The Xbox One isn’t the much anticipated “next” Xbox. A console updating and replacing the old. The Xbox One is instead the “new” Xbox. A console to compete with the old. If history and Sega has taught us anything it’s that hardware self-competition is a bad thing. A very bad thing. By entering a second dog into the retail fight Microsoft is opening themselves up to a number of terrible scenarios. Best case: Game developers want to push their artistic endeavors to increasingly higher levels by taking advantage of the newest and best technology available. Therefore software releases for the Xbox 360 will trail off, with quality titles becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. This will result in decreased sales of the console. This decrease in revenue for Microsoft will result in decreased support for the console further diminishing sales. All of this will be further exacerbated by the money wasted producing the 360. Traveling the self-competition road will bring on the alienation of half of their user base as Microsoft’s best case scenario Then there’s the worst case scenario: Things go well for the first year or two. Sales are good for both consoles so developers continue to back the 360 while creating software for One. But splitting both their revenue and users forces Microsoft to rob Peter to pay Paul, using money/personnel resources from one side to implement updates to the other. Possibly they could keep resources separate and continue development of both consoles at a slowed pace. Meanwhile Sony, Nintendo, Ouya, and whatever else might be on the horizon are blasting full speed ahead and Microsoft crumbles because a house divided can not stand. I call this the Sega scenario.

Since the dawning of the age of disk based gaming, backwards compatibility has been a bridge. A way for old software to stay relevant easing the player’s transition to the new hardware. Microsoft is burning that bridge.

Related:

Microsoft Press Conference Recap
http://coin-op.tv/microsoft-press-conference-recap-for-xbox-one

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Microsoft Press Conference

Microsoft presenters used buzzwords like ‘intelligent tv’ when talking about the new interface – trying to convince the audience of how great watching TV will be on the new Xbox One.  Eventually Andrew Wilson from EA came out to announce that four of their games like FIFA, Madden, NBA LIVE and UFC would be coming to the Xbox One using a new engine called ‘Ignite’.  Wilson also used buzzwords like ‘human intelligence’ and ‘true player motion’ during his presentation and showed what looked like in-game animated sequences.

Phil Spencer was up next and talked about Forza Motorsports 5 and how it would be an Xbox One launch title.  Some pretty CGI cut-scenes for Forza Motorsports 5 were shown and then a teaser for a new IP called ‘Quantum Break‘ was revealed.  Most important from Spencer’s presentation was that he said 15 exclusives would be coming to the Xbox One and 8 of them would be brand new titles.  What are these games? Guess we’ll find out at E3 2013!

After teasing us about some upcoming video games Nancy Tellem and Bonnie Ross appeared on stage to announce a partnership with Steven Spielberg to bring an exclusive Halo TV show to the Xbox One as a ‘premium television experience’.  We’re not show yet what this all means but you can bet that Microsoft will put all their bells and whistles into anything with the Halo brand name attached to it.

Finally Eric Hirschberg from Activision showed a behind the scenes featurette of the upcoming Call of Duty Ghosts video game along with a short CGI trailer full of beautifully animated cut scenes.  We had a chance to see more and talk with the developers at Infinity Ward about the upcoming game Call of Duty Ghosts – be sure to check out our impressions video from that event.

Overall, Microsoft did a great job of building hype and anticipation all year leading up to this press conference.  Unfortunately what we saw wasn’t all that exciting and felt like a huge teaser for the upcoming Microsoft E3 2013 press conference.

Call of Duty Ghosts Preview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAPEqTvGjWQ

Xbox One Press Conference Recap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOt58frr2MI

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In Defiance, you are an Ark Hunter – a person searching for alien technologies in order to make a quick buck.  For an immediate crossover in the beginning of the game, you meet Nolan and Irisa, the main characters from the show, who were Ark Hunters themselves before arriving in the town of Defiance.  While the town of Defiance is in present-day St. Louis, the game places you in the San Francisco bay area.

There is plenty to do in this world.  Besides the main quest, there are side quests, three types of challenges, Arkfall events, small pop-up events and episode quests.  I appreciated the wide variety of opportunities afforded to me.  The large-scale Arkfall events give you the chance to partake in massive battles with other players without having to party-up with people. The only downside to these Arkfall events is that they quickly become so chaotic that you never really have any direction.

Of course, the episode quests are the big selling point.  These quests focus on the crossover aspects of the universe.  You meet characters from the show who perhaps have interacted with Nolan and the residents of Defiance and have migrated west to your area.  Sequences of events in the show impact what you’re doing, providing new quests and quest givers.  I will admit that while I appreciate the TV show impacting the game, I would be interested in seeing if Trion Worlds and the Syfy show-runners could utilize some event in the game to affect Defiance’s already-renewed second season.

Defiance will not wow you with revolutionary gameplay.  In a way, feeling like a generic third person shooter might be one of its strong points.  The learning curve for playing is short. The only thing you really have to incorporate into playing is your EGO skill.  There are four main skills: decoy, blur, cloak and overcharge.  These skills help you focus on deception, speed, stealth and strength, respectively.

There really is a lot to like in Defiance.  Besides the interactivity and easy learning curve, there is a large area to explore, as well as many ways to occupy your time.  The challenges vary from timed vehicle courses to sharpshooting ranges to rampage challenges that test you against many waves of enemies.  On top of the challenges, there are very small, focused events that occur on the side of the road.  Many times, I find myself stopping to help out a fellow Ark hunter who is taking on these small events.

That is not to say there aren’t opportunities to improve.  There is too much going on in the heads-up display (HUD).  Between the mini-map, weapon information, quest information and status bars at the bottom, even on a 50” television, I felt like it was way too cluttered.  There’s also a serious lack of variety in enemies.  Especially at the beginning, there are mutants and there are hellbugs.  Sure, there are different types of mutants and hellbugs, but one of the differences in the mutants is some carry rifles and some carry shotguns.

Overall, Defiance is an ambitious game that has plenty of enjoyment within.  The extras connected to the show indeed pulled me into fully experiencing the universe.  While I enjoy that interactivity and the possible future cross-media events, there is really nothing else about the game that improves or furthers the MMO genre.  If you are just looking for a decent, easy-to-pick-up shooter in an open world, Defiance is a good purchase for you.

Defiance is available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.  For this review, I played on the Xbox 360.

Defiance Review & Gameplay Commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTpmkYF1iWQ

The post Defiance Review & Gameplay appeared first on COIN-OP TV.

Resident Evil Revelations has you as multiple characters across a variety of locales, from a barren white tundra to an abandoned cruise ship. While I enjoyed playing in other areas, the luxury liner known as the Queen Zenobia is as close to RE1′s mansion as you can get. Small rooms and dim lighting create a sense of horror that compliments the outlandish monsters dwelling within. Ammo isn’t as scare in this as it was in the original games, but enough so to contribute to a constant nagging feeling of fear. A new feature to the game, the Genesis scanner, adds a sense of exploration as you attempt to find every hidden item. Scanning enough B.O.Ws will yield green herbs which while this can be extremely helpful, it quickly destroy the suspension of belief the rest of the game works so hard to create.

Raid Mode abandons this formula altogether for something far more action packed. You pick your character and weapon then attempt to rid a chosen stage of enemies. This is a stark contrast to the story mode and is a great way to take a break from it should the campaign get too stressful. Items obtained on one stage can be used in the next which can be both and blessing and a curse. You can have a friend help you out too but for some reason it’s limited to online only. While I found this to be a strange decision, going around murdering things that were scaring you before is fairly satisfying.

A lack of a tutorial makes the beginning conflicts harder than they need to be, which is further frustrating by a lack of a physical manual. There is a virtual one which explains the controls, but there’s so mention of it in-game. This game looks like touched up port at best. It’s easy to see that they used the same models from the 3DS version which is only heightened by the higher definition. Despite this, not playing Revelations is a sin for any RE fan. The grandparent of the horror genre has come back to show how it’s done and does so with flying colors.

Resident Evil Revelations Story Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Df_l4KfRiE

Resident Evil Revelations First 10 Minutes Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLNdX0JyNpw

Resident Evil Revelations Raid Mode Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxkUEpRU74I

The post Resident Evil Revelations HD Review & Gameplay appeared first on COIN-OP TV.

Skylanders Heroic Challenge Crusher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cItbsy57eWI

Skylanders Heroic Challenge Bouncer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5c8rtmkUYM

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The love that developer Coffee Stain Studios has for the genres that influenced Sanctum 2 is evident from the get-go, as players are able to play as one of four classic FPS archetypes with unique weapons and abilities. Whether you decide to go for the assault rifle-wielding squad leader, the quirky grenadier, the close quarters shotgun specialist, or the robot rocking a wicked sniper rifle, there are enough choices to keep the gameplay fresh even after a few playthroughs of the single player campaign. If you can’t decide which class you think would work best for a particular level, I suggest inviting up to three other friends to join you for a few rounds of multiplayer mode.

Complementing the upgradable character classes in Sanctum 2 are stylish sci-fi towers loaded with weaponry that- if placed correctly on a map- will help you survive. Seasoned tower defense gamers will love the depth of chain gun turrets and such that become available as the game progresses, though a nagging gameplay component does present itself in multiplayer when it comes to tower management.

When teaming up with others, whoever picks up the resources earned at the end of an enemy wave is the one with the ability to place towers. With friends this shouldn’t be a problem, but in a pick-up-group all it takes is one Leeroy Jenkins to ruin your best laid plans. As anyone in a multiplayer game is also capable of recycling towers at will, even if you create the perfect kill maze for the aliens to scurry through, one accidentally (or intentionally) deconstructed tower can open gaping holes in your defenses and bring on a level wipe.

As a downloadable title with a relatively low price point and high replay value in both single and multiplayer modes, Sanctum 2 is an absolute steal. Aside from the static comic book panels used to tell the story in between levels, the game is a very polished experience. I’d even go so far as to say Sanctum 2 can hold its own among other high quality tower defense titles like Orcs Must Die! 2 and the ever-popular Plants vs. Zombies. It really can be that fun.

The title’s frantic FPS point-of-view really ratchets up the intensity as snarling aliens are headed straight for you, making a perfectly timed headshot or massive explosion that much more satisfying. If you’re even mildly curious about playing Sanctum 2 or a fan of either tower defense games or first person shooters, go ahead and give it a download- you won’t be disappointed.

Sanctum 2 is available now on Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, and the PlayStation Network.

Sanctum 2 Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baBHNx3wm5w

Sanctum 2 Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdHo2Qz02jk

The post Sanctum 2 – Review appeared first on COIN-OP TV.

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW will be on multiple consoles and developed by WayForward who also made the first Adventure Time game that was only available on Nintendo’s handheld systems.

Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby In 8-Bit Land marks the first video game experience for this popular cartoon featuring Mordecai and Rigby in a whacky adventure inside some of their favorite video games.

Ben 10 Omniverse 2 is a follow-up to the previous game starring Ben Tennyson taking on a new foe called the Incurseans and will be available on multiple platforms.

Expect trailers and more info about these three games in the coming weeks – stay tuned!

Adventure Time Vlog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBZ_b2ZyaLY

Regular Show Vlog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUkz1k8C8tc

Ben 10 Vlog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGsJm3DfhQA

The post Adventure Time, Regular Show & More Ben 10 in 2013 appeared first on COIN-OP TV.

Metro: Last light continues to somewhat follow Glukhovsky’s Metro 2033 and the protagonist Artyom. Following the events of 2033 (the game), Last Light makes the leap that Artyom launched a series of missiles against the mystical “dark ones” and seemingly destroyed what was left of their colony on the surface (this was an option in the end of 2033, Last Light makes the choice for you). Last Light picks up with the discovery that one of the dark ones has survived and this starts Artyom’s quest to the surface and through the metro once more. The story takes some fun twists and turns and is overall well done. It’s not as in-depth as a Bioshock Infinite, but it is easy to follow and keeps you pushing forward. I would have liked to see a bit more depth into the “dark ones” and their background, but that may be left for another game. The voice acting is very well done overall in Last Light too. You’ll find a few iffy acting jobs in random NPCs while you explore a town, but all the people that count have very solid actors behind them and this is one of the key elements keeping you rooted in Metro’s world. Playing through the story took me roughly 9 hours on easy with minimal exploration for those wondering. Overall the story is solid enough that most won’t find issue with it, and it (paired with the voice acting) works well as a container for the great gameplay Last Light now offers.

I say “now offers” because one of my main gripes with Metro 2033 was the gunplay, stealth, and overall gameplay. All of my issues have been resolved in Metro: Last Light. The gunplay is much better and finally feels like it’s at a level where a good first person shooter should be in 2013. You have a massive variety of weapons to find that are all interesting. I didn’t find I had to rely as much on purchasing them with bullets this go-round because I found the guns I ended up finishing the game with in the Metro while exploring (for those wondering my selection was a silenced “pistol” that used shotgun shells, the classic Metro shotgun with 6 shots which seemed to be a necessity at points in the game, and a silenced P90-style SMG) but I did spend a ton of the “money” bullets for upgrades on those weapons. The stealth gameplay has been improved as well. It’s obviously not a classic Splinter Cell or Metal Gear style of stealth, but it is actually a viable option (and sometimes the best option) in Last Light and better than 99% of “stealth” in FPS games on the market today. Equipped with my watch’s light meter, my silenced pistol, and the ability to unscrew light bulbs and practically shut off every light source in the level I typically found myself playing stealth most of the time and knocking enemies out as opposed to killing them. A lot of the encounters I did not even need to kill one person to continue, just get to the exit. It would have been nice to be able to hide bodies, but maybe that’s a bit much to ask of a pure shooter. Of course shooting your way through is still completely viable, but I found it a last resort for me that typically ended with me lobbing grenades and blasting with a shotgun. The only real negative I can throw at Last Light’s gameplay was that the AI still isn’t completely up to snuff. I was playing on easy, so take that into account, but they did little flanking and sometimes would not even move at all when a grenade was thrown their way.

The true star in Last Light, as it was in 2033, is the atmosphere and environments. Coming off of Bioshock Infinite I wondered how long it would take for me to see that level of atmosphere in a game again, turns out not long. Last Light oozes style and you never feel like you get taken out of 4A’s world. From the tunnels, to the cities, to the surface world (where you actually spend a good amount of time), everything feels like it has been meticulously created and styled to be realistic to the fiction. You get numerous “down times” in the game, typically when entering a new city/stop, to walk around and take in the surroundings and listen to the NPCs directly react to you being in their home and it’s just fantastic. The last game outside of the Bioshock series that I remember doing down-time this well was the polarizing Homefront. Homefront was not a very good game, but the moments when you entered a new city and they let you take in the sights and sounds for as long as you wanted were the best part of that game and Last Light surpasses even those.

This brings up another area that went hand-in-hand with gameplay and atmosphere in Metro 2033, the use of actual items in the game. Many usable items make a return in Last Light. You use a (very well designed) pop up menu to select from eight items (d-pad, face buttons) such as the gas mask, battery charger, lighter, flashlight, and more. They all play relatively the same role in Last Light too. For the gas mask you still find filters and have to replace yours every 5 minutes. Your mask can still also crack and break. It becomes dirty as well, so you must clean it off when getting rain, blood, or…ooze…on it. Your map is still there too, hitting select and bringing up your lighter shows it and your objectives. You must also charge your flashlight to keep it going (like 2033). All of these things help add to the atmosphere of the game without becoming cumbersome. They actually provide the opposite effect, they keep you firmly rooted in Metro’s world and rooted as Artyom. Fans of 2033 will find some of the items (including the bullet for gear economy) streamlined a bit, but I never found like that took away from what made those systems great in the first place. The fabled “Ranger” mode should help boost difficulty in all areas for those who want that challenge as well (but it does come as a pre-order bonus, the only issue I had with Metro’s marketing. Come on Deep Silver!).

Overall Metro: Last Light is a much, much better game than its predecessor. The gunplay is very good, the stealth option is now completely viable, and the atmosphere is among the best in gaming today. The story could have used a bit more depth, but it was by no means poor in any way. I think 4A Games really knocked it out of the park with Metro: Last Light despite a few minor complaints, and I really look forward to seeing the series continue. Deep Silver deserves big props for picking up the series (and Saints Row!) and 4A deserves all the credit for realizing what they had in 2033 and fixing all the issues to deliver one of 2013’s best games to-date.

Metro Last Light Stealth Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDXLLjSxOZ0

Metro Last Light Underground Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OTbj1D-7sQ

The post Metro Last Light – Review appeared first on COIN-OP TV.

Skylanders Scarlet Ninjini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24bGsn6bdVI

Skylanders Scarlet Ninjini Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Thz16-sNo

The post Skylanders Scarlet Ninjini appeared first on COIN-OP TV.

The story will feature series protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz in his never-ending war with the Nazi as they have won World War 2 and created a new empire in this alternate-reality 1960′s-era romp. The trailer below will give you a great idea of the game’s heading. Check it out and leave us a comment about what you’re expecting from the game!

Wolfenstein The New Order Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FEMUABLEhg

The post Wolfenstein The New Order Coming This Fall to Multiple Platforms appeared first on COIN-OP TV.