GameLuv on PlayStation 3 – Part 2 (The Games)
It’s finally here, my thoughts on everything I’ve played on the PlayStation 3 so far. It’s massive so get started!
Backward Compatibility
It’s another one of those Aladdin analogies. The thing has a 60gb hard drive (soon to be 80) but in order to save your PS1/PS2 games you have to create itty-bitty virtual memory cards and swap them back and forth in virtual memory card slots. It’s not that critical but it’s yet another nagging quirk that you’d expect to be ironed smooth with all that hard drive space and power laying around. Thankfully you can manage cards while still playing a game so you don’t have to quit back to the XMB just to swap ’em around. Of course, you have to buy that $15 accessory if you want to use your existing PS1/PS2 memory cards with the PS3. No more multi-taps but Sony still knows how to get ya!
Playing the games without having to drag out the old systems is a godsend and having them all upscaled and smoothed and output through HDMI is very nice. Also, some PS2 games that were incompatible with component cables (namely ICO) are once again playable on the HD screen. You can even switch the SIXAXIS to 1995 digital pad mode should any game not like to play nice with the dual analog turned on. There’s also a USB adapter on the market that lets you plug in most any PS1/PS2 controllers so dance pads, arcade sticks, and silly third-party controllers are once again usable.
The PS3 accesses the All-Music Guide to pull CD data when you load up an audio disc. It’d be a nice touch if their All-Game Guide worked the same for PS1/PS2 discs. As it is you get a boring little black, blue, or gold disc icon amidst the dizzying array of video thumbnails in the games tab. Oh yeah, the games tab!
The only part of the PS3’s interface that has any personality is the games tab. Most everything I’ve downloaded so far (demos, free trials, and PS Store titles) have a small video thumbnail that constantly plays as you scroll through the list. Stop on a title for a second and a full screen “wallpaper” loads up and music begins to play. It’s really slick stuff and, like I said, the only bit of the PS3 that feels cool. Sadly, it doesn’t load quite quickly enough as I’ve usually hit the X button and loaded the game before the multimedia show starts. Ah well.
PlayStation Network Downloads
The absolute biggest gripe I have with the PlayStation Store is the lack of demos. Had I been able to try out these games I’m sure I would’ve passed on Calling All Cars! and possibly discovered a title I enjoyed more. So far there are only select demos available for the PS Store titles and very little info to even explain them. I’m not about to waste $10 on a full game just to find out if I like it (Calling All Cars! was my first and last time doing that).
The other thing that gets me is that damn installation process. I’m so used to Xbox Live where demos come to life at the push of a button the second they’re complete that waiting for a second progress bar really gets on my nerves.
Calling All Cars! (PSN)
Of the games on the PS Store this is by far the most original but, damn, is it ruthless! The computer opponents destroy me and online players destroy me. It doesn’t help that the game offers little instruction at the outset. The gameplay is solid and fun at times but it’s been a very frustrating experience overall. If you’re of the competitive sort, this one’s for you.
Go! Puzzle (PSN)
The demo gives a sample of the three puzzle games that come in this bundle but not a single one is worth the download. For a change they aren’t generic rip-offs of Bejeweled or Tetris but they’re not all that interesting either.
Nucleus (PSN)
I think it was Joystiq that described it best as playing as a little sperm. There’s a little more variety than Geometry Wars but it’s the same basic dual stick controls you’re probably already sick and tired of.
Gran Turismo HD Concept (PSN)
If you’re dumb like me and think this is a retouched demo of Gran Turismo Mobile for PSP then it looks amazing! However, when you realize this is supposed to be what GT5 will look and play like you can’t help but wonder what takes Polyphony Digital so long. It’s a sim which I don’t like but I smashed and sloshed my way through the demo ten times over to unlock the cars and drift mode. Definitely not my kinda game but the replay view is real pretty.
Super Rub a Dub (PSN)
Hey! It’s that rubber duck demo! Oh it has tilt controls! Wow, this is lame. No thanks!!
Full Auto 2: Battlelines (demo)
I was excited about this game way back before the original came out but the random destruction never quite lived up to my hopes of ‘Burnout on Crack’. This demo left me totally underwhelmed and I see now why this game was the first PS3 title to hit the bargain bins.
Ridge Racer 7 (demo)
It’s pretty, I guess. Not mind bogglingly pretty but it is easy on the eyes. Ridge Racer has definitely lost something over the years, at least for me. The nitro system is little consolation for the continued mining of past tracks and cars. Maybe some day I’ll pick up the full game but not any time soon.
Blast Factor (demo)
Hey, it’s Geometry Wars! Pass.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (demo)
There’s a reason why Team Ninja has remade the same game three times; because it’s freakin’ awesome! I swore I wouldn’t even bother with this game but the demo alone has me itching to punish myself with new enemies, harder difficulty, and more. It’s not enough to justify the price tag for someone whose played the previous incarnations but some day I’ll pick it up on the cheap. The graphics got a major overhaul as well!
Dynasty Warriors Gundam (demo)
It’s just as it sounds; Gundam played mostly on foot with loads of enemies to whack around and territory to fight over. I skipped most of the story stuff as I don’t dig Gundam much. It’s the same Dynasty Warriors gameplay you know and love or hate, but with robots. It sounds exciting but aside from the hi-res visuals it’s, uhm, not.
Motor Storm
The retail demo was fun because it was a simple pick-up-and-go experience and the way the controller was mounted in place felt quite nice when using the tilt controls of the SIXAXIS. The full game, however, is a disappointment. There are over 80 races in the game but only five courses. You’ll race in restricted vehicles, forward, backward, and at different times of day but nothing can stave off the monotony, especially the 1999-style gameplay. There’s just nothing to this game. There’s no reward for fighting with opponents, not many shortcuts, and no secret pick-ups to discover. Winning is based solely on luck thanks to the random physics and unpredictable terrain.
Online play wasn’t much better with the worst of players swearing and bickering back and forth. I swear, it’s worse than Xbox Live. It also takes ages to get a game started thanks to the ridiculous loading times just to choose a vehicle. And like all online games you have to adjust to yet another lobby design. Since there’s no integrated online service like Xbox Live each developer has to design its own lobby with text chat windows, player lists, connection status icons, and more. It’s like booting up AOL from 1995.
Resistance: Fall of Man
I thought the story was going to take place during World War II, like Nazis team up with aliens or something. But as it turns out the Wars never even happened. In fact, some of the human guns don’t even seem like they’re in the right time period. So with a more typical sci-fi/alien invasion/human half-breed story in place it falls to the gameplay to hold this one up.
Eh, it kinda pulls through… I guess. There’s lots of shooting and various enemy types and plenty of A.I. teammates to get cut down but the game never really shocks or surprises. Actually, it’s startlingly bland compared to the visuals of Gears of War. There’s really nothing here the 360 couldn’t pull off. Even the game’s Skill Points fill in for the PS3’s lack of Achievements. Of course, they do no good outside of the game but it gives you that little something else to aim for like cutting all the air cords on an alien before killing it or taking out multiple enemies with a grenade.
Overall I’m pretty unimpressed. The enemy A.I. isn’t all that smart and there aren’t many creepy surprises, just cheap spawn-out-of-nowhere thrills. It’s basically your best bet to run right up to enemies and shoot (or melee) them in the face. Keep it up long enough and, tada, you win.
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Imagine Baldur’s Gate but with even less RPG elements and a million times more carbon-copy enemies and you’ve got the gist of Untold Legends. It’s not bad and online drop-in/out multiplayer works pretty well to find a big party. There are plenty of combos and spells to level up and even gems to augment their abilities but you can’t overlook that it’s still just a mindless hack and slash dungeon crawler. It’s pretty but nothing the 360 couldn’t pull off. Also, glitch-ridden. Sheesh!
The Hopeful
Here’s a list of all the PS3 exclusive games I could find/think up and why I hope they help justify this ridiculous system.
Lair
Factor 5 finally breaks free from Star Wars. It looks good in videos but how cinematic will it be? At least it’s full of dragons eating and flaming one another while maiming hundreds of humans. That right there is pedigree enough to pique my interest.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
I’m really hoping they capture that same mystique as the original Crash Bandicoot. I know it sounds crazy but Crash was one of the first games where I felt I was really somewhere else. There was a lot of depth and detail despite the restricted viewpoint and I hope Uncharted mixes that up with lots and lots of exploring.
Metal Gear Solid 4
What more can I say? It’s gonna be ridiculous but incredibly fun to see how Solid Snake’s ambiguously convoluted homoerotic adventure ends. And if it ends up on Xbox 360 I’ll be there for Achievements alone!
Warhawk
I am the biggest fan of the original and hope that if I help drive sales of the online game they’ll really go ahead and do a single player expansion.
Echochrome
This game could’ve run on the original PlayStation. It looks mind boggling but the puzzles probably only have a single solution and you can only look at black and white line art for so long. Still, I’m excited.
Heavenly Sword
The demo shows some seriously stiff animations that bridge together Nariko’s various poses and attacks but the gameplay itself is incredible. I don’t know how much fun it’ll be about four hours in but it’s just as visceral an experience as Ninja Gaiden which is really giving the game some credit. Looks fantastic too but those awkward in-between animations are troubling.
Dynasty Warriors 6
Finally, a Dynasty Warriors game that won’t look like absolute crap. The screens I’ve seen look impressive. All the graphic effects switches have been flipped and there’s plenty of thick dust clouds, realistic shadows, reflective water, and more. The gameplay looks familiar but with new on-screen displays that will hopefully layer on more depth. Swimming (!?) has been added as well as the ability to climb structures but enemies remain of the carbon-copy-army variety. Ah well, at least it’ll run smooth finally right?
Afrika
Sony’s complete lack of explanation has me really intrigued by this hopeful adventure/exploration-laden non-game. Or it’s just Cabella’s Big Game Hunter: Afrika Edition.
Little Big Planet
Fine, take until 2008. From the looks of it this is the most ambitious PS3 title yet and will hopefully bring even more non-gamers into the scene.
Fumito Ueda Project
This right here may be reason enough for the $500.
Disgaea 3
It looks cute and has a meaty strategy/RPG behind it. If I’m gonna get into one it might as well be the best, right?
LocoRoco Sequel
Maybe I’ll finally get to play a LocoRoco game now!
Nobi Nobi Boy
Stretchy intestine boy! I can’t wait!
Everyday Shooter
Why, monotony is my only complaint about shooters so one that’s got a vast array of graphics and gameplay should be tops, right?
InFamous
I’ll toss my hat in this ring too. I’m intrigued.
PlayStation Home
Social revolution or 3D chat room simulator? There’s a lot of casual, mellow, interactive potential here (and Animal Crossing-ish house customizing too) but it’s got a waaaays to go.
