Microsoft: "We Done Goofed"

As I previously documented, the Xbox One thus far has been a bit of a disaster.  Basically, Microsoft wanted to change everything about how game ownership has previously worked.  You could no longer just lend someone a game without jumping through hoops.  Used games of any kind would face similar restrictions.  The system would require a connection to the internet once every 24 hours or it would no longer function.  The reaction was, to put it mildly, bad.

But today, Microsoft decided that their policies sucked, most likely due to the backlash, and changed many of them to reflect what the PlayStation 4 and the current generation of consoles already do.  They updated the Xbox website to reflect these changes.  

While I've already preordered my PS4, now I'm debating if I've made the right choice.  I think that, for right now, at least, I'm going to hold on to the order I've already made and then get the Xbox One at some point next year when the exclusive games I want are released.  The PS4 is still $100 cheaper, after all.

Xbox Fan Support Group

After the PlayStation 4 upstaged the Xbox One at E3, some are finding letting go of Xbox to be more difficult then they initially thought.  We're all in this together.  And it's for the best.

Early Christmas AKA E3 Roundup

Ahhhh the Electronic Entertainment Expo.  More commonly known as E3, this event held yearly in the LA Convention Center plays host to all of the biggest names in the gaming industry as they announce and demo loads of new games.  This particular year was extra special, as with a new console generation looming, many of the games were for the next generation consoles.  I'll get to the consoles in a second, but right now I want to highlight the games that caught my eye at the show.

The Last of Us - (PS3)

Naughty Dog is arguably one of the greatest game developers in the business, and The Last of Us is just another excellent addition to their pedigree.  The game actually comes out on Friday and has received universal acclaim.  I'm really excited to get my hands on it later this week.

Star Wars Battlefront

Star Wars Battlefront II is one of my all time favorite games.  I can't even begin to imagine the number of hours I've spent playing it on PS2 and more recently PC.  People have been clamoring for a sequel since 2005, but for various reasons it was never produced.  Until now.  Obviously this is just a teaser announcing that the game is in development, so nothing is really known about it yet, but hopefully it remains faithful to the older games.

Kingdom Hearts III - (PS4)

Back when I was in middle school, Kingdom Hearts was the bee's knees.  Since the release of Kingdom Hearts II in 2006, they've released a ton of spinoffs on various handhelds that only served to convolute the plot even further.  I said that if they made a true third entry that I wouldn't be interested.  I lied.  I'm actually really hope this ends up being as good as the previous games, and now that Disney owns Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, I really, really hope they can be incorporated into the game.

Battlefield 4 - (PS4, XB1, PS3, 360, PC)

I'm pretty burned out on Battlefield 3 for various reason, but Battlefield 4 is going to allow for a whopping 64 players per match on next gen consoles, compared to a meager 24 in the PS3 and 360 versions of Battlefield 3.  Despite the game looking very similar, the larger scale battles and the new destruction and maps features give me enough of a reason to give it a shot.

more after the break

The Xbox One Reveal in a Nutshell

The other day I shared my thoughts on the Xbox One.  Search any gaming website or forum and you can see that my concerns are shared by many.  In reality people are freaking out.  The press conference Microsoft held the other day has led to nothing but negative press and word of mouth.  Maybe they can stop the bleeding at E3, but the common perception of the announcement is summed up nicely in this GIF.

UPDATE:  Since this topic is too fun to stop talking about, Cracked just posted an article that, in their unique style, explains the problems with the Xbox One.  The article also includes a video that I've seen floating around the 'net today summarizing the conference in under two minutes that I've included below.  If the point hasn't been driven home yet, this video is sure to do it.

The Third Xbox is Xbox One, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Always Online and the End of Lending Games to Friends

The Xbox One console, the revamped Kinect sensor, and the console's new controller

As I mentioned earlier, the next generation Xbox was announced today, and is officially called the Xbox One.  Before I say anything else, I want to comment on the name.  My initial thought was that it was confusing and stupid.  Why would Microsoft name their third console Xbox One?  But after a while I understood their reasoning.  The Xbox One is supposed to be the 'one' item you need for your entertainment center.  The choice is still going to lead to confusion for the uninformed, I'm sure.  PlayStation 4 is going to sound a lot more appealing than Xbox One just due to the bigger number.  Some might think that the Xbox One is synonymous with the original Xbox and think that it is inferior to the Xbox 360 while that console is still on sale.  If anything, at least the name is better than Wii U.

I won't waste time talking about all of the features of the Xbox One.  If you are interested in the console, I'm sure you've already seen everything.  If not, this article from Kotaku covers everything nicely.

What I will discuss is that every nightmare scenario that has been rumored for months has come to fruition.  Every.  Last.  One.  Said scenarios after the jump.