B3yond the Report 12.23.08

Posted by Derek Robbins on 12.23.2008

Info on the latest LBP patch, some Holiday smack talk from Sony, X-Edge coming to the states, all of that plus your weekly PSN update this week on B3yond the Report.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Krazy Kwanza, Festiv Festivus…or whatever it is you celebrate. Welcome to B3yond the Report! We're closing in on the end of the year, so news is a little light, but let's see what we have for ya'? I'm sure there's something we can comment on…

B3yond the News of the Week



Sony bringing the Holiday smack talk

Being an avid fan of the Jim Rome show, hearing smack talk is something that will always bring a smile to my face, no matter what time of year it is. I mean, what's better than hearing people diss each other childishly? Well, David Reeves – president of SCEE – has decided to hear my wishes as he talks about the PS3's commitment to working machinery:

Another thing we have committed to for supporting market growth is putting out quality hardware - you don't grow the market by putting out shoddy machines.

So we try to make sure that PS3s have a failure rate of just two to three percent, which is very low by industry standards.

If I had stopped reading at the first sentence, which I almost did due to intense amount of laughter, I would have assumed he was talking about the Wii. I have developed this annoying tendency lately, and it's happened at least three times in the past month. Earlier, I had told Drew that No More Heroes was one of the best games on the Gamecube, and Drew corrected me with a: "It's on the Wii" comment. Yes, I've been confusing the two systems. This is odd because I liked the Gamecube, but I figure it's because the Wii's power is only a slight upgrade over the Gamecube's power. I wonder what the Wii 2 will be? ¾ the PS3 and 360? Hm.

Reading on though, it appears these statements were NOT regarding the Wii, but their other competition: The 360. High failure rates? Hahaha, you might as well have just said: "Hey industry guys, at least our system doesn't break when you try to play it!" or "Well, I mean, when you put disks into our system they don't get scratched up!" I mean, sure, a lot more people are playing the 360, but they're experiencing these crazy issues that we just don't have to deal with!

Microsoft claims that these disk scratching errors only affect one percent of 360 owner disks. Riiiiight. Why am I always in the minority of things? I was one of the "few" who had to suffer through the RRoD, and I'm also one of the "few" to have suffered through disk scratching? I had to get three different copies of GTA IV because my system was scratching the game up so bad. When I returned my first one to EB games, they couldn't BELIEVE how scratched it was. Yes, I do believe that Sony probably has a system or two out there that will go bat shit insane and eat your BLU-ray disks, but…I doubt their problems are as rampant as Microsoft's.

That's right babies. We may not sell as many as Microsoft, we may not be super popular, but dammit! We don't break!

Sadly, he decides to comfort the impact of his blows with some compliments. Ho-hum:

On the competition, I will say Nintendo have only done good things. They have expanded geographically and dramatically extended demographically. They have never been afraid to try new products, be that hardware, or software or peripherals.

For Microsoft, again, I can understand that, again, they have put money into the market and have initiated growth. In some ways what they have done is brought forward consumers from next year into this year.

By bringing the price down they are trying to establish themselves quickly, as they did with the first Xbox. But they have built online in a meaningful way and the competition they have brought to the market place is great.

Well, okay, I will gladly admit that Nintendo isn't shy about being different than the rest. I will say that if you don't enjoy video games, as a whole Nintendo is your best bet. You'll get AMAZING games like No More Heroes and Mario Galaxy, but the shit you have to put up with in between…oy. They have expanded the demographic though, and that's really more than you can ask for. It helps our industry by getting more games into people's hands. In my opinion, these casual gamers the wii has birthed are a temporary boom. Mark my words, these people playing? They're playing these games as a fad. 5 years from now, 90% of these Wii gamers won't play games anymore. So Nintendo should go back to appeasing their core gamers that manage to keep them afloat, you know, at some point.

Basically all he's saying about Microsoft is: "Oh, yeah, they are our competitors and it's great they are there so we can compete better." Notice how he didn't actually give them a meaningful compliment outside of their X-Box LIVE service? It's not: "Microsoft is giving us great games and is selling consoles because of those games", it's "Microsoft is our competitor. They're lowering prices to sell more. Also X-Box LIVE is nice." I guess this is akin to say: "EXTREE EXTREE, SONY HATES MICROSOFT. SUN RISES IN EAST!" But like…gosh, they just seem awfully resentful. Of course, I have a water cooler on this coming up here, so…I'll get more in depths onto my thoughts on Microsoft later.

Source is: MCV UK

- BUY. THIS. GAME.

Little Big Planet Patch 1.07

I love it when games decide to patch on a regular basis. I know that I can typically come across as a "glass-half empty" guy. You know, patching stuff that shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. In this issue though, I'm shockingly positive. I feel that when companies patch a decent amount – and when they aren't MMOs – they are listening to their fanbase and issuing legit concerns. So I was pleased to see another LBP patch unleashed to the world.

Media Molecule has this all covered, so allow me to paste over their patch notes:

Play

New Search Modes: More ways to find interesting levels like Most Hearted, Highest Rated and Busiest!

In-game Store: Browse, buy and play downloadable content, such as the soon-to-be-released Metal Gear Solid packs, without needing to go to the Playstation Store

Create

Save As: Save your level to a different slot on the moon while mid-edit.

Share

Keyboard text chat: Plug a standard USB keyboard into your PS3 and just start typing. Or, press Tab on your keyboard to go straight to the standard PS3 text entry screen.

Image export: save the photos you take in game to your hard drive.

General fixes, polishing and improvements, including:
Fixed "Wheel of death" bug where Sackboy could get stuck endlessly respawning out of a checkpoint
Better support for third party controllers
Fixed stretch Sackboy arms
General server improvements and optimization
Improved the corner (vertex) editing tool
Improvements to how Popit deals with complex shapes
Improved Sackboy animation and made it harder to slap accidentally while acting
Fixed lights so they don't forget their colour
If anything I can say this cab is rare
Improved Online multiplayer level selection
And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes smell ya later'
I looked at my kingdom
I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel Air


Before you think I was trying to sneak a fast one by you and slip in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lyrics…that wasn't of my doing. Check out the source link if you don't believe me, but Media Molecule's update ACTUALLY includes those lyrics. It's nice to see that they have a sense of humor, given that patch updates are generally serious business.

I really like the improved way to search for levels. It's much preferred over just navigating pages or searching specific authors. This way you can play levels you know will be fun whenever you please. LBP's biggest replay factor is the idea of infinite levels, and having only the best at your immediate disposal is a big plus. Now you have the ability to play any trophy level you want at any time! Fuck yeah!

As for the in-game store, I don't really think it's necessary, but I suppose it's convenient. I would rather comment on the recently confirmed MGS downloadable pack. I think this is actually a good deal. Four new levels created by MM, editor parts, and four new outfits? As long as it isn't grossly over-priced, this is the first bit of LBP DLC that I might actually consider purchasing. It also interests me because I remember seeing the Old Snake sackboy announced at the same time as the Sephiroth Sack Boy. Could there be a Final Fantasy VII level pack coming soon? Hm…

I love that they added keyboard support. For those people who don't have headsets, try typing something up in LBP. It takes ages to get a decent sentence out. So for those of us who don't really feel like sharing our voices 100% of the time, this is fantastic news! We can now just type out whatever we want at decent speeds. Thank God. I also think exporting images to the hard drive is neat, but I don't see myself getting much use out of this feature. The only images I keep handy on my PS3 are pictures I use for my background and what not.

I never tend to notice these glitches that everyone complains about (in any game, I wasn't aware of any plaguing this game to be honest), but I am glad problems were addressed. I AM glad that they keep improving the server. After the first week of LBP being out, the servers got better and you could actually play things online at a decent speed. I haven't played in a while, but I assume that lag is pretty much a non-factor now. Which is nice. I'm glad that lag wasn't a factor with SF II Turbo HD Remix's online play. It felt smooth, which is nice for a Sony launch.

Source is: Media Molecule



PS3D

I know when I say that the PS3 could be getting gaming in 3D, you're probably scratching your head and saying: "Wait, games are already in 3D!" Ah, yes, but not this kind. You know when you're sitting in a movie theater and you see the action on the screen just jump right out at you? Well, Sony is looking into something like that.

According to stereoscopic 3D certification and advocacy group Meant to be Seen, Blitz Games studios has confirmed that Sony fully intends to support stereoscopic 3D gaming and BLU-ray 3D on the PS3 in 2009 with the help of Blitz's Blitz Tech engine.

Meant to be Seen, which oddly I read as "Meant to be Sean"…which I attributed to Boy Meets World's Shawn Hunter, had this to say regarding the issue:

"Console support will only need a bios upgrade to work, and we are told that the ability to add this capability via bios may be unique to Sony PS3 versus the other console solutions."

So it's all a very easy process? Well hell, I'm all for it. This actually makes me pretty excited. Can you imagine a survival horror game making use of this system and delivering scares that literally jump out at you as you play the game? My gosh, that'd be something. This might seem campy to you, but I think this boosts game realism up a notch.

Unfortunately, Blitz Game Studios isn't exactly responsible for the best games on the market. Are you familiar with Barbie's Horse Adventure? That's Blitz baby. How about the Burger King games? Blitz again! The highest marquee title they have on their resume is Pac-Man World 3, which was a pile of shit when compared to the second Pac-Man world. So we have to hope that another studio picks up on this and develops a game worth playing.

Because, you know, it's all of our dreams to see Barbie riding a horse through our televisions into our living rooms.

Source: Meant to Be Sean

- This would be scary in 3D!

Your WEEKLY PSN update!

Let's rock this shit!

Price Update:
• Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars - price drop to US$ 9.99

Downloadable Games:
• Crash Commando ($9.99)
• Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rainslick Precipice Of Darkness: Episode 2 ($14.99)
Add-on Game Content
• LittleBigPlanet
o Santa Hat & Beard (free)
o Festive Pack ($2.99)
• High Velocity Bowling
o Darryl ($0.99)
o Gage ($0.99)
o Beatrice Holiday Costume (free)
o Carl Holiday Costume (free)
• Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds Costume Pack #3 ($2.99)
• Guitar Hero World Tour
o "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture" by The Eagles ($1.99)
o "Life in the Fast Lane" by The Eagles ($1.99)
o "One of These Nights" by The Eagles ($1.99)
o The Eagles Track Pack ($5.49) - Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring "Life In the Fast Lane", "One of These Nights" and "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture" by The Eagles.
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
o Holiday ($1.49)
o I Don't Want to Miss a Thing ($1.49)
o Lips of an Angel ($1.49)
o Stand by Me ($1.49)
o What is Love? ($1.49)
• NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Pack 5 (free)
• Rock Band
o "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" - Dierks Bentley ($1.99)
o "Gunpowder & Lead" - Miranda Lambert ($1.99)
o "Hillbilly Deluxe" - Brooks & Dunn ($1.99)
o "Mud on the Tires" - Brad Paisley ($1.99)
o "Sin Wagon" - Dixie Chicks ($1.99)
o Going Country Pack 01 ($8.49) - Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Going Country Pack 01. This pack includes: "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" by Dierks Bentley, "Gunpowder & Lead" by Miranda Lambert, "Hillbilly Deluxe" by Brooks & Dunn, "Mud on the Tires" by Brad Paisley, and "Sin Wagon" by Dixie Chicks.
• Rock Revolution
o "My Only Shining Star" ($1.49)
o "Death Real" ($1.49)
o "CHIMERA" ($1.49)
o "Progressive Baby" ($1.49)
o "MODEL DD 8″ ($1.49)
o "NO PAIN, NO GAIN" ($1.49)
o "She's the Bug" ($1.49)
o Bemani Pack Track Pack ($5.49) - The "Bemani Pack" includes "My Only Shining Star", "Death Real", "CHIMERA", "Progressive Baby" and "MODEL DD 8″ from the Bemani Music Production team. Expand your Rock Revolution track library by purchasing this track pack.
Game Demos
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Online Network Demo

PS Store for PSP

Downloadable Games
• Castlevania Chronicles ($5.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
• RAYMAN 2: The Great Escape ($5.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
• Tokobot UMD Legacy ($9.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
Add-on Game Content
• Super Stardust Portable Solo Pack Add-On ($4.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
Well, I like that Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars received a price reduction, but I still don't think that I can see myself buying this. $9.99 is nice, but there are better things out there to spend that on. That said, I'm sure you could do worse with that money, so if it's between this and nine dollars worth of Rock Band DLC I'd say rock the Battle-Cars baby. A matter of fact, use that for the media quote: 411mania says: "If you have a choice between Rock Band DLC or this, buy this game!"

Crash Commandos is a game I really don't know much about. I read a bit up on it, and it seems to be a side-scrolling Contra-esque game. So I suppose that could be neat. I am also pleasantly surprised that the second episode of the Penny-Arcade game is already available. It took way too long for the first episode to become available over PSN, so for the second one to already be out is a nice, early Christmas present for those who don't have PCs or 360s readily available. Not bad at all there.

LBP is out rocking the holiday wear which is only good for this time of year. I mean, if you want to Santa it up in April, go for it by all means…but you may look a little silly. As for the DLC pack, my gut instinct says to avoid it because it's probably just a bunch of costumes, but if you ever so desperately want to dress you Sack boy in different ways, go for it.

AH YEAH! BOWLING DLC! New characters who are just skins of existing characters? New holiday wear for active bowlers!? THIS IS THE UPDATE PSN USERS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! What a great day, take THAT Microsoft. Oh, and what else have we here: A Hot Shots golf costume pack! Alright! I can alter how my characters look while golfing. It may not have any effect on how I play, but hot damn! Look at those clothes! They're different.

I just don't get costume DLC. Sorry. Unless there's some sort of costume that allows a character to do some sort of constant jitterbug, there's no way I'm getting that DLC. Sorry!

Music game DLC: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Still too expensive, still not worth commenting on. I don't care how much I enjoy a song, I'm not purchasing Rock Band or Guitar Hero DLC because I don't want to support this behavior. I say this, because I know the Beatles game is a separate game and NOT DLC. I figure I'd be a total hypocrite and eat that shit up if it wasn't a game.

I'm glad to see the Naruto DLC is still free. It's not really worth paying for – they are just levels and assist characters – so that's a plus. Publishers charge money for crumby DLC more often than not, so I suppose I endorse getting it for free. Hey, I know I'm getting it and you should too! Free is the best price!

I love online demos. I was actually addicted to the Mech Assault demo on X-Box LIVE a long time ago. This kind of demo can convince someone to actually buy your game, so good job there.

Fuck yeah, PSP store update! I can say for sure that two of the three games being offered are worth your money. For not making the PSP store exciting right away, two of the last three weeks have been awesome for the system. Ray-Man 2 is one of the best platformers ever, so if you haven't played it, you really need to get it. $5.99 is a great price for it, a bargain I would say. I don't know anything about Tokobot UMD Legacy, but if it' good enough to rub shoulders with the other two: Wonderful! I'm not comfortable with PSP DLC, but whatever. It's nice to see it getting equal footing with its big brother.

Shockingly adequate update for PSN this week, given the Holiday that's coming up. Sony has a pass through mid-January now on this sort of thing, so keep up the good work guys! Keep putting out a product I can happily endorse.



B3yond the Tabloids

I finally got Valkyria Chronicles in the mail. The long wait is over, I delved into the game and this is what I have to say: Buy this game. The fact it's only sold 30,000 copies is a crying shame. This is one of the best games I've played on the PS3 all year and EASILY the best Sega game in the past five or so years. I don't care if you don't like the "anime-ish" art style, this game is pure fun and worthy of your time. It's an IP that I don't want to see die, I want to see a VC 2 sometime. So buy! Buy away!

There was a study done recently that shows that strategy games have a progressive effect on the elderly. Okay, so do you need another excuse to buy Valkyria? Your dear old Grandpa could be helped by the title! You could be helping a member of your family by having them play a good game. Win-win baby.

The latest HOME patch came out, and apparently voice chat is up. Guess what this means? The world's greatest game for trolling is now back up to where it should be. Now it's easier to troll than ever! Hop aboard, friends!

The New York Times declared GTA IV the game of the year. This is MORE proof that the hatred for this game is pretty much the in-thing to do now. It's still getting critical acclaim from anyone and I would still say it's one of the best games of this generation. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: two or three years from now the "hatred" for this game, including the absolute horse shit idea that Nico is a boring, stale character, will fade and people will come to appreciate the instant classic that it is.

There are some new scans of FF XIII available via V-Jump which reveal Vanilla's real name (she'll still go by Vanilla, most likely…which continues the FF XIII trend of having the worst names of the series). If you want to see them, here they are Boom! Oh by the way, random encounters are a thing in the past: Thank God.

X-Edge, pronounced "Cross Edge", is officially coming over to America. It's a game that meshes up Nippon Ichi, Capcom, Namco Bandai, Gust, and Idea factory into one splendid RPG. This gives me hope that Tetsunoko vs. Capcom will eventually be coming over to America, because this is one title that I thought we'd never see over here. X-Edge is clearly developed by Nippon Ichi, and you'll see why once you see the trailer down below.

Free Radical is officially bankrupt. Considering they developed one of my favorite First Person Shooters ever in Time Splitters 2 and 3, I'm pretty much let down. Factor 5, who I prefer to remember for Rogue Squadron, is apparently joining their ranks. This is…this is quite the let down.

In what can be described as the greatest single addition to a game in the history of time, the next MLB the show is expected to include CUSTOM JEERING! The jeering is intended to sound like it's coming from the stands, so it'll sound natural. You can essentially say whatever you want for a given opportunity, and your chant will be heard. I just hope people online can hear my custom chants, so they can be treated by a "FUCK YOU CARDINALS *clap, clap, clap clap clap*" whenever they choose that team.

Get this, there is STILL no official release for SF II Turbo HD Remix in Europe. They're aiming for a Q1 release of the hottest selling Downloadable title of all time (deservedly so), which is kind of a damn shame because Q1 is the aimed-for release date of SF IV. So, like, it's going to be completely over-shadowed. Here's what a Capcom Spokesperson had to say about this:

"There are reasons why we can't always release games when we want to, but we are working hard on getting the game out as soon as possible,"

What in the world could the holdup be? I mean, they can't possibly be adding anything to the game? Unless mother fucking Dan appears in the title, I think Europe got jipped. In better news, Rose has been confirmed by Capcom to be in Street Fighter 4. I mean, we've known she was in for a while – due to screenshots of her actually being in the select screen – but hey! It's official now!



B3yond the Cinema



X-Edge is officially coming to America. It looks pretty fun, but take a wild guess at who develops it? I wish they would up the ante on graphics sometimes, but I mean…I do love some pixels.



B3yond the Report favorite Daigo heads up the Street Fighter IV footage this week. I cannot wait for this game. It will consume my life. I hope I'll be good at it though…so I can kick your ass.



Some Yakuza 3 if you please.



Here's Dissidia's opening video. The game was just released in Japan Which means if you hack your PSP like everyone else does, you're already playing the hell out of it, so I'm counting down the days until the US release. This trailer features some dream match-ups but most noticeably Zidane v. Kefka. FUCK YEAH!



Here's MGS4's LBP content pack DLC trailer. It's actually pretty funny. But I love MGS 4, so maybe I'm biased.

The One Man Watercooler



My new year's resolution is to…keep this going into the new year. For at least a week.

With the end of the year coming up, it's only natural that we wonder about such things as "what was the console of the year?" I find it so funny that people are defaulting to the 360 option. Oh yes, the 360 financially had a better year than the PS3. More people are buying the 360 and so it gives the impression that it's the better console, but if you look at the actual games that were released this year? I don't think it's much of a competition. I think the Playstation 3 had a better overall year…and it's not even close.

Looking at both of their libraries, you must eliminate all cross-platform titles. As we all know by now, pretty much everything this generation is cross-platform. So this eliminates about 90% of the games released this year, including some sure-fire hits. What we're down to now are the exclusives. Namely, which system had the better ones? The 360 exclusives, to say the least, were un-inspired. If you look at non-DLC titles, I would say that there were three 360 games this year that are good exclusive titles. (I could be forgetting something, so if I do…please point it out) You have Gears of War 2, Fable 2, and Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts. While these games are new, what exactly do they bring to the table? If I wanted to play Gears of War 2, I can get essentially the same experience out of the original Gears of War. Fable 2 is just Fable 1 but bigger. The only one that brings anything new to the table is Banjo.

Before you say: "LEFT 4 DEAD"…please. The game is available on PC right now, and anyone who has a capable PC will buy the game on the PC. Valve has a preference to PC gamers…so if you have a choice between the two versions and you choose the 360 version, there's probably something wrong with you.

Of course, I am feeling generous. So let's go ahead and count DLC games. There are two that leap off the page at me as great games. You have Braid, which is a game that the internet seems to have fallen in love with. While I think that game is indeed a great one, and probably the best game released on the 360 this year, I don't think it's quite worthy of all the praise it's getting. It's not as good as Portal last year, and personally I think a lot of people are praising it so much because they want it to be that surprise hit, like Portal was. Castle Crashers is the other game, and it's, you know, a great game. It's fun. Is it one of the best games this year? No. It's good though.

I would say that makes Banjo-Kazooie (yes, yes, that's not a typo. Feel free to bash away) the in-store 360 game of the year, while Braid is the over-all 360 game of the year. They're the only ones that really bring us a fresh experience on that system. You can feel free to negate me all you want, but I honestly feel Gears of War II isn't THAT great. I don't see what the fuss is about Fable 2. It's just not been that great a year for the 360 as far as exclusive content is concerned. I may just be a bit biased against Gears due to my shooter dislike, so I may slot it ahead of Banjo in my GOTY awards but…fuck, I really couldn't be more apathetic to it.

Now let's look at the PS3 library. By my counts, there are a total of five PS3 exclusives worth owning this year. Again, there could be more, this is just from the top of my head. You have Little Big Planet, Valkyria Chronicles, Disgaea 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Resistance 2. I can't think of any super awesome exclusive PSN DLC that deserves to be up here, so roughly we have the same number of games on this list.

LBP and Valkyria deserve merit for being original games in total. You won't find games like these all over the place. I guess it helps that they're new intelligent properties (which is probably why they aren't selling well, since the only things that sell are shooters, sequels, and casual titles these days), but when I played these titles I felt something fresh. Something new. The only game that felt like that on the 360 would be Braid. These both were fantastic games and, in my eyes, GOTY contenders. Valkyria Chronicles is in danger of being one of the most under-looked titles of all time. I'm telling you, if you own a PS3 and don't own that game, you should be ashamed.

That breath of fresh air is lacking from the 360 line-up, as most everything they have wreaks of "been there, done that." Even Banjo, their most original of the three "on-shelf" games, isn't horribly unique. I mean, you know, it's a HUGE shift from Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, but as whole it's not that unique. I definitely would recommend it to a 360 gamer starved for something different though.

I know Gears is a relatively young IP, as is Fable, but they don't really offer a ton of differences from their original games. Are there tiny little things that make them different? Sure. They are both better than their original titles, but I don't think that they are unique enough to really set my world on fire. Are these bad games? Absolutely not. Each title is WORTHY of being in the GOTY conversation. Are they titles that I'm going to be playing a year from now? No.

Immediately, 360 fanboys will point out that I included MGS 4, Resistance 2 and Disgaea 3. I will acknowledge that Disgaea 3 is largely un-changed from Disgaea 1 and 2. There are little differences that matter a whole lot in a strategy game, but for a veteran of the games, there really isn't much adjustment to make. There's a lot of replayability there, but it's not something you haven't experienced before. Resistance 2 is a HUGE improvement on Resistance 1. Especially considering that Resistance 1 is a piece of shit. It's not better than Gears of War 2 though. Sorry, it just isn't. Just because a game is a huge improvement and different than the original doesn't make it all of a sudden GOTY material…

Now MGS 4 on the other hand, this is actually a great game that does something different from its predecessors. If you don't believe me, go play MGS 3 and tell me how differently that plays from 4. In the past, I felt that the Metal Gear franchise tried to discourage you from combat. Like, it was intentionally clumsy to fight random enemies. In this game though, combat is a breeze. You can kill soldiers at a whim, and it's actually enjoyable to do so. In my opinion, the combat in MGS 4 is one of the most surprising features of the game. I wasn't expecting that aspect to be anything impressive, and when I came out…I was pleasantly surprised. The re-vamped gun-work was awesome. I think it allows for different ways to play now, for real: You can either stealth, or you can legitimately Rambo through the game. It's nice, I think. Unlike Resistance 2, this game IS GOTY worthy. It is also different enough from 3 to actually be worth the clamor, which is something I cannot say for Gears 1.5.

Yes, each system has its good games. There are contenders for GOTY on each one. I think if you are a hardcore gamer and want a relatively fresh experience, you'll lean towards the PS3 as the system of the year. If you're slightly more casual and want tried-and-true experiences which you've experienced before, you'll probably stick to the 360. If you're wondering why the Wii isn't in discussion for this? It sucks. Sorry, it does. The wii sucks. No More Heroes and Brawl may be among the top-10 games of this generation (I'm sticking by that claim), but this was a HORRIBLE year for the system as far as core content is concerned.

So basically, enjoy what system you have. Just know that if you think the 360 was the best system this year, you better enjoy the same experiences you've had a billion times before. We all know Fallout 3, my current GOTY, is cross-platform anyhow.

Also, if you have an 80 GB PS3 you can totally experience the REAL goty: Persona 4. FUCK YEAH!



B3yond the Mail!



Let's see what you had to say about last week's column, shall we?

Johnny Polo has his take on why people are flopping onto the Wii60 bandwagon:

Personally, I think CNN has been starting to turn into FOX News in recent years, where they overdo a certain story and skew results to make things look worse than they really are. 2 examples: Remember when they interviewed John Cena, and then took a certain snippet of the interview which made it sound like he could have been taking steroids even though he flat out said he didn't in the full interview? I also work at a well-known healthcare facility that CNN decided to do a story on, and, despite a simple mistake being made, made it seem like the place should be closed down, when other, lesser-known, hospitals make worse mistakes, yet people still come to us because they know we still do a damn excellent job.

Even CNN still struggles for their news, and will sometimes beat on our favorite past-times like wrestling and videogames just for a story.

Saying that, I do agree that the PS3 could have done a lot better this console generation. To me, they are kinda like Verizon, and AT&T and the Apple iPhone are like the 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Verizon has the better network, partly because of the better CDMA technology, but because AT&T got Apple's iPhone (a good phone BTW, but really not the end-all be-all that everyone acts like it is) people buy the phone and have to flock to AT&T to get it. Nintendo's Wii and MS's 360 are the system's to own and the one developers put more focus on, respectively, despite by the numbers, the PS3 is the better system, with the better hardware, more hardcore games, etc. But because of it's price points, the Wii (FTW!), and people being cows being led to the 360 just for Halo (which isn't that great of an FPS anyways), there has to be a "loser" and that is the PS3.

I think part of Sony's problem was that they decided to keep selling their last bread-and-butter, the PS2, which someone ranted about in another column. If you want more people to buy your new item, stop selling the old one, but keep the damn backwards compatibility. Me - I got a PS3, Wii, DS, and PSP, and my Atari, NES, SNES, Genesis, PSX, PS2, Gameboy, and GBA are in the garage because times change, and I can at least play old games that have been revised for the current gen, or ones I haven't played on PSN or Virtual Console. I am a hardcore gamer, and although Sony and the PS3 aren't going to die like the ignorant CNN says, Sony does need to market better, ditch their old tech, and get more out of what they say their system is capable of doing, especially if they really do plan on keeping it around for a while.

I would agree with you on the CNN thing if it wasn't for the fact that a lot of other networks do that as well. If you recall, according to Mick Foley's book, he appeared on 20/20 and had his quote turned around so it looked like he was in support of children doing back-yard wrestling. This is because the media harbors no respect for professional wrestling, or video games for that matter, and is un-afraid to toss it under the proverbial bus. The perception that only rednecks and un-educated people follow wrestling emanates in the industry, so they think the fans will believe anything they see. As we all know, that's not true. I don't think this is just a CNN thing.

I do agree with you totally about what you're saying with the PS3. It's not going to die, and it's EASILY the best system for a hardcore gamer these days. I would say it goes something like this: PS3 (Kinda hardcore, shifting towards neutral), 360 (Neutral), Wii (Casual, shifting towards non-gamer). I think the 360 is so attractive because it's a nice middle ground. You'll find titles for people who are deep into gaming (such as Star Ocean next year), but you'll also find games that your non-gamer friends will enjoy as well. There is less of that on the PS3, but for actual gamers it's where the best buck is spent.

In the end, a lot of gamers may look back on the PS3 as the Dreamcast. A good system that's criminally underlooked by the masses. In my opinion, it's the best system of this generation, but…obviously I'm in the minority. I wish the Wii wasn't a must-own (it has some great exclusives), because that would make the PS3 the only system you need to own this gen. Ah well.

Mark Salmela asked me when David, my eight year old brother, was going to be old enough to write for the site. In response, he said this:

"He's 8. So probably in two years when he is the proper age to start writing for this site. Like Drew."

So at what age are you gonna cut the umbilical cord and let him start dating?

Never. Drew can't date, David can't either. Though I think Drew being unable to date isn't due to my restrictions…

ScottieD wants to know what "A Next Metal Gear" is:

Did they ever reveal what that whole "A Next Metal Gear" thing was?

See? Told ya. Anyhow, it's Metal Gear Touch for the iPhone. Whoopie.

TWilliams wonders what else there is to buy on the PS3

I think that should be people being led to the PS3 just for MGS4. That's the only game I've seen worth having a PS3 for but I can't see myself spending $500 just for one game. I need at least 3-4 more to catch my eye before I even think about getting one. I own a 360 and getting Halo has never crossed my mind. I hate those first person shooters.

This seems to be a view expressed by many people regarding the PS3. I think a lot of the good games on PS3 need to be played though, and aren't necessarily ones that a lot of people know about. I'm telling you, Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best games I've played in a long time and it's only sold like 33K copies. It's also not that expensive to purchase a PS3 these days. You can get a 40 gig model for 350 dollars. Of course, that's still quite expensive.

I can understand how you may feel regarding being un-sure, I was the same, I didn't want to buy a PS3 at first, but trust me: There is plenty to play on the PS3. The idea that it has "no games" is generally only held by those who don't have one. Research it a bit and you may see something you like, and if not? It's fine. You don't have to like the system. Also, hey, big respect to you for owning a 360 and not owning Halo.

M-X has an opinion on things. You should hear it too:

Just my opinion here BUT...

1- Blu Ray is picking up. Walk into any FYE and you will see that the number of blu rays on the shelves is increasing exponentially every month. It won the format war partly *BECAUSE* of PS3, and all the people who are no-selling Blu Ray obviously don't have one.

The numbers for The Dark Knight are looking VERY promising for the format.

2- You are absolutely RIGHT ON about Casual gamers. Wii has done this very well (Sports, Warioware etc), and 360 with games like Rock Star (admittedly started w/Guitar Hero on PS2)... PS3 gives us what? MORE SHOOTERS!!!

They really need to wake up and realize we need more variety & quality of games which brings me to point #3:

WE NEED A QUALITY JRPG... and we need one YESTERDAY. Yes, they may not sell like Madden but they're great for building word of mouth.

Hrm, I have to be honest. I don't buy into BLU-ray because I don't have an HDTV. I won't notice a difference until I get one. I think it's great for people who have it and is a great selling point, but I don't think the PS3 can market itself as a new media player until more people have access to those kind of TVs.

I also don't think that the PS3 has had too many shooters, but I do think they could do something to bring in the casuals, as you say. As for what that is? No sure. I think marketing the PS3 as a "Movie downloading machine" and the ad-campaign for Buzz TV (which isn't exactly directing it at children, but at 20-somethings, the main-audience for the PS3 as is) is a start though.

I agree totally on quality JRPG though. The PS2 has P4, but I don't think that counts. Valkyria doesn't count either, because it's an SRPG. It looks like the only good one on the horizon is FF XIII, but I could be proven wrong.

Finally Wii60 has a mammoth of a comment that needs to be looked at:

Sony bet the farm on this console cycle on an untested format, Blu Ray. What if HD-DVD had become the dominant format? By placing such an emphasis on BR for a GAME console, I think this may be a costly mistake. Putting it into a PS3.5 post launch release would make more sense and allow them to keep the console cost down, competing with the Wii and 360.

DVD was launched over 25 years after VHS, while Blu Ray was launched a little over 10. You can't tell me that besides obvious sound and picture improvements, blu ray is vastly different than DVD, not at least the same way that DVD is different than VHS.

Blu Ray was a huge gamble and it might not pay off. Typically formats need 5 years to become the norm, replace the previous format, and have enough players in the market to support the software sales projections. The also means that BR will have to become the standard on computers, portables, game consoles, as well as stand alone players to truly "win" the format war. BR knocked off HD-DVD, but until I can put a BR disk in my work issued laptop and hit play, then things will remain up for grabs.

The biggest problem is time. If BR is to succeed, then web deliver of HD content will need to slow dramatically. Given that you can get HD content on demand from cable, iTunes, and now Netflix, this works against Sony. Launching a format in the face of web delivery of content is a bold move and probably not the brightest either.

The biggest problem is the collective shrug from the marketplace. BR looks great, no doubt about it, but most people won't pay for it. Is it that much better than DVD? Didn't Sony learn anything from Laser Disc? Superior formats don't often win the war, price and convenience will always rule the marketplace. If BR can crack the PC market and displace DVD drives, then we have something. Until then, BR is on shaky ground.

One final thought, Sony put BR inside the PS3 out of sheer arrogance. They felt that they would dominate the console war, treating the consumer as mindless sheep, just slap PlayStation on it and it will sell. If you think that Sony cares about gamers, then you are nuts. They care about BR being the format of choice and thought that the install base of the PS2 would fall right in line. If it pays off, Sony will be making money that Nintendo can only dream of, with BR going into every type of consumer good where DVD is today. If it doesn't get there, then Sony won't win this round.

But overall does anyone think that Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo will ever drop out of the "war" and one of the three platforms will "win"? Not with all that money at stake.

Eventually they will all lose to another platform. He who can be named, one ring to unite them all, The Internet. Ever heard of it?

Look, fair enough. It's very clear that they wanted to push the format on the userbase, and at the START I would agree that they didn't exactly have the gamer in mind. Hell, I would argue that before the year 2008 the PS3 was not a system worth owning unless you had BLU-ray. There, I said it, before this year the PS3 sucked. HOWEVER, the PS3 has been the system of the year in 2008 and I do think that now, finally, Sony cares about its gamers because it sees that its plan on getting people to buy its system due to the name Sony is failing.

I've already explained how BLU-ray isn't that big of a deal to me because I don't have access to an HD TV. My computer monitor is in HD, and as you mentioned, I have access to HD content on my computer rendering BLU-ray stuff to be pretty much useless. I don't own a single BLU-ray movie and I don't see that changing nay time soon. Unless the DVD format dies off entirely, which won't happen, I don't see myself jumping on board the ship either. It just seems pointless to me.

I think the majority of consumers are with me on this, too. I think most people just don't have HD TVs yet, and on SD TVs there just isn't enough of a difference between BLU ray and normal DVDs to warrant a purchase. It WAS a bold move to go up against HD, and even a cocky one as you mentioned…but now that they are so far in, they can't just abandon ship. It would be as if to say the past couple of years was a waste of time, and they don't want to admit something like that to the fans. Plus, the PS3 is still arguably the best BLU-ray player on the market. It may not be the cheapest one, but it's one of the best. As long as it can make that claim, as well as having the ability to play games, I think it will sell fine.

As for someone winning this war? Nintendo's already won. Period. There's no competition, the war is over. The 360 and PS3 will never sell as much as the wii. As for PC gaming taking over and being the only source for gaming? I don't think so. The big selling point of console gaming is perception. The perception with PC gaming is that you have to upgrade your computer every year to play PC games, while the perception with console gaming is that you only have to upgrade every five years. This isn't a necessarily true perception, but if you hop around forums it's one you will see echoed a lot. I think consoles will live on a while because of this, though.

There were a lot of good comments this week and I couldn't get to all of them. I do appreciate what you guys write though, as I feel it makes me better at what I do. So if you want to comment, feel free to do so. No matter how negative or positive it is. You can also e-mail me at [e-mail]. Or add me to PSN – Croix22 – and kick my ass all over the place. It's all your choice.

The 411Mania Empire



Vincent Chiucchi writes The Select and Start News Report

Joe Roche writes the Full-Circle 360 News Report

Theo Fraser writes the Nintendophiles

Todd vote writes Eye on the Future

John de Large (JDL – John Dradshaw Layfield) writes The Once in a Lifetime Games News Report

Chris Vicari writes The PC-Spotlight

Tommy Coloma writes The Release List

Mark Salmela brings us Games Only a Mother Could Love. He hooked me up with this gig and hosts the banners I use, so the least I could do is link to him in this typically exclusively news-report + Release List + Exploding Barrel link list. I'm glad to see you back Mark and you're doing a great job.

AJ and Mike Minotti are the voices of the Exploding Barrel Podcast. I assume they are taking a week off due to the holidays.

Well, that is it for this week. I'm out.

'til the crossroads