A Life of Crime

So last night I was cooking up some meth with some friends when I realized that trying to have a shootout with SWAT while maintaining a functional drug lab is a lot harder than it sounds.

Well, now that the NSA has added me to I'm sure several of their lists, I should probably say that I'm talking about Payday 2, which is currently in a beta stage, set to be release later this month. Here's a fun little trailer for you:

I didn't get to play a ton of the first Payday, mainly because not many of my friends actually owned it and the AI is so infuriatingly stupid that you'll want to shoot them in the head before taking out the police that are trying to stop your robbery. While the original game was basically built on the Left 4 Dead engine, this one has added several noticeable gameplay changes, which now include allowing for you to avoid getting into huge gunfights with the police and instead providing a stealth-like approach.

In addition, the gunplay and teamwork aspects of the game seem much tighter, offering plenty for each person to do. The new skill trees also allow everyone to customize their loadouts and characters to best suit specific tasks. I've been a big fan of the lumbering oaf that lugs bags of contraband around and carries a shotgun at all times, but I've seen everything from master lockpickers to guys who can engage in very effective fisticuffs.

The missions in the first game were pretty lackluster and felt like they lacked a lot of big heists, which seems odd considering the game was called PAYDAY: The Heist. This game, at least in the beta, offers a nice mixture of mission objectives ranging from hitting up a jewelry store and grabbing some nice watches all the way to cooking meth and trading it for intel on the location of a bunch of people trying to make off with someone else's money. Missions now can have several parts to them, and you need to complete all of them to get the big reward money.

Progression also feels much better, as you can spend money on upgrades to skills and weapons, which forces you to prioritize what will best help the build of your character. Gun attachments are unlocked randomly after successfully completing missions, which gives you incentive to keep playing even if you've hit the level cap. Also, the top level skills can completely change the way you approach missions, such as allowing you to take a portable saw which can break into saftey deposit boxes faster than lockpicking them, or even opening ATMs, which normally are inaccessable.

My beta experiences have been isolated to playing with 3 other humans that I actually know and interact with, so your mileage may vary if you play with randoms or with the AI, but I would definitely recommend checking the game out if you are a fan of co-operative gameplay, first person shooters, and/or illegal activity.  If you buy the special edition on Steam you'll get 2 beta keys with it. Otherwise it comes out on August 27, 2013.

The PS4 and Me

I planned on writing some in-depth E3 analysis of each conference and what I felt worked/didn't work, but between the actual conferences taking place while I was at work and my busy schedule, the plans fell apart. That's pretty common with my plans, I noticed. *stares at my idle YouTube channel sadly, a single tear slides down my face*

Anyhoo, I've instead decided it would be much more interesting for me to take a look at my original article I wrote back in February about the PS4 announcement and compare it to how I felt following Sony's E3 presentation. I'm going to come right out and say that after the conference (and still today) I feel that Sony won me over with everything they brought to the table. So, I'm going to go through this by first looking at the criticisms I levied against Sony during their initial console release and see how they responded at E3. Then, I'll discuss anything extra that happened at E3 and the impact it had with me, finishing up with my overall thoughts.


Criticisms from the Reveal

Emphesis on the Move
Fortunately, Sony decided to not talk about PS Move at all when it came time for E3. Most of the stuff they showed off during the reveal came across as overly gimicky, and they wisely went away from that kind of thing during the E3 conference. So, I no longer am concerned that the Move will be shoved down our throat.

Killzone looks generic and boring
By showing off a bit more of the game, I think this has improved quite a bit. It still doesn't look like the most amazing and innovative game, but I like how they're adopting a more Crysis-y style of gameplay, plus I really like the use of color shown in the demoes, as opposed to generic battlegrond grays and browns. I'm more interested than before, but this still isn't a system-selling exclusive.

Knack and Infamous showed no content
While Infamous didn't have a ton of new footage, the new trailer for the game included gameplay footage and actually looked really good. I loved the first game and this one seems to have the added advantage of a more interesting and entertaining protaganist, so good job there. Knack showed off some more gameplay and it looks like its by the designer of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, which isn't a bad thing. Looks like a platformer action/adventure game, and I'm all for those, since outside of the big N, you just don't get any like that anymore.

Driveclub doesn't fundamentally look any different than other driving sims
This is still mostly true. Until they flesh out more about the "social challenges" they want to bring to the table, this looks like a very pretty Forza (not to say Forza isn't already pretty nice looking, of course.) However, this doesn't have the Top Gear guys, so it already is fighting with a handicap against it.

Re: Square-Enix announcing an announcement - "I remember when I gave a shit about this company."
Okay. Bear with me here. I have very little, if any at this point, faith in Square-Enix's ability to not fuck up anything Final Fantasy-related. I get that I come across as a geezer with my constant trumpeting of "the old games were better," but I'm just calling 'em like I see 'em. That having been said... Final Fantasy XV at least looks interesting, if for no other reason than their decision to go to what appears to be a fully real-time game engine. That could make a huge difference in the enjoyment of the game, especially after how boring the combat in XIII felt.

Then you have Kingdom Hearts III. I have very mixed feelings about Kingdom Hearts. The main issue I have is the fact that I'm pretty sure if I went straight to Kingdom Hearts III from II, I'd be completely lost, since the DS & PSP games that have come out continued to expand on the story. Not only that, but Kingdom Hearts II made the story so much more convoluted and frustrating then it had to be. I will probably end up playing this, but it's pretty hard to get excited for a game that drug its heels through an entire console generation to get to the next game.

PS4 isn't bringing anything truly groundbreaking to the table in their hardware
This was said after the PS4 reveal failed to show us much of anything in terms of the hardware actually in action. Now that I've seen actual gameplay that clearly shows the difference between the last generation and this one, I'm a bit more sold on the hardware. It is still comparable to the Xbox One also, so neither console would get an edge here.

The PS4 has no "killer app"
What exclusives are there on the PS4? Knack, Infamous: Second Sun, Driveclub, Killzone, The Order 1886. Also, Destiny and Diablo III will have exclusives to the PS3. The PS3 also allows independent companies to self publish, which in turn allows them to easily get onto the PSN and maintain support for the games without having to pay exhoberant fees. The PS4 also allows full range borrowing of games, does not add any DRM that didn't already exist in the previous console generation, and doesn't require a constant internet connection.

While no one of those by itself is an aforementioned "killer app" this would be a case where the sum of all the parts make it the clear best option available for me. Xbox One also has some console exclusives I'm interested in (especially Sunset Overdrive), but overall they don't have enough to get past all the other issues. I feel that Sony has effectively made the PS4 itself into a "killer app."


Other Notes from E3

I simply have to play a next-gen version of Watch_Dogs, because the game is absolutely amazing looking. Since it was revealed last year at E3 it has continued to be the most interesting and desired game shown. Although it is multiplatform, I just feel like this game is really going to take advantage of the next-gen graphics capabilities.

The way they took the simple tech demo of an old man's face from the reveal and used it at E3 was amazing. The emotion they showed didn't truly shine through though until they broke scene. That's when everything suddently felt so much more amazing. I've always been impressed with how good Playstation games handle emotion, especially in games like Uncharted and from what I've seen of the Last of Us so far. This continues that in spades.

The Order 1886 looks like a steampunk style team-based shooter just from the preview, but only time will tell. It had a very interesting and unique feel to the overall atomsphere and I'll be really interested to see more.

MMOs are taking over consoles this upcoming year. With Tom Clancey's the Divide, Destiny, DC Universe Online, Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy XIV all coming out to console, I may find myself more immersed in multiplayer games than ever before. I'll be really interested to see what they look like when they're all done.

I actually like the console design for the PS4 a little better than the Xbox One. I just feel that the PS4 has a bit more of a modern asthetic to it, which I really like. This absolutely isn't a system seller, but it sure is a nice touch.


Conclusion

What's ultimately driving my decision to side with the PS4 is probably the same as many gamers. Microsoft has come out looking like tyrants by dictating exactly who can use the system and how. By restricting regional access, limiting the ability for friends to borrow games, and requiring a constant internet connection, they've effectively told a portion of the buying populace to just stick with the 360 becaues the Xbox One isn't for them. Part of that portion is the military.

I have a huge issue with this approach. This essentially comes across as brute force DRM with nothing in return for the player. The system is more expensive than the PS4 but still loads you with restrictions on how to use the system. The fact that the system won't be available in several locations that have active gaming populations (Poland, Portugal, Japan, South Korea, and several active miliary zones) is baffling and a little insulting. While many of those things don't affect me directly, I'm going with the PS4 as a message to Microsoft that I, as a gamer, have an issue with this.

The other big issue is Microsoft's requirement that any game that they release on their marketplace has to have a publisher. This is astronomically idiotic, especially considering the rise in popularity of indie games in the last several years. Microsoft has effectively said they aren't interested in supporting independent gaming by maintaining this policy while both Nintendo and Sony have dropped it.

Don't mistake me as saying I'm buying a PS4 only because it's not an Xbox One, what I said are just some of the many reasons. The PS4 simply comes across as the better value option between its lack of restrictions and the number of games that it will launch with. The PS4 just feels like its bringing a lot more to the table that I'm personally interested in, while also allowing me to support what I believe in as a gamer.

So, I'm turning to Sony for the next console cycle. Anyone else have any thoughts?

DuckTales, Woo-Hoo!

So this week on the channel features more of the standard Let's Plays I've been doing up to this point, but we do have a special Versus game of Super Smash Bros Brawl mixed in for fun. I also up up Day 16, Day 17 and Day 18 of  Recettear for your viewing pleasure. In addition to this, I decided to make my next one-off video Ducktales on the NES. If you're wondering why, maybe you should check this out. Needless to say, I'm excited!

-Justin

Aggressive Analysis - Episode 1 Is Out!

I'm excited to announce the first ever episode of Aggressive Analysis! In this episode we're taking a look at a recent announcement by Square Enix and breaking down the major problems with it. The channel has also been updated since last week with videos for Day 14 and Day 15 of Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale, an update on the current State of the Channel, and a Let's Play of Joe & Mac on the NES. Check 'em!

So, below is the inaugural episode of Aggressive Analysis! Feedback is always appreciated and I hope you enjoy!

-Justin

YouTubes update!

I wasn't posting these to my blog, mainly because I am an idiot. So, to correct that, I will now post the videos I've been putting on YouTube here. I've been in the middle of a Let's Play series for a game called Recettear: An Item Shop's tale, for about 4 weeks now. The game is about a girl of unspecified age and her fairy friend trying to run a good-old-fashioned item shop to pay off some crippling bank debt. And you literally are selling loot that gets collected in the dungeons, which you also have the option to explore. The game is a fun combination of sim and hack-and-slash, which bears some similarities to the Rune Factory series. My point is the game is solid and I hope you'll join me as I continue to play it.

I have new videos up every weekday on my channel, which you can find here: http://www.youtube.com/dcenygma

So, here's the most recent video:

 

And you can find the rest of this Let's Play on this playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaelxMx37ZE9wcr4M9gC7CUsG0JUUfTu9

Thanks for watching and I look forward to your feedback and thoughts!

-Justin

Thoughts on the PS4 Announcement

So, yesterday we took the first steps into our next generation of gaming platforms. I watched the entire 2+ hour event, live streamed by Sony. First off, I must say that my inability to watch the presentation any higher than 480p was a bit of a disappointment, but with 500000+ people watching the same livestream, that's not entirely unexpected. Man, if only there was a television network that was focused on digital entertainment that could have provided me with this content in high-definition over my satellite dish. On an unrelated note, screw you, Esquire.

Overall, I must admit that I'm a bit underwhelmed. Sony absolutely did not bring their A-game to this conference, and we saw nothing that really sold the system as being a necessity. Let's start with the hardware and first list what we know about it.

Hardware

• 8 GB Dedicated Memory
• High Range (assume 1GB+ DDR5) GPU
• AMD-based 8-Core(!) X86 Processor
• Large HDD (Hopefully 1TB, no definate size announced)
• DualShock 4 Controller includes Move functionality, has a Vita-esque touchpad on the front of the controller, and includes a headphone port.
• System allows instant sharing of video and screenshots through at least Facebook and Twitter and live streaming of game content through uStream. No announcements if they would be premium features or have any cost.
• Remote play allows you to use a Vita in the same manner as a WiiU GamePad, playing any PS4 game on the Vita. Not specified, but since it operates the same as the WiiU with the console acting as a server and the handheld acting as a client, the maximum range for this feature is likely to keep it isolated to the same room as the console.
• If people (such as friends) are watching you play over livestream, you have the option to actually allow them to take control of the game and attempt to play through a part.
• Move will be supported.
• You will be able to play games while they are downloading, much like Steam or many of the MMOs with dedicated launchers do on PC.
• No backwards compatibility.

I think that about covers everything. I will say that the system specs are actually VERY impressive for the most part, comparing it favorably to a high-end PC, which is what I think everyone expected anyways. They showed off a couple of neat technical demos that demonstrated some of the power of the system, such as producing 1-million physics-based balls and dropping them into a digital environment. It was pretty impressive, all things considered. David Cage also briefly materialized to show off the kind of facial detail they can now put out using this equipment, which looked very impressive on a single character model shown off in an empty space. I'd be much more interested in how it looks in an actual game with multiple models.

I do think it's adorable how Sony still thinks the Move is a system seller, since they dedicated part of their presentation to a game that looks likely to have the same level of appear that the uDraw did. The fact that the new DualShock controller also can interact with the Move sensor means it will basically be the Sixaxis2, which nobody asked for. Expect every launch title to try and force it into their game in some way.

However, on a more positive note, I do like the social features they are including. First of all, allowing for a headset to be plugged into the controller is good, even if they should have done this with the PS3 instead of dealing exclusively with Bluetooth. Second, the ability to instantly share things to Twitter and Facebook is pretty cool, since it allows you to actually show off some of the cool things you see in your games with other people. That's a really smart move by Sony, because your friends that might not have PS4s will see your posts and might become interested in the system (or, alternatively, they'll just block your posts because you're flooding their feed by hitting the Share button on everything like a cocaine-fueled chimpanzee.)

Related to this, I think the livestream options offer a lot of possibilities. If they're smart, they will allow you to get the raw footage from your stream in case you want to edit it or use it as part of a review and/or compilation. That feature would actually really get some of the current generation of gamers who are big fans of being able to put together game footage without buying a lot of expensive tools. Additionally, the idea of being able to invite your far-off friends to your stream, and then be able to essentially "pass" them your controller while playing is as close as we're gonna get to being able to simulate sitting next to them on a couch without the aid of holograms.

Last items on hardware: I really like that Sony is embracing what has been a very important part of the PC gaming experience for a while now with allowing you to play the games as you are downloading them, because nothing is worse than waiting for a 7GB download to finish up so you can play a newly released game. Finally, the lack of backwards compatibility needs to be addressed. Look, your system is running with the Blu-Ray drive again, there isn't really a reason for removing PS3 support, and in fact will hurt your console if Microsoft announces backwards compatibility with 360 games. The biggest issue Sony faces is the lack of support for anything purchased on the PSN. Telling everyone to buy the same digital content they already purchased on the last system will be a hard pill to swallow, just ask any Nintendo fan about that.

That's the hardware, so let's talk about the non-game related software we saw.

Non-Game Software

• Some Move-based 3D sculplting and animation BS.
• Streaming of PS1, PS2, and PS3 back-catalogues
• Ability to demo full versions of any title at any time

Not a lot to discuss here, but I do really like the new feature to demo full versions of games, so you can try out any game you want. One of the worst things a new developer can do is not let you first try their new game, and this fixes that without requiring them to dedicate additional development time to the creation of a demo. I'm also hopeful that we will see almost the entirety of the PlayStation back-catalogue, but we'll have to wait and see just how much will show up.

As far as the Move... thing we saw? It comes across as offensive to 3D modellers and designers who have already been able to create much more interesting things that that demo offered up. It doesn't look interesting, the "animated" characters looked lifeless and boring, and might I mention that no one really seems to care about the Move? Basically, this looks like it will let you play with lincoln logs and marionettes with Move controllers. Woo hoo.

Alright, now into the meat and potatoes of what we saw, the games.

Games

• Knack, a 3D Adventure game from one of the lead designers behind Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, and Crash Bandicoot
• Killzone: Shadow Fall, a generic-looking FPS
• Driveclub, a Forza/Gran Turismo-esque game with a nice coat of paint
• Infamous: Second Son, which we know nothing about other than it exists since all we got was a 20-second teaser trailer with no game footage
• The Witness, a game by Johnathon Blow, which appears to be a very stylized Myst-esque game.
• Deep Down, a game made by Capcom on their new Pantha Rhei engine, looks like a very, very pretty 3rd Person Adventure game.
• Blizzard announced Diablo III will be coming to both PS3 and PS4, with local multiplayer and controller-based gameplay (duh).
• Square-Enix again showed off their new graphics engine using the same trailer from months ago, and announced that they would announce a new Final Fantasy game at E3.
• Ubisoft showed off more Watch_Dogs, which continues to look amazing. They announced it will release simultaneously on PS3 and PS4.
• Bungie and Activision showed off more footage of Destiny, and also said it would simultaneously release on PS3 and PS4. They also said PlayStation would get some unspecified exclusive features.

I will quickly speak to the first-party titles revealed by Sony. Killzone looks as generic and boring as all Killzone games, so I really don't care how nice a coat of paint they put on it. Knack and Infamous showed no real content, so I have no judgement at this time on them. Driveclub doesn't look fundamentally any different than Forza or Gran Truismo, so other than being more shiny and detailed, it is exactly what you think it is. Overall, nothing mind-blowing from the first-party titles.

The Witness looked really impressive and I have been wanting someone to go back and visit the style of games we used to see in Myst, 7th Guest, and Zork: Grand Inquisitor. I am a huge fan of puzzle games and with the developers from Braid working on this I'm excited to see what The Witness ends up like when it's finished. However, that all said, this is by no means a system seller. It certainly can't be a $60 game and doesn't really show off the power of the system in any way. It's cool, but feels a bit misplaced being shown here.

Deep Down and the new graphics engine Capcom showed off were really damn impressive looking, so I'd be interested to see where this goes. I'm all for medieval combat, and since I've yet to see anyone get dragon-fighting to work well, I'd be very interested in what they bring to the table with the finished product.

Blizzard brings Diablo to the consoles for the first time since the original game was released on the PS1. Unfortunately, they made this announcement long after people stopped caring about Diablo III, to the point that people often point and it and laugh at it while they play games like Path of Exile and Torchlight II. I do dig the 4-player local co-op option though, so it might not be a totally lost cause. However, this better not be a full priced $60 game.

Square-Enix was so prepared for this conference that they showed off a 5-month old tech demo for an already announced graphics engine and then followed that up by announcing an announcement. Seriously. God, I remember when I gave a shit about this company.

The biggest and best parts of the conference followed all that, with Ubisoft and Bungie. Ubisoft showed off more gameplay for Watch_Dogs, which continues to look both interesting and innovative. Bungie then showed some more footage of Destiny and also talked up how PlayStation people would get some extra content exclusive to their platform. However, while these two companies had the best showing, they also highlight the biggest issues of this conference: we still ultimately were given zero reason to buy a PS4.

Now look, I'm not just trying to be a facetious troll here, but let's look at the real facts. PS4 isn't bringing anything truly groundbreaking to the table in their hardware. This is a fairly powerful PC, at best. When the PS3 was announced, it was the best (and cheapest) way to get a Blu-Ray player, which presented new entertainment possibilities to households. When the PS2 was announced, it was the first time graphics of that magnitude had been seen in the living room. What they've shown off has not been graphically leaps and bounds ahead of anything we've seen. PC gaming's return to form over the last 3 years has shown off graphics and performance that really take the piss out of what the PS4 showed off here. The announced social features already exist through peripherals that will be much cheaper than buying a PS4. The remote play feature already exists on the WiiU, except you have to buy an additional $300 paperweight called the Vita to do it.

Software-wise, there is literally nothing. There is no PS4 "killer-app", no big exclusives, not even a game based on any new concepts. They literally have given no reason at all to buy the system at launch. The two biggest games that were announced are multi-platform and in no way was any effort made to show off any "PS4" difference that might exist. Really, Sony came across here as an uncomfortable teenager having his first sexual experience. The conference was awkward, unimpressive, and seemed a bit premature.

I will hope that by E3 things will be a bit more fleshed out and Sony will bring some better incentives to present, but for right now I don't have a whole lot of optimism in what they're trying to do. This places the ball firmly in Microsoft's court. The big question now is what is the Xbox going to bring to the table to try and trump the PS4? I guess we'll wait and see.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Patch Notes

Patch Notes for Aliens: Colonial Marines (as of February 12^th, 2013)

• Bullets now originate from guns, instead of marine’s feet.
• Remapped the “Cartwheel” command from RT to Y.
• Saving the game no longer deletes your hard drive from existence, leaving behind a small-singularity that will eventually devour the planet.
• Changed the end of game state screen in multiplayer to show kills, deaths, assists, rebounds, and 3-point attempts.
• Kicking a Xeno in the shin no longer does the same damage as a grenade.
• Flamethrowers now emit fire instead of bullets.
• Motion trackers now track motion, instead of safety cones.
• Playing in splitscreen no longer causes Xenos to perform a square dance prior to attacking.
• “Cloaking” in multiplayer no longer involves draping an old piece of fabric over your body.
• Doors no longer explode when opening them.
• Targeting reticule no longer detaches from the HUD and runs away during the second campaign mission.
• Marines now have only two arms.
• Melee range reduced from 17.2 feet to 1.2 inches.
• NPC characters no longer can be instructed to do the Macarena, unless they are below 25% health.
• Xenos no longer spawn wearing top hats and monocles.
• Attempting to melee against a Xeno no longer causes your elbow to become permanently fused to the Xeno’s head. You will now separate after a few minutes.
• The menu screen is no longer displayed in Latin.
• Fixed the bug that caused the campaign to be only 6 hours, booting up the game now causes a giant hammer to appear which strikes the player in the groin 6 times.

And if you think THAT's stupid, try reading the real list: http://support.gearboxsoftware.com/entries/23137581-Xbox-360-Update-Information