Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts Unchained @ E3 2015!!!!

Yes, Kingdom Hearts fans and potential fans, KH3’s gameplay trailer has officially been released! Even in my adult years, this big kid has been waiting patiently for this game for 9 YEARS.

I’ve been waiting for this game for too long. We all have. And now, finally, Tetsuya Nomura has caved and teased us with an official, mouth-watering trailer.

It has been a while since the developers at Square-Enix gave us some footage or updates on the development. Finally, they have showed us what they have sharpened up on at E3 2015. I also hear there will be more gameplay trailers November 2015. So excited!

I just want to go over the things I noticed in this trailer with fellow readers and Kingdom Hearts fans.

1) The visuals-Despite doubters of the Unreal Engine 4, it has translated extremely well to Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts’s visuals have obviously improved over the years (I mean, 2002’s game and console had the best programming and technology for its time, but come on…). Most modern games that are based off of old-time games have a hard time appearing like an upgrade. But Kingdom Hearts managed to appear like an upgrade, and get this, without taking away the feeling of Kingdom Hearts.

Doubters of the Unreal Engine 4, including Nomura himself (one of the lead developers of the series), didn’t think that Kingdom Hearts could work with the new software. They were afraid it wouldn’t keep its feeling. Surprise! It did.

And that command list, though! It’s so not in the way like previous command lists.

The developers wanted the game to feel like a Disney movie, and it really shows. It really carries the same Disney magic and imagination. Yet, this looks like a game even a macho person would want to play.

2) Characters Present-We obviously know that Sora is returning as the lead character, along with Donald and Goofy. But we also see a younger Master Eraqus and a young Master Xehanort before they were masters themselves. They obviously know something about the future and it has to do with the darkness taking over. If you have played Kingdom Hearts X Chi, you might understand what they are talking about. If you haven’t, you may be in for a surprise or rude awakening, however you may see it.

We see that Eraqus wants to change the future predicted by the Foretellers. If you don’t know who they are, you might want to play KHX….

3) Worlds Present-So far, it’s already pretty confirmed that Hercules’s world is going to be in the game. This time, we’re visiting Mount Olympus.

Tangled’s world has been confirmed to be one of the worlds that will also be in Kingdom Hearts 3.

We are also returning to Twilight Town…

I just want to point out that the landscape and free playing field has always been the gem of the Kingdom Hearts series. That gem was highlighted in this trailer.

4) Gameplay-Now here comes the juicy part. The gameplay definitely looks interesting. Flowmotion (from KH Dream Drop Distance) looks like it has made a comeback. Bravo! But there are also some interesting commands and surprises that have improved the gaming experience in small, yet tremendous ways.

For starters, we have many moves that activate Disney World theme park rides. While fighting Rock Titan from Hercules, Sora activates some roller coaster. In Twilight Town, he’s seen fighting in what resembles the Tea Cup ride. And they didn’t make it look boring and cheesy. Just like they did with Mickey Mouse for Kingdom Hearts II, they made it look pretty darn epic.

In the world that seems to resemble Tangled, a boat ride is activated from the water, so perhaps many of these moves are activated according to the environment. Then again, a chariot was activated in Twilight Town…so…maybe we can use them anywhere. It’s pretty epic, I have to say.

Sora has come out as a true blue master in this trailer. He’s not holding back. He’s gotten good with his fighting techniques and he’s not afraid to flaunt it.

And since they never could improve on their crappy camera angles, it appears they found a better use for it: dizzying us with epic fighting techniques!

One thing I can say about this trailer is that the series has actually shown evolution through this one game. Through this one game, Kingdom Hearts has shown tremendous improvement and has reflected the hard work of all designers and developers. Despite the length of time it took, I have no doubts that the game won’t disappoint.

Of course, this is the hype of the trailer. I can’t wait to see the real thing.

5) Kingdom Hearts X Chi-Yes, everyone. KHX Chi is coming to mobile phone devices. So, if you haven’t played this game yet, I advise you do. Sure, you may have heard Nomura say that it’s not important to play if you want to progress to the next game. But ya’ll should know by now that Nomura is on some bull crap. Remember how Chain of Memories was not supposed to be so “important”? Or Kingdom Hearts Coded? Or Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days? Remember how Birth By Sleep was only supposed to be a side story? All of you unfortunate people who didn’t get those games were lost when the next major console game was released and will be lost when KH III is released. I realized early on how important each Kingdom Hearts game is to the entire story. X Chi is no exception.

Though you’re only playing a made-up keyblade wielder, there is information throughout the game that tells us more about KH3 and the keyblade wars. So don’t you think for a second that you can just skip out on this game. You will be missing out on something.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you gathered from the Kingdom Hearts trailer and the confirmation of KH Chi!

Want to understand more about the Kingdom Hearts stories? Want to see how fans reacted to the news? Want to see a rank of favorites and worsts? Click below!

Playstation 4: Next Gen or Getting by on XBox One’s Failures?

Recently, I did an article on Microsoft’s XBox One, so check that out before you read.

https://generationnextnextnext.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/xbox-one-360-ps4-playstation/

This time, I’m tackling the PS4.

Sony has been one happy camper following the recent backlash Microsoft has been receiving for it’s XBox One. Due to MS’s problems, Sony has found a way to advertise their system by trying to promote the EXACT opposite thing of MS. Sony is sitting back, laughing. You can take this as Sony actually listening to gamers, or Sony looking at XBox One’s response from gamers, and trying to further discourage Xbox One purchases. It doesn’t matter, either way Sony knows what not to do. However, Sony needs to slow down. While Sony doesn’t have the restrictions that MS’s XBox One has, their console isn’t what I would call up-to-par either. Don’t get me wrong, Sony is more flexible as a company. When they didn’t have backwards compatibility on the PS3, they soon adapted it on the console, knowing it was one of the failures of their system. They should have learned from the Ps3 that backwards compatibility was their main issue (along with others). But Is PS4 the next gen answer? Or is it just lucky XBox One has so many rules? I would like to discuss the pros and cons.

1) Backwards Compatibility

The #1 issue that is plaguing so many people about both the new consoles is that there is no backwards compatibility on either one. Sony isn’t as bad as MS. You will be able to play PS 1 and 2 games, but PS3 games won’t be able to play on Ps4 until 2014, where it will only be available for download. This is because Sony plans on releasing games for Ps3 for the next 10 years. To ensure that people who just bought the PS3 gets to have the gaming experience, and to gain revenue while the PS4 slowly begins to sell, Ps3 will be their fall-back just in case. If you could play it on Ps4, that wouldn’t be possible. And as Ps4 slowly sells, they wouldn’t be gaining much from it.

This is neither a pro or a con.It isn’t a good thing. If this were truly the ultimate next gen system, it would have backwards compatibility. But considering they’re at least trying to make up for it (unlike MS), it’s not hurting the PS4 either.

2) Playstation Plus

Before, online play on the PS3 was free. Now, on the Ps4, if you want to play online, you have to pay a monthly subscription on the Playstation Plus. Playstation Plus was once an option for online gaming, now IT is mandatory. This to me is almost like MS’s mandatory “rules”, and says to me that gamers are restricted from the gaming experience more and more lately. Thankfully, it isn’t mandatory to have internet, because I wouldn’t be buying anything for online play. If it isn’t free with my console, forget it.

While it isn’t as bad as MS’s restrictions (such as internet being mandatory and still paying for XBox Live), I wouldn’t call it an IMPROVEMENT. The problem with these companies is they think “progress” is becoming more robotic and letting computer own and run everything. They think “progress” is making everything more accessible and making games more life-like. And they are a part of progress. But true progress is when you IMPROVE on a mistake or problem that your system formerly had. The answer is not changing it to fit another vision. If it’s not broken, why change it?

If PS4 was truly an improvement from Ps3, online gaming would be free. This is what makes Ps3’s online experience simpler than XBox’s. Now, Sony wants to make it’s own “Live”. Really dumb idea. Who told them this was going to work? MS?

To add, you can’t play multi-player games without plus either. This restriction is not good. This sucks. This is it for my Street Fighter and Tekken games.

This is a MAJOR con.

3) Physical Look

This is where MS’s XBox One owns. Ps4’s system looks like they just added a layer to the Ps3 and called it Ps4. No improvements were made to the overall system. Nothing has really changed. While XBox has had plenty of changes and improvements (not all good), Ps4 has not changed from Ps3 really. Even though it has a streaming function, it can basically do the same things a PS3 could do. Or an XBox One could do. Or even a 360. It isn’t “OMG” amazing. It’s standard. At least the Wii U improved it’s controller with a touch screen pad. What has Ps3 brought to the table besides keeping gamer freedom that MS failed to do?

Even though the graphics are technically better, whether that shows up on-screen is left to be seen, and we know that history has shown Sony to fail in that regard.

This is a con.

4) Game Exclusives

It’s pretty obvious that more appealing games will be released on the One than the PS4. Sony hasn’t been releasing games that people can even take seriously. And so far, it doesn’t look like it will be any different this year. If PS4 could even suport games that people actually cared about, it would be better. This is a MAJOR con.

5) Downloadable Games

All PS4 games will be made for internet download, as most all consoles want to encourage online usage. They are trying to keep up with other media entertainment like movies, television, and music. But Sony has said they will continue to make hard copies. So if you want to buy at the store, re-sell, trade, share, or even display the game as part of your proud collection, you may. This is a MAJOR pro.

Looking at the PS4 for itself, especially comparing it to the PS3, it actually has more cons. But at least the difference isn’t as wide as XBox one’s to the 360. However, I wouldn’t yet call it “Next Gen”. With all the negativity going around about XBox One, people are ignoring the fact that the PS4 on it’s own is sub-par to anything with the name “next gen”. MS is a very good building that Sony can hide behind right now, but it doesn’t excuse their lack of quality in consoles and game exclusives. Sony is the longest console to exist, so I expect some bumps and bruises a long the way. But let’s try to actually improve the system next time, kay?

But hey, is next gen so important when you have freedom with your gaming console? Or is next gen very important because if it weren’t, you’d keep your old system? Those questions are left up to the consumer.

The XBox One: Microsoft’s response to the Playstation 4

The New XBox One

Last year, Nintendo released it’s Wii U, which I didn’t bother making an article about because I don’t consider the Wii a major console unless you’re playing Mario. But ever since PS4, I’ve been excited for the future of gaming consoles. XBox is coming out in November 2013, just before the Xmas season.

I recently just learned of the XBox One. Yea, yea, I know I’m late. I wanted to research the functions of the XBox before I posted an article. After thorough research, I’ve learned more about the XBox One. As a technology person, it’s great. As a gamer, it’s disappointing.

Before you Microsoft shippers jump the gun, just hear me out on this. I’m a fan of all gaming consoles. I have no reason to be biased toward any of them. XBox One is great as a home theater entertainment system. It looks sleek. It’s glossy. The controller has this rad vibration function that boasts being able to “feel” the direction a hit is coming from in a game. Kinect remains active at all times. You can watch live tv at all times. Skype is a new function. XBox live is still subscription based, but there. Cloud storage will let you save music, movies, and games. Recording and Streaming will allow you to record gameplay footage from the game you’re playing, which is automatically saved. There’s also a SmartGlass on the way that is said to be compatible with mobile devices. It has an epic voice command, that even in sleep mode, can wake back up with that command. Sensors remain on even in sleep mode.  More interesting games draw people to the XBox One than the PS4, Killer Instinct being one of them.

You know what I find funny? During the whole explanation, they kept mentioning about how when one person shoots, it vibrates. The lack of variety in gaming is evident even when hearing game producers talk about how great their console is. Almost every game is a shooting game. But that’s getting aside.

There are pros, but many cons. The console is getting more negative reviews than positive. Here’s why:

1. Compatibility with old games

Not going to happen. No XBox 360 games are compatible. So if you want to play any old games, better make sure you’re taking care of your XBox 360. They’ve made this clear. They won’t even carry over with your profile. Well, at least I know I’m not trading in my xbox anytime soon. This limits the user. Only people who are interested in new games will be interested in this console. So, as Microsoft infamously proclaims, “If you’re backwards compatible, you really are backwards”. I’m backwards compatible, come say that to my face Microsoft! This was the downfall of the original Ps3, and will be their’s as well.

2. Internet is a Requirement

What happened to the days when kids whose parents didn’t want to pay an internet bill every month got the chance to at least play a computer game? The popularity of this gaming console is lessened because of this feature. If I was a parent who didn’t want to pay an internet bill, and I had the option to choose one item I could buy just one time, and didn’t have to worry about a bill every month, I would go with a console that I could pay one price and the kid could play his game. Sounds like team PS4 to me.

Then there’s always the chance where the internet connectivity turns off, or moments when the whole server crashes. Aside from worrying about the console breaking, you now have to make sure your modem or any other internet device is up and pumping because games won’t work without it. My internet is so up and down, I could be halfway through a game before it crashes. I’m not too comfortable with yet another item being dependent on the internet. At least with a hard copy, there’s some back-up, and you can play it anywhere and on anyone’s console. I hear that even if you get your profile on another console, it doesn’t guarantee your games will show up if it’s not your own copy. That eliminates sharing games. Which sucks.

When people asked Don Mattrick about the people who don’t have internet, he simply said, “Buy a 360 instead”. Wow. Much faith he has in his own “next gen” console. And games will still be made for the 360…which is practically an old console in 2013.

Is this supposed to compete with PC games or something?

3. You must use Kinect

You can turn off Kinect functions, but the sensor must be connected. This is a bit creepy to me. What if you don’t like a game sensing your every move? It just limits the player’s options. A gaming console’s success depends on the options a user has.

“It can also detect a player’s heart rate, facial expression, 25 individual joints (even thumbs) and the precise rotation of such joints, the weight put on each limb, and the speed of your movements, and track gestures performed with a standard controller. The Kinect microphone will remain active at all times so it is always ready to receive voice commands from the user when needed, even when the console is in sleep mode—where the Xbox One will be able to wake back up in response to a command.” Like some creepy action movie. Does the thing have an off button? Another way to make kids think video games are real. Does the law even allow this?

4. Restrictions on Reselling games and Sharing of used games

Must I say anymore? It’s not going to allow you to share games even if you log in to your profile on someone else’s console. Every game must be downloaded.  There’s also this dumb requirement of verification every 24 hours of offline games. Video Game Retailers will not be able to sell Used Games anymore with this new “internet” function. So if you think a game stinks and would’ve liked to trade it in for something better, allowing someone else to play it, you can’t do that with the XBox One. This insures money stays in Microsoft’s pockets, and the independent seller loses. Microsoft even threw it off on the game developers, stating that if they want people to play used games, then it is up to them, and the activation fees THAT COME WITH IT. This limits the Used Game market. Isn’t this breaking a law somewhere? They might be trying to stop people from burning games…

Though they have this “10 person per library” policy, that still is a limitation on your freedom as a gamer. So I’m limited to 10 accounts? How about I share it with whoever I want? I buy it, I own it. Right?

From Wikipedia:

“After its unveiling in May, gaming and PC websites expressed concern over the restriction on the resale of used games,^[68] and the requirement of online verification every 24 hours for offline games.^[69] Further official details released in June regarding the policy towards used games and Internet connection requirements caused negative backlash among gaming websites as well as concern amongst independent video game retailers.^[70][71][72] Microsoft clarified the situation stating that it would be the game developers that decide if used games could be played and any activation fees.^[73] Matt Peckham of Time believes that the Xbox One used games policy goes against the first-sale doctrine.^[74] Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter has suggested that the game developers would limit the used game market for a period after the game was released but might then allow used games to be played.^[75]

Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi defended the changes, stating that the Xbox One was primarily designed with digital distribution in mind, and that the changes to the licensing model on the console would be “easier to understand” when applied to just digital copies of games. He contended that the new system, which would also allow games to be accessed directly from cloud servers by various means (regardless of how they were purchased), would allow publishers to use “a diversity of business models” to meet their individual needs. Mehdi also noted that Microsoft was not attempting to “give in” to the criticism of used games by publishers, but trying to balance the needs of consumers and the industry itself.^[76] The position on online requirements was reinforced by Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, who stated that those who do not have internet connectivity should purchase an Xbox 360 instead.^[23][77]“

Where does Ps4 deliver?

Playstation 4

1. Hardware-The graphics are ten times better than Ps3 and better than the 360. And arguably, better than XBox One. This might not actually show up in games, but neither will One’s. From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2013/jun/18/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-at-a-glance

“The PS4 version has 18 CUs generating 1.84 teraflops of processing power, while the Xbox one has only 12 CUs; which, in theory , gives Sony’s machine a 50% advantage in terms of raw shader performance (for example, lighting and other graphics effects). It’s never quite this simple because other design and technical elements of the SoC can affect performance, but it’s certainly an indication that there is more graphics grunt there for PS4.

Sony’s machine also uses 8GB of GDDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 176GB/sec as opposed to the Xbox One with its 8GB of DDR3 RAM. GDDR5 memory is optimised for high bandwidth, which is perfect for use in graphics calculations, but also has higher latency than DDR3 RAM, which would be a problem for a general purpose CPU. However, because the PS4 architecture places the GPU and CPU on the same die, the latency between the two may be minimalised. In short, the adoption of a graphics-friendly form of memory may work to PS4’s advantage as agames-targeted machine – even though GDDR5 is more expensive to implement. There’s a thorough summing up of the system design here.”

2. The console Camera, which has been downplayed, and made user-friendly in a less mandatory and creepy way than Kinect.

3. It’s cheaper…though superior in every way? Wow.

PS4 is simpler but better. It doesn’t look as pretty as One, but it’s better for games. Looks can be deceiving. Yes, Ps4 doesn’t have backwards compatibility, but the price is lower, so we know that it won’t have everything. For Xbox’s price, I expect it to be an epic console catering to all gaming needs.

All in all, which is better?

While XBox’s console doesn’t agree with gamers, it’s power lies in it’s game exclusives.

New installments of the Halo and Forza series, as well as new title Ryse: Son of Rome and the long-awaited return of Killer Instinct.

The quality of game exclusives OWNS Ps4’s, which most are new series. Call of Duty will be on both platforms and so will FIFA. Many of the biggest franchises will end up on both. So console isn’t a major factor in that either. But as far as exclusives go, Xbox one pawns Ps4.

Any other power lies in Sony’s hands. All they need are more powerful games and backwards compatibility, and XBox One will be withering away. It’s time to step up Microsoft, you let Sony have it this time. XBox’s system alienates the gamer, and seems more like a family tool for a better home theater, which mostly competes with televisions. PS4 caters to the gamers and sticks to what it’s strongest at.

But remember, the console isn’t out yet. So this is still just an idea.