OUYA

A new type of console has been proposed to the gaming comminuty that promises a platform that will encourage development and free-to-play games. For $99 in March, you could get your hands on the OUYA (ooh- ya) console, controller with a touch screen with all the typical fixings, and of free-to-play games on launch day.

via USA Today

The idea behing this console came from the easily developed and sold games that we currently get on our smartphones and tablets. However, they want to bring those talented developers behind these simple games back to our living rooms. The OUYA is meant to be a simple platform that nearly anyone can develop for and sell their games.

It will run on an Android program and is 100 percent hackable - one of the biggest selling points of this new machine. They chose Android because a majority of developers already know how to develop programs for this system.

An open indie market? I like the sound of that, especially if these games will be sold for lower prices than what we pay for a typical Xbox 360 or PS3 game. Since the developers won't be paying for a lot of publishing costs and they will be sold online, the games should be substancially cheaper. I think this is going to be a great platform to support the small developer who is just getting their feet off the ground.

However, in order for them to move out of the prototype phase and into the production, they are calling to us gamers and developers for funding - and they are definitely rewarding us. Depending on how much you donate, you can get your username reserved, the acutal console with your name engraved on it, or an invitation to the fancy launch party.

via Geeky Gadgets

On Kickstarter, they set their goal for $950,000 with the last day to donate on August 9. Right now, they have more than surpassed their goal with 29 days left - I don't think they need to wait till August to get started. I'm contributing $10 to get my username reserved, but I'll wait till March to purchase to console.

What do you think? Will you be donating?

Yours truly,
HavokRose

P.S. If you want more information on the OUYA, visit their Kickstarter page which includes more pictures and a video.

Happy Birthday, America

Via GameStatics

Patriotism at its best. 

If only they would have released Assassin's Creed III today - it would have been perfect. Oh well, time to go get a hotdog. 

Yours truly, 

HavokRose

Oh yeah, Nintendo

So, remember that conference that happened earlier this month? E3? Yeah, I remember that too. I also remember too many psychology terms and not enough about introductory U.S. Government. Summer school is fun - I hope you realize that is sarcasm.

With that sad excuse for an apology, I present to you what you may have missed at the Nintendo 2012 E3 conference - which really wasn't that much. So lets make this short.

via Kotaku

The Nintendo conference was far from spectacular. Of course, my hero Miyamoto was present and set the stage for Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo of America. Fils-Aime guided us through our Nintendo journey with awkward faces and comments. And by journey, I mean a petting zoo. No Amazon jungle with unknown surprises at every turn - just baby goats, pigs, and even a few Pikmin.


Games Announced: 

• Pikmin 3
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Batman Arkham City Armored Edition
• Scribblenauts Unlimited [3DS] [Also on WiiU]
• Darksiders II
• Mass Effect 3 
• Tank! Tank! Tank!
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Trine 2: Director's Cut
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge 
• Aliens Colonial Maries
• Wii Fit U 
• SiNG  
• New Super Mario Bros. 2   [3DS]
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star   [3DS]
• Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon  [3DS]
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate  [3DS]
• Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
• Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance [3DS] [Also on WiiU]
• Lego City: Undercover [3DS] 
• Just Dance 4 
• ZombiU 
• Nintendo Land

 (3DS = Nintendo 3DS)

Aside from games, not much else was announced. We were informed that the WiiU will allow for two WiiU pads to be connected and that there will be more ways to connect online with friends by posting updates that are displayed on the Miiverse - WiiU's new home screen. 

Who know's what they will announce in the coming months. Perhaps they will just wait for us to purchase our WiiUs this holiday season to find out more.  

To watch the conference for yourself, click here.

Was there anything you wanted to see that Nintendo didn't present? What did you think? 

Yours truly, 

HavokRose 

P.S. I seriously apologize for the tardiness of this post. I don't advise taking two summer classes while working - it's not fun. In the next month I promise to make it up to you all. Thank you for your support/readership!

Happy Birthday!

Picture from GourmetGaming.co.uk

One name change and 39 posts later, this blog is one year old today! This next year expect more posts, videos and much more.

In addition, I would like to announce that I will be attending this year's GameStop Expo - a five hour conference where I'll be able to talk with publishers, developers, and even play some games before they are even released.

If you plan on attending, let me know so we can meet up. I'm not too sure if I'll be dressing up but I will announce those plans in the near future.

Thank you all for reading this blog! If there is anything you would like to see, feel free to let me know.

Yours truly,
HavokRose

Sony's Conference - E3 2012

Sony didn't open their conference with one game, but with dozens. They utilized their multiscreen stage to it's full potential, while presenting a montage of games that will come to Sony systems.

The first person to take the stage was Jack Tretton, Sony of America's President and CEO. Of course he talked about the industry, where the show could be watched and also payed homage to the loyal Sony's gamers. After a little bragging about Sony's hardware, Trentton handed the reigns over to Quantic Dream's David Cage.

This is where the show really begins. Cage wasted no time when presenting Quantic Dream's new IP, Beyond: Two Souls. This PS3 exclusive is a game that explores the life of a girl who can see the dead. The way Cage describes the project makes it sound more like a movie than a video game. Jody Holmes, the main character of Beyond: Two Souls, is to be played by Ellen Page. So if you've ever wanted to run around in a virtual world as Ellen Page who can control a ghost, your game has arrived. 

The trailer looks fantastic, but until we get some more gameplay and details I can't say I'm sold yet. 

Here are the other games Sony presented: 

• Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale (P) (V)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified (V) 
• Assassin's Creed III Liberation (V) 
• Assassin's Creed III (Naval Warfare Demo) 
• Far Cry 3 (Four Player Co-Op Demo) 
• Diggs Nightcrawler (W)
• Book of Spells by J.K. Rowling (W)
• God of War: Ascension (P) 
• The Last of Us (P)

(P = Playstation Exclusive) (V = Vita ) (M = Playstation Move) (W = Wonderbook)

New Features and Hardware: 

• Little Big Planet 2 Cross-Play - Play and save Little Big Planet 2 on your vita and resume on you PS3. 
• PS1 Classics for Vita 
• Crackle Television and Hulu Plus will be added to Vita 
• Wonderbook - An interactive book that uses the Playstation Eye camera to bring books to life.
• PlayStation Mobile - Sony games on tablets and smartphones 

The Sony conference always has too much bragging. You can't go two minutes without Tretton saying something about how great Sony is or how exclusive something is. It get's a little old. (I still prefer him over the Ubisoft hosts.) Another thing I didn't like about this year's conference was the lengthy montage at the very beginning. Like some of there demos, it was too drawn-out and I got bored. Sometimes shorter is sweeter.

Sony's conference also had a lot of great features. This year, they presented two new items that do a fantastic job of bridging the game industry to both the film and print industry. Also, they are the only ones that allowed non-industry fans into their conference. In addition, they pulled an Oprah and gave all attendees one year free to PlayStation Plus.

To watch the conference for yourself, click here.

What did you think about Sony's conference?

Your truly,
HavokRose

Ubisoft Conference - E3 2012

Everyone is throwing out the celebrity card this year. While E3 is no stranger to live performances, (like Microsoft's Cirque Du Soleil in 2010) this year sure does have a lot. Ubisoft began their conference with a group of women dancing to the upcoming Just Dance 4 songs, and ended the performance by becoming Flo Rida's back up dancers. So, Microsoft snagged Usher and Ubisoft got Flo Rida. Who is the real winner here?

Pictures by Boston.com and USA Today

The best part of Flo Rida's performance was when he told the audience to put their hands in the air. Almost immediately, you see a bunch of arms go up but they are flailing awkwardly since everyone is seated and a good amount of them have laptops or other electronic devices in their laps.

After Aisha Tyler made an awkward comment about everyone being a little bit gay, the presentation Ubisoft's of new games began.

• Far Cry 3
• Splinter Cell Blacklist 
• Avengers: Battle for Earth
• Rayman: Legends
• ZombiU
• Rabbids Land
• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
• Sports Connection 
• Assassin's Creed III
• Shoot Mania

Towards the end of the conference, Ubisoft showcased their already released free-to-play online games. E3 is pretty much a massive advertisement, but Ubisoft shouldn't have been advertising what they already have on the market.  The following games were shown with their reviews slapped next to them.
  

• Trails Evolution 
• The Settlers Online 
• Ghost Recon Online

Ubisoft didn't use their time wisely here. I understand they are proud of what they've developed, but E3 is all about showcasing what is new, not what has already been accomplished.  I only forgive them because of the awesomeness they concluded their conference with - even though it wasn't related to their lengthy montage. 

Watch Dogs is probably the best new thing I've seen out of any of the conferences. It's a game with consequences and it is surely going to be one that'll make you think about what you do before you do it. I'll be writing more about this later this week in my 'Best of E3' post. 

To watch the press conference for yourself, click here.  [Warning: The hosts are annoying.]

Stay tuned for coverage of Sony and Nintendo's conferences!

Yours truly,
HavokRose

EA Conference - E3 2012

The first thing I want from this conference is The Sims. When I think EA, The Sims is the first thing that comes to mind. I played that game on my computer as a child well into my teenage years. Returning to that series would be awesome.

Dead Space. EA started with DeadSpace 3, and I was just about ready to run from the room. If there there is one thing that really scares me, its aliens. I don't mean aliens like the cute Grunts in Halo, I mean like the big baddies in Aliens.

Thankfully, the trailer hardly showed any of the gruesome creatures, but it did reveal something else: Co-op! Who doesn't love Co-op? Especially if it's a simple drop-in and drop-out format. With this addition, maybe I could handle the horrifying world of Dead Space. Just maybe.

Everyone was just bringing in surprise guests today. In order to talk more about the upcoming Madden game, EA brought in NFL's Hall of Famer, Michael Oher.

Then, it was time for a Maxis presentation. I was so happy - then they announced it was a game for Facebook. That shrunk my excitement down to the size of a pea. In a way, it makes sense that they are finally releasing the SimsCity Social for Facebook.

Facebook is a great place for simulation games, such as FarmVille and CastleVille, so it was only a matter of time before Maxis brought it's original creation to Facebookers. In addition, they announced another SimsCity for PCs that would include a multiplayer feature.

In addition to these three games, EA announced and presented the following games:

• Battlefield 3 Premium
• Star Wars: The Old Republic Expansion 
• Medal of Honor: Warfighter
• Madden NFL Social 
• FIFA Football Club on Smartphones and Tablets 
• FIFA 13
• UFC and EA Sports Partnership 
• Need for Speed Most Wanted
• Crysis 3

My favorite part of this conference was when Criterion Games' Executive Producer Matt Webster ended his presentation with "God save the queen." So British. 

Did anything from EA's conference impress you?

To watch EA's Conference, click here.

Tune in tomorrow for a report on Ubisoft and Sony's conferences! 

Yours truly, 

HavokRose