Ben-DutkaThis review insanity just has to end. It has to…and thankfully, the end (such as it is) appears to be in sight! Far Cry 3 kinda marks the end of the huge releases for 2012.
I'm already excited for Whore of the Orient
I loved L.A. Noire . It featured one of the best stories of the generation and the crime-solving detective work was surprisingly in-depth and intricate. It wasn't perfect, as the interrogation of witnesses and suspects had a few flaws, and driving without taking damage got a little old, but that game was still absolutely ahead of its time. The Motion Scan technology showed us a virtual world where faces tell a great deal more than words, and it worked extremely well for a first run. Tech debuts aren't usually that impressive. And now Team Bondi has miraculously arisen from the proverbial grave to work on Whore of the Orient , which is a next-gen title that might release in 2015 .
What little I know about it makes me plenty excited already. Saying it's "similar" to L.A. Noire is enough for me, but toss in a whole new generation of hardware and 2015 suddenly seems like a looooong way away. It'll be interesting to see how the developers approach this new adventure, and what changes and upgrades they'll make to the L.A. Noire structure. I just hope the design process goes smoothly and doesn't run into the same obstacles Team Bondi encountered with L.A. Noire …if Whore initially has a tentative date of 2015, I don't want to envision a delay.
Not sure if I need backwards compatibility in the PS4
Make no mistake, b/c was the single biggest reason to own a PS3 early on. After all, with little provocative software, you sorta needed it unless you wanted to have a PS2 hooked up at the same time. However, in looking forward to the PS4, I'm not sure b/c registers high on my priority list. Let me explain: As I've mentioned before, I just don't see a lot of games from this generation I'll want to go back and play. I mean, why go back to play Uncharted 3 when I have Uncharted 4 ? The only reason I go back to play PS1 and PS2 games now is to enjoy gameplay mechanics that have fallen by the wayside (mostly turn-based). Now, it's not about new mechanics; just better ways of implementing familiar mechanics. Why play Killzone 3 when Killzone 4 is out? Why play Gran Turismo 5 when GT6 is out?
Of course, you could make the argument that b/c is still essential for early adopters of the PS4, because there won't be a lot of software available and developers will still be putting out PS3 games at a rapid clip. After all, PS2 titles continued at a steady pace for several years after the PS3 was on store shelves. But even so, I'm not so sure backwards compatibility is a necessity for me next time around. If they want to make b/c doable via the Cloud , fine. I won't care too much if it doesn't happen, though.
Personal gaming update
Until I can get past Far Cry 3 (release date: December 4), I'm still zeroed in on reviews. New ones coming are Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified (blech), PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale , Okami HD , and Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Vita). Therefore, I have not been able to play the one game I want to play most – Assassin's Creed III – because it's not the kind of adventure one can sit down and play for a half-hour or an hour at a time. It just doesn't work. That's why I'm playing some Vita here and there ( Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational , mostly) and Rock Band Blitz . Btw, Cloud_V2, most of your scores are toast…I think you're only beating me on two songs now. Jackpot or Bottle Rocket FTW, depending… 😉
I have my reservations about Hitman: Absolution , but that launch trailer looked pretty sweet. Maybe I'm placing the bar too high by hoping for Dishonored quality… Yeah, I probably am.
