Games you shouldn't be excited about..

We all know the gaming industry has recently been inundated with throbbing hoards of garbage being passed off as "triple A" titles. The largest culprit of this perpetual excretion on gaming is the "broader appeal" philosophy. For those who don't know, the broader appeal philosophy is where you take your core fan base, the people who have supported you throughout your companies history, and tell them to fuck off. Now that you don't have those 'fans' anchoring you down, you're free to turn the game series into a thriving pile of cancer cells. And oh, my friends, there have been no shortage of broadening appeals in this years E3.

Curb your enthusiasm

Ryse: Son of Mediocrity

Inaccurate armor designs? Tiny tower shield? Romans fighting by themselves? Romans with British accents? QTEs? QTEs you can't even fail? God damn, Crytek, it's like you didn't even try. Yes, the developer of the Crysis series, owned by the broadener of audiences themselves, EA, wants you to broaden your asshole and buy another DudeBro summer smash, God-of-War hack and slash press X to win clone. But this time it's Romans instead of Greeks. How. Fucking. Quaint. 

Crytek couldn't even be bothered to make an interesting gameplay video. Instead, they took the opening scene of Saving Privite Ryan. There is so much wrong with this game just from the demo. Like the armor. It's so over-designed and tries so hard to look uber for the CoD crowd. And the shields, why are they so tiny? I guess you can't pull off L337 executions with a realistic shield. That

That covers the first 50 seconds of the game play trailer. There is so much that reeks of bad about this title, from the uninspiring Saving Private Ryse beach landing to the hilarious "formation" you pull before you assault the city.

I want so much for a good, realistic, game where you play as a Roman legionnaire that isn't full of #YOLOswag420 casual garbage. Oh well, I guess I'm sticking with the Rome mods for Mount and Blade for now.

Dragon Age III: Inquisition
Oh Dragon Age, what happened to you? You used to be so above decent. Oh right, broader audience.

Dragon Age: Origins was Biowares way of telling us that they still cared about dedicated RPG players. It had a decent range of classes, interesting characters and branching paths. But we should have known that the only reason it was so enjoyable is because DA:O had been in development before EAs acquisition.

I have never and will never understand the mentality of big publishers who believe they can garner more fans by trying to garner more fans. Do they really think World of Warcraft exploded in popularity because the developers said "Lets make a game that will get us 13 million subscribers."? Of course not, at least back then they didn't. Now the new Blizzard is more concerned with holding subscribers than they are with making good games. This is what happens when entertainment is melted down into a series of statistics and share holders.

These are the reasons I have no hope for Dragon Age 3. No matter how many gimmicks they can shove into the disk (right next to the on-disk DLC of course), no matter how open they claim the world is, I have absolutely no faith for this game.


Dead Rising 3
'Wooh wooh wooh' you're thinking, "Dead Rising are great games". Well, I have news. If you haven't noticed a recurring theme in this post, allow me to illuminate the mystery. Somehow, Capcom got lost up their own ass (again) and instead of trying to build their fanbase from the roots that made it popular they

Brown and Bloom: The Game

instead chose to... That's right... Broaden their audience

Capcom seems to be going for a more "realistic" version of the Dead Rising games. Remember all that fun you used to have by killing zombies with golfballs and wifleball bats? Well that's not 'visceral' and 'dramatic' enough for Capcom. They want you to pick up an AK and stay frosty,


Elder Scrolls: Online
I actually had some hope for this game. I know that practically every singe MMO in the past 4 years have either failed spectacularly or has proven to be a mediocre vomit spewed solely for the purpose of profit. But I actually had hope, and what happened? They were dashed the second I opened the video for the game play.

The second the video starts you notice the first flaw. The Hero Engine. OH BOY, you mean the engine that proved to be a perpetual pain in the ass for SWTOR the first 5 months after release? Well were off to a roaring start, what else will this quality video show us? Well not much honestly, just your typical MMO trailer, killing things and trying to look flashy (Which they never do since MMO combat is almost always inherently bad). But for the the real dirt on why this game looks like a trash heap lies in the information given by the developers themselves.

Dungeons, third person combat, hotkey based, combo system. Really the entire thing looks like another typical WoW clone with a dash of Guild Wars 2 thrown in for shits and giggles. The lore is COMPLETELY fucked (Really. Nord working with Elves? Yeah, ok) and the combat looks just as boring and uninspired as every other MMO since WoW.

Abandon all hope.

Well that wraps up the games I'm pretty confident will turn out to be mediocre to terrible.

Remember this shit? Me neither. I tried to suppress the memories.

The games on the horizons undoubtedly have potential and a lot of them I WANT to succeed. But there are games coming that I didn't even mention that will turn out to be terrible. Halo 5 might be terrible, espeically considering the colossal box of disappointment Halo 4 was, Battlefield 4 will PROBABLY be terrible since it melting more and more into the COD cycle while EA shits out more funding for DLC packs that don't all get released before the next sequel is announced.

And to be honest, I love good games, but hating bad ones is almost just as satisfying.

Something ELSE to get insulted about.

First sexism in video games and now religion. Now people get to be insulted over something else so they can take up their righteous pitch forks and act like entitled little children who think they have a right to not be insulted.

If you go on Broteam's latest video you'll see that the comments are saturated with rage and indignant people, mostly saying something along the line of "Islam is the religion of peace, now fuck you.". But surely, there is a reason for all this outrage? Surely this hatred and bile is just?

 Well, in a follow up video, the Youtuber KhaleDQ84EveR make it obvious what line in the video he finds the most offensive. "The Christian Jew god of Prophet Muhammad"... That's it? That's the line that made you make a video, calling for a digital Jihad against Machinima? I have a feeling, judging from many of the comments on the video, that mixing the word "Jew" and "Muhammad" in the same sentence is what sparked this controversy. It's amazing the amount of intolerance the intolerant what us to tolerate.

When I watched the video, I was all I could think was "what could cause this kind of outrage?". Did they burn a Qur'an? Did they tell Muslims to fuck themselves? No. They called Mohammad a Jew. Oh for Christ sake. I just wanted to play video games. I was PROMISED video games. Why has there been such a title-wave of people actively looking to be insulted recently?

Anyone who can't take a joke need to delete themselves from the internet, because the internet is full of them.

Total War: Best in series. (Plus Rome 2 features)

It's that time again. Another Total War is on the horizon and it's what we've all been waiting for. Rome 2.

I mentioned before that the Total War series is my favorite video game series. Despite that, I don't consider myself a hardcore Total War fan. Don't get me wrong, I buy all new Total War games but I haven't played the first Shogun and Medieval Total Wars. Regardless, after I played Rome: Total War for the first time, I was hooked on the blend of RTS and grand strategy. But there is an unanswered question about this legendary game series. What is the best game of the best strategy series in gaming?

Rome: Total War

The first Total War game I ever played (And I suspect this is the case for a lot of people) is Rome: Total war. I'll never forget how blown away I was at how massive the battles were and yet each character fought their own individual fight. It's reasonable to say that most people who have been with the Total War series for a while would say that Rome: Total War is the best in the series. As much as I love, and still play Rome, I can't help but disagree from an objective standpoint.

Rome: Total War at the time was the peak of big battle RTS and was undoubtedly the best Total War during that period, but the game, when compared to the standards of today's Total Wars lacks a lot of the improvements that later games had. Some of the annoyances included diplomat characters (This one is debatable, having specialized diplomats was pretty cool), weird control schemes, incredibly easy and one-sided economics (Just build random things and make money. SKILL!) had Rome Total War showing its age later on. It is nonetheless one of my favorite games and the defining strategy of my teenage years. But the best? It pains me to say it, but no.

Medieval 2

Medieval 2: Total War should, on paper, should be considered the best Total War game of the series. The units are incredibly diverse, their armor changes with upgrades, eventually you can use gunpowder weapons, you can even be the first country to explore the Americas. There is so much to do and experience in Medieval 2 when compared to Rome. Unfortunately, it's greatness is hindered by several problems that Rome didn't have.

For now lets talk positive. What improved with Medieval 2? Number one, the world map and diplomacy aspects were greatly improved from Rome: Total War. Instead of every settlement being the same and just building everything in every city, players had to choose between a town or fort city. Towns gave wealth, forts gave military. Already players have to make a strategic decision. This coupled with the religion and Papal States and being able to call a crusade (Or being called upon) if your reputation is high enough added another layer of complexity to diplomacy. Still shallow, but better.

But every great feature doesn't come without a price and Medieval 2 had plenty of issues. The most obvious was the sluggish AI. When you told a unit to go somewhere, it would often take several seconds to process the order. On several occasions my units would stand around while being slaughtered as I furiously tried to get them to move. Medieval also suffered from a problem that Rome suffered from, and that is that EVERYONE hates you. Why? I've done NOTHING to you, you fuck. I never understood why relations in Total War were effected by difficulty. You should be able to cultivate relationships in Total War, not just have it be a dice role. Really the primary issues in Medieval 2 were AI issues, the overall game itself was excellent.

Empire: Total War.

This game is odd. Not because it's bad, but it's not particularly good either. It has the reputation as being the worst in the series and for good reason. The release of the game saw massive amounts of bugs and AI issues. The combat was repetitive and sometimes outright boring with player just doing nothing as two armies shot each other until one of them ran away. But I don't think Empire: Total War gets a fair shake. While it is PROBABLY the worst in the series (At least from Rome to Shogun) it is also the most additive in terms of features.

Naval combat? Added with Empire. Towns and villages? Added with Empire. Technology research? Added with Empire. In fact some of the most important UI improvements came with Empire. You could actually see the firing arc of ranged units, you could control the camera with WASD, you no longer needed agents to negotiate for you, instead you could just pull up the diplomacy screen. Empire added a lot to the series and while it certainly wasn't the best, it was a very important stepping stone to the modern Total War series.

Napoleon: Total War.

It's seriously just Empire: Total war plus automatic unit replenishment and minus the horrible bugs. It also had a lot smaller campaign map.

Shogun 2: Total war: Shogun 2.

This is where the series starts to define itself in modern gaming. Shogun was the return of non-gunpowder units. We would get to experience the improvements that came with Empire while enjoying the great strategic combat of Rome and Medieval. And Shogun delivered. At first I had trouble adjusting, mainly because I wasn't a big fan of the direction the art team had made. After I got used to it, the game really came together. The AI was good (at least as good as you can hope for in a Total War game), the graphics were spectacular, the controls were solid and the campaign map and diplomacy was more interesting than previous title. Even Naval combat with these shitty little blocks of wood for boats was interesting simply because it was another take on naval combat in the ancient world.

My biggest issue with Total War: Shogun 2 was the utter lack unit diversity. Every faction essentially had the same units with minor bonuses depending on the clan. Thankfully, the fights in Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai were much more interesting. One side had gun powder units and the other had traditional sword and bow units. I loved seeing the different ways each side had to adapt depending on who they chose to play as. FotS also added naval bombardment support in land battles which offered more incentive to build a strong navy.

Shogun 2 was a great game and overall, despite some changes I don't agree with, I'm satisfied with the direction that Creative Assembly is taking the series.

The best of the best.

I'll come right out and say it:

Medieval 2: Total War is the best of the Total War series. Yes it had issues but everything right down to the armor upgrades felt like it was put in with love and care. There were so many features, so much diversity in the units, the buildings, the maps, events and diplomacy that it's hard not to say Medieval 2 was the best in the series.

Medieval 2 took what made Rome Total War great and simply added depth. Although it lacked the complex campaign map of Shogun 2 and Empire, the diplomacy and events made the world feel like it was constantly progressing. Going from basic mail-wearing light infantry in France to cannons and musketeers in South America all the while with Mongols closing in to seize Europe from the east makes the player feel like power is constantly shifting and flowing. How can you NOT think that Medieval 2 is on top of the Total War series?

On the horizon.

Of course Total War isn't stopping there. With the new Total War: Rome 2, fans have a lot to look forward to.

-Naval and land battles are being combined, D-day style. Now you can conquer Egypt without having to trudge through sand. Just row right up to their cities and attack from the shore.

-Regions are grouped into provinces with one city being the 'center' of the province. I'm not sure if this is similar to Shoguns system, but it will be interesting to see if they've changed it at all.

-Players can ask their allies to attack specific town. I'm very happy to see CA expand their diplomacy some more.

-Naval battles are fought over naval 'regions' rather than the water being like a giant open lake.

-The campaign map will stretch farther east. No details on how far.

-There will be new unrest systems to make it more difficult to conquer rather than just steam rolling the entire world with one super army.

-Armies will be recruited from a General in the field. It isn't too clear how this will work and what the limitations will be.

-Armies have their own skill tree. CA looks like they really want each legion to have their own unique traits.

-Generals are affiliated with their own 'families'. It looks like these will work similarly to how the clans in Fall of the Samurai works. I'm hoping it is similar to how Hearts of Iron handled political parties. I'm really happy to hear about Creative Assembly focusing on more than just combat.

-Units in battle have true line of sight. What they see, you see.

-Ambushing armies will be able to deploy traps such as burning boulders.

-Calvary charges won't crash on a unit. Instead they will power through and reform on the other side for a second charge.

-Heavier units will be able to 'push back' lighter units.

-Soldiers throw spears on the run.

-Overhead tactical map.

-Soldier heights will vary to add more variety to the looks of units

-Infantry will use their shield to block arrows (Holy fuck it's actually happening)

Judging by how many features CA is adding with Rome 2, it could easily over take Empire as the most additive Total War in the series. But with all these improvements and depth being added along with more complex diplomacy and politics becoming an actual faction, Rome 2 may take Medieval 2s place as the greatest Total War in the series.

TRIARII

Bring back the DRM! (Not really, but seriously just kidding)

And engine with no frame.

You see, Microsoft? This is what happens when you push as hard as possible to the point that your consumers outright say "no". This is what happens when you try to get as many inches packed into our sphincter as possible before we fight back. You actually had me believing that day one DLC and Dew Doritos DudeBro Halo 420swag was actually the lowest form of scumbaggry in the game industry. But you proved me wrong. Congratulations.

Microsoft tried their hardest to give massive breaks to publishers with restrictive DRM and completely obliterating the used games industry. Remember those small movie and game store'? FUCK EM! They have no place in the future!. Fortunately, the majority of hardcore gamers weren't having it. They told Microsoft that enough is enough and they're not going to buy their shit after they spit in our faces (how's that 'free market' working out for you?). So Naturally when Microsoft removed the restrictive DRM, many claimed it was a victory for the gamer and consumers around the world. Unfortunately, Microsoft was so dead set in selling their bullshit that the people who did support it that they were fine with the president that Microsoft had set. Xbox One fans were fine with the DRM and no used games as long as they get their shiny 'UNLIMITED POWERRRRR' cloud technology. And now those fans are pissed because when Microsoft took away the DRM, they took away the shiny toy that came with in.

Morons People like Jason Chen were quick to throw a shit-fit  at the news that Microsoft was removing the most restrictive DRM to date, because god forbid the consumer actually not get pissed on. He pointed out a quote from Henry Ford stating that "if I had asked what my customers wanted, they would have said they wanted a faster horse" as if to say that the Xbox One is to the video game industry what the car was to the world. This pompous ass completely ignores the fact that companies have tried always-online DRM and they have never worked; in fact companies like EA, ya know, one of the largest video game publishers in the god damn world, have completely back away from these pants-on-head policies. The world simply isn't at a point where it's possible to stay connected 24/7. 

There are billions around the world who don't even have access to a toilet never mind the internet. Google, for instance, is tackling this problem with 'Project Loon'. But in this world of uncertainty, where we can't even get scumbag companies like Verizon to not bottleneck our internet service because they want us to upgrade to "high speed" (Because 500kb/s is high speed right? Assholes), what the shit came over Microsoft that they actually believed Xbox One owners wouldn't be burdened by these requirements?

I understand wanting to be apart of the future, but Microsoft is trying to drive the car before we've even built the road. And when your car is a one billion dollar project, you look like a damn idiot when it gets covered in mud. The world is still integrating to cloud services, I mean for god sakes the internet itself is still relatively young. There are plenty of companies who have launched cloud storage services and there are plenty of other cloud services on the rise. But NONE of them require this bullshit where your computer needs to be connected to the internet 24/7.

If this is Microsofts 'future' than they are getting their ass handed to them by consoles who have literally changed NOTHING in terms of their online abilities.

Attack of the fans.

But what about the Xbox One fans who did have a stable internet connection? Well it seems their out of luck  this time around. Because Microsoft, for whatever reason, decided to take their toys and go home. No more family share plan, why? Well cause Microsoft said so. And with rumors like soon being able to share games on steam, Microsoft seems to be caught with their pants down. 

Along with all this disappointment from both sides comes a recent story about an alleged Microsoft insider with some pretty interesting facts about the family share plan and perhaps why it wasn't marketed very heavily. According to the insider the 'share' plan was simply a way for players to give a free demo of the game they purchased. The shared game would include the full game but only a demo that lasts from 15-45 minutes. There is no way to confirm if this is true and since Microsoft backed away from all these policies, there is no reason to confirm or deny.

So what were left with are 3 types of people. The Xbox fans who would buy the system regardless, the people who no longer trust Microsoft and the hardcore fans who are now pissed that they removed the family share plan. Of course, it's hard to feel bad for people who wanted to screw over the people outside the 21 launch countries and gives a nice, fat middle finger to the service members who had no internet. Maybe all their hubris and idiocy is finally getting a nice helping of karma. I don't care if you wanted to share a game with your friends digitally, the fact that you would support these scumbags who were hellbent on crushing countless video games stores with their used game policies just shows me that you deserve every bit of disappointment coming your way.

So what was the point? As far as I can tell, Xbox wanted so badly to be the next Steam without taking the hint that the PC evolved naturally. Steam is an online service. It functions online, you download online, you play it online and EVEN THEN it has an offline mode. Steam was never sold as an 'all in one' console that can play games and watch movies and watch TV and scratch your balls  and whatever the hell else Microsoft claimed it could do. People understood Steam and respected it for what it is, an online service.

These actions don't deserve a defense. This kind of DRM doesn't have a place in today's gaming and the fact that Microsoft was so determined on shoving this down our throats and only changed their minds when they saw the PS4 was destroying them in pre-order only serves to show how much of a bloated tick on the industry Microsoft is becoming. 

Maybe next gen, Microsoft, but this time, you fucked up.

Xbox 180: Another lesson in corporate homogeneity

So after the shit-stirred bowels of the internet threw a perpetual fit over the DRM-ridden Xbox One, complete with PR disasters from taking the mic of your interviewers and acting like a shitty little brat to basically telling service members to get bent, it seems that Microsoft has back-peddled from their DRM policy in the hopes that gamers will forgive and forget about this whole debacle in the first place. Well, personally, I won't forget about this monstrous, roiling box of spite they tried to push into the consumer.

One step back. One step forward. Progress!

Back at E3 some people were surprised at the warm reception that Sony received, mostly because what Sony did right was nothing. They changed non of their policies in terms of DRM and used games and yet doing nothing was enough to win the masses over. Because that is what the video game industry has become. An industry so submerged in own greed and bile that simply not moving forward is overwhelmingly preferred to integrating into Microsofts vision of "The Future".

But humans, being the fickle animals we are, were overwhelmed with a sickening sense of "accomplishment" and happiness when Microsoft announced that they are removing the Xbox One's DRM, as if to say "Hey Microsoft, I know you were getting ready to piss on my foot but thanks for deciding against it". As if feedback and voicing your opinion changed their minds, as if not getting absolutely slaughtered in pre-orders and seeing the overwhelming support that the PS4 had been getting compared to the Xbox One wasn't the primary factor in reversing Microsoft's brutal conquest of the video game space. Meanwhile, gamers everywhere are keen to forget that just because someone decides NOT to screw you over, doesn't mean they deserve praise as if they did something right. I don't demand praise for not beating a person to death so why should Microsoft be praised for not beating the video game industry to death?

People were correct in questioning the praise Sony received at E3, they DIDN'T do anything, in fact, with the addition of a fee on the Playstation Network, things arguably got worse. But now because Microsoft is playing chicken with how much it can get away with, were supposed to praise it for not doing something egregiously bad?

And someone had the balls to say that this is progress? That throwing shit in your own pen and then cleaning it up is progress. 

No.

You don't get to screw up and pretend that because you cleaned up your mess that puts you on par or better than the competition. And thankfully, from the majority of the comments I've seen responding to this news, people aren't blindly forgiving Microsoft and throwing their wallets at them.

Yes, the consumers got their way and Microsoft was taught a lesson, but it was a lesson that had already been taught by the likes of EA and Diablo 3, it was a lesson that didn't NEED to be relearned. And it shouldn't have been a lesson in the first place. Anyone with a modicum of common sense would realize that unreliable internet coupled with always-online DRM is never going to work.

Make no mistake, this is not the end of always-online DRM. Companies like Microsoft will continue to push until they finally get their foot in the door, and then we'll see the "future" that Microsoft envisioned. This along with the fact that Xbox has been forced to remove their family share plan essentially leaves Xbox fans with a more expensive version of the PS4 with inferior hardware.

So no, Microsoft, you're not forgiven.

Next gen: Games to look out for.

Regardless of what console you're siding with, there are definitely interesting games coming out in the near future. Some look good, some look eh, and some look like their dragging the worst parts of the last generation with them.

Watch List:

These games have either been on my watch list or have jumped onto my radar after E3

Arma 3:

You haven't truly experienced an authentic FPS until you've joined a realism unit in the Arma community. The feeling of operating in a well organized FPS unit, following real life formations and strategy is unmatched by any other game. Along with these realism units is an intently dedicated modders, constantly putting out a stream of community content. Maps, weapons, graphics updates, vehicles, complete overhauls, you name it and the Arma community can make it. With the improves graphics, underwater aspect and tons of other features, Arma 3 looks like what everyone in the Arma community want and I couldn't be more excited for it.

http://www.arma3.com/

Company of Heroes 2:

Company of Heroes, to me, is one of the all-time prime examples of a great RTS. I got the first Company of Heroes for free with my nVidia card years ago and hadn't bothered to play it for a few months. On one particularly boring day, I decided to throw it in and was immediately blown away. The most notable feature of Company of Heroes is how fluid and dynamic the individual characters on screen move. CoH doesn't feel like a classic RTS when two NPCs stand next to each other and attack until one is dead. Company of Heroes has characters diving behind cover, getting suppressed by machine gun fire and spreading out like an actual fighting unit would. Companies of Heroes 2 looks to be of the same quality but this time telling the story of the eastern front and the great struggle of World War 2.

http://www.companyofheroes.com/

Day Z: Standalone.

Last year, Dayz took the modding scene by storm, quickly garnering one of the largest mod fan followings to date, so much so that the sales for Arma 2: Combined Operations skyrocketed to the top of Steam charts. The reception of the Dayz mod naturally calls for a standalone version. While Arma 2 is a great game, the engine is somewhat lacking and the bugs leave much to be desired. Hopefully with the standalone the Dayz game will realize it's full potential.

http://dayzgame.com/

Gran Turismo 6.

I'm not a particular fan of racing games, but I can certainly appreciate a good one. Gran Turismo was my first racing game and one of the first games I played on a console. Maybe I'm just nostalgic, but I'm hoping this one turns out for the better, I could use a quality racing game.

http://www.gran-turismo.com/

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Solid Snake is back and fully bearded. Snake Eater was part of my gaming childhood. I grew up with characters like Snake and The Phantom Pain looks like it's going back to it's stealthy roots. No more hack and slash nonsense and that notion pleases me greatly.

http://www.metalgearsolid.com/

The Witcher 3.

The Witcher series is among the greatest RPG series in existence. Anyone who disputes this is either ignorant, uninformed or both. The series is based off the works of Andrzej Sapkowski. Following the masterful Witcher 2, The Witcher 3 will conclude The Witcher ssaga in an open world, branching story with stunning graphics and compelling characters. I haven't been this excited for a title in a very long time.

http://www.thewitcher.com/

Total War: Rome 2

Total War is my favorite strategy series. They don't have the best RTS elements and they don't have the best grand strategy elements, but put together make the Total Wars series something special. Rome: Total War was another game I grew up with. It changed the way I viewed strategy. The idea of being able to conquer the world without have to sacrifice a good RTS element was mind blowing to me back then. Rome Total War is often considered the best of the series and it's hard to tell (Shogun 2 was very good, as was Medieval) but the fact is that Rome 2 is coming to the PC and I'm looking forward to conquering the Mediterranean with the improves introduced in previous titles. Although some features like having to recruit from generals instead of towns has me a little cautious.

http://www.totalwar.com/en_US/rome2/

Might be cool:

I never liked jumping to conclusion(That's an absolute lie by the way) but these games have grabbed my attention, whether through their gameplay or trailer.

Dues Ex: The Fall

I was excited to hear that the Dues Ex series was releasing another game. Human Revolution had a good story, good game play and pretty good graphics, though I wish they would have toned down the green overlay. The game is being developed by Square Enix meaning it will either be hit or miss and with recent releases I have my doubts.

Infamous: Second Son.

As I said in a previous article, I never played Infamous but I heard it was exceptional. I'm not sure how the developer will handle a sequel and the main character looks rather obnoxious, but it looks solid and I look forward to getting more information.

Microsoft may pull their online DRM policy.

According to varies sources, Microsoft may be set to backpeddle on their always-online DRM policy.

Removing this will mean no more region lock, only having to check in online when you set up your Xbox One system and no restriction on used games. There is no word on whether or not this will effect the family share plane.

Backlash started from the always-online DRM after Microsofts E3 conference and has been a major sore spot for gamers lately, especially those in the armed service who lack access to reliable internet. A member of the US Navy wrote a blog, stating that the Xbox One is a 'sin against Navy service members'. Controversy was always flared up when Don Mattack said in an interview that people without reliable internet should stick with the Xbox 360.

This story is a rumor thus far and has not been confirmed by Microsoft. More updates to come.

UPDATE:

Microsoft has confirmed they are reversing their DRM policies. In other news, Microsoft likes money more than self-respect.