Bwana.org » playstation 3

Red Dead Redemption: First Impressions

Bwana — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:00:18 +0000

This game is ESRB Rated M for Mature. Parental discretion is advised.

If you love westerns like I do, then you probably couldn’t help but be interested in Rockstar’s new project, Red Dead Redemption. I stated in the past that I wouldn’t get the game simply because of it’s Grand Theft Auto ties, but after a bit more research, I felt I could give it a try. I’ll share with you some of my first impressions. I’ll try to keep it spoiler free. If you don’t mind spoilers, check out the first two hours of the game that I streamed live:

I put in about 2.5 hours in single player and an hour in multiplayer.

Single Player & Gameplay

The voice acting was up and down. There was some genius moments and there were some really dry moments. As you ride your horse with certain people, you have conversations about things ranging from general small talk to background story. Overall, I was satisfied, and judging by the genius moments I encountered, I believe the voice acting will get better.

Controls are average to decent. Horseback riding takes practice and shooting while on horseback takes even more practice. That didn’t surprise me. What DID surprise me was the awkward controls on the Playstation 3. I’m not sure if previous GTA games did this, but Rockstar decided to put aim and fire on the L2 and R2 buttons. Why!??! This was so frustrating and caused me to die or make mistakes many times. I didn’t investigate whether you could change these controls yet, but you bet I’m going to look very hard. (If you know how to do this, PLEASE let me know in the comments)

Graphics are typical for a next gen system. I wasn’t blown away like I was with Heavy Rain, but the subtle effects impressed me more than the obvious ones. The lighting to me was very well done. As you enter buildings at night, the ambience can be very convincing. I was riding to a mission and noticed a slow, subtle sunrise in the background. Very impressive.

The story line so far seemed very typical of a Western one. Good. That’s exactly why I bought it and was glad they didn’t do anything weird or stupid. I haven’t done many of the “side” missions, but I imagine they will not disappoint.

Multiplayer

My first impression of multiplayer was terrible. I don’t blame Rockstar, but as with many multiplayer games, the people you play with determine your fun factor. The first game I joined consisted of individuals with TERRIBLE microphones. Not only did they have bad mics, but they were constantly talking about nothing. I could not find the mute function in multiplayer and I hope I just overlooked it. It is absolutely essential to be able to mute the microphones of annoying individuals.

After I got past the bad mic posse, I got into some decent matches. The awkward control scheme really stood out here as I had to react quickly. Instead of aiming, I would bring up the weapon selection screen with L1, and would quickly die. Latency wise, it was an enjoyable experience and I actually had a lot of fun once I got the hang of the game modes and controls. Since I never played GTA4, I was at a disadvantage, but I heard many times on the mic that it was pretty much just like GTA multiplayer.

Conclusion

I’m glad I bought it. There’s a lot to this game that I didn’t get a chance to explore, but based on what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s a good buy. Some may want to dismiss it as “GTA in the Wild West” and I say to that: So what? I actually think their formula works better in the Wild West than it does in modern times. RDR is worth a rental if you’re in the fence. I think you’ll be impressed.

PS3 Slim Jolts The Sony Camp

Bwana — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:44:23 +0000

Who would have thought we’d ever be uttering the words “Sony is making a comeback”? 5 years ago, we would have been laughed at.

Hard.

But this is our current reality: Nintendo is still winning in overall sales, Microsoft is second, and Sony is in third. Sony’s position is actually better than most perceive, but the competitive nature in human beings tend to ignore some of the supporting facts. I digress.

Recently Sony pleased the gaming community by announcing a much anticipated $100 price drop and a brand new, “PS3 Slim” model. Some analysts believed this wouldn’t change a thing in their warped scope of the console race, but like always, I took a “let’s wait and see” approach.

It’s been a few days and some of the sales estimates have been released:

999% sales increase (Week over Week) in the UK
150,000 units sold in Japan (1500% increase week over week) – Launch number was 90,000

Judging by the large percentage increases, it’s easy to assume that sales were pitiful to begin with, or lots of people were waiting for a price drop on the PS3. Either way, Sony is in a better position than before.

It’s not just sales, but Sony has launched a very successful new marketing campaign. The slogan of “It Only Does Everything” is sticking with gamers whether they like it or not. The witty advertisements are not only making the Sony faithful sigh with relief, but they’re also attracting the “curious” gamer crowd. These guys are thinking, “I wonder how those PS3 exclusives are”, “I wonder if I’ll like Blu-ray”, “Will my friends get one if I get one?” (Yes, there are kids who ask that last question, believe it or not)

It’s amazing what proper marketing and successful sales figures does to the public perception: Yesterday, I streamed gameplay of a popular PS3 exclusive game called Killzone 2. As users came and watched, I saw a lot of statements like:

“Wow, I’d get a PS3 for this”
“How much does it cost?”
“What does that/this/that do?”
“This is better than CoD4 ever was” [Yes, that's an actual quote]

Before the price drop/new SKU, I would see this:

“PS3 Sucks”
“No one plays online on KZ2″
“It’s a dead game”
“PS3 Sucks, I feel sorry for you guys”

I could go on and on. I still get these kinds of negative comments, but much less than before.

Public perception definitely influences opinions of the PS3. People who bashed the Playstation 3 before, are now looking closer at upcoming exclusives like “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (My Game of the Year prediction), “MAG“, “Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time“, and “Heavy Rain“. Playstation Network exclusives like “Fat Princess” are also drawing a lot of attention (See my review here)

What does all this mean in the end? No one really knows. The fact is this: The PS3 is gaining incredible momentum and is shaping up to be the big shake-up story in the console war. I only wish my friends list weren’t full so I could play with all the new PS3 owners out there.

What Will The Playstation 3 Need To Survive?

Bwana — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:31:46 +0000

I have not made it a secret that I absolutely love my Sony Playstation 3 and that I actually use it more than my Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. This often confuses people why I seem to be “going against the grain” on this topic because it is the popular opinion to love the 360 or Wii over the PS3.

I believe the machine is the best hardware I have in the house easily, not only because of “Blu-Ray” technology but the whole experience in terms of entertainment. I also love the price of online play (being a PC gamer as well). Sony has been consistently falling short of expectations from the gaming community since they were #1 with their insanely successful Playstation 2. I asked Twitter what Sony needs to do to get their dollar:

SkiCat56: @Bwana There lot's of titles that are PS3 exclusive we would to play but we cannot fit another gaming console into our budget PS2,360 owner

about 5 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 13:50:37 +0000 2009

chokewho: @Bwana Cheaper price and probably some more original games.

about 7 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 11:49:18 +0000 2009

fochsenhirt: @Bwana drop the price under $200 for the hardware and $40 for the games. So basically, nothing. I already have a BD player.

about 7 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 11:34:42 +0000 2009

robraider78: @Bwana PS3 only good for blue ray. Not a good selection of games on PS3. No Halo. No Gears.

about 9 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 09:33:26 +0000 2009

TaoGao: @Bwana they are Amazing! Besides blue-ray compatible, it has great graphics

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:31:39 +0000 2009

powerspec: @Bwana I use mine only for Blu-ray, but i would use it more if it had some good games. I own 3 PS3 games and ~30 360 games.

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:15:35 +0000 2009

johnsensfan: @Bwana xbox360 vanishing of the face of the earth

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:06:37 +0000 2009

SWB: @Bwana They would have to make it better than the Nintendo DS, which we all know is impossible!

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:02:54 +0000 2009

murphysblues: @Bwana I don't have a PS3, and it would take a radical improvement of my hand/eye coordination before I would buy a PS3.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:53:19 +0000 2009

dannyblaine: @Bwana a healthier economy?

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:49:14 +0000 2009

chrispirillo: @Bwana The PS3 is great for one thing: Blu-ray playback. Beyond that, it's not of much use to me. I don't have that many BDs yet, either.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:48:23 +0000 2009

Leica1956: @Bwana a $150 or less base model would get me in.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:47:19 +0000 2009

CannonGod: @Bwana Good games, ergonomic controller, the firing of all marketing staff involved with the PS3.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:45:43 +0000 2009

mattbebich: @Bwana Halo, Left 4 Dead many others

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:40:25 +0000 2009

johnxkills: @Bwana the price alittle lower

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:32:29 +0000 2009

se7enjewels: @Bwana simple.price! price! price! The should have dropped the PS3 last christmas to $299. I would have been all over that.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:32:01 +0000 2009

jercat: @Bwana… $249.99

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:31:25 +0000 2009

chrispugh: @Bwana lower price

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:31:18 +0000 2009

Without getting into a console war, I believe the price is often misunderstood when compared to the Xbox 360, since Microsoft has a done an excellent job with marketing. I have spent much less on my PS3 than I have on my Xbox 360, but the point is moot. The users want a price drop, but what then? Is price the only factor? Users also want *more* games, but if I’m not mistaken, a majority of new games are now cross platform. The handful of exclusives that are considered “must-haves” are dwindling in my opinion. (Case in point: Capcom just announced 360, PC and PS3 support for Dead Rising 2) I believe the games are there, but the mindset isn’t. The mantra of “PS3 has no games” will completely overwhelm the facts and user perception is all that will matter when it comes to a purchase.

What can Sony do about this? Well, in my opinion, they have to change the way they’re doing things now. What they’re doing right now is not working. In a tight market, where Nintendo is breaking records left and right (which I can’t understand honestly) Sony really is put in a tight situation since their hardware is truly next-gen, and a price-cut is a huge gamble. I have a suspicion that a majority of users who claim the price is the only issue, will back peddle if there is a price cut. I believe Sony realizes this every time they read user feedback regarding the price (Yes, Sony DOES read user feedback) I honestly don’t know what they can do win over the users, but they better come up with something quickly or the whole division will be a distant memory this time next year.

Agree, disagree? Let me know in the comments. You can also find me on the Playstation Network (PSN) under the handle, Nuvalo. Add me!