Little big planet was a very good game. I bought it, dabbled around in the idea of content creation and then when it got stale, gave it away. Perhaps my slightly above average gaming age doesn't allow me to have that much attention span to carry on creating stuff with all the marvellous tools available.
That is probably why modnation racer did not appeal to me at first. Despite the rave reviews by a lot of the websites out there, I was a little sceptical. So I took my time, and borrowed a copy of a friend to see if its a good game or not. A week later, I bought a copy.
It's a cute game and it IS LBP in a race car. It allows for almost limitless content creation projects from something as small as modding a driver, to the kart and eventually the tracks. But what makes it amazing and for me edge it over LBP is the competitive nature of the game. When in LBP it is more of a co-operative multiplayer, MNR is all out battle on tarmac. Trying to beat other races online on the stock tracks or avoiding traps clearly designed to give the creator an advantage are both equally stimulating and fun. I have to also say that despite the simplistic nature of the game-play itself, this is probably a more complex kart-racer compared to its predecessors like Mario-cart and that awful Sonic game. The fact that you can gain loads of experience points by blasting your oponents every chance you get is exhilirating. Even if you don't get first place, it doesn't matter that much. Style and aggression is valued almost as important as actually winning.
This is a great little game with miles of legs ahead. I might even consider keeping it as a permanent collection.
I finally managed to get a copy of FIFA World Cup South Africa and what a wait it had been. A lot of stores around the Klang Valley have increased the retail price of this game unexpectantly, considering that (according to some sources) that our retailers are now getting these games directly from the publishers. This basically means that we should expect to get certain PS3 games at cheaper prices. I give you an example, One very reputable (to some) dealer in a certain cinema based mall in Kota Damansara was charging a hefty RM189 for FIFA WC. Its neighbor is charging a lot less, but not cheap, at RM159. While all this is happening, PS3 game buyers in Malaysia have come across something exciting. Games Deliveries. It's like Pizza Hut but with Playstation games. A combination of two great things in life. But this formula is not entirely proven yet. Once I can ascertain the true value of this up and coming service, I will write about it.
Now, let's get into the game. I have to be honest, I am quite on the fence about this game. Despite the fanfare and the sleek design of the menus, there are a lot of noticeable components that are missing. The virtual PRO component has been replaced by "Captain Your Country" which chronicles your rise as a fringe national player up till you become the National Captain. This is a great addition except for the fact that you no longer have the download the game face addition. You supposedly can download it once you created a player, but evertime I tried the game kept telling me that I have no save data. Odd. There are a lot of other things that don't work well too. There is a slight bug in editing your CYC squad in the My FIFA WC sub menu. It says you can't edit until you have created a player. But I HAVE!!! wtf!? Maybe I'm not doing it right or there must be an issue somewhere. Nevertheless, I could hardly remember when making things work in FIFA games is so frustratingly hard.
Many buyers of the game look forward to getting into the game straight away especially online. I don't doubt this is a great game to play online. That is probably my biggest liking about this game. I had a torrid time getting FIFA 10 to run smoothly on the PSN. FIFA WC seems to be much more forgiving and less laggy. I do still get the old "stat report failed" error at the end of a game, which was never an issue in FIFA 09.
Gameplay wise, this game is fantastic. There's a new camera angle for co-op team play and Captain your Country which allows for a bigger field of vision of the pitch. If you have a 32" screen like me though (with bad eyes) you would still want to stick with the normal 'tele' camera angle. Oh, I can hear thunder. It's going to rain soon... Thank god my house is 5 minutes from work :D. Ok, back to the game. The controls are sharper and your players seem to be more skilful at controlling the ball. As with every new version of a football franchise, defending becomes harder to do and requires a little more thought and tactical planning. I can't really say if the FK bug has been fixed, because I haven't had people belting in FKs with 100% accuracy. I have always been rubbish at FKs so I can't really tell.
Well, I'll update this article with a full review soon. Especially after I've had more time with the game. But for now, I got a feeling that it is going to be a good good summer.
Lately, I've been a little frustrated with video games not having enough of a satisfactory ending to warrant a job well done for finishing the game. Look at GOW3 for example. No real conclusion to the tale and instead of answering important questions, more questions arose. It is probably just a way for video game studios to make more money by allowing a premise for a potential sequel; despite it being the final chapter of bla bla bla..
Let's have look at Heavy Rain. This is a game that is designed to be narrative based and a strong plot is crucial to the success of this game. The gameplay is quite new to me and I approached it with much skepticism. The first 20 minutes or so were quite dull to be honest and I suppose it was designed to ensure that the gamer is completely familiar with the games' mechanics. As the story progressed, it became harder and harder to put down. Each 'episodes' in the game peels away layers in the story and also allow the player to bond closer to each of the four characters. I have to admit, for the first time, I was not annoyed by any one of them! Usually a troupe o characters would include one or two annoying ones that just really get on your nerves. But even Madison grew on me eventually; and I know what you're thinking; its not ONLY because of the shower scene.
I realized that you're not really playing this game. You're simply moving the narrative along. The game is so forgiving at times and allows you quite a fair amount of time to do mundane tasks, while at the same time drives you into panic mode in chase or escape scenes. Playing Norman Jaden is probably the closest you'll get to actually experiencing a video game feel in the entire game; with his hi-tech sunglasses and virtual investigation rooms.
But what I like about this game is how it ends. If you play it right, all the loose ends will eventually connect themselves and gave way to a satisfying ending. I may not be able to comment on the possibility of a bad ending; but I am sure it would just encourage players to replay the game until a satisfactory one occurs. A lot of games like GOW3 focuses too much on how a game starts - the big boss fights 5 minutes into the game, the grand scale of it all, etc., yet fail to end it well. I think a lot of developers should look at quanticdreams and say to themselves; maybe they should not build the expectation too high in the beginning, only to let everyone down in the end.
I did a game exchange yesterday with a fine fellow called Peter. I gave away an excellent copy of Battlefield Bad Company 2 and in exchange I got Heavy Rain, the dramatic thriller by Quantic Dream. I was really excited to play this game since it was released a few months ago, but it was quick off the shelf and other blockbuster games were also on offer. I decided to let it slide first until an opportunity such as this one comes along. Seriously though, trading is absolutely excellent! I have only played about 4-5 hours worth so far (since I am quite addicted to this other game namely Fottball Manager - which I can't put down) and I have to say that I am very impressed.
This is a big thing to say as my previous game had been God of War 3, a very good game. Choosing a game to play immediately after such a great title is hard as you might have very high expectations which would never be met. I won't give away spoilers as I myself have not finished the game. I probably need to go through a few more hours to really get the hang of this game. My first impression was how good it looks. The game truly takes advantage of the PS3 hardware and yet again proves that Playstation exclusives are always great buys. Look at GOW3 and Uncharted 2 for example. Great graphics. You are treated to loading screens which reminded me much of the Metal Gear Solid ones with closeups of Snake's face while he's having a cigarette. This time, however, you are treated to a beautifully rendered face of the character you are about to play in glorious HD!
I think the biggest achievement this game has done is blurring the ever nearing gap of cinema and video games. This game reminds me a lot of those old RPG games like Larry Suite and Treasure Island, but it is so much more than that. At times, it doesn't feel like a game; and yet, it doesn't feel like an FMV either? Let's take the Metal Gear Solid games for example. The games take advantage of well-directed cut scenes by Kojima. However, they were mere cut-scenes. There is no interaction as you sit idly as a passive watcher. God of War and Uncharted are similar in some ways too. Heavy Rain, however, is basically (as of now) a playable FMV. The 'world' is limited to that particular scene and your decisions will eventually affect the outcome of the movie. There is no telling how the scene would end. I'll give you an example; in one scene, you play an old P.I. who is trying to weasel out some information from a prostitute. I chose a few commands and I suppose I failed to get anything out of her. As I walked out, a client of her started to cause problems and voila! who's your knight in shining armour baby! I didn't get anything out of her still, but I feel that somehow karma will reward me later in the game.
Well, so far Heavy Rain is quite impressive. It is slow, and your gameplay is limited to scenes from the overall 'movie'. But the narrative and plot is very strong and every single thing you do in the movie seems to have a foreboding purpose to it. I can't wait to rush back home to continue the story. will write more soon!
Adios amigos!
This is a great little game with miles of legs ahead. I might even consider keeping it as a permanent collection.
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