• 6Jun 13

  Is Sony Really Going to be Different than Microsoft?

  As we approach E3, the rumors are flying. We have been hearing all about how the Xbox One will have online check-ins every 24 hours, that it will somehow block used games (very mixed message there), and that the Kinect will probably intrude on your privacy. Meanwhile, all the Sony fanboys are rejoicing as they trash Microsoft. The thing is, is Sony going to be any better?

  Yes, Sony hasn't confirmed anything similar to the stupid features Microsoft has said will be included in the Xbox One, but the certainly haven't denied it. The simple fact that they haven't denied it would seem to say that they do have a similar plan. Worst case senario, Sony will follow in Microsoft's steps, and both the PS4 and Xbox One will have something like DRM and somehow block used games. This could lead to a collapse of the gaming market, or maybe, just maybe, people aren't so much against the features that Microsoft has introduced as they are against Microsoft.

  I personally would probably be described as a Microsoft fanboy. I have a PS2, but it never got as much time as my Xbox, and I don't have a PS3 because my freinds all have Xboxes. I have grown to like the Xbox over the years, and if you asked me two months ago what console I was going to buy, I would have instantly said the next Xbox. I still believe that many people will buy the Xbox One, and I don't think that this will end video games as we know them, but what do you think would happen if Sony announced that they were going to have similar practices to Microsoft when it comes to used games and monitoring?

  Most likely, the Sony fanboys (the same people calling me a fanboy for occasionally backing up the Xbox) will then violently defend the PS4. I am not against fanboyism, it's near impossible to avoid, but I am just wondering if the issues that are being argued in the comments are more about what is truely a better way to play video games or if they are just arguements about what company everyone wants to be better.

  • Posted Jun 6, 2013 9:30 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 1Jun 13

  Wolfenstein 3D (The Old is New)

  When I heard yesterday that Wolfenstein 3D was coming out for the Xbox, I was unusually excited. I normally would pay no attention to an old game being ported to a new console, but for some reason this really caught my eye. One of the reasons that I think that I was interested in Wolfenstein was that it was the start of what we now know as the first person shooter. 

  As I play Wolfenstein, I am not struck by the storyline (because there really isn't one) or the graphics (since that wasn't the point), but I am struck by the fact that this game is great. Even with all of the oversaturation of first person shooters today (Call of Duty, Battlefield, MoH, Halo) this game still felt unique. The interesting thing is that, as I have said before, this game lacks the things that we value in a game today (graphics, storyline, in-depth combat), but it is still awesome to play.

  This leads me to believe that our ideas of what makes a good game are wrong. We don't necessarily need good graphics, perfectly responsive controls, or even a great story line to make an amazing game. What the gaming industry needs is more originality. The reason that Wolfenstein is even remembered is because it was something new. The problem is, the gaming industry has been builing on what Wolfenstein created for the past twenty years. Yes, there have been improvements, but every FPS is the same when you get down to it.

  I am not saying that there have not been attempts to make more original games, and some of them have become really popular (look at Minecraft), but there needs to be something really substantial, or games could become very stagnant. It would appear that this is the problem that Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft are running in to. Microsoft has decided that video games need to include more TV and things besides video games to broaden thier customer base, but what the gaming industry really needs is nes games that are different than those that came befor them. The gaming industry needs another Wolfenstein, I mean this figuratively of course. What this game could come in the form of, I have no idea. All I know is that something needs to be done to get gaming out of the rut that it is in.

  What do you guys think?

  • Posted Jun 1, 2013 8:46 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 24May 13

  What's Wrong with Paying for Online?

  With the new generation of console now announced, debate had begun. One of the majory issues people seem to be concerned with when deciding which console they will buy is if the online service will cost them. I don't understand this. Yes, it is nice to get struff for free, but the online service is that a SERVICE. We pay for services, and the companies have a right to charge for them. It is kind of strange that our society has become so into getting stuff for free (media piracy and whatnot) that we cannot recognize when something like this deserves to be paid for.

  • Posted May 24, 2013 9:19 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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