There have been lots of rumors coming out for the next gen systems from both Microsoft and Sony. With Sony just 10 Days away from allegedly revealing the PS4 and hopefully Microsoft soon to follow. Kotaku's sister site Ukatok released a joint report from Microsoft and Sony in regards to their new systems.


PS4 - Specs

System Memory: 16GB
Video Memory: 16GB optimized for 16k screen resolution.
CPU: 4x Dual-Core AMD64 "Brainhemorrhaging", 8GHz
GPU: AMD PPZ-Z6789FK
Ports: 17x Thunderbolt, 8x Ethernet [extra for local sharing, dev. use]
Drive: Blu-Ray
HDD: 16GB SD [Retail may require additional dongles and adapters]
Audio Output: 2x 1/4" Jack and 8x XLR Jack.


Those specs are really something. The most glaring spec rumor is the CPU processor. Sony is really looking into brain power as a means to process games through consoles. Reports from Ukatok are saying that Sony is planning to have a "Brain Jack" by 2015. What the hell is a Brain Jack, you ask? Apparently it is a type of cable that you will be able to plug into the back of your head provided you get a $20,000,000USD surgery to have the Matrix system installed into the back of your head. You've read that right. The Matrix system.

The second most daunting spec to hit the rumor tree concerning hardware is the video memory. Sony stated recently that 4k television technology is just a stepping stone into another world of pixel nonsense and that 16k is where they plan to be by launch. MSN reported that Sony plans to have a 4 gigapixel system and that within each gigapixel you can run a separate game via different Brain Jacks. If you have friends over and they got the surgery, you could be playing Black Ops VII, another friend could be playing Final Fantasy XXIII:Last Awakening of Zenith Somethingcore, and so on.



XBOX NEXTBOX 1280 - Specs

System Memory: 15GB
Video Memory: 15GB
CPU: 4x Sextuplet-Core PowerPC98, 14GHz
GPU: AMD PPZ-X12345 (w/ Pennsylvania)
Ports: 12 USB3.0
Drive: Mega Ray
HDD: 2TB SSD
Audio Output: Micro Trampstamp Audio producers


Despite being a tad bit behind Sony power wise, Microsoft is really getting experimental with it's technology. Going a little Shaun White and skipping the 720, Microsoft is really diving head first into some of the newest technologies to come out of the recently made public Area 51 division of the government. The biggest developments are the Mega Ray discs, which hold up to a TB of data and the Micro Trampstamp Audio Producers. The MTAPs are a tattoo system that you get in a tramp stamp spot. The tattoo is a little microchip diagram and when pressed against the back of any chair it acts as a noise transmitter. The technology is reportedly different for every person because of variables is human biology, but Microsoft claims that it can program all sounds to be the same. Microsoft also claims that this technology can be used for different player specific noises.

Touchscreen, VR Tech, and Distribution

With the looming release of Oculus Rift, both companies are entering the Virtual Reality market. Microsoft has Kinect, but has stated that Kinect 2.0 will be completely overhauled to meet the demands of Japanese consumers who want to journey into VR technology. One described feature for Kinect 2.0 is a laser eye scanner that will send little nanobots akin to Metal Gear Solid into a human. The nanobots will have diverse effects on a persons biology such as cravings for brownies are fatigue.

On the flip side, Sony is rumored to drop the Move peripheral and start a completely new project for the PS4. Ukatok reports that Sony has project "Hold On To Your Butts" in the works to replace Move. The peripheral is a touchscreen hologram that can act as a controller or keyboard. It is also rumored to be able to scan your whole mind with one flash of a light.

Both Microsoft and Sony are working on systems that will digitally distribute games through the systems. Sony has stated that it will continue to release physical copies of it's games while Microsoft said that they will leave the methods of distribution up to the publishers. (I'm looking at you EA.)

All this talk of new systems is very exciting. The gaming industry really needs a kick in the ass and we might just be getting it this year. Nintendo already released a very promising system and it looks like the other two companies are dueling to the death for console supremacy. 2013 will be an exciting year if only for the prospect of getting a $20,000,000USD surgery to finally enter the Matrix.

Ok picture this: The vast dark universe, gigantic spaceships, an intergalactic war causing trouble with everybody, free range exploration and an uncanny amount of customizable aspects to a game just as funny as Saints Row 2 and as big as Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, GTAIV, V, and X put together. I know that sounds like something impossible to create in this console generation, but this is what I want. So what I am asking for is an experienced team of sandbox game developers to announce the creation of the biggest space game ever assembled. It doesn't have to come out this year or next. I will be as patient as a monk for this game. I just want somebody to recognize this post and make the game.




Plot: The main character of the game will be an ancient alien/humanoid cloned from the DNA of the most powerful beings from his chosen race. The reason he was cloned was to end a five century war between numerous factions of the universe. Upon being born, the facility this character was bring raised at is attacked by one of the opposing factions. This will lead to the main character escaping the facility and being thrust into the universe without the proper knowledge or training to end the war. During his journey the protagonist will assemble a team to help create his own faction of the war.

Gameplay: The player will be able to travel the universe freely in a spaceship. He can land that space ship on planets and go into cities on the planet. Think of how you travel through Skyrim. You travel the land then you go into a city then from there you can go into houses and shops. It will be the same for this game just with a space pallet and on a much larger scale.

There will be tons of side quests to complete. Some for fun like random spaceship battles or killing sprees similar to Tank Mayhem in Saints Row 3. FETCH QUESTS! Guilds/gangs like the Dark Brotherhood. Kidnapping missions, bombs to set off. All the wild and crazy things you could want to do in a VIDEO GAME, I want to get the chance to do.

Combat: will consist of guns, melee, and magic. If you wanna play the game like Call of Duty or Battlefield and go guns blazing then you can do that. Pick up a gun and control it like you would a FPS game. If you want to use swords or light saber like objects then you can do that too. If you want to summon lightening from your hands like in Skyrim you can do that too. There is no reason to limit the gameplay.

Online/Multiplayer: There will be a co-op campaign mode. There will be multiplayer modes like Deathmatch. Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill. All weapons will be available for online play. There will be an online marketplace similar to Forza 4 where players can trade designs for either weapons, ships, and etc. Matchmaking and private games will be available.

Customization: You can customize your character to look the way you it want to look. You can customize the uniform. You can customize your followers, your vehicles, your own weapons. There will be different uniforms to wear and tons of guns to collect. COLORS! A Paint Tool similar to Forza. You don't have to be a human. There will be many different races of aliens to choose from. A truly vast amount of customization.

In the end what I really want is a Space RPG like Skyrim and Saints Row 2, with a little bit of Battlefield thrown into it. Just get a team of developers and give them four years to make the most biggest and most polished space sandbox game ever created. Call me up and I'll work out the story. In the end everybody wins. But mostly me because I got the chance to make the game I wanted to and tell the story I wanted to.

I am a college student. Every semester I get a check from financial aid for the left over money that I did not have to use on books or room and board because I commute. The amount of money is usually $800. Now the fun part about this extra money is what I can do with it. I still live with my Mom and I have a job so this extra money is spent on video games. With all the blockbuster titles coming out my mind had a field day. I picked up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim, and Forza 4. So I am here to give some general thoughts.



Modern Warfare 3, or should I say not as good as Black Ops? I often have a love hate relationship with shooters. They are super fun but at the same time bring out that break my controller attitude. For the longest time I thought no shooter game could be better than Halo 3. That was until Modern Warfare 2 came out. Modern Warfare 2 was one of the best FPS shooter games ever. Then Black Ops came out and eclipsed Modern Warfare 2 a millionfold. And THEN, Battlefield came out. If you cant tell, all of these games have surpassed one another in terms of my personal taste. The short three week advantage that Battlefield 3 had on MW3 gave me enough time to come to a conclusion that I probably would not buy MW3. But with money often comes burning pockets. So with the extra income I happily got MW3.

I think I have only played the game a total of four hours. Why? Because it has a missing feeling. MW2 and Black Ops had life to them. This game has no life what so ever. I might be missing something but I am pretty sure I'm not the only one with this feeling. I know Im not. At thanksgiving dinner tonight my cousin and her boyfriend both asked me if I had got MW3. When I replied yes they asked if I thought it was better than Black Ops. Instantly all of us agreed that it was no where close to as good as Black Ops. Even my little brother who plays nothing but Call of Duty agreed with our thoughts on the game. It's bland. The guns are unbalanced. There is to much lag at times. But you know what, this game is more lively in terms of people playing it than every other shooter combined right now. Every match a yelling contest. An insult war. Black people cussin and Hispanics screaming into their mics, a blrubrshrmsmsmsaahgaalalaaa. Truly a fun people environment. As for the actual game itself: it's just there. Bland. Lifeless.



Another game I brought was Forza 4. As of Christmas last year my xbox has been out of commission with the damn red light. This time I finally bit the bullet and decided no more fixing the stupid box, just get a PS3. That was all fine and dandy until I realized that I had payed for two years of Live. Once all the AAA Xbox exclusives were released I had to fix the dusty box. At the time the only games I had for it were Halo 3 and Blue Dragon. Really not much time was invested into it. Now with Forza in my possession I have a reason to play XBOX again.

Let me tell you something about Forza. It's a damn fine game. Car porn is an understatement. If I was Sandusky and I had a car fetish instead, I would be playing Forza 24/7. I cannot find a single flaw in this game. The car selection, the graphics, the customization. Everything is perfect. I love the racing genre because of its tight knit community. The racing community is an easy going one and from my days with NFS:Most Wanted and PGR all the way up to Gran Turismo 5, I have never felt more at peace than with the racing genre community. I feel that once I dive deep into the online aspects of Forza it will be like I just walked into home.



Now the last game I brought was Skyrim. Yes! Mother of God! Jizz on my everything. Skyrim is a beast of a game and I love it. My experience with Bethesda made RPG games gets better every time I pick one up. Skyrim is a massive game and I will surly loose months of my life playing Skyrim. What I love about it so far is how challenging it is. I can't just walk up to a bear and blast it's head off. It takes some careful planning when it comes to combat in Skyrim. That sidekick that you get once you get your first dragonshout is a necessity early game. I have been traveling without her and have been killed numerous times because I have run into some difficult opponents. Skyrim really wants to make me work for glory. Challenge accepted. Most people I have talked to about the game have uttered the same ideas. Beautiful graphics, excellent story, and challenging gameplay. That is all I want from my RPGs.

So these were my quick thoughts on the three games I brought over the last week. I hope everybody is having a good thanksgiving!

Ever wanna make love to a hot little 17 year old then wanna punch it in the face when your done? No? Well that has been my time with Heroes of Newerth aka HON. I am a Mac user and there is not much of a game library for it. One day on my quest for a decent MMO for Macs I stumbled across Heroes of Newerth. At the time League of Legends was becoming the monster it is known as today and HON was the main competitor. Upon my research of the two games I discovered there was a Mac version of HON. It was at that moment that I had begun my journey into the Hells of Newerth.



Let's start with the learning curve of this beast. As a new player of any game your first intuition is to just play the game. I suggest you DO NOT skip the tutorials for this game. The learning curve is about as steep as Mt. Everest, and if you skip over the tutorials you are doomed. The tutorials cover the basics but once you are released into the wild you are on your own. You might want to jump right into a game but you need to know something first. NEVER PLAY A GAME THAT DOESNT HAVE THE WORD NOOBS IN THE TITLE. I did just this and got beaten like a sad baby seal. I was so confused that my team was suffering for my stupidity. I am ordering you to put your pride to the side for a second and play as many noob games as you can. People in those games will teach you how to play HON more so than the tutorials. There is sort of a code of ethics in this game. You play a certain character, or Hero, a certain way. If you play the Hero the way it is not intended to be played then you are setting yourself up for the worst. They don't tell you that in the tutorials. So not only will you have no clue what you are doing but your team will suffer as well.



I play Starcraft. That is a very competitive game. Luckily there is an option to play alone in that game. HON is all about the team work. Every match you are teamed up with other usually more experienced players. Now being the noob of the group I tend to struggle with things a bit. Your team mates will get mad at you. They will call you names. I was once told to delete my HON game from my computer and never play it again. The funny thing about that game was that we won in the end. The player base of HON is probably the most frustrating part about the game. If you are not playing with other noobs you become subject to name calling and whining. I swear to god some of these players are so worried about loosing that if they do loose they kick their dogs on the way to their bedrooms to cry in a pillow for the next three hours. Out of the seven or so games I have played (that doesn't seem like much but when the games last upto 45 minutes its a lot) I can recall being bitched at in every one of them except for two maybe. It is almost as if the army had infighting and the enemy is just there to wait for them to either leave or hurt them badly. It's a shame that such a fun game is marred with an immature, crybaby playerbase.



Which brings me to my final point. This game is FUN! I am currently having a blast with it. Once you get a grasp on how to play it and start winning it becomes a completely different game. The way the heroes play and the way the game looks are fantastic. There is nothing more satisfying than killing off other heroes in a match. Despite all the infighting and immature happenings winning cures everything. If you can get comfortable with the learning base, and take the playerbase with a grain of salt, then you should have no problem enjoying Heroes of Newerth. If you cant deal with any of that, run.

Every year, every month, every day, every minute a person is born. That person gets to celebrate that miraculous moment year after year. The first few years the parents might throw a party. Then at about 5 or six the child might be taken to a toy store to pick something out for itself for the next few years. Then at about twelve the child might start to make different choices for what it want's. Maybe a party. Maybe clothes. Maybe video games.

Picking video games is the path I inevitable went down. I was at a young age when I started playing video games. My first system was a Nintendo SNES which lasted for a few years until the games either stopped working or my adolescent self broke them. Then the systems started to get more expensive and costly.I would not pick out a video game for my birthday until I was thirteen years old. I don't remember what it was. Probably Madden or a Final Fantasy game. That wasn't the most important part. The most important part of this growing birthday tradition was my two little brothers. As we all got older we would all decide to get video games. Our birthdays are so close to each other. Literally two weeks from my baby brothers birthday is the middle child's birthday. Then a little over two weeks later is my birthday. My poor parents would break the bank to fund our wishes. As this tradition got older some of our birthdays would have to be shoved aside for the more momentous ages, like sixteen for example. What was supposed to be the surprise of the century was my mother getting me a 360 for my 16th birthday. Me with my own 360. Oh what a day. For the next few years the focus shifted to my baby brother. His birthday is in the middle of August. Usually around that time is the release of Madden. Another event that happens in the middle of August is training camp for the Philadelphia Eagles. We would go out to Lehigh and watch the Eagles. When we returned home we would light up the cake and let little brother open up the new Madden just to see his face ripe with excitement. This became the tradition for the next few years.

Now we are here. Present day. The baby celebrated his 16th birthday in the same fashion. He will certainly get Madden 12 sometime in the next few days. My middle brother is on the west side of Pennsylvania. His unlucky downfall with the law has caught up to him. The little dumb ass spent his 18th birthday in a new location. When I last saw him I told him he will end up like dad living, (in Chris Farley's voice) in a van by the river. I sit here about to turn 20 years old. I contemplate what I should do. Twenty is a big number. It is not as important as 16 or 18 or as raunchy as I know my 21st birthday will be but none the less it is a mark of two decades of life. Should I party? Perhaps spend some time friends and dive deep into the night. Should I spend it with the remaining family I have here with me. You know, take them out to dinner, something nice like that. Or should I continue a subliminal tradition that has been taking place from August 15th to September 13th for the last six years? My mother is always telling me that christmas and birthdays are the easiest thing to celebrate. "All you guys want are video games.Even when you are old you will want video games." She is right.

I command you to celebrate your birthday every year by buying a video game. If you don't then, well, happy birthday.

On a side note this year there are a plethora of games that are really catching my eye. Dead Island, Warhammer Space Marines, and Deus Ex all look fantastic.

Would you go to an arcade? I was in Philly for a concert once and afterwards me and my friend stumbled into a video game store. Right in front of the game store though were people playing Marvel vs Capcom 3. The atmosphere of the place was amazing for such a small cramped area. At my college there is an area where people can bring in their video game systems and play with their college buddies. Again the atmosphere is very light hearted and fun. I was thinking it would be cool if arcades would make a come back. How would they make a profit though? Would gamers even pay to leave their house and play games somewhere else? I would do so. It is the same thing as going to the movies. People pay for all forms of entertainment, so why not video games?

This is a short and simple blog. I really want lots of feedback though. The reason being is I think I am in the early stages of deciding whether or not to open up my own arcade. I live in a town with not much to do. There is the movie theater and and that is about it. I wanna inject some life into my area and I think opening an arcade would be a hit.