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PSN Is Back And So Is My Will To Live

Nicholas Lohr — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:44:00 +0000

Last night, Sony’s Playstation blog updated with news from SCE President Kazou Hiari that the Playstation Network was finally ready to return. We heard rumblings of the service being restored. Hours earlier, the company pushed firmware update 3.61 to Playstation 3s in preparation for the network’s rollout. Version 3.61 brought no new functionality but merely prompted users to change their login password when the network was finally restored in their area. Beginning around 10pm EST, Sony started it’s first phase of putting the network back online. New England states from Maine to New York were first to get hooked up as servers around the country began to proliferate the various bit and bytes necessary to resurrect Sony’s mighty service.

It felt a bit like election night as fans watched for updates on the Playstation Blog, eager to see their states get filled in on the map. Next came the southeastern U.S. and California, followed by the rest of the east coast, and beyond. Like a child on Christmas Day, I sat cross-legged in front of the television, trying to login as I waited for the network to reach Philadelphia. Finally, around 1:30AM my Playstation 3 prompted me to change my password. PSN, it’s good to have you back.

Twenty-four days since its network was hacked and subsequently taken down, Sony restored partial online functionality to its online infrastructure. The key features are there such as online gameplay, voice chat, friends lists, Trophy syncing, as well as Home & Qriosity services. Missing most notably from PSN is the Playstation Store which is still down. No word yet on when the digital storefront will return but Sony fans eager to get back online will no doubt welcome this development. It’s been a wild three weeks. Who’s up for some Portal 2 co-op?

Review: Portal 2

Syn — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:17:01 +0000

The original Portal basically caught everyone who played it completely off guard. It was the product of Valve Software’s time-honored tradition of benevolently devouring smaller companies and teams that they think are being unique or creative. Conceptually beginning as a student project being made at DigiPen, the game (and its creators) were picked up by the company with the intent of fleshing it out in Valve’s proprietary Source engine and turning it into an actual retail product. When it was released in 2007 it amounted to a tiny three-hour-long sliver of the multi-game Orange Box, Valve’s flagship release of that year which included heavyweight names such as Half-Life and Team Fortress. However, it ended up being one of the most original products in recent recollection, both mechanically and thematically. Now, we are seeing the release of a big-budget sequel to the small but remarkable game. It takes the concepts put forth in the original, refines and expands them with a good helping of the series’ signature black humor. It is a formula for a sequel worthy of the Portal name. Any scientist would agree.

I dare anyone reading this to name a game in which you laughed out loud during the base-line tutorial sequence. I bet you either can’t, or have played Portal 2 already. Seriously, this game is really funny. That is the first thing that jumped out at me when I sat down to review it. It’s not like I wasn’t expecting it to be, as the first one was amazingly humorous, but it’s worth noting that when Portal came out back in 2007 no one playing it was yet acclimated to the off-kilter universe it takes place in. Going into the sequel, part of me was worried that the magic would be gone since I already knew all about the fictional cake, weighted companion cubes, and the homicidal computer pulling the strings. Thankfully, the writers of this game are great at their jobs and don’t resort to rehashing old jokes or memes as if to say “hey, remember that game we made that was pretty popular 4 years ago?” Granted, it is the same type of writing (i.e. everything with a mouth or vocoder basically hates main character Chell’s existence and lets the player know it), but it all feels fresh. Some of the most creative insults I have ever heard lie within this game’s dialogue.

Whether you’re unaware of Stephen Merchant, or you love listening to the Ricky Gervais Show as you play partypoker or Halo: Reach in the evenings, he’s bound to make you chuckle, and that’s before the other members of the cast make an appearance.

However, we don’t often come to games for the writing alone. This game is one of those rare instances where almost every elements of it conspires to create a gestalt. At no time did I feel like the story, dialogue, game play, art, and music ever felt disparate. Going one step further, every facet that makes up Portal 2 helps to enhance every other aspect. This was something that was notable about the original Portal–how cohesive it all felt–but it is more impressive in the sequel because of the increased scale. The core gameplay remains fundamentally unchanged. Players again take on the role of Chell, a young woman trapped in a vast underground research facility run by a megalomaniacal computer system named GLaDOS and must try to escape her endless tests using only the series’ staple “portal gun.” For those of you readers who don’t know how the game’s played, this gun shoots portals into walls, one entrance and one exit instantly connecting the two. Generally, each level is a “test chamber” (akin to a devious obstacle course) with a beginning and an end, and players have to figure out how to use this singular mechanic integrated with various other environmental tools in order to traverse the chamber and complete it without dying. The puzzles this time around have grown in complexity due to the inclusion of several new gameplay elements. For instance, lasers and blocks to manipulate them with have been included, as have gels that increase your run speed or jump height when Chell is on top of them. Even with these additions, the levels are typically designed to only utilize a few of them at a time as not to overwhelm players, and the game generally does a great job of tutorializing their uses when new elements get introduced. There were very few instances where a new puzzle piece got integrated in which I wasn’t immediately sure how I needed to use it.

A special call out needs to be made to the level design. Seeing as Portal’s levels are far more opaque than most games’ (they manage to make the almost all the game’s inherent conceits part of the point) it is easy to notice that they are designed well. And they get challenging fairly quickly. Sometimes, I would hit a point where I was not sure how to progress, and then after being away from the game for a little bit the answer would appear to me bright as day. As with the first, this game really requires that you leave all previous understanding of spatial relationships at the door in order to best surmount its challenges.

The only section of the game that I was not completely enthralled about was a portion of the middle that takes Chell outside of the standard testing chambers seen throughout the rest of the game. I won’t spoil any of the story stuff leading up to this (it had me laughing constantly), but without a discreet start and end point, I found it was far easier to lose sight of where to go. Rather than being ingenious puzzles, these rooms felt like pixel-hunts that tasked me with finding the two walls in the room that I could lay a portal onto. Besides this momentary lull, the game maintains a good clip throughout, winding through its absurd plot beats and passing players from testing chamber to testing chamber, each with an increasingly more complex design.

Mechanics aside, the game also looks and moves great. This mostly flows out of it’s clean techno-organic art direction, but technically its no slouch either. Valve’s Source engine never ceases to amaze me, and it has a few new tricks to show off here. It may not be able to push as many pixels as some of its counterparts (I did notice some rather ugly aliasing on various shadows throughout the game), but it is incredibly versatile. Valve knows how to use their engine like no one else, and therefore Portal 2 looks up to modern standard even on the 8 year old engine. There are lots of little details to satisfy the eyes. Each chamber has plenty of moving parts, some necessary and others superfluous, but it all looks and animates wonderfully. I got the sense that despite being run entirely by machines, the Aperture Science Enrichment Center is a living entity as GLaDOS continues to rebuild the damaged facility around Chell.

This would not be a proper review without mentioning perhaps the most talked about new feature to come to the series: Co-op. I have not yet finished every co-op course, but those that I have completed have left a very good impression. The rules remain fundamentally the same but with the addition of a friend and courses designed to capitalize on the two-player experience. Players take on the roles of two robot test subjects named Atlas and P-Body. The co-op campaign is structured differently, as there is no real story to speak of (though GLaDOS does not cease the constant beratement, especially towards the player who’s “losing”). Rather, there is a hub world from which all of the other co-op courses stem from. Each course is made up of 7 different testing rooms (some of which have multiple parts) and generally has some kind of theme mechanic tying it all together. For instance, one extensively utilizes “hard light” bridges, which as the name suggests are made of light but are impassable. Many of the courses use the idea in intriguing ways, such as having one player navigate an obstacle course and have the other push buttons to remove hazards from his or her path. To that end, successful navigation is very reliant on good communication. Thankfully, the game gives players all the necessary tools to coordinate their efforts, including a “ping” function that lets players highlight elements of the world they want their partner to interact with as well as full VoiP support. I had very little trouble with the game’s voice chat functionality and cannot wait to see more Valve games employ this custom API. The game keeps track of several different elements of play, such as number of steps taken or portals fired, displaying them on a scoreboard in the hub. In addition, Team Fortress 2 style microtransactions make a return here, though are purely cosmetic. This, however, suggests to me that Portal 2 might become a type of content platform in the same vein as Team Fortress 2, which would be very appreciated.

As I mentioned, part of me was a touch hesitant going into this game as I was not sure that the original Portal needed or could support a much expanded sequel. However, upon playing it through I would recommend this game to anyone. Fundamentally, it is more Portal but expanded and augmented as to make a better, even more fleshed out experience. The core single player is lengthy but doesn’t outstay its welcome by routinely changing up the rules of play, and the co-op is a well thought out addition that adds many more hours of enjoyment. Chances are, if you care about PC games like I do, you already have played and beaten this game. But on the off chance that what I have to say about the game will sway someone’s opinion, please buy Portal 2 as soon as possible. It is a very funny, endearingly demented and mechanically unique experience that would be hard to replicate elsewhere.

Geohot Settles With Sony

Nicholas Lohr — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:54:15 +0000

George Hotz, aka Geohot, the hacker who cracked Sony’s Playstation 3 protection code, has settled with the Japanese electronics giant. Amidst a series of sensational legal proceedings, trips to South America, group attacks on the PSN, and more, Hotz has decided to settle and accept the terms of his surrender. The conditions include the following actions which Hotz must not do:

Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling any portion of [a] Sony Product.

Using any tools to bypass, disable, or circumvent any encryption, security, or authentication mechanism in [a] Sony Product.

Using any hardware or software to cause the Sony Product to accept or use unauthorized, illegal or pirated software or hardware.

Exploiting any Sony Product to design, develop, update or distribute unauthorized software or hardware for use with [a] Sony Product.

Failure to comply could cost him fines ranging from $10,000 to $250,000. No matter which side you stand regarding Hotz’s actions from a philosophical standpoint, it’s a shame to see he won’t be contributing his obvious talents to the world for quite some time, at least not for Sony platforms. The same guy who unlocked the iPhone should seriously considering applying to work for companies, helping them lock down their system. Guy obviously knows his stuff. Regarding his case with Sony, Hotz said, “It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier. I’m happy to have the litigation behind me.”

Meet Uncharted 3′s Villain, Katherine Marlowe

Nicholas Lohr — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 07:00:35 +0000

Last week, Sony and Naughty Dog corralled members of the gaming press to unveil the bane of Nathan Drake’s existence in the upcoming PS3-exclusive, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Katherine Marlowe is the series’ new antagonist and from the sound of things, she and Victor “Sully” Sullivan have a past. Scandalous!

In typical Uncharted fashion the short clip is jam-packed with intrigue and the series’ trademark wit and style. Seeing bits and pieces like this only makes the wait until the game ships in November that much more difficult.

Review: Killzone 3

Nicholas Lohr — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:51:17 +0000

The story of Killzone 3 picks up mere moments after the events of the last game. Series protagonist Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko, Rico, and the rest of the ISA forces are left stranded behind enemy lines, deep inside hostile Helghan territory. The third installment in Sony’s vicious sci-fi shooter is a direct continuation of the ongoing space saga, yet players new to the franchise need not worry. While Killzone 3 tells a more ambitious tale, the storytelling is not necessarily its strong suit. Long-time fans of the franchise might be pleased with the game’s conclusions but those simply looking for great moment-to-moment combat and a thrill-ride of roller-coaster proportions are going to get a lot out of the experience. Developer Guerrilla Games puts its best boot forward when it puts players on the ground, gun in hand, chaos reigning, against an army of red-eyed soldiers.

Killzone has quickly become the Playstation’s hallmark shooter, packing all of Sony’s recent technological initiatives into one box such as Move and 3D support. As far as your eyes and ears are concerned, Killzone 3 is a sensational treat. There’s substance to this world with many layers and no detail left unchecked. Ash floats through the air, snow crunches under the weight of footsteps, the metallic grown and pneumatic hiss of the Helghast jetpack, and the satisfying twangs of the game’s weaponry are parts of a much greater audio-visual landscape. Of course, the sequel has seen some much-needed tweaks and improvements to its core mechanics which make actually playing the game a more enjoyable experience.

Controls feel much better this time around, fixing the slow and down-right laggy shooting of Killzone 2. Things are much snappier and more responsive. While the combat feels better, the same can’t be said about the game’s use of six-axis for turning valves and placing explosives. Luckily, the game’s cover system has also seen improvement. Moving in and out of cover is much easier while running towards safety and hitting the trigger results in a nifty slide which now feels like a no-brainer and is extremely satisfying when you pull it off.

Critics of the last game’s setting felt there were too many destroyed cities in varying shades of brown and grey. Killzone 3 fixes that and offers more variety in terms of environments as well as gameplay. From Helghan jungles to snow-covered factories, the game features more locales in a diverse color palette. Vehicle missions break up the action and offer some variety in terms of gameplay, almost to the detriment of the experience. While the basic gunplay of Killzone 3 is finely tuned, certain vehicle sections make the game feel unbalanced. The campaign is pockmarked with sections where the difficulty suddenly skyrockets. Generally these were relegated to a few on-rails sections piloting the gun of a ship or tank where I found myself dying without really knowing why. In these moments, it felt more could have been done to give players some direction.

While the action is intense it is often cut short, falling victim to the hackneyed storytelling. Throughout the campaign, Sev will clear only a room or two before the screen fades to black to begin another cutscene. It constantly disrupts the flow of the experience and one can only guess there had to be a more elegant way to tell the story. It’s a shame considering how much effort Guerrilla puts into creating its first-person perspective. Sev controls with a sense of body and weight and is not merely a moving camera. By jumping back and forth like that, the game detracts from the immersive quality of the first-person perspective the studio so expertly crafted.

Apart from Malcolm McDowell’s portrayal of the Helghast arms dealer, Jordan Stahl, most of the cast is forgettable. The story falls flat because it is filled with unlikeable characters which is a shame considering the potential in the desperate situation between Sev and Rico. However, by the tenth time Rico disobeys an order and runs head-first into a fight, players are just left rolling their eyes. Other story issues include an odd moment where a scene from early in the game is revisited but with different results. It’s a jarring oversight that makes the whole thing feel like an after thought. While the stakes are high, the gravity of the story never hits home which hindered my desire to press on. However make no mistake, while the storytelling may be underwhelming, actually playing the game is an entirely different, worthwhile, and enjoyable experience. The combat feels great and responsive which is why the online multiplayer is such an addictive feature.

Five soldier types make up the online classes which include the Marksman; a sniper class, Medic, Engineer, Infiltrator, and Tactician. Each class feels unique and if teammates do their job, using their soldier’s abilities, it really can turn the tide of an online battle. A leveling system is in place, allowing players to unlock new weapons and upgrade the abilities of each class. Want to increase the speed of repairs? Drops some points into the Engineer’s repair tool, and so forth. While these classes are fun, it’s frustrating to see guns can’t move between different classes. If you like playing as a medic but don’t enjoy the three primary weapons available to that class, you’re out of luck. It would have been nice to mix and match guns to the various classes. The series’ trademark mode, Warzone, is back. This online mode is a mix of several game types such as Team Deathmatch (referred to in-game as Bodycount), a king-of-the-hill variant, capture the flag, and more which changes several times throughout one session. It keeps things fresh and can be incredibly rewarding.

There’s no denying the people behind Killzone 3 not only understand the architecture of the PS3, but get what it takes to make a beautiful game with jaw-dropping setpieces and a quality multiplayer component. While it’s a shame to see the single-player story get bogged down with so many issues, there’s no denying there are so many things to love about Killzone 3 then there are things to hate. The series keeps upping the ante in terms of action as well as quality which makes me hopeful to see just how far this franchise can go.

Legal Dispute Blocks PS3 Shipments From Europe

Nicholas Lohr — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:51:08 +0000

The legal battle between Sony and electronics manufacturer LG has had a shocking new development. LG has just been granted a temporary injunction, blocking all shipments of Sony’s Playsation 3 console into Europe for a period of ten days. All PS3s are currently being stockpiled in a Dutch warehouse while the patent battle ensues. The Guardian broke the news of the latest update in the bitter patent dispute. LG’s claim that Sony infringed on several of its Blu-ray patents when manufacturing the PS3 has resulted in Sony scrambling to recover from this latest blow.

If found guilty, the British publication reports, Sony “could be forced to compensate the South Korean manufacturer for each PS3 it has sold around the world, which could cost hundreds of millions of pounds.” Shipping an average of 100,000 consoles to Europe each week, Sony is reportedly doing everything it can to get the ban lifted.

Batman Arkham City Announced, Dated

Nicholas Lohr — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:40:31 +0000

Since its reveal at 2009′s Video Game Awards, the sequel to Batman Arkham Asylum had yet to be given a release date or even a proper title. After months of speculating, some online detective work, and fervent fan anticipation, the team at Rocksteady is finally ready to give more details regarding the Dark Knight’s next adventure. Game Informer broke the news via a reveal of the magazine’s next cover-story.

Batman Arkham City will be coming coming to PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in Fall 2011, almost two years after it was teased. By the looks of the cover images, Catwoman is likely to appear, as well as the possibility of co-op gameplay. For more information, check out issue 209 of Game Informer as it hits a magazine rack near you.

Source: Game Informer

LittleBigPlanet does the Limbo

Nicholas Lohr — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:47:08 +0000

After all this time, the online community for LittleBigPlanet is going strong and level designers still manage to impress us with their latest creations. LBP user bra2008 has taken one of Xbox Live’s newest hit titles, Limbo, and given it the Sony twist. Limbo kicked off this year’s “Summer of Arcade” promotion. Heralded by many as this year’s Braid, the game is a haunting puzzle platformer that does incredible things in terms of design. Stark contrasts between light and shadow, a mysterious world of black and white, a lone boy awakens in the woods and presses forward, looking to escape. The minimalist design choices enhance a strong foundation of platforming which takes players across levels ripped straight from an arachnophobe’s nightmare. Fans of Ico, Portal, and Braid should check it out. In the meantime, this certainly makes the wait for LittleBigPlanet 2 a little easier.

Source: Kotaku

Infamous 2 Revealed

Nicholas Lohr — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:55:31 +0000

Today via his Twitter account, Associate Editor at Game Informer Philip Kollar announced the cover story for the July issue is the reveal of Infamous 2. The sequel to 2009′s open-world superhero sleeper hit, Infamous 2 looks to be bringing back more of the trademark lightning powers, morality mechanics, and sandbox goodness. Game Informer reports developer Sucker Punch “hopes to raise the bar even higher.” Coming with the sequel are “A new look for hero Cole MacGrath… a new city, new powers, and a powerful new foe…” There’s certainly more Infamous 2 news to be had as E3 is mere days away. Like its predecessor, Infamous 2 looks to be a PS3-only affair. Game Informer subscribers can expect to read all about in July’s issue.

Source: Game Informer

The God of War Art Exhibit

Nicholas Lohr — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:17:06 +0000

After a colossal launch on the PS3 in March, the team behind God of War III’s visuals, concept art, and 3D assets are getting a chance to display their work for the masses. The Gnomon Gallery is highlighting the hard work done to bring life, character, sense of scale, and incredible imagination to the God of War universe. Utilizing classic Greek sensibilities combined with sheer brutality, the art demonstrates how much talent really permeates the game development space.

The Gnomon Gallery in Hollywood is known for putting on exhibits that highlight video game art and conceptual work having just recently displayed works by the famed talent behind Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2..

“The Art of God of War” is set to debut Saturday, May 29th.

Source: Kotaku