Category: PS3

Coffee Talk #382: Achievements, Trophies, and Gaming Habits

Achievements and trophies have added a new twist to gaming. These kinds of rewards are arguably the biggest change this console generation has introduced. For the most part, gamers seem to love them. It’s fun getting a…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Amazon’s HTML5 iPad Kindle site, traveling to Utah to break office windows, or the Wisconsin recall, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Achievements and trophies have added a new twist to gaming. These kinds of rewards are arguably the biggest change this console generation has introduced. For the most part, gamers seem to love them. It’s fun getting a virtual pat on the back during the game. It’s fun getting meaningless points for the sake of having them. Achievements and trophies add a layer of permanent fulfillment that complements the satisfaction of clearing a level or beating a game.

That said, they’ve also changed the way many of us play games. I’m not much of an achievement whore, but I have a lot of friends that are. Some of my friends will keep playing a game after they’ve beaten it just to get all the achievements or trophies. On one hand, they’re getting more value out of a game. On the other hand, they’re not particularly enjoying it; they’re just obsessed with the virtual rewards. A lot of my friend endure mediocre or crap games just to get some extra trophies.

Compared to previous console generations, I play more games well after I’ve beaten them thanks to achievements. I’ve also kept with mediocre games for longer than I should have because of trophies. Have these rewards changed your gaming habits? Do you play longer than you used to because of them? Have you beaten crappy games just to boost your gamerscore? Have any of you pulled a Ted Regulski (beat all those crappy Burger King Xbox 360 games just for achievements)?!?

Thanks to bsukenyan for inspiring today’s column with this comment!

Watch Ken Levine Talk About BioShock Infinite

Check out this interview of Irrational Games’ Ken Levine talking about BioShock Infinite. The game was one of the best things I saw at E3 2011. Ken is awesome, BioShock Infinite will likely be awesome, and your day will be better for this double dose of awesomeness.

Check out this interview of Irrational Games’ Ken Levine talking about BioShock Infinite. The game was one of the best things I saw at E3 2011. Ken is awesome, BioShock Infinite will likely be awesome, and your day will be better for this double dose of awesomeness.

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Coffee Talk #381: I Dream of Next-Gen Consoles with SSD

Back in November 2009 we discussed our next-gen console dreams. At the time, my dream was for a TiVo-enabled console. While that dream is still alive, I have another wish for next-gen consoles…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the awesomeness of Curb Your Enthusiasm, finding solutions for your crap web host, or the future of HSPA+, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Back in November 2009 we discussed our next-gen console dreams. At the time, my dream was for a TiVo-enabled console. While that dream is still alive, I have another wish for next-gen consoles: solid state hard drives. With the introduction of hard drives in consoles, load times are much shorter than when games ran entirely off of discs. That said, load times still happen and they still piss me off. While the power of the PlayStation 3 is impressive, it’s annoying when it’s held up by a 5,400 rpm platter drive.

Solid state drives (SSDs) are much more suitable for keeping up with powerful CPUs and GPUs than platter-based drives. The throughput levels aren’t even close. It truly is a tortoise vs. hare comparison. In practical terms, look at the boot times of a MacBook Air (SSD) vs. a MacBook equipped with a 5,400 rpm drive. Next-get consoles with SSDs would start up faster and have considerably less load times than today’s consoles. As an added bonus, SSDs are much more durable and far less prone to failure than platter drives — a nifty benefit of not having moving (fragile) parts.

Best of all, the next-generation PlayStation and Xbox machines should hit sometime between 2013 and 2014. By then, the cost of a 256GB SSD should be cheap enough for a home console. Hell, if they don’t arrive until 2014 then maybe a 512GB SSD would be an option! Ah, the dream….

Anyway, that’s my latest next-gen console dream. What do you think of using SSDs in future consoles? How have your console dreams evolved since November 2009?

Today’s Poll: Will You Buy an EA Sports Season Ticket?

EA Sports has launched a new “Season Ticket” program for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. This $25 annual subscription program gives sports fans early access to some goodies and exclusive access to others. Franchises covered in the program include Madden NFL Football, NHL Hockey, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, and NCAA Football. Here’s what you’ll get with EA Sports Season Ticket.

  • Early Full-Game Digital Access: Three days before a game’s scheduled release, fans will be able to download and play the full version of all five participating titles on Xbox 360 and PS3. The digitally downloaded game will time out when the game is available at retail and consumers have the option to purchase the same full game on disc at retail. EA Sports Season Ticket subscribers can transfer all achievements earned during the three-day download period to the purchased disc, resulting in an early edge over the competition.
  • Discounted Downloadable Content: Subscribers will get a 20-percent discount on all available downloadable content for participating EA Sports titles. Downloadable content, which enhances and refreshes the core game experience, includes such items as Ultimate Team packs, accelerator packs and gear upgrades.
  • Free Premium Web Content: Premium web content extends the game experience beyond the console to a web browser. All participating titles will feature premium web content that will be free to EA Sports Season Ticket members beginning with the premium Creation Center packs for FIFA Soccer 12. These packs provide a deeper set of customization tools and abilities within Creation Center to build your own teams and tournaments, and will be available to the consumer until the membership to the program has expired.
  • Membership Recognition: Subscribers are easily identifiable with an exclusive membership recognition badge displayed both in-game and on their EASPORTS.com profile.

If you’re into most of the games covered by Season Ticket then this sounds like a great deal. If you’re only into one or two of the games listed then not so much. If you’re not into sports games then why are you even reading this article?!?

Are any of you down to buy an EA Sports Season Ticket? Please vote in today’s poll and let me know what you think of the program in the comments section!

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Sony Acquires Sucker Punch (inFamous, Sly Cooper)

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has acquired Sucker Punch Productions, developer of the inFamous and Sly Cooper games. Sucker Punch will now be part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS). In today’s press release, SCE WWS president Shuhei Yoshida said:

The addition of Sucker Punch to SCE WWS reiterates our dedication to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform. With one of the strongest exclusive software lineups in the PS3’s history, combined with the diverse, innovate content in the works for PlayStation Vita, consumers have a lot to be excited about this year.

This is a prudent move for Sony in light of one its other longtime exclusive development partners, Insomniac Games, developing for Xbox 360. Sucker Punch has a strong track record, but probably cost less to acquire than Insomniac or Naughty Dog would have. The acquisition locks in one of Sony’s top developers and, more importantly, keeps it away from the competition.

I’m thrilled for Sucker Punch and I hope a lot of the people in the company will be a bit richer when the acquisition is finalized. I’ve been playing the company’s games since 1999’s Rocket: Robot on Wheels and I’m a huge fan of the Sly Cooper games. The guys and gals at Sucker Punch deserve this reward.

How do you feel about Sony’s acquisition of Sucker Punch? Do you think that it’s money well spent? Are you afraid of the studio changing now that it has new people to answer to?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Looking for a funky puzzle-platformer with lots of half-naked men and women? Of course you are! That’s why you’re excited for the release of Catherine. If you’re longing for classic gaming on your Nintendo 3DS then Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions will do you right. Normally I don’t include DLC in this weekly, but Dragon Age II Legacy is too awesome not to mention. I’m going to play the hell out of it this week. BioWare rules!

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Katee Sackhoff Voicing Black Cat in Spider-Man: Edge of Time

Marvel.com editorial director Ryan Penagos has revealed that Katee Sackhoff will be voicing Black Cat in the upcoming Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Battlestar Galactica fans will remember Sackhoff as Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace. Males will notice that she’s a hottie.

Penagos also posted the first screen of Black Cat. The buxom cat burglar is Spider-Man’s sometimes nemesis and sometimes love interest.

While this post is partially an excuse to research photos of Katee Sackhoff, I’d love to hear what you think about her playing Black Cat in the next Spider-Man game.

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

I usually don’t include downloadable games in this spot, but I’m so psyched for Bastion that I can’t help myself. I’m definitely picking it up this week and hope a bunch of you do too. Other notable released include Call of Juarez: The Cartel, Captain America: Super Soldier, Just Dance Summer Party, and The Smurfs Dance Party (just imagine the graphics!).

Any of you guys and gals picking up new games this week?

Ubisoft’s Uplay Passport = Another $10 “Solution”

Continuing the fight against used-game sales, Ubisoft has added its $9.99 Uplay Passport to the assortment of deterrents on the market. While the publisher has described Uplay Passport in saccharine terms, it’s simply charging gamers additional money for daring to buy used. Here’s more from Gamasutra:

Ubisoft has confirmed the Passport’s existence today, saying the feature will “provide players with access to bonus content, exclusive offers, and online multiplayer play” for “many of Ubisoft’s popular core games,” including Driver: San Francisco.

You can pretty much ignore the “bonus content” and “exclusive offers” drivel. This is just another publisher charging another fee that discourages buying used games.

I know that several of you have railed on EA and THQ for offering “$10 solutions”. How do you feel about Ubisoft’s Uplay Passport? Are you going to shy away from the company’s games? Does it impact your purchasing decision at all? Or are you starting to get numb to the practice and have accepted that this is just the way of the used-game world now?

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PSA: Don’t Forget to Claim Your Free PSN Games

Here’s a friendly reminder that you have until midnight July 3, 2011 to claim your free PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable games as part of Sony’s “Welcome Back” program. Don’t let these freebies slip through your fingers! Out of curiosity, what games did you pick? I went with inFamous and Super Stardust HD for PS3. For PSP I went with LittleBigPlanet and ModNation Racers.