Tag: PS3

Final Fantasy XIII Graphics Comparison: PlayStation 3 vs. Xbox 360

The fine people at Digital Foundry have posted a technical comparison of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XIII. As expected, the PlayStation 3 version is superior. Here’s DF’s conclusion:

“Adequate but a touch disappointing” best sums up the Xbox 360 version. Fine edges lose precision, and while the effect is mitigated thanks to the MSAA along with the multitude of post processing effects the engine has at its disposal, the fact is that the lack of resolution can make the 360 build look sub-par. The clean CG look of the PS3 game in motion is unduly compromised, and while it’s still a handsome enough title on Xbox 360, it lacks the pristine presentation of its sibling.

If you’re interested in high-level graphics talk, the article is definitely worth checking out. The read reminded me of my PC Magazine Labs days when we’d scream at each other about competing graphics card technologies. Ha!

Hmmmm, I think I’ll start a poll while I’m at it.

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PlayStation 3 PSN Error 8001050F Solved?

A bunch of my friends in the Twitterverse have said that their formerly 8001050F-crippled PS3s are working again. Still, I’m not going to sneeze on either of my PS3s for at least a week. I don’t want to anger the gods that sent down the 8001050F curse to our lonely planet.

Anyone have any luck getting their PS3 console going again?

More Dragon Age: Origins Awakening Characters: Mhairi and Sigrun

BioWare has revealed two more characters from the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack: Mhairi and Sigrun. Here are some screens, official bios, and my comments on these new playable characters.

Mhairi

Official description: When Mhairi was a child, she was enraptured by tales of kings and nobles. All she wanted was to be like them, to fight for what she believed. Betrothed to a trader when she turned 16, she saw the life that lay ahead of her and enlisted in the army instead. Her fierce loyalty and devotion to Ferelden earned her the love and respect of her commanders and brothers-in-arms. King Cailan’s betrayal and death hit Mhairi hard, and when she learned of the two Grey Wardens who quelled the Blight almost single-handedly, she vowed to serve the Wardens. When the call came for volunteers to help rebuild the order at Vigil’s Keep, Mhairi jumped at the chance to join.

Raymond’s rant: Dragon Age has a stalker. Awesome! Maybe I’ve seen too many episodes of WWE programming, but Mhairi reminds of Mickie James when she was stalking Trish Stratus. I can totally see her going all fangirl on Alistair. Their interaction should be excellent.

Sigrun

Official description: There is only one way to leave the Legion of the Dead: by fulfilling a vow to die in battle against the enemies of Orzammar, a sacrifice that absolves any guilt. Sigrun craves a chance to prove she is more than a worthless gutter-rat, but it’s hard to rush headlong into a battle you won’t survive. After all, when you grow up casteless, you learn to fight for everything. You learn that you have to watch out for yourself, because no one else will, and the Stone knows no one’s going to miss you when you’re dead. Sigrun’s a survivor, and old habits die hard.

Raymond’s rant: Hmmmm, another casteless dwarf. The Legion of the Dead connection is cool and all, but how many chip-on-their-shoulder little-people does the game need? Then again, the dwarves had the best origin stories by a mile. Perhaps Sigrun’s tale will feature similar writing?

Anyway, let me know what you think of these two Dragon Age characters. I’m definitely going to spend time with Mhairi, but I’ll need more convincing to give Sigrun a good run.

This Week’s Video Game Releases

There are a few big game releases this week, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition (PS3, Xbox 360) leading the way. MLB 2K10 is being released for everyone platform known to man, while MLB 10 The Show is a Sony first-party exclusive. I’m super looking forward to The Show (the game, not Paul Wight), but I ain’t touching my PS3 until error 8001050F is resolved.

Other notable releases include Lips: Party Classics for Xbox 360 and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony Limited Edition for PSP.

Any of you guys and gals picking up new games this week? Let me know what you’re buying!

PadCast: Wired’s Chris Kohler Tells You All About Final Fantasy XIII

Wired’s Chris Kohler is the latest RPad.tv PadCast guest and you’ll want to pay attention as he talks about his experience with the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XIII. Kohler talks about the game’s music, battle system, graphics, linearity, funky “gestalt” system, and more. While he’s a big fan of the music and graphics, he’s not too keen on the “hands off” gameplay. He also compares heavy hand holding in FFXIII to Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain.

As many of you know, the U.S. version of the game comes out next week, but if you’re still not sure if FFXIII is for you then you’ll want to hear Kohler criticize the game. It definitely sounds like the most polarizing Final Fantasy game in years! Oh yeah, Kohler also reveals why you’re on crack if you think you’re expecting a Final Fantasy VII remake with Final Fantasy XIII graphics.

Did PSN Error 8001050F Get Your PS3?

Last night a number of PlayStation 3 owners were hit with PSN error 8001050F. Sony has determined that the problem only hits users of older PS3 models and that users with the newer “slim” hardware appear to be unaffected. Luckily, I spent most of Sunday on my Xbox 360 playing Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement. In the middle of my session I received this message from a developer friend:

Don’t turn your PS3 on — like at all. Seems to be a leap-year firmware bug that corrupts your profile and stops you from using PSN or any PSN purchases. Many offline games won’t start either and it may be wiping Trophies.

Last time I checked, 2010 wasn’t a leap year, so I’m not sure what he meant by that. Then again, he’s way more technical than I am so it might be code speak. What I do know is that several users have reported that their PS3 consoles have — for some unknown reason — reset the date to 12/31/99, which appears to be wreaking havoc with other data.

Scanning my Facebook and Twitter friends, it appears that a lot of my buddies were hit by 8001050F. As of this writing, the support thread on Sony’s forums is 38 pages long. As much as I want to get more Heavy Rain trophies, I’m not even going to look at my PS3 until Sony issues an “all clear” statement.

Any of you get hit by this (seemingly) nasty bug?

Super Street Fighter IV Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed

Capcom has revealed some of the pre-order goodies (pictured above) for the upcoming Super Street Fighter IV. They include a bonus pack of costumes, some wicked iPhone covers, t-shirts, and some dumb thumb-wrestling costumes. Amazon and Best Buy will be doling out the downloadable costumes, while GameStop has the stupid thumb-wrestling “gear”. Sadly, it looks like the iPhone covers and t-shirts will be for Europe only.

I hate that pre-order marketing is working on me, but I think I’m going to buy the game from Amazon. Dhalsim’s costume totally cracks me up, Fei Long’s is cool, and Blanka wearing a Dan costume is all kinds of awesome.

Which pre-order bonus interests you?

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The Perfect Rental: (Not) A Review of Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain

[100% spoiler free, in case you’re worried.] I love Heavy Rain. It’s one of the most impressive games I’ve played in years. Its graphics, music, characters (minus some spotty voice acting), and storytelling are phenomenal. Entertainment aside, it’s the kind of game that moves the industry forward and leads to greater experiences. As much as I want everyone with a PlayStation 3 to buy Heavy Rain, I have to say that it’s a rental for most people — quite possibly the perfect rental.

Before I get to that, I’ll go over various aspects of Heavy Rain. First and foremost, the way the game creates suspense and tension is extraordinary. I was literally on the edge of my couch during several portions of the game. There were a few times when I completed a thrilling chase scene, paused the game, and thought, “When was the last time a game made me feel that way?” That’s just totally cool.

The story is fantastic, which I expected from a Quantic Dream game. Learning the identity of The Origami Killer genuinely surprised me. (The killer is not Jesse Divnich, btw.) There were a few characters that I suspected, but when the criminal was finally revealed I was all, “Wow. I didn’t see that one coming…at all!” What’s even cooler is that the choices you make result in different twists and turns. While the game will take most of you eight or nine hours to complete, I think it’s worth replaying to see how the different paths play out. Like I said in another article, it would be stupid to only play this game once.

Most of you have seen screens and videos of the game, so you know how beautiful it is. To be completely honest, the graphics didn’t really matter to me most of the time. The other aspects of the game were so engaging that I didn’t really pay close attention to the gorgeous visuals. Stepping back for a moment, I’m glad the game looks the way it does. I loved Indigo Prophecy on Xbox, but its ugly graphics often pulled me out of the experience.

Some gamers dislike the gameplay in Heavy Rain, dismissing the entire game as a series of quick-time events. That’s just close-minded. Considering that my favorite games are turn-based RPGs, I don’t see how Heavy Rain’s gameplay is “lesser”. Some gamers with a heavy preference for shooters will find the gameplay slow and dull, but players that are opened to other genres will dig what Heavy Rain — in its entirety — has to offer.

So yeah! Right about now you’re thinking, “If you love the game so much then why do you think it’s only a rental?” Well, it’s $60 and you can can play through several branches and get multiple endings in a week. Most players will get their fill of Heavy Rain by then. They’ll enjoy it and “get” it. While the DLC should extend the experience, I don’t think the majority of gamers will care enough to hold onto the game for its DLC. Is Heavy Rain worth experiencing? Absolutely! Is it worth $60 for most gamers? Probably not. (Related note: remember this old discussion on gaming value?)

As someone that’s peripherally involved in the gaming business, I hate saying that Heavy Rain is a “rent” instead of a “buy”. As someone that can influence the amount of money in your wallet, it’s my responsibility to give you this answer.

Agree? Disagree? Either way, let me know (please)!

Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack Available for Uncharted 2

Sony has released the Drake’s Fortune multiplayer pack for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. New maps and skins are available for your online gaming pleasure. He’s the official word from Sony:

The “Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack” includes two maps and six character skins inspired by Nathan Drake’s debut adventure, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. The six skins are available $2.99 and the two maps are available for $3.99 — or you can get all of skins and maps in a convenient, value-priced bundle for $5.99.

Any of you downloading these goodies today?

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Coffee Talk #94: Playing Heavy Rain “Only” Once is Stupid

Yesterday GamePro’s Tae Kim posted an editorial on why you shouldn’t play Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than once. It’s an interesting argument that’s supported well. Check out what Tae had to say:

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, Alex (not Adam) Lambert’s awesome dancing on American Idol, where Zydrunas Ilgauskas will end up, or the return of Fraggle Rock, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday GamePro’s Tae Kim posted an editorial on why you shouldn’t play Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than once. It’s an interesting argument that’s supported well. Check out what Tae had to say:

By choosing to let your actions stand, and by refusing to go back in an attempt to change things, you can better appreciate the turmoil felt by the characters in the game. You are also able to buy into the spirit of the overall game design more fully. It’s the fact that no matter how hard they try, they cannot change their pasts that makes the characters’ plight so much more meaningful; by applying the same sense of inevitability and immutability to your own decisions, you can impart more meaning to your time with Heavy Rain.

Before I get into things, I need you to understand that I like and respect Tae. If he wants it, he could have a long and successful career writing about games. He’s really good. Having said that, I think his entire premise is stupid and slightly pretentious. It’s easy to say that you should only play the game once when you got to do it for free several weeks ago. I spent $65.84 on my copy and I sure as hell want to get more than nine hours of entertainment out of the deal.

Fiscal responsibility aside, Heavy Rain is a great game and it should be enjoyed more than once. Would you listen to The Beatles’ Rubber Soul just once? Would you watch American Ninja just once (and deprive your life of the brilliance of Michael Dudikoff on a regular basis)? Of course not. Sure, those two examples are forms of linear entertainment and Tae is saying that the interactivity of Heavy Rain is more meaningful if you experience it just once (James Ingram?), so let’s try another example.

For some reason, Tae’s editorial made me think of my friend Karen, who is the queen of Las Vegas buffets. Playing Heavy Rain once would be like her paying $50 at The Bellagio buffet and only getting one plate of food. (That analogy was awesome if you know Karen or me.)

Yeah, I understand what Tae is saying and it’s an interesting point, but I vehemently disagree. What about you guys and gals? Do you subscribe to Tae’s dreamer stance on Heavy Rain? Or do you have a more pragmatic view?