UPCOMING VIDEO GAME RELEASES (2014 & Beyond)

[J.T.]

I honestly think Square Enix is dumb enough to have ROTR be XB1 exclusive and leave out PS/PC players.

 

No dumber than Guerilla Games making Killzone exclusively for PS4s when Xbox players are known to flock to FPS games in droves..  Sure, it may be a Sony IP, but it's not like XBox players wouldn't pay good money to play Killzone on an XBone.

 

PS4 people get Uncharted all to themselves and Sony pays a pretty penny to make sure that happens.  If I were Microsoft, I'd throw as much money as possible to keep RoTR on the XBone for as long as they could.

[Death From Above]

Exclusives always suck for someone but it's not like this is anything new. It actually feels like there are a lot less one-system exclusives now than there were say 15 years ago. Nintendo's core franchises are about the only ones that have completely held the course.

[Jiji]

I know zombie games have been done to death (uh huh huh huh) but Dying Light looks really neat-o:

 

[J.T.]

Nintendo's core franchises are about the only ones that have completely held the course.

 

Nintendo was the sole publisher or developer for their trademark games like the Mario franchise, though.

 

Microsoft bought the IP and the development house of Halo from Bungie to keep that franchise in their own camp.

[Lamp, broken circa 1988]

here is the only thing I have to say about the tomb raider exclusive thing

 

Polygon's "Senior Opinion Editor" (real job) Ben Kuchera today posted an article saying that making it an X-Box exclusive means it would have higher profits and higher sales. It includes this quote.

 

Let's assume a market of 100 people, because the math is easy. Maybe 25 people will only own the Xbox One. Maybe 25 people will only own the PS4. It's also very possible that 50 of those people own both consoles. "So it's not that they're cutting off half their market; they may only be cutting off 25 percent," Zatkin said.
 

The number of lost sales is only about the customers who only own the PS4, and that number is smaller than you think once you take into account customers who own both systems.

 

At gamescom, Sony announced 10 million PS4s sold through to date.

 

Microsoft is cagey with publishing this number. Speculation puts it around 3.3 million.

 

so, "lol." at that guy specifically. that's about all the care I can afford.

[Big Fresh]

Exclusives always suck for someone but it's not like this is anything new. It actually feels like there are a lot less one-system exclusives now than there were say 15 years ago. Nintendo's core franchises are about the only ones that have completely held the course.

 

The only difference here is that it's a sequel to a game that is multi-platform. But really guys, buy an X-Bone. You got a year and I need people to play with!

[J.T.]

There is some sketchy logic in that Polygon article but the fact remains that if I want to play great games like Uncharted or InFamous, I have to own a PS and no Sony fanboy will feel terribly sorry about that. 

 

Those games are not even timed exclusives, they are exclusive period.  Sony went through the effort to keep the IP in house because they saw the value in doing so, just as MS saw the value of keeping Halo under its own roof.

 

You will NEVER play Uncharted or InFamous or Killzone on an XBox.... ever.. and Sony will make the investment necessary to keep it that way just like they did when they gave Bungie big bags of cash money to get PS players exclusive content for Destiny.

 

All of this outrage at Microsoft is bullshit and it is coming from people who are just sour that Sony didn't offer the cash first.

 

So fuck this bogus Tomb Raider boycott.

[Big Fresh]

This is why you were always my favorite, J.T.

[Death From Above]

I know zombie games have been done to death (uh huh huh huh) but Dying Light looks really neat-o:

 

 

There is a glut of zombie games now but there are still interesting projects out there. I'd really like to try 7 Days To Die at some point, for example. That sounds like it could be phenomenal if it pans out.

 

If.

[Raziel]

As I pointed out in the other thread JT, using Killzone and Uncharted is a disingenious argument.  Its apples to oranges.  Uncharted and Killzone are published by SCE.  Sony's company, Sony's IP.  Same deal with Halo on the MS side.  Using those games as comparisons to people getting pissy about Tomb Raider is as bad as an argument as using Mario and Zelda never getting played on a non-Nintendo system.

 

People that are pissed are the people that bought the reboot and played it, loved it, and now a chunk are denied because Microsoft wanted another holiday exlcuisve to attempt to move consoles (since its totally possible and reported that they've only moved a third the number Sony has, with Titanfall.)  Also pointing out that TR and Definitive moved more copies on Sony hardware than Microsoft, it becomes a head-scratching business move by CD, unless the rumors are true and the only way it got made is because MS fronted the cash for the Timed Exclusive deal.

 

So yeah, teeth gnashing and console wars fanboyism around, and admittingly I'm guilty of it as well, but lets not answer hyperbole with more hyperbole.  

[Andrew POE!]

 

I honestly think Square Enix is dumb enough to have ROTR be XB1 exclusive and leave out PS/PC players. This move is a money move, plain and simple.

 

The problem I have is this: 1) It's not 2005 anymore so the days of Mass Effect, BioShock, Oblivion, and Fallout showing up on the 360 are gone. 2) Microsoft must have helped pay for the development costs rather than using that money towards first-party development of a new IP. and 3) the relative tone-deafness of Crystal Dynamics, Microsoft and Square Enix towards their audience in this case.

 

I think the end result will be....absolutely nothing changed. No one bought a Xbox One for Titanfall (or if they did, they had buyer's remorse and quickly sold their copy/system). As much as I love Sunset Overdrive and wish I was playing it, I'm not sure how much of an effect that will have overall. ROTR is along the same line -- it'll be nice to have for XB1 owners, but I don't think it'll be overall worth getting the system just for that game.

 

I think we will see Rise of the Tomb Raider on PS4 and PC -- when I don't know. But like I said, no one knew that BioShock, Mass Effect, and Fallout would be on PS3.

 

Are you trying to say it's not a smart move for Microsoft to have exclusive games on their console? Haha. Wow.

 

 

 

No, I'm not saying it's not a smart move for Microsoft. But to basically frontload it with paying another publisher/developer to make a game exclusively for their system strikes me as a 'panic move.'

 

BioShock, Mass Effect, Oblivion, and Fallout being on the 360 in the early days was a smart move and did a lot in helping Microsoft win the 360/PS3 gen. Overall, Microsoft had the better system spec-wise -- they didn't necessarily need games like Uncharted and The Last Of Us to win.

 

This time, it's completely different. MIcrosoft's system is the weaker system (sales-wise and spec-wise). Would ROTR look better on the PS4 and PC? Yes, absolutely. But the move plays into Microsoft's M.O. the entire time -- if they don't want to spend money on development for anything, just pay someone else to do it (or buy them up, one or the other).

[Salads]

I love it when 'hardcore' gamers get furious about being 'denied' games because they refuse to buy more than one games machine every six years (Kamiya has advice for thee), or act as if it is unacceptable that they buy a games console 'just' to play the games that are on it, as if there were any other sane reason in the world to do so.

 

 

Also this shit's been going on for years. Try not to think about how many of your game purchases were used to fund whatever ransom Rockstar demanded from Sony/Microsoft for the privilege of hosting GTA5 first.

[dogwelder]

Polygon's "Senior Opinion Editor" (real job) Ben Kuchera

 

Ugh, Kuchera's probably one of the worst video game site writers in recent years dating back to when he was writing for Ars Technica.  I'd recommend not even paying any attention to what he says/writes.

[TheVileOne]

All this offense over Tomb Raider probably being a "timed" exclusive is bullshit.

 

Didn't Resident Evil go "exclusive" for Nintendo for a short while?  It didn't last very long.  

 

It doesn't matter if the franchise started out for Sony Playstation.  When Tomb Raider first started there was no Xbox period.  Business is business.  Microsoft and Square Enix did nothing wrong here.

[Tabe]

With the news that Tomb Raider is just a timed exclusive, I can't help but think what a good move this was for CD and Squeenix.  They'll sell a buttload of games on the Xbone, they'll either pay less royalties than normal or pocket a huge chunk of cash - or both.  And then 6 months later, they'll sell the PS4 version they've undoubtedly been making all along, and they'll sell a ton of copies of that.  Win-win for them.

[RIPPA]

Ubisoft announced that the Crew will only be coming out on the 360 in terms of last gen systems (It is still Xbone, PS4, PC)

 

Their apparent reasoning is that porting the game for the previous generation of machines is easier on the 360 than PS3

 

 

The Crew was originally built for the new generation of consoles, so when we made the decision to port it to the previous generation, we decided to focus solely on the platform closest to the new-gen's technical infrastructure, which is the Xbox 360."

[J.T.]

So yeah, teeth gnashing and console wars fanboyism around, and admittingly I'm guilty of it as well, but lets not answer hyperbole with more hyperbole.  

 

The fact of the matter is that the outrage over this bullshit is that Microsoft struck first and it isn't exactly the most respected company in the world and people love seing the company get a thumb to the eye. 

 

If it had been Nintendo or Sony that secured the deal, articles would be praising either company ias well as CD for listnening to the fanbase and securing the best games for their customers or some shit. . 

 

Where is all of the ARGH OUTRAGE~! CASH GRAB~! hatred articles about Sony working out that deal with Bungie to secure exclusive content for PS player of Destiny or the fact that Destiny will be exclusive to PS3 / PS4 in Japan at time of launch and possibly a permanent one?

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/06/17/bungie-details-its-sony-exclusive-destiny-content/

 

Total hypocritical hogwash.

[Lamp, broken circa 1988]

I'm kind of stunned that people can still be upset about console exclusives, seeing that console agnostic game releases are still a recent trend. Like, last generation is the first time I can really see that prominent games came out on everything simultaneously. During PS/Saturn/N64 there was so little making it between all platforms. Like, there was Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Resident Evil, Rayman 2, a handful of arcade ports and that's about it. And some of those didn't hit everything (RE was PS/Saturn, RE2 was PS/N64). When Sega pulled the trigger early on the Dreamcast things improved very, very slightly, but if you go on GameRankings and look at all-time best reviewed games for those systems, those lists are populated overwhelmingly with exclusives.

 

It's only during the last decade that things became more equitable in that way. The hardware between all three major console manufacturers was about even, so there started to be less reasons to discourage doing that working and making things cross-platform. However it was rarer to see simultaneous launches, which is what this last set of consoles introduced.

 

So now we're in a situation where hardware is even closer than it's been before, but online functionality has basically doubled, and with that comes changes in publishing rules and terms of service, etc. So now instead of hardware limitations preventing console agnosticisim it's the nuances of network support. There will always be something as long as there's more than one player in the console game.

 

And yes, in advance, profit can be a motive. companies exist to make money. That is actually a legal requirement. companies are not your friends and they never were. treat companies like you too are a company, not like they too are human.

 

The console game, by the way, has been going since 1972.  The PS2 launched in 2000. So console agnosticism is basically a teenager now, and everyone's teenage phase is awkward where people act impulsively and test boundaries and do amoral-seeming shit because they're still growing and still learning. You're still going to get like 80% of games no matter what system you buy, and that's a change that happened in our fucking life times.

 

I swear, it's like some people don't remember how heinous 16-bit shit got. This is still a goddamn golden-age in comparison.

[J.T.]

I'm kind of stunned that people can still be upset about console exclusives.

 

The point is that it is a timed exclusive for MIcrosoft and folks hate it that XBone will get the game before PS4.  CD may as well have poured pig's blood on orphans and grandmothers.

 

If Sony or Nintendo had secured the rights first, we wouldn't even be discussing this in negative tones from a company perspective.  We'd just argue the evil of exclusives in general.

 

The CD abandoned Tomb Raider fans is pure rubbish.   If you are that loyal of a Tomb Raider fan and are burning that badly to play the game at launch, you will go and buy and XBone if you don't own one already or you will get it on launch day for your PS...

 

If anyone abandoned Tomb Raider fans, it was Sony.  They sold their shares of Squeenix and now they don't have a say as to the fate of anything that Squeenix has a hand in.  PS4 fans are getting bit in the ass as a result.

[Lamp, broken circa 1988]

That whole diatribe wasn't really directed at you since I don't disagree with your main point. More of a meditation on perspective getting lost. Video games are a weird medium in that way- any reflection on past trends is quickly overwhelmed by general nostalgia, which prevents any kind of discourse that isn't "remember when."

 

EDIT: I love how many times I've posted some quick snip followup that, free of context, makes me sound like a douchebag... that ends up starting a new page. It's like monthly.

[J.T.]

That whole diatribe wasn't really directed at you since I don't disagree with your main point. More of a meditation on perspective getting lost. Video games are a weird medium in that way- any reflection on past trends is quickly overwhelmed by general nostalgia, which prevents any kind of discourse that isn't "remember when."

 

EDIT: I love how many times I've posted some quick snip followup that, free of context, makes me sound like a douchebag... that ends up starting a new page. It's like monthly.

 

You do not sound like a douchebag, man.  You are actually one of the voices of reason that looks at things impartially while I am raving on like a fucking lunatic.

 

And I totally agree with your thoughts in general.  I just find it disturbing that the cultish mindset that comes along with console gaming brand loyalty permeates what passes for industry journalism these days. 

 

The deal between CD and Microsoft is no different than the deal between Bungie and Sony or Capcom and Nintendo but to read some of the articles, you'd think that CD just spit on the Constitution or something.

 

Halo and Gears of War are getting long in the tooth.  I hate exclusives, but it was a smart move for XBone to try to secure a fucking library of solid first and second party titles as exclusives.  Ryse and Titanfall could stand to benefit from being in the same catalogue as the new Tomb Raider franchise.

 

If there is anything to be upset about, it is the fact that the pay to deny schemes practiced by the console companies only serve to pound more nails into the coffin of PC gaming and PC is undeniably the most versatile platform to play on. 

 

To this day, I still prefer to play Elder Scrolls games on PC because the mod community is made up of fucking geniuses.

[supremebve]

I always find these arguments ridiculous.  Why are people mad because one business is trying to get more market share than their competition.  That is what they are supposed to do, trying to provide a more attractive library of games than their competition should be their only goal.  They don't give a rat's ass about anyone who isn't buying their product, because they have no relationship with them.  It is basically the same thing as me being mad that some sheepherder in Mongolia doesn't like my shoes, it isn't worth my time to give a single solitary fuck. 

[J.T.]

I always find these arguments ridiculous.  Why are people mad because one business is trying to get more market share than their competition.  That is what they are supposed to do, trying to provide a more attractive library of games than their competition should be their only goal.  They don't give a rat's ass about anyone who isn't buying their product, because they have no relationship with them.  It is basically the same thing as me being mad that some sheepherder in Mongolia doesn't like my shoes, it isn't worth my time to give a single solitary fuck. 

 

My point precisely but gamers are selectively altruistic and righteously indignant at the same time.

 

Oh, and also hypocritical.  We are all guilty from time to time and don't like being reminded about it.

 

You'd think that "gamers" would be thrilled that Microsoft is getting its head out of its own ass trying to recover from the disasterous "always online" and "Kinect or Die" fiascos by securing a library of games that their customers might actually want to play, but there are people out there determined to see the evil in this deal because it does not benefit them directly.

 

Nor should it if you are not an XBone customer.

[Cliff Hanger]

I will grouse and grumble a little, but in the end I know that I asked myself "what one exclusive franchise is most important to you?" And the answer was "Ratchet and Clank." (Yeah, I'm weird like that.) I knew I would be missing out on some shit between now and when the xbox reaches terminal pricing, and occasionally we get a few nasty shocks. There will undoubtedly be at least one situation like GTA4 and Fallout 3, where PS owners get the same game at launch but have to wait a full year for Expansions and in some cases bug fixes. Made my choice, not gonna pretend I didn't know there would be trade offs. But sometimes, when an exclusive or a significant feature gap is a nasty surprise. I'm gonna whine about it for five minutes, then move on and play something else.

And when people ask why there is no cross release of first party games to capitalize, all I can think of is Intellivision Donkey Kong, a port so fucked that Mattel execs and programmers alike seriously believed it was intentional sabotage.

[Big Fresh]

 

If there is anything to be upset about, it is the fact that the pay to deny schemes practiced by the console companies only serve to pound more nails into the coffin of PC gaming and PC is undeniably the most versatile platform to play on. 

 

To this day, I still prefer to play Elder Scrolls games on PC because the mod community is made up of fucking geniuses.

 

PC games? Like Minesweeper? Fuckin nerd!