Xbox One: A Modern, Powerful Box

The Xbox One with Kinect 2 and controller

At last it is revealed, the all new Xbox One. Emphasized to be an "All-In-One" system, the new-gen console was brought into light this morning by Microsoft. A lot of new ideas, innovations, partnerships, games and tv shows were mentioned and demonstrated, but there is also some disappointment. All in all this system looks beautiful and promises a lot. Microsoft is making a big claim by remarking it as "entertainment history". Lets break it down section by section.

First, the appearance didn't do a whole lot for me, but then after hearing the theme of this new system it makes sense. As we see in the picture above it isn't much more than a sleek black box. That's pretty much it. But that's exactly the point. The system interface and controls are meant to revolutionize the living room by making use SIMPLE. Even the name is simple; One. I believe that's why we see such a simple design. It is supposed to blend in with the living room and appeal to every member of the family no matter what their technological knowledge is.

Still though, the system needs to capture the gamer's eye the most. That's where the new controller comes into play. 

The new Xbox One controller

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That's the view many had on the Xbox 360 controller. I mean the thing is perfect. However after just seeing this new controller my mindset has shifted. Unfortunately the presenters didn't go into detail on some of the new features. Looking at the picture we see no center X button, but instead two small buttons near the top. No word was given on what these new buttons do. 

The controller is basically the same and while its hard to give a direct judgment without an actual hands on demonstration; the new features don't seem to hurt anything. In fact they only offer improvement. The controller looks to be more inwardly curved to better fit the hand. The joysticks have a new exterior grip which adds style and assumed thumb control. Finally, with the D-Pad being the only real conflict with the current controller, the new D-Pad has been altered for better flexibility. The battery packs were also said to be more efficiently placed. 

So there's the new controller, but what about the actual system interface?

A closer look at the new controller. Notice the gripped joysticks

First things first I have to say this; the Xbox One will have Blu-Ray!!!! Thank you Microsoft!. Now back to business. A lot of new innovations were unveiled, but my thought is "so what?" The concepts presented where impressive no doubt, but didn't really seem applicable. For instance by voice recognition the user was able to  jump instantly from gaming, to internet, to movie, to tv. The jump was fast I'll give it that, but in all reality if I'm playing Halo I have no need to switch to watching Star Trek. Also while watching a movie or anything else you can utilize the new snap feature in order to bring up Internet Explorer on the side of your main entertainment. Again, why would I need to search anything if I'm watching a movie? Good thoughts Microsoft, but not feasible.

Those were my initial thoughts, but I was wrong. I was looking at the idea wrong. Think of it like this: you've been playing Halo for an hour, you want to take a break and check the score for the basketball game on ESPN. Instead of closing the game, going to the dashboard, launching the ESPN app and checking the score, you now simply have to pause the game, say out loud to the Kinect "Xbox play ESPN" and the system will route you instantly to the game being presented on tv. One word. Amazing. This new interface really is revolutionary and better yet, simplistic. 

Now I'm not good with the technology terminology, so I'll just go into small detail by saying this new system comes with the Kinect 2. This new Kinect uses a more advanced skeletal frame and higher frame per second capture device in order to better the experience. New hand motions will be introduced to assist the new dashboard interface and bring forth comfortability for all using members of the family.  

Now lets take a look at the stuff you really care about: launch games, date and price. 

Call of Duty Ghosts was given a world premiere trailer

Now these are details saved for other blogs, but I'll give a brief run down of what was shown. Unfortunately only 1 game was officially said to be available at launch and that was Forza Motorsport 5, big surprise there. The game does look great though don't get me wrong. 

We got to see how the new EA games will look on the Xbox One and learned that four games (NFL, FIFA, NBA and UFC) will be released within the next 12 months. 

Call of Duty Ghosts was shown some game-play on the new system and it looks outstanding. We got to learn a little bit about the story as well. The US are now the underdogs, living in a ravaged and crippled country. The ghosts are gathered soldiers from various past special forces that fight to keep America alive. 

My favorite game mention is that Halo will be coming to the television. Yes that's right, alongside with Steven Spielberg Halo will getting a live action tv show! No official name was given, but the presentation screen read both "Wake Up John" and "Halo the Television Show". 

Finally Remedy Games, creators of Alan Wake, showed us Quantum Break and it was also announced that there will be 15 exclusive games within the first year of Xbox One, 8 of them being all new franchises. Needless to say this new system will be groundbreaking and will usher in a lot of new potential gaming landmarks. 

That's right, Halo is coming to the television

As for a date, we only were told "later this year". I know, how satisfying. Even worse, no price was given which could entail a steep price that Microsoft doesn't want to mention just yet. They'll probably wait until more games and features are announced before revealing the price. 

So there it is. The ONE thing we love. The ONE thing that will change the house. The ONE system to rule them all. The all new, Xbox One.

What strikes you the most about this new system? What game are you hoping for most? Mine was Alan Wake 2. What don't you like? What do you think the price will be? SO SO SO many questions. Let's discuss! 

Bring it on Microsoft. We can't wait.

Following Arkham Origins: The Newest Trailer

Alright! So if you happen to have read my very first post on the previous Arkham Origins teaser trailer then you would know my excitement for this game is off the charts!I've decided to officially follow this game as well as I can and share every known detail as they are revealed. Once the game actually comes out I plan on doing a  video and written review and I hope I can conjure up some loyal readers. Let's get to business. 

Good News- There's a new trailer out! This one being 4:52

Bad News- There's still a good many months before this game releases

Now the teaser, being only 41 seconds was good, but concise. This new trailer actually contains the 41 seconds we previously saw as well as some footage as to what occurred before and after those 41 seconds. 

Go ahead and check the new trailer out on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pnK8akbd2M

Black Mask makes his debut appearance in this new trailer

Exciting, right?! Again beautiful graphics and an even better look into what's actually going on in this new title. So lets just simply break it down. 

A couple criminals are up to no good (good old Gotham) when all of a sudden Batman swoops in to save the the day. Everything seems to be going fine when all of a sudden Death Stroke enters the scene. Now it looks like Death Stroke set those criminals up to lure in the Batman as he remarks, "Looks like you got my invitation," but its not certain. Regardless the two begin an intense conflict, which is where the original teaser makes another appearance, until all of a sudden our point of view shifts to that of a distant sniper. Not just any sniper though; Dead Shot. 

Dead Shot as he fires down on Death Stroke 

Dead Shot fires down on Death Stroke to prevent him from killing Batman. It would seem the two share an assassination target. Batman is downed, times skips forward, but no body is found.

This is where we find out Black Mask's involvement in the story. He comes to meet survey the scene where Batman was taken out, but discovers no body. Its then implied that Black Mask is actually the one who hired the various assassins to take out Batman as we hear Death Stroke tell him, "And next time keep your other assassins out of my way."

Black Mask as he converses with Death Stroke

So here are the new questions that arise. Is Black Mask the mastermind behind our new plot? Or will it turn out like Arkham City where we though the mastermind was Hugo Strange, but it was really Ra's al Ghul? In other words will another criminal actually be behind Black Mask's actions? I hope not, but we'll see. 

Another point to consider is which other characters will be introduced? Black Mask has been getting more and more appearances throughout this franchise and because this story line takes place before the top tier criminals arise, I hope we get to encounter some of the lesser known Batman enemies. I for one would love to see the Great White Shark and Firefly come into play. 

Who do you most want to see in this new game? What's your favorite part about this new trailer? Comment and lets discuss!

Why the Spartan Ops are a Must-Play

Halo 4. Mine and many others favorite game to date. It sure felt good to play as the Master Chief once again . Discovering a new world, blasting through enemies old and new alike, Halo 4 delivers a riveting story line and really sheds some more light on the touching Chief-Cortana relationship. However, many gamers may simply pop the disc into their console, fight through the campaign, tackle the multi-player and continue from there without ever giving the new Spartan Ops a glance. I can tell you right now that you are missing out on something great!

Now I won't go into heavy detail, but instead lets just talk about what the Spartan Ops are. Spartan Ops is a brand new installment to the Halo franchise which delivers numerous missions which are called Chapters. 5 Chapters make up an Episode and the Episodes compile to create a Season. So far we have 1 completed Season titled 'Exodus' which contains a total of 10 Episodes, thus 50 Chapters.

The planet Requiem where these Spartan Ops take place

 Without going into heavy detail, here's the background as to how these Spartan Ops formed. A new Spartan program is underway and many of these Spartans reside on the UNSC Infinity. The difference here is that these Spartans chose to enlist, they were not kids abducted by the UNSC as were the first Spartans. The new Spartans have various missions they need to complete upon Requiem, the Forerunner planet. These ops contain everything from search and rescue missions all the way to investigating Covenant digs and Forerunner objects. Here's why I love them though: they actually give the gamer a satisfying military feel as opposed to the traditional lone-wolf we get with Master Chief!

Fireteam Majestic: one of the many Spartan teams upon Requiem

Don't get me wrong, I love playing as the Chief. It's probably one of the most satisfying things a gamer can do. However the Spartan Ops give a better sense of realism because in these missions we are completing essential military tasks. The player plays as a member of Fireteam Crimson, working with Spartans Miller and Dalton along with Commander Palmer. Receiving orders, getting pinned down and then having an ordnance drop, these are the things that really make the ops feel real! Sure the missions get repetitive. You're often doing the same things and fighting off predictable waves of enemies, but that's part of the realistic work a soldier has to do and you come to appreciate it! But, if that still isn't enough to get you hooked, you have to play for the story.

Some Spartans fighting off the Prometheans 

The reason the story to these Ops is significant is because the conclusion of Season 1 contains events that in no way would have been predicted from just completing the Halo 4 campaign. We get to discover much more about Dr. Halsey, the origin of the new Spartans, and the content on Requiem that Master Chief did not encounter such as Covenant terrorist leaders and different Forerunner artifacts. To put it simply; when the next Halo is released, there may be a reference in the story that you don't understand because you only played the campaign in Halo 4 and NOT the Spartan Ops. 

For hardcore Halo fans, what I'm saying is irrelevant. We've already played these ops one or two times over and are contemplating a third. They are a great way to level up and easily complete commendations. No, this is for the Halo fan that only plays the game once and then jumps to multiplayer. Or for the ones who started the Spartan Ops, played a few chapters, experienced repetition, and gave up before even getting to the significant story line. I'm telling you now, you NEED to play this new mode. It is worth your time. See you ground-side Spartans!

Feel free to leave comments and discussion! What was you're favorite op in Season 1? What do you think Season 2 will hold? Let me know!

Also scroll down for my reaction to the new Batman Arkham Origins teaser trailer!

First Post: Admiring Batman Arkham Origins

Alright! So for my first post on here I figured I would go over the brand new teaser trailer for the highly anticipated Batman: Arkham Origins. Go ahead and peep it on YouTube if you haven't already.

Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fp57RlLWqY

While only being 41 seconds long, a few questions come to hand after watching this trailer, and A LOT of excitement! However first, let's go over what we already know about this game.

Arkham Origins will be the 3rd installment to the Arkham Series following the great Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Instead of being developed by Rocksteady Studios, the title has now shifted to the hands of WB Games, so lets hope they keep the greatness coming. As for the story, Origins will be set several years before Arkham Asylum and will showcase Bruce Wayne in his early years as Batman and set the path for his road to becoming Gotham's Dark Knight. The plot of the game is simple, so far. Batman is hunted by various assassins; maybe Desmond from Assassin's Creed will make a cameo haha! For the most part though that's all we know, but its very likely more will be revealed in the near future.

As for the teaser, first lets just cherish the beautiful graphics. Video games are constantly becoming more visually realistic and its no surprise Origins trumps its predecessors. However the best part of this trailer is obviously our introduction to Deathstroke.

Batman faces Deathstroke in this teaser trailer

Now here are my questions. First, with the player being introduced to Deathstroke, I'm really curious to see who else Batman will encounter in his early years of super heroism. Perhaps Superman will be involved to give Bruce some advice. I mean that's only one consideration with literally hundreds of others out there. Anyone from the DC universe could show up which only serves to heighten the excitement.

Second, the release date. This game will dropping October 25, 2013 which will be before the new generation consoles. Now I'm sure WB Games knows this, but I wonder why they wouldn't just delay the title until the new-gens release. I suppose only time will tell what they have in mind. 

Third, since we know this story takes place in the beginning of Batman's career, I wonder what his relationship will be with the GCPD (Gotham City Police Department). I mean, it could turn out that the city doesn't yet know who Batman really is and could see him as an enemy which will put him at odds with not only the assassins, but the city he is trying to protect as well. 

Other than that, this trailer is pretty short and doesn't give us a whole lot to run off of. Arkham Origins I'm sure will deliver great entertainment to us as gamers! The cinematics look outstanding, the story line is intriguing, and there are A LOT of possible pathways this plot can go. Let the countdown to this game begin!

-On a side note this is my first post, so I would love comments, feedback, discussion, anything!! Thanks!