In a sense, that does make sense- it is easy to forget when one looks at the sheer magnitude of evolution that video games have undergone since the days of the original Pong to where they are now, but it has been just 40 years- in 40 years, we have gone from there, to the 8- and 16-bit consoles, to the dawn of 3D and multimedia gaming, to HD and stereoscopic 3D, and the impending advent of VR. That is a staggering rate of evolution in a very short amount of time- it is certainly enough for us to forget just how young we are. And we are young. Amidst all of our posturing and our playing at being a mature industry, sometimes proof of our youth slips through the cracks: this binary mentality of ‘us versus them’ is one of the biggest pieces of that puzzle.

In the present day scenario, that resolves itself into a narrative of ‘PS4 versus the world.’ Put simply, Sony’s PlayStation 4 console is now the metric for success- if something does as well as the PS4, then, and only then, is it a success. Otherwise, it is deemed to be a failure. Successful devices such as the Nintendo 3DS have been rewritten into being market failures, and competing systems such as the Xbox One, which are honestly doing okay for themselves, are branded as unsuccessful endeavors- all because they fail to clear some kind of invisible standard that the PS4 has set, the standard that has arbitrarily been chosen as the measure for all success.

"Put simply, Sony’s PlayStation 4 console is now the metric for success- if something does as well as the PS4, then, and only then, is it a success. Otherwise, it is deemed to be a failure."

But obviously, such an assessment of success is childish, and ignores the larger picture and the context, both of which provide the necessary lens through which the performance of these systems should be viewed. The Nintendo 3DS may not be selling at the same pace as the PS4, but it remains a successful dedicated handheld device that carved a place for itself in the market in a post smartphone world- and while its sales are being outpaced, its overall install base is still almost double that of the PS4’s. The Xbox One, on the other hand, is still the fastest selling Xbox system, and it continues to outpace the Xbox 360, a system deemed a success by any metric, at a comparable point in its lifespan. And it does so in spite of its horrific launch, and its persistent negative publicity.

Just because these systems are not selling at the same rate that the PS4 does does not mean that they are not successful- that idea is honestly ludicrous, and it boggles my mind that this is something needs to be explained. But it does, and here we are: the PS4 is not the sole metric of success. If it were, then just about no gaming system ever would actually be deemed a success. Literally only one system ever has managed to outpace the PS4 when it comes to sales- and that system was the Wii. This definition of success precludes systems such as the NES, the Xbox 360, the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, original PlayStation, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2 from being deemed successes- which makes it, as anybody with even the faintest knowledge of the medium’s history would tell you, an asinine way to judge success.

The PS4 is a special system, one that has managed to catch lightning in a bottle, and thanks to being an appealing proposition and some savvy marketing, as well as just being a great gaming system for a market that wanted nothing more than that, is selling at an impressive rate against popular wisdom. However, the rate at which it sells is pretty much unprecedented. In fact, discounting the Wii, which sold as fast as it did on the back of an expanded market that now no longer exists, the rate at which the PS4 is selling is unprecedented- arguing that any system that does not do as well as it is an automatic failure is an inane argument. It is like arguing that all phones except for the iPhone are failures. It is like arguing that Toyota is the only successful car maker in the world. It’s like saying any book outside of the Harry Potter series is a flop, or that Taylor Swift is the only successful music artist in the world. It is like arguing that all movies except for Avatar are failures, as are all TV shows except for The Walking Dead, or all games outside of Call of Duty- are these arguments or comparisons that are in any way sensible or admissible to you?

"Literally only one system ever has managed to outpace the PS4 when it comes to sales- and that system was the Wii."

The argument that a console has to be as successful as the PS4 to be a success at all is, in other ways, an inane argument that maybe makes sense in the kinds of console wars that frequently populate message boards, but it is the kind of false narrative that has been allowed to percolate unchecked for far too long, with the result that some people actually hold it to be true. It is also an argument that needs to be revisited in light of Nintendo’s upcoming machine, the enigmatic console known only as the NX.

I struggle to think of any system launch in history that has ever had as much riding on it as the NX does- even the Sega Dreamcast did not, because Sega had decided, at the time they were launching the system, that it would be their last foray in the market: it was meant as a way of rebuilding the Sega brand, and of recouping some funds that the Saturn had lost them.

With so much pressure on the NX, there is a lot of investment in the system’s eventual success or failure, even by spectators and fans. Nintendo fans are doubtless hoping for the NX to be a success, the system that brings Nintendo back into the hardware race, and the conversation. Meanwhile, fanboys of other systems are doubtless anxious that the NX not outsell their system of choice. You know, typical console wars nonsense.

However, I can tell you right now that anybody expecting the NX to outsell or even match the PS4 is a fool; and anyone waiting to pronounce it a failure for failing to match the PS4 is as much of a one. As I have taken great pains to establish so far, the PS4 is not the sole metric for success, and using it as one ousts you as myopic and frankly, unknowledgeable about larger trends in the industry.

"Especially for a system like the NX, the larger context is very important in judging its overall success."

Imagine, for a minute, that the NX sells in the range of 35-55 million over its lifetime- a dramatic increase over the dismal performance of the Wii U, but in the same range as the lifetime sales of the Nintendo 64, the Genesis, the Super Nintendo, and the projected sales of the Xbox One. This is an amount far lower than what the PS4’s lifetime sales will likely be, and also, naturally, achieved at a rate far slower than the PS4’s sales.

However, also imagine that the NX is a system that manages to regain Nintendo some wider industry third party support, western and Japanese, that it manages to rebuild an audience for traditional AAA games on Nintendo systems, that it attracts people beyond the traditional Nintendo fans into buying it, that it manages to lock people into and solidify Nintendo’s online network and digital offerings- in other words, it is a system that firmly makes Nintendo competitive in the console space again, and lays the groundwork for a future Nintendo console to realistically go toe to toe with future Xbox and PlayStation systems. Is this a console that would in any way be deemed a failure by Nintendo, just because it failed to clear the PS4’s bar? Would it be deemed a failure by the third parties who are now selling their games on it, to a brand new audience that they didn’t have access to before? Would it be deemed a failure by the players who buy it, and who can now enjoy Nintendo’s world class in house efforts, as well as most major third party games, all on one system? Is the NX, in this scenario, a failure, simply because it didn’t sell as well as the PS4?

The answer, obviously, is of course not. Not only is the PS4 a stupendous sales success that it is unreasonable to expect other machines to match, but sales are just one metric by which success is judged- and especially for a system like the NX, the larger context is very important in judging its overall success. The NX may go on to outsell the PS4, it may be another Wii-like phenomenon. But that kind of success would be short lived, and would be even more harmful to Nintendo in the long run than the Wii was. With the NX, Nintendo would rather look at reversing the steady decline of their console audience, at getting third parties back into the fold, at pushing their network offerings, at selling games,and at laying a secure foundation for future machines to build off of. It will hardly matter if it doesn’t sell as much as the PS4 in that context.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

At the minute, we only know that the game is coming to PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. But we don’t yet know if this game is going to be an 8th generation console and PC exclusive title, given Gearbox Software’s dedication to keep supporting the 7th gen hardware.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Characters
• 5. Classes

Development

Pre-alpha gameplay footage of the game has been revealed to the public showing the gamers various character classes in combat with hordes of enemies that swarm forward, much in the same way they would in a MOBA title. The difference being that the perspective is that of a first person shooter with players tackling the enemies head on.

When the pre-alpha footage was shown, it was received with a muted interest with people saying it was “just Borderlands” with a different goal. This is, however, not an unfair observation given that the art style, weapon design and enemy designs are all very similar to that found in Gearbox’s smash hit franchise. Though it is worth noting that because of the pre-alpha footage being based on an early build, the game may well change considerably further into its development. But on the other hand it could stay the exact same, at this point only time will tell.

Despite the fact that thus far the game has only been said to be appearing on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, Gearbox have, in the past, said that they will continue to support the 7th generation consoles due to the lack of an established 8th generation install base. With that now no longer being a concern it’s entirely possible that this game will remain exclusive to the 8th generation consoles, but having a 7th generation build would still turn a profit. Once again, at this time there’s no real solid platform releases.

Gearbox Software’s past titles like Borderlands and Aliens: Colonial Marines are obvious influences for Battleborn with the game being set in a futuristic setting that is very “Team Fortress 2” styled. This, coupled with exaggerated proportions, a decidedly Borderlands-esque art style and a class system centred around pre-conceived characters are clear indicators that Gearbox are playing to their strengths in regards to development.

Story

​In depth plot elements haven’t been revealed for the game, but we do know that the game is set in a futuristic world with multiple races all vying for control of the last start in the known universe while our heroes set out to stop the evil . The game is said to include a “deep narrative campaign” for players that prefer to play games in single player.

Gameplay

​The gameplay in Battleborn is very similar to that of a MOBA games with the key difference being a fundamental shift in perspective from the typical top down, overhead view to a first person perspective. The game currently features a cast of nine playable heroes and five factions. Gearbox says that Battleborn is “focused on characters above all else”. These hero characters are called, The Battleborn.

The goal of the game is to band together with other heroes and stop the evil and “unstoppable menace”. The game features 5 vs. 5 mode which has team-based elements. Players will beging on a level playing field and progression will be based on  skill path up to level 20.

Characters

​While all the characters have not yet been officially locked down as being the final cast, here is some information on what we know so far.

• Rath of the Jennerit Empire – Rath is a close combat specialist that makes use of various sword like weapons.
• Oscar Mike – Unlike Rath, Oscar Mike prefers to do battle with precision and devastating power from a distance, favouring firearms and air strikes over close combat.
• Thorn of the Eldrid – Thorn is an archer of great skill that makes use of a magical bow infused with all manner of stranger powers

Classes

​Based on the above characters, we can build a rough overview of available classes despite the fact that character and class are generally one-in-the-same.

Rath – Close combat specialist.
Oscar Mike – Heavy ranged specialist.
Thorn – Accurate mid ranged specialist.
Miko – Support and buff specialist.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

One thing that everyone is cheering, is that Spidey’s web no longer attaches to the clouds. Aren’t we jovial about it? Even so, our focus would be on the multi-platform game’s graphical prowess across a number of platforms.

"You’ll come across a LOT of jagged ends. It’s almost painful when you’re swinging from building to building. Bokeh depth of field is present which probably saved the developers a little resources by not bothering to render detailed far off objects which is acceptable since it actually adds to the experience. "

Since the previous generation of consoles haven’t been anywhere near browbeaten by their superior successors till now, The Amazing Spider-Man 2  has found its way to the older generation of consoles. The game is locked at 30fps on almost all platforms (even the PC with V-sync turned on), but the 7th gen consoles haven’t been able to handle this game satisfactorily.

The game looks mediocre on the Xbox 360, with rather unsettling texture rendering, too dark a gamma rendering resulting in shadows being a tad too dark. The bloom effect in the game is nothing to boast about and sun rays are nigh on non-existent. There are plenty of instances of frame rate drops even in cut scenes where there’s a simple yammering done by a handful of people with nothing fancy going around. Thankfully, the fight sequences do not have such severe frame rate drops, but it does affect the overall experience of the game.

You’ll come across a LOT of jagged ends. It’s almost painful when you’re swinging from building to building. Bokeh depth of field is present which probably saved the developers a little resources by not bothering to render detailed far off objects which is acceptable since it actually adds to the experience. The textures on the 360 are blander than its Sony counterpart and particle shadows are lacking too, evident from the uniformly coloured smoke/fire that you’ll come across. The shadows in the game, I frankly couldn’t stop staring at in horror. All of the shadows in the game are wobbly like half settled Jell-O. WITH jaggies. The horror.

"The PS3 version of TAS 2 is noticeably better than the Xbox version on a number of levels, but by no means is it phenomenal. The PS3 has less instances of screen tearing and frame rate drops, although the latter is still there and very apparent at times. Depth of field on the PS3 is quite decent with an equally agreeably bokeh depth of field albeit slightly more detailed owing to better texture rendering."

The PS3 version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is noticeably better than the Xbox version on a number of levels, but by no means is it phenomenal. The PS3 has less instances of screen tearing and frame rate drops, although the latter is still there and very apparent at times. Depth of field on the PS3 is quite decent with an equally agreeably bokeh depth of field albeit slightly more detailed owing to better texture rendering.

The gamma correction in the game is nicely handled too. Bloom and reflections are significantly better than the 360 but the problems with object shadows still remain. Foliage in the PS3 version is significantly more detailed than the 360 version. Overall, better than the 360 version, but only marginally.

The Wii U, which is more of 7 3/4ths generation, is pitted against the 7th gen consoles. Owing to the newer hardware, the textures are remarkably better than both the previously mentioned consoles. The overall experience of the game is rather smooth (around 30fps) but jagged ends show up more often than one would like. The textures are still not up to the mark but that’s also because of poor game optimasation.

There’s almost no bokeh depth of field except in combat, but the a fair amount of details of far off objects are maintained. Ambient occlusion is present, but only just. Again, shadows in the Wii U version are wobbly. It’s like looking at T-1000 from Terminator 2 re-forming. Only, it’s not that. The combat in the game is fluid although yet again, cut scenes are accompanied by frame rate drops.

Character designs and animation remain rather tepid and similar across all three platforms. Owing to the smoothness of the gameplay, the PS3 version of TAS 2 was bearable, although still rather vexing.

"Ambient occlusion is visible across both platforms although gamma correction in the Xbox version is employed at a greater level, resulting in deeper shadows and more contrasting colours which make it look rather appealing. But this means that at night time, all things become too dark and lose detailing, which the PS4 doesn’t. "

The eighth generation consoles handle the game like their earlier counterparts. The PS4 version of the game seems better optimised. The PS4 effortlessly maintains the consistency of 30fps, almost all the time. Xbox One on the other hand, YET AGAIN, experiences frame rate drops in excess of 5fps in CUT SCENES. Ambient occlusion is visible across both platforms although gamma correction in the Xbox version is employed at a greater level, resulting in deeper shadows and more contrasting colours which make it look rather appealing. But this means that at night time, all things become too dark and lose detailing, which the PS4 doesn’t.

The PS4 version seemingly has more waning colours – a sobre look if you may – but remains more detailed, provided you give a close inspection to the two versions. Light rays and bloom is employed splendidly in both the versions of the game. So much so that you can soar through the city without bothering with the missions. The city looks quite beautiful as you cruise along, but don’t ever get too close to the buildings.

All buildings look like hastily made and utterly blatantly plain coloured rectangles. It’s a BIG letdown. Anti-aliasing in both the games is commendable. The Xbox version can get annoying at times with screen tearing in fast sequences, but it’s not a recurring or game breaking problem. Also, bokeh depth of field is more prominent in the Xbox One than in the PS4 version.

What this means is that, far off buildings are quite blurred in the Xbox One while the PS4 has the same buildings, less blurred and more neatly detailed. This may be done to reduce resource load but we have no idea why. Every bit of foliage in the Xbox One version looks like to have been made from a pair of paper sheets while the PS4 renders the foliage in good detail. Rendering problems in the Xbox One sometimes lead to misalignment of objects but that’s not a problem at all.

"The character design and concept needs polishing, so does animation and voice acting/lip-syncing. The graphics are merely acceptable by any standards. "

Which is better which in the 8th gen consoles is a no brainer. The PS4 version is better optimised than its MS counterpart although it eludes me as to why the developers would make one version of the game inferior to the other. The Amazing Spiderman 2, is a significant improvement over its predecessor, but it’s not up to the mark. fans of the series might enjoy the game but not otherwise.

The character design and concept needs polishing, so does animation and voice acting/lip-syncing. The graphics are merely acceptable by any standards.They are nothing to brag about even on the current generation of consoles. Beenox seems to have hastily delivered a potentially brilliant title owing to deadline pressures of releasing the game alongside the movie.

Had Beenox taken their time, improved upon the character art and design, dialogues etc, it would have been one of the best games out there now. It falls short of the hype, not too many to call it bad, but neither too less to actually call it good.

The game was released on September 24th 2013 in North America and on September 27th in Europe for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android and the PC. The game was also released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Given the power differences between the last generation of consoles (PS 3 Xbox 360 etc) and the current generation consoles (Xbox One and PS4) the game will be running on two separate engines, named Impact and Ignite respectively.

• 1. Development
• 2. Career Mode
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Limited Edition

Development

Over the years the developers of the FIFA series have been trying to create a realistic football sim. The developers have stated that they have included a variety of new elements with FIFA 14, like precision movement, greater midfield build-up and team intelligence. The precision movement brings more dynamic momentum and foot planting, as movement is calculated which each individual step.

Senior gameplay producer Aaron McHardy stated in an interview that, “We’ve been able to change the way the acceleration curves work in the game to be more accurate to the real world and preserve that momentum better. So that’s going to feel fundamentally different when you’re running around with any player on the pit. The game is more like a chess match of creating opportunities building up to the midfield than it was in previous years, which was more about running down the wing and hoping that someone was open for you to pass the ball to. Now it’s a lot more strategic. We want you to think football a lot more than we did in last year’s game.” [reference]

Team intelligence allows AI players to make better decisions and really force the player to play smarter. In an interview they stated, “One of the most memorable moments from the 2006 FIFA World Cup occurred when Argentina strung together 24 passes before scoring a fantastic goal against Serbia and Montenegro,” EA Sports revealed. The attackers knew exactly where they should be to open up the opposition and they executed flawlessly. With Teammate Intelligence in FIFA 14, players will have better decision-making and teams will play smarter on both the attack and defense to bring the beauty of the game to life.” [reference]

FIFA 14 won’t support Kinect. As Electronic Arts Sports boss Andrew Wilson stated in an interview; “We feel the evolution of that will do more for gamers this year [than motion]. We’re not quite at motion yet. We’re running some prototypes, but as yet we’re not seeing anything that universally enhances the core sports experience. Right now we’re still in a position where we see voice as the feature of Kinect that’s most relevant to FIFA. And that’s how you’ll see it this year. We did voice last year. There are new capabilities of voice recognition in the new Kinect the team is trying to utilize to make sure we take that to the next level and give you an even greater level of control through voice in the game.” [reference]

Ignite, the new engine that will be used exclusively for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, will not be featured on the PC. Steve Frost the Global Communications Manager for EA Sports stated in an interview that. “Ignite will be the engine that drives our sports games on PS4 and Xbox One. It will not be used for FIFA 14 on PC.Ignite will also run NBA Live 14, EA Sports UFC and Madden NFL 25 when EA Sports announced it during the Xbox One reveal. The video uses assets pulled directly from the in-game engines, and was rendered to create this first look multi-product trailer. It’s representative of where we expect our games will be when they launch.”

EA Communications Specialist Brad Hilderbrand also commented. “Yes, given the timing and planning required for the Xbox One reveal event the EA Sports Ignite video was developed in a pre-rendered video format. We’ll be showing off the game using in-game assets at E3.” [reference]

A petition was started to feature female players in FIFA 14, but despite more than 10,000 signatures, FIFA 14 producer Sebastian Enrique stated in an interview that it won’t be happening. “It is something we have talked about but there are no plans at the moment”. For the game to feature female players, “there are lots of things we would have to change though, like the physics would be different, it would affect collisions. There are lot of things that are involved”. This included “new models and hair styles”. [reference]

Career Mode

Career mode has been retooled this time around. It includes a Global Scouting Setup through most countries. You can now search for talent all season long using the same scout, and pick from various clubs around the world as players compete in various football tournaments and battle against the best.

Gameplay

New features coming into play with FIFA 14 include the Pure Shot and Real Ball physics. New shot types include off-balance and rushed shots, with Real Ball now defining ball routes for players to kick with relative force from a distance. With these enhancements, one can now search for the best angle and approach for making shots.

Executive Producer for FIFA 14 David Rutter stated in an interview, “FIFA 14 will play the way great matches are contested with build up through midfield, tension throughout the match as chances are created, and incredible finishing. Opportunities in FIFA 14 will be rewarding and great goals will look stunning.” [reference]

Limited Edition

The “Ultimate Edition” from Amazon UK will receive 24 Ultimate Team gold packs, one per week. Each gold pack features a mix of 12 items including players, contracts, healing, badges and more, along with a special item such as a strong, valuable player or longer contracts.

The Ultimate Edition will include historic kits, Virtual Pro Boosters and an All-Star Team sponsored by Adidas with Barcelona and Argentina star – and cover man – Lionel Messi.

The Limited Edition will feature the same perks as the Ultimate Edition, but will have 2 additional rare items with the gold packs. The Limited Edition will be available to pre-order until August 1st, midnight. The Collector’s Edition features all of the above content along with a special edition Adidas EA Sports glider football, and it will be available till September 26th midnight.