I'm going to be perfectly honest here: After Microsoft's E3 press conference yesterday, I felt gaming had officially hit rock bottom. Microsoft fully confirmed all of the negatives surrounding it's console, further pushing many of the downright terrible policies they are trying to establish with the "One." And then they announced a $500 price tag, and I basically felt that was it for me with console gaming. Sony, while not terrible, didn't ever appeal to me with the PS3, and considering the terrible start it got off to, I assumed we were in for more of the same with Sony. What's worse, the general consensus was that Sony would also be implementing DRM & used game policies that night. But then something crazy happened. A company actually listened to it's consumer base. In one two hour conference, Sony reshaped the way I would view this upcoming gaming generation. The PS4 is sleek, powerful, and best of all, doesn't limit a gamer's choices. You want to play offline? Go for it. You want to not have a motion sensor/camera? That's fine. You've wanted new games in major franchises? KH3 and FF15 both say high (Square, you played a major role in this, and should be commended for finally doing so). Best of all: You want to trade in an old game you no longer play, or buy a game used at a discounted price? You are fully welcome to. The cheers that went up at E3 when Sony made these announcements were some of the loudest I've heard in a very, very long time at E3, and made me happy to see a company actually making the right decisions. As a longtime 360 user, all I have to say is this: I hope the PS4 train has room for one more rider, because I'm coming over. It's been a long time since a rival company has ever just dismantled their opponents like Sony did last night, but after Sony got done firing volley after volley of shots at Microsoft, they then followed that up by dropping bomb after bomb on their heads. Microsoft, I hope you were paying very close attention, because Sony just gave you a lesson on how to keep your consumer's happy. Thank you for restoring my faith in gaming Sony; it's gonna be a fun ride this generation.

So, boredom here at the office has officially set in, so I figured I'd try out some blog posts. Just figured I would touch on some of the hot topic issues that I've thought about here recently. State of Gaming: So, I'm quite depressed after news got out yesterday that Microsoft will indeed require you to check in at least once every 24 hours to play your games. As always, it's a divisive topic. You have the Microsoft fans who defend the decisions to the end, claiming that it's no different than what any other company will do, and that you should have an internet connection to begin with anyways. And then you have the Sony fans, who are laughing at the decisions made by Microsoft, egging on Microsoft fans all while secretly hoping that the PS4 won't do any of the same things. And then you have a large majority, who are simply like myself, and simply disappointed by the turn gaming has taken. Not even in the most recent generation, with the 360, PS3, and Wii, were there ever so many issues to arise. With privacy and piracy issues in gaming coming to the fore front, the only people truly hurt by all these issues, are the gamers. It's depressing to see where gaming very well may be heading, and is only pushing me more towards the edge of not wanting much to do with this upcoming generation of consoles. State of Decay: So, while I won't go into too much detail here (if you really want my opinion, just check out my review of the game), while news of the upcoming gen has had me pretty bummed out, the release of "State of Decay" by Undead Labs has done a lot to brighten my mood. It's a gem of a game, and one I fear far too many people will miss out on because of the $20 price tag for an arcade game, and some of the minor technical flaws that pop up. So, the only other thing I'll say on it is I'll reinforce what I said before: Give this game a try, and support this indie studio. They have some crazy ambitious ideas, and have created a *really* good game in State of Decay. Right then, I think that is all I'm going for today. Til next time TGP