NewNews - Xbox One Launch Games Line-Up

These are the games you can buy/install and start playing on your new Xbox One:

Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Crimson Dragon
Dead Rising 3
FIFA 14
Fighter Within
Forza Motorsport 5
Just Dance 2014
Killer Instinct
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
LocoCycle
Madden NFL 25
NBA 2K14
NBA Live 2014
Need for Speed: Rivals
Powerstar Golf
Ryse: Son of Rome
Skylanders: Swap Force
Xbox Fitness
Zoo Tycoon
Zumba Fitness

Sad to say, but I think the Xbox One has a better launch line-up than the Playstation 4 does.  Despite the flack Microsoft had throughout the year of promoting their system, the Xbox One actually has more exclusive titles that interest me.  Crimson Dragon, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and Ryse: Son of Rome are among the exclusive titles that interest me.  Still, I don't plan to get an Xbox One and will be getting a PS4 much later.  With the Wii U, PS4 and now the Xbox One out, we can finally step into another generation of gaming.

NewNews - Microsoft's Xbox One Relevant Again

Official Site: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xboxone/meet-xbox-one
Source: Youtube Channel xbox

It might have been the huge outcry the community had against the new console.  It could be because Microsoft was persistently scrutinized and criticized throughout E3 while Sony was showered with praise.  Or it just may very well be that Microsoft isn't meeting their quota on pre-orders for the Xbox One.  Whatever the case may be, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One will not require constant internet connection or the need to check in every 24 hours to play games.  The console will be able to play used games and gamers can share their games with their friends without having to pay an extra fee.  This will be great news to those who were interested in the Xbox One but news of the DRM methods of the console deterred them; however, the damage has been done and was fixed a little too late.  Were this announced at E3, it would have been a completely different show.  Now it's just a matter of waiting for both consoles to launch this Fall and see how they do.

Source:
-Joystiq - Xbox One-80: Microsoft reverses Xbox One DRM features

NewNews - Pre-E3 2013

Official Site: http://www.e3expo.com/
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot

Today is the day the press attends the major conferences and get exclusive footages of game trailers/gameplay.  I have compiled a list of some of the reports:

News:
-Mirror's Edge 2 is in development and will be out when it's ready
-Insomniac working on an open-world shooter exclusively for the Xbox One
-Xbox One available for Pre-Order
-Xbox One will be sold at $500
-Xbox One has integrated Twitch Streaming Capabilities
-Project Spark is user-created content game for Xbox One

Trailers:
-Dragon Age: Inquisition (Fall 2014)
-Star Wars Battlefront
-Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
-New Halo Game (2014)
-Titanfall (Spring 2014)
-Below
-The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
-Dead Rising 3 (November 2013)
-Crimson Dragon
-D4
-Forza 5
-Killer Instinct
-Sunset Overdrive
-Mirror's Edge 2
-Need for speed Rivals
-Dark Souls 2
-Destiny of Spirits
-Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Gameplay:
-Battlefield 4
-Titanfall
-Dead Rising 3
-Call of Duty Ghosts
-Ryse: Son of Rome
-Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

NewNews - Microsoft Xbox One Announced

Official Site: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xboxone/meet-xbox-one

Source: NBC News

So Microsoft finally revealed their new console today with the name "Xbox One".  I think it's a good decision in terms of name as I was expecting something like "Xbox 720".  It's an interesting name that can throw out a lot of catch phrases for their product such as the one on the front page that says "The all-in-'one' Entertainment System".  They can continue to use phrases like "This system is the 'one' to beat them all!" or "The Xbox is number 'one'".  But in any case, it's a decent name.

Rather than just a gaming device, Microsoft wants the Xbox One to fulfill all forms of media entertainment with music, internet, movie streaming, and video chatting.  There's a bit of controversy behind some of the design choices for the "Xbox One" though such as locking out used-games or requiring an internet connection for the initial start up.  Here's a quick run-down of the Xbox One:

Features:

- 8-core x86 processor; play games and run apps at the same time

- HDMI pass-thru; watch TV through the Xbox One

- 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive; Plenty of memory for all media

- Blu-ray reader for watching movies and having HD quality graphics

- Runs on Windows OS

- Improved Kinect functionality for voice/motion commands

- Updated Smartglass functionality

- Group conference skype calls

- Persistent game world changes even when not played

- Advanced AI learns how to play like you so friends can simulate playing with you

- Integrated match-matching technology for multiplayer games

- Play games while they're installing

- Supports up to 1,000 friends on buddy list

Controversy:

- Not always online, but requires internet connection to start up

- Not backward compatible with Xbox 360 and XBLA games

- Used-games requires an extra fee to play

What I don't know yet is whether an Xbox Live subscription fee will still be required and if it's needed to play the games that requires internet connection.  If that's the case, then the customer can't play any games unless they sign up for Xbox Live Subscription regardless if they play online or not.  I'm not too worried about any of this since I don't plan on getting an Xbox One, but I am afraid that this might influence similar decisions in Sony and Nintendo's products in the future.

Still, I can sympathize and support the concerns of those who do plan to get an Xbox One and must face these questionable decisions.  The listed controversies all point toward Microsoft's effort to prevent piracy and discouraging used-game sales and borrowing from friends/game rentals.  Not having backward compatibility for Xbox 360 games is understandable as it cuts down on hardware cost keeping the price more reasonable, but it shouldn't be too hard to implement compatibility with XBLA games.  I could be wrong though.  With piracy, I hope it works because it would really be insulting for all the paying customers having to go through the required internet connection and facing problems when it fails (Ubisoft has a history of games not working that requires internet connection) when those who pirate games will find a way to play without internet connection or problems.  It's happened in the past where those who pirate games have a better gaming experience than official games when they break down or fail to work because of an implemented DRM.  There has to be a better way to fight game piracy, right?

The Xbox One doesn't have a price tag yet and will probably be revealed at E3.

NewNews - Big Releases of November 2012

The next three weeks are going to be pretty big for some gamers.
Source: Youtube Channel HaloWaypoint

Halo 4 had launched last night exclusively for the Xbox 360 and begins a new trilogy for the series.  The original trilogy was a lot of fun but I'm sad to have not been able to play ODST or Reach.  I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to play Halo 4, but so far it looks great.
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY

I was disappointed with Black Ops when it was released 2 years ago.  It had a great story for single-player, but the game play was really boring.  Multiplayer was fun because it was possible to have a buddy join you in online multiplayer on the same system and same screen (for consoles), but it was still unbalanced, buggy, and suffered from irregular amounts of lag.  Perhaps Black Ops 2 will be a lot better.  I had my doubts for Modern Warfare 3 last year, but it ended up pleasing me quite a bit.  I'm not certain how high the demand for Call of Duty is anymore, but I suppose we'll all find out next week.
Source: Youtube Channel Nintendo

Two weeks from now, Nintendo's newest creation will hit the public and we'll see whether Nintendo still has any attraction to the gaming community or the casual gamers.  Nintendo has already captured my attention for the system with games such as Bayonetta 2, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, and ZombiU as well as multiplatform games such as Assassin's Creed 3, Darksiders 2, and Mass Effect 3.

The holidays are approaching quickly which means huge sales on its way.  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales are among the huge deals.

VGCulture - E3 2011 Press Conference (Sony & Microsoft)

E3 starts tomorrow.  Tomorrow, we'll get a glimpse at the future on what's to come, what to expect, and what might fail.  Press Conferences for Sony and Microsoft were held today that piqued my curiousity (more like shocked me into going OMGWTFBBQ!).


Sony's PSP2 is called the Sony PlayStation Vita
Wait, what?  It's going to be called Vita?  Before I start saying how odd and dumb of a name it is, I am reminded that I thought the Gameboy Dual Screen was an odd name (but it caught on with DS).  I also thought the change from Nintendo Revolution to Wii was absurd.  But it became normal and people were okay with it.  I'm not sure, but maybe it'll just catch on just by calling it the PSV.

"Vita means life," said Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment. "And we're confident that Vita will be the first product that blurs the lines between reality and interactive entertainment." - Cnet Reviews

Source: Youtube Channel screwattack




Microsoft announces...Halo 4
Though I'm not surprised that the series didn't end just like that, I was shocked to see that it followed the numerical order of the main series.  What happened to "ending the fight?"  I feel bad that I didn't play the campaign of Halo 3.  I didn't even get a chance to play ODST and Reach at all, so I have no idea what Halo is like now.  I liked Halo when I had access to play it (friend's house, university's arcade, PC), but now I'm so out of the loop that I've almost forgotten about Halo.  At the moment, who cares about Halo 4.  Let me play the last three Halo releases!

Source: Youtube Channel G4TV


Mass Effect 3 is compatible with Kinect
How...odd.  Playing the game entirely of motion control sounds like a frustrating scenario, but I think there are things about it that can be really cool.  Being able to point to a direction and use voice command to have your team mates attack, suppress fire, defend and such sound much more practical than trying to deal with weird HUD commands and aiming your cursor everywhere.  Also, maybe they'll had head tracking so you can move in and out of cover in real-time.  But what was announced was the ability to command things with your voice while the player still uses a controller to play the game.

Source: Youtube Channel Mac11em

I hope they show a lot of good games this year.  I was excited by a lot of games last year, but I think it's mainly because I was actually there.  It would've been interesting to go again this year, oh well.

Source:
-Joystiq: PlayStation Vita launches globally by end of 2011, starting at $249 
-Joystiq: Halo 4 finishes the fight (again) in 2012 [Update: teaser trailer!]
-Joystiq: Mass Effect 3 gets Kinect support with voice recognition
-Cnet: E3 2011: Sony debuts PlayStation Vita, its next-gen handheld

GameLight - Short Rant on Microsoft Kinect

News about the Kinect has been going on for the past few days and many people are having problems with input lag, inaccurate controls, and body recognition.  Microsoft is doing their best to spread the news about the Kinect, but I have to wonder how well it will hold up without the support of salable software.  At the moment, the only game I'm really interested in trying out (besides Dance Central) is Sonic Free Riders:



Source: Youtube Channel TheRiderssonic123

I have to admit, I'll probably look silly playing it with my arms flailing about.  The thing that interests me is that Microsoft is trying something new with the technology and may prove to be innovative in future games.  The first one to create an innovation may not particularly get it right the first time.  I have seen countless products from Sharper Image where I thought it was creative and interesting, but much too expensive.  Another company comes along and creates the same product with a much lower price and possibly being more durable.  Nintendo tried motion sensing games a long time ago with the NES, but it did not sell.  They did it once more just recently and became the best selling console in the market.  So perhaps, somewhere along the path of Kinect, a really good game or new, better peripheral might come out of it.

On the Kinect from Gamasutra

The Kinect is new and so developers may struggle with optimization and ideas on how it should be used.  Similar to how "Red Steel" had quirky controls on the Wii when it first released and then Nintendo proved the controls can be versatile and intuitive for First-Person Perspective games with the release of Metroid Prime 3 Corruption.  I respect the endeavors the team that worked on the Kinect tried to deliver since it was something new.  No offense to Sony, but trying to follow up the Nintendo Wii years later with a device that has awkward ergonomic design and faulty motion sensing isn't exactly the best way to bring in more sales (yes, I tried out the Sony Move).  I have yet to try out the Kinect and am intrigued by it at the moment.  Kinect is expected to sell well this winter with Christmas coming up and Black Friday before it.  We'll see how things go down this holiday season.