Xbox One Policy Change - The Full 180

Microsoft has changed its policies regarding Xbox One’s internet requirements, used game restrictions and more.

Contrary to belief and specifically the details announced earlier this month, Microsoft has now confirmed news originally reported on Giant Bomb that Xbox One will not require an internet connection to play offline games or need to check in every 24 hours; instead, internet will only be required when initially setting up the console.

Microsoft confirmed that "After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again," and went on to say that, "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."

Like on Xbox 360, "playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray."

If you followed my Twitter feed you’d have probably heard about this even before the release as one particularly pressing gamer asked for answers to these policies. Interestingly Microsoft had never confirmed 24 hours sign in for playing disc based games anyway. It may just be a case of poor interpretation.

A representative for the company added, "I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One."

On top of this the Xbox One will also no longer restrict used games, and will instead allow discs to be exchanged in the same way they are on Xbox 360. There will be no additional restrictions for trade-in’s either or lending games to friends. The system is also no longer region locked so all downloaded games will function the same way whether your console is connected or not.

It seems that the backlash from E3 has actually caused the American powerhouse company to sit up and take note of people’s feelings. At one point last week IGN had a vote that showed an 84% ‘voting share’ in favour of purchasing the PlayStation 4 over Microsoft’s console.

In addition to being available in retail stores, Xbox One games will also be available for download on day one and will be playable on any Xbox One console. Obviously these downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold, much like the 360 concept, but it’s still a good feature for housebound or people unable to make the journey to the shops.

Microsoft's decision followed mass confusion following the announcement of Xbox One in May. At E3 last week, Sony announced similar policies for PlayStation 4, which will not require an Internet connection or periodic authentication and does not restrict used games. In fact this announcement was probably one of the most cheered events at the whole conference.

Xbox One is currently available for pre-order from various retailers. For more information on the console, including every confirmed game so far check other articles on my blog.

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Nintendo Direct @ E3 2013 - Conference Rundown

Tuesday last week marked the Nintendo E3 conference, actually it was their Direct program, which marked the E3 selection of melodrama and announcements for new games.

Following the squabbling of Sony and Microsoft we expected a fairly standard affair with a mixture of new announcements.

So the show kicked off with Pokémon X and Y which, for those of you hidden under a rock lately, is the first instalment for the 3DS system. We got confirmation of a few new monsters to catch as well as a brand new type call ‘Fairy’. Among the Pokémon included are Marill, Jigglypuff and the new Eevee evolution. We also got shown a new Dragon Pokémon to confirm the Fairy type’s super-effective alignment to these monsters.

Next up was the highly expect Mario 3D for Wii U which, on top of looking pretty polished had four person multiplayer with players taking on Luigi, Toad and Princess Peach alongside Mario. It can be played cooperatively or competitively too which should be great fun. There was also a new powerup confirmed as ‘Cat Mario’ which allows our favourite Italian Plumber to climb walls and scratch enemies. It’s also due out before the end of the year.

Another Mario announcement came next in the form of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U. It looked a lot like the original Wii counterpart with new versions of your favourite tracks like Princess Peach Castle and presumably (as it was not confirmed) Rainbow Raceway. It’s looking towards a Q1 2014 release as well which give you chance to finish Mario 3D first.

Far less exciting news came in the form of a new Mario Party title which has the usual mix of party games and harnesses the power of the Wii U GamePad.

We then got an announcement about a delay to Wii Fit U which will now include added features – but nothing was confirmed about what these were. We also got information on a new instalment in the Art Academy franchise, which will work on the Miiverse, no news about release – which appeared to be a trend starting. I’m quite excited about what Nintendo plan with the Miiverse as some of the features are distinctly original and has the capacity to go much, much further.

We then got into a section about third-part offerings including confirmation of Batman: Arkham Origins on both the Wii U and 3DS, Deus Ex: Human Revolution Directors Cut, Just Dance and Disney Infinity (the Skylanders beater?). Blacklist is also coming out, which did get a release date of 21^st August, as well as Sonic Galaxy which has been renamed ‘Sonic Lost World’ later in 2013.

Ok so this is all stuff we already knew about but the software catalogue is slowly getting bigger.

Nintendo were also keen to outline their support of indie titles but all those mentioned – DuckTales, Dungeon and Dragons, Scram Kitty and Shovel Knight – are actually digital downloads produced by the usual developers. Still, it’s nice that they put the word ‘Indie’ in there at all.

Probably the biggest cheer of the ‘Direct Conference’ was Zelda: Wind Waker HD. The release, due in October this year, runs in 1080p and has had a bit of a colour downgrade since our first viewing earlier this year. The cell shading has also been stripped back which is a bit of a shame but we did get confirmation that additional features have been added to the game so it won’t be an exact representation of the original title.

We also got a new announcement; at least I think it’s new, in the form of Wonderful 101. It’s as bizarre as it sounds too with the player taking control of hundreds of allies at once that can utilise superpowers to morph together into different machines to complete each objective. It has a great comic character and plays from a 45 degree top-down angle. It also looked pretty open world with a giant metropolis style city as the backdrop. Check it out on YouTube as it’s a bit difficult to explain.

The new game to come out the traps was Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, which is due for release later this year. It’s being touted as the first HD Donkey Kong but offers the same platformer action as before – which I’m sure will please fans.

Next up though was a hugely predicted confirmation of Bayonetta 2. As a nice anecdote our favourite protagonist now don’s short hair – which had so many hits that it crashed Polygon when they upload a photo during the conference. It looks like the same badass action we’d expect from the second instalment in the series but the camera is still a pervert.

The second to last game shown was the magnificent looking open world RPG from Monolith call ‘X’. It boasts a selection of Dinosaurs and Robots and has been a creation based on their experiences with Xenoblade. It looked very interesting from the trailer but no gameplay was shown so we’ll have to wait and see. The game is expected in 2014 but, as for a release period, we still know when in the year.

Last but no least we got confirmation of the Wii U and 3DS versions of Smash Bros. The Internet went made for the inclusion of Animal Crossing villagers which was strange – please spoke about that more than the actual announcement. It’s set for a 2014 release and also features Mega Man alongside the standard crew of Mario, Pikachu, Link and Bowser.

It was an interesting conference but nothing really came up that we didn’t already know about or weren’t expecting. Everything also seems to be delayed which is a shame as the Wii U software sections of our local game shops are looking a bit thin. Mario looked great but I think a lot of die-hard fans were hoping for a Galaxy follow-up. I suppose there is always Eurogamer or PAXs.

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State of Decay Review

I’m really getting to grips with State of Decay and it’s about the only thing I’ve played since its release last week – yes the zombies something appear from no-where, frequently characters clip through walls and doors, frame rate sometimes drops, textures have a tendency to pop in and occasionally you get blocked into a corner by your own ‘allies’ but it’s
completely enjoyable in almost every way.

In my game, which I’m guess is over half way through the main storyline has featured the army, base movements and the black fever as well as hillbillies, supercars and hundreds of dead Zeds (the reference used for the Zombies in game).

The interesting premise here is the permi-death associated with the game itself. If a character dies they are gone forever; your ‘friends’ are you lives and each has their own levelling up capacities and specific uses.

All in all it is not a game born from this age of gaming and has almost zero hand holding or tutorials beyond a quick ‘use this button’ display on screen. You aren’t a superhuman zombie slayer of armed up to the teeth with guns and rockets. Instead you are an everyman who is just trying to survive - because of this completing any of the tasks in game needs good preparation and a particular level of caution.

Yes, State of Decay is an open-world zombie survival game, but what’s not obvious right away – and glorious once you understand its depths – is that it’s a full-blown role-playing game - and a fantastic one at that.

You can switch back and forth between your allies to recuperate health and stamina which drains as you are attacked by the undead or overexert yourself. You’ll travel across a rather large multiple-town desert; recruiting new survivors, searching for supplies in shops and houses, as well as managing your ‘groups’ relationship with other parties.

Health is scarce; the zombies can move as fast as you once they are alerted, and most harrowingly, you can realistically only run for a short time before you get tired and have to stop for breath. The other interesting decision relates to weapons – yes there are guns – but do you go in loud by firing off a couple of bullets or bust some heads with your hand to hand combat weapons. All of these actions then add to the degeneration of item quality, which includes the cars you drive, and feed into the need to repair or replacement often.

Sound is also a big matter that effects your choices, aside from fire arms, scavenging too quickly can alert nearby Zeds, cars attract the hordes and even gaining entry to a door car cause a commotion.

Luckily every base you upgrade or outpost you create has a supply locker for your resources. These collections become more important as the game goes on too – lots of allies means more food is required to hold of starvation and more beds too for combating sleep deprivation. On top of this the Locker helps your groups influence on others. To explain - a shotgun you hold might be worth 90 Influence points, so removing it from your stash subtracts 90 Influence, preventing you from going full-on Rambo out there. It makes for a brilliantly balanced system where you’re constantly forced to make considered choices.

 

I personally started by working with three main characters, levelling up their skills like cardio and fighting but unfortunately one of them, Ed has now been killed. It was a harrowing time for me and my band of survivors as I had literally become attached to him both as a personality in my group and because of the time invested in boosting his skill. Secondly the effect knocked my group back which took me some time to bring them around to the idea of keeping things going and staying alive. Eventually, though, I recovered, keeping group morale high enough so nobody fled.

My first couple of hours were spent getting into how the game works. There is a bit of a learning curve but once you understand the in’s and out’s the whole experience is thoroughly enjoyable and at times even exciting. As a warning don’t underestimate the speed and viciousness of a single zombie horde. You simply must take out the undead individually in order to successfully defeat them. A stealthy approach, thanks to insta-kill moves pulled off by manoeuvring behind a Zed undetected, can be a powerful ally.

Overall though Decay has a few minor missteps but the plotline is engaging enough to see you through to the end. Unfortunately the choices you make for survival are sometimes too prompted and can lack the tough, unexpected results you made in The Walking Dead game from Telltale. And while it may seem unfair to criticise a game for non-existent features, you can’t help but daydream about the fascinating possibilities and adventures that a cooperative mode could have had. Undead Labs, the creators, have publicly stated that it had originally planned to include it and still hopes to add the mode via a post release patch as long as the game sells well enough to fund it.

State of Decay’s ambition reaches farther than most full priced titles, so its value is unquestionable as a XBLA download – especially given how it manages to successfully meet so many of its lofty goals. I have spent about 15 hours in the Zed-infested world and will happily spend many more. The whole experience exudes the class of modern zombie games so State of Decay fits the same lofty tower as the Left 4 Dead series and the Walking Dead episodes.

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Sony @ E3 2013 - Conference Rundown

After sitting through both of the E3 conferences for someone else I thought it was about time that my own little blog got a sense of how I felt the Sony offerings went.

Their show started with Jack Tretton on stage; a gentleman who has the guile for this sort of thing and the ability to hold a rampant audience. He is both witty and has served Sony well at the conferences since the departure of John ‘The Turncoat’ Harrison. We also got a quick glimpse at the new Killzone game in action – nothing out of the ordinary here when compared to everything we’ve already seen.

His introduction set the pace for the show by grafting montage and the style of graphics you set up in a rush Powerpoint presentation – which was probably the reason for the 10 minute delayed start. The conference went in the same direction as Microsoft with the Vita and PS3 being billed initially. Tretton spoke about the sales figures for the Vita which smelt a little bit desperate.  Interestingly though he did mention that there are 85 titles launching on Vita by the end of the year – at the current rate of good quality titles you can expect 5 worth-while purchases.

The most exciting news for the Vita is the upcoming Walking Dead 400 Days which is due for release this summer. Telltale did so well with the XBLA/PSN offerings that I’m almost tempted to but a Vita for this series alone.

Tretton then moved onto the PS3 and the imminent releases of GT6 and Beyond: Two Souls. He also touched on Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed The Last of Us which isn’t even out until Friday. All three of these titles look fantastic and certainly put the end of the PS3 lifecycle to bed in a positive manner.

 
It was also pushed over that Puppeteer and Rain are also inbound from Studio Japan while the hold off on The Last Guardian.

We then moved onto the new Batman Arkham Origins game where Sony confirmed that the downloadable content will be exclusive to the PlayStation hardware (presuming the PS4 get the same treatment) during the launch window.

And then we finally moved onto the PlayStation 4. Andrew House hit the stage to go through the reveal of the console and to show off the black box (that ironically looks a lot like the Xbox One). It was the first time that Microsoft's decision to get the boring stuff out the way a few weeks back made sense and the next 30 minutes or so showed off the ideals of the console itself without really touching on any software. They explained the new PSN options as well as the way the console will easily fill everything your heart desires.

Sony finally started moving on to the games, with Shu Yoshida leading the way. The standard quotes stated coming out - 'the largest first party network in the world', ‘innovation’ was used in every other sentence. A nice touch was that there are 30 PS4 title in development across the world; 20 of which are due in the first year of the PS4’s life. It was interesting to hear that only 12 of these were confirmed as exclusives for the console.

Note - the bitter people online moaning that MGS5 is coming to Xbox One.

Then a new IP was announced from Santa Monica Studios, set in steampunk London, called The Order. It looked quite interesting with a team of four people, potentially confirming co-op, who had guns and were hunting some sort of monster infestation. No gameplay but the trailer gave a good impression that this was an FPS in the same vain as Dishonoured.

We were then treated to the new that Knack, Killzone and Driveclub would all be launch titles, while Infamous Second Son will be released in early 2014.

Next up was an announcement from Supergiant Games, who created Bastion. Their new game appears to be a sort of 3D top down action game with bright lights and pretty sprites. We also got a rundown of the other Indie games coming out before….

Kingdom Hearts 3 was announced to rapturous applause from the attendees - shame there wasn't more of it to see, but it looked nice and clean.

This was followed by another confirmation, and now gameplay showing, for Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag. It does look good and the jungle detail is immersive. The trailer showed new CG sections as well as a stealth hunt through the undergrowth – nothing new here then. The only thing to note is that the demo was suffering from extreme lag but this is apparently an ‘Alpha’ version on show so we should expect that I guess. I was still disappointed.

Sony were keen to confirm that PS4 owners would get a whole hour of exclusive content and a special outfit – I wonder how much that cost them!

We also got confirmation that the Elder Scrolls: Online would be making its way over to the PS4 although this is not an exclusive as the Bethesda panel already confirm an Xbox One release too.

Probably my favourite pieces of the conference came next with the joke announcement that ‘No Restrictions on PS4 Used Games’ and ‘No Online Authentication Required’. The crowd loved it so much that it was definitely the biggest cheer of the night and took a full minute and a half for the show to carry on.

Bless Tretter’s. You should watch the conference just to see how pleased he is with himself at his new role as the Santa Claus of video games.

We also got treated to the first gameplay of Bungie’s new franchise Destiny. It looked bloody gorgeous too with almost cell shaded visuals and gun names that Borderlands would die for (‘Thunderlord anyone?). The only shame was the terrible voice acting and online chatter.

Tretton then explained that the PS4 will be available this holiday season for $399 - or £349 to you and me.

The final piece I must leave you with is the distinct lack of Last Guardian news….. so.very.disappointed.

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Microsoft @ E3 2013 - Conference Rundown

So the Microsoft E3 conference has just finished and boy what a result. I said in a previous post that their 90 minute timeslot needed to focus on the software for their next console and we get a glimpse of nearly 20 games coming out over the next 12 months. The main focus was on the Xbox One product but we also got some nice information for the current Xbox 360 users, which means we aren’t being neglected after the launch of the new system.

The conference itself was slightly behind schedule and kicked off about 5:36 GMT. Several people were using twitter to explain that the large floor stands had pitted Microsoft and Sony next to one-another which was a slightly strange choice.

The show opened with a stealth game based in what appears to be an open world desert, the protagonist appeared familiar and several people were pushing forward the prospect of another Red Dead game as the hero was shown rushing into a desert on horseback. As the trailer played through we got examples of dynamic weather effects, including a large sandstorm which effected the visual distances easily, as well as gameplay choices that analyses the player’s actions and takes weaknesses through the in game AI. As the trailer progressed we got introduced to the characters which slowly broke down to the likes of Big Boss and Ocelot – it was the first showing of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

A great opportunity taken by the American company as Hideo Kojima’s universe had mainly become a Sony exclusive and one that has easily caught fans unaware. It was the main exclusive title from the Sony camp that everyone had always hoped would make the console transition.

The conference then directed itself towards the Xbox 360 fanbase with the announcement of two free monthly games, for Xbox Live Gold Member, that are downloadable following the Xbox One launch – the first of these sets is due to be Assassins Creed 2 and Halo . Still it’s not really the competition for the PlayStation Plus that I was expected. Still it’s a pleasant surprise for games and a good opportunity for people to get into the franchises before the new instalments are released.

Next up came an ‘XBLA’ version of World of Tanks which actually looked quite visually impressive and fast paced enough to be a strong pick-up-and-play title. The announcement game with it the information that the game would gold 15 vs. 15 combat – I played this title on PC a few years back at Eurogamer and while it was an early build of the original game it was still a lot of fun to play.

We then heard from Press Play who are producing another Xbox 360 exclusive in the form of ‘Max (something something) which I completely missed the full name off – my bad. It’s a side scrolling adventure game that has the same style animation as Pixar Films. It’s backdrops look nice and this also appeared to be an XBLA game although I didn’t hear an announcement.

Finally in the Xbox 360 section was a new gameplay trailer for Dark Souls II. Perhaps due to be the last great Xbox 360 game it still surprises me that this has been announced for the console generation leap. It still looks gritty and the monsters are very visually interesting. I just hope it’s as tough as the last one.

The conference then turned its attention to the Xbox One console and kicked things off with the new gameplay trailer of Ryse (now dubbed Ryse: Son of Rome). Interestingly, and as per general rumours, this game appears to have moved from the Kinect functionality previously shown and into a controller based affair. The gameplay appears to be fairly linear but with visceral combat like the Batman Arkham games. The only thing that did worry me was the heavy use of QTE’s which I’ve never really been a big fan of. It seemed, from the trailer, that every major enemy is killed with these events a bit like the Force Unleashed games which is always a bit of a shame. It also had the Kameo feel to it from the Xbox 360 E3 event as they showed off various sections with masses of enemies on screen at once.

Perhaps one of the shock reveals of the night was the next announcement of the Killer Instincts franchise reboot. The original game still has a massive hardcore community and people have been petitioning for a new instalment ever since the original. I must say visually it wasn’t massively impressive but it looked like a well put together beat-em-up. I loved Sabrewolf on the original and I can see myself plugging in several hours trying to perfect him again,

Another surprising addition to the developer crew came in the form of Insomniac. The team behind the loveable platform genre over at Sony, which included a favourite of mine in Ratchet and Clank, brought to the table Sunset Overdrive. Although we didn’t see any in-game footage the game appeared to mix the hilarity of Borderlands with the movement of Assassins Creed and the art style of Brink. It looked good as well even showing off a gun that fired Vinyl’s at the enemies – tongue in cheek fun I’d say – maybe a throwback to ‘Shawn of the Dead’ as the game features zombie style monsters.

The next game had already been announced at the Xbox Direct event a few weeks ago but gave Microsoft the opportunity to show us some more information for their new driving simulator, Forza 5– even going as far as putting a McLaren on stage. The main selling point appears to be the graphics which are pretty much photo realistic as well as the Driveatar feature (yes you did read that correctly). Driveater as it has been dubbed records the subtle play-style of you as a gamer, taking into account breaking times, bumping, and acceleration styles which it then uploads this onto the cloud. The cloud then makes an AI representation of you as a gamer and allows other players around the world to play against an AI car with your abilities as a player to increase the human feeling of the action. It’s an interesting concept and surely one that will catch on should it be a success.

Minecraft was then announced, by Phil ‘the turncoat’ Harrison, which will feature large maps for bigger multiplayer and better customisation. To be honest it looked no different but if you like the original XBLA version then this will only perfect the game you love.

We then go another CG trailer for Quantum Break. The trailer showed the protagonist pulled a girl from an explosion after stopping time. Effects wise it looked good but without some in-game action I’m never convinced. It looks like an interesting concept though and will certainly be plugged my Microsoft for months to come. The best feature appeared to be the clear and intelligent facial expressions – obviously this will be a heavily story driven game.

D4 was then released to rapturous applause as this is coming from the mind of Swery65 who brought us Deadly Premonition. The game looks like it could be using Kinect and has a Cel-shaded visual style. D4 is also set to follow the Telltale games structure of episodic instalments that follow a murder mystery,

New up came the Minecraft competitor in the form of Spark. It’s another game creator that has a quick to make, tough to master style to it. The game looked good visually and showed off action sequences involving multiple enemy types and also introduced us to our first look at how SmartGlass will impact gameplay. One player may assume the role of a character while the other manipulates the world around them – raising mountains or lava pits. It was an interesting example of opportunities for the console and genuinely got my excited about game creation again. I’m not sure if you can create RPG’s or just warfare titles but I’m sure we will hear more about this Xbox exclusive as the week goes on. Plus given the creative opportunity people have designed some amazing things in Minecraft so god only knows what they could do without square edges.

SmartGlass was also shown to monitor achievements and game progress tracking as well as video, screenshot uploads and game clip editing. Recording commentary over Kinect on DVR footage seemed to work well. Perhaps the best bit about this is Microsoft have signed Twitch.tv up as an application provider which can record directly from your Xbox for streaming worldwide. My only concern is how any 3^rd party players can keep up with them now.

 

 

My favourite announcement of the night (except the second to last game shown) was the face the Microsoft have done away with their online point purchasing system. On Xbox One everything will have a real world monetary value and that’s what you’ll pay.  No longer will I need to but 800 points for a 240 point upgrade.

We then go a quick trailer of Prince & Dragon which is a fantasy flight game. There was no sound but the visuals were ok – if it is an XBLA game.

Next up came the gritty looking, and thoroughly unexpected Dead Rising 3. Set with a new protagonist the game appeared to be much more open world than either of the previous instalments. Car, makeshift weapons and over the top opportunities as still in play but the game did appear to be much more grounded. Visually it was good with strong depth perception and draw distances and with 300 plus zombies shown on screen at once the game did very well not to get jerky. It was all real in-game footage too. It also features SmartGlass integration as an artillery strike was shown using the application.

We also got a good glimpse at the recently announced Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Set to be the first bit fantasy RPG to hit next generation system this game was both gorgeous and followed the same pattern as previous games in the franchise. Lots of blood, nudity and swearing – it’s about the closest thing you’ll come to a good Game of Thrones video game. It was enormously atmospheric and probably topped Dead Rising 3 for best graphics until….

Battlefield 4 took to the stage. Firstly, well done to Patrick Soderlund who had to keep the audience’s attention for 4 minutes while the footage would not run. The game itself looks as gorgeous as can be expected with massive set pieces and large explosions. It had a strong Call of Duty action presence to it than previous iterations but the set pieces were far larger in size and the background warzones gave an immersive deliver. The gameplay footage was set aboard as battleship that was carrying planes. The environment was easier to manipulate and the sea was especially well done. I always find that I need water to feel like it should and act as it should and this was probably one of the best examples I had ever seen – boats chopped the current while waves crashed against everything.

Xbox One will also get timed exclusivity to the Battlefield 4 Map Packs – and due to the excitement I completely missed what Black Dusk Studios were up to.

Next on the agenda was a game I had anticipated for E3 ever since the new hardware systems were confirmed. Halo 5 is coming to Xbox One in 2014. Ok so it won’t be a day one release game but it looked ok, from a CG perspective at least and the cloaked version of Master Chief was pretty cool. I’ll be marking out for this until it’s released. No combat was shown and it was very much as the same as early teasers go. Obviously it’s exclusive too.

Microsoft then made a big deal about pricing and release, which I also expected on my E3 predictions article. I appear to be £29.00 off on the UK prices though. Major Nelson confirmed that the console will be available in 21 countries from November for £429, 499 Euros and $499 respectively.

The final game/section of the conference showed us a new IP called Titanfall which was an FPS in the same vain as Halo. It was quite visually impressive and appeared to be a mainly online combat game with mech style combat options and dropship packages used to affect the gameplay. Balancing appeared strong and even an infantry solider can take down a mech suited enemy. It was quite fast paced but seems to have the opportunity to follow the large scale warfare of the Battlefield series. It’ll be very interesting to see how this one pans out.

Anyway that’s my rundown of the Xbox Conference @ E3 2013. Let me know your feeling in the comments section below, especially if you can fill in the gaps.

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Microsoft @ E3 - How it happened!

This is a quick rundown of the Microsoft E3 conference as it happened, which can also be found via @somemanwithplan on twitter. As always it’s bottom to top…

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I thought it was third person but it’s an FPS... Looks ok, standard affair really!

Titanfall announced but I’m still giddy about Halo 5 - looked ok with a mech style combat #XboxE3

Official - "@majornelson: #XboxOne will be in 21 Countries this November for £429 UK, 499 Euro, and US $499"

I was £29 off on my price prediction for the UK

That means it’ll be around £429 which buys you a LOT of PC power...

To recap.... Blah blah blah... HALO 5

#XboxOne launches in November for $499 - Read my prediction blog post.... I was right!

I hope chief doesn’t wear that cloak - Halo meets Ezio #XboxE3

Not a release date game - dated 2014 #XboxE3 #Halo5

Awesome - Ill mark out for this shit! #XboxE3

It’s the chief under that cloak! #Halo5 #XboxE3

Halo 5 - I fraking told you! #Halo5 #XboxE3

Not Really....

Black Dusk is working on a new IP for Xbox One called 'My Eye Candy'....

Below looks cool, like a Limbo-RPG-Action thing.... I presume its Indie? #XboxE3

Visit us at Micro-Booth!

Xbox One gets exclusive Map Pack release schedules for Battlefield 4

No Dogs though - but WOW!

You can affect the environment too... Massive set piece on a carrier ship! #Battlefield4 #XboxE3

Well done to DICE's Patrick Soderlund for waiting that out.

Connection dropped me out. Battlefield 4 looks awesome!

No wait here we go! #Battlefield4 #XboxE3

DICE fucks up - no gameplay.....

Battlefield 4 first... Looks the same as expected - superb! #XboxE3

DICE out now - Mirrors Edge 2 please!

Witcher 3 looks enormously atmospheric. Close as you'll get to a decent Game of Thrones game probably....

Witcher 3 will be the first great Fantasy RPG for next gen consoles! #XboxE3

Witcher 3 gameplays looks good. May have just taken top spot from Dead Rising 3 - trilogy wrap up galore!

The Witcher 3. Okay I’m excited about this one.

You can call in artillery with SmartGlass. And it's a launch game.

Distance perception is great... Dead Rising 3 #XboxE3

Still created weapons and some OTT options! 'Massive Open World' - so we are told #XboxE3

Looks like a more realistic take on the franchise

Best looking game so far - Dead Rising 3 #XboxE3

Holy Smokes that had a lot of Zombies on screen at once!

Dead Rising 3 gameplay has been shown too. Looks sweet. Bit grey/brown though! #XboxE3

Yes! DEAD RISING 3 - ACES!

Crimson Dragon at least looks great. I'm sure we'll HEAR more from it soon...

Flying shooter thing.... Where you ride a Dragon! #XboxE3

No sound though.....

Prince and Dragon exclusive for Xbox One

No MS Points for Xbox One just real money prices - Finally! #XboxE3

I wonder how Upload Studio will affect capture device market. Twitch.tv integration seems hard to beat for a 3rd party.

Gameplay can be shared on Twitch - application installed into Xbox One #XboxE3

Most of the people on stage seem to be completely emotionless

Recording commentary with Kinect over DVR footage is pretty great.

"Xbox, upload Studio." goes to game clip you can edit and then publish and share.

Smartglass stuff now.... Nice additions to the games already shown! See achievements, scores etc....

Given the stuff people can dream up in Minecraft, should be some amazing stuff coming out of Project Spark.

It’s sparked my imagination #XboxE3

Project Spark: Smartglass allows for sculpted environments. Voice activated environment creations. You can explore your own worlds. #XboxE3

This is the kind of Smart Glass integration that's awesome.

Oh Spark is a game creator, looks easy to use and prettier than Minecraft.

Spark looks good. Voice Controlled... Habitat Creator!

D4 now an Indie (Kinect?) game made as an Episodic Adventure

Facial expressions are on point though! #XboxE3

No. wait. It’s still CG

Ok we have actually gameplay #XboxE3

Quantum Break again.... Maybe some gameplay - Please?!

As Microsoft steal bits from Sony... Please don’t give them Halo!

Minecraft coming to Xbox One. No surprise. Bigger maps. More multiplayer. Yada yada yada

Come on Phil!

Again, Forza 5 is a launch title.

Forza captures what I'd like in a driving simulator... If I played them #XboxE3

Drivatar. Giggle.

Your 'DriveAtar' leans how you drive and makes ghosts for other people to play against.... No AI (apparently) #Forza #XboxE3

Blimey the detail in Autovista mode this time us amazing though #Forza #XboxE3

Didn't hear any mention of Xbox One exclusivity... #SunsetOverdrive

Forza 5... I don’t really enjoy driving games so 'Yawn'

Nice throwback to Shaun of the Dead with the Vinyl Gun - @simonpegg will be pleased

And Assassins Creed

Hybrid of Fuse, Brink and Borderlands

Stutter....

It’s called Sunset Overdrive #XboxE3

Oh Insomniac... They did Ratchet and Clank.....

Sabre-Wolf I.Love.You #XboxE3

Killer Instinct is BACK MOTHERFUCKING BADASS MIDGET SHIT

Please show Timesplitters 4 this week.....

Great when there are lots of soldiers on-screen. Like Cameo and the field of a thousand trolls. #XboxE3

Again it looks nice, but generally combat sucks with QTEs

Yes QTE pretty much confirms no Kinect requires #xboxe3

Ryse looks wicked and doesn’t appear to need Kinect - although imp only judging by it seemly being off rails #XboxE3

Heard Ryse might not be a Kinect game anymore - anyone know???? #XboxE3

Now it’s called Ryse: Son of Rome

Yep Ryse.... Set in Rome still which is good. #XboxE3

Phil Spencer's wearing a State of Decay t-shirt. Awesome game #XboxE3

Ryse first?????

Now for Xbox One.....

Dark Souls II - perhaps the last great game of this console generation?

And now Dark Souls 2.... Sweeeet!

Side scrolling platformer - nice animations - remember still 360

Press Play producing Max something something.... Looks like Pixar

And now we’re closing the section on Xbox 360. Which is good since nobody cares.

@JulieGaffney yeah just been announced. Set in the desert of Afghanistan.....

15-on-15 player matches for World of Tanks.... IMPRESSIVE

Played World of Tanks a few years ago at Eurogamer Expo - it’s pretty good but looks tough to master

Nah... World of Tanks and it’s looking nice on 360.

Robot Wars?

Poor substitute for PlayStation Plus though!

2 free game downloads if you have Xbox Live Gold. ASSASSINS CREED 2 & HALO 3

Open world. Desert. Horseback. Vehicles. Stealth. METAL GEAR V

13 exclusives due to be shown off tonight #XboxE3

Told you Microsoft had to come out swinging!

Metal Gear. Blimey. Another Sony exclusive falls.

Hideo rules

Microsoft and Sony have gigantic booths directly across from each other. #e3 pic.twitter.com/Gj2TJ7pBDW

Still no movement..... hmm

God it's quite well set up - I hear it's in a Basketball stadium....???? #XboxE3

And we're off.....

#XboxE3 is a Go!

Damn its #XboxE3 in 30 minutes

 

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E3 Predictions

E3 starts today and with the Xbox press conference only 10 minutes away I though now was the chance to provide me quick predictions for the event itself. This conference goes one of two ways; either it fills all our hopes and dreams or it crushes our expectations more than any other yearly event. In either case though expect a spectacle of games on offer as the world waits for the surprises and unexpected announcements that makes this conference the best in the business.

 

1)       Expect Microsoft to reveal the online counter to PlayStation Plus

It’s hardly a strange thing to predict as this has pretty much been the non-existent portion of the Microsoft reveals so far. The company keep pumping us with details of the Xbox One’s online features but they haven’t explained, yet, whether this will require paid subscription or what different features will require different licenses.

 

The online features expected and announced already will be pricey ventures for the American powerhouse and you can expect these to be subsidised by your monthly membership feet.

2)       Super Smash Bros. Wii U / 3DS

The next really obvious inclusion is the Super Smash Bros announcement from Nintendo. The Big N need to hit the ground running this year and what better way than by bringing forward the project that the fans really want? – None I hear you say!

Smash Bros is a franchise that most games (casual or hardcore) have grown to love and is one of their in-house titles that could sell a whole console. Put that together with the fact that a new Zelda is still a long way off on the Wii U and you’ve found what may compete with the next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony. 

3)       The PlayStation Vita will get a price drop and be announced as a PS4 companion

Sony are fully expected to announce a price drop on the Vita to get the handheld market share that they really wanted, especially if this comes in the Autumn for the Christmas present season. The Vita hasn’t been as strong as Sony may have originally have wanted but the quality games are started to spill through and getting people involved on the platform will put the consumer-base firmly in the court.

 

This leads me into the fact the you can expect the Vita to be tied to the PS4 in one way or other – perhaps as a second screen like the Wii U has done with their tablet controller.

4)       Halo 5 will be announced (and most probably as a Day 1 release)

In the history of Microsoft consoles their day one game schedule has been poor and as the industry develops in different ways expect the developer to go with a AAA exclusive title off the bat. 343 don’t seem to have been doing anything new and we know that Halo 5 is scheduled to be released on the Xbox One so what better way to get people excited on their new console than announcing this at E3-  over 4 months in advance to get people’s excitement levels up.

5)       Pricing of the new consoles

Wild speculation has hit the new for the pricing models of both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Most people believe that the Xbox One will be the more expensive option since we will all be given the Kinect hardware at the same time but I’m not so sure. Sony won’t be throwing their console in at a high price and Microsoft need to follow suit. Both companies will be looking at their options and the views of their competitors so expect the pricing announcements today.

Seeing as this is a US event I’ll go for the dollar options (as the UK prices never reflect a standard like-for-like):

Xbox One $499.99 (£399.99)

PlayStation 4 $449.99 (£399.99) 

What do you expect to see at the show – sound off below…..

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Fable Anniversary and Possible MMO

Lionhead launched their new Fable Forum last week on their official site. According to the studio, the forums are “a place to hang out with like-minded Fable fans” where fans can “share your knowledge and passion for the series.” The forums are offering a medal to fans who sign up within the first two weeks (“that will distinguish you as a founding member of our forums”) and fans can sign up directly with their Xbox Live gamertag.

Obviously the timing of the launch itself has been notable with the yearly E3 conventions this week. For years now we’ve been seeing rumours of a Fable MMO, which has included various job listings for a similar project.

The Fable universe is so rich now, following four different games set within Albion, and with such a large fanbase that an MMO doesn’t seem out of the questions.

Speculation still stands even though Lionhead confirmed that they will be following the Halo routine and releasing a Fable Anniversary game. This will show off a re-mastered version of Fable: The Lost Chapters, which is confirmed as a title for the Xbox 360. Nothing has been said about this jumping to the next generation either and the studio seems keen to hit “the biggest community requests as we know how much the fans love the original game.”

Expect to hear more at the Microsoft press conference today.

 

 

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Microsoft Expectation @ E3

Microsoft have been hit a bit heavily following their Xbox One announcement. They have announced a larger than usual set of exclusive console titles but the lack of hard proof and ambitious design choices away from gaming have led many to criticise their hardware - even pushing some towards the arms of Sony.

It’s the time to react and E3 is the place to do it. Microsoft’s debut of the Xbox 360 went well but the market transition stepped in too slowly for their early release to impact as much as expected. The 10 days will be absolutely vital to challenging people’s opinions. The goal, as ever, is to win E3 but they need to start showing off some software. While Forza, Quantum Break and Call of Duty are all good titles they hardly represent the future of gaming.

The speculation growing is that the E3 Media Briefing will be 90 straight minutes of software but the big M are still trying to make people care. Of course, we’re going to see our fair share of corporate name dropping and key word usage but apparently we, as customers, are the focus for them.

Microsoft really needs to come out with a bang, so I wouldn’t expect to be as disappointed as most people felt during their direct broadcast of the Xbox One announcement. The future of the console rests on the 15 exclusive titles that have already been mentioned – which of course you can expect to see on the stage tomorrow. Expectation points to Black Tusk Studios, the Vancouver-based first-party developer, who are due to lead the charge with the ‘Next Big Thing’ for Xbox One – no doubt some sort of Halo rival that Microsoft will push to the high-heavens. There is also a focus on Lionhead’s Fable MMO and the standard offerings in the form of Forza, Ryse and Rare’s next game. Oh, and don't forget the family-friendly Kinect party games with (potentially) a hardcore title dropped in there too.

There have been a lot of worries about the Xbox One infrastructure; with the always online connection, used game policy and Kinect functions but Microsoft have tried their best to quell any incorrect assumptions.

Clarity, even above games, is the most important thing at stake. If left unexplained on the press conference stage, the positive vibes will be buried by lingering uncertainty – and whatever Sony has up its sleeve could push Microsoft away from the public eye.

Xbox One’s lack of backward compatibility means we won’t be getting rid of our Xbox 360 anytime soon, and Microsoft will absolutely be taking advantage of that. It is almost a given that something shown off at the panel will be a current generation opportunity, because Microsoft will want to keep hold of you until you decide to upgrade. There is such a large install space for the 360 that you just can’t see Microsoft pulling the plug until a few months after the launch of the Xbox One.

Their focus for the whole 90 minutes will have to be on the 360 audience and the ways in which they keep retain ownership rates.

If Microsoft truly wants to create the all-in-one box, it starts and stops with Xbox Live, where all of that content lives. It’s strange to think that this area hasn’t been addressed yet considering the whole console is resting on a large online community. We have no idea who Xbox Live Gold will work on the next console or how Microsoft will change the system to make the whole thing easier to use. Obviously we can expect Microsoft Points to be dropped in favour of real world values but beyond that it’s hard to speculate. Perhaps the ‘Arcade’ name will be dropped completely in favour of a full ‘Games Marketplace’ while you can expect Kinect integration to ensure swift navigation.

And as Microsoft moves more toward entertainment, you can count on some sort of Xbox TV service – something, perhaps, that gets rolled up into your fancy new Gold subscription – that features original programming (and if we’re lucky, unifies the five different logins we have for various video streaming services.)

Because Microsoft pushed the entertainment system boundaries at their direct conference you can expect this week to be all about how the video game system is also a great reason to own the console. If they really want to spice things up then they need to get on board with a developer or two that would completely change the dynamics of the exclusive titles range. They will have noticed Naughty Dog helping out Sony and wondered who or how they can recreate the same partnership on their new hardware.

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