Ben's Week In Review: April 4

I think we're finally past the snow. Have to consider doing some car stuff; full detailing, brake pads, etc. It's about that time.

Red Dead Redemption better not flop

So Rockstar says the development process for this potential blockbuster has been long, grueling, and immensely challenging" but it had better pay off in the end. We've all been waiting for the premier Western in this industry; the one game - third-person shooter or not - that finally delivers on all its cowboy-esque promises. Past efforts have been decent and I did like Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, but I'm looking for Assassin's Creed II quality, here. In fact, just about everything I've seen and heard about RDR makes it sound just like ACII...only in a completely different era and setting, of course. There's the free roaming, the option to remain out of sight and out of mind, the accepting of side missions from various townsfolk, and even the finding of treasures via little maps. I mean, minus the obvious platforming insanity of ACII, RDR really does sound very, very similar. And that would be awesome.

I think everyone has very high hopes for this game and although Rockstar can always turn to GTA for their big payday, they do require other triumphs. Their lineup includes Max Payne 3, too, but for now, it's all about John Marsten and Co. I've never really been into Western movies but even so, this particular game has been on my radar for a loooooong time.

Uncharted 3 = most anticipated anything ever

Well, almost. And at least for me. I think if the third entry hits huge like the second one did, and leaves me with that same feeling of total and complete fulfillment, I'd argue that this franchise can vie with God of War for the single greatest trilogy in gaming. I'd also mention that both are exclusive to PlayStation platforms, but I know that isn't necessary. The point is, when I heard that Naughty Dog could very well be cranking on Uncharted 3, I was extremely happy. I knew it'd be coming, of course, but it just reminded me of how great Uncharted 2 really was and I found myself pining for that third entry. I can only expect the most polished, most refined, most professional, and overall most impressive piece of interactive entertainment to be found. There is so little in the way of real competition (definitely MGS4 but besides that...) and the third Naughty Dog gem is bound to be awesome. Right now, I can't think of a more highly anticipated game for the future.

Personal gaming update

So I'm about 45 hours into Final Fantasy XIII and I'll just push forward so I can finish it. I really need to play God of War III and let's not forget that although April is mostly empty, May has a bunch of stuff I want. I also need to get to Resonance of Fate - apologies on not having a review yet - and after the atrocity that was Last Rebellion, I'm really wondering if turn-based RPGs are dead forever (on consoles, anyway). That game was just so bad. Oh, and the 500+-Comment freak-out that was the PSN subscription prank; that was awfully entertaining. It was a little unsettling to see so many people losing their minds over what amounted to a $5-7/month charge (damn, some people really are cheap) but I do understand the sentiment behind a lot of the negativity. Anyway, it's over now.

Nothing else to talk about, I guess. I'm out.

4/3/2010 Ben Dutka

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Comments (106 posts)

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Lazytrappin
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 9:50:49 PM
Reply

I felt betrayed by Sony when I heard that PSN would cost us money. Especially after I brag on them atleast a few times a week about the advantages over that other console. I too have high hopes for Red Dead Redemption. That multiplayer better be damn good. I don't even want it if the multiplayer is garbage. I'm not looking for another $60 game that is only good for a play through.

1 up, 2 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 9:55:06 PM

Lol, it was only an april fools joke =p jeez

2 up, 5 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:00:46 PM

multiplayer is overrated.

16 up, 7 down

fluffer nutter
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:04:11 PM

They're all gonna laugh at you!

Last edited by fluffer nutter on 4/3/2010 10:04:27 PM

3 up, 1 down

frylock25
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:14:28 PM

@world, i agree. multiplayer is over rated. playin with friends is great but i want a single player game with a good story. multiplayer games seem very repetitive.

9 up, 5 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 11:14:07 PM

split-screen multiplayer is da bomb, yo. lol

9 up, 2 down

SnipeySnake
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:07:51 AM

@Wolfeh
tru dat

1 up, 1 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:42:05 AM

Yep, Yep. NOTHING better than being with friends and playing LBP together.

2 up, 1 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:13:58 AM

@wolfeh
I agree with the slit screen multiplayer stuff but i found it funny that the game you used for multiplayer doesnt even have split screen. I like the old 4 player deathmatch on license to kill back in the goldeneye n64 days.

2 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:33:10 PM

Split screen is tight for when you are entertaining, but if I'm sitting in front of my TV alone I'd rather experience a good story. But what I meant mainly was games like RDR really don't need a multiplayer. Games like MW really DO need it though.

6 up, 1 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:00:26 PM

Oh, LOL, yeah I wasn't paying attention, just mentioning a game with super awsome multiplayer. Hmm, most split screens this gen haven't been great because they always put the screen in weird ways, like RE5 for instance, just stretch out each screen, jeez. But there were tons of good ones for the PS2 =p LOL

1 up, 1 down

frylock25
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:00:10 PM
Reply

i have been playing through god of war collection to finish them and move on to god of war 3. i am almost done with god of war 2. my buddy brought over god of war 3 today and i played the first hour. AMAZING. i now have to finish gow2. i had seen a little of 3 but playin it today i cant wait to own it.

i didnt play uncharted til just before 2 came out, i didnt have to sit here and wait for 2. now waiting for 3 will suck.

my gf and kid have been playing lbp. they are about the same level of understanding the game and half the time i have to do it for them. watching these 2 play is frustrating and funny at the same time.

4 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:00:11 PM
Reply

Looking forward to RDR too, but I might not get it brand new. Revolver was hard as hell.

So Ben does this mean you won't be doing your completionist shtick with FFXIII? I certainly won't, I have no interest in getting my ass whooped by the giant cactuar again, that's for sure. I swear though, it's like two teams worked on that game, I'm really enjoying it again after all those killtubes ended.

You should have charged Arnold with the RoF review, I almost picked it up at a good price but since I had so much more to play and no decent review to rely upon I passed. It should be easy to find at that price again by the time I finish all the games on my platter.

Anyway, fun week in news. And people freaked because you can't take free things away from them. (See: repealing health care as platforms for election). Keep on rockin in the PSXE world.

4 up, 1 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:21:10 PM

Yeah, I don't think I'll do the completionist thing here. I almost always do with Final Fantasy games but this one...sadly, I'm not sure I care enough.

0 up, 0 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:57:09 AM

the gigantaur is weak to Daze, which is this game's version of sleep. Meaning once its applied to him, if you hit him, he will wake up. So daze him as soon as possible then buff up your party as much as possible then wail on him

1 up, 1 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:17:05 AM

you know what i missed in Final fantasy, the reflect spell. i remember in a previous ff title that you can cast reflect on one party member then bounce off magic attacks for twice the damage.

1 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:24:24 AM

I miss Reflect, too. And I'm fighting Adamantoises now and REALLY miss Float.

1 up, 0 down

hellish_devil
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 10:00:05 AM

What was float for??? I remember having that on FFXII and also a spell that made you invisible, but I never new what they were for.

1 up, 0 down

frylock25
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:24:00 PM

float was for avoiding earth based attacks im pretty sure. im assuming invisibility would help the enemy not be able to hit you as well. i never played 12 so i dont remember that one but i remember float.

2 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:17:14 PM

Haha. Yeah, Float did just what it says. The enemy can't use Quake on you if you aren't touching the ground.

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:02:06 PM

adamantioses are easy when i started fighting them. i would suggest fighting the one on eden where it falls down the glass floor. there will be an adamantoise there so you can quit after saving to respawn them. i dont even get hit with the ground attack most of the time. heres what you do, at least my set up.

have hope as synergist with haste and bravery, vanille as sabotour w/death, and fang as a sabotour(preferably). just summon the eidolon to take out its legs. then just spam death with vanille. hope and fang would be casting buffs that will make it easier for death to work. Im not sure but i think having more than one saboteur improves buffing i think. it says so with the role description. anyway, once that adamantoise falls, just fight the 4 soldiers, 2 separate behemoths, and if your tp doesnt reach 3 yet, the 3 other soldiers. so you can summon the eidolon again on the adamantoise when you restart. not only is this place a good place to farm cp but gil too with platinum ingots and credit and incentive chips, less running involved too.

my adamantoise party is vanille with marboro wand, hope with collectors catalog, and fang with growth egg and connoseur catalog. my secondary party, the one i use to gain TP, is i switch vanille with lightning and give her energy sash and champions belt to get TP. then i just switch her back with vanille. make sure vanille has high magic too. One successful run, with growth egg and catalogs, will net you 120000cp, a platinum ingot/or trapezohedron (even with catalogs adamantoise drops dont happen much), and a hand full of credit and incentive chips. make sure you only fight north of the adamantoise because to the south you'll have to fight 2 behemoths together and those mechanical train like things with arms and legs. battles to the north are enough to net you the 3TP especially when you get preemtive strikes. getting a preemptive strike with behemoths are easy. when i get preemtive strikes, behemoths dont even get a chance to fall when i launch them with lightning.

0 up, 0 down

LittleBigMidget
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:01:01 PM
Reply

Ikr, People just seem to freak out at a rumor

3 up, 0 down

SnipeySnake
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:15:36 PM
Reply

Im stuck at chapter 11..stupid (spoiler) ambling bellows..

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:19:50 AM

i had to second guess myself on what game you was playing for a second. i think its ff13. hahaha. nothing really stuck out for me until i got to gran pulse. i also hated that your party got separated a lot so you had to make do with the characters that stuck together. hell, you couldnt even use snow for a long time. which is funny because he was the only one that knows what he wanted to do and believed in serah.

Last edited by johnld on 4/4/2010 3:20:36 AM

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:15:56 PM
Reply

I agree with just about everything you said, except for maybe that "Freaking April Fools Fiasco.

I'd like to think that most of us weren't being cheap, and that we were just standing on our principals more so.....

.....that of Sony always keeping the PSN & the online basics "free", as the only way we've always known them to be.

Last edited by BikerSaint on 4/3/2010 10:18:35 PM

10 up, 0 down

kraygen
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:26:28 AM

Well I didn't think it was real, but had set in my mind that if it had been true, I wouldn't have paid it.

I wouldn't have because I am that cheap. It's easy to be cheap when you don't have much money.

I know people think $5 a month is nothing, but considering I have to save for each and every game, thats one less game per year I can afford.

6 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:04:02 AM

And yet here we are after the hoax is over and people are still bristling at Sony over the prank. It wasn't Sony, it was PS3Clan. Why do people insist on ignoring those to blame for things?

Last edited by Highlander on 4/4/2010 1:04:13 AM

9 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:25:30 PM
Reply

Although I must also say that even if Sony had went to a "paid only" PSN, I wouldn't pay for it!!!!!

But I certainly wouldn't go selling off my PS3 or the games I already own.

As Mike Tyson would say...
"That's completely Ludicrous"

4 up, 0 down

frylock25
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 11:16:40 PM

i agree. if i had to pay to play online i sure would not get rid of my ps3, i just wouldnt be going online to game any more. i like to play single player more anyway

4 up, 1 down

kraygen
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:27:11 AM

Same for me, I can deal without online if its pay to play.

4 up, 1 down

mykjessnjr
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 10:26:07 PM
Reply

I'd have to wait to see what's included in a subscription to decide if I really want to pay for it. I'm all about supporting the PS3 and PSN- if the benefits are worth it. Anyways, I just finished GOW3- effin' excellent game. Also finished Heavy Rain (1x)- also effin' excellent. Great story- was immersed in it. Today just went and picked up InFamous, that'll keep me busy for a minute.. Happy Easter :)

4 up, 0 down

frylock25
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 11:09:31 PM

i loved infamous. i need to get back to playing it. i beat the good side and am at the end for the bad side. good luck finding the shards, its damn hard.

3 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:23:52 AM

i got the platinum trophy for infamous. my advice is do not clear each territory before beating the game if you want to have your powers maxed. i dont know if you couldve waited but infamous is supposed to be in the greatest hits line which means 30 bucks. if you dont like the red box you could always look for a copy with the reduced price.

0 up, 0 down

mykjessnjr
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 8:01:27 PM

Will keep that in mind. And as a matter of fact, toys 'r' us had a buy one, get one half off for all games so I picked up this and one for my son on 'the other console' and got InFamous for $15!

0 up, 0 down

kraygen
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:32:50 AM
Reply

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on RDR, and if you give it a glowing review, I'll just add it to the seemingly ever growing games that I want.

I keep knocking them down 1 at a time, slowly but surely. Might have to go thru and replay all my old games before I can get my next one tho. Luckily I am careful with my purchases and love all my games.

0 up, 0 down

Ergi
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:59:54 AM

I'm also very careful when buying, since i just can't buy games whenever i want. Still have to and I mean have to purchase God of war III. And somewhere after that, resonance of fate.

I'm not sure i'm interested in RDR, for me it's a wait and see kind of thing.

Oh and the PSN thing, even though i'm cheap/careful that's not really what it was about. Sony would just have been a step closer to becoming Microsoft, I feel a taste of sourness in my mouth just by saying it. I do miss offline multiplayer though, like a good coop game. As I miss turnbase RPG's, FFVIII still rocks. Laters.

1 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:31:38 AM

I've got Bioshock 2, Sacred 2 and Trine waiting on me to get around to them. I'm hoping LBP PSP goes on sale here in America like it is in Europe. That should be my next purchase. And the Dragon Age expansion.

0 up, 0 down

frylock25
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:34:47 PM

@ neo, bioshock 2 is an amazing game. i played the hell out of it and i want to play it again. the end of the game is crazy and i love what they did with the game.

0 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:20:09 PM

Yeah, I played a bit of it when I first got it, but got distracted. I've bought them all, just haven't had time to get really into them.

0 up, 0 down

Kai200X
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:50:51 AM
Reply

I know that whole PSN subscription fee thingy was a prank. How? because just few days ago I watched an interview with our beloved President and CEO of SCEA Jack Tretton, and he said they are not going to charge any fees. Oh, hurry up and play God of War III already, if you need pointer I can help :P

3 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:02:56 AM
Reply

Perhaps it's time for some people to give Sony some credit for making PSN FREE, and for making a console that hasn't been cracked? I'm so bloody sick and tired of the negativity that hides in the closet waiting for the slightest excuse to vomit up all over Sony. I'm not suggesting we should suddenly become fanboys, but good God, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to put the negativity under lock and key and only bring it out when it's truly merited?

The amount of unreasoned negativity hurled at Sony is just incredible, and the free pass given to others at times is jaw-dropping. Apart from giving us the PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PSN, PSEye/PSMove and of course an incredible catalog of games, what did Sony ever do for us?

8 up, 0 down

frylock25
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:35:25 AM

yeah why does sony seem to be a swear word to some people. its a four letter word but sony makes quality. it took 3 years for someone to crack an old firmware update. that update has been well passed over. microsoft can make a piece of crap that should have been recalled. if the xbox was a car it would be a lemon. sadly no one is makin lemonade.

9 up, 0 down

Irievibes
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:54:06 AM

ive said it before and ill repeat it...

sony is the big black beast on this market , they can very well do whatever the hell they want and they would still kik ass, these guys have been in this gaming business for a long time, even if they made me pay for psn with i doubt, im sure it would be well worth the money they would charge, as knowing sony they would make loads of premium content available for subscribing or something...i dont WANT for them to charge, but in all honesty , i wouldnt mind either...

its like WOW and the pay by month argument, it amounts to 50 cents a day , and you get additional content wich is worth hundreds of hours on each content update...i dont play the game anymore but the minimal fee they charge is totaly worth it for the entertainment value it provides, im sure it would be thge same with psn

4 up, 0 down

FullmetalX10
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:52:56 AM

I second that!
Sony FTW, don't blame them for the things other people do. It would be like if I steal a game from a store and you would blame the store...

3 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:40:29 PM

Highlander, Amen to that!!!

Overall I've got to say Sony's been great to me. And with only a few rare mis-stepped Sony hiccups over the lifetime of their Playstation branding, it's been 1 hell of an amazing ride.

And I've got already got my future Playstation trip tickets all lined up for whatever destination the mighty "PS Express" want's to haul my butt.....
"ALL ABOARD"

1 up, 0 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:06:34 AM
Reply

RDR looks good for sure. I don't think I'll be finished FFXIII and Just Cause 2 by the time it comes out though.

0 up, 1 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:25:42 AM

with all you can do at that demo, i dont know how the hell i'm going to finish just cause 2 if i bought it. i was planning to get it but i dont want to add to my backlog right now.

0 up, 1 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 8:11:52 AM

I hear you johnld. The demo sold it to me though. One of the first times that's ever happened. It reminded me so much of Mercs2 (which I loved) that I just had to have this one. As unbelievable as it sounds, JC2 is even more bonkers than Mercs2 but with less bugs...

Playing online with friends has taken a lot of my single player time away though so as you say, there's a bit of a backlog now. Guess I'll have to hunker down and get them done.

1 up, 1 down

SPS3
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:07:52 AM
Reply

RDR better rock like a Metalica concert mash-up from hell! Ive been waitin for something from Rockstar that trumps GTA4. Im also anxious for Agent too.
Just finished GOW3 for the 4th time and cant wait to playthrough again. After that I think Im gonna pick up on Heavy Rain. Still havent grabbed that yet.
Hey Ben. Imagine an Uncharted 3 in the middle east and focused on the geography and treasures of Egypt. The desert, sand storms, oasis spots, pyramids, temples, tombs- King Tut, Rameses, & Cleopatras to name a few, militant resistance, booby traps, camels for transport, dodging crocs in the Nile River.................(and the list keep on going!!!) That would very well be the best uncharted concept ever!

5 up, 0 down

Shams
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:13:36 PM

I had an idea for GOWiii, where Kratos could be resurrected, by a secret archeological mission, in the future where mankind is on the brink of enslavement, to fight various warring alien races that posed as mythological deities throughout the history of mankind. He would take time portals back to various times in history, and make the kills, and in exchange, he would be given the ability to save his family, and brother, and to finally right the wrongs of his past.

Strange thing is, except for the time-travel part, a couple of very recent and good games seem to share a couple of similarities in plot to this one.

0 up, 0 down

RebelJD
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:10:20 AM
Reply

The first Red Dead was fun, such an old game they should have came out with a sequel a long time ago.

Uncharted 3 is going to do numbers like God of War III did, if not better. Many gamers who haven't played Uncharted 1 & 2 will be envious by the time Uncharted 3 comes out. Being that Uncharted carries a more likable cast, story, and game play, it definitely has the potential of being the best seller on the PS3. Buyers just need not sleep on it like they did the first two!!!

3 up, 0 down

___________
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:09:25 AM
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i really hope ND are not working on uncharted 3, im just sick of that series ive had enough of it, its time for a change.
the last thing we need is for uncharted to become sonys halo and have it milked to extinction!
hopefully there working on a remake of the crash bandicoot series, if not that a return to the good old jack and daxter.

0 up, 13 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:44:12 AM

Well, since ND doesn't own Crash anymore, I doubt they'll be doing that. Also why is it you just hate everything it seems. I mean obviously this series is going to be 'milked', but the reason it is is because it's a QUALITY game. It's actually worth every game because they get better and better, not just staying the same and keeping the name.

8 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:49:16 AM

Ah yes, the voice of the devil's advocate returns. You's so sick of Uncharted after two games, release about two years apart? Gee, you must be really sick of every shooter out there since they seem to spit out upda...er new versions almost as often as Madden.

6 up, 1 down

Ergi
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:00:04 AM

Sick of uncharted, huh? Enough after two games?
So, sick of MGS? And yet you ask for remakes, so same game re-made? Even so, you'd rather have older series return, and you're not sick of those? I don't understand.

3 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:32:02 AM

@highlander
you gotta remember where this comment comes from. Its the guy that complained about the cover button alot when noone else had any problem at all. I mean, how the hell do you get sick of the uncharted series. they had 2 great games and that is it so far. is there even a franchise that sony milked and released a new one each year?

maybe _____ should just stop rushing through your games and actually take it all in. I'm up for screwing gamestop by buying a used game and finishing it then return to get your money back but some games are keepers and shouldnt be rushed. maybe if you actually took your time then you would get used to the cover button and actually enjoy amazing games.

ohh, and the reason why microsoft milks halo so much is because they dont have anything else other than gears of war and they know that the halotards are going to buy it anyway. Even if they released an expansion pack and call it a full game.

Last edited by johnld on 4/4/2010 3:33:45 AM

5 up, 1 down

___________
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 8:20:18 AM

i heared ND bought back the crash series, it seems a little suspicious to me because vendi who owned the series after ND were putting out a crash game every like 2 years and for a while we havent seen one, crash of the titans was the last one.
so that would explain why its been so long since vendi released one, and it would make perfect sense because it hasnt exactly been selling too well for them so theyd be happy to get rid of it for the right price.

christ i cant say anything without getting my head ripped off can i?
im not going to bother explaining what i meant because as usual it will go through one ear and out the other.
id be more predictive to talk to a brick wall.

0 up, 3 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:37:17 PM

You can say plenty without getting your head ripped off, but come on, you started a comment with the sentence;

"i really hope ND are not working on uncharted 3, im just sick of that series ive had enough of it, its time for a change."

And you are surprised people responded?

BTW you might be more productive talking to a brick wall, personally I doubt you'd be more predictive... ;)

Last edited by Highlander on 4/4/2010 5:37:34 PM

2 up, 0 down

___________
Monday, April 05, 2010 @ 8:09:23 AM

what so im not allowed to be sick of a third person shooter?
come on honestly how many TPS are out there?
i dont know about you, but playing the same style of games for months straight gets boring as bat sh*t to me.
thats why i enjoyed heavy rain so much, because for once in my life i can say hey i havent played this before.
a little variety would be nice, is that so much to ask for?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, April 05, 2010 @ 10:32:11 AM

What? So I can't reply to a comment without someone putting on their victim-hood?

Come on, you and both know that if someone makes a comment, especially one that expresses a view that is not entirely consistent with the prevailing opinion, it will generate replies.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:09:05 AM
Reply

Personal gaming update - nil.

My hdd is corrupt and my PS3 is barfing on attempts to backup. Which is pointing to an extremely tedious hour or so manually copying off the game saves that I can before reformatting the bloody thing.

If this issue returns I'll have to pull the drive and give it a low-level format - I do not look forward to that.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying White Knight, but now I have completed a run through I am trying to get into the whole item synthesis thing and see whether I can level up decently. Time for some online quests in the next or two.

Still waiting for Star Ocean 4 to return. Perhaps when I get it there will be a trailer for Star Ocean 5? It's taking long enough.

Short note to Sony. Please, please, please improve the ability to backup your game saves. I would pay $10 a year just to be able to push backup copies of my game saves to the PSN servers so that if my PS3's HDD fails, I don't have to mess around trying to manually copy them one bloody file at a time. Oh, and P.S. include the PS1/PS2 memory cards in that as well, it's even worse for those.

4 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:40:27 AM

i usually copy my gamesaves after each play session. since i only play one game at a time, it doesnt get tedious. The only times i do a backup is when the damn file is copy protected. but even then thats a problem. I had my ps3 broke and they sent me a refurb ps3. then it turns out, copy protected data doesnt transfer to a new system even when its from the ps3 backup. I was 1 trophy from platinum on killzone 2 before it broke. the crappiest part of all was that i already got the trophy (beat killzone 2 on elite) but the ps3 broke before i could sync it. so when they give me my new ps3, i had to beat it once to unlock elite, then beat elite again. i hate copy protected files. cant they just tie those to psn ids? the next time i do a backup is after i platinum heavy rain. and with all the stuff on my ps3, its gonna take forever to back it up.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:49:06 AM

Yeah, they can tie them to PSN IDs, but some publishers persist in tying them to both the PSN ID and the specific PS3 - which is pointless and very, very, VERY annoying.

Oops, sorry, I think some of my inner-dialog slipped out there...

3 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:24:47 AM

18 hours!? My PS3 thinks it will take 18 hours to reformat the HDD. 18 hours.

I sincerely hope it's a LOW level format.

See y'all next week, when it finishes.

2 up, 0 down

FullmetalX10
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:58:42 AM

Poor Highlander, I hope it will work out somehow dude.

1 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:36:24 AM

If the HD is dying, formatting won't help, will it?

And I agree. Tying the saves to the unit sucks. I lost MANY hours of game time when my old system YLoD'd. I thought I was being smart by removing my hard drive before shipping it out. I am way past due for a back-up, though.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:42:25 PM

The drive needs a low level format, at some point we had a power cut that resulted in some corruption to the HDD, it's only now that the corruption is becoming evident, and since it's surviving between attempts to restore the file system, it's clear that it requires a format.

A regular reformatting wouldn't do very much, but the full format should update the bad sectors table on the drive. Short of a physical defect with the drive, a full format should successfully resolve any issues. If this was a PC I would low level format the drive before doing the NTFS format. With it taking 18+ hours for the format, It has to be performing either be a low level format, or something very similar, because it doesn't take 18 hours to do a regular reformat of a 320GB drive.

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:08:45 PM

the max data i had on my drive was around 200gb but it took around 4-5 hours. but 18 hours is just crazy. although i had my ps3 on for that long, but when youre just waiting for a back up, all i see is 18 hours for something to go wrong. hell, thats what i think when i was waiting for my system to back up for 4 hours. i just kept wishing the power wont go out for some reason. the thing i dont like about the back up method for the ps3 is that the previous backup doesnt get erased after the new one. it means i have to remove it manually which may result in my external drive not having enough space. I feel uneasy about deleting my previous backup before i make up a new one.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 9:51:09 PM

Sorry, I wasn't clear John, the backup took 2 hours before failing (again) so I manually pulled my game saves off the system (those that I could) and started the reformatting. It's the reformatting of the drive itself that is taking 18 hours.

I chose to do a full format, because the quick format doesn't do much to the drive. The quick format doesn't rewrite everything on the disc, so it won't overwrite data corruption, nor will it detect bad sectors. Full Format does more, I'm not 100% sure exactly what it does, but at 18 hours to reformat a 320GB drive, I'd have to say it's taking as long as a really low level format would.

As far as the backup is concerned, it failed three times, no explanation why, just that it failed. This is an area that Sony needs to improve upon. I would like there to be a way to create just a game save backup. It would e great if you could create a small, quick backup of the game saves all at once, after all, everything else can be copied off or re-downloaded. Just a small encrypted data file with all PS3, PS2 and PS1 game saves from the system. I've lost game saves thanks to not being able to backup the drive.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, April 05, 2010 @ 3:06:14 AM

Well, I have a PS3 again. Now all I have to do is let it spend the next 48 hours downloading all the stuff I used to have. Once this beastie is completed, I will be backing it up again, I'd rather restore to this point next time than have to go through this crap again.

I must have 75GB of downloads scheduled and that's only about half of the stuff. When you look at your transaction and download history, it's actually quite a surprise just how much you've bought, and that doesn't include all the 'stuff' in Home.

No wonder PSN is free, why charge for something that makes so much money?

Last edited by Highlander on 4/5/2010 3:06:32 AM

0 up, 0 down

frylock25
Monday, April 05, 2010 @ 4:04:33 AM

highlander im sorry to hear of your recent trouble with your ps3. its sad when a hard drive fails. i pray i dont have to end up doin all that. makes me want to go out and get a hdd just to back my stuff up. were a lot of your game saves locked to your system? did you lose a lot of your saves?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, April 05, 2010 @ 10:38:03 AM

I was fortunate, I only lost saves to a couple of games, but it's the principle of the thing. Why bother linking to both the PSN-ID and specific PS3? It's not like you can sign on on multiple PS3s simultaneously without PSN kicking you off one of the systems. So there is no threat of cheating online if the file is only secured to the PSN_ID. It's just poor that some developers decide to lock things down that far.

The worst aspect is that there were images on the HDD that I forgot to move, and they're lost, most of the images I already had elsewhere, but not all of them.

As for the games... It'll take weeks to completely restore all the games to their most up to date versions as well. Some games - Pain and Hot Shots Golf - have painful update processes that seem to take *forever* to run.

0 up, 0 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:13:59 AM
Reply

Oh, how we all anticipate ND's beautiful Uncharted series... It will be a first day buy for me, no doubt. I remember when no one had ever heard of Uncharted and I was introduced to it from my friends. I played, I liked, I wondered... Where is all the papparazzi for this game?? With all the praise that people give this series, why does it seem like so little and seem that it's hardly enough?
Either that or... I just don't get out much. It was to be believed that GoWIII sold more than UC2 in a shorter period. I can understand, seeing as GoWIII looks entirely amazing (Haven't played it yet D:), but Uncharted 2 had a certain grace and style. It was equally amazing in graphics and storyline. Seeing as I heard the storyline isn't all that big or astonishing in GoWIII, that is something that Uncharted 2 has beaten.
Since ND seems to get things done pretty fast with one hell of amazing results in detail and such, I expect this title to be out before 2012. And, I'm also expecting UC3 to be exclusive. ND wouldn't go awol on us to multiplat. They're too loyal to their own fans just as we are to them. There's that one awesome developer that just blows our minds away every generation. For mostly every generation, it's been Naughty Dog.

At least, for me it is that way. Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and now, Uncharted. Can I hear a whoot whoot?? :]

Last edited by Gamer Girl Gemo on 4/4/2010 3:16:22 AM

7 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:27:24 AM

Naughty Dog can't go A.W.O.L, they are a Sony first party developer. They're owned by Sony, so there's no chance in heck of them defecting.

Incidentally for those wondering about Crash Bandicoot, the character and games are owned by Activision (thru Universal). Naughty Dog is unlikely to be working on another Crash game, though they do have a platform game IP of their own (from their PS2 days) to work with if they so choose.

4 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:20:58 PM

really? I thought ND was second party?

0 up, 0 down

frylock25
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:31:28 PM

i thought that ND was second party also. thats what i remember hearing at least.

after some looking on the internet i find that ND is first party. ND was founded in 1986 and aquired by sony in 2001. they were orininally called "jam software" but renamed themselves in 1989 to Naughty Dog.

i also didnt know this til looking but ND released a game called "rings of power" for the genesis back in 91.

they also did "way of the warrior" for the 3DO in 94 before they went to only sony consoles. other than that they did a few games for appleII.

Last edited by frylock25 on 4/4/2010 2:47:24 PM

0 up, 0 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:03:26 PM

Nope, they are indeed a Sony Subsidiary, haha

0 up, 0 down

Ergi
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:36:28 AM
Reply

Maybe offline coop for next uncharted? Or would graphics suffer too much? I think i remember ND saying something like that. Not that uncharted needs it, but might be nice.

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:43:47 AM

it would've suffered for uncharted 2. but for uncharted 3, who knows. they were working on using the full power of the ps3 with uncharted 2 but theres still room for optimization. they probably can even beat down uncharted 2s graphics when they release uncharted 3. if its naughty dog, i have faith.

1 up, 0 down

Ergi
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:51:10 AM

I guess it's wait and at that point experience the awesomeness all over again. UC2 was such a complete game, the only thing i hope they tweak just a bit is the hand to hand combat. UC3 truly is the most anticipated everything, now that GOW3 is out.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:44:07 PM

The graphics would likely suffer as the game would have to track and render two scenes at a time.

1 up, 0 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 4:00:49 AM
Reply

@TheHighlander

I can understand a no-go on the Crash remakes. For one, whoever they sold it to (Not sure on that one...) really messed up crash and I'm sure that ND would never have had that in mind for him. I stopped playing the new crash games after Crash Bash. It was an alright game, but it didn't seem to have that same bit of spark it used to... Also, I don't think ND is the kind of developers who look back after coming so far. Yeah, they appreciate the games that got them to where they are now, but I don't think they really come back to them.
And thanks for the confirming on ND staying true to Sony. That calms my nerves quite a bit.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:46:28 PM

ND originally were an independent and Universal studios owned Crash Bandicoot. ND became part of Sony and Universal was bought by Activision, so the rights to Crash went with Universal to Activision. However the Crash games that have been done without Naughty Dog have been dogs, they haven't succeeded which just tells you that the developer was what made the game a success, not just the concept. As fun as Crash and friends were, without the Naught Dog touch, they failed to spark.

1 up, 0 down

main_event05
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 4:19:58 AM
Reply

No Complaints this week. everything is all good. welcome back LWolf.

2 up, 0 down

Zorigo
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 4:44:24 AM
Reply

Acutally Ben, i can beast your anticipation, the day i finished uncharted, which was welll before uncharted 2 was even a rumour, i wanted it. i didn't know if it would defo be made, but i wanted it.
but yes, uncharted3............ WOOWXZ

0 up, 0 down

FullmetalX10
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 6:06:55 AM
Reply

I'm psyched for RDR and hope it doesn't fail...

Nice Uncharted headline :D (I don't really know what to call that, like not a headline, but a title in between paragraphs of text, ah you know what I mean)
Yeah that will definitely be a day-one purchase, I mean, a day-one special edition(uber special edition?) purchase.

I'm still playing through Titan mode @ GoWIII, passed the scorpion and that tedious battle after you beat the scorpion... now 8 hours in.

0 up, 0 down

JackC8
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 7:43:46 AM
Reply

I'm looking forward to Red Dead Redemption as well. I've never played a western style game before, so that will be great. Man, when I get some money, I'm going to be completely buried in awesome games!

I'm still on Need for Speed Shift. Two more trophies then I get my platinum. Getting a bit tired of the whole thing at this point lol. Started playing Destroy all Humans on the PS2, and I actually fell asleep during the gameplay. It is, shall we say, a tad repetitive.

0 up, 0 down

www
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 8:42:39 AM
Reply

I highly DOUBT Red Dead Redemption will flop.

Of course who doesn't want Uncharted 3, what....you!?....gtfoh!

Well am still playing Tekken 6 and a bit of Fifa 10, looking to start NFS Shift on 360 maybe. I want to get GOWIII, FFXIII, Heavy Rain, 2010 Fifa World Cup, GTA Episodes all in just one fat bulk purchase hopefully by this month ending.

2 up, 0 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:05:01 PM

Pulling out a wad of cash and dropping it on gaming goodness... ahhh... there's nothing like it in the world.

2 up, 1 down

www
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:10:06 PM

You know it....

0 up, 0 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 3:50:12 PM

Can you grab me Bad Company 2 while you're out?

It's the only one missing for me at the moment.

1 up, 0 down

www
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:12:54 PM

Lol I'm missing that one too, its best you miss out too, till it's cheaper ;)

0 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 8:45:39 AM
Reply

Yeah, I'm cheap, but I'll pay if they can make it worth it to me. I just don't play online enough to justify them needing to charge me. That's why I can't wait to see what the premium offering is going to be.

And I'm hoping ND doesn't rush the next Uncharted. I've got a lot of faith in that team, though.

1 up, 0 down

Snicket
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 11:41:24 AM
Reply

Nice try to downplay the April fools joke you posted as "news". Dont act like you knew it was a joke all along. This means you have posted "news" twice now that was only a joke, the PSN charge and the GOW 3 multiplayer DLC, but perhaps you did not notice the "piano hero" ad right above the pic of Kratos fighting Zeus, you may want to start reading into things before you post it as "news".

1 up, 6 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 8:10:55 PM

And perhaps you didn't notice that in both news articles, it was very freakin' clear that we weren't commenting on fact. The word "Rumor" was even in the headline for the GoW story and a big ol' question mark was included in the headline for the PSN story.

YOU might want to consider actually reading. You know. Just a thought.

5 up, 0 down

Snicket
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 10:51:00 PM

I went to check out that article about GOW 3 and I also saw that the FF 7 content shipping with Nier was also an April fools joke...

:-/

0 up, 1 down

BeezleDrop
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:09:17 PM
Reply

How could RDR flop? Considering the grueling amount of time spent on it, and it is being Developed my Rockstar, if I have to admit something about them, it is that they make quality games. I wasn't crazy about GTAIV but the previous ones I spent many hours of enjoyment with. Are people still going on about this April fools rubbish? Crazy uptight kids.

So I just checked out this MGS Peace Walker Bundle with a Camo PSP-3000 in Japan, and it looks B A! I have been wanting a PSP, and Peace Walker actually looks awesome.

0 up, 0 down

frylock25
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:30:40 PM

it could flop by the public just not accepting it. while i dont think it will. sometimes some great games just go unnoticed.

0 up, 0 down

BeezleDrop
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 12:55:24 PM
Reply

That would be completely understandable, even more so if the game won't be released next to any other "Block Busters". I really believe this will be the Defining Western TPS HD Experience people have been waiting for. Also frylock, nice Avatar. I am from KC MO. I am to assume you might be as well.

1 up, 0 down

frylock25
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 2:27:24 PM

na man im from just north of chicago. huge fan of tech though. love the music. i wouldnt mind going down there or moving to a warmer climate. kind of sick of the cold weather i have around here. i have been to a few of tech n9ne's shows and they rock. even got that special preorder of killa where he signed it.

0 up, 0 down

Shams
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 1:28:40 PM
Reply

Uncharted 1 was awesome, Uncharted was even better, and I am definitely looking forward to the 3rd. Though, I was never in to westerns, too, I'm also looking forward to RDR, just because it's by the same guys who made GTA4, and I'm not expecting less from this one.

I just finished Mass Effect 2 (put close to 40hrs in it), and I am so impressed by it, that I'm going to play the first one, at some point. It's actually the first game that's made me really happy to have a 360 for. So, between Uncharted 3, InFamous 2, Mass Effect 3, GT5, and hopefully Resistance 3, and Killzone 3, I must say, this generation still has plenty of steam for me.

1 up, 0 down

slimey
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 4:28:02 PM
Reply

turn based gaming can't die
It just needs a proper next gen Dragon Quest to put things right!

having finished Final Fantasy XIII, I was at a bit of a loss gaming wise - GOW doesn't float my boat - so I'm having another play through FFXII. An absolute top notch game

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:48:34 PM

One terrible game can't kill a genre, if it could, what game genre would be left alive today?

1 up, 0 down

FM23
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 5:54:59 PM
Reply

This is an subject opinion and I am not trying to bash your preference Ben. I hope RDR doesn't play like ACII because that game, too me, has boring combat, subjective replay value, the world is far releastic (interaction-wise, not graphic-wise), broken stealth mechanics, and clumsy A.I. I liked ACII, but I dont care to play another game just like it unless it is ACIII. Now if RDR plays like GTA IV, wiith a Fallout 3 interactive world, then that would be a classic. Ben come on, most games do the same things, that doesn't mean the play the same at all. Killzone 2 is a shooter with a multiplayer, but its not Halo. Red Faction Guerilla is an open world mission based game, but its not GTAIV. Uncharted 2 has platforming, but it not Prince of Persia. I just don't agree with that comparison, more or less because I don't want RDR to play like ACII. I know you are just comparing similiar characteristics, but I don't want to end result to be ACII in the west.

0 up, 0 down

THEGODSLAYER
Sunday, April 04, 2010 @ 6:06:32 PM
Reply

i have high hopes for RDR

0 up, 0 down

slimey
Monday, April 05, 2010 @ 3:43:40 AM
Reply

it does seem that it is handheld rather than home console gaming that is the home nowadays for turn based gaming, with all the reissued classic rpg's on the PSP and DS.

0 up, 0 down

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