Where went the number? Where have you been?!

*exaggerated sigh* What a long time away from blogging! What have I accomplished? Absolutely nothing! Let's crack on.

E3

Oh E3: there is so much information you cram down my throat minute by minute.

Some news has been absolutely astonishing. Who knew that we would actually see a Half Life 3 game ever?

Some news has been absolutely confusing. What do you mean Half Life 3 is a Wii-U exclusive?

But other news has been mostly expected.

I honestly had to miss the XBOX conference due to work. I am waiting for a reliable release of the conference of its entirety before I go making incredibly rash comments or stating anything that I can't confirm as fact. I was rather happy to hear that the game line-up sounded fantastic and full, with many good games ready at launch. Even the price point sounded great when I read the little information I could find when I got around to it. $499 for a next-gen console launch?! That is the same price of the 360 when it debuted back in 2005. Tack on the prospect of a new Killer Instinct exclusive and I was actually considering picking up this piece of North American machinery! The only thing that raised and eyebrow was the apparent lack of information surrounding all the drama that has been surrounding the machine since before the press conference last month.

You see, this is what I had been all excited about before the Sony press conference had started. The first half of the Sony announcement went exactly as I predicted...

"Here is the PS3 and some games. OH YEAH; We have a Vita! Now here is what the PS4 looks like! Isn't it smaller than the XBOX and with a better name?! Please ignore that it looks like a melted PS2! Did you know we had a record label AS WELL as a movie studio!?"

Please do not take that as a bad thing. They announced some pretty sweet titles and had some cool demonstrations. They also had some great news for Indi dev's with self publication being a viable option and a possible Indi Game store tacked onto PSN. Watching Assassin's Creed IV freeze up during gameplay made me smile and listening to the awkward chatter of the Bungie crew during the Destiny stuff was pretty fun. THEN THE BIG NEWS! Not only did they talk about the DRM questions in everyones mind (which I hear Microsoft actually avoided), they encouraged the sharing of games between friends! They talked about how yes, you will have to pay for multiplayer now instead of it being free. They also talked about some huge bonuses for Plus members! They even came up with a price point $100 cheaper than Microsoft.

I think to further understand where I come from in regards to this, you need to understand my background in current-gen gaming.

I jumped ship from XBOX about two years ago because, when it comes down to it, more friends had the PS3. The last new release I purchased on the 360 was, if I'm not mistaken, Mass Effect 3. I much prefer the controller on the 360 and I found the user interface easier to deal with until the big Windows 8 updates started rolling in. I am disappointed with how poorly Microsoft has been dealing with the controversy surrounding the next generation of the platform I enjoyed so much through high school and what little of my adult life I have lived. Sony has stolen my heart by being true to gamers and very upfront with any news that might effect my ability to play games.

I had to miss everything to do with Nintendo today, so I will hopefully have more information and opinions as I get to hear some stuff. As someone whose first console was a Nintendo Entertainment System and owned most other Nintendo products post 1990, I really want a reason to purchase a Wii-U. Half Life 3 and Bayonetta 2 have come close to a good enough reason, but I might just wait to see where Zelda goes after the Wind Waker HD Remake.

MUSIC!

New Boards of Canada is amazing. I am about to wrap up the final side and writing has been a chore because I keep getting lost in the emotions and rhythm of the album. Music Has A Right To Children is one of my top albums of all time, so I was looking forward to this release since I heard about that amazing little game they played with everyone. And who could forget their RSD fun?
To anyone who doesn't know this collective, Boards Of Canada are basically this amazing ambient dance group who have created the perfect soundtrack for anyone who feels like their day might not actually be happening. At times a little melancholy, others almost tacky, their audio brilliance is a must. Maybe not a great choice for a party, though..

If you are looking for a great rock album that I completely forgot got released, I would look towards OK GO's third album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. It's a great album with great songs and potentially even better music videos! They are one of the few bands that I have found where every album is good and every album is just different enough. If you enjoy the sound, please go and enjoy their albums. Do it for yourself and maybe your neighbour who is sick of you blasting something horrible. My family sure is sick of Dillinger Escape Plan this week, I'm sure...

I'm sure I missed something huge, but I'll just throw it in my next update. I'm currently compiling a list of bands that I forgot about that all released really good albums between the years of 2002 and 2010. I'll post the link when that is up and ready for some sort of consumption. Please leave some positive personal feedback about E3 in the comments below and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY give me a reason to love and trust XBOX again!