4 posts tagged “playstation 3”
Well, it's been a while since I found time to post and I am sorry about that - life has been rather hectic with one thing and another and time has flown past.
So, what's new? Well LittleBigPlanet has finally landed and, to be honest, I was getting to the point of expecting it to spectacularly fail to live up to its hype. The truth is, however, that it is an insanely great game - cute, funny and really quite challenging in parts. The voiceover by Stephen Fry just tops off a great package, really.
Much has been made of so-called "inclusive" games recently, a phrase which braodly refers to games which appeal to those outside of the traditional demographic definitionof "gamer". The Wii is basically living on this premise, with its lack of outstanding graphics, Gamecube-esque games and sub-par media playback options - without the wand, the Wii would be dead in the water and, because waving a wand like a club to play golf is more natural than using a thumbstick to swing and another to address spin, etc, the Wii has sold like hotcakes as a "family" console - gran can play it with minimal introduction. However, the problem with the Wii is that it is, essentially last-gen technology with a gimick - it won't appeal to hardcore gamers because trying to play Call of Duty on the Wii is difficult and unsatisfying when compared to PS3 (or XBox 360). The PS3, on the other hand, has suffered from almost the exact opposite problem - it has some great games for hardcore gamers, often single player only, but few titiles that you can casually play with friends and family - mainly football, racing or fighting games.
What LBP does is bring together the knockabout, fun-to-frolic feel of, say, Smash Bros Melee to the PS3, a liberal sprinkling of catchy tunes (you'll be humming some of them for weeks) and some great old-school platforming, all covered with a sugary coating that is as addictive as Crack. My wife loves it, I love it. The cats love it - ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point... The game is brilliant and that is without getting into the whole world of user-generated levels that you can create, share or download. Think of it as a cute sackboy-related version of modding Quake, but without the need to learn any coding and you're part way there - suffice it to say that this game is likely to be around for a long, long time. Sheer class.
I recently got back in to Resistance:Fall of Man (primarily as Resistance 2 is out soon) - I had forgotten how good that game is. Even my wife, who is not a huge fan of FPS games, has given it a go and enjoyed it (admittedly she honed her shooting skills playing Uncharted, so she feels less intimidated), although it has scared the bejesus out of her at times. Then again, given its adrenalin-soaked nature and fast-paced action, it's not surprising it has made her jump - some of the set pieces can really get your heart pounding! Again, if you haven't got this game, I highly recommend it - it makes a change from the usual WW2 shooters and, whilst it might not be a true competitor to Half-Life 2 (what is?), it certainly has a lot to recommend it - not least the fact it is now available on the Platinum/Budget range.
Finally, I have been enjoying another guilty pleasure recently - the Sam and Max season 2 games. Currently, I am dealing with a zombie infestation, having dealth with mer-men living under Easter Island, a psychotic Santa Claus and giant killer robot amongst other things. To be honest, season 1 felt more well-rounded, but there are plenty of laughs and some great point-and-click adventuring to be had. If you liked the original Sam and Max game (or enjoyed the humour of the cartoon series), you'll love them. If you didn't catch the original, you might want to try Seasons 1 and 2 of the new games, as they are a nice set of lightweight point-and-click games that can be truly side-splitting at times.
Ok, that's it for now - I promise to write soon again!
Ok, I've finished Metal Gear Solid 4. In a word - "wow". First up, I don't really want to spoil the plot for you, as the story-telling is what really puts the MGS series apart from its rivals (Splinter Cell, et al), but suffice to say that yes, it was weirdly Japanese in some of its dialogue, but overall it makes for a jaw-dropping experience - if the trailers whetted your appetite, let's just say you won't be left feeling cheated once you've completed it.
One of the rumours flying round the internet is that the game finishes with a final cut scene that is 90 minutes long. This isn't exactly true - it finishes with a series of movies, punctuated by some gameplay/QT Event-style sequences, so that the whole thing plays like a (much) bigger version of the escape sequence in Halo, or the climax of a blockbuster movie. Oh, and without wishing to spoil any surprises, can I just suggest you don't turn off the console as the credits start to roll...
So, was it worth the hype? In short, yes, it was - it won't be everyone's cup of tea and it certainly has the odd moment of hokey dialogue or the odd camera issue in certain areas, but overall those gripes are so minor that they prove very easy to ignore once the game has sucked you in. Critics of the PS3 (hello to all of you 360 fanboyz!) will say that graphics don't make a game, which is a churlish way of saying that they think MGS4 is all show and no go, but the truth is that the in-game graphics look as good as most games' CGI sequences, but the gameplay is more than up to matching that high standard. The graphics are take-your-breath-away stunning in points, but they mainly serve to help you engage with the characters, as the way they interact together and their varying emotional states are portrayed in an eerily realistic manner (at times you really could believe you are watching a live-action movie). I think a lot of the sniping does indeed come from the XBox 360 fraternity who, having watched the PS3 gain momentum, the death of HD-DVD due to the victory of Bluray and also the recurring reports of the Red Ring of Death, are now starting to see the PS3-exclusive titles really show the difference between the platforms (in fact there is a little sequence that makes fun of the storage capacity of non-Bluray formats in the game). Unlike GTA IV, there is no way this game could be played on an Xbox 360 without it requiring the user to change discs at least three or four times, or without cutting the game down hugely to fit the limited storage formats available to the 360.
Is this the last MGS game? Well, Hideo Kojima has struck out on his own and, in reality, the script of this game ties up an awful lot of storylines that have been going on for the last three games, so that it is hard to see where the franchise can go without treading dangerously close to cynical post-mortem equine flagellation. That said, there is a narrow scope for taking the franchise in a new direction, albeit without some familiar names, as the final sequence does make a big show about history repeating itself and there is a new potential faction to contend with, so I could see that being where things go. With Kojima out of the Konami stable, though, can the team left behind carry on his vision without falling down the trap of endless ever-degrading sequels (think Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, compared to the impact the first game had) or will they manage to breath life into this old warhorse (in the way Tomb Raider: Legend re-vamped the franchise when compared to the aforementioned Angel of Darkness)? I don't know, but I can safely say they'll have their work cut out to match this solid-gold beauty.
Without doubt the best game out on the PS3, if not any console, with Uncharted currently running in my number 2 spot - this game is an absolute must. You really do need to see it in action before it makes sense, but this game alone puts the PS3 into a league of its own.
Ok, Hideo Kojima's long-awaited, much hyped and potentially platform-defining game is here. I've got it, I've played it and I've done my best to keep up with the plot, so what's the verdict? Should I even try to answer that question?
I'll be honest, I hated the original Playstation. I had a Saturn on which I played Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Sega Rally and Nights Into Dreams. I had an N64 on which I played Mario 64, Lylat Wars, Diddy Kong Racing, Zelda and Goldeneye. I never felt the urge to buy a PS One - the only game on it that I vaguely enjoyed (and couldn't get on the Saturn) was Die Hard Trilogy (and even then, only for the cab-driving section). Oh and Final Fantasy VII, of course. I mention this only as a reason why I never played the original Metal Gear Solid. I did, however, buy a PS2 and rather enjoyed Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
I'll freely admit that some of the cutscenes were more ambitious than the platform really could cope with and that, overall, Splinter Cell on the XBox proved a more engaging experience for me. Despite this, I always appreciated what Kojima was trying to do - he was trying to make a game that didn't just get the trigger-finger twitching - he was trying to engage your brain and emotions and address deeper issues than just "can I sneak by this guard and shoot the bad guy?".
Shenmue 1 and 2 tried to do this in another way and, whilst I consider it one of the truly great experiences on a console (please let there be a Shenmue 3 on PS3!), many of my gaming friends think it's too long-winded and slow. Personally, I felt it had the open-world immersion of something like Eldar Scrolls: Oblivion, or World of Warcraft, without the cliched fantasy stroyline, or the subscription fees. Actually, if you like Hong Kong films, Japanese culture or RPG games, I can't recommend Shenmue 1 and 2 enough. Buy the boxed set on the Xbox, as it's been polished over the Dreamcast release (or buy the Dreamcast and Shenmue for the originality) and just go with it, but I digress...
So, what's the deal with MGS4? Well, it seems to me that, whilst I haven't completed the game as yet (hey, I only got it last week!), it seems to be tying up various storylines that have been around since the first MGS game. I'll be honest and say that some of the dialogue is a bit hokey and sometimes you're just left thinking "if I was Japanese, that probably would have made a lot more sense", but overall, silly codenames aside (Big Boss, Big Mama, Naked Snake, Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, Ocelot...need I go on?), the plot holds together rather well. Yes, I know that a child held captive by soldiers rarely takes on the power of a psychotic horde of Ravens, but it's a computer game, so we need to cut it some slack.
The production values are sky-high, with the various cutscenes being firmly of the "show-your-360-owning-mates-what-they-are-missing" variety - the scene with Raiden and Vamp is a definite winner in that category - and the action sequences are just as good as Splinter Cell, albeit you can't do the more outlandish moves (no hanging by your feet as you zip-line and shoot, etc), but if using the OctoCamo suit to try to sneak past a compund full of enemy soldiers, or hanging off the back of a motorbike with a machine pistol, or trying to take out a machine gun nest with a sniper rifle when you have no cover and are in no man's land between two warring factions doesn't get your blood pumping,then I think you are probably already dead.
So, what's the verdict? Well, as I say, it's not Quake - yes, there is action, but it's more about the adrenalin you feel trying to stay alive than any rampant blood lust - the nearest I can think of is Full Spectrum Warrior on the Xbox: all the gunfire, confusion and struggle to stay alive, without the Uber-Big-Killy-Death-Gun to blast the entire enemy army to pieces. It's not really a direct opponent to Splinter Cell, either, although I'd say that the two compliment each other. Splinter Cell was always more about the action and the graphics, whereas MGS was always more about the story and it can be told via cutscenes (yes some are really long), via in-game dialog and plot points or by the action in the game. The story is first, the gameplay (in some ways) being subservient to it. However, if you own a PS3, a decent TV, have any past history of playing MGS, or games like Shenmue, or even enjoyed a Splinter Cell game, then I think you deserve to give yourself the opportunity to experience this game.
It's not like anything you've played before, yet it's instantly familiar; it's as much about watching plot develop as it is about gameplay; it's slowly-paced, yet the action can be fast and furious... it is a game of contradictions and it is all the more impressive for it. Sure, it's not perfect, but it's close enough - this game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Resistance: Fall of Man, Ratchet and Clank and Assasins' Creed (and GTA 4 if you're that way inclined) are the very definition of Next-Gen and are what your PS3 was made for. Buy it now!
Well, here I sit on the horns of a dilemma. I have, since the drive in my old XBox died, been without a games console (apart from my PSP, which is more of a travel companion). I do have a Gamecube, but save for the odd go at Donkey Konga, or a run at Resident Evil 4, it has not seen the light of day since I completed Zelda and all of the other games I had on it. No, that now lives with my fiancee who is happy to join me in the odd post-pub game of Monkeyball. So, I need to get a new console to fill the slot on my TV stand and stop me building a monster PC just to play games.
Why do I need one at all, I hear some nay-sayers ask? Well, the fact is I prefer a good couple of hours gaming to watching Big Brother or the like - games are, by nature, interactive and get your mind working. I tend to watch DVDs to relax and play games for fun. The last ones I really enjoyed were the Prince of Persia trilogy (including the extra in-between version on the PSP) and Tomb Raider Legend. I've played a lot of Neverwinter Nights on my laptop and have also spent a lot of time playing Dawn of War and the like. But what I really like to have as a leisure option is a nice console with a racing game, a golf and/or other sport game, maybe a fighting game and something with a bit of action (i.e Halo, or Splinter Cell for example). So, given the fact that I will no doubt buy my other half a Wii (she is a) a Zelda fanatic and b) very interested in the nunchuk controller), do I get myself an XBox 360 or a PS3? This is my current dilemma.
So, the Playstation 3. Well, I have to admit to loving my PSP, but I never really got on with my PS2 (bought one of the Gran Turismo 3 packs the day they came out many moons ago) - I preferred the fun factor of the Gamecube (I used to take it round to friends' houses regularly) and the superior technology of the first XBox (Halo 2 was great) to the black box from Sony. Yes, I know it had Final Fantasy ( I really enjoyed FF-X), but that didn't sell the system to me and I eventually sold it and 13 games to a friend for what I paid for the console a little over a year later, but I digress. The fact is that I am not a Sony fanboy, PSP aside, (I had a Saturn and N64 instead of a PS One, too) so they system has a lot to do in order to convince me to shell out at least £425 for a console alone. It needs to be able to store movies for me to watch and it needs to be able to play games that look great and are good to play, as it has to prevent me from wanting to build the monster PC that I keep threatening my fiancee I am going to. If it can do enough to convince me I don't need a high-end gaming PC to get my entertainment fix, then it will be worth the money. I can stick with my trusty Vaio Core Duo and save myself about £1000. So, the big question is "does it manage to do it?"
