New generation not worth buying into - yet
Where are all the games? The PlayStation 4 celebrated an extremely successful launch in North America last week, shifting 1 million consoles in just 24 hours, a phenomenal achievement and proof that gamers were starving for a new console cycle to begin. But what games are being played the most on this new, tremendously powerful hardware? From what we can tell it's Call of Duty, Battlefield and FIFA, titles that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are still running pretty well.
Sure, the PS4 version of the same game is almost always significantly better, not just in terms of visuals but also in connectivity and online play. But overall it's still pretty much the same experience, especially when it comes to the single player campaigns and story telling. Is it worth paying out your hard-earned cash just to get your hands on an upgraded version of Call of Duty? We're not so sure.
Both new consoles from Sony and Microsoft will live and die by their exclusives, and unfortunately the PS4 hasn't gotten off to the best start. Critics believe that while Killzone: Shadow Fall is graphically stunning at times, it's still a bland first-person shooter that struggles to bring anything new to the party in terms of innovation. Then there's Knack, a platformer that some hoped would live up to the standards set by Crash Bandicoot, but that isn't likely with dull, repetitive gameplay.
Things will certainly brighten up when DriveClub and inFamous: Second Son arrive early next year, but while The Order: 1886 and Deep Down both look extremely interesting, they're unlikely to arrive before the summer of 2014. This leaves a lot of time between those must-buy console exclusives that an upgraded copy of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will struggle to fill.
The Xbox One will probably fare slightly better, at least at the start. I've written before about the appeal of Dead Rising 3, Ryse and Forza Motorsport 5, and there are some other interesting titles too like Zoo Tycoon and Killer Intinct that will be fun to dip in and out of. But until Titanfall launches in March - a possible Call of Duty killer - there is also reason to hold off on buying into Microsoft's plans for the future.
Both the PS4 and the Xbox One are amazing pieces of hardware that will keep hardcore and casual players hooked for years to come, but right now neither console has that one game that convinces me to upgrade. Hopefully that will change by March, but until then there's nothing wrong with sticking by the PS3 and Xbox 360.