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Xboxers Revel In Holiday Rush, Sony Fans Look Toward 2016

Ben-Dutka 42 Comments

It's pretty cut and dry, isn't it?

As of now, it really seems like Xbox One is getting a ton of attention and rightfully so.

The newly released Halo 5: Guardians is on everyone's lips, which is to be expected, and then comes Rise of the Tomb Raider . Toss in Forza 6 and you've got a trio of fantastic AAA exclusives for Xbox One this holiday season. So, it won't be any surprise if Xbox One kinda dominates headlines between now and the end of the year.

On the flip side, Sony fans have adopted the Chicago Cubs motto: "Wait 'til next year!" Of course, the difference is that the Cubs very likely will not win the World Series in 2016 while it's almost certain – to me, at least – that PlayStation 4 exclusives will dominate throughout the year and beyond. But it's interesting to see this gap: On the one hand, Xbox fans are crowing about the holiday season, hoping Xbox One can finally stomp on PS4 in most major markets. On the other hand, Sony fans are happy sitting in the wings, reveling in the PS4's large lead and just shrugging their shoulders at Xbox's brief moment in the sun.

We all know the list of exclusives coming PS4's way; it includes hopefully masterful titles like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End , Horizon: Zero Dawn , The Last Guardian , Detroit , Gran Turismo Sport and many others. But hey, maybe PS4 doesn't need them so much; the system has been winning the console war thus far without the help of huge AAA exclusives . Maybe that's why Sony followers are content with Xbox One's ownership of headlines for the next few months.

So, celebrate while you still can, Xboxers. It's a clear win for you this holiday season but after this…

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What One Game Would Make You Buy Xbox One Or Wii U?

Ben-Dutka 118 Comments

Yes, obviously, not everyone is willing to spring for a new video game system for the sake of only one game.

At the same time, you will find a great many people who will admit to buying another console at some point in their lives for the express purpose of one game (even if that game isn't out yet). So, in the spirit of good game discussion, and assuming that just about everyone here already has a PlayStation 4, is there one exclusive title – real or fictional – that could make you spring for an Xbox One or Wii U?

I know some Nintendo fans who say they'd get a Wii U tomorrow if they thought they were getting another Perfect Dark , for example. Me, I've said in the past that if they ever came out with a Lost Odyssey sequel that was again exclusive to Xbox, I'd get the Xbox One immediately. That was some time ago, though, and now that I know a Lost Odyssey 2 would probably be just some action slash-fest, I likely wouldn't be interested.

But I think I've got one: Deathrow 2 . If done correctly, that would be bad-ass and I would indeed seriously consider getting an Xbox One. It's too bad that not enough gamers even knew about the original Deathrow on the first Xbox, because it was pretty much the only original title that system had for a while. And man was it fun. Who's with me?

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Can The Holiday Season Save 2014?

Ben-Dutka 16 Comments

Oh, I'm not talking about sales and numbers. The industry is up, so things are very promising on that front.

I'm just referring to the selection of next-generation software we've seen thus far in 2014. I mean, is anyone really impressed?

I liked inFamous: Second Son a lot but it doesn't quite fit my definition of "next-gen." For the record, from what little I've seen and played of Titanfall , that one doesn't, either. Right now, the best game of the year is an updated 2013 title ( The Last Of Us: Remastered ), and the second-best game (I think) is Dark Souls II , which isn't even available on next-gen platforms.

Earlier this year, the end of the 2014 was looking pretty damn stacked. It would make us forget about the first six or seven months. But now, the delays have mounted: Battlefield: Hardline , The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , The Order: 1886 , Evolve , Batman: Arkham Knight , and we're hearing Grand Theft Auto V for PS4, Xbox One and PC won't make it, either. That leaves us with Destiny , a couple Assassin's Creed s, LittleBigPlanet 3 , Dragon Age: Inquisition , Far Cry 4 , Driveclub , Alien: Isolation , and a few others. But is it enough?

It should be. After all, we're still looking at a whole lot of games in a span of only three or four months, so… What do you say?

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More Reports Of Xbox One Games Running At Sub-1080p

Ben-Dutka 34 Comments

The question that is relevant to this website and our community is this- will this controversy have a positive effect on PlayStation 4 sales?

There have been multiple reports of Xbox One games falling short of the ideal 1080p running resolution. For instance, Call of Duty: Ghosts is only an upscaled 1080p on Xbox One while it runs at a native 1080p on the PS4. Battlefield 4 apparently is sub-1080p on the Xbox One, too, which has irritated many a FPS fan.

Then there's Bungie's Destiny , which was seen operating below the optimum HD threshold while in its alpha phase (or so claimed one of the game's testers). Now, Gearnuke cites Annoyed Gamer journalist Marcus Beer, who talks about an obvious difference between the PS4 and Xbox One iterations of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag . It seems the Xbox One version was "fuzzier and strained" while the PS4 version was "sharper" and boasted "better draw distances."

This could be good news for Sony fans, as they dealt with subpar multiplatform titles early on in the PS3 generation. Might the PS4 have the multiplatform edge this time around…?

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Impending Epic E3 Battle: PS4 Games vs. Xbox One Games

Ben-Dutka 39 Comments

The stage is set.

E3 2013 is already shaping up to be a colossal PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One war, during which time gamers are hoping to see only one thing: More games .

At this point, I think they're tired of hearing about all the other features and advancements; I think core gamers are thirsty for some actual game announcements, especially after last week's terrible Xbox One unveiling. At least Sony focused on games during their presentation of the PS4 back in February, but they have to maintain that focus. Besides, Microsoft has already said they'll be bringing plenty of titles to E3, so Sony can't just sit on their laurels and relax. Doing so would be a critical mistake.

To be more specific, this isn't just about the games; this is more about exclusive software. PlayStation has basically owned that particular crown for several generations running (considering PS3 vs. 360 exclusives, it's not even close), and many hardcore gamers believe that trend will continue. We're all expecting to hear that inFamous: Second Son will be dated for the PS4 launch, for example. That would be four exclusives for that system's release; Killzone: Shadow Fall , inFamous: Second Son , DriveClub and Knack . And those are just the ones we know about right now.

But didn't Microsoft say they've got "15 exclusives" coming in the first year? You have to assume at least a few will be available at launch. We know about Forza Motorsport 5 , for instance. So really, it's going to be an exclusive battle and while Sony may have the edge – they usually do when it comes to exclusives – that doesn't mean Microsoft can't still wow the crowd. …it just seems unlikely at this point, that's all.

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