happy birthday
Hot damn I feel old.
near perfection
It took a little over ten hours to beat, and during that time I constantly caught myself holding my breath or grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. To say Uncharted 2 is the best PlayStation 3 game yet...well, that's just silly. Of course it is.
For me, personally, I'm leaning towards labeling it the best game I've ever experienced. I've never played a title with this level of polish - from the background detail to the camera work to the gameplay pacing to the cinematics and voice acting, it's all simply reference-quality. And epic. Very, very epic. Not to mention fun.
Hot damn I can't wait to see what Naughty Dog have coming next.
my go
Picked up my PSPgo yesterday, and after a couple of hours of play (and a nasty drop onto the pavement), a few things stood out.
Pros:
- Size - Awesome. Very pocketable, very light, very nice.
- Screen - Also awesome. Incredibly bright and sharp, much better than the one on my PSP-2000, despite the slightly smaller size.
- Ergonomics - My main initial concern, but for naught. The controls are more "squished" in the center, but it allows you to place your hands in a more natural position. The old PSPs would strain / cramp my hands after an hour or two, but I felt totally fine playing the go for the same amount of time.
- Game Pause - Love the fact I can pause any game (including PS1 Classics) at any time, and return to exactly where I was even if the batteries run out. It's a great feature...
- Slider - Snaps out with a satisfying small "thunk," and unlike a few other slider devices I've owned over the years, doesn't creak. Feels solid and well built, and closes just as tightly.
- Bluetooth - I haven't used this yet, but the idea that I could use a PS3 controller with this system is a keen feature. Slightly kills the portable vibe, but I'm glad the option is there.
- Memory Slot - 16 gigs built-in is a great start, but I'm super, super happy I'll be able to upgrade that when needed.
Mixed:
- Questionable Build Quality - While the slider is great, the rest of the body is a bit mixed. Lots of plastic, which gives it a slightly cheap aura, despite the high price.
- Fingerprints - OMG, so many, so quickly. Really wish they went matte.
- Takes a Beating - This is in the mixed category because, despite the fact the go hit the concrete with a bit of force (and some, sigh, nicks to its front edge) and survived, it fell out of my pocked because of the super gloss finish. Every time I sit down I feel it sliding towards it's eventual doom.
Negatives:
- Price - The system really is too expensive for what you're getting. Despite Sony's attempt to make the go appear as a tech lust gadget, it's really just a super nice PSP. Yes, it's priced around the same as a iPod Touch, but the lack of a touch screen and seriously lacking software (especially in terms its web browser) makes it a much worse deal. That said, I'm using it as a game system, so it's fantastic for that.
- Battery - It's not that the battery doesn't last long enough (it does, at least so far), but I hate the fact I can't switch it out (or put in a high capacity version). With my old PSP, I always have an extra extended battery ready to go, so I never worried about not being able to play. No longer, which slightly sucks. That said, I could just buy a portable USB charger, but the option would have been nice...
- Wireless B - Seriously Sony? An ancient (and slow) standard in this "high end" product? It's almost silly...
- Proprietary Port - I forgot my go's usb cable at work, and was screwed in terms of charging the system last night or transferring purchases from my PS3. Really miss the mini-usb port found on previous PSP versions...
There's also the "UMD Factor" to discuss. One of my workmates was appalled with the fact I bought a go, because you can't transfer your existing games over to it. Which is true (and does sting, mainly because Sony led us to believe they would have a "goodwill program" in place by launch to sort that mess out, which they later reneged on), but it really doesn't matter in the long run.
I'm keeping my PSP-2000 to play UMDs and digital Japanese store purchases (long story, but you can only have one DRM profile active on a system at once, and it's a slight chore to switch back and forth), so if I care about playing an older game, I can do so. If I really, really want to play a UMD game I already own on my go, then I'll decide to re-buy it or not.
Sony isn't forcing me to do so, they're not stopping support on the "regular" PSP, they're not fucking consumers. What they're doing is giving (somewhat questionable) choices, and I choose to use a lighter, digital-only device.
And - with some caveats - I absolutely love the system and have no regrets buying it.
That said, I also got my go with saved up Best Buy coupons, bringing my total to around $120 cash. If I had paid $250 + tax, my opinion would likely be slightly different. But not by much. :P
dollhouse
I finally saw the first episode of Dollhouse's second season on hulu (direct link) during lunch today.
Yeah, it's so one of the best things on TV right now.
While I loved Epitaph One's bleak outlook, I'm happy they're not focusing on those events. At least not yet. The new potential sub-angle (finding the original identities) seems much more interesting for a weekly series, especially combined with future knowledge of where the show's going. And the bits with Topher and Whiskey were absolutely ace.
Hot damn I'm excited to see where this season goes...
wild
Amazon has it for $8.99, which is an absolute steal. Really can't wait for the flick...
30 days 'till go time
It's going to be a long month...
yay!
Sure, it’s not as exciting as a full OS upgrade, but I’m looking forward to a few of the Snow Leopard’s features (exchange support, mostly) and the keen “newness tweaks.” Plus 7 gigs of freed up space, always nice!
Also nice? $29 and free release date delivery. Mmmm... Friday.
let's do this!
Yay!
Boo!
Huh, well, hopefully I’ll get the chance to play in
the 40 minutes or so between getting home from work
and the cutoff time.
evolution
Wow. Space Invaders Infinity Gene is the best iPhone game I’ve played. By far.
I beat it last week, but I keep finding myself coming back to try out different music track levels and the like, and I’m amazed by the amount of stuff I’m still unlocking. It’s such a seemingly simple experience (hell, it was originally a “normal” cellphone game in Japan), but the “retro” visual style works perfectly, the relative touch control is top notch, the music is grand and the unlocking system (with the ability to return to older levels with new weapons) is fantastic and deceptively addictive. Not to mention fun. Very, very fun.
Loved the opening, loved the ending. Hell, loved the whole thing. Go buy it.
spot the future
Holy hell. I think I’ve just experienced the eventual evolution (or demise?) of iTunes.
I’ve heard of Spotify before, but I always considered it a streaming music service in the same vein as Pandora or Last.fm, both of which I don’t really care for. I mean, they have potential and neat aspects, but are too cumbersome or invasive or inconvenient for me to really use over iTunes. Plus, Spotify is currently a Western Europe-only service, which made the choice to use it or not an easy one to make.
Then I found out how to get around that pesky regional requirement thing.
Again, holy hell.
Rather than taking the form of a web-based service (like the aforementioned Pandora and Last.fm), Spotify is an iTunes-like Mac or Windows program. But, instead of being a way to interface with the music on your computer / network, it’s connected to online servers and (quite apparently) magic.
The app is slick as all heck, it’s easy to find songs / albums and the music starts playing instantly. Like, it feels like it’s already on your computer instantly. Same thing goes with scrubbing through the track, there’s no lag. It’s really quite remarkable.
And the selection, while not all-inclusive, is simply huge. Plus it’s super easy and...well, fun to find similar artists, and listen to them as full albums of as a radio stream.
Oh, the radio stream. It’s intuitive (and, again, fun) to navigate - either use it to listen to similar tracks from different artists, or select a particular decade (or a range of them), then select one or more genre buttons (hip-hop, rock, alternative, and 15 others) and sit back.
There’s a great social aspect to Spotify as well. I can “send” tracks to friends by email or IM in the form of a link that, when clicked, automatically adds a new playlist on their Spotify populated with my suggestions. Simple and without annoyance.
The greatest part about all of this? It’s free.
Like, really, really free.
There are “radio ads” from time to time, but these are short, 30 second bits. And I’ve only heard maybe two for a nearly whole day of listening. That said, I’ve been mainly jumping around between artists, and not just using the radio (which, from what I’ve heard, is where most of the ads are found).
There is a subscription mode which cuts out the ads, offers higher bit-rates (albeit the standard Ogg Vorbis q5 codec isn’t bad at all) plus pre-release albums (along with other bonuses), but it’s fully optional and doesn’t punish free users.
The only downside? You have to be connected to the internet to listen to the music. Well, for now.
If the iPhone app hits and works as advertised, this really could be the beginning of an actual sea change in terms of how we consume / purchase music.
In fact, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised it Apple either killed the iPhone app outright or (even better) bought Spotify in the nearish future. Integrating this sort of online content / functionality with physical libraries (and give the ability to purchase songs to keep at a much higher quality) would be the dog’s choppers.
Indeed.
legacy
So then, just watched the teaser trailer. Like, five times.
Hated it at first, wasn’t sure about the style
(biker suits with slightly lame projected faces?)
and everyone knows Light Cycles can’t do curvy
turns. But then something strange started
happening.
You know, that getting hyped up and excited thing.
Bodies morphing into the bikes? Rad. New version of
discs? Very rad. Flynn being the maybe baddie? OMG
rad.
Also, LOVING the logo treatment and the dark feel.
Please don’t end up being shitty.
Please.
file under wtf
I blame the car fu and crazy eye candy and the way it full-heartedly embraced the wackiness of the original subject matter. Also, was prepared for it to be complete ass. Huh.
up and away
full circle
A long, long time ago I worked at a magazine called
GameFan. One evening, around
midnight or so, a bunch of us were still in the
office, all crowded in front of our main “internet
machine.” There we were, watching images (very)
slowly fill in on some Japanese site (Square’s? I
can’t remember...), whooping and hollering with
excitement as each screenshot was fully displayed.
It might seem silly now, but at that time there was
nothing more thrilling. Hell, we were young, and the
game being unveiled was Final Fantasy VII. OMG. We were
some of the first westerners to lay our eyes on
those pictures, and witnessing the (now admittedly
crude) screenshots was a landmark event
in our lives.
I’m only partially kidding.
In the following months Famitsus that revealed new main
characters were carefully examined, and often the
artwork pages were cut out and hung on our walls.
Each new screenshot or bit of information was
dissected and digested, and we talked about little
else. To say my GameFan pals and I were obsessed
with the game would be a scary, scary
understatement. And, when Final Fantasy VII was
released in Japan, I played through my import copy
several times, not minding the fact I couldn’t
understand 99% of what was going on.
And now, all these years later, after the whole
“Compilation of Final Fantasy VII”
has (apparently) run its course, delivering lots
of great (and not so great) new content, we’re
back with the original game again. A part of me is
sad that the Final Fantasy VII announced (and released) yesterday
isn’t a remake, but the part of me that remembers
the wonder I felt as a much younger person is
thrilled to be playing it again.
On my PSP. Rad.
god can be funny
Hot damn I enjoy Regina Spektor’s music (amazing
voice + fantastic lyrics = constant iTunes
rotation), and her upcoming album’s new single (iTunes) is a nice reminder of why.
June 23rd really can’t come soon enough...
wow
A wonderful (and powerful) 42 second film by director Chris Milk, with a beautiful mix of imagery and music. And Pauly Shore. I’ve already watched it a bunch of times today, and it still gives me chills.
flashback
OMG, this podcast is my old
life. The one that (almost completely) revolved
around collecting and trading inane Japanese
gaming minutia, where friends would try to
out-geek each other by spouting off about little
known import gaming facts while discussing other,
slightly more well known gaming facts.
Maybe it’s just the nostalgia talking, but yeah.
Really missing those days right now. That said, I
have no idea why it took me until now to start
listening, but I’m damn happy I started, and just as
pleased that I’m hooked.
hot day, cold sake
And for a hot day like today (combined with an ice-filled carafe), there’s very little better....
unofficially awesome
I’ve always loved “music shooters,” and Everyday Shooter is one of my favorites. It seemed strange, though, that such a music-centric game never had a stand-alone soundtrack. Apparently someone on Last.fm had the same thoughts, and ripped his own. Two of them, in fact.
One of the unofficial albums is “real” (with sound effects generated by gameplay) and the other “pure” (he enabled an invinciblilty code and just sat there, recording the instruments only). Both are excellent, and can be downloaded by joining the Everyday Shooter Group at Last.fm and checking the discussion forum for direct links (along with a slightly amusing conversation with Jonathan Mak).
better
Crystal Defenders surprised me twice.
The first time was right after I bought it, when I realized Square was pretty much screwing iPhone (and iPod touch) owners over with a super shoddy “port” of their cell-phone-turned-iPod “tower defense” game. Instead of adapting it to the iPhone screen and interface, they instead just pretty much re-released the iPod game, and added a super crappy control scheme that emulated the scroll wheel input. Lame.
Then the second surprise happened today, when my phone alerted there was an update for the game. And not just any update, but one that made this title an actual iPhone experience. Now supporting an optional landscape view and full touch control (with some general visual enhancements to boot), Crystal Defenders is finally what it should have been from the beginning. Which means I’m now just annoyed at Square, instead of pissed. Yay!
Before
(Note the harsher sprites and horrible
interface)
Now
(Much, much, much nicer...)
weekend
Really, really impressed with the update. Love the feel, from the slightly thinner and lighter mass, to the matte finish, to the (thankfully) less-mushy D-Pad, to the larger screens, to the WPA support; it’s great all around. While the lack of a GBA slot is slightly missed, I haven’t played one for a while (and I have both a Micro and SP Light if the need arises) and the cleaner lines are a plus.
The thing I’m most happy with, though, is the future potential. Sure, the DSi Shop doesn’t have anything I really want right now, but I have high hopes for some great classic or original titles for download. Hopefully we’ll see some Virtual Console games on here eventually (want the original Ys on DSi, dammit), and the ability to “share” select titles between the Wii and DSi would be freaking amazing - sort of like the PSN original PlayStation games that play on both PS3 and PSP. For now, though, I have plenty of slightly (or non) played DS games hanging around, and a new (and great) reason to play them.
Oh, and I finally got my Club Nintendo all up to date - it took a while with the tons of quick surveys and the such, but now I have a nice 850 coins. Not that there’s anything I want to trade them for now, but it’s nice to be at Platinum standing for this June’s mysterious prize...
This is sort of cool, I haven’t felt like such a Nintendo Fanboy since the Wii was released. :P
new puppy
my week
good and bad
And damn awesome logo art.
Bad: So then, I apparently took a mysterious trip to San Diego last week?
Either that or somebody cloned my bank card. Crap. Oh well, first time and all... Plus, it could have been much worse. At least they didn’t totally clean out my account. Um, yay?
All they seemed to do was eat, shop for groceries, fill up their gas tank and eat some more. Huh.
amp it up!
I just ordered that headphone amp from this guy. Actually, it might not be that exact casing, there are multiple options and I told him to surprise me. And now I’m all jonesing for a quality pair of headphones for my upcoming birthday.
You know, I always disliked headphone snobs, but now I want to be one!
Yay for getting old(er)!
console chronicles
Um, wow?
So then, I finally got the chance to try out a couple of games I’ve been looking forward to playing, including Naruto: The Broken Bond (more of the same, which is good) and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (much better than I was expecting). But, the cool thing was I finally got to give Valkyria Chronicles a solid go. It’s really, really good - surprisingly so, in fact.
I played for a good four hours in total, got to chapter 5 and fought in a bunch of skirmishes, and I can easily say is the best strategy game I’ve played in years. The real-time / turn-based gameplay is perfect, there are tons of upgrades, it has a solid (and fitting) interface and, despite the almost over-abundance of story, the unique (not to mention gorgeous) visual style easily makes up for it.
Very sad this game isn’t selling, it’s easily the best 3rd party exclusive on the PS3...
All-in-all, it was nice to actually play games in front of the TV again. That said, I’m sure I’ll back in Northrend tomorrow... Need me some more Icecrown!
palm just got cool again
I really hate CES, it’s filled with nice things I
want but don’t need (and can’t afford to buy).
goodbye my old friends
It was the first game magazine I loved, the last one
I worked for, and one of the few I still read.
And now it’s gone. Crap.
Making this feeling even worse is the shuttering of
1UP Yours. Weekends are no longer confirmed, and that
really, really sucks.
I’m shocked this all went down so suddenly, and I
wish everyone the best of luck.
Thanks for the memories.
papers
I’ve heard great things about The Yakuza Papers - a box set of five 1970s Japanese movies chronicling the rise of post-war yakuza gangs - and was looking forward to start watching them last weekend. The plan was to sit down for 30 minutes or so for lunch on Sunday, before diving back into Lich King. Yeah, that didn’t happen.
I am so, so glad I asked for this for the holidays (and equally as glad that my keen wife picked it up for me). It only took a few minutes of watching before I realized why the director, Kinji Fukasaku, was such an influence on modern cinema.
Characters were being introduced (and killed) with breathtaking speed (each with a shocking “pause” to dramatically convey the details), fights were constant, deals brokered and betrayals stacked on top of one another without pause... It was almost dizzying. I would have been pissed off by the overwhelming amount of information that was flying by, if I wasn’t having such a good time watching. And, despite my plan of only watching a little bit, I ended up finishing off the first film without pause and had to force myself not to put in the second...
If you have the chance to watch The Yakuza Papers, and don’t mind 70s-style cinematography and subtitles, please do. It’s wonderful.
goty
For consoles, this:
Easily.
Why? Because Metal Gear Solid 4 was made for me. Well, it was made for any fan of the series. Sure, many aspects were broken, the pacing was strange and a few acts were much better than others. But, it had more fan-service than any other game I’ve played. Ever.
MGS4 thanked you for playing the previous games (and sort of punished you if you hadn’t). It tied up pretty much every loose end (which is an impressive feat in itself), it made Radian a character you actually cared for (again, an impressive feat), and the return to the first major area of the original game...well, that just made me happy. Especially in the way(s) they did it.
Metal Gear Solid is still one of my favorite games of all time, and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to bring the series to an end. Well, a potential end, at least.
Two close runners up:
Fallout 3 was a great adventure, and one I put over 30 hours into before finishing. Very fun, and it fixed most of the problems I had with Oblivion (thankfully challenges don’t level up as you do) while adding some new ones (ending sequence went against the rest of the game’s grain).
And:
OMG I loved the original Yakuza, and I love this one almost as much. Sure, Yakuza 2 feels a little old in the tooth (it’s a PS2 game in a PS3 world, after all), but the blending of story and action is still just as addictive as it was in the first, and the lesser loading is a godsend.
Also highly enjoyed:
Gears of War 2
Burnout Paradise
LittleBigPlanet
Left 4 Dead
Dead Space
GTA4
For PC games, nearly all of my time was spent with this:
I’ve always heavily enjoyed WoW, but my feelings for Wrath of the Lich King go way beyond that. The amount of new content, the quality (and fun factor) of the quests, the sheer overwhelming nature of the areas, the Death Knight’s starting quests and other uses of Phasing, it all makes for an experience that goes far beyond what I was expecting. I got to level 80, and there’s still TONS of stuff that I have to do, and that’s not including any end game raids or battlegrounds. LOVE this game.
Also (thanks to building a new computer this summer) highly enjoyed:
Crysis Warhead