Take a look at todays games. Not much variety is there? Back when I was younger there were lot's of variety. Now it seems like all developers are making First person shooters. I don't understand why, they have so many options. So why so many shooters? To me it seems like the same experience over and over its like having the same thing for dinner every day.
Developers need to change it up, just think back in the PS2 era, how many different games they were. You had Action, RPG'S, Action RPG's, Strategy, Strategy RPG'S, Platformers, Fighting games, as well as first person shooters. Sure you have some today but no ware near the amounts that we had back then, now all the big name games are shooters. I think it's the gamers faults. I would like to really know what happen? Did people suddenly just lose interest in variety? This is one of the reasons why my main gaming system is the Nintendo Wii because to me it has the right amount of everything. when you look at whats on the other two system you get a crap load of first person shooters.
I miss the old days, I only wish things will go back to the way they used to be. Developers need to fix this major problem, gamers want variety, different games need to be made, not just the first person shooter gamers. Gamers like me want to have a different experience with every game. What does the future hold? More variety? Or will the reign of the First Person Shooter last forever? Only time will tell.
Showing posts with label Brent Hecht. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brent Hecht. Show all posts
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Console Disappointments: PS3 Home
This isn’t the usual expressions of negativity made by people who have either never tried it, only dismissed it after a few visits as it was just starting up or refuse to even go near it because of, “broken promises” such as the trophy room. No, this is just some general complaining and criticisms from someone who does use it often.
First up is scale and quality of virtual items. The pleasant surprise of getting a model of the knight in White Knight Chronicles which turned out to be eight feet tall, to the disappointment of paying for a model of a Resistance Goliath that didn’t come up to my avatar’s ankle. In-between there’s monsters from Lost Planet scaled to around knee height. Another more recent example is a set of hover bikes used in a mini-game for the Xi online event done last year with the various spaces brought back as a “museum.” The bikes 1-1 scale virtual world models when they cold have been smaller, yet presented on wooden bases and supported, the holographic one aside, on metal poles. There’s also a planets of our solar system that are baseless globes of various sizes which just sit on the ground where they could and should have been floating. Much like earlier offered Earth and Sun models which also light up which together are more expensive than the other eight or nine worlds combined.
Don’t know if Pluto’s included, but that’s besides the point.
There’s also an equal quaintly of inequality with Home personal spaces. Though most share the same baseline price, the amount of room you get, general setting and features such as mini-games or background animations is often up in the air. And where you get something like the London Pub or the Waterfall Terrance, you also find places like the Dragon’s Lair or Lucas Art’s Pirate ship space, the last which managed to be both bland and unlivable with constant annoying sounds. The Ratchet and Clank space has multi-stories, but comes off as cramped and confused, where the FFXIII seems a half thought out and confined thought. Another exploitation of the franchise’s name.
And then there are instances like the Hollywood and new Loot Yacht spaces. Both offering media streaming, yet where the more recently introduced yacht space has had regular content updates and even hosted live streaming events, videos offered in the Hollywood space are exactly what they were when it was first sold.
The point I’m trying to get across with all this is, despite Home still being a work in progress even after all this time, its in sore need of a set of standards and fully thought out ideas before final implementation. Much like Nintendo use to do in the NES/SNES days if only because the whole of Home represents the Playstaion’s brand name.
I know that’s very much a mixed bag, but still, just saying.
And as for what they should be doing to set the bar, the Yacht space is a good example. As well as a working wall screen monitor it offers a sundial that literally sets the time of day, active light switches, as well as unlockables which are activated by certain conditions. Getting seagulls after so many visitors are invited. Buying certain items, a dolphin or whale statue, and placing them in the space. And while this last may sound like a grab for extra cash, its actually an opportunity to further open aspects of a virtual world which currently has a very mundane reputation.
Again looking at the Xi hover bikes, full scale ornaments, its pretty obvious that with just a bit more effort they could have been made into interactive items. Either as a sidesaddle avatar chair or one which is straddled in typical bike ridding manner. Given a six-axis tilt option or made into a cheap dodge-em mini-game with each model having its own. Or more extravagantly, it could be even be a full race game with a track set in the theme of the personal space its in. Given that different companies make different Home spaces and items – my guess for the differences for the Hollywood and Yacht spaces media content – this is where standardization from Sony would fit in.
First up is scale and quality of virtual items. The pleasant surprise of getting a model of the knight in White Knight Chronicles which turned out to be eight feet tall, to the disappointment of paying for a model of a Resistance Goliath that didn’t come up to my avatar’s ankle. In-between there’s monsters from Lost Planet scaled to around knee height. Another more recent example is a set of hover bikes used in a mini-game for the Xi online event done last year with the various spaces brought back as a “museum.” The bikes 1-1 scale virtual world models when they cold have been smaller, yet presented on wooden bases and supported, the holographic one aside, on metal poles. There’s also a planets of our solar system that are baseless globes of various sizes which just sit on the ground where they could and should have been floating. Much like earlier offered Earth and Sun models which also light up which together are more expensive than the other eight or nine worlds combined.
Don’t know if Pluto’s included, but that’s besides the point.
There’s also an equal quaintly of inequality with Home personal spaces. Though most share the same baseline price, the amount of room you get, general setting and features such as mini-games or background animations is often up in the air. And where you get something like the London Pub or the Waterfall Terrance, you also find places like the Dragon’s Lair or Lucas Art’s Pirate ship space, the last which managed to be both bland and unlivable with constant annoying sounds. The Ratchet and Clank space has multi-stories, but comes off as cramped and confused, where the FFXIII seems a half thought out and confined thought. Another exploitation of the franchise’s name.
And then there are instances like the Hollywood and new Loot Yacht spaces. Both offering media streaming, yet where the more recently introduced yacht space has had regular content updates and even hosted live streaming events, videos offered in the Hollywood space are exactly what they were when it was first sold.
The point I’m trying to get across with all this is, despite Home still being a work in progress even after all this time, its in sore need of a set of standards and fully thought out ideas before final implementation. Much like Nintendo use to do in the NES/SNES days if only because the whole of Home represents the Playstaion’s brand name.
I know that’s very much a mixed bag, but still, just saying.
And as for what they should be doing to set the bar, the Yacht space is a good example. As well as a working wall screen monitor it offers a sundial that literally sets the time of day, active light switches, as well as unlockables which are activated by certain conditions. Getting seagulls after so many visitors are invited. Buying certain items, a dolphin or whale statue, and placing them in the space. And while this last may sound like a grab for extra cash, its actually an opportunity to further open aspects of a virtual world which currently has a very mundane reputation.
Again looking at the Xi hover bikes, full scale ornaments, its pretty obvious that with just a bit more effort they could have been made into interactive items. Either as a sidesaddle avatar chair or one which is straddled in typical bike ridding manner. Given a six-axis tilt option or made into a cheap dodge-em mini-game with each model having its own. Or more extravagantly, it could be even be a full race game with a track set in the theme of the personal space its in. Given that different companies make different Home spaces and items – my guess for the differences for the Hollywood and Yacht spaces media content – this is where standardization from Sony would fit in.
The broken submission system of N4G
Following the submission of this post, I received any number of reports based on it. Some of them your standard "Lame" or "Spam" reports given. Based on the actual content of the story, I can understand those reports.
But then I get to the next few. First was a "Bad Editing" report because I had Youtube as the main source URL. Admittedly that was my error as that's NOT where I first discovered the video, it was actually on Facebook. So I switched the URL's.
Then received another Bad Editing report citing that Facebook wasn't allowed. So, I read up on the guidelines and in fact it doesn't say anywhere that sites like Facebook are not allowed, which I stated in my disagree vote. These votes aren't really that big a deal, this kind of thing happens all the time and is nothing really to complain about.
But the next reports kind of irked a bit. I received about 3 "Duplicate story" reports, with url links to a story posted almost 25 minutes AFTER my posting. How is it a duplicate story if I posted mine first? And in one of the reports, some said I didn't use an official image. What? Official image? So the stories where the submitter uses stock photos of random women with large breasts for a story that vaguely references women is somehow official? Where in the guidelines is the requirement "must use an official image?"
Now that I've gone on my roundabout rant, the focus of this blog is simply that the report or approve system is terribly broken. I'm sure there have been many blogs on this, and mine isn't any different than them, but it's just the truth. It's akin to the User Rating system of Metacritic. It really needs an overhaul.
You get people thinking they're N4G's editors or something and yet they don't even know the basic rules laid out in the guidelines about submissions. The post I made was purely for the hilarity of the content, so it's no surprise that individuals that have a jaded opinion about the source of the content wouldn't like it, but should not the submission of anything be approved or unapproved based on an objective process and not a subjective one? That's just my 2 cents. Everyone knows that N4G is not a perfect website, that doesn't make a bad one though.
But then I get to the next few. First was a "Bad Editing" report because I had Youtube as the main source URL. Admittedly that was my error as that's NOT where I first discovered the video, it was actually on Facebook. So I switched the URL's.
Then received another Bad Editing report citing that Facebook wasn't allowed. So, I read up on the guidelines and in fact it doesn't say anywhere that sites like Facebook are not allowed, which I stated in my disagree vote. These votes aren't really that big a deal, this kind of thing happens all the time and is nothing really to complain about.
But the next reports kind of irked a bit. I received about 3 "Duplicate story" reports, with url links to a story posted almost 25 minutes AFTER my posting. How is it a duplicate story if I posted mine first? And in one of the reports, some said I didn't use an official image. What? Official image? So the stories where the submitter uses stock photos of random women with large breasts for a story that vaguely references women is somehow official? Where in the guidelines is the requirement "must use an official image?"
Now that I've gone on my roundabout rant, the focus of this blog is simply that the report or approve system is terribly broken. I'm sure there have been many blogs on this, and mine isn't any different than them, but it's just the truth. It's akin to the User Rating system of Metacritic. It really needs an overhaul.
You get people thinking they're N4G's editors or something and yet they don't even know the basic rules laid out in the guidelines about submissions. The post I made was purely for the hilarity of the content, so it's no surprise that individuals that have a jaded opinion about the source of the content wouldn't like it, but should not the submission of anything be approved or unapproved based on an objective process and not a subjective one? That's just my 2 cents. Everyone knows that N4G is not a perfect website, that doesn't make a bad one though.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Expansions: When is it an actual expansion, and when is it just hyped DLC?
With the news of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 being announced, and it being consider a "re-release" of MvC3 (or basically a release of the FINISHED MvC3), a lot of news about how Capcom and other devs like to leave out content for future release has been popping up.
Many gamers are continuing to show disdain and anger, and rightly so, to companies like Capcom for pulling stunts like this, and many are giving them a pass and actually funding these bad moves. I recently had a small discussion about Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and how I view it as being different than this kind of move from Capcom, as Ubisoft created an entirely new locale, new story, additional content, and gave Desmond more of a role in the game. I would view AC Brotherhood as more of an expansion, possibly its own game, than "DLC" to AC2, but there would be merit in calling it such for reasons I won't go into here.
But it got me thinking about games like Halo ODST, Super Street Fighter IV, and SSFIV Arcade Edition, and other such games.
And because of this, I wanted to ask you all, what do you consider an expansion, or just "hyped DLC."
Hyped DLC is a term I use to define a game that doesn't offer enough "additional content" to a game to be called an expansion, yet it gets its own "game disc" and is marketed as an expansion. It's also used to define content that could have easily been added to the original game without significant time or resources to warrant a delay or extension of the release date of the original game.
In my personal opinion, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is hyped DLC. 12 characters with their stories and some probably tweaks to old characters and modes could have easily been added to the original MvC3 and made it a complete game. But as Crapcom are fond of doing, they release unfinished games so that they can gouge naive, gullible, ignorant, and foolish gamers into buying their "on disc" DLC or their "hyped DLC" expansion packs.
When Super Street Fighter 4 was announced, I had a friend who went "ape-sh*t" over it and couldn't stop talking about how he was going to spend the $40 for a few extra characters, and some online modes and tweaks. $40. Can you imagine? For what SSFIV offered, it could have easily been DLC priced at half that. But Crapcom got away with it because there are those who don't care and just need their fix. Then the Arcade Edition came out and I'm sure I'm not the only one who facepalmed disappointingly at that.
You look at games like the GOTY edition of Oblvion, which added all the expansion packs to the original game and priced it the same as the original game and you can see how that is reasonable. That's a lot of content added to an already large game. Same with LittleBigPlanet GOTY edition. A lot of content added to a game that's already packed with content.
Then you look at Capcom, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't help but just give a disappointed sigh at people who shovel up their crap and empty their wallets for unfinished products.
The ironic thing is that Capcom is old enough to have been around during the era of "unlockables" in the old-school gaming days. Days where if you met certain criteria in a game, certain content would be unlocked. Like "beat X in under X minutes and unlock him as a bonus character." And yet now they pull stunts like this.
So, is UMvC3 a legitimate expansion, or just overpriced and over-glorified DLC? What are your thoughts?
Many gamers are continuing to show disdain and anger, and rightly so, to companies like Capcom for pulling stunts like this, and many are giving them a pass and actually funding these bad moves. I recently had a small discussion about Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and how I view it as being different than this kind of move from Capcom, as Ubisoft created an entirely new locale, new story, additional content, and gave Desmond more of a role in the game. I would view AC Brotherhood as more of an expansion, possibly its own game, than "DLC" to AC2, but there would be merit in calling it such for reasons I won't go into here.
But it got me thinking about games like Halo ODST, Super Street Fighter IV, and SSFIV Arcade Edition, and other such games.
And because of this, I wanted to ask you all, what do you consider an expansion, or just "hyped DLC."
Hyped DLC is a term I use to define a game that doesn't offer enough "additional content" to a game to be called an expansion, yet it gets its own "game disc" and is marketed as an expansion. It's also used to define content that could have easily been added to the original game without significant time or resources to warrant a delay or extension of the release date of the original game.
In my personal opinion, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is hyped DLC. 12 characters with their stories and some probably tweaks to old characters and modes could have easily been added to the original MvC3 and made it a complete game. But as Crapcom are fond of doing, they release unfinished games so that they can gouge naive, gullible, ignorant, and foolish gamers into buying their "on disc" DLC or their "hyped DLC" expansion packs.
When Super Street Fighter 4 was announced, I had a friend who went "ape-sh*t" over it and couldn't stop talking about how he was going to spend the $40 for a few extra characters, and some online modes and tweaks. $40. Can you imagine? For what SSFIV offered, it could have easily been DLC priced at half that. But Crapcom got away with it because there are those who don't care and just need their fix. Then the Arcade Edition came out and I'm sure I'm not the only one who facepalmed disappointingly at that.
You look at games like the GOTY edition of Oblvion, which added all the expansion packs to the original game and priced it the same as the original game and you can see how that is reasonable. That's a lot of content added to an already large game. Same with LittleBigPlanet GOTY edition. A lot of content added to a game that's already packed with content.
Then you look at Capcom, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't help but just give a disappointed sigh at people who shovel up their crap and empty their wallets for unfinished products.
The ironic thing is that Capcom is old enough to have been around during the era of "unlockables" in the old-school gaming days. Days where if you met certain criteria in a game, certain content would be unlocked. Like "beat X in under X minutes and unlock him as a bonus character." And yet now they pull stunts like this.
So, is UMvC3 a legitimate expansion, or just overpriced and over-glorified DLC? What are your thoughts?
"The Cloud" scares me...
Call me crazy, call me an idiot, call me paranoid, call me whatever the heck you want. The Cloud scares the living crap out of me. No not "The Cloud" the feature, "The Cloud" the evil beast.
See I'm for "The Cloud" as a feature, you know like the PSN storage for saves. This use of "The Cloud" is great. Seriously I think the theory of an option for backup stored on the web is the best idea for PC's and online enabled consoles.
The part of "The Cloud" that scares me is the future that's coming for it. See if you've even seen that Google Chrome OS computer that is a cloud computing system you may have a vague idea why I'm scared. See what you may not know is that "The Cloud" can and will be the future of computing and here's what's going to happen. The PC will eventually be nothing but iPads and everyone's version as well as netbooks "Cloud Books" if you prefer that have no storage for anything except the glorified web browser OS but that's not the bad part, let me get to that.
You see if "The Cloud" evolves the way I predict, you know hard drives and flash drives? GONE! No physical back ups of data, which also means that if the server dies, your data dies. Not scared? Well if you have no back up and they have no back up you wasted money, lost important data and chances are there will be no compensation.
Then there's the fact that everything will be subscription run. Your OS, subscription. Your editing program, subscription. Your drawing program(eg Corel), subscription. You get the drift right? Essentially no credit or debit card or no money, no Cloud PC and since you paid for the unit itself that's unfair right? Yeah, see paying for a monthly subscription for a game is one thing but paying just to turn on a PC is just wrong but it WILL happen and considering your bill are emailed to you and will probably only be able to be paid online you can't use electricity, gas, water, food, etc. Also it will become way more expensive in under this model they will choose.
You know the videos, the music and and games you enjoy on PC? Well you know how we have region locking at the moment with DVDs, Blurays and video games? Yeah they'll be worse because VPNs will no longer be an option and people like me will be screwed. Sure piracy and hacking will die but you'll miss out one games you want to play, the music will be restricted to whatever crap is chosen to be released and you can't watch say, True Blood unless you live in the US. Speaking of games, no more mods for games.
What about privacy? Think of that? Well if "The Cloud" come privacy is no more because everything will be public. See the thing is security will actually suffer greatly due to full internet integration. Thing well get harder to block and viruses will roam more free then ever.
Then there's the internet connection. See until the internet runs like water at a steady flow for all instead of laggy like it is today, we'll never be able to make the most of "The Cloud" in the future form it will take. Think about playing say Fallout 5 via "The Cloud and the net drops before a 2 hour run could be saved or even worse... in the middle of saving and corrupts you save.
Also what about the OS of Cloud PC's? You see since it will be just a web browser with apps, you can't use say Firefox(my personal favourite browser) to browse the web and then there's the fact that certain apps won't work on Mac Cloud OS that work on Windows Cloud OS or Google Chrome and so on. Sure we have that already but we can't patch it to work.
This is just a sample of what can happen and what I fear most. I'm sure there a boat load of possibilities that are positive but I'm not seeing them. "The Cloud" should just be a feature or an option, not the only thing. There's a high chance what I predict is coming but hey, if I'm wrong then I'll except the ridicule. The big question is when will it come? I guess between 10 and 15 years personally.
See I'm for "The Cloud" as a feature, you know like the PSN storage for saves. This use of "The Cloud" is great. Seriously I think the theory of an option for backup stored on the web is the best idea for PC's and online enabled consoles.
The part of "The Cloud" that scares me is the future that's coming for it. See if you've even seen that Google Chrome OS computer that is a cloud computing system you may have a vague idea why I'm scared. See what you may not know is that "The Cloud" can and will be the future of computing and here's what's going to happen. The PC will eventually be nothing but iPads and everyone's version as well as netbooks "Cloud Books" if you prefer that have no storage for anything except the glorified web browser OS but that's not the bad part, let me get to that.
You see if "The Cloud" evolves the way I predict, you know hard drives and flash drives? GONE! No physical back ups of data, which also means that if the server dies, your data dies. Not scared? Well if you have no back up and they have no back up you wasted money, lost important data and chances are there will be no compensation.
Then there's the fact that everything will be subscription run. Your OS, subscription. Your editing program, subscription. Your drawing program(eg Corel), subscription. You get the drift right? Essentially no credit or debit card or no money, no Cloud PC and since you paid for the unit itself that's unfair right? Yeah, see paying for a monthly subscription for a game is one thing but paying just to turn on a PC is just wrong but it WILL happen and considering your bill are emailed to you and will probably only be able to be paid online you can't use electricity, gas, water, food, etc. Also it will become way more expensive in under this model they will choose.
You know the videos, the music and and games you enjoy on PC? Well you know how we have region locking at the moment with DVDs, Blurays and video games? Yeah they'll be worse because VPNs will no longer be an option and people like me will be screwed. Sure piracy and hacking will die but you'll miss out one games you want to play, the music will be restricted to whatever crap is chosen to be released and you can't watch say, True Blood unless you live in the US. Speaking of games, no more mods for games.
What about privacy? Think of that? Well if "The Cloud" come privacy is no more because everything will be public. See the thing is security will actually suffer greatly due to full internet integration. Thing well get harder to block and viruses will roam more free then ever.
Then there's the internet connection. See until the internet runs like water at a steady flow for all instead of laggy like it is today, we'll never be able to make the most of "The Cloud" in the future form it will take. Think about playing say Fallout 5 via "The Cloud and the net drops before a 2 hour run could be saved or even worse... in the middle of saving and corrupts you save.
Also what about the OS of Cloud PC's? You see since it will be just a web browser with apps, you can't use say Firefox(my personal favourite browser) to browse the web and then there's the fact that certain apps won't work on Mac Cloud OS that work on Windows Cloud OS or Google Chrome and so on. Sure we have that already but we can't patch it to work.
This is just a sample of what can happen and what I fear most. I'm sure there a boat load of possibilities that are positive but I'm not seeing them. "The Cloud" should just be a feature or an option, not the only thing. There's a high chance what I predict is coming but hey, if I'm wrong then I'll except the ridicule. The big question is when will it come? I guess between 10 and 15 years personally.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Eurogamer 2011: PS Vita, Getting a Feel For It
I was not only lucky enough to catch the last group of the day to go hands on with Sony’s Playstation Vita but it was also a lightly extended session since the queue had closed behind us. Still, not enough time was given to ask ALL the questions and try EVERYTHING out but I did manage to get that all important ‘feel’ for the device. What I mean is, even in the relatively short time we were allotted, I got comfortable with all of the physical features of the hardware. This is what I’m going to try and describe to you now in hope that those of you interested in the powerful handheld can get an imaginative insight into what it’s like to use. I will use Little Big Planet as the reference game as it was the first thing I tried and it uses most of the PSVs features very nicely. Most of you may have read about all of this beforehand but I’d just like to share my personal experience with you anyway.
The first thing you notice about holding the device is also the thing with the most ambiguous future I’m afraid, the weight. I was shocked at just how light it was, when the girl handed me the PSV I held my hands out underneath expecting something as ‘stuffed’ with hardware features as this to give my wrists a slight need to adjust to counterweight. However it feels almost effortless to grasp but not so lightweight that it threatens to break or fly out of your hand. I immediately found myself trying to hold the device in one had then the other with surprising success. I asked if the model I was holding would be the same weight as the final build and was disappointed to hear that there would be a slight change with no indication as to whether it would be heavier or lighter. The demo model did in fact have the battery inside, according to the rep, and the weight change would probably be so slight as to be unnoticeable.
Now to find the buttons! Having owned a PSP, I was relatively aware of the basic button setup however I soon discovered that this may be more of a problem than an advantage. The inclusion of dual analogue sticks, while probably the greatest feature to hit handhelds ever, has forced the usual face buttons to shrink. It took me a few attempts to jump a small gap in LBP because I kept pushing the second analogue stick, thinking that it was the ‘X’ button. Once I got used to this though everything else snapped into place, the D-pad even seems to improve on the PSPs already good one, and it was now time to try out the touch screen.
My first touch evoked a mild feeling of disgust after realising just how grubby the screen had become. We can’t really blame the Vita for falling victim to the touch screen weakness though; you’d feel dirty too if 1000+ strangers queued up to fondle you all day. Returning, after a quick wipe, to the very first room in LBP which contained some of the ‘touchable’ blue material I had learned about just hours before in Sony’s PSV developer conference; I moved the object around just like I had done countless time before on various smart phones, it’s as intuitive here as it was then. There’s a certain small awe that comes with moving an object in a world as detailed as LBP using your own touch. The rear touchpad also came into use during the demo, where I was challenged with building a staircase for Sackboy by pushing ‘Tetris-like’ blocks out from ‘behind’. It’s a strange but immersive experience, which left me, optimistically, wondering about the possibilities of such input. Both front and rear touch screens are multi-touch and feel incredibly responsive, easily on par with top level smart phones.
The next challenge to put the PSV through its paces involved the six-axis function. I needed to tilt the device in order to bring a bridge across for Sackboy to jump onto; it works exactly how you would expect, after using both Move and DS3, you should feel very comfortable with this.
The dual analogue sticks seemed tiny at first, I worried that their decreased size would affect the range of control you had over manipulating the camera or minute aiming adjustments. However my concerns were put to rest after only a few short minutes of use I felt a common connection between the PSV sticks and the DS3. It might sound silly but it really did feel like I was playing a mini PS3 in my hands; which, in my opinion, is no bad thing, especially when you consider all the extra input and features available on the Playstation Vita.
I left the expo confident that Vita would be usable for me after being worried that my large hands (I’m 6’4” and can hold a basketball upside-down with arm outstretched) would be a problem. From build quality to responsiveness, Vita FEELS like a winner.
The first thing you notice about holding the device is also the thing with the most ambiguous future I’m afraid, the weight. I was shocked at just how light it was, when the girl handed me the PSV I held my hands out underneath expecting something as ‘stuffed’ with hardware features as this to give my wrists a slight need to adjust to counterweight. However it feels almost effortless to grasp but not so lightweight that it threatens to break or fly out of your hand. I immediately found myself trying to hold the device in one had then the other with surprising success. I asked if the model I was holding would be the same weight as the final build and was disappointed to hear that there would be a slight change with no indication as to whether it would be heavier or lighter. The demo model did in fact have the battery inside, according to the rep, and the weight change would probably be so slight as to be unnoticeable.
Now to find the buttons! Having owned a PSP, I was relatively aware of the basic button setup however I soon discovered that this may be more of a problem than an advantage. The inclusion of dual analogue sticks, while probably the greatest feature to hit handhelds ever, has forced the usual face buttons to shrink. It took me a few attempts to jump a small gap in LBP because I kept pushing the second analogue stick, thinking that it was the ‘X’ button. Once I got used to this though everything else snapped into place, the D-pad even seems to improve on the PSPs already good one, and it was now time to try out the touch screen.
My first touch evoked a mild feeling of disgust after realising just how grubby the screen had become. We can’t really blame the Vita for falling victim to the touch screen weakness though; you’d feel dirty too if 1000+ strangers queued up to fondle you all day. Returning, after a quick wipe, to the very first room in LBP which contained some of the ‘touchable’ blue material I had learned about just hours before in Sony’s PSV developer conference; I moved the object around just like I had done countless time before on various smart phones, it’s as intuitive here as it was then. There’s a certain small awe that comes with moving an object in a world as detailed as LBP using your own touch. The rear touchpad also came into use during the demo, where I was challenged with building a staircase for Sackboy by pushing ‘Tetris-like’ blocks out from ‘behind’. It’s a strange but immersive experience, which left me, optimistically, wondering about the possibilities of such input. Both front and rear touch screens are multi-touch and feel incredibly responsive, easily on par with top level smart phones.
The next challenge to put the PSV through its paces involved the six-axis function. I needed to tilt the device in order to bring a bridge across for Sackboy to jump onto; it works exactly how you would expect, after using both Move and DS3, you should feel very comfortable with this.
The dual analogue sticks seemed tiny at first, I worried that their decreased size would affect the range of control you had over manipulating the camera or minute aiming adjustments. However my concerns were put to rest after only a few short minutes of use I felt a common connection between the PSV sticks and the DS3. It might sound silly but it really did feel like I was playing a mini PS3 in my hands; which, in my opinion, is no bad thing, especially when you consider all the extra input and features available on the Playstation Vita.
I left the expo confident that Vita would be usable for me after being worried that my large hands (I’m 6’4” and can hold a basketball upside-down with arm outstretched) would be a problem. From build quality to responsiveness, Vita FEELS like a winner.
Eurogamer 2011: Starhawk, TPS/RTS?
Space, the final frontier... or is it? No it’s not, according to Lightbox Interactive’s follow-up to Warhawk, a multi-player only TPS released in 2007 on PS3. The new frontier involves some kind of space gold rush, in which the very substance you’re fighting for can mutate you into some kind of boney, glowing tribal warrior. The space-western theme is very reminiscent of cult fave TV show Firefly, who’s cancellation was a tragedy equalled only by Warhawk’s unappreciative public reception. Warhawk was never the best looking game, nor the most innovative but its gameplay was both deep and incredibly well-balanced. As a gamer who prefers the single player experience to competitive online it was surprising for me to find such satisfaction in a game designed entirely to play online. Still, when Lightbox revealed that Starhawk would have a single player campaign I couldn’t help but be overjoyed. At the Eurogamer Expo in London I recently got to play the entire demo through to the end, twice, here are my thoughts.
The games intro follows Sony’s first party trend (see Resistance and infamous) of animated comic book style, it’s a very artistic and efficient way to tell a story but it’s starting to seem overused. It melds seamlessly back into gameplay, in which you are shot onto a planet’s surface in a pod to secure a source of rift energy. I found the controls familiar but there was a definite sense of ‘weightiness’ that wasn’t present in Warhawk; although it could just be that it’s been a while since my last Warhawk escapade. Within the first 30 seconds I found myself in a fire fight; shooting felt solid and enemies explode satisfyingly into a flurry of glowing rift energy balls. I believe this energy is then used to purchase the ‘build in battle’ structures, which became available after capturing my first rift source.
The build in battle system is the feature that has raised my title question. At first it feels like a gimmick, just dropping turrets into the battlefield to support you isn’t exactly innovative. However, when you start collecting new buildings it becomes clear that Lightbox is onto something and has thrown a lot of weight behind it. In fact it seems to have completely transformed the game to the point that, at times, it borders on real time strategy. Enemy drop locations are announced in advance with timers and symbols, so you can prepare strategically. The tide of battle can shift with just one construction, where enemy types are countered with various turrets or NPC vehicles/mechs/warhawks. The whole concept allows for a depth of choice rarely seen in shooter games without taking away any of the fun derived from using a giant robot to hunt down and shoot a solitary enemy soldier with a salvo of overkill.
It’s this combination of genres that has solidified Starhawk as one of my most anticipated games of 2012 and could be exactly what the somewhat crowded and stale shooter market needs to get it out of its rut. Unless you believe MW3 will bring some kind of surprising innovation, in which case I commend your optimism.
UPDATE: Added a very nice video with Dylan Jobe, President of Lightbox Interactive, describing the build in battle system. It also contains some footage of it working in MP as well as the upgrade system for structures.
The games intro follows Sony’s first party trend (see Resistance and infamous) of animated comic book style, it’s a very artistic and efficient way to tell a story but it’s starting to seem overused. It melds seamlessly back into gameplay, in which you are shot onto a planet’s surface in a pod to secure a source of rift energy. I found the controls familiar but there was a definite sense of ‘weightiness’ that wasn’t present in Warhawk; although it could just be that it’s been a while since my last Warhawk escapade. Within the first 30 seconds I found myself in a fire fight; shooting felt solid and enemies explode satisfyingly into a flurry of glowing rift energy balls. I believe this energy is then used to purchase the ‘build in battle’ structures, which became available after capturing my first rift source.
The build in battle system is the feature that has raised my title question. At first it feels like a gimmick, just dropping turrets into the battlefield to support you isn’t exactly innovative. However, when you start collecting new buildings it becomes clear that Lightbox is onto something and has thrown a lot of weight behind it. In fact it seems to have completely transformed the game to the point that, at times, it borders on real time strategy. Enemy drop locations are announced in advance with timers and symbols, so you can prepare strategically. The tide of battle can shift with just one construction, where enemy types are countered with various turrets or NPC vehicles/mechs/warhawks. The whole concept allows for a depth of choice rarely seen in shooter games without taking away any of the fun derived from using a giant robot to hunt down and shoot a solitary enemy soldier with a salvo of overkill.
It’s this combination of genres that has solidified Starhawk as one of my most anticipated games of 2012 and could be exactly what the somewhat crowded and stale shooter market needs to get it out of its rut. Unless you believe MW3 will bring some kind of surprising innovation, in which case I commend your optimism.
UPDATE: Added a very nice video with Dylan Jobe, President of Lightbox Interactive, describing the build in battle system. It also contains some footage of it working in MP as well as the upgrade system for structures.
Which Zelda Should Be Remade?
Ocarina of Time was remade earlier this year, but which Zelda will be brought back to life next? Join me as I meander through some of the possibilities.
Majora's Mask- Since OoT looked so dang good on the 3DS, one might think that Nintendo would just remake the other Nintendo 64 Zelda as well. While this game wasn't really my favorite Zelda (probably one of my least favorite), it still deserves a make over sooner or later. Possible improvements could be a better save system, more masks, and of course, beautiful graphics.
A Link to the Past- Probably the one I want to see redone the most. The original Legend of Zelda often steals the glory from this game, which is a real shame. The game hasn't really seen many retail releases on newer consoles since the GBA, so I haven't gotten the chance to play it. But the third entry in this epic franchise could make for an amazing experience on the 3DS. Especially if it came with a graphical upgrade and 3D!
The Legend of Zelda- It was the first, so shouldn't it have been the first to be remade? Just picture a game with Phantom Hourglass type graphics, with the map of the original and the dungeons of the original. Doesn't the man in that cave deserve to give away that sword one more time? (Maybe in 3D?).
Wind Waker- This one would probably be better represented on the Wii U. What better way to get the new console started than with a remake of the most underrated (and over hated) Zeldas? With a more full sea and some HD graphics, this would be a winner for sure. Even if you hate the artsy graphics, this would be one of the most epic 3D Zelda experiences ever.
Twilight Princess- Oh, it makes me sad when I hear so many people hating on this game. It did so much right, but people seem to get stuck on the small things it did wrong. If anyone else read the latest Game Informer (a magazine that I usuallyhate, but hey, they did like a 20 page section on Zelda, so I figured I would cut them some slack.), one writers haled Twilight Princess as the best entry in the Zelda franchise. I might not call it that, but I have to admit that it is the best looking Link has ever looked. And if you thought the Wii game looked good, just picture what it would look like in HD. The game would play silky smooth, and look simply amazing. Hyrule Field would be as beautiful as it ever has, and the Fairy Springs would look astonishing. The Wii did the game justice, but the Wii U could do more than that. Possible improvements could be better sword controls, more fluid horse riding, and maybe more extras such as fish, bugs, and armor. And for those of you that are sitting their thinking the game would be no fun without motion controls, don't forget that the Wii U can use the Wii Remote and Motion Plus. Even just the game in HD with Motion Plus compatibility would be enough to make me pay 50 dollars for the game.
Well, you have heard my opinion, but what do you want? We all have our own unique opinions and views about Zelda, so share yours in the comment section below
Majora's Mask- Since OoT looked so dang good on the 3DS, one might think that Nintendo would just remake the other Nintendo 64 Zelda as well. While this game wasn't really my favorite Zelda (probably one of my least favorite), it still deserves a make over sooner or later. Possible improvements could be a better save system, more masks, and of course, beautiful graphics.
A Link to the Past- Probably the one I want to see redone the most. The original Legend of Zelda often steals the glory from this game, which is a real shame. The game hasn't really seen many retail releases on newer consoles since the GBA, so I haven't gotten the chance to play it. But the third entry in this epic franchise could make for an amazing experience on the 3DS. Especially if it came with a graphical upgrade and 3D!
The Legend of Zelda- It was the first, so shouldn't it have been the first to be remade? Just picture a game with Phantom Hourglass type graphics, with the map of the original and the dungeons of the original. Doesn't the man in that cave deserve to give away that sword one more time? (Maybe in 3D?).
Wind Waker- This one would probably be better represented on the Wii U. What better way to get the new console started than with a remake of the most underrated (and over hated) Zeldas? With a more full sea and some HD graphics, this would be a winner for sure. Even if you hate the artsy graphics, this would be one of the most epic 3D Zelda experiences ever.
Twilight Princess- Oh, it makes me sad when I hear so many people hating on this game. It did so much right, but people seem to get stuck on the small things it did wrong. If anyone else read the latest Game Informer (a magazine that I usuallyhate, but hey, they did like a 20 page section on Zelda, so I figured I would cut them some slack.), one writers haled Twilight Princess as the best entry in the Zelda franchise. I might not call it that, but I have to admit that it is the best looking Link has ever looked. And if you thought the Wii game looked good, just picture what it would look like in HD. The game would play silky smooth, and look simply amazing. Hyrule Field would be as beautiful as it ever has, and the Fairy Springs would look astonishing. The Wii did the game justice, but the Wii U could do more than that. Possible improvements could be better sword controls, more fluid horse riding, and maybe more extras such as fish, bugs, and armor. And for those of you that are sitting their thinking the game would be no fun without motion controls, don't forget that the Wii U can use the Wii Remote and Motion Plus. Even just the game in HD with Motion Plus compatibility would be enough to make me pay 50 dollars for the game.
Well, you have heard my opinion, but what do you want? We all have our own unique opinions and views about Zelda, so share yours in the comment section below
Join N4G as We Game for the Children's Miracle Network
N4G Moderators Odion, JL, cgoodno and I are leading the N4G team to charity victory - want in? As gamers in Extra Life's annual 24-hour video game marathon you can join the N4G team and get some play time in or you can donate and help us reach our fundraising goal!
All contributions will benefit local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Any contribution will help and all donations are tax deductible.
Our team fundraising goal is $5000 - which is huge for our first year, but c'mon...we can so do this!
If you would like to be part of the N4G team by playing just go here: http://www.extra-life.org/i... All gaming counts - PC, console, mobile, board...just game!
If you want to be part of the N4G team by donating choose any of our participant profiles on that page and donate!
Some other stuff: Want to play 24 hours but not for 24 hours straight? That's cool, just clock 24 hours in the time frame you choose! This is about the kids, after all - any Achievements/Trophies/etc. earned is just icing on the very real cake.
BONUS: If you join the team OR donate $24 or more to one of the N4G team's participants you'll be entered to win a swag bundle from our swag closet. This is a grab bag of posters, t-shirts, buttons, bags, and dog tags to name a few from GDC, E3, PAX...or stuff that showed up in the mail.
1. Swag bundle is open to all except for employees of HAVAmedia and immediate relatives. You do not have to be a registered N4G user to win.
2. Closing date is 15th October 2011
3. The winner will be chosen by random.org and notified via email or N4G ticket on or after October 16, 2011.
4. Failure to reply to notification within fourteen (14) days results in forfeiture of prize.
All contributions will benefit local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Any contribution will help and all donations are tax deductible.
Our team fundraising goal is $5000 - which is huge for our first year, but c'mon...we can so do this!
If you would like to be part of the N4G team by playing just go here: http://www.extra-life.org/i... All gaming counts - PC, console, mobile, board...just game!
If you want to be part of the N4G team by donating choose any of our participant profiles on that page and donate!
Some other stuff: Want to play 24 hours but not for 24 hours straight? That's cool, just clock 24 hours in the time frame you choose! This is about the kids, after all - any Achievements/Trophies/etc. earned is just icing on the very real cake.
BONUS: If you join the team OR donate $24 or more to one of the N4G team's participants you'll be entered to win a swag bundle from our swag closet. This is a grab bag of posters, t-shirts, buttons, bags, and dog tags to name a few from GDC, E3, PAX...or stuff that showed up in the mail.
1. Swag bundle is open to all except for employees of HAVAmedia and immediate relatives. You do not have to be a registered N4G user to win.
2. Closing date is 15th October 2011
3. The winner will be chosen by random.org and notified via email or N4G ticket on or after October 16, 2011.
4. Failure to reply to notification within fourteen (14) days results in forfeiture of prize.
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