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New PS3 Owner with Questions

Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
edited March 2012 in Games and Technology
Well, after my 360 got banned I did the deed - sold my 360 & HD for $100 and traded in my games at Gamestop for about $425 in credit and a shiny new 320gb PS3 is now mine. It's really nice, aside from the game updates/installs I think I might actually like it better than my 360. It's crazy quiet (I had a 360 fat, isn't going to require me to have a steady supply of AA batteries on hand, and seems to have really great monthly gifts if you do the subscription. But I do have a few questions I was hoping for help with.

1.) I had to enter a cc# to do the free trial of Plus. I'd like to let my son try the DC and FreeRealms online games but obviously I know they have the option to buy stuff. Is there some password protection to not let him accidentally buy stuff?

2.) How is the Plus from month to month? It seems worth it from the point that I just downloaded Sly Cooper for free, but is it normally that good and what other perks does it offer (if any).

3.) What games do I need? I'll play anything, especially want to try PS3 exclusives except Gran Turismo - I don't do sim-style racers. I saw Resistance, Motorstorm, and a bunch of HD remakes that are PS3 only. I was really intrigued by Heavy Rain and the Ico remake is a given as well. The online store seems to have a ton, but is a pain to browse. We bought (some are multiconsole that I just never got around to playing:
Uncharted 3 (packin)
Little Big Planet
Dragon Age Origins Ultimate
Fallout 3
SSSFIV Arcade Edition
Infamous
Batman Arkham Asylum
Metal Gear Solid 4
Earth Defense Force 2017: Insect Armageddon
and we downloaded Plants vs Zombies (my 7 year can't have a console without it...)

I'm going shopping at lunch today with two $10 off used games and one $5 off used games coupons from all the Powerup points I earned. Any ideas? Genre wise I know I could use another cheap - 7 yr old appropriate - fighting game, and maybe a FPS with a solid single player experience, and probably an arcade racer.

Thanks!

Lindsay Lohan on
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Posts

  • Shorn Scrotum ManShorn Scrotum Man Registered User regular
    Journey
    Demon's Souls/Dark Souls
    Ratchet & Clank games

    Those are what I can think of off the top of my head, beyond what you've already got.

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  • FrozenzenFrozenzen Registered User regular
    Valkyria chronicles is an excellent srpg with semi turn based combat, I hear the MGS hd collection is good as well if you like those games.

  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    Random additional question - I never played any of the Elder Scrolls games, is Oblivion an OK place to start or should I wait and save up to jump right to Skyrim?

  • AllforceAllforce Registered User regular
    Plus seems ok month-to-month, just remember you lose that free copy of Sly (or any other free games you download) if you cancel it. With the lack of PS3 exclusives it's almost worth it alone though just to have some new content to play on the thing consistently and the deals they run for Plus members are pretty good.

    I heard Skyrim on PS3 is a mess, but I don't know specifics.

  • DiarmuidDiarmuid Amazing Meatball Registered User regular
    edited March 2012
    There's not much reason not to jump straight into Skyrim, but the PS3 version isn't the best. It's ok now (after a lot of patching) and there's still a fair number of problems, but they're standard Bethesda problems instead of potentially console destroying problems.

    Oblivion is pretty good on the PS3, get the GOTY version if you can.

    Diarmuid on
  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    Frozenzen wrote: »
    Valkyria chronicles is an excellent srpg with semi turn based combat, I hear the MGS hd collection is good as well if you like those games.

    That looks really, really awesome. I love srpgs in general and the graphics look great. I think I may have to look into that one as well. Too many good games, not enough time!

  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    Frozenzen wrote: »
    Valkyria chronicles is an excellent srpg with semi turn based combat, I hear the MGS hd collection is good as well if you like those games.

    I love Valkyria Chronicles. Not a big fan of where the story goes, but eh...I was able to overlook it.

    Also, Uncharted 2 is a bit more enjoyable than Uncharted 3. And if you end up wanting to play all the games in the series, you'd probably want to start with the first game. Not because it's a great game, but more because it'd be harder to go back to it after playing the last two.

  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    edited March 2012
    HEAVY RAIN

    Play it, its so awesome. It falls apart a little bit around the end, but its so good!

    MGS4 if you're a fan of the series.

    God of War HD collection and God Of War III are also awesome.

    Edit: Seconded on Uncharted 2. It is literally one of the best games ever made. I pretty much loathe Uncharted 1, but its worth playing through on the easiest difficulty so you can at least get an introduction to the universe.

    Skull2185 on
    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    SteevL wrote: »
    Frozenzen wrote: »
    Valkyria chronicles is an excellent srpg with semi turn based combat, I hear the MGS hd collection is good as well if you like those games.

    I love Valkyria Chronicles. Not a big fan of where the story goes, but eh...I was able to overlook it.

    Also, Uncharted 2 is a bit more enjoyable than Uncharted 3. And if you end up wanting to play all the games in the series, you'd probably want to start with the first game. Not because it's a great game, but more because it'd be harder to go back to it after playing the last two.

    I debated picking up the first 2 games, but I really didn't want 3 of my first 10 games to be in the same series - variety being the spice of life and all. I'll have to see what they have when I hit Gamestop at lunch today.

    Any one have recommendations on cheap FPS or arcade racers?

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Killzone 2 was really well-received, I've got a copy in my pile waiting to be played. It is a big pile :(

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  • jclastjclast Registered User regular
    Allforce is right that you lose access to your Plus content if your subscription lapses, but you get it back if you ever subscribe again so if you need, for some reason, to wait a month your copy of Sly will be there and usable when you come back.

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  • Linespider5Linespider5 ALL HAIL KING KILLMONGER Registered User regular
    Don't overlook the PSN downloads. Some real gems in there.

    Pacman Championship Edition Seriously, get this game. No, I mean it. Get this game. This is like Pacman Ecstasy, and either definiton you want out of that phrase still applies. It's such an amplification of the original game it's sick.

    From Dust More of a puzzle game masquerading as a strategy game, but that's a semantics at the end, isn't it? Not quite as amazing as the videos make it look, but still pretty damn good. I once spent four hours meticulously scooping a lava flow into a massive wall to redirect a never-ending eruption into the sea. Maybe that sounds awesome, or maybe it's an indictment of some character flaw in myself, but if you're fascinated by the idea of draining inland seas, raising mountains and controlling the flow of nature, this is pretty much what you want.

    JOURNEY I don't want to talk about it too much, but it's just about the gaming equivalent of a silent movie with no cue cards. If you've liked the atmosphere of Zelda, Myst, or any of the games by Team Ico, chances are there's something special here you can appreciate.

  • AllforceAllforce Registered User regular
    yeah Killzone 2 was awesome ,that game has some of the best enemy reactions when you pop them. Bodies flailing around realistically and all that.

  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    I couldn't get into Killzone 2.

    I played through a few missions, didn't really care about anything that was happening. Dat multiplayer though. More FPS's need to crib that idea.

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • greeblegreeble Registered User regular
    Killzone 2 was fun, but play on normal, at higher difficulty they enemies become bullet sponges.

    Second PacMan CE
    Also on PSN pickup Shatter and look at the Pixel Junk games (all but Racers is excellent, racers is merely ok)
    Journey is great, but its too short for the $15 price. I would wait till its first sale, then jump on it immediately since you are going to want to play it while others still are.

    PSN/steam/battle.net: greeble XBL: GreebleX

    Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
    I’ll tell you what happens in Demon’s Souls when you die. You come back as a ghost with your health capped at half. And when you keep on dying, the alignment of the world turns black and the enemies get harder. That’s right, when you fail in this game, it gets harder. Why? Because fuck you is why.
  • AuburnTigerAuburnTiger Registered User regular
    edited March 2012
    Might I suggest Marvel Pinball on PSN? Because I became a new PS3 owner a couple of months back, bought a good amount of games, yet spend most of my time playing it.

    Also the Yakuza games are pretty neat.

    AuburnTiger on
    XBL: Flex MythoMass
  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    edited March 2012
    I had Pacman and From Dust on the 360 and will eventually rebuy both of them - especially Pacman. I will be rebuying the Zen/Marvel Pinballs as well, for now I'll get my fix on my 3DS. Killzone 2 looks neat and would fill a genre I don't have - does it has a solid single player campaign? I'm not huge into online FPS's - I have a terrible sense of direction, get lost frequently and end up being killed over and over again because of it. In terms of a single player FPS - Killzone 2 vs Resistance - which woudl you go with?

    Lindsay Lohan on
  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    As a relatively new PS3 owner myself, I recommend that if you're interested in the Uncharted series, just go ahead and skip Uncharted 1 and go straight to Uncharted 2. Uncharted 1 is an okay game but Uncharted 2 is basically a much better version of Uncharted 1 and the plot and characters aren't any deeper than your average Indiana Jones movie so you're not missing much by just skipping ahead.

  • El FantasticoEl Fantastico Toronto, ONRegistered User regular
    Wipeout HD is a pretty solid racer, and very kid-friendly, graphically speaking. It may be a bit of challenge in terms of difficulty, but it should provide some great entertainment value. It's in the same vein as the F-Zero series.

    Zen Pinball is also a good purchase. The base table pack is relatively inexpensive now, and there's a good selection of add-on tables covering a lot of different themes.

    PSN: TheArcadeBear
    Steam: TheArcadeBear

  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    Thanks all - can someone give a quick primer on the Move system? I see it needs a camera and basically Wiimote/nunchuck style accessories but how is the support for the system - widespread or fairly limited?

  • greeblegreeble Registered User regular
    Zen Pinball system is much worse than the xbox hub version. Move support is ok, but if you didn't get much use out of Kinnect, you probably won't with Move. (Its decent pointer though so works good for shooters/light gun type games)

    PSN/steam/battle.net: greeble XBL: GreebleX

    Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
    I’ll tell you what happens in Demon’s Souls when you die. You come back as a ghost with your health capped at half. And when you keep on dying, the alignment of the world turns black and the enemies get harder. That’s right, when you fail in this game, it gets harder. Why? Because fuck you is why.
  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    greeble wrote: »
    Zen Pinball system is much worse than the xbox hub version. Move support is ok, but if you didn't get much use out of Kinnect, you probably won't with Move. (Its decent pointer though so works good for shooters/light gun type games)

    We didn't use the Kinect much simply because when we moved to our current apartment the space and especially the lighting just didn't agree with the system no matter what I did. It never saw legs properly - stuff like Gunstringer and Child of Eden worked but exercise games/dance games struggled so more out of frustration we never used it.

  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    Thanks all - can someone give a quick primer on the Move system? I see it needs a camera and basically Wiimote/nunchuck style accessories but how is the support for the system - widespread or fairly limited?

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the only good exclusives for Move are light gun games. House of the Dead 3 & 4 & Time Crisis: Razing Storm being the big ones.

  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    I'm told that Killzone 3 is pretty rad with the Move Shoot thing too.

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited March 2012
    Get Uncharted 2 and play that first, it's a better game than the third.

    If you like arcade racers then try the Motorstorm games, skip the first and go for the second or third. I've just finished Motorstorm Apocalypse (the third) and it's insanely good. It runs at 1080p, in 3D (if you've got a 3D tv) and the amount of stuff they throw around the tracks is amazing, the environment collapses around you.

    One stage has you racing along a bridge as it gives way, falling in to the sea, another has your racing through tower blocks, jumping from one to another as they fall to the ground. One of the most impressive though has you racing around a port during a hurricane, complete with twister to the side of the track. You can be racing along and suddenly a boat crashes it's way through the pier you're on, a ferris wheel gives way and rolls in to the track, buildings explode. It's criminal how under-appreciated the games is.

    Heavy Rain is great, the Ratchet and Clank series are ace. If you like God of War style games then there's obviously God of War but I'd also REALLY recommend Heavenly Sword. It's very very short but that's more than made up for by it being dirt-cheap, and pretty damn great. Not much replayability though.

    LittleBigPlanet 2 is well worth upgrading to, if you've only got the first. If you like survival horrors then Siren is one of the scariest I've played. It's a bit clunky by today's standards but it's still superb.

    Then there are a ton of exclusive downloadable games like WipeoutHD, Crash Commando, Echochrome, Flower, the Pixeljunk games, Journey and your 7 year old will probably LOVE Pain (though it's full of smutty humour, which he probably, possibly won't pick up on). It's pretty much just a physics sand box where you launch a guy out of a giant catapult.

    ::quick move edit:: They did a Heavy Rain version of Move, or a patch, or something. It's supposed to be really good.

    Mr_Grinch on
    Steam: Sir_Grinch
    PSN: SirGrinchX
    Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    Heavy Rain Director's Cut has Move support, but it also has a free bonus episode called the Taxidermist, that is so fuckin creepy! Do it! :D

    Also, I think Grinch just sold me on Motorstorm Apocalypse...

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    Odd ball game - how did Afrika turn out? My wife is really, really intrigued by the concept and I certainly wouldn't mind picking it up if it's something she'd play.

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    One of the things I did was to browse PSN and grab a load of free trials. Flower was one (love it to bits), and Eufloria another (also bought after spending most of a day playing the demo). So I'd advise going nuts on that.

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  • NailbunnyPDNailbunnyPD Registered User regular
    I am a fan of the Disgaea series. Its a SRPG series with a fun and goofy story, and excessive end game content if you are into that kind of stuff. The stories are rarely connected in any meaningful way, so I'd just jump into 4 if you are interested (finally, HD sprites!)

    The Pixeljunk games are must-buy's for me. Eden won my heart with its quirky take on platforming. Monsters is fun 2-player tower defense. Shooter is just classy (but start with 1, because 2 continues the story and level of difficulty.)

    Katamari Forever is a good version of the classic series. It compiles a lot of the levels from previous games in the series (30 in total?), has many different ways to play each of those levels, and runs great at 1080p. If you've ever been interested in the series, it a good place to jump in. Its also very kid friendly, though it may get too difficult for a 7-year old.

    Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are great, if not brutal, action RPGs.

    3D Dot Game Heroes was a good game that I felt flew under the radar for a lot of people. Its a throwback to the original NES Zelda.

    The recent HD compilation games are a good way to catch up on PS2 classics you might have missed. ICO/Shadow of the Colossus collection probably deserves the most attention.

    Regarding Elder Scrolls, I would skip Oblivion at this point, but the PS3 version of Skyrim has not been received well due to technical issues. 360 or PC seems to be the way to go.

    Also, I'm pretty sure you can remove your CC# from your PSN account, and redeem cards for PSN cash and Plus subs.

    XBL: NailbunnyPD PSN: NailbunnyPD Origin: NailbunnyPD
    NintendoID: Nailbunny 3DS: 3909-8796-4685
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  • DirtyDirty Registered User regular
    Just skip Uncharted 1

    Just because Uncharted 2 is miles away better than the first, doesn't make the first game bad. I imagine it would be hard to go back to after 2-3, but I remember enjoying it immensely at the time. And besides, you can get the Uncharted 1-2 double pack for about the same price as UC2 by itself.

    If you haven't played any of the Ratchet & Clank games, they have an HD collection coming out with the first 3 games. But if you don't think you can handle playing all 5 (6 if you count Quest for Booty) games, you won't miss too much just playing just the Future part of the series. All4One is good couch co-op, and probably something you could play with your kid, but it's a poor representation of the R&C franchise as a whole.

    Also, you can delete your billing information at any time, and it's pretty easy. You could also make the little kid a separate account.

    Killzone 2 is the best in the series. The story is completely forgettable, but the gameplay is good. Killzone 3 is worth in both categories, but still pretty fun, and one of the only decent uses for the Move controller.

    Journey is definitely something you should wait on. Maybe a 50% Plus special or something.

    I know it's not a PS3 exclusive, but if you didn't play it on 360, check out Outland. Its fucking awesome. Metroidvania meets Ikaruga.

  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    We actually have the Ratchet & Clank series on his PS2 already - just haven't played through all of them - similar with Jak & Daxter and Sly (although I'll probably grab at least one of the HD compilations). The separate account thing seems ideal - I'll have to take a look when I get home.

    I love the system, but the navigation isn't the most intuitive to find things sometimes.

  • DirtyDirty Registered User regular
    I love the system, but the navigation isn't the most intuitive to find things sometimes.

    Even though the PS3 is my primary gaming machine, I do really hate the sorting options for the content you download. The only sorting options are date created (oldest-newest or vice versa), or recently played. Since I'm a stickler for alphabetic sorting, I actually manually change the date right before I install a game, so that old-new and A-Z are the same thing. I don't bother doing that for demos, since I just delete them.

    If you change a game's album name, it allows you to sort games into folders.

  • KetarKetar Come on upstairs we're having a partyRegistered User regular
    I'll agree that Uncharted 1 is worth picking up, even though 2 is a big improvement on various things. 1 is still highly worthwhile, and something you should play.

    The Killzone games are beautiful, but not a ton of fun, imo. I just finally finished KZ3 Saturday night, and the various vehicle sections are exceedingly tedious and do nothing to add to the game. Plot is very by the numbers. They aren't bad games, just rather average in all but looks. I prefer the Resistance games personally, though I will admit that they are also rather average.

    Journey is not something you should wait on. It's a great experience, and one that your son could likely appreciate as well. Well worth the $15 despite the short length of a playthrough.

  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    The easiest solution here, Lindsey, is to get a Gamefly account and put every PS3 game ever in your queue. Saves you a TON of money!

  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    It's actually kind of funny - we just signed up for a 2 month deal with Gamefly to give them a try. However, the first two games were on my (now gone) 360 - Zumba for the wife, Catherine for me. I'm bouncing them back tomorrow for Pokemon 3ds for the kid and probably Sonic Generations for us to try. I know we'll be using it to try stuff as well - unfortunately the turn around times aren't great where I'm at so keeping it is pretty unlikely.

    Killzone just came up as a decent single player FPS - I don't play a ton of them but I like to have one or two on hand for those nights where you just want to shoot stuff. Any other recommendations are welcomed :)

  • DirtyDirty Registered User regular
    Ketar wrote: »
    Journey is not something you should wait on. It's a great experience, and one that your son could likely appreciate as well. Well worth the $15 despite the short length of a playthrough.

    I know the argument against waiting is that there won't be anyone to play co-op with later, but if the game goes on sale, a lot of people will buy the game at the same time, and the community will get a shot in the arm, and it'll be just like playing it at launch.

  • anoffdayanoffday To be changed whenever Anoffday gets around to it. Registered User regular
    Allforce wrote: »
    Plus seems ok month-to-month, just remember you lose that free copy of Sly (or any other free games you download) if you cancel it. With the lack of PS3 exclusives it's almost worth it alone though just to have some new content to play on the thing consistently and the deals they run for Plus members are pretty good.

    I heard Skyrim on PS3 is a mess, but I don't know specifics.

    I put around 90 hours into Skyrim on the PS3, and I got it the day it came out.

    I had 0 issues.

    Steam: offday
  • DusdaDusda is ashamed of this post SLC, UTRegistered User regular
    Are you into Metal Gear at all? MGS4 is pretty great, especially if you've kept up with the series. Also the Metal Gear Solid HD collection just came out, with MGS2/3 and Peace Walker.

    I pretty much use my PS3 for exclusives and Blu-Ray.

    and this sig. and this twitch stream.
  • DirtyDirty Registered User regular
    anoffday wrote: »
    I put around 90 hours into Skyrim on the PS3, and I got it the day it came out.

    I had 0 issues.

    Standard Bethesda bugs + PS3-specific bugs + internet echo chamber = "Skyrim PS3 completely unplayable!"

  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    Dusda wrote: »
    Are you into Metal Gear at all? MGS4 is pretty great, especially if you've kept up with the series. Also the Metal Gear Solid HD collection just came out, with MGS2/3 and Peace Walker.

    I pretty much use my PS3 for exclusives and Blu-Ray.

    Already got MGS4 - can't wait to play it actually. Haven't grabbed the HD collection yet. I have a feeling there are a lot of HD remakes in my future. How are the downloadable Prince of Persia remakes? Sands of Time was one of my favorite PS2 games.

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