Polygon: Why are so many AAA titles disappointing this year?

Polygon's Friends List tackled the subject of AAA titles disappointing this year. They extended the disappointment into late 2013, as it is still only the second month of 2014. Arthus Gies and Phil Kollar go over their list of grievances, but I'm not sure that they are really hitting the nail on the head here.

Their top three contenders of disappointment are Thief, Final Fantasy 13: Lightning Returns and Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2. I think it's pretty clear that if your expectations were high on either Final Fantasy or Castlevania you were probably a bit out to lunch. Both games averaged around the low 80s on metacritic for their previous instalments and it's not particularly unbelievable that their divisive scores would only become more polarized over time. As for Thief,  I think there is an argument to be made that it's disappointing (though I've been enjoying more than most reviews seem to be scoring it). In general the feeling is that the last 8 months have been full of sequels and too much of the same.

This leaves me baffled by their list of games they're feeling bullish on: Titanfall, Dark Souls 2  and Infamous: Second Son. I'm convinced that these games are going to be good and I'm definitely very excited for all of them, but these are more sequels and games in very well trodden genres. 

The cost of early adoption and thoughts on XB1 price drop

“...why are so many happy to pay into this system that more or less plays us for suckers?”

As always early adopters in this newest generation are pretty unhappy with the state of things. No launch software of note, high prices and broken units are the pretty standard complaints that swirl around the internet for the opening weeks and months. The recent downward trend in console and handheld sales has left room open for aggressive and early price cuts (see the 3DS) compared to past generations. The fact that Microsoft is dropping their UK prices permanently this early on has riled a few feathers of the early adoption crowd. While I can sympathize with feeling a bit bummed about missing out on some savings potential, this move is pretty smart on Microsoft's part. Titanfall is clearly going to be a system seller and the Xbox One's price is a roadblock to sales parity with the PS4. Microsoft is clearly willing to swallow the losses here to build their install base.

On a side note, since his move from the now defunct PA Report, Ben has been writing what seems to be an essay a day. A good hire by Polygon.

Polygon: Thief Review

“I’m almost embarrassed to admit that despite the laundry list of problems, I often liked Thief.”

”There are elements of a better game in Thief — maybe even a great one.”

Haven't played it yet, but the scores coming in for Thief have to be a disappointment for the people at Eidos Montreal. You can't jar lightning, but the expectations were mighty high after their success with Deus Ex.