Archive for the ‘ps3’ Category

Popular Video Games that Make Great Christmas Gifts

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

If know someone who loves to play video games, why not make their wish come true and get them one of the most popular video games available right now? There are plenty of video game options depending on what type of games they like to play. If you are unsure of what games they enjoy playing, then check out the most popular video games right now to give you an idea for Christmas gifts.

Starcraft II

Starcraft II is the long awaited sequel to the original video game that took over 10 years to be released. This video game is played right on the computer and no game system is needed for it. The game is set years into the future and deals with different races fighting against each other for control of the universe. Anyone who liked playing the original Starcraft will love the sequel and all the updated features.

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor was recently released for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It follows the Elite Special Forces as the set out in the rugged lands of Afghanistan. This game is for anyone who is fan of shooting games or military games and is expected to be a huge hit during Christmas. Video game fans will love taking on this action role as they fight the bad guys and defend the United States.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

This is another video game that is available on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PCs.  It will be released just in time for Christmas shopping this year and has a lot of video game enthusiasts excited. Call of Duty: Black Ops is similar to Medal of Honor as they are both first person shooter games but this game takes place during the Cold War. Additional features have been added to this game from the other Call of Duty games that are expected to heighten the player’s experience while playing the game. If you know someone who has enjoyed the six other Call of Duty games, they will absolutely love this game for Christmas.

Video games always make for fun gifts especially when they can be played with family and friends. If you know one of your friends or family members loves to play video games, then consider one these popular games to make their Christmas a little bit more special this year.

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Backbreaker

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

American football is one of those sports that you either understand or you don’t. The principle is fairly simple; it’s like rugby, but you can pass forward and a defender’s objective is to tackle his opponent as hard as possible.

505 Games’ recently released Backbreaker takes the relative pain out of the sport, in the process making it easier to understand. After firing up the game, it is advised to run through the short tutorial. Well, it isn’t exactly short, but it concisely explains the basic moves in tackling, running, passing and evading a marauding band of puffed up athletes. The game isn’t licensed by any NFL teams (Electronic Arts have the exclusive rights to those), so all the team that the player can choose from are fictional, which is also ok, since the sport isn’t that huge in South Africa anyways.

Having learned the basics and picking a random team with a nice ring (like New England Militia), the game play is rather straight forward. If the opposing team is kicking off, the game engine will automatically swap to the athlete who is best in line to catch the ball. A ring will appear on the field as to where the ball will land, and running into the vicinity will catch it.
Then it’s a matter of running, ducking and spinning to gain the most ground before being thumped to the grass.

This motion is usually short lived, as gaining first ground is a bit of an art. The camera angle is also slightly weird, and there is no talk of peripheral vision.

So it’s onto the first down and time to snap.

In between snaps, gamers will have to choose what type of play they will be running. As far as tactics go, there isn’t much, as it’s virtually impossible to tell what the opponent will be doing. But by selecting any random play under the Pass menu will at least result in some running.

The player can automatically swap between athletes at any time with the press of a button, but the game will change to the quarterback by default before a snap. Once the ball is in play, passing to another athlete takes some quick finger work. The game will slow down, allowing you to select who to pass to. It can sometimes become a bit confusing or overwhelming, as the speed in which a decision needs to be made is rather tough.

If the pass is successful, the view will change to the runner and then it’s up to the player to bob-and-weave his way through until the touchdown. If he is tackled, it’s back to square one and the whole process starts over again. Without getting into too much detail, the process is generally repeated four times before possession is changed over.

Defence works on the same principle, but instead of passing the ball, the player will have to do anything in their power to stop the opposing team from gaining any ground.
Plays are once again selectable, but the best strategy seemed to pick a random play, position the given player slightly to the side of the pack and go straight for the quarterback after the snap.

But if they manage to get the snap out, it’s where things become a bit jumbled. If the player’s character missed a bone-crunching tackle opportunity, he will stop running, although the action is right behind him. Swapping to a different player (and random) is the best way to stay active in the game, otherwise the AI will take over.

Speaking of hard tackles, the game’s mechanics employ the Euphoria engine; a dynamic physics engine that calculates physical interactions (including tackles) on the fly, rather than depending on canned animations. What this means is that no two tackles will ever be the same.

Although the game doesn’t feature the NFL teams, it’s still highly enjoyable, and with multiplayer it can become a heated contest. The graphics are superb, with some highly-detailed stadiums and insightful commentary.

As far as unlicensed NFL games go, this is probably as good as it will get. The controls are easy, the graphics are good and there is an extensive team and logo creator. It’s well worth a buy if you have even the slightest interest in American football.

At A Glance

Backbreaker is hugely enjoyable and puts a new twist on the genre.

Developer: NaturalMotion
Publisher: 505 Games
Distributor: Apex Interactive

Platform:

Xbox 360
PS3

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Naughty Bear

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Violent video games have been a cause for concern for some time now. The debate rages on, although these days it has taken a bit of a background position when compared to other issues surrounding the general world of computing (like South Africa’s current bugbear, which is the ease with which children can access pornography). Part of the problem could come down to responsibility, both on the parts of parents and of video game developers. Take Naughty Bear, for example.

The concept behind the game is great. On an idyllic island, all the teddy-bears live happily together. But, as with most communities, there is one bear that they all pick on and treat badly. His name is Naughty Bear. When the degradation gets too much, Naughty Bear decides to take matters into his own hands, and exacts brutal, violent revenge on the other teddies.

It’s a hilarious concept, and one that may have been a lot funnier if the developers didn’t take the violence of the game quite so seriously. The truth of the matter, though, is that while the game is oddly amusing (particularly to those with a twisted sense of humour) it is also rather disturbing. It’s not the blood (there isn’t any) or the fact that teddy bears are offing each other. It’s the gleefully gratuitous and graphic nature of the violence. It’s like Manhunt with stuffed toys.

See, each weapon has a specific special kill move that the player can utilise on a weakened teddy bear. That’s fair enough. But the sheer violence of these moves is rather over the top. Watching a teddy bear get his head beaten to a pulp with a baseball bat, or get disembowelled by a sword is bothersome on many levels – and it’s not just me.

I ran this past quite a few people to see if I was becoming a softy, but apparently my opinion is shared by others. What worries me in this particular regard is that parents – ok, they’d have to be myopic and dense – might not realise that this game is not really appropriate for youngsters. Violent video games aren’t just violent because they show blood and gore – the actions themselves are violent, whether it’s pixelated people or cuddly toys getting pummelled. And with an age restriction of 12, this game could very easily fall into the hands of youngsters, for whom it is wholly inappropriate.

Right, time to climb off of the soap box and talk a bit about the game. The concept, as I said before, is twistedly brilliant. However, the execution of the title lacks similar levels of inspiration. Graphically, it’s not bad, with the characters and environment well represented. The sound isn’t too bad either, except for the narrator, who sounds like a veteran of too many kids shows. He’s appropriate, yes, but he’s also thoroughly annoying.

The game dynamic has a few variables to it. The game will offer the player various challenges, aside from snuffing teddies. There will be missions in which the player has to snuff teddies in a sort of time trial. There will be missions in which the player has to snuff teddies without using weapons. There will be missions where the player has to snuff teddies without getting hurt. The formula is obvious, and the thought that went into creating variation in the challenges is just not enough. Sure, there are different types of bears, like cop bears and ninja bears, but these are not really more difficult to deal with than any of the other enemies in the game.

It almost seems as though the developers used the shock value of the title to cover up what is, essentially, a very mediocre game. You won’t find yourself setting anything aside for some Naughty Bear play time. It’s the kind of game you will go back to if you have nothing else to play. A little more creativity in the game dynamics department (perhaps borrowed from the interesting ways of killing department) would have served this title well.

Naughty Bear features a multiplayer component, which is fun for the first few times. However, this also devolves into the repetitive drudgery that characterises this game.

It’s a little sad, really, that a great concept like this (we were very excited and amused when we first heard about it) has been approached from all the wrong angles. The emphasis has been put in the wrong places, making the game rather forgettable. It might become a cult classic, but it lacks the polish required for a mainstream hit.

At A Glance

A game that is disturbing, yet mediocre at the same time. Not for the kids.

Developer: Artificial Mind & Movement
Publisher: 505 Games
Distributor: Apex Interactive

Platform:

PS3
Xbox 360

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Demon’s Souls

Friday, September 10th, 2010

Demon’s Souls is a third person fantasy RPG that brings a new definition to difficult in terms of games. Everyone that I talk to that has played this game seems to think that it is too hard, but I feel that gamers have been spoon fed so much that they have forgotten how to hunt. Think of the old classic games and their difficulty levels, and the insane punishment of restarting the player from the beginning of the chapter and not just the closest check point. An example is the first Prince of Persia. I’m talking about a game in which one good powerful hit will kill the character out-right, and not just put some red on your screen (and if the character just hides behind a bunker for a time, he will have full health).

I think most superheroes will die when taking an explosive arrow to the head, but it wouldn’t happen in Gears of War.

Demon’s Souls has this difficulty ideal at its core, but there are many rewards (which will be explained later). Players will take control of a character and pick their appearance, name, gender and starting class. There are 10 starting classes to choose from, which range from knights to barbarians and from thieves to magicians, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. This starting class will also determine what starting gear, weapons and types of magic the player begins with, and sets the style of combat and general play for that character.

The story begins in the kingdom of Boletaria, which was ruled by King Allant XII. The King was a man in continual search for more power and wealth, no matter how much he already had. He found a dark ritual that channeled the power of souls for the benefit and prosperity of the kingdom… until that debt had to be paid back. A deep colourless fog surrounded all the land, cutting Boletaria off from the rest of the world. Anyone that went through the fog from either side was never seen again. The ritual had awoken the Old One, a great demon that was bound below the Nexus. The Old One’s return brought hordes of Demons that feasted on the souls of men, leaving the bodies that remained insane and violent. There were many that braved the fog, including the character that is controlled by the player. They walked into the fog without holding back. This would be the hero to defeat the Old One and protect all of the world.

The option of skipping the tutorial is given to the player in the beginning of the game but this is very unwise to skip if you have never played or seen it played. You need to spend a few minutes getting the hang of how things work in the Demon’s Souls world. Even if a new type of character is being created, it is good to try a few moves in the very basic first stage rather than jumping right into a medium level of difficulty. The main point of the tutorial stage is to fill in some of the story, and at the end of the stage you die! Yip, no escaping it… the boss at the end is nearly impossible to beat and is there to make sure the player’s character gets solidly trounced. Some veteran players have done it before and killed the boss with epic skill and time, but all it yields is some cool weapons and they die anyway. Dying is an important part of the game, as the reality that no character will live through all of the fights is reinforced… and the Nexus will need to catch the character’s soul and give the player a chance to get back their body.

The controls and fighting in the game are very impressive as light and strong attacks or blocks are performed in real time, allowing creative ways of killing your opponents. If the player messed up, they die, and are returned to the Nexus, which will allow them to retry the chapter… from the beginning. As in all games where dying is a part of the game play, this can be frustrating going back to the start of the chapter, so be warned that if you don’t at an easy enough level you will be dying a lot!  All the enemies are reset and the fight will start all over again. If the player completes a chapter, they get to keep (and spend) the souls they harvested (and if they don’t die, they get their physical body back.).

The souls are used as currency in the Nexus, to purchase new weapons, equipment and abilities. When in spirit form your health and stamina are halved until a bigger Demon spirit is killed; this will yield enough power to get back your body.

It’s not an overly complicated story and it’s a very well put together game, with tons to do and see. But it earns a “hard-core gamers only” badge because of its extreme difficulty… this one is not for the faint hearted or easily frustrated. Go pick up Halo or Gears of War if you want your supernatural powers of survival. This one is all about fighting and dying your way through the story line.

At A Glance

A simple yet extremely difficult RPG, Demon’s Souls is perfect for hard-core gamers.

Developer: From Software
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Distributor: Megarom

Platform: PS3

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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

The reviews on the next title in a franchise will generally consist of the things that have been added and the changes compared to the previous title, and this review will do the same, as well as focus on aspects of the Wii version. However, for those that have never played a golf game on the Wii, let’s quickly go through the basics.

Pick one of the famous golfers or make your own. Take that golfer onto the virtual golf course and, surprise, play golf. The truly excellent part of this game actually comes from the technology provided by the Nintendo Wii. In previous golf games controls used relative motion, with controls not being able to take realistic actions into account. The Wii Motion Plus changes all of that. It recreates a true swing, playing the ball as if there was a golf club in your hand. I’m not just saying that because it sounds nice… it’s true. It’s so realistic that my real-life golf buddies and I post similar scores on real and virtual courses when we play together.

There are some major changes to the new golfing system in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, and these are big steps towards improving the realism of the game. There are new True View and Focus systems. True View lets players look at the ball and shots as if they were on the course.

Moving the Wii remote and Motion Plus in this view gives the player true feeling of how accurate it is, watching the golf club sway and move around the ball. The Focus System is part of the custom character development; the player can select an attribute that their golfer would like to improve… performance in the round determines how much it improves, if at all.

If the player is not up for real golfing and the arcade feel is what they’re after, or if some of the true-to-life features are just a bit too much to take on, then the new difficulty settings will help. Players are able to pick and chose realism levels and what features are to be enabled. These can be changed as the game progresses, to get the player closer to a real game of golf.

When a new golfer is created, the experience levels of that golfer are taken into account in the game. More experience is gained by hitting good shots and scoring well. These experience awards are naturally scaled according to difficulty levels and realism settings. Soon these experience points will take the golfer to the next level and they will receive a reward… maybe even a new sponsorship. The rewards are often skill points that can be applied to the golfer.

Another of the biggest additions to the game is the Ryder Cup, with all the holes faithfully recreated in the game. The player can chose who they would like to play as, representing the countries that those players would in real life. Tiger Woods denotes the U.S. team and Rory McIlroy for the Europeans.

In previous titles there were a range of mini games to break and add more variety to the golf game, like Target, T-I-G-E-R, Capture the Flag and Target2Target. In PGA Tour 11 there are a few more. Shooting Gallery requires the player to hit as many targets as they can before the time runs out. Ball Juggling demands that the player keep the ball in the air as long as possible. Last, but not least, Range Cart Showdown, challenges the player to speed around the range and pick up as many golf balls as possible. The mini games include all the enhancements from the game, so the Motion Plus accessory needs to remain on the Wii remote when playing them.

At A Glance

This is not just the next in the series… it has numerous new features and improvements on offer.

Developer: EA Sports

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Distributor: EA

Platform:

Wii

Xbox 360

PS3

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Play Free PS3 Games from Sony

Monday, May 31st, 2010

PS3, the abbreviated version of PlayStation 3, is one of the latest developments made by Sony Computer Entertainment in the field of home video gaming consoles. Sony now promises free PS3 games, which then completes the 7th generation of video game consoles.

One of the major features that distinguish the PS3 from its predecessors is that it has a unified gaming service or the PlayStation Network which contradicts Sony’s former policy of depending on video game developers for online gaming. Moreover, PS3 comes with robust multimedia capabilities, a high definition optical disc format – the Blu-ray disc, and connectivity with the PlayStation Portable. This really beats the Xbox and even the Xbox Kinect with any of the games for Kinect.

In fact, the players at Sony expect to dish out an online service which rivals the launching of Microsoft’s console in North America and Japan. The online network of the PS3 seeks to target live service soon. The PS3 is geared to be a design from the ground up as an online device, unlike its predecessor the PS2, which suffered a number of problems. The PS3 seeks to update your operating system so that with the addition of features or differences from the offline box, you can incorporate these in the dashboard of the console.

The fully upgradeable system of the PS3 is able to download patches over the network and apply them to its system. However, this is no groundbreaking technology for Sony which had done the same thing for the PlayStation Portable. Ever since the Portable has been launched, Sony has kept adding ample online features with the help of network updates, such as a fully operational web browser with RSS and Flash support.

The PS3 has a hard drive which is available even in a low specific configuration. Unlike the PS2 that depended on small and expensive memory cards which could easily be moved from one machine to another or be entirely lost, this console can store its configuration. At the same time, it can maintain the capacity of storing and downloading ample content. This was not possible with the PS2 which thus became crippled from an online perspective.

The System Software of PS3 is equipped with an active internet connection so that the updates are directly downloaded from the PlayStation Network to the PS3 for installation. With an active internet connection, players can check automatically for software updates every time the console is started.

With the help of an external PC, the user is able to download the update from the official website, have it transferred to portable storage media and install it in the system. Some of the game discs are available with software updates due to the requirement of a game update for running. In this case, the game can be installed from the disc.

The PS3 uses a graphical user interface with 9 diverse options such as settings, users, video, game, music, photo, network, PlayStation Network and friends. This is somewhat identical to the PlayStation media bar.

With the above features, online gaming buffs will definitely find the PS3 from Sony a console to try out.

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Cheap PS3 Online

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Finding a cheap PS3 online is a pretty easy job to take on.  In fact, finding any game console like the PS3, or the XBox Kinect is not a difficult task. There are a lot of different ways to do it, but before you start you need to know some tips that will help you figure out if something is actually cheap or not.  In this post I want to show you some of these to find out if you are actually getting a good deal when shopping for a PS3 online.

The base price of the 120gb PS3 Slim is $299.99, so use that as a benchmark while shopping around.  Nobody ever buys just the system, you also need a game and probably another controller as well.  That would bring the price to around $410 ($299.99+$60+50).  Any deal that you can find that costs less than $410, once everything is calculated, is going to be a good deal.

One of the biggest benefits of shopping online is the lack of sales tax in most states.  Sales tax at 8% would add another $31.80 onto your $410 purchase, so figuring out a way to not pay tax is key.  Free shipping is also a huge bonus.  Playstations are pretty bulky inside the box, so shipping is fairly expensive.

Finding “bundle” prices can also help you save some cash.  These are packs that come with the system, along with various games, controllers, and cables.  Finding the bundle that has everything you need usually isn’t too tough to do, so be sure to dig deep!

To add all of this up, the best way to find a cheap PS3 online is to get bundle that has all that you need, with free shipping and no sales tax.  You don’t have to risk buying a used system to save a lot this way, and get the benefit of a warranty with a new system.  The best place to start with your research is Amazon, they will usually cover all three of the money saving tips that we covered in this post!

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