An Alternative Opinion: What We'd Like to See From Next-Generation Consoles

An Alternative Opinion is a weekly feature where Alt:Mag writers are given a question or topic, and submit their thoughts and opinions. Today's topic of discussion is the next generation of consoles: now that they're round the corner, what do we want to see from them? Do we even want next-gen consoles?

Aaron: Now that the PS4 has been revealed and, by the time this article goes up, we will be just a day away from the reveal of the next Xbox, we thought it would be appropriate to talk about what we'd like to see from the next-gen consoles, assuming we even want them. First off, I personally do want the next-gen consoles simply because developers have seemingly decided current-gen is as good as dead and that the ceilings have already been hit. With that in mind, let me first stress that the much-dreaded "always-on" possibility (which we discussed in our very first Alternative Opinion!) plays a huge part in my thoughts on next-gen. While PS4 have effectively assured us that they will not be doing it, we still aren't certain on Microsoft's stance. I absolutely stand against it, and will not support any console that takes it up.

However, what I do want to see is more focus on the indie developers (which the PS4 seems to be nailing right now) and certainly less focus on external media and gimmicky motion controls (your move, Microsoft). Now, I'm a big Xbox gamer: it's my main console, and is used far more than my PS3. However, everything I have seen so far from the next-gen is leaning me toward the PS4; tomorrow's Xbox reveal is crucial. I want to see more emphasis on the games themselves, not the graphics, not the apps, not the motion controls. I'm not buying an Xbox to watch Netflix (even though I have been doing that a lot recently). I'm buying it to play awesome games. Go ahead and do that, guys. That's why we like you.

 

Lewis: At the end of the day, I don't think I am too bothered about what the next-generation consoles end up being like, as long as they are not evil devices that feed the pockets of greedy people (micro-transactions and games that cannot be traded in are what I fear the most). I don't care if they have more impressive graphics than the previous generation, I don't care about all the gimmicks. I just want to know if the games will be good. Basically, I want to see some decent games. Back in the 90s, a full out console war was going on for king of the fourth generation between the SNES and the Sega Mega Drive (AKA the Genesis) and they weren't competing on gimmicks, they were competing on how good their games were, sure Sega loved to push 'blast processing' or whatever, but that isn't the point I am trying to make. When the PlayStation 2 arrived with a DVD player attached, this was when game consoles stop competing for the quality of games and became more about gimmicks, like which one can you control with telekinesis or which one can play Betamax tapes. That's why if the new Xbox or PlayStation is rigged with some gimmick that isn't relevant to whether or not it can play its games well, I don't really care. I want a new Jet Set Radio game, I want a sequel to Mirror's Edge, I want to see Shenmue III! So that's it really. The games are what I am looking forward the most from next-generation consoles. That is what I have always looked for, and it will continue to be this way until I lose interest in gaming all together.

Peter: Sony have already announced their PS4 (what else would they call it?) and Microsoft are very soon going to be announcing theirs. I just hope that it won’t be called the Xbox 720. Stupid rumours. What other rumours are there? Well we’ve already dealt with the always online lark, and another rumour is that you won’t be able to play pre-owned games. Which is a messy subject. As someone who has a lot of pre-owned games, if this rumour turns out to true, it will affect me and the games I do buy. I’m already selective as to what games I buy, now I’ll be even more so as I can’t wait for a few months to get it pre-owned. I can understand why they are doing it, what I just said alone proves that developers are not getting money from me, and I’m just one person. If every person did that then developers wouldn’t be getting any money.
But if it is true then the quality of games really should be better, and I don’t mean just visually, games are bloody expensive and it’s debatable if you actually get your money’s worth out of a lot of games. Yes it is up to the gamer how much time he spends on the game but if there isn’t much to do on it other than a mediocre campaign and multiplayer (granted which can tie you over for hours) then there is not much reason for people to be returning to the game. (And yes I was digging at Call of Duty games there *cough cough*).
But that’s a bit of a digression. There isn’t really much I want from the next Xbox. Obviously better visuals and a better processor. I’d like it to play Blu-Rays but that being a Sony product I don’t know if that would happen. It would certainly help to reduce the amount of discs for a big game. The TV and other apps will no doubt be carried over and improved, but I’m happy with them as they are really. The PS4 will have a sharing button for you and your friends to share what games you are playing and what you are doing in them. Because people really care, don’t they? Just imagine: you are immersed in some game when a notification telling you that XxxiNsErTsTuPiDnAmEhErExxX is playing Fifa 50... Again. Well that information, sure was useful when you are on a mighty quest to save the future of mankind... Ok, that was a little cynical, but you see my point?
The next generation is nearly here and there will be some cool new things we will really like, and there will be some things that are pointless.

What would you like to see from this next-generation of consoles? What features of a console would make you side with it, and what features would scare you off? Let us know in the comments section below or by our Facebook or Twitter page.

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Song of the Week: fun. - 'One Foot'

Around April last year, I did a 'Music Spotlight' on the band fun. When I put up the post, they'd already grown huge, but since they've grown even bigger! I am extremely glad that such a talented band have broken into the generic pop charts without having to be generic. Nice to hear a bit of rock music on the airwaves for once too. Anyway, for ages, my favourite song by Fun. has been 'One Foot' and they've just released a lyrics video for it. So what a better time than now to make it Alt:Mag's song of the week! Also, if you follow this link, you can also enter a competition to win the Converse in the video!

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Alt:Mag Is Two Years Old Today!

Hello everybody!

Well, what can I say. Happy birthday Alt:Mag. I really can't believe it. Two years ago I made a mock magazine cover just for a bit of fun (more about that here) and that venture eventually turned into this website. Look how far we've come. As I write this, the website currently has 78,707 views worldwide. Now that's something to be proud of.

I told Sam about that magazine cover the day I made it. He said "let's do it" and we got Haydn involved. Later on, the website was created as a method of telling people how far along the magazine was coming, and then that turned into the full time thing. A lot has happened in these past two years, and you can find out more here.  

So what have I really got to talk about? I discussed most of what has gone on in the last two years in my 1 year anniversary post and the post I did on Christmas day. Well I think it is time to say thanks to particular people who have helped the website along the way.

So thank you to:

• The entire Alt:Mag team - all you guys come and go with articles, but no matter whether you are writing or not writing, you still hold the dream down and never stop believing. Thanks guys.
• Jenny of The Story Of A Book - thanks for always believing in me and the site, and helping to come up with fantastic ideas to help the site! Check out her blog here and her Twitter page here. Please support her!
• The Swordsaint Productions team - thanks for all the support and working with us to create the upcoming Alt:Mag commercial. Check their YouTube channel out here, their Twitter out here and of course Sword Saint Productions leading man, Mac's Twitter.
• All our friends - all the people who have shown a keen interest in what we do here on the website, you know who you are. Keep it real!
• All the readers - without you, getting as far as we have done would've been impossible. Hey, let's kick it and play Power Stone 2 sometime. 

Anyway, this next year for Alt:Mag is going to be the most exciting one yet. We've been thinking about new and exciting things to do with the website to spice things up a bit. In the meantime though, keep up your support by checking out the site, liking our Facebook page and following our Twitter.

Live on and be yourself.

Lewis Cox

Alt:Mag Editor

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"Too Cool To Dance": What Happened to Dance Music?

 

Between potentially excessive listening to Daft Punk's free streaming of their new album, which is heavily geared towards 70s and 80s disco/dance scene, and having to endure hearing my little sister repeatedly watching Dirty Dancing, I've come to realise something: aside from the new record from the French duo, no one is making music to dance to these days. Sure, the genre of "dance music" is still going, but it's not actually music for dancing. All we really have is the fist-pumping vibes of the ever-controversial EDM scene, or perhaps mosh pits if you have a somewhat heavier taste. Sure, clubs everywhere have packed dancefloors with potential couples joining together to the music, but let's be honest, that ain't dancing, it's effectively just soft porn.
The parents of our generation will often have an "our song" moment to talk about, and while we may think it's incredibly cheesy, and we'll roll our eyes as we see them cuddling away to Bryan Adams, it's an awful lot better than what we'll have. Imagine the teens of today, 30 years from now as their kids gather round them to ask how they met. The father will smile warmly with a twinkle in his eye as he recants the story. "Well kids, our eyes met across a crowded and unnervingly sweaty dancefloor... The Azealia Banks hit "212" was blaring over the speakers, and after a short while of almost aggressive grinding, I knew she was the one."
Now, while I'm being facetious here, if you think about it there really is no sense of a true dance scene anymore. The only music we seem to have around nowadays is either high-tempo, or deliberately "deep" and "emotional" which really just means it's a bit depressing but the singer did a lovely job of it so we'll all applaud them. I'm just saying, there's no romantic dancing involved when you're listening to Adele.
I wholly admit that I do not like dancing. However, it's not that I dislike the thought of it, or the actual activity, it's just that I'm incredibly aware of how awkward and terrible I am at it. But that doesn't mean I don't wish it was still around. There's the oft-used phrase "too cool to dance" (so oft-used that I put it in the title), and while I think there's some merit to it, I personally think from my own experience that it's largely down to insecurities. People are judgemental gits, and no one wants to be the guy who's being laughed at, so rather than dance, we'll just nod our head to the beat, maybe wave a hand for a bit, possibly even stretch to some shuffling of feet. Just as long as there's nothing that makes you look like you're dancing for enjoyment, as opposed to just doing it because you feel you have to as part of the ritual.

Even the dancing that does go on is, as I mentioned earlier, hardly rooted in romance. It's more of an act of "somewhat sleazy but it's alright cos everyone does it here", than an actual attempt at an "emotional connection" with that person. Perhaps it's just that no one goes to these clubs nowadays in a search for a real relationship, so it's just been taken as granted that you're only dancing with this partner because you're hoping to impress them enough to spend a night with them.
The closest alternative we have to that kind of dancing music these days is probably R&B (which is largely linked to the "slow jam" sub-genre) but even then it's certainly a lot more heavy-handed than the purity of the dance music of old. Again, maybe it's worth noting that an awful lot of current music seems to be written in present tense, somewhat establishing the "one-night only" feeling that clubs are full of, but then I'm perhaps reading a bit too much into it.
Whether Daft Punk's new album will bring back dancing is something I remain somewhat pessimistic about (these EDM mega-groups seem far too stuck in and comfortable to be shifted out so easily), but I really hope it does. While I may not be a dancer, I'd like to imagine people being happy enough to just let go and dance again, and having the right music to do it. Then maybe even I will pick it up.

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An Alternative Opinion: Remakes; Good or Bad?

An Alternative Opinion is a weekly feature where Alt:Mag writers are given a question or topic, and submit their thoughts and opinions. Today's topic of discussion is remakes: are they something to be excited about, or just irritating cash-ins that are flooding the industry?

Aaron: Love or hate Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, you can't deny that they truly changed the world of cinema. Thanks to the Caped Crusader's gritty and (to a degree) realistic representation in the films, remakes and reboots have been tumbling out of every imaginable direction, almost always followed with the words "re-imagining", or the constantly thrown about "darker". So many franchises and series have chosen to take the "darker" route that I personally find myself hugely cynical towards any reboot that dares to bandy around that word. It seems to be happening all the time now, in games and in films: we've had the darker Lara Croft comeback, the darker tone of Iron Man 3, the darker upcoming Superman reboot, everything is darker, darker, darker. I'm beginning to think producers and executives consider "darker" to be the new equivalent of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (and that spelling is correct, I'll have you know) in that it's just a buzz word with no real meaning but if you say it enough times it makes a guaranteed hit.
We're even getting a darker Star Wars game, for goodness' sake. It's not that I inherently dislike remakes (in fact, the Duck Tales HD reboot out this summer is something I can't wait to play), but I'm sick of the idea executives getting all hot and bothered as they imagine the lucrative darker reboot of Scooby Doo, in which Fred is an egotistical misogynist and Shaggy struggles with a crippling drug addiction. Now I've said that, it'll probably happen. Do a reboot if it needs one, if it makes sense. Don't just take something and make it darker for the hell of it.

Peter: Remakes. That old Hollywood fiend. There are loads of remakes all the time, this year is no exception; Carrie is being remade for the third time, the remake of Red Dawn was finally released this year, South Korean modern classic Oldboy (check it out if you haven’t already) is being remade; The Evil Dead remake just came out and there are loads more announced or soon to be released on the horizon. The biggest of all being Point Break.
That’s right, they’re remaking Point Break. If you know your films then you know Point Break is a classic action film. Everything about it just works. And I very highly doubt the remake will come anywhere near to it. Which brings me to the point of why? What is the point? I can kind of understand when an old film not many people will know of or have seen is remade, like King Kong (the remake being so so) or The Taking of Pelham 123, or the brilliant Scarface. Yes Scarface is a remake. Now I’ve seen the (1932) original and it is good, but obviously doesn’t really stand against the De Palma remake.
So some remakes are good, and whilst arguably not necessary, they are not always bad. A lot are though, and a lot are unnecessary, they don’t add anything to the existing film, or if they do it’s not something that is any good. And it shows that Hollywood are running out of ideas basically. Are remakes bad? Not always. Are they necessary? Usually not, but they may bring awareness to an original classic, which is never bad.

Do you think remakes are worth the time, or are they just annoying and unnecessary? Let us know in the comments section below or by our Facebook or Twitter page.

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Song of the Week: The Failing Farewell - 'What We Do (Take A Chance)'

I've been doing a lot of throwbacks recently, so since I'm currently growing my hair longer, here's another one (hooray!). This one is from the period of time in music when it was okay for emo kids to make upbeat electronic music that was laced with autotune. Nowadays autotune is generally frowned upon, but it doesn't stop this little gem from being catchy. Scene bros 'The Failing Farewell' had a moment of fame with this one, with the song being uploaded and shared via YouTube and stuff, before proceeding to change their name to 'Catch Me If You Can', releasing nothing else and fading into obscurity. I remember being addicted to this song one summer for a while. I think I was also addicted to watching Cardcaptor Sakura too. Anyway, here is is in all its bouncy electro glory.

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Like Our Facebook Page And Follow Us On Twitter!

If you are a regular visitor to this site, you may know that we have a Facebook page, as well as a Twitter page. I regularly update both, especially the Twitter, which we have 200+ followers for already, which I have a real ball running, posting up pictures and links to interesting things that all of you will enjoy! 

So if you have a Facebook, a Twitter, or both, then please like our Facebook page and follow our Twitter page. Even if you don't really have any interest in what we post, a like and a follow will raise attention to the pages and someone else who is interested will see it, and I would really appreciate it!

 

Just click the links below and you can like our Facebook page and follow our Twitter. Drop us a line too, we will always reply! Thank you everyone! 

 

Tweets by @AltMag_UK

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An Alternative Opinion: Are consoles just bad PCs?

An Alternative Opinion is a weekly feature where Alt:Mag writers are given a question or topic, and submit their thoughts and opinions. Today's topic of discussion is console gaming vs. PC gaming: are consoles just bad PCs?

Aaron: There has always been a rift (for whatever reason) between PC gamers and console gamers. PC gamers feel their choice of system is superior because of the choice to upgrade their system and to enjoy higher graphics and larger online servers than consoles have been capable of achieving up to this point, while console gamers will praise the lower-cost of consoles, as well as there being more convenience in that you can just buy a disc, put it in the console and play. However, with gaming becoming more and more focused toward digital distribution, and so much emphasis in the mainstream market being put on graphics, it's becoming increasingly difficult to defend the console market. They're becoming more expensive (with a rumoured $500 being the price for the next Xbox), and the convenience is rapidly wearing away thanks to online-passes and the possibility of an always-on console that we discussed in our very first Alternative Opinion feature. When you take into consideration that nowadays console games often need huge patches before you can even enjoy them properly (such as the 1GB HD textures pack download for Battlefield 3), you do have to wonder what the advantage of console gaming really is. For me, I still feel console gaming is easier and more convenient (if not by much) and once you own that console, it will run any game designed for it without question, whereas PCs often need regular upgrading at potentially monstrous prices in order to keep running the latest games on the highest specs. However, if the console market does keep moving in the direction it seems to be headed, then perhaps consoles really will just become a sub-par PC.

Lewis: When I talk to the few PC gamers that I happen to know, they tend to completely write off game consoles as bad PCs, but let's look at it from a different angle for a second.
Growing up, my parents never bought me game consoles. I never had a PlayStation or a PlayStation 2 during their heydays (and I am still yet to purchase an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3). So if I wanted a good game that was popular on the home consoles back as a kid, I would have to find a PC version of it. I barely ever found what I was looking for, perhaps back then it seemed like consoles were the way to go for releasing games. Now a few PC gamers are probably angrily shaking their fists at me right now shouting: 'that was years ago you absolute cretin!', but personally I think nothing has changed really. Sure, more games are appearing on the PC, as well as home consoles, but I think if you really counted up the number of titles available on consoles in comparison to those on PCs, you'd be provided with a much higher number. I think people seem to overlook this due to the high numbers of big budget and quality titles appearing on the PC, such as your EA games, Activision and Valve Corporation titles. But if you are someone like me who wants to play more obscure titles, you're screwed. I think it really depends on what games you prefer.
When it comes to hardware, a high end PC will outshine a console hands down. However, a high end PC is expensive, while a console remains cheap and cheerful in comparison. Another problem is that if you do happen to invest in a powerful up-to-date PC, it's not long until it is out-of-date. Do you really want to have to keep forking money out to play the newest games? Or would you rather just invest in a video game console that doesn't need to be updated for what could potentially be a decade, even if it isn't played at perfect specs? Perhaps in the future PCs will take over consoles and then we can have everything on one system, but until then, I'm sticking with console gaming.

Do you think consoles are just bad PCs or are they the still the number one gaming format? Are PCs taking over in the world of video games? Let us know in the comments section below or by our Facebook or Twitter page.

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Song of the Week: OPM - 'Heaven Is A Halfpipe'

I thought I'd make this week's song of the week a blast from the past. So here it is, OPM's 'Heaven Is A Halfpipe' for your listening pleasure. As a fan of skateboarding, I can definitely tell you that personally, I think this is the best skateboarding anthem of all time. It's catchy, it's classic, it makes you feel good about the sport in general. The album it was released on 'Menace to Sobriety' was great too, although after that OPM began to suck the big one. Becoming just another definition of 'one hit wonder', but damn, it was a great one. Just so you know, when I was a kid, I used to think this song was about ice skating. Silly me.

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