If you follow video game news at all, you will know this has been a very eventful week. Well, past couple of weeks. There have been so many top news stories to fill the video game news websites it’s hard to keep track of them all. It all started with Sony being threatened by the hacker group Anonomys earlier this month to crash the Playstation Network. Rumors of a new Nintendo system had been floating around the internet already, including what features it may have (and it sounded awesome). Then on the 18th of this month, Epic released the beta of Gears of War 3 to the public (for those of us who had bought Bulletstorm: Epic Edition). The following day, three of the most anticipated games of the year would be released (Mortal Kombat, Portal 2, and SOCOM 4).
Before I address any of this, I want to let you all know; I am not biased to any one system. All systems have their own “perks” that others do not. I own all of the current systems and play them equally. My statements below do not reflect a “like” or “dislike” of any system over one another.
Well, I’ll start with my thoughts on the Sony issue. Well the story has been beat to death, but basically a hacker got into the Playstation Network system. He accessed personal data, including name, location, email address, and possibly even credit card number and date. The ideal thought on everyone’s mind was that this was Anon. Well, it wasn’t. Just take it at that, Anon denied any involvement. This is also not Anon’s style. They don’t “hack,” their attacks are more like “overloads.” This week, MSNBC stated that a group of “cybercriminals” had posted an ad somewhere for 2.2 million credit card numbers they said Sony would not buy back from them. A hoax? I think so, but it’s always better to be safe then sorry. I have received an “apology” email from Sony regarding the security breach, also explaining what I should do. Well, I know what to do already… Personally, and in retrospect, I would have loved to see an email earlier (especially since my credit card information may have been accessed). The press had the information before the public did, by a few days. That was my major “beef” with the whole issue. The first actual thought I had when I had heard the PSN had went down is, “those poor guys who bought SOCOM 4 won’t be able to play online.” That’s like telling a Gears of War player they cannot play online, just single player. Haha! Well the issue is still going on. Sony has stated we will receive compensation (which I feel we are entitled to) that will include at least 30 days of PlaystationPlus for free. I feel we deserve a little more, especially since Sony has said the Store may not be up for about a month. I mean, why would I want 30 days of PS+ if I can’t buy anything for that month…? Anyway, it’s still ongoing, so we will just have to wait it out. Sony has stated the PSN should be back up for PS3 and PSP users within the week and Qriocity and the Playstation Store should be up within about a month.
Well, since Xbox 360 fanboys have so much to rejoice this week with a new beta and exclusive online console play of Mortal Kombat and Portal 2, let me talk about the Gears of War 3 beta now. First off, let me say, the Gears franchise has always been an “up-close and personal” kind of game. It is a cover-based shooter, meaning battles are supposed to be “firefights,” usually face-to-face. It also was always about the violence, explosions, and all of that junk as well. That being said, shotguns make sense as well as the other “ranged” weapons. However, shotguns don’t have to push the boundaries of “instant-kill” like the Sawed-Off. The Gnasher has always made sense in Gears, and is acceptable. You need an up-close weapon, but that doesn’t mean you need a gun that, unless you miss, will down you or kill you instantly. I’m not just bitching, I have a solution. Cliff Bleszinski describes it as a certain type of skill, but if you have a Gnasher and I have a Sawed-Off, either we are going to trade kills, or I will (as long as I nail the shot). However, according to a tidbit I had heard on G4’s “TheFeed,” Bleszinski had claimed at some point he had put the new shotgun in because he couldn’t get kills with the Gnasher. I still see how that shows a certain type of skill, but it would be much different if you had to aim it, not just blind fire. My solution is to have this weapon as a power weapon, but not like the One Shot or the Mortar, more like the power-pistols. Have it spawn in multiple areas as a pick-up would give access to it, but not allow everyone to have it. That all being said, I’m not really sure how Epic will handle it. More than likely, they won’t do anything. Epic isn’t the kind of company to just nerf a weapon like that. They have done it in the Gears franchise before, but not without good reasoning. We’ll see. The rest of the beta is a whole bunch of fun. I’m not a pro, by any means. I may get better, but I’m not giving my life to this thing like some people obviously do. I play for fun. I will play single player/co-op and then online play for fun every now and then. I play with the Retro Lance, which I enjoy a lot. I rarely use the bayonet, but it requires more aiming if you want to get a down. The whole leveling system is cool. I like the medals and the unlockables. All in all, it’s a fun game. I’m excited to see how Epic will handle the beta and what changes they may or may not make. We’re heading into CTL week (along with mine and my wife’s anniversary on Monday – Happy anniversary baby), we’ll see how that goes. Okay, now that I’m done with my thoughts on this beta, go ahead and call me a bitch for not liking the Sawed-Off.
Okay, so we’ve covered a Playstation story and an Xbox story, who’s next…? Oh, right, Nintendo! Well, this will be a shorter story, because there isn’t as much that we know about it. The E3 convention is going to be held June 7-9 this year. I cannot wait for the information overload about the upcoming games of the next few years. We already have a little taste of what Nintendo will be showing, though. They have stated that there will be a playable demonstration of their new system available throughout the convention. A new Nintendo system? Sweet! The rumors have already circled around the internet about this system. I’ll mention a few of them. Supposedly, the system itself will be more powerful then a PS3. No surprise, really, Nintendo needs this. The controller is the most interesting rumor going around. From what the internet has told me (reliable, I know), the controller will be designed like a GameCube or Xbox 360 controller, but with one slight difference: A touch screen in the middle. The controller supposedly can have games transported to it via the system and can then be used on its own as a handheld system. Being the leader in handheld gaming, this just makes so much sense for Nintendo. The innovation is there, too. Is it too early for a new Nintendo system to come out? Sony and Microsoft have been said to not want to release new systems until 2014. Well why should Nintendo care what they do? Nintendo has released a system just about every 5 years since the NES in 1985 (SNES, 1991; N64, 1996; GC, 2001; Wii, 2006), so it’s about time for a new system. I’m not going to start any rumors nor support any rumors, they all seem plausible. To find out, though, we are going to have to watch closely at E3. Nintendo says this system will be released in 2012. I, for one, will own it. Nintendo has yet to fail me. And then all the Xbox and PS fanboys say, “rabble, rabble, rabble, Wii sucks.” You suck, bud.
Well, I’m not going to mess around with any information regarding the three games I mentioned before; they are old news and have been reviewed. They are fun, though! Now you have been filled in with everything that was on my mind regarding video game news this week. Everything involves us waiting to see how it all turns out, but that is the gaming industry for you.
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