Is There Any Point To Motion Control?

Face it, you’ve already made your decision. What with all the advertising that’s been splattered throughout game shops and on websites since E3, I would be surprised if you haven’t already made your mind up about Kinect or Move. You either love it, or you hate it. Simple as that. But have you asked yourself perhaps the most important question? Don’t look confused. Behind the shiny tech demos there’s a question that needs answering. The Wii has so far failed to reach it’s full potential in terms of hardcore games, and thus it’s up to Kinect and Move to prove to gamers, what is the point in motion control, and does it even have any form of benefit to gamers?

The Wii is dead. It’s gone, and we all know it. There’s no more innovation left in the old girl. She’s tired, she’s had a day and now she’s going to sit the rest of her life out regurgitating Carnival Games and games that end with Z’s instead of S’s. Even the pure, first party games lack any sort of pop that was promised when the Wii was first revealed. It’s limited form of motion control is boring, and we no longer care. However with Kinect and Move, we have the finally have the opportunity to combine top of the range motion control kit, with HD graphics and in Sony’s case, 3-D. Are these a match made in gaming heaven, or a gimmick worthy of the Red Steel award for shittyness?

Lets think of it firstly, in a positive light. Games with motion control are fun. I remember first getting my Wii on launch day. I loved it. I stayed up all night, and for the majority of the day after, playing Wii Sports and of course Zelda: Twilight Princess. I remember thinking “God, this is it. This works, it’s what we all needed!”. Move promises to do everything the Wii can’t. Precise, handheld devices attached to a high definition console. Sony’s controllers are the Wii HD, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With the quality of games coming out for the PS3 at the moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some innovate and original IP’s being revealed this year exclusive for Move that are actually worth buying. Considering the price of the console and the controllers, it’s also a given that we won’t be seeing the likes of Carnival Games HD anytime soon either.

However it’s Kinect that’s the most intriguing of the two. Controller free gaming is still, even one year on from it’s initial reveal, mind boggling. Kinect gives developers free reign over anything they would want to do. You only need to look at the Star Wars tech demo from E3, to understand that developers are no longer just limited to two controllers, but your entire body. There is no limit to what they could do, and I’ll be the first to say that I expect us to be constantly shocked by what Kinect games will be offering us in the near future. Running, jumping, kicking, punching, shooting, swimming… It’s all there. Most importantly, this free reign means that the potential for quality, hard core titles is higher than it ever was on the Wii. No more on rails shooters folks, Kinect offers us the real deal.

However, what both these devices have failed to show us so far, is any decent titles. True, the potential is present, but that’s all we have. The potential for something truly groundbreaking is coming, but until we see it in action all we have to go on is speculation. At E3 this year, both Microsoft and Sony failed to make any lasting impressions in terms of titles. Sony showed a few rough and tumble tech demos and that Ratchet and Clank…. thing but apart from that the only memorable title was that Dead Space Extraction was coming to the Ps3 with move support. A port of a Wii game? Not a good start Sony. At all. What potential is there for innovation, when already you’re porting over on-rails shooters from a less powerful console? For shame.

Kinect was also suffering from Wii fever, with Kinect Sports, that river rafting game, a dancing… dance… Oh God it bores me to even think about it. Kinect showed off a lot of awesome tech demos, but it showed nothing but Wii Clones in terms of releasable titles. At least Playstation Move had the common decency to not patronise it’s market with Wii Sports on the Ps3. Kinect showed us childish, colourful, fun filled party games, titles we’ve already seen hundreds of times before on the Wii. Microsoft were alienating it’s market, and this is where the alarm bells should be starting to ring. The Wii showed of a lot of hardcore titles upon it’s release, but 90% of them turned out to be nothing more than tech demos. Should we be giving Kinect and Move then benefit of the doubt, or is it a given that history is about to repeat itself?

I want to like motion controllers. I really want to like Kinect, especially, because I can honestly see myself jumping around my living room, holding my arm like a shotgun barking orders and my team mates as I storm an office building, shooting terrorists. I know it can be done, because all of the technology present at E3 proved that it was possible. Yet, I see nothing of the sort being shown to me. No upcoming titles, not even a tech demo. Where’s the hardcore market Microsoft?

As for Sony… nyergh. Move is such a shameless Wii clone that I can’t even  begin to describe my disgust for it. As long as I don’t see “MOVE COMPATIBLE” on Uncharted 3, I’ll happily let it die in a corner. I don’t mind pointless gimmicks being present, just as long as they don’t suffocate me from all aspects of my gaming experience.

In short, Motion control has the potential of becoming something brilliant. Sensational, even. If Microsoft and Sony play their cards right they could have something seriously innovate in the works. In the meantime? I’m sceptical. What they’ve shown us so far is just HD Wii games, and I can’t see that as being acceptable six months or a year into it’s release. Will we see some quality hardcore titles that benefit? Only time will tell. Until then, keep your money in a safe place, because you could well just make a decision that you’ll either appreciate making, or regret for a long time to come.

Xbox Fanatics

 

I was in Game today pre-ordering Crackdown 2 and there was about six people in the queue in front of me. Every single one of them, was putting deposits down for the new Xbox 360 Slim. This isn’t necessarily an odd occurance, it’s just that every single one of them was trading in all their old Xboxes to pay for it, and only getting a third of the asking price of the new one. This one guy was trading in an original 360, two controllers AND 19 games in order to pay for it. “These are all my games!” he said laughing. What the hell is he expecting to play on the damn thing when he gets it?

It made me realise that with Xbox Live, Xbox exclusives like Halo and new stuff like the Xbox 360 Slim,  Microsoft has created a devout following of gamers. Literally. Xbox is a cult, a cult of fanatics. The kind of people who queue up to buy Halo Wars, and who have never missed a payment of Xbox Live since it’s release. The worst thing is the fanboyism. Like it or not, Xbox owners are the worst kind of gamers (second only to those who make those kind of comments… like me). They’ll argue to high heaven about how Gears of War is so much better than LittleBigPlanet even though they’re two completely different formulas, and PS3 owners don’t even try to retaliate, even though I know you will do so with humour , because they will point their fingers and call you a fag.

Personally I like to act as a middleman.

And argue with myself.

Winners and Failers

THE FAILERS: E3 Line Up Leaked.

Oh look, it’s all of the announcements from E3 on a piece of paper. I BETTER NOT POST THIS ON TWITTER! 8D

Although it’s validity is… well it’s obviously faked but it’s interesting to think that some of these could be real. inFamous 2 would be a nice surprise, as would “James Bond Game for XBLA” (Dare I say Goldeneye? It has been confirmed to exist, after all.)

However, it’s obvious that a lot of these are going to be there anyway. Gears of War 3, Guitar Hero 6 and Dead Space 2 because they’ve all be announced  and it’s obvious that this is a fake because it has the Call of Duty MMO on it. I mean seriously. Someone's just collected all of the rumours from the past six months and dumped them on a piece of paper. Amateurs. If this was a proper fake it would have Mario 128 and Duke Nukem Forever on it.

THE WINNERS: Halo 2 Is Still Online

This is my equivalent of a feel good story. Basically, these fourteen gamers have kept themselves permanently connected to the Halo 2 servers in an effort to keep the game alive, even though Microsoft closed the service two weeks ago.

"A small group of dedicated Halo 2 players kept their Xbox's on so that they could enjoy the game for a while longer. (As long as we don't turn off our Xbox's, or lose connection, we can stay online.)"

"Our Xbox's have been on for nearly 13 days straight. Each day the amount of people decreased, at a rapid rate."

"A lot of us became really good friends, and it's almost like we're family now,"

"We will keep playing until we are all forcibly removed. It could be by Microsoft, Bungie, our Xbox's overheating, or just lagging out. Not for competition, not for a prize, but for the love, and memory of Halo 2."

Isn’t that nice? I think it’s great when people are dedicated like this.

It’s just a shame they aren’t addicted to a decent game, really.

Original Dungeon Keeper Podcast: Episode 2 - 1 Vs Microsoft Points

My second Podcast! Here's the official description that "The man" wants you to see:

1 vs. Microsoft Points

Featuring my latest endevour into the world of Microsoft products and why I'll never buy Microsoft points.

But here's my official description. Here's your second Podcast. Enjoy!

"Playstation 3 is teh winnar" Claims Man In Big Hat.

This delightful image above, is the highest rated games of this year according to my favourite review site ever (*cough* I shamelessly plugged you... so... you know... favours... *cough*) Metacritic.com.

Incase you're blind, half of those are Playstation 3 titles which instantly makes the Playstation 3 the best thing to ever happen to the Earth ever. Which is great. Until you think about it for more than twenty seconds.

Now I don't mean to be a cynic here but... only two of those games are exclusives. Uncharted 2 and God of War Collection. One's a sequel and ones just a cash in of old titles (albeit very good old titles but you get the drift. They're PS2 games). The Xbox ones are the same, except only one exclusive and that's a third installment and the DS makes only instance and it's a fabulous exclusive... of a long running franchise. And it's just been released on the PSP.

Kinda depressing really. There's only one IP there and it's Arkham Asylum but even then it's based on characters from other mediums and the story was from a DC comic under the same name released over fifteen years ago. Oh and it's multiformat.

Still, well done Playstation because I enjoyed Uncharted 2 to an insane degree. You deserve all the rewards in the world for that title alone.

The Xbox Social Takeover

So I finally got my grubby mitts on the latest Xbox 360 content and have been playfully messing around with Facebook, Twitter and Last.Fm (not Zune, because I don't do Microsoft points).

Twitter

First impressions were fairly positive. The Twitter application is nice, clean and easy to use. It's got some nice little animations and the fact that your avatar is there is also a nice touch. The fact that I don't have a keyboard also proved to not be a problem, seeing as though Tweets are only 140 characters max anyway. I've used it for the past few days when my girlfriends been on my computer, and I like it. It's nice, it's quite fun to use and it doesn't feel pointless me using it despite my computer being literally 4 inches away from me. However there is only fault I have with it, and that's the fact that there's no way of telling if there's no tweets from the dashboard. If you could check them from the centre button dash? Now that would be good.

Facebook

May as well start with the faults, seeing as though there's loads. Firstly there's no way to check for notifications on the dashboard (same as Twitter, but it seemed more of a no brainer for the Facebook app I feel), secondly it's an ugly little runt and thirdly it's completely impractical and slow. The dashboard effect is awful, and flicking between tabs is fiddly and time consuming. Not only that, but it goes completely against the style of the website and even the mobile versions. I would say avoid it and use a PC, or even a mobile. The only thing I found good about this was the ability to see who's on Facebook from your Xbox friends list (and vice versa) but even then I was done with that feature in under a minute.

Last.FM

Now this... this is something special. I'm a bit of a Spotify fiend, and Last.FM on the Xbox is pretty close to the genius of Spotify, if not better in it's own little way. If you've never used Last.FM before on the PC or Mobile, it's basically like a giant radio station without any DJ's. You simply select a starting point (which can be any manner of things, such as tracks from your Last.FM library if you already have an account, and it'll just play through all your scrobbles, or simply an artist or a genre of music) and the program simply plays through a whole manner of tracks, bands and genres. It's like shuffle, but you'll all always experience something new. Not only that, but 9 out of 10 times you'll like what you hear. Last.FM is flawlessly executed and a very welcome addition to the Xbox. In fact, as I sit here now, I have it on in the background. Although it may not be a replacement for Spotify just yet, it's certainly something I'll be using often. Especially if they allow you to use it while in-game like they did in the Beta.

It's The Revolution!

Is it just me, or has the PS3 just sky rocketed in popularity since the launch of the slim? I remember reading somewhere that it's had something like a 200% increase in sales in the past few weeks, and that the BBC has claimed that 10% of all iPlayer users are now PS3 users as well as major publishers reporting a massive increase in sales for the system.

Now, I'd like to sit here and brag about how the PS3 is finally going to "Win the console war" and then there'll be a parade or something, but there's a more reasonable point to be considered.

I just think Sony have altered the price at the right time.

Let's face it, who doesn't have a Xbox these days? Pretty much everyone who just wants a games console goes for the Xbox, because it's cheaper and let's face it, everyone has one. Now however, with the Playstation offering a wider variety of games and applications, and with a brand new cheaper price tag it's looking more accessible then ever. It's all been about timing, and with Christmas coming up and the Xbox gouing through a bit of a dry spell for exclusives Sony couldn't have done this at a better time.

Or, it could just be because the Playstation's better. But I wouldn't be one to comment.

Too…. Many…. Games… D:

A mate of mines went on holiday for a fortnight, and he’s left for me a stack of Xbox 360 games to play while he’s gone. These include (deep breath needed, reader): Assassins Creed, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead, Gears of War, Dead Space, Fable 2, Grid, PGR4 and Flatout: Ultimate Carnage.

 

I have a LOT to play xD

Left 2 Dead

Discovered today that the Xbox Version of this can be played online split-screen so me and a mate, being the old fashioned gamers that we are, decided to give it a go.

 

It was great fun. We played a full Versus game of No Mercy, me as the infected and a friend as the survivors. It was brilliant fun. However, on the last section I was pulled off a ledge by a smoker. No biggy, happens all the time. So Zoey comes to pull me up…. and walks off the edge. So now she needs saving. So Francis comes over to help. And does the same thing. Then Bill get’s pounced by the hunter.

 

Mum’s were mentioned guys. Mums.

Updates, Updates, Updates…

I came home this evening and decided, like I do every Thursday, to check the Playstation store for goodies for me to purchase. As I booted it up, it informed that an update had become available. “The rumored glory of Version 2.7?” I hear you roar? The very same.

 

So I sat and waited for it download (40 minutes spent reading “Making History” by Stephan Fry is certainly not time wasted), and by the time it had finished I was literally frothing with excitement. Were the rumors true? Has Sony finally upgraded their online community to a level that could directly challenge Xbox Live? Has Sony’s day finally come, and together me and my Sony brethren will traverse the plains of this generation, and take the crown from Microsoft's head!?!

 

No. Basically, the rumors were bull turd. All it added was this really quite poor instant messaging service. Also, Peggle still isn’t on the Playstation store.

 

Then I went on the Xbox and that needed to update too. Then I lost all my Dead Rising saves.

 

Basically, I’m pretty fucking fed up if I’m honest xD

Inside Xbox

 

I’m obsessed with all aspects of Inside Xbox. It’s addictive. I actually laughed out loud multiple times today while watching sentuamessage, and I thought the Videogame BAFTAS coverage was extremely interesting.

 

Personally, I believe that all aspects of this delightful little feature are created professionally and accurately.

 

Also, one of the guys has FANTASTIC hair. I mean honestly, it’s amazing.

Hypocrite Of The Year Award 2009

I went ahead and did it. I traded in all my Wii stuff and got a premium Xbox, a month of Xbox live, a wireless adapter and three games! 

I'm, addicted already, if I'm being honest xD

Heathen Talk!

 

You  know what? I’m considering getting an Xbox… Yea I know, I talk of blasphemy but I may as well. Their not that cheap, they don’t break as much anymore and no-one can deny that the online is worth it every time! Also, it’ll be fun to play some online games with a mate of mine.

 

In other less hypocritical news, I finished Battlefield Bad Company last night! Cracking game. I really enjoyed it, even though I got it in September (The shame!)

 

Also, I got Crash Commando and the Metal Gear Solid pack for LittleBigPlanet. I’ve yet to play the latter, but the former is well good. Personally, I just can’t wait for the next Penny Arcade episode to come out. I loved that. It was brilliant. I may even go as far to say one of the best games I’ve played in a while :P

 

Oh, and the reason I haven't been blogging is that over the last few days I’ve been involved in SOCIAL activities! Real social activities!

 

I know, I’m surprised too..

What Will Become Of Them?

I’ve had abdominal pain since Monday, and therefore haven't been to college since then this week. After visiting the Doctor this morning (in which a large portion of my Urine was stolen and my stomach was molested) It turns out I did something that pulled it, and therefore have to rest it. It was funny though, because she said I must have been over-exercising, to which I replied that I must have just excersised, because I haven't done any form of physical activity since I was born. Well, if you don’t include the Wii.

 

So basically, I’ve been bored. Very bored. Yesterday I managed to entertain myself by reading the whole back catalogue of Penny Arcade and by playing Far Cry 2, but today I was at a loss. So I looked under my bed. You know as you do. Under there, I found my Gamecube and my Playstation 1. I was overjoyed! The last time I played a Playstation game was Spyro, and that was before I got my PS3 in August last year. So I dug it out, plugged it in, played it for about 10 minutes then wandered off for food.

 

As I was making myself a sandwich, I couldn’t help thinking that in give or take 5 years time, it could my PS3 rotting under there. Maybe even an Xbox, or a PSP as well (hey, who knows what the future holds). It was odd, because I physically couldn’t imagine ideally looking under my Bed, or in a cupboard, and seeing a PS3  covered in dust, and feeling only mild nostalgia or quaint enthusiasm towards it. If I saw my PS3 in a cupboard today, I’d freak out. I payed too much for it. Hell I’m afraid to touch it half the time.

 

So there you go, a little something to think about. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m downloading Counter Strike and I still don’t know why.

Irony. Pure Irony

Although I'm a fan of the Xbox, I do enjoy taking the piss out of it. Yea It's harsh, because lets face it, not a lot of people like the Playstation but I do it anyway mainly to annoy my friend because (and I'm sorry to say this Ryan) he's an Xbox fanboy. So while I'm bragging about trivial things such as disk space and processors, and he retaliates with points such as better games and a better online I always get him with what can only be described as every Xbox owners worst nightmare. Red Ring of Death.

Like the flu, the yellow pages or Graham Norton it happens to everyone. It happened to me, and It's happened to him and everytime I used that argument he never had anything to say back to me. Well, nothing I'd feel comfortable about typing on my girlfriends computer anyway. 

But then last night, after my New Year celebrations, I decided to see if I could clock Mirrors Edge as I was already up to chapter 6 out of 8, so I thought I'd be able to do it. So I booted it up, started playing and then it crashed. It didn't bother me at first, because I presumed it was the disc but after four attempts on Mirrors Edge, one attempt on LittleBigPlanet (the game wouldn't load) and then an attempt on COD5 (again, the game wouldn't load) I panicked. I went straight to the Sony EU forums, and posted my problem. This morning I managed to get Mirrors Edge working, but I'm still worried about whether it's a hard drive problem.

Anyway, the whole point of this story is that when I told my friend last night, he gave a fantastic reply that I thought would be perfect for today's post.

"Definitely Sony's way of saying Happy New Year mate."

A Desperate Attempt.

 

Ok before I start this I want you to know two things. Yes I am a PS3 owner, and I don’t have an Xbox. However, I am VERY fond of the Xbox and am seriously contemplating getting one for myself (For the second time, my first one Red Ringed on me and I raged). I believe Xbox Live to be the best console online gaming experience to date and lets face it, 90% of my friends have one.

 

So yesterday, the New Xbox Experience came out (or as it’s now known, the NXE, not be confused with the Playstations XMB). Basically the NXE is the much anticipated Dashboard update, which every single Xbox owner has been wetting their pants over. Of course, I always like to look at everything from a critics perspective (I’m a moody, arrogant person. What do you expect?) so here’s my personal opinion on Microsoft's latest attempt at securing the market.

 

 

Ok so my first impressions. It’s pretty, very pretty. It’s what the dashboard should have always been. It’s slick, sexy and HD. It’s awesome. The new interface is simple, and very well spaced out (although I dread to think how it looks to people without a HD TV over 19”), I love the whole sliding from behind thing that’s going on and the new achievement list is brilliant.

 

Avatars, although as pointless as they were on the Wii (at the present time that Is, no doubt Microsoft will pull something out of their sleeves on a later date) are pretty and a lot more complex than the god-awful Mii’s and serve a very good point. I love the fact that your friends are represented by their avatar in your friends list, and that their online status is judged by whether their asleep or awake. Nice little touch.

 

Xbox Live marketplace is the same as before, the new feature of being able to install games to reduce loading times is better than the current system on the Ps3 although Sony have nothing to worry about as disc space still hasn’t been increased. What I really want to know is, how is the Xbox HANDLING this? Yea It can do HD gaming but how the hell has it managed an interface this complex? The Dashboard was always rather jumpy I found and never really worked, yet now the Xbox button brings up the old dashboard as the bloody minor interface for when your in game! Insane!

 

So well done Microsoft, I consider this to be one of your strongest achievements since launch. Although, you COULD have done this at first you know, you weren't really being stopped…

 

 

It doesn't change my opinion on the Xbox as a whole, I still personally like the PS3 better but it’s certainly easier on the eye and now the software finally reflects the hardware.

 

But of course, it’s still the Xbox, and my good friend Bucko could not have made my day any other way when he said this:

 

“My new Xbox experience involves a ring of red.”

 

Brilliant.

How long can It go on?

How long is it until Microsoft have to increase the disc space of the Xbox to keep multiplatform titles being released on the Xbox?

My answer: I give them about a year. GTA4 has already received a cut due to the Microsoft deal. Eventually developers wont put up with it. HD games can't keep being released on a measly 4.7GB HDDVD.

A Little Respect?

I'm pretty sure all owners of a next generation console will be able to relate to this post.

Since I got my PS3 around a month ago, a lot of people have turned their noses up at my decision. Now I'm not being.... Erm.... Consoleist (!?!?) but I find this quite immature. It's mainly Xbox 360 owners, claiming they have superior online, a better selection of quality games and that overall their console "Pwns" in all areas unlike the PS3 which is "teh Suxxors". 

Now what really bothers me is this. Firstly, I have no problem with the Xbox. I think it's a great machine, offering crisp HD and a fantastic online community. What bothers me is that I give their console praise, they smite me down for my decision, urinating all over my personal preferences. Secondly, I'm content with my decision and personally very happy. But for some reason, a lot of people can't accept that.  

So this got me thinking, why is it that there's always been rivalry between consoles? The SNES and the Megadrive? The Playsation 1 and the N64? The Playstation 2 and the Xbox? Why is it that no-one can accept that both consoles have  enough cons that neither are technically "Superior"? Is it down to what games are exclusive on the console? How good the graphics are? Maybe it's down to just how darn good the console looks in general, or maybe even which controller is more "Comfy" (God I've heard that argument so many times). 

These days, the main factor is surely which console pumps out the best HD, and which console has the best Online community and both the PS3 and Xbox excel in both categories. Only the Elite Xbox has HDMI, while it's standard on all PS3 models. However, Xbox Live offers a far simpler online community than the PS3, yet the online on a PS3 is standard. 

I'm not here to argue, it just bemuses me that people will fight till their wits end over consoles that are clearly the same... Yup, I said it.