By Ben Salter
No. Oh wait, HELL NO!
The PS3 was recently updated to support 3D gaming (or to make it better or bigger or something) and the first generation of 3D TVs are among us, but nobody actually seems to care. Nobody cares about 3D TVs or 3D movies outside of the big screen. In fact, with the exception of Avatar, 3D films in cinemas aren’t really all that different. As a 3D film, Clash of the Titans was terrible (actually it sucked full stop, but the 3D effects were even worse). It’s still a gimmick in movie theaters, it’ll be an overpriced gimmick on TV screens and we’re nowhere near ready for games in 3D.
Avatar: The Game actually supported 3D, assuming of course you had a 3D TV, resulting in all of three people being able to experience it. Would it of made much difference? No. It was a novelty and had Avatar The Game actually been any good, I’m sure most people would have opted to play it normally.
On a side note, we’ve mixed up our terms with ‘3D gaming’. It used to be about the dimensions of the game itself and to describe the transition from Super Nintendo to Nintendo 64. Even now we use the terms 2D and 3D to describe games on the DS; we really need something else for ‘jumps out of the screen 3D’. It’s all far too confusing.
The recently announced 3DS is perhaps the biggest stepping stone in the transition into 3D gaming. It’ll sell because it’s different and it’s Nintendo. But that doesn’t mean we’re ready for it. Gamers and developers alike weren’t ready for motion gaming in 2006, but that didn’t stop Nintendo taking over the world with their profits from Wii sales. Beyond being a new handheld that’s capable of producing 3D without the need for glasses, we know nothing about the 3DS. We’ve heard several rumours that say glasses-free technology has been invented for smaller screens, such as those on a handheld, but it’s wildly regarded to be an epic failure on larger screens; yet another reason not to buy a first generation 3D TV. They don’t work, people!
Let’s for a second assume that this 3D technology does work, better than we’ve seen before, on the 3DS. Is a handheld really the best platform for it? If glasses aren’t required, surely it’ll be annoying for the old bloke sitting next to you on the bus and talk about looking like a “damn fool!”
Now for a second let’s pretend 3D technology is advanced to the point that it functions flawlessly on consoles. That’d be awesome. Imagine a racing sim, platformer or FPS in full 3D. The problem is, that won’t happen. If 3D gaming is pushed next generation, or even this one, it’s going to be the Wii and motion control all over again. In early ’06 we were excited about the possibilities of motion control. Namely, we wanted a sword (or lightsaber) game and Red Steel looked like just that. However, as we now know, that isn’t actually possible. Nintendo, the media and the gaming community built it up to be something amazing; something that didn’t exist yet. I fear 3D gaming is going to go down the same path. We’re going to end up with hundreds of games no better developed in 3D than Clash of the Titans. We’re not ready because the technology is not ready. We need to let 3D TVs develop into something worthwhile. Let films and TV lead the way and when we’re finally content with the quality allow games to delve into the market.
The R18+ debate keeps pointing out how interactive games are and that’s just why 3D gaming won’t work yet. Film studios know exactly what we’re going to see and can tailor a 3D experience to suit, yet they still don’t get it right all the time. Games are interactive. Developers have to cater for a range of people all going about the same task in a different way. Until 3D technology is better that can’t happen to the extent we want.
Good on Nintendo for having a decent crack at it, and maybe the technology is better on smaller screens, but I’m still not convinced 3D and handhelds will mix. Consoles are a different story, but the technology just isn’t there yet. We’re not ready for 3D gaming.
04/05/2010
COD, eat, COD, sleep. Repeat.
By Ben Salter
”Period Pains?.. Try getting knifed in the back on COD!” This is one of thousands of groups to appear on Facebook about none other than the almighty COD. Call of Duty, including Modern Warfare, but more-so referring to the more recent Modern Warfare 2, has become an epidemic. No longer is it just a videogame, it’s a way of life. While the same can be said for games like WoW, COD is different. It isn’t played exclusively by dedicated gamers. Everyone knows what COD is.
COD is compulsory in a young man’s life. It seems that every male in their teens and twenties plays Modern Warfare 2. From the hardcore gamers, to the casuals, to siblings, relatives, friends, non-gamers and even the people who once ridiculed you for being a gamer. Yes, you’ll probably find the very people who called you a nerdburger for playing games in primary school are now addicted to COD. And to make things worse, if you’re a serious gamer, they’re probably better at it than you. Why? Because you play other games. I play heaps of games, all diverse and different to each other. As a result, I’m only just about to hit level 50 in Modern Warfare 2. At a party last week I talked to a couple of guys who’d probably spent a grand total of 10 minutes in their lives playing games before the Call of Duty phenomena, and to my surprise I found most of them were at least 2 times prestige.
Of course, most of these guys are playing on consoles. That said, a few that I spoke to were playing on PC - where the game is hated with a passion by serious gamers. Now, said gamers claim it’s all down to the lack of dedicated servers. I agree that this is annoying, but it’s no reason to completely boycott what is otherwise a decent game. As each day passes the PC gamers that boycotted MW2 are becoming increasing pleased with their decision. However, I believe this comes down to the COD epidemic. When a game becomes more than a game with the general public, outside of the gaming community, serious gamers must revolt. To an extent the same thing is happening in the console community. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a great game (albeit too many snipers for my liking), but I believe its fast take up is because COD is becoming too mainstream. Face it, you don’t non-gamers hanging out on your turf, and you especially don’t like them dominating. It’s one of the main reasons serious gamers love to hate the Wii. Sure, it’s got too much shovelware, but there are some gems that you won’t find on other consoles. A number of dedicated gamers are willing to overlook these because the Wii has become too mainstream for their liking.
COD, COD, COD, COD!The outbreak of Facebook groups relating to COD says more about its status in society than anything else. I’d wager that almost everyone reading this article had joined, or seen their friends join, COD related groups. I’m perfectly aware that first person shooters are played by girls. Apparently close to half of Halo 3’s online players are female. I don’t have any problem with that, in fact I think it’s great, but COD is not in the same boat. According to my stats page, I’ve played 20 odd hours of Modern Warfare 2 online. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d never played with a single girl. The COD epidemic is overrun by men. It’s taken gaming back to the pre-Wii and PS2 days, when it was considered to be a boys thing. In saying that, it’s still had an affect on better looking half of society. Most of my female friends have joined a group along the lines of “If a guy texts you while he 's playing CoD, he really likes you”. They’re all very much aware of the power of COD, and no doubt are under the impression all we do is play Call of Duty. You know, like how all males think girls strip down to their underwear and have pillow fights in their spare time (it happens!).
I could go on for days. COD has become more than a game; it’s a social requirement. Serious gamers are, or will start, becoming increasingly threatened by their turf being taken by a bunch of cocky non-gamers. As such, I think more and more will look to rival titles such as Battlefield. However, the pull of COD will be too great. We’ll end up heading back there as its stranglehold over the universe continues. COD - it’s a freaking epidemic!
12/03/2010
Compiled by Ben Salter
No, I’m not talking about games that were so bad you exploded in a fit of murderous rage (see Superman 64). I’m talking about games that were actually scary; games nobody in their right mind would want to play alone on a dark stormy night.
I’m sure there are heaps of others out there. Unfortunately, I don’t get to play as many PC games as I do console, so no doubt this is a relatively untapped medium for me. As such, post any of your scariest games below!
5. Dead Space
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release: 2008
Dead Space is the most recent game on my freak out list. It takes the best of the survival horror genre, throws you aboard a giant spaceship infested with a bunch of monsters that have a thing eating your face, and creates an extremely tense atmosphere.
I expect some people to yell (or type loudly) “weak”, but play through Dead Space on a lonely winter’s night and you’ll see what I mean. Its relentless scare tactics have you on the edge of your seat until the very end, making it one of the scariest games released this generation.
4. F.E.A.R.
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Original Release: 2005
At first glance, name aside, F.E.A.R. doesn’t appear to be all that frighten. It seems to be a stock standard FPS, and you can’t be scared in a game where you can let the bullets fly, right? Wrong! Apart from the fact enemies are near impossible to defeat on the hardest difficulty, you’ll soon discover that F.E.A.R. is an FPS if with an extreme horror twist.
The game designers have said F.E.A.R. was inspired by Japanese horror, and that they wanted the atmosphere to get under the player’s skin. The central scare tactics are focused around a little dead girl, who’s far too lively to be dead for my liking. The whole thing has a “The Ring” feel to it, and I for one will take a giant fire breathing monster over a freaky undead girl any day of the week.
3. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Platforms: GameCube
Original Release: 2002
Any game that tries to trick you into believing you’ve deleted your own save file means trouble. Eternal Darkness is another one of those games that tries to scare the living daylights out of you by getting into your head. In fact, it came complete with a sanity meter that measured the mental state of the protagonists onscreen. You could actually watch, almost helplessly, as your onscreen avatars took another step towards insanity.
The sanity effect had you (or your characters) hearing things that weren’t really there; they saw things like the walls bleeding and all of a sudden the volume would drop and a fake television volume indicator suggested everything was fine. Then, of course, the game pretended to delete your save file. Nintendo liked the idea so much that they actually went out and patented videogame insanity, and have recently renewed their patent for Eternal Darkness.
2. Resident Evil
Platforms: PlayStation, GameCube, Wii, PC, DS
Original Release: 1996
In a top 5 list of the scariest games of all time at least one Resident Evil game had to be here. Compared to some more recent titles perhaps it isn’t as pants soilingly scary as it once was, (perhaps it’s because I’m an RE fanboy) but it’s the series that started the horror craze, and deserves a spot in the list.
When I reviewed the Wii port of the GameCube remake I criticized the game’s poor controls and terrible camera angles. Today we expect survival horror games to scare us in a range of diverse and interesting ways that don’t impact too heavily on the gameplay experience. However, back when Resident Evil was released these things are what made the game so intensely frightening. You often had no idea what you were walking into, and when you finally released the clumsy controls often made it impossible to escape. Furthermore, Resident Evil gave everyone a temporary phobia of jumping dogs. The second you heard the sound of a zombie dog preparing to pounce you knew it was all over.
1. Silent Hill 2
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Original Release: 2001
I can’t quite put my finger on one specific aspect, but Silent Hill 2 is the scariest game I can remember playing. Its relentless psychological scare tactics have you almost crying for mercy. Like Resident Evil the Silent Hill series is largely responsible for the success of the survival horror genre today.
Silent Hill 2 had an extremely engaging plot for a horror game. You wanted to find out what would happen next, but most of the time you were too fixated on surviving to pay it the attention it deserved. Horror games are all about atmosphere, and Silent Hill 2 had a great one. Like most of the other games I’ve mentioned, it’s mostly psychological; there’s nothing scary about about 100 enemies on screen, it’s all about the unknown.
Notable Mentions
- Silent Hill (1999 / PS1)
- System Shock 2 (1999 / PC)
- Doom 3 (2004 /PC/Xbox)
08/03/2010
By Ben Salter
In a few short hours it’ll be 2010, and we’ll be waving goodbye to the decade that was the 2000s or the Naughties as it came to be known. Technology has changed a great deal in that time. Videogames developed a long way, texting, social networking and the iPod all came along and changed how we interact with each other and experience entertainment.
Facebook
Believe it or not but the three major social networking sites have all played a different role in our lives during the 2000s. Facebook may well and truly be the most popular now, but it was not always that way. Once upon a time it was for Harvard students to keep in contact, and now is used by over 300 million people. Facebook is great for keeping in contact with old school and work mates, but it’s also used as a day-to-day communication tool and for its events system. Gone are the days of hand mailing invites, simply make it on Facebook!
iPod
We’re really talking MP3 players in general here, but the iPod has run away with the title. In fact I’m sure there’re thousands of users out there that aren’t even aware that there are competing devices. The iPod launched in 2001 with 5GB of memory capable of storing 1000 songs. It is now in its 6th generation and holds up to 160GB of music and video.
Twitter
Launching in 2006 Twitter is the fun-sized social networking site. Each “tweet” allows only 140 characters. Users can follow anybody and re-tweet status, as a result it has become popular with fans to follow celebrity movements and for websites to promote their content.
MySpace
Launching in 2003 MySpace is largely credited as the social networking site that started the mass appeal. Nowadays it’s often considered to be dead by many Facebook adopters. However, it’s still largely popular with independent bands getting their music out there.
Texting & language
SMS has been around in concept since the mid-80s but didn’t break out into the mainstream until the late 90s. Even then it was considered an extra and nobody could predict the dominance it would have in the mobile phone market. It broke out further in the Naughties with the development of MMS and became the most used form of data communication on the planet. It’s also been apart of many scandals in the 2000s. It’s too damn easy to accidentally send a text to the wrong person!
The txt talk language was developed in the 2000s, and is the reason most of our youth can no longer write a coherent sentence. Im g8 kkthnxbai!
The Wii
Say what you want about the Wii, but it’s done more for the expansion of gaming than almost anything before it. After its release in 2006 nobody saw Nintendo’s dominance coming. They’ve managed to get millions of people playing games who may have loathed the concept before at the expense of their loyal fans in some regards. While there has still be some great games for us it’s fair to say there hasn’t been as many. Was it worth it?
The Xbox 360
While online gaming was around on consoles last generation Microsoft changed the way we play online with Xbox Live. Sure it costs money, but it set the path that PSN has tried to follow and continues to rival PC gaming for the best quality online.
The PlayStation 3 & Blu-Ray
Blu-Ray probably won because of the PS3. It ended up with a commanding lead over HD-DVD, but the PS3’s ability to play the next generation movie format went along way to helping it win the format war. It’s also considerably slowed piracy on the platform while Nintendo and Microsoft struggle.
Wikipedia
Until it was outlawed by schools it was the number one location for assignment research. A user-contributed encyclopaedia was a stroke of genius and Web.20 at its finest. It’s a fantastic source when you want to know random information, and don’t need it to have the accuracy of a scholarly article, like when you want to know how old Matt Damon is. He’s 39 for those of you playing at home.
YouTube
YouTube was created in 2005 and sold off to Google for a record USD 1.6 Billion in 2006. Not bad for a year’s work. It’s gone on to be a Web 2.0 sensation as web users around the world have been sharing their videos. It’s been great for fun, serious short films and sending messages back to the media and the government.
Digital Distribution
While it’s still coming for Australia in a lot of ways, it’s far more successful overseas. The CD is a dying breed and you’ll struggle to find a single on sale in a store, due to the success of iTunes and other online music stores. Movies on demand are slowly making their way into Aussie homes, but it feels a few years off before it’ll catch up to the same level as music.
Reality TV
As we leave the 2000s reality TV is thankfully dying off, but it has been in full force during the past ten years. While we may loathe them now Australians used to love the likes of Big Brother and Australian Idol.
The let me Google that for you culture
Google has been around since 1998, but the idea of “let me google that for you” has come about in the Naughties. Whenever you or a friend is unsure about something we head straight to Google.
Apps
The iPhone has had a lot to do with the idea of apps (applications). The idea is that mini-programs can be uploaded to an existing device, such as an iPhone, for a very small cost or often free. The inspirations are endless and there’s almost an iPhone app for everything these days.
Digital Cameras
Remember the days of taking your film to be developed, and even storing them in the fridge to prolong their life if you didn’t have time? These days everyone has a digital camera, or at the very least a camera on their phone. Facebook and sites like Photobucket come into the mix as digital photo albums. The physical album may be long gone, but now hundreds of your friends can see your pictures online instantly. Kids, here a hot tip: Don’t add add your parents on Facebook if you don’t want them to know what you get up to on the weekends.
That’s just a handful of ways that technicality has changed us in the past decade. Social networking and texting has changed how we communicate while advances in the Internet has made life so much faster that it was last decade.
31/12/2009
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare didn't receive anywhere near as much hype leading up to its release as its sequel has. That's a given considering it was the first in the Modern Warfare franchise and the first Call of Duty game to move onto the modern battlefield. We all knew it was going to be great, taking the series to all new heights with more advanced weapons and a great online experience. But it blew up. It went crazy. Halo 2 may have defined online gaming for consoles, helping make XBOX Live the great online service it is today, but COD4 seemed to redefined it. It was able to attract an all-new market of gamers to not only the genre, but also to online multiplayer gaming.
That's why to this day COD4 is still one of the most played games online, two years after its release. That's pretty amazing considering it's had to go up against the likes of Killzone 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Gears of War 2, Resistance 2 and Halo 3: ODST in that time-frame, all of which have strong online communities.
What's even more amazing is that even after the release of the next Call of Duty sequel (prequel?) in World at War, COD4 still stayed in the top few games with online activity. As great as WaW has been online, it always seemed to be that little step behind COD4, no matter how much content Activision threw its way.
That's not without saying that WaW has its following, and, especially on XBOX Live, you'll find that many COD4 fanatics often switch between the two because they each offer an outstanding online experience.
But why will Modern Warfare 2 stand out? Why is it so special? If COD4 was so great, why didn't WaW receive as much hype? The obvious answer is because WaW took a "step back" to World War 2, an act many gamers and COD faithful deemed to be an actual step back in quality for the franchise.
It definitely didn't lose any quality and the final product was great, but it's the brilliance of COD4 that ultimately shifts the attention to its direct sequel. Modern Warfare 2's predecessor seemed to bring gamers of all walks together, creating one unified market that has grown substantially over the past two years. The closest thing we've seen to MW2 hype this generation was Grand Theft Auto IV hype, and even that title didn't seem to generate a united front from every specific type of gaming culture.
Reports are coming in that Modern Warfare 2 is breaking pre-order records all around the world. It might be some genius PR spin, something the unified gaming heavyweights in EB Games and GameStop have conjured up to increase product awareness. But that's doubtful. If that's not obvious from the attention this game has gotten on gaming forums around the world, then it's from the fact that pretty much every person you know that owns either a XBOX 360 or Playstation probably has a pre-order for the game somewhere. If you don't believe it, go and ask. Now. We'll wait.
So now the question is put forth to you: Have you pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Why? And is this game your most anticipated game ever? Why/Why not?
05/11/2009
So in light of the latest discussions and comparisons, we thought we'd bring you what we think is needed to make a good Indiana Jones game, seeing as though we've never really gotten one. You'd think a game based in amazing landscapes with brilliant stories and memorable characters would be a given, but it just hasn't happened.
And now, in light of Uncharted 2, we see how badly we need a kick ass Indiana Jones adventure.
While we wait, get yourself a copy of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It's one of the best games this generation.
Make the opening suspenseful
All four Indiana Jones movies had pretty awesome opening sequences. All of them had you on the edge of your seat, introducing you to the character and sometimes the villain. There was a level of suspense that let you know you were in for a wild ride, and even though these sequences often didn't have much to do with the overall plot, it was a fantastic way to start off the adventure. Any Indiana Jones game should be no different, giving you the chance to explore and escape through a mini-adventure before the real adventure finally begins.
Include a love interest
Indiana Jones has a way with the ladies, so take advantage of it. The character is naturally charismatic and seductive, so give him something to feed off. Furthermore, it has to be someone he has to save. It can't be someone with the same love of adventure, but rather someone who initially gets on his nerves before he finally falls for them.
Make the adventure interesting and memorable
Indiana Jones has to be fighting for something special. Something we'll care about and ultimately want him to achieve. Even if it's aliens again, we don't care. Just don't make the focus his whip or fighting moves. That's not what Indiana Jones is about. It's about the adventure as a whole, something we want to take alongside him. The action is all fine and dandy, but if there's no strong reason behind it, then it's hard to even care.
Don't make it ALL about the combat
As mentioned above, action is great, especially in a game, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Exploration is Indiana's best trait, so the level design and direction is absolutely crucial. Indiana doesn't just move from area to area fighting off bad guys. He climbs through dirty passage ways, jumps into forbidden lairs and searches through dark mansions. Then, whenever a bad guy comes his way, he takes them down with his whip. A good Indiana Jones game should be about the exploration, puzzles and adventure, not the combat and his whip.
Make it funny
Indiana hates fighting bad guys, so when he does, make it funny. Make us laugh with his dialogue, and make him seem like an old man that is sick of doing what he's doing. That's what Indiana Jones is about. He hates loving what he does. If that means getting someone besides Harrison Ford to voice Indiana, then so be it. Indiana Jones is rarely serious, or violent for that matter, so make the game like the films: witty, fun and adventurous.
Set it somewhere unique to the Indiana Jones universe
How many times can Indiana end up in underground caves of a mystical city? Set the game somewhere unique, somewhere totally and utterly alien for the Indiana Jones universe. We want a different story. Maybe Prague, with its Bohemian architecture, or Hungary, with its gothic feel. Make the adventure familiar to Indiana, but completely new. Make it memorable and different, with all of the things we love about Indiana.
Have a filthy, dirty villain
It's pretty hard to beat out Nazi Germany as a villain, but any good Indiana Jones adventure comes coupled with an evil and sinister villain. But you've also got to balance out the connection to Indiana. His main objective is the artifact and getting it into the right hands, not necessarily destroying the villain. That's secondary for him. He's an adventurer and a man on a mission, not a man seeking revenge. He has to be in a race against a seemingly unbeatable foe. Furthermore, we don't want the villain to be too sinister, ala Resident Evil villains.
What do you all want in an Indiana Jones game?
16/10/2009
Written By Ben Salter
The PS3 Slim is finally – officially – here! We’ve known about it for months, and with each rumour came more credibility that the console existed, and was going to be released this year. Even without all of the ‘hints’ that made their way into the media over the course of the year this wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. By simply looking at Sony’s history with its previous home consoles it’s easy to put two and two together and conclude that a PS3 Slim would emerge eventually. Now it’s less than a month away, but the question remains: is it worth it?
I for one will strongly consider purchasing the slimmer console when it is released on September 3. Not for the smaller size, less noise, lower energy consumption, or new look, but for the $200 price cut. As I don’t already own a PS3, or a Blu-Ray player, the $500 price tag is starting to look a little more affordable, and worthwhile. Yes we are paying more than our fellow gamers in the US. USD $299 works out to be approximately AUD $361 with the current exchange rate, but there’s more to it than that. The price of gaming in Australia will continue to be a long running debate in the future, but Sony (of Australia) should not have the blame placed on them for the price discrepancy here. Being a Pal region our hardware is linked with Europe. As it currently stands the $499.95 PS3 Slim will actually be a little cheaper here than it will be in Europe. I, like many others, was hoping for something closer to the $400 mark, but it’s certainly better than the current $700 asking price (which will be lowered on Monday).
We also have to remember that this is the RRP. If I had to stage a guess I would have thought that the current 80GB PS3 was priced at $650, rather than have a RRP of $699. My point? Bargain shoppers will no doubt find something a little cheaper, or with a free game or two thrown in.
If you already own a PS3 I see absolutely no reason to purchase, or ‘upgrade’ to a PS3 Slim. In saying that, I was a little surprised to see the vast differences in opinion posted on MyPS3. Current PS3 owners seem to either hate it with a passion or love the thing and want to buy it for another room (I’ve never understood the point in owning 2 or more of the same console). I expected more of a ‘meh’ response, as it really isn’t aimed at people who have already entered the PS3 market. It’s a little bit of a generalisation, and to be honest I didn’t go through and read every single response to every article, but I was surprised by these two extremes.
If you haven’t had a chance to see what has actually be changed you may be disappointed to find that it is mainly cosmetic. The PS3 Slim is 1.5 kilos smaller, uses less energy and makes less noise that its counterparts. Besides that it is much the same. There’s still no PS2 backwards compatibility and only 2, rather than 4, USB slots, both things that have been omitted since the original 60GB console. The ability to install other operating systems has also been removed. I’m not entirely sure why, I’m sure it’s around the internet somewhere, but I’d guess it would be to place a greater emphasis on games and Blu-Rays. Finally it’s $200 cheaper than the current PS3, although this will change on Monday. In short that is the difference between the 80GB and slim models of the PS3. With little reason to upgrade, it is clear whom Sony is targeting.
Finally I wonder how Sony Australia will go about marketing the new device? It was revealed last week that Blu-Rays are selling extremely well, but won’t see a price reduction in the near future. New release movies often cost between $10-$30 more on Blu-Ray than the do on DVD. Regardless of how fast people may be taking up the new technology surely this is going to substantially slow things down. After all, are people really willing to pay almost double for a movie in high definition? That’s an issue for another time, as for now we’re discussing how Sony will get the PS3 Slim to fly off shelves. The reduced RRP will be a big help, and is the hook for me, but the free PS3s with Sony Bravia TVs must have had a great impact on getting Blu-Rays into peoples homes. Will they do something similar with the Slim, or have they already accomplished what they set out to do with this? It was marketed more as a BluRay player, than gaming console, in that particular promotion, so is it time to push the PS3 as a gaming platform now that it is closer to the Xbox 360 and Wii in price?
I believe that the year of the PS3 may very well be late 2009 or 2010. Expect the PS3 Slim to sell substantially over the course of the few months and Christmas period; not because it’s shed some unnecessary weight, but because of the price drop. I never bought a PS3 because I couldn’t justify owning one along side a 360 for $700, despite my interest in Blu-Ray. That all looks set to change with the price drop that has been a long time coming.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the PS3 Slim, and its position in the gaming industry. Will you be purchasing one or sticking with the old school model? Do you think it’s the right move for Sony? Or like me are you more interested in the price drop?
19/08/2009
We have three copies of Wolfenstein to give away on XBOX 360 and Playstation 3.
All you have to do is visit the official Wolfenstein page and then answer the questions on the competition pages. You can answer as many questions as you like (maximum of four per member).
Competition ends at 5pm on Friday, August 21st. Winners will be announced at 5pm on Monday, 24th of August.
Every member that enters will also get a Wolfenstein medal for their profile!
03/08/2009
Written By Ben Salter
Where is console gaming headed? In 10 years will it essentially be the same as what we play today with advanced technology, or will it be completely different? One answer lies within the advancement, and success, of motion control. It’s been a massive revelation for Nintendo with the Wii, and Microsoft and Sony are preparing to cash in on the phenomenon with their respective motion devices. Is this the beginning of the end of good ol’ fashion console gaming with the standard controller?
Motion control in gaming was the hot topic at E3 this year as Microsoft announced Project Natal and Sony revealed their new Motion control device. To be fair, neither of these are looking to take the place of the traditional controller on their respective consoles, but it would be an understatement to say they are looking to take advantage of the new audience Nintendo has found with the Wii.
Microsoft’s Natal impresses me more than Sony’s Wand as it seriously appears to be taking motion control to another level. In fact, it has forgone the controller all together by using just a camera to scan the player’s movements. It looked impressive on stage, and those who played it behind doors said it played just as well, but I think it’s best only to believe it when we experience it for ourselves. Sony’s Wand on the other hand makes use of both a camera and a remote-like controller. To me it appears to be a blatant rip off of the Wii Remote; however, it does appear to be better than Nintendo’s MotionPlus. Maybe that’s a little harsh; almost every innovation in gaming is quickly copied (and in some cases improved on) by competitors, in saying that it’s normally a little less obvious.
There’s two groups, or perhaps moods, of gamers that are going to strongly oppose motion control. First are the serious gamers who want to have complete control over everything at a touch of a button. A controller is like a key it the city, it gives you access to everything and places a power over everything in the palm of your hand. They want the accurate and complex control that motion control is yet to provide. The second is when we can’t be bothered with all those extravagant movements. That’s not to say we’re lazy, sometimes you play games to relax and moving around hysterically is the last thing you want to do. Other times you want to put in a few solid hours and would much prefer to sit back with a controller. If all three consoles start placing a greater emphasis on motion control gamers feeling these ways are going to become excluded from modern console gaming. In an effort to attract new audiences developers may be driving away their loyal fans.
What about our game genres? First person shooters are the king on the Xbox 360, and very popular on the PlayStation 3. Meanwhile they’re nowhere to be seen on the Wii. Next month’s The Conduit is the first FPS on the Wii since it launched almost 3 years ago that isn’t a port from the PS2 (that I can think of). When I compare the Wii Remote to Natal and Sony’s Wand it appears to be the best of the lot for FPS games with its IR pointer, and yet the genre has been snubbed thus far in the console’s life. Each console has its fair share of shovelware, but it’s more prominent on the Wii due to ‘casual’ games that don’t appeal to ‘core’ gamers, bad core games and bad casual games. I’m not a fan of the whole ‘casual’ or ‘core’ gamer labelling, because I would consider myself to sit somewhere in between; however, there’s a clear distinction between the two types of games and one that is needed to the categorise them. Does this mean we will get more games aimed at a casual audience on future Microsoft or Sony consoles? Will the success of motion control lead to classic franchises, such as God of War and Halo, be made easier and more family friendly so they appeal to a wider audience and to get core gamers to upgrade to motion control?
I don’t think that the standard controller is going anywhere this generation. If anything Microsoft and Sony are throwing their lines into the water to see what they can catch with the lure of motion gaming. If they are anywhere near as successful as Nintendo has been surely they’ll have no choice but to place a greater emphasis on it in the future from a business perspective. It’s that point in time that I’m worried about. Sure maybe developers will offer the option for motion or classic control, but the chance of studios putting effort into two completely different control schemes for one game seems minimal. I don’t mean to sound completely against motion gaming, because I’m not, I’m just weary of promising devices disappointing ala the Wii Remote. I was impressed with Wii MotionPlus in Grand Slam Tennis, and with that being the first game to make use of the device it’s only going to get better. But it took Nintendo two-and-a-half years to rectify their controller, and get it to the level initially promised. The Wii, and motion control, is great for social situations, it’s great for people unfamiliar with videogames, but at the end of the day I think I’ll always prefer to go back to the traditional control pad.
What do you think about the future of motion control? What impact will it have on console gaming? Before anyone says it I realise you could buy a gaming PC to avoid all of this, but there are still those of us out here who deep down are console gamers.
30/06/2009
Best of E3
Gaetano
I don’t think anyone could argue that this years E3 conference in LA was better than last years. Even better than 2007’s. E3 lost some of its pizzazz and glamour for a few years before finally getting back to its roots this year. We’ve seen quite a few attending publications make note of how different it was compared to previous years. There has been more on show and more people meaning that companies were putting more effort in.
The three major players had been fairly quiet at E3 before this year, opting to save big announcements for their own conferences at separate times of the year. Nintendo was noticeably shallow at last years E3 and Microsoft and Sony each gave less-than-memorable keynotes. Thankfully, all three showed off the big guns during E3 2009’s keynote presentations as E3 stepped up a gear.
There have been so many great announcements and moments that it’s hard to pick the best of it all. The announcement trailer during Microsoft’s press conference was pretty cool, showing off Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. 
Natal was an impressive presentation and Milo blew my socks off! I loved hearing about Gran Turismo PSP and seeing God of War III in action, but the one moment that made my jaw hit the ground was when Uncharted 2 came on screen. I’m amazed at how gorgeous that game looks. It’s tattooed on my mind more so than Milo or Natal, which both impressed me. I’m a big fan of the PSP GO and I really can’t wait to get my hands on it, so that was another memorable part of the conference for me.
Ben (ICC)
E3 this year has trumped 2008 hands down. While it’s not in the same league as past years when new consoles have been announced, every gamer should be happy with the software line-up on show for their particular system. The best thing about E3 this year was that we got big name titles for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS and PSP that we didn’t previously know about. There’s nothing worse than when E3 just rehashes what we already knew. Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M are both great, and unexpected, announcements for Nintendo fans of old. Halo Reach & Left 4 Dead 2 will more than satisfy Xbox 360 fans. Meanwhile, PS3 owners should be over the moon with the announcement of Agent. OMG an exclusive Rockstar game, permission to run around screaming hysterically!
On the handheld front the entire PSP announcement library was impressive. To be honest the PSP has been lagging behind other platforms for a while now, but the likes of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Resident Evil look set to change that. While it was a quiet year for the DS we did get one major revelation; Golden Sun DS. If you ever played one of the GBA games you’ll know what I regard it so highly.
Worst of E3
Gaetano
Again, it’s hard to really pick one specific moment. I think a lot of people expected Nintendo to blow us away with something new. I hate getting on Nintendo’s back all the time, but they disappointed me once again. The Vitality Sensor does absolutely nothing for me, and going by the posts in the official conference thread on MyWii as it was announced, it didn’t do much for most people. Of the conferences, Nintendo’s was easily the less impressive. Microsoft made a note of “showing” rather than telling and Jack Tretton at Sony gave a really impressive demonstration. But Satoru Iwata of Nintendo almost put me to sleep. Literally. He took forever to get to his point and I actually wanted to nibble at my ankle in anticipation of his point. When he finally announced the Vitality Sensor, I didn’t know what to think. I was overwhelmed by a lack of interest. I didn’t think that was possible, but I was.
While they had plenty of great announcements, like Galaxy 2, a new Metroid title and some nice DS titles, Nintendo only reiterated the direction I think they’re going in – to ditch the core gamer for a non-gaming and overly casual crowd, with titles like Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort. 
I asked XBOX Australia’s product marketing manager Adam Pollington if Microsoft were ditching the Halo and Call of Duty gaming audience for a more casual audience with the Natal like the Wii has, and he literally baulked at the suggestion. Nintendo continue to tell us what we want, instead of assuming and/or giving us what we want. Sony has been the best at giving gamers what they want, with Microsoft close behind. Nintendo continue to make statements like, “gamers want this” and “this will be fun” instead of “we want to do this” and “we expect this to happen”, which is the direction the other two players go in. Perhaps I think too much, but the more I see of Nintendo, the more I dislike them. And this is coming from someone who backed the Gamecube and N64 more than any other console during those generations.
As much as I don’t mind Microsoft and Sony going in the direction with motion controlling, I didn’t like Sony’s motion-controller presentation. Dr. Richard Marx was overly nervous and struggled to get his words out and the presentation itself was dull and boring. I just wanted to see more PS3 games and thankfully that’s what we ended up getting at the end.
Ben
I don’t have that much to complain about this year, besides a few titles that I had really hoped for, but deep down inside I knew weren’t going to see the light of day this year. I predominately covered Nintendo’s showing at the event this year. Therefore, I’m leaning towards praising and bagging them with a majority of my answers here as I know their announcements inside and out. Fortunately I don’t have to move past them to find the worst thing at E3 this year.
The presentation from Nintendo of Japan President, Satoru Iwata, was terrible. He took to the stage and gave an extremely long, seemingly unnecessary speech, about Nintendo attempting to increase its audience. After this went nowhere, he finally got to a point (I have no idea what ‘the point’ was) by announcing the Wii Vitality Sensor. After speaking for so long about nothing important, or even related to anything, this was the anticlimax of the show. The Wii Vitality Sensor itself looks relatively useless. This man is in charge of Nintendo; that explains a lot.
Best Keynote
Gaetano
I’d go with Microsoft, but only by a nose-hair. If someone asked me to choose one of the two to watch again, I’d probably flip a coin. While there wasn’t a single moment during Microsoft’s press conference that bored me, Sony had some great announcements with Rockstar’s Agent, a great presentation of Uncharted 2 and some amazing gameplay footage of God of War III. They also showed off the PSP GO and finally set a release date for Gran Turismo PSP. Resident Evil on PSP is also a great announcement.
Microsoft win it with me through announcements of another Halo title in Halo: Reach, the revealing of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the announcement trailer that showed off Crackdown 2 (which looks AMAZING…or maybe I’m just a Crackdown fanboy), and the movie streaming service on XBOX Live. We got confirmation through Adam Pollington that it will be coming to Australia before Christmas, which means we can be streaming Full HD movies through our 360 in a matter of months. Natal was impressive and previews from the show say it’s just as good as the trailer shown during the keynote, and the Milo video gave me goose bumps. Gameplay footage of Alan Wake also blew me away, as this was the one game I wanted to see during the conference.
I really loved both keynote speeches and one barely outdoes the other, but for me personally, Microsoft takes the cake with an overall better presentation that I thought flowed better and showed off a few more surprises through Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Alan Wake.
Ben
It’ll be interesting to see the direction that gaming goes in the next few years. With Sony announcing the PS3 motion controller, Nintendo further pushing Wii MotionPlus and Microsoft announcing Project Natal I hope this isn’t the end of console gaming as we know it. 
It will either produce an array of great games in a way we’ve never seen before, or Sony & Microsoft will go down the path of Nintendo, and sell out in favour of the casual market.
Microsoft takes it home for me. Project Natal looks really interesting and I’m definitely more interested in what no controller can do, rather than another remote, so long as it’s not just a jazzed up version of Eye Toy. Sony’s controller didn’t really interest me; the demo was cool, but it seemed like a cheap attempt to cash in on Nintendo’s success. While I do think it looks more accurate than Nintendo’s Wii Remote, I think that’s all it is, and the wrong direction for Sony. Big name games were on show during all three Keynotes but Microsoft lead the way here again (maybe only just). With games such as Halo Reach, Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2 and Forza 3 now is a great time to be a 360 owner. While there wasn’t anything completely unexpected it was almost all quality, and an even better software line-up than we could have hoped for.
Best Announcement
Gaetano
There are so many! PSP GO, Natal, Milo, Agent, Left 4 Dead 2, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Super Mario Galaxy 2. For me, it’s easily Crackdown 2. The first game has such a cult following and seems to get more fans by the day. The original developer is working on APB for PC (which looks friggin’ unreal!) and whenever a rumour popped up about a sequel they always seemed to be quickly squashed. But when that announcement trailer began and I could hear the voice-over and see the Crackdown logo, a smile went right across my face.
I understand some of you, especially the PS3 diehards out there, might find it difficult to understand how that can be the best announcement for me, but Crackdown was one of my first games of this generation. While it didn’t get outstanding reviews upon launch, it seems to get better with age, which is normally impossible for a title. It’s gotten more popular as time goes by. It’s without a doubt the Fight Club of this generation – a title that gets decent reviews but then eventually ends up being one of the best of its kind (in reference to the film, not the terrible Fight Club game). Ask any 360 owner what 10 games are a must-have and I think you’ll find that most will include Crackdown in that list. The gameplay is so addictive it’s not even funny and I can’t wait to cause havoc once again.
Ben
The PSP Go looks really cool. I never owned a PSP but I’ll definitely be entering Sony’s handheld market when this bad boy hits shelves. Alright, so technically we already knew about this prior to E3, but it was ‘officially’ announced at Sony’s Keynote so I pretended we didn’t. It was also great news for existing owners to hear that the new iteration of the handheld wouldn't make the PSP-3000 or UMD obsolete and that Sony intends to continue to support both in the future, even after the PSP GO is released.
I think it’s worth giving an honourable mention to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 as the biggest sequels this E3. Nobody saw it coming after Nintendo opened their Keynote by revealing New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the first true sequel to a 3D Mario title, and the first time two 3D Mario adventures will appear on the same console. To clue in non-Nintendo fans this is massive news. The original title was awarded game of the year by many publications in 2007 (including MyMedia in our Choice Awards as voted by members). It was up against titles such as Call of Duty 4, and yet despite Nintendo 'selling out' we know a masterpiece when we see one. Galaxy 2 heads my list of sequels I’m most interesting in, just above Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. The latter is the second announcement in the ‘I think I peed a little’ category. Left 4 Dead was one of the biggest games of the year and seemingly came out of know where (or maybe I just wasn’t following it). Either way it was a pleasant surprise and I can’t wait to see more of it!
Announcement no one cares about
Gaetano
Nintendo had a whole bunch of them. There was the Women’s Murder Club on DS, Wii Fit Plus and then the Vitality Sensor, which Iwata seemed to have taken a decade to finally reveal. I can’t imagine anyone who stayed up that late to watch the keynote would have shown much interest in Wii Fit Plus, as the people it’s actually aimed at (people like my mum) probably wouldn’t have been up watching it. I really want to care about the Vitality Sensor, but I just can’t. With Natal and even Sony’s motion-controller being revealed, this debacle by Nintendo just didn’t grab my attention at all. I was expecting something big from Iwata after he spoke for 300 minutes, but then when he brought that out, I felt like stabbing the screen.
Ben
I already said Wii Vitality Sensor, can I say that again? No wait, at least it’s something new, I’m going to go with Wii Fit Plus. Maybe I’m picking on Nintendo a little, but Cammie killed the atmosphere by following up the awesome New Super Mario Bros. Wii with Wii Fit Plus. Noooooo! We don’t care, nobody who’s watching the entire press conference live cares. Wii Fit was a great direction for Nintendo financially; they must have made a bucket load off of the game that’s good for you. It was inevitable that a sequel would come, but frankly it received was it deserved, nothing more than a ‘meh’. We’re sure Wii Fit is doing wonders for fat kids out there, but we don’t care.
Biggest Shock
Gaetano
I think the biggest shock for the crowd in attendance was Final Fantasy XIV Online. When Tretton announced that, you could actually hear people say “what!?”. It was pretty left field. I loved how he said it so calmly as well, with no emotion on his face. He wanted to smile, but he wanted to make out like it wasn’t that big.
For me, it’s the announcement of Resident Evil on PSP. I think of the possibilities of PSP GO, with the 16gb internal memory, and I hope we see something along the lines of RE4. Maybe not quite as advanced, but something along the lines. I’m curious to see how it works without a thumb pad, but Resident Evil is one of my favourite franchises and along with Viewtiful Joe is something I’ve been dying to see on PSP (Red Hot Rumble doesn’t count!)
Crackdown 2 was also a shock, but a small part of me kind of expected it.
Ben
We got two massive bombshells in the software department this E3. Sony announced that Final Fantasy XIV Online will be coming exclusively to PS3 and PC in 2010, and Nintendo concluded their show with Metroid: Other M. I believe Microsoft had the best overall line-up; however, these two were huge, but unexpected, announcements. A trailer was shown for both; the audience didn’t know how to react after watching either and sat in ore of what they had just witnessed. Microsoft may have had the best conference overall, but it was Nintendo and Sony who delivered the biggest shocks. To avoid sitting on the fence yet again I’ll go with Metroid: Other M as the biggest shock, just because the Metroid titles on the GameCube introduced me to the last generation of gaming.
Who you think won E3
Gaetano
It’s been a massive conference. So much on show, so much announced. I could say the gamers won, as Ben has below, but that would be a bit too cliché. If we want to be official, I’d say Sony and Microsoft in a tie, with Nintendo a distant third. If I want to be a fanboy, I’d say Microsoft because of Crackdown 2. But really, we have an amazing year still to come for games. 2009 is going to end incredibly strong and now with Forza 3, MGS: Rising, Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Galaxy 2 and Alan Wake on the horizon, the gaming public really did win E3. Kudos to Microsoft and Sony for helping to bring us amazing and conference – one of the best in recent memory!
Ben
You, the gamers! Is that too cliché? Who cares it’s true. Microsoft had the best showing overall. Halo Reach, Project Natal, Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Forza 3, and Splinter Cell: Conviction and the list goes on. Sony fans better start saving some coin as well with the PSP Go, Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Agent and God of War III looking to blow socks off. Nintendo had a weaker showing, but I’m not complaining and neither should you. It was a bazillion times better than last year (yes that’s my very professionally summed up conclusion). Two new Mario titles and Metroid: Other M are more than enough to keep loyal Nintendo fans around for at least another year. Golden Sun DS wins the award for ‘biggest under the radar announcement’. Golden Sun was one of the best RPG’s on the GBA and it’s fantastic to see it back. Whether you’re a fan of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo or a combination of, something big came out of E3. At the end of the day conference that’s what really matters.
06/06/2009