox games for my 360, etc.

Assuming its backward compatible, I suspect PS4 is my choice. But the lack of backwards compatibility on the XB1 for me is a huge non-selling feature. I loved the backwards compatibility of Nintendo's handhelds, and I buy a lot of games there because with one handheld i can access more than 10 years of great games. I want that with any system I buy. If I were to purchase the XB1 I don;t want to have to keep my other system still out that's silly.

I have purchased a lot of used games through the years too, and that's a major turn off.


So, as of right now, PS4 is in the run for my next gen console. Now, they could screw it up, and then I might pass on both. But right now, they are looking better and better.

[cartman]

Assuming its backward compatible, I suspect PS4 is my choice.

The PS4 won't be backwards compatible either.

Sony Thought 'Long and Hard' Over PS4's Lack of Backward Compatibility - Push Square (http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/04/sony_thought_long_and_hard_over_ps4s_lack_of_backward_compatibility)

[mckerney]

Just means more business for the one console that was Kickstarted.

We'll see, its likely the games that indie devs would want to put out on the XBox wouldn't run on the Ouya though.

[mckerney]

The PS4 won't be backwards compatible either.

Sony Thought 'Long and Hard' Over PS4's Lack of Backward Compatibility - Push Square (http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/04/sony_thought_long_and_hard_over_ps4s_lack_of_backward_compatibility)

No chance it's backwards compatible when they are going from the cell processor to x86.

[Abe Sargent]

The PS4 won't be backwards compatible either.

Sony Thought 'Long and Hard' Over PS4's Lack of Backward Compatibility - Push Square (http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/04/sony_thought_long_and_hard_over_ps4s_lack_of_backward_compatibility)

Well that sucks

[Easy Mac]

I guess google completely missed the boat with the Google TV.

The xbox one just seems like a Google TV that can play games.

The ouya just seems like a Google TV that lacks the TV part.

If they tried earlier, Google could have dominated the mid-range game market and set top box market.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

This is incredibly disappointing news if true.

Xbox One won't allow indies to self-publish g - Video Game News, Videos and File Downloads for PC and Console Games at Shacknews.com (http://www.shacknews.com/article/79309/xbox-one-wont-allow-indies-to-self-publish-games)

That's a big surprising given how wide the barn door has been left open on the PS4 as far as indie developers go. Sony is bending over backward to get indie developers on their store this generation.

[AENeuman]

when xbox changed their home screen to mostly ads and made looking for new games and demos many clicks away they lost me.

With the popularity of tablets it seems that android and particularly apple will soon get the TV-game-internet thing down. lots of weak tries so far, but having an ipad meld with the tv seems a lot more fluid than what xbox is tiring to do.also, imo, there is no way people are going to embrace a machine that requires a separate keyboard, that is old Microsoft thinking

apple used a decade of failed tablets to create the first great (accepted) one. i could see them doing the same thing with this holy grail goal of merging all media devices

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

This article talks about the specs on each console as far as raw horsepower......

Xbox One Vs PlayStation 4: Spec Battle Won by Sony | BGR (http://bgr.com/2013/05/22/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-specs/)

While it's pretty clear that the PS4 has more behind it, I think the key question is going to be price point. Will MS be able to make the X1 cheaper based on the lower horsepower? Will it matter that the horsepower is lower if the developers develop for the lowest common denominator or will they develop to the highest level possible on each console?

[terpkristin]

The back compat stuff doesn't really surprise me. I'm not interested in all the entertainment stuff and really hate Kinect and motion control stuff...right now, the PS4 has the edge for me so far, but I don't think I'm buying either console at launch. I'm quite happy with my 3DS and iPhone and Vita.

/tk

[Atocep]

This article talks about the specs on each console as far as raw horsepower......

Xbox One Vs PlayStation 4: Spec Battle Won by Sony | BGR (http://bgr.com/2013/05/22/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-specs/)

While it's pretty clear that the PS4 has more behind it, I think the key question is going to be price point. Will MS be able to make the X1 cheaper based on the lower horsepower? Will it matter that the horsepower is lower if the developers develop for the lowest common denominator or will they develop to the highest level possible on each console?

I'll be surprised if there's really any difference in the look of the games on the two systems. When you include the PC, this generation has been a shining example of developers choosing to develop for the lowest common denominator.

[mckerney]

I'll be surprised if there's really any difference in the look of the games on the two systems. When you include the PC, this generation has been a shining example of developers choosing to develop for the lowest common denominator.

Yeah, I don't see specs determining which is the most popular this generation when they are fairly similar.

[Matthean]

This play from NCAA Football 10 is definitely not named after Tim Tebow | For The Win (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/05/this-play-from-ncaa-football-10-is-definitely-not-named-after-tim-tebow/)

[Kodos]

Right now I'm a strong PS4 lean, but see no need to buy it until a couple years from now. Content with my 360 and PS3.

[mckerney]

Started to get into the Metal Gear series so I know something about the game world when I play Revengeance and I started with Metal Gear Solid at the suggestion of a friend. So far it has mostly reinforced the thought that 3D games on PS1 have aged worse than any other era of games. The controls are just awful without analog sticks when compared to any game from the last decade and it makes the gameplay awful. The low poly 3D graphics may have aged even worse.

[SirFozzie]

Are we 100% sure that Microsoft didn't partner with the FBI for this game?

The Xbox One can talk to you, will feature remote play | Polygon (http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/24/4361974/the-xbox-one-can-talk-to-you-will-feature-remote-play)


In one scenario, Kinect used its facial recognition to scan a room full of people and note if there was someone in the room it didn't recognize. It then told the console owner that there is someone in the room it didn't recognize and asked the new person to identify themselves. Once the person said their name, Kinect welcomed them and saved their information to the console.

[Dutch]

Command And Conquer - Tiberian Dawn - HTML5 (http://www.adityaravishankar.com/projects/games/command-and-conquer/)

The original C&C recreated using HTML5. :)

[chinaski]

Command And Conquer - Tiberian Dawn - HTML5 (http://www.adityaravishankar.com/projects/games/command-and-conquer/)

The original C&C recreated using HTML5. :)

Awesome! Spent thousands of hours with this back in the day. Was even in the top 20 on Case's Ladder.

[WVUFAN]

If the concept mentioned earlier (Gamer A sells game to Gamestop, Gamer B buys used game, installs it on X1, Gamer A's version deactivates), then it's ok. This means Gamestop and the used game market can (mostly) continue to work as normal.

If you buy the used game, then have to pay MS MORE money to activate it, Microsoft will never get another penny from me. The great majority of games I purchase are used from Best Buy and Gamestop, and this will effectively kill that.

[Fidatelo]

If you buy the used game, then have to pay MS MORE money to activate it, Microsoft will never get another penny from me. The great majority of games I purchase are used from Best Buy and Gamestop, and this will effectively kill that.

I think it depends on what the addition MS charge is. If MS charges $10 to activate a used game, then GameStop just has to charge $10 less for the physical copy, which means they pay the end-user $10 less for the disc. So ultimately it doesn't hurt the guy who buys used games as much as it hurts the guy who sells new ones to GameStop, right?

[Mota]

If Gamestop is charging $10 less for the physical copy, then that pretty much means you'll get about $0.03 on your trade-ins since they are already ripping people off. Right now they're getting away with charging $5 less than retail on most new product which I think is insane. I don't see the model working, but of course we'll have to wait until we get exact info before that's definite.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I think it depends on what the addition MS charge is. If MS charges $10 to activate a used game, then GameStop just has to charge $10 less for the physical copy, which means they pay the end-user $10 less for the disc. So ultimately it doesn't hurt the guy who buys used games as much as it hurts the guy who sells new ones to GameStop, right?

While I don't believe there's a chance in hell the surcharge will be as low as $10, even at that amount, how many games actually have a trade-in value above that amount now? It's a pretty short list.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Been playing Sleeping Dogs on the PS3 since it's free on PS+. Fantastic game, especially at that price.

[SirFozzie]

I think it depends on what the addition MS charge is. If MS charges $10 to activate a used game, then GameStop just has to charge $10 less for the physical copy, which means they pay the end-user $10 less for the disc. So ultimately it doesn't hurt the guy who buys used games as much as it hurts the guy who sells new ones to GameStop, right?

Sorry, but according to the stuff out to retailers (or at least the stuff that retailers are apparently leaking), Microsoft will demand that used games, AT MOST, be 10% off new cost.

And that there's an activation cost to buy a used game,but they're currently requiring the retailer to play it.

[Jughead Spock]

I'm pretty sure my life as I know it ends on Friday when I get early access to Marvel Heroes. Played the beta, which was my first mistake. It's been nice knowing you all.

[Matthean]

I'm still hearing lukewarm things about it and videos are backing that up. The only character that seems actually fun is Hulk.

[Neon_Chaos]

Played the Beta for it, wasn't impressed really. :( The gameplay is kinda bland and the graphics are unimpressive.

[Thomkal]

Yeah not impressed either with graphics and gameplay. And I really didn't like playing as one of an infinite Spiderman for instance instead of your own unique hero.

[sachmo71]

Got Injustice: Gods Among Us today for $35 at Amazon today. I forsee some serious Father-Son hero fights coming down soon!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Online pressure ramping up hoping to get limited or no DRM on PS4.

http://kotaku.com/ps4nodrm-the-next-gen-twitter-campaign-thats-got-son-510143287

PlayStation fans flock to Twitter to protest DRM - NBC News.com (http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/playstation-fans-flock-twitter-protest-drm-6C10094985)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Fantastic news here. Love that you can play any PS4 game you purchase on your Vita as well. Really shouldn't be that tough for developers and it should help the Vita quite a bit, especially if games remain at the $60 retail price point.

Rumor: Sony making Remote Play mandatory with PS4 [update: Sony confirms] | Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/29/rumor-sony-making-remote-play-mandatory-with-ps4/)

[cartman]

If you order the Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition from Amazon, you get a code giving you PC/Tablet/Mobile device access to NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2013 season, and you don't have to sign-up for DirecTV to use it. For a $40 premium over the normal game price, that is a pretty good deal.

Amazon.com: Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition: Xbox 360: Video Games (http://www.amazon.com/Madden-NFL-Anniversary-Edition-Xbox-360/dp/B00CF7KVMI/ref=sr_tr_sr_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369871443)

[Groundhog]

I don't see myself buying an Xbox because, a) I had 3 bricked 360s, and b) it's region locked. The PS4 may well be region locked as well, but so far it hasn't been confirmed or denied.

[Alan T]

If you order the Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition from Amazon, you get a code giving you PC/Tablet/Mobile device access to NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2013 season, and you don't have to sign-up for DirecTV to use it. For a $40 premium over the normal game price, that is a pretty good deal.

Amazon.com: Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition: Xbox 360: Video Games (http://www.amazon.com/Madden-NFL-Anniversary-Edition-Xbox-360/dp/B00CF7KVMI/ref=sr_tr_sr_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369871443)


Wait.. what?

If I buy this game, I can get the sunday ticket package for next season for free? That is the package where you can watch the games live right? not just the next day recaps and such? I've been wanting a way to do this without direct tv for years... For this deal, I likely would buy this game even if I wasn't going to play it once.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wait.. what?

If I buy this game, I can get the sunday ticket package for next season for free? That is the package where you can watch the games live right? not just the next day recaps and such? I've been wanting a way to do this without direct tv for years... For this deal, I likely would buy this game even if I wasn't going to play it once.

Yep. Awesome deal.

[DaddyTorgo]

Wait.. what?

If I buy this game, I can get the sunday ticket package for next season for free? That is the package where you can watch the games live right? not just the next day recaps and such? I've been wanting a way to do this without direct tv for years... For this deal, I likely would buy this game even if I wasn't going to play it once.

If you don't want to play the game I might be willing to buy the PS3 version of it off you for some reduced price...

[DaddyTorgo]

Well that sucks donkey balls

[Shkspr]

After looking closer at the Sunday Ticket deal, it looks as though if you live somewhere DTV is available, and choose not to subscribe, the code you get allows you to watch on a PC, but not on a TV. To watch it on TV, you still need a subscription to DTV.

[cartman]

After looking closer at the Sunday Ticket deal, it looks as though if you live somewhere DTV is available, and choose not to subscribe, the code you get allows you to watch on a PC, but not on a TV. To watch it on TV, you still need a subscription to DTV.

Yeah, that's why I put PC/tablet/mobile device in my post. I think even if you subscribe to DirecTV, the code is only for those kinds of non-TV devices.

edit: it looks like if you signup for DirecTV service, you do indeed get Sunday Ticket Max plus $10/mo off for the first year. Here's the blurb from the Amazon website:

Exclusive to Amazon.com, the Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition combines all the innovation and authenticity of Madden NFL 25, a 17 week Madden Ultimate Team pack subscription, and exclusive offers for DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket. Each Anniversary Edition includes a special code for eligible gamers giving them the opportunity to unlock a special, 2013 regular season (17 weeks) trial of NFL Sunday Ticket on computer, tablet, and mobile devices. For fans who are able to receive DirecTV service, a special promo code will be included entitling them to an exclusive promotion, including $10 off per month for their first year of service, and one year of NFL Sunday Ticket Max at no additional charge.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I don't see myself buying an Xbox because, a) I had 3 bricked 360s, and b) it's region locked. The PS4 may well be region locked as well, but so far it hasn't been confirmed or denied.

Minor clarification. The PS3 console is region-locked and the PS4 console will also likely be region-locked. The 360 and X1 will also be region-locked.

The difference is that MS mandates that all games be published with region-locked coding. Sony allowed the publisher to decide whether the games would be region-locked or not thus far (only one game was region-locked on the PS3). The question is whether that policy will continue on the PS4/Vita since they now have to work the same way given that remote play is mandatory for all PS4 games.

[Ajaxab]

Put another dagger in the slim possibility that I was going to consider an Xbox One. I live in a major metropolitan area and Time Warner hasn't been able to get my internet service up and running since last Saturday. If the Xbox One is my only console and I can't use it for a week because another company can't repair my internet service in a timely way, good luck Microsoft.

[Ryan S]

Sony allowed the publisher to decide whether the games would be region-locked or not thus far (only one game was region-locked on the PS3). The question is whether that policy will continue on the PS4/Vita since they now have to work the same way given that remote play is mandatory for all PS4 games.

If Sony don't continue that policy then that is a deal breaker for me. If I can't get a region free console I am done with console gaming. Previous generations were easy to crack, but these days you have to worry about your PSN account being closed if you try to circumvent rules.

[mckerney]

All I can say, because I honestly DONT know specifics, is that the people making it are genuinely high on the game and don't feel like its actually super generic but they're well aware of why people think that so far. I hope it does well, it would be a giant boost for my friends career.

Fuse is now out to mixed though unfortunately mostly negative reviews. The Escapist gave it an 80, though it's also recieved a 65 from Polygon, 50 from Eurogamer and 40 from Joystiq and Destructiod.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If Sony don't continue that policy then that is a deal breaker for me. If I can't get a region free console I am done with console gaming. Previous generations were easy to crack, but these days you have to worry about your PSN account being closed if you try to circumvent rules.

Here's the scenario that Microsoft is setting themselves up for in regards to this always-on. You can be sure of two things......

1. The hacking community is going to be looking to take down the online service for X1 right away. I wouldn't be shocked if they've already started probing for weaknesses. Their sole objective is to take down that service for an extended period of time, looking to infuriate users to the point where MS has to ease the online requirement or get rid of it.

2. The same community is going to have a lot of people looking for a console hack. It's a given. Will be interesting to see how easily they hack the system. MS better hope they've covered all their bases because a hack early in the life cycle would really hurt their chances.

This all goes for Sony as well if they took a similar route, but I really doubt they would, especially after seeing what's happened to MS post-conference.

[cartman]

Wait, you think that hackers might want to target a high profile online presence? That is some top shelf insight there. STOP THE PRESSES!!!..........................................

Why on earth would a hack really hurt their chances? I guess iPhones are doomed since they got jailbroken.

[cartman]

Is this the first example of video game archaeology?

New Mexico's 'Atari Dump,' a Midden of Video Games, to Be Excavated ~ Western Digs (http://westerndigs.blogspot.com/2013/05/new-mexicos-atari-dump-midden-of-video.html)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Wait, you think that hackers might want to target a high profile online presence? That is some top shelf insight there. STOP THE PRESSES!!!..........................................

Why on earth would a hack really hurt their chances? I guess iPhones are doomed since they got jailbroken.

iPhones don't require an online connection at all times. I'm not sure why you continue to make these comparisons that don't relate to the situation at all. First Steam, now iPhones. They're not even remotely similar.

[cartman]

iPhones don't require an online connection at all times. I'm not sure why you continue to make these comparisons that don't relate to the situation at all. First Steam, now iPhones. They're not even remotely similar.

The Xbox One doesn't require a connection at all times either. I was referring specifically to your claim of a console hack for the Xbox One and comparing that to the jailbreak of the iPhone. You want to talk about things that aren't remotely similar, it is a hardware hack vs. an online service hack. A jailbreak is not the same as hacking iTunes, as is a console hack of the Xbox One is not the same as a hack of Xbox Live.

I'm guessing it was way too much to hope you'd stick to this statement.

I'm considering more and more just sitting out this next round of consoles.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Pachter leaks some price points. Expects X1 for $399 and PS4 for $349.

Pachter: PS4, Xbox One under $400; current-gen price drops this year | Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/03/pachter-ps4-xbox-one-under-400-current-gen-price-drops-this/)

Some buzz on NeoGaf that a Vita price cut may be coming to encourage people to purchase both the Vita and PS4 together.

[Matthean]

Odd to think the X1 would be higher even if it isn't that much.

[spleen1015]

I really like the idea that all PS4 games can be played on the Vita as well. I wonder if there are any interested integration features people will try to take advantage of.

[Scoobz0202]

I would be shocked if these new consoles are sub-$400.

In other news, I didn't realize the release of The Last of Us is creeping up for the PS3. Been awhile since a console game had me this excited.

[mckerney]

I would be shocked if these new consoles are sub-$400.

Well, it is a prediction by Michael Pachter. If it's wrong it should be a surprise to no one. Last time he was predicting the cost of hardware at launch he'd said the Kinect would probably be $50 and would be surprised if it was more than $79 (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98485-Analyst-Puts-Affordable-Price-on-Project-Natal). When it released the Kinect was $150.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Well, it is a prediction by Michael Pachter. If it's wrong it should be a surprise to no one. Last time he was predicting the cost of hardware at launch he'd said the Kinect would probably be $50 and would be surprised if it was more than $79 (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98485-Analyst-Puts-Affordable-Price-on-Project-Natal). When it released the Kinect was $150.

I think that he's referring to the base models when he gives those price points. I think we'll see premium models that are another $100-150 above that, but they have to offer a sub-$400 offering to avoid a dead-in-the-water Holiday 2013.

[mckerney]

I think that he's referring to the base models when he gives those price points. I think we'll see premium models that are another $100-150 above that, but they have to offer a sub-$400 offering to avoid a dead-in-the-water Holiday 2013.

I'm sure he was, though he's not been an accurate source on pricing projections in the past.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Report that MS is pitching their E3 presentation to Hollywood execs. This should make the game-focused purchasers really happy. /sarcasm

UPDATE: Steve Ballmer Treks To Hollywood To Tout Xbox One To TV Moguls And Agents - Yahoo! TV (http://tv.yahoo.com/news/steve-ballmer-treks-hollywood-tout-xbox-one-moguls-171419610.html)

[SackAttack]

At this point they almost might as well sign arrangements with the major cable/satellite companies to offer Xbox One as a set-top box with service. That would give them a path to market penetration that doesn't rely on being able to reassure 'core' gamers and without worrying about pricing the non-core out of the market at launch.

And that way cable providers could figure out a way to fit their products to Xbox One without Microsoft having to kludge it.

[SackAttack]

I would be shocked if these new consoles are sub-$400.

In other news, I didn't realize the release of The Last of Us is creeping up for the PS3. Been awhile since a console game had me this excited.

I'm betting on $399. As I've said when discussing this with others, the economy really hasn't recovered strongly enough for either company to really risk sticker shock. I could see $449, but I really can't see higher than that unless it's some kind of a bundle SKU. I'm not expecting 'split' SKUs from MS this time around since the hard drive is internal and non-removable/upgradeable.

Sony...who knows. I have to think they learned from last time around and will price PS4 more appropriately - especially since they aren't using custom-designed hardware this time - but we'll see.

[mckerney]

At this point they almost might as well sign arrangements with the major cable/satellite companies to offer Xbox One as a set-top box with service. That would give them a path to market penetration that doesn't rely on being able to reassure 'core' gamers and without worrying about pricing the non-core out of the market at launch.

And that way cable providers could figure out a way to fit their products to Xbox One without Microsoft having to kludge it.

I could also see Microsoft running a deal like they have on the 360 where they offer a lower base price but require a subscription to XBox Live at $15 a month for 2 years.

[SackAttack]

I could also see Microsoft running a deal like they have on the 360 where they offer a lower base price but require a subscription to XBox Live at $15 a month for 2 years.

Yeah, I could see that also, but even then, I don't think they'll offer the unadorned system at more than $399, MAYBE $449. I can see all kinds of other possibilities for how they portray it as even less than that to the general public, but I can't see an unsubsidized system selling for more than $399-449.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Speaking of XBox Live (and forgive me if this has been explained previously) but ... how's that gonna work now?

I mean, at the moment your gamer profile is attached to a single console, with a certain amount of hassle involved in moving it to another (like if you visit a friend's house or whatever). What about playing your 360 online and XBone online? I mean, it's not like all use of 360 is going to stop for a while even in Bone'd households, with no backwards compatibility there won't be enough title for the new console at launch to consume all gaming time.

[mckerney]

After a couple days of teasing Deus Ex: The Fall Square Enix reveals it's a first person shooter for ios (which is apparently a thing as unpleasant as it sounds). Well that sucks.

[Fidatelo]

Speaking of XBox Live (and forgive me if this has been explained previously) but ... how's that gonna work now?

I mean, at the moment your gamer profile is attached to a single console, with a certain amount of hassle involved in moving it to another (like if you visit a friend's house or whatever). What about playing your 360 online and XBone online? I mean, it's not like all use of 360 is going to stop for a while even in Bone'd households, with no backwards compatibility there won't be enough title for the new console at launch to consume all gaming time.

I would assume an XBone will be considered a different device class and will allow your profile to exist simultaneously. I know on my WP7 device I log in with the same account and get achievements and everything in the same way I do on my 360 and there are no problems.

[mckerney]

Looks like just about every reviewer it there is giving The Last of Us the highest score on their scale. Making me reconsider my plan to wait a bit before picking it up.

[Julio Riddols]

I used to give a shit about Square-Enix back when they made games other than FPS and action RPGs. Nippon Ichi needs to stop being exclusive so I can have a few good RPGs on the 360.

I'm just tired of FPS in general though.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Looks like just about every reviewer it there is giving The Last of Us the highest score on their scale. Making me reconsider my plan to wait a bit before picking it up.

I gave in about 2 days ago.

[mckerney]

I gave in about 2 days ago.

I'm really getting close to doing that. Hoping it lives up to the pre-release hype better than Bioshock Infinite did. I did enjoy Naughty Dogs previous work more than I had the first two Bioshock games, so that has me optimistic.

[bob]

Has anyone played State of Decay on the Xbox yet?

[MizzouRah]

Looks like just about every reviewer it there is giving The Last of Us the highest score on their scale. Making me reconsider my plan to wait a bit before picking it up.

Might be the first ps3 game I buy since The Show 11 or something like that.

[TroyF]

Haven't hopped into the video game debates in a long while, but I can say for 100% certain, I will not get the XBox One. Just not going to happen. I'll wait until they realize how moronic they are and decide to back off all the garbage.

So my internet goes down for 3 days and I can't play my console? Ummm, how about no? I don't care as much about the used game thing, but the always on checks are simply a no go for me.

So do I go PS? Very doubtful. I'm almost 99% certain to become a fulltime PC gamer once this console gen is over. Yeah, I'll miss a game or two or three. But I'll have plenty of games to play and when I need to add more, Steam will make sure I do it cheaply.

When I'm not on a PC, I'll go for the IOS. Playing KOTOR on the IPAD while I've been layed up and am having a blast. No need to do anything else.

I would have been about 95% to get the XBOX before this stuff.

[Radii]

Looks like just about every reviewer it there is giving The Last of Us the highest score on their scale. Making me reconsider my plan to wait a bit before picking it up.

I'm totally all-in on the hype for this game now. I'll be picking it up pretty soon after it comes out I suspect.

[MizzouRah]

Haven't hopped into the video game debates in a long while, but I can say for 100% certain, I will not get the XBox One. Just not going to happen. I'll wait until they realize how moronic they are and decide to back off all the garbage.

So my internet goes down for 3 days and I can't play my console? Ummm, how about no? I don't care as much about the used game thing, but the always on checks are simply a no go for me.

So do I go PS? Very doubtful. I'm almost 99% certain to become a fulltime PC gamer once this console gen is over. Yeah, I'll miss a game or two or three. But I'll have plenty of games to play and when I need to add more, Steam will make sure I do it cheaply.

When I'm not on a PC, I'll go for the IOS. Playing KOTOR on the IPAD while I've been layed up and am having a blast. No need to do anything else.

I would have been about 95% to get the XBOX before this stuff.

I see you point, but who's internet goes down for 3 days anymore?

With Charter, we haven't been down but for a couple of hours at any given time and even that's rare.

I'm with you though.. it's crap and you would think at some point they will have to back off all this crap.

There are still many good games slated for the X360 though, so I'm in no hurry for an XB1.

[Ryan S]

I see you point, but who's internet goes down for 3 days anymore?

Thanks to a screw up by my phone company, a couple of years ago my internet went down for 7 days twice in the space of 4 months, plus I had a few 1 or 2 day outages. I actually found that I used my PS3 for gaming more during the downtime as there was not much else to do.

I think that checking in every day is a bad idea, if they must check in it should be weekly at most.

[chadritt]

I see you point, but who's internet goes down for 3 days anymore?


I took my PS3 on a business trip to backwoods Louisiana at one point, I had a LOT of downtime over 6 weeks, and I absolutely would not have been able to connect for days at a time. There are still parts of the country, not to mention the world, where internet connections are a bit harder to come by.

[SackAttack]

I see you point, but who's internet goes down for 3 days anymore?

Mine was out 3 days a couple months ago when the TWC contractor disconnected me instead of the neighbor he had showed up to disconnect. I would have been furious if I hadn't been able to play my games to keep myself occupied until TWC was able to send someone out to investigate.

[Eaglesfan27]

Fwiw, Xbox one has said they will not charge any fees for used games and will leave any fees up to the publisher.

[terpkristin]

I will be buying Animal Crossing on 3DS on Sunday. I need a life.

/tk

[MizzouRah]

I took my PS3 on a business trip to backwoods Louisiana at one point, I had a LOT of downtime over 6 weeks, and I absolutely would not have been able to connect for days at a time. There are still parts of the country, not to mention the world, where internet connections are a bit harder to come by.

I understand that.. especially if you plan on traveling with it.

I would probably have a major outage after I purchased an XB1. :D

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'd have sworn I posted this last night, apparently not.

Angry Joe's Rant Pt 2 does a very good job of summing up how I feel about the prospect of getting XBoned.

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ryB-hdtpQRw?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ryB-hdtpQRw?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

[Matthean]

Gamestop has already started to offer board games and mention hosting game nights. I wouldn't be surprised to see them testing this out and expanding it if it goes well. They know the forthcoming storm is going to hit soon enough so they are preparing for it. At least they are in a better position than Blockbuster once video went digital.

[thesloppy]

Has anyone played State of Decay on the Xbox yet?

State of Decay is great, GREAT fun, in my opinion. I'd imagine this could appeal to a lot of FOFCers, in that it's a pretty deep little sim/RPG hid away inside a slightly typical zombie-action package.

As an old-time rogue-like fanatic, I absolutely love that there's no re-loading, and death (and car damage) is permanent. I've lost just two characters while they were under my control, but I'm back down to 6 after being as high as 12 at one point, thanks to disease and/or negligence. The tension is magnitudes higher in a game where death is permanent, and I was sweating, and trying as furiously as I possibly could to avoid death, as I ran away from zombie hordes, until my stamina eventually gave in and I simply had to catch my breath, long enough to be devoured. At times, when all the pieces fit together and it clicks, it feels like one of the most organic, living, and evolving, video games environments I've been in, which is ironic for a game set in a zombie wasteland. It has it's problems though, and it can be rough around the edges, but it's clicked with me, for sure.

...and it was $20 on release day, which is a price point I enjoy. I have no idea how much content is in there, but I'd make a rough guesstimate that it's over 20-hours.

[bob]

Thanks for the review. About to finish the Cave so I'm looking at my next game. Likely will play Deadlight first as I have already bought that and hope State of Decay goes on sale.

[INDalltheway]

This game has my attention. Seems like a fresh concept.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_m7rmb3QrN8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[MizzouRah]

Fable 3 for 360 is free. Just choose pay with MS points.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Fable 3 for 360 is free. Just choose pay with MS points.

Minor note, but I believe it's only Gold members, correct?

[SackAttack]

Correct, but from what I've seen, Gold trialists can get it also, so if you have a 48 hour code lying around in one of your games, say...

[MizzouRah]

Minor note, but I believe it's only Gold members, correct?

Yes, sorry about that!

[RainMaker]

Going to chime in and say I'm having a blast with State of Decay. At $20 it's a no-brainer. And also agree that it's right up the FOFC alley as there is a lot of management involved in it.

My one suggestion is to play it through without restarting. The permanent nature of everything makes it a lot of fun. Real intense moments throughout.

[Eaglesfan27]

Fable 3 for 360 is free. Just choose pay with MS points.

Awesome. I never played it but I wanted to. Thanks for the info.

[MizzouRah]

Awesome. I never played it but I wanted to. Thanks for the info.

Your welcome.. I'm going to dig into it a bit over the weekend myself.

State of Decay is on my radar as well.

[DeToxRox]

I can't begin to describe how excited Last of Us has me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Going to chime in and say I'm having a blast with State of Decay. At $20 it's a no-brainer. And also agree that it's right up the FOFC alley as there is a lot of management involved in it.

My kid has watched at least an hour of walkthroughs tonight. I suspect it'll end up bought sooner or later (prolly sooner).

[lighthousekeeper]

I don't follow console games closely and didn't know about any of this, but a good read:

Inside the Lawsuit-Filled Breakup of Video-Game Publisher Activision and Call of Duty Designers Vincent Zampella and Jason West | Vanity Fair (http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/06/lawsuit-video-game-activision-zampella-west)

[DaddyTorgo]

I can't begin to describe how excited Last of Us has me.

This. I can't wait for the day to be over and to grab a copy of it.

[MizzouRah]

Payday 2

Never heard of this game, but it sounds pretty cool. Maybe an FOFC night?

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R52Vyc2Y41s?feature=player_embedded" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>

[MizzouRah]

PES 2014 - current gen

I've always been a PES supporter and the new "Fox engine" looks great.

E3 2013: Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 is Back in the Game - IGN (http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/12/e3-2103-pro-evolution-soccer-2014-is-back-in-the-game)

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KMVLAnYtOsY?feature=player_detailpage" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>

[Eaglesfan27]

I can't begin to describe how excited Last of Us has me.

Me too. Sadly, I won't have much time to play for a week or so, but I am still grabbing it on way home from work tonight.

[Radii]

WARNING: Autosave/Manual Save Bug : thelastofus (http://www.reddit.com/r/thelastofus/comments/1gbwpk/warning_autosavemanual_save_bug/)

Looks like there are issues with the autosave feature in The Last Of Us impacting lots of people. There was another thread in /r/games where a developer for Naughty Dog showed up and was asking people about the conditions under which the bug happened. Lots of good impressions about the gameplay still but I think I may hold off on picking it up/playing until I see more updates or a resolution to this.

[mckerney]

Payday 2

Never heard of this game, but it sounds pretty cool. Maybe an FOFC night?

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R52Vyc2Y41s?feature=player_embedded" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>

The first one was pretty fun, good enough that I'll likely pick up Payday 2.

[DaddyTorgo]

WARNING: Autosave/Manual Save Bug : thelastofus (http://www.reddit.com/r/thelastofus/comments/1gbwpk/warning_autosavemanual_save_bug/)

Looks like there are issues with the autosave feature in The Last Of Us impacting lots of people. There was another thread in /r/games where a developer for Naughty Dog showed up and was asking people about the conditions under which the bug happened. Lots of good impressions about the gameplay still but I think I may hold off on picking it up/playing until I see more updates or a resolution to this.

I'll hold off on seriously playing, but I figure they'll fix it before any sort of price drop, so no point in not picking it up and getting familiar with it now.

[DaddyTorgo]

FWIW sounds like you can disable autosave, so that should temporarily help that issue.

[mckerney]

Me too. Sadly, I won't have much time to play for a week or so, but I am still grabbing it on way home from work tonight.

I too will be picking up a copy as soon as I'm done with work. I may also be leaving work early.

[Radii]

FWIW sounds like you can disable autosave, so that should temporarily help that issue.


I've seen that suggested, but if someone's confirmed that it actually worked I missed it.

I am seeing people saying that playing offline gets rid of the problem, so hopefully that will be enough for now.

[whomario]

The coverage and info on The Last Of US makes me want to call my sister and try to talk her into loaning me the PS3 back for a couple weeks ... (i gave it to her in the spring for the equivalent of a cheap blu ray player after not using it for gaming in months)

[mckerney]

From Naughty Dog on Twitter.

RE #TheLastofUs autosave - we'll have an update to share with you in a few minutes.

[mckerney]

And they now say it's fixed, was a problem with their servers.

[Radii]

And they now say it's fixed, was a problem with their servers.

Excellent, I just picked up my copy, though I probably won't play any until late tonigth.

[MizzouRah]

The first one was pretty fun, good enough that I'll likely pick up Payday 2.

What was it on the pc?

[mckerney]

What was it on the pc?

I played it on PC. The first was published by Sony so it was also on the PS3, a new publisher this time around is what's allowing this version on 360 too.

[MizzouRah]

I played it on PC. The first was published by Sony so it was also on the PS3, a new publisher this time around is what's allowing this version on 360 too.

Interesting.. I've never heard of this game. thanks..

[mckerney]

Interesting.. I've never heard of this game. thanks..

I don't think it's quite as good as other co-op FPS I've played, but the theme really makes it a lot of fun. Good co-op game to play with some friends while having a few beers.

[MizzouRah]

I don't think it's quite as good as other co-op FPS I've played, but the theme really makes it a lot of fun. Good co-op game to play with some friends while having a few beers.

Yeah.. that's what I thought.. basically a L4D type game. :)

[DaddyTorgo]

I don't think it's quite as good as other co-op FPS I've played, but the theme really makes it a lot of fun. Good co-op game to play with some friends while having a few beers.

This. Hopefully the new version will clean it up a bit and make it top-notch.

[mckerney]

Yeah.. that's what I thought.. basically a L4D type game. :)

Yeah, basically. Not quite as good as Left 4 Dead, but robbing banks and covering your buddy while he's drilling the vault door can be a blast.

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, basically. Not quite as good as Left 4 Dead, but robbing banks and covering your buddy while he's drilling the vault door can be a blast.

Sounds like fun to me.. :D

[DeToxRox]

The opening to Last of Us is awesome.

[DaddyTorgo]

Seriously. The game is awesome. I can barely tear myself away from it...just got to the point where Tess, Ellie and I bust out into the downtown area...awesome game.

[DaddyTorgo]

I seem to be stuck on my first foray down into the subway's, in State Street station. I've killed all the baddies down there, but I can't boost Tess up to pull the ladder down. In the video walkthroughs it looks like they just do it seamlessly, but it won't work for me.

Any thoughts?

Weird - I reloaded a save I apparently had from right before that and it un-stuck it.

[mckerney]

I got about five and a half hours in last night, game is phenomenal.

[Radii]

The opening to Last of Us is awesome.

Definitely got me attached to the story right away, very well done.

[Honolulu_Blue]

The opening to Last of Us is awesome.

I agree. It's the video game equivalent to the opening of Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" re-make.

[whomario]

you guys are the worst ... ;)

[bhlloy]

Far Cry 3 was a very good game, one of the best I've played in a long time. Now onto The Last of Us...

[DaddyTorgo]

I got about five and a half hours in last night, game is phenomenal.

I got a few hours in last night. I sat down to play for 2 hours this morning while my laundry was going, and didn't get up for 5 hours.

Great game.

I'm in the hotel in Pittsburgh at the moment.

[bhlloy]

I suck at this so far, got to the first area with > 1 infected and must have taken about 20 tries to get through. Need to unlearn all those FPS skills.

[DaddyTorgo]

I suck at this so far, got to the first area with > 1 infected and must have taken about 20 tries to get through. Need to unlearn all those FPS skills.

Yep - slow and steady. creep around...sneak attack as many as possible. Use bottles and bricks as distractions.

Which area was that - the subway station? That subway station was a bitch and a half for me last night.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I suck at this so far, got to the first area with > 1 infected and must have taken about 20 tries to get through. Need to unlearn all those FPS skills.

I am in the same boat. Love the game, but I don't particularly excel at. I am at the same point, still haven't made it trough yet.

[DaddyTorgo]

I am in the same boat. Love the game, but I don't particularly excel at. I am at the same point, still haven't made it trough yet.

Which point is that? The building downtown?

[General Mike]

Finally finished God of War: Ascension. Now on to the Last of Us.

[mckerney]

I suck at this so far, got to the first area with > 1 infected and must have taken about 20 tries to get through. Need to unlearn all those FPS skills.

One thing I don't think the game tells you until after you've made it through that area that seems like it should have before, clickers can still hear you when you're moving and crouched. You have to crouch and only move the thumbstick slightly to stealth around them.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I am slowly getting the hang of it. I am still not awesome at the game, but I am managing.

[Honolulu_Blue]

At one point when I was down in the subway station before getting to the Capitol, the game kindly reminded me that I can change the difficulty setting at any time. I didn't. I kept it on normal and soldiered on.

I got past all of that and enhancing my skillz now.

[bhlloy]

Getting Molotovs seems to have made me a lot better at this game. It's great finding a nice sniping place, lobbing a brick and having all the clickers in one place to throw a fiery ball of surprise their way. It's a great design decision to have them use exactly the same craftable items as the health kit, I'm always torn which one I'm going to need more.

[spleen1015]

You guys suck. I don't know when I will have time to play. Maybe in a week.

[Eaglesfan27]

You guys suck. I don't know when I will have time to play. Maybe in a week.

Same here. I've been too busy to get in any PS3 time and won't be able to for another week or two. But, today was a GREAT Father's day and I'll wait until I have some time to play :)

[Radii]

I've been playing The Last of Us on hard difficulty, I've been in the habit of starting games on hard for awhile now to see how I hold up, too many games get too easy as your power creeps up later. I don't think this is going to be one of those games. I don't really know exactly what the difference is between normal and hard, but holy shit this is hard. I'm struggling through what looks like a museum on the way to the capitol now. I've thought about dropping the difficulty a few times, but have resisted thus far. What I've seen so far is really fun and really challenging.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I've been playing The Last of Us on hard difficulty, I've been in the habit of starting games on hard for awhile now to see how I hold up, too many games get too easy as your power creeps up later. I don't think this is going to be one of those games. I don't really know exactly what the difference is between normal and hard, but holy shit this is hard. I'm struggling through what looks like a museum on the way to the capitol now. I've thought about dropping the difficulty a few times, but have resisted thus far. What I've seen so far is really fun and really challenging.

Despite my 34+ years of playing video games I've never been great at them. I am better at some games than others and in my youth I was pretty good at some. That time has passed. I am a bit of a spastic button-masher at times. I am playing this on normal and find it plenty challenging. Then again, I fear I am becoming too reliant on the shotgun and molotovs. This could present problems in the future, but I've been very good about scrounging around everywhere.

[Kodos]

Is this basically a stealth game, like Metal Gear Solid? I tend not to have the patience for stealth games, even if Last Of Us sounds very interesting.

[terpkristin]

Despite my 34+ years of playing video games I've never been great at them. I am better at some games than others and in my youth I was pretty good at some. That time has passed. I am a bit of a spastic button-masher at times.

This is probably why I prefer platformers, adventure type games, and RPG's. Until they through stupid gimmicks (like motion control) into it. I'm stoked the PS4 doesn't require or bundle-in the motion control crap.

/tk

[DaddyTorgo]

Despite my 34+ years of playing video games I've never been great at them. I am better at some games than others and in my youth I was pretty good at some. That time has passed. I am a bit of a spastic button-masher at times. I am playing this on normal and find it plenty challenging. Then again, I fear I am becoming too reliant on the shotgun and molotovs. This could present problems in the future, but I've been very good about scrounging around everywhere.

I missed a couple scrounging locations, which has me disappointed, and somewhat considering starting over. Would be nice to pickup that training manual I missed that helps with health.

[DaddyTorgo]

Is this basically a stealth game, like Metal Gear Solid? I tend not to have the patience for stealth games, even if Last Of Us sounds very interesting.

There are definitely stealth aspects to it, but it's not 100% stealth. The environment really gets you too. Playing in the subway station with the lights off in my apartment late at night was fucking...creepy man. I literally tensed up like I was there.

[Kodos]

Kinda like Silent Hill in that aspect?

[DaddyTorgo]

Kinda like Silent Hill in that aspect?

Never played Silent Hill so idk.

[korme]

Don't understand why this game isn't available as a demo?

[mckerney]

I've been playing The Last of Us on hard difficulty, I've been in the habit of starting games on hard for awhile now to see how I hold up, too many games get too easy as your power creeps up later. I don't think this is going to be one of those games. I don't really know exactly what the difference is between normal and hard, but holy shit this is hard. I'm struggling through what looks like a museum on the way to the capitol now. I've thought about dropping the difficulty a few times, but have resisted thus far. What I've seen so far is really fun and really challenging.

I'm about 9 or 10 hours in playing on hard and just arrived at the dam. There have been a few areas that I've had to retry a number of times. It really has made me think about how to use/conserve my ammo and resources more than any game since System Shock 2.

[Radii]

You're further along than I.


I'm in the high school with Bill

I'm having to retry a lot but its rarely frustrating, most times I die and have to retry I feel like I could have played it smarter, which makes it feel rewarding when I get through it. There have been a couple spots where I've just felt overwhelmed and feel like I'm retrying til I get a lucky break, but eventually get through them.


There have been some sections that have been really difficult and intense and I feel exhausted when I'm done and have to take a break, or else I probably would have gotten a lot further by now :D

[DaddyTorgo]

You're further along than I.


I'm in the high school with Bill

I'm having to retry a lot but its rarely frustrating, most times I die and have to retry I feel like I could have played it smarter, which makes it feel rewarding when I get through it. There have been a couple spots where I've just felt overwhelmed and feel like I'm retrying til I get a lucky break, but eventually get through them.


There have been some sections that have been really difficult and intense and I feel exhausted when I'm done and have to take a break, or else I probably would have gotten a lot further by now :D

Bloater?

Use Molatov's to set him on fire and just run away from him. Bill will help you kill him if you stay out of his reach.

[DaddyTorgo]

I can't seem to save this game to save my life. Everytime I try to manual save it gets overwritten. Grrr.

[mckerney]

It looks like anyone with a PS3 should hold off on running the system update. It sounds like it's mostly on systems with upgraded hard drives or the 500 GB stock drive, but some have had issues with the system not booting after an upgrade.

If you've already run it and had no issue you should be fine though.

[mckerney]

I can't seem to save this game to save my life. Everytime I try to manual save it gets overwritten. Grrr.

I think it autosaves whichever save file was used last, if you want to keep a save at a certain part I think you'd have to create a second save file and then save over the on that you had previously used.

[DaddyTorgo]

I think it autosaves whichever save file was used last, if you want to keep a save at a certain part I think you'd have to create a second save file and then save over the on that you had previously used.

Good thinking. Just trying to avoid having to do repetitive stuff when I foul up (going upstairs to get the keycard in the hotel basement mostly).

[mckerney]

Good thinking. Just trying to avoid having to do repetitive stuff when I foul up (going upstairs to get the keycard in the hotel basement mostly).

Ah. Not sure if you're able to do that. It might have a system where when it saves it sets it at the last checkpoint you crossed rather than exactly at the spot where you saved. Haven't checked though.

[DaddyTorgo]

Phew...outran the bloater there to the security door. Was surprised and killed there once last night and then killed my first time trying it just now...thought I could run upstairs and escape him and he surprised me. This time I booked it and only had to kill one in the upstairs hallway.

[Radii]

I think it autosaves whichever save file was used last, if you want to keep a save at a certain part I think you'd have to create a second save file and then save over the on that you had previously used.


This, I have been bitten by this a couple times where I wanted to retry an area and wasn't able to b/c I hadn't jumped through the hoops to get a save set aside properly.

[SackAttack]

PS3 users, beware the 4.45 firmware update if your hard drive is over 500 GB in size.

[mckerney]

Rumor - Steam to Allow Game Borrowing - NeoGAF (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=64666706)

From a recent beta update, it looks like Steam may be implementing a borrowing system. No details on how it works, but I'd have to imagine it wouldn't be something available for all games and the developer would have to opt in.

[dubb93]

So EA announced that going forward they won't be optimizing their games for NVIDIA GPU's?

Is this basically another finger being given by EA to their customers? I don't really know the full details, anyone that can explain it to me? My first inclination is that I should be pissed off.

[SackAttack]

So EA announced that going forward they won't be optimizing their games for NVIDIA GPU's?

Is this basically another finger being given by EA to their customers? I don't really know the full details, anyone that can explain it to me? My first inclination is that I should be pissed off.

Sony and Microsoft are both using AMD in the next generation, and EA Sports games typically don't make it to PC these days.

Which means there's kind of a limited subset of games affected - non-sports titles which get published on PC (not all of the non-sports games they make even get that far).

[Shkspr]

Don't understand why this game isn't available as a demo?

Because the number of people who were not convinced to buy the game by excellent word of mouth and a Metacritic score of 95 but would be willing to shell out $60+ after a demo is financially negligible.

[DaddyTorgo]

Because the number of people who were not convinced to buy the game by excellent word of mouth and a Metacritic score of 95 but would be willing to shell out $60+ after a demo is financially negligible.

This. Just go ahead and buy it Shorty - it's excellent.

[korme]

I may begrudingly do so. I just prefer to get my own feel for it, regardless of critics or others' taste.

[DaddyTorgo]

I may begrudingly do so. I just prefer to get my own feel for it, regardless of critics or others' taste.

I'm with you 99.9% of the time. Totally.

I took somewhat of a flier on this game based on the setting and what I'd seen/heard of it, and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

[mckerney]

The Last of Us demo is still only available with the God of War: Ascension disc for some reason.

I do agree with DaddyTorgo, the game hasn't disappointed me as far as living up to the prerelease reviews and hype, something Bioshock Infinite didn't do earlier in the year with similar reviews.

[Radii]

I do agree with DaddyTorgo, the game hasn't disappointed me as far as living up to the prerelease reviews and hype

big +1

[tyketime]

I am shocked - but apparently Microsoft has buckled:

Microsoft made the following changes:

* No more always online requirement
* The console no longer has to check in every 24 hours
* All game discs will work on Xbox One as they do on Xbox 360
* Authentication is no longer necessary
* An Internet connection is only required when initially setting up the console
* All downloaded games will function the same when online or offline
* No additional restrictions on trading games or loaning discs
* Region locks have been dropped

Microsoft has stated that they listened to gamer feedback very carefully, and were appreciative of fan concerns and responded to them.

In a long letter to fans, Microsoft wrote:

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console — there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

[mckerney]

Finished The Last of Us, did not let down at any point an is an incredible experience throughout. At this point I'd put it alongside the first two episodes of Kentucky Route Zero as far as my game of the year contenders go.

[korme]

You beat the game already? How many hours is that?

[Blackadar]

I am shocked - but apparently Microsoft has buckled:

Plus, they're renaming it. It's now the XBox 180.

:devil:

[mckerney]

You beat the game already? How many hours is that?

It was around 15 hours on hard difficulty. Tried to find as much as I could though there were some collectibles and conversations I missed. Might have finished a day or two earlier but there were a few points in the story where I just just had to take a break afterwards.

I didn't notice it while playing, but the game does follow the Nolan North Must be in Every Video Game rule. I didn't recognize him at all and he does a great job with the role, even better than his Spec Ops: The Line role.

[korme]

That doesn't seem like a lot of hours.

[korme]

Well holy shit. I just watched a gameplay video and it looks awesome. I think I'm gonna dive in.

[Radii]

It was around 15 hours on hard difficulty. Tried to find as much as I could though there were some collectibles and conversations I missed. Might have finished a day or two earlier but there were a few points in the story where I just just had to take a break afterwards.

are you going to play through it again on survival mode?

I'd be done with the game now if not for taking unexpected breaks as well. A couple times because I was in a difficult fight and dying a lot and taking a break and coming back later with fresh eyes helped me figure out how to get past it. But a few times I'd get through an area and want to keep playing but I felt exhausted because its so intense and I'm so focused the entire time I'm playing.

[mckerney]

That doesn't seem like a lot of hours.

It feels like a good length after playing through it, there's good pacing to the story and I'm not sure adding more on just to lengthen the game would've been good.

As far as whether or not a 15 hour game is worth $60 that's entirely a matter of personal preference. It is for me though could see where someone else might disagree. I don't think it's out of line with the cost of other forms of entertainment. I've read good things about the multiplayer, though I don't think I'll end up touching it. I will probably give New Game+ or Survivor difficulty a go at some point though as it really is one of the best single player games I've played. The only word of warning I'd give is if you really want a game where you can make choices in the story you'll be disappointed. It's very much like Uncharted in that it's like you're playing through a movie, though in terms of gameplay and tone I think it's quite different from the Uncharted series.

[mckerney]

are you going to play through it again on survival mode?

I'd be done with the game now if not for taking unexpected breaks as well. A couple times because I was in a difficult fight and dying a lot and taking a break and coming back later with fresh eyes helped me figure out how to get past it. But a few times I'd get through an area and want to keep playing but I felt exhausted because its so intense and I'm so focused the entire time I'm playing.

I probably will at some point but I'm not going to replay it right away. I'm gonna finish a few other games right now, starting with the last couple chapters of Hotline Miami and getting back into The Valkyria Chronicles after I stopped that to play The Last of Us.

There were several places I had to try a bunch of times, but it was always the, "holy fucking shit," moments in the story that lead to me needing to take a break.

[sterlingice]

I really like the idea that all PS4 games can be played on the Vita as well. I wonder if there are any interested integration features people will try to take advantage of.

Either the power on the Vita is off the charts expensive to be that small or the PS4 isn't a huge jump forward. Something has to give there, right?

SI

[mckerney]

Either the power on the Vita is off the charts expensive to be that small or the PS4 isn't a huge jump forward. Something has to give there, right?

SI

Neither of those things, you can stream games from a PS4 to a Vita over a local network. All the processing and rendering is done by the PS4 while the Vita only serves as a screen and controller.

[sterlingice]

Is this the first example of video game archaeology?

New Mexico's 'Atari Dump,' a Midden of Video Games, to Be Excavated ~ Western Digs (http://westerndigs.blogspot.com/2013/05/new-mexicos-atari-dump-midden-of-video.html)

This story warms the cockles of my video gaming heart

SI

[mckerney]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZdEPZ1VaP6k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[PadresFan104]

It was around 15 hours on hard difficulty.

This is why sucking at video games can be a blessing as far as longevity of games go. I have put in 9 hours spread over the past 3 nights, and am still in "Summer"... With three seasons to go I am assuming the game is going to take me nearly 40 hours to finish... :)

[DaddyTorgo]

da fuq!??!!?

I JUST got to fall. Like Just. And the end of Summer...whoa. Didn't see that coming.

[Radii]

da fuq!??!!?

I JUST got to fall. Like Just. And the end of Summer...whoa. Didn't see that coming.

Just got there myself. I had planned to play for a good long while, but yeah... I gotta take a break and do something else for a bit, fuck.

[Matthean]

da fuq!??!!?

I JUST got to fall. Like Just. And the end of Summer...whoa. Didn't see that coming.

Were you expecting a different season after Summer? :D

[JonInMiddleGA]

Were you expecting a different season after Summer? :D

Thanks ...'cause that's pretty much where I went too

[DaddyTorgo]

Were you expecting a different season after Summer? :D

Trying not to spoil things for anyone who wasn't there.