• 15Jun 13

  E3 2013 Backwash

  

  No doubt, this year it has been Microsoft who did the best publicity job: Sony just needed to wait for their E3 press conference in order to have the very American Jack Tretton announce what every gaming soul had been longing to hear: do whatever you like with your used games --lend, trade, keep them--, and while no permanent online connection or 24h-authentication will be required, PSN+ subscriptions will flawlessly be carried over to yet a new member of the big PlayStation family.

  Thank you, Microsoft, for making future buyers' decisions so much easier in gaming matters, in about the same way as Windows 8 has been sharply raising the demand for Linux-based operative systems, so that one should guess that their selling the Xbox division might just be a matter of time. For now, however, still loyal Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be getting two (non recent) games for free download per month --a sign that MS did but learn something from Sony's so successful subscriber policy.

  Not too surprising, either, in that context is that for me E3 2013's biggest game revelation is also a game for PS4 rather than X1: The Order: 1886, plotted in an phenomenologically alternative Victorian London, struck me about as sort of love at first sight that I can hardly wait for it being finally released.
  Another game I'll be hoping to get my hands on right at PS4 launch is Killzone: Shadow Fall which now more open-leveled looks so much more appealing than the Halo-successor Destiny resembling rather a blend of ME + SWTOR in its present shape (not that I had something against those two BioWare games, though).
  Nicely preparatory to the former while waiting may be Killzone: Mercenary for the PS Vita, with a somewhat different concept, also certainly one of the most anticipated games for this quality handheld in all 2013.

  Yet InFamous: Second Son is the third PS4 one which I'd put in my list here, together with quite a list of interesting Indie games released via PSN, like Transistor, Secret Ponchos, or Doki-Doki Universe.

  The press conference which had my greatest interest besides Sony's has certainly been that of EA starting with the surprising Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare looking so ridiculously fun in co-op survivor mode, followed by other yet eagerly awaited games like Battlefield 4's still more enthralling multiplayer, DICE's StarWars Battlefront and Mirror's Edge 2, BioWare's mmorpged Dragon Age III, or also Titanfall, unfortunately prioritizing XOne, whereas I would certainly have preferred learning something about Homefront 2 rather than Ryse from Crytek's part.

  
  Last but not least to be distinguished out of E3's demonstrations:

  - Call of Duty: Ghosts (featuring the CoD Dog)

  - The Crew (sporting several of my favorite racing features)

  - Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 2 (sequel of the 25 year-old hack'n'slash)

  - Wolfenstein: The New Order (sequel of the legendary FP shooter)

  - Shin Megami Tensei IV (the 4th of the demon-ish RPG series, still TBA for Europe)

  
  So while I guess that Microsoft and not EA will probably be nominated the worst US company this year, I already project buying another, smaller, smarter X360 to be conserved for the future: May the PS4 be with you...

  • Posted Jun 15, 2013 3:57 am GMT
  • Category: Opinion
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• 2Jun 13

  Shall Wii Play?

  

  So following up my last blog --I definitely bought a used black Wii (luckily in Spain one does get an additional salary in June) along with several games exclusive for this platform, which never mind the Wii's bad reputation turn out being almost all pretty well above the average score of my (yet incompletely seized) GameSpot video games collection (7.6).

  And those precious games are:
  
  - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GS 8.8) - Offered as a "Nintendo Selects" title for 20 bucks now surely a good bargain (even in euros)

  - MadWorld (GS 7.5) - Why did SEGA release this unusual(ly brutal) game for Wii only anyway?

  - Metroid: Other M (GS 8.5) - A Nintendo-exclusive franchise which always had my special interest

  - No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (GS 8.5) - No that much a fan of Suda 51's I didn't yet play this well-known game (nor the first one)

  - Super Mario Galaxy (GS 9.5) - Another "Nintendo Selects" title I could not possibly withstand

  - Xenoblade Chronicles (GS 9.0) - A game in the vein of Final Fantasy / Phantasy Star I fancied since a certain GS senior editor has been so enthusing about

  

  Furthermore on my list:
  
  - Metroid Prime Trilogy (MC 9.1) - The three Metroid Prime games adapted to Wii-motion controls

  - The Last Story (GS 9.0) - Still not so much of a RPGamer I think I should check this one out, too (any ideas?)

  - Monster Hunter Tri (GS 8.0) - Great series; unfortunately, servers are shut down now

  - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (GS 7.5) - A must in spite of its not too favorable review (TMS, "predictable formula")

  - Disney Epic Mickey (GS 6.0, TMS) - One of the games I felt sorry for not being Wii owner yet at release
  
  --Well, I am open to further recommendations however well aware that together with the formerly cited PSV and 3DS (and used PS2) ones this is quite a lot of new games, and one might wonder when I will be playing them. Promised, though, I'll stop buying consoles for now, until the PS4's arrival...

   

  PS: I somebody feels like adding me as a friend, it is: 8852-3370-0828-3512 for Wii and 5000-2422-0103 for 3DS, Mii "boucfidel" for both (cf. also VintAge68 in Raptr). Thanks!

  • Posted Jun 2, 2013 6:32 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 23May 13

  Do Not Nontendo

  

  So there is finally my overdue 3DS blog which does probably appear like the "skimmed" version of the former PS Vita one.

  To be sure, it is a comfortably playable handheld console and not even that expensive, yet its games are, and without the possibility of cheap PSN+ downloads.

  Anyway, this is the games list to start with which in comparison to the Vita's comforting mobile console gaming will probably yet not be much more than another gaming gadget to me, in spite of nice new innovations like the Street Pass and the eShop:
  

  - Shinobi (GS 7.5) -- I liked the old Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master and it hasn't been that expensive, either

  - Driver: Renegade (GS 3.5) -- Rather appealing action racing game though it might lack some variety; bought it also for its nice price

  - Monster Hunter Ultimate (GS 7.0) -- This is probably one of the games I bought the 3DS for; liked though never quite "finished" Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP

  - Heroes of Ruin (GS 6.0) -- Looks promising to me in spite of its a bit underappreciating score on GS

  - Kid Icarus: Uprising (GS 8.0) -- Heard only good things about this game which is why it is on my list here

  - Fire Emblem: Awakening (GS 8.5) -- Heard only extraordinary things about this turn-based RPG but did not get to buy it yet

  - Mario Kart 7 (8.0) -- My preferred Mario: let's see if I can get it for an affordable price

  - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (GS 7.0) -- Well, I should buy this one, too: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow has been pretty good

  
  

  --To not let eShop:

  - Gunman Clive

  - Fractured Soul
  

  - Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D

  - 3D Classics Kid Icarus
  

  ...
  

  
  

  --Well, while I don't regret having bought the 3DS --a normal-sized but new one since I have still a good DSi XL--, the main conclusion I got after studying the current prices of new 3DS games is that I might finally buy a Wii now that consoles & games are that cheap --quite contrary to the new 3DS ones-- in order to cover all those other Nintendo games that might still be waiting on my virtual to-play list...

  • Posted May 23, 2013 2:55 pm GMT
  • Category: Opinion
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