Playstation 3 first impressions

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
Some initial thoughts on receiving the Playstation 3 as a gift, setting it up, and playing it:
  • YAAAAAAAAAY!
  • It's times like this I wish I didn't set a 63-character randomly generated password as my WPA key.
  • MUST. BUY. PUZZLE FIGHTER. NOW.
  • Forget this, I'm just going to plug in an ethernet cable.
  • Oh my collection of astounded words, Little Big Planet takes a long time to patch and install.
  • Okay, so the LBP team is a fan of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Nice.
  • Did they really need to change the art for mass blocks and crash gems in Puzzle Fighter? Wait, is that timer gem green or yellow? Oh well, it's still awesome to have a Puzzle Fighter game with online play.
  • DEMOS. YES.
  • Turtles in Time: Re-shelled is...Hm. It's pretty good. I guess. Makes me want to play the SNES version.
  • Wait, what, you can only grab one item at a time in Critter Crunch? Aww, man!
  • RIVER CITY RANSOM TRIBUTE IN SCOTT PILGRIM YES.
  • This controller kinda cramps my left hand after a while. :( I wonder if holding it a different way would help. Nope, that's awkward, too. Oh well, my hands will just have to adapt to a new Playstation controller. Wouldn't be the first time.
  • Waaaaaah~ Scott Pilgrim vs. the World doesn't have online co-op? /cry
  • Hm. This Playstation Home thing is actually kinda cool. Kind of like if Second Life time traveled from the late 90s to the present.
  • Blast. I have to go to bed soon.
 
I'm loving LittleBigPlanet so far. I've cleared the first world, so I'm ready to play online with ToJ people. If you see me on my PS3, send me a message and, if I'm not playing Puzzle Fighter with my wife, chances are good I'll respond and switch over to LBP.
 
Tek7 said:
I'm loving LittleBigPlanet so far. I've cleared the first world, so I'm ready to play online with ToJ people. If you see me on my PS3, send me a message and, if I'm not playing Puzzle Fighter with my wife, chances are good I'll respond and switch over to LBP.
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I've had LBP since launch, and to be honest, still really haven't gone through it. I shall hit you up when I see you on.
 
Move it straight to the top of your list, Red. Seriously.

I adore that game so much.

Just gotta get my friend to send it back to me so I can play it again. lol
 
First impressions, continued and in no particular order:
  • I think I'll check out the bonus content in LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition. What's this? A Monkey King outfit? Eeexcellent.
  • How old are these kids on Home? Are Kendrik and I the only ones in the bowling alley over the age of 12?
  • Okay, so I can't grab multiple items at once in Critter Crunch, but it's still growing on me. The 2 online matches I played were intense (and fun), too. I may end up buying this after all.
  • Why can't I just start with a blank character in Soul Calibur IV's Character Creation mode? :( This seems like a step back from the Create-a-Character mode in SCIII.
  • Tribe of Judah's Home Club is the place to be, y0.
  • Oh. I didn't know Batman Arkham Asylum featured so much stealth gameplay. Hm. Still a great game, but not my thing.
  • BUTTON MASH MASH MASH MASH MASH. Devil May Cry 4. Pretty scene. MASH MASH MASH MASH. Dynasty Warriors? MASH MASH MASH. No, DMC4.
  • The water level in the Katamari Forever demo is kinda weak. The second, more typical level was a blast, though. Not sure if KF is worth the purchase when I've already played through Katamari Damacy and We <3 Katamari.
  • Wipeout HD is quite a bit more fun than I expected. Might have to put this one on the PSN "future purchase" list.
  • Wow, Flower is really pretty. And very soothing. And...is that all there is to the demo?
  • Lords of Shadow = God of War with a Castlevania re-skin? If so, I'm perfectly fine with that. Controls are solid. Graphics are impressive. I don't have to watch some homicidal psychopath disembowel every thing and person he encounters. (Yes, I'm talking about Kratos.) And the narration is--Wait, is that Patrick Stewart? Well-played, Konami.
  • Next demo to try: Yakuza 3. How can I resist a free-roaming brawler from Sega set in Japan?
  • WANT TO PLAY ONLINE WITH ToJ PEOPLE.

EDIT: Almost forgot:

  • Burnout Paradise has no demo? :(
  • Valkyria Chronicles looks fantastic. I would so buy this if I (1) had a job and (2) didn't already have a wicked long backlog of single-player games.
 
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For some reason, I thought there was a Paradise demo. Maybe that was on the 360? /shrug

Your impressions of Lords of Shadow are... pretty much my own (self promotion, should have my impressions of the game published on Christ-Centered Gamer today :) ).

Also, I'm a huge fan of the Flower demo. Like you said, it's soothing. It's simple, but I boot it up from time to time because of how peaceful it is. Gonna have to buy it eventually.

Finally, of potential interest to you, my Target is clearancing Tekken 6. I didn't fall in love with it when I played it before, but I may give it another shot. It's currently $14.* If you want me to pick one up and ship it to you on your behalf (it's a few bucks cheaper than Amazon that way), I'll do the dirty work for you.

Guessing it's not high on your wanted games list, but if you and your Mrs. are enjoying SCIV, it may be of interest to you. Better to offer something you don't want than to risk not offering something you might, I figure. :p

And yes, the Club is awesome. Probably even more awesome soon. >.> /cough

Edit: *In my typical vulture fashion, I'll be keeping an eye on this clearance. If it dips beneath ten bucks, I'll be grabbing a copy.
 
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Kendrik said:
Finally, of potential interest to you, my Target is clearancing Tekken 6. I didn't fall in love with it when I played it before, but I may give it another shot. It's currently $14.* If you want me to pick one up and ship it to you on your behalf (it's a few bucks cheaper than Amazon that way), I'll do the dirty work for you.

Edit: *In my typical vulture fashion, I'll be keeping an eye on this clearance. If it dips beneath ten bucks, I'll be grabbing a copy.
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I showed Ember a quick gameplay video on YouTube and she seemed interested, so I'll probably be watching local bargain bins as well. For now, though, I'll wait. I'll let you know if I change my mind.

Kendrik said:
And yes, the Club is awesome. Probably even more awesome soon. >.> /cough
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w00t! Looking forward to updates. :D
 
More "first" impressions! (How long do I get to call them "first"?)
  • Vanquish is breathtaking and intense, but it kicked my butt while I was figuring out the control scheme and gameplay mechanics. The game had me wishing that thumbsticks were not so vastly inferior to mouse and keyboard for aiming. If you decide to download the demo, play the tutorial first. Trust me. Oh, and shoot the legs off the crab form of the big mech and then the arms and legs off the humanoid form. You'll understand when you get there.
  • Yakuza 3 is amazing. A. MAZE. ZING. As if I wasn't sold by the main game (brawler set in a densely populated Japanese city, featuring Japanese audio and English subtitles), I then had the opportunity to learn a new special move from a high school girl who threw a drunk over her shoulder. And then, somehow, it got better: KARAOKE MINIGAME. And just when I thought the awesomeness had reached its peak, my yakuza character selected--and sang--an enka song. I don't know who decided that bringing a game so thoroughly Japanese to the States was a good idea, but I want to give him or her (or them, in the case of a group decision) a hug. This shot straight to the top of my single-player "do want" list (which probably still puts it a few notches below my most wanted multiplayer titles, thanks to my backlog).
  • Uncharted 2 is also amazing (though in a different way). Aiming with thumbsticks is always awkward for a long-time PC shooter fan such as myself, but the game is gorgeous. The game felt like an action move that you play (which I guess is the point)--like a mix between classic Indiana Jones and a spicier National Treasure. I plan on buying the Game of the Year Edition of this game the same day my wife and I get a HDTV (which may be in the distant future, depending on baby expenses, house expenses, and my employment situation).
  • Costume Quest is very, very charming. It's like American gamers who grew up playing the Dragon Quest series decided to make a game their kids could play but all people could love--and the love of the craft shows. Unfortunately, the demo doesn't tell you that you only have access to 15 of the 20 houses mentioned in your main quest, so there's a chance you'll waste 30 minutes of your life circling the demo area (which definitely puts a damper on one's appreciation of the game's humor).
  • Holy guacamole on a baked chip, rentals at the local video store run $7 for 5 nights? Wow, I'm (even more) glad that most games have demos.

EDIT: Katamari Forever was on sale on Go Gamer for $15.90, but it's out of stock. :(
 
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This reminds me that I, forgive the overstatement, need to play through the Yakuza games. I'd jump to Yakuza 3 (the demo of which also rocked my world, but more because it reminded me so much of Shenmue... <3), but I'm one of those guys who has to play games in order if at all possible.

I haven't rented a game in forever due to the high cost. Too cheap. Would rather wait until a game is cheap and just buy it. lol

Keep calling them firsts so long as you feel the need to. :p
 
Kendrik said:
This reminds me that I, forgive the overstatement, need to play through the Yakuza games. I'd jump to Yakuza 3 (the demo of which also rocked my world, but more because it reminded me so much of Shenmue... <3), but I'm one of those guys who has to play games in order if at all possible.
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I definitely picked up on (and appreciated) the similiarities to Shenmue.

I'd recommend skipping Yakuza 1, picking up Yakuza 2 on the cheap (provided you own a PS2 or a backwards-compatible PS3), THEN picking up Yakuza 3 after you're done.

EDIT: At least, that's what I plan on doing.

I say that because Yakuza 1 has an English audio track...which boggles the mind. Whoever thought that a dub for a Yakuza game was a good idea should be fired, re-hired, then fired again. Fortunately, Sega had enough sense after customer outcry following the first game to include the Japanese track (and ONLY the Japanese track) in the sequel.

Also, I've read that Yakuza 2 includes a recap at or near the beginning to help those who didn't play the first ease into the series.

Kendrik said:
I haven't rented a game in forever due to the high cost. Too cheap. Would rather wait until a game is cheap and just buy it. lol
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Agreed. $7 to rent a game for 5 nights or $3 to rent it for one? No thanks. I'll just stick to demos.

Kendrik said:
Keep calling them firsts so long as you feel the need to. :p
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Sounds good to me. I don't think there's much point in posting my impressions of demos when demos are free.

But I'd still have to post about any game that features a karaoke minigame. <3
 
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