@mark1974: I agree with your sentiment there. That's why I'm really hoping that his team will be successful with this game - I feel that they deserve to do well, and I definitely think that it's always important to see innovation in game design (in general).

@mark1974: Yeah, I'm not really saying that I need to know everything about a game before diving in, nor that open world sandboxes aren't my thing. I'm a fan of going in with limited information, and I'm definitely a fan of open world sandbox games. :-)

I really love the idea of being dropped into an enormous world where I can experiment. Look at Breath of the Wild on Wii U as an example; you can theoretically spend a ton of time just exploring the world and playing with the physics.

What I'm saying is that we haven't even seen that level of explanation about No Man's Sky. And it's not for lack of footage or developer interviews; there have been tons of these, and they've all largely focused on repeating the same overall beats again and again.

I am not suggesting that No Man's Sky won't be great. I am hopeful that it will be - I really am. But at this point, I don't see much valid reason for the huge hype surrounding the game, because its biggest selling point so far has been is technology rather than its gameplay. And that is a bit of a concern for me.

As I say, we'll see. I'm cautiously optimistic, rather than hyped. :-)

It's hard for me to compare because I feel like the games are quite different. But I'd probably go for Duke Nukem 3D. Why? Well, when it first came out it was really technologically impressive (the graphics and sound were amazing).

Also, I liked the humour of the game. Doom II has a great atmosphere, but I was a bit over Doom games by the time Duke Nukem 3D came out; it felt like a breath of fresh air.

My oldest console is (currently) an NES. We had it in storage for a long time - interestingly, it's an original model and it's in perfect condition (even the controllers). I was kind of amazed to find it. :D

But see, when I read that...it is still really vague. What does it mean to be a bounty hunter? What does it mean to be a pirate or a marine biologist?

It's the vagueness that concerns me.

If we take the bounty hunter example - what, exactly, is involved with that? Presumably I collect bounties and go and kill specific aliens? Or I kill aliens and do what? Sell their carcasses to someone? Why would I want to do that? Do I earn money to upgrade my ship/armor/weapons? Do bounties become progressively tougher? Is there variation in bounty encounters?

It seems to me that much of what has been described about this game boils down to vague motherhood statements. But what specifically do you do? What is the progression like? Is there any progression of any kind or not? Are there NPCs? Home bases? What is the survival like? What are the online interactions like?

Based on what I've seen, it looks like you just keep flying around randomly-generated planets. You can kill aliens, you can "discover" them and catalogue them, you can find hidden items and you can loot/trade. But if that's all there is, then it sounds impressively boring to me.

So, I'm hopeful there's more to it; I'm hopeful that there are actual underlying systems and mechanics that make the game fun and enjoyable over the longer term. At the moment, that isn't clear to me.

I'd just make one simple observation. From what I've seen, the people who "hate" the Wii U are also people who don't own one.

Honestly, I think it's that simple.

If you own a Wii U, you very quickly realise that the hatred isn't justified at all. It's hard to appreciate a console - and easy to criticise it - if you've never owned it.

That said, I don't know why anyone would "hate" a piece of plastic and silicon, honestly. It's just a game console, people. I would honestly be worried if gaming stuff ever stirred up feelings of hate in my mind - to me, hating something (or someone) is one of the strongest-possible emotions.

If I got that worked up about games, I'd honestly probably go and get some counselling.

I'm keen to play this game, but I can't say I'm super-hyped for it. I still don't really know what you actually "do" in the game. Yes, you kill stuff. Yes, you explore. Yes, you find treasure and resources. But what do you do with them, other than trade? Why trade at all?

Can you use the resources to build stuff? To upgrade your ship? Are there any quests/missions? Is there any significant real-time multiplayer restructure?

None of these queries are intended as a criticism, but I feel that this game is very technology-focused rather than being gameplay-focused, and that is a concern to me. Conceptually it started with a technology approach rather than a gameplay approach.

So, we'll see.

It might be really wonderful - I genuinely hope it is - but I haven't seen a lot that gives me much confidence or certainty in this. I'll probably be buying it, but I'll wait for reviews before going ahead with this one.

It's really tough to provide a recommendation, because these consoles are so different. The best comparisons are between N64 and GameCube, but how does one compare a GameCube to an Atari 2600?

I mean, for one thing, if you're considering older consoles (8-bit era and earlier) then you have to really consider whether or not you want to try to play these machines on an HDTV or whether or not you want to consider buying a CRT TV (if you don't already have one).

I'd probably consider these consoles in two categories because they are so different.

In terms of Atari 2600 vs NES, I'd probably start with NES. I haven't had much experience with 2600, but I suggest NES because:

• It's generally a bit easier to work with (in terms of connecting to different kinds of TVs)
• The games are generally more advanced (some great concepts first debuted on the 2600, but you'll get a more sophisticated experience on the NES)
• You'll be introduced to the beginnings of some brilliant franchises that are still going strong today (this is also true for 2600, but less so)

In terms of N64 vs GameCube, that's a tough contest. N64 had some groundbreaking games - no video game player, regardless of their allegiance or tastes, should miss out on Super Mario 64 for example.

At the same time, the N64 is an example of earlier 3D games where the GameCube (again) has another level of sophistication going on. What I mean is, 3D games were more refined by the time GameCube appeared. You'll also see some really unique experimentation going on with GameCube, both from Nintendo and from third parties.

But it's hard to say. Ultimately, I think you should get all of these consoles. I know that's expensive, but I'd suggest doing it in stages. Then it's just a matter of prioritising which platforms to purchase and in which order. :-)

My advice might sound a bit confusing, but here goes: don't believe anyone who says either game is harder than the other. They are wrong, and it doesn't matter.

That might sound like a harsh statement, but let me explain.

Firstly, I think it really depends on where you started in the Soulsborne franchise. If Bloodborne is your first game in the series, then it's very possible that Dark Souls III will be tougher for you, at least initially. Why? Because it's a completely different play style. It will feel - at least initially - alien to you. It will take time for you to learn and understand the gameplay systems and become proficient with them.

Conversely, if you started with a Dark Souls game and you move to Bloodborne, you may find it very tough at first; there are no shields, there's a regain system, and the gameplay as a result is fundamentally different. I've seen a lot of Souls players who have struggled with Bloodborne.

In other words, the relative challenge you face moving between games is entirely subjective. It will really be different for each individual person. Give it a go and see how you fare.

This is a tricky one because I'd been exposed to some games that my cousins owned before I ever really had my own game system.

But technically, my first game system was NES and I would have gotten that in 1989 (that was my first year of primary/elementary school).

The first game I had was Super Mario Bros. (which of course had Duck Hunt included on the cart). And what can I say? It was a brilliant first experience as a console owner.

I can confidently credit the NES and Super Mario Bros. for directing me towards moving into software development/product management as a career path. :-)