Earlier, you surely read our liveblog coverage of the Microsoft Xbox One presentation that came to you LIVE from a living room in New Jersey with a TV that was watching a live feed from Los Angeles, and now we’re here to talk about the Sony Playstation 4.

Before we get into it, though, let’s recap what we know and what we want.

What we already know: Sony is bringing it in terms of techno specs and the controller seems like a possible step forward. Apart from that, though, we really don’t know much despite a 2 hour press conference back in February.

What we want to see: Microsoft did Sony no favors by giving us a release window, price point, and plenty of visual fireworks. We’re goona need Sony to meet and exceed that output if they want to win the day, but we’re also hoping to see the system itself, some exclusive game announcements, and some kind of wow innovation that sets the Sony apart.

What we don’t want to see: 

Alright, the live blog starts up when the presentation does at 9pm ET, and for this one, you can actually watch the Playstation 4 livestream here and follow the blog below it.

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9:17 – It has FINALLY begun… with a light and music number that feels like

9:21 – Apparently people have been waiting to see the presentation since Friday, but I don’t care, I am still bitchy about them running 20 minutes late.

9:23 – Batman Arkham Origins, Destiny of Spirits, Killzone: Mercenary have just been announced for the Vita, which is apparently still a thing. Also, Walking Dead: 400 Days is coming to the Vita from Telltale.

9:26 – Like Microsoft, Sony is working hard to demonstrate that they aren’t killing their old system (PS3)… yet. Right now, they’re showing us, basically, a commercial for The Last of Us, which you were already going to buy when it comes out on Friday.

9:29 – Rain looks artistic and sad. Now we’ve got Beyond: Two Souls, which seems a bit more combat-y then we previously thought. I mean, this looks like a completely different game than what we saw last year during E3.

9:31 – K, maybe that’s enough PS3 stuff. We came to see what the new piece of pretty can do and at this point, we’re 35 minutes past the moment this thing was supposed to start. I have fear in me, Sony did take almost 150 minutes to tell us very little back in February, hopefully this isn’t a repeat.

9:35 – The Arkham Origins cinematics look, just great. I can’t believe we’re still hearing about the PS3 and costume skins and now a GTA 5 headset and not the PS4.

9:40 – Finally getting a look at the PS4 hardware. Seems a little smaller and more stylish than the Xbox One. It looks good. How much?

9:41 – Sony Entertainment CEO takes to the stage. Are we in for a barrage of info about how the PS4 will be an entertainment hub? Are we going to get flogged with the Crackle stick?

9:44 – Sony announces a PSN exclusive programming network with shows that I don’t care about. They’re also going to have Sonyfied music and movie services. So, basically, Amazon Stream competitors. Redbox Instant will also be available to all the Sony gaming consoles shortly, and whatever happened to the “We are for gamers” chest thumping

9:50 – And here is a picture of what the PS4 will look like.

9:52 – The Order 1886 from Ready at Dawn looks good. The trailer was made in-engine.

9:57 – Kill Zone, Drive Club, Infamous clips being shown now. I can’t help but think that the decision by Spike to not air the Sony presentation life is going to hurt wide-perception of this reveal. Viewing these trailers on an HD TV screen vs. a choppy net signal on a laptop? There is no comparison. I don’t know how the schedule is set, but if Sony could have moved their presentation to a time when they would have been widely seen on TV and did not, that is a massive fuck-up, because there is no visual wow coming off these clips, and Microsoft had that earlier.

10:03 – Dark Sorcerer trailer was interesting and then weird and then, ultimately, a waste of time and a teaser to watch more content tomorrow.

10:07 – Transistor looks interesting. I am killing this live-blog thing.

10:09 – Sony’s focus on OctoDad: Dadliest Catch, Super Poncho, Oddworld Inhabitants: New and Tasty, and Galaxy and the promise of self-publishing raises their indie cred and feels more for real than Microsoft’s tribute to indie developers. All of these games look incredibly addictive and fun. Can’t wait to see more from them.

10:17 – Final Fantasy XV looks really good, beautiful even. Plus there is a big assed dragon. Nice surprise by Sony and Square Enix to trap a guy in a room full of mirrors (or a hotel bathroom) and have him sneak in a teaser trailer for a new Kingdom Hearts game, Kingdom Hearts 3, which is in development.

10:24 – Assassins Creed game from Ubi Soft looks promising. Good gameplay (I imagine… again, shitty stream is robbing me of seeing the true beauty). I have a gripe about the pirate ship, though: no way would a ship steer that easily. Now it’s time for Watch Dogs and a man with an exceptional accent who will say the word T-Bone in a really awesome way.

10:31 – More detail and more gameplay from Watch Dogs, which was one of last year’s big gasp inducers. T-Bone looks like Brad Pitt in Kalifornia. Both the full blackout mode and the speedboat are nice touches.

10:36 – Another “in-engine” trailer for the NBA 2K basketball entry, but what does that matter if I’m not seeing gameplay?

10:37 – Elder Scrolls online coming in 2014, PS gets an exclusive beta window.

10:39 – Warner Bros. and Avalanche team up to make a Mad Max game. Psyched by the idea of this, but is it a tie-in to the remake, is it a stand alone?

10:41 – Awwwwww snap, Sony came to scuffle. Announces no fees on used games, takes a hard swipe at Xbox One, who remained silent on the controversy. Now they’re saying that you don’t need to be online to play or for authentication. Biggest crowd reaction of the presentation, though, don’t you think it’s a bad thing when you get your best response to the two things you’ll do that your competitor won’t and not your content?

10:49 – Destiny looks quite good. FPS from Bungie and Activision. It’s in competition with Titanfall for most impressive debut at E3, though last years slate was better.

10:57 - I really like how Sony chose to make the interplay between their players less rapey than the Xbox banter. Bold move.

10:59 – Long term partnership with Bungie and Activision announced, sadly it will expire before the end of this presentation, which is now at an hour 40. Are we almost done? I don’t think so, a little man in a silver suit just said ecosystem and “cloud service”, so strap in!

11:03 – Ring the bell. PS4 to debut at $399.99, $100 less than the Xbox One. I’d say that the Xbox One looked slightly better, but that advantage is frittered away by the massive price difference and Microsoft’s failure to address the used game and internet controversy. Food for thought for Microsoft as Sony seems poised to take the Gold Cup.

With that said, though, I don’t feel an immense need to buy a new system still. Do you?

Let us know if you want, but we are all done with our live blog for the PS4. Stay tuned for our thoughts on the revelations coming out of E3.

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Welcome to the start of our E3 coverage and our Microsoft Xbox One Live Blog. Below you will find thoughts from the Nerdbastards team on Microsoft’s next generation console when the 1pm ET presentation begins out in LA.

Before that, take a look what we want to see from the presentation and have a conversation with us in the comment section about what you want to see.

What we already know: The Xbox One is poised to take aim at the home entertainment market, providing a broad experience that includes web browsing, live TV, social integration, a pumped up Kinect, and (allegedly) gaming.

What we want to see: A price point would be lovely, but details and gameplay are what we really want to see. The time for ambiguity and a parade of cinematic trailers has passed. Microsoft has our attention, but now they need to get our money with a presentation that speaks directly to consumers, offering clarity on some of the more controversial elements of the One while also showing us what the next generation of gaming really looks like.

How is the Xbox One not only better than the PS4 (and the Wii U… I guess) but also a clear upgrade over what we have? This is the biggest question facing Microsoft as they kick off E3.

The live blog will begin at 1pm. Watch the Microsoft presentation on Spike or online at E3 Insider. If we are able to embed the livestream, we will do so. 

12:07 – We’re still less than an hour away from the start of the presentation, but Phil Spencer is on Spike talking to Geoff Keighley and he just teased something from Rare’s past that will be revealed. Something long awaited. Naturally, the mind turns to Goldeneye 64 and a possible  XBL release.

12:21 -

12:22 – Not really a huge surprise considering the commercial holiday/start of the holiday shopping season that is “Black Friday”. Now if someone would just blurt out the price…

12:42 – Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain looks pretty damn good, gameplay was impressive. Is it next level? Pretty damn close.

12:43 – Don Mattrick takes to the stage, promises that this will be all about gaming and that there will be 13 exclusive titles revealed today.

12:44 – Interesting move here, introducing an Xbox 360 redesign that is available now. “Our commitment to the Xbox 360 has never been stronger. Again, a surprise since they’re introducing its replacement. Perhaps they realize the staying power of this generation. They also just promised 2 free game downloads to Xbox Gold members in the near future.

12:45 – 120 new games for Xbox 360 coming down the pike.

12:52 – Phil Spencer comes to the stage to talk about the Xbox One. Primetime has arrived as the trailer for RYSE begins.

12:56 – RYSE looks damn good, though not entirely fluid. Not a fan of guided attacks. Whatever happened to some button mashing X, Y, X, X, Y, Y, X, Y action people?

1:02 – Speaking of button mashing, Killer Instinct trailer plays… yawn.

1:04 – Sunset Overdrive looks like a love letter to critics of video game violence. Just ridiculous, cartoon mayhem and headshots. It looks like something that would exist if the guys from Crank made a Pixar movie.

1:08 – “Driveatar”… what a stupid fucking name that, of course, follows boasts about the end of AI from the Forza 5, which does, admittedly look freaking stellar.

1:11 – Corporate rep from Microsoft is singing a song about indie games. Oh, the word “indie”, show us on the doll where the world touched you.

1:14 – Quantum Break game footage… right after this impressive cinematic… maybe.

1:17 – D4 is a episodic murder mystery, anime noir?

1:20 – Project: Spark looks like “God: The Game” and employs Kinect and Smart Glass. You can turn a rock into a pet… and water into wine. Shitty jokes aside, this is “custom, as you go” gaming. Which is incredible.

1:23 – Project: Spark is the kind of thing I wanted to see. A clear step forward and an unexpected innovation. With that said, there will be limits and those limits will control it’s magnificence. Is this going to be an endlessly replayable and re-configurable time-waster, or will it play like a parlor trick with a limited set of options that we quickly grow tired of? Sadly, we’ll have to wait and see.

1:28 – Does anyone really care about watching other people’s gameplay videos?

1:31 – Dead Rising 3 world premiere. New town, new hero, new disappointment that we’re not getting more Frank.

1:33 – No load times and an open world. Happy to see the build-a-weapon option, though I hope they make it a bit more random. There is also a ton of driving apparently, which is awesome and once again prompts the question, “Dear Rockstar, when the fuck are you going to give us some GTA/zombie bonus content?”

The game looks good from the gameplay, but the main character’s movements are still blocky like a video game character. There is no fluidity, which takes you out of the experience when watching his run and jump and attack with the same basic set of movements.

Using Smart Glass to call in support feels like cheating.

1:41 – The Witcher 3 looks like a pretty solid RPG, but I need to see more.

1:42 – Battlefield gameplay trailer at 60 FPS. I gotta give it up to Microsoft, they are certainly bringing it in terms of showing us gameplay.

1:43 – Assuming they can actually get the clip to play.

1:46 – Battlefield 4 environments look beautiful, specifically the water effects. FPS gameplay looks tight, but as with all FPS, you have to have it in your hand to know if it is for you.

1:49 – Map pack to debut on Xbox One first for Battlefield 4. Is that all EA is showing? Really expected to see some sports titles, but perhaps they blew their wad during the Reveal Press Conference.

1:53 – I can’t be the only one whose eyes got WIDE as the hood fell back and Master Chief was revealed, right?

1:55 – Halo FPS on Xbox One in 2014.

1:59 – Titalfall looks rather good, I swear I thought it was an Elysium tie-in game when the trailer started.

1:57 – Pricepoint announcement: Xbox One will cost $499.99. Probably not unanticipated, but will you pay it? Based on what I’m seeing here, I am intrigued, I am FAR more excited about this system then I was after the Reveal, but there are still too many questions and too many other possible expenses for me to say, “Yes, certainly.”

Maybe that will change, but for now, I am still wait and see on the Xbox One, but a lot closer to where they need me and other consumers to be.

2:05 – That’s the end of the presentation, be sure to check out our PS4 Liveblog later tonight.

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He’s the best there is at what he does, and what he does is eat chimichangas, kick-ass and make a whole lot of obnoxious remarks. I am, of course, referring to Deadpool – the merc with the mouth. I never thought this gun-toting, schizophrenic, assassin would get his own video game, but he is. Gawd help us.

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Disney and Electronic Arts announced today the completion of an exclusive deal for EA to develop and publish a new series of Star Wars video games. Frank Gibeau, the President of EA labels had this to say:

Although the word exclusive was used, Disney does reserve the right to develop other new Star Wars games for mobile, social, tablet, and online platforms. Neither company divulged the financial terms of the agreement in their announcements, but it’s no secret the deal is worth millions to EA.

The question as to what this new deal means to existing Star Wars games like Star Wars 1313 is still unclear. Many already published Star Wars titles and those under development over at LucasFilm were shut down last month. A spokesperson for Disney has said that nothing was being announced about the pre-existing titles at this point, those decisions will most likely be made jointly by Disney, EA, and Lucasfilm.

EA has been struggling in the last few years, both creatively and financially, which has led to layoffs and shutdowns culminating with EA’s addition to the list of the worst companies to work for last year.

What should Star Wars fans expect from EA? My reaction to the news can be summed up in the picture below.

Disney has gone to the Dark Side of the video game industry. Most of the games developed by EA are crap and EA’s customer service is one of the worst in the business.

The “only hope” for Star Wars video game fans is that Bioware, a subdivision of EA and the one shining gem in a sea of EA mediocrity, should be taking a lead in the development of many of the new Star Wars games. A Star Wars based game in the style of Mass Effect or Dragon Age would be a welcome addition to the mix.

What do you think about the announcement? What would you suggest to EA and Bioware using the contact information given above?

Via: CNet

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Live action movies based on video games have never had a solid history in Hollywood, even with all the fan hype and promotion, most end up floundering at the box office and then go straight into the discount movie bin. On the other hand, animated movies based on video games have done quite well. Just look at Disney‘s latest success with Wreck-It Ralph.

Variety reports that Insomniac Games decade old franchise Ratchet & Clank is being adapted for it’s first feature-length film. Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment are behind the production.  Directed by Jericca Cleland and written by TJ Fixman, who gamers will recognize as Ratchet & Clank‘s senior writer, the film is slated for an early 2015 release date. Development is already started in the right direction, with the studio releasing an announcement video featuring voice actors James A. Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward, who reprise their roles from the franchise. Finally, a studio knows what people want to see and hear.

Check it out below.

Founder and CEO of Insomniac, Ted Price said:

“We’ve always thought Ratchet and Clank would be a fantastic all-ages movie and are thrilled our intergalactic heroes  will finally get their chance to shine on the big screen, Insomniac is especially, honored to play a hands-on role with the film’s production, including the  screenplay, consulting on character development and animation, and adding support to the film’s marketing.”

The only real worry is Rainmaker Entertainment, who’s first actual theatrical release was last year’s Planet 51 rip off Escape from Planet Earth, but that accounts for experience…..right? Should we all be worried about this or is Ratchet & Clank in good hands?

Source: Comic Book Movie

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BioShock Infinite – the successor to the Bioshock franchise – has been long in the making. Heck, I remember seeing early clips/previews for it at PAX 2011. That’s two years of waiting and wondering “when the hell is game coming out”? While a long road it’s been, and with patience hanging on a thread, BioShock Infinite‘s release is right around the corner. March 26th to be specific. Floating city, guns, rail lines, and robots… it’s time!

As if you weren’t excited enough for the release, K Games revealed this new TV spot for BI during last nights episode of The Walking Dead. While no actual game play is shown, we’re presented an eye widening cinematic; introducing the main hero and his save the “damsel in distress” adventure based in the sky. It’s quite stunning, really. Beautiful world and imaginative characters. This is a hot game, and looks to be well worth the wait. Check out the spot below:

BioShock Infinite puts players in the shoes of U.S. Cavalry veteran turned hired gun, Booker DeWitt. Indebted to the wrong people and with his life on the line, DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He’s one man, alone. And the followers of the Prophet Father Comstock will stop at nothing to keep Booker from his Quarry.
But with an arsenal of weapons and the incredible powers granted by Vigors, Booker deals death from above on the Sky-Lines of Columbia. And the girl he’s there to rescue might turn out to be the partner he needs to survive.

BioShock Infinite will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 26.

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Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we’ll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com

ABOVE: Slave Leo, Hubba Hubba . . . [Technabob]

(more…)

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It’s the announcement gamers have all been waiting for — Sony is revealing details for the next generation, the Playstation 4. Watch the livestream here and check out our live blog.

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Live Blog

So far, the biggest reveals have been the new dual shock controller, with a touchpad and a camera that sees the controller. There will also be a dedicated chip for downloads and uploads — something that could pave the way for more direct downloads of content. They’re also promising the death of load times.

Social networking will also be a key component. I don’t see the point in being able to watch a friend game, but they’re highlighting it.

Share button seeks to bring friends into the gaming experience. Help with defeating tough levels and challenges, social messaging on screen while playing a game, sending someone a DM to change your feed bag so you never, ever have to stop playing Skyrim.

They’re talking about the Vita as a companion device, taking a cue from Wii U and their tablet inspired controller. Also, every screen is beautiful.

Usual suspects in terms of streamable content: Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle (because, apparently people crave the crackle), and the Netflix.

Talking about putting retro games on PS4 via cloud technology eventually, though you won’t, apparently, be able to play PS3 games on the PS4 out of the box. How pissed are you that you got rid of your copy of Final Fantasy IX?

The Missing Wow Factor So Far

Still waiting for that WOW reveal. That thing that makes me think, I MUST have this system. Quicker downloads is a big deal, but they can only do much on the hardware side to make direct downloads of games a feasible mainstream model. So that feels like an innovation for another day, not something that will matter a whole hell of a lot out of the box in the near future. I imagine that the longevity of the last generation and the rocky debut of PS3 made the need for built in innovations that would matter more as time goes by a MUST. Smart business move, but that won’t get wallets to swing open.

Social network function is neat, but is it going to be practical. Solitary gaming is the proffered way for many.

Okay, the video with developers gushing over the development process has come to an end, back to the live blog.

Live Blog (Continued)

Killzone: Shadow Fall demo on screen. Graphics are impressive, sound and effects like the explosion draw you in. Is this THAT MUCH of an upgrade over current gen? Also, this is a demo. How will it look on MY TV out of the box?

Cars look spectacular on Drive Club, which is a team based game that has been in the works for about a decade. Ooooh, fiber direction map. Snazzy…

Is Sony over emphasizing social gaming?

This game from Sucker Punch looks amazing, but Killzone looked like gameplay, this looked like a cinematic, so who cares what that looks like?

Thou shalt not poo poo immense, open worlds. The Witness is aiming to be dense, all killer, no filler. I am skeptical. I’m a Fallout junkie, I need a 45 minute walk from outpost to outpost damnit.

I understand the need to show a broad range of game options, but for something like this, I think showing games that push the graphical edge  would have been wiser. Also, familiar franchises.

David Cage from Quantic Dream, aka Hard Rain and Beyond: 2 Souls creator talking now. Could get what I’m asking for in terms of innovation and beauty.

Hey, by the way, this presentation is far too long.

Do gamers care about the past of Sony, or is this about the future? Less about the talk, more about the show.

90 minutes in and they finally announce that “nearly” every 3rd party developer will support PS3. No-brainer, but still, it would have been nice if it came up front.

This guy just said the word tweet… he is clearly one of us.

Explain to me how Capcom’s past use of tech on the PS2 is going to sell me and you on the PS4?

A thing I missed before: HOW ON EARTH DOES THE AWFUL MOVE CONTROLLER SURVIVE INTO THE NEXT GENERATION!?!?!

Right now, all I want to know is: what does it look like, how much will it cost, will it play used games, and how long will they offer support on the PS3 so I can avoid buying this new thing.

Watching the stream on Twitch. Lots of “these guys look gay” on their comment system. Oh yes, lets make gaming MORE of a social experience.

Talking about Watch Dogs now, one of the most buzzed about games from E3.

Watch Dogs looks good. This is something we already knew.

Blizzard and Sony have aligned. Then, the Blizzard guy called out for applause from the audience — there was silence.

Blizzard announces a Diablo port to the PS4. So… that worked out well last time they did that.

Activision guy comes out, vows to support PS4 in launch window, which will be…

Bungie and Destiny coming to the PS4. So far, this is my favorite bit of news.

And it’s done. Yes. It’s done.

Summation

Apparently the next generation looks a lot like this generation. Also, way to piss off gamers and sour journalists against your system by putting out a 2 hour dog and pony show with little substance. No look at the system, no specific release date, no set price point. Basically, all the games looked like something off a PC dev kit and there were tons of cinematics and little gameplay.

Basically, Microsoft can rather easily grab a lead in the next gen race with a presentation that is less flair and more fact. And also, show us the damn system.

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Bungie, creator of the mega-hit Halo franchise,  has a new game on the block. Destiny is the first project Bungie will put out since the break with Microsoft after Halo:Reach.  Destiny is a “Shared World Shooter” a combination of the traditional first person shooter game and the MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Bungie hopes to bring the best of both styles of play together in Destiny.

The storyline is set in the distant future as the last warriors of Humanity struggle to protect the last safe city on the planet from the mysterious enemies that destroyed all of human kinds colonies on other worlds. The open-world game will allow players to explore those colonies and travel to and explore other planets. Bungie is planning for this game world to be one of the largest ever created for an MMORPG.

The game will include both competitive and cooperative single-player and multiplayer modes. The game’s modes are designed to “seamlessly merge” together and won’t feature the traditional multiplayer matchmaking like you might see in Call of Duty or Halo and other online games. It will be interesting to see what these changes might bring.

Bungie put together this video to help describe and explain the game play in this massive new online project:

Right now, the game is currently in only in development for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 with no release date as of yet. I’m a traditional PC gamer so I’m hoping that platform won’t be ignored by developers.

There’s some concept art that has been released to the Internet below, and you can head over to Polygon to check out the full rundown of the game and additional pics.

Via: Blastr

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This time on The Bastardcast: Jeremy and Jason try to keep it together as they discuss meteoroids, asteroids, zombies, and other world enders like Warner Brothers’ development slate and the Dan Harmonless Community. Also, Jeremy and Jason nerd out on all the Toy Fair 2013 news and then fight about A Good Day to Die Hard.

Following that, Jeremy swings low on latest member of the X-Men First Class: Days of Future Past cast, Jason goes off the deep end when Jeremy mocks Han Solo, and they both think the that reports about the demise of the video game industry are premature and full of poop.

Yes, it’s the kind of high brow episode where our fearless hosts let you know that an actor’s artistic worth is determined by how many times he shows peen on the screen. In fact, that’s this week’s special happy fun hashtag, #PeenOnTheScreen.

All that and more #FebruMurray fun as we continue to celebrate noted kickball striker Bill Murray.

The Bastardcast: Presently running low on witty taglines.

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