The Next Gen: Ideas on What Happens to Games

This is your future—don’t worry about the console itself.

I've done a post over my hype of the next generations of consoles. However, the announcement of the PS4 pushes us into closer into the next generation, we are starting to say goodbye to the 7^th generation.  However, rumors are floating around that the next set of consoles may not allow for backwards compatibility, or for the playing of used games. This of course, can be quite concerning to some of us gamers. I buy games with the idea that I can continue to play them. I loved SSBB because the Wii brought over the Gamecube controller slots. I loved my Gamecube because I bought the adapted that let me play GBA on it (which led to many playthroughs of Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga). The 7^th generation has also seen a high influx of “casual” gamers. Phones have become a source of enjoyment, and Flash games are beginning to edge into markets. We have entered an era of microtransactions. This makes me curious as to how games will continue to evolve.

Some more speculation in the mix.

Personally, I want to see backwards compatibility and used games to continue on. Although I personally don’t buy used games, I do, on occasion, borrow games from friends. It’s a way to expand your experiences and play a game before buying it. Backwards compatibility of course is nice since I don’t always have my consoles hooked up. Gamecube games are already not playable on the Wii U, and I still love to revisit Luigi’s Mansion and even Sunshine on occasion. I do believe we will see everything phased out from the 6^th gen. but I think that at least the Xbox will keep compatibility for 360 games, like the Wii U has for the Wii. Gamers still like their old games, and want to be able to play them without swapping out consoles. Yes, HDMI and RCA cords are becoming more common on TVs, but that does little to change the fact that having 4 consoles hooked up to a TV becomes bothersome and a dust trap.
The other big change I believe we will see is accommodations for casuals. This doesn’t mean that we’ll see a full-on revolution towards the market, but probably more towards what Xbox is doing currently: bringing Hulu and Netflix and other things onto the console as an added extra. Consoles, in a way, are adapting to be more like PCs. The ability to do more than play games is becoming more and more lucrative, and is a big reason why I’ve become a big PC gamer (other than hats, of course.) This will also go hand in hand with cheaper games with microtransactions. Gamers are more likely to pick up a game that’s cheap, and not likely to think very much of an occasional $1 powerup. It’s another way to make money; it’s another way to nickel & dime gamers.  
The future of gaming still looks promising, but as always an ever-changing empire; this is not a bad thing, but more of an evolution. Yes, at this point it is a lot of speculation and gathering of rumors, but there is a precedence that can be seen. When the Wii came out, both Sony and Microsoft responded with the Move and Kinect. Both of them may not have been good, but they saw it as a strategy. The gaming market now has a growing demographic of people who want more than just games—the market will eagerly meet these people with new options. However, don’t fret children. The true gaming market is still steady and strong. We will continue to see new, exciting FPSs and strategies; just expect there to be some new people in the market.

--Santa

I'm Back: The Specs.

So, I've been gone. I’m horrible at making promises—and then keeping them. But, some things have happened since I last left, and I figure it would be a good idea to touch base with the old Workshop, starting with some big news: I bought a new laptop, and this means one thing: a review.

                I used to have an old Dell laptop, and before that an old Dell desktop. It made playing video games, for the lack of a better set of words, completely impossible. They ran Vista. They had no graphics properties. They had DDR2 RAM. Oh, it was a sad, bleak existence of playing TF2 on a trade server, oh pity thy name is Santa. However, in November I decided to end this torment, and looked for a new source of life blood to keep me going.

                I’ve been looking at computers for the last 3 years, and never bothered to get one, mostly because I’m the greatest recorded procrastinator in the world. But, I couldn’t stand the death of my laptop to a computer virus, and really began the process. I figured my luck was all right, since it was near black Friday that I may strike a good deal—and one came up. I was on Newegg trying to find a good deal when I saw the words “Acer” on one of them. Normally, I had my eyes on one of the Asus “Republic of Gamer’s” models, but all of them were above $900, well out of my cheap-ass budget range. But, I decided to click on it, and to my surprise it came out with fantastic specs.

                However, it was priced at $750, which was still uncomfortable to me. I took the models name and pushed it into Google. It informed me that my best option was buying directly from Acer at $700, and after doing some calculations, I took the model, and from it I currently type to you now. It’s not bad for a $700 computer. But, then again it was supposed to be a straight $900 model. It’s specifications are:

• ·         Model: Acer Aspire V3-771
• ·         OS: Windows 8: 64 Bit
• ·         Processor: Intel i7-3632 QM clocked at 2.20GHz with 8 CPUs
• ·         Memory: 6 gigs DDR3
• ·         Graphics: nVidia GeForce GT 640M (2 gigs of memory)
• ·         17.3” HD monitor
• ·         750 gig HDD

However, you didn’t come here to read about how this laptop works. When this thing arrived I pulled it out and immediately noticed after setup that I was having problems with the display. Some colors, mostly greens and blues would “flicker” white, and would really ruin the experience of the monitor. I called up Acer and told them about the problem, and after a small debate about who would pay for the shipping, I sent it back to them. I have to admit, this was nearly heart-breaking to me. Nothing makes a purchase go awry like a DOA. However, when it came back I found that its problems were gone, and I finally began to enjoy the system.

This computer is, as can be expected, nicely fast. It’s a big, fat laptop made for big needs. It’s got plenty of USB ports, a full keyboard and numpad, and when it’s working, a fantastic screen. The i7 makes for powerful computing, 6 gigs of RAM, although perhaps a bit small for the future, are quite nice and handle my needs, and the 640M plays games nicely. On TF2 and League of Legends and Fallout: New Vegas I can play on full settings and still get 60 fps, as long as explosions don’t dominate the screen. This laptop has done everything I have thrown at it, and continues to go on.

However, it is not without its faults. Firstly, although some are fans of shiny, luminescent finished, I personally think it’s just made for smudging. There are also no indicators for Caps lock, Num lock and the sort. They may not be necessary for a laptop to work, but it can be annoying if you accidentally bump it, and then later on you’re typing in caps without knowing it. The arrow keys are very erratic and almost seem to decide which direction they want to go it, at least when using them on some applications, which baffles me. Lastly, I’ve seen the prior mentioned pixilation issues return—and at the moment are still on the laptop. I haven’t gotten to calling Acer at the moment, as it doesn’t make work on it impossible only much less enjoyable and annoying. I have no idea as per why the laptop would get it twice, but it’s quite saddening. Such a fantastic laptop does not deserve to be ruined by such an asinine issue.  

In the end, this is nearly a perfect laptop, at least for my needs. Yes, it could have more RAM or the indicator lights, but what do you expect from a low-price laptop? However, if I had paid $200 less than its general retail price, and I can definitely say that I was paying full price, I don’t think I would have bought it, that, and the fact that I’m going to have it repaired for a second time makes it nearly not worth it at this price.  However on sale, and in working order, I would hugely recommend this laptop. If you’re in the market for a new laptop, I would suggest shopping around, but be careful. You never know if it’s going to work.

--Santa

First Thoughts & Computer Woes

Today I come to you all from not a computer, I come from an Xbox. Through a series of unfortunate events, the laptop has stopped working, and my attempts of re-installing the OS at this point of time have proven fruitless. However, I then realized that I have a chatpad and (regretfully) Internet Explorer on the Xbox. I put 2 and 2 together, and begun the post. It won' be quite as pretty as my old, MS Word typed ones, but it will get some content out, with minor spelling errors.

Since we're already on the Xbox, why not talk about their games while I'm at it? Namely, Halo 4. I won' lie, I was originally agaimst a sequel. I wamted it to die with the Covenant, but quickly I saw that they weren't just milking the old cash cow, but had brought some new ideas in as well.

I haven't completed the campaign just yet, but I have played through a good chunk of ot, and gotten a bit into War Games as well. Its apparent to me that what is happening now is not just a revival, but a shift towards a new direction. Normally, I'm heavily against milking a story, but Halo has something more to it. Halo's got a whole, vast, lore and universe surrounding it. Master Chieft is just a man, but he is a soldier. Soldiers just don't fight one fght. Sierra 117 is a lifer, and his end is not in sight.

So far, Halo 4 is dragging in the feeling of Halo, the quintessential needs of it (that big battle feel and boop, boop, beep before a game starts) and puts it in a new situation. The plot is heavy and thick. Its, at this point at least, possibly more Halo than some of its predocessors.

I look forward to cpleting the game, and giving a more full review, and hopefully, on an actual computer.

--Santa

Movies: We're Back

I’ve heard a lot about 007. Good old James Bond. Last Friday I went to see it in theaters, and I have to admit—it was a big event for me. My first 007 in the theatre. I haven’t really seen much of the famous spy, but I figured it was a good place to start (especially since Lincoln wasn’t out yet). I’ll be honest, I’m not much of a rough-and-tumble action sort of guy when it comes to my preferred types of movies. Normally I’m more of a comedy man, but 007 caught my eye (and my friends insisted).

Skyfall starts with Bond on a mission to recover a hard drive with some information about spies in secret agencies encrypted onto it. Failing to recover this data, and in a horrible accident, Bond is shot while riding on a train and falls into a river (hence, a cliché reference to the name, but not the true reason for the title). Bond, a couple of months later, comes back into the scene again after MI6 is attacked by a terrorist organization, and soon finds himself embroiled in international spy warfare once again.

Seeing that I have no background on Bond except for my small memories of some classics and what I know from the parodies that Austin Powers left me with, this is a really broken Bond. I kind of remember seeing Bond as the perfect guy—this one is almost defeated, weaker… not perfect. He’s real. This lends a lot more feelings to the story, especially since the franchise is 50 years old now, and needs something to keep it going. Daniel Craig proves how smooth, and chunk he can be. However, I will say that there is a noticeable lack of gadgets, which although saddening, is much more real. I gave Bond a 8.25/10. Not the best movie I ever saw, but certainly entertaining, and a fairly nice plot for an action-y movie.

--Santa

PS: Coming up soon will be some new posts. Expect some LoL news, a bit of talking on Saxxy’s, and of course, Halo 4.