Xbox One

If you are a gamer with access to the internet/have friends who are, then you've probably heard that the next generation Xbox was announced yesterday.
The Xbox One.
I'm going to start off by saying that whilst the name does make discussing the 3 generations of Xbox confusing, I kind of like the fact that they chose the name to imply that it is an all-in-one entertainment machine. Still, I wish it was called Infinity.
 Right, now I'm going to be lazy and steal a list of facts so that I don't have to re-type it all. It's all taken from CVG.com. Click HERE to read it all from a far more reputable site than mine.

• Microsoft describes the console as "the ultimate, all in one home entertainment system"
• The console is shaped in the 16:9 aspect ratio and supports horizontal orientation optimised for its Blu-ray disc player
• Xbox will host 8GB of RAM and be based on 64bit architecture
• Xbox One will transfer data through USB 3.0 and operates silently
• Xbox One co-habits three operating systems in one: one features "deep and instant access to hardware"; second is a Windows operating system; and the third is custom made for multi-tasking
• Xbox One engineers "did not target the highest-end graphics" when designing the console, which is targeted more as "a broad entertainment play"
• Xbox One will launch around the world "later this year"
• All Xbox One games will require mandatory installation and will be tied to Xbox Live accounts
• There is a fee to install games on a second user's console, with players who activate a pre-owned disc required to pay the same price as the original buyer in order to access its content
• After installation, games can be played without a disc being in the tray
• Microsoft is designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games. It will share more details on this process at a later date
• There is no mandatory always-online requirement for Xbox One games. Developers can choose to implement it themselves.
• Xbox One does not always have to be connected, but does require a connection to the Internet, possibly once every day
• Xbox One will not play Xbox 360 titles
• Microsoft will "continue to support [Xbox 360] with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future"
• An improved 1080p Kinect sensor will ship with every Xbox One, it is "now an essential and integrated part of the platform"
• Next-gen Kinect will be released for PC
• Kinect can be used to navigate live television using voice and gestures
• "Snap" feature allows applications to be overlaid on your TV for multitasking
• Kinect has been redesigned to be more responsive and "conversational" with users
• Kinect "understands the slightest rotation of wrist, shift balance, transfer of motion, and when you're exercising it can read your heartbeat"
• Xbox One turns on with the voice command "Xbox on"
• "Live switching" via voice commands instantly jumps between games, the internet, movies, music and other entertainment
• Skype on Xbox One will enable group video calls on your TV in HD
• TV shows on Xbox One can be found using voice and motion controls, through a personal favourites area, or via a trending section
• Xbox One's new controller is "designed by gamers, for gamers, for the next generation" and features over 40 design innovations
• The controller's form factor is similar to the Xbox 360 pad
• The controller features two buttons where the home button used to be, which are used primarily for UI functions
• The controller has a redesigned D-pad
• The controller's triggers are referred to as "Impulse Triggers" and developers will be able to "program feedback directly into the triggers"
• The controller has an "integrated battery compartment" and will communicate with the console via a fast Wi-Fi connection.

Whilst I could spend hours going over every bit of this, there are a few points here that I want to make my own point on. Mostly the second hand business.

Right, I get why they have decided to make disks connected to one singular console, and I get its because they want more money to go to the publishers instead of them getting one sale and a game store getting countless from resales. I respect the decision to give the publishers more money, otherwise some people spend hundreds of hours slaving away at a game just to have sales under-perform because most people bought it used. What I don't like is, for one, when you buy the game you have to install it, they tried it with the PS3 and it was infuriating. (One particularly sour memory springs to mind watching Old Snake smoking whilst Metal Gear Solid 4 installed). Plus for those gamers (and I count myself as one of these) who buy a lot of games, thats gonna seriously diminish their storage space. So what happens then if they delete a few games of the hard drive but keep the copy of the game they bought, then at a later date decide to replay the game? Do they have to pay this "fee"? 

Also, what about the people who buy a game, then decide to play split-screen with a friend? Does the friend have to buy the game as well even if they only have one Xbox? If that's true then Microsoft can kindly go fuck themselves.

I don't want to sound like some sort of douchey Xbox-hater, I love the 360 and I'm very excited for the X1 (that's what I'm calling it, it sounds cooler than calling it the One), but as I mentioned in my previous post, many of my greatest moments in 360 gaming came from split screen playing. My friends and I are not rich, so if Microsoft try and stick a second full-price charge for us to play a game on the same Xbox, then I doubt I'll have half the entertainment I've had with the 360.

I know people are complaining about the "always online" thing, and firstly, it's not a requirement for all games, but secondly I don't think it's a problem. I get some people can't be always connected, and if that is the case, then I don't see the point in people buying it. You wouldn't buy a boat if you didn't live near the sea. I didn't get the 360 or PS3 for quite some time after they came out, and I didn't have a problem with that. Microsoft have said they will be continuing the 360 for quite some time after the X1's release, and there's nothing wrong with the 360.

I'm still not on board with the Kinect. I have one for my 360 and it causes more harm than good. Countless times has it popped up trying to pause a film because it mistakes my motionless body for a flailing limb. To this day I don't know how to make it pause via Kinect when I want to pause. The demo they showed at the announcement was obviously staged, not because it won't work as well as they showed, but because no one in their right mind would let something that important get left to chance. The voice recognition was cool, but if Microsoft decide that multiple accounts on one X1 must pay multiple times for one game, then when my friends of girlfriend decide they want to play something, I'll have to make sure that my account is the only one on it. Also, if they do push forward with full voice commands, then they damn well better make sure they tune it to the British accent. My Kinect picks up more from videos watched on my computer than it does from commands I shout at it.

I guess I'm just not 100% sure about the X1. I don't doubt I'll buy it, probably day one, but I can't deny there are a couple of doubts I have about it. I can't let it get to me though, the X1 was announced a day ago in a 1 hour announcement. In a few weeks we will have E3 for them to show of a plethora of amazing games, whilst also hopefully clarifying several of the points they left unsure. At least they showed what it looked like.

I've got nothing wrong with the PS4, and in fact some of the things they showed at their conference made me more excited than the X1's. (I really didn't care for all the sports crap Microsoft pilled into theirs).

Now that that is all said and done, I just wanted to say that work on Second Solace will start next week. I can't wait to start as I've had so many exciting ideas for what to do.

But until then, I'm going to get drunk, play video games, and watch Frasier.

Farewell Internet

The Xbox 360: A Retrospective

With the announcement of the next generation Xbox within our reach, and the recent announcement of the Playstation 4, I wanted to take a look back at the Xbox 360. At first, I wanted to write a top 5 list of my favourite moments of the 360, but as I scrolled through my list of games played, I realized, I can’t simply pull out my top 5. The Xbox 360 for me has been my pinnacle in gaming, partially because it arrived at a point in my life where I could still get away with spending days on end gaming, but partially because what it has given me by playing it.

I remember the very first game I saw running on the 360: Elder Scrolls IV, Oblivion. I remember vividly the moment your character steps out of the sewers, revealing the unparalleled beauty on Cyrodiil. It came at a time in my life before I had my head buried in gaming news, and I had not seen any footage beforehand. For me, that will forever be a moment of pure amazement, even now that the technically superior Skyrim is amongst us, Oblivion will always be the premiere moment of gaming beauty for me.

Speaking of Skyrim, as many of you have probably experienced for yourselves, Skyrim is amazing! By the time I finally put down my controller I had hit at least 150 hours in one single play through, and for the most part, a lot of that was self-made adventuring. I loved the campaign, but in all honesty, I can't remember that much of it almost two years since its release. What really stood out for me were the adventures I had outside the main campaign. Let me tell you the beautiful story that unfolded without the help of the fantastic writers at Bethesda. 

As those who have already played it, one of the first followers you can acquire is a lady named Lydia. To be fair, she was quite terrible at her job, there were many other followers in the game that far surpassed her talent, but she was the first. For hours and hours I dealt with her getting stuck on doors and being generally useless. But she was my Lydia, she was my companion through the torturous would of Skyrim. The adventures we shared together were immense, and as we progressed, I grew fonder of her company. 

And then it happened, I cannot remember the details of the mission, but I know someone betrayed me, and I headed in rage to the cave the traitor fled to. Alas, the threat was too great, so I utilized my stealth skill. Whilst I was adept, I was no match for the occupants of the cave. I needed to reach the caves end, and it is here the story takes a sour turn. Lydia ran ahead straight into the head of the battle. Against three foes, Lydia laid down her life to further my victory. I snuck past and achieved my goal, thinking my companion could only suffer temporary defeat. Alas as I fled the cave, I noted Lydia was no by my side. I returned to the cave but found no body.

For days I hoped she would appear somewhere, but my hopes were in vein. 

As the days went by, I found a sarcastic Mage to accompany me, but no matter how quick his wit or how devastating his spell, he was no Lydia.

As my fame spread across Skyrim, I bought a house, and found myself an enchantment table. The blade that had slain the mighty dragon, Alduin, was renamed Lydia and hung upon my wall.

My final sight in the world of Skyrim was of that blade, sitting proudly above my fireplace.

A constant memory to a beloved friend.

I feel it would be wrong of me to not acknowledge co-op as one of the 360’s shining achievements. Sure, it had been done before, but not better. Whilst it wasn’t a favorite game in the eyes of most, one of my best memories of co-op gameplay came from Resident Evil 5. Resi 5 was the first of the series to draw me in. I had watched a friend play most of 4 some years before, and I had enjoyed it, so when 5 came along, I grabbed it. It was at that time, that my first Xbox 360 was malfunctioning, so I bought a new one which came with a second copy of Resi 5. I gave one copy to a friend, and kept the other for myself. For the next few months, I played through several games of Resi 5 simultaneously with two friends. Whenever I would pick the game up, I wouldn’t know what guns I would have, or where we would be, but I never grew bored. I remember one particularly grueling night spent playing through the game on the hardest setting, and being stuck on the fight with Wesker and Jill for at least four hours. We were so close to giving up, but we knew we never would until we beat the game. But it was a fantastic night.

Just a shame Resident Evil 6 sucked a massive bag of monkey dicks.

Fallout 3 - there are few games on the Xbox that I have attained all the achievements for. In fact, of the 177 games I have played, only 17 sit in the list of games completed. One of those is Fallout 3. That includes all the downloadable content. I must have out about 70 hours into that game before I decided to collect the final few achievements, some were tedious collect x number of pointless items, but the final achievement I had to get was the data collection achievement on the space ship. 

I had already played through the DLC, so when I returned to it, I wasn't really interested in murdering the aliens. I don't know if that affected the outcome, but as I made my way through the ship, I started to run out of health, ammo and any item even remotely useful. 

As I collected the second to last data entry, I ran out of everything. I checked the map and saw the last data entry was just down the corridor in the next room, but between me and victory stood a thousand aliens all armed to the teeth. A quick save and a small talk of confidence to myself and I was ready to make my suicide dash. I sprung from the room, and everything slowed to matrix bullet time. I dodged right and left all the laser bullets that shredded the room around me. My eyes focused on my goal, I knew the route, but the aliens were trained on my tattered body.

I could see the data entry, I dived over a table and into the room, aliens tearing my body apart with bullets, I tapped x madly as I grew closer but then.

My body was drained of life.

As the screen started to fade to black, the beautiful bleep bloop of my final achievement popped up. My character had sacrificed himself for my goal, his body sure to become an alien's probe toy, but I stood triumphant in my 1550/1550 gamerscore!

Farewell Daniel, you brave bastard!

I said at the beginning that I couldn’t name my top 5 moments, and that’s true. I remember panicking like a child playing through the first Dead Space, a game I had been talked into buying and then playing on the hardest setting. I remember playing Hitman Blood Money and challenging friends to be stealthier that I, and they never could. I remember XCOM: Enemy Unknown, watching my favourite soldiers Gavin “Pancakes” Stone and Gustavo “Old Spice” Burrito die bravely on the battlefield. I remember the emotional gut-splitting decisions I struggled to make in Telltale’s The Walking Dead series. I remember playing my old school favourite game Monkey Island in classic mode for nostalgia’s sake. I remember wandering Middle Earth as a Lego hobbit and loving how hilarious it was seeing Lego Minas Tirith from Isengard in Lego Lord of the Rings. I remember moving into a flat with my friend and the two of us playing Driver San Francisco listening to Downtown by Petulia Clark. I remember watching my friend play Zuma all day whilst I sat on the couch with the flu. I remember 177 games each with 100 stories of their own that I could recall for you now. The Xbox 360 will forever hold a place in my heart as THE gaming console, no matter how brilliant the next one is.

If I manage to have as much fun with the next generation as I had with this, then I am in for a fantastic decade of gaming ahead of me.

But my heart will forever be with the Xbox 360.