PassTheAmmunition Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Here's three mini-reviews from me: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune * * * * stars This game was one I was reluctant to pick up because it doesnt support multiplayer / online play. I've never been very big into single player adventure games. A friend bought it and said it was well worth the price so I picked it up. This game has one of the richest and lushest visual feels and spacial awareness of any game I've played on a console. Its not photo-realistic (such as Call of Duty 4, more on that later) yet it manages to completely immerse you in the game and provides one of the most breathtaking renderings of height and depth of any game Ive ever played. You simply lose yourself in theis world. Climbing high atop the jungle treetops or teetering on a cliff's edge, you really forget you are playing a game and you feel as if you are IN the game. The gameplay and player movements are instinctive and natural after you get used to them. While shooting / firing a weapon arent the real story here, you won't be disappointed with the manner in which the characters can roll, jump, cling, climb, evade and fight as you progress through the missions. The sea-doo and Jeep missions are very very cool. I finished the game in a few days - maybe 3 or 4 three-hour sessions. Its not terribly long, but its very entertaining. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare * * * * * stars What can I say about this game? Simply the most addicting, well-conceived FPS game I have ever played. A veteran of games such as SOCOM:Navy Seals and the Ghost Recon series, I was eagerly anticipating the next version of Call Of Duty. Activision has really done it right this time. They have built a wonderful single-player campaign that challenges on 4 or 5 different skill levels across a variety of terrain and enemy conditions. There is intuitive training that adequately assesses and challenges the new player to hone their skills before deploying on a mission. This is the most photo-realistic game ever released for the PS3. If you don't believe me, read the reviews on IGN and GameInformer. This game unanimously received the highest marks of any FPS console game this (past) year. If there was a weak spot with the previous COD, it was probably the lack of a challenging and robust multiplayer option. The action felt scripted and less 'open-world' and the maps were far less detailed and large. COD4 incorporates an ingenious 'upgrade' (rank-up) system that is based on Experience Points (XP) that you can only earn in online battle. Offering up to 15 types of online modes, from Free-For-All Deathmatches to team-based objective matches, the online play is smooth, seamless and relatively easy to access and play. The XP system challenges each player to test their mettle with new weapons and feats in order to reach the next level and unlock additional weapons and perks. Supporting up to 16 players in online battle, there is none of the glitching that was rampant in games like SOCOM (l-ll) and the playing field is nicely leveled via the XP system. After playing Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter2 for several months and then getting COD4, I cant go back to GRAW2 without feeling let down in some ways. While COD4 does NOT offer a cooperative mission mode (you cant join forces with friends and try to beat the AI) like GRAW2, the gameplay and map detail make COD4 the game to beat right now on PS3 Motorstorm * * * and 1/2 stars Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man were the first two games I bought for the PS3. While Resistance underwhelmed me early on, Motorstorm became my favorite game that started to scrath the surface of the PS3's and Blu-Ray's potential. The game's graphics are rich and the driving mechanics / engine are very enjoyable. You can really get into the races and track types (Mud, rocky mesa's, desert) and the demolition and destruction / vehicle animations are very entertaining. The game however doesnt feel very deep - limited # of available tracks and vehicles do make me feel like the game needs more - perhaps add-ons as we are starting to see now available in the Playstation Store. BUT EXCUSE ME WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY $9.99 FOR ADDITIONAL GAME FEATURES WHEN I ALREADY SPENT $60 ON THE GAME? This is where I think the makers of Motorstorm are going to lose their audience. Nobody wants to shell out more money for additional features that could have made it into a game if it werent for the immense pressures to meet a release date for a new platform. Its inexcusable. The game has gotten better, however. Painfully long load times for maps/tracks and vehicles have been limited by replacing the robust 3-dimensional vehicle modeling during load time with small pictures. A small price to pay for shaving minutes off load time and lag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Any of my fellow PS3ers using a nice little wireless all-in-one keyboard-trackball thingamabob? I'm looking for something compact that can be used for basic messanging and web surfing while my arse is parked on the couch so... any recommendations? pedro - That's cool about Shadow of the Colossus - how is that working out? When I got my PS3 there were still a few outstanding PS2 games I wanted to play myself so I've been checking out the likes of God of War 2 on the PS3. the upgraded graphics are niiiiice and so far I haven't run into any problems with the myriad of PS2 games I've dabbled with except of course for the PS2 Guitar Hero games which so far have no compatible controller on PS3. *grrrr* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassTheAmmunition Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Jan 22 2008, 09:59 AM) Any of my fellow PS3ers using a nice little wireless all-in-one keyboard-trackball thingamabob? I'm looking for something compact that can be used for basic messanging and web surfing while my arse is parked on the couch so... any recommendations? pedro - That's cool about Shadow of the Colossus - how is that working out? When I got my PS3 there were still a few outstanding PS2 games I wanted to play myself so I've been checking out the likes of God of War 2 on the PS3. the upgraded graphics are niiiiice and so far I haven't run into any problems with the myriad of PS2 games I've dabbled with except of course for the PS2 Guitar Hero games which so far have no compatible controller on PS3. *grrrr* Godeater, I have the Logitech Wireless Media Board for PS3 for my PS3. Its not exactly compact, but it is lightweight and perfect for use with the PS3. Its not bluetooth, but its wireless USB (it has a tiny USB fob that you stick in the PS3 USB slot) and its got great battery life. I havent changed my battery yet and its almost a year old. Hope this helps PTA (Freeze on Fantasy Hockey) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Owl Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Ahh, the fifth Splinter Cell will not come out on the PS3!!! Bah, Humbug!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 QUOTE (PassTheAmmunition @ Jan 22 2008, 10:08 AM) QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Jan 22 2008, 09:59 AM) Any of my fellow PS3ers using a nice little wireless all-in-one keyboard-trackball thingamabob? I'm looking for something compact that can be used for basic messanging and web surfing while my arse is parked on the couch so... any recommendations? pedro - That's cool about Shadow of the Colossus - how is that working out? When I got my PS3 there were still a few outstanding PS2 games I wanted to play myself so I've been checking out the likes of God of War 2 on the PS3. the upgraded graphics are niiiiice and so far I haven't run into any problems with the myriad of PS2 games I've dabbled with except of course for the PS2 Guitar Hero games which so far have no compatible controller on PS3. *grrrr* Godeater, I have the Logitech Wireless Media Board for PS3 for my PS3. Its not exactly compact, but it is lightweight and perfect for use with the PS3. Its not bluetooth, but its wireless USB (it has a tiny USB fob that you stick in the PS3 USB slot) and its got great battery life. I havent changed my battery yet and its almost a year old. Hope this helps PTA (Freeze on Fantasy Hockey) Thanks for the recommendation! Man... I need more USB ports.... Between all these Rock Band devices... controller re-charger... Playstation Eye... now a keyboard... I don't have enough slots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arndrake Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 A standard USB hub should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 QUOTE (Arndrake @ Jan 22 2008, 03:05 PM) A standard USB hub should work. I may just try that out! You should just SEE how ugly my AV / video game rack is getting with all these cables though! Wireless my ASS. I should take a picture. Digital cable, dish receiver, stereo stuff, XBOX, XBOX 360, WII and PS3 plus an HDMI switch since my TV only has one HDMI input etc etc etc. At least trusty old PS2 is connected to the OTHER tv. I would guestimate about 90 remote controls and about 70 thousad cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Ooooooh. Check out this new honey from Logitech. PS3 compatible! http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboard...T.ac=mb|3850|hp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro2112 Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Jan 22 2008, 08:59 AM) pedro - That's cool about Shadow of the Colossus - how is that working out? Haven't had an opportunity to try it out yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacBob Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 QUOTE (JoenataArctica @ Aug 20 2007, 03:02 AM) Metal Gear Solid 4 is going to be on both systems and so is Final Fantasy XIII. Nope, both are PS3 exclusive, no matter what some random blog post says. Uncharted is amazing, and the single player campaign on COD4 is only outdone by it's amazing multi-player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacBob Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Jan 22 2008, 03:48 PM) Ooooooh. Check out this new honey from Logitech. PS3 compatible! http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboard...T.ac=mb|3850|hp I'm all over that once the silly price drops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 ok, I just picked this up man is this a sick system!!!!!!!!!!! *I think I am going to need the a Keyboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 Over the weekend I all but finished the game I'd been 'working on' so I went and picked up a few more to reload. Burnout Paradise: Only played about 90 minutes thus far... so far seems quite good. Graphics are awesome and the racing controls are in my happy spot where they are more arcade style than simulation - nice and fluid. The soundtrack is pretty ass which is not good for a racing game but I've yet to look at soundtrack customization - hoping to race listening to Malignant Narcism instead of Nickelback. Some neat little features great attention to detail. For example if you have a Playstation Eye camera, the game will actually take your photo for your drivers license - those sorts of things. On the downside I find navigating the map while racing to be a real pain in the ass often losing a race because I am unsure where to go and make a wrong turn. For someone who will be playing the game a LOT this may not be an issue since you will eventually memorize a lot of the routes on this absolutely enormous map - but for more casual players like myself the navigation may remain frustrating. They've also made some radical departures for the franchise, and until I spend more time with the game I will give it the benefit of the doubt, but many people are upset they took away the menu where you can select and participate in racing events - instead replacing it with a free roaming style where you need to drive around the city looking for events. While this gets you vastly more engaged with your environment there are some major drawbacks as well - such as not being able to restart or retry and race automatically... instead you need to drive all the way back to the start in order to try again... fortunately there are so many events strewn across the city that if you fail one event another will be so close so you just try out that one instead. The biggest disappointment in the game for fans of the franchise has to be that there are no longer CRASH events where you'd be given a scenario such as an intersection or a bridge and have to speed it and create the biggest most expensive accident possible. Instead this is replaced by what they call SHOWTIME mode where essentially you can make a crash anywhere and any time throughout the game. I haven't played with this mode much yet... but I find I am already missing the cleverly put together canned crash scenario goodness from the previous games. So yeah... a pretty radical change for the franchise but the game is certainly gorgeous, fun and enormous. Amazing arcade style racing controls and high adrenaline events make this game exhilarating to play. Some new aspects to the franchise such as in-race map navigation, finding/completing races, and some of the event modes such as CRASH versus SHOWTIME... well a lot of this will come down to personal preference and for the jury is still out until I spend some more time ripping around Paradise City. I also picked up Rachet and Clank, Unreal Tournament, FOLKLORE and Final Fantasy XII (PS2) but I haven't had the chance to try those out yet so my feedback on those will come at a later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoenataArctica Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 well hopefully if this whole "free 600 bucks" thing goes through, i might be gettin a ps3. like i said and predicted, its startin to shine now. its got a good stack comin out with a few that are already out. im still going to stick to 360 for my online gaming needs, but ps3 is pretty much for the blue ray and mgs4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtron Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I beat Heavenly Sword in two sittings at my friends house....it took 6 hours. The game is fun and if it was longer I probably would've bought a PS3 just for it, but it looks like MGS4 will be the system seller for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 QUOTE (Storm Shadow @ Feb 2 2008, 12:37 PM) I beat Heavenly Sword in two sittings at my friends house....it took 6 hours. The game is fun and if it was longer I probably would've bought a PS3 just for it, but it looks like MGS4 will be the system seller for me. Yeah it was such an awesome game I was sad when it ended... What did you think of it versus God of War? I found the gameplay style of both games to be very similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtron Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 The graphics and animation are some of the best out now, but I still feel that GoW is deeper and just more fun. HS has a better combat system, but both GoW games have much better puzzles, storylines, settings, bosses, pretty much everything else. Plus the whole Greek mythology thing is just cooler to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaVilla Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Just bought mine the other day, Along with COD4, Brillant looking & plays flawlessly too. Just a shame i'm rubbish online at the moment, So if you need someone to kill easily, look for 'ZeBandito' I've got Drake's Fortune coming in the post, Hopefully tomorrow, And thinking about Burnout too, So thanks for the reviews Also got a few demo's downloading aswell to try try some before i buy, Just a shame it takes a while to download. Roll on GTA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 QUOTE (LaVilla @ Feb 5 2008, 04:31 PM) Just bought mine the other day, Along with COD4, Brillant looking & plays flawlessly too. Just a shame i'm rubbish online at the moment, So if you need someone to kill easily, look for 'ZeBandito' I've got Drake's Fortune coming in the post, Hopefully tomorrow, And thinking about Burnout too, So thanks for the reviews Also got a few demo's downloading aswell to try try some before i buy, Just a shame it takes a while to download. Roll on GTA Congrats on your purchase - it's such an awesome little machine! I won Wii / 360 and PS3 but the Playstation is by far my favorite and the game catalogue is just starting to get rolling. What's the fundamental difference between PS3 and 360 one might ask? To put it simply as possible 360 forces you to press the "start" button to start games but PS3 doesn't mind if you want to use the X button that's up to you. It's all in the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arndrake Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Just got Burnout Paradise last night and spent 4 & a half hours playing. Lots of exploring, lots of smashing, some billboards, a few jumps, and a few races or road rages. Marked man missions are kind of tough. Even after travelling around 280 miles, only 10 % has been completed. But I guess that's based on license earned and completion of extraneous. I thought I would be a little turned off by the free run mode, but after playing a demo a week ago, I got hooked. Got COD4 last week, great image and game play, but man is it tough. I have a feeling I would be cannon fodder if I tried multiplayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassTheAmmunition Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 QUOTE (Arndrake @ Feb 18 2008, 06:07 PM) Just got Burnout Paradise last night and spent 4 & a half hours playing. Lots of exploring, lots of smashing, some billboards, a few jumps, and a few races or road rages. Marked man missions are kind of tough. Even after travelling around 280 miles, only 10 % has been completed. But I guess that's based on license earned and completion of extraneous. I thought I would be a little turned off by the free run mode, but after playing a demo a week ago, I got hooked. Got COD4 last week, great image and game play, but man is it tough. I have a feeling I would be cannon fodder if I tried multiplayer. Thanks for the quick review of Burnout:Paradise. Ive been meaning to download the demo and just never got around to it. One quick question I had - I had heard that Burnout:Paradise had a customizable soundtrack feature where you could actually use songs (from wherever) on your PS3 as in-game soundtrack. If so, this is very very cool. I will buy the game solely to race through the streets cranking Red Barchetta. If its just rumor, well then goddamn that rumor and why cant someone make this a feature in games? For that matter, where the hell is the long overdue system update that allows you to access the Cross Media Bar (XMB) from within games?? I want to play Rush while I'm gaming!! But I digress.... Anyway, COD4 is in my opinion the best game ever made for any console. The single player is great, but the multiplayer is beyond great. If you havent tried online yet (Arndrake ) you need to because its the only way to gain experience points and unlock new weapons and ranks. Sure, its tough at first but you will quickly learn. Here are some things to help in your first online COD4 foray: - Check you controller settings. There are varying degrees of calibrations that control your "look speed" and movements within the game. Set them appropriately so that you feel comfortable and the speed of movement is fluid and natural. The default settings may not work for you - Set up some custom weapon selections and spend some time on one weapon (a simple assault rifle will do) and get familiar with the sight and the rate of fire. Practice using a weapon and becoming proficient with it rather than trying a million different weapons. In the beginning, this will only complicate life. Keep it simple - Learn how to run, strafe and jump/lay prone. Seems simple enough but avoiding being seen has its benefits. Get yourself familiar with the basic buttons and practice. Knife attacks are fun :-) - Dont camp or stay in one place too long. In multi-player matches, you may find a good place but the enemy knows where you killed them from (with Kill Cam) and they will respawn and hunt you down, keep moving. - Use the Barracks. Once you unlock the Barracks Challenges, check out some of the challenges you have to complete and understand what your objective should be before you go into a match. They gain you valuable XP points and rank and weapons when you complete them. They also make the online world more fun as you set out to achieve your own objectives within a match. Have fun! See you online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtron Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I haven't played the new Burnout game, but Burnout 3 on the old Xbox had a customized soundtrack option. I listened to Rush all the time. I imagine the new game on the PS3 would still have it. The Xbox versions of GTA3 and GTA:VC had it too. There was nothing like running down people to Rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godeater2112 Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Unfortunately... really unfortunately... the game does not currently have customizable soundtrack which really sucks. I hope EA changes this is a future game patch but no word on that coming down the pipe anytime soon. Really sad- the free roam style of the game will really suck in a lot of people for dozens and dozens of hours or more... any soundtrack would get old pretty fast - and the game doesn't come with that great of music to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtron Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 WTF that sucks.....why take away features? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassTheAmmunition Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 uber-lame. I just dont get how this can be incredibly difficult to offer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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