Saturday, June 30, 2012

Is it too soon for the Next Generation?


Now that my Miami Heat have finally gotten their 2nd NBA title, (suck it Thomas Walter!) I can start to focus on other topics. Mainly the news that the next generation of consoles is coming and there is nothing we can do about it. Or is there?
            I have a problem with this not because of it being brand new and better than the current consoles, but because that these consoles have hit their prime! It’s like saying, and I’m using this analogy only because the Heat just won, “hey LeBron. Nice job winning that title! You are killing it out there with what you’re putting out there on the court, but it’s time we move to find a new gamechanger.” Any normal sports fan would call you crazy, me included, but that’s what we have in front of us. First let’s see what the next gen consoles have to offer over our current gaming platform.

The Next Generation.....

            The next generation looks bright there’s no doubt about that. A new graphic engine that includes the Unreal 4 engine and others that will no doubt blow people away. At last year’s E3 we got our first look from the “Good Samaritan” footage, all of which is claimed to be actual in game footage. And it looks AMAZING. The lighting, weather, skin textures, environments, hell even the cigarette is the most real in a video game! (I’ve always had a gripe when it comes to smoking in video games, you think people could get that right.) All of it was totally new and unknown and we as a population craved more. But at a cost, it was said to only be for the next gen, so we demanded it be on the horizon. Fair enough, but then our current consoles starting hitting all the right strides.

Watch this and just try to tell me this doesn't BLOW YOUR MIND

            The XBOX 360 was owning in terms of 3rd party games and the graphics, gameplay, and presentation all have steadily improving. Not only that, but more side perks such as XBOX Music, XBOX live, Watch ESPN, and others all were making strides and making what was already a great console even better. The PS3 has dominated in exclusive titles with such games as the Uncharted series, God of War 3, inFamous, and many more separating itself from the pack. All of these games changed the gaming landscape in some form and on top of that looked gorgeous to boot. Playstation Network, despite the Hack Scandal that plagued gamers (thank god my debit card wasn’t hacked, score 1 for Chipper), has been seeing massive upgrades including the incentive based Playstation Plus that gives subscribers exclusive access to games early and discounts. Also one more thing that makes the PS3 better in my opinion, it’s also a Blu-Ray player. Take about a packaged deal here people.  And with more titles such as The Last of Us, which I will go on record and say will be Game of the Year next year, Playstation All-Star Battle Royale, Sly Cooper and Far Cry coming out, it just seems as though the PS3 is on a mission to beat out Microsoft yet again.

As awesome as ACIII is going to be, the Wii U is not what the people will buy this for

            On the other hand, despite the success from the Nintendo Wii, it has struggled a little bit in terms of keeping up graphically with the other consoles. The newly introduced Wii U is the next gen version for Nintendo but it relies on graphics that are on the same engine as PS3 and XBOX. As much of a good thing that is for competition purposes now, it won’t help in the years to come as Sony and Microsoft push for next gen tech. Either way, games such as Super Mario, Rayman, Zelda, and others will continue to evolve along with the next gen tech.
            Ok enough setting the scene, let’s do this dance of gaming generation battles. My gripe is that there is still more to be had from the current technology. Even though we believe that companies have used all of the systems processing power, people were amazed by one game that basically shattered what we thought we knew of the capabilities of each system. That game is Watch Dogs. 
            Ubisoft finished their E3 conference with an emphatic BANG when they announced and showed off the game. I don’t need to say anything except watch this game…..

No words, just watch and marvel in its glory....

            Yea this game looks that freaking good. I mean it’s got everything and all we say was a sliver; breathtaking and incredibly realistic graphics, a very intuitive AI and contextual gameplay, and the presentation value is off the charts! It also should be noted that this game was just announced, nobody knew it existed. How on Earth do you keep such an awesome game like Watch Dogs under wraps for what the Game Director said was two years of production? HOW?! Comparing this game to what we saw in the Good Samaritan footage it looks as though both are very very similar in terms of graphics and engine power. So I raise the question to you, should we be thinking of the next generation and getting a new system all over again? Or, what I believe should be done, wait and see what the systems have left in the tank because after watching Watch Dogs for the 10th time (it’s that good man) I easily believe there is more to be had on this generation of consoles. Comment below and keep the discussion going because it is going to be a major talking point for the years to come.
            

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