Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all your hearts desires become true and that you and your loved ones find eternal bliss! This post is the previously mentioned gamers review for 2013. It was quite a ride, this past year, and we're here to see the biggest "shockers" of that crazy voyage.
I think we'll begin with February 2013. Not too long before (around about January), Sony announced they would be holding a "See the Future" event for the press and a select few in New York on the 20/2. There was speculation on the forums about what would be announced, but the company itself remained tight-lipped until the very night of the event, when Mark Cerny (designer and system architect behind the machine) announced "the future" in the form of the PS4. He showed off it's capabilities, the new controller, DualShock 4, some games on it, the GAIKAI cloud gaming interface, but the one thing that was missing was the console itself. In what could only be described as a stroke of marketing genius, Sony decided not to show the world what a PS4 looks like for a few months to come, leaving everyone guessing and anticipating until E3.
In the meantime, there was another next-gen machine in the works and it too was getting ready for it's big premiere. Microsoft had been preparing the follow-up to the XBox series of consoles and at April they sent out the invitations. The machine's official title was "XBox One". There was a whole lot of interface shown off at the event. Voice recognition functions, multiple application capabilities, live stream and live chat functions, heck they even brought on Steven Spielberg to announce that he'd be making a new show exclusively for the XBox One! The only thing that was missing, was the games themselves.
In the months counting backwards to E3, the tension was getting high. Game developers, console developers, everyone was getting ready, saying this is going to be one to remember. And they weren't wrong either!
Eventually, the highly-anticipated time came (June 11-13) and E3 was at last upon us. But one day before the gates at the LA Convention Center could be opened to the public, there were some press conferences to be held. And this is where the real "battle" was held. Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA and Sony (in that order) were to show what they were going to be showing off at the expo (and more), only on stage.
The first to take the stage was Microsoft. After emphasizing so strongly on the machine's capabilities during the reveal event (and receiving a lot of criticism about it), it was about time they showed off some games. And with a strong opening line up like Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, Quantum Break, Titanfall, Destiny, Forza and Call Of Duty: Ghosts, they had the crowd in an uproar. The downside came when they announced that the XBox One needed to be online in order to play games, no game sharing was allowed between users and that the price was $499. It seemed like a tombstone was placed on the machine, since even hardcore XBoxers were giving it a serious second thought.
After Ubisoft and EA held their respective conferences, showing off a lot of interesting current and next-gen goodies, it was time for Sony to come in. They really raised the stakes. By not only showing the world what a PS4 looks like, but announcing a series of up to 200 games being developed for the PS3(!), the further use of the PSVita through remote play (making it able to play PS4 games), and showing off future projects for the PS4 itself, that felt more like a rock concert than a press conference! But that wasn't all Sony had under their belt! They took a clean shot at Microsoft's internet policies, announcing that players are free to share games with each other, free to play online or offline and a staggering $399 pricetag on the machine itself! After all that, even people that owned XBox 360's had decided to go with the PS4 for next-gen.
And where did Nintendo fit in all of this? You may think the Japanese company had been sitting idly by, considering they didn't even have their own conference at (what was considered by most) one of the best E3's ever, but you'd be dead wrong! Through a series of "Nintendo Direct" podcasts (a live stream through the Wii U's), they have announced and released a series of new games that take the term "platform" far beyond it's limits! Pokemon X & Y itself only sold about 3 million copies on its first weekend! And with more fun titles like Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Maker HD and many more, the company proved that the Wii U isn't out of the competition yet! In fact, it may just be the winner, consider most of it's games are exclusives.
After E3 came Gamescom in 21-25 August. This event was held in Koln, Germany and was the most visited gaming event of the year, and it was followed by the Tokyo Game Show, the Eurogamer expo that was held in London and Jump Festa, yet again in Tokyo.
Around about September and before it was too late, Microsoft decided they would switch their internet policies regarding the XBox One. No longer would it be necessary for it to log on to the internet once a day in order for a user to be able to play. Nor would there be any restrictions in gaming sharing. In a way they were admitting defeat, but it was a small price to pay compared to not selling at all.
And then November came around. On the 15/11, the PS4 was the first next-gen console to be released on the North American markets. It wasn't available for long though! With people quewing up in line from a night before just to get a good place, it was no wonder that the 1 million sales mark was broken in merely 24 hours! The same thing happened all around the world. In the UK, the PS4 became the highest selling console of all time, with over 700,000 pieces overnight!
The XBox One released in 14 countries simultaneously on the 22/11 and also broke the 1 mil. sales in a day mark (in the U.S.), making both consoles they highest selling in history. As things stand today, the XBox One has sold around 2 million units in just those 14 countries whereas the PS4 has sold 2,1 million units world wide (excluding Asia). It will be interesting to see who comes out on top during the Christmas holidays.
As for the games? This year featured a lot of record-breaking titles such as Grand Theft Auto V, The Last Of Us and Pokemon X&Y. But the promise of an even better gaming year comes in the likes of Watch Dogs, Infamous: Second Son, Destiny and Final Fantasy XV. There have already been some people in Sony saying that what they're getting ready for E3 2014 will be even more "epic"!
So as this year comes to a close, we'll all have the transition to the eighth generation of gaming consoles to remember and a whole many things to look forward to. I leave you with this video of some live reactions to a couple of game announcements that were made at E3 and that were extremely highly anticipated (warning: lower the volume!). Happy New Year everyone, and let the games go on!!
I think we'll begin with February 2013. Not too long before (around about January), Sony announced they would be holding a "See the Future" event for the press and a select few in New York on the 20/2. There was speculation on the forums about what would be announced, but the company itself remained tight-lipped until the very night of the event, when Mark Cerny (designer and system architect behind the machine) announced "the future" in the form of the PS4. He showed off it's capabilities, the new controller, DualShock 4, some games on it, the GAIKAI cloud gaming interface, but the one thing that was missing was the console itself. In what could only be described as a stroke of marketing genius, Sony decided not to show the world what a PS4 looks like for a few months to come, leaving everyone guessing and anticipating until E3.
In the meantime, there was another next-gen machine in the works and it too was getting ready for it's big premiere. Microsoft had been preparing the follow-up to the XBox series of consoles and at April they sent out the invitations. The machine's official title was "XBox One". There was a whole lot of interface shown off at the event. Voice recognition functions, multiple application capabilities, live stream and live chat functions, heck they even brought on Steven Spielberg to announce that he'd be making a new show exclusively for the XBox One! The only thing that was missing, was the games themselves.
In the months counting backwards to E3, the tension was getting high. Game developers, console developers, everyone was getting ready, saying this is going to be one to remember. And they weren't wrong either!
Eventually, the highly-anticipated time came (June 11-13) and E3 was at last upon us. But one day before the gates at the LA Convention Center could be opened to the public, there were some press conferences to be held. And this is where the real "battle" was held. Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA and Sony (in that order) were to show what they were going to be showing off at the expo (and more), only on stage.
The first to take the stage was Microsoft. After emphasizing so strongly on the machine's capabilities during the reveal event (and receiving a lot of criticism about it), it was about time they showed off some games. And with a strong opening line up like Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, Quantum Break, Titanfall, Destiny, Forza and Call Of Duty: Ghosts, they had the crowd in an uproar. The downside came when they announced that the XBox One needed to be online in order to play games, no game sharing was allowed between users and that the price was $499. It seemed like a tombstone was placed on the machine, since even hardcore XBoxers were giving it a serious second thought.
After Ubisoft and EA held their respective conferences, showing off a lot of interesting current and next-gen goodies, it was time for Sony to come in. They really raised the stakes. By not only showing the world what a PS4 looks like, but announcing a series of up to 200 games being developed for the PS3(!), the further use of the PSVita through remote play (making it able to play PS4 games), and showing off future projects for the PS4 itself, that felt more like a rock concert than a press conference! But that wasn't all Sony had under their belt! They took a clean shot at Microsoft's internet policies, announcing that players are free to share games with each other, free to play online or offline and a staggering $399 pricetag on the machine itself! After all that, even people that owned XBox 360's had decided to go with the PS4 for next-gen.
And where did Nintendo fit in all of this? You may think the Japanese company had been sitting idly by, considering they didn't even have their own conference at (what was considered by most) one of the best E3's ever, but you'd be dead wrong! Through a series of "Nintendo Direct" podcasts (a live stream through the Wii U's), they have announced and released a series of new games that take the term "platform" far beyond it's limits! Pokemon X & Y itself only sold about 3 million copies on its first weekend! And with more fun titles like Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Maker HD and many more, the company proved that the Wii U isn't out of the competition yet! In fact, it may just be the winner, consider most of it's games are exclusives.
After E3 came Gamescom in 21-25 August. This event was held in Koln, Germany and was the most visited gaming event of the year, and it was followed by the Tokyo Game Show, the Eurogamer expo that was held in London and Jump Festa, yet again in Tokyo.
Around about September and before it was too late, Microsoft decided they would switch their internet policies regarding the XBox One. No longer would it be necessary for it to log on to the internet once a day in order for a user to be able to play. Nor would there be any restrictions in gaming sharing. In a way they were admitting defeat, but it was a small price to pay compared to not selling at all.
And then November came around. On the 15/11, the PS4 was the first next-gen console to be released on the North American markets. It wasn't available for long though! With people quewing up in line from a night before just to get a good place, it was no wonder that the 1 million sales mark was broken in merely 24 hours! The same thing happened all around the world. In the UK, the PS4 became the highest selling console of all time, with over 700,000 pieces overnight!
The XBox One released in 14 countries simultaneously on the 22/11 and also broke the 1 mil. sales in a day mark (in the U.S.), making both consoles they highest selling in history. As things stand today, the XBox One has sold around 2 million units in just those 14 countries whereas the PS4 has sold 2,1 million units world wide (excluding Asia). It will be interesting to see who comes out on top during the Christmas holidays.
As for the games? This year featured a lot of record-breaking titles such as Grand Theft Auto V, The Last Of Us and Pokemon X&Y. But the promise of an even better gaming year comes in the likes of Watch Dogs, Infamous: Second Son, Destiny and Final Fantasy XV. There have already been some people in Sony saying that what they're getting ready for E3 2014 will be even more "epic"!
So as this year comes to a close, we'll all have the transition to the eighth generation of gaming consoles to remember and a whole many things to look forward to. I leave you with this video of some live reactions to a couple of game announcements that were made at E3 and that were extremely highly anticipated (warning: lower the volume!). Happy New Year everyone, and let the games go on!!
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