Next-Gen Blues

Sorry for the delays in posts. To be honest...my heart wasn't in it after E3. It was really cool to see the PS4 and find out about the many awesome games we can expect when these consoles release this holiday season. But, sadly, it was my fellow gamers that sucked the fun out of the console race. Not all gamers, mind you. Of course, zealots are an exception to any rule, but that doesn't make it any less draining to listen to them.

I'm referring to the MASSIVE public relations debacle Microsoft had with the Xbox One. There were many controversies regarding some of the policies Microsoft had in place for the console, many of which would have probably been much much smaller issues if they had been handled more properly, or at least differently, from a PR standpoint. As such, the console war that usually exists became more hostile.

I mean, it really got out of hand fast.

I normally view the Console War of any burgeoning hardware generation as a healthy competition, and enjoy discussing the differences between the two, which one people plan to purchase, whether they plan to be exclusive to one or use both, etc.

"Yeah, you tell 'em!"

But this time around...it really felt different. All of a sudden, it seemed like EVERYONE knew EVERYTHING about each console. It was no longer about opinions, but "facts" (that hadn't even been confirmed nor denied at that point) and who was correct.

It illustrated a viewpoint I've had growing in my mind for several months. As time goes on, I've been seeing gamers as a community become more and more vocal and feeling entitled. The first clue to this was the controversy regarding Mass Effect 3. Granted, BioWare set some very lofty goals with the story of the series, and I admire them for their boldness. Disclaimer: I have not yet finished ME3, so I have no opinion on the ending at this time. But, when ME3 released and the online outcry over the ending opened up, I watched as petitions were signed to have BioWare change the ending. Yes, gamers thought that yelling at a company long and loudly enough would actually change the data that was printed on a physical disc. Eventually, BioWare caved and released a downloadable update that gave more "closure," I guess.

Then, it was Diablo 3. The initial server crash is an indisputable issue that happened, and there should have been more/larger stress tests before launch to help avoid it. The problem I saw afterward was the sheer amount of complaints about "I paid for this game, I should be able to play it!" amazed me. The server crashes happened for, what, 2 or 3 days? I can understand being annoyed that the game was not ready to be played immediately, but...YOU STILL GOT TO PLAY IT. Blizzard is not blameless, but the proportion of outrage seems to be weighed way too heavily against them. And, they fixed the issue pretty quickly, too. I personally call it a "net win" for everyone. It's not like the SimCity server issue...that, was truly a big issue.

Even before E3, I was feeling the fatigue in trying to figure out why my fellow gamers were so upset about everything all the time and felt like the gaming industry owned it to them to deliver the products they wanted. So, when the XB1/PS4 flaming began...I kinda gave up. I avoided articles about either console because I just couldn't stand to read the comments.

nope

All of a sudden I felt like the only person alive who wasn't gearing up for an all-out global conflict. I felt like one of the few people left who remembered that the video game industry is run by businesses who are out to make a profit. (Honestly, if you can't remember that, you should probably find a new hobby - or at least stop bitching about stuff and just not buy into or participate in products you don't support.)

I won't pretend that the Xbox One didn't/doesn't have issues. Microsoft has at least been intelligent enough to listen to the community to an extent and has changed some of their controversial policies for their next console. I strongly believe both consoles will ship, people will have issues with each of them, and things will get corrected. It's kind of how things are done anymore, as much as I miss the days of getting a product - warts and all (that is, after all, how we had fun finding exploits and glitches).

The tsunami has subsided recently, and only now have I felt like I've been brave enough to come out and start joining the community again.

I will not be going into detail about the Xbox One or PS4 until I have them in hand. It's not fair, and it's just a road I don't want to go down. I never review a game without having played it, so how I can I possibly pass judgement on something I've never been within 100 feet of? I just don't like this feeling:

 Now that I've said my piece, enjoy a sloth dropping da bass until my next post.