Archives for 06/10/2013

Well, this is surprising.

I was figuring I’d be sitting this console generation out. But Sony stepped up to the plate and gave me a HUUUUUUGE pile of stuff I actually want to play! The heavy, heavy emphasis on indies and original settings and low emphasis on tired genres really helps here.

Dropping the bomb that they will NOT be using any sort of authentication or control scheme? That’s the icing on the cake. And I’ve always admired PS+, their subscription service, for actually providing something for the money… unlike XBox Live, which just takes away the no-multiplayer restriction and expects you to be satisfied.

So let’s do the math.

• PS4: +Used Games +No Authentication +Playstation Plus Based Freebies +Gaikai for Backwards Compatibility +$100 cheaper! -Gotta pay for multiplayer now (+4)
• The Order 1886: +Steampunk +Original -Shooting (+2)
• Killzone: -Gritty -War -Shooting (-3)
• Drive Club: =Meh -Driving (-1)
• Infamous Second Son: -Gritty +Original (0)
• Knack: +Original +Stylish =Meh (+2)
• Dark Sorceror: +Amazing Tech Demo -Not Actually a Game (0)
• Transistor: +Original +Stylish +Fun! -Also coming to PC, so whatev (+2)
• Don’t Starve: +Original +Stylish -Also PC (+1)
• Mercenary Kings: +Original +Retro +Stylish +Fun! -Also PC (+3)
• octodad: +Original +Stylish -Also PC (+1)
• Secret Ponchos: +Original +Stylish (+2)
• Rays the Dead: +Original =Meh (+1)
• Red Barrels: =Meh (0)
• Oddworld: -Remake +Fun! (0)
• Galaxy: =Meh (0)
• Diablo 3: =Meh (0)
• FF15: +Stylish +Fun! (+2) And a better title.
• Kingdom Hearts 3: +Stylish -Nonsensical Plot (0)
• FF14: =Meh (0)
• Assassin’s Creed IV: =Meh (0)
• Watch_Dogs: -Shooting +Original +WANT TO PLAY -Also PC (0)
• Sports Montage: -Sports (-1)
• Elder Scrolls Online: =Meh (0)
• Mad Max: -Shooting -Gritty +WHAT (-1)
• Destiny: -Shooting -War -Gritty +Original (-2)

FINAL SCORE: 12, with 16% of ’em being shooting games. (I don’t count the indie games which involve guns because they aren’t the kind of yawner AAA shooters I’m talking about here.)

I’m flabbergasted, honestly. I was expecting draconican game policies to be in full effect here, because Sony wouldn’t want to be out of that particular party. Looks like either they never planned that or they changed their minds after MS got roasted.

Either way, this console is delivering more experiences beyond the dudebro set, and has a proven track record promoting indies and new experiences. So… yeah. I think I may actually go for this. I really think I might.

Can’t fit it in a tweet. So, here’s my rundown.

I’m already not thrilled with the Xbone, and this is coming from someone who had a 360 and PS3 and ended up gaming on one and watching movies on the other. I would have been happy to roll over into the next generation, if it wasn’t being aggressively marketed in direct opposition to everything I want in a console.

Don’t care about TV. Don’t care about sports. Don’t care about social media sharing. Don’t care about dudebro gritty brown realistic shooters. Don’t care about shooters of any stripe, honestly. Don’t care about war, don’t care about drivin’, don’t care about any of this.

I mean, let’s quantitatively break this down, with (-) negatives, (=) apathy, and (+) upsides. Because math is fun!

• The Xbone Itself: -TV Focus, -DRM, -Social, -XboxLive, +Cloud Games, +Hardware (-2)
• Metal Gear Solid 5: -War, -Shooting, -Gritty, +Stylishish (-2)
• Ryse: -War, -Heavily Scripted QTE Setpieces (-2)
• Killer Instinct: =Nostalgia (0)
• Sunset Overdrive: -Shooting, -Zombies, +STYLE!, +FUN! (0)
• Forza: =Meh (0)
• Quantum Break: -Shooting, +STYLE!, +Concept! (1)
• Spark: -Overpromising, +STYLE!, +FUN! (+1)
• Crimson Dragon: =Meh (0)
• Dead Rising 3: -Shooting, -Zombies, -Gritty (-3)
• Witcher 3: =Meh (0)
• Battlefield 4: -Shooting, -War, -Scripting, -Gritty (-4)
• Below: +STYLE! (+1)
• Halo: -Shooting, -War, -Gritty (-3)
• Titanfall: -Shooting, -War, -Gritty, +Robots, +Innovative (-2)

FINAL SCORE: -15, with 57% of ’em being shooting games.

I don’t think Sony’s gonna do much better, though. The chances of them not embracing the same anti-consumer measures that Microsoft is embracing are low; if this is what game publishers want then they won’t be satisfied with only one of the two big new consoles offering it. Maybe Sony will be less draconian, but there will still be a dragon involved, no doubt.

The only hope is if Sony pushes harder on the indie front, delivering innovative and interesting new games that have distinct visual style without overloading the bullet points with bullets. We’ll see. I’ll post again later tonight with my thoughts there.

In the end… I’ll probably just ditch the new generation completely and stick to my PC. Steam and the Humble Store are consistently delivering interesting things and new concepts I want to play. Guess I’ll get to save money in the end by not buying a new plastic appliance.