The Next Gen is Almost Here!

With the upcoming release of next gen consoles, this year’s Gamescom was bigger than it has been for years. The console war is in full effect, and Sony and Microsoft are doing their best to dazzle us with exclusives, indie support, and price-drops.  If you're having trouble keeping up, we've summed up the news we think is the most important from the show so far. 

 

Titanfall

We finally got an in-depth, unadulterated look at Titanfall with a long gameplay video that electrified audiences at the show and around the world.  Highlights included a great demonstration of how the jetpack/parkour elements work, as well as use of the mechs in-game. Both looked like a lot of fun.  What’s neat about this game is the use of elevation in combat, opening up possibilities that just aren’t available in other military shooters.  In other words, jetpacks rule in this Xbox One exclusive. 

 

PS4 Release Date

We finally found out the release date of the PS4, which is November 15 in North America.  While there were some rumors it would arrive in late October instead, November seems more practical, and coming out a week before Black Friday makes a lot of sense.  We still don’t know the exact date for the Xbox One, but November seems likely.

 

PS Vita Price Drop

A few days before Gamescom, Best Buy started selling the Vita for $200, which seemed like a sign that a price-drop was imminent.  Well, it’s official now, and the Vita is now priced to compete with the somewhat unstoppable 3DS.  Sony also announced they would be making memory cards more affordable, and a quick check on Amazon shows they are already cheaper than they once were.  With this announcement along with the news of many new games for Vita, adopters and would-be adopters of the handheld have a lot to look forward to.

 

Next Gen Launch Games

We finally have our complete launch line-ups for the next gen consoles, and they’re about even, though the AAA exclusives for both are thin (though Microsoft has a slight advantage).  They both have the big guns like COD and Battlefield, as well as sports games Madden and NBA 2k, but there are indie games as well.  PS4 has the standout free-to-play MMO games Warframe and War Thunder releasing under the radar, but Xbox One has neat little exclusives such as Crimson Dragon, Killer Instinct, and Peggle 2.  All in all, it looks like a fair fight, and your leanings are going to really depend on your own interests. 

 

Plants vs. Zombies Games Timed Exclusives for Xbox One

The announcement that Plants vs. Zombies 2 would be coming to Xbox One first was also announced.  In addition, we got our first look at the combat in the franchise’s third person shooter spin-off, Garden Warfare, which looks humorous and exciting.  Both of these games will be timed exclusives for Microsoft’s gigantic new console, and are probably both certain to be huge hits. 

 

Big Vita Games

There was a slew of game announcements for the Vita, and while most of them involved indie games, a few of them were heavy hitters like Borderlands 2 (a system seller for the new lower-priced handheld for sure) as well as Minecraft.  The Vita seriously needs this kind of support from big publishers, and perhaps this is a sign of things to come.  This coincided with news that indie darlings Fez, Hotline Miami 2, Rogue Legacy, and the Binding of Isaac, among other games would be arriving on Vita soon.