Tag Archives: PS3

To PS4, or not to PS4 (for now)

by

Let me walk you through what goes through my mind at times like these:

“The year is 2014. I turn 40 this Sunday. That’s 4 decades. A PS4 is $400, and I’ve nearly built up to 4 (OK, 3) free games for it through my recent PlayStation Plus subscription.”

See where I’m going with this?

I used to be a “day one” — or at least a “month one or two” — system buyer. When I think back to when I was first able to start buying them on my own, I was always there early. I’m not feeling it this generation, though. I still have lots of unfinished business on last generation’s consoles, so I haven’t had that urge to step up to the new systems like I used to. I’m feeling a mild itch, however.

I did buy a Wii U back in October because I really enjoy mainline Nintendo titles. Super Mario 3D World, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, and New Super Mario Bros. U are all fantastic games, and I can’t wait for Mario Kart 8 in a couple weeks. Despite its relatively weak catalog of games, I already have a small backlog developing for it, including The Wonderful 101, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Pikmin 3.

20150516_ps4Anyway, between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the PS4 is definitely the most compelling system to me since I do have those free PS+ games like Resogun and Mercenary Kings that I would love to try. I’m paying for the service, so I might as well get the most out of it. It’s been fantastic for the PS3 and Vita.

Knowing that an upgraded PS4 version of The Last of Us is around the corner is also very exciting, since it’s my current all-time favorite PS3 game. I don’t like that I’ll have to double-dip to play it, but Sony has assured fans that owners of the original game will get the PS4 game for a discount. I’m hoping for half, but my bet’s on $39.99.

Speaking of double-dipping, I’m a big fan of Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 version of Tomb Raider, so checking out the Definitive Edition could be interesting. PC gaming with decent hardware is usually my preference for multi-platform games, but since the only way to play the latest update is on the PS4 or XB1, I’m out of luck there.

I also want to see what Remote Play is like, since I’ve been rather disappointed with the wireless range of the Wii U Game Pad. It has made Off-TV play nearly impossible due to how our room is configured. That’s unfortunate, since I think EarthBound would be a perfect lay-on-the-couch gaming experience.

There is also the comfort in knowing that the PS4 will be home to so many great exclusives throughout its lifetime, as all Sony systems have been over the PlayStation’s 20-year lifespan. Can you believe it’s been that long? Neither can I.

So, will self-control ultimately come out on top? All I know is that my wife will have to make absolutely sure I don’t go wandering off to the electronics department of our local Fred Meyer this weekend.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Rediscovering LittleBigPlanet

by

My apologies in advance; today’s update is a short one since I’ll be out of town most of the day.

20140513lbp

So, Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet (LBP). Yes, the first one from 2008. After finishing Tearaway last week, I thought back on LBP, and how it never did click with me. I distinctly remember calling the controls imprecise garbage. At the time, I had most recently finished Super Mario Galaxy, which along with its 2010 sequel, were among my top games of that generation, and without question my favorites on the Wii. Going from Nintendo-quality platforming to LBP was a shock in the worst possible way.

I shelved LBP without giving it much of a chance, but it must have affected me on some subconscious level. I ended up buying the 2011 sequel — in Collector’s Edition form, even — and have yet to play that one. I grabbed the PSP version after 2011’s infamous PlayStation Network outage, and so there I was with 3 installments of the series, virtually unplayed.

Which leads me to this week. Absence may very well make the heart grow fonder, because even though the controls feel just as loose and the physics model seems to have a mind of its own sometimes, I’m really enjoying it. Time away from it has given me a new appreciation for what Media Molecule was able to do on the PS3 8 years ago. 8! For its age, it still looks fantastic, the soundtrack is infectiously catchy, and the whimsical, slightly off-kilter atmosphere of its world is refreshing.

Media Molecule might as well be called Material Masters. The look and feel of the game is so pleasant and convincing. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Backlog Blitz: The games of February 2014

by

I’m not going to lie — February was rough. Not just for gaming, but my wife and I were in the midst of selling our house and packing up all of our things. Stress was running high, and historically, I like to buy things when I’m stressed. The higher the stress, the bigger the purchase, so I suppose the fact that I kept all of my gaming purchases to just games is impressive. I have yet to indulge in any current-generation consoles or PC upgrades, which is a small miracle for anyone who knows me.

Anyway, February’s purchases and completed games are below. Format, like last time, is Game Title (Platform, Purchase Price, Play Time).

Games purchased (-9, $198.50 spent):

  1. Device 6 (iOS, $4.00)
    Quality, premium mobile games are unfortunately becoming a rarity these days as most developers find it more sustainable to go the more casual and/or free-to-play route. So, when I hear about a game like this, that is neither of those, I take notice.
  2. Bravely Default (3DS, $40.00)
    After enjoying the demo so much in January, buying this was a no-brainer. I had originally purchased the limited edition from Amazon.com, but they sent it to me in a padded mailer, and it got destroyed in transit. They sold out, of course, so I had to replace it with the standard version.
  3. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS, $34.00)
    I’d heard lots of great things about this game, and being a fan of the GameCube original, I finally pulled the trigger.
  4. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS, $35.00)
    I’ve never played any games in this series, and am curious to see what it’s all about. I’m worried that it will turn into a major time-sink!
  5. Danganrompa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS Vita, $40.00)
    Described as a mix between Persona, Phoenix Wright, and rhythm/music games, that was a combination that sounded too interesting to pass up.
  6. The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC (PS3, $15.00)
    I declared The Last of Us to be the best PS3 game in my last Backlog Blitz update, so picking up the single-player DLC was essential, and as you’ll see below, that was the right thing to do.
  7. The Humble Indie Bundle 11 (PC, $4.50)
    Another great bundle that includes Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, The Swapper, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Guacamelee! Gold Edition, Antichamber, Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine, FEZ, Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians, and Starseed Pilgrim. I have most of these already, but that’s OK. It’s a good cause.
  8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U, $23.00)
    I’m a big fan of the Super Nintendo series, and absolutely loved Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii. I was sold on this after seeing the first trailer and learning that David Wise was returning to score the soundtrack.
  9. The Room 2 (Android, $3.00)
    The original The Room was terrific (see below), and I have to see where the story goes next!

Games finished (+9, $222.00 value):

  1. Device 6 (iOS, $4.00, 5 hrs.)
    This is an interesting game that is mostly text-based, but makes effective use of sparse imagery and atmospheric sound. Its presentation and the way it has the player interact with it is very original, and the overall production value is nice. I found some of the puzzles to be too weird and obscure, though, and it was over quickly. Still worth checking out. Overall: B
  2. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3, $60.00, 10 hrs.)
    I’d originally beaten this back in 2008, but after finishing The Last of Us in January, I decided to replay this series again. I finished it on Hard, got all 61 Treasures, and came away still impressed with the game’s variety of locales, high energy, and trademark chemistry between the characters. It still looks good for its age, but the animation and texture work are dated, especially compared to Uncharted 2. Overall: A-
  3. 10000000 (Android, $1.00, 5 hrs.)
    What a surprise! This game’s mixture of classic match-3-or-more gameplay with an addictive RPG-like upgrade system make this a must-play. The old-school 8-bit style graphics are fun, and the game’s pacing is spot-on. It can sometimes be a bit confusing to focus on the tile board and the obstacles/enemies you’re facing up top, but you get used to it after a while. It was also over before I knew it, but for a buck, I can’t complain too much. Overall: A-
  4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3, $60.00, 15 hrs.)
    Next up in my Uncharted playthrough was this one, and it was just as impressive as it was the first time I played it. It’s crazy how much Naughty Dog leveled up between the first game and this one. Like the original, I finished it on Hard this time and got all 101 Treasures, which took some time. This is definitely the best in the series, with amazing set pieces, technology, and vertigo-inducing exploration. Overall: A+
  5. The Room (Android, $1.00, 2 hrs.)
    Like 10000000, this was a pleasant surprise, and it’s a game I’d consider a “show off” piece for phones and tablets. It has terrific puzzle design that feels tactile and rewarding, all wrapped up in some beautiful 3D graphics and a slightly unsettling soundtrack. Be sure to wear headphones! It’s very short, but those few hours are highly satisfying. Overall: A-
  6. Around the World in 80 Days (Android, Free, 10 hrs.)
    This is another match-3-or-more game with various goals and item drops. It’s nicely done with pleasant art and smooth gameplay, and I got pretty far into it, but unfortunately, I ran into a repeatable crash that’s making it impossible for me to get past the China stages. Too bad, because it’s a good game otherwise. It was a Free App of the Day on Amazon.com last year, so it may just be an update issue. Overall: B-
  7. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3, $60.00, 15 hrs.)
    I was pretty tough on this game back in 2011, because it just didn’t feel right. I thought the spirit of the series changed, as characters became more serious, the art style was different, and it just didn’t hit the highs of Uncharted 2. Hearing later that most of the team had been moved off to work on The Last of Us explained things a bit, but that’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re talking about one of Sony’s key PS3 franchises. It’s still a good game, just not a great one. And why they decided to try making Elena sexier is beyond me. Overall: B
  8. The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC (PS3, $15.00, 3 hrs.)
    Amazing. This is how you do single-player story-based DLC. It’s a stunning and very personal chapter that fleshes out a key relationship from the main game’s narrative. It’s short, but a must-play for any fan of The Last of Us. Finished on Survivor with all Trophies. Overall: A
  9. Tomb Raider (PC, $20.00, 25 hrs.)
    I went into this not expecting much, but I walked away completely impressed. Although the game suffers from a lackluster story, some amateurish voice acting, and a comically over-the-top villain, the rest of it is top-notch. The game’s open-world nature makes it a joy to explore, upgrades keep coming at you until the very end, and Lara Croft herself is a vulnerable, three-dimensional personality that you come to care for. Graphics and environments were impressive, and the gunplay was buttery smooth. In many ways, I like this more than most of the Uncharted series. Overall: A

Even though February was tough, I managed to play and finish just as many games as I bought, so I was pretty happy about that. There were some real standouts, and Tomb Raider in particular set me on a course to tackle some other high-profile open-world games, which I would dive into headfirst in March.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

A light Thursday update

by

I haven’t been sleeping well this week, and I feel like I’ve been sapped of all my energy today… did a Shadow from Persona 4 cast Enervation on me or something?

20140501colAnyway, speaking of “light”, the PC/Uplay version of Child of Light is currently on sale at Green Man Gaming for $12 using promo code FUSWJT-B1DU64-JBV8UY. The code is good until 8AM on May 2nd (tomorrow). The code works for other titles as well, but as someone who grew up with and still loves beautiful and lovingly crafted 2D games, I wanted to call out Child of Light specifically. It looks amazing, and I can’t wait to play it!

20140501toscI also gave in and picked up Tales of Symphonia Chronicles for the PS3, which is currently 50% off for PlayStation Plus subscribers, making it only $10. I haven’t played through a game in this series since the first Tales of Destiny on the original PlayStation. I really enjoyed that one, despite its insanely high encounter rate, so I’m sure it will be an eye-opener to see how the series has changed over the years. The Japanese version had one of my favorite intros of that generation.

Finally, I’m in mid-January in Persona 4 Golden. I was hoping to finish it today or tomorrow, but with how I’m feeling, I don’t know if that’ll happen. The bed is calling my name, as if I just came back from the TV World. My next update on this game, however, should be the review.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Backlog Blitz: The games of January 2014

by

Earlier this month, I shared the Backlog Blitz process that I’ve been using to track what games I’m buying and playing. While it gave a very basic overview of what it is and why I do it, I thought it’d be more interesting to dive into what actually makes up those numbers, my brief thoughts on each game, and some other statistics. I plan on doing this for each month of the year, so I should hopefully be caught up by the time mid or late May comes around.

Anyway, here we go with January. Format is Game Title (Platform, Purchase Price, Play Time).

Games purchased (-1):

  1. The Humble Indie Bundle X (PC, $6)
    I love Humble Bundles for their value and high quality. There are lots of indie bundle sites out there, but none of them come close to the ones offered here. This one included BIT.TRIP Presents… Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, HOARD, Joe Danger 2: The Movie, Papa & Yo, Rues, Strike Suit Zero, Surgeon Simulator 2013, To the Moon, and Toki Tori 2+.

Games finished (+13):

  1. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U, $60, 30 hrs.)
    This game was just pure joy to play through. I’d say it’s the equal to the Super Mario Galaxy games on the Wii. It’s wonderfully varied, stars/stamps are fun to collect, and it runs smoothly at 60fps in 720p. It’s also full of inspired level design and perfectly responsive controls. It’s definitely my favorite game on the system, and is as good as platforming gets. Overall: A+
  2. Drill Dozer (GBA, $30, 20 hrs.)
    A 2006 side-scrolling platformer by Game Freak, makers of all things Pokemon. After playing the fun but uneven HarmoKnight last year (also from Game Freak), I decided to play this, and I’m glad I did! It’s extremely deep, and the treasure hunting in it was very addictive. Flying and swimming controls tarnish it a bit, but otherwise, it’s easy to recommend this. Overall: A-
  3. You Must Escape (Android, Free, 1 hr.)
    This is a pretty standard “escape the room” puzzle game. It contains a good number of rooms to solve, and most of the puzzles are intuitive. Some are a bit obscure, and the game itself isn’t anything special, but it’s still OK and worth checking out for free, especially if you enjoy the genre. Overall: C-
  4. The Last of Us (PS3, $60, 55 hrs.)
    My favorite PS3 game to date. It truly grabbed me and didn’t let go. It’s one of the rare times I’ve ever felt compelled to go through a game for every trophy, and although I skipped the multiplayer ones, I successfully collected the rest. It’s the most powerful gaming experience in recent memory, with solid gameplay that, while not extremely deep or revolutionary, supports the narrative perfectly. The world Naughty Dog has crafted here is just amazing to look at and explore, the soundtrack is haunting, and the acting is superbly top-shelf. Not to be missed. Overall: A+
  5. Forza Motorsport 4 (360, $37, 20 hrs.)
    This is my current favorite racing game series. It provides a good balance between arcade and simulation style racing, gives rewards to the player often, is graphically polished, and has powerful audio. The Top Gear contributions are fun, and the car selection is very good. Photo mode isn’t as good as Gran Turismo‘s, and I hate that it requires you to have Xbox Live Gold just to upload and save your own pictures. Still, it’s an excellent game with an abundance of content. Overall: A
  6. Crashmo (3DS, $9, 10 hrs.)
    The follow-up to Intelligent Systems’ Pushmo, this takes the familiar formula of that game and changes things up significantly by allowing you to now slide blocks sideways. It doesn’t sound major, but even early puzzles were giving me trouble due to preconditioning! Things really clicked later, and while I haven’t finished them all (I’m about 67% through it), I’m considering this one done. I’ll surely go back to it for months — if not years — into the future. Overall: A-
  7. The Beatles Rock Band (360, $60, 5 hrs.)
    My wife and I played this quite a bit back in 2009 (her on vocals and me on drums), but I decided to play Story Mode to see what it was like. I was pleasantly surprised by its quality, with great bits of Beatles history and trivia tucked away inside an excellently produced campaign. Very nice for a music game, and you can tell that the team that worked on this truly cared about the subject matter and source material. Overall: A
  8. Quell Memento (Android, Free, 5 hrs.)
    I made it about 70% into it, but I lost my progress as a result of my phone having to be replaced, so I stopped. It’s a well-produced puzzle game with good graphics and smooth, familiar gameplay. Hidden items and puzzles add an exploratory element to it. Perhaps after the sting of losing all my progress fades, I’ll give it another go. Overall: B
  9. Ridiculous Fishing (Android, $1, 5 hrs.)
    This is a fun game that puts tablet and phone tilt controls to great use. It’s pretty simple (and as the title suggests, ridiculous) in concept as you not just fish, but fling said fish up into the air to be shot out of the sky! I didn’t expect much from it, but it’s surprisingly deep with lots of upgrades, responsive controls, a funny story, and beautifully stylized graphics. Overall: B+
  10. Pet Rescue Saga (Android, Free, 2 hrs.)
    These types of puzzle games are usually OK, but this one doesn’t do anything particularly interesting, and lacks the smooth feel of Bejeweled Blitz or King’s own Candy Crush Saga. The animal designs are also not very good, and thus, I lost interest before too long. Overall: C-
  11. Bravely Default Demo (3DS, Free, 20 hrs.)
    It’s been called a better Final Fantasy than Final Fantasy, and after playing through this, I have to agree. It has a great combat system, lots of jobs to master, adjustable encounter and difficulty settings, a nice aesthetic, and an excellent soundtrack. It rewards players who put more into it with extremely powerful skill combinations that make the game almost too easy. It’s so fun though, so I figure most players will end up doing that. Overall: A
  12. Candy Crush Saga (Android, Free, 15 hrs.)
    King put some time into making this nice to look at, and its popularity isn’t a mistake. I stopped after 50 stages, since I’m not a fan of games that make you wait up to a full 24 hours before you can keep playing. You can pay to get through these, but I would rather these companies simply offer premium versions that do away with these annoying roadblocks. Overall: C+
  13. NES Remix (Wii U, $15, 5 hrs.)
    This has some good ideas, and there are challenges here that really do make you approach these old Nintendo titles differently, but the game selection itself is what hurts it. The developer Indieszero has put together a nice title that is smooth and polished, but there are better games out there to revisit. I had to support this, though, since they also made the excellent Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS. Seek that out if you don’t have it yet. Overall: B-

In summary, January was a productive month, with some truly standout games on a wide range of systems. I barely spent anything, which is always a good thing when you’re trying to stay focused on games you already own. February ended up being a rougher month on the wallet, but it definitely didn’t skimp on overall quality.

To be continued!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail