Sony and Nintendo from E3

Zzzz.  Wha?  Did I fall asleep again?  Oy, now I'm really late on E3.

But before I go down that path, there is a bit of bad news.  A few days ago, it was announced that Atlus's parent company, Index Holdings, has filed for bankruptcy.

Atlus’ parent company Index Holdings has declared bankruptcy at Tokyo District Court. 


The company, which bought Atlus in 2006, is 24.5 billion yen in debt, which is roughlyt USD $250 million or GBP £160 million.

President Yoshimi Ochiai and Chairman Masami Ochiai intend to resign.

The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission of Japan have been investigating the company for allegedly improper accounting via fictitious transactions, specifically under the suspicious of exaggerating revenues using round-trip transactions.

Meanwhile, Atlus Japan said everything is still on track with their upcoming game releases. Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl was released today in Japan, and Dragon’s Crown is due out on July 25.

A real bummer, isn't it?  While we praise the company for the games it puts out, its parent company is getting slammed hard, financial wise.


But now, onto the losers of E3: Sony and Nintendo.  I mean, what is so great about two Japanese companies when an American company is on the verge of owning these two next generation?  It's not like the Playstation 4 was priced at Three Hundred and Ninety Nine Dollars.

Sony has finally revealed release information about its PlayStation 4 console: that it plays used, lent or rented games with no restrictions and its price: $399. That translates to 399 euros, and £349 where applicable, or if you missed it, $100, 100 euros and £70 less than what Microsoft just announced for the Xbox One. There's no specific release date or month yet, just "this holiday season" in the US and Europe. The official spec list confirms that for four bills, you get the system, a controller, USB, HDMI and power cables -- but no PlayStation 4 Eye.

SON OF A*CENSORED*

But I'm not here to panic.  They don't have as many interesting titles as X-Box One.





FINAL FANTASY XV?  AND KINGDOM HEARTS 3?  Is this some kind of joke?

No, I am not gonna fall for this.  I heard these games are coming to the X-Box One.  The One is better than the Four.  The One is better than the Four

Perhaps the biggest news post-console reveal here at Sony's E3 presser: the PS4 will play used games without any restrictions or authentication. In broader terms, that means that when you purchase physical media, that disc can then be traded-in at retailers like GameStop, lent / sold to friends or kept forever as part of your enduring library. What's more, unlike Microsoft's controversial Xbox One 24-hour offline gaming window, PS4 owners will not have to connect to the internet in order to continue playing games. Effectively, that makes the PS4 fully playable offline; it also arguably hands the E3 2013 crown to Sony. For a brief instructional (and intentionally cheeky) demo on how this used game process works, check out Sony's homemade video after the break.

Arrgh.  This has got to be a sick joke.  I'm already upset over Microsoft abandoning its DRM.  What is Sony doing here?

But there is something at least good coming out of this.

Sony is delivering mixed blessings here at E3: while it's more than willing to avoid DRM on the PlayStation 4, it just echoed Microsoft's approach to multiplayer services. You'll now need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online. That may be a small price to pay when both Plus and the PS4 itself are cheaper than Xbox Live and the Xbox One, but it's an unfortunate extra cost for those used to getting their multiplayer gaming for free.

Hah.  Eat that free online gaming.  You want to play online?  You gotta pay yer fee.

But what about Nintendo?  I bet they don't have anything worthwhile.  And don't say Super Mario 3D World or Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.  Those two don't count.  At least give me something worth while.



Wait.  Is that Bayonetta?  I thought she was Microsoft forever.  WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

Okay.  Calm down.  Calm down.  Everything will be alright.  They can't hit me even worse than that.



A Transformation-like Gundam-style RPG from MONOLITH SOFTWARE?"  What is this?  What's going on here?

Don't worry.  It's going to go away.  At least they can't surprise me with Smash Bros and put Mega Man into it.



.....

Ya know what?  I think I'm gonna go sulk in a corner and cry on how Nintendo and Sony are picking on Microsoft with all this.


Works Cited:
Gematsu

PS4 E3 2013 information
Nintendo Direct E3 2013 info at Engadget