Stephen, you mention the combat in the multiplayer arena is a "modified" version of single-player combat. Can you elaborate on this at all?
I played Ryse at an Xbox One demo event and all that was available was the arena. I'm not really sure I gather what the difference is from this review.
Also, during my demo you…

Hopefully most of the issues are just software related. It sounds like they're close, but close isn't enough for the scrutiny the console will be under in the next few weeks.

I'm a huge fan of the DS4, not so much the X1 controller.

You can take the HUD off of the screen and onto the gamepad for Assassin's Creed? That's pretty cool!

I appreciate the attempt at local multiplayer, but from experience my friends and I will abandon Wii U games pretty quickly and jump back to classic smash bros or to a board game of some kind.

That's why I think they need to cash in and pay for more exclusives. 3rd party games aren't coming on their own, there needs to be some sore of incentive. Nintendo needs to do whatever it can to attract bigger studios to the WiiU.

I think Nintendo needs to pay Ubisoft for some exclusive content. ZombiU is what I thought Wii U games would be. Instead we get a focus on playing the game on the gamepad. I understand that this is helpful in houses with lots of people, and that's who Nintendo is marketing to, but come on. We need more than 1 game…

I lost it once I saw the PS4 watch logo. Bravo Kotaku. I hope this gets cross-promoted over on Gawker.

Agreed. I booted up Halo 3 to play with my buddies back when it became free and in theater I had my saved film of when I got the overkill achievement from Lone Wolves. It was such an epic moment and I'm glad I saved it.

Well, now I'm wishing I'd budgeted for the upgraded HDD from the get go. It's a little late for that though, as now I'm in grad school and have no money to spare. This is my last luxury purchase for a while.

Really? I think Kotaku has done a pretty good job of parroting consumer interest. Microsoft has done a stellar job of reversing opinion on their console. Sony has basically stayed quiet and let the hype from E3 pull them to launch.

I remember those jam packs! At the time, I thought they were the coolest things ever. So many demos!
I also remember game specific cheat disks from magazines. Specifically final fantasy X-2. Those cheats were the reason I skipped half of that game.

Yeah, I know it's Gamefreak that makes the game. I guess I was kind of slap-dash thanking the overall entity providing me with the game.

Source? Does it have to be a specific ghost type?

I am loving all of the hidden stuff in these games. It seems Nintendo went above and beyond to make them last. I know part of this is due to hackers not being able to completely dump all of the data and mine it, but it is still super cool. Here's hoping some of these secret items and characters actually mean…

Your argument is sound, but I do have a question for you. What re your thoughts on the Xbox UI for many of those apps you mentioned? I've had a lot of issues with them on my 360, and I have a "wait an see" attitude about them on next-gen. I really don't want to preview every netflix show if I stop on its icon for…

Yeah, this is super interesting. Plus, you received such real answers! No PR spin, no marketing talk, this was about how to make games coming from the guys that make them. The tidbit about The Last Guardian and the friction caused by changing the studio up, that's great. I haven't heard about that from any other…

Interesting. Potential AZ battle down the line somewhere with him using an endgame team similar to Red? I would be in favor of that. Especially if it came as an event like Giovanni in Heart Gold and Soul Silver.

Yeah. They made such a big deal about them being back in 3 and then no matter who you chose, it was a lame story. I much preferred the non-squad stories in ME3. Specifically Thane. That guy was so awesome. Especially if you romanced him.

Wrex vs. Garrus would've been an amazing plot point. A much harder decision than Ashely vs. Kaiden.