I got to play the Ryse Demo at Comic Con 2013 this year. I wanted to play this game for two reasons. First, I love Sword and Sandal flicks set in Rome, so the idea of getting to play in this world is very appealing to me as a fanboy. The second reason why I wanted to play the game was actually to test out the next-gen console, Xbox One, which is coming out later this year.

So, what's my opinion of both? Mixed. First off, the game looks amaaaaaazing! Wow! I've never seen graphics that look this good. And that's where my love for the game ends. The gameplay (see video above from E3) is the same demo that I played at the Con. It may look great, but "playing" it kind sucks. Why? Way too many Quick Time events. I don't want to play games that give me on-screen prompts of when to hit certain buttons. The game is too restricted. I purposely tried to veer off course and go anywhere other than the fight that takes place. This isn't an "open world" game in the way the Sony people have tried to market this. You can't deviate at all. The game is basically holding your hard the entire way to play as a movie, rather than something you can explore on your own. Unless there is a complete overall of the game mechanics and gameplay structure, this will be a pass for me. Very disappointing to say the least.

As far as the console, it's a bit smaller and the Kinect looks to be small, although I never got the original Kinect so I can't make any comparisons there. The controller felt good though. Is it worth shelling out $500 on launch day? Not for me it's not. I will wait for the eventual price drop.