CAGcast E3 2013

Heh - Cheapy nailed the price and paying for multiplayer on PS4 predictions in the 360 recap.

But I had a feeling MS was going their own way with this DRM and I was right about that ;).

Overall very happy with what Sony did but I am not thrilled with the PS+ requirement for online play.  It is fine for most younger CAGs (in their 20's and 30's) who already have PS+ for themselves, but think of families where the PS3 is the console of choice because it allows multiple kids to play the occasional online game (something like LittleBigPlanet) without paying extra.  If I want to duplicate what I've done with my kids on the PS3, I'll have to buy THREE or FOUR additional PS+ memberships.  The benefits of the "free" games goes down substantially if you have to pay $200-$250 a year for it.  Keep that in mind when saying no one minds the PS+ requirement.

It would be hard to top the Sony bombshells but I was most looking forward to the Nintendo info as that will most likely have games I'm more interested in.  Hopefully they don't disappoint with the new 3D Mario although I'm already disappointed in the lineup for the Best Buy kiosks which last I heard will include two games I played at PAX nearly a year ago (Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101), a remake (Zelda Wind Waker), and an add-on (New Super Luigi Bros.).  Was really hoping to be able to play the new Mario.

 
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@Yosp confirmed that one PS+ account applies to all accounts on the console, so your children can play online on sub accounts if you have a PS+ account.

 
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firehawk12 said:
@Yosp confirmed that one PS+ account applies to all accounts on the console, so your children can play online on sub accounts if you have a PS+ account.
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OK, that sounds promising. But is it "all accounts on the console" or just sub-accounts (which are usually associated with younger children)?

 
io said:
firehawk12 said:
@Yosp confirmed that one PS+ account applies to all accounts on the console, so your children can play online on sub accounts if you have a PS+ account.
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OK, that sounds promising. But is it "all accounts on the console" or just sub-accounts (which are usually associated with younger children)?
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Hrm, that I'm not sure. Hopefully they'll clarify it later in the future. Here's the original tweet:

https://twitter.com/yosp/status/344369977438126080

 
Figured that I'd post my impressions for each conference

Microsoft conference
Yay: MGSV trailer, SWERY65's D4, Quantum Break, Titanfall (Really like mech integration, will get it for PC), Below

Meh: Halo 5, Spark

Bleh: Ryse - Seriously, after three (or was it more?) conferences of hype, it really is amazing that this could look so underwhelming. Looks like an extremely linear QTE-fest; its Kinect roots are shining through.
Dead Rising 3 - Hate the new artstyle. It's a generic-looking brown, realistic, dusty environment. Sounds like they're going to have a more serious tone, with scavaging as the focus. Serious is not what I go to Dead Rising for
Battlefield 4 Single Player - Yawn. Big yawn, especially after BF3's disastrous single-player campaign. Didn't see anything that differentiated this one from the other Modern Military Shooters.

$499 - That Kinect pack-in is really driving the price up, huh.
Killer Instinct - At first, this was in the Yay! section, then I learned that it would actually be a F2P-style game (1 character free, pay for the rest). Then I looked at developer Double Helix's previous games.

EA conference
Yay: Mirror's Edge 2! NFS looked good. Battlefield 4 Multiplayer looked great, really liked the destruction detail. Peggle TWOOOOOO *Uppercut* (Don't care much about the game, loved the enthusiastic introduction).

Meh: Star Wars Battlefront - Liked the originals, but considering the rumors that the studio was JUST set up (and is made up of Medal of Honor developers) has me taking a wait-and-see approach towards this.
PvZ Garden Warfare - looked like a somewhat interesting twist on PvZ, reminds me of the Army Men series. The environment wasn't as colorful as I would expect out of PvZ.

Bleh: The whole EA Sports middle segment. That was a clear example of what tends to go wrong in conferences: Celebrity speakers, said celebrities engaging in obviously scripted "banter," a hyper-focus on pointless details and engines, and a shortage of gameplay footage.

Ubi-Soft conference
Yay: Not much. Most of the games I wanted to see (Watch_Dogs, ACIV) were just CG trailers. The Crew was somewhat interesting, particularly since it looks like Test Drive Unlimited on a bigger scale.
Meh: The Division - Borderlands in New York; interesting idea, but looked a bit sterile.
Bleh: Rabbids. They were endearing at first, but now they've started to become annoying.

Sony conference

Yay: $399, no Used game restrictions and no DRM, Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3, Infamous: Second Son (Looked really good with the smoke powers, and I was lukewarm towards the first two Infamous games), Indie game showcase, gameplay footage for Watch_Dogs and ACIV, Destiny
Meh: PS4 online multiplayer now behind the PS+ paywall (Not surprising, but still a slight bummer), Mad Max (Game might be good, since it's coming from the Just Cause devs, but only a CG trailer was shown)
Bleh: Too much time spent on the media features (As I said during the conference, just because you substitute the word "gamers" for "customers," doesn't mean gamers will be interested). Once again, PS Vita was just "there;" very little announced outside of more ports.
What!?: Beyond Gear Solid; still MIA: The Last Guardian and Agent

Nintendo Direct

Yay: Gameplay footage for Smash Bros. 3DS & U, Mario 3D World, DKCR2, X, and Bayonetta 2
Meh: No real surprises, and there was nothing that felt new and amazing; just about everything was announced before or was expected. Nintendo unfortunately decided to play it safe. There were also a few notable omissions from the Direct broadcast, some of which, like the Zelda 3DS name & trailer, were released afterwards on Youtube.
Bleh: Str---e---a-m qu---al---i---ty, lots of stuttering and choppiness. I think viewers had to spend more time looking for a watchable stream than actually watching it.

Regarding the Audioboo discussions so far:

- It's tough to say how Microsoft should respond. Cutting the price right after announcing it seems like a last resort, since it makes them look dis-organized and it could be seen as admitting that $499 was a mistake. There's no good precedent for such a major change before release. I would think that if they did change something, it would likely involve the DRM strategy.

-- Interestingly enough, over at NeoGAF, there were some notable Pre-E3 rumors regarding the Xbox One DRM from a reliable source:  1) Microsoft was the one who approached publishers with the DRM, not the other way around. 2) The press release last Thursday was only "Stage 1," more details will be provided at "Stage 2," Gamescom. 3) The DRM is "worse than you think." 4) There is currently no strategy in place renting/lending.

--- Ergo, if they do change something about the DRM, it'll probably be related to rumors 3 and 4. Cancel unannounced DRM plans that might worsen the situation, or quickly formulate a rental strategy and have it in place at launch. EDIT: At this point, they can either change their current DRM strategy, or double-down on it. Judging from the region launch/activation map, and Don Mattrick's recent comment that those who don't want to deal with it can go "buy a 360," it seems they're picking the latter option.

- But enough about that subject. Happy to hear the Cheapy/Shipwreck impressions so far, and I hope to hear Wombat's impressions after today!

 
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io said:
Heh - Cheapy nailed the price and paying for multiplayer on PS4 predictions in the 360 recap.

But I had a feeling MS was going their own way with this DRM and I was right about that ;).

Overall very happy with what Sony did but I am not thrilled with the PS+ requirement for online play. It is fine for most younger CAGs (in their 20's and 30's) who already have PS+ for themselves, but think of families where the PS3 is the console of choice because it allows multiple kids to play the occasional online game (something like LittleBigPlanet) without paying extra. If I want to duplicate what I've done with my kids on the PS3, I'll have to buy THREE or FOUR additional PS+ memberships. The benefits of the "free" games goes down substantially if you have to pay $200-$250 a year for it. Keep that in mind when saying no one minds the PS+ requirement.

It would be hard to top the Sony bombshells but I was most looking forward to the Nintendo info as that will most likely have games I'm more interested in. Hopefully they don't disappoint with the new 3D Mario although I'm already disappointed in the lineup for the Best Buy kiosks which last I heard will include two games I played at PAX nearly a year ago (Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101), a remake (Zelda Wind Waker), and an add-on (New Super Luigi Bros.). Was really hoping to be able to play the new Mario.
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Not sure you are right about needing multiple PS+ memberships. You can share PS+ content with other accounts on the same system (master or sub), and you can set up sub accounts that will all have independent tracking of trophies, friends etc. The only thing you wouldnt be able to do would be to have two different PS4s both playing an online game at the same time.

 
Gotta agree.  The PS4 conference put me to sleep until the 2 big bombs.  

I thought NIntendo had the best approach.  No-nonsense.  The CEO personally did the talking, but didn't go on and on about how great Nintendo is.  He didn't go on and on about the numbers.  He talked about the games and a few specific details on most of them in between lots of gameplay/trailer footage.  There was zero of the celebrity and we're the best ever  talk.  I got the feeling Iwata personally knows/understands about what is happening on his console.  ....   Now the amount of new content coming the 2nd half of the year is another story.  

Sony's conference was the best sleeping pill.   Until the bombs dropped.  Even the unveiling of the design was a snoozer.  I think they might have done this deliberately to give the bombs as big of an impact as possible.  Or mabye they realize no matter what they do now it doesn't the feck matter.  What matters is the product in November and beyond.

EA had the best mtv-style presentation.    Not a big EA fan except for Battlefield.  But they kept it moving.  And had good speakers for the most part.  I didn't even mind their celebrity endorsements so much.  Peter Moore is one of the more likeable execs on stage.

MS was a combination of Sony and EA.  Not as sleepy as Sony and not as exciting and snappy as EA's.  It dragged on too long.  But wasn't the flatline that Sony's was

All in all I give Nintendo props for keeping things to the point and EA for keeping things moving and exciting and not dragging things out.

Minecraft is a questionable get for MS.  It won't hurt obviously  but will it be a system seller at this point given that everyone already has it and the nextbox costs $500?

The pc version is the version to get because it is ahead of the console version.  And you can build/buy a pc for $500 that is more than powerful enough to play it if you don't already have one.

On the other hand the multiplayer will be exponentially easier to partake in than on the pc which requires research to forward ports on your router, fuss with java, edit text files and even poke holes in firewalls although it means Live fees on top of the $500 nextbox.   And I did think Nintendo should have tried to get Minecraft on its system cause of the Gamepad and the demographics of Nintendo's market.

 
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donkeydrop said:
Not sure you are right about needing multiple PS+ memberships. You can share PS+ content with other accounts on the same system (master or sub), and you can set up sub accounts that will all have independent tracking of trophies, friends etc. The only thing you wouldnt be able to do would be to have two different PS4s both playing an online game at the same time.
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But we don't know how the online multiplayer will be restricted. Just because they can play current PS+ stuff doesn't mean that they will be able to play under the new multiplayer rules. For example, my kids can play my Xbox 360 content on the system I downloaded it on, but they can't play online multiplayer just because I'm gold. I see no reason for it to be different unless Sony specifically says otherwise. We have a very brief indication that it might be so, but I'm by no means convinced.

And yeah, being able to play on 2 different PS4s is part of it as well - I can currently do that with my PS+ content with my kids. I probably won't have a second PS4 for several years, but down the line that might be important.

 
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Wombat taking a controller away from CheapyD?  And it begins... lol jk, but it's always interesting to hear Wombat and CheapyD not getting along. 

 
Cheapy

just curious about your thoughts on Japan not being a supported country at launch for the Xbone?  While I know you will get a US one anyways, and Japan is usually not a strong xbox supporter, do you find this a little weird?

 
C.A. Fuzzy Nutz said:
Cheapy

just curious about your thoughts on Japan not being a supported country at launch for the Xbone? While I know you will get a US one anyways, and Japan is usually not a strong xbox supporter, do you find this a little weird?
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Cheapy and Mark McDonald were who I thought of when I saw this map. But honestly, waiting for the official Japanese launch of the Xbone in 2014 shouldn't be that hard. None of the launch games seem like must haves, and the same applies to the PS4.

xone_zpsaabd77ed.png


 
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Thanks for the audioboos, guys.  It's nice to hear actual hands on reactions about some of these games.  It seems like all the sites I normally visit for E3 info are more focused on video dev interviews and guided demos rather than hands on impressions.

Destiny and Titanfall really surprised me this show, they looked fantastic.  Titanfall alone isn't enough to justify an XB1 purchase over a PS4 though imo.

Have a safe trip back.

 
Ugh... seeing Wombat's pile of loot is tormenting me. Between the Destiny shirt, and the Ryse shirt I am going nuts. I emailed you recently about your other podcast tooting Twitter constantly, but that image *almost* pushed me over the edge to sign up and 'tweet'.

I've now bid on a few auctions for the shirts and I keep getting outbid, arg, if my wife finds out I'm on ebay bidding on shirts it'll be the death of me. I do have to say though, nice pile Wombat, nice pile... but, where is the Halo shirt?? That would be front and center if I had a pile!

BTW am I dreaming, or am I wrong for thinking Sony didn't 'drop a bomb'. I swear I've read that they stated they are leaving the DRM issue up to the publishers... maybe it's wishful thinking on my part. I think if a company releases a game for console A which would have DRM and console B which gives the option, they would be likely to release it the same for both.

I personally think the whole DRM thing isn't going to be as bad as what people make it out to be. I typically don't buy used games, and the games I buy I keep in tip top condition... therefore, I don't want to share the game with people who are going to practice juggling with the disc, or use the case as a backing for a writing surface for paper. Don't get me wrong, DRM sucks and I wish it weren't coming, but if you think your going to avoid it forever your only kidding yourself. It seems the credits at the end of a game are only getting longer, and I'd rather continue to pay $60 a game than $80-90 because the developers aren't making enough to clear the costs.

Maybe I'm alone on this issue, I guess time will tell what the exact DRM design is going to be.

 
About the Witcher 2 controls you mentioned.

From experience, that was a PC issue. I played the Witcher 2 on both PC and console. It looked better on PC but the controller interface sucked, no matter what you did to it.  Strange thing is even the mouse was horrible, especially compared to the first game where it worked perfectly.

I spent a lot of time jumping back and forth between PC and conosle trying to tweak the PC controls to mach the consoles. Couldn't do it. FInished the game on both platforms, but while I liked the graphics on the PC I much perfer the console game mechanics CD Projekt Red fine tuned on the XBOX to the their PC control scheme, which is wierd cause their supposed to be all about PC gaming.

 
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