"I've been away..."

"...but now I'm back!"

Yep, been playing a lot of PS3 games and some PC games too so I hope to update here again soon.

Deus Ex intro remixed

I just found this on youtube, hilarious!

Gaming achievements - is there anything more pointless?

The upcoming firmware features for the PS3 are quite a welcome addition... especially the ability to actually check your mail without quitting what ever game you're playing. (a feature that has been available to PC gamers for about about the last 14 years by the way)

But the introduction of gaming trophies seems a bit laughable.
Does anyone actually care what awards some gamer unlocked for a game?
Do you endlessly scour your friends list marvelling at their gaming achievements?
Do you spend an extra 15 hours trying to complete a game you're already sick of without losing a health point, just because you're so driven to have an award?
What the hell is the point?

The term "gaming achievements" is such a delightful oxymoron too... I can think of nothing that's less of an achievement than pissing your life away in pursuit of some arbitrarily-chosen statistical gaming feat... maybe one person will see it and think "Wow, this guy is a real winner".
Not me though, I've been gaming long enough to see how pointless grinding is.
Whether it's grinding to unlock an achievement or grinding to level up in an MMORPG, if the process isn't fun, then it's not worth doing, no matter what the reward (unless we're talking cash, but let's be realistic - we aren't).

I'm sure it adds some gameplay longevity for those who enjoy the challenge, but personally I couldn't be arsed.
Much like I couldn't be arsed collecting all the flags in Assassins Creed or shooting all the pigeons in GTA4... it's such a tedious grind and unrewarding process that I don't find myself driven in the slightest to pursue these empty goals.
I didn't buy "Flag Collector's Creed" or "Pigeon Hunter 4", so why should these activities take up the lions share of my gaming time?
Could I be having more fun doing something else?
You bet your ass I could.

The upcoming trophy system.

The second part of this new PS3 2.4 firmware video. I wonder just how many companies are going to patch their existing titles to support the new trophy system? I've gotten gold for almost all of the Motor Storm tracks so it'd be nice to flaunt it! I guess we'll find out on July 2nd when the update is released!

-L1

PS3 Firmware 2.4 video demonstration

PSN boss Eric Lempel talks through how in-game XMB will work after the upcoming 2.4 Firmware update. Look like some decent improvements.
- L1

Metal Gear Solid 4 - c'mon postman!!

Gamespot and IGN US have given MGS4 10 out of 10 and I'm STILL waiting for the posty to deliver it! It scored a perfect 40/40 from Japanese gaming rag Weekly Famitsu too.

Resident Evil 5 trailer

WOW! Looks amazing! Resident Evil justs gets better and better!
-L1

My latest gripes

Firstly the PS3 demo for Iron Man. Cack. Boring landscape, flying is finicky, the weapons are weak and unconvincing. Besides that, I've just seen the film. Why would I want to go and redo it all for him? It's just lazy and a shameless attempt to cash in on the movies success. They can stick it!
That's one thing I don't like about games based on movies, there are no surprises. The Lego Star Wars games are one exception, they at least make an effort to inject fresh humour and interesting gameplay.
Another movie-game attempt is The Bourne Conspiracy. From what I saw of the PS3 demo it looks like they at least made some effort at engaging gameplay. The hand to hand combat is pretty standard; light punch, hard punch, block and two heavy attacks that take eons to wind-up before you can deliver them. The finishing moves are interesting as you can keep an eye on your health gauge for the circle icon to start flashing. When it does you tap the circle button to grab your opponent and slam his head into the nearest hard, blunt object. The 'villains' are security guards, cops, marines and terrorists. The shooting gameplay is okay with the cover system becoming the norm these days. It doesn't pack much punch really.
I'm not crazy about the Bourne character's attitude either. He's too angry. That's what made the Matt Damon performance all the better, he didn't go around arching his eyebrows at everyone and throwing shapes. That's just a personal thing I guess. I just don't like this Bourne.
My two biggest problems, with the demo at least, are the loading times and the methods of sliding under closing doors, etc. When you get close to some perilous point in a chase you get a flashing icon of the button your supposed to mash so you can make it through whatever barrier or predicament lies ahead, such as a dangerous jump, etc. Personally I don't like this gameplay. It can work in games like Resident Evil 4 when it's not over used but The Bourne Conspiracy demo seems to have them everywhere. And unlike RE4, I usually didn't spot the flashing icon in time to press the corresponding button as they are too small. Then I'm caught by the guards/marines/cops, whatever.
Which leads me to the second reason I kicked this poxy demo off my PS3. Everytime you're caught or killed there is a loooooong loading time before you retry. Feck sake, it was ages! I'm not a major tech head so I don't know all the PS3 limitations, etc, but I'm sure it doesn't have to be this arse-numbingly long EVERY TIME!!

And last but not least, I went online for a game of Unreal Tournament 3. Only two deathmatch servers using keyboard and mouse. TWO!!?? And one of them with ping of 2500!!
MGS4 can't get here fast enough! :(

- L1

Metal Gear Online - Impressions - Part 3

It's less than a month to go until the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 and I'm chomping at the bit! I was too busy running around in the MGO beta, blowing up barrels and chucking grenades to really explore the skills.
Besides the various weapon mastery and agility skills there is 'enhanced lock on'. This 'lock on' mode basically aims your gun for you once near enough to the enemy and facing his general direction. It was apparently created for the Japanese gamers who aren't as hard core as their western counterparts. Only later on was the alternative manual aiming mode added for us rabid console-slaves, and a good thing too! Anyhoo, 'enhanced lock on' increases the maximum distance of your 'lock on'. I'm not sure how this works with sniper rifles, probably not at all, seeing as you have a scope.
The 'Zoom Up' skill increases the zoom rate when aiming weapons in First Person View. It doesn't work when using a scope.
One of the skills I'm eager to try is 'Enemy Exposure'. No, it doesn't involve jumping out of the bushes in an raincoat and flashing the enemy. This one displays enemies you've attacked on your map, which you can share through SOP with your team members. That sounds like a handy skill but I'm wondering will it work with mines? If an enemy soldier triggers one of my mines on the other side of the map will he suddenly show up on my map as an orange triangle? Or hitting an enemy with a long sniper shot just before he disappears around a corner?
Now I should have been using this skill while playing the beta. 'Aware' displays nearby traps. This data can be shared with your team members through SOP. Considering the number of times my own crew stepped on mines I'd planted and were slammed into walls or mown down by enemy fire, I shouldn't be surprised a couple of them came after me! Sorry fellas! I'll be using it next time I play MGO foh sho!


"Who keeps planting mines??!!"

'Target Alert' displays an attacking enemy when locked-on and damage is taken. You can share this data through SOP. I'm wondering if this display lasts for as long as that attacking enemy is alive or if it's lost outside a certain range?
The 'Scanning' skill is one that most players with CQC mastery will probably try at least once, if only as an added insult to grabbing you in the first place. Once you've captured an enemy you can inject him with a data plug that will scan his nano-thingies and give you all his SOP link info, allowing you to see where all of his team mates are. Nice! It only works if their team was linked up through SOP at the time though. And by the time you've injected them another of the enemy may have found you! A couple of magazines on the ground would take of that though ;) The info disappears after a time but levelling up displays it for longer.



Well, that's my Metal Gear Online beta experience. Can't wait to play the final product, maybe I'll see you online. Just mind your step! ;)

I wish they'd remake RoadRash... again.

Weaving through traffic, leaning around bends, kicking other bikers off the road and racing to victory, all while swinging a chain above your head... that's a general summary of the fun I had playing RoadRash back in the Sega Megadrive/Genesis days.

One of the things I liked most about RoadRash was the cash/upgrade system that allowed you to purchase newer and faster bikes.
It added a much greater incentive to win races, to finish in 1st place, not just because you had to (for mere game progression), but because you wanted to buy that slick new bike you've had your eye on.
I have fond memories of other racing games that used similar, more in-depth cash/upgrade systems like Skitchin' (Genesis), Rock n' Roll Racing (SNES), Extreme Games (Playstation), and more recently Need for Speed Underground 2.

Granted, there have been many re-makes of RoadRash, but there was something the PC version and N64 version failed to capture, maybe it was the atmosphere or that they failed to innovate.
I think the jump to 3D happened too soon for RoadRash, as the lack of believable physics and animation became distractingly apparent, giving the game a clumsy, cartoonish quality that ironically seemed less realistic than it's 2D predecessor.

But when I think about what's possible now... when I look at the likes of NFSU2 and GTA4, I can't help but imagine what the 2008+ version of Roadrash would be like.

Why I deleted the PS3 demo for Race Driver Grid

Overall I like the look of this game. Some of the graphics are gorgeous, some of the music is like honey for the ears, whatever that is, and the physics are spot on. There are three reasons I just had to boot it off my PS3 today.
1. The level in Japan in which you have to slide around every corner to earn points. I don't mind that I spent most of the time crashing into everything, I like a challenge as much as anyone. It's that damned Japanese commentator bawling over the loud speakers! It seemed to follow me around the track like an insane ghost! My subconcious was probably steering me into walls on purpose just to get away from it!
2. That smarmy Han-Solo-wannabe coach drawling 'advice' into my ear and calling me 'kid'. Puke.
3. In multiplayer mode, while waiting for a race to finish, they pump the most God-awful techno crap into your head! What happened to the rich, mellow music from the intro?

So fug dah! Begone!

- L1