E3 2013 - Xbox ONE, PS4, and a sh!t load of games

E3 2013! This year's E3 showed lots of new game content plus the long awaited showing of the rest of the next gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony.

I think i'll start this off with some new console info, followed by the games, and then a summary of some sort.

First of all Nintendo already released their WiiU last year and also didn't bother with a traditional press conference so I will come back to them later.

Microsoft came out with something no one expected, and it has left a lot of Xbox fans with tears and a bad case of anger management. The Xbox ONE is the name for the boring black box of a console that will allow players to pretty much use their Xbox as a single entertainment unit. The biggest thing with Microsoft is their target audience has changed. No longer is Xbox about gamers, but the company is further integrating new tech into the television room, meaning they are pretty much designing a platform for Americans that always have a decent internet connection 24/7 and want to use their voices as a remote control.
Here are some of the BIG issues concerning the Xbox fans.

- No internet? Then no gaming.
You pretty much need decent 24/7 internet in order to play games.

- Borrow your friends game? Only if you pass a test.
You can only borrow a friends game if you have been on their friends list for over 30 days + other limitations.

- Confusion everywhere.
There is so much confusion as to how exactly everything is going to work, and expect a lot of effort on your part to figure out the settings for operating mandatory Kinect, sharing games, organizing your friends and circles, and having your Xbox be used as a TV.

Moving on to the PS4, I'm really not seeing anything all too groundbreaking or shocking. One thing with PS4 is how it will also be similar to Xbox with the entertainment value of movies and other non-gaming content tailored to be personalized to your preferences. The big thing I see with PS4 is it's controller. The new controller offers a touch pad as well as a light that could be used to show player health bar or whatever developers decide to use it for. It's also interesting to note the controller has a an instant stream button that will stream your content straight to Ustream or as videos to facebook. Additionally Sony has announced that the PS Vita will pretty much be required for cross play, meaning you can use the Vita to play off screen. PS4 came out heavy with their game titles over how the console operates. Also the console is similar to the Xbox except it is slanted.

Oh and by the way both consoles will not support backwards compatibility, Nintendo does so there ya go. Another big hitter is that PS4 will implement the use of its PSN+ accounts (monthly prescription) of $50/year if u wanna play online, however you will get all the bonuses of the PSN+ accounts, which makes it better than XBox's $60/year and no current benefits, and then there's Nintendo with free internet as always.

Lets talk about the games shall we?
First of all, there are a LOT of awesome games heading our way, and for that I am very pleased with this years E3. There are far to many games to go over but here is a list of everything.
http://ca.ign.com/wikis/e3/Big_Games_at_E3_2013

In terms of first party games, I think Nintendo edges out Sony for the best selections, however Nintendo is not getting a lot of games that are on both the Xbox and PS4, so overall the PS4 looks stronger with WiiU right behind it.

Here are the noteworthy exclusives for the consoles.

Xbox




- Ryse
A third person immersive quick time events heavy game.

The game honestly looks boring, nearly everything about the game is done in quick time events, which are horrible methods used to slap on mechanics to scripted and limited game play.




- Dead Rising 3 (X1)
Actually looks good.

I have never played a dead rising game but this one looks very open and allows for your own choice to where you go and how you go about interacting with the zombies.

- Crimson Dragon
Seriously?

You are a dragon and you shoot stuff on rails.

- D4
Interesting?

You use Kinect to play an episodic murder mystery. I do not like Kinect.







- Halo 5
You are getting old.

Master chief in a cape, something big appears, and that's the end of the trailer.







- Killer Instinct
Fight!

I didn't play the original but apparently a lot of people seem to care about this game.





Also there is Sunset Overdrive and Below but I have nothing to say about them.

On to the Sony exclusives.

- Beyond two Souls
Heavy Rain!!

Shown last year but more footage shows how this game spans 15 years of the characters life, filled with remarkable events that is sure to use a unique set of controls once again.





- Infamous Second Son
FLAAAAAME!.

I didn't play the previous games but I do like the main character and the game is promising.






- Killzone Shadowfall
Not sure.

I haven't played the Killzone series and it never did get the glory it tried to attain, hopefully this new installment will pick itself up.






- Knack
Unique Visuals.

I'm not all to sold on this game but it does look different and fun.








- Tales of Xillia
Wooooooot.

Looks great and I know a lot of people are going to want this, myself included.








- The Order 1886
Dem Guns!

This game looks quite interesting although I don't know if it is a zombie shooter or some kind of 3rd person mystery action. The cut-scenes were nice but showed very little.








- The Witness
Looks fun.

This game was teased last year but now it looks like quite the short puzzle adventure.







additionally there are a lot of smaller games that I didn't bother to show

And finally Nintendo. One thing about the Nintendo line-up is how long it takes for the games to come out (Next Year Spring), however it does mean that Nintendo is putting more effort to make these games even better and that they do not rush a game. I believe games SHOULD take longer to develop in order to make them better, just look at the COD series and how each game is the same every fricken year, although this year they will have dogs and hi-res arm hair so that make make it good I guess.

- Bayonetta 2
I want it now.

We heard about this last year but we got to see some gameplay as well as the new haircut for Bayonetta. The game looks awesome and is said to run smoothly at 60fps with high detail.



- X

Want more!

More in-game footage showing how awesome this spiritual successor to Xenoblade Chronicles which is one of the best RPG's in a longtime.






- Wonderful 101
Still waiting to hear.

Once again this was shown last year but it remains to look like a great game. The touch controls to make weapons in battles looks like a lot of fun.

- Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
MONKEY KONG!

The last game was wonderfully crafted and this is sure to be a great purchase.





-Pokemon X Y
Its 3D!

The new Pokemon looks to be completely re-defined through the 3DS with new gameplay features. You can play and interact with your Pokemon like Ninten-dogs. The game looks to have both new and classic Pokemon.

- Super Smash Bros
YES!!!


This is quite possibly one of the BIGGEST and most anticipated games right now. This has a huge development team from various fighting games and will have a lot of content and top notch game play.



- Zelda Link Between worlds
omgomgomg

This is apparently a sequel to "A Link to the Past" which is debated as the best Zelda game ever.





Also Sonic Lost World, Mario Kart8, and Super Mario 3D.


Lots of amazing games in store for us.
Overall Microsoft is trying to be the number one entertainment unit for Americans while trying to introduce big changes to the industry, whereas Sony is doing everything to show that they are not Microsoft by sticking to the basics, and then there's Nintendo who always just do their own thing.

I found an interesting chart comparing the 3 consoles and their specs, usability and price.
http://www.emirates247.com/business/technology/microsoft-xbox-one-vs-sony-ps4-vs-nintendo-wii-u-head-to-head-on-specs-prices-availability-2013-06-11-1.509965

To summarize, PS4 and X1 have identical specs with PS4 being slightly better with how it is overclocked and its use of RAM.

WiiU: Best use of controller innovation and use since you can use the pro controller, Wii controller, and that awesome tablet. Only console to support backwards compatibility. Cheapest price. Free online connectivity. Supports MANY third party games like Watch Dogs. Better first party games.

PS4: Better exclusives than Xbox and still has access to the top multi-platform games. One button streaming/uploading to internet from controller. Cheap affordable price alongside the WiiU and shows it is a prime console for the hardcore gamers.

X1: Complete overhaul of the entertainment device. Voice controls to seamlessly swap between gaming and television with powerful tech to power this. Kinect fully integrated with use of X1 with improvements across the board. Lots of American television and other programs to be exclusively integrated to create a new entertainment device.

To top everything off here is a list of multi-platform games that will most likely be the deciding factor on what console you might buy. Personally I will be getting the PS4 for its exclusive games plus the multi-platform games that are not on the WiiU (which I already have), additionally I have a good PC for the games on PC and X1 only. There is really no reason for me to get the X1, sorry master chief, it's not you, its your parents.

This isn't everything, but it is what I am looking forward to.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag. (all consoles)
Batman Arkham Origins. (all consoles)
Battlefield 4. (PC, X1, PS4)
Call of Duty Ghosts. (PC, X1, PS4)
Dark Souls 2. (360, PS3, PC)
Destiny. (PS4, X1)
Dragon Age 3. (PS3, 360, PC)
Dying Light. (PS4, X1)
Elder Scrolls Online. (PC, PS4, X1)
Final Fantasy XV. (PS4, X1)
Killer is Dead. (PS3, 360)
Kingdom Hearts 3. (PS4, X1)
Lightning Returns: FF13-3. (PS3, 360)
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain. (PS4, X1)
Mirror's Edge 2. (PS4, X1, PC)
Star Wars: Battlefront. (?)
The Evil Within. (PS3, 360, PC)
Witcher 3. (PS4, PC)
Thief. (PS4, X1, PC)
Titanfall. (PC, X1)

So what games are YOU looking forward to? What new console(s) will you be getting?
My list includes, Titanfall, FF13-3, FFXV, MGS, Killer is Dead, Dragon Age3, Destiny, BF4, Dark Souls, and all of Nintendo exclusives and majority of PS4 Exclusives.

~Djr7

First look at my MSI GE40 (plus windows 8)

Lights up "eyes" as aesthetics

So I finally put my old laptop to rest after 2 year (Lenovo Y470). It served me well but it was slowly becoming too weak to run the new games. I do hope this new laptop I bought will be able to last another 2 years. I waited a few days of using this laptop before making a post as I wanted to use it for a bit to get a better idea of what it can do.

Valvrave 10 - The Saki Feast

So there is only one thing worth talking about this episode, but I'll still go through some of the more boring stuff. On a absolute side note, I got a new laptop and still getting used to Windows 8. Probably make a post about it on Sunday since I got into the FF14 beta and gotta play that over weekend. Also perfect chance to stress test my new machine.

Djr7's take on Susui no Gargantia 10: The True Nature

Feelings for Pinion?

Well this is my own take on Gargantia episode 10's eye popping results of the Hideauze slaughter. On a side note I'm wondering if Bellows will be able to save Pinion from his greed, seeing how she is probably the only able to do so, but I'm thinking it won't turn out all to well for Pinion.

After Ledo finished massacring the Hideazue without even batting an eye at the aquatic slaughter house; the truth behind the evolution of the enemy he swore to kill, comes crashing down on him in a powerful reveal of moral beliefs.

In truth these Hideauze are the genetic evolution of the human race, and while they seem to have lost nearly all visible aspects that make up a human being, Ledo breaks down from this revealing truth. I don't personally care all to much that the Hideauze have become an almost completely different species altogether. The fact of the matter is how that child Hideauze that appeared before Ledo in episode 9 showed a more human figure that resembles the original Hideauze that still acted somewhat human. I think Ledo doesn't break down because the Hideauze evolved from humans, but more to the point that he is finally starting to question the galactic military and is finally able to think for himself.

Another shocker was how Chamber has developed his own logical reasoning based on the information he has gathered so far, this doesn't change much on Chambers initial view of wiping out the Hideauze, but it does mean it might start acting on its own and stop listening to Ledo altogether.

Things are looking gloomy and quite dis-heartening, and to make matters worse, Pinion loosing sight of the simple things and being engrossed by his treasure hunting desires will ultimately lead to his downfall if he is unable to turn back from his greed. Overall the show has taken an unexpected turn for the worse, and while I have always pondered what twists or where the plot would take us, I never expected these turn of events, and quite frankly the current situation is well executed.

The random clip of Amy crying over Ledo is a sure sign that we will see them reunite at some point, although currently there's so much up-in-the-air about what might possibly happen to Ledo that I have no idea when things will get better. Even if Ledo somehow gets back to the Gargantia, it seems the general consensus is no one is thrilled about the annihilation of the Hideauze/Whale Squid nest, and there's a good chance they wouldn't even allow Pinion or Ledo back on the fleet.

~Djr7

Shingek no Kyoujin: 7-10 - Hope

So far this show has done everything to raise our hopes only to snuff them out, but finally things are looking up and humanity sees a light. 

I am both happy and scared with how well things are going for Eren and everyone in the show, now that people have stopped dying and mankind finally has a weapon that matches the Titans. Eren's transformation into a Titan was quite the curve ball, but then again the foreshadowing of his father injecting him in what I thought was a dream kinda hinted towards this odd turn of events. 

Resurrection PUNCH!

The way Eren just jumps out of the Titan who eats him is pretty crazy, I mean, really now Eren just punches his hand out of the Titans mouth and forces the Titan to pretty much explode. 

One thing I really like is how everyone is running scared after seeing this, they panic and attempt to kill Eren out of fear, which is nice because no one is acting all happy and joyous, because if they were then you know something awful would just happen happen to snuff out that happiness once again. 

I have been waiting nearly all season for episode 8's Titan slaying. Shingeki no Kyoujin always made it seem like the soldiers would periodically kill the Titans in an awe inspiring fashion, but so far they just die off without much of a fight. Episode 8 changed all that when the new recruits take out the 3-4 meter class Titans, and Eren's rampage and total destruction outside. I was thrilled that my favourite bread eater Sasha managed to live through the ordeal, I was almost certain the show was going to pull the hope out from under me once again and kill off more of the characters in a sudden turn of events.

Mikasa's performance in episode 7 was outstanding. Once again we get more of an insight as to her personality and emotions. The entire beginning of the series shows Mikasa as a very quiet and somewhat cold person with no emotions or anything, she always appeared serious but we never knew why. Mikasa finally shows her self to be fully engaged with Eren and how he saved her in the past. Mikasa's thirst to live and serve as Eren's protector is quite noble but at the same time flawed. 

I really love Mikasa's character.

Eren is pretty much a reckless guy, but it seems Mikasa sees him as a hero, and it really is nice seeing how the characters are looked at differently than what we perceive them to be. I love the way these three characters are slowly but surely revealed through their mentality. 

I am so confused as to how or why Eren is able to transform into a Titan, and I really want to know about his father's research and what truths await Eren under his house. The biggest concern I have is why Eren's father kept his secretes locked away from everyone else. 

~Djr7

  

Hataraku Maou-sama! - 1-10 - Swimsuits!

Maou-sama always acts cool when using magic.

As I try and keep up with 13 shows this season it's super hard finding time to even make weekly posts for a single show. Hataraku Maou-sama! is a wonderful slice of life comedy with a twist. The show revolves around Maou, who was formally knows as the demon overlord Satan in a different universe. After loosing an epic battle; Satan is forced to go through some sort of gate that takes him to modern day Japan, where he and his strategist Ashiya become working citizens where they become quite civil and develop a prideful work ethic with their new lives. The Hero Emi Yusa, who battled against Satan, followed Maou through the gate and also lives her life in modern Japan while keeping an eye on Maou. Add in a cute co-worker at MgRonald's who has a crush on Maou and you've pretty much got a dynamic group that offers great laughs.

Chi-chan!

While Maou works his way up the chain of command at MgRonald's, his overarching evil plan is to take over the company and then the world, and yes they are dead serious of this plan. Maou, Ashiya, and Yusa are pretty much at the center of all the humour, and to be honest I fully recommend picking this up if you haven't already. 

Now to cover episode 10.

This episode put a lot more emphasis on Suzuno and her rather mysterious goals. Initially I thought she had an interest for Maou, but as she goes on to show her true intentions towards killing Maou, I'm not entirely sure what to think of her. 

A rare Suzuno expression as she reacts to Maou's magic. 

I started remembering about Albertio and Emerada, and they seemed like interesting characters but I guess they really don't fit in with the current situation and we most likely wont see them until something happens with the current plot. That being said I am really curious as to learn about the landlord who somehow knows a little too much about Maou.

I do hope there is some progression with Chiho and Maou soon, but I would also like to see something happen with Ashiya and Rika, since Rika seemed to be quite taken with Ashiya's first impression. 

Ashiya's description of the past bewteen Maou and Yusa was pretty creative in order to explain to Rika how Yusa is not into Maou at all. I still don't know if Yusa will develop feelings for Maou or not, seeing as how she continuously keeps an eye on him and I think she is simply lying to herself, as it's her duty to slay him if he acts evil but I think his actions so far have shown he has been 100% taken in by modern Japan.

Considering the current situation, the person behind the attack on Yusa seems to be the blue haired SentukyFriedChicken creep. At the end of episode 10 we see him sprout white wings, showing that he was most likely involved with Yusa back on Enta Isla at some point. While the last two episodes haven't seen much actual plot or character development, I do hope the next episode has more actual point to it, although this was the swim suit episode, so i'm not going to argue there.

One thing I would like to add is how I loved the comparison of Yusa and Chiho's chest size through Maou's burgers at MgRonalds. 

~Djr7

Gargantia 10 - Based Chamber

Well Urobutcher was able to phrased it slightly different than me, but overall idea was the same.  Luckily Chamber can act on his own without Ledo commanding him to finish off these squids. Hopefully this knowledge will give the alliance a way to kill hideauze from a biological level. Based Chamber, slay all those squid scum that has rejected humanity!

BTW: I don't disagree with Pinon's way of hoarding the treasure,  his mistake, and downfall, will be allowing others to join at random.

~Pearz

Gargantia 09 - The Repercussions of Genetic Engineering

So I usually don't just jump in and make a post for a show I haven't been doing weekly for, but this was a very special episode. I was a fool to believe Urobutcher would create a healing anime, I peacefully believed it would be a peaceful show to see the reintegration of a soldier into society; Oh how this had taken a much darker twist. I guess there is no fun allowed.