My Top 10 - Why I'd Buy Xbox One After Today

Microsoft had their moment in the sun at E3 today, and today did a lot to negate their initial start out of the gate (called it!) So after my harsh words for Microsoft up to this point, I'm going to take a breath and say something nice. So here it is, my top 10 reasons I would buy an Xbox One after today's conference.


10 Improved Kinect Functionality
Yes, I hate that the Kinect is mandatory. And while I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm very uncomfortable with Microsoft being able to collect data for my home and only their word to stop them from doing so. Still, from a consumer standpoint, the Kinect is fun for the family, and voice controls let me be so lazy! With two kids who are almost guaranteed to be gamers, something interactive like the Kinect is a fun way to play together. While the current iteration works well enough, a significant improvement might make a AAA movement-based game a possibility.

Also, I fully plan on making a sign that says "Piss Off" and putting it in front of the Kinect camera when not in use.

9 Ryse: Son of Rome
I haven't been a fan of gory games for years, nor do I particularly care for quick-time events making me focus more on the flashing buttons than on the action. Still, the pure cinematic flair that is present in this game can't be ignored. The demo has the player reinacting the intro to every WWII game, reskinned as Ancient Rome and making you feel much more powerful. I don't know how the rest of the game will play out, but if it can keep its momentum and offer a decent story, I'd definitely buy it.

8 No More Microsoft Points
No longer do I have to try to convert 1600 Microsoft Points in to a dollar amount so my wife can know how much something costs. While this isn't a make-or-break announcement, the fact that Microsoft is doing away with some of its archaic practices is certainly encouraging.

7 Project Spark
I love world-building/terraforming games. While the announcement wasn't terribly detailed, it looks like an interesting twist between real-time strategy, tower defense, and the Xbox Arcade game From Dust. It looks like it uses the Kinect exclusively, which is going to be one of those things that tests how well Microsoft has done to make the Kinect a worthwhile addition to a gamer's console.

6 Dead Rising 3
I love the classic zombie feel of the Dead Rising series. However, I have never been a fan of the blasé attention the makers gave to the real danger of zombies. Dead Rising 3 looks to give us the shuffling, dim-witted zombies we love from classic cinema coupled with a hint of seriousness. If you haven't seen the trailer yet don't worry, outrageous weapons and zombie kills still seem to be in, but I really think DR3 is going to do a great job of balancing peril and fun.

5 Gamer Score
My current gamer score is 33,110. Not amazing, but as a console gamer I've been trained to care about those little Achievement Unlocked messages for doing everything from killing an enemy with a toilet to completing the game's 2 minute intro. I've worked hard for some achievement, and I would hate to see that work get reset by switching over to a new console (albeit with a less arbitrary achievement system). The fact that this score transfers over means that my gaming can continue without missing a beat.

4 Quantum Break
Ever since the days of Nintendo 64 we've been given some goofy weapons and powers to play with. One game I always enjoyed was Prince of Persia, which let you manipulate the time around you, speeding, reversing, or even stopping time as you saw fit. I loved it because it was a tool in my arsenal that I rarely got - I wasn't shooting a rocket or massacring someone with a magical sword (well, I was after messing with time). Instead, I got to control the entire world, making me feel like I was actually breaking the game as I slaughtered 5 frozen enemies, then watching them crumple to the floor when time came back. While Quantum Break didn't say much, my imagination is positively giddy at the possibilities of this game!

Also, those graphics.

3 Free Content for Gold Members
I'm pretty sure Microsoft ripped this straight from the Sony playbook, and it's about time. Starting July 1, Xbox members who pay a monthly or yearly subscription for Xbox Live will receive 2 free games per month. I'm having a hard time finding coherent info across the internet (surprising, right?), so I'm not sure if this is up to XB1's release, or if it will continue indefinitely to encourage Gold membership for those who don't play online, and as a means of keeping the Xbox 360 relevant (something Microsoft said they want to do). The thing that sets this apart from Sony, however, is that the games appear to be yours "for keeps," as opposed to being on loan until your subscription lapses. If this is a trend that continues, and starts rolling over to XB1 games... I'll be pleased.

2 Familiarity and Momentum
This is more the result of a conversation that occurred in my gaming group Saturday. Let's be honest - Microsoft is the big dog in North America. While they may struggle internationally, in America it's considered to be the console of choice for hardcore gamers (read: kids and teens with time to play). I've spent the better part of my gaming career holding a Microsoft controller, from the original that could only be played by an octopus to the fairly comfortable version we're now familiar with. On the flip side, I've never been able to handle a Playstation controller properly, similar to how I could never get comfortable with a SNES controller.

In addition, Microsoft shows no signs of going anywhere. And while I don't know all the specifics, it's apparent that Sony is struggling as a whole. To that end, it's a bit unnerving when deciding to go from something as stalwart as Microsoft (evil though they may be) to a company whose future in 5-10 years in uncertain. Could Sony make it? Of course, and they may remain competitive with Microsoft till the end of time. But realistically, I can see Microsoft buying out Sony, Nintendo performing sepekku (I mean they already have the blade to their stomach with Microsoft poised to lop off their head), and no one with enough clout to really pull gamers away from a console that has remained steadfast when all others are floundering.

Doomsaying? Maybe a little, but it's important to know where the relationship is going before committing to something long-term.

1 Titanfall
If I didn't make such creepy "holy crap!" faces I'd totally take a picture of what my face does every time I think about what I saw in the Titanfall trailer. Respawn Entertainment, a developer formed from the great Infinity Ward implosion (also known as "the reason Infinity Ward never fixed Modern Warfare 2), has had many gamers on the edge of their seats waiting to see the group's first contribution to the gamer world. We have it, and I want it.

From the gameplay demo, the game is a mix between Call of Duty controls, Mech Warrior's visuals, and that feeling you get when your crush likes you back. One thing I've always hated in a shooter is when someone takes more than a few seconds to die. I want to kill someone quickly and move on, not let them get away because my futuristic weaponry acts like a Super Soaker against their futuristic armor (which I have access to, which therefore should let me use ammo that's effective against it).

Titanfall, however, has the kill speed of Call of Duty, but puts an emphasis on calling down a Titan (mech), getting in it, and taking control of the battlefield. Seriously, at least watch the last half of the video when the player calls one down. He rips a enemy mech's controller out of the freaking robot! And this isn't some lame thing where you see something amazing while onlookers just see you sort of twitching about for a second followed by the enemy dying. No no, everything in the battlefield may as well be a CGI movie because your buddies get to see you rip XxxSqueekerBoyxxX out of his mech and toss him aside like it's nothing.

Why? Because it is nothing! You're in a Titan, and nothing can stop you! Except for when they do stop you, in which case you can eject from your seat, land on another mech, and start ripping apart its power source! This game is Call of Duty in space, and it's the game I've always wanted to play.

If the heavy use of italics and exclamation points are too subtle, let me just say that I'm excited for this game, and I would pay $500 to Stream Netflix and play this game on a single console.




See you tomorrow!

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