VideogameVagabond.com

Can a 45-year-old man maintain a marriage and a videogame habit? Let's find out!

Category Archives: PlayStation 3

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.

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.

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.

More FFXIII impressions

I’m not the world’s fastest gamer. At 43 and counting, I doubt I’m the world’s fastest anything. But I have made it about six to 10 hours into FFXIII and I’m still impressed by the 1080p level of detail (thanks, SquareEnix!), the appealing characters and the patient storytelling.

Rather than explain everything up front before things get rolling, FFXIII moves you into some action right away. Sure, it’s not free-roaming exploration until about 15 hours in… so I’m getting there soon… but it is a way to get the player into battling and leveling up right away while doling out the story in smaller, bite-sized doses.

Massive story sequences and long waits between save spots have been a long-standing complaint I’ve had about SquareEnix RPGs, so I’m pleased to see someone listened… especially since I know I’m not the only one with this complaint. It’s practically a Symbol LS2208 among those in the know.

Plus, I have to say I’m overjoyed that, this time out, I am far more involved in the battles than I was when playing Final Fantasy XII on PS2. If I want to see a movie, I’ll see a movie; I play games in order to feel involved in the outcome. Thanks also, SquareEnix, for recognizing that and responding to this not-infrequent complaint in which I’ve not been alone.

Final Fantasy XIII is to Final Fantasy XII what Windows 7 is to Windows Vista…

Dragon Age: Awakenings

I recently picked up the almost-full-priced expansion to Dragon Age: Origin… Awakening. I was a bit shocked at the sticker price: $40 for something that doesn’t seem to add much more than some $5-$8 expansions I’ve bought through PSN. Of course, at least those one could play right away; Awakenings is designed for high-level players who’ve finished the first game and its expansions and want to continue on for another 20-30 hours.

I guess it’ll be fine, though I still wish whiny developers would get off their butts and design 1080p games for 1080p systems. Now that my wife and I have a 1080p set, we’d really like a few titles that actually take advantage of it… otherwise I’d be better off spending my time on a bumbleride indie twin.

Final Fantasy XIII is mine!

This weekend, my wife and I decided to get Final Fantasy XIII. It wasn’t an easy decision because there are so many titles we’d love to own on the market right now, including Uncharted 2, White Knight Chonicles, Heavy Rain, and before too long, they’ll be joined by Dragon Age: Awakening and Prince of Persia 2.

That’s a rich selection of titles to choose from, but Final Fantasy XIII was certainly a top priority. And as one of the few games lazy developers have actually gone to the trouble of making in 1080p resolution, Final Fantasy XIII stands out from the crowd with its sheer True HD level of detail and gorgeousness.

Any sales person who tells you that, short of a 50-inch screen, no one can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p needs to start a job search in a new line of work; 1080p shows up in brilliant clarity on our 32-inch screen just fine, thanks.

While I’m too early on in the game to comment much, I will say that I love the new battle system, which is much more involving than the one found in Final Fantasy XII, four years ago.

Final Fantasy XIII is out!

The long long wait is finally over: Final Fantasy XIII is now on store shelves… assuming stores can keep the product well-stocked.

I don’t care whether you play on Xbox 360 or PS3, whether you wear urban clothes or dungarees, this is a great week to be an RPG fan… or heck, a gamer of any stripe.

I don’t know exactly how, but I do want to find a way to get this game, and soon. Time for some budgeting. I’m sure with a nip here and a tuck there, I can figure out a way… I hope. Money’s tight.

Final Fantasy XIII out soon

March 9, 2010. It’s a date many are anticipating with great fervor, because the first Final Fantasy main-series release will be unveiled that day… now only five days away. It took 23 years since the release of the first Final Fantasy, and thirteen titles to reach this day, but is the series finally showing its age?

Nonsense. While SquareEnix has sunk millions into FFXIII’s production, and has even hinted that the series may head in a markedly different direction in the future, the game is as relevant as ever because despite experiments nearly every time out with the character progression system and battle system, the truth is that Final Fantasy has always defined the standard role playing experience on videogame consoles, from the original NES until today.

Sure, some folks will complain that FFXIII is either a sconce too old school, or too new-school for those who loved the previous outings, but Final Fantasy has never really been all that staid; the series has thrived on experimentation.

So, yes, games like Dragon Age: Origins, Oblivion and Fallout 3 may all thrive in open-world settings, but that means little; Final Fantasy has never played follow the leader to someone else’s flute. Don’t expect that to start now.

Tomb Raider no more?

All that has been released is a game logo, but it speaks volumes; the next videogame featuring Tomb Raider star Lara Croft won’t feature a lot of Tomb Raiding… or at least, it won’t feature that aspect in the title. While loose diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, Lara has always been a more underground sort of gal … in the archeological sense, at any rate.

But the name of the new game only focuses on Lara herself; it’s called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Beyond that, no one outside of developer Crystal Dynamics and publisher Eidos knows much of anything, except that the game is expected in 2010 and will be sold via digital download, rather than via retail Blu-Ray disc.

So is it a typical Lara Croft shooter/platformer action and adventure title or something else? We’ll have to wait until the Game Developers Conference next week to find out for sure, at the very least, but here’s what Crystal Dynamics’ Darrell Gallagher had to say about the new title, Lara’s first appearance since Tomb Raider: Underworld in 2008:

“This is a really exciting project for Crystal Dynamics, we have created something completely new and very different to what people might be expecting. Lara Croft is such an iconic character in videogames, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light we have created what we believe is a truly original digital experience.”

Error 8001050F in review

This weekend, mine was one of millions of fat PlayStation 3′s that became neigh-well unusuable for over 24 hours when the PlayStation Network refused to allow any sign-ins due to a Y2K holdover issue related to leap year (or the lack of one this year).

My PS3′s date and time were reset to 1/1/1999 and could only be re-set manually. Even after that, one could still not sign in to PSN, and any game that used trophies – even when played offline – were unusable. You couldn’t even sign into the PlayStation Store to shop gifts for Mothers Day … or any other day, for that matter.

Sony’s slow-to-respond response? “Wait for a day or so, and this’ll correct itself.” Yeah, real nice, Sony.

The Error 8001050F incident – or Blackout Sunday, as I like calling it – is not a first for PSN; it occurred in 2008 as well. Sony needs to fix this permanently via a system update so that it never happens again.

Foul us up once, Sony, shame on us. Foul us up twice with the same Error 8001050F? Shame on you.

Top 20 Videogames of the Past Decade #1

1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (360, PS3)

Sure, we know there are other Elder Scrolls titles out there. I enjoyed Morrowind on PC back in the day. Buy when it comes right down to it, only TES IV: Oblivion really shook the world awake that the next generation of videogame hardware had not only arrived, but defined a new level of gaming excellence.

Bet your Xenadrine RFA X on the fact that this was the defining game of the current generation of hardware, just like Final Fantasy X was the defining RPG for the previous generation of hardware.

Much as I enjoyed the more-recent Fallout 3, that game was merely riding in the shadows of Oblivion. Not only that, but for as much as I love Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it must be admitted that they are RPGs that owe at least part of their inspiration to Oblivion.

Yet here’s the bottom line for me: despite being just about the first – and for a long time, only – RPG of the 360/PS3 era, Oblivion still holds up well today, and ultimately it’s the videogame that converted my non-videogame-fan wife into a gamer.

Not only that, but between my wife and I, we pretty much KILLED out first Xbox 360 playing and replaying Oblivion… a game we own on two platforms, both 360 and PS3. Despite offering over 100 hours of gameplay, we’ve both played through the game more than once – there’s simply no other game this decade I can say that about. Between my wife and I, we’ve probably played 500 hours of Oblivion.

Nothing else matches that, or even comes close.

Top 20 Videogames of the Past Decade #2

2. The Metal Gear Solid series (PSone, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360)

Solid Snake may have looked vastly in need of an eczema treatment by the time the series wrapped on PS3 with Metal Gear Solid 4, but Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece was one of the highlights of the past decade for me as a gamer.

While the first Metal Gear Solid on PSone doesn’t count since it released in 1998, the remaining three installments – two on PS2 and the final on PS3 – are some of the best gaming experiences one can hope to have on any platform this series has appeared on.

Although some criticized Kojima for the game’s political agenda, as well as its heavy focus on story segments over gameplay, few could argue that there are many games out there that have pushed the boundaries of platform limits as hard, or implemented storytelling with gameplay quite as creatively.

The series virtually invented a whole new genre: stealth action. And for those who had complained about the game’s overemphasis on storytelling over gameplay, one need only point to Metal Gear Solid 3′s riveting showdown between Solid Snake and The End to establish that Kojima was still a master of gameplay within the series. Any boss battle that literally takes over an hour of real-world time to complete is plenty hardcore in my book.