E3 2018: Microsoft Press Conference - The Plus and The Minus

Microsoft's best press conference in a long long time. But buckle up, this might be a long one. Anything not mentioned here means I have nothing to say on it or I'm just luke warm.

+ Ori and The Will of The Wisps

I have no connection to this franchise at all but this game look stunning and exciting to play, the game looks a lot like the previous two Rayman games, Origins and Legends. I really enjoyed those games so I don't mind playing another one.

+ Sekiro

From Software, Dark Souls-esque games are just really cool concepts. I've only played Bloodbourne, and then it was only because it was free recently with PS Plus, but I immediately understood when I started playing that game. The combat feels amazing and for someone like me who really enjoys timing based combat instead combos, I really enjoyed it. This game looks just as cool, the setting is a nice change of pace to Demon Souls, Dark Souls and Bloodbourne.

+ Fallout 76

This was a trailer that showed us more of Fallout 76 but nothing huge just yet, I'm sure we're going to see stuff later on at Bethesda's conference but for now, it looks good.

+ The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

I'm a huge fan of Life Is Strange and I loved Before The Storm, so this is right up my alley. It's great because they've gone for a whole new take and tone here and it looks heart melting. Also it's free, which is crazy!

+ Crackdown 3

Terry Crews could sell me anything. As a fan of Brooklyn Nine Nine I just have a huge soft spot for the actor. This game makes me hugely jealous that I'm not an Xbox One owner, something that the PS3 never made me feel last generation.

+ Metro Exodus

I haven't played any Metro, something I still need to try out, but this looks really cool and more footage compared to last year has got me excited.

+ Kingdom Hearts 3

Frozen, Monsters Inc, Tangled. I mean come on. This shit is great, I get it, it isn't everyones cup of tea but I really enjoy Kingdom Hearts wacky cheesy story.

+ Forza Horizon 4

This is the first time I've been jealous of a car game. Forza Horizon 4 looks beautiful, captivating and enjoyable in every sense. Seasons although not initially a selling point become more desirable when they showcased the driving over a frozen lake. But the always online racing is the real selling point for me. Then again, I just bought Burnout Paradise remaster for the PS4, so maybe I'll just go play that.

+ Microsoft aquisitions

I think Sony have had some of the best first party studios and video games of the past couple of years but these studio acquisitions is looking good for Microsoft's future in first party.

+ We Happy Few

I honestly thought this game had already came out because of being a Playstation player and it being a Xbox exclusive. But apparently it hasn't. I really love this concept, I really love this art style, and overall I really enjoy the look of the game. If I get a chance to play it I will.

+ Sable

I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT WAS BUT IT LOOKED AMAZING

+ Harold Halibut

WAIT WTF IS THAT, IS THAT FUCKING CLAYMATION, OH MY GOD

+ Shadow of the Tomb Raider

I haven't played the other two Tomb Raider games yet, but I think this new reboot looks good all round so I'm happy that they are continuing on with it.

+ Session

I thought this was Skate 4 for 90% of this trailer and then I remembered as soon as the name came up that Session was a thing. I'm excited to get my hand on this even though lack of any sort of date kinda means this was an empty trailer that maybe was trying to play on the expectation that EA announced Skate 4.

+ Devil May Cry 5

I haven't really touched DMC, I played the first level or so of the first one and that is about it. But this looks fun and cool even though my experience with the switch version of Bayonetta this year has convinced me more that combo orientated combat in games really isn't my thing.

+ Tunic

I vaguely remember this from somewhere else, but regardless the game look stunning, cute and a lot like Zelda. ticks all round.

+ Dying Light 2

I haven't really seen much of Dying Light but this sequel is looking very very special and awesome. I love what they showed and talked about here with the mechanics and dialogue choices and the effects it has. Really cool.

+ Gears Tactics

This looks like Xcom. I like Xcom. If they  bring something new and different to the genre I'm in. If not. Then I'll stick to Xcom.

+ Cyberpunk 2077

AW YEAH, this is the game I have wanted my entire life. Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, all those cyberpunk visual styles and concepts in an actual game I could sink my teeth into. an RPG of all things too. I'm very very excited about some more info on this game soon.

- Halo Infinite

Not really a Halo fan so it makes it easier for me to put this here. No info on this at all and a nothing trailer. Kinda feels like it would've been better being left off. This game will be a talking point over some smaller games that actually look good and come out soon and that's a shame.

- Game Pass

Just to reiterate on what I said about streaming services in the EA blog. Streaming games to any device is not the way I want to go. I want to OWN my games, especially when you sink so much time into a game.

- Black Desert

Just looked super bland to me and didn't feel like it needed a press conference spot. Definitely there to fill in the '50 games' promise.

- Gears Pop

I love Pop Vinyls and everything but NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO  I don't need Pop Vinyl games.

50 games, huge exclusives, huge reveals, gotta be up there for me as one of the best conference in a long time. It makes you wonder if all thses games went to Microsoft because Sony are only going to show the 4 or 5 games they said they will be taking a look at.

E3 2018: EA Play Conference - The Plus and The Minus

Guess who's back? Back again? Oli's back, and I'm going to slaughter EA now.

+ Anthem

Got a big deep look into Anthem at EA, the game looks cool, although I think I have my criticisms my main take away from all of it was: 'This looks like Destiny but made for me'. Destiny isn't really my thing because it's mainly just a multiplayer game, and although Anthem is kinda in the same bag, the addition of having story areas where you basically play a single player Bioware game is pretty crazy. February feels like such a long time away though, for something that you take such a deep dive into I thought I'd be seeing it sooner.

+ Battlefield V

I haven't picked up a military FPS in a long time, and back when I did it was always COD. So recently I've been looking over at the competitor, Battlefield, to see if this is where I'm gonna jump in. Truth is, I'm not sure, but I think the game looks graphically amazing and the story mode seems intriguing. That's the one thing Battlefield has over COD this year and it's definitely a plus to me.

+ Star Wars Battlefront II

Man oh man, a lot happened in between last E3 and this E3 for Battlefront II. And it probably doesn't surprise you that I didn't pick up the game when it came out. The nasty micro-transactions and levelling system killed any enthusiasm the game gave me. Now although at the press conference this year they weren't pulling out all the stops, they were taking a step in the right direction. It gives me confidence that if I wanted to pick up this game in the future at a very low price (I mean low) I'll have a fun time and not have to worry about the horrible stuff that used to be in the game.

+ Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order

Respawn are one of the only EA devs that I have hope for. Titanfall 2 was much better than it should've been and I want to see that team create something great with Star Wars. This game by description alone sounds cool. Obviously they only talked about it so take with a grain of salt.

+ Unravel two

It's nice to have at least one of these 'PLAY NOW' games at a conference, and EA just released a full blown sequel to Unravel. This time a full co-op game, I'm glad EA seem to support co-op games, A Way Out was a lot of fun and Unravel two could be as well. I wasn't fully convinced so I won't be playing it right away, but when I start seeing some positive reviews maybe me and my girlfriend can give it a go.

+ Sea Of Solitude

This games art style is right up my alley, and although there wasn't a huge amount shown about what the game play of this game was, the concept was enough of an interest for me.

- Command & Conquer Rivals

Can't say I know a lot about Command & Conquer, but a lot of time was taken by this mobile game, it was very dull. Legitimately felt like a time filler and although I know this is an IP that is beloved by some people, from what I can gather is that some people hate this is a mobile game and others don't? I don't know but I wasn't interested.

- EA Origin Access Premiere

Streaming gaming services still feels like years and years away from actually feeling good to play. PS Now doesn't feel good so I don't believe any other company could improve on that for a while. Also streaming games isn't a future I want to be going towards. Movies and TV is a different story for streaming as they are very short in comparisons and you don't wanna own a DVD for every movie you like or would like to watch. Video games are huge time sinkers. I like the idea you can jump from game to game to see what you would enjoy, but that could just be a demo service for new releases. I want to actually own the games I enjoy.

- Sports!!!

Same as every year, a lot of sports. It's fine, it felt like they cut it down huge this year.

- NO LOOT BOXES

The fact that they mentioned this several times for different games is really bad. They also expected cheers and celebration. They shouldn't have done these shitty practises in the first place and they shouldn't be commended for not doing it.

- No Skate 4... again.

Maybe this is the new Beyond Good and Evil 2 or The Last Guardian, but with more and more rumours coming out each year signalling a new Skate game, it is so disappointing to never get a word on the franchise.

Overall this conference set my expectations super low, and I felt thoroughly dejected for the first time for an E3. Really unfortunate. 

WWE Season Awards 2017-18

Well well well, what a weird figurative year for WWE. We've had some great stuff and we've had some down right terrible stuff. But I guess it's the time of the year I try and condense the WWE main roster from Raw after Mania 33 to Mania 34 via awards. Let's go.


Best Moment Of The Year - Daniel Bryan announces he's medically cleared to wrestle

Bryan is my favourite wrestler of all time, and it was felt among most that Bryan would leave WWE as soon as his contract was up to try and wrestle once again on the independant scene. Well we needn't have worried as WWE doctors finally cleared Bryan for in-ring competition again and it was the happiest moment of the year for me. On that Smackdown where Bryan took bumps and started attacking Owens and Sami gave me goosebumps. Welcome back!


Worst Moment Of The Year - Jinder Mahal wins the WWE Championship at Backlash

I have no idea what WWE were thinking this year. Jinder Mahal was, and still is, very plainly a mediocre to bad wrestler. Not only that, but he has no charisma, he cannot talk on the mic, to the point where you can tell how scripted his promos are. To me it's unforgivable that the WWE chose to put the WWE Title on him and keep it on him for the majority of the year. I stopped watching WWE apart from PPVs because of this, after several years of being a loyal weekly viewer as the product kept getting better, this was a horrid realisation that the company is still out of touch. It didn't helo that the Orton/Mahal feud was agony to watch as well.


Best PPV Of The Year - Royal Rumble

It had to be. These awards usually almost always go to WrestleMania, that usually has recency bias towards it, but not this year, Royal Rumble knocked it out of the park this year, with the first ever Women;s Royal Rumble and the Men's Royal Rumble being such a blast too, the show came back to the standard it should have always been at. Although the other matches around the rumble matches weren't anything amazing, the rumbles really made the whole show shine.


Worst PPV Of The Year - Battleground

God almighty, the card sounded horrendous and the matches were even worse, the return of the Punjabi Prison match was the worst offender along with the return of The Great Khali for a one night appearance. So bad it wasn't even worth watching.


Best Debut Year - Elias

Elias came to screens on Main Roster during the Superstar Shake-up, the second week into the figurative year, and although initially a little lack luster in NXT, Elias has really made a name for himself on Main Roster. Unlike all previous musical gimmicks, Elias actually has some great musical talent. The work he puts in to make his segments on each Raw memorable is astounding, recently on a Edge and Christian podcast he said that he sits and writes a song for every town they go to, that along with the extent he will go to continue his character outside the ring, like going to open mic spots, which was seen in New Orleans for WrestleMania 34. Another staning out point for Elias is the fact that he doesn't use the guitar as a gimmick weapon like most guitar wielding superstars. Elias is mainly a segment and entertainment character for TV, but he is good in-ring, he just needs some more chances to show that.


Superstar Of The Year - Braun Strowman

Let's just think about the year Strowman has had. At last Mania he was only in the Andre Battle Royal, not even winning. In between that time Strowman feuded with Reigns several times, with some of the best segments such as tipping over the ambulance and other amazing goofy feats of strength. He was in the Summerslam Main Event and shone. Turned face and was cheered unanimously, made it to the end of the Survivor Series Match and took out Triple H. Was in the Universal Title match at Royal Rumble. Completely slaughtered in the Elimination Chamber Match. Paired with Alexa Bliss in the Mixed Match Challenge, not only being comedic and making a fun storyline, but adding another layer to his character, softening it slightly, so when in came to WrestleMania, he could pick a 10 year old boy from the crowd to be his tag partner and win the tag team championships with him to 'Awww's. It almost sounds like this guy is the perfect person to be your figurehead. Everyone loves Braun Strowman.


Underutilised Star Of The Year - Rusev

It's just starting to get some traction behind it but Rusev has been a superb performer for years, and this year he fell off majorly. If it wasn't for his talent he would be in a hole right now, but the later part of this year has been a god send for Rusev. With 'Happy Rusev Day' getting majorly over and being paired with the entertaining Aiden English, it seems Rusev may be on the up again. Sadly he was pinned by Jinder Mahal at this years WrestleMania, but hopefully this can be rectified in the coming year. Oh and HAPPY RUSEV DAY!


Woman Of The Year - Asuka

It is about time Asuka got to Main Roster. To be plainly honest if she wasn't in NXT for the previous years Asuka would've been winning this award every year. She debuted around midway through the year but Asuka has been great. She won the first ever Women's Royal Rumble and she had an amazing match with Charlotte at WrestleMania (even if I don't fully agree with the way her streak has ended). Definitely deserving of this award.


Team Of The Year - The Usos

The Usos have had a phenomenal year. Although their heel turn and thug-ish gimmick change weren't done this year, the Smackdown Tag Team Championship title reign that happened this year along with their amazing feud with The New Day has properly made The Usos stand out more than any other team in the WWE this year. The Usos solidfy themselves as one of the best teams in the industry today and prove the doubters wrong.


Heel Of The Year - Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Yes, I'm cheating, but these are my damn awards. They get a joint award because they spent most of their heel runs this year together, and although Owens has been a superb heel since debuting in WWE, Sami Zayn has really broken his character mold by being the ying to Owen's yang on screen. It's hard to imagine that either of these two being as successful as they were this year, as heels, without the other one their, so I'm making the executive decision to have joint winners this year.


Face Of The Year - AJ Styles

AJ has been face all year and he hasn't lost a beat from his heel run from last year. It was a seamless transition from heel persona to his face persona and has been consistently great since. Overall faces have been very lack luster this year, Finn and Seth both were fun babyface but the booking for all these guys have been a little under par, but after this WrestleMania it looks like it is on the up.

Shock Of The Year - Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship at Backlash

Shock the year isn't mutually exclusive to being a positive thing. Read Worst Moment Of The Year for more.


Match Of The Year - Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs Triple H & Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34

Wow, just an amazing match from start to finish, not a beat was missed when it came to this match, completely enthralling the whole time. It was more on the 'sports entertaining' side of WWE but it didn't hinder the quality at all. This is where Triple H shines in my opinion and it's clear that Ronda worked her ass of to make her match super memorable. Don't forget that Angle and Steph brought out surprising performances too. But the highlight of the match was the short inter-gender section between Triple H and Ronda. This match did not have any right to be this good but it was. Match of the night, and match of the year.


Feud Of The Year - The Usos vs The New Day

In my Fluffie Awards from the end of 2017 I had Owens and Zayn vs Shane McMahon above this feud between The Usos and The New Day. But since that point the feud has become infuriating. Shane McMahon acted like a heel consistently and expected to be cheered, and the feud only came around when Bryan was cleared to compete again. Here with The Usos and The New Day, the teams have had several classic matches with each other back-to-back. Not forgetting the amazing promos between the teams. Truly career defining for both teams, something to be remembered for years to come.

So that's it for this year, let's quickly shout-out a couple of things, The Usos vs New Day at Hell In A Cell and Summerslam were very close to winning MOTY, most of Smackdown's tag division matches were all very stellar. 205 Live got no mentions here, because the division had been in the toilet for the majority of the year. But ever since the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament started on the lead-up to WrestleMania the show has been absolutely amazing. Buddy Murphy has been an amazing stand-out that would've gotten Best Debut Year if he didn't debut so late. As such Murphy and Kalisto put on an amazing match on 205 Live that was nearly a MOTY contender. Rollins and Balor had a fairly decent year, Rollins and Ambrose had a great run as The Shield again, such a shame that Ambrose got injured, Rollins vs Ambrose would've been a great Mania match-up. Balor hasn't been pushed back to the heights of the Universal Champion yet and this year since returning at the beginning of last year has kinda been floating around the upper midcard of the Raw roster. Sadly I think this year was extremely weak for WWE Main Roster, for the majority of the year we had Lesnar as Universal Champion, who hardly ever appeared, an idea that worked a number of years ago with the WWE championship, but not anymore, and the WWE Title on the most boring and incompetent wrestler in the company. Couple that with AJ and Owens' feud being surprisingly mediocre and the IC belt being round the waist of Miz who didn't get to have many stand-out feuds and matches, meant the tag division shined the brightest, but didn't wipe the bitter taste in our mouths that we didn't get enjoyable singles runs from our favourite wrestlers.