Predictions for E3 2014

[temesgen]

Halo 1 says "Hello"

2004 thru 2014, the Iphone, tablets and skinny jeans all say hello.... when was the last time a single title moved hardware? Titanfall gave XB1 a bump but it was brief, what other titles have a developer with similar reputation in play to do something bigger. It would have to be bigger to do anything meaningful.

Edit:

same thing goes for Sony, Uncharted isn't going to move PS4s but having active first party support cranking out a variety of titles that are good in aggregate does help. Both platforms need to invest here, Sony has an advantage in the sense that they have more studios with a history of bringing interesting titles but there has been some turmoil/staff changes over there which might mean things are changing...

 

[AlNom]

Well well... what about a nextgen GTA V only on Xbox One? That'd certainly be a megaton.

Methinks MS would have to spend/waive royalties much greater than $50M for that to happen.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

2004 thru 2014, the Iphone, tablets and skinny jeans all say hello.... when was the last time a single title moved hardware?

With all that said, Halo was still a system seller, now that we can look at it in retrospect. Sales were well above 50K per month for years on after it's launch, indicating that a lot of new customers bought the game with the console. And it was a title that was a very good choice for the original Xbox, completely unique gameplay at that time and good execution with reasonably nice graphics. In fact there's a lot of stuff in that game that's still quite rare in other console titles - the level where you have humans, covenant and flood fighting each other, with large open spaces and the freedom to use several different vehicles and weapons to get through them is still an outstanding moment after all these years.

At the time of its release, it wasn't easy to predict if something like this could have been possible. The very concept of an FPS on a console was something very few people believed in. Also, most of the initial press reactions were actually quite negative, noone has really seen what the game offered and the potential it had. It was a real surprise once people had the chance to play through it.

Whether something like this can be done today is of course an open question. I personally believe that it is still possible, but it seems like most publishers aren't willing to take the effort or the risk to build something like that. The current trend seems to be to aim for an always online aspect, something we don't care about at all as we usually can't sync our free time with that of our friends'.

Titanfall gave XB1 a bump but it was brief, what other titles have a developer with similar reputation in play to do something bigger. It would have to be bigger to do anything meaningful.

I haven't played the game yet, but the multiplayer only focus was a huge deficit from the start IMHO. There are a lot of gamers like me who have very limited time and no chance to catch up on skills enough to get any enjoyment out of multiplayer - but we have disposable cash and we would definitely buy into a great experience. I'd even risk that we are the majority of the market, a segment that Titanfall has simply decided to pass on. So we're still up for grabs - and by both teams. They just need to make the game or games that will finally convince us.

same thing goes for Sony, Uncharted isn't going to move PS4s

That depends on how far ND can go with innovation. Many of the highlights in the UC series were more about execution than innovation - but they had a lot of that stuff going on as well. Like the train sequence in UC2 that required some serious engineering work to make it work. So ND certainly has the means to produce something outstanding for this generation, the question is more about making it something easier to recognize and appreciate for the general audience.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Methinks MS would have to spend/waive royalties much greater than $50M for that to happen.

Rockstar is probably already making a good profit on the game, so the deal should be easier to negotiate compared to a nextgen-only title. Mind you, I'm just speculating here based on your post - but I think it's still far more likely than an X1 exclusive nextgen RDR title. It's basically a case of getting some extra returns on an already accomplished release. The exclusivity could actually increase sales compared to a multiplatform release, just because it's more special...

 

[BadTB25]

Halo 1 says "Hello"

I picked up the GameCube purely for Legend of Zelda for my wife.

I'm not sure if nowadays (now that I'm older and wiser), if I would pick up a game purely for one title, but Halo 5 is a really big incentive for me. Of course, I'm definitely looking forward to other MS exclusives like Ryse, KI and Dead Rising 3.

Funny, because I had the OG Xbox for a while before I finally played Halo. All other FPS games prior to Halo gave me bad motion sickness and headaches. It was really a LAN party with some gamer friends that exposed me to Halo---I've never looked back and have purchased every Halo game since sans Spartan Assualt and Halo Anniversary.

Add Halo collection to my list of must pick-ups if it is released when I finally get an X1 in September.

 

[XpiderMX]

Am I the only one who thinks that Halo move consoles?

 

[Arwin]

Am I the only one who thinks that Halo move consoles?

There is another one just three posts above you, nitwit!

 

[Scott_Arm]

Quantum Break says "hello"

It's one of the biggest reasons I bought an Xbox One. I'm a big Remedy fan. Quantum Break, Fable and Titanfall were the two biggest reasons I picked the Xbox One over the PS4, apart from having a group of Live friends I like to play with (the biggest reason). There's also Sunset Overdrive and Dead Rising.

I don't know if a single title can really move systems anymore, but a library of exclusives definitely can.

 

[shredenvain]

Ok Im sorry but the people who think that exclusive like Halo, Gears, TLOU and Godofwar dont move consoles your wrong. Ive been to launch partys at Ebgames and Gamestop for Halo 2 and 3 and have witnessed at least 1/3 of the hundreds in line buying consoles along with their copy of the game. I have personally purchased a Ps2 3 times and 2 of those were for Gow1 and 2 after my disc drive failed on the previous ones. I bought a Ogxbox just for HaloCe. Come on your not being realistic

 

[djskribbles]

IMO, there are only 2 big system movers, and those are Halo and Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo isn't as big in North American anymore, but it always sells like crazy in Europe. To a lesser extent, Gears, God of War, Uncharted and Last of Us will move some systems too. Last of Us didn't do much for the PS3, but that's a different situation.

 

[Nesh]

IMO, there are only 2 big system movers, and those are Halo and Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo isn't as big in North American anymore, but it always sells like crazy in Europe. To a lesser extent, Gears, God of War, Uncharted and Last of Us will move some systems too. Last of Us didn't do much for the PS3, but that's a different situation.

Last of Us came a little late. It would have beem different if it was released early

 

[Arwin]

Last of Us came a little late. It would have beem different if it was released early

I also doubt it has as much universal appeal as Uncharted. I very nearly didn't buy it, and didn't finish it. I finished the last three Uncharteds (including the Vita one) all within two weeks, which is rare for me. Only the first one I temporarily gave up on due to a combination of getting a bit stumped (and bored) in a huge puzzle level and life happening. But I did get back to that and finish it eventually.

I love the way the world in Last of Us looks, I really like the way it plays, I think the writing is really good too, but I hate the story (I hate this whole genre of stories) and I don't like being in this world at all. And that's what I generally want from a game - offer a world I want to be in.

And yes, for those I know that would have liked it but didn't get it, it probably came too late in the generation (though for them lack of time is another big factor, they barely get round to gaming).

But that said, I definitely feel it doesn't have the same appeal either.

 

[BadTB25]

Never finished Last of Us, but I too would not consider it a system seller. I got frustrated with what I would guess is 1/2 to 3/4 through. Right now, I only have time for small slices of gaming until September. I may have to revisit this to see where the story ended.

A really good game (great graphics), but don't see franchise potential with it.

 

[Nesh]

I also doubt it has as much universal appeal as Uncharted. I very nearly didn't buy it, and didn't finish it. I finished the last three Uncharteds (including the Vita one) all within two weeks, which is rare for me. Only the first one I temporarily gave up on due to a combination of getting a bit stumped (and bored) in a huge puzzle level and life happening. But I did get back to that and finish it eventually.

I love the way the world in Last of Us looks, I really like the way it plays, I think the writing is really good too, but I hate the story (I hate this whole genre of stories) and I don't like being in this world at all. And that's what I generally want from a game - offer a world I want to be in.

And yes, for those I know that would have liked it but didn't get it, it probably came too late in the generation (though for them lack of time is another big factor, they barely get round to gaming).

But that said, I definitely feel it doesn't have the same appeal either.

I think in your case its that you dont like the genre. You probably wouldnt like Gears either. Its a world you arent supposed to be pleased to be in and thats part of the concept

 

[Arwin]

I know that's the concept and I know I don't like the genre. But I also think that, separate from my own opinion, it is not a genre that has universal appeal. The audience will be smaller.

It is one of the things that holds the gaming industry back a little still to this day - many games have been made by people who represent a separate subculture. Most obvious in that respect - still relatively few women involved in the West, though things are improving.

 

[XpiderMX]

IMO, there are only 2 big system movers, and those are Halo and Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo isn't as big in North American anymore, but it always sells like crazy in Europe. To a lesser extent, Gears, God of War, Uncharted and Last of Us will move some systems too. Last of Us didn't do much for the PS3, but that's a different situation.

I guess we can add Mario and/or Zelda to the system seller list.

 

[djskribbles]

I also doubt it has as much universal appeal as Uncharted. I very nearly didn't buy it, and didn't finish it. I finished the last three Uncharteds (including the Vita one) all within two weeks, which is rare for me. Only the first one I temporarily gave up on due to a combination of getting a bit stumped (and bored) in a huge puzzle level and life happening. But I did get back to that and finish it eventually.

I love the way the world in Last of Us looks, I really like the way it plays, I think the writing is really good too, but I hate the story (I hate this whole genre of stories) and I don't like being in this world at all. And that's what I generally want from a game - offer a world I want to be in.

And yes, for those I know that would have liked it but didn't get it, it probably came too late in the generation (though for them lack of time is another big factor, they barely get round to gaming).

But that said, I definitely feel it doesn't have the same appeal either.

I agree that LOU doesn't have the same broad appeal as Uncharted. But LOU sold quite well, especially for a new IP. And it won more GOTY nods than GTAV. If Sony markets LOU well, it could easily be just as big of a system mover as Uncharted IMO.

I guess we can add Mario and/or Zelda to the system seller list.

Right. Sorry, I left out Nintendo. Metroid as well.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Post apocalyptic and zombies are two of my favourite fiction genres and I almost dismissed TLoU because of so many disappointing survival horror games over the past few years. Definitely my favourite PlayStation 3 game and that's going some again Infamous, Uncharted 2, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption and many more.

 

[BadTB25]

The problem with TLoU is does it have potential for further sequels? I didn't finish it, but from what I played, it doesn't IMO appear to have that appeal ala Uncharted, Halo, etc.

It doesn't have the protaganists that call for the next iteration ala Nathan Drake, Master Chief, Mario, Zelda, etc imo.

Although, I did want to see some further games with the Resident Evil characters.....I don't know. The characters in TLoU just didn't give me that same vibe.....I need to finish it eventually.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

TLOU was about building up Ellie as the hero for the next game. Sort of like an origin story.