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[Keaton]

G4TV usually airs E3.  If not... it's available for streaming via interbutts.

I thought G4 was getting terminated by NBC Universal.

Well if that's the case, they've not been terminated just yet.

[MagmarFire]

So according to Sakurai, we're going to get our first look at what Smash Bros 4 has in store for us next month at E3.
I heard that most channels however, won't be broadcasting E3. Anyone know a channel?

Whoa, is that so? I thought Nintendo wasn't going to have a showing this year.

...Then again, Nintendo may be having a Nintendo Direct then, so we'll see.

[Hi no Seijin]

I'm fairly certain Nintendo is going to be at E3; they're just not going to have a large press conference, what with Nintendo Direct doing a great job of getting information out there.

[MagmarFire]

I suppose that works, too. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Zelda Veteran]

Just watched the conference for the Xbox One.
From someone who was extremely prejudiced against the console for everything that's been said about it up to its unveiling, I've gotta say...

It looks really impressive. Whenever the conference eventually gets uploaded to youtube, I suggest you watch the whole thing. Even if you're not an Xbox fan, it really did revolutionize TV for the common person. It's a lazy person's paradise, with voice commands to change channels, games, watch movies, access the internet, 3-way skype, and being able to multitask a bunch of it at once.

Truly remarkable, at least to me. I don't have about a thousand dollars to drop for the console, but if it ever becomes affordable, the reveal trailer of Call of Duty: Ghosts has me excited, mainly because it was created by Infinity Ward, the company behind the last great CoD game, Modern Warfare 2. Treyarch ran multiplayer into the ground when compared to MW2. Still fun games, but with Infinity Ward back in the saddle, I'm extremely hopeful for what's to come.

I'm a little worried for Nintendo, honestly. They've got big shoes to fill here, and if the Wii U doesn't start putting out, they're going to be in a bit of danger. We have yet to see what the Wii U's graphics can really do (according to Nintendo) but they said that about the Wii when it first launched, and we never saw significant improvement from a Wii launch title (TP) to a Wii late title (SS).



In fact, they made the graphics simpler.

I'm just worried that Nintendo might fall too far behind the competition here in the next generation of gaming. They need to get their online gameplay in gear, and fast. Brawl online gameplay was such a universal disappointment that everyone is doubtful that Nintendo can even pull it off. Friend-codes need to be ditched, for starters. I mean, they led sales among the most recent generation of consoles with the Wii selling record units, but still... They need to pull a rabbit out of the hat to impress me the way Microsoft just did.

Keep your eyes open for the conference on youtube. It's certainly worth watching, even if you don't plan on buying on. It's just really really cool what they've done.

[MagmarFire]

My two cents:

I don't have about a thousand dollars to drop for the console, but if it ever becomes affordable

I'm a little worried for Nintendo, honestly. They've got big shoes to fill here, and if the Wii U doesn't start putting out, they're going to be in a bit of danger. We have yet to see what the Wii U's graphics can really do (according to Nintendo) but they said that about the Wii when it first launched, and we never saw significant improvement from a Wii launch title (TP) to a Wii late title (SS).

This, right here, already gives Nintendo a huge advantage. There has been no generation where the console with the highest specs won out in terms of sales (at least, I think this is true).

http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/why-console-specs-dont-matter

We have yet to see what the Wii U's graphics can really do (according to Nintendo) but they said that about the Wii when it first launched, and we never saw significant improvement from a Wii launch title (TP) to a Wii late title (SS).



In fact, they made the graphics simpler.

I'd hardly call an Impressionist DOF filter "simpler graphics." The game also used shaders that I've not seen in a previous Zelda game all that much (look at the Timeshift Stones). Other than that, eh, maybe it could be considered they were simpler.

But that hardly matters, in my opinion, because of one sadly oft-forgotten detail in the gaming community: Graphics and aesthetics are not the same thing.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/graphics-vs.-aesthetics

While Twilight Princess had many beautiful environments and stuff (Lake Hylia and the Fishing Hole <3 ), Skyward Sword stood out a lot more. There was more contrast in many areas (although color-wise, Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert seemed a bit too similar, excluding the Timeshift Stones), and a bit less brown. By and large, it looked better. TP was no slouch in the aesthetics department, but SS has it beaten.

They need to get their online gameplay in gear, and fast. Brawl online gameplay was such a universal disappointment that everyone is doubtful that Nintendo can even pull it off. Friend-codes need to be ditched, for starters.

You're quite on the dot here. Friend Codes were pretty bad, although not that bad, in my opinion. The downside was the roster limit (at least for Brawl; only sixty-four friends being allowed is not even CLOSE to enough). However, while the 3DS does use FCs, they did make the process easier and made it a universal FC instead of one unique to every individual game. Now, I don't have a Wii U yet, but I believe Nintendo has done away with FCs entirely in favor of unique user IDs (that you can pick yourself, by the way--just like on Steam). Food for thought.

As for my thoughts on the Xbox One...eh. I'm not that enthralled by it (if it still has the exclusives problem that plagued the previous Xbox iterations, I'm probably not going to get one), but I do want it to succeed. If it doesn't succeed, after all, we'll see less ambitious design from Microsoft and will probably see some people losing jobs on both the console side and development side, as picking a console to develop for is not a trivial matter.

Sadly, though, the online-authentication system they'll supposedly have (a representative said as much, anyway) could lead to all sorts of problems. Sure, it's not always-online DRM, but once every twenty-four hours could still be an issue, and it still excludes people who don't have Internet connections in the first place. I don't think it'll be as catastrophic as we've seen with Sim City and Diablo III, but we'll see. This may actually be a good DRM approach, for all I know--much less intrusive, and it puts less strain on their servers. But if servers crash because of a flood of gamers playing the next Call of Duty or Halo, I can see some people getting upset. But then again, that depends on whether or not the multiplayer servers are separate from Microsoft's DRM servers... Eh, I don't know their architecture, but at least Microsoft's trying to be smart about this, unlike EA.

[Zelda Veteran]

Expert input as always, my friend

My point wasn't that TP was prettier than SS, because it wasn't. My point was that Nintendo promised more than it delivered, and they've made the same kind of promise this time around. From a gamer's perspective, I'm just being cautious.

I don't own a Wii-U either, but my friend Bobby does, and he says it's fantastic. I trust his judgement when it comes to games, and I plan on getting a Wii-U when I land my new job. I'm overjoyed with the 3DS. I think it's my single best Nintendo investment I've made in my life. It's my third favorite console behind the N64 and the Xbox 360, which is saying a lot for a handheld. That being said, I'm not expecting too much from the Wii-U. I expect that the core gamers, being satisfied with the 3DS, will take a backseat for the casual gamers for the Wii-U. Haven't seen enough good titles on the system to run out and get it yet.

That'll all change with Zelda, I'm sure.

Xbox One is awesome, albeit not for gamers. It does some really cool things, but nothing for me, and it's way expensive. My biggest problem with the Xbox One is that all of your games are saved on the cloud. That means no more borrowing games from friends, no more buying or trading used games... And you've got to be connected to the internet at all times even to play a game like Skyrim (because you need to access the cloud). It's a deal-breaker for me, and for all of my friends. On the other hand, they're making it an entertainment system, which has my dad interested, so he might buy one. I'd actually be elated if he did, because I really do want to continue to play Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Left4Dead 3, Half-life 3, and Portal 3, as well as Call of Duty games, and the Naruto Ninja Storm series. I'm just not made of money. That's Nintendo's biggest advantage right now- consumer affordability.

If the Xbox One is ever less than $300, I'll consider it. But until that day comes, I'm a sad Microsoft customer. I'll stick to my Nintendo guns I suppose. Really excited for Smash Bros 4, Pokemon X & Y and Zelda. It's going to be another good year for gaming.

[MagmarFire]

Pretty much spot on, man. ...Except...

I'd actually be elated if he did, because I really do want to continue to play Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Left4Dead 3, Half-life 3, and Portal 3, as well as Call of Duty games, and the Naruto Ninja Storm series.

You assume Valve knows how to count to three.

[Zelda Veteran]

Pretty much spot on, man. ...Except...

I'd actually be elated if he did, because I really do want to continue to play Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Left4Dead 3, Half-life 3, and Portal 3, as well as Call of Duty games, and the Naruto Ninja Storm series.

You assume Valve knows how to count to three.

In case anyone didn't know, Valve actually read the signs and jumped ship on Microsoft. As the Microsoft news got worse and worse (see next paragraph for that), Valve decided that their exclusiveness to Xbox would come to a close. Not renewing their contract, we'll have Left 4 Dead on not just Xbox and PS4, but the Wii-U! Portal 3 will also be on the Wii-U! I decided that I'm getting both a Wii-U and a PS4. I really like the way Playstation is looking right now, which is something I never thought I'd say. I'll also get to play all the games I missed out on by grabbing them off the PSmarket. With Microsoft paying off Spike to not show either Sony or Nintendo's E3, my support for the Xbox is at its end. Now all we have left to worry about is Bethesda Softworks, and according to an interview with Pete Hines, VP of PR at Bethesda, his attitude on releasing for the Wii-U is "Never say never".

So the Xbox gets worse and worse. News arose not too long ago about how you could possible lose ALL of your games. Here's how it works. Your games are tied to your Xbox live account, saved on a cloud. So not only do you have to be connected to the internet at all times to play your games, but if your Xbox live account gets banned for any reason, you lose all of your games. That's it. You have to buy them all again. Not only that, but you can't sell your Xbox! It has a PIN much like any computer program you install, so nobody else will ever be able to play your Xbox. As far as Microsoft is concerned, it isn't your property to sell. This is a HUGE turn-off to gamer's everywhere. It really didn't help the fact that you can't even buy or trade used games. You can't even share them with your friends, which Sony responded to in this half-minute commercial, which got so many views in its first three days that it astonished Sony.

My holiday wishlist will consist of a single solitary Playstation 4. I'm saving up for a Wii-U by myself. I'm 99% sure that they'll release a Smash bros bundle next year that includes the game and some other neat stuff. I'll wait until then for the Wii-U. As for the PS4, I'm super excited for Elder Scrolls Online, which was announced to be not just for PC, but for the Xbox One and the PS4! If you want to get hyped for it, watch some of the E3 videos:
Trailer, Gameplay trailer, Stage demo.

Super excited for 2014 gaming.

[Darth Wyndisis]

I am so far behind on video game news it isn't even funny.

[Zelda Veteran]

I am so far behind on video game news it isn't even funny.

Well I've been posting my info as if you have no idea what's going on, so there's a bit of good news for you.

Some news I found out recently, that I'd like everyone to be warned of: If you haven't pre-ordered Pokemon X/Y, OR Zelda: Link Between Worlds, I suggest you do so. According to the guy at GameStop, there have been some new policies set in place by the GameStop heads. According to their graphs, charts, and statistics, few people who don't pre-order a game walk in and purchase it. That being said, they'll only be shipped between 4 and 8 copies of the game along with a copy for every pre-order. This applies only to 3DS games- he said he couldn't stress that enough. So pre-order anything you plan on getting for the 3DS.

[Hi no Seijin]

I would pre-order them if Kroger's would freaking call me back already! DX

I went in for a background check/drug testing, and when I was unable to take the overnight stocking position, they had me resubmit an application.  So I'm fairly certain they want to hire me, but they just haven't called me in for orientation/training yet.

As for the games, I'd really like to know the version differences between X and Y before I pre-order a copy.

[Zelda Veteran]

So I got pulled over on a failed inspection.
Took care of it the very next day, and went to the police station to pay my fine.
They told me- come back in 5 business days so it can register.

So I was going on vacation in 4 business days.
Whatever. I'll pay it when I get back.
While on vacation, my girlfriend got 2nd degree burns from the sun, and had to be hospitalized. I took care of her for the next couple of weeks after I got home, and forgot about the ticket.

So now I get a notice in the mail that I missed my court date, and that I have to pay $600 or I'm going to jail.

Spoiler alert: I don't have that kind of money.

So I went to set up a pay plan- $200 a month.

Spoiler alert: I don't MAKE that kind of money. $120 for phone/insurance, 137 for car payment, 80 for the tires I'm still paying off, and now 200 for NOT JAIL.

In short, the police are coming to my house to throw my criminal butt in jail. I'll talk to you all again when I'm out of the bighouse, and my the insides of my anal cavity have been thoroughly rearranged

JOY. 

[Mysterious F.]

Woah, what the? I'm so sorry, ZV, that's awful. How long are they trying to keep you?

And can you borrow enough from family or friends to pay what you need to pay?

[Zelda Veteran]

So my dad paid my ticket...

But he's asking me to give up video games

This is like... the most significant thing he's asked of me.