What is Cliffy B Up To?

Cliff Bleszinski, former lead designer of Epic Games, and mastermind behind the Gears of War franchise, has been up to something lately. He teased his Twitter followers with an image (below) along with the caption, "Here's a sneak peek at something I'm working on that has been cropped."

With that said, this could be anything! After seeing his track record of games, I have good faith that whatever it is, it will be a hit. The image seems to be of a small base in what looks like the Grand Canyon. This still doesn't give near enough information to be able to tell anything about what it could be. He has since dropped another image online showcasing a little more scale to the mystery project, but all the while leaving out any details giving away what it could be.

That storm looks pretty rough, but there's no telling what significance it has to the project. Is it first-person, third-person, An RTS, or even a shooter at all? I guess we'll find out as the details emerge, but in the meantime we'll all be speculating. Let us know what you think it might be in the comments!!

Tiger Woods -n- EA Forever! Ummm. Not!

     Tiger Woods and EA announced today that their 15 yr. relationship has finally come to an end. Many thought it would end much earlier due to the debacle that emerged between Tiger and his wife back in 09'. Daryl Holt, EA VP and GM of Golf, released a statement today stating that the separation was mutual.

"EA SPORTS and Tiger Woods have also made a mutual decision to end our partnership, which includes Tiger’s named PGA TOUR golf game. We’ve always been big fans of Tiger and we wish him continued success in all his future endeavors.
Moving forward, we will continue to work with the PGA TOUR exclusively to create groundbreaking golfing titles and our partnership remains strong."

     That's right. No more tiger when playing golf on your current or next gen gaming systems after this upcoming release of the franchise.

     We have been hit with a few changes this year when it comes to sports games. The end of NCAA Football and the separation of Tiger from EA have felt like a bad breakup for some of the franchises core gamers. EA will still continue to make a PGA Golf game but will it still have the same feel as the Tiger branded games or can they find a new cover man to continue the golf franchise?

     Here is a screenshot comparing current gen and next gen golf. What do you think?

AC4: Black Flag

     Less than one week to go (Oct 29 for current gen - Nov 19 for next gen) and AC4 will be on the shelves for all to get their little pirate loving fingers on. With the anticipation of the release and all the gameplay/ developer videos that have been released since its announcement, the excitement has us all ready to scale across the rocky cliffs and sail our own pirate ship (named Jackdaw) across the beautiful Carribean Sea.

     Off the heels of GTA V and less than a month away from next gen release, it will be interesting to see how AC4 will do for current gen systems. Other developers who have released current games with next gen versions expected to release later on, have experienced low sales numbers due to everyone holding out for next gen release. There is also the fact that some people were not satisfied with the AC3. Reviews were mixed yet the graphics and scenery were, in my opinion, beautiful and drew me in to the game, especially when out on the sea. AC4: Black Flag takes place on the sea for the most part and lets you explore on land as well as under the ocean, looking for treasure and other hidden objects.

     For the fans of the AC series I'm sure there will be a lot of free time spent on exploring the vast ocean depths and the beautiful Caribbean islands. As long as the story line holds up pretty well, this should be the best AC game so far. This game is definitely a day one purchase for me (I'm one of those waiting for next gen release). In the meantime, here's some gameplay footage. Enjoy!

And Then There Was Titanfall...

   Speaking of shooters, there's another one coming to the market when the Xbox One launches, and it's aiming to make a name for itself, and prove that it can compete with the biggest and baddest. Titanfall. Jason West and Vince Zampella, who were former co-founders of Infinity Ward, decided to move on after their conundrum with Activision, and created Respawn Entertainment. They are set out to prove that Call of Duty's success wasn't just a fluke, and that they can do it again on their own terms. Titanfall definitely looks promising, and already has the buzz around it to help make it a successful I.P. With a balanced blend of infantry and mech warfare, it shows there's still a lot of creativity to be had in the shooter genre; being able to deploy your mech in battle and hop in and out on the fly looks really fun, especially since the combat inside the mechs will be fast paced like its infantry counterpart. They have been working to make sure that combat between the two are balanced as well, giving infantry access to little tricks like parkour style wall-running, a pack that allows you to double jump for hard to reach locations, and even the ability to cloak yourself for a short period of time. Mechs will have the ability to catch bullets and rockets, and launch them back to the opposing shooter, they can rip pilots out of the cockpits of enemy mechs, and if things don't go your way, you have the ability to eject yourself from your mech and try to get a lucky landing on the back of an enemy, before you get shot out of the sky. It's moments like that, that will keep people coming back for more. When the Xbox One releases on November 22nd, we'll see how this game stacks up to the rest of the flooded shooter genre. Check out the video below and let us know how you feel about it in the comments!!

Which Side Are You On? CoD: Ghosts vs. BF4!

   Alright shooter fans, there's an epic battle brewing in the gaming world, and the time is almost here to be choosing sides. Call of Duty: Ghosts? Or Battlefield 4? Both highly ambitious projects are set to battle it out to be the next best shooter. Fortunately for us gamers, they are both coming to current and next gen consoles! 

   On November 5th, Infinity Ward/Activision will be releasing their next addition of the Call of Duty series into the foray. Although, some long-time fans have grown tired of the game's tried and true formula that has now become a staple of the series, the name alone is guaranteed to draw in big numbers this holiday season.

   Running at 60fps per Call of Duty standard, and promising more interactive and destructive environments, the game really does seem to stand apart from past entries. Loads of new weapons, game modes, a fresh campaign, and even the new Squads mode, show that Infinity Ward still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to try and stay on top. Of course multiplayer is the major drawing point for The CoD series. It's back and better than ever, with more destructible environments and dynamic events, from something as small as blowing up a gas station to kill nearby enemies and create some cover, to a killstreak that can change the whole map, creating new paths and places to hide.

   On the other side of the hill, and releasing on October 29th, a week ahead of competition, we've got Battlefield 4. Dice/EA have been aiming to knock Call of Duty off of it's pedestal, and have only fallen short in the past, but BF4 may just change that. Boasting 60fps on a console is a first for the Battlefield series, but this entry will also feature full 64 player maps. A huge step forward for online first-person shooters. With vehicle combat, destructible maps, and also including dynamic, game-changing events all powered with the improved Frostbite 3 engine, BF4 looks like it will give CoD a run for it's money this time around.

   Although Battlefield was originally a PC only title, its leap to the consoles proved to be a worthy one. Vehicles have always been a staple of the series, but with larger maps and more than double the players, they will naturally play a much larger role in multiplayer. With the recent inclusion of jets to the console versions, there will be plenty of fun and unforgettable moments to be had. Top that off with the destruction that we know and love from the series and the new "Levolution" system, such as taking down a skyscraper, or flooding a city to change the gameplay mechanics entirely, the game is guaranteed to give gamers quite a few jaw-dropping experiences along the way.

   It's going to be a difficult choice this holiday season. Two big games going head to head, I'm anxious to see who comes out on top. Are going for the fast-paced, streamlined action of Call of Duty: Ghost? Or are you leaning more towards the large scale destruction and vehicle warfare of Battlefield 4? Or maybe even both? Let us know in the comments below!

NBA 2K14 vs. NBA Live 14. You Be The Judge!

     Yesterday evening +2K Sports launched their next gen gameplay footage of NBA 2K14 with all it's closeup sweat and facial expressions from the Rocket's bearded wonder James Harden to the Pelican's uni-brow of Anthony Davis. Today +EA SPORTS NBA LIVE launched their full gameplay trailer to officially start the battle of who is going to have the ground breaking NBA sports title, this year, for the new systems. The videos are posted below. Let us know what you think.

Video Courtesy of ShakeDown2012

Current Gen "Top Dogs" Not Coming to Next Gen Consoles

     With the launch of the Xbox One and PS4 knocking at our doors there are a lot of questions about which current gen games are going to be available for next gen. I can tell you three that will not be. Naughty Dogs "The Last of Us" for the PS3, which received a perfect 10 on IGN's rating system and has sold more than 3 million copies, will not be coming to the PS4. According to community strategist Eric Monacelli they have no plans to port the game to the new system.

Games are really taking advantage of dynamic views.

Steady.....

      The Last of Us is up for game of the year in a lot of people's polls, with a compelling storyline and superb voice acting that equals most blockbuster movies. The characters and story are so well written that you, as the player, begin to feel an emotional attachment as the story unfolds. While "The Last of Us" is by far one of the best games of this decade (if not of all time), there's another heavyweight that was just launched this past September. You guessed it! "GTA V".

     Rockstar's heavyweight also received a perfect 10 from IGN. Rockstar has stated, before the game's launch, that they had no plans to launch GTA V for next gen. The best selling video game in history is still continuing to set the record bar as high as it can with 7 Guinness world records!

Beautiful scenery. You can almost smell the fresh mountain air.

In Liberty City there's always a place to land.

I bet they didn't see that coming.

     The open world sandbox game is one of the largest of its kind and still manages to keep the beautiful scenic world of Liberty City alive with very little if any disruption in the maps rendering.

     The third game in the list is NCAA Football by EA Sports. Now, this title will not be seen on any console from here on out. After a very lengthy and drawn out lawsuit, the company has decided to discontinue the development of one of the most popular sports titles to this date. Just as EA was revitalizing the stale franchise with features like the new "Infinity Engine 2", improved blocking for the running game, and Ultimate Team some schools and even the NCAA itself began throwing in the towel and wanting nothing to do with the sports title.

And to think, They could have started off as the #1 team in NCAA Football 15

WAIT!! NCAA PLEASE COME BACK!!

To Be Continued...

     Although a shame we won't be seeing these three titles on next gen consoles anytime soon, I guess it gives gamers a couple of reasons to hang on to their current consoles a while longer.

NBA 2K14 Next Gen Gameplay Trailer...Cold Chills!

I got cold chills just now! Watching the new NBA 2K14 trailer was impressive but, the choice of music integrated with the beautiful graphics and animation of the next gen sports title just made me want to walk right up to 2K studios, shake someone's hand and say "Well done sir, well done!" On my post yesterday I said the 2K trailer would be out real soon due to EA making the first move with their 15 second clip late yesterday evening. As of now it looks like +2K Sports has the edge but, we have all seen beautiful, up close gameplay footage before only to be disappointed at release and with new consoles everything we thought we knew about developers from current gen changes. With EA launching their full gameplay video tomorrow we will just have to wait and see. For now enjoy the video and comment your thoughts below.

 

NBA Live 14 Quick Gameplay Teaser. Full 5 on 5 to be released on Fri.

     Here you go sports fans! Just one day after my first post we have a quick video on next gen gameplay for NBA Live 14. The full 5 on 5 gameplay video will be released this Fri. Examine the video and let me know what you think. I do expect, since EA has dropped the first punch in this battle, that we will be seeing some NBA 2K14 gameplay soon as well! I will keep you posted.





        

Comment below.
Thanks to Jerome Swoosh for the video

Current Gen to Next Gen: Sports Edition

     So, here we are, another day, another next gen console release just ahead, and I can sense the frustration building around the interwebs. What is this frustration you ask? Well, there has been minimal gameplay footage showing off next gen sports games. With only a month away from release, sports fans are quickly becoming unsettled. They have put money towards preorders of next gen systems and games, yet still do not know what they are getting into when it comes to their favorite basketball/football title. Sure there have been some "sizzle" trailers and some screenshot comparisons that have been revealed but, that's about it. Now, I am sure 2K and EA will soon release this unseen footage for the world to experience but, why the delay? Are they feeding off the anticipation of the consumer? Are they trying to rush to complete the final touches of the games before they release the footage? Or, is it a "You make the first move" strategy between the two major sports gaming companies? Whatever the reason people are waiting on the edges of their seats, searching to the corners of the World Wide Webs trying to find info on these sacred next gen titles. Some fans (from the forums I have read, some is putting it nicely) have simply given up on these developers and what they are claiming to offer us for the future of gaming.

     With that said, I have seen screenshots of what is to come just like others in the sports gaming world and I haven't been too impressed with the comparisons. Now let me say this before I make too many people upset. I love great graphics just as much as the next gaming junkie but, that isn't what it's all about. There are games that draw you in with story, gameplay, ect. My two cents is that all we have to go off of right now is a few screenshots of next gen sports games to compare with current gen. Well if we are judging next gen sports titles based off of that then the winner is.........OPINION ALERT! OPINION ALERT!........................ NBA 2K14!

     WHAT?!?!?!?! I can already see the comments below of all the disagreements on this opinion but, I'm sure there will be those who agree with me as well. Let me explain with the showing of some current and next gen photos if I may.

Can you tell which is which?

I think it is pretty obvious which is current and which is next gen. Can you tell? NBA 2K14 has made some noticeable changes from the detail of uniforms to the accurate detail of facial scans (of Lebron) put into the game. Of course NBA Live hasn't had a game released since Oct. 6th 2009 so I would feel bad comparing the differences of 4 yrs.

     Now, that brings me to the next big sport.... Football. Yes, Madden 25. There have been a ton of mixed reviews on this years edition of the 25th anniversary release of the most popular ( and only) licensed NFL game on consoles. I personally think the gameplay has made HUGE strides over the past few years but, for the 25th anniversary people were expecting more in the current gen game and are hoping for more in next gen as well. Message boards are being littered with negative comments on what people have seen so far. When comparing the photos of current and next gen, I don't see much improvement graphic wise and in some instances I can't tell which is which. That doesn't mean next gen Madden isn't going to be fun, it just means with what has been released so far the only judgments we can make are up close high-def screenshots. 

          I don't think the difference is that great of a leap from current gen to next gen. Yeah the lighting has improved but, let me prove another point.

     Now, can you tell me which one is current and which one is next gen? Oh, wait! neither. This is a great example of how lighting can change the appearance of a game. I can't wait for next gen sports and even though the graphics do not show a massive jump from current gen, I am still excited about the power the new systems hold and the potential of  gameplay but, it may be a couple of years before we start experiencing the true potential of next gen systems. 

What is your opinion?