Ah, Christmas mornings. I remember the Christmas I got a NES and my brother got a Master System. We had 2 TVs set up in the living room and spent the whole morning playing Alex Kidd and Donkey Kong Classics. No bickering, no fighting, no putting the other console down. Fun times.
This year could be very different for kids and teens though. What console would be on their Christmas list for Santa? Are they going to be looking at the exclusives or have they decided already?
The Xbox One, in my opinion, has the biggest exclusive game (for the holiday season) in the form of Halo : The Master Chief Collection. More than a remaster, the MCC consists of all the classic Halo games to date, and their multiplayer modes, complete with their full sets of add-on content. The screenshots and previews we have witnessed so far have been nothing short of breathtaking. FPS fans should be flocking to the Xbox One during holiday season to snap up the MCC. Like it or not, Halo has one of the largest fanbases in the world.
The Wii-U will be the choice for the younger generation, or those who enjoy some family gaming on Christmas night. I have already bought my daughter the Wii-U and I am seriously looking forward to making her cry into her Christmas pudding after the beating I will bestow on her at Mario Kart 8. Add Super Smash Bros Wii-U and we have a console which could surprise many in December.
The Sony camp seem to have delayed some of their exclusives until early 2015. At present, it appears that Little Big Planet 3 will be the big exclusive for the PS4 this holiday season. Does this match up to Smash Bros and Halo? In terms of popularity, I would say no. However, the PS4 is such a success that many people will want to own the most popular console without considering the exclusives, or lack thereof. Bloodborne and The Order are due for February 2015 releases, which will no doubt be massive successes (especially Bloodborne).
Christmas time exclusives don't necessarily sway the consumer to choose one console over the other. Gamers have probably known which console they want for Christmas many months ago. We like to hope that the quality of games is what makes people purchase the console, but this isn't always the case. It can be argued that the Wii-U has the most innovate and fresh exclusives, using their iconic characters to build some really fun games. Lets not forget Bayonetta 2. If we all chose a system based solely on exclusives, the Wii-U would probably get my vote.
This isn't the case though. All eyes are on the Xbox One, to see if they can recoup some consumers. They are certainly on the right course. No doubt the PS4 will sell a ton based on the previous success of the console, and the Wii-U should do a nice number too. With the Master Chief Collection, it sure will be interesting to see if Microsoft can turn the corner even further and close the gap.
Conversation with fellow gamers can be either really fun, or really annoying. Some of my most memorable online sessions have been with funny and insightful fellow gamers, holding good conversation on the headset and making the game more fun. On the other end of this spectrum, we have the trolls, griefers, 5 year olds and plain idiots. Have these types of gamers driven you away from using your headset online?
I was never big into PC gaming, so my first real flawless experience with a headset online was with my Xbox 360. I downloaded Street Fighter 2 : Hyper Fighting and put the headset on, waiting for the probable vile comments that would come my way. At first, I had many players who would be very good sports, accepting defeats and offering advice on wins. This was not always the case however.
Being from the UK, I obviously have a very different accent to our American friends. This would be used as a basis to troll. Sometimes, after beating someone at Street Fighter, my accent and home country would be the main attack. “F**k you, British C**t. You would be German if it wasn't for America”. Um... ok... and exactly what does this have to do with Street Fighter? Kind of low to attack me over something I have zero control over. Do I need to put on a fake accent to gain your acceptance?
But, back then, the good times would outweigh the bad and I enjoyed talking to like-minded gamers who wanted to have fun.
Playing with family members was always fun though. I would game frequently with my brother at weekends, so the headset was revolutionary for us. We could continue our friendly arguing online when playing games like Fifa and Tony Hawk. If we were playing games that opened up to more than 2 players, we would try to be as welcoming as possible.
With the PS3, I found that not many people liked to talk online. I had some fun with ModNation Racers though, and met some really creative players who would show off their custom characters and cars. This was fun and felt very social at first, but it ended with many kids complaining that others stole their Spongebob character.
Around this time I stopped using the headsets while online. I just didn't find it necessary for the games I played. A few months ago I got the Xbox One, and decided to pop the mic into the controller to see how the community had changed (if at all). Plus, with 64 players in Battlefield, surely I would meet some cool people.
Wrong.
One guy I heard whispering the most obscene garbage into his mic about raping pets and having anal sex with his team-mates. I heard another guy talking to his kids, telling them to “leave him f**king alone while he is playing games”. I experienced a ton of people who like to play music into the headset, with volume settings so bad that it sounds like a distorted mess. I found the kids who just shouted random garbage into the mic. I quickly realised that I won't be able to find many chilled people, having to dig through the mess of obscene and idiotic people.
Sure, it is cool that we have bigger player counts but it now feels for every one decent player, there must be 4 other morons.
Do you still use headsets when gaming? What kind of people have you met?
Remote Play, the Android-exclusive feature that allows owners of Sony’s PS4 owners to stream footage from their games directly to their smartphone is no longer exclusive to Sony’s smartphones. At least, it isn’t for owners of other Android devices. Thanks to an enterprising member of the enthusiasts community, practically any Android users can pair their smartphone with a controller and their PS4 using Remote Play.
XperiaPlayStation, a member of the XDA Developers community has somehow managed to get a port of Sony’s exclusive Remote Play App working on other Android-powered smartphones. Users have to install the APK, but afterwards they’re able to start the app and stream footage from their PS4 console. The only caveat seems to be that it’s an unsigned APK or Android app file, which can be dangerous since they haven’t been run through the Google Play Store. The overwhelming majority of Android smartphones and tablets allow users to install APKs from outside the Google Play Store. There could be additional steps for some users depending on whatever Android phone in question.
With this port, it isn’t likely that the community member in question has earned a lot of fans at Sony. In recent months Sony has insisted that it absolutely no plans to bring the Remote Play app to other Android phones. Harsh as it may seem, Sony’s trying to create an entire ecosystem where users who purchase all of its products see some clear benefits for their dedication.
In freeing the Remote Play app from Sony Xperia smartphones, XperiaPlayStation is undercutting the value proposition for actually being a Sony Xperia smartphone in the first place. How will Sony will respond to that is unclear, but those who are anxious to try the app may want to move quickly.
Remote Play is what PS4 owners use when they just can’t be in front of their television to game for whatever reason. The idea is very similar to the value proposition for buying a Wii U, if someone wants to watch a program on the television the PS4 is connected too, it’s as easy as powering up their controller and finding a decent holder for their smartphone to use as a screen. All the gaming is still happening on the PS4 in the house, but that footage is streamed directly to the smartphones screen.
With the news that Captain America 3 will kickstart the Marvel Civil War story arc, could it be possible that we will see a Civil War video game on the current gen consoles?
For those in the dark, the original Civil War ran from 2006 – 2007 and featured superheroes from the Marvel universe going head to head. The plot of the series follows a framework storyline in which the U.S. government passes a Superhero Registration Act ostensibly designed to have superpowered characters act under official regulation, somewhat akin to Police officers. Heroes were split, those who were for the Registration and those who were against it. This led to fisticuffs between the heroes, championed by Iron Man and Captain America.
Without giving the story away, the video game possibilities are endless. Lets look at 3 genres that could make Marvel Civil War a very interesting game:
Beat – em – up:
This would be my first choice. Taking lessons from Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice, the Civil War storyline could be played out inbetween fights with our favourite heroes. I would vote for Capcom to develop this using their Street Fighter IV engine (not the Marvel vs Capcom engine, personally I enjoyed the Street Fighter IV series more) and adapt some moves already seen in Marvel vs Capcom. We know that Capcom can show love to Marvel and not let fans down when it comes to artwork and style. Replayability would be here by picking a different side for 2 different story modes (Pro-Registration and Anti-Registration).
RPG :
Customize a new hero and decide which side you are on, Pro-Registration or Anti-Registration. Level up by taking on other heroes. The storyline, though, would have to be altered slightly. Could be interesting to see a new take on the events of Civil War.
With the RPG levelling system, we could upgrade our custom hero with new powers. This has been done before, however with the scope of Civil War and the whole Marvel universe we could have limitless possibilities.
Open World Adventure :
Like Shadow of Mordor. Imagine a large map of America where your hero can locate enemies from “the other side”. Incorporating a Nemesis system like Mordor (only using superheroes instead of Captains and Warchiefs), you will be acquired to take down the “other side” from the bottom to the top. Inbetween this you will be acquired to complete superhero side missions (accept rescuing people from fires, that has been done to death).
Do you have any ideas for a Marvel Civil War video game?