October console wrap-up
Feature
Some of us enjoy sitting on the couch with a controller to play our games. We look at all the console news and games for the month of October.
Console Game of the Month: Dishonored
We can’t help but point to Arkane Studios’ new IP as the best title to arrive in October. The tale of the falsely convicted bodyguard turned supernatural assassin is truly epic. The quality of story, character and, more importantly, fun cannot be overstated. The game is brimming with foreboding atmosphere in a fascinating, Steampunk-like oppressive Neo Victorian setting. It doesn’t last as long as one would hope, not does it provide a sandbox level of freedom but it is still a wonderful experience.
Dishonored couldn’t have come at a better time. ‘Sequelification’ runs rampant in the industry and it is difficult to breathe life into a new franchise, yet Bethesda trusted in Arkane Studios and allowed them the resources necessary to work on this exceptionally interesting game world. Kudos to you, Bethesda, for having the balls to do what others do not.
Other Notable Releases
- Resident Evil 6
- Fable: The Journey
- Retro City Rampage
- 007 Legends
- Just Dance 4
- Dance Central 3
- Forza Horizon-
- Killzone HD
- Medal of Honor: Warfighter
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Zone of the Enders HD Collection
- Assassin’s Creed III
- The Unfinished Swan
- Lego Lord of the Rings
This months Console news
PS3 Hacked again
The Sony Playstation 3 has been hacked yet again and the hackers responsible for the attack have uncovered the console’s encryption keys online. The hackers who broke the most recent PS3 encryption code call themselves The Three Tuskateers. According to the group they discovered the hack a while back but never released it.
The group that discovered the hack did not release Sony’s encryption keys but leaked it to a Chinese hacking outfit known as BlueDiskCFW who planned to use it to force Playstation owners to pay for firmware updates. Not wanting a hacker group to profit from the discovery, LV0 released the Sony encryption key within 24 hours.
EA founder thinks consoles are a 'hobby business'
Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, thinks the console market for video games is becoming a "hobby business" while the PC sector is booming.
In a recent interview Hawkins said;
The console market is always going to be with us, because there’s always going to be a hardcore segment, a segment that likes innovation. But it’s going to become a smaller market, and it’s going to be more like a hobby market. You look at airplanes, most of us just want to be a passenger, but there’s a hobby market for people who are really into aviation and want to take flying lessons and maybe someday have their own airplane. I think that’s what’s happening to the console market.”
Microsoft Points to remain as currency for XBL, real case for Windows 8
Microsoft clarified their stance on how you will be paying for items through Windows 8 and Xbox LIVE.
Microsoft was said to be discontinuing Microsoft Points in their latest operating system in favor of real currency. MS have confirmed that real currency will become the standard option for purchases through Windows 8 but Microsoft Points will remain standard for Xbox LIVE.
'Gears of War' creator Cliff Bleszinski leaves Epic Games
Epic Games announced that the Gears of War creator will be leaving his position at the development studio. Bleszinski is the creator behind the Gears of War franchise, Jazz Jackrabbit, and countless other titles. Bleszinski's work, while including games, also includes major work on Epic's Unreal game engines.
Cliff Bleszinski’s latest title, Gears of War: Judgement is scheduled to release on the Xbox 360 next year.
Trailers of the Month
Irrational Reveals New Beasts of America Trailer for Bioshock Infinite
Far Cry 3 Trailer Introduces You to Hoyt the Tyrant
Retro City Rampage is Everything You Love About 8bit Gaming
Opinion: Game on, no matter the platform
For all the rants and raves between the so-called “PC master race” and the divided console gamers, a box in a living room has distinct advantages over a mouse and keyboard setup. While the controls won’t be nearly as precise as what you can get with a mouse you do find things like analog buttons and vibration feedback. Procedural movement speed is something that’s quite hard to translate to the keyboard as it’s about pressing keys rather than tilting an analog stick. Wouldn’t you say it is far easier for the average person to go out and buy a game knowing they can play it the minute they get home than to worry about compatibility and meeting system requirements? Not to mention the ability to trade games in for new ones. You cannot deny the number of distinct advantages that, even after nearly three decades, PC games have largely failed to match.
We could go on and on for hours about the distinction between the console and the PC but the fact of the matter is that we shouldn’t care about these differences. The only important thing we should be focused on, are the games themselves, not the mediums or the hardware that we play them on. I’m a multiplatform gamer and enjoy my consoles. I also love my PC as my catalog of over 200 games on Steam alone attests to. Heck, I plan on creating an Ivy Bridge-E build next spring to take advantage of the unknown titles of tomorrow.
My point is this: Focus on the publishers and developers, not on the platforms. It is them that dictate the release of new ideas and concepts in games that vie for your hard-earned cash year round, irregardless of the platform. Gaming should be about the games, not how you play them.
Stuff we can look forward to in November
- Halo 4
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
- Hitman Absolution
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
- F1 Race Stars
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Thanks for visiting. Please feel free to leave your comments below. We’ll see all you console gamers on the couch again next month. Happy Gaming!