So I just realized that in a little over a month E3 will be upon us again. There's been a little talk here and there about what to expect but I think it will be completely crazy this year. I've heard that Microsoft is really going to be showing off even more games, which is nuts as they already have a number of holdovers from last year that still haven't come out so it'll be interesting to see where they are at. Sony will definitely provide more insight into Morpheus (the VR for PS4) as well as after last weeks "accidental" unlocking of most PSX and PSP games for the Vita many have rumoured that they will announce Vita TV for the West, for 99.99 and have all the games available for it that haven't been thus far. Also, hopefully they will announce some new games and at least have some new footage for some exclusives. Not that exclusives are the be all and end all, but Microsoft definitely has been showing what they did with their billion dollars they paid for exclusives. Hopefully Sony will have much to show.
As for Nintendo, well of course this is going to be the most interesting. After last years decidedly meagre showing and the fact that there is still not much known in regards to what is coming out later in the year, hopefully Nintendo will do a presentation and have a big showing there. Tomodachi Life comes out just before E3, and then Smash Bros for 3DS comes out this summer, outside of that, not much is known for the 3DS. For the Wii U, well Mario Kart comes out just before E3, and Smash Bros won't be out until November (which is my prediction). Otherwise there is Bayonetta 2, Yarn Yoshi, Hyrule Warriors more than likely coming this year, with X maybe this year and Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensai still not coming till maybe next year.
The incredibly hilarious Mega64 video showcasing Nintendo's E3 plans.
They just announced as well that they will be doing an online presentation again much like last year, which is somewhat troublesome, but again is how Nintendo is choosing to do things. Hopefully they will still get journalists to cover it as much as the other big press conferences, but really, we all just want to see what Zelda U is going to look like. It's a little over a month away and I seriously can't wait, best time of the year.
I write a lot about Nintendo on here, because, well I am a huge fan. I have been playing Nintendo games for a quarter of a century so there is a lot of history here. I have made it known that I love my Wii U and wish there was more support for it. Lately I have been playing my PS4 a bit more, but that has been mainly thanks to school eating up most of my time and only having time here or there to spend on games like inFAMOUS Second Son and Resogun.
Mario Kart 8.
However that has been changing. I have been embracing the indies on the Wii U more and more and have been enjoying some of the titles on the system. I finally got my hands on DuckTales which brings me back of course to the old NES days. I also picked up Unepic which is a more rpg heavy Castlevania type game that uses the gamepad in really interesting and smart ways, and is super tough. Plus, Child of Light comes out next week, and while it will be on most systems I am planning on getting it for Wii U, just because I love playing on the Gamepad.
Child of Light from Ubisoft.
There are even more games coming, slowly but surely. Mario Kart 8 is out in just over a month. Bayonetta 2 is probably going to be out this summer, as well as potentially X, Yarn Yoshi, Hyrule Warriors and of course Super Smash Bros, which will be out in November (that's my guess anyways). There are also over 50 more indie games on the way thanks to the Wii U and it's support for Unity, which is also good news, and some interesting things like Shovel Knight are coming.
Tomodachi Life from Nintendo.
The 3DS of course is still killing it, and I really don't need to say more than the Pokemon games selling over 12 million units, and price cuts on the key 5 Mario games due to them selling as much as the Pokemon games. Also, Tomodachi Life has been confirmed for the 3DS and is coming in June as well, and man that game looks amazing and ridiculous. There are also a ton of great smaller titles for the 3DS and Nintendo's first attempts at free-to-play are also of note. The 3DS is continuing to exert dominance in the handheld space even with the rise of mobile gaming.
Mario Kart 8 footage from Nintendo.
So what is going to happen next for Nintendo? Well, I feel that once Mario Kart is closer to launch there will be a huge marketing push and hopefully new interest in the system. Hopefully Nintendo starts doing a better job at explaining what it is and what it can do. Also, later on in the year there will be a big push with Smash Bros coming and hopefully the official announcement of the new Legend of Zelda and perhaps another big title. There is also however the Quality of Life "system" that they are working on and the next handheld, which I am sure will be shown later this year as well. I think that the Wii U will still do better than the Gamecube but probably not by much. I love the system and hopefully some support starts to show up soon though.
So I am currently deep in the heart of paper writing season, followed by finals, so what I am playing on my PS4 is pretty limited (I did however just finish Thomas Was Alone and am now playing Fez on my Vita). I have spent a bit of time though with a few new games and wanted to share some thoughts.
inFAMOUS Second Son
This is the game that I got a PS4 for. I love the other 2 inFAMOUS games and love the somewhat dark superhero world that Sucker Punch has created. So far I have enjoyed the variety in conduit powers that you can get, and how gorgeous the game is. I'm still not super sold on Delsin as a lead, and miss Cole and Zeke, but so far it hasn't been so bad. The gameplay more than makes up for it. Again though, this game is so pretty and a definite showcase for the PS4.
Fez
I have played a little bit of this on my PS4 but mostly on my Vita. On the PS4 it looks really sharp and the colours are so crisp. The gameplay is as good as it was on the 360, and apparently the framerate is much better on this. We will see so far, but for now it's been great and another great addition to the PS4 library.
Mercenary Kings
This was one that I was really pumped up on, especially as I love the character design/ art style of the guys behind the Scott Pilgrim game. It's essentially Contra mixed with Monster Hunter. Side-scrolling shooter and when you kill things you get items that you can craft into new weapons, armour, etc. I have to say I like it, and want to play more multiplayer of it, but after playing TowerFall this game seems really sluggish, and I hate that you can't shoot diagonally. It's a bit of a letdown but I'm sure that playing it more I'll get used to it.
Anyways, back to work, look for my TowerFall review in the days to come over on Recultured.
I felt like I needed to rant a bit about this. Whenever there are any articles about new indie titles coming to the PS4 there are always a ton of people commenting about how the games are garbage and they want more AAA titles. I know that people really want crazy new games to show off their new hardware but might I say that it's just the beginning of a new console lifecycle and in case people forgot, launches have generally been really awful as far as games go. Do people not remember the PS2 launch and only having Tekken Tag Tournament or Fantavision to play and that was it for forever. I have enjoyed having Need for Speed Rivals, Killzone, and now inFAMOUS Second Son finally out to play but having the other little titles to play has been great for picking up and playing for a bit here or there. Resogun has been a fantastic title to play when I have some spare time, and Don't Starve is so good playing on the Vita via remote play. Now with TowerFall Ascension out, and Fez and the countless other indies coming this month, there's never a time when I don't have something to play. Whether it's something that will take me 80 hours to beat, 8 hours, or just a couple hours, a great game is a great game and people really shouldn't look down on indies so much on the PS4. Be thankful that Sony has gone after these developers and there is something to play when you get tired of another CoD match.
So I have had a bit of quality hands on time with my Vita the last couple weeks since getting it and I really quite like it. I like the feel of it for the most part but I can see why someone would invest in getting trigger grips for it if you are playing for more than say an hour at at time. But I love the screen and love the game selection for it. I still have yet to really get a "new" Vita game for the system, but have been enjoying playing indies such as Thomas Was Alone, Limbo and Spelunky and playing old ps One classics on it like Final Fantasy IX and lastly, PSP games like Final Fantasy Tactics. I spent $20 dollars over a month or so when there were deals on and I have 6 quality games for the Vita.
Now I need to figure out what should be my first full-on purchase for the system, titles like Persona 4 Golden, Tearaway, Toukiden and Batman Arkham Origins are definitely at the top of my list for the system. However, Final Fantasy X HD comes out in less than 2 weeks, so maybe that? Curse having too much to play and not enough time. All in all though, I hope Sony gives the system more of a push with it's connectivity with the PS4 as the system deserves it.
Side note, remote play with the PS4 is as awesome as I had hoped that it would be. Great little system.
So I decided to go with the old model of the Vita. Why did I do this? Mostly for the OLED screen, as it seems that the general consensus is that it is much better than the LCD on the Slim, so I went for it. So I have it and have enjoyed it so far, as I was up most of the night with my son so I played a few games. It's also loaded up with games so far and thanks to a PSN card I got at Christmas I had bought a few games on sale the last month or so, so I am set. What do I have?
- Limbo
- Spelunky
- Thomas Was Alone
- Final Fantasy Tactics
- Final Fantasy IX
- Flower
Also, thanks to PS Plus I have put Gravity Rush on the Vita as I've wanted to play it more since I first gave it a go. Next up, syncing it up with my PS4 and trying some Remote Play. In case you couldn't tell, I'm excited.
By the way, Limbo is fantastic, if anyone had forgotten.
So I am currently torn between getting an old Vita, with the OLED screen, or waiting for the Slim bundle with Borderlands 2 to come out. First world problems, am I right? Regardless, I have wanted one for a long time but the price has always been a little too much, and there wasn't much of a reason to get one. Now that I have a PS4, well that has changed. So, should I get one of the old ones while they are still available, or get a Slim in a month. Regardless, here are some of the reasons as to why I am finally on board.
- Remote-Play with the PS4
- PSP and PS One Classics such as Patapon, LocoRoco, Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, etc.
- Great exclusives, especially Uncharted, Gravity Rush and Tearaway, the first 2 are also free thanks to PS Plus.
- Free games thanks to PS Plus (see above). There are 6 currently available for the Vita and of course they cycle every month.
- Use with Playstation Now (hopefully).
I am excited to finally get on board with the Vita, and hopefully with the compatibility with the PS4 being showcased, the sales and software will hopefully continue to pick up. Anyone else have a Vita? Favorite games?
