New PS3! Checkout the Crystal White PS3.

New PS3 to replace my old, broken 40GB

So, as some of you may know, from an earlier posting, my old 40GB PS3 is dead. It was a great five year run. I will remember the great games it afforded me the pleasure of enjoying. But, yesterday I acquired a brand new crystal white PS3, though, as someone pointed out to me, I'm not sure why it's called "crystal"white? Any ways, I just wanted to show off some picks, is all. Hope you enjoy. The only problems I have had, thus far, are with the fact that I will not be able to recover any of my save files and that I have to re-download what I did have on my console that malfunctioned. It is a huge bummer. Sucking the life right out of me. But, I look at it from the perspective that now I will have a motivation to replay some of my more "classic"games.

 This particular Bundle comes packaged with a 1 year subscription to PlayStation Plus. So, I can now cloud save my save games in the future. The instant game collection as advertised on the front slips and facade of the packaging, has seen some alteration, the games on offer have been switched out on the PSN store. Though, this doesn't mean that you won't get any instant games in your collection. Battlefield 3 and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD are currently available among other titles, such as Saints Row The Third.

So, My PS3 Is Broken: Red Ligths Are a Flashing

Goodbye, for now. 

 

My long time ( 40GB model) PS3

 I turned on my long-time "partner", in my 40GB PS3, and tonight it just could not go on. I am a bit sad, if not for the more than five year investment in the machine, then for the countless pieces of add-ons and games that I compiled. Now, I can totally understand those saying big deal, but I have a lot to re-download and a lot of memories to reminisce on. Right now, honestly, I don't even feel like getting another PS3, five years is a long time to build an irrational sense of attachment to the center of your hobby, I know. My PS3 has weathered the hottest temperatures in the most scorching summers. Taken on and beat the coldest winter storms. Been there to comfort and care for my sanity and boredom. It was one of the first expenditures to which I committed funds from my part-time job when I was in high-school. Lets see where this goes as I am currently trying to resuscitate my old PS3, but after trying several times...it appears that it has officially checked out. Alas, it was a great run. Filled with the experiences of God of War 3, Uncharted 2, Grand Theft Auto 4, Red Dead Redemption, Overlord 1-2, XCOM, Borderlands, Infamous1-2, Madden and Fifa, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Oblivion, Skyrim, Demons Souls, BioShock 1-2, Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear Solid 4, Journey (every-single one), and more. 

Borderlands 2 Review

The Cats out of the Bag and the Color is out of this World!

Time to find out whether or not Gearbox studios latest entry in the Borderlands series is a yea or nay.

The rich bounty of colors and assignments

The original Borderlands was quite the co-operative first-person shooter. Though I will say that the color palette was most unappealing. The dull browns of varying shades, ran rampant and unselfconsciously about the wastes of the games setting Pandora. Even before there was any widespread retrospective analysis, one could not argue that Borderlands was the most ambitiously colorful game out there. But, with a couple of years and some fan/critic feedback Gearbox has delivered a visual feast, in Borderlands 2. The graphics--on the PS3--may not be the most technically impressive, but they make up for this with a much wider use of warm and cool colors, creating a fun, refreshing, atmospheric hue that renounces the--not totally unwanted--trend of grit and realism. There is, to go hand in hand with a larger swath of color, a larger selection of environments for players to loot and pillage in. There is a wildlife reserve, comprised of rolling green plains and pasture; there is now frozen tundra, comprising of, well, frozen soil and in some sections alpine areas, or in others frozen plains covered in snow and tree-less, ice capped hills;  then there are the caustic caverns, secret industrial sewer hideouts/fortresses, among other places. All-in-all, I would say that the variety of places the player will get to experience is a marked improvement over the games predecessor.   

 *Yes, there are still desert dunes and dusty plains as well*

Mission structure within Borderlands 2 is present, I guess. The management of the many, many, many missions of which one will acquire over the course of the game is much better than in the first game. The mission management menu can get very cluttered, but it still offers the options to tailor your focus to the task at hand. Though I would say that Gearbox should streamline the mission selection/menus more efficiently in the future. There are a lot of missions; from pizza delivery, to assassination, to mail delivery, to the re- naming of informal creatures. There is a lot to do in the game. The missions are divided between side-missions and main quests. Side missions are completely optional, though if you do intend to play solo then they are mostly recommended, as the game can get challenging without active leveling. The multilayer experience is, in my opinion, one of the very essential pillars of the borderlands experience.  Meaning that the amount of co-op play that you will take-part in, will determine the level of enjoyment you will experience. I love single-player experiences--Skyrim, anyone?--; the problem is that the level of interaction within the open stages of Borderlands 2 is wholesomely lacking and basic. This is not to say that one does not enjoy frolicking through the many wastes of the game, and shooting the commendable number of creature species and re-skinned bandits in the face, but it can get very repetitive, and it happens a lot quicker than in a game designed to be a second world, of sorts, to explore.

Why I Am Excited About Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

Will you be setting sail this fall or has the Creed worn thin with this one.

 

Assassin's Creed 4 is the sixth game in the main series, if you only include its console releases. As such one would be forgiven for feeling fatigue setting in, especially since the series has shifted to a yearly release schedule. Though I hear the dissension and I can completely understand it, but I must disagree with those who are down on this particular release in the series. Why, you may ask, do I care about a franchise that seemingly has lost its way in more ways than one? Well, the sea you see, Is the reason.

Set sail with the Jackdaw 

I do still have my doubts, after all. When AC4 was first announced earlier this year, I was just as pessimistic as some of the detractors I have seen and heard from. I told myself that I had no intention of even listening to any AC4 news. But, here we are, only a few months later, and I can now say--after listening to a lot of the news that has been revealed-- that I am hopeful this entry in the series will live up to the potential espoused by the solid, personal favorite of mine, Assassin's Creed 2. Assassin's Creed 2 is, in my opinion, exemplary of the franchises capabilities; from its rich, expansive Italy, to its much improved variety over AC1, AC2 combines the open-ended structure of AC1 with an expansive narrative and a variety of gameplay. With AC2 in mind, what can we gauge from what little we know about AC4? The Jackdaw, which looks to be a symbol of freedom, liberation and a much welcomed return to Assassin's Creed 1 levels of open-ended gameplay. Running off of the ground-work, laid down in last years AC3, the open sea Caribbean expanse of AC4, looks to catalyze a, somewhat lost, sense of adventure. The heavily praised naval missions of Assassin's Creed 3 are proof that life on the Jackdaw will rouse the most cranky of fans, as the open sea is rife with mystery and adventure.

Far Cry 3, Mass Effect and the Importance of Character

 Characters In games, what makes us care?

Mass Effect 2 (EA) and Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

Necessary for what, one might ask? Well, for things such as an engaging narrative or the obvious creation of likable characters. Is Nathan Drake, from the Uncharted series of games, a character one roots for because of an earnest empathy or care for his well being? or is he merely likable because of the supposedly everyman player-self-identifiable character design of which he sports? I think we all claim to like characters for the layered, multi-self persona that they sport in games, but is that necessarily what may make me care about my Mass Effect series Commander Shepard, I'm not so sure. In the case of Mass Effect, Commander Shepard can be, at times, schizophrenic; in as far as coming off ultra-paranoid( and strange), to the point of appearing--more accurately sounding--as if Shepard has lost touch with the realities of his/her situation.

For a rough example: the player could possibly choose to utilize the dialogue tree, and with certain choices, portray a Shepard of a calm even keel and reasonable persona. But if that same player deviates from the path of sainthood--in Mass Effects case: Paragon choices--then they show a complete shift in personality, with too great a change in self to be regard as a mere natural shift in either status earned or the role played, by  Shepard in the society of the game. Thus the dichotomy of Paragon and Renegade meters( which simultaneously represent,respectively, "Good morality and Bad morality") creates a dysfunctional, in-coherent split personality character that nonetheless is still beloved by many. Some players have a very engaged relationship with there Commander Shepard, but how is this explained? It is simply a matter of taking the RPG (role playing game) element to its most stripped, simplistic and acrimonious resolution ; namely disregarding modern and classic notions of role-playing. Choosing instead--with complete inhibition and contempt for other standards--to focus on the merging of the player and their avatar/interface to the narrative. Thus, creating an experience where, regardless of the dissociative dialogue trees and choices, it is the player who feels empowered by the dearth of predefined choice sequences and the bevy of-- ambiguous/hidden--predetermined outcomes. The player, thus, gives up some, or all, of the cynicism associated with outside perspectives and inferences that would--in normality--serve to distance the gamer ,farther and farther away, from the heart and mind of the creative works at hand.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Review

A host of classic's that truly scratch that stealth itch.

The Metal Gear Solid series is vaunted by many as one of gaming's premier stealth franchises. This, I can say with gusto, assuredly is so. The solid stealth series is nothing short of compelling. While the writing and overall story maybe a bit hard to follow, the games--Including Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and Peace Walker--are stellar exemplars of high production values, sublime art direction and genre defining stealth-puzzle action.

I have to say, I was not always a fan of the Metal Gear Solid series. But back in 2010--yes, I know, it took me a while--when I finally gave in and picked up MGS1, my dearth of fandom became a wealth of appreciation for a series I had, up to that point, overlooked. With that said, let's take a look at Metal Gear Solid 2. I'm sure that by now most fans of the series have either reconciled with Mr. Kojima (the director/lead designer of the series) or have chocked up his part in pulling the wool over fans eyes-- by performing a swictheroo with series protagonist, Solid Snake--as a major character flaw, represented by his need to troll.  For the uninitiated in Metal Gear Solid 2 the player is introduced to Raiden as the new main protagonist and player character. The problem came with the pre-release promotions hinting at a continued experience with long time Metal Gear protagonist Solid Snake; then not delivering on said, unsaid, implied main character. I don't have an issue with this character change, at least not on any fundamental level--the game is still enjoyable. Raiden is a less rugged and more beau kind of guy, in comparison to Solid Snake (Snake), who is more the rough and tumble, heavily-experienced veteran. Raiden can at times grate ones nerves, as he can get a bit whiny.

MGS2 starts with the player, as Snake, infiltrating a tanker and unraveling the plot of a new metal gear. With metal gears being one of the main ties between the different titles in the series. Snake then gets a bit in over his head (or so it seems) with the arrival of Liquid Ocelot.The game then fast forwards to the plant chapter, in which we are presented with the switch to--then--new series protagonist Raiden. We must, as Raiden, infiltrate the plant and rescue a V.I.P and put a stop to a terrorist group that is at the root of the plant take-over and kidnapping. What ensues is a series of twists and turns, double-crossings and triple-crossings that wind into one of the most aware and socially conscious endings I have experienced in my gaming life. Besides being hard to follow, at times, the plot is telling and  trys very hard not to unravel its hand too early, as some may need multiple playthroughs to find a level of coherence that reveals an ambitious plot willing to take on unbelievable risks.

To Next Gen or Not to Next Gen?

PS4 VS. XBOX ONE, and All-Things-Future-Gen VS. Present: Part One

  

The next generation of gaming consoles are upon us. Do you have one reserved or are you pinning one to your wishlist for the future? Me, well I don't even think I'm ready for the next gen push. I have been enjoying this generation, and I do believe we have become jaded by the products of modern developmental cycles, to which there is a constant flow of big budget and small budget gems. As much as we(gamers), as fans of certain genres or franchises, love to think how crappy or inconsiderate developers are, we are, in fact, beneficiary's of a gaming revolution. To some extent we are at a point where it hasn't been better, at least in terms of  game production and skill in the designing phase.But the large budgets have caused the narrowing resolve of publishers to become pencil like. Though, I will argue that because of its relative youth, locked away potential and continuing growth the game's industry is still malleable, and, thus, we can hope, with the dawning of the next generation of consoles, to see fresh ideas. But that can wait. I have GTAV to play. Besides, the wealth of experience of the current gen(PS3 and Xbox360) developers will provide evidence of the kind of relative future performance of the next gen consoles.