E3 2013: Microsoft, Why Are You Making It So Difficult To Be An Xbox Fanboy?

Microsoft, I’ve been an Xbox fan since you were still calling it the X-Box. Back when your best games still had “Madness” at the end. Back when Bill Gates was still CEO. I’m a fanboy, but I’m losing my faith and you’re not giving me much to run on. You’ve turned from the scrappy underdog to the ivory tower idealist who makes the worst possible assumptions of your potential customers. It’s a fate I never thought I’d see, especially as Sony grew more arrogant with their consoles in the past decade, but it has come true. Your sins are all in your message and it’s full of holes; an unworthy vessel against Sony, who is now gunning to destroy you. Here’s how you can make me believe.

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E3 2013 Reveals Gaming Journalism Is Bullshit And Other Secrets You Didn’t Know

So you run a gaming web site. You have a decent following, land some big exclusives (even if no one believes you) and good traffic and while you’re not an internet celebrity, you are willing to travel halfway across the country (or further) on your own time and dollar to cover the latest and greatest games for your readers. But even after building a network of contacts, you’ll simply be shut out by the biggest companies, even lied to. Coverage of the expo’s biggest events are ruled by an exclusive few, an inner circle – the IGNs, the GameTrailers and the Giant Bombs – and everyone else is shut out entirely. Unless you’re in the business of covering indie titles by small developers, gaming journalism boils down to being in an established circle of friends – the touted 300-400 full-time gaming journalists that this industry can support – having a lot of financial backing to kick your way in or being a major news outlet like ABC or Fox News. If you’re not any of those, you’re iced out of coverage at the highest tiers. Let me explain how getting your gaming site into E3 works.

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E3 2013 – Oculus Rift – The 1080P Update And Why It Doesn’t Matter

I wrote yesterday about my experiences with the Oculus Rift and how it can be a bit disconcerting to use, especially if you’re standing up. I also wrote about the problem with the pixels and how I think it will effect the device at market.

This afternoon I met the CEO of Oculus and asked him about the 1080P version of the device. He told me to go to the secret room and have a look so, in true ME fashion, I did.

So what did I learn?

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E3 2013: ‘Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’ Multiplayer Impressions – More Than Just Pirates

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has settled in on a style of multiplayer that I find pretty interesting and fun. They haven’t really added a lot to the multiplayer of the different releases until Black Flag. Read the rest of this article…

E3 2013: ‘Saints Row 4’ Is The Most Extreme Open-World Game Ever

At this point, you already know if you’re on the Saints Row train. Once a mere imitation of Grand Theft Auto‘s street gangsta motif, the series has found a new home in throwing out everything you know in favor of absolutely comical heights and abilities. I got to sit down with the game behind closed doors and now I’m more excited than ever about your new adventure as President of the United States. Yeah.

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“Call of Duty: Ghosts” Fish AI Was a Joke [VIDEO]

In an interview with Machinima, Mark Rubin clarified that the fish AI in Call of Duty: Ghosts was just an effect saying, “it’s just fish, it’s an effect. It’s not a big deal. It’s not even new. I love that the internet picked up on it. I love that they picked up on Nintendo 64’s Mario, and showed that. That was awesome. That was so exactly what I wanted out of that, so thank you guys. Thank you internet.” Take a look at the video below to see how the internet took the entire Call of Duty: Ghosts reveal including the fish AI. Read the rest of this article…

“The Crew” E3 Test Drive: A Day One Purchase

Ubisoft’s The Crew was something that really piqued my interests. I’m not a driving game kind of guy but I do enjoy jumping into Forza or Need for Speed every once in awhile. Ubisoft promised an large-scale RPG so I had to check it out. Read the rest of this article…

Who Wins – Xbox One Controller vs PS4 Controller, Fight

It’s no secret that I like the Xbox 360 controller and despise the DualShock 3 controller. Maybe it’s because I have larger hands that the DualShock 3 was never comfortable and the Xbox 360 controller was. I got a chance to try both controllers are E3 and the results may surprise you.

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E3 2013: Game Companies Need Better Swag, Here’s What They Need To Do

When I first started going to E3 as a retail-blooded, Exhibits Only punk nearly a decade ago, gaming swag was worth the trip alone. Seriously, you get a year’s worth of free clothing, a bunch of other braggables and proof that you attended this massive convention of your dreams. As an older gentleman of class and sophistication, I honestly try to avoid swag like the plague. In my five E3s, I’ve brought home 60 pounds worth of crap and 50 pounds of it is still sitting in storage. Swag is inevitable. They hand it to you and you don’t want to be that guy, so you take it. You get some good and you definitely get some bad. It doesn’t have to be this way though, so let me guide you through some examples of what to do and what not to do if you’re promoting a game.

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FEZ E3 2013 Podcast! #3, Day One/Two – The Show Floor

We’ve lost our Keith, but the remaining four are giving their impressions of the first two days of teh show floor! From Oculus Rift headsets that smell like weed to Thief and The Crew to ARMA 3, we have it all. All and more! Also, we dive into some of our first nominees for our E3 awards, which we’ll be broadcasting on Friday!

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