The Last Of Us

I do not get the chance to do many game reviews because of lack of financial backing from both myself and others. So It is a special day when I can get a game at launch.
I am admitadly a big fan of the uncharted series. I have platnumed 2 of them and am close to the third. So when Naughty Dog announced The Last of us I was locked in. I have been waiting and drooling for a good year. Now I can stop drinking so much water from dehydrating myself.

The Last of Us is a journey very unlike any that Naughty dog has sent you on in the past. It is a step in a different direction from the lighthearted games they are use to making. But Naughty dog has taken all that they have learned from making Uncharted and turned out a new series that not only bennefits from previous games from the company but expands on them.
Your main protaganist is Joel. He has been hardened from all the difficulties of years in a post modern world. He is synical and angry and has done many things that many of us would hope we would never do. But all this has made him the perfect man for the job.
Elle is our other main character and is a character at that. She can be a brat and a sweetheart. She is always helpful and will do anything to help Joel.
There are many other characters in this that you will love and hate. Some are more helpful than others. Some you might hate at first but love and miss once they part ways. Others you will always hate as they are not likeable characters. But that is how Naughty dog meant them to be.
When you finish The Last of Us you will have felt you were on this journey with them. Naughty Dog has done a supreme job at this story. You might cry with them you might feel cold and unfealing like joel tries to be at all times. But you will have a large range of emotions throughout this game.

The gameplay mechanics are clean and work well. Although there were some points where I was trying to hit someone or something and completly missed even though I was close. The situations in this game make you need to show control of when you will show force or when you will sneak around. On top of that it is sometimes just better to run to fighanother day. But those options are always there.
The AI is very smart and depending on the enemy will hunt you down in different ways. I died many times because I did not take into account that the infected did not fight like the humans and vice versa. And when you die by the hands of the infected it is not a pretty sight. The infected pay no attention to your flashlight. This is good since they are no alway is the brightest spots. The humans will talk and coordinate with eachother to surround and capture you. This is where I found running helpful.
The graphics for this game are what we all have come to expect from Naughty Dog. The sets and vibrant and detailed. The cities are grey and dreary feeling with hints of life. The outdoors are bright and green. But they both give you the feeling of being alone and scared of whats next.

The Last of Us is Naughty Dogs grand goodbye to the PS3 and boy did they do it right. Not much was missed in this game from the great mood setting music and wonderfully written story line. To the great graphics and gameplay that keeps you in the story. As Naughty dog is not creating a game but more an interactive experience. This game is a must play. But be aware of the language and gore that come with it.

New console predictions

I have been thinking about the possible new consoles coming one day. We have already seem some of the new Wii U. So we have seen some of the tactics that Nintendo intends to take. I think them going high def is a very smart move. I think also them making the new Wii U on par power wise with the current PS3 and Xbox360. I am not a fan of the new controller though. So we will have to see how the public will take it.
Next up is the Xbox360 next gen product. Who knows if this is going to be the Xbox720 or something else. But I feel that the next console should be more powerful. Something like a 6 to 8 core system. With an update to the graphic system to challenge programmers to use even more power. Also integrating the technology from the Kinect into the new system along with improvements to the sensitivity of the system. I also strongly recommend that they make it more accessible to the average game room. Not everyone has 12 feet or more of free space in front of their tv. Touch controls added to the controller its self could also add some new fun game types to the.console market.
Now my favorite console this generation has been the PS3. So the PS4 has been on my mind for a while on what they are planning on doing. My thoughts are to keep the cell processor technology. I say do this for multiple reasons. First it will cut drastically on Sony's R&D costs. But also keeping the same processor architecture but giving much more power will get better games.out faster. If Sony did a 4 core or more cell processor and added in the Gpus to match you would already have a great system. Also for the controller it would be great to keep the current design. But also market so you can directly use the new psvita to play games on the system as a controller. Adding a touch pad to the back of the current controller design would also be a good move into games not normally seen on a console. Integrating in the move controls into the system would also be a good way of getting mass acceptance of movement controls on the plantation system. finally getting a larger hard drive in the system but also the blue ray drive but upgraded for reading 4 or more layers will help keep costs low.
If all these console can keep in the prices in an acceptable range then we as customers will be the real winners.

PlayStation Move review. W/ Sports Champions

Just a few days ago I got the new PlayStation Move controller. I already had the PsEye for some other games. The move is something that not only can help the PS3's life cycle be extended but also give use for the PsEye that has had very little support from it's launch.

Some of the claims that Sony has been making is the 1:1 tracking that the move has. If you don't understand 1:1 tracking it just means it shows your movements on screen at the same time and same movements that you are making in real life. Some might think that the Wii does this, but this is not so. This is why with the Wii you can make very small movements or large movements and get the same effect. The Move is not like that. It tracks your movement in 3D space with the PsEye. This also allows them to do augmented reality, or basically put things in your hands or things you can interact with that can only be seen on the screen. So does Sony meet these claims? Yes they do. Although some things will need to be fixed or tweaked, this will be in game and not the move controller it's self. the tracking is done very well and follows you everywhere as long as the camera can see the controller.

To go into more depth of this new controller they have a handful of games out at launch with more on the way. One of these games is Sports Champions. This is in all respects the PlayStation version of Wii Sports. All the controls are smoother and more accurate that the Wii though, even with the Wii plus attachment the Move out performs it.

Wii champions has 6 sports/games that you can play. Frisbee Golf, Gladiator Duel, Archery, Beach Volleyball, Bocce and Table Tennis. All of these have their strengths and weaknesses but still perform very well.

First if Frisbee Golf. This is like what you would think . But with the move controller you get the same movement as you would with a real Frisbee. If you tilt the controller or twist the controller the Frisbee will show that on screen. So if you want to throw the frisbee upside down for some reason you can. If you throw it at an angle it will curve and yes you have to do the full movement and strength. (I just would not let go of the controller as we have seen videos of the is happening with the Wii controller) All the rest of the game is basic Frisbee golf.

Gladiator Duel is a basic fighting game. You have a sword and a shield. This game also allows for use of a second Move controller, Although it is not needed it could make things interesting. This is the game with the most weaknesses. The 1:1 tracking if still there and done very well. But after you hit someone if you follow through it does not mean your character will. This does not last for long though as you can quickly readjust and keep hitting. or blocking with your shield. If you have 2 Move controllers one is your sword and one if your shield. this could make for some fun later on. But I personally only have 1 controller as of now.

Archery is one of the more fun games for me in Sports Champions. This is also one that can use two Move controllers. It is very quick paced especially if as you move up in the ranks. But the best part is all the variety of games that you can play. from quick shots and target ranges to a form of tug of war. This is very fun and I could see how a 2 player competition would be fun.

Beach Volleyball is one that I have not played as much. But is pretty good for a 4 player game. Although I wonder how you would get 4 players in the PsEye view. You do 3 main moves: bumps, sets and spikes. This allows for a fairly realistic Volleyball game.

Bocce is one of the best of the group. It uses the motion sensing very well as you can put a spin on the ball and it senses your speed when throwing the balls. This would be great for a 2 player game also as you compete with each other in a very golf like manner.

Table tennis is the most realistic of the group. The Paddle lets you hit the ball at different angles and put spins and other tricks on the ball. You can hold the controller any way you want. So if you hold a paddle upside down you can and it will show it that way in game. This can be very fast paced also depending on your opponent. A 2 player match is also something I am interested in trying sometime.

Graphics in this game are well done although not state of the art. They are crisp and clean and give you everything that you need to play the game and not think of this being downgraded.

Audio reminds me of going to Epcot in Disney World. Its very epic type of music. makes you think of something new and innovative. You can put your own song selection into the game if you don't want to hear the default music anymore. I do wish it would do playlists though.

Game play. This is a new experience for PlayStation owners, and in some ways for Wii Owners. This is easy to pick up and very intuitive. The little tutorials are quick and easy but help you get either the idea of what the games rules are or just little basic movements to help you figure things out.

Presentation. This game is presented very well. When I said the Audio made if feel new and innovative, that nailed it. Everything feels clean and give you that awe struck feeling when you first launch the game. there is plenty of variety so you will not easily get bored and you are always moving, so you will get tired before you get bored. I just have to say, watch your extension playing the games. you could over extend your arms during a big swing and possibly hurt yourself.

My First try at Kinect

So I was at the state fair yesterday and was able to test out Microsoft's new Kinect camera. While I have to say that the idea of this technology is amazing, I cannot say that it works to anyones expectations.

Now I will admit that I did not get a long chance to play. and I only played one game. It is a roller coaster obstacle course, one of the games that will come with the new system. This is a game they they showed at the E3 conference and you can find videos of it on YouTube amongst other places. It started off a little oddly, first it was me and my wife playing and it did not pick her up at first. we had to move around a bit in the room for it to finally see her. But the big issue is we could not tell who it was seeing and who it was not. so we walked around like idiots for a second trying to figure it out. Since the girl explaining it to us could not figure it out either. But then it finally picked us up and we were able to start the game.

It starts out by having you put your hands out and pretending like your grabbing a pole. Then it counts down and you pull back as fast as you can to get yourself moving forward. you move back and forth and jump up and down dodging the obstacles. This seemed to work great at a slow speed. But then you can speed it up by doing little jumps. This is where the issues start. my first jump over something my character just hovered in the hair for a few seconds extra. This would not have been a big problem except for the fact that I hit the next two obstacles. of course by then I had to jump again and had the same issue. By then I was getting frustrated and was trying to move as fast as I could up and down and side to side and kept hitting everything. The lag was just killing me. Basically they just need to slow down the game so the camera can keep up. We finished up and found my wife had beat me by 2 coins and walked out.

We were met right at the door by a lady that explained to us about the system. I know most of the information from watching the E3 conference a few months ago when they officially announced it. My wife had not heard that much about it so I sat quietly and let the lady explain it. My wife really liked that it is voice activated. The fact that you can say "Xbox, Play movie" Is something that both of us admit is really cool. She also really liked the idea that you do not have to have the controller to play the games, even though she had the same complaints about the lag that I had.

So my conclusion is that I think somewhere the Kinect needs to fix it's code so that it will be appealing to more people than just the very casual player. I do not see a hard core player tolerating this for more than 5 min. I could see my nieces and nephews enjoying this because they do not care as much about how correct the game controls are. They just enjoy that the characters would do something when they moved in front of the camera.

Heavy Rain.

Heavy Rain is a relatively new genera to gaming. Created at Quantic Dream studios a division of Sony Computer Entertainment. and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. This is a game best described as an interactive thriller or drama. Most of the game is very dreary. There are very few times that you see sun during game play. This is also a game that if you have the mental endurance you could finish over night.

Graphics - The game is very well done, and in between scenes they do not hide the fact that they are proud of that. The rain in this game really helps get you in the mood they want. The areas are rendered out really well and the little details seem strong enough as to not distract you. Each character is well done and rendered in game very well. You sometimes hope that the 3d artists did not have to much fun making some of the female characters.

Story - Well this game has a very well thought out story line, although you do see little holes once in a while. To be honest though I found myself very irritated at the first of the game with the father and the Son Jason wandering around the mall. If you play the game you will understand what I mean. I honestly do not see me having that issue with any of the kids that I know. I can see the situation happening but not that way with a kid of that age. The rest of the story has little to do with that situation except to reference it. You follow a few story lines throughout the game trying to find out who the Origami Killer is. You follow a few main story lines. One is of Ethan, who is the father of the kidnapped boy. You also follow around a FBI agent and a detective, along with some other once in a while that help push the story along.

Game play - for those use to regular games this one is different on how you use the controls. It took me a little time to get use to moving the character around and it caught me off guard a few times during the game also. Basically you point your character in the direction that you want them to go and then hold down the R2 button. this is not all bad but sometimes I just wanted to forget about having to use the R2. Not a complaint though just took some getting use to. this game is also allot about mini games. you have to hit buttons in the right way at the right time. sometimes you will have to hold down 4 or 5 buttons and if you did not start out right you might wonder how you will get that last button or movement with the stick.

Audio - Well if you read my last review of God of war you would know about the Audio issue that I have. Well Heavy rain is the same. I wish I did not have this problem since it would make the experience that much better but I do. But the voice acting is another thing that is well done in this game. I have always said that they have nailed water graphics in games. Well they have done the same with Much of the voice acting. You do not have the issue of a bad translation in most games anymore, and the voice actors are getting better with every game. I did not notice and problems with the Audio for this game. The music fit the mood of the game well and any time a character walks or something moves it makes that appropriate sound. Very well done.

This game plays out like a movie. If you want someone to be able to sit and watch a game while you play it. This is one of those games. It is very interesting and uses allot of camera angles and other little tricks to make it look like it should. Once again this is not a game for anyone under the age of 18. There is some Nudity and Violence along with a few other things that you would not want children to hear. But this game provides all the things that you would want from a thriller movie or game. There is plenty of suspense and with a possible 22 variants on the ending it might keep you playing for a while.

UPDATE: Move Integration.

I just downloaded the Move support for Heavy rain and for me it was a mixed bag. Picking thoughts and questions are easier but some of the controls are a little more complicated. You will have to use the Move controller and the separate navigation controller(although you can the the normal PS3 controller.) Some of the controls are a little more complicated but many of them are more simple and make more sense than with the normal controller.

Honestly I recommend you putting the PS Eye camera on normal view instead of wide view when playing Heavy rain. Otherwise your going to be making some large stretches to get the movements right.

God of War 3

OK so this review is a little late, but I thought I should post it and stop slacking on my game reviews.

God of War 3 is the third game in the series created by David Jaffe and the team and SCE Studios Santa Monica.

Graphics - This being the third game in the series and the first game in the series created specifically for the PS3 makes it graphically the most jaw dropping. Everything is just really well done. Although I do not get some of the grittiness that I would hope for in some of the areas that I would have liked. But this game shines in just about every respect. The rooms and hallways of Mt. Olympus are very well done and well lit. The depths of Hades and the Styx river are in their own way very eerie. Every main boss character is very well detailed from start to finish. Zeus is worked out almost as well as Kratos. Basically if you can find many if any faults in the graphics of this game. You are just looking to hard and missing out on the fun.

Game play - To say this game is gory is an understatement. I found myself cringing at some points and my wife refused to watch the game because of all the blood and violent ways that you kill things. The controls for this game are accurate and generally you should not have any problems with pulling of an attack or just jumping from one area to another. Although I did have some issues with wall climbing when I had to move really fast. I guess I must have been pushing slightly up or down on the stick because when I wanted to have him quickly jump to the side he didn't always do what I asked. But that would be my only big complaint during the game.

Story - Well after the first game the story just got better. The first games whole story line seemed like it was written by a teenager that had just discovered what a breakup was like after just discovering sex and violence. Not that the games have veered to far away from that path. But how they tell the story and how much you actually care about the character and finishing the game has been greatly improved. Especially from the first to the second one.

You don't just hate Zeus because he is King of the Gods. You hate him because he wants you dead just as much as you want him dead. This is a battle that goes back and forth throughout the entire game. neither of you deserve angel wings after this battle is over and done with. All the backstabbing and betrayals that happens in this game makes for a good Greek myth.

I do not want to give away any plot lines for anyone reading this. But you have allot of boss battles and there is a reason for everything other than just to kill someone for the hell of it.

Audio - Well the Audio for this game is pretty good. Although I was not able to get the benefit of most of it. I do have surround sound. But I have a cheaper end surround sound system. This makes it so that I connect through the TV with the HDMI and then I go to the audio receiver with optical. I have found though that with some games they will not utilize the optical cable if I am going through the HDMI also. I have tried other routs also but it still does not work. I do not know if this is a fault of Sony or the game makers. but I am surprised that it is still an issue so late in the game. But despite that the audio and voice acting is done really well.

Extras - Well there are plenty of extras attached to this game. You have the mini games or challenges that will test your skills and sometimes tolerance. they have the videos of how they made the game. You will see from these videos why there is so much bad language and violence in the game once you see and hear the game designers. All this is very interesting, especially if your looking into making games yourself. It will give you a good idea of what skills are needed.

The one thing that still sticks around from the first of the series that really serves no purpose at all for the game are the sex scene games. Yes these are voluntary but still do they really need to be there except to get horny teenage guys to buy the game? This game is not for the weak of heart or someone that is easily offended by violence and nudity since you get a healthy helping of both. This is not a game that parents should let their kids see or play. Honestly if you are under 18 go find another game to play and come back to this later in your life.

Red Dead Redemption Review

This is a game that I have been hearing about allot recently. I have not heard or read any reviews. Also RockStar has always done a good job in the past with its other big name franchise. I thought I should give it a try. Red Dead Redemption is based in the old west. Everything in the story is old west all the way. From the Bandits terrorizing everyone to the simple lack of technology and finally the old tonic sales man selling whatever he could while earning a bad reputation.

The graphics in this game are pretty good. I generally do not expect photo-realistic graphics from a sandbox game like this. But the scenery although it is bland most of the time, is done quite well. Many of the rocks, mountains and hill sides look very good. The main character is modeled very well. You can tell he is a hardened man with a shady past. Although the main character is highly modeled the lower you get with characters that you interact with the less detail they have. The Horses look very good and are animated quite well.

Some issues with the graphics are there is some clipping and other small fragments. Also there was one point where one of the side characters was giving a speech and the game was not rendering him where he was supposed to be. He was jumping all over the place. Sometimes on screen sometimes behind an animal and sometimes I was just wondering where he was at all. Also one complaint I would have about all RockStar sandbox game is the detail in the female faces. Even the more main characters do not look that good. They can be decent but never are the strongest.

The sound in this game is done pretty well. I do not notice anything out of the ordinary. The voices of each character are done very well. They have allot of that western accent and slang to make this game believable. The guns sound decent although there is not much of a difference between each of the guns that I can hear. The variety in each characters voice is nice and you are always able to tell which character is talking.

The AI is about average. The criminals and bandits that you come across in this game are not super intelligent. But they are smart enough to take cover and try to surround you. This helps bring some difficulty to the game without taking away from the story line or making you try some area over and over again.

The story is somewhat largely hidden. You know the main character has been sent to this area to capture one of his old acquaintances dead or alive. Some of the back story is slowly revealed during game play. Although I am not sure why they revel something or why the main character changes his mind on what information he is willing to give. But overall the story is strong and well written.

The controls for the game can be a little confusing at first. There were some of the mini missions that I had difficulty with at first and I had to keep trying and trying on things like roping and herding. But once you get ahold of them the game will get easier. You also have the 5 finger fillet mini game that is basically like “Simon Says”. So once you figure out the button presses you can go pretty fast.

Overall this game is really well done. The presentation of the game is done well. The characters are interesting and very well done. RockStar has put together another top notch game that could and if possible should become another strong franchise for them

Garphics = 9

Gameplay = 9.5

Story = 9

Presentation =9

Overall score = 9.125