Commanders in Chief

There is certainly no denying that one of the most successful franchises of all time is that of Halo.  And I don't just mean video games.  I mean as an entire franchise.  Halo has become royalty among other legendary video game franchises, just like Mario or Zelda.  It's instantly recognizable, instantly playable by any gamer of this day, and for the most part, gamers love it.  The Halo franchise has always been one where gamers have always been satisfied with the product.  After the initial trilogy that started it all ended in late 2007, Bungie became an independent studio, wanting to have more liberty to create new IP's when the time came.  The next year and a half resulted in a spinoff title, Halo 3: ODST, and a new and final game will be arriving this fall entitled Halo: Reach.  Bungie is dedicated all they have to this last title, throwing every single thing they can think of at it.  But after Reach, Bungie will be done with Halo.

A New Day.

Welcome friends.  Let's get something straight first: I didn't really want to change my blog at first.  I liked the whole website-esque thing I had going on.  But I had some very vivid realizations about blogging that alluded me to the future of this blog.  But first, let me show you the first of one of the best additions to my blog, and that's page jumps.  Yes, blogger has finally allowed me to shorten the actual length of my blog on the home page and just show you the introduction.  It's much better looking to start as it makes the site look like something appealing rather than a super long list.  Secondly, it allows readers to actually browse my recent posts without having to scroll for ages.  Anyway, just click the link below here and we'll get the rest of this post going!

E3 2010 Awards

Long time no see, huh?  Sorry.  The summer before college has gotten the best of me, but I'm back and ready to give you some great stuff.  I know you probably are getting a bit tired of E3 stuff (I know I am a bit), but I thought that I'd finish it with my awards for this year. A lot of gaming websites and even the E3 conference itself give out awards to the best games at E3, and I'm doing the same.  Now, to clarify, all of my awards are given on the basis of knowledge of things  not seen at E3, as I wasn't there.  So things like gameplay and other things are purely from a observational standpoint.  I have not gotten to experience the majority of the things that showed up at E3 (with the exception of Microsoft's Natal, which I did get to try out at my local Microsoft Store).  This isn't a bad thing, though.  My award reflect in many ways the quality of how the developer and the publisher showed off their games.  So let's get to it, shall we?

So, where's the opinion? part 1

E3 2010 has come to a close, and it's time for me to give you, my readers, my opinions on the event.  This year had some really awesome things and some really crappy things, and it's no surprise that this E3 has shifted the so-called "console war" to a completely different direction.  While I am reserving my awards for this year's E3 for next week, I did want to give my general thoughts on the event.  So I'll just go through the big conferences and tell you what I liked and hated, and then tell you what I loved and hated overall.

E3 Day 2 Aftermath Report

The second day of E3 is up and running, and boy, was it a great one.  Let's get to the news.

E3 Day 1 Aftermath Report

Welcome friends to the first of four days of what I'm calling "aftermath reports".  Every day of E3 I listen and write down every single piece of news to deliver it to you, my faithful readers.  One of the goals here is to simplify all of the day's news on one page instead of you having to go to fifty different websites to find out what was the best and worst of the day.  So this post will work like this:  I will list all of the announcements and events of the day in a sentence or two a piece. Then I will provide you with a relevant video or demo video for that news. Because of time constraints and the sheer amount of news, this will not have opinion.  That will be reserved until after the show is over.  This is just for news you might have missed. Let's get this started.

GENERAL
-Fallout: New Vegas will release on October 19th. 

-Microsoft's Summer of Arcade is revealed.  The lineup will consist of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Limbo, and Monday Night Combat.

-SEGA announces a launch title for Kinect called Sonic Free Riders, which will continue the hoverboard racing game from the Gamecube era.

XBOX CONFERENCE
-Call of Duty: Black Ops is given a demo at the MS conference, release date of November 9th.  The demo took place in Vietnam, and had the same shooting mechanics that the Call of Duty franchise is known for.  The demo also showed a new feature, which was the ability to control a helicopter completely. (WATCH DEMO) 

-MS announced they have a deal with Activision to get Call of Duty DLC first before any other console for the next 3 years.

-Metal Gear Solid: Rising is given a proper gameplay trailer detailing some gameplay elements.  These include the new idea of "zan-datsu", which is described as a martial art form which translated means "to cut and take".  Gameplay shows lightning fast gameplay, along with the ability to cut anything, enemies and environments, with Raiden's sword, and with high accuracy. (WATCH TRAILER)

-Gears of War 3 is given a demo.  Along with the same formula of past games, new features expanded include 4-player co-op, the reveal of a new female character, Sam, and the re-introduction of the Berserker, who was last seen in Gears of War 1. This time it is in the form of the new enemy, the Lambent. (WATCH DEMO)

-Fable III is given a gameplay trailer and a release date of October 26th.  The game puts you in the shoes of the king's son who must take back the crown from the antagonist of the game, and then must rule with tyranny or fairness.  (WATCH TRAILER)

-Microsoft announces a new partnership with Crytek with a new game "Codename Kingdom".  A small live action teaser is given which seems to indicate some type of gladiator or sword and sandle theme.  (WATCH TEASER)

-Halo: Reach is given a singleplayer demo trailer.  It shows off many of the games new features, including the exciting return of the Elites.  The demo does end with quite a surprise ending indicating that the campaign will have sections of space combat.  (WATCH GAMEPLAY)

-Project Natal is given an official name: the Xbox Kinect ( a pun of the word "connect" with the word "kinetic"). It will release November 4th. No price was given, but Gamestops around the country have begun listing the peripheral at $149.99. Features include 1:1 recognition of body movement, sound recognition, and many other features. (WATCH DEMO 1) (WATCH DEMO 2)

-ESPN announces a partnership with Microsoft to deliver content through Xbox LIVE.  Features include live games of NCAA football and basketball, NBA, MLB, and MLS Soccer, along with previous game archives.  (WATCH DEMO)

-Several games are shown off for the launch of the Kinect.  These include:
     -Kinectimals, a game similar to Nintendogs or EyePet. (VIDEO)
     -Kinect Sports, a game similar to Wii Sports. (VIDEO)
     -Kinect Adventures, an obstacle course and activity game.  (VIDEO)
     -Joy Ride, a previously announced kart racer with Kinect capability.  (VIDEO)
     -Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, a fitness game. (VIDEO)
     -Star Wars lightsaber game (VIDEO)
     -Forza 2011 (VIDEO)

-A new Xbox 360 is announced.  With a new, smaller, and sleaker design, along with a quite as a whisper processor, built in wi-fi, a 250GB hard drive, and all for $299.99, the new 360 begins shipping out today, and will be available in stores within the week.  (WATCH VIDEO)

EA CONFERENCE-A new Need for Speed game entitled Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is announced.  The game was given a demo, and shows the old feature of cop vs. racer that brings the series back to its roots. It will release on November 16th. (WATCH DEMO)

-Dead Space 2 is given a demo and a release date of January 25th.  Interestingly enough, the demo is a two part demo, with the second part at the Sony conference tomorrow morning. The demo showed off much of the sequels new features and its new setting, the Sprawl.  (WATCH DEMO)

-Medal of Honor is given an amazing 18 person multiplayer demo on stage at the conference.  It will be released on October 12th, and the multiplayer beta will begin on June 21st on 360, PS3, and PC.  (WATCH DEMO)

-A new service called Gun Club is announced by EA.  It will give features and in game extras for those who sign up for the service and buy EA shooters in the future.

-Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is given a new expansion called "Vietnam".  It will be a multiplayer expansion, released sometime in Winter 2010. (WATCH VIDEO)

-EA Sports shows off three major titles: EA Sports MMA, EA Sports Active 2, and Madden NFL 11 are all given special treatment.

-Crysis 2 is given a major singleplayer demo and a targeted release date of Holiday 2010.  The demo shows the amazing graphics and engine capabilities of the game. (WATCH DEMO)

-Bulletstorm is shown off by Epic Games, and boy does it delight.  The demo shows off the over-the-top gameplay of the game, and the great score system for unique kills.  The game also gets a release date of February 22nd.  (WATCH DEMO)

-The Old Republic closes EA's conference with some great announcemnts and another amazing CGI trailer.  It is revealed that players in the game will get their own unique starships along with their characters as an extension of their character.  The devs also revealed more of the PvP of the game, revealing that Sith and Jedi will face off in warzones.  A live demo will be shown tomorrow afternoon.  (WATCH VIDEO)

UBISOFT CONFERENCE
-A new arcade type game entitled Child of Eden is shown off for the Kinect.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is shown off extensively, with a trailer and a demo, showing off many of the games new features.  A focus on the continuation of Ezio's story and new gameplay types such as improved combat and horse combat are shown off, and the new multiplayer mode is described.  It will be released on November 16th.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Shaun White Skateboarding is shown off for the first time.  The game is shown to differentiate itself from other boarding games by allowing the player to color the environment as they do tricks and literally change the environment as they skate.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Another sports title for the Kinect is revealed, called MotionSports. 

-A new Raving Rabbids game is revealed, entitled Raving Rabbids Travel in Time.  It will be a Wii exclusive to be released on November 9th.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is also shown for the first time ever, revealing the new camo system and future warfare technologies of the game.  It is also revealed the game will have 4 player co-op and 3D gameplay when it releases sometime next year.  (WATCH DEMO PART 1) (PART 2)

-Driver: San Francisco is announced.  It will follow the old series of Driver games and bring the game series to the next gen audience. (WATCH VIDEO)


-Project Dust is announced to be in development for a release in Spring 2011.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-A 2D side scroller Rayman game is revealed, called Rayman Origins.  The game is ambitious, and is being developed by only five developers.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-The Ubisoft conference ends with a surprise reveal of some type of Michael Jackson game.  As dancers take to the stage, it can be assumed the game is a dancing game.  (WATCH VIDEO)

Just a few reminders and helpful hints for those who have other priorities and cannot follow E3 as it happens.  Of course, my blog is a great resource.  You won't find a better summary of today than this.  But I also suggest that you use this in a pick and choose style if you don't want to watch every video.  Read the news, and if you're interested, watch the video.  Now, if you like E3 in general and want to watch all of them, I suggest you just watch the entire conferences, or just watch the games you really want to see now, and wait to watch the rest later.  You can catch the full conferences on IGN and GameTrailers.  Secondly, a great way to see some live demos is to go to IGN's live feed here.  There are great demos that you can see over and over and over of all the great games of the show, and you can check out the conferences there to.  I HIGHLY SUGGEST that if you'd like to explore some gameplay and just see what's going on, you go there.  They have a schedule of what they will be showing off on the left side of the page, and you can catch those live or go back and watch them later at any time. 

Enjoy your night/day, and the rest of E3.

P.S.- If any of the links do not work, just go to GameTrailers (gametrailers.com) and do a search for the game.

E3 2010 Predictions, PART 3

And now to the hometown heroes, Nintendo.  Let's face it: Nintendo's E3 presence is less than to be desired most of the time.  For the last couple of years, their media breifings have been filled with numbers and licenced games, things no gamer wants.  However, there are signs of hope.  Can the big N finally give MS and Sony a run for their money, or will they continue in their E3 slump?

I predict that the conference will be MUCH better than last year's and the year before that.  Nintendo is actually in a pretty good position to show off some very interesting stuff this E3.  This is mostly because they will be introducing new hardware at this E3 in the form of the 3DS.  Not much is known about Nintendo's successor the hugely successful DS, but whatever it is will most definitely be quality.  I predict that regardless of what this thing does and the software it has, it will be popular and it will sell well.  Nintendo has always been the master of the portable console, and I would trust them here.  As far as the system goes, it will be glasses-free technology.  A Korean technology that is currently starting to be used in TV's is that of eye manipulation.  Without getting too bogged down in tech speak, this technology caused each of the eyes to focus on different thinks rather than what we are used to, which is focusing with both eyes.  By this sophisticated optical illusion and technology, 3D imagery can occur.  Now, this tech is far from perfect, as TV's with this tech require all sorts of things such as a certain distance from the TV and other things.  But in a small device, such as a portable gaming device, this tech could work very well.

I predict the 3DS will use this technology, and it will be very, VERY cool.  I also predict that the 3DS will be able to turn off this capability, allowing backwards compatibility with DS games.  I also predict that the screens for the device will be widescreen, and the graphics tech will be better (Nintendo just partnered with Nvidia for a micro-graphics card, so this is somewhat of a no-brainer).  Most importantly, I expect many big franchises to be announced for the 3DS.  I expect Mario, maybe Zelda, or any other marketable game.  I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo also employs some type of minigame assortment also with the system, much like Wii Sports for the Wii.  The 3DS will be the focus of Nintendo's conference I predict, and it will take up most of the time.  The system will also be playable on the show floor.

But by no means will Nintendo leave the Wii out of the conference.  Although the Wii will have little to no major announcements, I wouldn't be surprised if a new channel or two is announced for the console.  Going along with the 3DS theme, it wouldn't surprise me if an announcement has to do with connectivity with the Wii.  The online store may also be expanded somehow to include 3DS games or "apps".  Nintendo could very well take a note from Sony and expand their internet shop to both Wii games and portable games, and because I predict wireless internet will be built into the 3DS, connectivity can be achieved without a wire.  There have been some whispers and rumors on the internet and in the industry that Nintendo may also try to introduce a monetary system to their internet service as I predict Sony will this year.  I predict this WON'T happen.  Nintendo is in no hurry to expand their internet service.  Their strength is not in the internet, and they have made it clear that it isn't their focus, either. 

Now, on to the games.  Nintendo is always tough for me to predict in terms of announcements of software and what.  Their conferences work much differently in that they don't show many third party trailers and demos.  The majority of their conference is taken up by first party titles.  This makes sense because their highest rated and best games are always first-party.  So unlike the previous two posts, I will not be including a list of known games that will be there, as it just isn't smart and worth the effort, nor is it worth the reading time.  However, as far as first party titles go, there is much room for predictions.  Of course, I do want to start off with the 2 ton elephant in the room.

The new Legend of Zelda game, I predict, will be the highlight of not only the Nintendo conference, but of E3 for many people.  This may be the most hyped game I have seen from Nintendo, and that is only from the amount of secrecy behind it.  Literally nothing is known about the new Zelda apart from one piece of artwork released by Nintendo.  That is it.  Nothing is known about this game.  So any prediction I make is should be taken with not only a grain of salt, but with the whole shaker.  I predict that the next Zelda will take a new art-style of some type, but it will not diverge much from the previous designs of Twilight Princess.  The game will be a much darker game, and will explore much darker themes.  Most importantly, I feel some type of major gameplay change is coming for the game.  Not only is this plausible but very likely as WiiMotionPlus has yet to see a flagship title to really sell it other than Red Steel 2.  It seems more and more to me like sword combat may become 1:1 with WiiMotionPlus.

Being more specific though, I feel the new Zelda will also take changes in how the game works.  My gut is telling me that the "controlled free-roam" of Zelda may be broken in favor of more controlled events or maybe even a new and interesting environment.  Hyrule is interesting, but I think it is much more likely that the game will take a new setting and/or a new atmosphere about it, much like Majora's Mask did.  I cannot speculate any more than this, unfortunately.  I have no evidence or facts to back up my predictions, so any I make are at a very high risk of failure.  I'm sure everyone will be watching on Tuesday to see what Nintendo has in store for Link.

Finally, I predict that a couple other major titles will be announced.  As with the already announced Metroid: Project M (which will appear a lot at E3), it's very possible another major title could be announced.  The Wii Kirby project has been under covers for a while, so it's possible that could appear.  As always, a Kid Icarus title is possible.  As for my predictions, I predict a Pikmin sequel, a Star Fox title, and maybe even a new Luigi's Mansion.  

That is all I have for Nintendo, my friends.  And that is also all I have for predictions this year.  Believe me, as random and risky as my predictions are, I have given them a lot of thought.  If you missed or want to go back to my other predictions, you can catch them here (Microsoft) and here (Sony).  As always, comment to your hearts' galore, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.  I'll have a post next week detailing what the coverage will be for E3.  Don't worry.  I've got you covered with all the announcements, action, gameplay, and summarization you can imagine. 

E3 2010 Predictions, PART 2

Let's move on to the great and always surprising Sony, shall we?  If you are interested in my predictions for Microsoft this year, you can check it out here.  Sony offers some interesting things this year.  Much like Microsoft, they will be pushing their new motion device, officially titled the Move.  Sony is in a position that they haven't been in before this year.  Before this year, much of what Sony needed to do at E3 was prove.  They had to prove that the Playstation 3 was a true competitor to Microsoft and Nintendo, and for a good while, that proof didn't come.  But over the last two years, Sony has widely improved and proven that the PS3 does have the power and the talents behind it to succeed.  This year, Sony doesn't need to prove anything.  They had their strongest year ever last year with gigantic blockbuster hits and even a Game of the Year exclusive.

I predict, just like MS, that Sony will focus much of their conference on the Move peripheral.  Notice that I use the word peripheral, and not device.  I believe that Sony is much more likely to say that Move is used as an existing tool with PS3, where as Natal is more of a completely new device.  That said, expect a lot of software announcements, but not as much as Natal.  Move was unveiled completely earlier this year, and much of it's software was shown then.  A lot of the conference is going to be already shown things, although there is no doubt in my mind new games are guaranteed.  Sony is definitely wanting to prove that the Move is a hardcore peripheral, and will most likely have several mainstream titles using Move.  They will have the already shown SOCOM 4, LittleBigPlanet 2, and something else, possibly a franchise sequel (My guess is Resistance 3 will use Move).  That being said, just like Natal, Sony will have a bunch of casual games.

I am a little cautious when saying anything about a new PSP.  Although I'll go ahead and predict something, it's hard for me to say that a PSP2 is on the way.  The PSP Go, announced last year, has done less than desired in terms of sales.  The PSP itself is getting crushed by Nintendo's DS, and as Nintendo will be announcing a new DS this E3, Sony is sure to address this someway.  It's hard to say what Sony might do if they announce a new PSP.  It's possible that they could put more focus on multimedia.  Many reports have stated that Sony has been planning partnerships for a new PSP with their Walkman MP3 technologies and even with Sony Ericson telephones.  It's also possible that PSP takes a larger focus on software, its real weakness.  I predict that something with the PSP will be announced, but other than that, I can't predict anything. 

The biggest thing that I can predict and almost confirm with the amount of news that has jumped out over the last month is the overhaul of the Playstation Network.  I predict a payment service to come for the PSN.  Don't worry, PS3 owners.  I predict that the online features of the existing service will remain free.  PS3 owners will still be able to play all their games without a fee.  But other services that may be announced at E3 will come with a paid service.  This is most likely something like "PSN Gold" or "PSN Premium", and I predict that features such as access to demos ahead of time, certain downloadable content, and other things will only be available on this paid service.  Sony wants to make PSN more like XBL.  Why not?  XBL is the most successful online platform.  Sony only wants to take what works with XBL and add on to that.  Think of this new service as Xbox LIVE Gold memberships versus Silver memberships.  Except Sony offers online play with silver.  I also predict that this service will be around the price of XBL, around $8-10 a month. 

Finally, I have to make probably the funnest prediction I've ever made.  I predict that Kevin Butler will show up to the Sony conference.  It's very likely he could be the MC, too.  His commercials are not only some of the funniest on television, but his activity on social networking sites like Twitter and his overall great image that he brings to Sony has helped Sony SO MUCH.  I wouldn't doubt that he shows up in some way, and I'd love it if he was the host of the conference.  He would bring a great laugh to the conference, and it would definitely help the conference as a whole. 

Now, to the really important stuff: the games.  As I don't have a PS3, I wouldn't trust this list as much as the one I did for MS.  Still, I think it's a pretty good list.  Like last time, I list the known games that I think will be there and in what form, and then I'll talk about some announcements.

• Gran Turismo 5, with a 3D demo, and a release date (FINALLY.)
• LittleBigPlanet 2, with a demo and a release date.
• The Last Guardian, with a demo and maybe a release date. Maybe.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, with a demo and release date. (Like I said, it could be at Sony's or MS's)
• Medal of Honor, with a demo and a release date.
• DC Universe Online
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Valkyria Chronicles II
• EyePet
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta, with a trailer and release date.
• Killzone 3, with a demo and release date, which will be tentative.
• Move Party, with a demo and release date.
• SOCOM 4, with a demo and a release date.

In terms of announcements, I predict that this will be the year of the sequels for Sony.  With Killzone 3 already announced, I also predict a sequel to Infamous and Resistance, and maybe some other surprise sequels.  These franchise have made the PS3 what it is today, and sequels are only going to strengthen it's position going into this year.  Unfortunately, this is all I see in terms of announcements.  I really can't see any new IP's being announced from Sony directly, and certainly not as an exclusive game for the platform.  Any new IP for the PS3 will be multiplatform.  Sony might show off some of the games that they announced last year that have been quiet since then.  Other than this, I can't really predict much for Sony.  They are really good at keeping secrets.  At least when it comes to software. 

Stay tuned for part 3 where Nintendo's E3 predictions will be, and check back on this post and the previous post for updates.  (P.S.- I actually have an update to the last post at the end of this one.  I felt it would be more convenient to give you the update here rather than on the last post, so you didn't have to post-hop.  Because I care.)

UPDATE 6.2.2010- I seemed to have forgotten some very important titles that will be at the Xbox conference and/or the Sony conference.  Sorry.  Sometimes I forget.  So here are the list of games:

• Metal Gear Solid: Rising, with a demo (Thanks AppleJuiceJones! I don't know how I forgot that one...)
• Civilization V
• Spec Ops: The Line, with a demo and release date
• Enslaved, with a demo.
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, with a demo and release date (I cried a bit when I realized I had forgotten this one)

Finally, a note on Portal 2.  First off, I did not forget about this wonderful game.  I didn't include it because initially, Valve was supposed to have a conference dedicated completely to Portal 2.  Was.  Yesterday, Valve creatively announced that the conference has been cancelled.  However, this announcement was delivered by a note from Aperture Science, and it stated that a "surprise" is in store for E3 about Portal 2.  Whatever this is, no one knows, but it certainly is intriguing.  So that's what's up.  Don't worry.  It's one of my most anticipated games of the year.  I would never forget.

E3 2010 Predictions, PART 1

UPDATE 6.1.2010: Don't you know it.  I make a risky prediction and it's disproven almost the next day.  This morning, Rockstar announced that they will be skipping E3 this year.  They explained that they do not have enough prepared to show off at E3, and will be showing their latest builds of Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire at a later time.  Reports suggest that they also had an announcement to be made at E3 this year, but whether this is true or not is irrelevant as it will not come to light at this E3.  That's too bad.  Oh well.  You gotta get some wrong to get some right!

Ah.  Only 2 or so weeks till the greatest convention known to manking arrives: the Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3.  For many, this four day expo is Heaven on Earth.  It is the culmination of all that is video games.  Unfortunately, it remains very much the unnatainable gold.  E3 is a press-only event, and therefore no gamer outside of the industry can witness first-person the magic.  Thank God there is an internet.

Gamers can enjoy much of what E3 has to offer right from the comfort of their own homes.  The television channel, G4, will be running over 5 hours a day from the event, with inside exclusives, and of course, all the press conferences imaginable.  Tons of websites also have 24-hour coverage, including IGN, GameTrailers, and Kotaku.  Finally, many other channels will be running E3 related events, such as Spike TV and MTV.  And it would come as no surprise if a couple national news outlets covered the event, too. 

As I am also a gamer, I too am anxious for the wonders of E3.  Which is why here on Just Another Gaming Blog, a tradition will come to the surface.  This may be my favorite post so far, as I have spent the most time constructing it.  Friends, Romans, and Countrymen, may I present my E3 predictions for E3 2010. 

MICROSOFT
I have many predictions for the great MS this year.  No one can deny that MS will put the majority of its focus on pushing its new product, Project Natal.  Much of what they announce will surround this device, and it will be the first time they will update the progress of the tech since last year's E3.  I predict that everything will be announced for Natal so that it may be released in fashion at the end of this year.  This will include pricing, which I predict will be under $100.  Sony has announced that the Move will be under $100, so MS wants to stay competitive.  Release date for the device will be around October or November, definitely after the announced release date for Halo: Reach in September.  They want the device to sell well and not be overcome by Halo, making hardcore gamers choose.  The name of Natal will also change.  Natal is the project name, and it will have an official release name.  My guess is something with "LIVE" in it. 

Natal will see a crapload of games.  This is not so much a prediction as a fairly safe fact, as over thirty companies have stated that they are developing for Natal, and at least half of those have confirmed that they are showing off that game at E3.  Natal will include a casual game package, ala Wii Sports, which will include the tech demo from last year, Ricochet, and some other casual games.  I wouldn't doubt plenty of other casual games, also.  MS will also make sure to show Natal's capabilities with more hardcore games.  Peter Molyneux is sure to show off how Natal works in Fable III, and I predict a few more games to show off Natal's potential with the hardcore crowd.  However, Natal will be focused more as a dashboard and functionality add-on.  I predict things such as using Natal to turn on and off the Xbox, use the dashboard, watch Netflix movies, and everything else.  Don't forget that Natal also has voice recognition, and I predict that will come in play too.

Possibly the largest prediction and the most risky I can make about MS is that of a Slim Xbox 360.  Yes, I do think they will introduce a new SKU to be packaged in with Natal.  Over the last year, MS has reduced their SKU's to the Core and the Elite.  The new SKU will serve as a little of both, pairing a redesigned Xbox with a faster, cooler, and quiter processor with the best casual peripheral, Natal.  It will fall in between the two current SKU's in price, most likely at a $300-350 price point.  This would make sense as the actual box would be $200-250 and Natal under $100.  This package will have a 250 GB hard drive, once again appealing to the hardcore.  This new SKU will launch simultaneously with Natal.  However, calling the SKU "Slim" may be a stretch.  Although I'm sure the SKU will be smaller, it may just be a redesign to accompany Natal.

As far as other announcements go, MS is sure to continue adding online functions and other partnerships.  TV in North America for Xbox 360 is very likely in my opinion, especially since in the UK, SkyTV is already being offered.  Now, this could be a small thing at first.  I predict a possible partnership with a TV channel to offer programming simultaneously on the console with the television.  More app-like things are sure to come, as MS has made is quite clear they want to implement the internet into the Xbox. It's quite possible avatars might see something new, but I'm sure more awards and clothing are on the way.  It is also very likely that Microsoft will announce more partnerships.  This comes at a perfect time, as Bungie has left MS and gone to work on their new IP with Activision.    

As far as games go at the MS conference, Natal is sure to take up a lot of the announcements, but not as much as people suspect.  Remember, MS is having an entirely seperate conference for Natal.  Most of the developed games will also be from third-parties, who have their own conferences.  The hardcore shouldn't worry, as I am sure MS still has some major announcements in store.  Before I get into that though, I do want to run down what known games I predict will be there, and what I predict they will show. 

• Rock Band 3, with the Harmonix band playing a demo at the beginning of the conference, like they have done the last 2 years.
• Fallout: New Vegas, with a demo and release date.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, with a demo and release date (this one is iffy.  It might go to Sony's).
• Mafia II, with a release date.
• Dead Rising 2, with a release date.
• Halo: Reach, with a singleplayer demo.
• Crysis 2.
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, with a release date.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops, with a demo and release date.
• Rage, with a demo.
• Gears of War 3, with a demo.
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, with a demo and a release date.
• Fable III, with a demo and release date.
• Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.
• Bulletstorm, with a demo and a release date.
• XCOM.

And now, onto what games I think may be announced and/or shown at the conference.  First, I believe the previously announced Final Fantasy Versus XIII will be announced for the Xbox 360.  It is currently known as a PS3 exclusive, but with the moderate success of FFXIII on the 360, I don't doubt this will happen.  Possibly a very risky prediction for me is that I fell something for the Grand Theft Auto franchise will be announced at E3.  Yes, possibly Grand Theft Auto V.  It also could be a spin-off, like Vice City or San Andreas.  But something will be said.  I am also stepping out on a limb and predicting that after all the developer closings, a developer will come forward and announce that they are making Star Wars: Battlefront III.  LEGO will also announce another game, possibly a sequel to LEGO: Batman.  Finally, I am predictiong that another entry in the Rainbow Six series will be announced.

That is it for my Microsoft predictions for E3.  Please, PLEASE, PLEASE leave comments telling me your two cents.  If you comment enough I will write a response post to your predictions and comments.  PLEASE leave some (or a lot, if you want) predictions for JUST MICROSOFT on this post.  Also, I'd love to hear what you think I predicted correctly, and what you think is total crap. 

Stay tuned this next week for parts 2 and 3 which will cover predictions for Sony and Nintendo.
 

To Infinity and Beyond, part 2

On the last post I wrote about my thoughts on the Infinity Ward scandal.  Remember that this is a very complex situation, and it's hard to find concrete solutions or even concrete evidence in anything.  That's just how our perspective as run-of-the-mill gamers ends up being.  But that doesn't mean that the common gamer, like myself, can't offer some helpful ideas as to how Activision might clean up this mess, or even if they can clean up this mess.

The first thing they must do is assure their audience in some way that they are dedicated to bringing quality games.  Activision is the largest and the richest gaming company on the planet.  Their gaming audience includes almost everyone.  For a company like them to head into a scandal like this can be devastating to their gamers.  They need to take action is reassuring people that they are still on track with bringing great games from great developers.  There are many ways they could do this, but the primary way would be to issue a statement or calm fears in some way.  Now, Activision has done some of this already, but they need to officially let people know what is going on.  And there is no better place to do this than at this year's E3. 

I'm not an idiot.  I'm sure Activision wants to not attract any unneccesary attention.  I'm not saying they should have a representative go up and talk about Infinity Ward.  But their conference at E3 would serve a much better purpose if it focused on something the gamers would like and would not expect from Activision as of late.  It could be something as small as focusing on quality games.  It could be a focus on restating that Activision is committed to the gamer.  Anything would be good.  Activision, above all, needs to connect with the gamer again.  Activision was already on shaky ground with gamers with Kotick's remarks and Activision's lack of support for PC gamers; by not addressing this in some way, gamers will become even more detached.

Activision needs to adress Infinity Ward also.  No one knows what is going on with the studio.  The majority of the talent and the muscle are gone, and are now working at Respawn.  But Activision is adamant on ensuring gamers that IW is still around and still working on something.  Most people assume this is Modern Warfare 3, but the fact that there are so few developers left leads me to believe development has come to a stand-still.  I can speculate what Activision might be doing with IW, but the one thing everyone needs is concrete evidence that IW is working on something, and that the studio isn't destroyed.  This could come through a partnership with another studio.  It could come through Activision closing IW.  Whatever way it comes, it needs to come.  Gamers need to know what is going on with IW for Activision not to be assumed as the destroyer of development companies.

Another thing I suggest is let Treyarch show their stuff.  Treyarch is actually in a really good position because of the IW scandal.  Treyarch, when partnered with IW, has always been underrated.  Treyarch makes great games, but when compared to gold like the Modern Warfare series, Treyarch is second-best.  Treyarch has been given the oppurtunity to show that they can make a game as great as Modern Warfare.  If Activision lets them, they could become the next IW.  E3 will show just what they have with Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Call of Duty: Black Ops will most certainly take the focus somewhat off of IW.  If the game looks great at E3 and starts garnering some hype, then Activision can start focusing on something else other than the gigantic pink elephant that is IW.  Activision still has great ties with Treyarch, and they should take advantage of this in every way.  Make Treyarch the new IW and the success they had could come back in some way.  Treyarch deserves this chance to show that they can hold out with the big developers, and Activision should give them this oppurtunity.

Activision needs to also show gamers a new IP that can stand on its own.  This prediction is a bit of a slim one, but I really feel that by introducing a strong new IP, Activision can get rid of this ridiculous "tripod" business plan they have.  When a company becomes solely based upon three franchises and does not dedicate itself to a new IP, they raise the risk of failing exponentially.  Guitar Hero has already begun to show signs of weakness.  World of Warcraft is beginning to slow in growth.  Call of Duty, well, we all know what's going on there.  Activision actually has shown that they are trying to fix this problem already with a great company named Bungie.

The partnership between Activision and Bungie may have been one of the smartest decisions Activision has ever made.  There are so many great things that could come out of this.  First, Activision has guaranteed the public that Bungie maintains complete creative control over their new IP, and Bungie has seconded this fact.  This is great because not only does it ensure that the issue of Infinity Ward hopefully does not happen again, but it shows that Activision is moving towards a healthy partnership, ala EA.  Secondly, this partnership gives Activision an almost definite way of having a successful new IP.  It is unlikely that Bungie will create something bad.  Bungie has shown that they can successfully create a franchise, and create it well.  Activision has just hired what could be the best creators of a franchise in history.

Lastly, Bungie brings with them not only great experience in making games, but a great community with them.  Activision has gained many new gamers because of this Bungie deal.  Bungie has always been committed to community involvement, and their experience in this area gives Activision some much needed improvement in the area.  Activision has never been great with the community.  This is evident no more than in Modern Warfare 2, where glitches and a lack of a pre-release beta caused the game and the gaming community to suffer.  Bungie can be the spring-board (no pun intended) for Activision's improvement in this area. 

Finally, I make one more prediction, and it's an unlikely one, but one I feel is completely necessary if Activision wants to make it back into gamers' hearts.  FIRE BOBBY KOTICK.  Mr. Kotick has destroyed any sense of credibility that Activision once had with gamers.  When the CEO of the biggest gaming company on the planet says he's in the business to make money and not necessarily make good games pisses me off.  I want a publisher to make great games.  I want that to be a priority.  All gamers do.  I'm not ignorant.  Of course they want to make money. But that should go along with some type of passion to make games.  Mr. Kotick continues to show gamers that he doesn't care for community, he doesn't care for quality, and by the example of Infinity Ward, he doesn't care for his employees.  I could write an entire post on why Mr. Kotick is ruining Activision, but I don't need to.  Because I can tell you that all of these suggestions I made in this post become exponentially unlikely with Bobby Kotick as CEO. 

Do you agree with my suggestions?  Do you have anything else that you think could help Activision in the future?  What's your opinion on the issue?  Comment and enjoy the rest of your day.

To Infinity and Beyond

I really haven't said anything about my thoughts on the recent Infinity Ward scandal.  If you'd like to get a great summary of the recent events between Infinity Ward and their publisher and owner Activision, AppleJuiceJones has one here and here. To sum it up in the shortest way possible though, it goes something like this: Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are fired from Activision after security officers storm the Infinity Ward offices over development and monetary issues.  West and Zampella sue Activision over Activision's neglect to pay "substantial royalties" to them for Modern Warfare 2.  Activision files a countersuit over West's and Zampella's apparent breach of contract over stopping the development of Modern Warfare 3 due to this supposed neglect of payment.  38 employees of IW join this lawsuit against Activision, and West and Zampella form a new studio called Respawn Entertainment, which joins EA Partners for a publisher. Over 30 former employees of IW have now resigned and joined Respawn Entertainment.  

There is so much I could say about this situation, but I'd like to start with who I feel is responsible for what.  I have no idea if West and Zampella have any ground for their suit, and the same goes for Activision.  What I do know is the reputation of Activision, and the likelihood that West/Zampella probably have great reasons for this.  The fact that security stormed the office indicates that Activision was not happy with something IW was doing, or in this case, not doing.  It certainly appears that IW ceased early development on Modern Warfare 3 in protest over the fact that Activision was making them work at full force again without full compensation for the last game.  It's also quite possible IW wanted to make a different game other than MW, which would be a breach of contract for IW.  Regardless, IW did something that they weren't technically supposed to be doing, and West and Zampella were let go because of this.  

The fact that they decided to sue Activision almost immediately after their termination indicates to me that Activision was most likely holding extra compensation from them due to the widely successful sales of MW2.  I say this because the immediate actions of these two men indicate that their legal counsil suggested immediate action, meaning that their must be good grounds for a suit.  This fact is even more likely because of the 30 some other people that have joined the suit against Activision.  Activision, in my opinion, is at fault here.  The CEO of Activision, Bobby Kotick, stated once that Activision is not there to make games but to make money.  His influence over game studios is evident.  The Guitar Hero franchise has suffered from it, because of the various peripherals the publisher demands be developed for each game.  His very authoritative and unprofessional relationship with developers has finally blown up in this incident.  This is no clearer to me than with the issue of money.

Activision, according to West and Zampella, neglected to pay developers for a game they made.  Let me put this in perspective.  MW2 was finished around August of last year.  IW employees have not been fully compensated yet, and it is already March of next year?  That makes no sense.  Activision, after the remarks Kotick has made about their goal of money, is in trouble.  Their past reputation definitely goes to show that this lack of compensation is not only possible, but likely.  Especially if over 30 employees of IW have quit and moved to Respawn Entertainment, escaping Activision swiftly and willingly.  

Of course, none of my opinion matters, and doesn't count as fact.  But it's bad when a normal member of the gaming community gets these types of vibes from a big publisher like Activision.  And I am aware that I am NOT the only one who feels bad about this situation, and who feels mad at Activision.  This makes a gamer like myself question Activision in the future.  Which is bad for business.  Activision will pay for this event, even if the suit against them goes in their favor.  Activision will have to deal with many things because of this.  

They'll have to deal with the Call of Duty franchise taking a gigantic hit in the future.  IW has lost almost all of its significant talent to Respawn.  The crew that made Modern Warfare and the studio is gone, and won't ever be coming back. The talent gamers once knew and loved is gone from Call of Duty.  Now, I can speculate to my eyeballs what I think will happen with the Modern Warfare franchise, and the Call of Duty franchise.  But what I know for a fact is that gamers will NEVER get another Modern Warfare game like the ones Infinity Ward made.  The ones that were, for the most part, amazing games.  

Saying that, Activision needs to realize this if they want to maintain their hold over the FPS genre, and the modern shooter genre.  Medal of Honor and Battlefield are positioned to take away a lot of the MW crowd, and the fact that this is an "off-year" (a phrase I despise) means that Activision doesn't plan on Treyarch making a COD as successful as Modern Warfare.  Activision risks a lot of their success due to this event.  Their money comes primarily from three things: World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty.  The Guitar Hero franchise is already showing signs of weakness.  World of Warcraft, while providing a steady income of money, has peaked at users, meaning growth has significantly slowed.  And if Call of Duty can't be saved, then the tripod that Activision is balanced on will break.  

Activision will also have to deal with their main competitor, EA.  This year could very well shift the tables quite a bit.  As I previously stated, Medal of Honor could take away any thunder left from Modern Warfare.  EA is also making strides with its EA Partners program.  Unlike Activision, who directly owns its developers, EA has made a program for developers to be fully independent of EA, and still publish under their name.  Devs like BioWare and Visceral Games have made million-dollar franchises under this program.  A program like this will hit Activision hard, and it already has started to label them as a publisher no developer wants to be with. 

And let's not forget Respawn Entertainment.  The "new IW" does have all the talent.  This studio is going to be a great studio, just for the fact that they can do whatever they want without the influence of the publisher.  Something I'm sure they are dying for.  Respawn with EA could put the final nail in the coffin for Activision.  If they create a new game, and that game is successful, then it just goes to show the failures Activision has as a publisher.  Activision will have to deal with this loss of what is surely their most creative talents.  Especially to EA.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I give my two cents on what Activision needs to do to clean up this mess.  Enjoy and comment!

Back in the New York Groove

I lied.

I said the blog wouldn't be coming back for another week.  But I decided that my vacation was too long, and I wanted to write once again.  So I lied.  If you feel betrayed, good.  You were.  If you feel that you were sold old, good.  You were.  If you feel so bad that you want to kill yourself, not good.  Don't do that. 

Anyway, I'm sorry for lying.  But I bring gifts a plenty. The first of which is a change in my blogging philosophy.  I will not be blogging weekly anymore.  This is because I recently lost the fun in blogging.  This blog started out as a solution to boredom and another way to flex my creative skills and enjoy my favorite past-time of gaming.  But blogging weekly gives me what's called a deadline.  And I realized that because I forced myself to give a blog a week, I've taken the fun out of blogging and made it a job.  This took out a lot of my passion, a lot of my personality, and a lot of myself from the blog.  I promise you, it won't happen again.  I'm now fully dedicated to writing when I WANT to, not when I NEED to.  When I have something to say about gaming, I'll say it. 

Don't worry.  I'm not ditching my faithful readers.  I have a lot of things I still want to write about, and blogs will still be around quite a bit.  It just won't be on a schedule.  But think of it positively, like me.  This way, I add spontaneity into your life.  It's the spice of life.  The monthly vid and screen will still be going strong, and I am still dedicated to the features you see on the blog now, such as my "Addressing the Masses" posts I do ever so often. 

Okay, now on to the fun stuff.  Since I've been gone, I've had the opportunity to think of a lot of posts I wanna write about.  The gaming world didn't stop while I was gone, and lots of awesome stuff is on it's way for this blog.  I have, of course, been playing the Halo: Reach beta.  I definitely want to write a post on that.  I've also been writing my E3 predictions for almost a month now, and I'm almost ready to share them with you.  Not quite yet, though.  I've pulling out all of my gaming knowledge for this year's predictions.  I've also got some games that I plan to buy and review for you all, and a big surprise in terms of reviews.  And I haven't forgotten Activision.  Oh, good ole' Activision.  I'll be revisiting this lovely company, giving my two cents on Infinity Ward and Bungie.  I also plan to revisit some of my old posts that left many questions for readers, or the comments on that blog were just too good for me to pass up.

So there's some big stuff I want to do.  None of it is planned, set in stone, or guaranteed.  But it's highly likely I'll get around to most of it.  And of course, I didn't forget E3.  I'll be doing posts up and down, left and right, and all around for E3.  It's what I love to write about, so expect to have your blog notifications go crazy that week.

That's all I have for you today.  I just wanted to let you know that the blog is back up to full speed, and I've got a new outlook for the future.  Of course, one thing that won't ever change is that I am fully devoted to serving you, the reader.  Let me know what I can do for you, how I can do it, and even should I do it at all.  Enjoy your week, comment, and keep on playing! 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

This blog is currently under construction. It will return to full operation May 15-17, 2010. Reading and comments are still welcome for previous posts, of course!

E3, Announcements, and the works...

Hello there citizens. It's the middle of April. What does that mean? Not much of anything yet. Yet. That's right, folks. The gaming season is starting to heat up. With the release of Splinter Cell: Conviction last week and the impending release of some other great titles like Red Dead Redemption, gamers have a lot to look forward to. I thought I'd update you all on what will be going on here for the next couple weeks. The blog will be taking a break for a bit, unfortunately. I know. Buzzkill. But that's how the life of a high school senior only a couple weeks away from graduation goes. Don't worry, though. I've got your fair share of stuff to tease to tide you over until I am good and ready to come back around the 15th of May.

First, I've got plenty of E3 stuff to tide you over. A whole post dedicated to the discussion of E3 and everything else to do with E3 will be up. This will be a little different, however. This post will be updated as news comes, so instead of having to write a post for each new occurrence, I can quickly update it with news. Try to check back every day or so for what's new on the E3 news post. I will also be updating it with new predictions and new insight when I have it, so pay attention to this one. And if you don't want to keep navigating to this post, don't worry. I'll have a link in every post and on the homepage, too. This post will continue through E3, so not only will it serve as a pre-E3 news post, it will serve as a constant news post during the actual convention. Once again, these features will start to come on the site slowly over the next couple weeks, and will be fully functional when I return in May. Until then, feel free to add any suggestions or E3 predictions or anything to do with what you might want to hear about E3 down below in the comments.

Something that you may have noticed absent from the site for a while is reviews. Don't worry. I still play video games. I recently have been searching for a quick and efficient way of reviewing. Although I do love to talk about games, some reviews don't really need a whole post, and some games need a lot more explanation. Now, while I haven't fully discovered how I will be reviewing games in the future, don't worry. This site will still have reviews for games in some way. And I am open to any and all suggestions for how to treat reviews in the future.

Some big things are coming for the site too. A couple posts ago I mentioned my want to expand into other mediums. Well, this break will allow me to experiment with how I want to do that, and I wouldn't be surprised if come May the next post is in video or podcast form.

That's all the updates I have for you today. Of course, there are some things I haven't said, but we'll leave that a mystery. Enjoy a new poll, video of the month, and screen of the month too. Feel free to live any and all comments about what you want to see on the site, what you think of the things I said are going to be coming, and anything else you'd like to say. See you in May.

Adressing the Masses THREE!

Yes, it's that time again, folks. Actually, it's a little over that time again. I haven't done one of these since the beginning of December last year, so we got a lot to talk about. So without delay, let's get to your comments. And just a note for change here, I will be referring to commentors by their names, so if you can't remember that you said that, have no fear. Or have fear. Depending on the comment, of course.

Way back in December I asked you guys to tell me your game of the year list. AppleJuiceJones replied with a very hefty list of his games for the year, and while I know much of this may not be true now, some of his reply is worth noting. If you'd like to read his entire comment, you can go to the post here.

360 Game of Year: Modern Warfare 2. Pretty much geared for the 360, MW2 is great for single player, spec ops and multiplayer on xbox live.

Unfortunately, I have to agree, and I actually did in my game of the year awards. MW2 sold 360s and made Microsoft very happy last year. As a flagship title for the MS console, MW2 fits almost perfectly with what the Xbox has to offer. Looking back now after a few months being on the market, however, I believe MW2 has much less staying power than, say, Halo 3. This is somewhat because of the several major glitches in multiplayer, and the fact that for me, MW2 gets old after a while.

Gameplay: A three-way (;D) between AC2 MW2 and Brutal Legend. Oh and Arkham Asylum. God i enjoy too many games...

Lol. Anyway, I agree and disagree. Once again, knowing now what I did not then, MW2 gameplay is not that great. No innovation, and compared to other titles, even the ones you mentioned, MW2 gameplay is nothing special. I have not played Brutal Legend either, so I think I will trust you somewhat on that.

Best Character: Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He is so dynamic more so than any other character this year in games. Reminded me a lot of Niko Bellic.

Great comparison. I really like it. While I think there are some fundamental differences in how the player invests in these characters, I do agree that there is some similarity in how their personalities seem to jump out at you.

By the way, if you'd like to check out AppleJuiceJone's blog, you can at rantwhiteandblue.blogspot.com .

All of you had some very nice words to say about the blog's redesign at the beginning of the year, and I thank you for that. On my opening of the new year blog, I made some predictions for they year. RagnarokO1 has some comments in regards to some of my predictions.

I think BioShock 2 is going to be great, thank you. Who knows, maybe the multiplayer will "advertise" to more people. It could mean Bioshock 2 gets more replayability, and therefore more time in the minds of consumers.

First, let's once again take this comment in the context of when it was written. BioShock 2 is now a major success, and it is yet to be seen whether it will surpass it's predecessor or not. But when I made this prediction, I said that some might be dissapointed with the sequel. Certainly, the second game was in many ways different than the first. For me, it was missing some of the key elements that made BioShock what it was. But in regards to multiplayer, I feel that this multiplayer does not have any lasting effect. You and I both know that BioShock 2 was bought by consumers for the singleplayer. Multiplayer is great, but it isn't necessary, and I don't feel that will garner any replayability past the occassional matchmaking game every couple months. Gamers will turn to much more popular multiplayer games such as Battlefield or Call of Duty, games that have established themselves on multiplayer.

And about Jak, you said The Lost Frontier came out already, and I have yet to play it. But regardless of whether it's good or bad, Jak is dying. The series is losing momentum very quickly. Which is a shame. It took years for The Lost Frontier to come out, and it wasn't even made my NaughtyDog. So... yeah.

The Lost Frontier, in my opinion, was a gimmick. It was a game made to hang on to lost times. Jak represents an era of video games that are slowly evaporating, but not completely gone. Platformers are hard to come by these days, and the only game series that has managed to maintain a foothold in the current market is Ratchet and Clank. But I don't think that a series such as Jak will completely go away. Gamers love series coming back to next-gen consoles. They love to see remakes. Hell, this is why hollywood makes sequels and remakes. They sell the most money because people can be moderately positive that they will like it or not. Naughty Dog, or even another developer, could very easily start Jak up again for the new console generation. But the likelihood of Jak coming back gets less and less everyday, and this is mostly because developers have found goldmines in other IP's. For Naughty Dog, it's uncharted. For Insomniac, it's Resistance. For Sucker Punch, it's inFamous. As good ole' Bob Dylan sang, "The times, they are a'changing".

In another post, AppleJuiceJones remarked on the news that Star Wars: The Old Republic will not be releasing until 2011.

The spring 2011 release date is perfect. Bioware can use the extra year they've given themselves to polish the game till it shines. Not to mention the game won't have to battle WoW: Cataclysm in release (hopefully).

I really don't feel that the release date has anything to do with Cataclysm. SWTOR will surely compete with WoW in the fact that WoW is the main MMO on the market. But SWTOR is a vastly different game, and I would take a stab to say the demographics of people interested in SWTOR are different than WoW players. SWTOR is going to aim much more at a mainstream audience as it is BioWare and it is Star Wars. Pending pricing announcements and other things, SWTOR isn't trying to take away WoW gamers, they are trying to take away everyone else. Spring 2011 allows them plenty of time for marketing, which I think is the main reason for this choice of release. Allowing plenty of time at game conventions and I'm sure plenty of viral marketing, SWTOR should garner lots of popularity, more than it has now.

Emericanheretic26 has a comment about World of Warcraft on my "15 Thing I'm excited for" post.

Really? Cataclysm is so not gonna be the last expansion. The lore behind the game is so vast that they haven't covered it all. WotLK was only the first step in the story. Good post though. Im hella (yes hella) excited.

Yes, I think Cataclysm will be the last major expansion. This isn't to say that Blizzard won't continue to release patches full of awesome free stuff, but I think anything left for WoW will be free. WoW has had a long run, even for MMO's. And while Blizzard will support it and make new things and continue to be awesome, WoW is gonna slow down in the next couple years. Here's why. Blizzard has stated they are hard at work on another MMO. What this is, no one knows. But it's very hard to support two MMO's at once. In fact, Blizzard is already very strained for resources. Starcraft II stopped development for a month because they needed people to work on WoW: Cataclysm and running WoW. The new MMO will need the same attention and care that WoW gets, and this means that WoW will have to be slowed down. Blizzard cares, and they would not make another MMO unless they gave it the full attention they give all their games, and this means slowing WoW down.

GDC sure inciting some comments. The first day brought some nice comments. RagnarokO1 said this:

AND OMG PORTAL OH EM GEE! I am so excited. Altough the "painting walls" to add new physics has me thinking... Portal 1 was amazing because it delivered so much with such a simple idea. I just hope that Portal 2 won't be too "cluttered".

I think the painting wall addition to gameplay is actually continuing with the simplicity that Valve knows how to do so well. Pick up an issue of GameInformer this month with the exclusive article about Portal 2. It really does have some nice insight into what Valve is trying to do. In my opinion, I love that they are taking a risk again, because the last thing I would want is more of the same. One of the things that made Portal such an amazing game was because it was so groundbreaking and it took a gigantic risk. Portal 2 will only be successful if it does the same. The painting walls idea is just another way of taking a risk, which I think is great. I am also sure that this feature will be limited in some respect too, so you won't be able to paint the wall anywhere, kind of like how the actual portal gun was restricted to a certain type of tile in the first game.

There were some comments about the announcement of the Playstation MOVE on my second day of GDC coverage. RagnarokO1 and Pankahku09 had this to say:

Pfft. "Move". That is SUCH a cliché name. Geez. Yet, I have no idea what Natal means... Hmm, I'm confident Natal will hold down the fort nicely. I want to hear news about Natal. I haven't heard anything about it since E3 09.

Awesome, thought the Move isn't original, it will be nice to see it tower over Nintendo at their own design.

You both bring up very good points about Move. First, I agree that the name is stupid, but it seems that names these days don't mean much of anything, as someone actually thought naming a long controller you waggle a "Wii" was a good idea. On a sidenote, Natal will most likely change names too. Natal does not really appeal to the market as much, and it's really only a codename. There's a possibility of it staying Natal, but unlikely. I'd say something like "LIVEmotion" or "motion360". Move seems to be aiming much more at the Wii then at Natal, although both are competitors. While I do agree that the tech behind Move trumps the Wii, it is nowhere near perfect. Demos that have been shown have had a suprising amount of lag, which is upsetting. In terms of Natal, it's hard to compare the two. Natal is a much different type of tech, using no controls whatsoever. Which one become superior is anyone's guess, but I wouldn't go picking a winner yet. Microsoft will unveil Natal to the world on July 13th. One last thing. It's not about the tech. It's about the software. Wii sales for games get lower and lower every month because there simply is no variety of software past Mario and the Wii series of games. What Sony and MS do on this front will determine who wins in the end.

Some cool comments on my three-part post on linearity. RagnarokO1 made me lol.

First.

That's fucking hilarious. Anyway, another interesting comment about the poll that day on favorite gaming weapons. Pankahku said:

I'm slightly pissed that daggers is not an option on your poll, but w/e.. =P

If you're talking in a literal sense, yes, a dagger is a weapon, and I didn't include. But technically, anything can be a weapon. I can kill you with a lamp, a bar of soap, a bottle of water, or anything you can think of. In a gaming sense, I always think of weapons as the thing you carry in your main hand. Daggers, to me, are always sidearms, and therefore not a main weapon. Sorry if I offended you and you're rogue-ness.

Some very awesome comments on Part 2. Blaaarg! said:

Hmm. Well, I like the bioshocky linearity (yes, I'm still in the bioshock "high"). In bioshock two, there was a set path, the only choices the player had was weapons (which most games give as an option), adopting/rescuing and harvesting little sisters, and killing or letting a few characters in the game live. And what was cool is that the overall plot wasn't affected by this, but it was actually "warped" to your actions. Your main goal doesn't change or anything, but the "tone" does. Your actions are reflected in the way Eleanor thinks and acts, and the ending cutscene does change, but in the end, you still think Sofia Lamb is a total female dog, and you still have to save Eleanor, no matter how different eleanor is because of your actions.So in a way, this type of linearity does place you in a deep inmersive story, but the story is mildly personalized for you. Kinda like you said, it places you in the shoes on another and takes you to a different world, but Bioshock 2 gives you the right size of shoes that fit you, the player, just right.

Much of what BioShock 2 fits a very Mass Effect type of design, but in a much simpler way. BioShock 2 stays in the same place, immersing you in one character. This is in no way a game full of choice, in my opinion. But, as I did explain in the post, this game does a great job of "mimicking" choice. You naturally do what you feel is best, and the game sets some things to fit that. There is no obvious path, in my opinion. You have no idea that you are even making a choice that will effect something. Hell, I didn't even figure out my choices on saving or killing people mattered until that achievement popped up on my screen. And I had no idea that Eleanor was changing based upon all my actions until after I finished the game and discovered this fact on the internet. BioShock 2 does what Mass Effect did in a small scale. It doesn't immediately effect the game, but it changes the future. In this way, it mimicks real life. Great point. Kudos.

And finally, we had some awesome inner comment debate. I effing love this. Pankahku09's comment incited a reply from AppleJuiceJones, and I feel I should give my two cents. Here's the comments.

"Many games have shown that a strong narrative can be given in a game, and can immerse players in ways other games cannot."Linearity is important but not too much. Great to follow a storyline but give players more freedom. But if too much freedom is given like in games such as WoW or GTA, then the story losses its importance.

pankahku09 i completely disagree with you, at least on GTA. GTA IV was one of the best games of all time (sorry i sound like Kanye) not only because it had open world gameplay where the city was a living, breathing character, but because it nixed the complete freedom that RPGs like Fallout and Fable gave you. Sure, you could complete missions in a multitude of ways, but there was far less choice than in an RPG. In the end, the story still came to the conclusion Niko wanted, because Rockstar incorporated a deep meaningful story into a sandbox game, forever changing the face of open world gaming.

I have to disagree with a lot that both of you said. First, you forgot to say "Ima let you finish" to pankahku09, AppleJuiceJones. Just kidding. First off, it's worth noting that GTA IV did take a big step out of freedom for the series as whole. The story did take a much bigger importance. But it certainly did not approach any sort of linearity, in my opinion. The core of GTA IV was still the idea that I can do anything when I want, how I want, and where I want. When it comes down to it, GTA IV still gives the player the ability to shoot down hookers, run away from the police, and all those things that make the freedom of the series what it is. Is this a bad thing? No, not at all. In fact, this is a big element of the fun of the game. But unless developers are willing to take bigger risks, a game like this won't ever really approach the nice blend of linearity that much superior games like Mass Effect 2 and Fallout 3 have. This comes in the idea that the developer lessons freedom. One of the key things in my opinion that GTA IV does right is the fact that the player gains an automatic 5 star wanted rating if they go to another part of the island. This is a limiting factor that forces gamers to play through the story. It is an element of linearity. Unfortunately, I feel the follow-through of this was not executed nicely. I have not played the two expansions to GTA IV, but I have heard that they take much more emphasis on story. I feel this is where the series should go.

But to go back to what pankahku09, he is incorrect in my opinion also. If there is one thing that I tried to explain with this three-part post, it's that a success of a game has nothing to do with linearity itself. It is all the parts working together, not one at a time. GTA IV is a great game because although there is a lot of freedom, that freedom aspect is fun, and fits perfectly with gameplay and the story it sets itself around. A game like Crackdown is fun because it doesn't attempt to tell a story. It is just fun, and that's what makes the game valuable. Immersion is a great thing in games, but every game can't do that. Some games need to be that fun, pick up and play experience, or else there would be no variety in games. Final Fantasy and Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed are all great game series that immerse the player, but they don't have what a game like Crackdown has. They are fun in a completely different way. So it's wrong to say that there is something called "too much linearity". If the developer makes a good game with a lot of linearity, so be it. It's how that amount of linearity works with the rest of the game that is going to determine whether the game is worth it or not.

Thanks a lot, guys. As always, it means so much that you take the time to comment. I listen to each and every one of them. As always, enjoy and comment.

Linearity, Part Three

Games have transformed just as the world has. They have gone from complete linearity to expansive environments, and all the way back around. They have gone from simple to complicated. Back in the last post the question was asked "Where should games go with linearity?" How much linearity is needed or wanted to make a good game? Going from the start of games to the current day, linearity is finally at a stand still. Gamers are now at a point where linearity is going to become crucial in the future of video games. For almost two decades, linearity has been tossed and turned on it's side. It's been used for better and for worse. It's been the highlight of games, and the ruin of them. And after all this time, gamers still have no idea what the answers to these questions are. But some games offer the best answer possible.

Mass Effect could be the future of linearity in video games. No game series has every brought on itself a bigger task than the possible solution of the linearity problem. For years, linearity and story could not go together. Giving freedom and giving a story looked to be impossible. In fact, only a couple months before the release of the second game in the series, Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward stated that it was impossible to make a good story in a game without set events that the player must be forced to go through. And to a point, he was right. Mass Effect does not eliminate this by any means. Players are made to go through a set story with set events, and this makes for a great and immersive story. In this aspect, players are put in the shoes of a character. Mass Effect realizes the classic elements of good stories in any media require immersion and placement in a setting full of things. But instead of choosing all of the elements in this story, BioWare does something extraordinary. Players are given complete freedom on how they look. They are given complete freedom on moral choices, weapon loadout, character, emotion, and even dialogue. BioWare, in many ways, was the first company to implement human freedom in a game. The freedom we are used to in real life, put into a game.

Mass Effect takes these freedom aspects and puts them in a shell formed by story. Your choices don't determine the story, but effect actions in the story. BioWare realized something everyone is evident in real life. We can't fix what we can't change. Events that are meant to happen will happen. But how we react to these events, how are character responds, how we use what we have to REACT to a situation, are all things that affect the future in a profound way. In short, BioWare discovered a real aspect of freedom without even speaking the word linearity. And while this is a penny in the bank of the first game, it becomes a wealth in the next game. Choices made in the first game, alliances formed, and everything else truly impacted Mass Effect 2. Even though the story of Mass Effect 1 is a constant for the most part, Mass Effect 2 is not. It is built completely and utterly on choices made by the last game. And although it still follows a set story, and that makes the game at the core a masterpiece, it is the freedom of the player having a real effect in the simulated future that gives a feeling no other game can.

But others would disagree with this. Mass Effect is certainly a top example of game excellency, but many games cannot and will not reach this kind of quality. There has to be a solution to the rest of games. Does Mass Effect set a bar, or is it just and example of something done right out of many examples that could be done? Many games have no player freedom whatsoever, and are masterpieces too. Certainly games like Modern Warfare 2 singleplayer and BioShock have shown that freedom would ruin those games. Well, here's the answer to the big question.

There is no correct answer to how much linearity is good or bad. Linearity is just another element like gameplay or design. It is a choice that is made very early in the game making process, and is at it's core part of the blueprint of all games. Linearity works if everything else is working with it. Maybe this is the wrong question. Maybe the correct question gamers should be asking themselves is something like "Does everything else work with the linearity of this game?". It isn't the fact that BioShock is extremely linear that determines that linearity in itself should be done this way in every game. Extreme linearity works here because 2K created such a vivid environment and immersive gameplay that giving freedom would ruin all that the developer made. It is like the difference between Shakespeare and a "choose your own adventure" book. While both are books, one has literary merit, and the setting Shakespeare puts you in is much more entertaining than any type of other book that might have choice in it. A book like that kills itself slowly by taking the reader out to make an irrelevant and unnecessary decision, just for the sake of making a decision. In this example, a developer should make the choice for the gamer, as it just fits with the game better.

But many games have shown that choice can be made in a great way and not ruin a game. Many developers have made meritorious games that go farther away from linearity. Again, this all depends on how all the other elements work around the game. Gamers can explore what the Washington D.C. has to offer and choose missions because Fallout 3 works that way and calls for it. From the outset, Bethesda didn't make a character for me. I was the kid in the vault that escaped to look for my father, so my story could be shaped that way. I could choose what missions I did first, how I looked, what I used, who I talked to, and how my story would be told because it was my story. It wasn't Jack's story in BioShock. It wasn't McTavish's story in Modern Warfare 2. It was my story, and the element of linearity was not important or relevant because it naturally felt that I should be making these decisions.

And many games have failed at implementation of all these elements correctly. They've given freedom where it wasn't needed. Certainly a game like Prototype could have used a much better story and much more refined gameplay rather than a big, open environment. Certainly a game like Wanted could have used a lot bigger of a story and a much larger scope of choice. It all depends on the quality of how all the things work together. Games are just like anything else that is built from scratch. Everything must work together to be recieved well by the public. The question of linearity isn't a question at all, really. It's more of a statement. Linearity is something that will always be in games, and the level of linearity really isn't determined from the outset. A good game will determine how much linearity is good by everything else put in the game, and if the game doesn't make these decisions, then the game probably isn't worth looking at anyway.