B3yond the Report 04.15.08
Posted by Mark Salmela on 04.15.2008
This week I rate the top 10 PlayStation 3 games. In addition I cover news on things like Metal Gear Solid 4 and the MGS4 PS3 bundles, Grand Theft Auto 4 and a GTA4 PS3 bundle, a potential motion sensor controller for both Microsoft and Sony, WarHawk Operation Broken Mirror, Resistance 2, the new PlayStation Store, and more when you go B3yond the Report! *Edit: PlayStation Store update*
You're the only thing who will stop me from playing GTA4.
Man, can you believe we're already half-way through the month of April? It seems as if I just wrote my April Fool's Day jokes and now I'm counting down the days until summer. Then again I live in Northern Minnesota so this past week we got hit with 2 feet of snow *and it was my spring break week* so don't blame me for forgetting it's almost summer. Any who, rather slow news week, which means hopefully a shorter column from me *probably not, you know I get carried away*. I spent a lot of time over break playing XBLA games like Streets of Rage 2 and TMNT, and god do I hate the fat ass boxer in Streets 2. He's just a bitch, period. On with the news *transition plus 2*…
Worse than the pikaspam, it's B3yond the News of the Week~!
Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle details
Since it seems everyone's confused about what is in the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle, I figured I'd explain what is in each bundle.
First is the standard edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 *box art pictured above*. For $60 you get the regular edition of Metal Gear Solid 4, which includes the starter pack of Metal Gear Online. It's called the starter pack because Konami is planning to release a lot of downloadable content for the game in the future. Previously it was assumed there would be a separate Metal Gear Online game later in the year but those plans look to have been scrapped in favor of DLC to the MGO Starter Pack which will ship with MGS4 on June 12.
The Limited Edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 will cost $85 and will be available exclusively at Gamestop. The LE of MGS4 includes everything in the standard edition plus a couple of Blu-Ray documentaries of the making of MGS4 as well as an exclusive art book by Yojio Shinkawa.
Now onto the PS3 bundles. First, the normal PS3 bundle of MGS4. The normal PlayStation 3 Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle will sell for $500 and will include an 80 GB PS3, a black DualShock 3 controller, and a copy of the standard edition of Metal Gear Solid 4. This will be available at all major retailers.
Finally, the limited edition MGS4 PS3 bundle. This is the bundle that sold out in Japan in a matter of days *and MGS4 doesn't even come out until June*. The Limited Edition PlayStation 3 MGS4 bundle will be coming to America in extremely limited quantities, so if you want one you better act fast. The LE MGS4 PS3 bundle will most likely retail for $500 and will include a custom gunmetal colored PS3 and DualShock 3 controller along with MGS4. Whether or not the console will be 80 GB is unconfirmed since in Japan it was a 40 GB gunmetal PS3 with DualShock 3. I must admit I REALLY want a gunmetal DualShock 3 controller so if anyone knows how I can get one without having to buy a second PS3 let me know. Mark needs gunmetal DS3 badly…
Any more questions? Feel free to email me or leave a comment below… P.S. Pre-order any of the above MGS4 packages and receive the Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD along with a Metal Gear Online Beta code for free.
Well it appears as if Europe is going to be getting a PlayStation 3 and GTA4 bundle after all judging by all of the websites taking preorders. While it's not official, websites like this one have been taking preorders for a while now for £289.99. I would assume the bundle will be making its way to America, and considering there are rumors that the PS3 version in Europe is far outselling the 360 version preorders wise, and we may see more interesting GTA4 sales numbers than previously thought. I had always assumed that the 360 version would smoke the PS3 version in terms of sales, but with things like this PS3 bundle we might be in for an upset. GTA has always been associated with the PlayStation brand so who knows. I for one am getting the 360 version so I can play online with my friends but that doesn't mean everyone will. If I get a hold of more news I'll be sure to update you guys.
Well it appears as if Microsoft is currently working on a fully functioning Wiimote style motion sensor controller. Well I've heard this rumor before it appears as it this story is really catching steam quickly and appears to be pretty legit. The story was made popular by a recent MTV story and now it seems everyone is covering it. Even more interesting is there are even more rumors saying Sony is working on their own motion sensor controller just like Microsoft. I've heard of rumors of such a product coming to the PS2 but these rumors are claiming it will be coming to the PS3. Oh boy! Where to start…
First off I don't doubt that either Microsoft or Sony is working on a motion sensor controller. Companies tend to make concept products all the time so it's almost a guarantee both companies have been tooling around with the idea. While I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft tried to launch their own motion sensor controller I highly doubt Sony is seriously considering it. Sony just got over the whole Immersion lawsuit over the rumble controller and Sony already has SIXAXIS controls *which pretty much flopped*. I think Sony has learned their lesson and won't be launching any new motion sensing controller anytime soon, they're focusing on catching up sales wise to the 360.
Microsoft on the other hand wants to go directly after Nintendo. I'm sure Microsoft is starting to feel pretty comfortable with their lead over the PS3 *which is closing every month* and they want to go directly after Nintendo. The major problem is the install base. Every Nintendo Wii sold has a Wiimote. It also has the brand distinction and the support of the media. Microsoft would be starting from scratch with a totally new fan base. While I'm sure Microsoft could make some awesome FPS controls with a potential Wiimote controller I highly doubt it would be a success. Even if the controller sold a couple million they would still be dividing the 360 fan base, something that has killed consoles in the past *SEGA*. Microsoft would almost be better holding off until the next XBOX before trying anything funny like this. Of course it's Microsoft and they don't care about my opinion so they will probably try something like this and be met with a huge failure, all while Sony's sitting there laughing as the PS3 continues to catch up to the 360. Sorry to come off fanboyish there as I love my 360 but Sony's catching up to the 360 worldwide and is constantly making improvements *like the new PlayStation Store* while a Microsoft motion controller for the 360 would be quite idiotic. Microsoft can't sit on their lead on the PS3 and expect to win, Sony's got the most impressive line-up this year with games like MGS4, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, Motorstorm 2, inFamous, God of War 3, Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy Versus 13, Team Ico's game, Naughty Dog's next game, GT5, and a whole lot more. Microsoft can't just sit on Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 and expect to keep their lead and adding a motion controller to the 360 just won't help them. Hey, where's that spring dashboard update Microsoft?
Credit: MTV
B3yond the tabloids!
Sony has announced via the PlayStation Blog that the upcoming PlayStation 3 2.30 firmware will add DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio features for Blu-Ray movies. I'm sure some people will care. The update goes live today and includes the new PlayStation Store.
Speaking of which Sony engineers are claiming they're working on in-game cross media bar *XMB* access as we speak, but that it's still a couple months away. I could go into detail about how it should be rather easy since apparently it only takes 1 of the 7 PS3 cell cores to make it work, and no game has used more than 5 or 6 of the cells at a time, but then again I'm sure there's something more to it than what we've been told.
Sony executive Ray Maguire claims that in ten years 90 percent of all games will be purchased online. While I do agree that online purchasing is the future, retail stores like Gamestop are going to fight tooth and nail to stop it. It may actually be longer than ten years due to slow download speeds and retail stores fighting to stop it.
Just to clear up a bad rumor that's going around, getting the PS3 Error 80010514 is extremely rare. For those who don't know that's an error that stops all PS3 disc games from working, despite the console still being able to play DVD and Blu-Ray movies. The cause of the error is still unconfirmed as of this writing but it's extremely rare and is nothing to worry about. For some reason people were trying to claim it as dangerous as the 3 red lights error which totally kills your 360.
It appears as if the analog control update to Lair will be hitting Japan on April 17 with a US release not long after. While Lair still isn't the greatest game in the world the analog control patch will sure help.
Sega now claims that Sonic Unleashed will have no relations in terms of story to any previous Sonic game. I guess that's good news since the last few Sonic games have sucked ass and the story is getting progressively worse with each game. But the idea of Sonic turning into a werewolf is still retarded.
Battlefield fans rejoice! EA has called off the DLC weapons plan. No longer will certain guns only be unlockable through micro transactions in the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company. This is good news for me and I can't wait to get my hands on Battlefield: Bad Company this June.
For fans that're still waiting to get a DualShock 3, Walmart is currently selling DualShock 3's online for $49.88 with $0.97 on shipping. Here is the link to it. $50 is still too much for a controller but as I've said before it's the same price as the 360 controller and $10 less than what a Wiimote and Nun chuck will cost you.
Man, Europeans are getting raped with the Rock Band prices. I've said it before but Rock Band gets old quick. It's definitely not worth 169 EUR *$265* for the instrument package which may not even include the Rock Band game itself.
Here's a walkthrough of the new PlayStation Store. It's looking pretty sexy.
Here's the debut trailer of Resistance 2, which is looking pretty cool. We'll see more on this game shortly.
The Liberty City Gun Club owns you all!
Finally, here's some footage of the new map in the Operation Broken Mirror expansion pack coming to WarHawk this Thursday on the PSN. It looks sweet.
The One Man Water Cooler~!
Well just as I promised last week, this week I'm going to discuss what I feel are the 10 best disc PlayStation 3 games. Be aware that as of this writing Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Grand Theft Auto 4 have not been released. If I had to guess GT5 Prologue and GTA4 would probably be in the top 5, but I have yet to play them so they will not be ranked. Be aware I tried to avoid including multiplatform games, as most multiplatform ports on the PS3 suck anyways. I am definitely a fan of keeping games exclusive to one platform; exclusives almost always tend to be better than multiplatform games. Any who, let's get to it.
Honorable mentions include Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Fight Night Round 3, GRAW 2, MLB 08 The Show, Unreal Tournament 3, and Burnout Paradise *I nearly made this list a top 12 so I could include UT3 and Burnout*.
10.) Heavenly Sword. While this hack-n-slash is inferior to another title later on in the list, I did find myself becoming addicted to the story of Heavenly Sword a little more than the alternatives. Heavenly Sword was one of those rare games where I actually cared about the characters, and trust me, I normally do not give a shit about the protagonists. Heavenly Sword may have been short and inferior to games like God of War, but Heavenly Sword is still a terrific pick up for fans who can't wait to see Kratos' last big adventure *at least I hear GOW3 will be the last one*.
9.) Rainbow Six Vegas. While the PS3 port took ages to get here, it did manage to make a great port from what I considered to be the best game of 2006. It's too bad R6V2 was such a letdown *same game, retarded maps*, as R6V was a terrific title. Some of the best multiplayer experiences I ever had came from playing Attack and Defend on Calypso Casino.
8.) Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. The best sports game I've played in years. It's addicting, fun, and it's the first game on the current generation consoles *PS3 and 360 at least* to do the cartoon look right *I know this is a PS3 exclusive by the way*. If you've ever wanted to play a golf game, this is definitely the best.
7.) Resistance: Fall of Man. The only good PS3 launch title. While the title hasn't aged well in my opinion, I must admit it was a rather good PS3 game when it launched. I hated the multiplayer in Gears of War, so Resistance took the cake in my opinion *though Gears had a much better single player*. My main problem with Resistance 1 was the repetitiveness and the lack of vehicles, something Insomniac looks to improve on this year with the 60 person online multiplayer of Resistance 2.
6.) Motorstorm. I love me some arcade style racing. There's nothing more fun than picking a big ass racing truck and destroying every poor sap that choose to ride a motorcycle. While once again I think Motorstorm got repetitive, Motorstorm 2 looks to fix all the issues I had with Motorstorm 1. This is going to be a good year to be a PS3 owner.
5.) Devil May Cry 4. While the storyline wasn't as good as Heavenly Sword, the presentation and gameplay were far superior to what Heavenly Sword had. I loved every minute of Devil May Cry 4; I don't know why so many people were down on this game. It wasn't perfect, but it was one of the best hack-n-slash titles I've ever played. Ninja Gaiden 2 has its work cut out for it *though Gaiden 2 is looking sweeter every time I see it*.
4.) Call of Duty 4. While I have some gripes about the multiplayer, I can't deny how much fun the game is in short bursts. This game blew Halo 3 out of the water, and rightfully so. COD4 has an incredible single player, and the multiplayer is far from bad. I can only think of one title that I'd rather play online on my PS3…
3.) Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Boy is Sony lucky to have Insomniac. First they made the only good PS3 launch title, and then they followed it up by being one of the only titles in 2007 not to be delayed. Insomniac puts out a triple A quality title every year, and they definitely made the best Ratchet game since Ratchet 2. While multiplayer would have been nice, the single player was about as close to perfect as you can get for a Ratchet game.
2.) WarHawk. While some may disagree with WarHawk being placed above COD4, let me tell you COD4 does not have the support WarHawk has. Sure Infinity Ward released a map pack for COD4 not that long ago, but it seems Incognito is constantly making improvements to WarHawk. Just in the past month we got the v1.3 update with the Bio-Field Generator, the Wrench *which is awesome*, as well as the Operation Broken Mirror expansion pack. I get bored after a half-hour of COD4, but I sit down and play WarHawk for hours. Between all of the different vehicles and possible ways to attack the enemy, WarHawk constantly has me trying new ways to win a game of capture the flag. WarHawk is perfectly balanced and a ton of fun, and I'll take a good round of WarHawk any day.
1.) Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. When I first heard Naught Dog was going to be making an action adventure game in the Amazon, I prayed that it wouldn't be a terrible Tomb Raider rip off. Thankfully, I was wrong. Blending some of the best elements from Naughty Dog's previous games, Tomb Raider, and even Gears of War *cover system* Uncharted turned out to be the best $60 I spent on a PS3 game last year. While the game itself was rather short *I think I beat it in 7 hours my first time through*, the story was so incredible I didn't mind. The characters were top notch *Sully is still awesome*, the story was insane, the twist kept the game interesting and fun, and the presentation was true "next-gen" quality. Some may complain about the style of the graphics or how there tends to be the occasional texture mapping error, but I thought the graphics and attention to detail were phenomenal. Uncharted was literally one of the only games I wanted to go back and play a second time, it was that good. I was always one who preferred Ratchet to Jak back on the PS2, but with Uncharted Naughty Dog has firmly established themselves as the developer to beat on the PS3. I can't wait for E3 to hear what Naughty Dog's got coming next.
The 411mania Goon Squad~!
The Full Circle by Joe Roche, who reminded me that I played and beat Ikaruga in 2 hours. It was still an awesome 2 hours, but I expected more from a game that received so much praise *I think some of the Raiden's are harder*. Nintendophiles by Theo Fraser. F-Zero sucks. WipeOut is far superior. The PC Centric Extravaganza by Chris Evans, who refuses to recognize the Tony Danza Tap-dancing Extravaganza. The Select and Start News by Vincent Chiucchi, who appears to have already given up on our fight. Joe, you're next. The Negative Edge by Tommy Coloma.
Signing Off!
Well that is it for me this week folks. GTA4 is right around the corner and I hear the multiplayer is incredible. Not to mention the redesigned PlayStation Store, GT5 Prologue, Pixel Junk Monster expansion, and the MGO online Beta and I'm going to be a busy man. I said to myself back in December, "Boy, you're going to fail out of every class you have in April", and I couldn't have been more right. I'll see you guys in 7, cya!
Edit: The new PlayStation Store and PS3 firmware 2.30 are now up and running. I just tried it out myself and the new PlayStation Store runs extremely fast and the two titles I have downloaded so far *Super Star Dust HD expansion pack and Lair patch* have gone extremely fast. There are bugs with the pictures loading but the interface runs smooth and silky. I'll have a full update next week when the store is finished *it's a work in progress between now and Thursday. GT5 Prologue and such all go up Thursday*.
As a quick estimation I downloaded the 246 MB Lair patch in less than 10 minutes when it used to take around 30 minutes from the old PlayStation Store. Once again I'll have full impressions and updates next week, the store is still launching as I type this.
Posted By: Guest#9899 (Guest) on April 14, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Oblivion is actually a worthy honorable mention. I didn't get into it as much as my friends *and well a lot of people* but I am extremely pumped for Fallout 3. There are a lot of good PS3 games when you think about it. I love Virtua Fighter 5.
Posted By: Mark Salmela (Registered) on April 15, 2008 at 12:04 AM
When does the MSG$ bundle become available to preorder?
Posted By: Guest#4760 (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 01:01 AM
At gamestop you should be able to preorder any of the above bundles *maybe not the gunmetal one*. They might be hesitant to give you a bundle preorder but I've heard of people making deals to give them the bundle preorder like the guys at IGN so you should be able to do it.
Posted By: Mark Salmela (Registered) on April 15, 2008 at 01:25 AM
I'm not sure I agree with your 10. I'd rank Ratchet 1 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Other than that...it's a pretty good compilation of ten.
I will also kindly forget the comment you made about F-Zero. Personally, I think that is the best racing franchise out there.
Posted By: 411Derek (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 02:21 AM
Wheres the cod4 new maps for ps3?
Posted By: Andy010 (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 09:36 AM
I guess I am one of the unlucky ones because about a week ago my PS3 stopped reading PS3 games. It'll still read any dvd, blue ray move, music, PS, or PS2 games
Posted By: Kirk (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 10:12 AM
I just looked on Gamestops site and I didn't see MSG4 bundle available to preorder. Do you think I will have to camp out at Bestbuy or something just to maybe even get a chance at the gun metal one? I hope that one is an 80Gig model too.
Posted By: Guest#9751 (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 11:10 AM
I know its just a cheap psn game with inferior graphics but has much as you like it Mark wouldnt you think Pixel Junk Monsters deserved at least an honorable mention? I enjoyed it and I know serveral others who did too. I would dare say it was way more fun than motorstorm and hot shots golf.
Posted By: calem (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Good thing we can't prove which is better by any known scientific experiment. Currently, I think Wipeout is the better franchise.
In any event, quality is a subjective term. What is awesome for you, it may suck to me.
Posted By: David R (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Good thing we can't prove which is better by any known scientific experiment. Currently, I think Wipeout is the better franchise.
In any event, quality is a subjective term. What is awesome for you, it may suck to me.
Posted By: David R (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 11:29 AM
"F-Zero sucks. WipeOut is far superior."
Ahahahahahahahahahaha
Ahem.
Posted By: Owain J. Brimfield (Registered) on April 15, 2008 at 12:06 PM
Oh, and David R: "quality is a subjective term"?
No. No it is not.
Posted By: Owain J. Brimfield (Registered) on April 15, 2008 at 12:08 PM
I totally agree with your number one. Uncharted is basically the most beautiful game I've ever seen, and when I got my PS3 for Christmas, the very next day I went out and bought it.
Posted By: Cory (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 12:23 PM
"Even if the controller sold a couple million they would still be dividing the 360 fan base, something that has killed consoles in the past *SEGA*. "
I don't see how a possible motion sensor controller would divide the fanbase... If anything it has the chance of giving current fans a new way to play their games, add to this the certain "wii-ness" it will have, and it has the potential to bring some new gamers to the system as well. This is not the same thing that happened to SEGA. Making an accessory for a current system is completely different than what SEGA did. I attribute SEGA's fall as a console maker to the fact that they were so gung-ho on the next best thing, that they would just drop support for previous endeavors, leaving the fanbase alienated.
I think it would be a cool feature to have on all three systems, and looking into motion control is a smart move for both Sony and Microsoft. Why not try to improve on what Nintendo already did?
But getting back to my original question, how is giving gamers another accessory / way to play on their current system going to divide the fan base?
Posted By: Toddo (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 12:57 PM
First, to Calem, I did a top 10 last week giving Pixel Junk Monsters the recognition of being the best PSN title. I made two separate lists, one giving the best PSN titles with Pixel Junk Monsters winning, and one this week with the best disc titles with Uncharted winning. As for the rest of the questions I've decided I'm going to include them in a "reader question" for next week. Maybe I can make it a new section of the column each week where I address reader comments *I already personally answer every email*.
Posted By: Mark Salmela (Registered) on April 15, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Sweet. I missed the last couple of reports. So I went back and read them. But thanks for the reply.
Posted By: calem (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 04:28 PM
I don't necessarily think it will divide any fan bases, I just think its a waste of time on Sony or Microsoft's part. Sony has already tried it with the sixaxis controls and like Mark said, it failed. So why should Microsoft bother trying to copy Nintendo? Why not just work on and improve what you already do well that sets you apart in this console generation. I agree that if they want to try something like this, they should wait until the next cycle. In my opinion its still very gimmicky even on the wii. Almost every article I read about the wii mentions that despite its hardware sales, there just are not many good games for it, and of the good games very few use the motion controls successfully. To me peripherals should add to the gameplay and control just as good if not better than the standard controller. The only ones to come to mind currently are the instruments for Rock Band/Guitar Hero, where the peripherals are actually better to use than the controller. It seems like so far developers for the wii have spent more time forcing the motion controls, rather than making quality games. So far the 360 is the king of software with lots of quality games, and we know that the PS3 is quickly improving in this area. I would hate to see this trend slow because these two try and add unnecessary controls to try and compete with the wii.
Posted By: Chris (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 05:23 PM
Devil May Cry Number 5 what a mess , was playin that game last night damm controls on that game are 10 years old what a shame thats all they can put in there top 10
Posted By: thedouce (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 10:12 PM
oh yeah and I almost forgot about hot shots man what a tired as franchise that is im getting tired just thinking about it
Posted By: thedouce (Guest) on April 15, 2008 at 10:16 PM
How dare you not put MLB The Show 08 in the top 10. It is by far the best baseball game put out since Baseball Stars on the NES.
Posted By: Mazz (Guest) on April 16, 2008 at 09:18 AM
Owain J. Brimfield,
I didn't know quality was something that could be proved. Hell, it is an opinion. Opinion are neither right nor wrong. Therefore, quality varies from person to person. It is therefore subjective.
Posted By: David R. (Guest) on April 17, 2008 at 04:33 AM
David R -
We're into semantics here, but it's an important distinction that can best be proven with a simple thought experiment: have a quick think and make a list of *your* ten favourite games ever. Take a few minutes, then have another think and make a list of the ten *best* games ever. Now, if quality were entirely subjective, surely these two lists would be identical, but my money says they'll be wildly different. I think you're confusing quality with how much an individual enjoys a particular game, which is certainly subjective. For instance, I don't enjoy playing Half-Life. Does that mean that I therefore can't appreciate that it is a good quality game? Of course not.
Posted By: Owain J. Brimfield (Registered) on April 17, 2008 at 08:09 AM
