The Infamous series has been one of the most enjoyable of this past generation. Two quality open-world adventures with protagonist Cole McGrath proved Sucker Punch one of the best developers under Sony’s umbrella. Now the PS4 is here and it is time for a new direction for the franchise.
Infamous: Second Son is set seven years after Infamous 2 and stars new hero, Delsin Rowe who develops powers that are vastly different from Cole’s electrical manifestations. Delsin’s powers are flame and smoke based which he can use to unleash fireballs (not unlike Cole’s electrical variety) and melee with a flaming chain ala Ghost Rider. He can climb walls and parkour with the best of them so this still definitely looks and feels like an Infamous game. He can also use ventilation ducts on buildings to travel with haste as Delsin can transform into smoke.
The obvious bump in graphics helps Infamous: Second Son really stand out. When you see how clean and crisp the world is it is a true delight. Facial animations are also spot on at this early stage and shows just the beginning of the PS4 horsepower.
Infamous: Second Son is a launch window title for the Playstation 4.
ZeniMax Online is bringing The Elder Scrolls Online to both the PS4 and the Xbox One in Spring 2014. The announcement was made tonight at the Sony press conference and also said that PS4 owners will have access to the beta for the game before anyone else due to a new agreement with Sony.
This is insanely great news for people like me who don’t have a quality PC to run the game like I would want.
To the insane applause of the crowd attending the Sony press conference, Jack Tretton announced that the PS4 will support all used game for the next-gen console and also will not require any kind of internet connection to play game discs.
This is a direct kick in the taint to Microsoft, who has been in damage control since announcing their restrictions for the Xbox One. One would think with how strong Sony brought it tonight and how the gaming community is reacting to Sony’s news, Microsoft might need to decide a shift in strategy before too much ground is lost.
Sony officially unveiled their Playstation 4 console to the world tonight and it certainly has a new…slant on home consoles.
Yeah, I went there.
Not only was the look of the console a bit of a surprise, but so was the announced price: $399. Yep, a full $100 cheaper than the Xbox One. We will have much more thoughts on how Sony mopped the floor with their competition later on.
Zombie Studios free-to-play FPS, Blacklight Retribution, is making the jump from PC to PS4 this fall. A new trailer was released which you can see below. This is another good get for Sony’s new system when you add it to the already good free-to-play lineup of DC Universe Online and Planetside 2.
Sony is pulling no punches this month. With E3 only days away they have updated their Instant Games Collection on PS Plus for the month of June and as you can see, it is damn insane.
You will be able to get Uncharted 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Saints Row The Third, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Little Big Planet Karting and Machinarium FREE for PS Plus members. The Vita will also be getting Virtue’s Last Reward and Gods Eater: Burst free to play.
So just this month you will be getting well over $200 in games to play on the PS3 just for being a PS Plus member. What more do you need to realize that this is the best deal going in gaming?
In 1996, a game developer called Naughty Dog released a game starring a bright orange bandicoot that spun, wore talking tiki masks, had a super-hot girlfriend, and loved “wumpa fruit.” Crash would soon become synonymous with the PlayStation brand, and that mascot-level connection would only grow across the next two generations with Jak & Daxter on the PS2, and Uncharted’s Nathan Drake on the PS3.
As such, it is fitting that in the twilight before the PlayStation 4 launches in November, Naughty Dog is releasing a game entitled The Last of Us. While this is not actually the absolute final big exclusive for the PS3 (Beyond: Two Souls isn’t until October), it is almost certainly the most anticipated one. Feel free to disagree with that statement in the comments, but only after you’ve read my thoughts below.
1. Presentation
In all my years of gaming, few things have ever left me as slacked-jawed as The Last of Us. The character models are incredible, the voice-acting sounds phenomenal, the lighting effects are a sight to behold, the details on the Infected makes me what to throw up, etc. Take note, because I almost never say this: Here is a PS3 exclusive that might not be graphically possible on the 360.
2. Atmosphere
Graphical prowess aside, the world that Naughty Dog has crafted feels like a very real, very terrifying place. The Infected are horrifying to behold, but the other survivors are arguably more threatening; you have to wonder how far you would go to survive in a similar situation. I’ll also give kudos for the fact that this world doesn’t look empty or dead just because the people are gone; other life would just have more room to roam.
3. Character Stories
The Resident Evil series started losing fans when it became clear that Capcom was more interested in storytelling about their various viruses and conspiracies than their characters. Thankfully, The Last of Us appears to be much more focused on Joel and Ellie’s personal struggles and triumphs; of course, I am interested to know what makes Ellie so important to everyone involved. The best sci-fi has always been more about people than anything else, and I’ve got my fingers crossed on this one.
Photo courtesy mashable.com
4. New Mechanics
Most big games have this-or-that new cover feature, AI system, or shell casing shininess engine that marketing loves to hype. The Last of Us is no different, but videos have shown both the “Dynamic Stealth” and “Balance of Power” systems to be more than just hot air. The former refers to the countless different ways players can approach any given situation or obstacle; the latter is the system that governs how enemies react not just to the player, but to the world around them.
5. The Infected
Holy *@&^ these things are terrifying to behold, and the noises they make in the trailers almost make me rethink picking up the game. If you’ve never looked up Cordyceps fungus, hit this link and then get back to me. The concept of these things evolving to infect humans is bone-chilling, and the way the physical changes to the hosts have been conceptualized for The Last of Us is exceptional. It won’t be easy to dethrone Necromorphs in terms of terror, but the Infected have the best shot I’ve seen yet.
I’m not saying The Last of Us is the last great video game ever, or the last great Naughty Dog game ever, or even the last great PS3 game ever (again, Beyond in October, and it looks amazing). But I do genuinely feel like it represents the end of an era, and a culmination of things born on the original Playstation and refined for the last seventeen (!) years of development. I’ll leave you with the trailer below until June 14:
Sony will be the last press conference on Monday before the actual E3 show begins on Tuesday so they better use the opportunity to absolutely hit me (and you) over the heads with how insanely awesome the PS4 is going to be. Now I have already gone on record and said that Sony has already won me over with their February press conference when they solely put the focus on games. I expect E3 to continue this, especially since Microsoft is getting a bit of blow back from their gimmick heavy Xbox One reveal (which they did say beforehand would happen, but the internet cares not).
Like with Nintendo, we will offer up a few points that we think Sony should hit on to make sure gamers know the PS4 is a powerhouse that warrants their hard earned money this fall.
PS4 Price AND Release Date
This is in no way a guarantee to happen, but it will go a long way to helping out my wallet if I know the when and how much of the Playstation 4. Selfish? Yes, and I don’t mind. Sony could hold one or the other off for a later date, but they know all eyes will be on them on Monday so why not go ahead and throw us gamers a bone?
I still hold to my thoughts that the PS4 will beat the Xbox One to the shelves, if only by a week or so. October 25th still has a nice ring to it. It is a few weeks after a big PS3 exclusive (Beyond: Two Souls) and a week before the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts.
When it comes to the price of the system this is where the guesses are all over the place. Some analysts have recently ventured a guess and said that the PS4 could retail in the $350-$400 range. This is a pipe dream. Now don’t get me wrong, I hope to God that I can get a PS4 for under $400 come this fall, but I just do not see this happening especially with all the hardware under the hood of it. I am already mentally prepared for a $499 price point with a slight possibility of a second sku for $549. We are a different culture than 2005 when Sony floored us with “599 U.S. dollars” for the PS3. We pay $200 for new phones on a regular basis, a large section of the population have tablets that range anywhere from $250-$800, Apple overcharges for a brand name and our country proudly ponies up the cash. I don’t think Sony has to be worried of any backlash when they announce a $500+ console anymore.
Photo courtesy arcadesushi.com
Use Your Franchise Power
The real power behind Sony is in its bevy of quality studios and their franchises. Sony Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Polyphony, Sucker Punch, Guerrilla and Media Molecule are huge developers that handle Sony’s biggest properties and there is not a bad one in the bunch. Microsoft only wishes they had studio strength like that which is probably why they have announced a new initiative to get more studios under their umbrella. We already know that Killzone: Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son will be launch titles for the PS4 and should be playable at the show. That is a good start. For Sony to really take a hold of the gaming community they need to show off the PS4’s potential with their other big names. Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, God of War and others will all eventually make their way onto Sony’s next-gen machine and even just an announcement of one of these will certainly help matters. Please be Uncharted 4.
Let Microsoft Take The Hit On Used Games Fiasco
Ever since the Xbox One reveal, Microsoft has quickly gone from elation to damage control over the mixed signals about the online connectivity of its new console and the possibility of charging a full game fee for using games on other consoles. Now Sony has already gone on record and said that the PS4 will not be requiring an internet connection of any kind to play games, but the jury is still, mysteriously, out on a one-time use code for games that will link new games to owners consoles. I think this is inevitable and Sony and Microsoft are going to get a lot of flak, but it is most likely publisher driven. So since Microsoft is already the “bad guy” in this scenario let that keep being the story for as long as possible. Let the idea a new game code marinate in people’s brains for a few months before announcing that the PS4 will require them also. It may not be a popular decision, but at least most of the heat will have died down.
Photo courtesy turntherightcorner.com
Wherefore Art Thou Vita?
Even with slow sales, the Vita keeps chugging along and has, in the year and a half since its release, built up quite the quality library. The addition of PS Plus to the handheld has added a lot of extra value giving buyers anywhere from 6-11 free games with a year of Plus. Guerrilla Games Killzone: Mercenary is looking like the true current-gen handheld FPS we have been waiting on. Beyond that it gets a little thin, but fear not, Remote Play is coming along to save the day. News is that Sony is requiring all games that will release on the PS4 that are not Move oriented to have Remote Play between the console and the Vita. Now I know that Remote Play on the PSP was sketchy as hell, but the Vita is a powerhouse for a handheld system and should have no problem running a scaled down version of games with its beautiful OLED screen. The Vita will never be a competitor to the 3DS, but Sony can still ensure that it carves out its own unique niche.
Stay The Course
It has been so far, so good for Sony and the PS4 and there is no reason why they should not leave E3 feeling as if they are in the driver’s seat for the next-gen consoles. They took a calculated risk in February when they went all in with gamers. Microsoft will keep up with their “all in one” presentation for the Xbox One so all Sony needs to do is keep hedging their bets on the gaming community wanting a system that is built from the ground up to play games. This next generation will be like no other with Sony and Microsoft splitting paths on their company strategy when it comes to consoles. To me, Sony is easily winning the word of mouth battle with gamers and come E3 all they need to do is stay focused on the games.
Long time game analyst Michael Pachter believes that console prices will be dropping at next week’s E3. He says that with new consoles on their way this year Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft will be lowering their current generation systems by at least $30-$50.
Nintendo making the Wii $99 is just a sensible idea and as I said in my Nintendo E3 preview, they need to give the Wii U a drastic price cut.
Microsoft and Sony lowering their systems may not be as big a deal because they are bundling so much stuff with their systems that a price reduction would just ensure that a lot of bundling would stop. Instead of a $299 PS3 with a couple of games or a year of PS Plus, you may just get a $249 system and that’s all.
I love my Xbox 360. It is my console of choice for this last generation. Now don’t get me wrong, I still play my PS3 religiously, but whenever a multi-console game has come out (which is 85% of releases) I instinctively get it for the 360. I am an admitted achievement whore and I prefer my online experiences over Xbox Live. So why am I ready to purchase a PS4 on day one and feel I can wait a few months on my Xbox One purchase?
Simple answer: the games.
Now don’t get on a high horse and say that I am jumping on a new bandwagon or anything asinine like that. There is still a long way to go before deciding what next-gen console will occupy the majority of my time. E3 is in a few weeks where both Microsoft and Sony will bring out the really big guns with game demos (hopefully) and price points. This early, early, very early impression is based solely on the two press conferences I have watched. Opinions have the wonderful ability to change.
The Xbox One is a beautiful looking machine. It is simplistic, square and black. Something that agrees with my OCD for my entertainment center. Like the PS4, it is a monster on the inside with 8GB of RAM and 8-core CPU with a Blu-Ray drive (which I am sure is killing Microsoft on the inside knowing Sony won that battle). It has the horsepower to match the PS4 which is what we expected. The other thing we expected, which I was hoping was wrong, was that Microsoft would focus on Xbox One being the central hub of your living room. This is where my initial disconnect begins.
Back in February, Sony took a calculated risk by saying the PS4 would be a gaming machine focused on the games. They bet double down that Microsoft would take the entertainment route and they were right. Now in the next six months we are going to see if that bet pays off. For a gamer like me I am more than ready to get a PS4 day one because of this reason. I understand Microsoft’s overall strategy with the Xbox One. It is the next evolution of the brand and that’s all well and good….for Microsoft. I have no problem with my cable box, I have ten sports channels to watch and a laptop and smartphone to check my fantasy teams on and while all the bells and whistles that Microsoft showed off today were certainly fun, they are not convincing me that I will be saving $500 for a midnight release.
All photos courtesy theverge.com
With so many games being multi-platform now and my existing systems still going strong with their impressive libraries and ability to play Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Go, etc., my first choice in next-gen systems breaks down to exclusives and as much as I love the Xbox brand, Sony is going to win that fight. I love my Gears of War and Halo and will be playing them (eventually) on an Xbox One, but when I begin to look at the Sony franchises that I am addicted to my choice becomes clearer. Uncharted, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Ratchet and Clank, God of War and Killzone is quite the list and two of those franchises are guaranteed to me on day one on the PS4.
I know this article may be a little hypocritical seeing as how I will eventually own both systems, but early adopters are the ones who drive the spin of which console is winning. Last generation Sony priced themselves out of my range for two years while my love of Xbox grew. Now this generation Playstation is focusing on the games while Xbox One is trying to get me to voice command it to watch Mike and Molly.
