13 posts tagged “ps3”

 

 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!

 

 Ok, so I made a mistake. I'm only human and it happens to us all. The mistake I made was to play Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on a TV less than 32" wide and in standard definition. This made the shooting sections almost impossible and, thus, made for a very hit and miss gaming experience. The jumping/story sections were brilliant, but the gunfights were just a drag. However, once I'd installed the LG plasma (got to love that discount from Tesco!) and my wife and I had finished off Assassin's Creed (an awesome game, I don't care what anyone says - the secret is to play it in one or two hour stints, not try and finish it in a day) and the oddly enjoyable Pirates of The Caribbean, we were at a loss for something to play. My wife decided we should start Uncharted from the beginning and, boy, what a difference.

 Obviously, watching the game on a 42" plasma at full 1080p is rather nice, but what really amazed me was the difference in the feel of the game. Because things were crisper and more defined (not to mention bigger), the shooting became a more fluid affair, as opposed to the hit-and-miss random bouts of death and frustration they had previously been. Suddenly, the frustrations with the game were gone and the brilliance shone through.

 I've been a gamer since I was something like 6 or 7, which means that I have been around games for at least 20 years, and games that truly stand out are few and far between. Things that mean something to me are Turrican 2 on the Commodore 64 (great game, amazingly well done on the platform), Doom on my first PC (386 powerhouse that it was), Sega Rally on the Saturn, the first Tomb Raider (again, on the Saturn), Mario 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Shenmue on the Dreamcast (and Shenmue 2 on the XBox - will they ever make the 3rd?), Half Life, Goldeneye (N64), Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X on PS2, Mystical Ninja Goemon (N64 - brilliant fun and catchy tunes), Zelda: The Wind Waker and Resident Evil 4 on GameCube, The XBox Prince of Persia games (all three), Assasin's Creed and Resistance:Fall of Man on PS3 (for the sheer Next-gen goodness and interesting storyline). Now I can add Uncharted to the list of Games By Which Others Are Measured. In fact, along with Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Shenmue and the first Tomb Raider, Id' say Uncharted is at the top end of the scale.

 Don't get me wrong - it's not perfect by any means, but it is the first truly Next Gen game that I have seen that feels neither rushed, cramped or like it's been ported from old hardware and given a bit of polish. The platforming sections are almost as good as those in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time/Two Thrones/Enemy Within, The adventure feel is up there with Tomb Raider or an Indiana Jones film, the visuals are astounding, the immersion is on a par with Shenmue and the characters are the first I wanted to actually engage with since, well, maybe Final Fantasy VII.

 I know it's out on XBox 360, but really do yourself a favour and try it in full 1080 on a PS3. Once you do, you'll realise just how good the PS3 is and how anything else would just feel like second-best.

 Other than that, We've recently been playing Devil May Cry 4 (stuck on the final boss at the moment), which is a great game and another good way to show off your big TV. We picked up a cheap copy of Heavenly Sword, which is actually very good, if rather short - I think Andy Serkis (of "Gollum" fame) makes a great villain and also helped the game developers bring a lot of empathy to the characters - it's a really under-rated title that I can recommend.

 

But the stand-out new game has got to be Lego Indiana Jones.

 I have to admit that I love the lego games. Star Wars: The Orignal Trilogy will make you laugh out loud with some of the cutscenes and hidden moves and the Indy game is no different.

 From trying to palm off Belloq with a rubber ducky, to the hidden move where Indy grabs the girl with his whip, pulls her in and kisses her, to transferring Sean Connery's Henry Jones into Lego superbly, this game is packed full of fun.

 

Yes, you could argue that the game is "childish", but the films are simple wholesome fun and the game follows suit - it's not dark and gothic, there's not a disturbing sub-story and it doesn't offend anyone. Instead, you'll get hours of honest fun and a face that hurts from laughing. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Roll on Lego Batman, says me!

See you again soon!

Well, where to start? March is barely started and I am already left with my head spinning with everything that's happened.

 So far, I've ordered a new TV (37" 1080p goodness - not bad for £500!), after trying out a Techika in my local Tesco, I figured I'd rather live with the slightly dodgy aesthetics, when an equivalent Samsung is retailing for about £150 more and Sony cost more than that. Yes, I know a Bravia is the best of the best, but this way I can get the full HD experience without having to get a divorce when my other half finds out how much that Sony costs... I could go for a 720p Sony for the same cost, but it seemed a bit silly, really. So, it's out with the old TV and in with something that will do my PS3 justice at last. Woo!

 You probably couldn't care less that I changed jobs, but the upshot is that I have a bit more free time and a lot more pocket money, so with that in mind, I blew £70 on some games, namely the Simpsons and Uncharted: Drakes Fortune. I know that the Simpsons is never going to break the gameplay mould, but I have to say that it made me laugh out loud more than once, the presentation is flawless and if you're a Simpsons fan, you really should give it a go. It's enjoyable, funny and has enough nods to the show to satisfy the geekiest fanboy - a class of which I count myself a member.

 As for the much vaunted Uncharted, I must admit to being in two minds about it - the story is engaging enough, the graphics are astounding, but there is something lacking at times...maybe it's just me, but I was expecting gameplay to rival the first Tomb Raider when it hit the market way back when. Instead, there is an awful lot of run-and-gun with enemies able to hit you from such distance that you die without even seeing who the hell shot you. The controls are...adequate. Not great - not intuitive like Assassin's Creed, or the Prince of Persia games, but they do the job.

 I think the problem is that the sections that drive the story along are amazing and the parts of the game that ape the aforementioned Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider are excellent, which just goes to show how repetitive and dull the gun battle sections are. If they left it with two or three enemies, the tension would stay high and the story would run smoothly, but you get wave after wave of bad guys swarming into an area of ruins whilst you repeat it time and again because the AI is such that you very often get shot dead as soon as you enter an area - you don't even see where it came from. It's a shame because the rest of the game is so fantastic - it's like you bought a Ferrari only to find out that , whilst it looks beautiful and goes well, it's electric and can only run for 10 minutes before it needs recharging. Great, but in short doses. I'd recommend the game and I am hoping that the new big Hi-Def TV will make the enemies easier to see, so that the shooting sections continue at the pace the story deserves, rather than bogging down for half an hour or die-repeat-die-repeat-die, as has been the case until now. Try before you bu, but if you like it, it'll suck you in - I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10. 9 out of 10 when you get things right.

 Well, here we are in 2008, the hangovers barely gone, the Norovirus taking out those of us who aren't fighting our way back from misguided trips to hunt the sun or snow. Happy new year to you all. God bless the forthcoming orbital cycle and all who sail in her...

 So, what's new? Well, first of all, to go along with my new wife (hello sweetie!), there is a new house and a new PS3 to go with that. All in all, it's been a busy, not to mention expensive, time  Still, I wouldn't change it for the world. I can heartily recommend all three (weddings, nice houses and PS3s...).

 So, what is new and cool? Well, I have to say that I am impressed with TVersity, a free piece of software that allows you to wirelessly stream music and videos to your PS3 (well, to anything, really). I wouldn't recommend watching a film whilst you are downloading two films to the same laptop at the same time, as the bandwidth usage can cause stuttering, but it's stable and does the job well.

 As for the PS3, it'd be hard to mention it without mentioning the phenomenon that is Assasins Creed. I know it's had some pretty harsh reviews (mainly complaining that the game isn't as amazingly open with thousands of totally different non-players characters and Hal-like AI), but you have to understand that the game has had to be limited in order to make it accessible to the lower-spec XBox 360. Before the Microsoft fanboys start screaming, you have to realise that, whilst there may be an add-on HD-DVD unit and an XBox 360 with 120GB hard-drive, the fact remains that all 360 games have to be made to run on the core, non-hard drive model, as Microsoft can't get its console into the same obsolescence spiral that they got Windows PCs into. What this means is that any cross-platform game will have to be crippled on the PS3 in order to fit into the 360 development limitations. Unless, of course they code separate versions. Given the accelerated growth of PS3 sales, I can see that starting to happen once the user base is established - at the moment a direct port means that there is less expenditure and less risk to the developer - there are more 360s, so you code for them and port to the less prevalent PS3 in order to ensure you don't over-spend developing for a smaller market share. Then again, as the PS3 gathers pace and the 360 stagnates (developers of Gears of War said they had hit the wall of the 360s hardware limits), I think that you will see cross-platform games start to have more PS3-specific content and quality. After all, you don't get the same game on the Gameboy as you do on the PSP, for example.

 Anyway, I rate the game highly and I can guarantee the first time you see Altair swan dive off of a tower into a haystack, your jaw will hit the ground, along with the first time you perform a stealth kill or run, dizzily, across the rooftops to get away from a posse of guards after an assassination attempt. Just buy it. Now.

 I'll be back soon with some more cool things I have been playing with, but I'm busy putting up flat-pack furniture. See ya later!

 

For a while now, I have been raving about how I think the PS3 is going to be the king of the hill once developers start getting to grips with it (not to mention showing some tasty snippets from some rather lovely up-coming games), when two things happen that could drastically improve the quality of the games on PS3 - first up, Sony announce RSX Edge, a set of development tools that, in a similar way to the way Renderware allowed PS2 programmers to forget about the nitty-gritty of graphics/physics and concentrate on the gameplay and textures, gives Third Party developers the tools they need to get on with giving us top-notch PS3 games that look astounding.

 The second, well, it's a more personal thing - I've just been asked to apply for a Producer/Project Management role running a team of PS3 developers. Keep your fingers crossed that I get it, as I promise that I'll take any developers that fail to deliver top-grade product out to the car park and shoot them - how's about that for a deal?

 In all seriousness, I think that life for PS3's early adopters is going to get better and better - XBox 360 is already creaking at the seams to keep up and Microsoft have just basically admitted the first "Core" system is obsolete by announcing the "Ultimate" edition with a bigger hard drive and (it is rumoured) HD-DVD as standard, or at least the ugly £120 external drive bundled in the same box. So that would make the 360 cost £350-ish including a standard "premium" pack and an HD-DVD add-on. Not much less than the PS3 that is all in one box (no external PSU or HD-DVD drive to clutter the place up), has a larger hard drive (60gb, as against 20gb) and has Bluray, which is looking set to trounce HD-DVD as a format. Oh, and you have to pay to get all the "Gold" (i.e useful) features of XBox Live, whereas Playstation Network for PS3 is totally free. That white box doesn't look like such a good investment after all - I am so glad that I cancelled my order for one when Amazon had their pre-order fiasco: a) it means I waited for PS3 and b) I bought a PSP to get me by in the meantime and love it.

 It's a shame that 360 seems to be relying solely on Halo 3 and Gears of War to try and beat down the opposition, as none of the other features seem as well implemented after 12 months in the field as either those on the Wii or the PS3. I really loved my original XBox (I sold my PS2 when I got one, it took over so much), but the 360 didn't seem next-gen enough once I got my hands on one and now, by altering the specs and selling bolt-ons to try and match the PS3's specifications, it appears that Microsoft is admitting that is exactly the case. If you bought a "Core" 360 at launch, you'd have paid £299-ish. Say £250 to be fair. Then add £80 for the hard drive and £120 for the HD-DVD drive. That's £450 for a machine that still doesn't match the PS3's standard spec (£425 list price at launch in the UK), not to mention the "Red Ring Of Death" (no free replacement under warranty in the UK, by the way - £80 charge to replace a dead 360, unlike in the USA where it is done for free) problems, or the fact that you end up with an Xbox, an external drive and a brick-sized PSU all making the place look untidy. Oh, and you'd have a non-wireless controller and only basic XBox Live features unless you paid even more. Methinks that Microsoft has dropped the ball...

  Well, here we are, another post, another up-coming game for the PS3 that looks like it could be well worth a look. "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune", by Naughty Dog software (creators of "Jak & Daxter" and "Crash Bandicoot") have released footage of what appears to be a cross between "Tomb Raider", "Indiana Jones" and "Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure". Little seems to be known about the game, aside from the fact that the sections that appear to be in-game look very good, with some jungle gun-fights and obligatory ruined temples to climb around in. However, given the pedigree of the developers, I think it's safe to say that it'll play well enough to justify our interest. It is, it seems, scheduled for a September/October release.

 Speaking of September, it looks to be a strong month for PS3 releases, as developers including Sony's own in-house teams have some rather tasty projects due for release in that month. We have "Heavenly Sword", a sword-fighting game in the vein of "Dynasty Warriors" (albeit with some adventure-style exploration sections, according to the developers), which is shaping up nicely according to ign.com, who have play-tested an early build version. Then there is "Lair", the aerial/ground dragon-flight combat game, which again has been play-tested in early form by ign.com and gets the thumbs-up. It looks lovely, too. According to the semi-official Sony Three Speech blog, "Killzone", the awesome much-anticipated FPS is due for the same month. Forget "Halo 3", or even "Gears of War" - if this game is half as good as the tech demos and trailers suggest, it will blow its competitors out of the water. The final game slated for release by Sony is "Warhawk", a sci-fi flight combat game that uses Sixaxis flight controls and reportedly does so rather smoothly. The interesting thing is that "Warhawk" is also said to be a download-only release, which could mark the beginning of a Steam-like service from Sony.

 Rumours abound of a "Wipeout Pure" HD-updated port to fill the gap until a dedicated PS3 version is finished, as well as a version of "BioShock", which was previously thought to be Xbox 360 only, yet now it seems that the exclusivity deal is limited to a delayed release of the PS3 version, if the rumours are to be believed. Then we have "Stranglehold"(see my earlier post about this game), which is due in the middle of the year, along with "Half-Life 2: Episode 2" (do I even need to make a case for this game?), "The Darkness" (Mafia-meets-supernatural FPS), "Indiana Jones" (evidently in possession of some awesome technical AI and physics, as well as some beautiful graphics - could be a real beauty), "Medal Of Honor: Airborne" (use the Sixaxis to control your parachute jumps!), "Devil May Cry 4" and "The Getaway" - the London-based gangster game.

 All this gaming goodness before the final quarter of 2007, when "Assassin's Creed", "Grand Theft Auto IV", "Gran Turismo 5" (not to be confused with the downloadable "Gran Turismo HD Concept" demo) and "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots" are scheduled for release. I think that any fears that the PS3 is going to be starved of quality games are highly unjustified. All this is not taking into account the obligatory cross-platform franchises - Madden, FIFA, Spiderman, etc. I think that the people who took the plunge to buy the Bad Boy in Black from Sony are going to start reaping the dividends fairly soon. I can't wait, myself.

 Firstly, forgive the cheap pun, but I couldn't resist. The point of this article is that, as part of my on-going PS3 research, I have discovered that a game that is also being developed for PC and XBox 360 is shaping up to be potentially revolutionary.

  Stranglehold, for that is the title of the game in question, at first seems like it will be another Max Payne-esque third-person shooter with a gangster theme, but the truth is something a bit more special than that. That its full title is "John Woo presents: Stranglehold" should give you more of a clue about what sets this game apart from the rest. The legendary action film-maker is not just lending his name or characters to a game, he is actively shaping its creation. Now, I know that the Wachowski brothers supposedly sat in on development of Enter The Matrix, but the truth is that they probably signed-off on the design brief and made the live-action clips that were scattered throughout the game, in the same way they had basically no input on The Animatrix, as all the shorts were ostensibly made by the animators who they signed up. But Mr. Woo is different. Mr. Woo is trying to make a sequel to "Hard Boiled" (possibly the best action film ever made, period) that just happens to be on a games console. The developers have stated in their blog, as quoted on ign.com, that Woo is taking at least a directorial role over camera angles, whilst also taking a keen interest in how the player becomes Tequila, Chow Yun Fat's character in the earlier film that is reprised here. Yes, Mr. Fat is here in all his digital glory. I know that attempts to stick an action actor in a game have been made before (from a bitmap version of Arnie in the awful "Red Heat" game of the late 80s/early 90s, to Pierce Brosnan in "Goldeneye", to Jet Li in the PS2 game "Rise To Honor"), but the power of the next-gen machines really allows you to be Chow Yun Fat - you can see his expression and, with the input of Woo directing the action, the animations look to be exactly how Chow Yun moves in his films. You get the obligatory bump-mapping, real-time lighting and the like, but the game doesn't look much better than any decent title on 360 or PS3 in terms of the modelling, etc. No, it is in the characterisation and, for want of a better word, emotional reaction to the game that the difference is.

 By using a film director who knows how to make the best action movies, you are ensuring that not only will the dialogue be of an acceptable standard, but also that the way in which the plot progresses feels like a movie, as opposed to feeling like a game that tries to be a movie (I am thinking of things like GTA, which wants desperately to be a "Goodfellas", or at least an episode of "The Sopranos", yet always feels like a game). This is something that has not really been tried since the ill-fated (thank god) "Interactive Movie" games of the early to mid 1990s when CD was a new media for PCs and consoles - I am thinking of things like "D" on the Sega Saturn. Many of these games basically just linked CGI or Full Motion Video clips together in the same way the Quicktime Events in a game like "Tomb Raider: Legend" or "Shenmue" work. This lead to dull gameplay that was essentially just a string of either/or choices linked by video clips. Since that time, the phrase "interactive movie" has been a bit of a pariah, a euphemism for "looks lovely, but plays like crap" at best. Stranglehold, however, looks to play pretty well - you shoot, jump, slide on things - everything you want in an action game, after all. The "movie" part comes in when you look at how the camera moves whilst you shoot, or how the action blends into a pre-rendered clip, for example.

 If you are a developer (and I have been, albeit on non-gaming products), your main concern is that the mechanics work - if the camera doesn't clip the scenery and the player can see what is going on, then that's all you worry about. Look at it like this, you can probably point a camera at a person and get a photo of them that doesn't cut their head out of frame - you'd still hire a professional photographer to take the pictures at your daughters' wedding, wouldn't you? By using Woo's undeniable talent, the camera can be used to dictate the pace of an action sequence, your reaction to events on screen and even push the emotional part of the plot forwards without the use of extraneous dialogue. Think of the shot in Jaws of Brody sitting in his beach chair when he thinks he sees the shark in the water - that pull-back/zoom-in shot shows not only his concern, but isolates him totally from the surrounding holidaymakers who are unaware of the danger. That's what a good camera move/angle can do and that is what, aside from the plot and the rights to use the characters, Mr. Woo ultimately brings to the table.

 I am genuinely excited by this game - it is trying to do something genuinely new (make the line between cinema and gaming all but disappear) and, by choosing a genre that is ideally suited to a games console, there is a real chance of pulling it off. Even if the gameplay is identical to Max Payne, this game will still be better, as it will feel less like an homage to a Hong Kong action film and more like the real deal. Release is currently set at "summer '07", but it has been pushed back from November '06 already, so they are obviously not rushing to meet a release date at the expense of quality. Hopefully it'll come out for summer and we'll all be shooting gangsters in slow-motion whilst a flock of doves flies past well before autumn.

 Yes, it's Easter again, which meant the traditional trek around the relatives to exchange chocolate eggs (where exactly does the rabbit with a basket of eggs appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, by the way?), the obligatory traffic jams on the M1 as people rushed to get flights and an overwhelming sense of futility as the hours tick by and you have gone no further than a tortoise with a gammy leg.

 On the upside, when I finally completed my journey, a good time was had by all and my fiancées' mother does an astoundingly good chilli - this perked up my weekend no end, as I was able to stuff myself silly and then avoid conversation with the old relatives by claiming the need to take a restorative nap. The ploy worked as they fear "that funny foreign food" and thus felt I had probably been poisoned. It meant they didn't have to hear me talk about games, cars or anything post-1945 and I didn't have to hear about granddad's train-set (sorry, model railway) or crown green bowls - everyone's a winner! Once they were ensconced in the lounge watching the golf, it was safe to rejoin the group and we had a lovely time. I hope those of you who braved the Bank Holiday traffic fared as well as I did, I really do.

 So, anyway, the wedding plans are full steam ahead, I have convinced my missus that I need a PS3 in order to cope with the influx of bridesmaids (did you know that if you have more than three together, their squeals over the bridal catalogues reach frequencies only dogs can hear?) and that it would also allow bonding sessions for the best man and her brother. I told you I had a great weekend. The end result is that I have been shopping around and will be ordering one this month. I am also selling a load of stuff that I have that I don't/can't use anymore on eBay. So far, the golf clubs are looking at earning me at least £300, so that's all good news, too. It pays for the band at the wedding, at least. Well, maybe not the whole band - probably just the drummer, but it's still a bit less I have to find later on. Well, I am absolutely shattered (I've driven 500 Miles in two days and have a job interview 100 miles away tomorrow...), so I think I'll leave it at that. Happy Easter (belatedly!).