Tuesday, 13 June 2017

E3 2017: Sony Conference - The Plus and The Minus


It's time for the big boys, Sony has been killing it every year for at least the past three years, it's time for them to step up their game cause this year there has been a lot of good conferences.


The Plus




+ Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy




I'm glad we've got a good in-depth trailer for this, I've been excited for this ever since it was announced last year so I can't wait to pick it up and play. Hopefully because it is being made for the PS4 and the updated graphics will mean the gameplay will be better than the original. Playing the original more recently it feels heavy and very hard to play, hopefully the game will be a little faster lighter and overall more fun.

+ Hidden Agenda




A new game from the same studio that created Until Dawn we get another cinematic choice based game with phenomenal graphics. This time however we have the implementation of group phone play. I think this is the coolest avenue this studio could have gone down. Considering me and my friends have wanted to replay Until Dawn together by controlling a character each this is definitely a step in the right direction. I'm very pumped up for this game.

+ Everybody's Golf




Why do I want a very Japanese styled golf game? I DON'T KNOW BUT I DO!

+ Undertale on PS4




This is a big deal, I recently bought Undertale for my PC but now that it is coming out on PS4, I don't know if I'll ever play it on my PC.

+ Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds




I'm currently playing Horizon and I'm really enjoying it, so I'm glad there some DLC coming soon so my adventure with the game won't end with the end of the game.

+ Monster Hunter World




OH MY GOD! I love Monster Hunter, I've been playing it loads on my 2DS and now I get to play a full HD version on my PS4 with my big TV, I can't wait to get my friends together and play this game.

+ Shadow Of The Colossus




URM WHAT. Ok so there is a new Shadow Of The Colossus, that's pretty crazy!

+ Marvel vs Capcom Infinite




Yeah to be honest it came across very silly, but thats not a bad thing, I'm looking forward to giving this series a go because I haven't delved into it yet.

+ Skyrim VR




Urm, I guess Bethesda also had Skyrim ready for VR too? Why they didn't talk about it during their conference I don't know but still very cool that they are bringing it to VR.

+ The Inpatient




Another Until Dawn styled game from the same studio, but this one is VR, I also think it is a spin-off. So if I can get my hands on it I definitely will.

+ God Of War



It is still looking good and it still looks like something I want to play.

+ Detroit: Becoming Human




We had a longer and more in-depth look at this game this year and I'm even more convinced on having it, the amount of options it wants to brag is incredible and it looks like you may be able to play as three different characters.

+ Spider-Man




WOW! This extended game play trailer looked absolutely incredible. We saw combat, we saw ability usage and we saw the web slinging around the city. It reminded me a lot of the Arkham series, it had the same elements that they had but because it is a different hero and a different world the game feel fresh and new.


The Minus




- Gran Turismo Sport




I like Gran Turismo but every conference has had a driving game thus far and it's just getting stale to me at this point.

- Days Gone




Personally, this game looks unappealing to me, I'm done with the zombie genre, with the exception of incredible sequels, like State Of Decay and The Last Of Us, creating new IPs in this genre seems like a waste of time, not only that but this game looks dull.

- Call Of Duty WWII




Isn't that just World At War? Urm, I would be more ok with just a HD remaster of that game than a new WWII game but I never buy these anymore so whatever.


So that is all my thoughts on this conference and I think it is probably the best thus far, Ubisoft was very good but now Sony has topped them and I think they've topped Microsoft too but not by much. We've only got one last conference and that's Nintendo!

E3 2017: Ubisoft Conference - The Plus and The Minus


Ubisoft gave a surprising conference that came out with some games I never knew I wanted and some games we've all been wanting for a while. They have definitely caught my attention.

The Plus


+ Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle



The pure premise of this game bogged me down and all the leaks didn't get me hyped, Rabbids were the Minions of the gaming world, I never hated Rabbids but they aren't exactly the bet measure of anything outstanding, but as soon as the trailer hit I was in. Not only does the game exude buckets of character and charisma but it is also a strategy game, think XCOM except it's Mario and Rabbids and it looks delightful and fun. I honestly can't wait to play this and it is definitely a system seller for the Switch in my eyes.

+ South Park: The Fractured But Whole



Yes, this was shown last year and the trailer didn't really show us anything new but I was disappointed in the continuous pushing back of the release date but the game still looks funny and fun to play, I hope they stick to this release date this time.

+ Transference



As I thought Fallout 4 in VR might be the pinnacle for VR this year we get to see this extremely intriguing and possible ground breaking game that breaks the fourth wall of playing a game in VR, with the inclusion of Elijah Wood I'm very excited to see where this project goes.

+ Skull & Bones



It's nice to see that the rumblings of the possible pirate game based on the Assassins Creed Black Flag mechanics has finally happened, where Assassins Creed has burnt me out Skull & Bones comes from its ashes and has me intrigued, it'll be fun to see what the reception is to this and if it'll be worth the money.

+ South Park: Phone Destroyer



A free(ish) South Park Stick Of Truth/Fractured But Whole mobile game? Doesn't sound bad at all. No wonder Fractured But Whole has been delayed so much!

+ Beyond Good & Evil 2



IT HAPPENED GUYS, ITS HAPPENING! REJOICE PRAISE UBISOFT PRAAAIISEEE!


The Minus



- Assassin's Creed Origins



Yep, still the same, the second conference we've seen this at and it still has failed to impress me in anyway, that's not a good record.

- The Crew 2



Another driving game, granted it is the most interesting looking one thus far but another one nonetheless.

- Steep: Road to the Olympics



I forgot Steep was a thing, I didn't even know it came out so with that sort of reception you would think Ubi would know that it wouldn't be worth showing on the main conference.

- Just Dance 2018



ERRGHH Every year they show us a new Just Dance game, if I am criticising driving games for the fact that most gamers aren't driving fans then I most definitely going to say to Ubisoft READ THE ROOM people who go to these conventions do not want to watch a dance number on stage, if they want to show the game show it after or before the main conference, not during.

Overall Ubisoft really shocked me with their conference and unexpectedly excited for the games they will be bringing out very soon.

Monday, 12 June 2017

E3 2017: Bethesda Conference - The Plus and The Minus



Personally the main question on my mind going into the Bethesda press conference was if they even deserved one this year, sure there were rumours about The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein, but was it really worth it? Well I think it was lack luster but not as bad as EA.

The Plus




+ Fallout 4 VR



Someone had to make the leap into making a fully fledged open world game in VR and it just so happened that Bethesda had the perfect game ready for it. The reason this is a plus is purely because of the risk, if this flops then other companies will take notice and be hesitant to create anything more than a stand and shoot game for VR headsets, but on the flip side if Bethesda nail Fallout 4 VR then we could start to see the blossom of some truly great games in Virtual Reality.

+ Creation Club



This is a hesitant plus, the idea that this is more organised and looks better for console gamers and can start to give indie devs a chance to play with big triple A games then that is super cool. But I did see some sort of 'credits' currency, if this means these mods/items are a way to slip micro-transactions into 2 of the best open world games today then people will not be happy, myself included.

+ Skyrim on Nintendo Switch



Skyrim on the Nintendo Switch is probably one of the best selling points for the Switch in my opinion and although this didn't really show anything too amazing we did see the Link amiibo being used to give the in-game character a Breath Of The Wild Link outfit and Master Sword and Shield, so that alone is pretty sweet.

+ Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider



I am a big fan of Dishonored and recently just completed Dishonored 2, so I'm glad to see some DLC being able to play as Rosario Dawson's character Billie. By the looks of it it looks like a prequel. I don't want to spoil why I think that but people who've finished the game know why also. I can't wait to see what abilities she has and what the story is like.

+ Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus



I haven't got a chance to play either Wolfenstein's (The New Order and The Old Blood) but this game still looks great, full of story and interesting level design. I love alternate timelines!

The Minus



- Doom VFR



I don't know, I love 2016's Doom, probably the best single player shooter for a long time, but the fact that they made this game into a teleporting VR shooter, turns me off to the idea completely. Maybe I'm just a bit pessimistic but I feel like playing Doom the way it was shown in the trailer doesn't make me want to play the game at all.

- The Elder Scrolls: Legends - Heroes Of Skyrim



Just looks like a new Hearthstone rip-off. Sorry.

Again anything I didn't mention here I probably don't have a firm opinion on, I never played The Evil Within nor do I intend to so the Evil Within 2 announcement didn't do anything to me but I know for some it was really cool. Anyway I'll see you in the next post when we'll be looking at the next big conference of the week, Sony!

E3 2017: Microsoft Conference - The Plus and The Minus


My goodness! Microsoft has set a high standard for the rest of the week as they unveil their competitor to the PlayStation 4 Pro, and a never ending trailer reel of new games to loose ourselves in, along with surprising announcements and so much more.
The Plus



+ Metro Exodus



I haven't played any of the Metro games and I have one ready for me to complete but I was still hype for this game. Surely the trailer they played here would convince any player who hasn't hopped on to the series to get on it with this new game. I could see if someone would say it looks too much like a Fallout game but I still wanna experience this game.

+ Player Uknown's Battlegrounds for Xbox



I'm not an Xbox owner, I'm on the PS4 side, but I do think this is a great game and a really cool thing to put on console, Especially with the pairing of Player Uknown himself. A+ stuff.

+ State Of Decay 2



It's been a couple of years since the first game came out on the Xbox 360 Arcade and blew everyone away out of nowhere. Now we're here and seeing a really cool in-depth cinematic gameplay trailer and it looks like the game has built on the previous hugely, I can't wait to get my mittens on this game.

+ The Last Night



A game I didn't know of and now, purely by visual appearance, is now very high on my E3 list of games to play. I'm very excited for the depth of field mixed with airy coloured fog effects and the retro pixel graphics, it looks like and adventure side-scroller which isn't something that has been in the main stream for a while.

+ Sea Of Thieves



We were given a very long gameplay trailer which showed this pirate game, the mixture between the graphic style, the pirate aspect, all the things it looks like you can do and the fact that you and your friends can be a team together and meet other players as well, makes this game one to watch and want to pick up when it is released. It looks like it's filled with character.

+ Cuphead



EYYY CUPHEAD! Finally Cuphead has a release date, this game is beautiful early disney animation styled side scrolling shoot 'em up that has been on my watchlist for a hot second, and I'm so happy there is finally a release date.

+ Crackdown 3



I haven't played any Crackdown games, but Terry Crews can sell me on anything. The game looks like a lot of fun and I'll keep my eye on this to see if it's worth my money.

+ Life Is Strange: Before The Storm



AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!! I'm a huge fan of Life Is Strange, and when there was announcement on a new LIS game I was praying they would show some of it at E3, well my dream has come true and it looks like it is a 3 Episode prequel to the original game, I think this spin-off is supposed to tide us over until they have a full blown sequel. I AM OK WITH THIS! We finally get to meet the elusive Rachel Amber and what happened leading to her disappearance, we play as pre-blue hair Chloe. My friend told me that if this game ends with Chloe dying her hair blue and walking into the girls bathroom like the start of the original game he may cry, and to be honest I'm right there with him.

+ Middle-earth: Shadow Of War



Wow, so last game they had a really fun enemy system, this time around they had a new army system, taking orc enemies and turning them into your allies. The gameplay demo that they showed here literally sold me on this game.

+ Original Xbox Backwards Compatibility



GOD DAMMIT, I want a damn Xbox One now, that is the coolest thing, I have original Xbox games that I wanna play and I can't because my 360 only does some of them and usually really laggy, as long as they can get these games to run really smoothly then I am all for this.

+ Anthem



We saw a small tease at EA's conference, but here we got to see the big reveal and I'm looking forward to Anthem. Regardless of fake headset chatter that can always cringe me out, this game looks stellar.

The Minus



- Xbox One X



Maybe I should clarify here, I don't hate this console but the reason why it is in the minus section is because I still don't see why I would want to buy one, I like updated graphics but I don't feel like it is necessary, maybe I have an old mentality of wanting to buy a console and have it for the whole console cycle, I still have my original PS2, and I still have my original white 360 and my PS4, I don't want to keep updating. Also the $499 price tag seems like way too much to me.

- Forza Motorsport 7



I don't mind racing games, I actually enjoy a couple but opening up with Forza was kinda boring to be honest, the game was gorgeous but I don't really care enough, sorry fans.

- Assassin's Creed Origins



I was hoping that this Creed soft reboot was gonna pull me back into the series, the first 4 games are some of my favourites especially AC2 and Brotherhood, sadly ever since then minus Black Flag each game has felt like the same game with not much new and innovative in each installation. Origins is no different here. Yes, the Egypt environment looks cool and I'm sure the story is interesting but there was nothing their that convinced me to get back into the series.

Now I know I haven't talked about everything here but stuff I haven't talked about here means I haven't got a definitive opinion or I'm indifferent too, I think this was a very good conference and Sony are gonna have to pull out all the stops to out do that. (they have to show me Bully 2 to beat Life Is Strange), I'll be posting my Bethesda conference post soon! See you in a bit.