realph

What I love at E3, more than the big conferences, are the games that slip through the cracks. While Microsoft and Sony are battling it out, tons of original IP, games by smaller teams and indies are lost between the big features. I wanted to put together a list of the best games we're not hearing about at E3.

Feel free to throw some additions in this thread and I'll add them below... Below. I'll get us started with these:

Hohokum – PS4/PS3/PS Vita

Hohokum is a colorful, semi-abstract world for players to explore as the look for creative ways to interact with the game, according to developers Richard Hogg and Ricky Haggett. Playing as a snake-like creature, players slither effortlessly through bright and beautiful spaces populated by strange, abstract objects. In one level, we experienced the Kite Village, which was populated by clouds, tree-like structures and little wheels that we could snake through, ricochet off or make pop just by brushing our body up against it.

Below – Xbox One

Vella calls Below a "super video game-y video game" whose strengths are its mechanics, its visual aesthetic and its soundtrack. The tiny warrior players control is miniature size to present a sense of scale.

This is totally speculative, but judging by what I've seen today, and what's going to be demoed on the show floor tomorrow, Xbox One launch is looking a little like this. I'm compiling this list based on actual demos shown today and based on games that look further-on in development. Games like Quantum Break, Halo and Sunset Overdrive (for example) don't fit the bill. Here goes:

• Forza Motorsport 5
• FIFA 14
• Madden 14
• Call of Duty: Ghosts
• Battlefield 4
• Dead Rising 3
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Watch Dogs
• Ryse
• Kinect Sports Rivals

Kind of underwhelming huh? More to the fact that most are going to be cross-gen titles that likely began their lives on old hardware. Killer Instinct might make that list, but not sure of the state of development at the moment.

It’s Monday morning, the Monday morning and I’m as pumped as the rest of you. E3 starts later today, and with what’s been going on over the last couple of weeks there’s an added layer of spice.

Microsoft are heading into this one with an impossible task. As expected, news of an always-online console and strict DRM practices didn’t go down too well with the people that put (let’s be honest) Microsoft in the position they are today.

Maybe it was an idea to get all the bad messaging out ahead of the game reveals that seem nailed-on for their conference later today. But we’re a fickle bunch, and if Microsoft dedicate every second of that media briefing to games then the majority of the protesters will get used to the restrictions and learn to live with it.

Talk of Respawn’s new title is exciting and very similar to Destiny from what I’ve heard. I can see this whole “drop-in/drop-out” co-op play becoming quite the trend this generation the same way modern military shooters were last time around. With new consoles naturally gravitating towards the cloud more and more it makes sense to build these immersive worlds around the damn thing. So, I’m interested in hearing more about how that’s going to work.

In the wake of Microsoft’s new policies, it seems the cool thing to do is hop on board the Sony train, as if they’re going to be this free-loving console for the people – ain’t gonna happen! If you thought the fallout from last Thursday’s news was bad, wait and see the reaction when people realise that Sony are running that train into the same DRM-walled garden Microsoft has built around the Xbox One.

In the end, it’s a case of EA, Activision and Ubisoft dictating play. They want to control used game sales, rentals etc. Microsoft needs them and therefore have given them the tools to do so, and I can’t think for one moment that Sony won’t have to do the same.

I guess with the state of things I find myself silently rooting for Nintendo. I’ve given them a fair amount of stick over the last 12 months, all of which I still stand by. But when things are so fucked up elsewhere, you can’t help but cheer on an old friend.

@toowalrus said:

Yes, it would require an always-on connection just like Microsoft are already doing. If you were to install Forza and disconnect, you'd be able to play Forza for up to 24 hours, once that 24 hour period is over you would have to connect to the internet. Doing so, the console would see you've lent that disc to a friend as it's currently activated on his console, deactivating your Forza in the process.

So, the internet is up in arms on how Xbox One is handling the ownership of games. According to Microsoft, you can now only give games to friends (and only once), that means no lending games. These new policies also kill off rentals, private sales and a bunch of other things we’re used to. Seriously Microsoft, here’s a better solution:

Let’s say I buy a physical copy of Forza at launch. I go home, install it to my console (activating the game on my console) and put the disc away, as the disc is not required once the game is installed.

Scenario 1:

Some weeks later, I lend my physical copy of Forza to my friend Marcus. That’s what friends are for, right?

He installs it to his console, which in turn deactivates it on my console and activates it on his. During the time it’s activated on his console I am unable to play Forza, preventing friends from sharing one copy of a game while simultaneously playing it.

He plays through it and returns it to me. Once I put Forza back in my console, it deactivates Forza from Marcus’ machine and reactivates it on mine. Simple enough, right?

Scenario 2:

After finishing Forza, I decide I want to sell it through eBay. I put the game up for auction and send it to the winning bidder. I’m able to play that copy of Forza right up until the point the buyer receives it and puts it into their console. Upon doing this, Forza is deactivated from my console and activated on theirs, passing over the ownership.

Scenario 3:

Forza didn’t live up to expectations – I preferred horizon. I decide to trade Forza in at my local GAME store. GAME, using some sort of internal Microsoft system, deactivate my copy of Forza from my console, preventing me from going home and playing it.

GAME sells my copy of Forza the following day. Its new owner installs it to their console therefore activating that copy of Forza on their console. Simples!

In closing...

Now I guess this solution would break their airtight system. If you could hand over games with a simple deactivation-reactivation, it just gets back to the whole things of publishers losing money to private sales, used games etc., as MS and the pubs will no longer have control over who you lend it to. This whole thing is fucked!

I'm going to chuck my Friend Code in the hat. I've never played an Animal Crossing game before, so excited to see what's in store. Can't wait.

realph: 0146-9307-5112

Tonight London host the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley, and Sony, hot off the heels of Microsoft’s announcement will roll out the first round of PS4 advertising during it.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has announced that the very first PlayStation 4 TV advertisement will run during the upcoming Champions League final in May. The UEFA Champions League is currently underway and the final will be played at Wembley in London on May 25, 2013.

What exactly will be shown during these TV spots is unclear.

On another note, I’ve been following the PlayStation Europe Twitter account all morning and in addition to Sony taking pot shots at Microsoft, they seem very keen on reminding us of their history with the competition.

Now, all I’m doing is speculating here, so please take the following with a large grain of salt.

Interestingly enough, the rights for the UEFA Champions League (previously with Pro Evolution Soccer) expire this year. With Sony and PlayStation at very much the center of football in Europe, could this marketing material be hinting at more than just the long-standing relationship between the two brands. Console-exclusive Champions League content for FIFA 14, perhaps?

If Sony are looking to strengthen their foothold in Europe then they could do worse than The Beautiful Game.

What I like about this is that the header is part of the box RATHER than being part of the cover like we're used to. So, if anything box arts will look slightly cleaner.

Apple will go for the kill if the word TV is brought up on that stage.

Trade your games without ever leaving the couch.

Using some of the current dash design and what we saw on Tuesday, I put this together to give an idea how we could trade games through the console. Still unsure on how they're going to resell used games, as these aren't physical discs, just licenses and there's no such thing as a used license.