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?