It’s looking more and more like I will still be playing on current gen systems and PC in the fall. Sony only has 2 exclusive franchises that I even care about which are The Last of Us (which comes out in June) and Uncharted. Microsoft has Gears of War; Judgment will be out in just over 20 days. Third party multiplatform/multi-generation games that have caught my eye so far are Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313 (which may or may not release on the PS4 or Next Xbox). Most of the games that have my interest so far are games that I can not only play on current gen consoles but also on PC at the same quality as next gen systems.
Sony, I think, did a good job showing that they have a really high end console in the works, but failed miserably in interesting me in any way on the games that were shown. Microsoft will more than likely have a press event between now and the end of April. I feel like they will also be showing a high end gaming console that will lack exclusive games. They will try to sell the system on 3rd party games that have exclusive content or timed DLC similar to what they are currently doing with Call of Duty.
It may be Q1 2014 before the bigger games release for next gen systems. I think Battlefield 4 will be multiplatform/multi-generation but EA will offer some incentive to purchase the game on a next gen system over PC/current gen consoles. Call of Duty will release in November of this year (obviously) and will be a multiplatform/multi-generation game. I don’t see Activision and whatever developer that is making COD this time around doing anything other than graphic enhancements to the next game. It will still be COD, so it will not be a selling point for next gen consoles. The same goes for the Assassin’s Creed series and any other game that releases on an annual basis.
This year still has a lot of great games to play on my PS3, Xbox 360, or PC. Why release next gen consoles without the games to support them???
March
5 Tomb Raider/SimCity
12 God of War: Ascension
19 Gears of War: Judgment
26 Bioshock Infinite
Past March
Lost Planet 3, Metro: Last Light, Dead Island: Riptide, The Last of Us, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Grand Theft Auto V just to name a few...
With the Sony press event happening in just a few days the hype builds for next gen. I currently have a PS3, Xbox 360, and PC that I use to play games. I feel I get more use out of my 360 and PC over my PS3. As a gamer, I am concerned about games over any other feature the next gen systems will offer. What pulls me in the direction of the Xbox is that I personally know more people that have a Xbox over a PS3. I used to have a group of 8-10 people that all played the same games. Things have changed over the years and the biggest part of the group have went there separate ways. Everyone is either playing something different or not playing at all. I think if a new multiplayer game comes out by the end of the year that catches the groups attention, we will be back playing together again. Now, most of the time, we have 2-4 people that play 2-3x a week.
I have a few things that I like about one system over the other. For the Xbox 360 I love the controller, the interface, ease of using the center button on the controller to access messages and invites, and the Xbox exclusive Gears of War. The PS3 has free online which I rarely use because I have very few friends that own a PS3, the exclusives Uncharted and upcoming The Last of Us give me a reason to play my PS3. I am very excited to see what next gen systems bring to the table. If the number of friends that I have playing either system wasn't a deciding factor, what will Microsoft or Sony show me to sway me in one direction or the other. I have already decided that I am only going to purchase one next gen system. The exclusive games could definitely make a difference in my decision.
Multiplayer games have really been on the down side of my gaming experiences as of late. I have purchased Call of Duty every year since Modern Warfare was released. I am sucked into purchasing it because it is the one game that most of my friends play. I feel like it has been a mod that releases every year as opposed to calling it a sequel. To be honest the only games that I have extensively enjoyed playing competitive multiplayer over the past few years have been Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Gears of War 3. I missed out of Battlefield 3 because the beta was a horrible experience so none of my friends purchased it. I am just sick and tired of the run and gun FPS. When will a game come out and just have me hooked to the multiplayer? I will probably be playing Gears of War: Judgement and The Last of Us multiplayer but I have seen very little about The Last of Us and I am not so sure that Judgement (because of People Can Fly) will be that great of an online experience.
What multiplayer games will be out by the end of the year or early 2014 that have potential to have me hooked?
Rainbow Six: Patriots
Destiny
Battlefield 4
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (it will have to change)
Dead Space 3 is my most anticipated game of any game that has been announced. I purchased Dead Space 1 and 2 out of boredom when Dead Space 2 was released in 2011. I instantly feel in love with the game. I think the mix of action, survival, and horror make a game for me. I know DS3 is going to have drop in and drop out co-op but the development has confirmed that there will be sections of the game that will feel more like 1 and 2. The game is set for release in February 2013 and I can't wait.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us looks like all the great post apocalyptic movies that I love. Again, the mix of action, survival, and horror make this game. I have seen very little of it but I can already tell it's going to be one of the biggest releases in 2013. The game still doesn't have a release date but I would expect that it would release before the next gen consoles in Q1-Q2 of next year. Naughty Dog is doing a great job with story telling. I hope it's as AAA as Uncharted.
Hitman: Absolution
I played the 1st two Hitman games and loved them on the pc. I got into other things when the other games released. I have a hard time going back to play older games so I never checked out the other Hitman games. This game looks amazing graphically and I love all the options you have in each mission. The game is set for release on November 20th of this year. Hitman is the original assassin.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
I have loved Splinter Cell since the original release back in 2003. I didn't play Double Agent and Conviction was a little bit of a let down. Blacklist looks similar to Conviction but I can only hope they will go back to the roots of the original and make it more stealthy. I didn't see in the demo of being able to pick up and hide dead bodies. The demo looked action packed in the daylight. I hope the nighttime scenes will open up more stealth/action.
Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs was the biggest surprise of E3. The graphics, next to 1313, looked the best. The game actually looks like a next gen game. The game is listed for release on current gen systems as well as PC. I personally think it will release on PC, 360, PS3, Next Xbox, and PS3. I hope it's as good as Ubisoft made it look.
The original Ghost Recon has been one of my all time favorite games. I have been keeping track of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier since 2010. The game is only a month away and I can't wait to play the beta on the 19th. I preordered the game from GameStop to get the Signature Edition as well as access to the beta. I also still have my copy of Splinter Cell: Conviction. UBI has been saying from the get go that if you had Splinter Cell: Conviction you would have early access to the beta. Now UBI isn't giving early access. If you own SCC you will get access to the beta from the main menu of the game. They are also sending out 3 codes to your email address tied to UPlay so you can give 3 friends beta codes. Also, if you preorder the game from GameStop you will get a code sent to your email as well as 3 friend additional codes on the 19th. If all that information is true I will have 8 beta keys. I am trying my best to get as many friends involved in this beta. I have high hopes for this game, more so than any other.
I have several games on my wishlist/tracked list. If this game flops (praying it doesn't), I will be purchasing either some XBLA games in it's place; Trails: Evolution, Deadlight, and Counter Strike:GO or Diablo III on the PC. If this game is a huge success and I can get most of my XBL friends involved I will be passing on those other games. The rest of the year in gaming is set. Far Cry 3, Resident Evil 6, Assassin's Creed III, and Hitman: Absolution are going to finish out the year for me. I don't know of any years past that I have been this excited about the upcoming games.
It's sad that I have so many games but stay bored with the gaming part of my life. I remember last generation and even before then I would pick up a title and play it literally all year and after. I have several old games that I couldn't stop playing. Games like the old Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games on PC took over my life for a long time. I wish development companies could make a game that could do what those games did for me. I honestly play MW3 every night (mainly because everyone on my Xbox friends list plays it) and have been playing Call of Duty on and off since Call of Duty 4 released. I have Call of Duty 2012 on this list but it is going to take a lot to make me purchase the next game. I am done with franchises like Gears of War, God of War, Uncharted, and possibly even Call of Duty after all the DLC comes out for MW3. I really want to get back into franchises that I haven't played in a while or new franchises altogether. The maybe's on my list really depend on what else I am playing at the time as well as if they turn out to be really great games.
Here is a list of games from E3 that interest me. (some from last years E3)
Battlefield 3
I have been excited about this game since the 1st rumors went up on the net. I was a huge fan of BF2 and played several hours of Bad Company 2. I think with BF3 they are going to pull out all the stops. A co-op campaign, co-op modes, and several multiplayer modes are what all games need to keep the replay value high. BF3 has all those modes and a feature simply to compete with COD Elite called Battlelog for FREE. The only thing that concerns me is no release date yet. They want to go head to head with MW3 but releasing the game on the same day as the giant is a bad idea. I think they are going to have to try to release it around the end of October.
Gears of War 3
I wanted to play this game back in April but due to greed I have to wait until September. Luckily they had a beta that lasted for roughly a month and I think will make the multiplayer good from the start instead of having to wait for months and multiple patches to fix and break the game. This game has so many modes and ways to play it will keep me busy for a long time. E3 is supposed to show off the horde mode 2.0 which I think will be really fun.
Hitman Absolution
I played the 1st 2 Hitman games and really enjoyed them. There is no gameplay or anything online about this game except for a CGI trailer that shows nothing and a few screen shots. I am hoping that E3 will show a lot about this game and it will release before summer of next year. High hopes...
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
I have been a fan of Ghost Recon since its release on the PC. I have never purchased one for a console but the reviews on the advanced warfighter series were really good. I hope they go back to what made Ghost Recon good to begin with. I hope ubisoft makes it very tactical and team oriented.
Rainbow Six
Ubisoft has been keeping this game secret for a long time now. I think they are going back to there roots with this title. I can't wait to see what is going to happen with this and I hope E3 has gameplay and several videos to show this game off and not just a 15 second cgi trailer.
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception
Nothing to say here. Game of the Year 2011...
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This has been a decent year for gaming so far. I have picked up Dead Space 2 (which I loved), Stacking and You Don't Know Jack (for the wife), and Bulletstorm (a huge disappointment/at least I can play the Gears 3 beta early).
Today on PSN the SOCOM 4 beta releases and I am looking forward in getting to play it. I have never played a SOCOM game before but this looks very good. Unfortunately the beta only lasts a week so I plan on playing it as much as possible. As soon as the SOCOM 4 beta is over I will wait another week and get my hands on the Gears 3 beta. The Gears beta lasts roughly a month and that is all that I will be playing. During the Gears 3 beta Portal 2 and SOCOM 4 will be releasing so I will have to pick up both of those if SOCOM 4's beta is pretty good. Portal 2 will give me roughly 6 hours of single player and 6 hours of co-op multiplayer (not really sure on replay value, only played the 1st portal 1 time through). SOCOM 4 should be my multiplayer game of the summer but if the game flops I don't know what I will be playing; maybe a XBLA game or something new that catches my eye.
In September I am going to purchase Gears 3 and it will take over my gaming life until November when Uncharted 3 releases. I have read that Battlefield 3 is also supposed to release the same day as Uncharted 3 but I really hope not. It is hard buying two games at once and having to choose which to play. It looks like the 2nd half of 2011 in video gaming is going to be way better then the 1st.
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