Nintendo Won't Have a Press Conference At e3 Again

Once again Nintendo will not have a press conference at e3 like Sony and Microsoft. This is what they said they will be doing instead:

"Every year, Nintendo looks for the best way to show its games and share its news with fans, media and other key audiences. In 2013, Nintendo decided to forgo a traditional press conference and use a video – in that case a Nintendo Direct – to share its news from E3. The company is building on that approach at E3 2014 with the "Nintendo Digital Event," a new kind of video program that will reveal and provide further detail about the gaming experiences on the way for Nintendo platforms in 2014 and beyond. The Nintendo Digital Event will air at 9 a.m. PT on Tuesday, June 10."

Nintendo also uploaded a crazy video showing off their plans for e3

DriveClub Release Date Announced

PS4 exclusive racing game, DriveClub will release October 7th in North America and October 8th in Europe. DriveClub PS+ Edition (basically the same thing minus a few cars and tracks) will release the same day as the regular edition. DriveClub was originally supposed to release last year on the PS4's launch day but it got delayed. Here is a new trailer

My NFL Mock Draft Part 2 (Picks 17-32)

17. San Francisco 49ers (via trade with Ravens): Odell Beckham Jr. WR LSU

The 49ers could use some help at WR. To get a top WR like Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans would require a big trade up. Making a smaller deal and get someone like Odell Beckham Jr would be a smarter move. He is a reach at the 17th pick but they would probably get a good deal from the Ravens. The 49ers and Ravens have a good relationship as the head coaches are brothers. Last year the Ravens traded Anquan Boldin to the 49ers for a 6th round pick.

18. New York Jets: Brandon Cooks WR Oregon State

Even though they signed Eric Decker the Jets are hurting at WR. Brandon Cooks is one of the best options behind Watkins and Evans.

19. Minnesota Vikings (via trade with Dolphins): Derek Carr QB Fresno State

The Vikings need a QB. Some people think they might trade up to get Bortles or Manziel but I think they will trade down to add depth and still get someone like Derek Carr. Some people are saying he may be the best QB in this year's draft. I think trading down and still getting a top QB is a good deal for the Vikings.

20. Arizona Cardinals: Anthony Barr OLB UCLA

Barr's draft stock is falling like a rock for some reason. I still think he is a top rookie linebacker. If the Cardinals realise this I think they will take him. He would improve their pass rush. You got to have a pass rush to compete in the brutal NFC West.

21. Green Bay Packers: Eric Ebron TE North Carolina

The Packers are hurting at TE. Drafting the best TE in this year's draft with the 21st pick would be a steal.

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State  

After losing Desean Jackson the Eagles will probably go WR in the first round. The explosive Kelvin Benjamin would be a great fit for Chip Kelly's offense.

23. Kansas City Chiefs: Marqise Lee WR USC

The Chiefs need a WR and at this point Lee is the best available option so I think they would get him in this scenario.

24. Cincinnati Bengals: Kyle Fuller CB Virginia Tech

The Bengals will be looking for a corner in the first round. At this point Fuller is probably the best available option so they would probably get him. They could get Bradley Roby but he just got in some trouble so his draft stock may fall.

25. San Diego Chargers: Louis Nix NT Notre Dame 

Nix is huge at 6'2 342 pounds. He would improve the Chargers pass rush.

26. Cleveland Browns: Xavier Su'a-Filo OG UCLA

Besides the big gaping hole at QB the Browns need offensive line help.

27. New Orleans Saints: Kony Ealy DE Missouri

The Saints are still in the process of rebuilding the worst defense ever (they literally had the worst total defense ever in 2012). Ealy should help improve the pass rush.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (via trade with Panthers): Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville

Recent reports are saying the Panthers may be looking to trade down. The Panthers need a WR and since there are a lot of WR needy teams drafting ahead of them I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to trade down. The Jaguars pick 7th in the second round. Bridgwater's draft stock is falling but I doubt it will fall that far. They may need to trade up if they want him.

29. New England Patriots: Ra'shede Hageman DT Minnesota

The Patriots will be looking for D-line help and at this point Hageman would be one of the best available options. 

30. Baltimore Ravens (via trade with 49ers): Morgan Moses OT Virginia

The Ravens may trade down. They could use some help at offensive line. Morgan Moses would be one of the best available choices in this scenario.

31. Denver Broncos: Ryan Shazier OLB Ohio State

Shazier is the best option at linebacker behind guys like Mack, Mosely and Barr. The Broncos could have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL with players like Demarcus Ware, Von Miller and Ryan Shazier.

32. Seattle Seahawks: Joel Bitonio OT Nevada

The Seahawks will be looking to improve their offensive line with their first round pick. Bitonio should be one of the best available OTs at this point.

My 2014 NFL Mock Draft Part 1 (Picks 1-16)

The 2014 NFL Draft 2014 is almost here. I've yet to do any mock drafts so here you go:

1. Atlanta Falcons (via trade with Texans): Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina

Don't be surprised if the Falcons trade up from the 6th spot to get Clowney. Atlanta desperately needs a pass rusher and Clowney would definitely give their D-line a huge boost. The Falcons aren't afraid to make big deals on draft day (like when they traded up for Desmond Trufant and the year before that Julio Jones). Houston needs a QB and there really isn't a QB worth getting with the first overall pick this year so I could see them trading down.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via trade with Rams): Sammy Watkins WR Clemson

The Bucs need a WR opposite of Vincent Jackson. I wouldnt be suprised if they trade up to get the best WR in the draft. Vincent Jackson and Sammy Watkins would make for a lethal duo and Watkins would give Josh Mccown an explosive target to throw to.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Khalil Mack OLB Buffalo

The Jags need a QB but they can always get one later in the draft. Khalil Mack is one of the best pass rushers available in this year's draft. He would give the Jaguars a dangerous pass rush. Don't be surprised if defensive minded coach Gus Bradley goes after someone like Mack early in the draft.

4. Cleveland Browns: Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M

The Browns are a mess. They have a lot of needs but need a QB more than anything. Manziel is probably the best option in this year's draft. Drafting QBs late in the first round hasn't worked out for them (looking at you Brandon Weeden) so they should consider drafting one earlier. 

5. Buffalo Bills (via trade with Raiders): Mike Evans WR Texas A&M

There are some rumors that Buffalo might trade up for a WR. The Bills don't really have anyone at WR so they could use a WR like Evans. Oakland will be looking to trade down as they a very desperate for depth.

6. Houston Texans (via trade with Falcons): Blake Bortles QB Texas A&M

Trading down makes sense because Houston needs a QB and its likely they can still get a top QB at the 6th pick. I think Bortles is the next best option behind Manziel so I think the Texans would draft him in this scenario.

7. St. Louis Rams (via trade with Buccaneers): Greg Robinson OT Auburn

By trading down the Rams can add depth and possibly still get a player they may have drafted at the #2 spot anyway. Greg Robinson is possibly the best offensive lineman in the draft. He would open holes in the running game and protect Sam Bradford.

8. Miami Dolphins (via trade with Vikings): Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M

The Dolphins have one of the worst offensive lines in football. I wouldn't be too surprised if they trade up to get a top offensive lineman. Recent reports suggest the Vikings may be looking to trade down so they would be a likely trade partner. Jake Matthews is one of the best offensive linemen in this year's draft. He would give Tannehill some much needed protection and pave holes in the running game.

9. Oakland Raiders (via trade with Bills): Taylor Lewan OT Michigan 

The Raiders are a complete mess and have no depth. Its very likely they will trade down. They need some serious help a offensive line so trading down and still getting one of the best offensive linemen in the draft would work out nicely for them. Recent reports suggest the Raiders are interested in Lewan. He would be a big step towards fixing their porous offensive line.

10. Detroit Lions: Ha Ha Clinton Dix FS Alabama

Detroit needs help at WR. I think Watkins and Evans will be long gone at this point. They could trade up but it would be a huge blockbuster trade and they have other needs so I don't think thats a great idea. Drafting someone like Marqise Lee with the 10th overall pick would be a reach. The Lions have a weak secondary so drafting Ha Ha Clinton Dix would be a good move. He is a NFL ready safety and should make an immediate impact.

11. Tennessee Titans: Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma 

The Titans lost their CB Alterraun Verner to free agency. Justin Gilbert is an NFL ready corner and should be a good replacement. 

12. New York Giants: Zack Martin OT Notre Dame

The Giants offensive line is weak. Zack Martin is one of the better options at OT in this year's draft. Maybe he can help protect Eli Manning so he won't throw so many INTs... 

13. St Louis Rams: Calvin Pryor FS Louisville 

Pryor is considered the second best safety in the draft by most. The Rams could use some help at the position so drafting Pryor would be a good move. He is a hard hitting safety and should improve the Rams secondary.

14. Dallas Cowboys (via trade with Bears): Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh

The Cowboys have shown interest in Donald. After losing Demarcus Ware to free agency the Cowboys are very likely to take someone like Donald with their first round pick. They probably won't have to trade up a whole lot to get him but they might need to move up a couple of spots. The Bears need help a D-line so they could take Donald.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Darqueze Dennard CB Michigan State

The Steelers defense is too old. Dennard would be a good fit for the Steelers. He is young, fast and physical and is considered one of the top rookie corners.

16. Chicago Bears (via trade with Cowboys): C.J Mosley ILB Alabama

The Bears defense was terrible last year. Mosley has injury concerns but if he can stay healthy he should be a big help towards fixing the Bears D. By trading down they still get a solid pass rusher and probably an extra late round pick.

Madden 15 Releases August 26th

EA has announced Madden 15 will release August 26th for PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Grid: Autosport Announced

As expected based on their teaser, Codemasters has announced a new Grid game, Grid: Autosport. Grid Autosport will be released June 24th on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Media Create Sales: PS Vita Beats 3DS and Is #1 Overall

Last week in Japan the PS Vita not only outsold 3DS (both 3DS and 3DS XL combined) but was the #1 best selling console overall. The PS4 sold 13,000. It seems to have stabilized at a bit over 10,000 a week. Not great but not terrible especially considering there aren't really any Japanese games for it yet. The Wii U is still doing really bad. Despite Tittanfall launching in Japan, Xbox 360 sales were still miserable. Here are the full results: (last week sales numbers in parentheses)

1. PlayStation Vita – 24,078 (25,017)
2. 3DS LL – 17,291 (22,947)
3. PlayStation 4 – 13,034 (13,401)
4. PlayStation 
5. PlayStation Vita – 24,078 (25,017)
6. 3DS LL – 17,291 (22,947)
7. PlayStation 4 – 13,034 (13,401)
8. PlayStation 3 – 7,305 (10,871)
9. 3DS – 6,271 (9,091)
10. Wii U – 5,512 (7,962)
11. PSP – 2,027 (2,892)
12. PlayStation Vita TV – 1,220 (1,371)
13. Xbox 360 – 229 (276)
14. 3 – 7,305 (10,871)
15. 3DS – 6,271 (9,091)
16. Wii U – 5,512 (7,962)
17. PSP – 2,027 (2,892)
18. PlayStation Vita TV – 1,220 (1,371)
19. Xbox 360 – 229 (276)

March: NPD Results, PS4 Best Selling Console Again, Tittanfall #1 For Software

The PS4 was once again the best selling console in the US. Tittanfall was the best selling game in the US this month. The Wii U did pretty terrible again and Nintendo still hasn't said anything...

Here are the top 10 best selling games for the US.

1- Titanfall

2- Infamous Second Son

3- South Park The Stick of Truth

4- Call of Duty Ghosts

5- Dark Souls 2

6- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros

7- NBA 2K14

8- Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

9- The Lego Movie Videogame

10- Minecraft

The full results for hardware aren't in but the PS4 was the best selling console and Xbox One sold around 311,000. Wii U sold around 70,000.

Codemasters Teasing a New Grid Game?

The Grid YouTube channel has uploaded this teaser. Looks like Grid 3 will be revealed the 22nd.

Xbox One Sales Update: 5 Million Units Shipped

Microsoft has finally said something about Xbox One sales. It has shipped 5 million units to retailers. Now shipped does not=total amount of sales. So its sold less than 5 million. This is concerning considering Sony just announced total PS4 sales yesterday (7 million). Even still it's selling well but not as well as PS4. Nintendo still hasn't said anything about how the Wii U has been fairing...

PS4 Sales Hit 7 Million

PS4 sales are now up to 7 million. Now you may remember my article about Infamous Second Son's successful launch and how it helped PS4 sales hit 7 million. Those numbers were correct but this news comes straight from Sony. In other words the PS4 continues to sell really well and Sony is not afraid to share the good news to the world. Meanwhile Microsoft and Nintendo have been quiet about how their consoles have been fairing. UPDATE: Microsoft has updated Xbox One sales figures 

Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars Demo Impressions (PS Vita)

I have been into JRPGs lately and have seem some crazy stuff but nothing compares to the wackiness of Conception 2. The very concept of the game is just crazy: making Star Children with 7 heroines (yeah thats right 7!). You then take those Star Children into battle and defeat monsters. The game is obviously very unique and wacky but is it any good?

The games story was not the least bit interesting to me. Even though this is a demo and its only an early portion of the game, I highly doubt the plot unfolds into something good.

You play as a Disciple of the Star God. You are not just any old Disciple though you are "a God's Gift" (whatever thats supposed to mean). This Star God guy randomly gives random people in their late teens special powers to fight monsters and make Star Children. They only have these powers for a few years. Disciples live on a special and island and have their own school. When they aren't attending classes and stuff they fight monsters in labyrinths. There are an unusually large number of monsters appearing lately and some other stuff going on. Nothing too interesting really.

The characters are not very good at all and thats a problem as this game has a heavy emphasis on dating sim elements. The dialogue in this game is also poorly written. The characters are all anime stereotypes and not the least bit interesting. There are a couple of guys but the focus is on the 7 heroines who you will be making Star Children with. They are all so stereotypical and very unintersting. The poor dialogue when interacting with these characters doesn't help much either.

Pshhh like I care

You will be interacting with the girls a lot. You have to keep them happy to get BP (Bond Points) and use said BP to make Star Children. The dialogue is very stale. The characters stories seem pretty boring and I could care less to play through their whole stories. I ended up just skipping through a lot of it.

Making Star Children is done by Classmating (haha get it Classmating?). Classmating is done in a church (really in a church?!). Well actually this isn't surprising as the Priest is a bit of a dirty old man... Based on the dialogue before and after the Classmating scenes and the music that plays during the Classmating scenes, you would think they were up to something naughty, however Classmating is relatively harmless. Basically they hold hands and use magic powers to turn a doll into a Star Child.

Its not what you think...

When you aren't bonding with the girls or making babies you will be dungeon crawling and battling monsters. The dungeon crawling is kind of like Persona 4 only not nearly as fun. The dungeons are uninteresting looking. The monsters you fight are kind of boring. They are very generic looking enemies. At least the battle system is solid though.

Booooooring

The battle system has you, one of the girls and some Star Children attacking monsters from different directions. The battle system has a big emphasis on positioning. You can attack an enemy from 4 different directions. Every enemy has a weak spot. Hit it and you deal a good bit of extra damage. Or you can try to build up your Chain Drive. By attacking enemies in certain directions (usually somewhere that leaves you vulnerable) you slow down the enemies speed and your turn continues a bit longer. Its a risk-reward because you could end up taking a lot of damage but also could get more attacks and deal massive damage. The battle system although solid is not good enough to save the game.

Overall Conception 2 seems like a mediocre JRPG to me. There are plenty of superior options on both PS Vita 3DS.

Borderlands The Pre-Sequel Announced

A new Borderlands game, Borderlands The Pre-Sequel, has been announced for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Borderlands the Pre-Sequel is a RPG/shooter hybrid like Borderlands 2, so its not a spin off game like Tales From The Borderlands. It will release this fall.

Super Smash Bros. 3DS Releases This Summer, Wii U in WInter

Nintendo announced in their Smash Bros focused Nintendo Direct yesterday that Super Smash Bros for 3DS launches this summer and the Wii U version comes out this winter. You can watch the Direct here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xUWnQu2Grs

Microsoft Rejects Another Indie Game, War Thunder

Here we go again... PC game War Thunder by independent developer Gaijin Entertainment is coming to PS4 but not Xbox One because Microsoft doesn't support cross platform multiplayer. Its sounds like its possible Microsoft could support cross platform multiplayer in the future but no plans right now.

This is not the first time an indie game has skipped Xbox One because of some stupid anti indie policy (Rime is a good example).