Average Gamer 5.25.2012: Sony Pre-E3 Expectations
Posted by Dan Watson on 05.25.2012
From the Vita to Sony Exclusives, Dan Watson takes a look at the past year for Sony and some of his expectations.
Welcome back to a laid back and relaxed Average Gamer. Last week I was beyond stressed with car searching and had some cellular phone issues. Now, I have a new car, a 2012 Chevy Sonic, as well as an iPhone. I do have a question about the Apple product line that I hope someone can explain to me, why is it that the letter "I" is under-case on all of Apples products? Are they saying "I" is not important?
In the gaming world, I have been playing a bunch of games. Mass Effect 3 continues to get probably the most play time I have spent on a game in a really long time. I bought this during release week and haven't stepped away from it during any week. I am also working on Witcher 2 as well as Dragon's Lair and StarHawk for PS3.
Before we get to Sony, I am going to start out a brief new part of the column. Every now and then we get sent over a review copy of an iOS game or android game. The games are not long enough to get a thousand word reviews out of, so I am opening up a new piece called "The Average Review." Now these games won't always be iOS or phone games, hell they may even be games that got passed up a few months or years back that I recommend and am trying to get more to play. So without further ado, our first Average Review…
Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini
This is a fun little hidden object game with a cool story. The general idea here is that you are trying to find out what happened to Harry Houdini. The game takes you through many different areas and also time travels. As you go through you have to find clues or objects and conduct different tricks to get to the bottom of how Houdini died. It takes about two to three hours to go through the whole game. You don't really need to use a guide at all. In fact, you very rarely even use the hints to get through the game.
Ratings: Visual 7.5/10; Sound 6/10; Gameplay 7/10; Fun Factor 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10; pick it up especially if you like hidden object games
Sony
Well, what a different year it has been for Sony. Last year they were beaten up pretty badly and I was unsure how long until they abandoned the PS3. Twelve months makes quite a difference. They released a new handheld as well as a few exclusive titles and now they are looking like they may retake the top console before this generation is over. Let's dig a little deeper and then I will give you my wish list of information to be released at E3.
Vita
I know the sales have started a little rough for Vita but I do not think it is because the quality of the unit or the games. Handhelds are going away slowly and phones and tablets are the new fad. This handheld is holding up pretty well I would say and I would venture to say that it looks like it has more potential than the PSP did in its "prime." There are a few games on it that make you want to go and pick the unit up however, the price tag is still a bit rough for most consumers.
Move
I played the Move a few times and thought it was very cool. It felt more accurate than the Wii and the games seemed more fun. One thing I would like to commend Sony on is that they didn't use the Move as an excuse to allow third party titles that were nothing more than Mini-games to come out and destroy their product. On that same note, I wish they would come out with more games that supported it fully. Take a chance and create a few games that are just entirely involved with the Move. I think it will help the system and maybe grab a few more consumers.
Games
This is one area that I believe Sony is destroying its competitors in. Sure Nintendo has a large library but Sony is taking the time now to release a few older titles mixed with new exclusives. This generation has spawned some great new exclusives that I can see will carry Sony into the next generation. Microsoft's library is over used and wearing thing on many gamers. Sony continues to toss us a healthy dose of Uncharted, God of War, Twisted Metal, Resistance, and so many more. On top of this, they have their exclusive character battle royal game coming soon. They are hitting on all the right notes.
PSN
This is Sony's weak point as of now I would suggest. Microsoft's Xbox Live is doing amazing even after the rate increase from last year. There is more content and better connection over on Live. Sony needs to take this next year and get a system running that can compete with Microsoft so that the next generation isn't decided early on because of the internet or dashboard interface. Sony has taken an all-inclusive approach making their televisions match up to their console's user interface. This is great but there needs to be more. They need to find a way to make this work in such a way that they can easily compete with Microsoft.
Wish List
Starting out I would love to see Sony use some of their connections and get deals with movie companies or television stations and release something similar to what Xbox has done. Make a deal with Showtime and see how many more users start using their PS3 more often. There needs to be more, another option would be to try and set up something with an online movie streaming company outside of Netflix. With Netflix users on the decline, I would say try to get ahead of the curve here and get an exclusive deal done.
In the video game world, I would love to see a sequel to Twisted Metal. I know this past installment was not amazing but it was a starting point. Bring back the fun stories and ability to play as drivers in their cars. Scrap this last plan and get back to what worked so great in the past. I would also like to see a new title come from Sony. I know I praised them for their great library right now but it always helps to add a few new faces every couple years. Also, support for the Move would be great. If they could come up with a few fun games that are not mini games I think they would make a killing on the game as well as they would see sales increase from the Move as well.
Well guys that is it. This week is finally over, for those of us that are in America, Happy Memorial Day. Enjoy being off on Monday if you are.
