Another Monday... another weekend in gaming journal for everyone out their in Sony land. Spent the entire weekend finally working on Watch Dogs after finishing Wolfenstein last week. If you are in need of a game to play please grab Wolfenstein, very underrated. As for Watch Dogs, at first I was very confused with this game and its controls. However after playing for a while it finally started to make sense and actually become fun. I am not looking forward to the Plat solely on the online luck trophy traced which requires you to be tailed by 5 other gamers. This is completely random and there is really no true way to track this.
After Watch Dogs I am not sure what to sink my teeth into as I have so many games right now since I got my PS3. I have Uncharted 2 and 3 to clean up a bit more with trophies. But also games like L.A. Noire and the entire Batman Arkham series. I really want to try for some more trophies in NBA 2k so that I can trade in before it becomes worthless in trade in price.
I do have the Last of Us preordered for PS4 and look forward to sinking more time into that. What are you guys playing and what do you think I should move onto next?
Every Tuesday I will run down the last weeks worth of PS news and give my opinion on what it may mean or why you should be excited.
The Last of Us Lowers MSRP
It looks like The Last of Us has lowered its MSRP to $49.99 instead of the regular $60 for new games. This is big news as a lot of remastering complaints centered around the $60 price tag. This edition also comes with all DLC, a current $20 value that includes the wonderful single player DLC Left Behind. This is a must own for all PS4 owners and has even gotten some rumors of a PS4 bundle that includes the Last of Us.
New DS4 Controllers coming Stateside
New blue, white, and camouflage DS4 controllers have shown up for preorder by Amazon finally bringing a little change to the regular black controller provided with the system. We of course figured white was coming with the inclusion in the white PS4 bundle that is coming this fall. One controller not announced yet is a red colored one seeing as Asia already has the blue but also has a red one as well. Good for Sony to finally bring this over as people have been clamoring for a little color.
Update 1.72
Another small update came to PS4 for stability improvements, but many are wondering when we will get the next big update. We know youtube is coming in the fall, which could lead many to believe that big update will include that and others in the Fall. Otherwise we are just left speculating about things like online takeover, a possible new sound update, or heck, even the ability to change PSN names? I can dream right?
Here is the first installment of Weekend in gaming, and what a weekend it was. My trophy hunting continues as I was able to rent South Park Stick of Truth from Redbox thanks to a free rental. Was hoping to play through and Platinum the first play through, but thanks to a dumb trophy that has no way of actually tracking, I was unable to get the platinum without a second play through. With the game being a rental I wasn't able to do that so the platinum will have to wait. My thoughts on the game are very high as I feel it takes the essence of South Park and completely recreates it with you as a character in an episode. It is definitely not a very appropriate game, but when it's South Park what do you expect? Without the constraints of TV censors, This episode of South Park can include Nazi zombie fetus's, tons of fart jokes, and plenty of sexual innuendos. It deserves its M rating one hundred percent, but also brings plenty of laughs I have never experienced in a video game. This is an early contender for my game of the year, just too bad they aren't porting it to next gen.
After that I moved on to Wolfenstein, which I have been waiting to play since I got it when it was first released. This game was quite a surprise as I am thoroughly enjoying playing through being my first first-person shooter in quite some time. I had heard the buzz which caused me to pick it up, and it deserves all of it. The story is great and engaging for a WWII type shooter. Truly though, it isn't a World War II shooter at all since it is set after WWII in a world where the Nazi's won. The hero is likable with good dialogue and funny one liners. The thing I love most about the game is it does not take itself seriously, but instead embraces the ridiculousness of the story, but also asking the what if question with a different outcome to WWII. I should be able to finish in the next two days and will give a full review for the blog since it was a more recent release. Just an FYI, seems like this week many retailers have Wolfenstein on sale and for around $30 I think it is a must have in this current drought for games.
After I move past Wolfenstein, I still have a brand new Watch Dogs to open, as well as a growing backlog of PS3 games I want to attempt to Platinum. Feel free to comment with suggestions for games I should play, and use my backlog tab at the top of the page to see what else I have.
PlayStation Plus, the service many people were scared of when it first started has become one of the most rewarding services for the price to date. A service that gives 6 free games a month, many discounts, and also allows you to play online this generation. What Plus really is though is an evolution of gaming that is bringing a similar situation to consoles that steam brought to PC's. When it was first announced many Sony fans were not happy as one of the big draws to the PS3 was the free multiplayer gaming and video apps, whereas Xbox gamers were being required to pay for their service. Although, most will say Xbox live was worth the money due to the stability, Sony fans were still thinking Sony was going to way of Microsoft and would no longer allow for free online gaming. What Sony did next was probably what got them ahead of the 360 in regards to sales and why the PS4 has been such a success: free games!
Sony added the Instant Gaming Collection to the service as well as discounts and sales with up to 75% off on some games. The first year alone brought a number of great titles, and they weren't just older games from previous generations or simple downloadable titles either. Games like Uncharted, Infamous, Resident Evil, and Little Big Planet have been free through the service.
The first year of PlayStation Plus
Now with the success of Plus, Sony could have backed off and still beat Microsoft with value by taking some games away or even raising the price, but instead they gave even more games away with the PS Vita and extending Plus to the other platform for free. Each Plus subscriber has been getting 60-100 games a year, which with the cost of $50 a year comes to a total of a $1.20 per title for games like Demon Souls, Sleeping dogs, and Borderlands. A lot less then buying the games separately.
With the release of the PS4, Sony did make a surprising move by requiring PS Plus to play multiplayer just like Microsoft, except yet again they did not take away any of the other features of the PS Plus subscription. They even added PS4 titles to the Instant Game Collection, bring the total to 2 games per platform per month. However, unlike Microsoft they did not charge people to use apps such as Amazon or Netflix. Since the release of the PS4 PS Plus subscriptions have increased exponentially. The biggest thing I have found from people is that they never realized what a value Plus was. Even I didn't purchase Plus till this past October, which makes me a little bit mad about all the games I missed out on. It is a must for any Sony lover, PlayStation owner, or bargain finder. The success of PS Plus is noted and Sony really hit it out of the park regarding the service.
The program has been so successful, it has caused Microsoft to change a lot about the Xbox live gold subscription, now including games and also taking video apps out from behind the pay wall. But is it enough for Microsoft? We have already seen a large number of Xbox users jump over and be won over by the PS4 and PS Plus. Only time will truly tell, but since I am one of those people I will say it is amazing what Sony has done for core gamers and the value cannot be ignored. Not to mention that the $50 price tag being $10 cheaper than Xbox live gives it an even better leg up on the competition. However, you can get it even cheaper than that during the holidays when sales for $20-$30 is fairly common. If you own any PS platform, I recommend you get Plus right away, you will not be disappointed.
One thing I don't hear a lot of people talking about when assessing Sony's E3 press conference is the number of games in development that weren't announced. For whatever reason studios like Sony Bend, Sony Santa Monica, and even Media Molecule were no where to be found (LBP3 is actually being developed by Sumo Digital). However, Sony has already stated they are all working on PS4 games, which means even after all the announcements that were made there is still more to be revealed in the coming year. Whether that means Gamescon or the Tokyo Game Show, PlayStation gamers are in for a heck of a year!
Now the question is what games are in development? One of my first blogs talked about 2014 and what games could be coming and now I feel like I can revise that a bit due to some more news and some changes at developers. One of the biggest question marks comes from Sony Santa Monica. The God of War developer was working on two games before some recent layoffs and the cancellation of one project (rumored to be the open world space game I talked about in my original preview). So then is the other game a next gen God of War? Or could they surprise everyone with a new original IP? Only time will tell but keep an eye on Sony Santa Monica, any day we may just find out.
Of course the talk of E3 was Uncharted 4, but a Naughty Dog employee did state that another game is being developed on the same size as Uncharted 4. The obvious idea would be The Last of Us, but what would happen if Naughty Dog surprised us and did a totally different game? After the most impressive video game trailer ever, and the news that it was in-game, in-engine footage means Naughty Dog may have already found a way to unleash the power of the PS4. I can only hope we get another Naughty Dog game soon after Uncharted 4 is released to bide a little more time with an amazing developer. Honestly, even with all the turmoil at Naughty Dog can they do no wrong? Below is the trailer again, with the new information that this will be very close to the final product, I can't help but watch over and over!
The biggest mystery as far as Sony's studios go are Sony bend and the trademark Kill Strain. Recently several trademarked game titles were leaked including Guns up. At E3 Sony revealed the game Guns up coming to PS4. Also leaked at the same time was the trademark Kill Strain, which many associated with a possible Syphon Filter reboot. Could Sony Bend be bringing back a classic?
These are just three studios out of a handful that have yet to announce their next gen projects, which to me spells a good outlook to PS gamers everywhere!
Just a quick post for this Wednesday as I talk about some of the games I am currently playing and looking forward to playing over the next week. This article will usually come out on Monday but with E3 having just happened it did not happen. Currently I am trying to platinum PES 2014, which I don't recommend for anyone unless you are looking forward to 20+ hours of boredom. Can't wait to finally be able to delete this game from my hard drive. The biggest reason it has been so tough is all the great games I recently re-added to my library solely to try and clean up platinum's that I started but never finished. Since getting my PS4 I have found a new love for trophies over achievements and it has made me want to go back and play some of the games I quickly played through that I could have got the platinum's for.
The big one I want to get out is the Uncharted series. I loved those games so much but never took the time to really experience them. I beat all of them on easy and then moved on. I look forward to experiencing them in a different way and a bit of challenge with crushing mode. I also want to replay the Arkham series over again as I pretty much did the same thing (except I never beat Arkham Asylum). Going back and playing some of these great games again show that time has been good for them and overall they were such amazing games for last gen. I cannot wait to experience Uncharted 4 and Arkham Knight on my PS4 in the coming years.
Besides the backlog that I have as far as platinum's go, I also was able to pick up some newer games for my PS4 in Wolfenstein and Watch Dogs. I want to marathon both games and go for plats as well since both games are pretty easy. It is definitely tough to find that time, but next weekend I should have several days to myself to dedicate to Wolfenstein. Overall with E3 and the amount og solid games we have I couldn't think of a better time to be a gamer.
Well the reactions are mixed from Sony’s E3 presser, but I believe it was strong, but they missed an opportunity to kill it. The way it started was like a dream, but pacing was Sony’s downfall with the not so very nice filler middle that included hardware updates and some TV news that Microsoft fans know ever so well from last year. However, if you take the middle out I believe it was a very strong conference overall from Sony and should have PS4 fans very excited for what’s to come. Sony got lucky that Microsoft showed a lot of third party with timed exclusives, which Sony did but not to the same extent. We also got some very nice surprises that are rare in the age of Twitter and technology. Both Little Big Planet 3 and Grim Fandango were very nice surprises, but the LBP3 demo could have been a lot better than it was.
I really liked the emphasis on lots of exclusive info that Sony was able to reveal with a total of roughly 10 good exclusives that should make PS4 owners very happy. Here is a list of my highlights and what I feel about each game.
The Order 1886
With all the rumors regarding the game and whether or not it would actually live up to the first trailer, the new footage shown yesterday was not a good effort. Lots of cinematics with a rail shooting like scene and what appeared to be either a zombie or a werewolf, it was not what fans were looking for. However I ask that Sony fans hold judgment through this E3 week as people will be able to get their hands on it and may be able to provide more info. As release date gets closer we should know more about the game.
Uncharted 4
With what has happened recently with UC4 and Naughty Dog, people really need to see how lucky we are that we got what we did above. A title, a 2015 promise, and some really good graphics. Now I am sure people will complain that it was CG and cinematics, but if people remember, previous Uncharted’s have CG cut scenes that aren’t that different to the gameplay. Not to mention if you look at the Last of us, that is the same engine UC4 will run on for the PS4. It will look that good and it is why none of the journalists out there are crying a foul like gamers are regarding a CG trailer. This game is the reason you get a Sony console, and will be guaranteed to be the system seller that everyone is waiting for.
LBP3
This game was a pleasant surprise as everyone thought Media Molecule would not be at E3, but here we are with new LBP. I loved the four characters and the idea that every single piece of user creations will be available. However, it was a lackluster demo as it showed off some of LBP’s unpolished platforming that the series is known for. It is exciting though that we have an exclusive like it coming this fall. If you have never played a LBP and enjoy platforming and playing with friends, look forward to this game.
No Man’s Sky
WOW! This game came out of nowhere for me as I had not seen it before. Yes it is only an Indie game (refer to my indie controversy blog), but this game is quite ambitious! A full universe to explore with everyone’s game being completely unique!? Yea it isn’t the greatest looking game ever with full textures and such, but just the sheer size and scope makes this one of the best games shown at the show for any company. Look forward to getting my hands on it soon.
BloodBorne
Bloodborne, a.k.a. Project Beast, is the game long rumored for From Software was a pleasant surprise. The trailer looks gorgeous and if the Souls games are any reference it will look amazing on PS4. The trailer didn’t give a lot of info on the actual game or storyline, but it should be on everyone’s radar going forward.
Remastered Games
I recently wrote about remastered games and why they are ok at the beginning of a lifecycle, and Sony didn’t disappoint on this front. The Last of Us looks incredible, and is already an incredible game. Must have for every single PS4 owner no matter if you have already played it! Then of course we get GTA V which I forgot to mention in my previous article. GTA V will warrant a buy for me as I enjoyed the story mode and wasn’t able to full enjoy the rest due to the release of the PS4. Now I get to redo the story and of course earn trophies for it as well.
Third Party Games to get Excited About
Rainbow Six: Siege
This was a great third party surprise and a game that looks unbelievable! I am not a huge Rainbow Six fan as I haven’t been very good at the tactical shooting games, but I want to play this so bad!
Batman Arkham Knight
Finally some gameplay, and the way the game transferred from cinematic to gameplay was flawless. This is a must own for everyone and I am now a lot sadder that it was pushed to 2015.
Far Cry 4
This should have even Sony fans more excited than anyone. With the announcement that exclusively PS4 and PS3 gamers will be able to play the game even if they don’t won it was huge and a pretty big slap in the face to Microsoft.
Overall E3 was great for gamers and good for PS4 owners. If Sony had of only cut of the fluff in the middle including the Powers announcement, then this could have been an A performance. However due to that middle, I can only give Sony’s E3 press conference a B. It was a good showing and if you are a PS4 owner you should be happy with the upcoming titles you will get to enjoy.
Tomorrow I will blog about what’s next and what was missing from E3 yesterday, make sure you stay tuned in when that blog goes live.
Indie, the word that is considered a dirty word among gamers everywhere. But should it actually be? Indie's used to cover smaller titles that took up very little time and were very cheap. They were very similar to mobile games you could get on a mobile phone and nothing to write home about. However, since the release of both next gen platforms Indie's have become a big part of the next gen experience. And that is a good thing! At the launch of any new system the number of games available can be rather small. This gen we have a decent number of launch titles but the number of high quality Indies has been able to bridge the gap between big AAA releases. Not to mention all the free indie titles Sony has been giving to its gamers there is no lack of quality games to play. Games like Resogun, Outlast, Mercenary Kings, Contrast, and Stick it to the Man have brought plenty of good fun to help in times of gaming droughts.
There are lots of gamers who ignore these great games because they are not full titles on the same level as Uncharted, Gears of War, and Halo. But in some respects these games can be better than some AAA titles with innovative game play, fun story lines, and good art. They are great for short gaming sessions and won't cause you to put in hours upon hours of your life in order to complete. The biggest thing is you can get a bunch of great "indie titles" for the cost of a full fledged retail released game. All these things bring great experiences that some gamers ignore too quickly. Resogun for instance may just be the best next gen title to date on either platform and the best part was it was free. It was quick and visually beautiful game that was very addictive very quickly. Stick it to the Man was an excellent new game experience that was, although short, fun. These games plus so many more bring great experiences that gamers should not pass up.
It saddens me when I see gamers discount the credibility of these types of games and dismiss them all together. They are bringing something to a gap of games we used to see in previous years and deserve both your time and money. So go out and try these games if you can, most of them are free and can bring plenty of hours of fun to any gamer. There is an indie title out there for everyone, you just have to find it.
One issue that has been brought up numerous times all over
the internet regarding the recent trend of Remastered games on the next gen
platforms. I think that the issue people
have with those types of games are actually false and this is a very good
option in the early life cycle of both the Xbox One and the PS4. However I also believe it is even more plausible
for the PS4 more so than the Xbox One.
Let me first start off with the people who are complaining about the
time that creating a remastered game could be used on a new title. Here is the biggest problem with that idea,
the time to remaster a game is way less than creating a new game. Right now a lot of developers are working on
new games, but the time it will take them to release those new games would
leave quite a large gap for owners of the new systems. We already have quite a few gaps without
games so the developers take a smaller team and remaster a game to be released soon
after the next gen launches. It really isn't taking away from a new game we
could have had at the same time.
The biggest reason I love remastered games and think they
make sense is the change in the lead console.
What I mean by this was last gen Xbox 360 lead up until the very
end. A lot of Xbox 360 owners have now
switched over and missed out on a lot of the great exclusives that I feel were
much better than what Microsoft offered.
But since they skipped PS3 they skipped some amazing games including the
Uncharted series, The Last of us, God of War, and the Resistance series. There are even more than I mentioned and if
they are able to bring some of those games over as remastered next gen
versions, I feel like Sony could still make some money, while also appeasing PS4
owners with games that are new to them.
Now there is one thing I feel like needs to happen with
remastered to make them that much better: lower their prices. The fact that they are selling games at full
prices is the only negative to remastered games. I feel like a $50 or $40 price tag would make
everyone happen and make some of these remastered games sell that much
better. I would also think that a lower
price tag would calm the people complaining about the remastered games coming
out.
I bought Tomb Raider and experience it for the first time on
my PS4, I will definitely be picking up The Last of Us as I was unable to
finish it by the time the PS4 came out, not to mention I would love to see GTA
V come out so that I could re-experience it on a Sony machine with
trophies. Of course there are multiple
rumors of other games such as Mass Effect trilogy and a possible uncharted
trilogy in the future with both being high on my purchase list. All these games could bridge the gap to some
of the newer games and makes some fans happy, and if only they could lower the
price then I feel like it could make all fans happy.
I love E3 for more than just the Sony and Microsoft press conferences. For me a lot of the multiplatform games
really get me excited. As a huge sports
fan, being able to see some news about the upcoming titles from EA Sports and
others gets me super excited and it also starts the wave of information we get
before said sports games are released.
Not to mention developers like Ubisoft, Activision, and Bethesda can
bring surprise announcements for games that look amazing. This article will try and talk about the most
anticipated games we know about as well as rumored titles that may surprise us.
·NHL 15
oThe first next gen hockey game will hopefully
bring more info including a full game play trailer with it to E3. NHL 07 was a good game after skipping the
first year of next gen, and hopefully it will be the same with NHL 15
·Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor
oI am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, and if this
can bring any of the feeling that the game play in The Two Towers game had, I am
all over this! Here’s to getting a
game play demo or two throughout the week.
·Star Wars
oAnother epic franchise that has a few games in
development. Will we see the new
battlefront? Or how about the game Amy
Hennig is working on? Please give Star
Wars fans something to look forward to away from the new movie.
·The Last Guardian
oWill we finally get a release date?!?!?!?!? Seriously, this has to be it for the game,
either announce the release date or just cancel it already!
·Naughty Dog
oWe all know about Uncharted 4 already, but what
about the second mystery game they are in pre-production on? Will we get an actual game play trailer for
Uncharted? This should have every Sony
fan super hyped about!
·Sony First Party
oThere are at least seven Sony Developers working
on next gen games that have yet to be announced. What could developers like Sony bend, Media
Molecule, and Sony Santa Monica be up to?
It is killing Sony fans all over!
·Sequels
oWhat games will have sequels announced at
E3? Mass Effect? Bio Shock? Killzone? Gears
of War?
These are just a handful of possible games and titles that
could be shown or announced at E3. What
are you looking forward to most?
E3 is only a few days away and rumors are already
buzzing. This time last year was
exciting as both Sony and Microsoft were announcing new gaming systems and the
wait was soon to be over for people clamoring for something new. Then E3 came and both Sony and Microsoft came
out of E3 in completely different positions.
Sony killed the press conference and gained momentum that would lead to
it being the number one next gen console by a landslide. While Microsoft nearly killed themselves with
a horrible showing that only told Xbox fans that they were not being listened to. Microsoft of course changed a lot of the policies
that had gamer's most angry, but the damage was done.
Fast forward to today and both systems are actually quite
healthy, but the PS4 is that much more ahead, a few million to be more
precise. Everyone saw what E3 did to
both Sony and Microsoft and thus all eyes are back on E3 to see if Sony can
repeat, and if Microsoft can be redeemed.
With the PS4 still selling like hot cakes, it is interesting
to look at why that might be, and whether it can sustain the huge lead that it
already has. Currently it seems as
though the PS4 continues to sell solely based on word of mouth, the scarcity of
the system, and overall value, but this can only sustain sales for so
long. The big system seller is of course
the games. Neither system has had a string
of games that have screamed buy this system, but have mostly had decent games
that owners of the system have liked rather than loved. Infamous was a good game as far as
appearances went, but the linear game play and story held it back from truly
being titled a system seller. Same goes
for Microsoft and Titanfall, which also released on Xbox 360 and PC. Again, it was a good game, but the fact that
it was not Xbox One only hurt the system and the possible crowd it could have
got to upgrade just for the game.
Besides these two games that were once labeled as system sellers before
their release, both systems have kept pretty even with releases.
The only other thing the PS4 has had going for it has been
the levels that it has been able to play multiplatform games compared to the
Xbox. Most multiplatform games play
either the same or better on PS4 than they do on Xbox, which has led to PS4
having better numbers in sales regarding those multiplatform games.
All of these things have contributed to the
PS4’s lead, but that lead will not continue unless the PS4 is able to bring
some excitement going forward about games that are coming in the near
future. The same goes for Microsoft and
the ability to build back their momentum with some good game
announcements. All eyes will be on E3
come next week, and it will definitely be a good one for gamer's a like.
I have really been meaning to get going with this blog more
frequently. My goal now is to have at
least one article per day Monday through Friday. Now this doesn't mean I won’t post more if
the moment is right (I.E. Reviews, breaking news, and random musings). So to begin I thought I would do a quick
recap of my current gaming situation, which in a very short period of time I have
actually acquired quite a backlog.
Thanks to a re-acquisition of a PS3, and the always amazing PS Plus I have
quite a few games in the pipeline. I
have recently platinum’d NCAA 10 and NCAA 12 bringing my platinum total to
6. My goal right now is to clean up some
games I know I can get a platinum since I have become a PlayStation only gamer
at the moment.
Currently I am working on getting a platinum in PES 2014,
which was May’s free game as part of Plus.
The game is okay, and the platinum is easy, but it takes a lot of time and
patience. Both of those things are
getting harder to find as my gaming collection grows and the want to move on
grows larger. Other games I want to get
to in order to clean up include the entire Uncharted series, L.A. Noire, Heavy
Rain, Minecraft, NCAA 11, NCAA 13, and the Arkham Series. Besides that, I also was able to pick up MLB
the Show 14, Watch Dogs, and Wolfenstein all for my PS4 who I can only assume
has gotten lonely from my rediscovered love of the PS3. I definitely want to try and platinum
Wolfenstein, and possibly Watch Dogs with a chance for The Show as well. All in all I hope that I can get my platinum
number up to at least 15 and possibly even 20.
Of course my trophy level has been on 12 for quite a while, I have never
really understood that part, but I am going to do whatever I can to get that up
even more.
I look forward to what E3 is going to bring on Monday, and
wonder if any of the predictions I made as far as Sony’s first party developers
come true or not. With the PS4 doing as
well as it has been doing, it is only a matter of time until some really big
exclusives come to light. This is an
exciting time to be a Sony gamer, and an especially exciting time to be coming
back to the Sony family like I have. So
much to do and play that I have no idea how I will be able to fit it in. Check back every day at 11 A.M. Est for a new
article, and feel free to comment or contact me with any questions or
discussion.
