21
Sep
2009
The Effect of Next-Gen Re-Releases on the Gaming Industry
Because of the issue of backwards compatibility only being available in select PS3 SKU’s and it being limited among select X-Box games on the 360, a new phenomenon has started to arrive on the scene: Next-Gen Re-Releases. This has been something that has been present for a while in the form of Downloadable Content (DLC), some of the more recent and bigger names of the titles span from Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 which received a graphics update as well as online compatibility, all the way to the recent release of TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled.
The market is obviously there for these past titles to be re-released and consumers are demanding them. But more recently Sony’s Santa Monica offices are trying a new approach by releasing the God of War collection on a Blu-ray disk for the PS3. This package will include the original two titles in the series completely remastered from their PS2 states to run in native 720p HD graphics at 60 frames per second. Not only this, but unlike other classic games that are just offered through the various online marketplaces: PSN, XBLA, and Wii-ware, this God of War bundle will come with full trophy support, adding a new twist to two classic games. But really, the icing on the cake is that despite all of this work in remastering and adding new code to existing games, the release price for this bundle will only be 2/3 of what a standard new game retails at. $40 for next-gen updates to classic titles may just be the sweet spot.
But, why would a company spend all of this time and effort on games that have been out for years? Well, the developers surveyed the fans (Source) and simply asked them what they wanted done. This comes at a great time, because it will lead hype and anticipation for the March 2010 release of the sequel God of War III on the Playstation 3. Obviously it pays to listen to your fans, because as of now, a month and a half before the release of this new collection, it is in the Top 5 sales of all PS3 games on Amazon.com. (Source)
Now the question really is, knowing all of this, what effect will this have on the industry? If developers are focusing all of their resources on remastering classic games, then there will never be any forward progress made in the way of new IPs. There has to be a balance, and I do think that God of War has struck that balance. The way they are handling this timeline, they are allowing 4-5 months of play on the release of their classics collection in order to build the anticipation for the release of the next iteration in the series. In this you have the best of both worlds.
People that never got the chance to experience the original games (because they lived under a rock on in inner Siberia) will be able to play them in their remastered HD glory, but even more important, fans of the series will be able to wet their appetite on 720p Kratos months earlier than they expected to. This God of War collection really is an experiment as to how well the public will receive remastered games in disk form rather than just as Downloadable titles. Depending on the success of this title, we could potentially see lots more “collections” rolling out. Possibly a remastered Team ICO collection (ICO and Shadow of the Colossus)? It’s important to keep in mind that one of the most highly demanded titles is a remastered version of Final Fantasy VII.
In the end, the best part about this scenario is that everyone benefits from it. As long as developers don’t become complacent by ONLY remastering their classic titles, then gamers, developers, and the entire industry will all reap the rewards from seeing the most demanded games resurface in this generation.
Please leave questions or comments at the end!
13
Jun
2009
New Reviews Incoming!
I am writing the first installment of a new series of reviews that I’m going to call: “I’ve got the platinum, so I know what I’m talking about.” For those of you who don’t know, I’m a huge trophy/achievement collector and have over 1500 trophies now. So, just because I’m limiting these reviews to games that I have platinums for, it won’t really restrict me since I have 19 of those already. Keep checking back, because this inFAMOUS review will be coming soon!
21
May
2009
The PS3’s Full Potential: A Breakdown
It has been long rumored that developers have not been taking full advantage of the Playstation 3’s extra capabilities, but is there any proof of this? Many gamers and press say that there isn’t any proof that the Playstation 3 has more capabilities than the 360. However, there have been slight hints that the PS3 does have a little more power than the 360. If you look at the top graphical games in certain genres that are comparable, but the PS3 games leads the way with its exclusives versus 360 exclusives and even compared to multiplatform games
First up is the racing genre, and the games in question are: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Forza 2 and Need for Speed Undercover (NFSU). Now it is without question that GT5: Prologue looks better than both Forza 2 and Need for Speed Undercover from a technical standpoint. GT5: Prologue runs at a higher resolution than both Forza and NFS Undercover, clocking in with a native resolution of 1280×1080p. Furthermore, GT5: Prologue also uses ray-tracing and has better lighting while running at a constant framerate of 60fps. While Forza 2 is good, it only runs at a native resolution of 1280×720p and a constant framerate of 60fps. If you look at a multiplatform game like NFS Undercover which runs at a frame rate of 30fps and has a native resolution of 1280×720p which is good, but where the confusion comes is where the PS3 version runs worse with slight framerate drops and missing effects. This multiplatform discrepancy makes no sense considering the PS3 has the best looking game in the racing genre in GT5 Prologue.
Next up we have the 1st person shooter genre, where once again the best game from a technical standpoint is a PS3 exclusive, Killzone 2. Yes, Halo 3 was good on 360, but from a technical standpoint Killzone 2 was much better. Killzone 2 runs at a consistent 30fps and at a native resolution of 1280×720p, and it probably has the best lighting this generation of any game period. If you look at Halo 3, it’s a good looking game but only has a resolution of 1152×640p and runs at 30fps with above average lighting. Yet, if we look at a multiplatform game like Bioshock, which has at a resolution of 1280×720p and runs at a constant 30fps, the same scenario applies to the PS3 version with low res textures and framerate drops in comparison to its 360 counterpart. Again I ask how can a PS3 exclusive, Killzone 2, be the best looking in the 1st person shooter genre, yet a multiplatform game, Bioshock runs worse in comparison to the 360 version?
Lastly if you look at the 3rd person shooter genre, you again have another PS3 exclusive, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune from a graphical standpoint at the top. Uncharted had a native resolution of 1280×720p and ran at 30 fps and had higher polygon models then Gears. The 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 is close with a native resolution of 1280×720p and runs at 30fps, but the low polygon count of the models killed it (that’s why everybody in the game looks like a linebacker). If you look at another multiplatform game like Resident Evil 5 which has a resolution of 1280×720p and runs at 30fps it again runs slightly better on the 360. With the PS3’s lighting being worse in some cases and the textures in some spots not being as high quality as the 360 version. Yet the same scenario applies the PS3 exclusive is touted as the best looking in the genre yet its multiplatform version of a game like RE5 lags behind its 360 twin.
So, I ask you guys as gamers. Are these Developers really not using the PS3 to its full capabilities? Going by the track record of PS3 exclusives vs. 360 vs. Multiplatform games I would have to say signs point to “yes”. I know that most Multiplatform games are built up around the 360 architecture and ported to the more difficult PS3; which is fine, but last generation the more difficult architecture of PS2 games were ported to the Xbox with enhanced graphics. If you go strictly by the exclusives then PS3 appears to have a bit more power, certainly enough to run multiplatform games in parity to their 360 counterparts. So why aren’t these Developers taking advantage of this extra power the PS3 appears to have when they did the same thing last generation for multiplatform games on the Xbox?
Please leave your comments down below!
*updated some of the numbers… sorry about the confusion with some of the “native” resolutions versus the upscaled ones*
30
Apr
2009
“What Makes Us Epic?” Keynote Summary and Q&A
Dr. Michael Capps, President of Epic Games was the first keynote speaker at the inaugural Triangle Game Convention is downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.
Epic games has come a far way since they started as a company in the basement of their house shipping games out in ziplock plastic bags. First and foremost they are a game engine company. Unreal Tournament 3’s engine is one of the most popular ones out on the market right now, and is used to design everything from Kid’s TV Shows to MMORPGs. Because of their success, the Research Triangle has become the capital of gaming engines for the entire country.
Shameless Plug: “Make Something Unreal” 1 million dollars in prizes and possibly a job at Epic games. http://www.makesomethingunreal.com/
Epic is a gaming company, but it really is how they treat their employees that sets them apart. The most important thing is to treat all of their employees as if they are volunteers. Because there are hundreds of other companies who would love to have their expertise with the Unreal Engine, so everyone must be highly valued on the staff.
The best way to accomplish goals as a company is to have shared responsibility and shared success. If there is a team project rather than an individual one, everyone is accountable and has a vested interest to see that it succeeds rather than fails. Since we have all of these brilliant people working for us, we have to keep them challenged constantly. If you have brilliant people working towards nearly impossible goals, the end result will almost always be positive. As much we like to have success with our teams, we always tell them “if you never fail, they you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough.”
Gears of War is particularly interesting, because it started from a simple concept of “vehicles fighting in space”. After over 30 game of the year awards, some of which were even for marketing of the game, you would have to consider it quite successful. But in order to make a sequel to this game would have to be a marathon event for the staff. The game was supposed to be twice as big, twice as hardcore, twice as polished, and over twice the budget. Unfortunately the metacritic score didn’t reflect all of the work that was put into it, however, the sales did. And in the end since Epic is a game company, we want to makes the gamers happy.
In the end, “What makes us epic?” Simply learning from the lessons handed down from past “generations” of games. The goal is to keep all of the employees happy and to reward productivity, but it’s important to not forget to have fun, because “we’re a game company!”
Post Session Q&A
o What are your feelings about the kinds of marketing services that are available through Playstation Home?
- Well obviously we have a lot of ties with Microsoft, but Home has always interested us. Since it has been “developing” for so long, it will be interesting to see how companies will actually utilize it. I’ve heard good things about the space that EA has created, and although there’s nothing like that planned right now, it’s something that we’ll have to look into.
o When will we be able to fight a Brumak on foot in the Gears of War universe?
- Actually that was already something that we did in the first Gears of War, although it was only something that was added to the PC edition. There are a lot of exciting things in store for the series, I wouldn’t count anything out.
Keep checking back for more updates from the Triangle Game Conference!
26
Apr
2009
Worms Review
Overview
Worms finally hits the downloadable marketplaces (XBLA and PSN), developed by Team 17 and with a $12.99 price tag, featuring a variety of challenges, offline and online multiplayer modes.
Controls
If you are familiar with the original title, then the controls won’t be that much of a surprise for you. Also, if you are new to the franchise then don’t worry, there really isn’t that much a learning curve. Overall the controls are pretty simple and not really hard to understand for gamers of any age.
Graphics
Worms boasts incredible animations, extremely colorful backgrounds and nice explosions. The developers held true to their style of graphics but still managed to give it a nice little nextgen tweek. The game have a very steady frame rate and it is overall pretty good in the visual aspect.
Gameplay and Story
When you first watch this game you can think the gameplay is really simple, but when you play it you will realize that it is incredibly deep; when you use your weapons you may want to think of some things before pressing the fire button. One of these elements is the trajectory and power of the wind. This wind (which is constantly changing) has a major impact on the trajectory of your missiles or grenades, making it a very important factor. The main goal on this game is to simply destroy the worms from the other team before they kill you. Overall the gameplay in this game is very well balanced and is have pretty much everything you can expect when buying a Worms game.
The Bottom Line
8.5/10
Worms is one of the best and post additive multiplayer titles available on the downloadable marketplace spectrum. I would highly recommend this title to anyone, especially if you like the previous Worms games.
25
Apr
2009
Flock Review
Overview
Flock is a physics based puzzle-platformer where you take control of a flying saucer to guide a variety of animals to your mother ship. The game features a single player and co-op. This game is published by Capcom and costs $14.99 or 1200 points.
Controls
In Flock you have control of a flying saucer that produces some sort of power that scares the animals that are near you, so basically you need to move the left stick to move the ship in order to make all the animals walk (or run) to the Motheflocker. But not everything is that easy, sometimes you will need to move some obstacles or you need to make some bridges with the objects that are around you, to do this you need to press the R2/RT button. And finally with L2/LT button you can deploy some sort of boost that makes your ship go faster for a moment.
Graphics
The graphics in this game are very nice and crisp, but it lacks some variety, most of the levels look really similar. The frame rate is very solid; this makes the experience very smooth and more enjoyable. Not too much more can be expected from this genre in a downloadable title.
Gameplay and Story
We can say that this is the aspect of the game that is lacking; sometimes you want to guide the animals to some place but they go the other way. However, this can make the experience extremely frustrating. On every level of the game you try to make your best to earn a variety of badges (Bronze, Silver, Gold) awarded to you based on your performance, also you can find leaderboards to compare your score with your friends. There is even a level editor where you can create your own levels. This really is one of the few elements that gives lasting appeal to a title the seems to like a lot of replayability.
The Bottom Line
7.0/10
Flock is a game that could have been a lot better. You have the features, you have the content, but the gameplay can drive a lot of people away from this game. It is worth checking out, but very hard to justify the $15 price tag.
23
Apr
2009
TPR Admin Guest Stars in a Podcast
TPR Admin Will guest stars in TheGamerAccess’s Accelerated Gaming Podcast: Episode 12.
Please listen to the podcast and support one of TPR’s affiliates: The Gamer Access
They call me Cyrus in the podcast, based off my PSN – UNCyrus… so listen in and please leave your feedback!
17
Apr
2009
2009 Is the Year of the PS3… in Japan
Throughout this entire generation, people have been making outrageous claims as to “This will be the year of the (insert random console here)”. Most of these claims are completely unfounded and are just people speculating based on their own assumptions. Even the term itself “Year of the”… What are people expecting? What does that even mean? Are they expecting the PS3 to outsell the 360 3:1 worldwide? It’s not going to happen! Both consoles are already too established in all three worldwide markets for that to happen.
However, there has been some very interesting data coming out of Japan in the first three months of this year. The PS3 is making fantastic strides, and has been the top selling console this year cumulatively in this market, even outselling the untouchable Wii. Why is that? Well, one reason is because everyone in Japan already owns at least one Wii, or at least it seems that way. It also helps they they had such blockbuster games as Yakuza 3 release this year, essentially a Japanese sandbox game similar to GTA.
As far as games go, the PS3 has the Japanese market completely in the palm of its hand for the rest of the year. Tales of Vesperia which was the 360’s claim to fame in the Japanese market has recently been “Bioshocked”. That is to say that it’s coming back with loads of more features including extra characters and more options. Additionally, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children just released on blu-ray in Japan. This was accompanied by a special FFVII PS3 bundle as well as FFVII being released on the PSN in this region.
The year is going to climax with the long awaited release of FFXIII in the winter. If anything is going to skyrocket PS3 sales, it’s this game. So, if you’re looking for a 3:1 ratio of sales for the PS3:360, you only have to look across the Pacific. Expect PS3 sales to continue to rise this year as Sony starts to really flex their muscles in their homeland.
13
Apr
2009
Top 5 Games That Need to be Announced
I know everyone is excited about the games that are slated for release this year, and looking forward to the developers showing them off at E3. Let me name a couple: Halo ODST, Uncharted 2, Mass Effect 2, and Bioshock 2. But enough about these games, let’s talk about the ones that the developers haven’t talked about yet. What are the Top 5 titles that NEED to be talked about, and need to be announced, because we know that they’re in the works:
5) Warhawk PS3 Sequel – Everyone knows that it is in the works, there was even mention of the sequel being set in outer space. But besides that and some prerendered sketches, what is known about it? Nothing! Warhawk is and still remains one of the most popular online games on the PS3, for a game that’s nearly as old as the console itself, it has a dedicated fanbase to say the least.
4) Black 2 – Before you judge me, play the first game! This is a rarity that I will actually admit that EA did a really good job with this game. That’s true in regards to everything except the marketing of it. This was one of the best FPS singleplayer experiences out last generation, yet there wasn’t a lot of publicity behind it, so it slipped between the cracks of the media. However, if they were able to create fully destructible environments, and retain very fun gameplay in a lastgen title, I fully expect them to give this title a graphics overhaul to even try to give Modern Warfare 2 a run for their money. Look for this title!
3) Killer Instinct 360 – We’ve been waiting… and waiting… and waiting. It seems like it’s been 3 years now that there have been rumors in the works about this game. But the fact is that this title is as important to the Xbox franchise as Tekken was for the Playstation brand. Rare needs to follow through and answer the calls of their fans that are demanding the release of this fighter. I fully expect Killer Instinct to at least be on par with SFIV in the graphics and gameplay department. That’s not asking for too much, is it?
2) Team ICO Game - This has been going on for too long. We know that something is in the works, but everyone has remained silent about it. Shadows of the Colossus was one of the best games last generation along with ICO, and they have had this “new project” in the works since. However no one can tell you any information about what it is or when it will be released. There have even been rumors regarding PS Home Xi and how it is related to the release of this new game. (These are all vicious lies) ICO just needs to announce something soon, and E3 sounds like the perfect venue.
1) Metal Gear Solid 5 – Sorry 360 fans, this one’s going to be a PS3 exclusive. MGS4 was exclusive and took potshots at the 360’s DVD9 format in the game, so that almost guarantees that this will remain on the PS3 only. For everyone that sat through the 10 hours (or more…) of cinematics in MGS4, it is obvious that the franchise can’t just end on that note. The rumor mill has been even talking about Raiden being the playable character in the next title. That would be a nice throwback to the days of MGS2. I’m not saying that this is going to be another system seller, because I believe that the days of games holding that much influence over the market are over, but if there is a teaser for this game at E3 as I have heard rumors of, then it should blow anything else that we’ve seen so far out of the water.
What are your thoughts, opinions? What should have made the list and didn’t? Leave a comment and let me know!
10
Apr
2009
FFVII on the US and EU PSN? Not for months!
The announcement of Final Fantasy VII coming onto the JPN and HK Playstation networks today made me do a double-take. Then the immediate question is, when will this content reach everywhere else? This will not happen this week, not next week, not even in the next month! Here’s why:
- The release of the game on the Asian storefront coincided with the release of the FFIV: Advent Children movie on Blu-Ray. So, one Final Fantasy release can ride the coattails of another.
- This content has been highly demanded for months, if not years! There is no way that a news item of this magnitude would just come out spontaneously in the middle of April. My guess is that E3 would be the perfect unveiling of this download in America/Europe
But wait… Here’s the catch! Both of these are slated to happen at the SAME TIME! According to Amazon.com, the Blu-ray is supposed to be released on June 2nd, which is the same day that E3 2009 starts in Los Angeles. Coincidence, I think not! Look for FFVII to be downloadable onto the PSN and possibly even XBLA after E3 this year.