Tag Archives: E3 2013

Trailer Time, Video Game

Trailer Time: Final Fantasy XIII – Japan Expo Trailer (2014)

July 9, 2013 sleeplessdave Leave a comment

I put 20 hours into the first Final Fantasy XIII and then got distracted and never went back. From talking to others, the game gets dramatically better later on, so I’m thinking of returning and trying FFXIII-2 because these were the games that dragged me back into console gaming. Plus they’re purty.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII from Square Enix will be available in North America on February 11, 2014 and February 14 in Europe.As Lightning, it is your mission to save souls so they may be brought to a new world. However, with only thirteen days remaining, not everyone can be saved. Armed with all-new weapons, player customization and battle abilities, you are in a race against time to fully understand your destiny. It all ends here.

Top 5, Video Game

Top 5: Best E3 2013 Game Trailers

June 14, 2013 sleeplessdave 6 Comments

VS.

So E3 is in the books for 2013 and what an eventful few days in the gaming world. Most of the secrets of the Xbox One and Playstation 4 have been laid bare (Nintendo was also there but they’ve reduced themselves to white noise in my gaming sphere), and here are some things I’m taking away from the show as a longtime gamer.

1. Microsoft is living on a different planet than its consumers. The arrogance and obliviousness with which the Xbox One has been developed, priced and restricted is something I’ve never seen from any consumer electronics roll-out. They have a PR problem of Haliburton (hyperbole) proportions, especially thanks to Don Mettrick’s comment that Microsoft has a console for people who can’t be connected to the Internet 24/7 and it’s called the 360.

2. Sony won. Sony didn’t just win, they planted their feet, lined up the shot and then punted Microsoft right in the face. Between the quality of the PS4’s specs, the games available and the price differential, there is no doubt which console I will go with next gen (which after nearly a decade of Xboxing saddens me).

3. There is no compelling reason to buy either console on launch day. Unless you just want to have the newest thing, there is no AAA launch title currently associated with either console. I’m going to stick to the 360, hope Don Mettrick is launched into the sun, and that backlash forces some changes. If not, I’ll wait until a game I can’t NOT play is released and go with a PS4.

I’ve watched a ton of game trailers over the last week and posted as many as I could as a collective within the briefing columns. Here are the five (in no real order) that impressed me the most. The most stunning one was probably for HALO on Xbox One (not officially Halo 5 yet). Watch Dogs looks incredibly cool and it’s going to be 360 available, so that’s one to watch. Titanfall doesn’t do anything really new for me, but the packaging of a mix of third and first person shooter intrigues me. Destiny may be the game that moves me next gen. The scope of it and the quality of everything seen so far, combined with Bungie’s record, makes that the sort of title you buy a console to play. RPGs were in short supply this year, but I can’t wait for The Witcher III. What were the most impressive things you saw? Trailer goodness below:

Killing TIme

Killing Time – June 13, 2013

June 13, 2013 sleeplessdave Leave a comment

Friday Night Lights is awesome. I have a stack of Blu Rays I want to get to, but I cannot stop watching FNL. That desire may crash into the absence of episodes soon though since, I believe, I only have 18 left. That won’t last the weekend. I have no candidate for a torch-bearer to continue the TV binge so I may have to try transitioning off to movies.

As I write this, I keep checking Rotten Tomatoes and keep seeing Man of Steel’s percentage fall and I’m getting bummed out. This has been an extremely weak year in film so far and I really thought Man of Steel was going to be the turning point. RT is not God, though, because the best movie I’ve seen this year has been Now You See Me and for reasons that pass my comprehension, it’s at 44% or so on RT.

KT milestones this week: the site broke traffic records again this week (single day record twice) thanks to E3. Sometime today we should pass 10,000 hits and I have no way of judging if that’s good for a random blog of random things started five or so months ago, but it’s certainly more than I ever expected. Perhaps even more exciting, after calling them out last week, Kazakhstan responded (probably somebody jogged over from Uzbekistan to mock them as they’ve been with KT for months) and I welcome them and the slew of African nations that dropped by for the first time: Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia, Tanzania and Botswana. So clearly the question is: what’s the biggest country holding out? Who’s taking the naughty stick from Kazakhstan? I’m looking at you, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eleventh largest nation; KT target #1. Global dominance will continue. I have a map to color in to put in the Bond villainesque lair that I’m secretly constructing inside a volcano (keep that on the down low; I’m pretty sure I don’t have all the permits required for something like that). This is, quite honestly, how my mind works. Boo.

Books:
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Catherine Halsey’s Diary from the Halo Reach Special Ed. by Bungie Studios

Blu Ray:
The Newsroom Season One
Good Will Hunting 15th Anniversary ed.

TV/HULU:
The Daily Show with John Stewart
The Colbert Report
Friday Night Lights Seasons Two, Three and Four
The Newsroom Season One
Arrested Development Season Four (I. DO. NOT. UNDERSTAND!)

Song of the Week: Man of Steel Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer

Video Game:
Borderlands 2 (Level 24 Gunzerker; on chapter 13 of main quest)
Injustice: Gods Among Us (Story complete; working on STAR Labs missions)
* XBOX Live, gamertag: sleeplessdave; feel free to friend me!

Comics:
Morning Glories Vol. 3: P.E. by Nick Spencer
Thunderbolts Vol. 1: No Quarter by Daniel Way

Trailer Time, Video Game

Trailer Time: E3 Destiny Gameplay Trailer (2014)

June 12, 2013 sleeplessdave Leave a comment

After several mind-blowing cinematic trailers, Bungie unveiled a 12 minute look at gameplay for their new first person shooter franchise Destiny. Bungie’s new post-HALO venture has looked extremely impressive and the gameplay does not disappoint. This is the sort of title that moves people to a next generation console. If it was a launch title, I think there would be a lot more urgency for people like me who don’t necessarily feel sold on the need for a new generation yet to be there on day one. Destiny has a tentative 2014 release date for both Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Video Game

E3 2013 Ubisoft Briefing: Assassin’s Creed, The Crew, Splinter Cell and More Plus Trailers

June 11, 2013 sleeplessdave Leave a comment

Ubisoft highlighted both previously announced games, like Assassin’s Creed IV: Blag Flag and South Park: The Stick of Truth, at its briefing as well as unveiling new offerings. The Crew looks to be the first console MMO racing game. Also highlighted during the press conference were: Rocksmith 2014, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Trials Fusion & Trials Frontier, Rayman Legends, Epic, Tom Clancy‘s The Division Videos below: