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The Playstation 3: happy 2nd birthday buddy, you're walking all on your own! [NSF56K]
Chance
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
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It's like the monolith the monkeys touched to discover tools and weapons.
The Playstation 3 is officially 2 years old! So let us speak of things that somehow meet at the intersection of Sony and Games!
I have this nasty habit of comparing the PS3 to the 360 and getting a little... umm... how would you put it, Smashism?
Yes, quite so. I will do my damndest not to do that, and I will merely blather on about the system that just so happens to be my very favorite.How are you guys derailing this awesome thread with something as stupid as LOLCONSOLEWARZ?
And it managed to stay civilized and console fanboyless up to this point.
First? Let's address the problems, or
THE SUCKAGE
Price. When the PS3 debuted it cost a staggering $600.00. It's still the most expensive console at $399, but I like to think it's worth it. Thanks to its rock-hard reliability, plethora of features (included HDD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Blu-Ray and free online), I didn't have much of a problem paying $480+tax for my 60GB.
A big problem that's still a thorn in the side of the PS3 is something I adore about my 60GB - backwards compatibility. This goes hand-in-hand with multiple SKUs, and most people having no idea what the differences are. So I'll tell you!
In the beginning, there were 2 different versions of the PS3. There are two currently in production, but out in the world a total of 7 variations on the standard hardware exist. Yes, I know... The only thing you really need to worry about is PS2 backwards compatibility or perhaps simply hard disk space. Oh, and if (like me) this took you a long time to figure out, NTSC = North America, PAL = the UK, Australia, New Zealand etc.
When discussing backwards compatibility and the PS3, one should also note:
While we're on the subject of things being not-quite-rosy in Sony Land, we may as well make note of where the current Console War stands. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but Nintendo is the winner. Lets say this [] = a million units.
Nintendo Wii - 40.48 million units sold.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
Microsoft Xbox 360 - 24.86 million units sold
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Sony Playstation 3 - 17.88 million units sold
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
And, really... I'm... okay with that. I'm not thrilled, but... really it's a race for 2nd place and Sony's only 7 million units behind... which is like... seven thousand times a thousand so that's...
/sigh.
But the PS3's only been out 2 years compared to the 360's 3 years! So when you think about it, it's not doin' so bad after all ^.^
One should also note that two exclusives - one major - ended up sucking the donkey's balls. No one really cared enough to raise a stink when they discovered
Haze
stunk, but the hugely anticipated Lair 
has become synonymous with overhyped failure, and not even a patch to fix the godawful sixaxis controls could save it. Frankly a surprising turn of events, since this is a shooter from the dudes who made Time Splitters and a flying combat game from the X-wing crew. For shame!
A big problem that's still a thorn in the side of the PS3 is something I adore about my 60GB - backwards compatibility. This goes hand-in-hand with multiple SKUs, and most people having no idea what the differences are. So I'll tell you!
In the beginning, there were 2 different versions of the PS3. There are two currently in production, but out in the world a total of 7 variations on the standard hardware exist. Yes, I know... The only thing you really need to worry about is PS2 backwards compatibility or perhaps simply hard disk space. Oh, and if (like me) this took you a long time to figure out, NTSC = North America, PAL = the UK, Australia, New Zealand etc.
- 20GB (NTSC) 2006
Fully backward compatible (hardware)
No longer in production - 40GB (NTSC, PAL) 2007
No PS2 compatibility
No longer in production - 60GB (NTSC) 2006
Fully backward compatible (hardware)
No longer in production - 60GB (PAL) 2007
Backward compatible (software)
No longer in production - 80GB (NTSC) 2007
Backward compatible (software)
No longer in production - 80GB (NTSC, PAL) 2008
No PS2 compatibility
Currently available - 160GB (PAL, NTSC) Oct and Nov '08
No PS2 compatibility
Currently available / will be soon.
When discussing backwards compatibility and the PS3, one should also note:
- all PS3s are fully compatible with Playstation 1 games
- PS1 and PS2 games are still region-locked. You cannot play the JP version of Oneechambara on your PS3
- PS3 games are NOT region locked. You can enjoy your Asia copy of Siren on your NTSC PS3.
While we're on the subject of things being not-quite-rosy in Sony Land, we may as well make note of where the current Console War stands. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but Nintendo is the winner. Lets say this [] = a million units.
Nintendo Wii - 40.48 million units sold.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
Microsoft Xbox 360 - 24.86 million units sold
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Sony Playstation 3 - 17.88 million units sold
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
And, really... I'm... okay with that. I'm not thrilled, but... really it's a race for 2nd place and Sony's only 7 million units behind... which is like... seven thousand times a thousand so that's...
/sigh.
But the PS3's only been out 2 years compared to the 360's 3 years! So when you think about it, it's not doin' so bad after all ^.^
One should also note that two exclusives - one major - ended up sucking the donkey's balls. No one really cared enough to raise a stink when they discovered
Haze
stunk, but the hugely anticipated Lair has become synonymous with overhyped failure, and not even a patch to fix the godawful sixaxis controls could save it. Frankly a surprising turn of events, since this is a shooter from the dudes who made Time Splitters and a flying combat game from the X-wing crew. For shame!But even with a less-than-stellar launch and confusing SKUs, the PS3 has been steadily improving in all categories - though price seems stuck at a pesky $400.00. Let's take a moment to examine what the PS3 had to overcome in a section I like to call
THE STRUGGLES
Big Competition
The PS3 had a bit of a rocky start. First of all, that other high-def system had been out since like, forever (Nov '05), and already had a very decent library of titles.
I'm pleased to say I am not pictured in that comic - I got my PS3 just this past spring at a Blockbuster of all places - but it's true, I'm not sure I would have wanted to own a PS3 prior to this year. Now there's a pretty-damn-big library out there, chock-full of awesome exclusives I love. But that's not the only place the PS3 has improved.
Online
Damn, was it actually like this? That would fucking suck. Thankfully, by the time I got on board the process was more like this:
"Click on what you want."
"Do you really want it?"
"It's yours now, you're already downloading it, and you can download it as many times as you want should you choose to delete it."
Bad Ports
I couldn't find a comic to illustrate the point, but any discussion about the PS3's rise to relevance must include a note about 360 ports. Being the high-def system that's sold best in NA (2:1 vs the PS3), most western games are first made for the 360 before being ported over to the more-complex PS3 hardware. It took about 14 months for all the kinks to get aired out, and I'm pleased to say the era of sucky PS3 ports seems to be over. It's a shame The Orange Box was one of the last victims of this phenomenon, but at least only TF2 really sucked thanks to its laggy online, with Half Life 2 and Portal emerging mostly unscathed.
More recent multiplat attempts like Dead Space look gorgeous on both consoles, Fallout 3 is buggy no matter what system you play it on, and Mirror's Edge actually had the PS3 as the lead platform.
Motion Control
Sixaxis/Dualshock 3... I like that you're Bluetooth. I like that you're essentially the PS2 dualshock I fell in love with. I like that I can recharge you with an off-the-shelf USB cable.
And I fucking hate your motion controls. Maybe if some asshat at Factor 5 had never suggested using it, Lair would be a must-have instead of a must-burn-to-destroy-the-demons (and let's face it, within that best-case-scenario Lair would still suck), but work has been done to improve motion controls over the years.
The changes are not so severe. Instead, well-implemented sixaxis controls in games like Ratchet & Clank Future (the hacking minigame, the glider), Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (the jump-backwards mechanic is brilliant) and supremely simple variations like MGS4's camo-wipe and Little Big Planet's dance/head controls take some of the sting away from the horrid, not-quite-there mechanics of yesterday.
When it works it's intuitive and it works great. When it doesn't you're just real, real happy that most games are wise enough to let you turn it the fuck off (GTA IV).
Dick Clark
It's also worth noting that while Sony was trying to get people to buy the PS3, some of the best games of 2007 were appearing on - tada! - the PS2.
God of War 2, Persona 3 and Odin Sphere all showed that the PS2 wasn't dead yet. And frankly awesome shit like that kept me satisfied with my PS2 until spring '08. And it's not even over yet! Persona 4 is coming out inside of a month!
I wonder if the PS2 will ever die. It's like the Dick Clark of video game consoles.
Bishies run Wild
While on the subject of JRPGs (a staple of the hugely popular PS2), it's worth noting that they've been conspicuously absent from the PS3's lineup.
And as it currently stands, only 3 come to mind. There's good 'ol Folklore (75 on Metacritic), Disgaea 3 (78) and Valkyria Chronicles (86), the current tenant of my gamer's heart and a mercilessly excellent rpg. I wonder what Tycho would say about it. Oh wait, no I don't: "Valkyria Chronicles is very, very simply one of the best games this year." -Tycho
One should also point out JRPGs have been conspicuously present on the 360 - known to be a rather unpopular console in the land of the rising sun. There's Tales of Vesperia (82) leading the pack, Lost Odyssey(78), Blue Dragon (79) hovering just below 80%, and Infinite Undiscovery with a pretty sad (68).
Of course, if one wants to quickly end the Metacritic score = best RPG argument they need only cite western RPG and noted anal rape simulator Mass Effect (91), or perhaps point out that Fallout 3 is multiplatform.
The 360 still has Star Ocean 4 coming up, and it gets a headstart on The Last Remnant before that goes multiplat with PS3 and a Windows version. But, PS3 still gets White Knight - and at some point in the impenetrable mists of time, we both get FFXIII - which I refuse to admit is a bad thing.
The PS3 had a bit of a rocky start. First of all, that other high-def system had been out since like, forever (Nov '05), and already had a very decent library of titles.
Online
"Click on what you want."
"Do you really want it?"
"It's yours now, you're already downloading it, and you can download it as many times as you want should you choose to delete it."
Bad Ports
I couldn't find a comic to illustrate the point, but any discussion about the PS3's rise to relevance must include a note about 360 ports. Being the high-def system that's sold best in NA (2:1 vs the PS3), most western games are first made for the 360 before being ported over to the more-complex PS3 hardware. It took about 14 months for all the kinks to get aired out, and I'm pleased to say the era of sucky PS3 ports seems to be over. It's a shame The Orange Box was one of the last victims of this phenomenon, but at least only TF2 really sucked thanks to its laggy online, with Half Life 2 and Portal emerging mostly unscathed.
More recent multiplat attempts like Dead Space look gorgeous on both consoles, Fallout 3 is buggy no matter what system you play it on, and Mirror's Edge actually had the PS3 as the lead platform.
Motion Control
Sixaxis/Dualshock 3... I like that you're Bluetooth. I like that you're essentially the PS2 dualshock I fell in love with. I like that I can recharge you with an off-the-shelf USB cable.
And I fucking hate your motion controls. Maybe if some asshat at Factor 5 had never suggested using it, Lair would be a must-have instead of a must-burn-to-destroy-the-demons (and let's face it, within that best-case-scenario Lair would still suck), but work has been done to improve motion controls over the years.
When it works it's intuitive and it works great. When it doesn't you're just real, real happy that most games are wise enough to let you turn it the fuck off (GTA IV).
Dick Clark
It's also worth noting that while Sony was trying to get people to buy the PS3, some of the best games of 2007 were appearing on - tada! - the PS2.
I wonder if the PS2 will ever die. It's like the Dick Clark of video game consoles.
Bishies run Wild
While on the subject of JRPGs (a staple of the hugely popular PS2), it's worth noting that they've been conspicuously absent from the PS3's lineup.
And as it currently stands, only 3 come to mind. There's good 'ol Folklore (75 on Metacritic), Disgaea 3 (78) and Valkyria Chronicles (86), the current tenant of my gamer's heart and a mercilessly excellent rpg. I wonder what Tycho would say about it. Oh wait, no I don't: "Valkyria Chronicles is very, very simply one of the best games this year." -Tycho
One should also point out JRPGs have been conspicuously present on the 360 - known to be a rather unpopular console in the land of the rising sun. There's Tales of Vesperia (82) leading the pack, Lost Odyssey(78), Blue Dragon (79) hovering just below 80%, and Infinite Undiscovery with a pretty sad (68).
Of course, if one wants to quickly end the Metacritic score = best RPG argument they need only cite western RPG and noted anal rape simulator Mass Effect (91), or perhaps point out that Fallout 3 is multiplatform.
The 360 still has Star Ocean 4 coming up, and it gets a headstart on The Last Remnant before that goes multiplat with PS3 and a Windows version. But, PS3 still gets White Knight - and at some point in the impenetrable mists of time, we both get FFXIII - which I refuse to admit is a bad thing.
Moving on from dipping our toes into OMFGRPGCONSOLEWARZ! territory, I think the best way to end this OP is with a long gander at what makes the PS3 special - what makes it my console of choice - or to put it simply,
THE AWESOME features
if you weren't hardware, and made of plastic too
I'd buy you a diamond ring, and then I'd marry you
Folding@home
Before we get into the exclusives, let's take a moment to give a nod to what the PS3 can do - and what those others can't or won't. First off? Cure cancer. Exqueeze me? Baking powder? I thought you said the PS3 is trying to cure cancer.I'd buy you a diamond ring, and then I'd marry you
Folding@home
That's right, fucker. Cure cancer. If you'd like someone with a larger vocabulary than I to explain it, click on the image above to go to the official Folding@home page, or just go to the Life at Home icon under the network tab in the PS3's XMB. What's the deal, precisely?
Well, your body is made up of all kinds of crazy shit. Sometimes that shit doesn't work exactly like it's supposed to - a one-in-a-million fluke that ends up causing oh, say, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, Mad Cow, and various kinds of cancers. Folding@home seeks to help understand the infinite permutations of "protein folding", and their relation to these diseases. This is where you come in. Yes, you!
Because the permutations and possibilities of protein folding are nearly without end, it would take a helluva lot more than one computer to run all the simulations. It would take more than five, or ten, or a thousand. It'll take whole bunches. Like a whole bunch of PS3s.
The client can also be downloaded to any PC and it can run on the unused 1% of your CPU's capabilities, or be set to run as your screensaver. And, just in case you think this whole thing is bullshit that will never yield any actual results, I suggest you give this a read - that's all the papers that have been published following discoveries made with Folding@home.
Open Platform
I'm not gonna' name any names, but I've heard some other consoles that have these super-expensive peripherals and such, and you're pretty much obliged to pay whatever they hell they want to charge simply because no one else's gear will work on their console.Sony didn't go that rout. I wanted a keyboard for perusing online and sending XMB messages, so I strolled into a local Best Buy and picked up an off-the-shelf USB keyboard. Works great. Also, a Logitech USB headset - also works great! Also, the fucking hard drive. Sony isn't going to charge you through the nose for their super-special PS3-only HDD. Go to any computer store, buy an off-the-shelf laptop-sized hard drive and you can swap it into your PS3. Don't know how to do that? They cover that in the manual. The PS3 is a system the makers want you to enjoy.
Heck, you can install Linux on it if you want.
Blu-ray
There's also Blu-ray. BR is touted by the Official Playstation Dudes as the biggest deal. We here in Forum Land don't often sing its praises, but since we're talking up the PS3, why not? There was some bloodless war between this format and that format, and this format won! Yeeha! We are the VHS to your Beta, except in this case the format of higher quality actually won!Blu-Ray kicked your ass, HD-DVD! It has more storage space! The PS3 is still the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market, and thanks to its wireless connectivity it can download the necessary updates to run any bloody BR a helluva lot easier than that $1000 Samsung affair.
If you want to see movies in high def, BR may be the second coming, but... yeah, that makes me a little tired too. I don't give a crap about BR either (and won't, until there's a Blu-Ray of Yojimbo). I just wanna' play games - something my PS3 seems to love accommodating.
No Region Lock
Would ya look at that! Someone actually sent away to Hong Kong to get a disc copy of Siren: Blood Curse. I wonder how much they had to pay some foul backalley modder to get their PS3 to actually play the foreign disc!Nothing. The PS3 is region-free, baby! See some super-duper Japanese release (Afrika) that you just can't wait to play? You don't have to! Your PS3 can play Japanese/PAL games, and a Japanese player could have imported GTA IV with no trouble.
One should note, PS1 and PS2 games are still region-locked >.< Anyway - enough general kudos - on to the games!
Edit: Oh, wait, wait wait...
PAL GAMES.
There's an issue with importing PAL games. Not a major one. Most gamers on these forums are rockin' the HDTVs - and if you are among them, you should know no fear when it comes to importing that disc copy of Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty from the UK. However, PAL games are designed to pump out a signal that's compatible with PAL SDTVs, which is different from NA and JP SDTVs. If you try to play a PAL game on a NA PS3, it will run - but it will put out a signal for a PAL TV, which will be garbled and unplayable on your NA TV.
Switching to HDTV fixes this problem, as HDMI is a worldwide standard. So yes, the PS3 is totally region-free, but PAL titles are designed for PAL SDTVs. HDTV? No problem.
Now, on to the games.
THE AWESOME exclusives
This section will consist of solid exclusives that make me really, really glad I own a PS3. If your deal is racing, survival horror, stealth - whatever - the PS3 has a title that'll make you pee. Just a little.
The WEIRD STUFF to DOWNLOAD
Sony's never had a problem supporting just-a-little-crazy devs who want to try stuff that's different. Pixeljunk Eden is a psychedelic nature-friendly platformer, Echochrome is an MC Escher inspired puzzler, and flOw is... how the fuck do you describe flOw in a single sentence?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
Pixeljunk Eden, Echochrome and flOw.
$10-15 for download.
Edit: In the late December PSN update, we scored a PSN game called
WARNING: The spoiler'd pics below are spoiler'd for HUGE. Beware the H-scroll!
The HORROR
Siren: Blood Curse
Siren is one of my personal faves of this gen, and something that the PS3 was kinda' built for. You can download this whole damn game, and it all looks like that screenshot - incredible. Also, if you wanna' look at true survival horror of the current gen, Siren's still the best-rated. Sorry, Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark.
If you're in the UK you can buy it on a Blu-Ray, or you could have just imported the Asian version from Hong Kong this past summer 'cause you couldn't wait... like this one nerd I know who's totally not me.
Okay, it is me.
$40 for download.
In-depth info - (I will liberally crib from Wiki in these sections and give no credit, to save space)
The first Siren game appeared in late '03 (JP) early '04 (the rest) on PS2. The most notable aspect of Siren's development is that it was co-conceived and directed by Keiichirō Toyama, who had previously directed the original Silent Hill. Other former members of Team Silent, Naoko Satō and Isao Takahashi, also had critical roles in Siren's creation.
Siren is noted as the first survival horror title to combine stealth gameplay and survival horror - which is a bloody brilliant idea. Stealth games like MGS, Tenchu and Hitman are already tension-filled, but when the NPCs you're sneaking past are the maniacal walking dead it adds a whole new facet to the classic formula of both genres. Add in the ability to 'sight jack' - seeing through the eyes of your enemies and allies - and the immersive terror reaches new heights.
There is a huge amount to love in the first Siren. The story is incredibly complex and intricate, the game itself is huge boasting over 30 hours of gameplay for a single playthrough, the technology is astounding, with the most unnerving faces I've ever seen on the PS2, the music and overall sound design is brilliant, and the art direction is never less than perfect. However, the original Siren had two problems - one that sealed its fate Stateside.
(1) An abysmal VO. This is nothing new for localizations, and really the least of Siren's problems. The real problem was (2) difficulty. And when I say difficulty, you may get the wrong impression. You may think the game was challenging, and with sufficient insight into the designer's expectations or practice the game would be one of those lovely experiences that punishes you only to feel that much more satisfying when you finally best this boss or that area.
No. Siren was just hard. Way too hard. Stupid-hard. Arbitrarily hard. Satisfaction of defeating this boss or that area is usually masked by an overwhelming "thank FUCK I don't have to do that again!" It's not charming-challenging, it's not Contra-challenging, it is stupid-hard - and it stops being any fun after not-too-long.
Appearing in PAL countries as 'Forbidden Siren', it did much better in Japan and PAL areas than the US, where it sold an abysmal 112,000 copies. We in NA were denied Siren 2, which delivered a less-involved story but got the less-than-perfect controls and out-of-control difficulty under reigns. A shame - if SCEA had risked a release of Siren 2 here, we may have gotten a Blood Curse BR.
*
Siren's history in NA is important, because it leads us to major changes in Blood Curse compared to the rest of the series. After such horrible performance in NA, SCE's Japan Studio decided to make huge changes to the current-gen update of the series to appeal to NA gamers. Gone are the uniformly Japanese cast, gone are the useless localization VOs, and (in the case of Siren 2) gone are the 2 different tracks - one English and one JP with subtitles (which was a sweet idea).
In Blood Curse, a huge Americanization has occurred. 80% of the central cast are now Americans visiting Japan, and they speak in their native English. The other 20% are denizens of the village, who speak their Japanese. In addition, the controls have been tightened - it plays like a dream. In addition, it is (very possibly) way too easy until you reach the final few chapters.
In nearly all regards, this works to make a better game (if you're a NA player). As a Canadian, I personally felt more immersed playing as an American in this alien land, feeling perhaps the same culture shock and disconnect they did. For a Japanese or PAL player (who historically supported the franchise), I can't say what I'd think of it.
Many would suggest S:BC is to Siren 1 as The Ring is to Ringu - and this isn't the case, really. The Ring was an American-made movie remake of a Japanese movie. Blood Curse is a Japanese-made remake of a Japanese game, involving the same team that made the original - and given that North America is the single largest PS3 market in the world, I can understand why they made the changes they did.
I just hope enough of us bought it to get a Blu-ray release of the next one.
Siren is noted as the first survival horror title to combine stealth gameplay and survival horror - which is a bloody brilliant idea. Stealth games like MGS, Tenchu and Hitman are already tension-filled, but when the NPCs you're sneaking past are the maniacal walking dead it adds a whole new facet to the classic formula of both genres. Add in the ability to 'sight jack' - seeing through the eyes of your enemies and allies - and the immersive terror reaches new heights.
There is a huge amount to love in the first Siren. The story is incredibly complex and intricate, the game itself is huge boasting over 30 hours of gameplay for a single playthrough, the technology is astounding, with the most unnerving faces I've ever seen on the PS2, the music and overall sound design is brilliant, and the art direction is never less than perfect. However, the original Siren had two problems - one that sealed its fate Stateside.
(1) An abysmal VO. This is nothing new for localizations, and really the least of Siren's problems. The real problem was (2) difficulty. And when I say difficulty, you may get the wrong impression. You may think the game was challenging, and with sufficient insight into the designer's expectations or practice the game would be one of those lovely experiences that punishes you only to feel that much more satisfying when you finally best this boss or that area.
No. Siren was just hard. Way too hard. Stupid-hard. Arbitrarily hard. Satisfaction of defeating this boss or that area is usually masked by an overwhelming "thank FUCK I don't have to do that again!" It's not charming-challenging, it's not Contra-challenging, it is stupid-hard - and it stops being any fun after not-too-long.
Appearing in PAL countries as 'Forbidden Siren', it did much better in Japan and PAL areas than the US, where it sold an abysmal 112,000 copies. We in NA were denied Siren 2, which delivered a less-involved story but got the less-than-perfect controls and out-of-control difficulty under reigns. A shame - if SCEA had risked a release of Siren 2 here, we may have gotten a Blood Curse BR.
*
Siren's history in NA is important, because it leads us to major changes in Blood Curse compared to the rest of the series. After such horrible performance in NA, SCE's Japan Studio decided to make huge changes to the current-gen update of the series to appeal to NA gamers. Gone are the uniformly Japanese cast, gone are the useless localization VOs, and (in the case of Siren 2) gone are the 2 different tracks - one English and one JP with subtitles (which was a sweet idea).
In Blood Curse, a huge Americanization has occurred. 80% of the central cast are now Americans visiting Japan, and they speak in their native English. The other 20% are denizens of the village, who speak their Japanese. In addition, the controls have been tightened - it plays like a dream. In addition, it is (very possibly) way too easy until you reach the final few chapters.
In nearly all regards, this works to make a better game (if you're a NA player). As a Canadian, I personally felt more immersed playing as an American in this alien land, feeling perhaps the same culture shock and disconnect they did. For a Japanese or PAL player (who historically supported the franchise), I can't say what I'd think of it.
Many would suggest S:BC is to Siren 1 as The Ring is to Ringu - and this isn't the case, really. The Ring was an American-made movie remake of a Japanese movie. Blood Curse is a Japanese-made remake of a Japanese game, involving the same team that made the original - and given that North America is the single largest PS3 market in the world, I can understand why they made the changes they did.
I just hope enough of us bought it to get a Blu-ray release of the next one.
The SPEED
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
WipEout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
In-depth info -
Since 2000, Gran Turismo has been the - that was the tagline it used? 'The real driving simulator," I think, and since the days of PS1 (where it was the single best-selling game on the system) it's been true. Wiki says...
The appeal of the Gran Turismo series is due significantly to the graphics, the number of licensed vehicles, the extent and detail of simulation, and the ability to tune performance. Handling is modeled on real-life driving impressions, tuning based on principles of physics, and sound on recordings of real-life vehicles. The game has been a flagship for the PlayStation console's graphics capabilities, and is often used to demonstrate the system's potential.
Which I couldn't put better myself. Before I had my own piece of Sony hardware, GT (along the MGS) was always the game that my friends carted out to showcase the system's graphics and make me 'ooh' and 'ahh'. Very little has changed in the history of GT - it's always been the prettiest girl on the block, and has always been utterly unforgiving once you start playing it (must... resist... dirty pun!), so let's move on to WipEout.
*
(Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this)
WipEout was a sleeper hit of the PS1, where it first appeared in '95, after which it fell off the radar of many gamers despite subsequent iterations on the Saturn, N64 and PS2. No WipEout game has ever ended up with a metascore of less than 70, but opinions on the later titles seem to be all over the map.
The series received new attention when it moved to the PSP with WipEout Pure ('05) and WipEout Pulse ('07), which is credited with the resurgence of interest in the series and generating anticipation for the PS3 iteration.
Despite a relatively short track list (the curse of downloadable gaming!), WipEout's reasonable price, boggling graphics and adherence to the series' formula has garnered it the best reviews since the original WipEout and WipEout XL on the PS1.
The appeal of the Gran Turismo series is due significantly to the graphics, the number of licensed vehicles, the extent and detail of simulation, and the ability to tune performance. Handling is modeled on real-life driving impressions, tuning based on principles of physics, and sound on recordings of real-life vehicles. The game has been a flagship for the PlayStation console's graphics capabilities, and is often used to demonstrate the system's potential.
Which I couldn't put better myself. Before I had my own piece of Sony hardware, GT (along the MGS) was always the game that my friends carted out to showcase the system's graphics and make me 'ooh' and 'ahh'. Very little has changed in the history of GT - it's always been the prettiest girl on the block, and has always been utterly unforgiving once you start playing it (must... resist... dirty pun!), so let's move on to WipEout.
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(Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this)
WipEout was a sleeper hit of the PS1, where it first appeared in '95, after which it fell off the radar of many gamers despite subsequent iterations on the Saturn, N64 and PS2. No WipEout game has ever ended up with a metascore of less than 70, but opinions on the later titles seem to be all over the map.
The series received new attention when it moved to the PSP with WipEout Pure ('05) and WipEout Pulse ('07), which is credited with the resurgence of interest in the series and generating anticipation for the PS3 iteration.
Despite a relatively short track list (the curse of downloadable gaming!), WipEout's reasonable price, boggling graphics and adherence to the series' formula has garnered it the best reviews since the original WipEout and WipEout XL on the PS1.
The CRASHES
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
Motorstorm and Motorstorm Pacific Rift
In particular, I'm reminded of a video review (I think it was Reviews on the Run) where both reviewers pointed out that this, finally, was the advent of Next Gen gaming. Insane jumps, insane crashes, gorgeous graphics, little touches like tire tracks that persist for an entire race, multiple routs per track and a maxed-out fun factor make Motorstorm the single most important racer on the PS3 to date. Yes, that includes you, GT5: Prologue. Come back when you're worth $60!
In-depth info -
I honestly don't know shit about these games. I know less about Motorstorm than I do about Gears. So if you know Motorstorm, write up some info and I'll be happy to post it. Just don't post a link to Wiki - that's the coward's way out!
The (epic) STEALTH
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
If you don't know who Solid Snake is, you may not like this game. If the idea of someone pointing their fingertips at you like gun barrels and saying "pretty good!" doesn't give you a childlike grin, I can be of no service to you.
'Cause if you know who Snake is and what "pretty good!" means, you've already beaten this phenomenal title.
In-depth info -
Okay, so maybe Metal Gear wasn't the first stealth game, but Resident Evil wasn't the first survival horror - we still credit it with the birth of a genre because it managed to popularize it and thrust the concept onto the mainstage long enough for imitators to take notice.
Once it added the 'Solid', the Metal Gear games became synonymous with production values and polish. On the PS1, PS2 and PS3, they have always been the titles that allowed an owner to proudly point to the screen and say "you've never seen anything that looked like this!" Beyond the pretty veneer, Metal Gear is a series that just keeps on giving. I don't mean to me personally (though it has) or to people who've played the Metal Gear titles in particular (though it does) - I mean to videogames as a whole.
Now sometimes, this ain't always a good thing. Y'know how they'll sometimes (often) shoehorn a shitty stealth sequence into an otherwise fine-to-middling action title? Well... thank Metal Gear for that.
On the other hand though, without the series we wouldn't have...
I choose you, Wikipedia!
These are just games that changed up the formula of stealth and contributed to the genre, but you see how this shit can spread. While we're at it, I'll just add...
But don't think that those followers deserve all the credit for innovation in the stealth genre. Every single Metal Gear game has a place on that list, with something new and unique it added to the stealth stew...
Personally I think - beyond the obvious - two of the most important things Metal Gear Solid in particular has given to video games is the cinematic conceit - games that try to tell a story in the style of an action film (however insane and convoluted that story may be) and take that seriously, and dynamic camera angles. Y'know how in a lot of action games when you press up against a wall, the camera will move to peek around the corner? Thank Metal Gear Solid for that.
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I've been playing Metal Gear since before they added the Solid, and every game is such a... pleasure. My brother and I spent countless hours trying to best the original (on the NES, yes I know it was a crappy port), Metal Gear Solid was absolutely breathtaking the first time you saw it. I remember my girlfriend's little brother carting out MGS2 in order to wow me with the graphics of his newly acquired PS2 and being absolutely stunned by it. Every single time a game comes out on a console with Metal Gear in the title, you're in for one helluva ride. Every single time, it's an experience that won't be matched elsewhere.
In fact, the other day I was pondering all these GOTY '08 lists, and thinking of the current lineup of killer titles. At first, my response was "Well, Fallout 3 deserves it. GTA IV deserves it. Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and Gears of War all deserve a game-of-the-year nod. And if three of those games didn't exist? Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Prince of Persia would deserve it too." It's a helluva year for games, and frankly I couldn't decide what my GOTY was.
Then I asked myself, "well, which game gave you the most pleasure?" Oh that's easy. Metal Gear Solid 4. I can't remember the last time I felt so much unrelenting joy while playing a video game. So it gets the bump.
Metal Gear Solid 4. Sofa King Good.
Once it added the 'Solid', the Metal Gear games became synonymous with production values and polish. On the PS1, PS2 and PS3, they have always been the titles that allowed an owner to proudly point to the screen and say "you've never seen anything that looked like this!" Beyond the pretty veneer, Metal Gear is a series that just keeps on giving. I don't mean to me personally (though it has) or to people who've played the Metal Gear titles in particular (though it does) - I mean to videogames as a whole.
Now sometimes, this ain't always a good thing. Y'know how they'll sometimes (often) shoehorn a shitty stealth sequence into an otherwise fine-to-middling action title? Well... thank Metal Gear for that.
On the other hand though, without the series we wouldn't have...
I choose you, Wikipedia!
- Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1998): First 3D stealth game, and the first 3D stealth game on a console.
- Thief: The Dark Project (1998): First 3D stealth game on the PC. First to rely on light and shadow to hide, instead of just line-of-sight. Also the first to use audio, such as hearing footsteps and eavesdropping on conversations, as the primary means of keeping track of unseen foes.
- Deus Ex (2000): First game to allow stealth and action to be equally viable means towards completing objectives.
- Hitman: Codename 47 (2000): First 3D stealth game to allow the player to obtain disguises from any enemy, and the first stealth game to focus on "hiding in plain sight."
- Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (2003): First commercial stealth game to incorporate cooperative multiplayer.
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004): First to incorporate stealth based "hide and seek" gameplay into versus multiplayer.
- Shinobido: Way of the Ninja (2006): First stealth game to offer open-ended mission selection. Missions change based on who you are allied with, how much they trust you, and how skilled you are at stealth. (Don't bother trying to look up Shinobido unless you have a modded PS2. It's made by the original crew that put together Tenchu, and it's Japan only.)
These are just games that changed up the formula of stealth and contributed to the genre, but you see how this shit can spread. While we're at it, I'll just add...
- Sly Cooper and the Thevius Raccoonus (2002): first modern stealth game aimed specifically at children, complete with cartoony cell-shaded graphics, beautiful illustrative (take that, PoP!) art style and goofy characters.
But don't think that those followers deserve all the credit for innovation in the stealth genre. Every single Metal Gear game has a place on that list, with something new and unique it added to the stealth stew...
- Metal Gear (1987): First mainstream stealth game and first stealth game on a console (NES).
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990): First stealth game to include the ability to hide in areas guards can't search, and the first to feature guards that respond to noises other than gunshots, thus introducing the ability to distract guards.
- Metal Gear Solid (1998): First mainstream 3D stealth game. (I would've called it cinematic).
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001): First 3D stealth game to feature a collective artificial intelligence for enemy guards working in squads (where they interact and communicate with each other), and the ability to prevent an enemy guard from calling for backup on his radio after the player is spotted
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004): First stealth game to incorporate camouflage as a means of hiding (another form of "hiding in plain sight").
Personally I think - beyond the obvious - two of the most important things Metal Gear Solid in particular has given to video games is the cinematic conceit - games that try to tell a story in the style of an action film (however insane and convoluted that story may be) and take that seriously, and dynamic camera angles. Y'know how in a lot of action games when you press up against a wall, the camera will move to peek around the corner? Thank Metal Gear Solid for that.
*
I've been playing Metal Gear since before they added the Solid, and every game is such a... pleasure. My brother and I spent countless hours trying to best the original (on the NES, yes I know it was a crappy port), Metal Gear Solid was absolutely breathtaking the first time you saw it. I remember my girlfriend's little brother carting out MGS2 in order to wow me with the graphics of his newly acquired PS2 and being absolutely stunned by it. Every single time a game comes out on a console with Metal Gear in the title, you're in for one helluva ride. Every single time, it's an experience that won't be matched elsewhere.
In fact, the other day I was pondering all these GOTY '08 lists, and thinking of the current lineup of killer titles. At first, my response was "Well, Fallout 3 deserves it. GTA IV deserves it. Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and Gears of War all deserve a game-of-the-year nod. And if three of those games didn't exist? Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Prince of Persia would deserve it too." It's a helluva year for games, and frankly I couldn't decide what my GOTY was.
Then I asked myself, "well, which game gave you the most pleasure?" Oh that's easy. Metal Gear Solid 4. I can't remember the last time I felt so much unrelenting joy while playing a video game. So it gets the bump.
Metal Gear Solid 4. Sofa King Good.
Continued below.
'Chance, you are the best kind of whore.' -Henroid
Chance on
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This discussion has been closed.
Posts
The ANTHROPOMORPHIC SPACE WOMBAT
Ratchet & Clank Future : Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty
Nobody does platforming-plus-shooting better. Quest for Booty, a 3-6 hour epilogue to Tools of Destruction is well worth $15 - and it's worth noting it's available on Blu-Ray if you're lucky enough to live in the UK (for about twice as much).
In-depth info -
Insomniac then created Ratchet & Clank, and goddamnit if it wasn't one of the most enjoyable, beautiful, fun games I'd ever played. The first time Ratchet stepped out of the space ship to the whizzing traffic and space-bop music of Metropolis on the PS2, I was hooked. My favorite of the PS2 trilogy is still Going Commando, which nailed down the control scheme and expanded Ratchet & Clank's universe. Up Your Arsenal maintains Insomniac's 'uniform quality', but I feel it lacks a touch of the giddy charm the earlier titles enjoyed.
R&C Future takes itself a touch (only the slightest touch!) more seriously than its PS2 counterparts, but makes up for it with better storytelling and voice work. The gameplay, of course, is rock-solid (though I would have preferred space combat akin to UYA's, instead of the very-very-pretty rails shooting we got), and when it came out most reviewers were identifying it as the best-looking game ever made.
God I can't wait for Future 2.
The STRATEGIC SHOOTER
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
It's a strategic shooter. On a harder mode, you need to know exactly what you're doing every single step of the way - because if you misjudge this shot or that enemy's behavior, you're a dead fortune hunter. Add some of (if not the) best graphics of this generation, amazing voice work and writing, endearing characters and - and I stand by this statement - the very best cutscenes, period, and you've got an instant classic.
In-depth info -
Honestly. I tried that demo on PSN, and it kicked the holy crap out of me. It beat me six ways from Sunday and sent me home crying to mother. But everyone kept talking about it. People on the forums - my little brothers' friends - wouldn't shut up about Uncharted! Surely there was... something here worth taking part in!
So I gave it a rent. And yeah, it was good. Really good. I summed it up when my little brother asked - "it's definitely worth a purchase," I shrugged. Yeah it's good, really good. There's lots of really good stuff out there. I mean sure, it's polished to a mirror shine. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The voice work and writing, animation and technology all set the bar for other PS3 titles to meet. And the gameplay was solid, but nothing that really blew my mind. A third-person shooter with a cover system. Yes, I'd heard of that - when it was called Gears of War.
And when I found it for $40 at a used game shop, I gave it a purchase (a decision I've regretted ever since, it's worth $60 and I shoulda' paid $60 - Naughty Dog deserves my sixty), played through it once and shelved it until the trophy patch came out.
And that trophy patch opened my eyes. The Normal difficulty had bloodied my nose enough times that I wasn't prepared to attempt Hard mode before, but with a gleaming Platinum Trophy on the horizon, I was determined to give it a shot! And man oh man.
This game is as close to perfect as I've ever played. It is beautiful, it is fun, it is funny, it is touching. Nobody can tell me Uncharted isn't a phenomenal game. Well, they could - but they've never beaten it on Crushing. I know this for a fact, 'cause if you've beaten Uncharted on Crushing, you'd know better.
Let's all rub our hands with glee at the idea of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, shall we?
The MULTIPLAYER
Warhawk
Whether you take on your foes by foot, by jeep or tank, by turret or rocket launcher or the titular Warhawks, this game is perfectly balanced to give everyone a fair shake.
It's also noted that it doesn't have a learning curve once online so much as a learning wall of pain, but once that is breached I've heard nothing but positive things about Warhawk.
Downloadable for $40.
In-depth info -
I get the sense if I ever invested any time in Warhawk, it would repay me tenfold - like Virtua Fighter or MGS - but I'm not prepared to take that risk. If you know more about Warhawk than I do (which is likely) and you'd like to write up a few hundred words about it, lemmie know and here's where they'll go.
The HARDCORE'S HARDCORE
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
The 360 has more traditional JRPGs, but the PS3 has cornered the market on Japanese strategy! Disgaea is The Hardcore SRPG for Hardcore Hardcores. Hardcore. Intimidating to say the least, this is a game that features 100-floor dungeons for leveling up your sword. Though not, perhaps, the prettiest game on the block, purists will swear by Disgaea - and I will keep far away from it, cowering and whimpering in the corner like a well-beaten stepchild.
In-depth info -
And I thought getting a Shammy and Rogue to 70 in WoW last year was impressive. Not quite, sonny.
The Disgaea games have enjoyed uniform praise from critics, with the first in particular bring named "The Best Game No One Played" by IGN, and winning the reader's choice for "Best Strategy Game". Gamespy called it one of the best PS2 games of the year, and named it "Strategy Game of the year."
Ports to the DS and PSP followed, the PSP version earning the highest metascore of any Disgaea game with 87.9% (1 got 86, 2 got 85, and 3 got slammed for its old-school (see: dated) graphics and scored an 81. But don't point out the graphics to those who love these games - 'cause they fucking love these games, and if you think they're less-than-awesome because they look less-than-incredible, you're wrong. And they'll let you know it, buster!
Disgaea: the most hardcore SRPG you never played.
The BEST HD JRPG. PERIOD.
Valkyria Chronicles
In-depth info -
Now's an opportune moment to back up that rather bold statement in lime-green Impact font above, so here we go. And I'm not leaving this up to my greasy, emotional human sensibilities. Lets place it in the hands of that cold, unfeeling judge: Metacritic. It's no secret that the 360 is the current bastion of JRPGs, so I'm not trying to start some JRPG console war shit - I'm just comparing JRPGs. If you want an awesome console-exclusive RPG for the 360, pick up Mass Effect. I've heard great things, mostly.
"There's only 5 points between Valkyria and Vesperia! Aren't you grasping at straws here?"
No, I'm grasping at Metacritic scores, and I don't mind admitting that should I ever pick up a 360 it will enter my house with a copy of Vesperia and very likely Gears 1 and 2 (check out the GTTV review of Vesperia - that sold me, and I've never played a Tales game). Also, I'm reminded of some immortal words...
"Bureaucrat Conrad, you are technically correct – the best kind of correct."
For the most part? I loathe RPGs. JRPGs in particular. So bloody boring, so much useless grinding, such insane stories, such ridiculous character designs. So you'll understand this is an equally bold statement when I say - with one wing'ed exception - I love everything about Valkyria Chronicles. The gameplay is so satisfying! The battles quickly become fucking epic, the (English) voice work is uniformly great, but you can pick the Japanese track if you choose. The music is beautiful! The story is great! The characters are so bloody endearing, the game is so beautiful!
But in the end, for me, this game is phenomenal because of its incredible tactical gameplay. If you have a PS3 I implore you - download the demo for Valkyria Chronicles, and ask yourself if gameplay like that + a wonderful story + characters you grow to love is worth your time. It's a JRPG that's fun to play.
That... that's my whole shpiel.
The SCI-FI THEMED FPS
Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2
Resistance was, perhaps, singled out as a must-have title for the PS3 simply because, when it appeared, there wasn't anything else unique on the console. Well, there was Genji: Days of the Blade, but let's follow the example set by the public and just forget Genji ever existed.
Made by Insomniac, the same crew that pumps out the Ratchet & Clank titles, Resistance had a servicable story (strange) and rock-solid gameplay (expected). Add in the holy grail of shooters - awesome weapons (also expected) - and you've got a game that deserves its greatest hits status. Now that the sequel is out, though, I'm looking forward to Ratchet & Clank Future 2.
The GREAT CUTE HOPE
Little Big Planet
Sony knew they had something special when Media Molecule showed them an early build of LBP, so they let this sucker stew and bubble until it was as delicious as possible!
Then they totally fucked up the launch. Had to push it back a week and a half because of a song, or something.
Then there weren't any servers up for the 'share' portion of "play, create, share".
Then the servers came back, and went back down.
And the launch DLC wasn't available until two weeks after launch.
And they started deleting some really awesome levels because of copyright infringement or some crap like that.
But now everything's all better! The servers are up, and seem to be staying that way. The stellar Azure Palace level has been restored, and if you haven't tried that one you should really check it out.
So now, nearly a month post-release, LBP is everything it set out to be - and rest assured it is fucking incredible, and worth a helluva lot more than the $60 they're asking. It just took its sweet-ass time getting here.
The PARTY GAMES
SingStar and Buzz!
I hesitate to list these two, as (like you) I am a bit of a gamer - but they've been suggested in the thread, so here they are. I hesitate to use the term hardcore (or casual) to describe myself, but even I don't have much appetite for such blatantly 'casual' fare as this. These games are for people who invite a bunch of friends over to their house, where they get drunk and sing off-key or laugh uproariously as someone guesses that The Donner Party was, in fact, the social event of 1847. ...to be honest, the second example doesn't sound so offensive.
If there's going to be a karaoke game, you know it's gotta' come out firs ton the console that's doing best in Japan (PS2), where this curious pass-time got its start (and its name). Imagine my surprise then, when I discover the Singstar line actually comes from London. A studio named - freakishly enough - SCE Studio London has pumped out a whopping twenty games in the SingStar line, three of them on the PS3.
Clearly there's a market for these games, clearly people are buying them! They exist! If your loved one loathes video games but enjoys firing back a few at the local bar and belting out the classics, SingStar may be the way to go. But be warned: you'll have to listen to them sing.
Also originating the UK, Buzz! is a series I haven't actually played. Like SingStar it comes with a unique peripheral controller, but in this case it's four five-button controllers. One big red button for buzzing in, and four color-coded buttons for selecting your answer from the four options onscreen. Like SingStar this series has been trucking along for a while, with thirteen games under its banner. One element I do like about Buzz! is that - on the PS3 version at least - you can make your own trivia questions and upload them, where they can be downloaded by other Buzz!ers. Likewise, because you can download other folks' questions, Buzz! has a practically limitless replay value. If players keep making new quizzes, you will never run out of new questions to stump friend and foe.
In-depth info -
The IMPORTS
Hakuna Matata and Aquanaut's Holiday
Aquanaut's Holiday is, from what I've gathered, quite like Afrika except it takes place undah dah sea. Even de sturgeon and de ray, dey get de urge to staht to play... yeah I'm done. Like Afrika it is huge, it is beautiful, it is peaceful, and it'll be damn-near impossible to come by unless you reach out and touch someone in China.
So if you get tired of blood-splattered shooters, big flashy explosions or gut-wrenching crashes, you may want to check out these two titles from Sony's Studio Japan. Personally, I'm leaning towards (sigh) Hakuna Matata for now - I think I'll try to pick up Aquanaut's Holiday in the spring/summer.
Important note: When importing, be sure to check the supported languages. The two I've linked to above are the Asian versions, which support English and Chinese. This means if you fire them into your PS3 and your PS3 normally displays English, they'll automatically display English too. Couldn't be simpler! Just make sure you don't get the Japan version.
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Looking ahead, there's White Knight Story from Level 5 and inFamous from Sucker Punch on the horizon. Also, Killzone 2, God of War 3, Uncharted 2, and oooh la la Heavy Rain! Is it horrible of me to kinda' hope inFamous doesn't do super-great so we get another Sly Cooper game? Also, whatever this turns out to be:
So happy birthday, PS3. I love you. You're my special (big, black, sleek) little guy. And you'll only be special-er next November!
I shall soon join your ranks.
XBL : lJesse Custerl | MWO: Jesse Custer | Best vid ever. | 2nd best vid ever.
And yeah, if this thing can multitask like the PSP, then there's got to be quality involved.
They really need to ditch the Spider Man font though.
Never heard of it. All I've heard about PS3s breaking down is a story my little bro told me about a friend who had a problem. He called Sony from work, and when he got home there was a UPS guy waiting to pick up his system - and he got it back toute sweet.
Sony have made countless mistakes with the PS3, but I look forwards to playing that game so much it hurts.
Good call, I'll add that tomorrow. Putting together that OP took me hours, so I'm due for some actual gaming.
Sony seem to actually be pretty good with the warranty. You just don't hear about it because they aren't failing at a mammoth rate.
Op Needs more Singstar. 8-)
As a purchaser of your 80GB MGS4 bundle, I couldn't be happier.
Stay frosty.
(Nice OP.)
Sony has done a great job improving the quality of the interface. The online store matured, the online experience has matured and the system truly does stand on its merits.
The inclusion of blu-ray was the deciding factor in my purchase. The vociferous opposition it received here and elsewhere made me look for things to love about it. The brilliant gaming experiences are what have kept me there.
Happy Birthday, you Kubrickian set piece.
p.s. HOME? No? Okay. I'll... I'm over here if you need me.
Yeah I'll only start talking about Home when Home starts existing beyond 'coming soon, we swear'. I know there's a beta coming up - I don't care. Home doesn't exist yet.
I thought that was supposed to come out the same day as the NXE (tomorrow), or did that get changed?
Only thing missing I'd mention is folklore. Kinda hit or miss but it was a fun action rpg.
Yeah Warhawk is the epitome of online action when you actualy have relativly balanced teams. But, when you end up on a team full of mouth breathing fools makes you want to scream obscenities into your headset.
Than another friend of mine bought a PS3 and Rock Band and invited me over. I was blown right the fuck away and bought one as soon as I was able to.
I had to swallow my pride and apologize to the first guy for all the shit I dispensed upon him.
I love my PS3.
Unfortunate beginnings for the console, but it's been great to me.
edit - But I hate, hate, HATE Uncharted. Ok, I don't hate it, but I was disappointed in it. It was great for the first 2/3, but then they had to throw in those...things and change the gameplay. I don't care if was supposed to be reminiscent of Indiana Jones are whatever - fuck that 'twist'.
What I love about my 60 gig is it's basically an insurance policy for all my old games. I dread the day my PS1 bites it, but at least I have a backup for my PS1 games.
Also I'm so grateful that Sony went with free online for PSN. I refuse to pay to play a game I've already paid 60 bucks for.
Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
Forget it...
<cracks knuckles> Well then youse and me is gonna' have woids. I'll spoiler it, though no doubt if someone is reading this thread they've played Uncharted and they know the twist of which we speak:
(1) : Yes, Indiana Jones.
Uncharted is taking a page out of the old pulp adventures of yore - Indiana Jones, The Mummy (the Rachel Weiss version), et cetera. A standard part of these stories is a rough-and-tumble everyman-hero (Drake, Indy, Brendan Frasier) who - while on a run-of-the-mill adventure - is caught up in supernatural events. It's staying true to the source material.
(2) : Yes, it changes the gameplay.
And c'mon - after hours and hours and hours of "take cover, take aim, take over" you weren't even a little thrilled when it suddenly changed to run-and-gun (for a measley one-and-a-half chapters)? People make the same complaint about MGS4 - they would have preferred that the Act 1-2 gameplay was stretched out over the 5 acts - but for me I found the change refreshing and - yes - necessary.
(3) : It's required to turn Drake from zero to hero.
As a story device, it's needed. When Uncharted begins, Drake's a charming scoundrel who'll happily abandon Elena on a dock if he thinks it improves his chances of scoring some treasure. When odds stack against him, he's prepared to pack it in and leave the island - the reward not outweighing the risk.
But when he discovers the true nature of El Dorado - when he discovers it's basically an ancient supernatural weapon of untold power - all of his selfish motives fall by the wayside and he has a new mission : to keep El Dorado out of evil hands, that its awful power may never be set loose upon the world.
If El Dorado were just a treasure, Drake would never have evolved into a hero.
If the awful scourge he was fighting was, say, a modern biological weapon or a nuke (in the hands of :O terrorists!) it wouldn't have been a device that paid homage to the source material of pulp adventure - it woulda' been a hack job.
But that's just my take.
Also, I should point out that I can sympathize with not appreciating Uncharted. I hated the demo when I played it. I grudgingly admitted the game was worth a purchase when I rented it and beat the normal difficulty. It wasn't until I beat it on Crushing that I was prepared to call it a masterpiece.
Other than that, I love my PS3. Blu-Ray is fucking amazing, the game selection is great, and free PSN makes me very happy. Plus the D-Pad; the awesome, fighter friendly, always dependable D-Pad.
Honestly, the D-Pad was the second major reason for my buying a PS3. (Blu-Ray being #1) I like fighting games damn it, and I don't want to use the analog stick.
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
PS3: KayleSolo
Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
Because the D-Pad on my other system sucks worse than using analog.
Wait, is my internet sarcasm detector broken again?
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
PS3: KayleSolo
Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
I am so hesitant to try playing PS2 games on it because of it just.... freezing.
But I bought a PS3 for PS3 games, not PS2 games - I've already played those - so it's okay.
Nah, it's working fine and dandy. ;-)
Really though, even if it's for the 360 I'd rather use the D-pad rather than the analog.
Analog plain sucks to me.
Still awaiting all games 1080p @ 60FPS
Still awaiting HOME
Still awaiting God of War 3 and Gran Turisimo 5
Still awaiting BC for 40/80 gig versions ( It'll never happen I know it
Still awaiting a game that makes full use of it's hardware.
Maybe on your 3rd Birthday some of this can be done.
Tumblr
First off, I don't know what you mean by constant, but once a month max doesn't meet the definition for me.
Second, the updates are nearly always a good thing. I loves me some in-game XMB - and now I can watch GameTrailers on my TV!
That's like a... karaoke game, isn't it? I know so little about that I'm not even prepared to fudge it like I did with my trivial-pursuit knowledge of Motorstorm. If you wanna' give me 50 words about Singstar and figure it's OP-worthy, I'll throw it in.
Regardless, this is a PS3 thread, not an Uncharted thread. And I'll make it simple. I got my PS3 last January, so it'll be a year old sooner than we want to imagine, (Because that makes Christmas even -sooner-) and I simply love it. It's a B/C 80 gig model with a name and a loving home. (D'awww.) I just don't know what I'm going to do when I start getting close to running out of HD space, because I don't want to do a switch out -now-. But that's a bridge to cross in the future.
One note, though. I have to wonder why everybody hates on the Updates. They're not that frequent anymore (Once a month at most, lately) and it...well...updates stuff. (Or in most cases, it puts in the ability for Game Developers to update things, which 99% of them can't be bothered to do. I'm -amazed- there was actually a GTAIV trophy patch.) I can understand it being annoying for preventing you from logging in til after it's updated, but the downloads aren't really that bad for me with my terrible DSL, so I can't imagine they're that long for people with far better connections. But I don't know for sure.
If it bothers people then it does, I guess, but it's not a problem for me at all.
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I'm talking all the updates; system updates, game updates, and movie updates. And honestly, they wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't take so long. I hate putting a game/movie in and having to wait 2-3 minutes before the disc even launches.
I know, wahh I have to wait 2-3 MORE minutes before I can play the game. :P It really is the only complaint I have with the system.
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And I thought they were unique to the PS3s with software emulation for BC. Admittedly, I haven't played my whole library of PS2 games on my PS3, but the Sly Triogy, the Prince of Persia Trilogy, God of War 1 and 2, Shadow of the Colossus, Odin Sphere, God Hand, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and Final Fantasy XII all ran fine on my 60 gig.
i would empathise a little bit, but in one of the 'software compatibility' updates that mystifies everyone to the point of complaints, soul calibur III went from unplayable to perfect on my software-bc ps3. so something goes on - whether it's media updates, game fixes, bc fixes, xmb functionality - and almost always, someone gets a better experience out of it. so i'm always excited to update, whether there's a known prospective of cool new stuff or not
And thanks for all your Uncharted praising, Chance. My favorite PS3 game and easily one of my favorite games of all time. Hell, if it weren't for Rock Band 2, Uncharted would have tops this generation.
I'm only so sad that I discovered both the system and Uncharted so late, April this year actually.
As for the library of games, while it may not have the variety of the PS2's library, there's still a ton of games that I've really enjoyed playing. Uncharted, MGS4, LBP and Valkyria Chronicles are all brilliant, as are PixelJunk Monsters, PixelJunk Eden, Wipeout HD and Bionic Commando Rearmed on the PSN.
All that said, there's still some areas I really think they could improve. The amount of PS1 games in particular, is pathetic. Compared to the Japanese store, the US/PAL stores are barren wastelands. Another is kinda related but they really need to have universal approval across all stores. When a PS1 game is approved, it should be approved for all three regions. The same thing goes with demos, original PSN games and trailers.
Btw, since when are there movie updates? All the updates (like BD 2.0) were in system updates, they weren't seperate downloads.
Jesus fuck, Uncharted is fantastic. I got myself a 360 a couple of days ago and played through Gears 2, and it just didn't have the hold on me that Uncharted did. The likable characters, the cheesy but fun plot, the fun platforming breaking up the action, it was fantastic. It single handedly drew me right back into gaming after a big break, it had me instantly hooked, and I couldn't recommend it more.
LittleBigPlanet is pretty cool, it's been a long time since I've seen a game with that much personality.
I was a bit disappointed by Assassin's Creed in that it has framerate issues on the PS3, which isn't cool.
I've had some troubles with Resistance: Fall of Man. There's just something about the controls that seems to make it feel much more clunky than most of the other console shooters I've played recently. I can't point my finger at exactly what the problem is, but I seem to have a lot more aiming troubles in that than anything else.
Also, I'd like to give a shout out to the media capabilities of the PS3. At first I thought it was all a big marketing wank-fest, but I've been incredibly impressed by the Blu-ray player, the DVD upscaling, and the quality of DivX on it.
Man, I love my PS3 too, but love for the Sony D-pad is beyond my comprehension. I have rarely used a controller so thumb-destroying -- the X-bar in the middle is just sheer idiocy and makes it impossible for me to press diagonals accurately. (Maybe I'm strange because I use the bottom of the knuckle of my thumb, rather than the pad of my thumb, to relieve the strain on the tendons in that joint.) And the 360's is supposed to be even worse? I've never touched one. Best D-pad I ever used is on the original GBA, I think.
I actually was impelled to get a PS3 by the fact that the software BC ones were disappearing from the retail channel. But now Valkyria Chronicles is out, so I don't have to feel bad about it.
I loves my PS3 lots, it's given me countless gaming pleasures in recent times
(Also great OP)
PSN: SirGrinchX
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Not only is the machine versitle, but its really come into its own as far as games. Not only did it have it have excellent multiplatform releases but it also had great exclusives such as MGS4, Resistance 2, LBP, and Valkyria Chronicles.
Other things I like:
Most user friendly DRM in a console to date. (Can (re)download to 5 different consoles as many times as you want)
Open platform: Standard bluetooth/usb, headset, keyboard and mouse all work, can install linux on it.
Media powerhouse: Can stream from UPNP server, can also store locally, mp3, acc, wma, divx mp4 mjpeg all that shit is supported
Free online, dedicated servers (some): Free online, self explanatory. Dedicated servers instead of just relying on P2P for games such as Warhawk, LBP and resistance 2 is just icing.
Shittyness:
Online could be better: No Home, Online stuff not cohesive, no voice messages, game invites problematic, voice support up to developer
Expensive: Steep initial price, Netx gen tax
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
i like the ps3, yeah. i didnt have one during the bad early days so i cant speak to that, but since ive picked my 60gb up (around when gta4 came out) its been really awesome, and has only gotten better with updates. plus free online cant be overstated enough in m particular case. now if only pac-man championship edition would come out on it
also just kind of a tangential blu ray question, but why does my fancy new wall-e blu-ray want to update when i put it in? i didnt know that movies... updated? i dont really know much about blu-rays since they dont seem worth the price for most movies, and the selection of available titles is infinitely terrible on top of that.
edit: also disgaea 3. disgaea 3! just wanted to say how awesome that game is.