Saturday, June 13, 2009

A solution to the PSPgo's lack of a UMD drive

There's been a lot of discussion lately about the PSPgo, its lack of a UMD drive, and the issue that presents for current PSP owners. I think I have come up with a solution that could be mutually beneficial to both Sony and the consumer. It involves the suggestion Sony has made that UMD games would be available for download.

We can assume that people with this issue already own a PSP, and play their games on UMDs (the legal way). We can also assume that those people would be interested in owning a PSPgo and downloading PSP games through the online PlayStation Store (again, the legal way). That said, here is what can be done:

Step 1. Access PlayStation Store from both PSP and PSPgo.

Step 2. Authorize both PSP and PSPgo to the PlayStation Store in a manner similar to authorizing a computer to iTunes.

Step 3. Insert UMD of desired game into PSP.

Step 4. Validate UMD disc on PlayStation Store. This unlocks an option to create a digital copy of the game (possibly requiring a reasonable licensing fee; i.e. a dollar or two)

Step 5. UMD data is downloaded onto Memory Stick in PSP, similar to installing a game on the Xbox 360 HDD. Another possibility would be that validating the disc activates a download from the PlayStation Store (This alternate solution was suggested to me by Boter of the Game Nutz Podcast). This data is now linked only to PSP units authorized by the PlayStation Network ID of the PlayStation Store account used to create the digital copy, similar to iTunes or XBLA.

Step 6. Remove Memory Stick from PSP, insert into PSPgo, and play. For added security, the game can act like a Gamertag in that it cannot exist on two storage devices at the same time, meaning it is either on a Memory Stick, or an authorized PSPgo's internal memory, and cannot be duplicated onto another device.

Problem solved. It might be a bit of a hassle at first, but once all your games are copied, you no longer need the UMDs or the PSP and can use the PSPgo exclusively. Now, hopefully Sony is paying attention.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Perfect Dark on Xbox Live Arcade!

HA! This is proof that the industry is listening to tiny independent blogs like mine! I asked for this in Part III of my List of classic Nintendo games that haven't been remade, but should be, and now it's coming! You can all thank me for this! (Please don't burst my bubble about this. I have so little!) I will be buying this game, I don't care if they charge twenty bucks for it! Though based on the pricing for Banjo-Kazooie, my guess is that it would be 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15.

Perfect Dark was a great game marred by hardware that was struggling to run it. The 360 is way over-qualified to run an N64 game, and if PD looks and plays as well as B-K did, fans are in for a real treat. Everything that was broken about the N64 original should be fixed in the XBLA release. Stunted framerate? Fixed! Burry textures? Fixed! Scratchy dialog? Fixed! Convoluted level design? Well, maybe not everything. Unfortunately, the only graphical upgrade will be the hi-deffing of the original graphics, but while I'd rather see the game redone with modern graphics, it will still be nice to see a good ol' brunette Joanna Dark in all her low-poly glory. I just hope they provide an alternative way of unlocking the cheats. I hate speedruns!

Still, as long as online multiplayer doesn't break the fantastic local multiplayer of the original, I can see this giving Halo a run for its money. Just watch out for those KaziSims!

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned — Extended Play


It's been a very long time since my First Impressions. Ironically, blogging is eating into my gaming time, so I'll keep this brief. Most of my gaming time, both at home and on-the-go, has been with Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. You can read my full review for that by clicking here.

As for GTA4:TLAD, more of the same pretty much describes the gameplay here. There seems to be a lot more shooting in TLAD than there was in IV, which is fine, except it can get repetitive after a while. The "improved" bike physics aren't improved enough. I still can't power slide around corners on a bike the way I can in a car. I tend to slide sideways for several yards and slamming into a wall before I start moving in the direction I'm facing. Unfortunately, a lot of missions require a bike, or at least make it inconvenient to use anything else.

The new weapons are nice. I'd rather have the desert eagle than the semi-automatic pistol that replaced it, but the rapid-fire automatic shotgun is hot, and the grenade launcher is much easier to use on ground targets than the old RPG.

The story has improved, as have the characters. I've also reached a point where I can call a couple of my Lost brothers for back-up, which comes in handy during missions, or even just mischief making. There was one mission I failed twice, so on my third try I called for back-up while on my way to the objective, and by the time I got there my brothers were by my side, ready for action.

I'm going to try to get this game finished by the end of the month. Hopefully, I'm further in the game than I think I am.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Too much motion, not enough action

When Nintendo's Project Revolution was announced, they promised gamers a new way to play; one that would enhance the gaming experience for the hardcore, but also provide an intuitive point of entry for casual and non gamers. This "Revolution" turned out to be the Wii. Its motion sensing controls made a huge impact on the industry, and since its release it has been the best selling system of this console generation.

Now everyone is vying for a piece of Nintendo's pie. For the PlayStation 3, Sony released the SIXAXIS, a wireless Dual Analog controller with motion sensing capabilities; though the motion controls have only been used in a handful of games, and often to much criticism. Last year, Microsoft rolled out the New Xbox Experience (NXE), a new, streamlined version of the Xbox 360's Dashboard. This update featured, among other enhancements, Avatars: customizable cartoony characters similar to Nintendo's Miis. This year at E3, both companies revealed their biggest move towards imitating the Wii's winning formula: full motion control. Each company has come up with their own variation, but they both have one common goal: to take sales away from the Wii. Can mo-con be the final, go-to solution to market domination? Or will these devices end up adding to the long list of failed after-market peripherals?

Here are the issues:

  • The Wii has already found its niche market; so have the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Whenever a company tries to expand into another's territory, they run the risk of alienating their established market. We've already heard some of the outcry from the Xbox community about their push for more casual gamers.

  • The 360, and especially the PS3, are more expensive than the Wii (though the 360 Arcade bundle is cheaper). If they're hoping to capture the Wii's market, they need to match the Wii's price, remembering that motion controls are an additional accessory, meaning additional cost.

  • The Wii already has a head start on motion games. The 360 and the PS3 will need a strong introductory library of motion games if they want to compete with the Wii's 2½ year library (probably more like four, by the time the competition hits retail). They'll also need first and third party killer apps like Nintendo's Wii Sports, EA's Boom Blox or Sega's MadWorld in order to sell mo-con to the masses.


Even if Microsoft and Sony can overcome all these obstacles, there's still one gigantic hurtle: The Wii experience is not just about motion controls, nor is it about casual games, nor price, nor gaming icons, nor any one factor, nor even the combination of factors. It's about the whole package. The Wii was shipped with everything it needed for the whole experience: a console, a controller (Remote and Nunchuk), 6 casual games, motion control set-up, all the required hook-ups, and internal memory for storage… all for under $300. For another $50, consumers could buy another Remote and 9 more casual games. They also did all this 2½ years ago, when the competition was $400 or more, meaning they already have an edge on the market. Plus, there are really no other accessories required to play most games, and with the exception of the Balance Board (which comes with its required game), and Rock Band/Guitar Hero instruments (included with special edition packages of their respective games), most other accessories are under $20.

Project Natal is expected to be "under $100," according to a Microsoft rep, and that's in addition to the cost of the console. Sony hasn't mentioned a price for their PlayStation Motion Controller yet, but we already know it requires the $40 PlayStation Eye, and the $400 PS3. And unlike the Wii, there's no guarantee either will even be supported beyond the first year. Add-ons rarely get massive support, because the developers can't depend on enough users having them to make it worth the cost of learning how to code for them, and producing the games. Nintendo has learned this lesson the hard way, repeatedly. If you ask me, Microsoft's and Sony's best hope is to sell their motion control to hardcore gamers, and hope they have casual gamers in the family who'd want to use it.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

At E3, Sony starts moving, and it's the PSP's time to go

So no surprise here: Sony's got a Motion Controller in the works too. As I've mentioned before on my blog, I do not own a PlayStation 3 yet (drop the price a couple hundred dollars, then we'll talk), but I am intrigued at their entry in the "mo-con" phenomenon (hey, that rhymes… copyright!). It basically does out of the box what the Wii Remote can do with the MotionPlus add-on. Combine that with the PS3's HD graphics and they could be onto something here… but who's their target audience with a $400 system? I'll expound on that in a later post.

They also revealed the fourth iteration of the PlayStation Portable, the PSPgo. This will be the most radically different version of the PSP thus far, though it is not a successor to the hardware. It will feature a cell phone like pop-up screen (smaller than other PSP screens) that reveals a new controller layout, including a better protected, and less convenient, analog nub. The PSPgo features 16GB of internal flash memory, which makes up for the biggest change in the system's design: no UMD drive. That's right, everything will be download only on this PSP. Sony has yet to reveal any concrete plans for how (or if) you can transfer your UMD games onto the PSPgo's memory. We all knew the UMD was a dead format, but I don't think anyone ever expected Sony would make their own games obsolete on the system for which they were deisigned. I'm more than a little wary of this, but fortunately I still have my PSP-2000 on which to play my legally purchased UMD games.

Sony also revealed an impressive line-up for their floundering portable:

Gran Turismo Mobile
Tekken 6
SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny
Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier

To be honest, the only one of these games that interests me is SoulCalibur, but it's nice to see Sony hasn't completely forgotten their flawed-but-still-fun handheld. I'm still waiting for Rockstar to try to squeeze a version of San Andreas onto the PSP like they did with the rest of their GTA3 universe games. Perhaps this push for a downloadable format will yield games like that, which would probably take up more than the UMD's 1.8GB capacity.

For the PS3, they showed off God of War III, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Gran Turismo 5 (the full game, not the $40 demo they released last year), among other games which were mostly multi-platform.

So that's Sony in a nutshell. If you want additional information about those games and more, read the GamerCast Network, Joystiq, GameSpot, or some other site that actually attended the event. I'm just commenting on what I've seen and heard on the internet. Maybe someday, I'll be getting the scoop first hand…

Anywho, keep checking for more E3 information and commentaries as I find out more, and check back soon for an editorial on recent announcements!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Microsoft moves into your home at E3

For my coverage of Microsoft's E3 highlights, let's just shine a spotlight on the elephant in the room. We all saw this coming, we just weren't sure how. The Xbox is getting motion control. In a promo video that looked suspiciously like a Wii commercial, Microsoft revealed Project Natal, the code name for their new motion and sound sensing technology. The video showed a typical American family (or at least what marketing execs like to assume is the typical American family) gathering around the TV, playing a variety of games, from racing and fighting, to sports and trivia, without using any controllers.

The trick is a device by the TV that looks like a Wii Sensor Bar with cybernetic enhancements (which leads me to wonder where I'm supposed to put this thing when I already have my Wii hooked up). This device contains a stereo camera and a microphone. Apparently the device has facial and voice recognition abilities, and only sees objects that are moving (like a T. Rex?). The binocular vision allows it to perceive depth and therefore, distance. It also can read body movement and position, creating a form of motion capture. No word yet on release date or price, but I'd wager this holiday season for $50-75. I can't say I'm wholeheartedly for or against this move, but if it works the way they claim it does, it could be interesting to say the least.

Microsoft also announced partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm, plus long-overdue enhancements to their NetFlix app., including a movie party mode. Of course, these are all geared towards the casual/non-gamers (most of whom, I'd argue, probably already own a Wii and are not interested in throwing down $200-300 for another game system). For the hardcore gamers, we get two Halo games from Bungie: the previously announced and indefinitely delayed Halo 3: ODST, and a new game entitled Halo: Reach, which looks to be a prequel to the existing Halo games. They also released a trailer for the long-awaited Alan Wake. I know very little about this game, execept that it's from Remedy Entertainment, the developers of Max Payne and Max Payne 2, and I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be an Xbox 360 launch title.

Aside from Project Natal and Halo: Reach, Microsoft didn't really drop any megatons as far as I'm concerned, but it certainly wasn't a bad showing. I'll wait and see what Natal has to offer before passing judgement. Like anything else, it's not the technology that's important, but how it's used. Motion controls in recent years have been hit or miss. Just look at all the crap we've seen for the Wii and the EyeToy/PlayStation Eye.

So that will wrap up my Microsoft E3 highlights. I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with a new post on Sony's big announcements.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Nintendo returns at E3!

Normally I carry a notebook with me and I draft out my blogs there; during downtime at work, while out for a bite, shopping, cleaning, visiting, what-have-you. It gives me a chance to jot down ideas, fine-tune my wording, and flesh out the article as a whole before I sit down at my computer and type them up in my spare time. I have a few in the works right now, as a matter of fact.

This afternoon I returned home from running errands to find my Wii glowing (meaning I had a new message, for you non-Wii-owners). I finished putting groceries away, sat down in my living room, and booted up my Wii while doing a little organizing of my gaming ottoman (best… present… ever). I checked my messages and saw some very exciting news. Nintendo was showing some of their E3 videos on the Nintendo Channel. Cool, I thought to myself, I don't have to go searching the internet or listening to hours of podcasts to see what Nintendo have revealed. I opened the Nintendo Channel and waited for it to load. I expected to see keynotes, tech demos, maybe a few promo videos of Wii Sports Resort, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and the Metroid Prime Trilogy. I couldn't believe what I saw instead…

New Super Mario Bros. Wii!
Super Mario Galaxy 2!
Metroid: Other M!

Megatons of Nintendo fangasm! I have to give credit to Parris from TalkingAboutGames.com and UncleGamer Radio for calling this one last E3. He had predicted that 2008 was going to be the year of the casual gamer, but that Nintendo wasn't forgetting their hardcore audience, and that 2009 would see the return of Nintendo's leading franchises. I believed him then, and I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. Everything is here: A new Zelda game, two new Mario games (that's not counting sequels to the Mario & Luigi RPG series and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, also revealed at E3), and a brand new Metroid game, developed by none other than Team Ninja! I was so blown away by these reveals that I dropped what I was doing, and started typing this up immediately, without any pre-planning!

This is has me ecstatic. Hopefully there are enough Nintendo fans holding onto their Wiis (umm… that didn't sound right) to make these games truly successful. I had a feeling Nintendo would be pouring the money they've made off of their cheap casual games into some new hardcore ones. Metroid looks especially cool. With its cinematic presentation and third-person view, it might give the Metroid Prime Trilogy a run for its money. I'm actually a little bit surprised they didn't wait until after the NPC versions launched before announcing this.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii should be a worthy addition to the series. While the graphics don't really look much better than the DS game, it won't really matter if it plays as well as that one did. Besides, I think the "whooping" and "wheeing" (or should that be "Wii-ing?") that comes from playing a Mario game co-op with up to three other people makes up for the lack of "oohing" and "ahhing" at spectacular graphics.

The only thing that I find a little disappointing is Super Mario Galaxy 2. While the original SMG is an amazing game (I say "is" because I actually haven't beaten it yet), Mario games are noted for not usually repeating what has been done before. That doesn't mean SMG2 will be a bad game. Even the worst Mario platformers, 3D or 2D, are head and shoulders above most other games in the genre. Still, I would have liked to see the next 3D Mario game go in a different direction. I suppose the "Galaxy" theme allows for more variety in the worlds Mario explores, meaning more variety within the games rather than between the games.

So that's Nintendo for this year. Bravo. I've yet to see or read anything on Microsoft's or Sony's press conferences, or any of the software developers'. I'll post about them when I see them. However, since I am not currently employed by any gaming publications or media outlets, I'll only be posting on what I find interesting or exciting. If you've got anything to contribute, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email. Right now I'm going to go play some Super Mario Galaxy to get myself psyched up!

Monday, June 1, 2009

MadWorld - First Impressions


A good friend of mine bought MadWorld on day one. I watched him play one level and was intrigued. Not only by the high-contrast graphics and the over-the-top violence; not just the unique motion controls and variety of combat; but also the fact that MadWorld was published by the typically E-T rated Sega. Being the frugal gamer I am (read: poor), I decided to wait for a price drop before diving into this blood-filled pool.

It was worth the wait. MadWorld is a game without a modern comparison. The first thing you'll notice are the stark, Sin City inspired graphics. In fact, everything in the game is in high-contrast black & white, with the only colors being yellow for highlighted objects, and of course, red for all the blood. (If you have an HDTV, you'll also notice there's no progressive scan support, probably because the added clarity would have made the minimalist graphics look too jagged.)

But what do graphics matter of the gameplay is bad? No worries there. Here is the best way I can describe it: Take any late '80s/early 90s arcade beat'em-up, subtract all color, add lots of blood and profanity, plus motion controls, multiply by the third dimention, and you have MadWorld. If you're interested in creating your own MadWorld, here's the formula:

Beat'em up - RGB + (O+) + !%$# + Wii × 3D = MadWorld

The story (not that it matters) takes place on an island that has become isolated from the rest of the city. You play as Jack Cayman, who is "sponsored" to play in a literal deathmatch reality show. If you are still thinking after that, stop. You can keep the logical thought part of your brain switched off for the remainder of the game — at least for the first couple of levels, anyway. I haven't gotten any further than that yet.

Buttons are used for punching, grabbing, activating your chainsaw arm (Did I mention you have a chainsaw attached to your arm? Because you do.), and locking onto enemies. Everything else is motion controlled. You can throw, impale, bind, slam, bifurcate, and otherwise maim, dismember, and murder your enemies, all with a little context sensitive waggling. Deathtraps like spikes, dumpsters, trains, and yes, even toilets are scattered throughout the levels, providing opportunities for some spectacularly gory kills. Motion controls are intuitive and forgiving, and rarely do anything you don't want them to do, and on-screen prompts ensure you don't forget what you are doing.

My biggest issue so far is the lack of camera control, which often makes locking onto enemies and aiming your throws difficult. Some bonus games require you to toss enemies in some sort of deathtrap, which seems easy enough, until you realize that no one is flying where you want them. There's also no quick turnaround, which combined with the camera issue can make close combat with multiple enemies a bit of a pain. Fortunately, the difficultly level at this point in the game is forgiving, and not killing your enemy immediately is rarely a major problem.

The game progresses through a point system. Different attacks earn you different amounts of points. The more variety you apply to your kills, the more points you get. Throughout the levels there are Blood Bath Challenges, which are exactly what they sound like. A special, extra large deathtrap will appear, and your job is to throw, push, carry, or pummel your opponents to their ultimate demise. The more you can kill at a time, the more points you earn. Once you reach a certain amount of points, the next area opens until you achieve enough points to face the level's final boss. I've only faced two bosses so far, but they were challenging enough, and certainly big enough, to make for an exciting battle.

WadWorld is a perfect example of what I'd call a hardcore casual game. The mechanics are simple enough for just about anyone to play, but the game's content will turn off most casual gamers. If you're a Wii owner and consider yourself a hardcore gamer, or are even curious about MadWorld, you owe it to yourself and gamers like you to buy this game, if only to convince publishers that there is a hardcore market on the Wii.