Gamescom 2014 Recap

This week in Germany, one of the largest gaming shows in the world took place. Gamescom is quickly rivaling E3 to become the most popular gaming show in the world. So, as expected, there was a LOT of news articles swarming the internet. I decided it would be a good idea just to give you some of my thoughts on a few of the biggest stories to come out of Gamescom.


Rise of the Tomb Raider is a timed Xbox exclusive: This was probably the biggest news out of Gamescom, and certainly the one that got the internet into a frenzy. And rightfully so, at least at first. Microsoft and Square Enix announced that Tomb Raider's sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, will launch holiday 2015 as an Xbox exclusive. I absolutely thought it was a stupid move by Square Enix. Why would you put the sequel to a multiplatform game on only one platform? Other than that being unfair to consumers, it also doesn't make sense on the business side, weren't you already disappointed with the sales of Tomb Raider? So why does it make perfect sense to narrow it down even further on the platform that is getting crushed by the competition in terms of sales? Fortunately, Xbox head Phil Spencer clarified that the game is a timed exclusive, so more than likely we will see Lara Croft's next adventure on PS4 and PC in 2016. However, I still think it's a bad move on Square Enix's part (I'm not giving Microsoft any fault for this, they're trying to make more money just like Sony and Nintendo) by agreeing to this. They're essentially saying two thirds of our franchise's fanbase will have to wait for an unknown amount of time for the game to come to their platform. And even then, what makes you think it's going to sell as well as it would if it came out with the Xbox version?


PlayStation 4 has sold 10 million units worldwide: During their Gamescom press conference, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 has already reached the ten million units sold mark (sold, not shipped) in only nine months on the market, making it the fastest selling console to reach that mark of all time, even surpassing the Wii. And they said console gaming was dead. It's amazing just how popular this console is right now and how well the gaming industry is doing. Yes we could spend this paragraph talking about how PS4 is five million units ahead of the competition now, but that would be fanboyish and inappropriate for this milestone. Instead, let's be thankful that gaming consoles are still very much alive and well, and your iPhone isn't going to surpass them for quite a long time it seems.


Silent Hills announced in the form of a playable teaser: Sony also showed off a trailer for a mysterious horror game named PT, and it was made available on the PlayStation Store almost immediately. I played PT, and it was without a doubt one of the scariest "games" (although it's more of a 20 minute demo) that I have ever played. Upon completing PT, it is revealed that the game is a teaser for a new Silent Hill game, titled Silent Hills. Hideo Kojima is directing the project, Guillermo del Toro is collaborating with Kojima, and it will star Norman Reedus. Details are scarce at the moment, but one thing's for sure, this is sure to make you wet your pants. The demo wasn't filled with cheap jump scares, but it has impressive tension that is constantly building. And then when the jump scares finally did come, they were more effective than they would in most horror games. The game isn't expected to be released until at least 2016, since Kojima Productions is heavily focused on finishing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. We also don't know if the game is a PS4 exclusive or not, but I'm willing to bet it won't be available on PS3/360. Personally, I don't know if I will get it, since I don't really like horror games, but I promise horror fans this is one you probably aren't going to want to miss.


PS4 Firmware 2.00 Announced, introduces SharePlay: Sony had one more little goodie up their sleeve. Sony announced PS4 firmware update 2.00, which includes stability improvements, YouTube integration, and more, but also revealed SharePlay. The PlayStation Blog states: "The best way to think about Share Play is like a “virtual couch”. PlayStation 4 will create an online local co-op experience by allowing you to invite a friend to join your game—even when they don’t own a copy of it. With this first-of-its-kind feature, you’ll be able to play games with a friend just as if you were together in the same room". So imagine passing the controller to a friend to take turns playing GTA or something, or playing a sports game like Madden. This is an incredible feature that is a bit reminiscent of Xbox One's planned Family Share feature which was removed as a part of the big DRM reversal. Yes you can only do it for sixty minutes before you have to restart the session. But still, this is an incredible feature and I look forward to seeing it in action. PS4 Firmware 2.00 will be available this Fall.


Metal Gear Solid V is coming to PC: At last, the news PC gamers have been waiting for. No it's not Half-Life 3. But it's still pretty awesome. Metal Gear Solid V, which includes Ground Zeroes and the upcoming The Phantom Pain, will be coming to PC soon. My excitement for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain only keeps building by the day, and I'm glad more people can now get in on the official Kojima hype train too. Hideo Kojima just had an awesome week at Gamescom, first with the Metal Gear Online for The Phantom Pain reveal, then with the Silent Hills announcement, and now with this awesome news that Metal Gear Solid V is coming to the PC. Personally I will be playing this on PS4, but I hope PC players enjoy it just as much as I hope to do also. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what this game looks like running on Ultra graphics. We don't know the release date(s) for Metal Gear Solid V on PC, but expect Ground Zeroes to be released first, hopefully at a more reasonable price.


I know I missed a lot of news stories but this is just a few of the biggest. I hope you enjoyed it. And, as always, thanks for visiting 8-Bit Ape.