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Written by Dustin Murphy

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Editor’s Note: Please note that this article does not represent us as a team and that any view points expressed within this article are purely that of the writer.

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Kickstarter. The name for many will ring a bell of crowdfunding in order to make lifelong ambitions become true. For many this can be projects such as working on a book, taking a trip for professional studies abroad, and or simply making a game of any form, but with one thing; Backers get a piece of the experience in some form or another. Had you asked me a few years ago if Kickstarter existed, I would have said no, and it’s the simple truth; I didn’t. I wasn’t interested. Simply put? I was ignorant to anything outside of mainstream game development. I knew indie developers had a 50/50 shot to make it or break it with their title. While some lifted off, I played others that were horrible, and should never have been released. On the other side of the coin? I played games that were amazing, some of the best ever, and even out did games that I would have sworn were triple A titles. And now? We have a platform for that to happen: Kickstarter.

Kickstarter has been and seems to be the place to go for independent developers who have no backing in order to have a chance to make their game; be it tabletop in the format of board game, card game, or on screen as a video game for whatever platform the developer chooses. Over the past year we have seen some major titles make it or break it on there, one was a title I wrote about called Ashen Rift, which unfortunately did not make it, and is a title to this day I could only wish to see come to life. Over that time we have also spoken about games such as Rogue Wizards which was awarded as “Best of Show” at GDC 2015, which is amazing, and something we can only hope to see more of from independently developed games. But what is the problem with Kickstarter as of late?

The best example? Shenmue III, the game that has started this controversy, and unfortunately has broke the seams to a once amazing place to crowdsource funds for indie developers. 14 years ago, we got to experience a new legacy as Shenmue II. The game was a sequel to the highly successful open world martial arts title, that left us with a tale spun around drama, martial arts, and high-end graphics for that time. Even this day the graphics still hold up quite well, but most of all, we were given an incomplete story once Shenmue II launched on Sega’s final console the Dreamcast, and Microsoft’s first; Xbox Classic. Over the years fans began to rally and become louder, louder, and even louder for a new Shenmue title. As their noise got louder a console developer and a video game publisher by the name of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) began to listen in. At E3 2015? We got to see just how much they had been listening when Sony’s own presenter Adam Boyles stepped out on stage to discuss the game after they  let the trailer roll. We got to see the beautiful animations and familiar faces of both Ryo Hazuki and Ling Shenhua on screen. Even with the brontide of fans trying to hold back their excitement, Sony and Yu began to discuss how the game would be funded, but somehow be published on the Sony PlayStation 4, and now it’s no secret that the game was merely a test to see what the player interested would be by using Kickstarter as its “interest test”.

So what’s so bad about this to be exact? When boiling down to the very basics of thing; it was a scam. We now know that Shenmue III already had Sony in its pocket, and they are going to be helping all the way through the games launch and post-launch requirements to ensure the game works. Yu Suzuki had known that fans would eventually find out and the most shocking part? The fact the apology came out quicker than his smile did. As originally stated by Stu Hrovarth in his article called “Bad Penny” on Unwinnable (definitely a worthwhile read), he states that the videogame industry has a silent and terrible force that has been awakening over the past few decades, and now it’s getting worse, a fandemonium created by companies, but also the fans. The prime example of this is how fans will follow the “piper’s flute, pouring money down a corporate maws, joyous, without question”, which in essence is very true once I read and went over Stu’s article several times. Quoting Stu there? Is honestly the best damn way it can be said when looking at the growing problem of consumerism as a whole.

This problem he and I are now both speaking of? Has been caused by platforms that are being abused such as Kickstarter, but also being caused by armies of fans who are unthinking, unquestioning, accepting of half-assed released games, which feature pre-order content to lure fans in, while the others are questioning, patient, and laying siege to the corporations whom don’t listen to fans, who launder their many in half-assed products, and even well placed consumerism. The problem? This will destroy the very industry we know, and this Kickstarter campaign I so quickly backed? Is a great example to this terrifying force that is exponentially worsening with every minute.

When looking at the Shenmue III setup that both Sony and and Suzuki-san used, it’s hard not to see that they wanted to know if fans were interested, something that Gio Corsi, third party director of Sony Entertainment has stated was there, and something that was most well received when they saw how fans took to the announcement of Shenmue III. In the interview session on the PlayStation Live Show, many fans would not be surprised to see both Gio Corsi being joined by Yu Suzuki to discuss the success and reception of their joint project. To pour salt on the wounds that have already been scratched open to a painful depth? Take a look at the Kickstarter project’s original information:

“The real challenge now is to deliver a sequel that we will all be satisfied with after 14 years of waiting. After much research and planning, we set the funding goal at this level believing it will make possible a fulfilling Shenmue experience.

With regards to development of the game, we have an experienced team, deeply connected with the Shenmue franchise. With modern tools, experienced professionals, and the community of Shenmue by our sides, we have set ourselves up for success.

We will do our absolute best to deliver Shenmue 3 and the rewards by their respective deadlines. However, there is always the possibility that problems may arise which could affect reward delivery. There may end up being changes in game or reward designs. We may press right when we are supposed to press left and get hilariously head butted and kneed in the groin.”

With this information it was clear that Sony was never mentioned as a form of backing, financial gain, or even a form of co-development to ensure the game would see the light of day. Instead? Backers were given the idea that Yu Suzuki would be using the funds in order to finish the game with his team, to bring it to light the question is? Just how much of a partner is Sony to Ys Net and how much of the game did they actually fund? That part will largely remain unnamed, but it does bring forth an even larger pressing matter; pre-release ordering of games that haven’t released.

For years now companies such as Amazon, GameStop, EB Games, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys ‘R Us, and many, many other stores have been a place of pre-ordering games, music, collectibles, tv shows, movies, books, comics, etc, and they have always included little bonuses for doing so. Be it a poster, a lithograph, a piece of memorabilia, and nowadays, digital content such as movies, DLC, or even free copies of the item bought through a form of digital access. It’s not unfamiliar to many fans who have purchased games such as Warner Bros. (publisher) and Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight, D.I.C.E.’s Battlefield 4, or even the overly troubled title by 343 known as Halo: Master Chief Collection. Fans who had pre-ordered these games, even purchased them from the get-go had one in common, and one thing that is the most deceitful piece of owning video games; a broken title that is riddled with bugs.

For months EA and D.I.C.E. battled issues with Battlefield 4 that ranged from game crashes, save corruptions, rubberbanding lag, frame rate stutters, and even other performance issues that left fans with game breaking bugs. Unfortunately, this isn’t a first in video game history since the launch of online updating for consoles. Except the most recent problems? Are on a much larger scale, even Bethesda Zenimax had a few issues with Skyrim for PlayStation 3, which left much of the game broken, bugged, and suffering rather large systematic underlying issues that kept even the long awaited DLC from launching with minor bugs. Another example as stated is the Halo: Master Chief collection that 343 Studios and Microsoft teamed up to release, and did so for the Xbox One. The issue with this one? Same ordeal as Battlefield 4. Much of the game was broken, unplayable, and even lead to some rather frustrating moments when fans wanted to go online in order to play against each other or simply play some co-op with friends across the games multiple titles within the collection. As an apology? 343 Studios and Microsoft later launched Halo 3: ODST HD Remake for the Xbox One as a free gift for early adopters as an apology. Hell, even Batman: Arkham Knight has been suffering issues of its own such as an early removal from the Steam Store due to how broken and unplayable the game was. So how has this even become acceptable? Is pre-ordering the issue or are companies getting too dependent on update systems to fix the problems that should have been found in Q&A (Quality Assurance)? The long-term answer is? Yes, we are the problem as a gaming society, we’ve caused this issue and allow for it to continue to this day at the helm of getting a few small bonus items and features from the companies will lure fans in with.

While Kickstarter is used for the right idea for many and some for pre-orders it’s time for fans to begin questioning their stance as consumers and begin deciding if they are the problem or if it’s the companies they’ve devoted their many to. If anything has taught us that we are the issue? It’s the Shenmue III Kickstarter and the failed launch of Batman: Arkham Knight on PC. Though none of these will ever be the singular titles to have bugs, issues, and even fixes that cause more problematic things to occur.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter @GamingAnomaly, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

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Written by Devon Day

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Disclaimer: I do not, in any shape or form despise the Xbox One Elite Controller. What my statements pertain to are from experience with third party peripherals as well as from a financial standpoint. As such, this isn’t a thread to deter those who are interested in the product, but to offer my two cents. That being stated, onto my opinion.

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So, a couple of days back we got the first glimpse of a new controller that Microsoft unveiled in the form of the Elite Controller. At first, looking at the device, I easily got Scuf Gaming vibes in their product; the Scuf Gaming Controller. Paddles, interchangeable thumbsticks (more so convenient than the Scuf), and tension settings for the triggers were all in similar cases with the Scuf product. However, a couple new ideas did catch my eye. The Elite can not only switch said D-pad, but also the paddles as well; more flexibility and versatility as a result. Initially, I was impressed. Sure, this does have some serious Scuf-esque design written all over it, but there was a ton of promise. Well… that promise would come at a steep price.

Much akin to the Scuf Gaming Controller, I did anticipate for Microsoft to have this controller in the three digit range; $120 tops being my guess. However, we got the official price as $150. This is a much better deal than Scuf’s $200+ asking price; the Elite having more flexibility and versatility as a result, but we, as gamers, need to understand the context of the item itself. For $150, you are paying quite a bit for a controller. At the same token, the benefits may outweigh the cost. If you are a heavy First Person or Third Person shooter game, this is quite the appealing product. Much of the Elites design predicates itself on two key areas;

1.) Reflexes: How well you fingers move throughout the device to obtain the necessary inputs for the correct action. This is done upon the positioning of your fingers; preference included.

2.) Reaction Speeds: How fast your fingers can move. Again, apply positioning and preference to this.

This ultimately culminates into a higher degree of success. Furthermore, with the interchangeable thumbsticks/paddles and tension settings, this easily can contend and beat Scuf: recently more so since their product longevity has not been up to their Xbox 360/PS3 standards. This makes the Elite a revolution in terms of function and design right? Well, here is where things go south.

Recall to what I stated about the Scuf Gaming Controller. Scuf has had these same form of features since the days of Modern Warfare 2. While the Elite definitely has some tricks that make it more appealing, Scuf was the actual controller that helped evolve the controller into something throat is more fine tuned for a particular set of genres. Again, the favor still goes to the Elite. Even today, $200+ for a controller is nothing to scoff at. Furthermore, that additional $50+ can be used for other gaming needs. However, the issues regarding the Elite do not stop there.

Not only did Microsoft borrow concepts from Scuf, they also borrowed the Major League Gaming Controller from MadCatz. This controller most likely will not receive an iteration for the current generation, but its modular design paved the way for flexibility. Interchangeable Thumbsticks and the D-Pad were first seen on this controller back in 2012. Again, Microsoft should he commended for such hard work, but shortly after the discontinuation of the Pro Circuit Controller, there were literally 9 different thumbstick and 3 different D-Pad options that MadCatz had attempted to sell at the exact same price to what the Elite is going for now.

The Pro Circuit does not have the tension settings or paddles, but it did have multiple options for gamers to utilize. To make matters even more intriguing, the Pro Circuit controller allowed you to place your analogs sticks in either the 360 or PS3 configuration. This isn’t a dock on the Elite due to the fact that said sticks would drive up the Elites price even higher, but the thumbstick and additional D-pad options should be something Microsoft offers in addition to the concave and convex options. However, we still have to address one big nasty thorn in the Elite Controller’s side.

Recall how I stated the Elite’s key areas are based on reflexes and reaction speeds. Well, there is another competitor that not only does have a current gen iteration, but also takes said two key areas to the same level as the Elite and potentially even more. This final competitor is called the Avenger Reflex from N-Control. Most likely when you look it up or if you do, you will notice its appearance is quite interesting; a cyborg spider that latches onto your controller. While this sounds and looks asinine on paper, in practice, the Reflex can keep up with the Elite theoretically. Since the Elite borrows concepts from the Scuf, let us take a look at that for a second. Weird cyborg arms that rely on your index fingers and rubber hoops l to configure the tension settings for your triggers vs. interchangeable paddles/thumbsticks/D-pad and tension settings for the triggers.

The Elite easily has the Reflex beat in customization. However, notice that the tension settings are the same for both. In addition, one product is an add-on, the other is a controller. We are seeing quite a disturbing pattern here. The Elite and Reflex both are to increase reflexes and reaction speeds. Both offer up stellar options. The core issue lies in the price; $150 vs. $70. As we have already touched upon, a savings give you more versatility overall. Also, consider the fact that when you do buy an Xbox One, you already obtain what you need for the Reflex in the regular Xbox One Controller.

If anything, you could drop $70 to make your regular Xbox One Controller an Elite minus the versatility. That being said, said takeaway is going to impact your decision, which brings me to my overall view on the Elite Controller.

I overall have mixed feelings towards this controller. On one end, it utilizes many great concepts from its indirect predecessors to create one fine joystick. Furthermore, Microsoft is backing this, so quality should be exceptional On the other hand, it doesn’t do much that I haven’t seen before. Worst of all, there is an alternative to this device of you already have the regular controller; ultimately bringing the cost of the Elite in question for me. While I do like what it offers, for what crowd it is going after, there are options that are just as capable in the Scuf or just as cost efficient in the Avenger Reflex. Again, time will tell what the Elite receives, but as of now, there are better options.

For more about each of the controllers mentioned, head on over to their websites:

• Official Avenger Controller Website
• https://scufgaming.com/
  
• Xbox One Controller – Microsoft Store

That concludes my thoughts on the Xbox Elite Controller. What are your thoughts on the Elite? Do you believe the price is too high? Are all the parts a concern for you in terms of longevity? Do you believe Microsoft will add any additional color schemes or other bells and whistles to the controller itself? Sound off in the comments below!

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About the Writer:

He grew up between the gaming boundaries on the 5th generation N64, but admiring the 3rd gen. NES and 4th gen. Genesis for their contributions, he always has something on his mind regarding video games and the accessories they function with. His first microphone for the N64 for “Hey You, Pikachu!”, but expanded towards the next line up of gaming peripherals including the Astro A40, MadCatz MLG Pro Circiut Controller, MadCatz STRIKE 7, and other gaming gadgets. Now loving gaming tech more than ever, he sees this generation crucial to bring the full circle of social connectivity that the 7th. generation of gaming consoles started.

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Welcome to Destiny a game that was meticulously (supposed to have been anyway) crafted by Halo development veterans over at Bungie. Over the past year I’ve spent more than my fair share of time with the game between review titles, and each time I take a break to go back; I find myself hating the game more than the first time around. The game, however, does have a certain bit of draw to it, a kind of draw that makes you want to pick up your disc, put the game in, and continue on. For some it’s the PVP system, for others it’s the raids, and for a different group – the new dungeon like raid called Prison of Elders. But underneath these few substantial things that make us come back, the game does suffer a sense of distinguished design flaws, and story holes that have made no sense at all and left us confused as to why some of the content is even there. So in turn, I’ve been asked to re-review Destiny itself before even taking a look at The House of Wolves as a whole since I’ve yet to down that pain-in-the-ass Skolas in Prison of Elders level 35. The answer to that? We won’t be doing that. Much like any game, sorry Bungie, but your game is an MMO, you made a hybrid and still have yet to admit it since you’re following in the steps of World of Warcraft; we won’t be stepping aside to nitpick at the game once more, but instead will be doing as we did before, but this isn’t the place to discuss that. Instead we are here to discuss the very real issues that hide deep within Destiny that can’t really be ignored anymore.

/-/ Who the F**k are the Cabal? /-/

So you’ve completed Mars, congratulations, you’ve managed to survive the overpowered space turtles that seem to destroy moons and or planets to make a prime example out of why you shouldn’t get in their way. If you’ve watched E3, you know they were hiding on Mars to get away from that asshole by the name of Oryx, the Father of Crota. As we get underway we’ve taken on multiple missions that introduce us to this powerful and mean faction of enemies, but the issue here with them is – the Vex take over the story, and we learn nothing about this powerful foe. We have no idea what their story structure is, where they come from, why they are as powerful, feared, and as militarized as they are, but we also have no damn clue to a story that describes anything about them outside of well… The Grimoire, which is an underlying issue with the whole story telling, because who the literal Hell goes and reads that thing anyways? If you do? Congratulations; you’re unique, devoted, and a die hard fan, but for the average gamer, they don’t read this thing, it’s a waste of space really.

With the past two expansions that are leading up to The Taken King we have gotten a story that explains each of the enemy factions, that has built up their leader structure, and even given us an idea of who they really are. This can’t be said for the Cabal however, a faction that we could only hope would have received the same treatment with their own mini-expansion like the others. Downside? Doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen, if it happens, it won’t until we receive The Taken King on September 13th of this year.

/-/ That Damned Thorn in PVP /-/

Have you been to PVP recently? As a person that has decided to give it a shot and see if it was worth returning to, I’ve found one thing that’s a problem – there are certain guns that are the go to weapons in PVP. Want the list? It’s short, so take a look:

• Thorn – Pistol
• Last Word – Pistol
• Hawkmoon – Pistol
• Icebreaker – Sniper
• Truth – Rocket Launcher

Notice the length of that small list? Unfortunately it should be longer due to the wide array of weapons that are available, but due to balancing, ways to resist some of the weapons, the chances are slim to none that you won’t be getting your face blown to pieces. The most common one though? Is Thorn.

In short, Thorn is one of the games most unique Exotic Weapons in the games library. It allows a DoT (Damage over Time) debuff that ticks down slowly that causes for damage over time, a way to not heal while it’s burning your health down, and becomes a pain in the arse to stay alive against. Unlike the Suros Regime (if you’re familiar with the nerfing this gun got, fans almost went to the streets and rioted in a figure of speech), Thorn is a gun that is the go-to-pvp gun, one that hits hard, ticks down health, and sends you to your respawn screen faster than you could imagine. In short? It’s a pain in the ass to stay alive again unless you are quick to get away or kill the person popping shots off at you.

What could be done to fix this underlying issue? Easy, make it so that there is a way to heal up quicker against burns, give players armour to go to that will help better counteract this painful to stay alive against weapon. Other words? Why not build a structure for armour that is more beneficial in PVP than it would be in PVE? Why not build a set that allows for quicker damage over time drop off or even damage resistances that will be easily balanced across all classes that help benefit against certain types of weapons? Sorry Bungie, but this shouldn’t be a problem, but it is, and it exists. Even several forum writers have begun to rise up against this issue or just ignore PVP all together like I have.

/-/ Combined Arms Needs to be Permanent /-/

Did you play Destiny when it first launched and go straight into Crucible to see if you have a bigger set of balls than the other players? I know I did soon as I hit Light Level 20. I was rocking a Void Walker Warlock among the best of them. This time around I decided to return to Crucible for the first time since the launch of House of Wolves since I was not at all interested in seeing what they did with the release of DLC I: The Dark Below, which was literally nothing, but add onto what was already there with just a few maps and a few small changes to the game modes that were made available.

Now to get back on track to the point being made here. If you first joined the game when it launched you probably remember the maps First Light and Bastion (Turrets, Devastators, and Pikes galore), which is two of the most fan favored maps despite their balancing issues, but they offered something very similar to Halo’s experience with vehicles of both air and ground. For those who enjoyed those maps are now forced to wait it out and hope that Combined Arms returns in order to even get into them. Why? Because Bungie said so and fans cried out when the new players joined in with hopes of getting in on Combined Arms in the first place. The downside? It’s barely ever there and this means you’re stuck with Control, Clash, and the few others that seem to be there at all times. Bungie, please take note, and give us this playlist as a default. You know you aren’t hurting for game modes, we all know you aren’t, but it’s your attempt to draw us in and captivate us with timed modes, which is honestly a bad idea in all honesty. It neglects those who want those large maps to play on as maps that are there by default. Or why not just throw them back into the rotation for those of us that want them?

/-/ Bungie, Your Business Model for Destiny Sucks Worse than CoDs /-/

We all knew this one was coming, and this is from the guy who has bought a copy of the game, a season pass, and even helped throw down some money to help get his little brother a Destiny PlayStation 4 bundle so that he could enjoy the glory that Destiny was supposed to be. A game that changed the first person genre as a whole, but also a game that seeks to define what online capable games such as this was supposed to be able to do. What now? We’re given one of the worst business models that anyone could have ever imagined, a model that is completely screwed, and ignores the die hards who love this game, the ones who bought the season pass as well as have been there since the beginning: The Veterans.

Recently watching E3 I decided to read through and see what the original players got, which was just a few shaders, a pat on the back, and a push down a flight of stairs. While the pat on the back and a push down a flight of stairs may not be realistic it still applies here. So lets take a look at what Veteran Players as they have classified them, is receiving.

• “As a thank you to our most loyal fans, you will receive a commemorative Founder’s Fortune Year 1 Emblem, Sparrow, Armor Shader, and more at launch with your purchase of The Taken King.”
• New Players: 3 New Emotes, New Shaders, New Exotic Class Items with bonus XP

So what does this mean? If you really want to reap the benefits, it looks like you’ll want to be a new player or you’ll want to buy the collector’s edition of it for 79.99 USD, but it comes with the following: Base Game, Season Pass, and The Taken King Expansion and well, all those nifty little bonuses, but to those who already have all that? You’re quite frankly being ripped off and Bungie knows it. Downside is? They don’t care and it doesn’t seem they are going to fix that anytime soon.

/-/ The Taken King is Your Last Chance, Bungie /-/

While Bungie may think they have it strong, there’s a almost silenced rumble that has been going through the gaming community, which is slowly getting louder, and eventually may just turn into a brontide of pissed off fans who have lost their patience with the game. With many of the elements and business practices being flawed, it’s hard to say that Destiny is what it deserves to be. While I’ve not nearly booked the time that many have, I have spent an ample amount of time doing raids, strikes, helping my friends, and even deleting as well as re-rolling characters just to have some fun. This includes deleting my Titan just to make another one for the Heck of it, but also simply just going through each of the appearances.

Though with The Taken King, what all we can say? We all know what’s coming with it, but for many of us this is Bungie’s last chance to really make a game that draws us in before titles such as Tom Clancy’s The Division and others come out.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter @GamingAnomaly, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

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Written by Dustin Murphy

If you are familiar with Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) you already know it’s one of the biggest video game trade shows in the world. With it being titled that, E3 is the place you want to go if you want to hear about some of the biggest titles from companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Activision, XSEED Games, Square Enix, Microsoft Studios, and many, many more developers come in and show what they have to offer. This is where we can officially say that E3 began to shine this year for the first time since 2008. With big guns having been pulled out and shots fired, we’ve decided to take a few closing thoughts to the Best of E3 2015. So what does this mean? We’re going to list our best, but also our worst moments we thought of E3 2015.

/-/ The Good /-/

This year we saw some amazing press briefings from Bethesda, Microsoft, Sony, and even Square Enix. Among many of those big companies we decided that the best moments came from each of these companies; some of them having lifted to an alltime high. This means we’re going to count down our top five picks for “The Good”.

#5 – Halo 5: Guardians

Halo has been a franchise I’ve always held dear to my heart. It was one of the first franchises that introduced me to things such as “First Person Shooter” (aside from Call of Duty and Delta Force back in the day of well PC games being the best place to go for the experience), but this series helped introduce true online competitive play, but also drove the ideology that games should be open and fully co-oped. With Halo 5: Guardians, the tradition continues, but so does some draws from the old franchises. At E3 we got to see massive amounts of gameplay, and that gameplay gave us a glimpse that 343 Studios has decided to take a few daws from the recently remastered Halo 3: ODST. We got to see Buck (Nathan Fillion; Serenity, Firefly, Castle) back in the action, but this time as a Spartan compared to an ODST officer like he was with his old team. The question is? Just how far do we go in the campaign with him and will he be referencing his old squad? Our answer in short? We hope so, but there is a small ugly apart of this, the Microtransactions that spin towards the REQ points needed to acquire certain gear and items needed. We’ll see how long it takes before that changes since the Pay-to-Win feature is a bit overdone these days.

#4 – DOOM

It’s no surprise when you hear a gamer who knows the DOOM franchise go into awe over a new title. A year ago we reported on the title where we got to see a close room demo played by the late Steven Serafin (id Software, DOOM’s technical producer) demonstrated for us, and at E3 we got to see that same gameplay once more demonstrated, but this time, even more-so than ever. This time it included steadier gameplay, sharper graphics, and even enhanced gameplay, but also more blood than before, which was the icing on the cake to many DOOM fans. The thing that topped the cake for us wasn’t necessarily just the fact they demonstrated something that we had hoped to see, Much like what we watched Marty Stratton discuss last year at QuakeCon, we know this is for certain; DOOM isn’t just necessarily a reboot, it’s a continuation of a tradition that we know, one that includes blood, bigass guns, and even a even more aggressive than ever.

With them having demonstrated and outlined some of the campaign, which we witnessed at both a UAC Base and also Hell itself. The question is, will we see Hell on Earth like in DOOM’s original concept art that leaked a few years back? We can only assume not this time around, but possibilities are large and wide. We can also only hope that we see something unique with the multiplayer, which includes both a full on classic style multiplayer, but something unique coming with Bethesda’s announcement of mods for consoles through their upcoming operation: Bethesda.net, which we can only assume will come with Fallout 4 this fall for Xbox One and PC This year, and PS4 to follow with it later on. At this rate 2016 can’t come soon enough.

#3 – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Even as Uncharted seemed to just having gotten started, the series has been long running, having launched back in 2007. This time around we’re seeing the same tradition that we’ve seen in the previous title return, but it looks like Naughty Dog has taken some heavy notes from The Last of Us Remastered and definitely taken on with that. That includes better graphics, quick reaction times, amazing detail to terrain, and even the depth that we saw before. This time? The demo they played had shown us some high-action packed moments that had shown drake running for dear life as bullets went buzzing by.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see much about the multiplayer; if there is one, but we also saw anything going on compared to normal. There isn’t much speculation about what’s going on though aside from the fact the game is well underway in development, and we’ll be seeing it in March of 2016. We just hope it says looking as good as it does so far.

#2 – Mass Effect: Andromeda

Lets just say that even with what little information we know about Mass Effect: Andromeda, we can tell that BioWare has been going to town on development, but also making sure they have an engine that can power the game to such an extent that it easily rivals games such as Battlefield Hardline, Battlefront, and many other games that will press what defines the graphics on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

With the game being years and years, but also light years away from the events of the Commander Shepard Trilogy, we’re getting to see what the game looks like, but the question at home is? What will we see as far as gameplay, mechanics, and sheer game size? We’ll find out soon with the game aiming for a holiday 2016 release.

#1 – Final Fantasy VII Remake

Let me state before I begin, that this game was unexpected, and I’m sure many of you know why. After last years “troll”, many of us fans were rather concerned about the future of Final Fantasy VII, but at Sony’s E3 conference, many of us had our jaws on the floor when the trailer video had shown across the screen. All we can say? If the game is set in a nearby update within the next year or two we can’t wait. For now? We’ll let the teaser speak all the words we need it to.

/-/ The Bad /-/

We know E3 as stated, is where game companies come to show off and give us a show of our year, but there are a few things that just.. Let us down and the worst part? Seems like a lot of us have the same feeling. So lets take a look at our Top 5 of “The Bad” parts of E3.

#5 – Destiny’s The Taken King

It won’t be hard to say that I’ve played a metric-sht-ton of Destiny as my friends would say. I’ve put in hundreds if not almost thousands of hours into Destiny to ensure that the game itself would actually be quite enjoyable. The downfall of the newly announced Expansion? Price points that are showing a 40 USD digital version or a 59.99 USD physical version that comes with the games expansion, but also The Dark Below and House of Wolves. By the way, did we mention that it will require both to play, but it will also require a bit of your hard drive space. We can only assume about the same size as the original title. The upside to all of this? New talent trees, new armor, new planets, raids, pvp, and even more. The ugliest part is that it wasn’t included in the Season Pass even after how HORRIBLE the two DLC’s are. We just hope this thing doesn’t eat up your console’s hard drive itself.

#4 – Activision Console Exclusivity

This is something I’m sure many of us can agree that is turning into a problematic practice. While I’m one that admittedly loves to buy DLC and vice versa for my PlayStation 4. Though what may have triggered this is the fact that Destiny has made such a big splash on PlayStation 4, but a huge portion of it is the fact that the PlayStation is started dominating the market for the first time since the days of the PlayStation 2. Unfortunately, this puts a lot of fans on the back burner compared to those who don’t have the console itself. It’s a pity that the cycle has decided to repeat and continue on from where it did before. This time around? The Xbox fans are being left in the dark while the PlayStation fans reap the rewards.

#3 – The Legend of Zelda Wii U Absence

As long as it has been since we heard about it, we all know that The Legend of Zelda for Wii U has been one of the biggest talks for it next to upcoming titles Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi Yarn, Star Fox and many more. The issue here? We know the game hit a few hiccups, that the game has been known to go through, we are currently waiting to see where the game will go, how it will end up, and when we can expect it. All we know is that this new open world adventure that promised to be bigger than tiles such as The Elder Scrolls Skyrim or even Fallout, we can only hope that the game carries through with that promise and we see it at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) this year. With the silence it can only make us wonder what happened to the game that could possibly help bring more sales to the Wii U as faltering as the console has been since the release of Super Smash Bros. Wii U.

#2 – Microsoft Xbox Kinect Being Absent

When the Xbox One had been announced, we knew that the console would be driving itself around the Kinect to bring interactivity to a whole new point, and this meant that the console would be powerful, but so would its player immersion with this device. With it having been very loosely used for some of the past titles, we also know that the console itself has been struggling a bit till the prices dropped, and a few games began to land on the Xbox One that actually used it in some intriguing ways. The problem here is obvious; Kinect seems like it may be out of the future of the Xbox One.

#1 – Missing Exclusives

We know that E3 is all about showing off those exclusives that were tailored around the console announcements that both Sony and Microsoft had pre-E3 2015 that revealed games such as Shadow of the Beast (PS4), Quantum Break (Xbox One), Scalebound (Xbox One), Deep Down (PS4), and even titles that seem not to matter such as Adr1ft (PS4). It seems that many of these games were absent and hopefully will be talked about at conferences such as GamesCom and TGS. Here’s a good luck to that as we hope that something will come out of these soon.

/-/ The Ugly /-/

You’ve already guessed it. There is something to be said that there is a worst of the worst, but the funny part? This is where we feel that companies have truly dropped the ball. Lets take a look at our top 5 of E3’s “The Ugly” moments.

#5 – Nintendo’s Presentation

Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo, why can’t you just seem to learn? I can’t say that they don’t at least try, but the problem is? They try in all the wrong ways. When it comes down to it, Nintendo has yet to learn that you can’t keep rehashing the dead horse and hoping that it comes back to life since well, one something’s dead; it kinda needs to stay dead. The same can be said for them bringing back titles like Star Fox and Super Mario Bros.. While these titles are good and all, which they are, Nintendo has shown a lack of innovation and want to work with third party teams. E3 would have been a chance for them to show off some of the future works with DeNA, but also a chance to show off The Legend of Zelda Wii U, The NX, or even a whole new IP in its own right? We’re at least happy that Fatal Frame: Oracle of the Sodden Raven is heading this way under its new name; The Black Haired Shrine Maiden. Good job on that one Nintendo, now learn how to market, or there can be some true problems here.

Downside of Nintendo? Unless they do something quick, they may as well leave the console market, and focus on the Nintendo 3DS, which has seen massive success and support from fans. The only thing left? Why didn’t they show off their big hitters that could have done with the New Nintendo 3DS via exclusives since it has taken fans by storm with the amiibo support? And speaking of amiibo’s, a discussion about the scalping and shortages would have been a great idea seeing as fans are starting to lose their faith in the company.

#4 – Sony, Show the Vita Some Damn Love Already

Alright, we know this is shooting the dead animal with a high powered rifle just to see what we can hit that is left of it. The issue here with Sony? The Vita isn’t as dead as they think it is. Thanks to exclusives coming out of Japan and third party support, I think it’s fair to say that this game is still very much alive, and needs all the support it can get, but this means Sony actually needs to pull their heads out of the grown and actually do something about it before they do lose the fan base that’s there. WE could use some love here Sony. Where’s our Soul Sacrifice 2, Killzone Mercenary 2, and or even a Gravity Rush 2? Those were great games that could use a fair bit of attention and well… They’d sale quite frankly if you actually marketed them.

#3 – Games to Release Soon Being Displayed

Well, we know how this goes, and I’m pretty sure this topic explains itself. We’re not seeing games that are coming out in the near future such as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain or it’s online component Metal Gear Online, but also titles such as J-Stars Victory VS, Onechanbara Z2: Chaos, and even more. Though they were on the showroom floor, it would be nice to see companies take these to the big stage so that the niche games get a bit more of highlighting.

#2 – PC Game Exclusives

With the Steam Machine line starting to get into production for this winter, it’s no surprise that we’d have hoped to hear more about this, the games it’ll support on launch, but also the fact we’d love to have known more about what Steam had in mind for this thing. That brings in the question: Why don’t we get to see the exclusives that will launch on Steam for this thing? We’re as confused as you are, but the answer might be simpler than I think: Steam gets enough exclusives that they could have an entire convention surrounding just PC Games and PC Games alone.

#1 – The Future of PlayStation Firmware

We know, we know, and we know that this might be a lame deal, but the thing is? Microsoft has shown what it takes to improve their consoles, this means a Windows 10 style updated, backwards compatibility, and even more power being dedicated to power things such as Direct X12 and even better graphics engines. This is something we didn’t hear out of Sony, and this is definitely something that we hope we get to see a bit of. Why is that? Because Sony has a lot of room to make up for, and the painful part for them is that they aren’t seemingly trying due to how they pushed sales with the PlayStation 4 in its current state. We still would like to see them quit with the PlayStation Now and finally admit that the PlayStation 4 itself still has a long way to go in order to catch up to the recent news from Microsoft. Till then? All we can see in the PlayStation 4’s future is more stability updates and that’s about it. There’s ALWAYS the next big show Sony, always the next big show.

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About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter @GamingAnomaly, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.