Is this the generation of "Broken Multiplayer"?
Lets face it, with the latest batch of games released over the past few months, online multiplayer has taken a huge hit. Driveclub, on the PS4, had major issues with its online components. The online aspect has been broken for months, and the game was released "UNFINISHED"! Yes, all the amazing weather effects and several textures they showed off have yet to be installed in the game, as they will be released at an unknown time.
Onto the Xbox One. Look at all the issues we have experienced with Destiny. It seemed like almost every night we would have some sore of connection issue when playing online. But Destiny is not the only game having issues. CoD Advanced Warfare has had major issues reported online. Halo: MCC, again, players have major issues with multiplayer. GTA V is having issues with players transferring their data from last gen versions.
If this is the "Next-Gen" of consoles, should we have better experiences than last gen? What could be causing all these issues? I downloaded GTA V last week. Been waiting to play it, then come midnight launch night, I am told to "Insert Disc"! What the hell, I got the digital copy, This so called "Next-Gen" of gaming has become more disappointing as it really seems like these developers have forgotten how to make a game play "ONLINE". It looks like we will be going back to single player story modes from here, except several companies don't know how to create a single player story either.
How do you all feel? Do you feel that all these issues across several games is ruining the Next-Gen of gaming or do you feel that this is all part of new consoles? Though these are not exactly new, (been out over a year now), I didn't see this many issues with games on last gen consoles at launch. Lemme hear your thoughts, if you have experienced these issues as well.
It is almost that time. Who here is going to be getting Halo Tuesday? I know I am. I do hope to see several people on here as this game has a special place in our hearts from way back when. Besides coop, I cannot wait to play Halo 2 online again. It is going to be amazing.
Well, Destiny is out now. Though the game is not quite as large as I had hoped it would be, it is still amazing. I know three of us have been playing Destiny on a regular basis. I absolutely love this game. Myself, Hare Krazy and Fishguts have been playing almost nightly. I do have Sworn Brotherhood up on Bungie.net. I am also going to be posting on forums trying to get more members on board to play online with. I would like to get more into doing the raids, and we need at least 3 more players. If anybody else has the game lemme know. Also, those that got the PS4 over the Xbox One, if you are playing Destiny on that platform, you can also join Sworn Brotherhood on Bungie.net as I registered for both consoles.
Ok, so we have now had our "Next-Gen" consoles for nearly a year. Not all of us were able to make the jump (they are expensive), however we are slowly getting everybody on a next gen console. We have become somewhat separated as some chose the PS4 where others went with the Xbox One. The games coming out have been a big let down in my opinion. Though we had a few solid titles early on, most were just a slightly prettified version of last gen's titles. With that said, the past few months have been horribly slow across all platforms. The most action was the Steam Summer Sale.
The fall looks to be the complete opposite. Instead of being crazy slow on new releases, it looks to be unaffordably loaded with new titles. The biggest of which are the likes of Destiny, Assassin's Creed Unity, and Halo: Master Chief Collection. I do feel that Destiny and Halo will dominate most of the SB crew. I know if the Halo 2 remake is exactly like the Halo 2 we all know and love from the original Xbox, I will spend most of my time on that. I wish we could get all the old school members that used to play that game and relive the memories.
Until then, we will just be trying to find something to play. Some of us have been playing GTA Online, though a couple members are now having extreme trouble getting online (damn cloud connection errors). We hope they can get it fixed, would have been nice this weekend though with double RP points. I know next year we will have a good year as well as Rainbow Six Siege will be releasing. At least I hope it does, been waiting for a new RB6 game for what seems an eternity. Either way, SB will go on; whether we become competitive on the gaming scene once again or stick with the community aspect.
It has been rumoured that there is going to be a HD Remaster of some of our favorite games coming this year on the Xbox One. This bundle can be the game-changer that Microsoft really needs. The rumor is a bundle of Halo games, remastered in 1080p. Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4. So, the question is "Why release these now?" As explained by the dev team, this is so those who bought the Xbox One, but never played Halo, can get to know the story before Halo 5 launches. I just hope they keep the multi-player of Halo 2 in tact, with no changes like "armor abilities". Just imagine if we get to relive those days of Halo 2 all over again... I am sold.
Well, six months after launch, the new generation of consoles have started to settle in. As of right now, the PS4 is beating the Xbox One... seriously! However, Microsoft has finally realized that they have been making the wrong decisions. Whether you consider this the "Third Party Curse" (PS3 had a very rough start, N64 sold less than expected, Sega Saturn bombed), or stupidity on Microsoft's part, the One has had several struggles. Yes, it has sold 5 million units, however outside of the actual sales, it has grown a huge crowd of haters, many of which were die hard Xbox fanboys.
So now MS is considering changing their strategies. When the Xbox One launched, it was aimed to be the center of you entertainment center. Games, movies, DVR, Bluray and more. MS seemed more focused on the side features and had forgotten that we all buy gaming consoles solely on the games. Everything else is just an add-on. Side features that we can do without, but get to enjoy. With a stronger focus on games, they are also looking to change other things.
Xbox Gold - You no longer need gold to watch streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Go and so forth. The "Games with Gold" will now transition over to Xbox One, with titles like Halo: Spartan Assault being given out to gold members.
Kinect - In june, MS will launch the Xbox One without the Kinect sensor. This will also cause a price drop toe $399. This may help sell more consoles, however I still think the Xbox One Titanfall bundle that came with the Kinect sensor was a better deal (At least if bought through Walmart or Best Buy). Yes, those two stores sold that bundle for $449. Great price compared to what it is everywhere else. Also note, Sony decided to sell the PS4 without the PS move; it helped drop the price of the console, but it seemed to add more demand for the PS move bundle.
So what do you think? Is Microsoft making the right move? Is it too late for them? With the new generation of consoles finally under way, can Microsoft repeat the same success they enjoyed with the Xbox 360? Give me your thoughts and share your opinions. As for me, I do feel MS made way too many mistakes in the beginning, however it is early and they can come out on top, they just need to get more triple A exclusives, Titanfall alone will not save them.
Ok, so this game has been one game I have been waiting for. I have always loved the series, and wanted a multi-player version of it. This is only the second MMO I got. WoW is the first, and I didn't play that much. I do see myself getting into this game however. I have started a guild, Sworn-Brotherhood. I had to put the dash (-) because there is already a Sworn Brotherhood guild in that game. Maybe it is some of our long lost members we lost when WoW launched. (That would rock) I am just starting in the game and am a level 3. I will be playing it more often though as I move along with the story. I hope to see some others on it, and maybe recruit a few new players.
On that note, I am also looking to recruit for Titanfall on all three systems, X1, Xbox 360 and PC.
Is the "Next-Gen" really Next-Gen?
Ok, so I bought the Xbox One. I have several games for it including top sellers Battlefield 4, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Forza, Dead Rising 3 and many others; most recently Titanfall. Let me say this first; YES, the games do look better than the Xbox 360 games. But do they look like $500 better? That is the biggest issue. They do look better without a doubt, just not much better. Forza looks great as they added a few new details, but I would have expected much more graphically as far as the backgrounds and special effects go.
As far as graphics, the jump is kind of disappointing to me. I know they will look better in the future, but I expected them to WOW me at launch. The Kinect was forced upon purchase. We weren't given it for free, we were forced to buy it as the console costs $100 over the competition. I was hoping to see some great innovations with the Kinect, but once again I am disappointed. The best use I have witnessed from the Kinect is playing Dead Rising 3. Making noise, or calling the undead to you will actually attract them. Outside of this, the Kinect has given very little innovation to gaming. The only other good feature is having it recognize you and log you into your profile automatically. But nothing the justifies Microsoft forcing us to buy this gimmick.
The best example on the Xbox One for a Next-Gen game is Titanfall. It does offer a very unique feeling, yet something we have all played before. It is like a mix of old school and new school. Very fast and fluid gameplay. But, it is still an unfinished game that was rushed out just to give a reason to buy the Xbox One. There are no was to setup a private match with 11 of your other friends, you can only have a group of 6 and are forced to play against other random opponents. Limited gameplay, and limited changes to your titan, and you start to feel you have been given an unfinished online experience. Yes, all the titans look the same, you have 3 different titans, and you can choose different weapon loadouts. But the only way to tell if you are looking at a friend or a foe is the name above the titan. I personally would have loved to see clan features, as well as the ability to customize the overall look of your titan. Change the color, add custom armor; even if it serves no mechanical purpose, just so we can make it our very own titan. You see a black, orange and white Stryder with the SB logo on it, you know its me.
So is this really the defining moments of the "Next-Gen" wars? I see Sony has some great games for their console, the PS4. Outside of Titanfall, I do feel that Sony has a better plan and brighter future than Microsoft. MS to me doesn't care that they are screwing their long time customers and supporters over. They seem to have lost that whole "It's all about the consumers" attitude. Nevermind what the gamers want, nevermind giving them a deal, lets rob them of all their hard earned cash for a slightly better looking version of last year's titles. I may be harsh, but something does need to change if the XB1 is going to have any chance to survive the PS4.
I have been playing Titanfall lately on the Xbox One and I must say, I am loving this game. To me it feels like a mixture of Unreal and Mechassault. I have a lot of fun playing this game, in fact I haven't enjoyed a game like this since the original Xbox. I know there are three of us playing on a regular basis, including myself, Kingasscrack and Gdag. We are getting better as a team.
Do note that I have not seen much in this game as far as clans. I do not know how we would be able to do clan battles considering there is no true private sessions. I am sure it will come within a patch in the next few months. I do encourage those looking for a fun, fast, action packed game to check this out. I hope to see more of us on this game, hopefully on the Xbox One. However, there is a Xbox 360 version launching early next month.