The Kinect is dead
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 15, 2015 06.15.15
Microsoft had an incredibly strong showing at its E3 press conference, keeping the focus on games even when announcing things like backward compatibility. Mod support for Fallout 4 is a great addition to Xbox One in general and we hope it comes to more games, and again it's going to make the act of playing games more enjoyable.
Gone was the focus on media functions or the idea that we really want to use the Xbox One to consume sports. Instead it was either news that would help you play games, such as the updated controller, or games themselves, such as the amazing $30 Rare collection.
A quick note on that controller: Does anyone else think Scuf Gaming is having a very, very bad day now that the official controller will offer all the features that used to make Scuf's products so...
Opinion
6 CommentsNintendo World Championships was the best E3 kick-off we could have hoped for
By Philip Kollar on Jun 15, 2015 06.15.15
What comes to mind when you think of E3?
As someone who's now attended seven consecutive E3s in person and has been watching and reading coverage of them for years before that, increasingly E3 has become about hype. And, hey, I love hype. I love getting excited for new games. But the kind of hype that comes out of regular press events, like the ones that will be happening over the next few days —that hype can feel incredibly manufactured.
Just look at how these press events are structured: You get some executive or, if you're lucky, a lead designer up on stage. They brag about the numbers behind their latest success. They mention the name of a popular franchise or upcoming game. The crowd cheers. They play a trailer or a short demo. They tell you when you can go to the store and...
Opinion
34 CommentsHow Sony can 'win' E3
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 14, 2015 06.14.15
We've already discussed how Nintendo can win, and talked about how Microsoft can win, and now it's Sony's turn. What will it take for the creator of the PlayStation 4 to win what is arguably the biggest show of the year?
What we mean by "win"
For the purposes of this article we'll define a "win" as a press event that energizes existing fans and will help to bring in new fans while helping the company in question improve their bottom line. If the show gets everyone talking about games and initiatives that will cause both existing and new fans to get out their wallets, that's a "win." This isn't a zero-sum game, where one win means that someone else loses; it's very possible at the end of the show that each company will have "won."
Sony in a nutshell
The PlayStation 4 is,...
Opinion
114 CommentsHow Microsoft can 'win' E3
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 12, 2015 06.12.15
We tackled Nintendo yesterday, and now it's time for Microsoft. What's it going to take for Microsoft to win E3?
What we mean by "win"
For the purposes of this article we'll define a "win" as a press event that energizes existing fans and will help to bring in new fans while helping the company in question improve their bottom line. If the show gets everyone talking about games and initiatives that will cause both existing and new fans to get out their wallets, that's a "win." This isn't a zero-sum game, where one win means that someone else loses; it's very possible at the end of the show that each company will have "won."
Microsoft in a nutshell
Microsoft announced the Xbox One with a disastrous event that showcased all the worst aspects of the company's digital strategy...
Opinion
75 CommentsXbox One VR, Rift controllers and a frustrating lack of details from Oculus today
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 11, 2015 06.11.15
Oculus announced some big news about the retail Oculus Rift, but the details we wanted — including a set release date and price — were left unsaid. Still, there's much to unpack from the press conference.
The final device looks good, and Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe noted that it would work well for people with glasses. It also seemed light while being held with one hand on the video, although we'll have to wait for the hands-on to know for sure. The built-in headphones will be easy to remove if you want to use another pair of headphones.
The sensor, which is designed to be "invisible" once hooked up, looks cute and inviting, and will be able to track the headset as well as the just-announced and very strange-looking Oculus Touch controllers. This is all interesting stuff, but again ......
Opinion
140 CommentsHow Nintendo can 'win' E3
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 11, 2015 06.11.15
Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft will each be hosting press, developers and a few fans for their big press events during E3. We are all sure to be thrilled by big announcements, possible price drops, awkward celebrity cameos and of course remasters of games we've already played.
So today we're going to ask the big question: What will it take for Nintendo to "win" E3?
A quick definition
For the purposes of this article we'll define a "win" as a press event that energizes existing fans, will help to bring in new fans and while helping the company in question improve their bottom line. If the show gets everyone talking about games and initiatives that will cause both existing and new fans to get out their wallets, that's a "win." This isn't a zero sum game, where one win means that someone...
Movies
49 CommentsJurassic World review: a worthy popcorn movie
By Danielle Riendeau on Jun 10, 2015 06.10.15
Jurassic World wants very badly for you to think it's the second coming of Jurassic Park. It's littered with easter eggs and little touches and even characters from the 1993 classic. Like the dinosaurs that its brilliant geneticists have cooked up, it even shares a lot of DNA with its predecessor — but it's the random bits of other stuff thrown in that keep it from being quite on the same level.
Jurassic World stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire, a buttoned-up executive at Jurassic World, a Disney-esque theme park that features real-life dinosaurs as the main attraction. Her two nephews, teenaged Zachary (Nick Robinson) and boy genius Gray (Ty Simpkins), come for a weekend trip to visit their aunt and scope out dinos, but neither she nor Zachary (who is only interested in girls) is...
Opinion
122 CommentsThe Witcher 3 achieved the impossible: It's a hit without being a jerk to its fans
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 09, 2015 06.09.15
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a hit, both commercially and critically. The game has sold over 4 million copies in three weeks worldwide, with an average review score of over 90 on every platform according to Metacritic. This isn't just a success, this is a slam dunk.
And CD Projekt Red was able to pull it off without punishing its biggest fans. Isn't it amazing?
How this magic happened
Batman: Arkham Knight is the most recent example of games that chop the content out of the release in order to offer a buffet of add-on sales and retailer exclusives; this means that no matter where you buy the game or how much you pay you'll be missing some form of content.
Mortal Kombat X was another prime offender in this category and my advice is the same for both: Skip buying new and pick it up...
Movies
16 CommentsInside Out is Pixar's best feature in years
By Danielle Riendeau on Jun 05, 2015 06.05.15
Inside Out feels like the most personal movie Pixar has ever made. That's appropriate, because most of the film takes place inside the mind of its protagonist — the feisty, playful Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) — a young girl who loves hockey, her family and making her friends laugh. It's emotional, heartfelt, and often very funny.
Inside Out begins with Riley's birth, and the beginning of her five core emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kahling) and anger (Lewis Black). Riley's mind is a wonder, organized into core memories and "islands" that make up her personality — there's an island for hockey, for her goofiness and sense of humor, for her family, her friends and her honesty. The emotions, led by the ebullient Joy, live in the control...
Opinion
88 CommentsSteam refunds: Does Valve win either way?
By Andrew Pellerano on Jun 05, 2015 06.05.15
On Tuesday Steam added a refund procedure that allows you to get a full refund on any Steam game you’ve purchased in the last 14 days, for any reason, as long as you’ve played the game for less than 2 hours.On the surface this change brings Steam up to code in many European countries that require this by law. And it will certainly do right by players in every other country. But the sudden manner in which the refund program was announced and implemented has many developers asking: "Is this good for me?"
It would be prudent to know exactly what Steam added. Let’s go through the new refund flow together. Last night I "accidentally" purchased Assassin’s Creed III. It was the first game I saw in the list of best sellers that was inexpensive, old, and provided by a major publisher. I didn’t...
Opinion
37 CommentsScrew Steam Machines, just give me that controller
By Ben Kuchera on Jun 04, 2015 06.04.15
Steam Machines still seem to be an answer to a question no one is asking, but if they lead to more people enjoying more games on the PC I'm all for it. I already have a Steam machine in my office though; it's just a gaming PC. I'm not that interested in loading an OS that limits which games I can play while I wait for people to port to Linux.
That controller, on the other hand...
You can read my thoughts based on a hands-on in March of this year, but I'm incredibly excited about a working, malleable controller-style solution for PC gaming. Especially one that will be integrated so well via PC gaming's most popular way to buy and play games: Steam.
The Steam Controller isn't notable because it's better than a mouse and keyboard, it's interesting in that it's more well-rounded.
The...
Opinion
1 CommentMinecraft saved my father's gaming life, and helped our relationship
By Brittany Vincent on Jun 04, 2015 06.04.15
My father was my very first video game hero. He brought us a Nintendo Entertainment System from a pawn shop when I was a toddler, and cemented what would eventually become a decades-long love affair with the medium in my tiny brain. I was head over heels in love with gaming and, with Dad as my guide, I was in for a whole new world of awesome.
We'd play for hours together, picking up our Nintendo Zapper guns and taking aim at dastardly outlaws in the darkness of our living room. Later, we gravitated to Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64, where I'd throttle his Mario with my Yoshi 30-Love until he slammed down the controller in mock disgust.
Gaming was his way of spending time with me in ways he knew he’d never actually be able to, due to an early diagnosis of muscular dystrophy that...
Opinion
520 CommentsColorblind: On The Witcher 3, Rust, and gaming's race problem
By Tauriq Moosa on Jun 03, 2015 06.03.15
Indie survival MMO Rust recently changed how players were assigned characteristics for their avatar.Everyone used to start as a bald white man, then the developers decided to alter avatars' race and face.
Here's the catch: You don't get to choose.
As lead developer and studio owner Garry Newman wrote: "Everyone now has a pseudo unique skin tone and face. Just like in real life, you are who you are — you can't change your skin color or your face. It's actually tied to your SteamID [how the game recognises you]."
Many white gamers expressed concern
Thus player choice of skin color was removed. It should be noted that you don't see your character, as it's first person. Other players, of course, can. Newman continues:
"There's a lot of skin colors in the world, and it's really easy to...
Opinion
140 CommentsThe Witcher 3 should be played on the hardest difficulty
By Jake Lear on Jun 03, 2015 06.03.15
I came across this video and accompanying blog post in my feverish attempts to consume any and all media created surrounding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Both pieces suggested that the "best" way to play the game was with the difficulty set to the easiest level.
I will now do my best to convince you of the opposite.
Before I get too far into this, I want to say that if you want to just experience the story, cruise through the game, and see all the pretty sights, go ahead, put the game on the easiest difficulty, aptly named "Just the Story!" There is no wrong way to play a game you enjoy, so please don't feel shamed or pressured by my advice.
However, if you want to fully enjoy the game, and really feel like you're a Witcher in this brutal world, you need to play on the "Death March"...
Opinion
158 CommentsHatred is a grim, ultra-violent tempest in a teapot
By Brian Crecente on May 29, 2015 05.29.15
Hatred, a game that ignited a furor over free speech and violence in video games last year when it was announced, lives up to its name in both the main character's depraved indifference to life and the non-stop, public spree-shooting gameplay.
But beyond the game's crass theme, there's not really much in Hatred to evoke any sort of emotional response, let alone the game's namesake one.
Instead, Hatred feels like a relatively competent isometric shooter wrapped in the iconography of the American spree killer. Take away the character's black leather duster, lank hair and hackneyed dialog and you're left with a fairly dull game. Keep all of that in, and it's not much different.
I only played in the first couple of levels of the game, but so far haven't found any meaningful story in or...
Opinion
198 CommentsBatman: Arkham Knight is the latest release to give the finger to people who buy at launch
By Ben Kuchera on May 29, 2015 05.29.15
Are you a Batman fan? Interested in picking up Arkham Knight at launch, or preordering the game? Well, you have many options. Arkham Knight joins the dismal list of AAA games that have been chopped into pieces to make sure it's physically impossible to buy the entire game with all the content available at launch. We've talked about the season pass in the past as well.
Content has been spread across retailers, and of course you can pre-order to get another bonus on top of that, but there doesn't seem to be a way of getting everything without buying multiple copies.
Buying at launch means you pay the most amount of money for a game that might be buggy and the knowledge that you're getting an incomplete game in some way no matter how you buy. The most hardcore fans are the ones punished.
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