Ben-DutkaThis fall is going to be awfully interesting…and that's one hell of an understatement. 😉
At least now it's more of a contest
Now that Microsoft has ditched its ridiculous policies concerning used games and the "24-hour check-in," the next-generation console war is now a lot closer.
However, it's interesting to note that the bitterness Microsoft instilled in many gamers has remained, at least in some capacity. Many, including myself, have no intention of buying the Xbox One because we believe that MS has already tipped their hand; we know what they're all about, and we're not interested in giving them our money. At the same time, this country has always been hugely pro-Xbox. The casual gamers vastly outnumber the hardcore and as we all know, the casual flock to Microsoft. That's why Michael Pachter says initial sales of the PS4 and Xbox will be just about even .
But as far as I'm concerned, that's still a big win for Sony. Pachter is referring to this country; globally, the PS4 probably would've outsold the Xbox One without this whole fiasco. It's really only in the US Microsoft can hope to have a significant lead. And if Pachter is only predicting an even keel for this country…well, then Microsoft has lost tremendous market share. Remember, the Xbox 360 has outsold the PS3 in the US for 29 straight months to date. And if Sony has found a way to draw even right off the bat, that's pretty darn impressive.
Make sure to pre-order the PS4 if you haven't already!
Wait…The Last Of Us was going to be bigger?!
Naughty Dog says their latest masterpiece was supposed to be a much bigger game . They had to cut quite a bit, including the idea of allowing a another AI partner (a dog) to join Joel and Ellie. That was hardly the only original idea that didn't make the cut due to time constraints. I find that amazing . I really do. In an industry where 8-10 hour single-player adventures are the norm, to have what amounts to about a 20-hour game (I'd say on average, depending on if you really take your time) is pretty special. I actually think this is the longest non-RPG I've played in a while . In fact, can anyone recall a game with a longer campaign this entire generation? One that doesn't qualify as role-playing? I can't.
I can only imagine what The Last Of Us would've been like had Naughty Dog been able to deliver their full vision. I mean, it's epic now . Then again, in some ways, I'm happy it didn't get that far. There's a fine line to walk in game development: As great as something can be, adding more elements and mechanics is just begging for trouble. With every new one, the chances of a flaw popping up increases. Naughty Dog doesn't really do "flaws." And as talented as that team is, if The Last Of Us got too cluttered, I think there would've been ample potential for screw-ups. Then again, if everything had been as fantastic as what we see here…well…damn.
Personal gaming update
I really am attempting to savor The Last Of Us , especially because there isn't much on the immediate horizon that I want to play. Time and Eternity is worth looking into if you're a JRPG fan (review coming soon), but other than that, I'm not really playing much. When I've got some spare time to kill, I usually relax with Journey , echochrome or Rock Band Blitz . Got 20 five golden star ratings in the latter, by the way. 😉 I'm also considering trading in my Xbox 360 and all its games to make way for the PS4. Thing is, I have zero intention of going back to play any of my 360 games and I'm afraid the system would just gather dust. There certainly aren't any 360 titles coming out that I want in the future, either.
I am hoping we get a date for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD some time soon. If it manages to come out later this year, that could be a huge problem. I'll have all these next-gen games I'll want to play and yet, there's FFX in beautiful high-def, just beckoning…
I keep thinking to myself that a dog in the last of us would be cool. Then I heard that they were planning one but scrapped it. I think it would have been hard to do but I think it could have been neat.
I am enjoying the last of us quite a bit, and I will say that with friends who have mics the multiplayer is really fun.
I am kind of on the fence though with all the praise its getting. I totally get the game, and its gameplay elements all work and work well. But it really isn't revolutionary, as nothing really is these days with a few exceptions.
I will admit that I'm probably only half way done it now if I was to guess and it has been getting better and better, but I dunno I just see it as a great game and nothing crazy revolutionary 10/10. Its a solid 9 so far for me but my mind might change.
I might get flamed for that but really I'm not dissing it remember I'm just confused about the praise, much like people here are confused about the praise Half life 2 gets etc.
As for the console war…PS4 all the way man. Xone will probably sell more units now but honestly I hope people are smart enough to see how scummy microsoft was with what it was trying to do.
I think that Sony has this next generation hands down, unless there is some major hardware failure or some unforeseen catastrophe lol.
PGU, playing Dota 2, and The Last of Us, basically rotating them and I'm having a blast. Looking forward to putting more time into the Last of Us multiplayer with some real life friends.
I'm thinking the high praise is coming mostly because when compared to most other games and almost every game in the same category, The Last of Us is far and above the median.
While i believe its not a perfect 10, it does have issues, compared to the games that most sites give 9s/9.5s this game is better, which is where the 10s come from.
Personally that's why I liked Ben's review, didn't give the 10 because of the flaws but still rated it really high.
10s don't require a game to be revolutionary.
That's a fallacy because "revolutionary" is highly subjective to begin with and in truth, we can only accurately apply that label in hindsight. If something new turns out well but dies out and never impacts gaming again, it's hardly "revolutionary."
It got so many 10's because it nailed perfectly what it set out to do.
I don't think he meant "revolutionary" in a literal sense, but that he found the game to be of solid quality but not so extraordinary great ("revolutionary") that it deserves a tenner in his book.
Or something. 🙂
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/23/2013 3:35:04 AM
I wasn't saying that it doesn't deserve a 10 because it isn't revolutionary. I was only saying that it doesn't seem revolutionary to me like some of the critics who gave it a 10/10 are saying. It is a super solid game, like I expected from ND, its just so far missing something that would make it a perfect 10 for me and I honestly cant figure out what that is maybe when I'm done that hole will have been filled or I will find out what it is.
I would like to stress that I haven't finished it and I have no idea how far I am through that game and I don't want to know or be told :P. I was and still am avoiding all things to do with this game as I don't want to be spoiled. So my opinion might change for that better, and I might start seeing it as a 10. I just have heard people saying it is the best game they have EVER played and … well to me I just don't see that… yet.
It seems to me that newchef hit the nail on the head, it seems to be getting 10s because recently most games just aren't as good as it, and I would argue that it is quite unique and different from the over saturation of TPS games and FPS games we have gotten.
Oh yeah if anyone reads this far I forgot to add to my personal gaming update, after several months of practice and blistered thumbs I finally beat Super Mario Kart 150cc Special cup and got Gold. It is probably the hardest thing I have done in a video game ever. I posted a picture of my victory on facebook hahah.
You should know how far you are just by looking at your save file when you load or save. Theres information about percentage completed. Cant miss it really.
Dont worry about downplaying a 10 not many games get those and its going to be hard for any game to get 10's because you say its a solid 9 Id say you feel about it the way most people do. I feel like you might be looking into it too much, dont go searching for a problem when its just not there! 😉 Your assessment is fair so just enjoy it.
The thing about ND games is they reach out and captivate their audience. They tell stories that get people emotionally attached. Ive known Ellie for about 45 min. And I feel for her and understand her. Its the combination of super solid gameplay mechanics and the ability to keep gamers involved through story telling that sets this game and the Uncharteds apart. It also could be that ND finally gave us a great survival game this generation.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 6/23/2013 11:59:48 AM
I would certainly say it is certainly near perfect. I have no issue with sites giving it a 10, but anything over a 9.5+ is perfectly valid even not as a 10.
I fell through the map once. Joel died after landing in purgatory, surrounded by white. lol Took the game a while to figure out where I was supposed to restart.
I haven't preordered one yet. I should. I usually never preorder consoles. I didn't even preorder the Wii U. Just went to Walmarts midnight launch. When I do preorder one my wife will likely hold onto it until Christmas. 😛
I wonder if the stuff ND cut is going to show up as DLC. Aren't they releasing one single player piece of DLC? I'm tempted to buy the season pass but I regretted buying the Uncharted 3 one. All it was was a bunch of skins and perks for the MP. I didn't get into Uncharted 3's multiplayer like I did 2's. I still think Uncharted 2 had batter MP.
Question, Comcast swapped out my router today. I ran a connection test on my PS3 and now its telling me "The router in use doesn't support ip fragments, and the communications features of some games may be restricted". It also failed to clock the speeds. Anyone else have this issue and know how to fix it?
I'm freakin sick of Comcast. Ever since they upgraded their speeds I've had nothing but problems and their techs are no nothings. Sick this monopoly they hold in so many areas.
Last edited by Jawknee on 6/22/2013 10:42:14 PM
That sounds eerily familiar from back when I was still trying to get my comcast sh*t to work, is it giving you a Nat type at all?
I solved that problem by buying my own cable modem. Tremendously better performance and will pay for itself (by not having to pay to lease one from Comcast) in 15 months.
I dont use routers because the PS3 and them dont get along, especially if it is wireless. I always run hardwired and always get a modem/router combo if possible for other devices to run wireless.
You may need to open up ports in your router the PS3 can access, and some games need to be able to access diffrrent ports which makes things complicated.
I also dont like cable internet for gaming either because speeds constantly change. Not that that is your problem. But where I live we have Charter over Comcast and they do have good services, but terrible customer service, and I finally had to drop them and go with a designated service.
The NAT type is either 1 or 2. It was fine with the other router when it was working. Not anymore! Ha.
I didn't realize you can buy your own. I thought you were forced to use the one they give you. Any suggestions Norrin?
Big, I can't even manage the ports anymore. There is no longer anyway for me to login to the modems settings. That too went bye bye when Comcast replaced it. The speeds are excellent when it works. Usually hovers around 30 to 50mbps with their new speeds. But more technical problems and outages came with their upgraded speeds hence why they came out today.
Thats just crap lol. Sounds like Charter, they seem to be locking their services from customers access.
So do you have a modem/router combo? Or modem and router? Either way try hooking it up wired if its not just to see. Yeah when you got speeds that high cable is perfectly fine for gaming.
Hopefully you work it out, I had to deal woth similiar issues for a long time a few years ago. It was a constant struggle to stay logged in. Funny thing about it was Ihad charter I think 20 mbps and their commercials, websites and so on, all said yhings like perfect for gaming. But when the techs would come out to work on it thwy always said the company didnt support gaming. Every technician claimed that and every time they tried I showed them their website. It was a constant struggle and unfortunately it never got resolved, but apparently it was the wiring because when I moved I never had another problem like that.
I think not being able to access the settings is a problem with that modem/router(yes its a combo). They wanted me to access it earlier while on the phone but I couldn't. I have to drive an hour on Monday to their location to swap the hardware for a second time. Etherneting directly doesn't help either. The best use I've been able to get is by having them disconnect the wifi on their router and letting me setup my Airport Extreme instead. Still getting the ip fragments error but it at least allows me to connect. I'm over Comcast. They wasted my whole day today. Was supposed to be a nice day off with no kids too. 😛
What happens when you type your IP into the browser?
I hear you man, I dealt with the same crap on Friday. I finally got off early on. Afroday and had to deal with charters crap and trying to get new service because I had to cancel charter. Spent 6 hours dealing with it all. Unreal.
So much time wasted eh Big. HA
@world, it times out every.damn.time. >=O I'ma swap it out on Monday then maybe look into buying my own.
Last edited by Jawknee on 6/23/2013 1:58:37 AM
This is the one I got. Works like a charm!
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SURFboard+DOCSIS+3.0+High-Speed+Cable+Modem/2836657.p;jsessionid=36AD0324317C2F2653FA59321D84BE99.bbolsp-app03-128?id=1218357903729&skuId=2836657&st=motorola%20cable%20modem&cp=1&lp=3
switch provider
There aren't any in my area.
Damn, I wouldn't mind a crack at that thing, too bad we live in different states. If you're getting a NAT 1 or 2 that's good, I'd try (if you havent already) setting the MTU to automatic or 1492 and turn off PnP.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 6/23/2013 1:00:21 PM
Trading in your Xbox and games? That means you too are a big part of the used market Ben. Can we get an ETA on the T&A, I mean T&E review?
Looks like I'll have to wait until next week for The Last of Us, but it's not surprising as the post has been totally messed up. We were without power for 12 hours on Friday and some people still don't have it and won't until Wednesday next week. It was horrible.
I'm playing Ni No Kuni, the charm and eye candy just never goes away.
I need to get back on Ni No Kuni. I had to go out of town shortly after it came out and haven't been able to get back to it until recently but then the Last of Us came out so now I am addicted to that.
I don't remember what sidetracked me, but it's really easy to pick and get right back into. I've got about 30 hours in it and I just got a fast travel spell so that should make side questing easier.
Yes, but if I couldn't trade it in, I wouldn't CARE. 😉
Time and Eternity…hopefully this week.
I see I see, well then I'd be happy to take that 360 and Lost Odyssey off your hands for free 🙂
Ben, I'd keep the Xbox 360 because if you're thinking about trading it in at GameStop, you will barely get enough for it. Not even enough to buy a 3DS XL. Especially because you have the original white console. Unless you plan on selling it on amazon or something. But GameStop will barely give you anything, so you better have 100+ games to even get enough.
PGU:
Thoroughly enjoying the tough The Last of Us. I am making great progress on hard. The challenge is welcome and exactly what I expected. What a truly great game. Been doing the stealth thing and loving it. Taking a break tonight to spend some time with the wife.
Are you using Listen Mode? I turned it off.
Don't turn off listen mode around your wife, it'll come back to bite ya.
No, I didn't know you could do that. I may turn them off. Right now I have a great balance between difficulty and enjoyment so I will probably leave it on.
i have'nt pre ordered a PS4 yet, if i did i'd probably want it now! 🙂
pgu:
taking a short break from TLOU, i got adicted playing
RDR. so i'm back playing a bit of that to get my fix than
its back to TLOU 🙂
TLOU, can'nt say enough about the game, its just amazing.
two very little gripes, swimming imo could've used a few tweeks.
and Ellie, she got me killed a few times when i was trying to be
stealthy and she ends up opening fire.
all and all, its still a !0/10 in my book.
Last edited by Hand_of_Sorrow on 6/22/2013 11:14:33 PM
Enjoying the hell out of Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. I'm gonna get to TLOU thereafter.
Well I did preorder my PS4 from Amazon, I preordered the PS4, Killzone and PSplus bundle and saved $10 on PSplus for a year. Still a little upset I have to purchase PSplus just to play online. Oh well, I'll get over it. I just hope my PS4 is a launch day release system because I pre-ordered it after the premium systems (launch systems) were no longer available for pre-order. However in the title it says that its a launch day release and I should recieve it on launch day.
PGU: Been playing The Last of Us, and so far its awesome. I really enjoy the survival aspect anx how they incoporated many gameplay mechanics to make more ways to go about getting through a situation.
Unfortunately I had to cancel my internet service because customer service support or rather a lack there of got in the way and I just coulsnt put up with it anynore. So my new service wont arrive until Wednesday a day after Tiny Tinas Assault dlc for Borderlands 2! And I was really looking forward to downloading it Tuesday and playing! Luckily its only a day because I cant wait to play it. But I still have The Last of Us so its all good.
I want to preorder from Amazon but its such a big purchase that I am worried the state might come after me on sales taxes for it. Sometime ago our idiot legislator passed an internet sales tax but it was thrown out in court, but was appealed, thrown out, then appealed, so its kinda in limbo right now. Its too grey to be confident that the state government won't try to nail me for it later. The idiots called me last month about a non paid fine because I failed to show up in court when I was 16 for a speeding ticket. Only it was paid in 2008 because they confiscated it from my tax return that year but somehow forgot to clear my record. Soooo…yea no confidence. I might be forced to go to GameStop. The HORROR!
Yeah that sucks. What about Best Buy? You got one near you? I didnt realize Amazon doesnt charge you until it ships so thats what sold me on going with them and Ive always had good luck with purchases from them.
How about tigerdirect, heard there taking pre-orders. Amazon is awesome, bought a expensive HDTV from them, no problems whatsoever including moneywise.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 6/23/2013 1:29:04 AM
Has Square said whether the PS3 version of FFX will come with a Vita copy? That would be nice.
I've read that they wont, and the Vita games will be sold separately from one another.
I'm assuming thats the case but it would be sweet!
Last edited by Jawknee on 6/23/2013 1:56:37 AM
So like… hey Irrational Games. How's it goin' over by there mun? How about some info on the Bioshock Infinite DLC en't it?
Wonder how far into it they are. I know Ken Levine is writing Logan's Run. I kind of wonder if he is writing the dlc or if someone else is.
All I know is I forked over my season pass money and haven't heard a peep since.
I never get the season pass for any game because of things like this. Its not a waste of money but we as consumers need the developers to hold up their end too.
Borderlands is a great example they had a ton of DLC release for the game but only soke of it fell under the season pass which were the expansions. What they should have done is charge a little more for it and include everything because there is so much dlc for that game to he desired. Unfortunately for them its hard to justify as a consumer spending $10 on a new character every time one releases.
You're definitely right, this was the only SP I've ever bought and it's because I trust Irration to make it awesome. But after this long without a peep I don't think I'll ever trust anyone again. We're supposed to get 3 packs so I'm guessing at this point it will be one campaign and 2 stupid things.
I still havnt played the game so I hope for our sake they release some good stuff. That way your justified in your purchase and their will be more aweseome stuff to play when I finally get it.
He is taking his time. The last comment he made about the dlc was in may on his twitter feed. He doesn't want to mention anything until it is good and ready. He said that is the negative about dlc. If you make it before hand people will complain that it should have been in the game, if they wait till after people complain that it should be out or they will forget they even purchased it and that the company doesn't care about their fans. No winning with gamers nowadays.
The Xbox One has a very far way to go to persuade me. The list of must-haves only begins and ends with Halo. And the last Halo didn't particularly excite me all that much. In fact, I sort of was annoyed by the story and the whole drama crap with Cortana. Sorry. Don't care for Cortana or for the series trying to humanize Master Chief. To me Halo is tactical sci-fi FPS so the effort for theatrical drama just turns me off on that end. Plus, I still think Halo 3 was the most tactical and best all around Halo to date. The special item drops is what really made it a step above any others. Initially I didn't care to integrate them into my play, but after playing it on Heroic (as any real halo fan should play every halo. it's only where the game's combat brilliance shines) my eyes were opened to the special item's tactical involvement to the core play. It took the game play to a franchise high.
I'm gonna play The Last of Us. I just don't know when. I'm excited for it.
PGU: This week off from school and away from home meant lots of handheld time. I played Wipeout..nothing compares to the adrenaline pulsing speed of wipeout at it's best. It's great. I also put in a few hours on Xenogears. It's great stuff. It's extremely story driven, too, and it does well at it. Oh yeah, I finished Sonic CD as well. It was cool. Levels were too consistently vertically designed but it was still good. It was one of those 16/32-bit classics I had to miss. It was nice re-living the era again by playing it for the first time on PS3.
I'm interested to see how cheesy Spielberg's Halo show will be. Terra Nova was awful. I watch Falling Skies because it's pretty decent now after a rocky start but even there the dialogue and stuff is so 1982.