The Negative Edge News Report 11.30.06
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 11.30.2006
Breaking free of the next-gen hype, downloadable content, an ability that might make the PS3 worth owning, my answer to whether or not the PS3 is worth taking a bullet for, and more!
Last week I cut things a little short so I wasn't able to go into what I eventually got during launch week. So what did I pick up? Nothing. Why? List time! -
No money
While this was a big factor, I did have a lot less money last year when I picked up a 360 at launch. And what did I get for my troubles last time? A system with only 1 game that I felt like playing after a month of ownership. Hmmm... That situation sounds familiar...
I never really liked 3D Zelda games
I'll admit it. I never really liked any of the 3D Zelda games. My favorites are still The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Despite my dislike for most 3D Zeldas, I was actually looking forward to playing Twilight Princess. However, after some thought, I figured that I could wait.
No other must-play games other than Zelda
Alright - so I could live without Zelda. Were there any other titles that I wanted to check out? Maybe Trauma Center, but I hardly think that that would be worth getting a system over. If I was gonna get the system for one game, it would have been Zelda.
No Component Cables
I'm going to be playing with my Wii through my computer monitor using a special adapter so I will need some component cables. Too bad they aren't available at retail. I am not buying them on eBay!
Final Fantasy XII and all the other games I'm still working on
Instead of going out and waiting in line I did a side quest in FFXII. I did this one where I was supposed to help some girl to find her soul mate. I was actually getting into the game enough for me to just screw around doing unimportant things just for the hell of it. If I'm already into a game why should I stop playing it just because another system came out? The release of a new system does not automatically invalidate the use-value of current-gen games. It seems obvious but a lot of people don't seem to realize that.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
To me, 2D Castlevania trumps everything next-gen. I know I just went off about getting into something new when I already have something on my plate, but I will hold an exception for 2D Castlevanias and 2D Metroids. I should be done with FFXII by the time Castlevania comes out anyway so that shouldn't be a problem.
Those were the reasons that I did not get one at launch. Now I'm almost done with FFXII so I might consider getting a Wii some time soon unless I decide to finish something else. Actually, I tried to get one yesterday. I called Best Buy and this is what they said - "we don't have any Nintendo Wii's but we do have 6 PlayStation 3s." I proceeded to laugh and then I hung up. I thought about picking one up to eBay, but it wasn't really worth the effort in my eyes. That's only for people that don't have jobs. If I can get a Wii before Castlevania comes out next week then that's cool. If not, I'll wait until I'm done with Castlevania.
The news as I see it
Rare approaches downloadable content the right way
I think that downloadable content is a load of crap most of the time. I mean, why should I have to pay for something that should already be in the game? So imagine my surprise when I read this article over at Gamesindustry.biz. To summarize, Gregg Mayles, the lead designer at Rare, talks about how Rare is "unsure of committing manpower to developing new material for its projects." Unlike some other companies, they do not gimp their games in order to squeeze every last dime from their customers. From what he said, it would seem that downloadable content is more of an afterthought at Rare - "it's almost pointless doing a huge amount of work at this point because if it's not going to be successful you may as well put that effort into making a new game." After reading this article, I checked out the downloadable content available for Kameo. Here's what I found -
- Kameo Co-Op Pack - Free of charge to Xbox Live Gold members. Players can now enjoy the exciting two-player cooperative gameplay in the Kameo: Elements of Power action levels over Xbox Live and System Link.
- Kameo Masquerade Pack - (Costs 200 points) Introduces 10 new exciting costumes for Kameo, including recognizable outfits from classic Rare titles. Players can use the Bonus menu in the last page of the Wotnot book to change Kameo's costume in-game.
- Fright Warrior Pack - (Costs 200 points) Provides gamers with a full set of fantastic and scary fright-themed costumes for Kameo and all of her warriors. Use the Warrior Upgrade page and the Bonus menu in the Wotnot book to change costumes in-game.
That's awesome. Free Co-Op pack? Cool! Paying for costumes? Whatever - I can live with it as long as it isn't a gameplay element that should have been in the game in the first place.
Royalty Free Physics
In a recent press release, AGEIA has announced that the company is now allowing its PhysX technology to be used in both commercial and non-commercial projects royalty free. This is significant because maybe (a big MAYBE) this will give game makers an incentive to create games with physics incorporated into gameplay instead of just explosions or the environment. Explosions and tumbling rocks are cool and all, but if it's still the same game that I was playing a few years ago then what's the point?
Finally, the PS2 Dual-Shock on the 360
Team Xtender is set to release the XFPS 360 by the end of December. What does this thing do? Only the greatest trick ever - it allows people to use Dual-Shock controllers on the Xbox 360. With this adapter, I will be able to use my custom arcade sticks and/or my Sega Saturn PS2 pad on the Xbox 360 without having to do any modifications. Xbox Live Arcade games with decent controls = win for everyone. For the first time in months, I'm feeling an urge to get an Xbox 360. You can bet that I'll have a mini-review out for this once it's released. Oh yeah, the peripheral also lets people connect a keyboard and mouse to the 360 so that they can use the standard PC setup for first-person shooters, but you wouldn't use it for that, would you?
On a related note, I've noticed some articles on other sites talking about the Xbox 360 ARCADE GameSTICK by MadCatz. Each of them seems to praise the sticks even though nobody has tried it. Honestly, that thing looks like a piece of crap and going by the quality of their other peripherals I'm willing to bet that it controls like crap too. I could be wrong, but that would mean that MadCatz has created a peripheral that does not feel like it was half-assed. If you need a joystick for your Xbox 360, I'd suggest waiting for the XFPS 360 and then getting any of the Hori PS2 joysticks floating around (or maybe a custom stick or Saturn PS2 pad). It'll cost you more but at least you'll have something that you will use more than once.
PS3 images have been dumped. Does this make the system worth the purchase price?
According to Engadget, PS3 Blu-ray discs have been dumped using Linux. It isn't beyond the realm of reason to assume that it is now only a matter of time (maybe a few months?) before people are able to run PS3 games off of the hard drive. Of course I don't condone piracy, but I do know that a lot of people would consider buying the PS3 ONLY IF it was easy to play games on it for free. Would you be more interested in a system simply because you could play its games for free?
The game I'm buying even though I don't have any money
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2
I found out about the Super Robot Taisen games when I was browsing NCSX or Lik-Sang a few years ago. The main point of interest for me was the fact that the games contained characters and robots from a lot of different anime series. Since I was way into anime back in the day I was looking forward to the day when the SRT games would eventually be released here. That was before I found out about how much of a bitch it would have been to get the companies that licensed the series here to allow their properties to be used. I'm sure they would have agreed for the right price but with so many series in a single game it would have cost millions. Eventually, the makers of the SRT games decided to create an offshoot of the main series that contained their own original characters. The first of these games became known as Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation. Atlus released this a few months back. This month they released the second one. I volunteered to do the preview for 411mania so I was able to test it out for a little while. I wasn't expecting much since it didn't contain any recognizable anime characters but I found that the original ones that were used were actually pretty cool. The gameplay was also enjoyable and I could see myself playing the game for a long time. I found myself playing this one more than Final Fantasy XII and PSU during Thanksgiving. Oh yeah, these games were good enough to merit their own anime series. Go figure.
BTW, you can check out my preview for the game here.
That Will Be 255 Rupees Please!
F.E.A.R. Combat Free Multiplayer
This was another game I played a lot over vacation. It isn't the greatest FPS out there on the PC but I found that it was enjoyable for the price I paid (namely FREE). All you have to do is register. This is perfect for those of you who want to get a few buddies together for some FPS action but don't want to pay for it.
I got the following question last week from someone named John -
"Is the PS3 worth shooting someone over or is t worth taking a bullet for?"
Let's see – If you sold the system last week, you'd have gotten around $1600 on eBay. Now, if you shot someone to get the system that is an instant $1600 but if you bought it and then sold it you would only get around $1000 (I'm ignoring tax and shipping). Unfortunately, if you shot someone for the system but eventually got caught, you'd be paying a lot more than the $1600 that you made on eBay. If you can get away with it, I guess that it's worth it. Then again, you'd have to live with yourself for the rest of your life knowing that you screwed someone over both mentally and physically. As far as taking a bullet for a PS3, I would say that it is not worth it. The amount that you would have to pay to get yourself fixed up would be a lot more than the $1000 that you would get on eBay. To summarize –
Shooting = worth it if you can get away with it and if you can live with yourself
Taking a bullet = not worth it as medical bills would far exceed the amount you can get on eBay
I used a magic word and found myself in a place that is pitch dark. If I can keep myself from falling into a pit, I'll be back next week.
