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Monthly Archives: May 2010

Newest target date for GT 5? November 2010!

Gran Turismo 5 will be the most recent full redo of Sony’s signature CarPG racing title, once it arrives, and the latest word on the oft-delayed title is that it’ll land this November, only six months from now. How realistic this timetable may be is anyone’s guess, but the upcoming E3 event should shed plenty of light on the game.

Sony’s Polyphony Studios, responsible for the franchise, has teased gamers with previews ever since the PS3 launched; a single-car, two track foretaste was released around the same time Sony debuted the PS3 version of the PlayStation Network.

Since then, a somewhat abbreviated version of the title, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, is the best the company has been able to manage. Even though it lacked the depth of cars and tracks its predecessors featured, the game still had more depth than most racing games on this or any previous generation.

Plus, last fall, Sony released the PSP version of Gran Turismo at long last, almost simultaneously with the PSP Go! system.

But now, with November as the next tentative target date for Gran Turismo 5, one wonders if this will finally be the year it’s actually released. The game is said to feature 16-player online play, and if that’s done over Sony’s free PSN network, the company could finally have a title that puts Xbox Live to shame, rather than browsing www.bestdietsupplements.org in peace..

New Assassin’s Creed title on the way

Ubisoft is really stepping up the pace of their development; hopefully, it will be without a sacrifice in game quality. After releasing Assassin’s Creed II only last fall, the company has announced the next installment, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, featuring online multiplay for the first time, for a November 2010 release.

The game appears to still focus on Ezio, the central character of Assassin’s Creed II, and his neverending quest for how to get rid of blackheads… err, I mean, how to off a whole bunch of famous people. Since the game does not appear to have the expected “Assassin’s Creed III” moniker, it appears this may be a side-story to the main series.

So long as Ubisoft keeps delivering the 1080p eye-candy combined with great play mechanics and a solid storyline, and they can issue new installments endlessly, as far as I’m concerned. However, let’s hope the series doesn’t travel down the Lara Croft path of diminishing returns by maintaining too steady a stream of titles to allow for actual improvement in the game.

New Fallout title in October

Bethesda Softworks isn’t taking time to catch their breath, lately; the company has scheduled their newest chapter in the Fallout universe, Fallout: New Vegas, for release this coming October; that’s only five months away, and a lot sooner than it is taking the company to come up with a follow-up to Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

Not that I’m suggesting their project management software needs upgrading or anything, and I love the Fallout world as much as anyone; however, A new Elder Scrolls title would be a welcome thing, too, and not premature at all.

Fable III on the horizon

Currently projected as a November 2010 release, Microsoft has announced the development and impending release of Fable III as an exclusive for the Xbox 360 system. As a fan of the series from the beginning, I can’t wait to get my hands on this one, and I’m sure my wife will feel the same way.

The scope of Fable III is expected to expand from personal morality to social morality; as the tale begins, the world of Albion has evolved into the age of an industrial revolution and while the player begins as a revolutionary against an evil tyrant of a ruler, you are offered the chance to rise to power yourself, ascending even to the throne of Albion – and then ruling it, and beyond.

Now, not only do your decisions for selfishness or the benefit of others affect your own personal growth, the affect your dog, your friends, even the entire kingdom of Albion! Will you administer justice fairly, look to enrich yourself, or even offer credit cards for bad credit? The choices are in your own hands and the consequences have never been greater, it appears.

Nice advance in the Fable concept!

Alan Wake intrigues

There are a lot of intriguing games out on the market right now, and most people can’t afford them all. This makes choosing the right handful of games more important than ever. Enter the new Xbox 360 title, Alan Wake.

Wake was first announced six years ago by the team that brought us the Max Payne titles; however, those crime noir shooters bear little resemblance to what is billed as a “psychological thriller.” In point of fact, Alan Wake draws more from videogames like Silent Hill and Heavy Rain, as well as TV shows like Lost and Twin Peaks, that it does Max Payne.

Now, sometimes this genre can trigger click here nightmares of poorly executed games of a bygone, point-and-click era. Fortunately, Alan Wake appears to be nothing like that; it works with a solid “light versus dark” theme that is simultaneously basic and effective.

The game features a novelist, Wake, who is trying to track down his missing wife in the Pacific Northwest, with pages from a novel he doesn’t remember writing as his only clues … pages that seem to reflect the reality unfolding with each passing moment.

It’s a primal concept that reminds me of Silent Hill at its best, which for me was Silent Hill 2, the first appearance of the franchise on PS2, and by far the one with the more basic and visceral premise: a grieving husband being beckoned by his dead wife to “meet her” in Silent Hill.

Similarly, Wake offers up core, primal fears and motives that make this 360 title one of the more intriguing options on the market right now; it’s on my “seriously consider getting this” list, along with Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2, White Knight Chronicles, and Cross Edge.

In fact, it’s likely to stay near the top of my want list right up until Fable 3 is released near the end of the year (if it stays on schedule).

Out of the Park 11 review coming soon!

I’ve been playing a fair amount of Out of the Park Baseball 11 ever since my review copy arrived; I know I’m not the fastest reviewer out there, but there’s a reason; when I review titles these days, I want to really dig deep and offer not only praise for what I enjoy about a particular title, but constructive feedback about what I think could be improved in next year’s edition.

I’m finally getting deep enough into OOTP 11 to begin considering a review. I may be a slow reviewer, but at least I’m not a flippant one when I set my mind to it! Sure, some people would rather hear about Disney vacations than read what I think could be improved in a game’s inflation-adjustment system for historical sims, but hey… if you want surface reviews, there are plenty of places to find them.

You won’t get one here.

Prince Of Persia: Forgotten Sands in-hand!

Last week, I finally got my hands on the follow-up to Prince of Persia on PS3. And I have to say, my first impressions are mixed.

First, I am intrigued at the online play aspects of this title, as well as what seems to be potential for a whole lot more replay value than the first title on this generation of hardware. But not everything about The Forgotten Sands is winning me over on first blush.

For example, I loved the improvements to wall-running and climbing that were part of the first PS3 Prince of Persia title; while not quite as seamless as the system found in Assassin’s Creed, it was certainly something that made the title easy to pick up and play.

This time out, however, Forgotten Sands takes a step backward and employs a “hold down R2″ control scheme that was part-and-parcel of the PS2-era titles in the series, but seemed to have been cast aside on next-gen hardware. Unfortunately, it has made a return and while I can adjust to it because I have played a lot of the PS2-era titles since falling in love with the first PS3 Prince of Persia, I can’t see where going back to that control scheme is an improvement, really. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

Furthermore, the game still only supports 720p HD, rather than a full 1080p like Assassin’s Creed 2. That’s also disappointing.

The biggest surprise, however, is that despite an intriguing end to the first PS3 Prince of Persia that hinted at a direct sequel, the hero of this title seems to be a different Prince entirely, and there’s absolutely no sign of Princess Elika, the female co-star last time out. Instead, and perhaps because of the film that debuts this month, this title seems to be a throwback to the PS2 trilogy, rather than a followup to the last title. It even seems to be a different Prince who has spent more time on his ellipticals than roaming the desert sands.

That’s disappointing if for no other reason that I wanted to see what happened next between the Prince and Elika. Guess I’ll have to wait for the next Prince of Persia title for that.

This isn’t an indictment against The Forgotten Sands, mind you. I’m still early enough in the game to appreciate it on its own merits. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in some elements of this sequel, thus far.

First PS3 Prince of Persia still gorgeous

In anticipation of the release of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands on Tuesday, I’ve been replaying the first PS3 Prince of Persia. The first time I played through it, my wife and I did not own an HDTV, so I’m getting the benefit of the game’s 720p glory for the first time.

While it’s perhaps not as glorious as time spent looking over rare Ferrari parts, I find myself once again struck by just how impressive this Prince of Persia title was; and I’ve gone back and played each of the PS2-era Prince of Persia titles just for comparison, and as good as they were for their time, none of them quite compare to the PS3/360 reboot of the franchise.

As much as I’m looking forward to The Forgotten Sands, what this replay experience is reminding me of is just how far the bar has been set. The Forgotten Sands will need to be far more than “more of the same” to measure up. The Prince of Persia on PS3/360 did not play like a first-wave next-gen title; it was smooth and gorgeous and deep; about its only weakness was the game’s limited HD support (to topped out at 720p, and had no 1080p mode).

Adding 1080p support would be a good start; making use of it to enhance the game’s playing experience would make it a worthy successor. I’ll know a lot more in a couple days.

Most overlooked PSP RPG?

What is the most overlooked PSP RPG?

That’s easy. As much as I love the two Disgaea titles on PSP, I’d have to say that the most overlooked RPG on Sony’s handheld system, the one least in need of stretch marks cream, is Shin Megami Tensei: Persona.

It’s so fun and so addictive and so loaded with gameplay and great music, that in the six months or so we’ve owned it, my wife hasn’t even let me go near it; that’s how much she loves playing it! And my wife is not normally a fan of turn-based RPGs, so that’s saying something.

Currently, I’m laboring away in Item World on Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, leveling up my weapons and armor endlessly so that I can eventually advance in the storyline. Fortunately, Item World is fun.

My PSP’s showing signs of age

My PSP is showing signs of heavy use and general age.

The current unit I own is a second-generation PSP Slim, and while the PSP Go is available, I have no interest in giving up my UMD library, so screw that. Once this PSP Slim goes down, I will most likely go for a third-generation PSP instead, which is a PSP Slim on diet pills.

The Sony PSP has become a handheld favorite of mine due in large part to the heavy load of crap and kiddie titles that litter Nintendo DSi shelves, making it impossible to find the titles on that platform that I might actually like; PSP’s library may not be as massive, but there’s a lot more games I actually like and want to play on it.

I’ve owned two PSPs to date, not counting the two my wife has owned. I don’t necessarily look forward to shelling out for one again, but I use it so much, it’s to be expected. And since I chose iPod nano instead of iPod Touch this last time out, I’m in no danger of going app-crazy and forgetting my lovely PSP anytime soon.

My deposit is down

There’s no acne solution that will cure videogame anticipation frenzy, but placing a deposit on the game is often helpful. Less than a week away from the release of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, the PS3/360 follow-up to 2008′s much-loved Prince of Persia franchise reboot, I have to admit it’s nice to know my copy is reserved.

I haven’t felt this strongly about an Ubisoft title in quite some time, and I can only hope that, much like Assassin’s Creed 2, PoP:Forgotten Sands will finally add 1080p support on PS3, a grossly overlooked feature last time out, and just about the only weakness of the last installment.

I do hope the Elika storyline will pick up in Forgotten Sands, although it appears she may not be as prominently featured as in the last title; a new companion is apparently the order of the day. As apprehensive as that makes me, I know that so long as the gameplay is as addictive as it was last time out, I’ll be enjoying every minute of the new game, just as soon as it’s out and I can drop by Best Buy.