• 22May 13

  The Next Xbox Isn't the One For Me

  Theres a charm in simplicity that seems to have passed over Microsofts heads in the development of the Xbox One.  The reveal shows us what gamers, and mostly non-gamers, can utilize with this shiny piece of Next Gen tech when its released later this year.  There were some impressive demonstrations, but, for the most part, the new dashboard features made me wonder what would happen to those with low attention spans and made me glad that I now bed with Sony.

              Kinect remains overall unappealing.  The ability to turn your Xbox One on and off via a voice command is a nifty feat, but the 1080 camera, improved motion capture, etc., are all wasted on me.  Its like theyre milking a one-trick pony.  In all fairness, I feel the same way about Sonys Move.  I cant help that Im an old-fart gamer!

              Microsofts Xbox luster is gone from my eyes.  They seemed to focus more on what products to show via their new system than they were of the games one could play.  They mentioned a number in the teens of exclusive titles, apparently within the next year, but instead showed two of the games and spent the rest of the game trailers on multi-platform releases.  Granted, they did look very nice.

              On paper, the PS4 and XBO (XB1?) are identical.  The major differences between the two lay in the companies differing focus which gives Sony an advantage on the gaming side, and thats the point of the systems.  Sonys presentation showed us more of what gamers can do with the powerful system.  Microsofts every-man appeal has its draws, and Steven Spielberg, but I was turned off by the fact that it seemed like they were trying to say the gamer is not their main target.

              Forza looks awesome.  The controller looks cool, and theres no denying that the number of exclusives coming in the next year is impressive.  A lot of the new bells and whistles seem to over complicate the system and could threaten to ruin the entire experience.  But dont take an old gamers word for it.  Im just looking forward to spooning the PS4 controller.

  • Posted May 22, 2013 3:50 pm GMT
  • Category: General
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• 21May 13

  Lessons in Far Cry: Expectations

  Playing Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, I realize something is amiss.  Some reviewers describe it as easy when I find myself dying quite frequently.  Of course, my experience with the Far Cry franchise was practically null before I started Blood Dragon, minus a twenty minute MP ass whooping I took against friends about 4 years ago.  Id say that a lot of Blood Dragons enjoyment comes from an implication that the player is familiar with the franchise canon.  On the other hand, my tag is badgamer83.

              My interest in Far Cry 3 started as a simmering curiosity and went, inexplicably, to a boiling enthusiasm to play the game.  Even before Blood Dragon was released, this weird itch came over me, a voice in my head whispered tales of grand adventure, blowing stuff up, and an open world experience with decent story telling.  I wish-listed it, not so subtly dropped hints of wanting it to friends on Steam and decided Ive had enough of waiting, this Friday, May 24th, I will pick up Far Cry 3!

              What could I possibly expect out of it, though?  Maybe Im hoping this will make me better at FPS and enjoy the single player ride, as opposed to the oft-infuriating multi-player modes out there.  Thinking back to how much I enjoyed Uncharted 3 and how it seemed to improve my gaming skills (for lack of a better term), thats what I want to accomplish in playing Far Cry 3.  I feel like exploring, blowing s**t up, driving off cliffs and learning more about gaming in general would just be the bees knees!

              Of course, theres some speculation that the game could end up at least a little disappointing.  I am sure that Ill have a blast with it all the same.  So, for now, Rexs adventure goes on the backburner as I anxiously wait to hungrily devour the sights and experiences of Rook Island and learn more about what Im capable of.

  • Posted May 21, 2013 7:01 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 9May 13

  Evolving "Woodward"

  In 2005, I started outlining what would potentially be my first novel, called OBrien.  OBrien was complex and heavily clichéd and never was written.  One part of the story had the main character (not named OBrien) have a flashback to a different time and that was the first iteration of what has become Woodward.

              The cabin, the giant black tree and Roanoke were always going to play a big part in the story.  Virginia was the latest character introduced and ironically became the protagonist.  David was originally going to be the main character, but because of story direction changes, he became more of a device.  Further was always going to be this strange person whos a mixture of free spirit, but also has some strange tendencies.  Woodward is a character in the story and is revealed in part 3.

              Once the decision was made to make the story its own entity, it started off as being this comedic modern folk tale.  Because of certain imagery and the narration style I was using, it didnt seem to mix and that idea was thrown away.  Then I started reading Joe Hills Locke & Key and that gave me the idea to change the style to a more gothic-horror light and through someones eyes.

              This, sadly, is the first story Ive been this excited to finish in years.  While I have a game plan for the ending, mostly Ill be figuring things out as yall do.  Also, there will be going back and tweaking of previous parts once more gets written.  I dont plan on doing a lot of parts, but I believe that as the story evolves, it should do so as a whole.  This is all an experiment for me and I hope youll enjoy the journey as much as I do writing it. 

  • Posted May 9, 2013 7:14 pm GMT
  • Category: General
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